Strange Victory

Love at First Sight.

2011-11-16T17:38:00.001+03:00

Obsession at second sight.

Heartbreak at price tag.
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Shopping Source.

Happy Birthday, Andrei!

2011-10-29T17:02:00.001+03:00

Creative Juices Flowing.

2011-10-27T05:27:00.002+03:00

This one is bound to cheer you up:

The Black Keys' new single "Lonely Boy" is out today digitally. On November 25, as part of Record Store Day's Black Friday series, it will be released on 12" vinyl backed by "Run Right Back".

The new Black Keys album will be out December 6 on Nonesuch worldwide. As previously reported, the album was co-produced by the Black Keys and Danger Mouse.
The cover art for the single, below, features a photo taken by drummer Pat Carney's brother, Michael, who is the band's creative director. The building where the Black Keys recorded their album Rubber Factory once stood in the place of that bulldozer and pile of bricks.

A Place to Call One's Own.

2011-10-21T03:54:00.003+03:00

How many of you had some sort of play house or tree house or something of the like growing up? A place to call your own, a place where you could set the rules. To be perfectly honest I was always quite jealous of those that fell in this camp, instead I resorted to building forts (admitedly they were super awesome, but a legitimate structure they were not).

I stumbled upon this picture and thought it was such an awesome use of space to dedicate to child's play. Let the games begin (and the imagination run wild!).

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Photo Courtesy of.

ManEaters on the Loose.

2011-10-20T03:47:00.002+03:00

Apparently this story is for real:

And the horrific aftermath:

A list of dead animals included 18 Bengal tigers, 20 lions, six black bears, two grizzly bears, a baboon and a wolf, while a grizzly bear, three leopards and two monkeys were recaptured.

Owner Terry Thompson, who had been charged with animal cruelty 11 times since 2004, was found dead from an apparently self-inflicted wound when authorities went to the farm after reports of animals running free.

But this whole mess begs further answers about the dealers of exotic animals. How? Why?

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Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/5817626/Wild-animals-on-loose-after-keeper-suicides

Loaded Baked Potato with a Twist.

2011-10-18T03:35:00.001+03:00

This recipe is a fun twist on the classic comfort food -- a loaded baked potato. It is brought to you via one of my favorite cooking blogs, Sprouted Kitchen, a blog I find myself following more for its mouth watering photography than recipes, but sometimes the two combine into a force to contend with.

Meet baked sweet potatoes with chili beans.

Ingredients:

Medium sweet potato
Medium sweet white onion
1 tsp olive oil
One large beefsteak tomato (or canned whole tomatoes in juices, if no longer in season)
Two cloves garlic
Pinch of salt
Duck bacon (optional)
1 whole chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (from can)
One 20 oz can pinto beans
1/2 tsp cumin
2 tsp honey or nectar agave
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp paprika
Twist fresh ground black pepper

Chopped fresh cilantro
Chopped green onions
Sour cream or greek style plain yogurt (whole or 2%)

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Pierce holes in the sweet potatoes/yams with a fork, lightly wrap them in foil, and bake on the middle rack for about 45-55 minutes until soft.

2. Cut onion in half and thinly slice into half moon shapes. Pour olive oil into skillet on medium heat, heat gently, add onions and saute until slightly wilted. Cut tomato into thin wedges and add to pan. Add chopped garlic cloves and a pinch of salt.

3. I happened to have some duck bacon on hand (highly recommended!) so I decided to add 3 pre-cooked slices (cut into smaller than bite size pieces) to add depth and robustness to the flavor of the dish. Regular bacon could do the trick, but be careful with respect to adding any additional salt as most store bought bacon tends to be very high in salt content.

4. Dice the chipotle pepper into smaller than bite size pieces and add additional liquids from the can into the onion/tomato mixture as desired according to ability to tolerate heat. I spooned the pinto beans into the pan with a slotted spoon reserving the extra liquid in the can for adding into the pan one spoonful at a time, depending on taste, desired texture, and need to dilute some of the heat from the chipotle pepper.

5. Add the cumin, honey/nectar agave, cinnamon, paprika, and black pepper to taste.

6. Bring mixture to a simmer and reduce heat for an additional 20 minutes cooking time while the flavors combine. Continue to add liquid from the pinto beans to taste and desired level of spiciness.

7. As the sweet potatoes finish, remove from oven and let cool for ~10 minutes. Slice in 1/2 and create a little cavern down the middle. Fill the potato with the pinto bean mixture and add desired toppings. The sour cream/yogurt is a refreshing and cooling contrast to the spice of the pinto bean mixture, while the fresh cilantro and the diced green onions provide a nice, crisp contrast to the sweet potatoes.

Enjoy!

Just Another Day on the Job.

2011-10-05T03:27:00.001+03:00

Today, I learned that my company is officially restructuring and that my group may cease to exist, at least in the form into which I was hired. Oh Joy!

Photo Source: http://completelytotallymadly.blogspot.com/2011/09/oh-monday.html

My New Favorite Band.

2011-10-01T20:26:00.000+03:00

Just as Andrei promised (er, threatened) the title for this post has in fact become true.

One of the most exciting aspects of being home is having the chance to see some of long time favorite bands live. Orkkervil River kicked off a great fall season of live music for us, on our cotton anniversary in Richmond. Felice Brothers rocked out at the long time favorite venue, Black Cat this past Wednesday. And Bonnie Prince Billy will surely put on an unforgettable show at the Birchmere this Sunday. Tickets are still available - come one, come all!

In the mean time, here is a shout out to a good friend who was the first on the welcome band wagon for our arrival into DC. O, Dana.

Vegan Delight.

2011-09-28T05:39:00.000+03:00

As seen at the Mount Pleasant Latino Festival.

Loneliness in a Cup.

2011-09-28T05:36:00.000+03:00

As seen in our new favorite bar.

An Ode to Ripley.

2011-09-22T05:55:00.000+03:00

All dogs go to dog heaven, right?!

Transitioning out of Transition.

2011-09-22T05:15:00.000+03:00

Amidst transcontinental and major life changes, this question seems timely.

Source:
http://2bydesign.blogspot.com/2011/09/waddup-yo.html

Sarah Markes Exhibit.

2011-09-19T18:56:00.001+03:00

Dar based folks -- head's up an an exciting up coming event.

On a More Positive Note.

2011-09-17T00:12:00.000+03:00

As found on Catalogue Living blog.

Gary! One of the dog plates is getting frisky. I told you we should have had them fixed.

Happy Weekend Folks!

New map shows link between food and insecurity.

2011-09-17T00:07:00.000+03:00

A new map of food security risk around the world is, in some ways, depressingly familiar. Sub-saharan Africa leaps out as the place where the most people fear for their next meal, while the rich world has more to fear from obesity. But there's plenty of salutary reminders and fascinating detail, like India's food problems and the vulnerability of Spain.

And it demonstrates the sickening, symbiotic relationship between lack of food and conflict: where one leads, the other follows.

We must start with the worst, in the horn of Africa. In Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea, human failings mean a severe drought has tipped millions into famine. It's a textbook case of why things go wrong. War begets poverty, leaving food unaffordable. Devastated infrastructure destroys both food production and the ability to truck in emergency food. The collapse of society means the effects of extreme weather such as drought cannot be dealt with. And the fear of violence turns people into refugees, leaving their livelihoods and social networks behind.

The recent spike in food prices, linked by some to the uprisings across north Africa and the Middle East, had also hit hard in Somalia. Maize prices in Mogadishu were 100% higher in June 2011 than in June 2010, and the price of sorghum in Somalia rose by 180% compared with 2010 prices.

Sharing Somalia's unhappy ranking as having the greatest risk of food crisis is the Democratic Republic of Congo, where all the factors above apply, plus the impact of as much as half its rich arable land being land grabbed by foreigners. The situation in DRC is simply scary: it is on track to be one of the most populous nations on Earth in coming years.

Turning to India, the new map, produced by risk analysts Maplecroft, reminds us that behind the booming economy of that vast nation, hundreds of millions of poor people remain hungry. Almost half of India's children are malnourished and one in four of the world's hungry poor live there.

"Despite the enormous economic growth India has and is experiencing, it still has very stark income inequality, which is reflected in the malnourishment and infant mortality data," says Helen Hodge, head of maps and indices at Maplecroft. The Maplecroft index, reviewed last year by the World Food Programme, uses 12 types of data to derive a measure of food risk that is based on the UN FAO's concept. That covers the availability, access and stability of food supplies, as well as the nutritional and health status of populations.

Spain and Portugal stand out as very rare examples of rich nations with a medium risk of food security problems. Hodge explains, that while water problems are an issue there, the major reason is heavy reliance on grain imports. Spain buys in 11bn kilograms of grain more than it exports every year at a cost of $2.6bn, while Portugal pays $890m for 3.3bn kilograms.

"Spain and Portugal have made the decision that olive oil and wine exports are more profitable than grain," she says, along with salad crops. So they sell lettuce and Rioja and buy wheat and corn with the profits.

That calculation may change if global food prices continue on their current upwards trend. In other parts of the world, soaring food costs may well ignite further conflict. "It is striking is how much food security plays into the wider picture of unrest," says Hodge.

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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/damian-carrington-blog/2011/aug/31/food-security-prices-conflict

MuralsDC Project.

2011-09-09T14:36:00.000+03:00

How cool is this?!

The MuralsDC project is a program created by DC Councilmember Jim Graham as an effort to replace illegal graffiti with artistic works to revitalize sites within the community and to teach young people the art of aerosol painting. The goal of this initiative is to positively engage the District's youth by teaching proper art techniques, providing supplies, and a legal means to practice and perform their skill in a way that promotes respect for public and private property and community awareness. Site selection was based on areas of the District with high incidence of illegal graffiti as identified by the Department of Public Works and other agencies. Each mural reflects the character, culture, and history of the neighborhoods in the District and interests from business/residence owners.

Check out some before and after pictures:

“Cultivating The Rebirth” Bruce Monroe Park, Columbia Rd. NW off corner of Georgia Ave. (Ward 1)

Lead Artist: Joel Bergner with youth from Latin American Youth Center’s summer program at Roosevelt H.S.

cell phone tour: dial (202) 292-2565, when prompted dial stop no. 2 to hear more about this piece.

“DC 500″ 1208 9th Street NW (ward 2)

Produced by Words, Beats & Life Inc., Lead Artist: Coby Kennedy

cell phone tour: dial (202) 292-2565, when prompted dial stop no. 4 to hear more about this piece.

“Greetings From Deanwood” 4748 Sheriff Rd. NE (Ward 7)

Produced by Words Beats & Life, Lead Artists: Juan Pineda

cell phone tour: dial (202) 292-2565, when prompted dial stop no. 1 to hear more about this piece.

