Best Fruit Cake Recipe ever

Guys, you have to try this, it works like a bomb - everytime!

 Tequila Fruit Cake recipe :

1 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup water
1 tsp. salt    
1 cup brown sugar
Lemon juice
4 large eggs
Nuts
1 bottle tequila
2 cups dried fruit

Sample the tequila to check quality
Take a large bowl; check the tequila again to be sure it is of the highest quality..

Repeat.

Turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl.
Add 1 teaspoon of sugar. Beat again.

At this point, it is best to make sure the tequila is still OK. Try another cup just in case.
Turn off the mixerer thingy.

Break 2 eegs and add to the bowl and chuck iin the cup of dried fruit.
Pick the fruit up off the floor.

Mix on the turner.

If the fried druit getas stuck in the beaterers, just pry it loose with a drewscriver.

Sample the tequila to test for tonsisticity.
Next, sift 2 cups of salt, or something.

Check the tequila.  

Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.

Add one table.  Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find.

Greash the oven.

Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over.

Don't forget to beat off the turner

Finally, throw the bowl through the window.
Finish the tequila and wipe the counter with the cat.

~deshhert rosh~

Steel Magnolias

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We have a theater in Dar rather fittingly called The Little Theater.  Every once in a while when we feel really culture starved, the local amateur actors put on a small production and we all meander down there for support.  It usually is a real laugh as there is bound to be someone you know in the cast and actors and audience alike take part in the fun!  A particularly hilarious scene was in Mamma Mia, when a good looking older lady played the part of sexy Tania and got fondled by a "beach boy", who in real life happen to be a surfer looking lad in grade 9 at the International School..."Does your Mamma know" indeed?!
 
So Wednesday night Frangipani and me headed down to The Little Theater for Steel Magnolias.  Remember the movie with Dolly Parton, Julia Roberts and Sally Field that made us laugh aloud and cry uncontrollably?
It is the story of several small town women who's lives revolve around meeting in Truvy's, the local beauty parlour.  It's all about friendship and love and loss. The plot is rather predictable, but even so, I could not help leaving the theater a little teary eyed, loving, appreciating and missing my girlfriends more.

And yesterday life happened and two of my dearest friends received bad news that caused broken hearts and many tears.  Aan my vriendinne...sometimes my words are just too insignificant and all I can do is give you a big hug, make you some cottage pie or sit with you under the stars and sip wine...not saying much...just sitting...
And if I am too far away, there are always The Girls, rallying around, laughing, talking, crying, drinking...being me, there for you...I love you all and miss you terribly!

Andizi

Our little piece of Africa

                                               (Photo: Ryan Wienand)
Long story short.

Yes, I did fall in love with this guy I met in a bar, and yes, I won’t, but others will, vehemently say it because of the ever-present khaki fever..... we won't dwell on the point. And yes, he did end up owning a piece of Africa.

And so we got married, and with that, I also now obviously own a piece of Africa too!

Just came back from our spot in the bush – Lukula. And wow, my soul is restored, by head back in place and my body cleansed of city rat race.

Nothing like spending time out there, looking up to the clear skies at night and seeing the stars pop up in place. Nothing like the smell of a camp fire in the bush, the smoke on your hands, your dusty feet, candle lit dinners on sand banks and the low rumble of a male lions gentle roar when you lie awake listening to the deafening silence of Africa....

Come and visit us….. it’s an experience beyond words.

www.lukulaselous.com

~desert rose~

vuvuzelas in dar!!

                                                                                 (www.rjrossphoto.com)

Wooohooo for Tanzania..... and vuvuzelas!!

What fun! Tanzania played Brazil last night and we decided it's time to dress the part, get the vuvuzelas and support our team!

We all piled into a local dala dala (specially arranged for us) and set off to the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam. We all had the trademark vuvuzelas that are available all over South Africa for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, with us and we took on the job of being proper football/soccer spectators!

Our fellow supporters were very impressed by the vuvuzelas and we had great fun entertaining them with the hooting and blowing throughout the game!
But I must say we did get sideward glances every now and again.......
it was like, come on guys, SHUT UP! You are making TTOOOOOOOO much NOISE!

We had a blast and even tried to see if a vuvuzela can do the job of being a beer glass.......

down down down down

Enjoy the World Cup everybody and support your teams!!

~ desert rose (with ringing eardrums!)~

Yoga - For the Conscious Living

Wow, what a way to start a Saturday morning in Dar es Salaam.

I found myself (at a decent time!) this morning amongst a sea of deep purple, bright blue and happy gray yoga mats, facing the Indian Ocean and focussing on my breathing with so much content.

