Can't wait to sit on the porch and enjoy village-life!!!
Monday, November 27, 2006
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Free Voice
We spend a lekker evening with the Dutch Free voice-delegation (www.freevoice.nl). They were in town for a series of meetings with Samdef, and grabbed the opportunity to see their PAC-member in exile Maud.
How could we sit outside and relax when we should be in front of a satellite tele, waiting for the Dutch election results? Thanks to the sms-service of our FV-chairman of the board.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Mabutsane
The wheel is still spinning but the hamster has left.
That about sums up our abfab outing to Mabutsane.
Thursday afternoon Lans phoned and asked if we felt like joining him to Mabutsane – a combination of visiting his girlfriend and seeing a potential client. After record packing and quick last minute shopping we were on our way into the Kalahari. Why so hasty? You don’t want to drive that road in the dark, because it will be quite impossible to miss all the cows, goats and donkeys; they also like to travel via tar.
Mabutsane is a small Kalahari-village with a huge government building because it has a district-function. Melissa works as a Peace Corps volunteer in a hiv/aids-project.
The first evening we decided to keep it mellow – just get beers, an ice-block to keep them cool and firewood to keep us warm. To get Melissa accustomed to the Dutchies the men made kroketten. It’s so fokken marvellous, these Kalahari-nights: the air gets cold but the sand is still hot, and in the total darkness you look right into the Milky Way.
Getting awake was a bit of a struggle, but we managed to drag ourselves into some clothes and over to the Cool Joint to sit under a tree. The trick is not to move except for sipping your drink. The wheels were spinning nicely, but our hamsters took the morning off. Around lunchtime they came back so we could whip up an omelette and start working on the biltong-project. That evening we were supposed to have a braai with the Afrikaner boer who wants to sell big quantities of biltong (dried beef). Lans is doing the marketing and we pitch for designing the packaging that must be a hit in the tourist-industry.
The evening started a bit confused. Our boer got stuck in Zeerust and we decided to create a salad and have another bonfire evening. The boys went out to get beers and firewood – and didn’t come back. We figured they got stuck in a bar too. Antoinet phoned to tell she refused to sell them firewood because she wanted to braai anyway. And yes, our men got stuck in a bar too; she could see the car in front of the Cool Joint. Which isn’t as far as Zeerust, so accompanied by Antoinet's dog, which joined them in the bar, they managed to fetch us girls. By the way, who’s that white man that bought all the Amstels in Mabutsane?
It’s exactly like Holland: say ‘let’s bbq’ and men who refuse to enter a kitchen ever suddenly are zillion-star cooks. After an excellent braai and party night we ended up in our hot home sand again for one last cigarette and iced klippies & coke. And another. And another. These stars do that to you, you simple can’t go to sleep when there’s something so wondrous to see.
Due to his head start in the bar Bram went to bed after the first last. A brilliant idea, we discovered the next morning, when he was the only one whose hamster wasn’t on strike. He managed to get us safely back to Gabs, and is now sound asleep with a cat on his legs and a dog at his side.
That about sums up our abfab outing to Mabutsane.
Thursday afternoon Lans phoned and asked if we felt like joining him to Mabutsane – a combination of visiting his girlfriend and seeing a potential client. After record packing and quick last minute shopping we were on our way into the Kalahari. Why so hasty? You don’t want to drive that road in the dark, because it will be quite impossible to miss all the cows, goats and donkeys; they also like to travel via tar.
Mabutsane is a small Kalahari-village with a huge government building because it has a district-function. Melissa works as a Peace Corps volunteer in a hiv/aids-project.
The first evening we decided to keep it mellow – just get beers, an ice-block to keep them cool and firewood to keep us warm. To get Melissa accustomed to the Dutchies the men made kroketten. It’s so fokken marvellous, these Kalahari-nights: the air gets cold but the sand is still hot, and in the total darkness you look right into the Milky Way.
Getting awake was a bit of a struggle, but we managed to drag ourselves into some clothes and over to the Cool Joint to sit under a tree. The trick is not to move except for sipping your drink. The wheels were spinning nicely, but our hamsters took the morning off. Around lunchtime they came back so we could whip up an omelette and start working on the biltong-project. That evening we were supposed to have a braai with the Afrikaner boer who wants to sell big quantities of biltong (dried beef). Lans is doing the marketing and we pitch for designing the packaging that must be a hit in the tourist-industry.
The evening started a bit confused. Our boer got stuck in Zeerust and we decided to create a salad and have another bonfire evening. The boys went out to get beers and firewood – and didn’t come back. We figured they got stuck in a bar too. Antoinet phoned to tell she refused to sell them firewood because she wanted to braai anyway. And yes, our men got stuck in a bar too; she could see the car in front of the Cool Joint. Which isn’t as far as Zeerust, so accompanied by Antoinet's dog, which joined them in the bar, they managed to fetch us girls. By the way, who’s that white man that bought all the Amstels in Mabutsane?
It’s exactly like Holland: say ‘let’s bbq’ and men who refuse to enter a kitchen ever suddenly are zillion-star cooks. After an excellent braai and party night we ended up in our hot home sand again for one last cigarette and iced klippies & coke. And another. And another. These stars do that to you, you simple can’t go to sleep when there’s something so wondrous to see.
Due to his head start in the bar Bram went to bed after the first last. A brilliant idea, we discovered the next morning, when he was the only one whose hamster wasn’t on strike. He managed to get us safely back to Gabs, and is now sound asleep with a cat on his legs and a dog at his side.
WWS 4
Where We Sleep: fourth stop, Peter’s Place in Gaborone.
One of the things to do when back in Gabs is to visit the Dutch consulate and greet Mien, who runs the place. She tipped us about Peter’s Place, which we loved at first site. It’s run by Peter and Jetske. For the Dutchies: yes, Jetske’s parents emigrated from Groningen to South Africa in the 50's. Maud’s happy to be able to practice her Afrikaans and borrow books!
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Dovepost
Beware!!! Our doves will be flying in soon!!!
Mossie & Bram are all set to start their wedrenduiwe-postcompany.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Red Tape
The first Big Difference between holiday and work overseas is the huge amount of red tape. Right now we’re very proud we got our ‘idiot-forms’. We’re officially mentally sound (as Hamish would say: Bram’s (m)oral aptitude has been approved of). But that’s just one of many forms, and each form has to be copied and certified three times. Our stamp collection is multiplying like mice!
This whole process is frustrating, amusing, a catch 22 (for instance: you can’t get a local bank account without a residence permit, you can’t get the permit without the account), and flabbergasting all at once. Than again we’re the lucky ones, with okay-looking native documents in five languages, and we’re in Botswana, where the Dutch consulate is fabulous. Imagine being Chinese, or an African in the Netherlands...
