A Holiday by the Sea

At the beginning of June we took a train from New Kapiri Mposhi (north of Lusaka) to Dar es Salaam.  The train was 3 days and 2 nights each way, but it meant that we had a very relaxing week by the Indian Ocean.
Here are some of the pictures - not a great variety - we didn't carry the camera very much, too busy enjoying ourselves!

First the train:;

The cabin - four berth, all same sex so we couldn't share.

Sunrise - Zambia

Zambia

Zambia

The second morning on the train - Tanzania pretending to be mid Wales - that is bracken in the fore-ground.

Sunrise on the 2nd morning - Tanzania

Tanzania - misty mountains and the front of the train going over a bridge

Tanzania - mountains, waterfalls and farmland

Tanzania - mountains

Tanzania - rice fields

It was a very long train!

Tanzania has some big mountains

Dar es Salaam

 LOOOOOK!  THE SEA!

The Indian Ocean.  Warm and clear

We had a boat trip to the island you can see in the picture above.  Walked around the island, snorkelled over live coral, had lunch and sailed back. 





 

Sunrise

Big star with big starfish

The view from the bed

Tanker on the horizon, it kept us company all week

Another sunrise

 On the train again:

Tanzania - Baobab trees

That long train again, going through Tanzania

Garden to Plate - Rape with Bontele

This is the first of several posts showing you some of the preparation of the food that we grow.

First pick the rape

After washing, cut it up, being very careful to slice only the rape and not your fingers!

Cook with salt and a little water until it is reduced and becoming soft.  This takes longer than you think.

Add tomatoes (and onions) if you want to.  I added only tomatoes this time, but sometimes I use both and sometimes neither.  Cook a bit linger to soften the tomatoes.

Add bontele (pounded ground nuts)

Cook for a further 5 minutes or so, adding water to keep the mixture soft.  Stir until ready or it will stick and burn

Serve with nsima.  It tastes MUCH better than it looks!

Blind Snake

Amos met this one behind the house:

Village Visit

Bridget recently visited Siasinyanga village.  She went with her friend Edna to vista Agnes, Edna's mother.
Here are some pictures:

Morning grooming



Hanging out the washing

Mrs Kelvin cooking porridge

Wide open spaces

Agnes (in the middle) with her friends

Washing pots.  Sand is used as a scourer

Taking the cattle to graze

Going for water

Sunflowers

Chameleon

Kelvin with some of his class of 94 (!!!) pre-grade children

School playing field

Kelvin and Edna

Agnes, Bridget, Edna and one of the grandchildren

Kelvin, Mrs Kelvin and Kelvin Junior

Agnes cooking ochra

Guinea fowl that think they are chickens.  They followed this cockerel around all day long,

The homestead.  The building in the centre is the house, the round building on the right is the kitchen

More wide open spaces

Dawn

Shivering in the dawn as we waited for the transport home