“Changing Gears” Metropolitan Branch Trail NE DC near New York Ave. (ward 5)

Produced by The Midnight Forum, Inc. w/ Street Artists Workshop, Lead Artist: Asad Walker

cell phone tour: dial (202) 292-2565, when prompted dial stop no. 3 to hear more about this piece.

“Sousa’s New Marine Band” 1432 Pennsylvania Ave. SE (Ward 6)

Produced by Albus Cavus, Lead Artists: Decoy

cell phone tour: dial (202) 292-2565, when prompted dial stop no. 5 to hear more about this piece.

“Explore & Learn” Malcolm X Elementary School, 1351 Alabama Ave. SE

Produced by Albus Cavus, Lead Artists: Peter Krsko, Jazirock, Michael Pinnix

cell phone tour: dial (202) 292-2565, when prompted dial stop no. 6 to hear more about this piece.

and one more mural is coming to our neighborhood this fall. be on the look out around mid-November

Safeway grocery store, 1747 Columbia Rd. NW, alley side (ward 1)

“Building Together” 1747 Columbia Rd NW (alley way) (Ward 1)

produced by The Midnight Forum, Inc., Lead Artist: Aniekan Udofia

cell phone tour: dial (202) 292-2565, when prompted dial stop no. 7 to hear more about this piece.

Donkey.

2011-09-06T11:33:00.014+03:00

with a Side of Baby Goat.

Unfortunately my current commute to work does not include a side of baby goat. Alas. Baby Goats are so cute and bouncy.

On a somewhat related note, if anyone is ever lucky enough to find themselves adventuring in British Columbia. I highly recommend a pitstop @ Goats on the Roof, otherwise known as Coombs Country Market.

Also, I tasted goat cheese for the first time in a long long while this past weekend, compliments of the Cherry Glen Farm at the Mount Pleasant Farmers Market. It made me a believer. Swing by our 'hood next weekend and see for yourself. I promise it will not disappoint. For those a wee skeptical, the bacon truly will knock your socks off.
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Source: http://www.isuwannee.com/2011/09/donkey-of-day.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ISuwannee+%28i+suwannee%29

Labor Day Weekend Recap.

2011-09-06T00:16:00.003+03:00

It ain't the Indian Ocean, but it surely is closer to family.
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Photo Credits: #1,3,4 Andrei Sinioukov

Wilco Weekend: Happy Holiday.

2011-09-02T23:30:00.000+03:00

Happy Labor Day weekend greetings brought to you by Wilco. Wilco.

We've got a few announcements and then we're gonna get out of here and fire up the grills for what could be the last time this summer as a world tour awaits. So with that in mind, (Glenn: a drumroll please) here is the next group of North American tour dates. Ticketing info will follow in a week or so.

Nov. 29: Dallas TX Music Hall at Fair Park

Dec. 1: Austin TX Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater

Dec. 3: Kansas City MO Uptown Theater

Dec. 4: West Des Moines IA Val Air Ballroom

Dec. 6 & 7: Minneapolis, MN State Theatre

Dec. 9: Milwaukee, WI Riverside Theater

Dec. 10: Detroit, MI Fillmore Detroit

Dec. 12: Chicago, IL Civic Opera House

Also, less than 150 tickets are left for the September shows in Indy, Toronto (both nights) and Boston. And for all of our North American tour dates (in case you missed the announcement on Facebook and Twitter), we're starting the Fan Video Project this week. Details here (in short, we want you to create a video stage backdrop for the band).

If that isn't enough, we're gonna do a special under-the-radar stream of the new record tomorrow for Wilcoworld only. Here's the deal -- as a reward for your labors, ours, and those of our forefathers/mothers -- starting at 12 Noon Central time tomorrow (Saturday) and for 24 hours straight we're gonna stream The Whole Love in its entirety, at wilcoworld.net. That's right. Your first chance to hear the whole thing is tomorrow. Trust us, you'll be glad you made time to check it out.

Next up, The Whole Love is officially out and in stores on September 27 -- which is less than a month away. Have you preordered yours yet? If not, you can at our store, iTunes, the ANTI- Records store, Amazon and many indie retailers. We suggest you give a listen, maybe check out a couple of the videos we have up on the site, and then pull the trigger and order one for yourself and maybe a couple more for holiday gifts. What the heck, may as well get an early start, right?

More soon. Have a great holiday weekend.

Cheers (sound of bottles & cans opening....)

- Wilco HQ

It All Comes Full Circle.

2011-08-30T02:11:00.000+03:00

From Mount Pleasant to Dar es Salaam to Mount Pleasant via Capetown.

Housing Search.

2011-08-21T16:00:00.002+03:00

Our DC housing search has begun in earnest. And we have met many characters along the way. The considerations have been many - which neighborhood? what price point? year long lease? short term? hotel? roommates? But it was not until we came across this advert that these debatable questions got tipped in a very definitive direction.

As found on craigslist, the authoritative source of housing searches:

$1000 Best. Roommate. Ever.

Konichiwa bitches. Are you looking for the most kick-ass fucking roommate that ever lived? If so, look no further. You fucking found him. I'm a 25-year-old professional marking agent with experience at bad-ass companies like AOL and FORBES FUCKING MAGAZINE. That's right! What you know about experience? I graduated from Auburn University in Alabama, and moved to NYC at a ripe, tender age of 22. After deciding that New York was a stinky shit-hole, I moved back to Alabama to cultivate a more professional experience. Why? So I can make millions of dollars and not have to post shit like this on Craigslist.

Anyway, so I landed a job with a marketing firm in Boston, and I have no fucking clue where to live. My office is located in Cambridge, so I guess I want something in that area. Honestly, I'm moving there in 3 weeks, so I don't give a shit if I have to sleep in your bathtub.

A bit about me: I'm respectful, quiet, clean and I won't bother any of your shit. If you leave shit out, I'm just like, "Oh fuck I better not mess with this shit, because it's not mine." I turn off lights. I clean toilets. Fuck it. I'll even cook for you. That's right! My dad is a chef and taught me everything there is to know about cooking southern cajum cuisine. I'll fry green tomatoes, cover them with marinated crab meat and smother that shit in bearnaise. EVERY. GODDAMN. NIGHT. Don't eat meat? That's fucking FANTASTIC! I'll make a zucchini and yellow squash carpaccio that will knock your fucking socks off.

I also read a lot. I fucking LOVE books. Vonnegut, Palahniuk, Hawthorne. All that shit. I read Tuesday's with Morrie the other day. It's a sad story, but I learned something about life, love, knowledge and the pursuit of something greater than myself. Fucking smart. Do you like movies? I fucking love them. We can watch the shit out of some movies together if you like, or go get drinks, or work out, hike, play video games or play a game of one-on-one basketball, or I don't have to talk to you at all. It's completely UP TO YOU!

Sometimes I play guitar. Are you going to love getting baked and listening to Bob Dylan and Pink Floyd? LIVE? WHENEVER THE FUCK YOU WANT? Of course you are! I'll take requests and learn any song you like, because I have the voice of an angel and the acoustical stylings of James Fucking Taylor. AWWWWWWWW SHIT YEA!

A lot of people ask me, "Hey, you're from Alabama. Are you racist?" And, the answer to that question is, no. I'm not racist or judgmental at all. I love everyone. I'm a secular humanist. I FUCKING LOVE PEOPLE. That's the only requirement to being a secular humanist actually. You have to like other human beings and want to help them for no other reason than they are human regardless of race, religion or sexual preference. WTF?!!!? Pretty fucking cool right?

I own almost nothing! I's driving my car from Alabama to Boston in which I'll be transporting two duffelbags of clothes, one laptop computer, one guitar, one cell-phone with charger, 8 pairs of shoes, one picture frame, probably some condoms and a shitload of beef jerky and Pringles for the trip. Though, you can expect the jerky to be gone upon my arrival. Unless you'd like me to pick up some on the way into the city. See?! I'm the most considerate person you've ever met. I'm offering to buy you shit already!

Am I interested in your pad? You can bet my nomadic ass I am! I only require 4 walls, a ceiling and a floor to shelter me from the elements. Other than that anything else will be considered a convenient plus. I's taking being a roommate to the next level. Email me! I'll hook yo ass up with Facebook links, background checks, credit reports, phone numbers, resumes, references, awards, sexual history, pictures of karate trophies and a list of the top 10 women I'd like to band before I die. If you want a next-generation roommate who consistently blows your fucking mind with awesomeness, then hit me up. I's ready to give you money.

A Beacon in the Dust.

2011-08-20T15:51:00.000+03:00

Iringa, Tanzania
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Beacon Hill, Damien Jurado

Back in the USofA.

2011-08-19T14:45:00.000+03:00

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Low - Especially Me, from here.

And on that note, I am seeking suggestions from readers about what direction this blog should take. Should I scrap it altogether? Keep it going with a new twist? What would people like to see more of - music? recipes? pictures? banal commentary? on urban planning? development? design? useless facts otherwise?

all suggestions welcome, however, consider yourself forewarned, this is not a democracy.

Zoos Get a Bad Rap.

2011-08-04T17:16:00.000+03:00

As seen in the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago:

As seen in Mikumi National Park in Tanzania:

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Music Credit:
Video #1: Mykonos by the Fleet Foxes
Video #2: Loog by The Clean

Hot Shower Made Possible.

2011-08-04T14:00:00.000+03:00

At the Kisolanza Old Farm House.

Adventures in Unexpected Places.

2011-08-01T11:33:00.000+03:00

When people think Tanzania, they think safaris, East African wild life, and Zanzibar. Tanzania has more designated wildlife areas than any other country on earth, with one third of its surface area given over to national parks, game and forest reserves and other valuable protected spaces. And within that, there is plenty of room for diversity and adventure in unexpected settings. Frankly, one of our most impressive trips was to Udzungwa Mountains National Park back in February of this year. I realized I never devoted any blog space to this park, but found that I kept coming up short with words to describe our experience. Instead, I shall borrow from the Rough Guide to Tanzania.

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Even with a thesuarus on hand, it's difficult to do justice to the wonder that is Udzungwa Mountains National Park, an immaculate forest-cloaked wilderness whose 1900 square kilometers are among the most biodiverse on earth. Protected as a national park in 1992, the driving rationale was to conserve the catchments on the Kilombero and Great Ruaha rivers, lifeblood of the Selous and of human populations elsewhere. The authorities of course also knew that the area they were protecting was rich in species, but just how rich continues to amaze. Forget about rare bugs and plants, new discoveries of which are two to a penny, Udzungwa still has the habit of turning up mammals hitherto unknown to science, the latest being the world's largest shrew (60cm from tip to toe), and not just a new species but an entirely new genus of monkey, which turned up at the same time it was also found in Kitulo National Park.