This whole process is frustrating, amusing, a catch 22 (for instance: you can’t get a local bank account without a residence permit, you can’t get the permit without the account), and flabbergasting all at once. Than again we’re the lucky ones, with okay-looking native documents in five languages, and we’re in Botswana, where the Dutch consulate is fabulous. Imagine being Chinese, or an African in the Netherlands...
House-Hunting
Again the hunt for a ‘our house’ didn’t take long. There’s just one tiny obstacle: it isn’t finished - yet. There’re loads of other houses for rent, partly because people save money by building and letting instead of putting it in a savings account, but ... we want this place in Morwa!
We’re just spoilt by our Mochudi-house earlier this year. We can’t look at a residence as such anymore; the view, the atmosphere, the people living around it - vague stuff like that has to feel ‘okay’, otherwise we won’t take it.
Our landlord-to-be (who happens to be business-editor at Mmegi, www.mmegi.bw, one of the many coincidences we encounter) says he’ll have this house fit to live in for us by December first. We’ll see.
For the time being we rent a lovely, although over budget cottage at Peter’s Place in Gaborone and enjoy the luxury of having everything taken care of and watching satellite television.
We’re just spoilt by our Mochudi-house earlier this year. We can’t look at a residence as such anymore; the view, the atmosphere, the people living around it - vague stuff like that has to feel ‘okay’, otherwise we won’t take it.
Our landlord-to-be (who happens to be business-editor at Mmegi, www.mmegi.bw, one of the many coincidences we encounter) says he’ll have this house fit to live in for us by December first. We’ll see.
For the time being we rent a lovely, although over budget cottage at Peter’s Place in Gaborone and enjoy the luxury of having everything taken care of and watching satellite television.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Babbelas
After surviving our Dutch bye bye parties we should have enough experience to survive our African welcome home celebrations… This small get together in Potch got a tiny bit out of hand – turning into a big hit.
Big it was, and hit it does, in de morning! How much coffee, Tab and water does one need the day after to overcome this serious dehydration? Luckily Louis dished out some pills before we went to sleep, so the babbelas doesn’t give us a headache.
Big it was, and hit it does, in de morning! How much coffee, Tab and water does one need the day after to overcome this serious dehydration? Luckily Louis dished out some pills before we went to sleep, so the babbelas doesn’t give us a headache.
Bakkie
We’re the proud owners of a Nissan 1400 bakkie standard – a very basic, retro car, and for both of us the first brand-new vehicle in our live.
Buying it was ever so easy. In the morning we walked to Main Street, had an hour of looking at cars, and decided it had to be this lovely bakkie instead of a second-hand Toyota Tazz. Nick helped us bargain with a couple of Nissan-garages, and in the afternoon this bakkie was ours.
Getting the export-license was a different story. After an hour or so of racing around Joburg with our driver from Nissan, and visiting police stations that couldn’t help us, we ended up at the right place. Together with a lot of other people who desperately wanted ‘clearance’ to prove they don’t drive a stolen vehicle. After hours of moving from one counter to another, waiting, and chatting someone called for ‘the people who go to Botswana’, and we got our clearance and export license.
In Potch we pimped the bakkie with a gear lock, immobilizer and radio, and makeshift Sun Design logo, so now we’re all set to go.
First Job
Our first evening in Joburg and we already have a temporary job: making fruit-packages for one of Nick’s businesses. It’s a sweatshop and the wages are zilch, but it’s lots of fun and the beers are free :-)
Joburg
I’m sitting on Nick’s porch, enjoying the sounds of the African birds – even the shouts of the hadida are lovely on our first day back.
Heathrow once again proved to be the airport from hell, but we survived and as a bonus our luggage arrived on the same plane. At Jan Smuts we had to wait for the Zurich-plane, which would bring Nick’s niece back from the youth world championship karate. That gave us time to discover Jan Smuts, soon to be OR Tambo airport, is a big building pit now because of the preparations for the 2010 soccer.
Now the sun sets and the crickets start their concert. My nose is still too blocked from flying to enjoy the smells, except for the kamfer I put in between the clothes we left here, but tomorrow I’ll also smell Africa. All in one: it’s marvelous to be back!
Friday, November 03, 2006
PHONES
We're still struggling with the connection between our usb-stick and the internet-cafe-pc's, so you'll have to wait a bit longer for our pictures and adventures.
For the moment you just get our Botswana cell-numbers:
Bram +26771219936
Maud +26771219954
You can also send sms's to Maud's Dutch cell-phone (thanks for testing, Kristien).
Hope to be able to tell you more soon!
For the moment you just get our Botswana cell-numbers:
Bram +26771219936
Maud +26771219954
You can also send sms's to Maud's Dutch cell-phone (thanks for testing, Kristien).
Hope to be able to tell you more soon!
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Mo(u)rning after
Every single one of our many bye bye parties deserves it's own post, but this picture sums it up nicely. Leaving for six months just takes too much 'organize darling, organize' to blog.
Our Leiden-house has never been so clean, and so 'almost finished'– thanks to a lot of help! Let's pray it will be rented fulltime... The mountain of potential luggage will never fit into two 23-kilo suitcases… To survive we'll just pack our farewell-presents: solar-powered equipment, binoculars, digital compass, cd's, books and diaries.
Lots of thanks to all of you!!!
Friday, September 08, 2006
Zeeland-party
We had an abfab weekend-holiday in Zeeland with Janny & Cees. To celebrate Bram’s 50th birthday, and Maud’s 45th, and because we survived two years of wedlock, they gave us a weekend in their Zeeland-farmhouse and our pick of shows from the Zeeland autumn festival.
Friday we saw Wagner’s ‘Der Fliegende Hollander’, performed in the harbour of Terneuzen, in between two channels. A great show – the performers were good, and the ships passing by left and right made for the perfect mis-en-scene.
Saturday evening we went to Kamp West-Kapelle to hear the stories of the now Dutch people who came from the Molukken.
A bit of history: after the Second World War the Netherlands had to give up their Indonesian colonies. The government lured the KNIL-soldiers (royal Dutch Indonesian army), and their families, over to Holland by promising them it would only be for a short time, they would organize an autonomous state in the Molukken for them. This, of course, didn’t happen, and the KNIL-people and their families lived for years in these camps that were only suited for a short stay. ‘Imagine it happens to you, being bon in a camp, hardly any light, 8 square meters for a family – imagine’. ‘Imagine being a kid, born in a camp, 8 square meters for a family, hardly any food, clothes, whatever, waiting to return to your homeland, and wait, and wait, and wait – imagine’.
