Favourite places

A while back I had some trouble with my Internet banking - used someone's computer and therefor had to , in addition to the regular password, also answer a security question. The question - "what is your favourite travel destination?" - now how am I supposed to remember what my favourite place was last year - 3 attempts later and I had no access to my account and had to phone Canada for a new password.

Got me thinking that I should probably start to actually keep a list - the order will probably change from time to time as my mood does, since favourite places doesn't just get there for the beauty or awesomeness, but also for those special memories that was made there - good time and unforgettable people...

So here goes some of my favourite places (in no particular order and sure to be updated)

• Sossosvlei (Namibia) - best sunsets ever
• Okaukuejo waterhole - Etosha
• Cairns - above and below the water
• New York
• Isle of Skye, Scotland
• Rome - Sistine Chapel
• Sydney
• Cape Town
• Knysna, SA
• Barberton, SA - view from Bulembo
• Mpumalanga escarpment, SA - yes all of it
• Barra Lodge (and Manta Reef), Mozambique
• Saskatchewan skies -especially on a cold clear spring evening with Northern Lights
• Banff, Lake Louis and the Rockies, Canada
• Whitehaven Beach and Whitsunday Islands , Australia
• Franschoek Valley, SA
• River No2, Sierra Leone

.......and yes, many more

(Photo's: Saskatchewan, Whitehaven, Lake Louise, River No.2)

Go Bokke

I can clearly remember the 1995 Rugby World Cup, from the first game SA Australia, crammed into the room/hallway of Olympus Medical Res to that final, watching at my parents house in Pta and the absolute party atmosphere for what seemed like weeks afterwards. This RWC was a bit different, but I will remember it as fondly, not only for the result, but for the show of friendship I received.
No satellite TV and "random" internet connections meant checking the result online. Each time the Bokke won I got excited with few to share it with. But that all changed 2 weekends ago. When I heard our boys made it into the semi-final, I needed to find a place to watch. At first Sandra said "I'll go with you, but has, never seen a rugby match", then Frans and then the next one and the next. By Sunday 14th the Springbok supporters has grown to 9. A quick lesson (white board and all) touched on the basics - 15 a side, run and kick forward, pass back, try to score a try - 5point, then convert, penalties and drop goals, line out and scrum. Couldn't help but thing of that old Casper de Vries sketch with "Raggabusch". But, off we went to Alex's a local sports bar and restaurant in Aberdeen - overlooking the sea, not to bad food, expensive drinks.

So the semi-finals went well, and then came the final. The place was absolutely packed. More expats that I've ever seen or though would ever get together in Sierra Leone. Lots of English, but everyone else seemed to root for SA (no big surprise there). Few SA flags flew and a faint "shozaloza" was heard under the "Swing low...", but we had the last say. Lets face it, the game was not the best ever, the end-result great and I think deserved, but it will sure be a day I remember.

Die hond het my beskuit....van die tafel af gesmeit (nee nie rerig nie, ma ek laaik die song)

Sorry, but this one has to be in Afrikaans….. want rusk is nou maar een maal net nie beskuit nie – Dip a Granny werk net nie.

Ja, soos meeste Afrikaner in die buiteland is beskuit altyd een van die dinge wat ek die meeste mis. Ek’t een redelik onsuksesvolle poging tot karringmelk beskuit gehad in Kanada (iets wat ek toe later danksy Google agterkom is nogal nie ongewoon nie).

My nuwe skoonsus is nogal ‘n kranige bakster, so die keer het ek haar hulp ingeroep vir ‘n resep – ‘n maklike een!!! So, na ‘n paar keer se herinner kom dit resep toe - so ewe per SMS –

• Meng 2k suiker, 2 k karringmelk, 3 eiers en 500g margarine
• Voeg 1kg bruismeel, 4k All Bran, 1tl sout en 2 k muesli
• Sit in gesmeerde pan en bak 1 uur by 180C.
• Sny met sker mes en droog 4-6 ure by 100C
  
  My response – All Bran , soos in die kelloges flakes of bran soos in semels en hier’s nie Muesli nie! Antwoord – Ja, die flakes bran en meng oats en klapper, neute en rosyntjies saam vir muesli.Sterkte.
  
