Kenya vs Tanzania

It's been a few days (or maybe weeks) since I wrote last time, but I'm back!! I've spent close to a week in Mombasa, Kenya and I thought it would be appropriate to write a compare and contrast blog entry: Kenya vs Tanzania.

So what is actually different and similar in these two countries?

The first thing I noticed stepping on Kenya soil was the English. Almost everyone in Kenya speak really good English. That's not often the case in Tanzania. It made it a little easier for me to make myself understood but also to understand the Kenyans. Nevertheless, it was kind of odd since I was used to greeting everyone in Swahili in Morogoro and elsewhere in Tanzania, but now all I got my "how are you my friend". Oh, no what happened to the very handy "mambo - poa" phrase???

Besides this of course Tanzanians almost seem a little bit more crazy in love when it comes to soccer. The Kenyans didn't seem to sport the favorite soccer jerseys as often as their neighbors down south. But I'm pretty sure they are very familiar with Manchester United and the rest of the premiership teams.

I also found it striking that you are able to get almost everything in Mombasa and a lot of it were produced in the country. That's not really the experience I have had in Tanzania where a lot of things are imported from Egypt, Middle East, Turkey, UAE, India and China. Nevertheless I felt very dumbstruck when I asked about the Champions League Final a few weekends back and the response I got from the Father at the local Catholic church in Matombo (a rural village in the mountains 3hrs from Morogoro) - "we are changing from analog to digital tv so at the moment so the channels aren't working". Huh!! Digital TV here in Matombo!! Yikes! Oh, Gustav stop being hysterical and stop having stereotypical pictures of rural Africa. They are closer to modern society than you think.

As far as drinking alcoholic beverages concerns of course you can buy Tusker in both countries. Though this Kenyan beer is produced under license in Dar es Salaam for the Tanzanian consumers. Konyagi (the local Tanzanian gin) is likewise a popular spirit across the border. But I was able to stay away from it and tried some locally produced Kenyan Wine. Did you know that Tanzania is the 2nd largest wine producing country in Africa after South Africa! I did not! Quality wise? Well, the Kenyan white was was so-so, but the red was okay. I probably wouldn't serve it at a wedding, but for a Saturday playing cards and eating tacos it was perfect.

The sad thing about visiting Kenya was that in Mombasa there is a thriving working-girl business (my airport taxi driver even asked me if I wanted to pick up some prostitutes), but also a lot of homeless people and almost everyone seemed to be chewing Khat (or Mirrah). The latter being illegal in Tanzania but legal in Kenya. Sure, I do know people chewing in Tanzania, but my experience has been that people do it mostly at home or with friends. In Kenya, specially the taxi drivers, buss drivers and the tuk-tuk drivers almost all had a bulging right cheek and a plastic bag next to the steering wheel. Some were probably fine, but we did have some sketchy drivers who were clearly under the influence and did not really know what they were doing. I can't really say I have seen any prostitutes in Dar es Salaam or any other parts of Tanzania. I'm pretty sure that they exist here as well, but it was so blatant in Mombasa and neither have I seen many homeless people in Tanzania. Sure both countries have their share of very poor people, but still it seemed like there were even more outcasts (many times disabled people).

My last note on Kenya and the Tanzania is that there any waaaaay many more Wazungos in Kenya than Tanzania. Ok, maybe I'm a littler biased here since I was staying in the Mzungo town of Diani Beach, but even in Mombasa there were plenty. Driving around in Dar es Salaam I rarely saw any white people. Maybe Kenya is a prime target form British tourists but also other Europeans and Americans and is just simply more famous than in southern neighbor. Things seem to be a bit more accommodated for the tourists coming to Mombasa and especially the beach resorts. The supermarkets sold all the things you are used to see back home going grocery shopping.

So to give a short summary: Kenya (+) for English and the supermarkets (-) prostitution, drug use and social outcasts. Tanzania (+) few instances of prostitution, drug use and social outcasts but also for being and it is more Tanzania and not Mzungo country (-) I don't speak Swahili so sometimes its tricky to communicate