Totally different from the impressing Wagner-cultural experience, but equally touching, the music and songs as told by a little girl, now 52 years old actress. The impact was enforced by the decor: the courtyard of a real former camp (now used as caravan-storage) Many of the other visitors sitting next to us were the actual camp-dwellers from years ago.
Sunday-afternoon we joined a much lighter sing along-event in Middelburg, and than back to the Randstad, back to work.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Monday, August 28, 2006
First Cousins
Aren't they lovely: Bram (50) and Joseph (0,5) - the most charming, beautiful brada's ever seen...
You can see they share a granddad!
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Build with Beer
Wednesday evening Bram’s brother arrived to do some professional jobs in the house and help with the beer (due to bad coordination Maud & Bram both bought a lot). Friday our sister in common law and their daughter joined us. A brilliant concept: Henk-i, Harriet and Jolin did a lot of work and kept us working, and we had a fun weekend.
Saturday Jolin decided to hop over to tio Haroen to play with her nieces and baby Joseph. She deserved it, after cleaning auntie Maud’s Barbie-stuff and hanging out with all this boring grownups Friday-evening. We had Bram’s & Henk-i’s friend from way back when Victor and his wife Lena over for dinner – party for the grownups, but for a 7 year old...
Jolin’s Saturday-program was a lucky shot for us, because auntie Marisabel decided picking up the girl should be a group effort, and a family dinner opportunity. Her delicious meal gave us strength for our working Sun(Design)day...
Now it’s Sunday-evening and we’re tired and very happy with all the work that’s done!
Changing Jobs
Thursday Maud had her last day at the office. We skipped the big party we had in mind, because her new boss wanted her on duty immediately after office hours. In fact office hours at Sun Design, were she is working now, are round the clock. And being PA for one of the two directors, Bram D., is killing.
Maud can’t wait till October 5th, when Bram starts working for the other Sun Design-director. This woman surely will give him a hard time also!!!
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Billemaatjes
Tlo and Tau, busy with their favourite activity. They’re a bit offended because we’re not in between them and the fat boys, but they’ll manage.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
About Chicks and Pits
Us (surrogate) parents had a very, very hard weekend. In between changing nappies, feeding and loitering in the sandpit or swimming pool you have to down your morning coffee and afternoon beers & wine during the babies' naps. And the toddler only sleeps in the afternoon...
But Jack (1 year and a bit) had the hardest time of all. He discovered All there’s to know About Girls.
Picture this. You’ve got a few days off left. It’s a blazing hot summer, so you decide to escape Amsterdam and venture into the woods. You arrive in time to join the dinner party, and hey, look, at that other table, there’s this single chick. Great body, nicely tanned, angelic face, natural blond curls. You smile at her, she smiles back. It’s almost bedtime, so you ask here out for the next day. You plan the perfect day: breakfast, sandpit, lunch, pool, dinner – the works.
The sandpit is a big hit, so you try to kiss her, and she accepts. The pool is an even bigger hit, even though you did not manage to grab some booze (horribly greedy adults). She flirts with you all the way through dinner, and you have this great, feet-on-the-table, after dinner conversation about life. Cool, things are working out! You ask her to meet you in the now familiar sandpit the next morning and she agrees with this angelic smile.
Early the next morning, all excited about YOUR girl, you race into the sand. She’s there, angelic smile and all. And all is what she grabs. Your tools. Your cars. Even your auntie. And than she runs off with this tanned dude...
Hairdo
Why is Maud scratching her head all the time? It’s not lice; it’s the new hairdo.
After years of Bram begging to get the hair braided and Maud refusing to do so there was this offer you can’t refuse. Joyce came over from Ghana for a holiday, and as she is the best hairdresser...
Imagine she worked in Botswana at the Afrodizzia hair saloon, which Bram and Maud know quite well.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Morning after
After our umptieth farewell-party (yeah, we got a head-start, and there’ll be many more) we planned a weekend full of activities. Bit of gym, loads of renovating, bit of shopping... Now we’re having coffee & aspirins for breakfast, trying to build up strength for the day. Luckily someone did most of the dishes & general cleaning up after the guests left – must have been us, still feeling like sweet 16. By the way, our youngest culinary discovery is chilled baklava accompanied by chilled rose.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
P(L)EACE
Everyday, all over the world, people wake up and look around.
View from my bedroom window: Rima | Bram & Maud
.
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Akwaba
This poor blog got totally neglected because Maud has this urge to exchange huge emails with her friend Kristien every day. Meanwhile there has been a lot to blog about, as you can see in the pictures below.
Happy pictures – not like the ones Rima (a Lebanese colleague of Bram) mailed from Beirut. Living next to the airport she has a good view of what the Israelis are doing.
While Rima is bombed we went to the yearly Ghana-day in Den Haag. Ghana-day is good company, music, food, and beer. Joyce made redred so we had an excellent picnic. Having a beer with it is a bit complicated. First you have to find the beer-woman in between the women with the big coolers selling drinks. Together with your hard-earned beers you get plastic bags to wrap around it, because there’s this official walking around telling everyone ‘no alcohol’. Luckily he can’t see the difference between the original spa-bottles and the ones refilled with apetashe...
Vi-king&queen
Peter & Anette from Denmark surviving in the lowlands: doing dishes, sunscreen and trafficjams
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Liv
July is a fertile month – last year our nephew Jack was born, this year brought us two beautiful girls. Here’s the first beauty: Liv from Taco and Lenny.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Party-animals
Sunday Maud had a little get-together that was planned 26 years ago. Okay, the original plan was we would meet 10 years after finishing high-school, but there was a slight delay. Thinking we are responsible grownups now we decided on lunchish, starting 1.00 pm. The last people left past 1.00 am. The only problem being that you may feel like 18 again, but when the alarm wakes you at 6.00 am your body tells you your real age.
It’s funny to see people change and don’t change – even if you didn’t see them for 26 years, there’s so much which makes it like yesterday (hence our successful attempt to digest the same amount of chips, wine, peanuts and beer as we used to do in France while celebrating finishing high-school).
After a very blue Monday at work we recovered quickly because we celebrated Rachel’s birthday. Rachel’s mom Jacinta flew in from Scotland, and again we had a wondrous evening, which made Maud forget she planned to go to bed before midnight. (For our irregular readers: Rachel stars in Portanol.)
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Too busy for words
October 24th we go back to southern Africa, to stay until the first day of May. To do what? That’s mainly ??? for us also. Part of the time Bram will be teaching graphic design at Pretoria University. In between we want to spend a lot of time in Botswana, doing ‘whatever you want, we’ll design it’ to earn some duku.
