I need to be close to Dar for my flight to Madagascar but don't want to be in the city and so have come to Bagamoyo for a couple of nights. It's on the coast, 70kms north of Dar, which puts it a 2 hour drive to the airport at silly o'clock when I'm travelling but a 4 hour journey in Dar's notorious rush hour traffic.
For four short years, 125 years ago, Bagamoyo was the capital of German East Africa and before that it was an important coastal town for trade. With this in mind it's not surprising that many of the sights are now fairly crumbly.
The German boma - administrative building:
The German customs house:
The most exciting and lively part of Bagamoyo today is the beachfront fish market preparing and selling the day's with neighbouring stalls selling delicious deep fried fish and the dhows, sails billowing, in the background out at sea.
As the town's importance has waned so too has the wealth of the people and there are warnings to take care of your possessions. However, I found it friendly and welcoming. I chatted to the men playing the ubiquitous chequers game and then discussed world politics, the royal family and fishing with other interesting characters I met!
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