I started practicing yoga early January this year at the Colosseum Gym in Haille Selassie Road for the only reason - I was curious what the fuss was about.

Vinyasa Flow, Hatha, Ashtanga, power yoga - it was all just a mix of words!

I couldn't have asked for a more inspiring teacher - Taraneh - she completely got me into yoga for the rest of my life.
She was incredible and I'll always say thank you to her. She has sadly left us mid-May to go back to Canada and I had to find another person/teacher to fill her spot.
Luckily another great teacher - Helen - decided to teach Tuesday mornings. at the gym and I was happy again..... (08:30 - 09:45/10:00)

Heard via the grape vine that I had to try Satya's classes at the Thai Village ( Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 08:45 - 10:15)
First day there had me yearning for more - it was intense and I felt wonderful afterwards.

I also decided to attend his classes on Saturday Mornings ( starts at 10:00) at the Fitness Centre (you turn right off Kimweri Rd after the fallen down Baobab on a dirt road - Centre is at the end of the road) and I just thought that I had to let all the Dar es Salaamites know about this.

Come and stretch, position your body in poses unknown to yourself, test your balance and breath in fresh air......

~desert rose~

Colourful khangas and Soulful Saris...

I love bright colours, this is apparent in the outrages colours I can't resist at the beauty salon. Every time I go I promise myself to make a responsible choice, naturally nude or obviously aubergine. But who can resist Royal Flush Blush or Miami Beet so I find myself walking out with a fabulous Tipsy Tartpedicure and manicure that will probably not match 80% of my wardrobe.

Thus my fascination with the beautiful khangas and kitenges of Tanzania makes sense. The bright colours and beautiful designs attract me like the Miami Beet at the salon I just can't resist.

Each country or culture has its own traditional fabrics and designs but its only recently in South Africa that the sweswe pattern has been made fashionable again. This is not the case in Tanzania. The lack of any clothing manufacturing industry and the ridiculous import duties on clothes coupled with a burgeoning cotton trade have kept the khanga and kitenge fabric alive and well. Anywhere you go in Tanzania you can see woman wrapped in colourful khangas or dressed in beautifully taylored kitenge dresses.

Buying these fabrics in town is an experience, town is an experience! Uhuru street is a bustling hub of wholesalers and individuals all vying for your attention 'Dada, dada angalia!'(Sister, sister come see). Here you can smell Africa in the cooking fires and the rotting garbage, feel it in the dust between your toes and the sweat dripping down you back and see it in the beautiful patterns on these fabrics. I always go with a promise to myself not to buy more than I can carry but at tsh 5000(R27) a khanga and tsh 6000(R32) n kitenge who can resist.

Tanzania is a melting pot of different cultures; Chagga, Massai, Indian, Arab, Europeans and Chinese. It is no surprise to find a vintage sari shop hidden away in a dilapidated building where shelves and shelves of carefully hand stitched and beaded vintage saris in silks, organza and cotton are stored. A short friendly greying Indian man urges you to touch the 100% organza with hand beaded patterns and feel the vintage pure silks on your skin.

So Saturday I walked away with arms full of treasures to be turned into tablecloths, napkins, curtains and cushions to remind me of this beautifully diverse country I called home for three years.

maisha

Hakuna Matata etc

Recently heard read…

“more than 300 million people in the world speak English and the rest, it sometimes seems, try to. It would be charitable to say that the results are sometimes mixed.

Consider this hearty announcement in a Yugoslavian hotel: ‘The flattening of underwear with pleasure is the job of the chambermaid. Turn to her straight away.’ Or this warning to motorists in Tokyo: ‘When a passenger of the foot heave in sight, tootle the horn. Trumpet at him melodiously at first, but if he still obstacles your passage, then tootle him with vigour.’ Or these instructions gracing a packet of fast food from Italy: ‘Besmear a backing pan, previously buttered with a good tomato sauce, and, after, dispose the cannelloni, lightly distanced between them in a only couch.’

Clearly the writer of that message was not about to let a little ignorance of English stand in the way of a good meal. In fact, it would appear that one of the beauties of the English language is that with even the most tenuous grasp you can speak volumes if you show enough enthusiasm – a willingness to tootle with vigour, as it were.

To be fair, English is full of booby traps for the unwary foreigner. Any language where the unassuming word fly signifies an annoying insect, a means of travel, and a critical part of a gentleman’s apparel is clearly asking to be mangled. “

(from Bill Bryson: Mother Tongue The English language)

Now lets take Swahili. Fusing Arabic with the African Bantu, the word Swahili is derived from Arabic Sawahili meaning ‘the language of the coast’. The correct word to describe the language is Kiswahili and the people who speak Kiswahili as their mother tongue, are Waswahilis.

