King Tut ... again and again

The poster for Tutankahamun - His Tomb and His Treasures claimed that this was Tut's 1st time in Africa? How is this possible, you ask? Egypt is in Africa after all. 

It's because this exhibit is made up of all reproductions. More than 1,000 replicas reconstructed by master Egyptian craftsmen using traditional techniques.

No matter. I have seen the originals several times before. Beginning with The Treasures of Tutankhamun exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in the late 70's which is credited as being the first museum blockbuster exhibit. The one that started it all. Totally under the influence of Tut fever, I still have the poster and several pieces of souvenir jewelry from it!

Besides, as an archaeologist wannabe and newly minted Explorers Club member, I couldn't miss an exhibit about one of the most romantic and famous ancient treasure discoveries of the last century, could I? And one of the most influential, even inspiring the art deco design and fashion of the day. Nope.





 

light and sound show at the pyramids in Egypt; What would Howard Carter say?

Howard Carter and Lord Carnavon

One of the reasons this exhibit is so special is that the tomb and treasures of Tutankhamun have been faithfully reconstructed to scale. Not only does it give you a realistic impression of the overwhelming opulence of the offerings meant to serve the king on his magical journey into the Underworld, it is curated in such a way as to give you the sense of exactly how it must have felt to be Howard Carter as he unearthed his long-sought treasure in 1922.



 

the antechamber as Howard Carter would have first seen it

Carter first spied the treasures in the ante-chamber through a chiseled peephole in the rock wall. It was heaped high with the things Tutankhamun would have needed in the Underworld. Like his beds and thrones and chariots.

 

the outer gold coffin

The burial chamber contained a series of nesting shrines and coffins - one inside another - like a golden Matryoshka doll.  Each shrine was covered in gold leaf and reliefs featuring heiroglyphics and drawings which told the story of Tut's life and described his journey into the Underworld.

shrines, coffins and sarcophagi

the sarcophagi of Kinfg Tut

Finally, inside the center stone coffin was a series of nested sarcophagi.

Howard Carter and Tut

The most inner sarcophagus held the mummy of King Tut! Opening it up and seeing the mummy for the first time must have been amazing!

We were lucky to run into the world famous Egyptologist and star of “Chasing Mummies: The Amazing Adventures of Zahi Hawass,” a reality television series on the History Channel while we were touring the exhibit. Dr. Hawass was there being interviewed and recorded for a number of television and documentary videos in advance of his lecture series. Once again - under a relapse of my Tut fever - I had him sign one of his books which were on sale in the gift shop!

our group with Dr. Hawass

 
Tutankhamun- His Tomb and His Treasures continues its run at Silverstar Casino through March 15. Don't miss it!














 A true fan!

 

It's a great day for a spitbraai!

According to the braaiwords dictionary, a "spitbraai" is "a form of braaing that involves a big piece of meat on rotary action shaft which evenly distributes heat over the meat that you’re braaing." But that definition does not do justice to the marvel of modern machinery we encountered at our first spitbraai.

Vince has been wanting to try a spitbraai ever since we moved to South Africa. You can rent a machine and do it yourself. Or you can even hire an entire service who will come to your house and do it for you. But after tending several day long pig roast luaus at our Jersey shore houses, that would never do for Vince. He is a hands-on braai guy.

While the pig is the typical animal in the US to cook at a luau, it is the lamb that is the headliner at a South African spitbraai. Luckily it was in someone else's backyard. But Vince insisted that we come early to take notes.

This spitbraai was owned by the father of Sean, our braaimaster of the day. Sean's father had even improved on the design adding clamps, counterweights and a rib spreader to his purchased spitbraai.

It was quite an impressive contraption! (The potatoes underneath were a nice touch too.)

Vince helped Sean remove the meat which practically fell off the bone.

Lou and Serge were ready for clean-up duty.

Happy dogs!











