Where to buy spices in Tanzania

I am in Tanzania at the moment. I haven't had much time to take pictures, except one or two at the hotel where I am staying at, but my first impressions of Tanzania was much the same as my first impressions on Uganda. One thing I know for sure now is that the African countries on the east side of Africa are much more tourist orientated than the ones on the west coast. What I also find is that communicating with the locals is also much easier because most of them can speak English, while on the west coast I seem to struggle a bit to get the message across in French and Portuguese.

It was rather interesting to see how many South African companies can be found here. Brands like Shoprite, Game, Spur, Vodacom are only a few of the many that I have seen on my first day here. The traffic like in most African countries are hectic, but much better than in Angola. At least they drive on the same side of the road than what we do back home. Apart from my work related objectives, I was also instructed by my wife to get her some spices. Tanzania, especially the island Zanzibar is famous for its spice trade with Arab countries from many years ago. From day one I was looking out for stalls on the side of the road that might sell spices, or maybe a market or something. After not seeing any I decided to use what is probably the best source of information in any country...the locals. My driver, who despite speaking Swahili is quite capable of English as well, was such a person. I was however rather disappointed when I asked him "Where is the best place to buy spices in Dar es Salaam?" and he answered "Shoprite".

I guess even Africa is not what it used to be anymore. Maybe I must just check the duty free shop when I'm on my way back home...or Shoprite in South Africa.