This plan keeps us very busy now already. We both have to quit our jobs to do this, which means we have to start networking because we want freelance-work in Holland when we return. We must let the Leiden-house, which means a lot of unfinished renovation-projects have to be finished quickly. We need more work than Bram’s Pretoria-job to survive, which asks for preparation also. Last but not least we like to enjoy our Dutch friends & family as long as we are here. See the sleeping beauties, our first cousins Karen (r) & Daniela (l), and Joseph.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Giant
Coming home Saturday we encountered two very angry cats. Tlo & Tau were so Not Amused that they decided to Ignore us (and to Refuse to Eat, which is a miracle) for Two Whole Hours.
Bram’s been to Brussels with his brothers & sissie. The first night the boys managed to loose their little sister because they were loitering in the station while she jumped into the train. With the tickets, Bram told Maud when he phoned her immediately. Luckily they managed to follow her trail and have a great time together.
Meanwhile Maud managed to become incapable of wearing shoes for the time being. The first foot went when she got stuck between the kitchen counter and Reus’ ass, while he was fighting with Kyro. Reus (Giant) is Maud’s mom’s Big Dog, and Kyro is the dog-who-thinks-he’s-a-human (and loves his white whine; he used to live with a whino). The second one went when Maud helped her mom to build a Fong Kong greenhouse. Because it was raining, and raining, and raining, we decided to make the zillion small parts into bigger parts in the carport. While carrying the front wall over the hill to the building place, Maud slipped, and the ladies saved the greenhouse, but the ankle went. By now the beautiful greenhouse stands, and Maud looks like a fool, walking around on slippers in this very cold, very rainy spring.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Stormy 60
The beautiful summery weather has changed into a stormy spring. Which is good, because we finally had two days to start finishing the house, and staying inside doesn’t hurt now. Maud succeeded in creating a stormy look all around the house. She decided more cleaning out is needed before we can start building, so there’re boxes and piles of stuff around everywhere. Poor mothers, they’re grannies now, so they definitely need books, toys, et cetera. Poor Bram is cycling back and forth to the ‘give-away shop’, where you can bring things you don’t need anymore, and people can shop for free, with the surplus.
Sunday we celebrated the 60th birthday of Maud’s uncle Aernout with a stormy sailing tour on the IJsselmeer in his 104-year old botter (wooden fishing boat).
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Unicorn
Yet another weekend with a lot of socializing, a bit of gardening and no revamping the house at all... By the way, does anyone know how to get rid of the bright red bugs that eat lilies? (Preferable without using poison. I already tried catching & killing them, and the eggs and larvae, last year, but there are too many.)
It’s still a summery summer, so we did the boat-thing with our Thursday-, Saturday-and Sunday-guests. Floating around town, the boat loaded with friends, drinks, and nibbles, Holland is nice again. As long as we’re on our own island... Which includes loitering in our garden with friends this Friday-evening.
By now everyone is wondering why this post is titled ‘Unicorn’. Because of a weird item in one of Maud’s language-newsletters. Unicorn used to be the name of the Dutch peace-mission in Afghanistan. It’s a name that has good connotations with the Afghanis, they say. Now they changed it because it makes English speaking soldiers (Americans, I suppose) think of a gay movement in the us of a. When we first read it, we thought it was a joke, but it seems to have really happened. Words fail to express what we think of this.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Portanol
Last weekend we learned an abfab new word: Portanol. It’s what you get when you mix Portuguese and Spanish.
We had Rachel, who is doing her post-graduate design studies in Eindhoven, over for the weekend. It was great having someone around with so much ideas, plans and experiences. Special for the old uncle Bram is that he first made Rachel pictures when she was a toddler still, this babe has come a long way indeed.
Saturday tio Haroen & tia Marisabel & kids joined the party. Because Marisabel, Karen & Daniella don’t speak English, and Rachel doesn’t speak Dutch, they introduced us to Portanol. We’re lucky Verdonk doesn’t rule (yet?); she proposed this ridiculous rule that you have to speak Dutch on the street. Going to the market with the young ladies Bram would’ve been in serious trouble. By the way, what about Fries, Limburgs, Twents, Leids, et cetera? Is that confined to the home too? Can we still speak Dunglish and Nefrikaans in the garden?
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Promises, promises
The promised weekly blogging has been a disaster up till now because of ‘too much happening’. We came home with the usual great plans: orderly go to work, renovate the house, do the garden and in between have fun with friends and family. As usual life isn’t orderly and takes over.
After we were home for exactly one week a very good friend died totally unexpected so we set everything aside to help his sister organize the funeral and all the things that have to be done when someone dies.
So everything else got pushed forward, and still is pushed forward. Like adjusting to the Netherlands. Back in the brick jungle we long for space. Physical space, obviously, but bit-by-bit we also feel enclosed by narrow-mindedness and intolerance. We know things have been changing over the last couple of years, but after some time away from it all it suddenly hits you harder. To be honest we don’t even want to adjust to this atmosphere of fear and how it makes people behave.
Still ... seeing everybody is good and the Dutch cheese is delicious.
Monday, April 10, 2006
Loitering in Leiden
Back in Holland the overwhelming warm ‘welcome home’ compensates the cold (a bit:-) We just enjoyed the quiche our neighbours put in the fridge, and decided to keep blogging for the people back home and far-away friends & family. ‘Back home’ is a complicated concept. When we’re here, back home is there, when we’re there, back home is here. Anyway, there’ll be a new post & picture approximately once a week.
Einstein:
The relativity of the fat ass.
Buying ladies underwear in Botswana is an adventure in itself. It seems simple: go to a shop, grab a value pack of knickers that has your size stamped on it, and pay.
When you come to the cashier, she measures you with her eyes. She asks suspiciously:
“Is this for you?”
“Yes.”
“You know it’s big?”
“Thanks, it’s my size.”
“You know it’s BIG?”
“Oh, it’ll fit.”
Looking doubtful she allows you to pay. Having second thoughts you have a look at it before you leave the shop. Out comes an oversized family party tent. Don’t worry about the size of your ass; it just depends on where you are.
Buying ladies underwear in Botswana is an adventure in itself. It seems simple: go to a shop, grab a value pack of knickers that has your size stamped on it, and pay.
When you come to the cashier, she measures you with her eyes. She asks suspiciously:
“Is this for you?”
“Yes.”
“You know it’s big?”
“Thanks, it’s my size.”
“You know it’s BIG?”
“Oh, it’ll fit.”
Looking doubtful she allows you to pay. Having second thoughts you have a look at it before you leave the shop. Out comes an oversized family party tent. Don’t worry about the size of your ass; it just depends on where you are.
Seswaa or the Goat’s Fate
As our faithful readers already know, Bram and Pangaman bought and slaughtered the party goat. The two happy hunters rented space at the butchers to keep the goat cool. The next day Bram had an outing planned for Maud: get a bucket full of entrails from the butcher to put into Pelo’s freezer. This kept Maud busy sticking her head out of the car window as far as possible without being decapitated by the acacia’s.