Vince informed me that the next time he is reunited with his welding machine in Missouri where it resides in our friend Ric's barn, he is building his own spitbraai. You will not get any argument from Lou & Serge!

a toast by the bride's daughter

And the reason for the spitbraai in the first place? A celebration in Johannesburg, SA for the recent marriage in Australia of these two crazy kids. An Australian (guess which one!) and an Ohio (USA) Buckeye who met in Istanbul, Turkey. Congratulations!

African Queen

My neighborhood shopping center is Benmore Gardens. It has a Pick n Pay and a Woolies, a PostNet for my post office box, a DisChem pharmacy for my prescriptions and it has my go-to boutique, African Queen.

The African Queen in question is Nicola Leitch,  a fashionista with a passion for helping others to help themselves.

Growing up in Nigeria and South Africa, Nicola fell in love with the beautiful African crafts in the markets. As a teenager, she made her own clothing and later created a successful fashion label, La Bella. Her clothing has been worn by celebrities, past Miss South Africas and been showcased in the prestigious Mercedes Benz fashion week.

In 2008 she set up African Queen. Her products meld African beauty with international design, creating “functional wearable art”. Each piece is handcrafted and has a unique element – whether it be the beadwork, lining or design. All animal skins are from sustainable farming practices (by-products of the meat industry).

Nicola describes African Queen as "luxury with a conscience.” Nicola has up-skilled over 50 bagmakers and beaders, empowering them to become self-sufficient. Once trained a beader in turn passes on her skill to others in the local community.

They are the source of fabulous handbags and they even customized one for me. I wanted a shoulder strap added to an already existing handbag in the shop and just like that, magic! And every product I buy from African Queen helps support a local community project such as a feeding program for school children.

I love the fashion, jewelry and giftware at African Queen and I really love their social conscious too. Win win.

The Labyrinth at St. George's Cathedral

My family is fascinated by mazes and labyrinths! (For the record, while mazes and labyrinths are structurally different, labyrinths are considered a subgroup of mazes. With a maze, the way you enter is different from the way you exit. While a labyrinth possesses only a single path leading to a central goal.)

Vince and I first became really interested in mazes and labyrinths when we visited Great Britain and France with our sons in the summer of 1995. We started our trip in London and drove to the Cotswolds and Wales, took the Chunnel across the Channel to France. After we exchanged our car for one that is meant to be driven on the right side of the road, we drove along the Normandy coast to Mont St. Michel before ending our trip in Paris. Coincidentally, 1995 had been declared the Year of the Maze in Great Britain. Perfect theme for seven and nine year old boys!

We visited the hedge mazes at Hampton Court Palace, Longleat Manor, and Hever Castle in England and the labyrinth at Cardiff Castle in Wales. Our sons became so fascinated with the idea of mazes and labyrinths in Great Britain that we continued to track them down when we got to France. We visited the stone floor labyrinths in the Cathedrals at Bayeux, Chartres and Reims too.

entrance to the cathedral courtyard

Because it is easy to see the goal from the entrance, scholars believe classical labyrinths were used for rituals and processions. Seven rings of paths marked their design. This type of design was commonly used during the Roman Empire, most often in mosaic pavements.

Medieval Christian mazes were a later variation on classical labyrinths. These models appeared as pavement mazes on cathedral floors in 13th century France. They were generally shaped as circles or octagons with 13 rings of paths. Turf mazes also commonly used this design, which often depicted the journey of the Crusades or a spiritual journey through life, death and salvation.

It was during the Middle Ages that labyrinths became puzzles with the advent of hedge mazes. Formal gardens in the traditional labyrinth design enjoyed popularity throughout Europe during this period. As designers discovered that a tall hedge prevented a visitor entering the maze from seeing the exit, the age of the puzzle maze began.

The St. George's Cathedral labyrinth in Cape Town is a replica of the one at the Cathedral in Chartres. I literally stumbled upon in when I visited the Cathedral at Christmastime looking for their Nativity scene. The brick pavement labyrinth is located behind the Cathedral in the courtyard. It is open to the public to walk and reflect. The labyrinth is open when the Cathedral is open. All you need to do is ring the doorbell and tell the secretary you would like to walk the labyrinth.

