Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Introduction Ceremony Western Style




Uganda has many tribes and depending on which region you are in, you are going to be exposed to variations in traditions. When Mum and I went to Muhamad's wedding in 2011, we wore Gomesi because that is the traditional dress for the Buganda tribe. This time we were in the West in the region of the Ankole tribe and the traditional dress is the Esuuka. I have to admit to a preference for the Esuuka as it is much cooler and easier to wear.




The Introduction Ceremony is different as well. Whereas Muhamad's side of the family presented gift after gift after gift to Hanifah's father, this time Sam had already arranged the bride price of cows (I believe 30 but that hasn't been confirmed) and this ceremony was exclusively arranged and executed by the bride's side of the family. So this was a completely different cultural event.

We left home at 7:15am and headed south west toward Rwanda and Tanzania, crossing over the equator where I suddenly felt 3% lighter (Really! You are 3% lighter at the equator! The sign wouldn't lie...) We were headed to Lyantonde, past Masaka but not as far as the town I named in my previous blog post. This town is only 180km away so only took us 4 hours to drive there.

We arrived at the Sky Blue Motel just after 11:30 and then waited for the rest of the groom's party to arrive. Sam had told us that the event would begin at 1 or 1:30 or 2 so we knew we had to wait. We had a soda and chatted with Apollo who sat with us in the gardens of the hotel. Every so often another woman attending the ceremony would come over, smiling, and I would think she was coming to say hello but in actual fact, she was always just coming to take another chair from our table!

Sam arrived after 1 and then everyone went to finish getting ready. Just after 2, we headed back to the vehicles to make a convoy for our arrival. Our van carried Sam's father and uncle (I believe) as well as his brother who is the spitting image of Sam. "No DNA test needed!" he joked as he introduced himself. There were 5 others as well who piled into our van.







The convoy moved to the bride's family's home and we were marched in three by three. We were lined up next to Penelope who had helped me get my skirt twisted around the right way and the suuka shawl tucked in to drape properly but her two friends in front dragged back and we moved up to walk in with a one of their husbands.




The tents were set up in a square with a smaller tent in the middle but first we were taken to a tent at the back of the bride's family's tent, facing away from the ceremony, to eat a huge lunch. Food never photographs well but I tried to take a little of everything including goat, beef and chicken. The whole meal was delicious and once again I was amazed by the amount of food Ugandans can eat in one sitting. I am in awe!




By 3:15 we were again being ushered into aline and this time we moved two by two into the main area. We had been officially invited by the bride's family to join the celebration. Three tents were filled with the bride's family and friends and we were in the tent across from the bride's family. Sam and his best man sat at a table with beautiful rose bouquets all across the front of it.







A few minutes later, a small group of women and three young girls shuffled in (literally shuffled at a very slow pace) and sat in the small tent in the middle. They were all in long dresses and covered in long shawls so we couldn't "see" them. The were probably 12 and in the centre was one woman in a teal blue shawl with flowers, the rest were in plain teal or golden yellow. Obviously the woman in the middle was Rebecca, Sam's bride.








For the next 2.5 hours, the bride's family made speeches. Two men from Sam's tent recited a long and obviously funny poem as maybe an offering to the bride's family or extolling Sam's virtues but the rest was her family. Sam was also presented with a series of pots that are obviously symbolic and three aunties on Sam's side came forward and packed them up for transport home. They gave Sam's best man an exercise book with the list of gifts and as the family members spoke, additional offered gifts were written into the book. These were heifers. If everyone who spoke gave a cow, he must have received 10-15 cows.






Every so often we were entertained by The Angels of the Lord, a singing quartet and once we had an older gentleman in a purple jacket and beret who lip-synced (called mimed in Uganda) and danced around between the tents. It was a little strange...









Just after 6, the women in the centre tent stood up and very slowly shuffled out. Then the MC announced that the event was over and thanked us for attending. We never saw the bride!

We congratulated Sam, thanked Mr and Mrs Lwasa who were sitting next to us for taking care of us during the event, and made a bee-line to the van. We were on the road by 6:30 and home just after 11. Poor Apollo was exhausted! So were we.

