Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Rowan and Janey's wedding in Tarkastad!







We had an amazing time at their wedding, it was great to see Rowan and meet Janey. The S. Africa/Scottish traditions were fun to take part in, from the braai (bbq lamb - a whole lamb!), to the bagpiper and to the many many toasts. Rowan also busted out a country song that he sang to Janey, it was quite good - and interesting to see how quickly he has transitioned from a city slicker to a "country boy"!

Tsitsikamma National Park



Today we spent at Tsitsikamma National Park outside of Plettenberg Bay. We had a busy day, starting out with a hike to Storms Mouth, then a delicious cheese lunch at a small cheesemaker's house, followed by a canopy tour. We have never seen such high waves!

Hermanus - whale sightings!




Hermanus is a small town along the Garden Route towards Port Elizabeth. It is known for its whale watching. The whales are a different kind than we see in N. America - they travel to Antarctica after the S. Africa summer.


Monday, October 26, 2009

Cape Town!







Yesterday Brent and I toured around Cape Town. We went to Camps Bay for lunch, and I took a pic at the beach there. It is very beautiful here with the mountains and the water almost everywhere you look (that sounds a lot like Seattle, doesn't it!).



Monday, October 19, 2009

Whale Sharks, Mafia Island and Tree Houses







Last weekend we went to Mafia Island, a very underdeveloped island off the coast of Dar. It was absolutely beautiful. We stayed at a place that had NO electricity, NO running water and the accomodations were open air tree houses. It was amazing. Mafia is known for its whale sharks, which is not only the biggest shark, but also the biggest fish (great piece of trivia!). They are like whales in that they don't eat people, just plankton and little fish. Unfortunately, we didn't see one, but we had an amazing day snorkeling.

Monday, October 12, 2009

The Himalayas!




Saturday we hiked up to the top of "Gun Hill" in Musoorie to catch a glimpse of the Himalayas. They pronounce it as "ihm-ahl-yus" accent on the second syllable. After we reached the top we all had a breakfast picnic with chai tea - it was a pretty great morning!

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

A busy, but GREAT day!

Field visit in very rural area!




Today I had a busy, but great day! It started out with a field visit, followed by an impromptu stop at a sugar mill and a final stop at a monastary that was built by Tibetans that sought asylum in India. I am loving Mussoorie! Mussoorie is a hill station, situated in the foothills of the Himalaya ranges (at 7,000 feet!).
Mindrolling Monastery










Friday, October 2, 2009

Phnom Penh Delicacy??


Yesterday after our meetings, we went to the Russian Market or "Tol Tom Pong." We saw these and thought they were prawns and considered getting some. They were sautéing them, and it smelled quite good. You can imagine our faces once we realized what they really were... GRASSHOPPERS! Needless to say, we decided to pass on trying them!


Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Leaving for two months!

Today I am leaving for a long, but I am sure rewarding, trip! First stop is Cambodia in which I will work with an MFI that is starting work to support victims of human trafficking. After that, I will head to India for our annual Leadership Summit. Then it is over to Tanzania for two weeks of strategic planning sessions and finally - on vacation in South Africa, for a friend's wedding...

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Mombasa street scene


These houses/ shops remind me a bit of San Francisco with their bright colors. There is a really cool and bustling night market in this area too.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Don't leave home without it...




In the middle of a rural village in Kenya this tiny store accepts AMEX, Visa and Mastercard - priceless!


Safari!






I went on a short safari over the weekend in Tsavo Park East in Kenya, and LOVED it! My favorite were the giraffes; especially this one that was playing peek-a-boo with me! I really thought the gazelle were beautiful too. As you can see, it is really dry; they are in a horrible drought. Almost all of the waterholes we saw were completely empty.



Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Zanzibar Pizza!

Setting up the Pizza stand




Zanzibar Pizza Making - in process!


My colleague and I went to Zanzibar last weekend; which was a lot of fun! They have a specialty at the late night food market called "Zanzibar Pizza". It is beef, cheese, egg, mayo in sort of a pastry shell and then fried. Sounds like a gut-bomb to me! I wasn't able to try it as I had already eaten dinner. You can see in the pictures that they take this very seriously!
I was also able to enjoy a beautiful sunset!






Wednesday, April 1, 2009

My new favorite food - Ethiopian!!


Yesterday I had the best dinner - both food and atmosphere, at Addis in Dar. It is Ethiopian food, which is sort of similar to Indian food. You eat various gravies with a fermented (it is good, just risen) pancake. Pair that with delicious honey wine and top it off with delicious spiced coffee and popcorn. Yum, yum - I will be looking for an Ethiopian Restaurant ASAP when I return.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Kasubi Tombs




Today I went to the Kasubi Tombs, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The tombs are where 4 of the last kings in certain tribes are buried. The descendants (women) from the Kings stay for one month a year at the tomb; then new ones come in. You may think - are there enough descendants to make that work? Well - each of the kings had about 100 children, so it's not a problem!

I also got to met Nicholas, who was my guide. He is quite the entrepreneur! Not only is he a guide for the tombs, but he also owns a soap/shampoo/lotion company and wrote a book (see pic). He also supports his four siblings - from 9 years of age to 20. At 26, that is quite a bit of responsiblity.


Thursday, March 26, 2009

Kampala - an African San Francisco?




Kampala is comprised of seven hills, which makes me think of San Francisco. These are some pictures I took in the very early (yes - I am still very jet lagged!) morning of the city.




Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Flying into Kampala, over Lake Victoria


I flew into Kampala, Uganda last night. It was a beautiful flight in, these are picture of Lake Victoria with the sun going down. Lake Victoria is the world's second largest lake and the source of the River Nile. It also has many islands, which are visible in these photos. Unfortunately I am not that great at taking pictures from the plane!

I am excited to spend time in Uganda, it is very beautiful, hilly and green. Kampala reminds me of San Francisco, it is said to be built on 7 hills. The traffic however - I haven't seen it this bad since Bangkok!