What We Eat

Bram likes to start his day with Morvite - a sorghum-based porridge, enriched with mineral, vitamins and loads of sugar. According to Bashi's grandfather, who like many Batswana worked in the South African mines, this is miner's food. Mine-food will make you very strong, so the big Morvite-bag travels with us everywhere.


Some people prefer the wide variety of fruits that grow in Mozambique. Mango, papaya, baby bananas, pineapple, grapes - who needs anything else? A healthy and yummy breakfast, especially if you wash it down with champagne (note the green glass).
After the first breakfast follows the second, just to taste if the leftovers from yesterdays dinner are as yummy as we remember.


Meanwhile preparations for the next dinner have to start before it gets too hot. Next to the fruits Mozambicans grow nice vegetables also. A lot of the veggies are quite similar to those the Batswana grow; pumpkin-like stuff, all sorts of leaves, tomatoes.


Despite the similarity in the basic ingredients, the resulting dishes are quite different. According to us Mozambicans have definitely more skills in preparing tasty food, so back home we'll start practising. The mixtures of leaves, ground peanuts or coconut, and yet to be discovered ingredients are especially scrumptious.


Food-wise the ocean and the rivers offer something dry Botswana doesn't have: seafood. Beforehand we only knew the famous Mozambican shrimps; you get them as a frozen luxury item in Botswana and South Africa. But there's so much more: big fish, small fish, squid, shellfish - all very appetizing.


All in one: Mozambique was great! Not only food-wise, but altogether; the people, the landscape, de ocean, the general atmosphere - certainly a place to visit again.

X-mas

Christmas is a real family-do, with us as add-ons to Jacinta's relatives. The hot, humid weather Paul promised won from the cold we experienced upon arriving. Everyone assembles under the big Marula-tree; shade is essential now!


The men and ladies of the house have been cooking something up since yesterday. While Jacinta's nephew Chico, who also lives on the Jenkins-estate, was handling the goat, his wife Jacinta (the second) busied herself with chicken and a lot of other dishes. Likewise P&J prepared a truckload of good food.


By the time the last guests have arrived, and all the dishes are served, everyone is really hungry. It's good we have a mountain of food! The cakes Jacinta's sister brought also go down nicely. Amazing: she even has kruidnootjes, a traditional Dutch sweet for Sinterklaas (December 5), bought in South Africa.


The centre of the group is Jacinta's mother Vovo, the matriarch, here with her great-granddaughter Nina.


The finale of the party is The Group Picture. When finally the group is assembled (try keeping the kids interested while waiting for those who have to do their hair or change), everyone tries to look their best at the same time. Meanwhile the photographers keep clicking; this is only one of many portraits...


Sunset comes near, so the guests need to get back home. It's an acquired art to get as many people and luggage as possible in a car. We notice once more Europeans just don't know how to use transport efficiently. Chico's nephew little Jose, our favourite Pai Natal, nicely fits on top of everyone, and off they go.

Capulanas

What to buy in Mozambique? Being into textiles we have to at least have a look at capulanas, the multifunctional pieces of cloth Mozambican women not only wear, but use for a lot of other purposes to. Carry your kid in it, use it as a towel, serviette, suitcase, or fill your treasure-trunk with them; the applications are many.


Another great Christmas-gift is the book about the history, symbolic meanings and daily use of capulanas. This particular design for instance is for the traditional healers and soothsayers.


Having a look leads to buying. Back home Bram proudly hops on the catwalk with his Frelimo-cloth.

2008

Our first Nwagaa o Mosha-visitors, neighbour Mma Binkie and two of her grandsons.
Note the brand-new Germin dress. This type of cloth (in brown, blue or red, with an endless range of motifs) and dress is the traditional Botswana outfit for women. They say Germin derives from German. I'm not sure if that's because of the print or the dress, or both.


We got that piece of cloth for Mma Binkie in Maud's favourite shop, where she gets acute choice-stress because of the huge variety of fabrics, beads, sequence, lace, ribbons, and etcetera. Actually it's the best shop in a wondrous shopping street (for the Dutchies: Voortrekkers Avenue in Vereeniging), packed with mainly Indian retailers, who sell more textile-related stuff than anyone can imagine.

How to?

Here's another call for recipes. Mma Binkie slaughtered a goat to celebrate the New Year, and presented us with what Bram calls a 'geitenbout'. It's a piece of bone with a big chunk of meat attached to it.
We could of course ask anyone in the village how to prepare this, but apart from the liver and the famous seswaa, Bram doesn't like the Batswana-recipes for goat very much. For seswaa you need at least half a goat (without the head and the entrails, those parts are used for other dishes), and a huge pot, and it involves hours of cooking and pounding. Bram does like the Turkish and Indonesian way to do goat, so if you've got a recipe for that, please mail it or place it as a comment. Talking about recipes, we have too many pumpkin-flowers, and don't now how to prepare them.
The goat above by the way was part of the delicious Christmas-meal at Paul & Jacinta's.