A fine language, full of many onomatopoeic, monosyllabic words that appeal to anyone vaguely interested in picking them up. Take ‘lala salaama’ (sleep well) for example, or ‘sasa hivi’ (right now – why oh why does that one jump out at me…?!). These phrases are heavy with meaning– exactly what is intended. Although one must be honest – I definitely had more success from the first phrase regarding rest and relaxation, than the latter which seemed all too much in the slow pace of this marvelous land.

Again from Bill Bryson: “Usually in English we strive to preserve the old spelling at almost any cost to logicality”. In Swahili – not so – its all as it sounds. Not that one ever has to go as far as spell, lets be honest. But it is within realms of possibilities...

There are many great websites to help and perfect our day to day Swahili:

http://wikitravel.org/en/Swahili_phrasebook

http://www.jambokenya.com/jambo/swahili/swahil03.htm

http://www.word2word.com/course.html

Post Script Note:

One sentence rather notable on the wiki page:

Stop! Thief!

(saying this in Swahili could likely result in violent death for the thief at the hands of self appointed vigilantes. your item may or may not be recovered.) Simama, mwizi

Rather practice your Swahili in the privacy of your own home, then?!

~ hibiscus

Lost in a Salvador Dali Painting

The Ngorongoro Crater Lodge

The name alone – Ngorongoro Crater - conjures images of grandeur, a landscape so mighty it takes any breath away. After stepping off the vehicle to absorb our first view of the crater, I could hear us all take in a lung full of air… and as we exhaled the condensed mist moved away from us and over the Crater rim to join the thick white blankets spotted around the edge. I have never known such a natural emerald green – all around us, hills upon hills of rolling velvet. I gave a shudder, slightly overcome by my senses, and headed back to the vehicle for the warmth of my blanket.

It’s an extraordinary thing – a view. It consumes you entirely and embeds itself deep in your memory. An overwhelming sense of inferiority- comparatively, and yet it feels comfortable: as it ought to be. The colour of the crater through an afternoon mist, everything slightly ethereal and intangible. The dark thunderclouds in the distance moving swiftly over the plains on the floor. It inspires a great human emotion – gratitude, appreciation for witnessing such a spectacle.

Meandering down towards the rim’s edge, the Ngorongoro Crater Lodge is hidden inconspicuously behind a small boom. The crowds are noticeable on the roads, but as soon as we enter the Crater Lodge grounds all of that is forgotten. Our fabulous French friends remarked “Il est juste comme Alice au pays des merveilles!” (It’s just like Alice in Wonderland!) There is no white rabbit running around mentioning time – time has no place here. This is another world.

The architecture is inspired by the maasai Manyatta – mud and stick homestead style. That mixed with flamboyant fabrics, rich silks and decadent dining is your world here, and every now and again you are reminded you are in the bush by the nyati (buffalo) grazing on the lodge grounds. At no point is reality allowed in the gate.

The game in the crater was, needless to say, incredible. Overstocked with hyena, lazy lions and big tuskers, heavy with ivory. However for me this was not the highlight. The sheer magnitude of this caldera, and the beauty all around is what won me over, hands down.

&Beyond have done an incredible job here; the management and staff are flawless, attneding to your every need and going as far as to advise your footwear for the day, depending on the weather conditions. If you can find fault here, your expectations of African 5 star are seriously out of kilter.

Mind you, who can fault a Dali?

~ hibiscus

Kili(man)jaro Challenge

And so Dada Dawa, Moo and I joined Impi and The General on their Kiliman Adventure Race last weekend in Moshi.

The Kili(man)jaro Challenge (if you are extremely brave) consists of 3 challenges all in the space of about 9 days!

1. Climb Mount Kilimanjaro over 6 days

2. Cycle around the base of Kili in 2 days – 246km

3. Run a full marathon – 42,2km

Brave Impi and The General decided to choose one and do the cycle around the base of our own snow-capped mountain. What a great weekend filled with sweat, dust and gorgeous sceneries!

We all met in Moshi on Thursday the 25^th of February at Bristol Cottage, quaint and very comfortable. Dinner was at Indo Italiano (highly recommended) where carbo-loading was in the order of the day. Delicious pizzas for starters and pasta for main course…. We couldn’t resist the odd Kili or 3, just to make sure!

