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We travelled to Tanzania, but in a weird way it wasn’t our decision to go to that country. It was more in the hands of the Swedish government and its Foreign Services. Sounds peculiar, I know, but it was what it was.
If you’ve read our blog you know that in 2014 we were engaged to be married under a waterfall in Sri Lanka. The following year I asked V to marry me, one romantic evening under the stars in Cuba. And she said Yes!
So as soon as we got home we started to look for Swedish embassies where the staff were authorized to perform the act of marriage. What we found was that very few embassies had that kind of authority, at least among those situated in non-European countries.
We didn’t want to break our habit of visiting far-away lands, so what choices did we have? Excluding places where the weather was bad during the Swedish summer (surprisingly many, actually!) there were only two left, one of them in Tanzania. Neither one of us had been in Africa south of the equator, so we decided: That’s where we’ll be married!
So on June 20 the following year we fly from Copenhagen to Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania. Traveling into an unknown town from its airport I always try to get some first impression of what life’s like there. What to expect. Guide books often warn about areas or hours when it’s not safe to walk the streets in Dar es Salaam, but we get a distinct feeling of a green and modern city and friendly people. This will later prove to be mainly true.
We have booked a room in a really nice hotel called the Southern Sun, just a few blocks away from the Swedish Embassy. And in the room there was a bottle of champagne, red roses in a vase and a note congratulating the newlyweds. We ignore the little mistake (we’re not married yet) and finish the bottle.
Southern Sun is a truly great hotel. There’s a restaurant with outdoor seating on a veranda facing a beautiful garden. Beyond it there’s a park proudly called “Botanical Garden”, where we the first morning spot some monkeys on the ground. Later we’ll see a couple of herons in a tall tree. In the park we also bump into a man with binoculars, who turns out to be a Swedish ex-cop, now resettled in Tanzania as a safari guide in one of the country’s biggest national parks. We admire the herons together.
In Dar we meet people who live a dangerous life in Tanzania and in some neighbouring countries. They run the constant risk of being killed, dismembered and having their body parts sold as talismans to bring good fortune. They are albino, a mutation relatively common in this part of Africa. Their white skin really looks out of place here, and their stories are heartbreaking.
Albino children are often sent to special boarding schools, for their own protection. Their situation in the villages are way too insecure. But the unfortunate consequence of this is that they’re isolated, and in the rest of society they continue to be alien and unaccepted. There are organizations fighting for their rights, spreading knowledge about what albinism is, and trying to convince lawmakers and judges that those who benefit from the trade in albino body parts must be punished. Which isn’t always the case today.
Finally our big day is here. The elegant clothes deepest down in our backpacks are picked up and put on. We walk the few blocks to the Swedish Embassy and must have made a damn pretty sight in midday Dar es Salaam. We’re met by two officials who make sure the correct forms are filled in, and then we’re presented to the ambassador herself who is the one that will officially wed us. And she does and we are so happy!
We have our wedding dinner in a spectacular revolving restaurant on top of a hotel, and “as usual” we’re almost the only guests. The food is great and while we eat the darkening city slowly turns around us. Finally we are served a wedding cake with “Happy anniversary” in caramel letters. We explain the mistake to the waiter who is a little embarrassed. We assure him that no harm is done.
Up next is a visit to one of Tanzania’s most successful schools when it comes to educating and encouraging young girls. The school is founded by Mama Barbro, a Swedish woman who lived for many years in post-colonial Tanzania.
Our top 5 in Tanzania:
1. Antigua
10. Caye Caulker, Karibien
9. Tikal, mayas megastad
8. Nuevo Horizonte
7. Flores, en stad och en ö
6. Semuc Champey
5. Cobán, hos Joan Stanley
4. Xetinamit, indianbyn
3. Chichicastenango
2. Lago de Atitlán
11. San Pedro, Karibien 2.0
12. Isla Mujeres, Mexiko
13. ENGLISH VERSION