Where We Slept

To give an overview of our Christmas-break, we'll revive our series 'Where We Sleep'. Later we'll fill in some details, like 'who's this fabulous Pai Natal'.


WWS 1: Bronkhorstspruit
Locals would drive the 1000 k's to Maputo in a day, but for us that seemed too much. Therefore we spend the first night on the brink of Bronkhorstspruit Dam, 50 k's east of Pretoria. From our campsite at Kaia Manzi Resort we see the place where our friend Heintje used to have a cabin across the water.
Although we are ahead of the real holiday-migration, the camp is already packed (for European campers the picture will seem quite empty, but here this is really crowded). For us it's fascinating to stay in between these Afrikaners - this is a detail to be filled in later...


WWS 2-4: Paul & Jacinta, Maputo
After a smooth drive we reach the Mozambican border (Lebombo - Ressano Garcia). Apprehensive, because you never know with borders, and because we saw heavy, and heavily loaded traffic driving up to Lebombo. It's really amazing how much you can tie upon any type of vehicle, especially considering the bad condition of some cars and busses. What to take to Moz: bicycles (the village-women use them for transport) and jerry cans (to fetch water at the communal pump).
Compared to how it can be we have an easy crossing, only 75 minutes, and we don't have to unpack our car because Maud gets our paper signed beforehand by a friendly official, while Bram drives the car to the checkpoint. (No, she didn't bribe him; once again we had a bribe-free vacation).


Upon arriving in Maputo we discover for the second time that day we got too depended on cell phones. We manage to find the meeting point, but our phones don't work, so we can't tell Paul we're there. Luckily we look very much 'ah, shame', standing next to our small bakkie after two days of travelling. A nice, very Portuguese looking man phones Paul for us, and after some beers at Piri Piri we travel on.
Jacinta & Paul just arrived the day before from Edinburgh, so they're not totally organized yet. This is an excellent excuse to have dinner at Costa do Sol, a famous fish-restaurant that happens to be en route to the Jenkins-roundavel just outside Maputo.


WWS 5-8: Xai-Xai
We want to experience the famous Mozambican beaches, so we booked a campsite at Xai-Xai, 200 k's north from Maputo. Praia do Xai-Xai is a mixture of ruined hotels and brand-new beach-houses that makes one wonder.


The beach and the Indian Ocean are indeed amazing. On top of that the water temperature is such that even we can swim!


The campsite is again packed with Afrikaners, who, as Paul says, travel with 'everything but the kitchen sink'. And the servants, we might add. This campsite has it all: men to build up your tent, do the dishes, get firewood, clean the daily catch (those Afrikaners love fishing), wash your clothes, and etcetera. In the morning the baker walks around with fresh bread, and during the day the women pass by with fresh fruits & veggies.


WWS 9-10
Christmas eve we are back at P&J's. When we arrived in Mozambique it was cold and stormy, but by now we get the humid, blazing hot weather Paul predicted. This is why you have to do game-drives at sunrise and sunset; during the day every living thing tries to move as little as possible. Only when Paul starts playing his guitar we know it's time for sundowners and action.


Some people, like the guests, can afford to loiter under the Marula-tree all day, but others can't escape some action during the day. Next to the Christmas-cooking Jacinta has to look after the garden, and check out the new gardener.


Garden is too small a word for the 100 by 300 meter plot P&J have north of Maputo. The huge Marula was already there when they got the plot about 25 years ago. By now they added a lot of mango's and other trees, so we can eat luscious fruits all day.


29 years after they first met, and still in love.
All in one it's a real X-mas, with good company, beautiful presents and delicious food - but that's also to be filled in later.


WWS 11-12
Boxing day we leave for Swaziland. This border (Namaacha - Lomahasha) is heaven compared to RSA-Moz via Nelspruit - almost no other crossers, and a fully computerized visa-system. A small setback is that we have to pay import-tax on the capulanas (cloth) we bought in Maputo, but Bram manages to talk that one down big time.


Luckily most of the cashews we bought along the road in Moz are stashed under our camping-equipment, and the small box with our daily ration gets in untaxed. By now we have this game: getting a smile from any official (police, customs, soldiers) is 1 point, a laugh is 2 points, and chatting 3 points. If the official initially was unfriendly, you get double points. (This all has to be achieved without bribing.)


Hlane Game Sanctuary, where we booked a campsite, is just over the border. But that goes for everything in Swaziland because it's tooo tiny (it's even smaller than the Netherlands). We picked a place without electricity, hoping that would guarantee rest. (Afrikaners like to bring their microwave, water cooker and so on when camping.) They were indeed surprised when we booked, saying 'it's never full'. And empty it is, a beautiful, spacey campsite, with not too much other guests - and a tame ostrich, that likes it's braai-meat medium. All night we hear the lions roar, which adds to the 'back to nature'-feeling.