An interesting event and an honour to have been invited. This Saturday we will attend the church ceremony which we have been told will last about 2.5 hours and then the reception at the Speke Resort, the most exclusive resort in Kampala. There will be between 400 and 600 guests. It's the first time I have attended a wedding that lasted 2 weekends!

I'll let you know what the next part of the wedding is like. Sam promises that this ceremony will be in English but really, the language isn't much of an issue as we know the basics of what is going on!


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Sunday, January 19, 2014

Getting Ready for a Wedding

After a meeting on Tuesday with Mr Lwasa and Sam, Sam said, "are you free Saturday the 25th?"

Corey looked at his calendar on his phone and replied, "The 25th is a Tuesday."

Sam looked at Corey's phone and clarified, "Not February, January."

Silly mzungu thinking things were being planned over a month in advance!

"I am being given a bride. You two, but not her," he said as he pointed to Asia, "are invited. February 1 is the reception in Munonyo. Everyone will attend that."

So over the next two weekends, we will be involved in Sam's wedding. I was told I could wear a nice dress of my choice but Corey had to wear a suit. I also had the option of wearing the traditional clothing for the Western tribe which is not a gomesu as Mum and I wore to Muhamad's wedding. Of course I volunteered to wear the traditional dress. Today I will go to Mr Lwasa's house to be fitted as his wife is the one taking responsibility for the dresses.

We are not sure what to expect with this "being given a bride" ceremony. Sam does have to pay a bride price which will include giving her father many cows (between 20 and 30 depending on who you ask.)

According to Ediga, we are travelling to Ntungamo, a town past Mmbarara so at least 250km away and a good 5-6 hours drive. Apollo thinks we will have to stay overnight and that we will be served a lot of local food including milk and beef as they are cattle herders. He also thinks there will be a church service on the 1st followed by a reception where everyone is invited and possibly an after-party. Because it is a different tribe, the traditions vary. He's not sure about gifts.

One thing is constant however, weddings are very expensive in Uganda and require many wedding meetings with many people.

Corey has emailed Sam and asked to meet him because as a mzungu, he wants to know what we should expect. It will certainly be a new cultural experience no matter what. I'll keep you posted!


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Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Off to Cape Town... India... Morocco... Dubai... Namibia... Johannesburg!

Before you roll your eyes at the fact that I am "complaining" about the process of HAVING to travel again, you need to know that we do HAVE to travel out of the country. You can ask me why if you don't already know and if you care.

We have been searching for possible ways to spend our week off in February and have changed our mind a few times! We had originally thought about a trek in Ethiopia. Safety was a bit of a concern. Cape Town, South Africa was the place we had decided to go until Corey did a bit more internet searching. Cape Town is listed as one of the 10 most dangerous cities in the world. We are pretty savvy travellers but then why take the risk. We've had people tell us that it's perfectly safe and others say that it is very dangerous. We decided to look elsewhere.

Many hours and searches later (have you tried kayak.com? It's great for this type of thing) we had a list as long as my arm of possibilities including India! We sat down two weekends ago and decided to narrow it down to two places. Corey's pick was Dubai, mine was Namibia. 

We decided on Dubai and started a more intense search of hotels, flights and activities to do. The underwater restaurant was crossed off our list when we found that to get a reservation, a pre-approval of $1000USD on a credit card was required to cover the cost of the food. That was a little too pricey for us. We settled on a hotel, found flights, and were ready to sign on the dotted line but just needed to check Corey's medications (they are very strict about what you can bring in in terms of meds - no cold medicine allowed at all!) and visas. Drugs were fine but Canadians are not exempt from needing a visa to go to Dubai. And we need a "sponsor". Those two things can cost over $250 per person and the visa must be applied for in writing from the Consulate in Ottawa and then gets mailed back to you. So Dubai was crossed off our list.

