Swahili is heavily influenced by
Arabic --
salama is a common greeting -- so "Dar es Salaam" makes sense in both. It's commonly
abbreviated simply to "Dar".
Good things to know should you ever visit:
- There are two rainy seasons, the short rains during November - January and the long rains from March to May -- the words summer and winter have little meaning this close to the equator. June to August are the coolest and most pleasant months on the coast.
- Dar is the 4x4 capital of the world for a good reason: even in the city centre the roads are narrow, congested and frequently flooded during the rainy seasons. Outside the city centre -- even in the upmarket suburb of Oyster Bay where expatriate contractors, aid workers and embassy types live -- most of the roads are poorly-maintained dirt tracks that quickly turn swampy when it's wet. It's best to hire a local driver (about $35 a day at the time of writing) but if you must drive yourself, make it a 4x4. And check your insurance.
- The high ex-pat quotient and lots of tourists means plenty of really good restaurants -- the City Garden restaurant in the business district is a wonderful leafy retreat from the bustle and serves an excellent pulau nyama (grilled baby goat with fragrant rice).
- Malaria prophylaxis is non-negotiable; a mosquito net and/or insect repellent are a good idea. Don't drink the water.
- Dar is well-supplied with internet cafes and everybody who's anybody carries a GSM cellphone. For $25 you can buy a SIM starter pack that includes connection fee and prepaid talk time; text messaging is popular and at least one of the cellular operators offers an SMS to email gateway so you can bombard folks back home with very short messages singing the praises of the beach.
- Among the best souvenirs are tie-dyed and batik fabrics in vibrant colours, the printed cotton wraps with Swahili mottoes called kangas which most of the local women wear, and the local "tinga-tinga" artwork -- try the art centre at the Morogoro Stores in Oyster Bay.
- "Karibu", meaning welcome, is the Swahili word you're likely to hear most often. "Jambo" or "Mambo" are the common informal greetings but it's not really polite to use them to elders: if you want to impress use "Shikamoo" instead. "Habari ako" is "how are you" to which an appropriate response is "mzuri" or "good". "Asante (sana)" means "thank you (very much)".
- Be warned: Dar is beautiful and sweet and compelling and likely to get under your skin.