Like the Uluguru and Usambara mountains, the Udzungwas are part of the Eastern Arc, a disjointed chain of ancient mountains whose age and isolation, and a steady rain-soaked climate, has allowed its forests to evolve independently from each other, and quite spectacularly. But whereas most of the Eastern Arc's ranges have suffered major environmental damage over the 150 years, Udzungwa is pristine, thanks both to its unusually steep terrain (limiting human interaction to the lowlands) and taboos. Locals around Udzungwa believe the mountain's forests are the abode of ancestral spirits (a belief that crops up elsewhere in Tanzania in places along well-established primate populations), and as such they restricted access to ceremonial purposes, and for burials. To disturb the spirits or the graves, people say, will bring great calamity, and should anyone dare cut down a mitogo tree, they're sure to become a lion's next meal...The result is the only place in East Africa with an unbroken virgin forest canopy from a low-point of 250m above sea-level to over 2km high, covering miombo woodland, bamboo and lowland forest containing trees 50m tall, to montane rainforest up in the clouds.

Given its exceptionally well-preserved forest cover, Udzungwa's wildlife is rich. The park contains Tanzania's widest selection of primates, its 12 species including the recently discovered kipunji monkey, and four endemics: the Sanje crested mangabey, the Iringa (or Uhehe) red colombus, and two species of dwarf galago or bushbaby. Other primates include the thick tailed galago, blue monkey and black and white colobus. Also frequently seen are buffalo. Of elephants, you are most likely to see their droppings or patches of vegetation flattened by portly backsides. Rarer animals include red-legged sun squirrel, the recently rediscovered Lowe's servaline genet (previously seen seventy years ago), the red duiker, Abbot's duiker, Livingston's suni, bush pig, bushbuck, spiny mice, the comical chequered elephant shrew (named after its trunk-like snout), and also recently discovered Philip's Congo shrew and grey-faced sengi - a truly giant elephant shrew (a wispy 700g). Birders are in for a treat too, with possible sightings of rufous-winged sunbirds or Udzungwa partridges, both of them rare endemics. Other endemics include millipedes, a tree frog, over seventy species of spider, a gecko, a skink, and the pygmy bearded chameleon.

Rough Guides concludes: "You would be insane to give this place a miss".

I heartily agree.

Lurking Danger(s).

2011-07-27T12:11:00.000+03:00

This is the story of Andrei and Matty getting lost. In the bush.

On our most recent road trip to Ruaha National Park we carried three guide books with us. Yes, 3. While this surely sounds like overkill, the thinking was -- we have them, so why not bring them.

En route to the park, according to the uniform advice presented across all 3 guidebooks, we made a quick pit stop in Ruaha's closest neighboring city, Iringa. We reloaded essential supplies before heading off for a couple of days on safari in the park (petrol, drinking water, snacks, and cash...). We noted our exit time (3:30pm) and reset our odometer to clock ourselves headed into the park, we figured we had approximately 3 hours driving time on 120 km of unpaved packed dirt road ahead of us. We feared we were cutting things close if we wanted to get there before dark and set up ourselves to sleep in the park before the park gates close to incoming traffic, but the driving directions appeared to be very straightforward. That is to say, all 3 guidebooks laid out simple, user-friendly directions. At the fork in the road, go either right (the so called never ending road) or go left (through many villages and towns also offering accommodation and meals outside of the park). In either direction, you land squarely at the park HQ and official entry gate. When we hit the first fork in the road, we went right, onto the so called never ending road.

Soon afterwards, we hit another fork in the road. But all 3 guidebooks said there should only be 1 fork in the road?! We went right. Then, doubting ourselves we asked someone by the side of the road and they confirmed - go right to arrive at the park. Another fork in the road. One side clearly would have driven us straight through a village. So we went right. Again, we stopped and asked someone and he confirmed, we were headed in the right direction. Our odometer was just shy of 100km when we hit a T in the road. By no stretch of the imagination could this be called a fork in the road, it was clearly a T. At this point, our skepticism gave way to full blown panic. We could no longer deny we were desperately lost.

I got out of the car and asked for directions. A million and one greetings later with villagers who may or may not have ever seen a white person before -- it was confirmed, we were really close to the park entry gate. Continue up the road this way and you will be there soon. Great. Dark was nearing, but perhaps we could still make it on time.

A brief high - ok we were on the right track afterall, too much unnecessary panic and doubt.

But if there is one lesson I have learned in all of my travels, it is that when it comes to directions people cannot and will not say - "I do not know". They give you the answer they think you are seeking. I could not shake this fear.

We pass a truck several kms up the road - the first passing traffic we had seen in hours. We ask for directions. You are going where? But where are you coming from?! If you continue straight you will arrive into Iringa (the town that we had left 2.5 hours ago...). Suddenly a white Land Cruiser pulls up behind the truck - as per usual with white Land Cruisers, it was loaded with several mzungus (white folks) and a Tanzanian driver. (Chime in the singing angels from on high) Certainly they would know how to direct us.

"Oh Sh*t," he says. Apparently there was no time for further dithering. "Just follow me," directed the Tanzanian driver. And then he took off like a bat out of hell. Our Rav4 could not keep up. The sun was setting (incidentally, this is the most spectacular sunset I have ever seen in all of my life - you know, big Africa sun and all?!) But there was no time to enjoy that, instead we were in a full blown state of panic - we could no longer see our life line out of here.

Just as we began contemplating next steps (could we sleep in the car? who is around these parts? certainly we cannot set up our tent on the road side, right!? are we safe? how much will this cost us?) we arrive at the T intersection we had left many kms ago - and the white Land Cruiser is waiting for us. ThereisaGod! They are all smiling ear to ear. "Um, you guys are seriously lost. In fact, you are about 3 hours away from the Park Gate. It is dark now. We would not recommend driving all that way tonight. We have a camp site just up the road, why dont you stay with us tonight," was the offering. Andrei and I do not even look at each other - yes! we say in unison.

So all is well that ends well. Or so it seems.

Where should we set up our tent? We ask of them. Anywhere is fine, is the reassurance. Great.

As soon as our last stake is struck into the ground, we are then informed that we can expect hippos and crocodiles on one side of us and hyenas on the other side. Oh and also, snakes love this place for some reason - and we have seen spitting cobras and black mambas here just recently. We were left to hope that they prey on the resident rats that were running amok all over the camp grounds, not us.

Let me show you where the toilet is, one white guy offered. It was a basic affair, offering nothing by means of luxury but all the privacy you could ask for. That is, until one girl emerged from the toilet and calmly announced that there are bats living in the toilet. I was surprised, I didnt see them hanging from the thatch roof. Oh no, she says, they are living INSIDE the pit toilet and they fly up at your *ss when you are squatting over the toilet. That announcement officially marked my last visit to the toilet...

But despite the lurking dangers, we could not have been more thankful about this unexpected rescue and hospitality. I wish those guys a lot of good kharma in their future endeavors and adventures.

Consider Yourself Forewarned.

2011-07-25T16:35:00.000+03:00

With such hazardous road conditions, it is no wonder Tanzanian officials feel no qualms about putting up such comprehensive warning signs.

Hazardous Conditions.

2011-07-25T16:21:00.000+03:00

As seen in passing from our car window on our recent road trip to Ruaha National Park. We even saw a large commercial truck that had burst into flames - the fire was putting out an immense heat that felt in passing. One of these trucks was even overturned in Mikumi National Park, Tanzania's only National Park with a major highway to bisect it (for now).

Broken Chair.

2011-07-19T12:00:00.002+03:00

And what would a road trip with Matty and Andrei be without an accompanying play list. Among others, Broken Chair rose to the top of the repeat list on our recent adventures. Yes, it is repeat worthy.

Beyond the lyrics, perhaps this song was particularly compelling to us in Tanzania, as its namesake represents some of our most fond everyday images, including the following (also brought to you by Sarah Markes).

Naming of Things.

2011-07-18T22:01:00.000+03:00

In Tanzania, the naming of things is an art form. And therein lies the joy of a Tanzanian road trip.

We started a list of dala-dala (minibus), bajaj and truck names a while back and on our recent road trip out west we passed the time with a renewed interest in on-the-road entertainment in the form bus and truck names.

Some of the names could be better classified as allegiance pronouncements which center largely around religion and football and tend to be quite straightforward: Manchester United, Barcelona, Islam, Jesus, and many variations therein.

Philosophical naming conventions can make you look and think twice, or at times elucidate a very fundamentally different worldview in this part of the world: Born to Suffer, God is SO good, !2nd chance!, no gain without pains.

And other names can just be downright hilarious, if not, perplexing: bankito, Grace & Vincent, Blue Horse, goodfellaz, Uprising, Allocation, Don't Panic: Message Sent, Double 'D', Mr. Promise, The Expendable's Full Respect, The Top Judge, Coaster for All of the Nations, AMBUSH, Doctor Bush, Castaway, Liver Pool, King Perfect, Black People, Logistika, Power (of) God, Bananaland, V.I.P. Class, B. Positive (wait, is that a blood type allegiance or a philosophical pronouncement?!).

Incidentally, this is something that Sarah Markes captures well in her Dar street level sketches. And her new book certainly did not disappoint! In fact, we have become not only proud owners of her new book, but also of two original street level sketches capturing the hilarity of naming of transportation modes.

An Ode to Container Ships.

2011-07-06T20:00:00.000+03:00

Incidentally, the latest Felice Brothers album, Celebration, Florida, contains an ode to container ships. Despite my fascination with container ships, my favorite song on this album is Honda Civic, which became our accidental theme song in our Chevy Malibu during our recent road tripping adventure through Florida.

This album may or may not be named after the actual town called Celebration, Florida -- the Disney concept town located a stone's throw away from the Disney theme parks. (Incidentally, we did not get a chance to visit Celebration on our trip through Florida - despite our best intentions.)

The Disney people did massive sociological research before settling on the design they believed would capture the "ideal" American community. What is the American ideal of community you may ask? Well, according to this extensive Disney research it is as follows: old-fashioned exteriors, homes close to the road so that neighbors are more likely to interact, and a congenial old-fashioned downtown area beside a tranquil lake. No effort was spared in this creation. World famous architects were brought in to design major buildings: Phillip Johnson, Ritchie & Fiore designed the Town Hall; Michael Graves the post office; Cesar Pelli the 1950s style movie house; and Robert A.M. Stern the health center.

Perhaps Disney was onto something. The first 350 home sites sold out before a single model was even complete. Enthusiasts applaud Celebration's friendly small town feel, where new neighbors are greeted with home-baked brownies, each home is fully hooked up to all the others by an elaborate intercom system, town events are well attended, and children can walk carfree to school -- all without being a gated community as town spokespersons are eager to point out. On the other hand, detractors are quick to describe the town's atmosphere as "contrived" and "sterile." The stringent rules, including the town's insistence that all window treatments facing the outside must be white, only add fodder to the fire.