Namibia was then explored in more detail. We found a few tour companies and investigated various opportunities to trek in the desert. A company called African Budget Safaris was awesome in finding tours that interested us and we decided on a 5 day tour that included hiking, sleeping, sand boarding and camel riding all in the Namib desert on the edge of the Kalahari. Too cool.

But slowly the Canadian dollar has been dropping. And we needed to add accommodation on each end of the trip due to our arrival and departure times. And the flights were very expensive. So suddenly, our five days away were costing close to $1000 per day. While I would love to spend time in Namibia and see something completely different, that tour was crossed off our list.

Back to South Africa. We continued to investigate the African Budget Safaris website and found a 5 day safari in Kruger National Park but that includes four things we have not done on previous safaris: a night game drive, a bush barbecue, two game hikes, and sleeping in a treehouse. Now that sounds cool.

We've added one night before and one night after due to flights but we have also decided to add an extra day and night at the end to visit the cheetah sanctuary and the elephant sanctuary. I get to pet a cheetah, Corey gets to pet an elephant (and maybe even ride one too.)

Nothing is booked yet but this is what the tour looks like. I'll keep you posted as this pre-adventure adventure continues to unfold.

5 Day Kruger Park Treehouse Safari

Tour Duration: 05 days

Summary of this Budget Safari

This trip departs & ends in Johannesburg, South Africa  

 This Kruger Park Treehouse Safari is definitely one of the top budget Kruger Safaris – a must for travellers looking for a totally unique Big 5 wildlife adventure.

From Johannesburg we travel to a private game lodge inside an exclusive Big 5 game reserve section of the Greater Kruger National Park. The Balule part of Greater Kruger offers a remote and superb game viewing experience!

 On our first night we head into this Big 5 territory on an exhilarating sunset game drive that lasts into the night taking us in search of nocturnal wildlife. Along the way we stop at the Marula Tree Boma for a memorable braai in the heart of the African bush, before continuing our thrilling drive into the night. In the early morning we venture into the secluded Kruger Park Private Concession area for a thrilling Big 5 Bush Walk with an armed ranger. In the afternoon we embark on an exciting Big 5 game drive in this private section of the Greater Kruger Park teeming with wildlife.

 Next we make our way to the unique Treehouse Camp where we stay in romantic treehouses tucked away in the trees along the pristine Klaserie River in a private game reserve. Falling asleep to the sounds of Africa's wildlife, the alternative treehouse accommodation gives you a truly wild African bush experience!
We spend a full day game viewing in the world-renowned Kruger National Park, one of Africa’s best game parks, in an open 4x4 safari vehicle. Enjoy unforgettable game drives in Kruger Park, boasting a breath-taking diversity of plants and animals and home to massive populations of the iconic Big 5 of Africa.

 Visit Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre and explore Tshukudu Game Reserve on an afternoon game drive in an open safari vehicle.

 After a morning bush walk with a trained ranger we journey via the spectacular sites of the Blyde River Canyon back to Johannesburg where this fantastic Big 5 Kruger Park Treehouse Safari comes to an end!

Itinerary for this Tour

 

Tour Highlights

  • Big 5 Sunset / Night Game Drive in the Kruger Park Concession Area
  • Bush Braai (barbecue) at Marula Tree Boma in the Private Game Reserve
  • 4 hour Big 5 Bush Walk in the Greater Kruger Park Private Game Reserve
  • 2 hour Afternoon Game Drive in the Private Big 5 Reserve 
  • Full Day of Game Viewing inside Kruger National Park
  • Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre 
  • Afternoon Game Drive in Tshukudu Game Reserve
  • Scenic Panorama Route drive via Blyde River Canyon

 

DAY 1: Johannesburg to Greater Kruger National Park


This unique Kruger Park Treehouse Safari starts in Johannesburg where you will be collected from your hotel or the Johannesburg International Airport.

Leaving Johannesburg, the City Of Gold, we head east into the scenic Mpumalanga Province of South Africa, passing through the Highveld grasslands on our way to the Greater Kruger National Park.
Our first overnight stay is at a Private Game Lodge in the Balule section of the Greater Kruger National Park. Balule is famous for its abundance of birdlife and wildlife, including Africa’s Big Five. In the afternoon there is usually time to take a refreshing dip in the lodge swimming pool, relax in the bar and enjoy the lodge’s lush garden.