After I came home I began to wonder if there were more labyrinths in South Africa. And sure enough I found out that the Labyrinth Society maintains a world-wide labyrinth locator online which lists 45 labyrinths in South Africa! A-maze-ing!

walking the labyrinth

Thandi gives birth!

On January 13th,  two Kariega rangers witnessed the birth of Thandi's baby girl at 8:50 a.m. Dr. William Fowlds, the veterinarian who saved Thandi's life, observed mom and baby shortly afterwards and Dr. Fowlds confirms they're doing well. Their area is off-limits to visitors so Thandi and her baby can be undisturbed and give her calf the best chance of survival.

Dr. Fowlds, of Investec Rhino Lifeline, says, “I am sure that the whole rhino caring community will share in the joy of this amazing birth. Thandi’s story has always been an incredible testimony of the will to survive against all odds. She represents so much of what her species faces under the current poaching crisis. Her survival has already given us inspiration but the birth of her calf brings a new dimension of hope to the crisis showing us that a future generation of life is possible if we put our minds and hearts to it.”

Wildlife photographer and filmmaker Adrian Steirn arrived at Kariega Game Reserve and was able to capture photos and video of Thandi and her calf immediately after the birth. He said, "Thandi's story has captivated the world since she became a beacon of hope in the fight against rhino poaching. To see her with a beautiful, healthy calf is truly a privilege and should inspire optimism and renewed commitment to protect these incredible creatures."

CONGRATULATIONS to dear Thandi, Kariega Game Reserve, and Dr. Fowlds on the joyous birth of a healthy calf for Thandi!

The Brave Women of Pichulik

I noticed PICHULIK accessories almost as soon as I landed on solid ground in South Africa a couple of years ago. The jewelry makes regular appearances accessorizing all the top South African fashion designers in magazines and newspapers and on the runways during Fashion Weeks.

Colorful .. bold ... in your face, PICHULIK accessories are designed and crafted in Cape Town by Katherine-Mary Pichulik and her brave women artisans.

Katherine-Mary, trained artist and Patissier started PICHULIK in Sept 2012 after a trip around India. PICHULIK is inspired by the intimate relationship  women have with jewelry – it speaks of her travels, her mother or grandmother and the people she has loved. PICHULIK is a team of brave women - Joyce, Elita, Sarah and Melissa, who are inspired by making bold jewelry for other brave women.

 



I coveted something  by PICHULIK for quite a long time but for some reason I could never actually purchase anything. I would surf their website often admiring piece after piece. What was stopping me?

Then I realized that I was always looking for something to go with a dress or a blouse I just bought. But that is not how you buy a PICHULIK piece. You buy the necklace first and then you build an outfit around it. It is a statement piece. And PICHULIK states "brave." I hadn't been brave enough for PICHULIK. I was still looking for "safe."

So I made a decision to boldly step out of my comfort zone this Christmas and take the plunge.

And in the mail along with my Christmas present came a letter.

"Dear Brave Woman - "  it began.  "Welcome to the PICHULIK community of brave women."

Cool.

The Green Point Light

The Green Point Lighthouse in Cape Town is the oldest lighthouse in South Africa and it is still  operational! First lit on 12 April 1824, the lighthouse was the first solid lighthouse structure on the South African coast. In 1926, a foghorn was installed in the lighthouse.

Display at the False Bay Yacht Club

And look ... it has a weathervane on top!

Rounding the Points

Woo hoo! We finally made it around the Cape of Good Hope by sea after abandoning our plans for New Year's!

And quite frankly I am glad we waited. The winds were much calmer and we were able to make the entire trip under sail and without using the motor.

 Vince got us out into False Bay.

Roman Rock lighthouse

Vince had this handy app on his phone which showed our position as we rounded Cape Point! This is where two currents from two different oceans converge. There were waves breaking from the east and the west. It is times likes this when an experienced skipper is most appreciated!

A well-deserved sundowner at Cape to Cuba in Kalk Bay.