After a restless night in anticipation of the big race and Moo making sure we know she’s also in the room, we had an early start, bikes were loaded onto the car and we were off to the Keys Annex Hotel to start their two day journey around Kilimanjaro.

Moshi was fresh and the cool weather was very welcoming. As per Tanzania style everything kinda went as plan and the guys were ready to go at 07:30 as per schedule……. But……. A few of the participants didn’t have their bikes yet.! While everybody was ready to fire away, these poor guys were loading their bicycles of the truck that arrived, checking tyres frantically and making sure the water bottles were filled up. I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself – there always will be some or other drama!

15 minutes later the shot went off and the race started. We cheered from the side and wished our loved ones a safe and adventurous ride!

Months of hard work were about to be put to the ultimate test! No one had any idea what the next 95km was going to be like. What the road conditions were or if their muscles would keep up. So brave, so very very brave!

Dada Dawa, Moo and I went back to Bristol, wrapped up and set about our journey…… With just a few sketchy directions, no GPS and rather ok Swahili we drove out of Moshi to our half way stop – Snow Cap Cottages. All we knew was that is was on the other side of the mountain.

Kilimanjaro was standing proud and clear. It couldn’t have been a finer day!

We had an awesome drive through villages, up passes, through forests and were pleased to find the first riders at Snow Cap when we arrived. Quick lunch and we went back to see if we could find our men.

The General was in top form, but couldn’t wait for the end of day 1. We cheered and informed him with great pleasure that there is only 5km left – yeah!! But I must admit -probably the worst 5km of dirt road I’ve seen in a long time…… and I’ve been around this country! We didn’t ofcourse tell him that…

He finished with a great time and we headed back to find the other half of this cycling party. Tired to the bone, but still strong, Impi also wanted to know how far the end was……. “almost there Love, almost there” was the answer!

What a day! They did so well and we were so proud! We encouraged stretching and went ahead and massaged the sore muscles. After and early dinner everybody was off to bed.

After another restless night with basically no sleep, Impi got up and put on his gear. I couldn’t believe he was actually going to get on a bike for another 150-odd kms! Team Accu-Check made sure their Camelpacks were filled up with water and all the energy drinks, squeezies, dried bananas and other paraphernalia were in place.

Spirits were high as they set off (on time): there were promise of more downhill than the previous day!

Dada Dawa found out that we could follow them and that there is only one road, so we couldn’t really get lost! With Kili to our left and Kenya to our right, we followed the riders.

We passed beautiful sceneries, sunflowers as tall as houses, wheat fields and friendly-faced kiddies running next to the vehicle.

The roads were rough, but I am sure that didn’t matter as most of it was downhill .

We caught up with Impi and then with The General. They were surprisingly looking and feeling good! We wished them good luck and went to the finish line.

The General was first to finish, and Impi followed not too long after covered in dust (I probably had something to do with that! They all shouted and screamed as I passed them on the dirt roads with dust flying!

Beers and cheers were all around ! They finished – which was the ultimate goal!

So brave, oh so brave!!!

~desert rose~

The Green Hills of Africa

Once a journey is designed, equipped and put in process, a new factor enters and takes over. A trip, a safari, an exploration, is an entity, different from all other journeys. It has personality, temperament, individuality and uniqueness. A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing and coercion are fruitless. We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip, a trip takes us.

John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley

Mount Meru, from Rivertrees, Usa River.

On the road, Dar es Salaam to Arusha (Usa River), the most beautiful 9 hour journey made slightly more endurable by the presence of g&t's.

Rivertrees Country Inn, Usa River

To start with: the drive from Dar es Salaam to Arusha has a reputation close to that of Tiger Woods at the moment - happily poo poo'ed by everyone. We were slightly hesitant but determined to drive, and in retrospect I am so glad we did - it's now up there in our 'must dos' for those living in Dar es Salaam.

Roughly 600km, it took exactly 9hrs each way. Sisal bushes changed into coffee plantations, and by mid afternoon we had reached Rivertrees. We were warmly welcomed in true Tanzanian style, by Joel the assistant manager. The setting is quite exquisite, perfectly manicured lawns littered with grand old trees.

After humid and heated Dar, the green oasis was a relief. The rooms are simple but very comforting, and the four poster beds well- pillowed. Delicious meals were served in the dining room, complete with a blazing fire and large glasses of red wine. Msafiri was always happy to supply yet another fresh bread roll - straight from the oven and lathered with butter. I am not sure who could resist?! All in all exactly what we needed, coming from a totally different climate, and most definitely a relaxing start to a surprisingly energetic safari.