Tsunami Blues

In a strange moment of disbelief, a local loudspeaker in Dar es Salaam made the Swahili announcement that all should avoid coastal locations. A tsunami warning had been issued for Kenya and Tanzania, and effective of 11PM, tsunami was being cautioned.

Though I did not exactly take it seriously, we decided to cut the lecture short, and make our way for the Holiday Inn. Not your typical Holiday Inn, the hotel in Dar es Salaam is surprisingly nice. After 20 minutes on the Internet, CNN confirmed the warning for East Africa. An 8.2 and a 6.0 aftershock had rocked Sumatra in Indonesia.

Though many thought our reasoning slow, our Golden Tulip hotel has an infinity pool flush with the skyline of ocean. As much as I love the sunrise over the Indian Ocean, prudence taught me that it was likely worth the incurred cost of not returning to our hotel tonight. Because the Holiday Inn and Kempinsky were booked, we were recommended a hotel 15km inland, and far from the coast. So we went from the Golden Tulip to the Blue Pearl across town.