The town's detractors may have had a lot more to say when in November 2010 the body of a man was found in his home in Celebration, Florida. He had been strangled and beaten with an axe. It was the town's first homicide in its 15-year history. While the culprit was soon apprehended, the incident came as a complete shock to many of the municipality's 10,000 residents. This kind of thing wasn't supposed to happen in Celebration -- a crime-free, family-friendly throwback to a way of life that's more imagined than actual, according to Disney's vision.

According to Pitchfork, "it's unclear whether the Felice Brothers knew of that crime when they named their fourth album Celebration, Florida, but certainly that dark spot on the town's sunny exterior adds a bit of sensationalism to these songs, which examine the dark side of American spectacle." While Pitchfork gives this album a rather diluted review, calling the Felice Brothers "overeager in their experimenting" - I still think that it is well worth exploring.

And perhaps just as the Rough Guide to Florida authors encourage readers to stop by Celebration to determine for themselves whether this town's homogeneous blandness reflects an evolutionary stage of the American Dream or if it represents a touch of Big Brother or even some sort of smug cult - I would encourage Felice Brothers' listeners to re-acquaint themselves with some of the classics that made the Felice Brothers so appealing in the first place, including the much loved Roll On Arte and see if this experimentation is in fact over-eager or a welcome change.

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Sources:
http://www.pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/15401-celebration-florida/

Rough Guide to Florida

Container Ships Around the World.

2011-07-01T17:12:00.001+03:00

Check out these amazing examples of shipping containers transformed into a new life form from around the world.

Australia

USA

Canada

Indonesia

New Zealand

Scotland

The Netherlands

Angola

Cuba

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Source: http://www.thedailygreen.com

Container Ships Among Us.

2011-06-29T12:59:00.001+03:00

While the sight of container ships moored on the Indian Ocean somewhere near the Dar es Salaam coast line is an everyday occurrence for us, rare is the case that we get to see one of these container ships actually moving on the high seas. They are usually waiting in queue to enter Dar es Salaam's rather inefficient port system, often times for weeks, even months on end.

For anyone who has not seen one of these container ships up close and personal, I can attest - they are massive with a capital M.

We used to sail almost every weekend here in Dar es Salaam, which unfortunately seems to have been a short lived thrill in our lives here, but the more enduring thrill for me was sailing between and among these container ships moored on the Indian Ocean outside of Dar es Salaam. From a yacht (aka "tiny sail boat") below assessing the sheer size of these ships proved to be a contortionist act. Incidentally, I remember the first time I visited NYC with an ex-boyfriend and his jaw was agape and his necked craned for the duration of our visit, as he was completely awestruck by the size and height of the city. In much the same way, Andrei had to calm me down on several sailing trips.

One time, we witnessed a guy catch a ride to one of these ships on a ferry that provides transport to a nearby island. The ferry is not small by any means, and holds the capacity to carry upwards of a 100 or so people. Our ferry started to get precariously close to this container ship moored in the Dar es Salaam Bay. Suddenly a rope ladder unfurls from the enormous container ship, it must have seriously been 75 feet in length with wooden "stairs" to aid in the ascent to the container ship. A man standing at the bow of the ferry takes flight and lands squarely on the rope ladder, which then begins to swing in 60 degree arcs from the pendulum-like weight of his body. I watched in awe as he scaled the 8 story container ship. It was obvious he had some practice in doing so, although I have no doubt I bit all of my nails off in the mean time.

Interestingly, on our once upon a time regular sailing trips, we started to see "scare-a-pirates" perched on the bows of these container ships, in what appeared to be a feeble attempt to outwit Somali pirates with an ever-expanding reach and choke hold on the region. Literally, there were stuffed human like "bodies" tied to the bow of the ship. You can imagine the Somali conversation that takes place upon notice of one of these creatures. Should we? No way man, look at that lifeless watchman, it is clear these guys are prepared to defend themselves. Right, let's get outta here, QUICK! Um, right?

The Cost of Doing Business.

2011-06-29T12:38:00.000+03:00

Did I mention in yesterday's post that the Dar es Salaam port system is horrifically slow?! Just as Tony Wheeler of Unlikely Destinations describes the need for freight agents (well, at least its a luxury for those that can afford such a service anyway...), I believe here in Dar es Salaam a whole spring up industry has been created on the heels of Dar's notoriously inefficient speed to get container ships into the port system, unload them, and move goods further afield.

Frankly, on a personal level, the inefficient port system of Dar es Salaam affects us most on a day-to-day basis with respect to being able to find a decent and worthy bottle of wine. Most of the wines that can be found around Tanzania are of South African origin and the majority of them have spent several months awaiting arrival into Tanzania's port system on the high seas - where they have reached boiling temperatures and have become something totally unrecognizable from their original form.

But aside from this rather petty gripe (all things considered, hey?), the consequences of inadequate infrastructure to support an efficient transfer of goods can be a lot more damaging. We have a friend here who is in the computer purchasing and distribution business. And you may be surprised to learn that most computers do not originate from Tanzania and therefore must be imported into the country (riiiight?). His job (and therefore livelihood) is pretty much wholly dependent on Dar es Salaam's port system. His stories are colorful, at times hilarious, shocking, but usually just down right depressing. Much as Tony Wheeler describes in his book, throughout history clever approaches and tricks have been employed to jump to the front of the queue, but here in Tanzania, bribery appears to be the name of the game. For private sector business, some of these "informal payments" go down in the books as just the cost of doing business, however this of course becomes a tricky paradigm. When the bribe prices become too volatile (aka unpredictable) or steep, private sector industry must at some point battle with the decision to just close their doors to doing business here altogether.

Unlikely Destinations.

2011-06-28T18:45:00.000+03:00

I just finished reading Unlikely Destinations: The Lonely Planet Story. The title basically speaks for itself. It's Tony and Maureen Wheeler's story of how they set off on a year long trip around the world in 1972 with the intention of getting the proverbial travel bug out of their systems. During this trip, they were not only bit harder by this vicious bug, but after following the "hippie trail" from England across Asia to Australia, they recognized the need for a travel guide to suit a new breed of independent travelers. A million dollar idea was born.

Thirty years later, they are the owners of one of the world's largest, most successful independent publishing companies with offices on three continents, with 400 employees, 250 writers, more than 600 titles in print and annual sales of over 6 million books.

However, it was an incredibly long and arduous road to arrive at such success. In describing yet another scenario of "getting going and going broke," Tony described his early experiences dealing with the Australian port system.

He writes:

In May, our ship came in. I attached a rental trailer to the tatty old Ford and drove off to the docks to collect our books, straight into the arms of what would be one of my pet hates for the next few years -- the Australian dock system. Australian dockers are still not the best in the world, but in the mid-1970s they were among the worst. At that time, third-world workers equipped with nothing more than some tattered ropes and a wonky plank could unload a ship ten times faster than Australian dockers armed with everything from cranes to forklifts. For many years, the docks remained a last bastion of Stone Age unionism and their institutionalized inefficiency was a prime disincentive to doing more of our printing in Australia rather than in Asia.

Long lines of trucks were always waiting at the docks and drivers, who did want to get on with the job, cursing the time they wasted waiting for the dockers to lift a finger. Until we could afford to use a proper freight agent to clear out shipments, I made many pre-dawn trips out to the docks to be the first in line when the gates opened.

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One of my greatest fascinations living in Tanzania is the long queue of container ships that can be seen at any given time on the Indian Ocean, awaiting arrival into Dar es Salaam's sluggishly slow port system. I am in no position to compare, but I cannot imagine that Tony's Australian port system woes of the mid-1970s are any real match for today's nightmarish port system of Dar es Salaam that plagues Tanzania and several of its landlocked neighbors. Just saying.

A tribute to Mr. K.

2011-06-28T15:07:00.001+03:00

Some of our friends here in Tanzania recently invested in a fish tank to be populated with some flashy colored little friends. Once upon a time, I too took this past time quite seriously.

Here's to you Mr. Konstantinopololis.

Reverse Reverse Culture Shock.

2011-06-16T17:14:00.000+03:00

On our two recent trips home, I have become painfully aware of my Tanzanian weight gain. Visits to dressing rooms in stores have precipitated quasi panic attacks followed by copious alcohol consumption to ease the pain (which of course foils the longer term weight loss aims...alas, its a vicious cycle).

Our very weight conscious world and obsession with body image stands in direct contrast to the value people place on weight gain here - to carry a few extra pounds is to be healthy (and wealthy). A few weeks ago, our houseboy left his first wife and quickly thereafter found a new wife. He shared this news with great excitement, saying, "the new one is really fat, just like you!" um, gee, thanks. But this was a sincere compliment as far as he was concerned.

Fair enough, different strokes for different folks. But the worst part is that I seem to have gained weight in ALL the wrong places - as evidenced by how clothing is displayed to customers in local shops.

Does anyone remember when stair masters fell out of favor in the US because of wide spread fears of "shelf butt"? Well, I can certify that this is a part of the world where shelf butt is sexy. There ain't nothing sexy about a thick wasted woman here (ho hum). This place brings on a whole new meaning to the saying "Baby Got Back."

Sari Party.

2011-06-16T10:49:00.000+03:00

When I saw Rami and James' engagement photos, I knew this wedding would be worth the 10,000 mile trek - and boy was it! They were thoughtful down to every last detail, and nothing went unnoticed. They pored love and attention into making their day special and unforgettable for themselves and the guests alike.

Because we do not have a mailing address in Tanzania, I did not actually get to see any of the paper invites sent to guests ahead of the wedding. The evening before the wedding a friend handed me an envelope. I cried reading it. "21 Saris: Ranmali and James' Bridal Party" it read on the cover. Inside contained an invitation from Ranmali to her 21 best friends to form a special part of her wedding day. Just because she and James decided not to have an official wedding party to be part of their ceremony and celebration, did not mean that she could not have 21 of her best friends dress up in saris to match hers!

It is a Sri Lankan tradition for the bride's home to be filled with all of her female friends and family on her wedding day, not only did Ranmali invite us to spend this special moment with her, but she invited us to have her aunties wrap us up in saris to wear to the ceremony. While Ranmali looked like pure royalty in her wedding sari, the rest of us looked a little less convincing, but this wedding will surely go down in the books as completely memorable and unforgettable.

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Photo Credit: last photo - one of the male counterpart's to (from left) Ryan, Hanni, me, Dana, Elise

P.S. Yes, those are bugs flying around in the air mid-ceremony. They are not so coincidentally called "Love Bugs" and they only come out one time per year in Florida to mate.

Ranmali and James on Fire!