The sanctuary itself is also pretty, although some parts suffered heavily under the elephants. That's the usual problem with sanctuaries for elephants: they either die or manage to settle nicely - and breed more enthusiastically than the little space they get can carry.
Driving around we get to suspect the lions are lured to a private part of the reserve, close to the campsite. It's fishy: they stay in approximately the same place all night and every night. Like their prey is delivered on a golden platter at a fixed place, and doesn't have to be chased. (The platter must be golden, as the whole reserve belongs to the king.)
For practice they seem to hunt down the occasional biker. Along the highway that runs through the reserve there're these road-signs: 'Bikers beware of lions and elephants'.


WWS 13
After Swaziland we slowly drift back home. Driving to the border we pass Manzini and Mbabane, and deduce from the billboards the formerly famous Swaziland-casino's go online now. Swazi used to be gamblers-heaven for South Africa. Since the RSA-government legalized gambling, there's no need to travel to the Swazi-casino's anymore.
It's another smooth crossing, although there's a bit of waiting, because Ngwenya-Oshoek is an important border, and the visa-system hasn't been computerized yet. Still we have ample time to drive to Vereeniging to buy - stuff (materials for Maud's endless textile-projects) before we look for a camping spot on the brink of the Vaal.
Some years ago we spend a lovely day along the Vaal with friends, a river that's by now a world heritage site. We always wanted to go back, and we find a nice campsite at Vaal Wes, close to Paris. It's packed again, but although we didn't book, manager Willie van Rensburg (his dad was Dutch, he says) finds us a spot right next to the river.


WWS 14
We're very close to Potchefstroom now, but all our Potch-friends are of course celebrating their holidays somewhere else, so we only go there because it's Bram's turn to shop. It's weird to enter Potch and see Louis' house without staying there!
After Bram's shopping-spree we have to decide what to do. We can easily drive home today, but that would end the holiday. We know where to get the keys to both Louis' and Anel's house, so we have the luxury of 'pick your place' in Potch. We decide to do something unplanned, and drive on to Groot Marico. That's on our way to Morwa, and several Botswana-friends say it's great place for a break.
The Indian shopkeeper, where we buy our firecrackers, points us to yet another lovely campsite, at the brink of the Bosveld Dam in the river Marico. It looks packed, and we didn't book, but everyone is very relaxed about that. 'Just pitch your tent anywhere you like', says the son to owner farmer Jan.


Next afternoon we take the back-road that, according to Jan, reduces the distance to Gabs to 120 k's. No Golden Highway via Zeerust for us anymore, except in rainy weather, because than this dirt road will change into a car-trap.
Back home we find everything in impeccable order, thanks to Bashi. Our vegetables have grown amazingly, and we can pick our first kouseband - yummy!

Holidays

This is probably our last post for 2007. Wednesday we had our good-bye lunch with Padi & Hamish, cause they'll be in New Zealand till January 20. Thursday there was the farewell dinner with Pelo & Jeff; they'll spend Christmas in Florida. Saturday is dedicated to the big do at Botswana University for Bernhard, who is retiring. Early Sunday morning we'll drive halfway Maputo.


Crossing the Botswana/RSA-border and vice versa is easy. The middle name of a lot of RSA-officials is Corruption, but by now we know the usual scams, and we look local enough (Bram's Tswana and Maud's Afrikaans also helps) to get over unscarred. Word has it the Mozambican side of the border is a challenge, and our Portuguese is very, very little. Word also has it Monday-afternoon, when we'll cross, isn't that bad...
Anyway, we're well ahead of the big holiday-migration, and we'll drive back before everyone else returns, so that should help. The first week of January we hope to post our Moz- & Swazi-adventures.


Our Botswana cell-numbers will be out of the air until December 30 or 31. Part of the time our South African cell-numbers will work, and when we get our hands on a Moz-sim-card, we'll text the number to Bram's siblings.
We wish you all a very merry Christmas and a wonderful start of 2008!

Baby-shower

Last Saturday we attended our first Botswana Baby Shower. In January Kgakgamatso's (the woman who works in Hille's bar) second (& last) born will arrive. Lastborn because, like a lot of Batswana-women nowadays, Kgakgamatso thinks two is a crowd already, considering the cost of school-uniforms, food, shoes, and etc. Women like our neighbour Mma Binkie, who has had at least eight kids, are really getting scarce. Especially because a lot of dads disappear after conception.
The man who fathered Kgakgie's baby fled to Francistown (500 k's up north). By law men are required to pay a monthly allowance for their kids, but there's the usual gap between law and law-enforcement. The mothers to the fathers do tend to help out a bit, so the grandmother to the firstborn was powerfully present at the shower.