On party day early in the morning Bram organized another nice trip: pick up Pangaman (quite sleepy because he’d been at a funeral all night), go to the butcher, have the goat sawn to seswaa-pieces, and use our beautiful bakkie to bring the mutilated corpse to the Sunset Bar.
While the guys were sawing, Bram happily walked out with the head in a bucket (“it’s a delicacy”), and put it in the car. Maud decided to take a chance with the acacia’s, and took refuge on the roof until the corpse was offloaded.
Everyone said it was a long time ago since they had such marvelous seswaa.
On party day early in the morning Bram organized another nice trip: pick up Pangaman (quite sleepy because he’d been at a funeral all night), go to the butcher, have the goat sawn to seswaa-pieces, and use our beautiful bakkie to bring the mutilated corpse to the Sunset Bar.
While the guys were sawing, Bram happily walked out with the head in a bucket (“it’s a delicacy”), and put it in the car. Maud decided to take a chance with the acacia’s, and took refuge on the roof until the corpse was offloaded.
Everyone said it was a long time ago since they had such marvelous seswaa.
Organize, darling, organize
It’s the day after: we’re happy and crashed out. Happy because in the end all went well. Crashed out because it was an a-fubar* party…
Picture this:
You’re having your party at a bar - that takes care of drinks & music, you suppose. The bar owner has a ‘very experienced’ girl who’ll organize the food (meaning shopping & cooking). Plates, pots, etcetera will be available. You’ve organized it, you think, but, you didn’t reckon with nafi’s**.
After almost daily checking you discover the evening before that there’s no stock in the drinks-department of the bar. Feeling a bit suspicious you decide to borrow the wholesale card and organize the drinks yourself.
When you bring the drinks in the wee hours of the party-morning you discover there’s no cooking going on, and nothing has been purchased, except for the shopping list they gave you. Mayonaise, oil, and spices – that makes an interesting dinner… Fortunately you made a back-up plan after the drinks-disaster: speed-order the paletshe and salads in ‘your’ Mochudi-restaurant. The Nna-ladies did an abfab last minute job!
By than you decide to back-up everything anyway. Pelo saved our asses by lending us plates, pots etcetera. Our other heroes are Panga-seswaa-man and the baker, who proudly handed over Bram’s beautiful birthday cake right on time.
* almost fucked up beyond all repair
** no ambition fuckall interest
Picture this:
You’re having your party at a bar - that takes care of drinks & music, you suppose. The bar owner has a ‘very experienced’ girl who’ll organize the food (meaning shopping & cooking). Plates, pots, etcetera will be available. You’ve organized it, you think, but, you didn’t reckon with nafi’s**.
After almost daily checking you discover the evening before that there’s no stock in the drinks-department of the bar. Feeling a bit suspicious you decide to borrow the wholesale card and organize the drinks yourself.
When you bring the drinks in the wee hours of the party-morning you discover there’s no cooking going on, and nothing has been purchased, except for the shopping list they gave you. Mayonaise, oil, and spices – that makes an interesting dinner… Fortunately you made a back-up plan after the drinks-disaster: speed-order the paletshe and salads in ‘your’ Mochudi-restaurant. The Nna-ladies did an abfab last minute job!
By than you decide to back-up everything anyway. Pelo saved our asses by lending us plates, pots etcetera. Our other heroes are Panga-seswaa-man and the baker, who proudly handed over Bram’s beautiful birthday cake right on time.
* almost fucked up beyond all repair
** no ambition fuckall interest
Golden boys
Everyone who wasn’t there: thanks a lot for the B-Day blog comments, e- and snail-mails, sms’s, phone calls, and presents!!!
Our first guests brought Bram’s snail-mail, so we could put on the cd Paul sent from Scotland immediately. We listened, chatted, and were flabbergasted it seemed to happen after all.
What almost went fubar came out as a nice, mellow madala-party, with a few guys who remembered Bram’s wild 25th-party in Serowe. Seeing the mountain of leftover beers, the guys aren’t that wild anymore, but their stories about their golden days get wilder every year. Interesting (this is a Maud-observation): if you say it’s enlightening to get to know the man behind your man, the guys immediately say they’re just trying to overbid each others war stories…
Not that it was total oldies; the old warriors brought in some young adults also (their kids), to add djive to the party.
Fafyoif!
Our first guests brought Bram’s snail-mail, so we could put on the cd Paul sent from Scotland immediately. We listened, chatted, and were flabbergasted it seemed to happen after all.
What almost went fubar came out as a nice, mellow madala-party, with a few guys who remembered Bram’s wild 25th-party in Serowe. Seeing the mountain of leftover beers, the guys aren’t that wild anymore, but their stories about their golden days get wilder every year. Interesting (this is a Maud-observation): if you say it’s enlightening to get to know the man behind your man, the guys immediately say they’re just trying to overbid each others war stories…
Not that it was total oldies; the old warriors brought in some young adults also (their kids), to add djive to the party.
Fafyoif!
Saturday, April 01, 2006
Lady Grey
our Pretoria-branch will post a picture later
When Maud asked Nick 'What's the most beautiful spot in South-Africa?' he said 'Lady Grey, where my mom grew up on the family-farm'. Saturday morning he took Gerhard and Maud over there, while Bram had to stay back home and prepare his lectures. After tannie Elsa installed Bram & laptop safely in the sunroom, we were on our way.
The trip itself, up to the Lesotho-border, where the really high, fierce mountains start, is magnificent. As Nick promised, you don't see Lady Grey until you almost enter the village, because it's build between two mountains. We start our tour with a little village-sightseeing on our way to the dam. Driving through an almost Austria-like wood we reach the dam, build where two mountains meet. The water splashes down lavishly over the high, high wall. I almost can't believe in winter you can climb to the top over the side of the waterfall. Right now you would be washed away immediately.
It's too cold to swim, but we fool around in the shallow part of the water anyway before we master the top. Walking over the dam-wall the calm lake and the force of the water splashing down is unbelievable. The high, green valley goes into Lesotho, and Maud decides she must definitely do another horseback-trip with Bram over there.
Back in the village lunch is a good excuse to explore the nicely restored old hotel. Refreshed we start our village-tour. Lady Grey is very different from the other small Oostkaap-villages. Thanks to its beauty the exodus of youngster to town is compensated by town-people who want to escape Big City.
We end our tour with a visit to the graveyard to bring flowers for Nick's granny, and to the church where his parents married. Next to the church is a small museum. We phone the caretaker because we want to see the clothes Nick's granny made for the museum. Maud has never been in one of those village-museums, and is fascinated by the collection and the caretaker, who knows the history of almost all the items on display and every person in the many pictures.