2011-06-14T16:39:00.002+03:00

And so it seems, I have run out of vacation highlights, oh but wait, except for the most important part. The entire reason for heading to the States and road tripping between Miami and New Orleans was to attend the wedding of our dear friends Ranmali and James. They have to be the most photogenic couple I know.

By wedding night's end she was dancing so hard, she danced herself into a diamond. No denying that is a lovely song.

Here's to you Rami and James! We wish you a life time of happiness together.

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Photo Credits: Matt @ Verve Studio; check out the full engagement set here

And Red All Over!

2011-06-10T14:03:00.000+03:00

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Photo Credit: Andrei Sinioukov

Black and White.

2011-06-10T13:45:00.000+03:00

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Photo Credits: Andrei Sinioukov

Green.

2011-06-10T13:20:00.001+03:00

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Photo Credits: Andrei Sinioukov

Blue.

2011-06-10T11:43:00.002+03:00

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Photo Credits: Andrei Sinioukov

De Colores.

2011-06-03T11:48:00.000+03:00

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Photo Credit: Andrei Sinioukov

Jazz Festival's Hidden Gems.

2011-06-03T11:40:00.001+03:00

While Wilco and Lucinda Williams were big Jazz Festival highlights for us, the real magic of the festival was found in side stages away from the major festival headliners.

To see the magic live, head here.

For more information and history on the Gospel Tent at the Jazz Festival, read this.

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Photo Credit: Andrei Sinioukov

N'Awlins Jazz Festival.

2011-05-31T16:46:00.000+03:00

They came.

They erected.

They ate.

They rocked.

They fell in love.

They left behind.

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Photo Credit: Andrei Sinioukov

Road Trip Food Delights.

2011-05-31T08:21:00.001+03:00

it got better and better. all i can say is praline bacon. for real. you didn't think it could get any better did you?
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Photo Credits: Andrei Sinioukov

Florida's Fiercest.

2011-05-28T08:43:00.000+03:00

This ain't no honey badger, but disconcerting, nonetheless to know that these guys are lurking outside of your thin mesh tent throughout the night.

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Photo Credit: Andrei Sinioukov

Better Late Than Never.

2011-05-26T21:21:00.000+03:00

As most of you have noticed and commented, this post is very late in coming. Hence the title.

But here is another thing I was late on. Introducing the fierce Honey Badger.

Watch it twice. It only gets better. You will eventually appreciate this for everything it is worth. Enjoy.

Somebody's Watching Me.

2011-04-11T15:03:00.000+03:00

I got a feeling, somebody's watching me. And I have no privacy.

Weekly Whiteout.

2011-04-07T12:24:00.000+03:00

One of the blogs I follow on a regular basis has a weekly whiteout feature.

In Capetown, we stumbled upon our own version of weekly whiteout:

Oh, and by the way, our long standing punch buggy game was not only officially back on during our trip, but back with an nearly lethal vengeance. This game more than once almost lead to our own version of weekly wipe out.

Currently Dreaming About.

2011-04-07T11:28:00.000+03:00

Thai Fish Cakes.

Mwanza is a Tanzanian city that I have visited several times through my work with CARE. It is a charming city. Aside from its large rocks, the main thing Mwanza is known for is its fish. Situated on the edge of Lake Victoria, Mwanza is famous for its tilapia.

All Tanzanians carry an explicit expectation that if you travel to Mwanza from Dar es Salaam you MUST carry back a fish bucket. This is an expectation I have adopted in kind. One time we even convincingly informed our dear friend Carolyn that she too must carry on this tradition. She dutifully returned to Dar es Salaam with a fish bucket she had checked as baggage on her flight back to Dar. Upon opening, the fish buckets literally explode with fish - they manage to somehow pack dozens into a modestly sized bucket. When Carolyn brought a fish bucket to our house, six of us feasted on the fish cooked up in a variety of ways, the simplest preparation proved the winning one - lemon, salt, fresh ground pepper and a pad of butter all baked on top of the whole fish.

On the receiving end of this fish bounty, our house boy has ever since endearingly referred to Carolyn as the "dada wa samaki" - the fish sister. On move in day to our new house, he pointed out which guest room the dada wa samaki would sleep in when she returns again with a fish bucket. Hint, hint, Carolyn:)

On my most recent trip to Mwanza, I carried home a fish bucket according to tradition, however, in this instance, my intention was to gift the fish bucket to our house boy as thanks for helping with our recent move in Andrei's absence. He gladly accepted the gift, however I suppose guilt got the best of him and he left 4 fish in our fridge for us, after cleaning them. We grilled them, we baked them, we fried them, and yet again we found ourselves overwhelmed with the amount of fish we had on our hands to consume. Pondering the possibilities for leftovers, I looked up the above recipe for Thai style fish cakes. Oh man, need I say more?! They were light and flavorful and well, clearly I am still talking and writing about them, so, I rest my case, get to it!

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Photo courtesy of.

Currently Listening To.

2011-04-01T13:27:00.000+03:00

Download here. Its for a charitable cause afterall.

A Charming Note of Care.

2011-03-21T12:48:00.000+03:00

I recently bought a shirt from a locally based fashion designer made out of kanga material.

These were the care instructions that accompanied this purchase:

1. Wash in hands in 30C.
2. Don't mix with other clothes.
3. Don't leave on sun for too long.
4. Iron in medium temperature.

Swimmers.

2011-03-18T10:45:00.001+03:00

Our new house is big and accordingly there are a lot of big, empty white walls, begging to be filled with color, or something, anything. That was task #1 in the new house - finding a hammering and putting some things on the walls. Luckily, we had recently purchased two new pieces of art that we were keen to display.

The artist is Miguel Costales. He is Spanish. He has a charming accent and adorable dimples to match. He is humble and simple. He exudes a sense of coolness and confidence that kind of makes you want to be friends with him and chat for hours over a beer.

Miguel is inspired by the beach and natural objects. The result is art that feels intimately connected to the Swahili Coast.

We bought two of his swimmers, but continue to be inspired by many of his other water colors and carved objects.

Dar-based folks, some of his pieces are still on sale at Makutano House, otherwise you can contact him directly and perhaps even visit his studio in Mbezi Beach, or else karibu kwetu to enjoy his art.

Nostalgic for St. Patrick's Day.

2011-03-17T13:28:00.000+03:00

I heard the entire city of Chicago went on a bender last weekend, as is typical this time of year in commemoration of St. Patrick's Day. Something about wearing green and drinking copious amounts Irish spirits usually proves a recipe for disaster, as I have witnessed firsthand several years over along the green river.

I cant say I wish I was there among them, but I must admit that I am feeling extremely nostalgic for St Patrick's Day celebrations this year. Perhaps it is just a wishful diversion from work, but something doesn't feel quite right about letting this day go by without the standard fare of a draught guiness, corned beef and cabbage and some soda bread.

So in the spirit of St. Patrick's Day and also in celebration of my mom's birthday, I share an innovative recipe that you can count on to get your annual fix of Irish soda bread.

Beta Testing the Our New Toy.

2011-03-17T12:57:00.001+03:00

Our novice attempts at mastering the grill resulted in this somewhat obscene picture:

But we couldn't argue with the results. It was delicious. For those among you perverse enough to be inspired by this picture head here.

Grill Master Needed.

2011-03-16T15:03:00.000+03:00

Latest acquisition for the new house. Now accepting applications.

Alpenglow in the Rock City.

2011-03-16T14:57:00.000+03:00

Immediately following our recent move into our new house, I departed for Mwanza aka Tanzania's Rock City. Some aspects of this trip proved a welcome distraction from the hustle of our recent move, including awesome sunsets and alpenglow over Lake Victoria and the rock city.

Helpful Moving Advice.

2011-03-08T18:11:00.000+03:00

This warning label helped to ensure a consequence-free move.

Goodbye Cottage, Hello Change.

2011-03-03T13:20:00.001+03:00

Two weeks ago today, we received news that we were going to be kicked out of our house in Dar.

This news struck me like a load of bricks. We had finally managed to kick out an oh so dreadful roommate. For the first time in our married lives we were going to have a place to call our own. We had pored love and attention into this cute little cottage full of potential to make it feel like a home. Things were looking up, excitement was in the air.

As if this news was not disappointing enough, Andrei was traveling in the Democratic Republic of Congo and I was scheduled to be in Mwanza aka the "Rock City" the day our lease was slated to expire. I pleaded for an extra week's stay in the house so that Andrei could be part of the decision-making process, and so that he could be here in person to help with packing and moving. No dice. In lieu of a renewed lease, or even a helpful compromise, the owner was sending in a wrecking ball. And these plans could not be delayed, even by a mere three days. I guess there is no room for delay when there is money to be made. The average rent in our neighborhood in Dar is approximately $4000/ month, far more than what we were paying for this little humble house. With green eyes, she could not muster any empathy towards my situation. I wish her all the best with these untempered dreams.

I spent a couple of days absorbing the impact of this news and mourning the loss of the place that we had learned to call home, even throwing out some rather idle threats to Andrei that I was going to book a one way flight out of here, and he could meet up with me whenever he so chooses, wherever that may be....um, right!? Very mature, Matty.

After spending sufficient time licking my wounds, I finally took up a broker who told me anything he thought I wanted to hear until I wrote a check, a big fat one, in fact. I toured seven places around Dar es Salaam, each one more depressing than the next. He finally convinced me to push our budget up by a very minor amount so that he could prove to me just how far that minor extra amount would buy up for us. I felt I was walking into a trap, until his promises did not fall flat.

And with that we have inherited a new little house to call home. Ok, its not so little, but it comes with an awesome garden, where Andrei and I can take up one of our favorite past times - gardening and entertaining. While our house will probably look something like this over the coming weeks as we get settled, I promise more pictures as things come together.

Mamma Mia.

2011-03-03T12:40:00.000+03:00

In a whirlwind celebration of 50 years of Tanzanian freedom and 100 years of International Women Day, Mustafa Hassanali is hosting a fashion show at the Movenpick hotel in Dar es Salaam to benefit the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood, a cause near and dear to my heart.

Those of you that will not be able to attend will have the opportunity to watch this event live: Via www.mustafahassanali.net at 1600hrs East African Time. Karibu wote!

The Remains.

2011-02-23T15:15:00.000+03:00

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Photo Credit: Andrei Sinioukov

Last One Across is...

2011-02-23T15:07:00.000+03:00

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Photo Credits: Andrei Sinioukov

This Aint No Place for a Siesta.

2011-02-23T14:36:00.000+03:00

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Photo Credits: #1,2,3,4 Andrei Sinioukov

Piracy on the High Seas.

2011-02-19T18:11:00.000+03:00

We see it, hear about it, and feel it in our daily lives. The reach of the Somali pirates is hitting closer and closer to home, as they grow more and more powerful.

