Dar es Salaam had a style and charm utterly different from Soviet cities, which struck the Soviet inspection team as both novel and pleasant.
The Soviet natural environment seemed innately tinged with melancholy and oppression, whereas East Africa was the complete opposite—like animals galloping across the savanna, brimming with the passion and vitality of a tropical nation.
Of course, not every tropical country was like this. India, for instance, was so stiflingly hot that the whole country seemed steeped in lethargy and indolence. Without air conditioning, many tropical regions were the same. Perhaps one land raised one kind of people.
While everyone else toured and sized up the urban scenery of this unfamiliar country, Belogorye, the Soviet urban designer, looked deeper.
"Dar es Salaam bears obvious signs of planning, and this planning differs greatly from the urban designs of Europe and America today. The entire city design is full of deliberate integration, and there is no stinginess in its use of land," Belogorye said.
"Comrade Belogorye, could you be a little more specific?"
Belogorye rested a hand against his chin and analyzed, "In today's capitalist countries, urban construction evidently places greater emphasis on efficiency of use, especially in the arrangement of industry."
"With the exorbitant land prices in Europe and America, streets and residential districts are cramped and roads are narrow. East Africa is the opposite. It is clear that East Africans place great emphasis on the comfort of living spaces. Their residential density is neither too high nor too low, yet everything necessary is in place."
"Along the way, we saw quite a few parks, sports venues, and some strange-looking facilities in Dar es Salaam's urban districts."
"I suppose those were exercise facilities provided by the East African government. Unfortunately, the vast majority of East Africans had no holidays