We drive on to the family-farm. Over the tar road out of the village, which immediately disappears between the mountains. At the spot where the train used to stop to pick up the milk, we turn onto the dirt road, up, down, up, down, until we see a valley. At the foot of the mountain in front of us we can see the ruins of the huge farmhouse. The mountain and the valley are even more beautiful as they looked on the pictures Maud has seen. On this point of no return we return to Jamestown, where we find Bram, very happy with the work he has done and the coffee & goodies tannie Elsa spoiled him with.
When Maud asked Nick 'What's the most beautiful spot in South-Africa?' he said 'Lady Grey, where my mom grew up on the family-farm'. Saturday morning he took Gerhard and Maud over there, while Bram had to stay back home and prepare his lectures. After tannie Elsa installed Bram & laptop safely in the sunroom, we were on our way.
The trip itself, up to the Lesotho-border, where the really high, fierce mountains start, is magnificent. As Nick promised, you don't see Lady Grey until you almost enter the village, because it's build between two mountains. We start our tour with a little village-sightseeing on our way to the dam. Driving through an almost Austria-like wood we reach the dam, build where two mountains meet. The water splashes down lavishly over the high, high wall. I almost can't believe in winter you can climb to the top over the side of the waterfall. Right now you would be washed away immediately.
It's too cold to swim, but we fool around in the shallow part of the water anyway before we master the top. Walking over the dam-wall the calm lake and the force of the water splashing down is unbelievable. The high, green valley goes into Lesotho, and Maud decides she must definitely do another horseback-trip with Bram over there.
Back in the village lunch is a good excuse to explore the nicely restored old hotel. Refreshed we start our village-tour. Lady Grey is very different from the other small Oostkaap-villages. Thanks to its beauty the exodus of youngster to town is compensated by town-people who want to escape Big City.
We end our tour with a visit to the graveyard to bring flowers for Nick's granny, and to the church where his parents married. Next to the church is a small museum. We phone the caretaker because we want to see the clothes Nick's granny made for the museum. Maud has never been in one of those village-museums, and is fascinated by the collection and the caretaker, who knows the history of almost all the items on display and every person in the many pictures.
We drive on to the family-farm. Over the tar road out of the village, which immediately disappears between the mountains. At the spot where the train used to stop to pick up the milk, we turn onto the dirt road, up, down, up, down, until we see a valley. At the foot of the mountain in front of us we can see the ruins of the huge farmhouse. The mountain and the valley are even more beautiful as they looked on the pictures Maud has seen. On this point of no return we return to Jamestown, where we find Bram, very happy with the work he has done and the coffee & goodies tannie Elsa spoiled him with.
Friday, March 31, 2006
Plaas toe
our Pretoria-branch will post a picture later
scroll down to see the pictures added to earlier posts
We leave Jamestown via the main road, also the only tar road. Just out of the village we turn left on the dirt road, and drive up in the mountains. The views are magnificent. Thanks to the good rains the land is green and flowering and the cattle is fat. When the sun burns away the early morning mist and cold, the trees are brilliant with the first autumn colors. Bram and Maud enjoy the treat of sitting in the back of the bakkie – where you normally put the sheep.
The road becomes smaller and bumpier. Suddenly we are there: a little house for the workers, sheds for tools and sheep, and an overflowing dam. It's shaving time: two men with gigantic scissors free the sheep from their heavy coats. It's loitering time also: wander around, cross the dam, and try to give each other a cold mountain-water bath.
To see all the farmland, the sheep and the cows, we drive further up in the mountains. South-African farms are huge for Europeans: abfab beautiful rough valley after valley, with shepherds, some cattle, and patches of farmland where the winter-food grows.
We decide to walk back along the spring that ends in the dam, hunt for frogs and the leaves that you can make bangles from, and try to avoid the snakes. Maud of course managed to fall and get muddy. Luckily the boys looked the same after their water-fight down by the dam.
Back home there's a good farmer's meal, and some muddy clothes to wash before we can sit down to watch our daily soap.
scroll down to see the pictures added to earlier posts
We leave Jamestown via the main road, also the only tar road. Just out of the village we turn left on the dirt road, and drive up in the mountains. The views are magnificent. Thanks to the good rains the land is green and flowering and the cattle is fat. When the sun burns away the early morning mist and cold, the trees are brilliant with the first autumn colors. Bram and Maud enjoy the treat of sitting in the back of the bakkie – where you normally put the sheep.
The road becomes smaller and bumpier. Suddenly we are there: a little house for the workers, sheds for tools and sheep, and an overflowing dam. It's shaving time: two men with gigantic scissors free the sheep from their heavy coats. It's loitering time also: wander around, cross the dam, and try to give each other a cold mountain-water bath.
To see all the farmland, the sheep and the cows, we drive further up in the mountains. South-African farms are huge for Europeans: abfab beautiful rough valley after valley, with shepherds, some cattle, and patches of farmland where the winter-food grows.
We decide to walk back along the spring that ends in the dam, hunt for frogs and the leaves that you can make bangles from, and try to avoid the snakes. Maud of course managed to fall and get muddy. Luckily the boys looked the same after their water-fight down by the dam.
Back home there's a good farmer's meal, and some muddy clothes to wash before we can sit down to watch our daily soap.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Back in E-World
This is Maud, just back from Jamestown (near Aliwal North, hope I get the names right, in Oostkaap / Eastern Cape). After the peace and beauty of die Oostkaap I really have to adjust to the e-world with mail, internet, and etcetera. And after a week of only Afrikaans my English seems to have evaporated…
It's hard to imagine we left Botswana only a week ago! We had a luxury bus trip from Gabs to Rustenburg, where our Avis car picked us up so we could travel on to Potchefstroom. Around 18:00 Gerhard, Nick, Bram and Maud started their Eastern Cape Expotition. Although Maud and Gerhard managed to get lost around Bloemfontein, we reached Jamestown just after midnight (hope you have a map to see the distance), a surprise for Nick's parents, who only expected us the next day.
How to describe the surprise of arriving somewhere in the darkness of the night, waking up the next morning, and seeing the lovely big house, the small village and the wondrous surrounding landscape?
After an excellent farmer's breakfast we drove to oom Nico's plaats – the farmland up in the mountains, where Nick's father keeps sheep and cows. If you've seen our Lesotho-footage: we were near to the border, the landscape has that kind of beauty.
The next day poor Bram had to stay at home, preparing his Pretoria-lectures (although poor? he enjoyed the care of tannie Elsa!), while Nick took Gerhard and Maud to Lady Grey, a mountain-village on the Lesotho-border where his mom's family-farm used to be. Maud overcame her vertigo and climbed on top of the dam - it just was too beautiful to be afraid!