Recently, a BBC international news headline read: Greek oil supertanker Irene hijacked off Oman. Frankly, you do not need too wild of an imagination to guess that it is the Somali pirates behind this ship seizure. Carrying 266,000 tons of crude oil with an estimated value of $200 million, it is believed this is the largest vessels ever seized by Somalis.

Today, four Americans sailing on a yacht off the coast of Oman were taken hostage by Somali pirates. While pirates usually attack cargo ships, in more recent years it has become increasingly common that they now seize yachts as well. The yacht's owners had been sailing around the world since 2002, apparently on a Bible hand out mission.

Overstretched international anti-piracy forces operating in the Indian Ocean give priority to protecting cargo ships over private yachts. We have an acquaintance here who runs an anti-pirate private security firm. Basically, if you have something you want to transport, he hires mercenary types to board your boat and help keep you safe from the pirates. Right now - business is booming. When I pointed out his rather perverse implications behind this business model, he demurely agreed.

But the story hitting closest to home began four months ago now and is still unfolding. Two people whom we know from the Dar es Salaam were kidnapped off of Mtwara in South Tanzania. They were sailing home to South Africa to spend the holidays with their families; they had volunteered to work as crew on someone else's yacht. The stories about the circumstances under which their yacht was seized are murky, but either way, the result is tragic. Two South Africans from very humble backgrounds are now being held for ransom by Somali pirates. The initial ransom price was set at $10,000,000, an astronomical sum by all accounts. Apparently, their families are bargaining for their release, while at the same time begging for contact to make sure that the person they are dealing with can assure that their loved ones are safe, hell, even alive for that matter.

We recently learned that negotiation proceedings were beginning to reach a formative end, and to help ensure that these negotiations were brought to a positive end we were asked to contribute a rather modest amount, approximately $10US to support the fund being raised to ensure their release. It was assured that all donations would remain anonymous, it certainly doesn't bode well for assuring future safety when pirates know who is willing to fork over cash for someone's release. We unflinchingly were willing to contribute to this fund, in fact we made an extra donation on behalf of our friend who met this couple and has been actively following the story of their release stateside. But the reactions within the community were mixed, and I can see both sides.

Somalia has had no functioning central government since 1991, which allows piracy to flourish off its coast. Somali pirates have made millions of dollars in recent years by capturing cargo vessels in the shipping lanes around the Horn of Africa and holding the ships and crew for ransom. A ransom payment perpetuates and further fuels this practice. This is probably the biggest and most compelling reason to not give money, and it also just so happens that this really goes against the grain of my belief in the importance of "development." I suspect most Somalis themselves would share this opinion.

But seriously, how can we NOT give?! If I were in their position I would certainly want to be rest assured that everyone who was able, was doing everything they could to help secure my release. Moreover, while I don't want me money going to fund piracy on the high seas, where is my small little protest in not funding them going to get me? This is a pretty well established system, with extremely sophisticated leadership and money management, I alone do not have the power to change that.

So I am curious to hear your thoughts. To give or not to give, that is the question.

Foreign Aid Spared. So Far Anyway.

2011-02-18T11:32:00.001+03:00

I spend so much time analyzing budget processes, allocations and expenditures here, that I sometimes forget what an interesting, if not extremely tumultuous and anxiety ridden, political era we are facing in the US in terms of political infighting over budget allocations, etc.

Good news for those of us in the foreign assistance and international development world came through this week in the form of Obama's budget proposal for 2012 foreign aid spending. In the face of limited fiscal resources, there were some "hard choices" made and the result is "a lean budget for lean times." Although what Congress makes of this remains to be seen... Read on, if you are interested.
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Obama’s 2012 Budget Proposal Spares Foreign Aid from Deep Spending Cuts

U.S. President Barack Obama is requesting USD47 billion for the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development as part of the fiscal 2012 budget proposal his administration released Feb. 14. The request covers USD32.9 billion for core foreign assistance and food aid and USD14.2 billion for core State Department operations.

The proposed state and foreign operations budget represents a 1 percent increase from 2010 and a smaller annual increase than in past years. Obama is also requesting a separate USD8.7 billion for overseas contingency operations in Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan and other countries where counterinsurgency efforts and initiatives are increasingly managed by the State Department instead of the Department of Defense.

In a letter included in budget summary documents, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the request is “a lean budget for lean times.” The budget was scrubbed for every dollar of savings and the resources outlined in it are “smart investments” that would save money and lives abroad and in the United States, she explained.

The administration said it made several “hard choices” in drafting the 2012 request, including slowing down the hiring of new staff at USAID and the State Department – a move that could set back the Obama administration’s efforts to reduce its reliance on external contractors.

As part of the 2012 proposal, Obama is asking for funding to support 349 new foreign service and civil service staff members at USAID and the State Department. The total is notably lower than the 410 new officers Obama proposed to hire under his 2011 budget request.

The Obama administration also plans to reduce international spending in 2012 by eliminating bilateral security assistance for several countries, reducing aid and bilateral programs for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia and cutting funding for the Inter-American Foundation and African Development Foundation.

Despite these reductions, the 2012 budget proposal will likely face significant opposition in the in the Republican-led House of Representatives.

The U.S. Congress has yet to tackle the 2012 budget request. Current debates surrounding appropriations for the 2011 fiscal year gives a glimpse of the tough battle Obama, Clinton and USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah would be facing in defending the state and foreign operations budget.

The House Appropriations committee has recently introduced a continuing budget resolution that cuts Obama’s fiscal 2011 request by more than USD100 billion. The White House has warned that Obama would veto the spending bill for the remainder of fiscal 2011 if it undermines U.S. national security interests.

A Now Annual Event?

2011-02-18T00:54:00.000+03:00

Tanzania made BBC front page headlines today showcasing what now seems to be an annual event.

Around 9pm last night in Dar Es Salaam, the arms depot of the Gongola Mboto Tanzanian army base caught fire. The explosions could be seen, heard and felt for miles around, and they continued for hours. Each blast felt like an earthquake in its effect, shaking buildings, rattling windows, and causing one's heart to lodge itself squarely in the back of one's throat. The smouldering fire caused the sky to turn a dusklike shade of pink, providing apt background lighting for ammunition and bomb shrapnel hurdling through the air.

Of course accurate information about what was happening was slow to emerge. The BBC's Josphat Mwanzi in Dar es Salaam reported, "the blasts caused panic among city residents overnight because there was no clear information about what was happening." That seems a cute understatement for the state of alarm these explosions, which seemed to hit all too close to home, inspired in us.

At least 32 people were reported to have been killed, many more were injured, and with an estimated 4000 people being sheltered at the National Assembly, the death toll is sure to increase. Area blood banks have sent out an urgent request for donations. Beyond the gratuitous loss of lives, 23 munitions depots were destroyed, along with two residential houses and a secondary school, and the airport was even closed for several hours to ensure clear skyways from exploding ammunitions.

The directives issued in the aftermath were rather straightforward -- if you see or come across a bomb do not touch it but instead alert appropriate authorities.

The explosions are said to have been accidental, but coming so close on the heels of recent explosions at an army ammunition depot in Dar es Salaam in the spring of 2009 which killed more than 20 people, this seems to reflect a more systemic breech of ammunition storage safety that feels a far cry from "accidental".

This picture, courtesy of AP, shows the smoke that continued to drift over the site of the fire into the morning.

A Hundred Year Event.

2011-02-17T17:12:00.001+03:00

It was a big one alright, some say it only happens every 100 years. Perhaps that is just an expression, or perhaps those folks are just alarmist by nature. But either way, there is no denying the severity and magnitude of the recent storm that passed through Dar.

I spent the better part of this week seeking refuge anywhere with electricity, as ours had been out for days on end without any indication of when we could expect it back. While mooching power for my computer and phone at our new favorite hangout, the atmosphere suddenly grew ominous. The sky darkened, the wind picked up, and huge rain drops began to fall with a deafening clatter on the rooftop. And eventually the power went out. Now even my go to electricity refuge had failed me. With approximately 2.5 hours of power left on my lap top, I decided to wait out the storm, in fact, it was kind of nice in an oddly romantic sort of way. Neighboring chatter about "adopting" babies out of rural Tanzanian villages (read: kidnapping them without proper paperwork) eventually prompted me to make a break for it. As I drove home the leading thought on my mind was where and how I would continue work without a reliable power source.

I returned home and it appeared as though our house had been looted by a band of pirates. Branches were down everywhere. Huge trees had fallen. Our gate lighting was knocked down and there was broken glass everywhere. Our guard/gardener greeted me at the door, obviously very energized by this rare storm, I, in turn, joked saying, "this will be a big job for you to clean up." He grinned and hopped to it, despite my rather flippant statement of the obvious.

Frankly, I did not give the storm a second thought, until I joined some friends for dinner last night and our conversation turned to the storm. Apparently, one of the largest boats at the yacht club became unmoored during the storm and crashed into three other boats, causing damage of untold proportions, the repair costs alone would surely surpass our combined income last year.

Then someone mentioned the fishermen. The very fishermen I recently blogged about. It is beyond doubt that many of them died in this storm, between huge swells overturning their tiny boats (if you can even call them that) and winds and rip tides pushing them far beyond paddling reach of Dar's shorelines. The storm came out of the blue, its not like any forward thinking fisherman could have known this or even planned their work day around it. So here again, a reality check that these guys literally risk life and limb braving the Indian Ocean waters to fetch about $3/day. And here I was worried about a power connection for my MacBook lap top.

Did you know?

2011-02-16T17:10:00.000+03:00

In Tanzania, the catches of an estimated 55,000 small-scale fishers are not reflected in the government’s official statistics, representing approximately 40 percent of the total catch off of Tanzania's shoreline.

Every time we are out on the open water, we see these small-scale fishers hard at work. Sometimes on surf boards. Very far from the coast. Braving open water. They are dependent on these waters for economic livelihoods in much the same way we are dependent on these waters for weekend outings. Sure helps put things in perspective.

So why does this matter? The lack of accurate catch data puts management authorities at risk of over-licensing commercial foreign fleets to fish in their waters, while at the same time, stressing coastal communities that depend on these fishery resources for their survival.

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Source: WWF, Coastal East Africa Brochure

United Victory Banner.

2011-02-16T16:59:00.000+03:00

United Fish Flag.

2011-02-16T16:47:00.000+03:00

This One Goes Out to the One I Love.

2011-02-14T10:29:00.000+03:00

For those looking to indulge a sweet tooth today in celebration of love, here is a divine chocolate cupcake recipe via lanalou.

Chocolate Cupcakes

100g cake flour

20g cocoa powder
140g caster sugar

1½ tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

40g softened butter

120ml milk

1 egg

½ tsp vanilla essence

* Mix flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter together with electric mixer till it forms a fine granule-like consistency.

