Power cuts

The only problem with Dar Es Salaam - well, one of the main problems anyway - is the fact that there is no 24 hour electricity available anywhere. None!

You read right.

The first time I heard this sliver of information from The Engineer I was like "What!!?? Isn't this the 21st century?" I know it sounds bitchy but I was truly shocked that there were still cities (Dar is a city after all) that exists without what we take for granted.

Tanesco (Tanzania's power company) is the Devil Incarnate as far as I'm concerned. How are we supposed to live without electricity.

You can't do the laundry(not a big complaint actually but I'm trying to make a list here), can't watch TV (!!!), can't use the internet - and that's totally unacceptable.

But despite all this there is a silver lining. Tanesco cuts the power throughout the city from 7am to 7pm from what I know. Buildings with generators like office buildings don't notice the power cuts at all. Most apartment buildings have their own generators as well.

The only issue with apartments is that the gens are not switched on all the time. Like in my apartment building - Garden Apartments on Haile Selassie Road - the generator is thankfully on all day, every other day. On other days, its on about 5 hours during the day.

Not too bad considering some apartment buildings only turn on the gen about ONE hour a day EVERY single day! How very nail biting-ly frustrating!!!

Today's a good day. Its power day. On other days - looks like I'll just have to give the laundry a miss and go out. Come to think of it, power cuts may not be so bad after all!