Sunday Gerhard and Bram had to shoot back to Potch / Pretoria because work called. Maud won the lottery: Nick invited her to stay and escape small and big city life a bit longer.
According to Bram's phone-calls he's doing fine in Pretoria. The university put him in a nice flat, and his lectures go well.
Meanwhile Nick and Maud were very busy. Imagine entertaining three little dogs who have to sit on your lap all day, a huge boerboel who thinks she's a chiwawa, lots of good meals, and in between you have to walk around the village, check the village-cows, go to Aliwal to have facials and lunch, drive to the farm to check the sheep and the crop, and a zillion things more.
Today we had to drive back up North because work called Nick. The boys (BGN) really tried to get me to Joburg for the weekend also, but although I love their company, I want to escape Big City more, so I stayed in Potch.
Monday, March 20, 2006
Planning
Due to a fubar usb-stick we can't publish our home-made blog-stories an -pictures online... Hope to solve this problem before we leave Botswana, so we can post the picture of 'Het Grote Gevaar' and other stuff!
We're planning to go to South-Africa Thursday 23 early in the morning. If we manage to reach Potchefstroom in time, we'll travel on to Oostkaap with Gerhard and Nick, to visit the farm owned by Nick's parents. Sunday 26 we have to be in Pretoria, because Bram's classes start Monday early in the morning.
We hope to find a fast internet-connection at Pretoria University. Otherwise Maud'll move on to Potch aruond March 30, and maybe manage to do some posting.
We're planning to go to South-Africa Thursday 23 early in the morning. If we manage to reach Potchefstroom in time, we'll travel on to Oostkaap with Gerhard and Nick, to visit the farm owned by Nick's parents. Sunday 26 we have to be in Pretoria, because Bram's classes start Monday early in the morning.
We hope to find a fast internet-connection at Pretoria University. Otherwise Maud'll move on to Potch aruond March 30, and maybe manage to do some posting.
Friday, March 10, 2006
Bato barata Dikolobe
picture follows next week
Mask: Karen; T-Shirt: Peter Jensen & Bram; Doll: vangog ontwerpers; Cards: Pa, Karen, vangog
When Bram told Maud last year, on his 49th B-D, that the only thing he wanted for his 50th was 3 months in Botswana together, we never thought we would manage to arrange that, but here we are.
The day before D-Day Bram had his goat hunt with Pangaman. During the hunt his father-in-law phoned to give him some pointers about what to do with the catch. By the way, Maud’s dad managed to rig up a really good Skype-Out connection, wondrous!
Exhausted Bram managed not to touch his presents the evening before, and just fell asleep. Around 6 a.m. the B-D Boy attacked his goodies pile, smelling heavenly thanks to the Chanel present from Tio H and Tia Maria-I. While we were admiring the T-shirt Peter Jensen sent from Denmark, decorated with a drawing Bram did 27 years ago of Peter, Paul and Bram dressing up for Peter’s party, Pietje phoned from Maun. The evening before Bram already had a surprise present: he discovered his friend Gao, who died 7 years ago, fathered Pelo’s 21-year old daughter. One of those unbelievable coincidences of life!
All in all, an excellent start of what will be a very busy day. We planned to stay home alone, but as always stuff comes up. The goat’s corpse, which is hanging at the butcher, has to be transferred back to Jeff & Pelo. The original plan was to keep the poor animal alive in their garden till today, but Jeff doesn’t trust his hunting dogs around a nice snack like that. The woman who organizes the party cooking needs to go shopping today, so we have to drive. In between we have to rush over to Gabs for some last-minute color proofing on Andre’s billboards. Pelo found a nice small thatched house in Morwa we might rent next year, if we can come to an agreement with the owner, so we have to make a plan. And a zillion things more.
But first we’re going to enjoy a very special breakfast. In between hunting and slaughtering Bram managed to find cheese at an Italian Deli - not the plastic cheddar you’ll find in the supermarket, so we’ll postpone the Peanut Butter Contest judging till Sunday.
Just now our nephews Jelle & David are singing birthday songs over the phone, all the way from Marknesse. Before we left Holland they gave Bram super cool self-made strips. Bram’s sister Christine tells the special B-Day present, Joseph, couldn’t wait till today, so Marisabel had her caesarian February 26, on Linde’s B-Day.
Dangers
Some of you will be very disappointed by now, us staying in the ‘untamed Africa’, as someone called it, and our life being so tame. So here are the dangers we experienced so far.
The biggest threat up till now is getting a contagious illness from freshly arrived Western-Europeans. Mopping the house is also risky; Maud had a very painful week after crashing her back while cleaning. Another threat is the Batswana style of driving, a bunch of would be Schumachers without the skills, Andre calls them. So we avoid the streets when it’s really Schumacher-time: Friday and Saturday after six p.m.
While camping with the rhino’s the heavy winds blew down a tree that was half eaten by termites. Luckily this happened during the night, while we were sleeping in our tents, which we put under other shady trees. Miraculously the tree also didn’t crash Bram’s birthday presents. It just missed the skottelbraai, and although it hit the fridge, this heavenly luxurious item still works, although it looks a bit battered now.
Also at the rhino’s Bram & Maud experienced a first: a group of young males, which didn’t go out of the way, but approached the car. Cursing that he was missing the video footage of his life, Bram did as Maud bid and backed up, after which the rhino’s came to a standstill, looking very satisfied. Moremi and Ompatile confirmed this was a first in their park, rhino’s walking up to a car.
What about malaria, cholera- or otherwise infected water, yellow fever, etcetera? We’re sorry to disappoint the Damn Sexy Bitch, but this wild part of Africa also doesn’t have that. To meet malaria mosquitoes you have to travel far up north, and yellow fever is much further north again. The tap water is drink water quality, so we get to use our water cleansing tablets only in some suspicious looking South-African camps.
Loitering with Rhinos
On a sunny Friday morning we left for Serowe with Christa & Michel. Just after Mochudi one realizes again this is the oldest patch of tar in Botswana, patched up a zillion times, but by now fubar (fucked up beyond all repair). Arab Contractors Botswana are busy making a new road next to the old one, so maybe next year we’ll just fly over the posh highway. Lets hope the little bar on the Tropic of Capricorn than reopens, it’s so romantic to have a guave juice exactly on that geographical border.
In Palapye Bram and Christa did their desperate ‘last chance before camping food’ shopping at the takeaway, so we had a fridge load of chicken livers and chicken filled fatcakes for our campsite eekhoorn.