The set-up is like any Botswana-party: 'we supply food, music, company, and space, bring your own drinks and enjoy'. Special about the baby-shower are the cuddly invitations and the required gate-pass: 'any baby product'. Also special is 'the questioning' (of the mother), but we missed that part because Maud managed to hurt her back while doing the weekly washing, so we couldn't stay that long.


When the baby is about four months there'll be another party to show the kid to the world. The first three months mom & baby are supposed to be confined to a special hut in the (grand)mother's yard. That's another thing a lot of women don't want anymore. They might invite their mom over to take care of everything the first three months, but they stay at home. Some of the fathers who don't disappear are not that happy about this change of custom. Instead of loads of time to party with the boys they get three months of living together with their mother in law...


This revokes a memory. January 2006 a bunch of the boys, including us, were having beers & whiskeys at Bull & Bush (Maud is always allowed to join the boys). Not that our lot wanted to (yeah, sure), but we had to stand by our friend Motushi. Tushi was waiting for The Phone Call: you've got a healthy daughter/son. The father isn't allowed anywhere near the maternity ward, so you just have to sit in the bar with your friends...


Tushi's son Tom (l) en Edo (r) in our yard

Sweetie

Bram’s trying to bond with this sweetie, who lives in a pilar of our wall.

Graduation Party

The dogs aren't able to move anymore.
Security-wise Yvonne's Graduation Party was a big hassle for them, with all this strangers strolling past our yard on their way to Jeff's plot, and the music and voices all night through. But now that their bellies are almost bursting with their share of the leftovers, they're convinced parties are great.


Saturday-afternoon adults were allowed on the premises. The youngsters were preparing for a wild night by being very quiet. Yvonne's brother Edu, Tom and the other kids succeeded in playing with the toys, instead of fighting over them. The tables almost collapsed under the lunch-goodies, and we oldies had a nice, mellow afternoon.


Around sunset the elderly people were told to get lost, so the real party could start. Jeff tried to hang on, posing as one of the jolly party-boys, but around eight he turned up at our house for comfort (they implied he's an over sixty muna mogola) and ice cream.


Like a good uncle Bram walked over around 5:00 am to check the nieces. The owner of the party was sleeping soundly in a car, some people were still partying, and others tried to clean the yard before Jeff & Pelo would come out of the house.


I wrote this post two weeks ago, just after the party, but it took time to assemble the pictures. Our party-mood is totally gone now because we lost the 'little' dog Abraham jr. last Friday. Having to miss his cheerful company from the moment we wake up till the moment we go to sleep makes life pretty gloomy.

Help!!!

Help!!!
We bartered design work for an extensive kitchen machine. After swapping the artwork for a large box saying 'Bosch profi mixx 46' our next stop was at a supplier located across a not yet explored fruit & veggie wholesale. Maud remembered the owner is an Indian (we met while harassing a bookkeeper, both of us trying to get long overdue cheques). The kitchen machine asks for things to be processed, so she started the hunt for necessities like chickpeas and bulgur there and then.
Now we have the chickpeas, but we lack the basic recipe for humus. Although the first experiment tastes nice enough, Maud is sure she forgot one or two fundamental ingredients. We also lack the recipes for phulauri (just the ingredients is enough, we now how to process from there), barra, baba ganoush (eggplant/boulanger/aubergine spread), falafel, and the Surinam Hindustani snack ghoeghrie (roasted chickpeas & spices). And who knows what to use in mercimek koftesi instead of bulgur? Will rice do? Our South African Lebanese friend says to find bulgur is a matter of luck, you sometimes bump into it, and than you buy the lot. We doubt if we'll get that lucky in Botswana...


Please post recipes & tips as a comment or mail them to us!!! Other recipes that require an kitchen machine and suggestions for preparing the mountain of tomatoes our plants are producing now are also most welcome.

X-mas Break

December 16 we'll drive to Mozambique for an early X-mas holiday. First we'll stay with Paul and his wife Jacinta in their Maputo-house. As usual we have too many plans for our two-week vacation, so we still have to choose between loitering at the Moz-beaches or drive back via Swaziland, or squeeze in both. Either way our Botswana- & South Africa cell numbers probably won't work until we're back in Morwa, just before New Years Eve. We think it'll be possible to send text-messages to Maud's Dutch cell number, but we'll have to test that in Moz.
It'll be Maud's first time in Mozambique, but Bram has been there in 1981, to visit Paul. It will have changed. Than the only way to enter was in an army-guarded truck convoy. Actually having a Jeep, Bram had to be the front car. The commander decided to sit with them and be the minesweeper, while Bram was shitting his pants.
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