* Add milk, egg and vanilla essence to the dry mixture and beat till smooth.

* Spoon mixture into cupcake cases until ⅔ full. Mixture makes about 12 cupcakes.

* Bake in pre-heated oven at 180˚C for about 20 minutes or until sponge bounces back when touched.

* When cool, either dust with icing sugar or ice with chocolate frosting.

This One Goes Out to the One I Left Behind.

2011-02-14T10:18:00.001+03:00

Valentine's Day Poems. Tanzanain Style.

Sweating through my shirt

Smell of Deet and burning trash

She will be impressed.

I thought it was love

Hot! Sweaty! Delirious!

Nope: malaria.

Q-Bar prostitute

Spirit of love and romance

Half hour, Room 6.

Drank warm red box wine

Moon-lit stroll on CoCo Beach

Now we're getting mugged

Would have bought flowers

But we're in Dar es Salaam

Will Konyagi do?

Una pendeza

I will make love to you now

Ignore the heat rash

Peace Corps volunteer

Room with power and water

Easy to impress

Kempinski was full

Street meat at Posta instead

Can I still get laid?

I had a great night

It's too hot to walk you home

Please take a bajaj

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Forwarded by Christen Mullen via Roman Kotovych.

Overheard at the Coffee Shop.

2011-02-02T16:35:00.000+03:00

I am stupider for having heard this conversation between Girl #1 and Girl #2, and you too will be stupider for reading it - consider yourself forewarned.

Girl #1: you are SUCH a good wriiiiiiter.
Girl #2: [uncomfortably loud laughter] I just reaaaaalllly like a gooood story.
Girl #1: I mean, you should write a book.
Girl #2: I like looking at the blogs that are out there, there are just so many good stories, and pictures. I mean everybody loves pictures.
Girl #2: We should team up and write a book. Not that I think I could get published or anything. But thats how people get discovered - blogs!
Girl #1: I know a girl who is a writer.
Girl #2: What does she write about?
Girl #1: Its just amazing. and stuff.
Girl #2: I want to be a writer. It just takes so MUCH time. I dont know. It just takes so much time to do what you want to do and to do it well. It just needs to happen in an organic way, rather than being the center of my life.

[Both suddenly look busy, sip coffee (sugar and milk free) twirl their hair to fill the awkward silence.]

Girl #2: I mean, you dont even have to go to school for this stuff, you just have to have passion.
Girl #1: yea, passion...
Girl #2: I mean you dont even have to write anything, you know, like the Sartorialist guy, he is really famous and stuff, and he doesnt even write that much, you dont even have to write much, its just like street style, with a creative license. you could be famous.

note to self: need. to. get. out. of here.

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Photo Credit:
http://lanaloustyle.blogspot.com/

Even Better than a Gym Membership.

2011-02-01T16:17:00.000+03:00

Colors of the Oasis.

2011-01-26T15:39:00.000+03:00

Let me just put this out there – I LOVE ikat! My next dream vacation would be a shopping spree to Uzbekistan to purchase ikat textiles galore – oh the joy!

So you can imagine my disappointment when I learned that I missed the opportunity check out this exhibit at the Textile Museum during our recent trip home to DC. Alas.

Here is a little bit about the history of Ikats. Ikats display Central Asian artists’ and weavers’ attention to the harmony between design, color and execution in order to create their master works. 19^th century Central Asian ikats are distinguished by bold, original designs using vibrant colors. The name Ikat is derived from the technique used to create them, whereby bundled textiles are bound and dyed several times before weaving, resulting a tie dye like pattern.

In Central Asia, a man’s clothing defined his status in society and proclaimed his wealth (hmm…not to dissimilar from NYC streets today, huh?!). But the home is where honor and wealth were on full display – homes were filled with the richest ikat textiles and many family ceremonies were celebrated in surroundings made beautiful with textiles. What a minute, was I born in the wrong era and on the wrong continent?!

But today, Ikat inspirations are everywhere in home design world. Here are a few inspiring images of ways to insert a little bit of ikat into your abode.

Circle of Life.

2011-01-24T15:56:00.000+03:00

Recently, we had the incredible opportunity to watch a man-influenced miracle of nature. The birth of 76 green turtles on South Beach in Dar es Salaam.

This story begins a very, very long time ago. During the Cretaceous period between 135 – 70 million years ago, also known as the Age of Reptiles, the class Reptilia dominated the land and the sea. Today, only a few species of reptiles live in the sea, including snakes, crocodiles and turtles. All reptiles are cold-blooded and gain their heat from the sun, making the tropics a far more habitable and likely home for them.

Now here is where this story gets a little X-rated. Copulation takes place in the water, with the male mounting onto the female, gripping on to her shoulders with his front flippers, securing her posterior with his long tail. This position may last for over an hour during which time the female is the only one of the two who can actively swim and, from time to time, must carry both up to the surface to breathe. Occasionally, up to five males may climb on top of one female, although one the male on the bottom of the stack is actively mating. There is strength in numbers, I suppose.

A few weeks after mating, the female crawls up a sandy beach and digs a nest, into which she lays a clutch of eggs. Eggs are white, roundish, and smaller than a chicken's egg with a soft, leathery shell. The female excavates the nest with hind flippers, and covers the clutch with sand before returning to the sea. Some reptiles offer parental protection to the eggs and offspring, however turtles abandon their eggs once laid. This, of course, makes them highly vulnerable.

And here is where our involvement in this story begins. Between crawling out of the nest and reaching the sea, turtle hatchlings are vulnerable to predators such as birds and ghost crabs, as well as man. Once in the sea, turtles immediately aim for open waters, but even at sea most are eaten by fish and very few will survive. Only those that reach maturity (about 5% of any given hatch), which takes up to 30 years, return to land and complete their life cycle. Sea turtles have been exploited by man for thousands of years. Parts have been used to make combs and decorative ornaments. The eggs of turtles are a favorite food item, as is the flesh of adults. All turtle species are on the endangered species list, thus no international trade of turtles of their products is permitted.

Given their precariously low survival rates, a local NGO - Sea Sense - conducts conservation activities (including paying local fishermen a small sum to identify and protect the clutch of eggs immediately after the female returns to the beach) to ensure that most of the sea turtles make it to the sea once they hatch, under normal circumstances 60% of the hatch would be eaten by predators on the beach. We ushered 100% of this hatch to safety, for the time being anyway...

Interestingly, the temperature of the nest determines the sex of the hatchlings. For example, in the nests of the green turtle, temperature above 27C result in females. Oh, also, the green turtle gets its name from the thin layer of mucus like fat that is between its shell and its body.

The limbs of sea turtles are flattened and modified into flippers, which needless to say are well adapted for swimming. Man, these little guys swam like hell once they reached the water from their hatching site. It was truly a site to behold.

Beach Dogs.

2011-01-19T16:26:00.001+03:00

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Photo Credits:
Andrei Sinioukov

Holiday Traditions.

2011-01-18T15:10:00.000+03:00

Our recent trip to the US allowed us the opportunity to continue some of our favorite holiday traditions. Among our favorite holiday traditions, is our annual visit to the Botanical Gardens to see their train display and miniatures of national historic buildings - notably all made from scrap organic materials collected from the in-house gardens. These are works of pure genius and bring out a childhood sense of fascination - I highly recommend you squeeze in a visit to this annual display amidst your holiday reveling next year. Oh! and the Willard's Round Robin Bar makes for an excellent place to warm you up afterwards - a Dirty Martini is my guilty pleasure - and you may just overhear some interesting political gossip while enjoying your drink!

This year I also managed to learn a thing or two along the way.
1) I did not need to travel 5000+ miles to see how a banana grows

2) Everyone in the US has an iphone, including her

and her:

3) Sometimes simple can be better:

Pure Swahili Coast.

2011-01-14T15:16:00.000+03:00

Happy New Years greetings from the Swahili Coast.

Birthday Party Flashback.

2011-01-14T15:03:00.000+03:00

South African vintage collection bottles consumed: too many to count
persons befriending the toilet post spirits imbibing: one
skinny dipping participants in the Indian Ocean: three
hospital bills for 3 malaria victims: very, very many monies
memories to last a lifetime: priceless

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Source: Kristen Pfau via

Just Like Christmas.

2010-12-25T16:16:00.001+03:00

Some pictures from the Mattingly Household on Christmas morning.

And what would Christmas be without my favorite Christmas song. Off to celebrate with booze and bagels at my uncle's house in Capital Hill:)
Merry Christmas everyone!
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Photo Credits: Andrei Sinioukov

Holiday Inspiration from the Spice Island.

2010-12-20T14:51:00.000+03:00

Tis the season for over-imbibing and over-indulgence. But instead of sharing the standard bottle of red wine at your next holiday party, why not try something a little more inspired?!

I came across the following recipes for Jamie Oliver's mulled wine and a holiday sangria featured on the Sprouted Kitchen, and the combination of winter fruits, warm spices and clementines all brought about immediate associations of the Christmas season in my mind. So drink it warm or cold, depending on your locale, but either way tis the season to add some spice in your life!

Interestingly, both of these recipes hit close to "home" not because mulled wine or sangria are holiday staples in our family, but rather because of my current proximity to Zanzibar, otherwise known as the "Spice Island." Zanzibar, the semi-autonomous island approximately 20 miles off the Tanzania mainland, has a long history of growing spices. In 1698, Zanzibar fell under the control of the Sultanate of Oman, which developed an economy of trade and cash crops with a ruling Arab elite. They developed large plantations to grow spices, and eventually the term "Spice Island" was coined in reference to Zanzibar. Today, spices continue to be one of Zanzibar's main industries, together with tourism. The islands are particularly well known for their production of cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and pepper.

Tourists to Zanzibar are welcomed to join any number the daily spice tours excursions to the plantations within easy reach of Stonetown. We had the pleasure of taking a spice tour on a recent trip to Zanzibar and it proved quite an interesting excursion. Perhaps in this case pictures are worth a 1000 words.

the "spicy" boy.

fru-ITs and spices.

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Photo Credits:

# 1 and #2: http://sproutedkitchen.com/

As a side note: the photography on this site is amazing, and makes the blog well worth reading alone, even if cooking is not a personal interest. I highly recommend perusing this site.

pictures of fru-ITs and spices: Andrei Sinioukov

Homeward Bound.

2010-12-20T12:19:00.001+03:00

Tomorrow we are homeward bound for the holidays, or so we hope. Barring weather delays and grounded flights, we hope to board a plane and then another one and then another one to make it home in time for the holidays. Fingers crossed we experience a smooth journey. Afterall, it wouldn't be the holidays without Joannie's cookies to celebrate.

Dispelling Rumors.