In the late afternoon we embark on our first exhilarating game drive in the Balule section of the Greater Kruger National Park. Our sunset game drive takes us in search of the “Big Five” - lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo, as well as various other wild animals.

The evening game drive, conducted in an open 4x4 Landcruiser, is an excellent introduction to our fantastic safari adventure in South Africa’s leading wilderness areas. On the game drive we get to watch our first spectacular African sunset in the bush continuing our exploration into the night. Once it is dark we use spotlights to find the nocturnal wildlife in this private concession, including jackal, hyena, lion, and even elusive leopard.

We stop at a remote bush boma (open-air enclosure) for a traditional South African style barbecue, known locally as a braai. Our delicious dinner is prepared over an open fire at Marula Tree Boma in the middle of the untamed wilderness under starry skies. After our braai, we continue our thrilling night game drive, looking out for nocturnal animals as we make our way back to the safari lodge. If we encounter any exciting wildlife action en route we stop to witness nature at play.

Back at the private lodge we relax and swap tales of our adventures or retire to our comfortable air-conditioned chalets with en suite bathrooms. The safari lodge is set in a lovely subtropical garden with water features and has electric fencing to keep out the lion, elephant, buffalo and other wildlife found in the area.

 

About Balule, Greater Kruger Park


There are no fences separating this 35000-hectare Private Game Park from Kruger National Park allowing the numerous wild animals to roam freely between these wilderness areas. The Olifants River flows through the Bulule Game Reserve attracting a variety of birds and animals year-round.

Balule is home to the iconic Big Five of Africa with buffalo, lion and elephant being sighted the most regularly and sometimes even from the lodge property! Other wildlife commonly sighted in Balule includes giraffe, wildebeest, hyena, zebra, hippo, warthog, mongoose, vervet monkey and various antelope species, such as waterbuck, steenbok, impala and kudu.

Nocturnal animals such as civets, bushbabies, bats, hares, genets, wild cats and porcupines can be spotted on night game drives. Some of the more elusive wild animals found in this part of Greater Kruger include cheetah, African wild dog, bat-eared fox and badger, as well as caracal and serval cat and a variety of antelope species, such suni, roan and sable antelope.

The Greater Kruger Park area consists of various private game parks, such as Balule, that share unfenced boundaries with Kruger National Park proper. Staying in a private game lodge allows you to escape the main throng of tourists, as the Balule game reserve is not open to the general public.

On this exclusive safari experience you get a more secluded bush experience that brings you closer to nature. In the private game reserve you travel on dirt roads encountering much fewer vehicles on your game drives. Another advantage of game viewing in the Balule private reserve is that your qualified guides communicate with each other via two-way radio, increasing the number of wildlife sightings on your drives.
Yet another perk of staying at a private lodge is that off-road driving is permitted in this exclusive game reserve area of the Greater Kruger Park, improving your chances of spotting wildlife in the bush.

 

DAY 2: Greater Kruger to Private Game Reserve & Treehouse Camp


Day two starts with an early morning coffee and some rusks (hard biscuits), before we venture into the private reserve at sunrise. We drive to a secluded part of this Big Five wilderness area where we will head into the bush on foot.

The four-hour Bush Walk is a truly thrilling experience that will get your adrenaline pumping as you walk among the Big Five and other untamed wildlife.

Your qualified guide will be armed to ensure your safety while you follow big game on this unforgettable wildlife experience. Your guide will be able to tell you more about the fauna and flora in this remote wilderness area as you move through the bush at your own pace.

After the thrill of walking in Big Five territory we return to the safari lodge with hearty appetites to enjoy a tasty brunch. In the afternoon we head back into the bush on an afternoon game drive in the private section of the Greater Kruger Park, teeming with wildlife.

After our Big Five game drive we depart from the Private Game Lodge making our way to our next stop – a unique Treehouse Camp.

