And So the Sun Sets on the 2013 Joburg City Festival

Until next year!

Sundowners from the rooftop of the Parktonian

The Bloomin' Trees of South Africa

I came home to find that spring had already begun to sprung while I was in Kariega! Jasmine and camellia, lilies and clivias, azaleas and poppies were all blooming in my garden and it won't be long until the Blue Jacaranda is blooming too.

My two favorite blooming trees in South Africa have got to be the Coral Tree (Erythrina) and the Blue Jacaranda.

There are six species of Erythrina indigenous to South Africa, three of which flower from the late winter into spring. They were all over Kariega when we were there. The scarlet flowered common Coral Tree (Erythrina lysis tenon) and the ultra showy E. altissimo flower from late winter; the flame flowers of the Coast Coral Tree (E. caffra) appear about now.





The Blue Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia) is a sub-tropical tree known for its beautiful and long-lasting purplish-blue flowers. It is actually native to South America and it is considered somewhat of an invasive here, but that did not stop South Africans from planting millions of them in Gauteng.

Pretoria is popularly known as the Jacaranda City due to the enormous number of Jacaranda trees planted as street trees and in parks and gardens. In flowering time the city appears blue/purple in color when seen from nearby hills because of all their flowers. The time of year coincides with the year-end exams at the University of Pretoria and legend has it that if a flower from the Jacaranda tree drops on your head, you will pass all your exams. They must have a high graduation rate!

Joburg celebrates its Heritage Weekend in September to coincide with the start of the city's Jacaranda bloom and we will be taking advantage of some of the Heritage Foundation's walking tours to see them at their peak. And I have been waiting until bloom season to visit Pretoria to see if the city deserves its nickname.

Spring is in the air so go outside and check out the trees!

Farida Omar's Chicken Curry Recipe

Since moving to South Africa I have grown a "spice tooth" craving Indian food, particularly curries. There are so many good Indian restaurants here in Joburg and of course in Cape Town. Next month we are planning to go to Durban - the hotbed for Indian food and culture in SA - for a long weekend and I am already planning our culinary itinerary! But first, this weekend I am going to cook my own curries, a vegetarian one for me and Farida Omar's Chicken Curry for Vince.

Farida Omar's culinary capabilities are legendary, at least among the South African political top brass. Her biryani and curries fortified the likes of Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu and Ahmed Kathrada during their incarceration at Pollsmoor Prison in the 80's. On the occasions when lawyer Dullah Omar would visit his famous clients in prison, he managed to smuggle his wife's cooking in via his briefcase!

Madiba's favorite?  Farida Omar's Chicken Curry

Ingredients

3 tablespoons sunflower oil 
3 cardamom pods 
1 stick cinnamon
4 cloves 
1 tablespoon butter
2 onions sliced thin
2 teaspoons garlic crushed
2 big tomatoes, grated 
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 large whole chicken, portioned and skinned
2cm chunk of grated fresh root ginger 
3 teaspoons coriander powder 
2 teaspoons cumin powder
1- 2 teaspoons chilli powder 
½ teaspoon turmeric powder 
1½ cups (about 375ml) chicken stock
6-8 small potatoes, peeled

Farida Omar in her kitchen in Cape Town in 2007. Photograph: Richard Goode

Method

Heat the oil.

Fry the cardamom, cinnamon, cloves in the oil until they release their aroma.

Add the butter and the onions and fry until translucent then add the garlic and stir through.

Once the garlic releases aroma, add the grated tomato and tomato paste and cook over a low heat to form a thick sauce.

When you see the oil coming to the top of the sauce add the chicken pieces, ginger, coriander, cumin, chilli and turmeric.

Braise the chicken curry with 1½ cups boiling water or chicken stock until the chicken is almost cooked through, approximately 20 minutes. Cut the potatoes in half, add and cook them with the chicken until they are very soft, about 20 minutes.

Serve with roti breads.

(This recipe is taken from Hunger for Freedom, the story of food in the life of Nelson Mandela, by Anna Trapido)

I live in South Africa

I finally feel like I live in South Africa. Sure I know I have been living here for months now, going to the food market and dentist, getting mail, driving on the left side of the road. Doing all the mundane everyday things that people do when they actually live somewhere. But I am not sure if I really felt like I was doing them "at home". I still thought of the US of A as home and had been feeling as if I was a character in a play about my life living in South Africa. But a board game in Kariega made me realize that I do indeed live in South Africa, that this is is not a play, and South Africa is now my home.

The game is called 30 Seconds and it is a combination of password, jeopardy and trivial pursuit. You play in teams and there are cards with five answers on them. People, places, things. You take turns reading the answers and trying to get your partner to guess as many answers on the card as they can in 30 seconds by giving them clues. You advance around the board on the number of right answers. For instance for London Bridge, you would say. "in the nursery rhyme I was 'falling down, falling down.'"

The version we played in Kariega was most definitely a South African version as a large percentage of the answers on the cards referred to obscure (to the outside world) South African people, places, and things. I played the game with a bunch of volunteers at Kariega who were definitely not South African. They all hailed from the UK with another American thrown in. Most of them did not recognize the South African references and could not come up with a clue to give their partner.

I would not have recognized them myself six months ago, but I found that I now knew practically all of the South African answers except for maybe the ones that referred to South African sports teams and players. (But I am not all that familiar with American sports teams and players either so that doesn't really count.) It made me realize I am feeling more South African or at least more "at home" in South Africa.