In Serowe we did the first half of our usual tour. Like every year, the Tswaragano Hotel looked a bit more run down, but hurrah, this year the bar had more than tap water on stock. As always the magnificent view from the terrace made Bram long for the old days, when you would only see the spread-out roundavel-village around you. The Ghanaian dressmaker is still there and once again we proved to the Batswana employees that Ghana has its own language by exchanging our 6 words Tswi with the owner. We found a nice ‘his & her’ outfit for Bram’s birthday, and Mma Kofi gave Bram a ‘first put on your sunglasses’ shirt as a present. Zaba Watson also is still there, but he’s closing the General Dealer that has been in the family since 1946. He doesn’t want to compete anymore with the Chinese, Korean and Indian crap that is so popular nowadays.
Quite a disaster for Maud; it was the best shop in the world, with literally everything. Tree-legged pots, needles, kamferoil, flour, soap, water tanks, buttons, machetes, shoes, axes, cookies, shovels – you name it, they got it.
At the Seretse Khama Memorial Museum Skobi had a surprise for us, actually three surprises. The picture-exhibition of Serowe through the centuries is ready, since visiting Eastern Europe & Russia he’s not a communist anymore, and he build a General Dealer like it was in the old days. So next year Bram has to do some sign painting on that project. In the old mall Christa & Maud went to look at the remains of the Big Fire last November – it must have been big indeed! (For Botswana-news read Mmegi online
www.
After a quick visit to the bottle store (having a fridge means you have to fill it…) we pushed to the Seretse Khama Rhino Sanctuary for another homecoming. As soon as we jumped out of the car Ompatile proudly announced the birth of yet another white rhino, only about two weeks ago. So after making a camp at one of the most beautiful camping sites on earth, we headed out for a game drive. There it was, happily splashing around in the big pan, next to it’s mother and a bunch of other rhino’s. Not quite sure of it’s identity yet: when a herd of impala’s walked by, it wanted to join them. It’s like something from ancient times, the rhino’s, especially when the light-footed, graceful antelopes mix with them. But when they start to run, their plumpness evaporates and they fly over the savannah like ballet dancers.
While sitting around our campfire we felt the weather changing. Rain we had before, but now the cold came with it. During the days, the rain stopped, but the cold stayed, Maud even bought a winter coat. Moremi, the park manager, tried to cheer us up by telling it was snowing heavily in the Netherlands and England.
The sanctuary really is a small paradise. Cruising around we managed to see more rhino’s, ostriches, zebras, duikers, kudu, red hartebeest, gemsbok, other antelopes, and lots of birds. Moremi asked Bram to update the map he designed 8 years ago, and do some other artwork, so we have to come back next year to see ‘our’ brochure and vehicle stickers, and camp for a while in paradise.
We put Christa & Michel on a bus to Maun and ended our Serowe-tour with giving the bakkie to Motushi for more repairs and a visit to the printers. It’s very, very sad to see the printers going down. They got a big donation once again, and spend it on the wrong computers, ignoring all Bram’s advice, and a business manager who turned out to be a Zimbabwean crook.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
New pictures on site
There’s RSA & Botswana 2006 pictures on
www.maudenbram.nl
in the Gallery
bots 2006
Christa & Michel
Monday evening Christa & Michel arrived with the Joburg-Gabs bus, bringing fresh drop & stroopwafels from Holland. We were a bit worried because it was still rainish and, according to us, fokken cold. Luckily fresh arrivees from Western Europe have a different concept of ‘cold’, and the rain reduced to a few showers. Quite busy now, pfffffffff, showing The Mochudi bar, The Mochudi restaurant, The Morwa bar, The Gabs pie place etcetera. Bram already managed to convince a hair salon owner she’ll be perfectly able to ‘do’ Christa’s hair, so we’re very curious what her ‘blocks’ (whatever that is) will look like. Don’t know if she’ll allow us to blog a picture…
Friday we’ll go to Serowe, to camp at the Rhino Sanctuary and visit some people. Sunday or Monday Maud & Bram shoot back to Mochudi, while Christa & Michel take a bus to Maun, and maybe will try a mokoro-trip (tree trunk canoe) into the Okavango Delta.
Loitering at Limpopo River
When Hamish makes a promise, he performs – 500 percent.
He promised Maud a slippry, slimy weekend at the banks of Limpopo river, and she got it.
We started this expotition on a sunny Saturday morning. First we drove from Mochudi to the massimo of Mma Mpo to bring her a big three-legged pot (size 20), pick up Mpo’s cousin Binno, and have a look at the lands. After admiring the maize, sorghum, beans, and melons Modioke invited us for a delicious sempe lunch. The boys of course had to practice shooting (windbuks) - why is it men want to kill everything which dares to move? It already started to drizzle…
We happily drove on to the Limpopo. First stop: a flooded piece of land near to the river, where a lot of cattle egrets and other birds were having a field day. It still rained a little bit. Second stop: a beautiful spot at the Limpopo, where some boys were fishing. We strolled along the riverbanks, enjoying the fine, sunny weather. Trying to cross the river to the South-African side, Binno sunk in the mud over his ankles, Mpo managed to get in till his thighs and Scoogie changed himself from a white to a brownish grey Jack Russell. We thought about camping right there, but decided to drive on to Olifantsdrift anyway.
The dirt road to the village was very good, the weather stayed fine, and even after Olifantsdrift village we hit only a few mud pools which looked like prone to get stuck in. The side Hamish picked to camp looked marvelous, a bit higher up, lots of trees for shade, and next to a dam in the river, which created nice fishing spots above and underneath the dam. There should be crocs and hippos, but even Mpo didn’t manage to spot one. While Hamish tried to walk the kids (3, 5, 11-ish and 13-ish) Bram and Maud started to build the camp, on a nice, barren spot. We were still in a cattle-area, which means you don’t want to camp in the cow-tick infested grass.
Our part of the camp looked ever so nicely when the sky went from blue to gray. We left the preparations for the cooking fire for what they were, dug out Hamish’s tent and managed to get it kind of upright before the rains started. Seriously. Within an hour we got our, slippry, slimy banks, a 500 percent (much like the Zeeland klei we know so well)! We could have done with a bit less convincing performance…
When the little ones finally stopped crying, the rain stopped also, so we had a happy campers evening in the mud.
Sunday after breakfast there was a break in the rain again, so the boys went fishing. Luckily we had an endless amount of peanut butter & bread with us, because they didn’t catch quite enough to feed the whole group. We even managed to pack up before it started raining again.
Maud & Bram rushed back to Gabs via Mochudi for a seldom occasion: Pietje would fly in from Maun, to sign for his new Dutch passport, and sleep over at our place. We didn’t expect to see him in Gabs, which he tries to avoid like the plague, and we won’t manage to get to Maun this year. It was very good to see him again, and when we brought him back to Seretse Khama Airport he revealed he would be in again half March to go to the clinic, so we’ll have another evening together at our house.
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