The Treehouse Camp offers a refreshing alternative to the standard safari accommodation out there, as you stay in intriguing treehouses in an unspoiled bush setting!

 

About the Treehouse Camp


Accommodation at the Treehouse Camp is in romantic thatched treehouses tucked away in the trees along the pristine perennial Klaserie River or overlooking the camp’s floodlit waterhole visited by buffalo and other wildlife.

These elevated treehouses are built out of wood, reed and thatch reducing the environmental impact on the dense untamed bush surroundings. The treehouse accommodation is fitted with electric fans, comfortable beds and mosquito nets, and even includes linen, towels and soap to ensure that you are comfortable even though you are in a tree

The treehouses have their own private ablutions on the ground or en-suite up in the trees and each unit features a wooden viewing deck. Listen to the sounds of wild animals at night from the safety of your treehouse, a truly African bush experience! The secure treehouses blend into the bush, getting you up close to unspoiled nature and its wild animals.

 

DAY 3: Kruger National Park Game Viewing


Today we travel to Kruger National Park’s Orpen Gate in a specially designed game-viewing vehicle.
This custom-built safari vehicle is open-sided allowing for the best visibility game viewing, as well as immersing you in the smells and sounds of the African bush! In addition to not having windows the safari vehicle is also elevated to maximise your photographic opportunities in Kruger Park.

The region of Kruger National Park that we explore boasts one of the highest concentrations of lions in Africa, as well as numerous other predators.  Kruger’s Orpen-Satara-Nwanedzi area consists of open grassy plains that attract large populations of grazers, including big herds of zebra, giraffe and various kinds of antelopes. The abundance of grazers in this area of course explains the high concentration of predators too!

On our game viewing drive we will stop regularly to watch wildlife and rest at Kruger camps and picnic spots, as well as places of archaeological or historical interest.

At the end of a full day of game viewing inside the vast Kruger Park we return to our charming Treehouse Camp rated as excellent value-for-money by Getaway travel magazine.

 

About Kruger National Park


The world-renowned Kruger National Park is one of Africa’s best safari destinations and premier game reserve in South Africa. Covering nearly 2 million hectares of untamed African bush the variety of habitats in Kruger Park are home to a unrivalled diversity of plants and animals.

Kruger is South Africa’s top travel destination offering superb game viewing, including massive populations of Africa’s iconic Big Five - elephant, rhino, leopard, lion and buffalo. This vast wilderness area is inhabited by a staggering 147 mammal species and 517 bird species, as well as a variety of other wild animals and 336 tree species. South Africa's flagship national park, Kruger Park is considered a world leader in advanced environmental policies and wildlife management practices.

 

DAY 4: Moholoholo Wildlife Centre & Tshukudu Game Reserve


After breakfast today, we make our way to the Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre for injured and orphaned wild animals and birds.

At Moholoholo Wildlife Centre you can get up close to some of the wildlife being cared for here, including lions and leopards. After lunch at the Wildlife Centre, we travel to our safari lodge in a private game reserve.
At around 15h00, we set off on an open vehicle game drive in the Tshukudu Game Reserve, home to numerous wild animals, including the Big Five of Africa.

Tshukudu is home to tame cheetahs and caracals that are commonly sighted during high tea in the reserve. In Tshukudu Game Reserve our chances of sighting lions are also very high. This compact game reserve covers around 5000 hectares of bushveld, enabling the game rangers to keep track of the wild animals and improve your chances of spotting them.

We make our way back to the unique treehouse camp after exploring game-rich Tshukudu Reserve.

 

DAY 5: Private Safari Lodge to Johannesburg 


On the last day of this outstanding wildlife safari experience we get up early and set off into the wilderness on foot with an armed ranger.

The guided bush walk gives you the chance to get a closer look at the signs of wildlife activity and the smaller creatures and plants that are overlooked on game drives. It is also a very exhilarating experience because you can encounter big animals like rhino, leopard and buffalo at times.