2010-12-17T16:53:00.000+03:00

The speculations are filled with much excitement and the pictures are on facebook appear to "prove" it. But I must confess, I did not have a baby, nor am I even pregnant (despite the recent weight gain). Instead, these pictures tell part of the "story" about our recent trip the Ukraine.

Andrei's mom is a neonatal doctor and was delighted at our suggestion that we come tour her hospital facilities and meet "her" babies.

So she suited us up in the appropriate gear:

And she introduced us to all of the babies on her ward:

His mother seemed to have the professional, comforting touch while the babies seemed to sense my inexperienced handling care.

After Andrei inquired about whether his mother was worried about any germs we may be carrying from Tanzania, our tour was quickly diverted to another floor of the hospital, where we got to see the "traditional" baby send off from the hospital and entry into the real world.

This package of premium services is complete with film footage to capture the special moment as well as oversized stuffed aniamls to celebrate the occasion. Afterall, who can deny all the extra trimmings for such a special occassion?! The presence of stork in the corner allows those who would prefer the false pretense that babies always have a safe, healthy and happily ever after entry into this world to go on believing.

All joking aside, this the tour of this birthing facility was incredibly impressive on its own right, but especially given my most recent baseline of comparison in Tanzania.

Once Upon a Time...

2010-12-14T16:07:00.000+03:00

Someone had a dream.

To turn this:

and this:

Into this:

and this:

As if the use of scrap metal to construct adorable home design objects is not inspiring enough, it turns out that the welders and artisans behind these works are actually a group of adult polio victims who arrive to work mostly via this mode of transport:

For more information about this workshop of wonders head here. To see their gallery or to make any last minute holiday shopping requests, head here. We are happy to support this great cause and would be happy to carry home any desired objects to friends and family back home, just drop us a line!

Cherry Bomb.

2010-12-14T12:33:00.000+03:00

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Photo Credit:
Andrei Sinioukov

Steve Bomb.

2010-12-14T12:20:00.001+03:00

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Photo Credit:
Andrei Sinioukov

Please spread the word.

2010-12-13T16:19:00.000+03:00

As promised, I am writing a follow up post about the sale of sea shells not so close to the Indian Ocean sea shore in downtown Ukraine.

I will begin with a loosely related passage from an exceptional book that I just finished reading Emergency Sex:

In Mombasa, Heidi meets James, a Masai “tribesman”. Following a romantic walk down the beach, she happens to notice that she is one of several solitary white women, all fairly young and attractive, with their own Masai tribesman. She casually remarks to herself, “Great, now I have turned into one of those rich white chicks who pick up poor, attractive men in third world countries for sex.”

In what appears to be a typical romantic ploy, James leads her onto a dhow, and following a short ride, they land directly onto a reef that she describes as filled with puddles that hold the most magnificent sea creatures – anemones, urchins, and starfish – with splashes of bright, living color everywhere – purple, red, blue, yellow – just lying about in shallow pools of water, waiting for the tide to come in and rescue them.

Tropical paradise at its finest, so it seems. Except that, the "curio trade" threatens to render this image obsolete. Borrowing from the "authority" in this area, I will explain.

The sale of shells and other organisms, mostly to tourists or shell collectors, is known as the curio trade. Shell collecting is a hobby with a long history. By the 17th century, seamen on trading ships were bringing home shells as curio. In the last 50 years, with increasing possibilities to travel, the purchase of shells has become a common practice for visitors returning home with samples of the bizarre and attractive sea life from remote corners of the world.

Throughout the Western Indian Ocean (and apparently Ukraine), road-side shell stands and shops are common, retailing mostly large, attractive and colorful gastropod shells, chunks of hard coral, turtle products or jewelry made from these. The business may not appear to be very large but the sheer volume of shells and other marine curios (that is to say, interesting and bizarre dead sea creatures) sold is staggering. The collection and export of shells and other marine curios is mostly unregulated, but indications are that hundreds of tones of cleaned shells have been exported over the last thirty years.

This practice holds damaging environmental consequences. The damage to shallow coastal habitats caused by turning over boulders or prizing coral off the seabed may have considerable local impact on the productivity of the area. The trade in dead coral and turtle products is banned in many countries outside of the Western Indian Ocean and tourists carrying these items back home run the risk of being fined and having the articles confiscated. The removal of these animals not only reduces the productivity of shallow coastal habitats but also the attractiveness of the habitats to tourists.

However, the book further warns, even collecting empty shells can be damaging for two reasons. Firstly, hermit crabs need gastropod shells. Without empty shells, hermit crabs may totally disappear from an area. The second reason is that empty shells serve as a hard substrate and are a vital component of the overall growth of the coral reef. Many organisms (corals and sponges) settle onto such hard surfaces. Collecting is therefore NOT RECOMMENDED, unless this activity is pursued to establish a properly identified and cataloged collection of shells, which will be available to specialists, and thus add to the knowledge of mollusks in an area.

While measures have been taken to restrict the collection of shells, for example by enforcing regulations banning collection inside marine protected areas (as a side note: Kenya's effective use of regulations stands in contrast to Tanzania; it is said that weak enforcement inside marine protected areas combined with loose enforcement of bans against dynamite fishing in Tanzania, make the reef a startling and defacto aqua "border" between the two countries), the general recommendation is to limit the sale and import of shells. Until there is a system of management which ensures the collection of species sold is not depleting the wild stocks or interfering with the balance of life in the shallow marine habitats of the region, these activities should not be encouraged.

DO NOT BUY CORALS OR OTHER CURIOS. Please spread the word.

The Far Reaches of the Indian Ocean.

2010-12-08T13:10:00.000+03:00

In celebration of our "paper" anniversary, I gifted Andrei The Field Guide to the Sea Shores of East Africa. A major hit, this book has become a much referenced guide in our household. Described as ideal for beachcombers, snorkellers, and divers with an interest in natural history, this book usually accompanies us on all of our weekend adventures in Dar es Salaam. Little did we know how useful this reference guide could have proven on our trip to Kiev, Ukraine.

We were out exploring and stumble across this table of ocean treasures in the middle of downtown Kiev:

Most of these are species that we see on a daily basis in Dar. However, it is not usually the case that I am beachcombing in a full length fur coat.

Despite the smile on my face, this moment was quite disappointing. I will reserve my thoughts on how damaging the international shell trade is for a later post. In the mean time, however, I will take the opportunity to point out for Dar-based folks that all proceeds from the sale of this field guide go to a charitable trust that will help develop marine science (and conservation) in this geographic area. That alone makes the book worth buying.

Culture Shock in Ukraine.

2010-12-07T15:03:00.000+03:00

We have landed in Ukraine, apparently land of fast internet. Oh the joy! As if the return to quick internet connections is not shocking enough, I have found myself thoroughly surprised a couple of times over past few days.

On our way into the city from the airport, we were pulled over the by the police. A routine check it appeared. The officer asks for all requisite paperwork. When Andrei's cousin fails to produce the written insurance policy (despite the insurance card and proof of existing insurance), he offers the police officer a bribe to get the process over with quickly. The officer denies the bribe and insists on issuing an actual ticket. And we wait in the car, for a very long time. Where in the world are we?!?!

The next day we walked through the neighborhood where Andrei grew up as a child, it was fun to take in all the sights and to be in a city with 2000 years of history and accordingly tourist attractions. I kept doing a double take at all the moms pushing around fancy baby prams.

You can imagine my "shock" coming from a world where this is more of the norm:

But I guess the "shockingly" cold weather and the existence of sidewalks provide a formative opening for such cumbersome baby gear.

Ukraine Bound Today.

2010-12-04T13:09:00.000+03:00

For your reading pleasure: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukraine
I promise more over the coming week!
Til soon.

Via Chicago.

2010-11-21T12:44:00.000+03:00

In my nostalgic dreams anyway...

Dream with me and Wilco here.

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Photo Credit: Andrei Sinioukov

Fleeting Childhood Bliss.

2010-11-21T11:23:00.000+03:00

From discovery to abandon.

Global Coconut Threat.

2010-11-17T17:10:00.000+03:00

I knew that tropical paradise had its pitfalls, so to speak, but I did not realize the high level threat it poses. Apparently, falling coconuts are the world's latest, greatest threat.

Our favorite beach bar acknowledges such a threat, but politely declines any liability.

But one nation on earth was not prepared to take any risk with this threat. Ahead of President Obama's recent visit to India, officials from Mumbai undertook extraordinary measures to protect Obama from such global security risks and dutifully set about removing all coconuts which could potentially have fallen on his head during his recent visit. Phew.

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References:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11684382

Speaking of Fashion...

2010-11-10T09:39:00.000+03:00

...what's your safari style?

Early European settlers in African were apparently terrified of of the effects of sun on both physical and mental health, as a result, a good hat ordered from the Army & Navy Stores catalogue was deemed essential.

Beyond the essential hat to protect from the sun, early safari adventurers were often accompanied by an entourage of cooks, a surgeon, and a train of wagons loaded with more "essentials" including items such as a piano, cases of gin, and crates of vintage champagne. In this way the term "safari" was adopted to describe the expatriate elite's adventures in the Kenyan and East African wilds, while in Swahili, the term simply means journey or trip. Go figure.

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References and Photo Credit:
Beddow, Tim and Natasha Burns. Safari Style. Thames and Hudson: London. 1998.

Swahili Fashion week.

2010-11-08T11:32:00.001+03:00

The annual Swahili Fashion Week in Dar es Salaam was last week's highlight.

Now in its 3rd year, Swahili Fashion Week has been deemed East Africa's most sought after fashion and lifestyle platform. Swahili Fashion Week was founded by Mustafa Hassanali in 2008 as a much needed platform for designers across the Swahili speaking world to showcase their creativity and talent.

The chief aim of Swahili Fashion Week is to promote and assist in the growth of East African fashion and textile industries, demonstrating that fashion is indeed a business - as well as a creative expression - and that it can bring economic opportunities to individuals and nations as a whole. Towards that end, USAID East Africa Competitiveness and Trade Expansion Program (COMPETE) is a proud sponsor of Swahili Fashion Week. Under the global campaign banner of Origin Africa, COMPETE seeks to raise awareness about Africa as a preferred sourcing destination for textiles and apparel. In addition, COMPETE provides technical assistance to African firms and governments to enhance their competitiveness in global markets and help African businesses take advantage of trade opportunities available under the African Growth and Opportunity Act with the aim of expanding export opportunities and promoting increased interregional trade.

As proof of USAID's pioneering leadership in the fashion industry, the USAID/Tanzania Mission Director assumed front row seats at this not to be missed event.

Byeeee!

2010-11-03T16:55:00.000+03:00

I just finished a pro-bono, year long contract with CARE International in Tanzania, and this was my parting gift.

Sing for Joy. Download for free here.