And while I probably still couldn't pass the South African citizenship test, I can play a mean 30 Seconds. That is something.

Joburg City Festival

I came home from Kariega to find  the Joburg City Festival in full swing. The Joburg City Festival is an annual event that celebrates the downtown central business district of Johannesburg. This year it runs from August 25th to the 31st. The calendar is literally teaming with dance and musical performances, walking tours, art exhibitions, film screenings, sports and games, live demonstrations, dinners, and  parties. You name it! You can even get a back, neck and shoulder massage on the street all day on the weekends from the Pyramid Day Spa. 

The Rand Club

Some of the cooler things on the roster are a number of events happening at venues that are otherwise unavailable to the general public throughout the year. A dance party at Randlords, the private nightclub on the rooftop of the South Point Tower in Braamie, a fashion show at the historic and, until recently gentlemen only, private Rand Club in the corporate mining district, and a tapas and cocktail experience at the underground event space Turbine Hall in Newtown. We chose a Walking Tour, Dinner and Wine Pairing evening at the Apprentice Penthouse. The evening started off with a two-hour guided stroll through Joburg's corporate mining district. The walk was led by Gerald Garner of joburgplaces.

Gerald leading the tour

Gerald has written a wonderful guide book about Johannesburg called Joburg-Places Spaces & Places. I had been wanting to take one of Gerald's Joburg tours for the longest time so I was happy to have the opportunity to do it as part of the Festival line-up. He has a wealth of knowledge about Johannesburg and his talks are entertaining and informative. Can't wait to do another! 

After the two hour stroll on a beautiful Joburg evening, we were more than ready for dinner.

We took the elevator up to the penthouse at 84 Market Street. The view from the balcony was stunning! The setting for dinner was Urban Ocean’s Apprentice Penthouse. Now an event space, it is where the competitors in the South African version of The Apprentice lived while filming in Joburg. The infamous dining room table was the very same one where contestants were fired off the show. 

The informal but scrumptious dinner was prepared by Neville Josie of Silver Palate. It was informal and we were encouraged to mingle and move around the spacious apartment. Passed hors d'oeuvres in the lounge and library, a roasted tomato soup on the balcony and a savory chicken and vegetable curry main dish in the dining room. (I couldn't stay for dessert but it looked great too. Delicate macarons and some delicious-looking chocolate brownies. ) 

Dinner was paired with exquisite Zevenwacht wines. A representative of Zevenwacht gave a short presentation about the estate’s superb wines and we were able to order our favorite wine selections to add to our own cellar too. 

Dinner was accompanied by the live music of Joburg's own Uju. Fabulous! It was a great way to celebrate Joburg City. We'll be back on the weekend for another helping ...

Beautiful evening, beautiful view!

the balcony turret with jacuzzi.
















 the decadent jacuzzi inside.

enjoying the view with Ros. Thanks Louis!

Kariega Field Notes: Birds

Even though it is still winter and many of the birds have not returned from their annual migration, we nonetheless managed to see quite a variety of birds over the past two weeks including the African Fish Eagle.

Here were some of my favorites:

flamingoes

purple heron

malachite kingfisher

European bee-eater

yellow-billed duck

female ostrich

male ostrich

Burchell's coucal (rain bird)

secretary bird

Kariega Field Notes: You never know what you'll see on Game Drives

 

 hippo out of the water

a caracal

Cape buffalo

vervet monkeys in trees









black-backed jackals













black wildebeest

Kariega Journal: The Wellness Centre

Some volunteers went sky diving. Some went shark cage diving. One went bungee jumping.

I went to the spa! After two weeks of clearing invasive plants, camping and hiking, I needed a little pampering. I chose the Big 5 Treatment at the Kariega Wellness Centre.

The treatment consisted of an Indian head massage, a full body massage using a combination of four different techniques, and a foot reflexology session.

It was a great way to end my volunteer experience!

Kariega Journal: Weekends off the Reserve

On the weekends we were able to take off and explore the area. Some of the places I went were:



Kenton-on-the Sea with its beautiful beach.

 The pizza wasn't bad either!

Grahamstown for some shopping in this quaint college town and Sunday Mass at St. Patrick's.

Port Alfred for some more shopping.

I discovered the adorable village of Bathurst with its craft scene and historic buildings and even better shopping.










the Colchester sand dunes

Addo Elephant National Park where I did a game drive one day and a river safari on another.

Kwantu Elephant Sanctuary where I went on an elephant-back safari and ...













fed the elephants.

Kariega Journal: Fun Fridays

It wasn't all hard work. On Fridays we chose a fun activity. Sometimes two!

The first Friday we hiked to a nearby waterfall

.

some of us (one of us) went swimming!










The second Friday we went canoeing on the Kariega River in the nearby Sibuya Game Reserve where we were joined by elephants on the bank!

The Kariega from above

Team USA!

elephants on the bank!

















magical!

rafting up to watch the elephants together.

and then we went "glamping" in Harvestvale near Kariega's River Lodge.

Hidden behind this Sleeping Beauty thorny thicket was a permanent campsite with a dining tent, a bar,

plush tents,

with warm cushy beds, sleeping bags and headlamps,











bathroom tents with sinks with running water

and flushing toilets.

and a firepit.


Fun Fridays!