This early morning bush walk is an excellent opportunity to discover more about the remarkable details of the bush, learning about the fascinating flora and fauna of the private reserve. Your experienced ranger will point out animal tracks and droppings that you encounter on the walk, as well as birds and insects inhabiting the reserve.

Returning from the invigorating sunrise walk we enjoy breakfast before departing from the enchanting treehouse camp. We travel through the beautiful Panorama Route, one of the most scenic parts of South Africa, on our way back to Johannesburg pausing to admire the Three Rondawels and impressive Blyde River Canyon.

In the late afternoon we arrive in Johannesburg bringing the unforgettable wildlife adventure of this Kruger Park Treehouse Safari to an end.

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Ultra Moist Cake

It's Saturday afternoon and so I decided it was time to do some baking again. My "must use" ingredient for today was... Avocado. Our trees are laden with the fruit and we are trying to eat them as fast as Ediga picks them for us but there are times when we have some that are getting too soft to do much apart from guacamole and even guac becomes a bit repetitive.

My father always ate his avocado sweet, never savoury as we ate ours. Mum would make vinaigrette to put in the hole and I would scoop the flesh with a nice amount of dressing before popping it into my mouth. My father always saved his half for dessert where he would pour a little brandy into the hole and sprinkle the avocado with sugar.

So I searched for an avocado cake recipe. Most recipes with avocado are chocolate flavoured but I have no cocoa so I managed to find a recipe that worked with what I had. I now have measuring cups so the amounts are specific. I reduced the sugar and oil content by a third so if you want, you could add another 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup oil but I won't.

Here, I have discovered that there are many varieties of avocado and one is very sweet. However, for this recipe, I just used one that was very ripe from our tree, not worrying if it was a sweet or savoury variety.

Don't worry, the cake does not taste avocado-y and it does not stay green, despite the colour of the batter. It is really yummy and moist.




Avocado Cake

Preheat your oven. The recipe says to 375 degrees. I just heat it up on high then turn it down to the lowest gas level. Works for me.

Grease a rectangular pan.

2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup + 1 tbsp milk
1 very ripe avocado, mashed as smooth as possible
1 1/2 cups white flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

You are supposed to mix your dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. I leave that decision up to you. To me it makes too many dishes to wash.

Beat the eggs and sugar together with a fork so that they start to be a bit frothy. Beat in the vegetable oil. Add the avocado and mix until smooth then stir in the milk.

Add the dry ingredients 1/3 at a time. Fold together with a metal spoon. Don't over-mix.

Pour the green batter into your pan. Honestly, it won't be so green when it's baked.

Bake for 20 minutes. Check for doneness. I had to bake another 5 minutes.

The recipe suggests a cream cheese frosting. I think a lemon glaze (lemon juice and icing sugar mixed together and drizzled on top) would be yummy but I need to find icing sugar...

Corey says that once it is dryer it will be yummy with a white sauce made with milk, sugar and corn starch and served hot. If there is any cake left, we will try that later this week.

Be brave and try it! I'd love to get your feedback!






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Monday, January 6, 2014

Reality Check

School began again today and as we are small school, new enrollments and missing students make a big difference. The classes that are already stuffed full (wishing I could show you the Ugandan hand signal for something that is packed full) are of course the ones who have new students...

It's nice to see new smiling faces. We even have another mzungu! A girl from South Africa has joined us so now I'm not the only mzungu here. Doesn't much make a difference to me but it may make a big difference to her.

Today in assembly, the lead teacher asked the students if they had had a good holiday. Most children said yes but there are always a few who didn't. One girl spent the morning very quietly by herself but when the question was asked if anyone wanted to share a not happy holiday, she raised her hand and shared that her grandmother had died. I later found out that this grandmother was in South Sudan.

A good third of population is not here today. Makes for a quiet environment. Again during assembly, Ms Asia asked for 30 seconds of silence to pray for all our students who are caught in South Sudan and can't get here because they can't leave their families or they can't drive out of Juba. "Many of our friends are caught in the war so we must pray for their safety." You could have heard a pin drop.

We just don't realize how lucky we are.


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