  Ek’t dit nodig gehad, want hier in Freetown is niks soos ‘n vinnige stop by die P’nP met alles wat jy nodig het nie. Bestandele bymekaar maak is ‘n 4-dag proses. Stop by Freetown Supermarket - geen karringmelk of muesli. All Bran kos Le 19 000 – (>R40) vir ‘n 700g pak (no name brand). Neute is oor die R50 vir klein pakkie – so verseker uit. Koop toe maar die All Bran, oats, long life melk en klapper. Google toe maar die karringmelk besigheid en 3 opsies – 2/3 jogert met 1/3 melk; eetlepel asyn in melk of eetlepel kremetart in melk – ek besluit op die jogert (tuis gemaak deur een van my huismaats, en mooi een kant gehou vir my.). Muesli is toe volgense almal (veral Amerikaners wat saam my bly) cranola of crunchli. Meng oats, klapper, paar anys saadtjies met heuning en bak in die oond ( ruik heerlik !), maar niks neute en rosyntjies die keer nie.
  
  Teen die Vrydag aand weet al 10 mense in die huis hier word “rusk” gebak – en dis iets soos biscotti (oven-dried bread klink net nie te lekker nie). Die Hollanders weet darem wat die is en sien uit om te proe. Maar ek kom ook agter daar’s ‘n onsekerheid of 7 ure se bak ooit die moeite werd kan wees. So begin ek toe die proses 19:00 op ‘n Vrydag, aan. Meng als mooi, kry tot broodpannetjies in die kas – krap die roes af. Nou vir biejtie ekstra opwinding – ons het net ‘n gasstoof (gelukkig, want elektrisiteit is maar min), maar die termometer se wyser is af en die deur mak nie behoorlik toe nie, so dis maar bid vir die beste . On die deur toe te hou – draai ‘n besem of mop om teen die handvatsel, leun ‘n 25liter kan water (of kookolie) op die stok om dit in plek te hoe en dis toe!
  
  Uur later, ruik die huis absoluut heerlik, broodjies gly sommer so uit die pannetjie. Ek’s natuurlik te lui om te wag tot dit ordentlik afkoel, so sny-sny maar versugtig. As dit krummel, kla ek nie, want dis ‘n lekker happie. Terug in die oond. Ek’s moeg en gaan slaap.Stel my selfoon vir 1:30am. Traag om op te staan, maar dinge lyk goed. In dei humiditeit hier kan niks buite staan nie, so pak weg– een roomys bak vol vir die huis, ‘n “secret stash" net vir my. Terug bed toe.
  
  Saterdag oggend sit ek onder die gazebo, heerlike see bries wat teen die heuwel opkom, ‘n koppie lekker koffie en my beskuit – dis mos Boere Troos (met beskuit).

Caesar, again...

So, Caesar came to the clinic again on Wednesday. Now telling us his name is Abdul Aziz Kamara , but mom was very eager to tell us she calls him Caesar because he was born by C/section (lucky mom and boy, only 5 in 1000 births in Sierra Leone is by C/section = Too few!).

This time there was a bonus, as his cousin who was the actual patient was feeling much better, so she played along.

Sandra took some pictures, thanks!

The big ones that didn't get away

I've often enjoyed watching the activities of fisherman - from the one's standing on the beach at Henties in Namibia, the fishing boats coming in on the West coast of South Africa, the daws of Mozambique and the ice fishermen with there skidoo's in Saskatchewan. But of all there, the most time consuming and tiring method seems to the fisherman on the beaches of Aberdeen, SL (and probably the rest of the West Africa coast for all I know).

Although watching them many times, I'm sure there's still some finer details of the process I'm missing. But basically as follows - a few men (4-8) push the boat over the sand into the sea, they swim and get in, paddle a bit deeper in (seems simple enough), but now the don't just catch off the boat with a net. A net ( a funnel shaped one) is put in the water, ropes tied to the ends is brought to the shore and tied to palm trees or poles. Haven't measured yet, but easily more than 200m apart. Few hour later, they start pulling on one end of the rope (net) to bring it to shore. This can take hours. When the net starts getting closer to shore, the other end is also loosened and another group of about 5-10 start pulling from that end while walking closer to the first group. Metres and metres a net comes in (empty), has to be rolled up while pulling in and eventually at the end - fish.

This whole process and hard work amazes me and it's a bit hard to imagine doing all this 1 or 2 times every day for only a few fish. And now I know, It's for that one day, that BIG catch!!! The catches started coming in Thursday at about 16:30. By 20:30 we decided to investigate (and hopefully buy some fish, since I've been craving a Fish Braai (BBQ) for weeks. There on the beach absolute darkness was hundreds of people around two huge piles with literally thousand of fish(cowrah is the local name, but who knows what the real name is). Bought 6 huge ones for Le 50,000 ($16), but if we hung around there I'm sure we would have got some for free.

And... today I eventually got the long awaited fish braai (with apricot jam and garlic butter, mmm), rounded off with some sweet potatoes, salad, garlic bread and ice cream with chocolate sauce - I am content!