Pepperkakebaking [making gingerbread cookies] and a hint of Christmas

Christmas is just around the corner? Really? It surely doesn't feel that way here I'm sitting in my office looking out  the window where the flowers are blooming and the temperature is close to 30 degrees. I've tried so hard to get into the Christmas spirit this year. Decorating the flat with all sorts of Christmassy stuff, made my own Christmas calendar.... nothing helps! It's still hot, humid and anything but cosy and Christmassy around here. 

24 clove-spikes in an orange makes for a perfect Christmas calendar

In a last attempt to get into the Christmas spirit, Tuva and I  made pepperkaker [gingerbread cookies].
A lovely scent of spices covered the flat, giving us a little hint of Christmas.

"Rudolph, the grand dictator of Africa"
In lack of [pepperkakeformer] we got really creative.

It's still too hot though. I can't wait to go home to my beloved winter wonderland this Friday!!

I <3 Africa - Merry Christmas everyone!

My food wine and design bliss!

Mmmmm

Last friday I went to the Johannesburg food wine and design fair on the rooftop of Hyde Park mall in Sandton. Apart from doing almost all my Christmas-shopping I got to taste so much great food from restaurants all over SA. Among my favorites was the strawberry and chèvre salad with nuts, the home made italian peanut crunch gelato (can be bought in Trieste Cafe in Greenside) and least but not last, a heavenly crêpe with raw sugar, cinnamon, lemon and roasted nuts from Creperie de Bonneterie in Cape Town. Now, can anyone guess the key ingredient here?

I'm extremely excited about the fact that my chef-boyfriend has picked up on this nut-addiction of mine and already started to plan a modified version of "Krille's pannkakstårta" (pancakes, blueberry jam, maple syrup served with ice cream) that involves fresh fruit, greek yougurt and nuts for my birthday. Makes me so happy <3

Really tasty ales from Camelthorn Brewing

I'm also trying to make him pruod though. Being one of the owners of Schauskjelleren Mikrobryggeri in Oslo he's above average sage on beers and brewing. I try to be a good girl by learning more abut these things. I must say, it's really not that big a sacrifice. Camelthorn from Namibia and Brewers&Union made it easy for me. I was given a full tasting and tour of all the beers and ales they brought to the fair. I guess they were a bit surprised by the fact that a girl was actually interested in beer, but then again, I'm a 6ft tall blond viking-woman, what can you expect?

Other culinary treats

Cupcakes to dream about, these were really little works of art.
YUM!!

This Polish guy selling polish sausages made me laugh :)

Now for the design part

There was - too use a South African expression - TOO MUCH nice stuff. I really wanted to bring the whole lot home with me, but budged said stop. These are among the things that caught my eye, and some of them will be under my family's Chistmas tree...

Skermunkil, the most adorable necklaces, bracelets, rings and broaches. 

Headondesign

Jewelery displayed on doll-house furniture

Noleen Read makes wonderful ceramics.

Another new acquired favorite is Shaw Sisters.
This lady makes really cute stuff, some with bird designs.
Koopdesign makes lovely furniture that reminds me of the
Scandinavian style, which I'm a big fan of.

I fell in love with this cute pillow from Ebony design

These funny wall-plates caught my eye. Colorful and cool

Once upon a rock in Swinburne

So lovely to get out of the city!!

This weekend I went rock climbing in Swinburne, Freestate with the Mountain Climbing Club of South Africa. It was just great! Lovely to get out of busy Joburg and into some real nature.

This is the rock/mountain that we climbed on the second day.
 The view is from the  luxury barn where we spent the night

The lovely view from the stand a the second pitch

There were lots of nice flowers.
No idea what this one's called unfortunately

John working a tricky route

walking over to the next boulder

John, Benio and I
Happy and really fried after only two pitches... it was boiling hot!!

These feet are made for walking...

"It's true.. yes, I would like to walk, really!"

Norwegians hiking in the mountains

Like the true Norwegian I am I'm used to walking. Walking to school, walking to the shops, walking to my friends houses, to town, to work, to the gym, to the pub, home from the pub. I also really enjoy hiking in the mountains. In general, walking has been a pretty big part of my life up until now.

I never really thought about how important walking is to my well-being before moving to South Africa and not being able to walk. It's not like I'm injured (apart from what has now become a tradition, the "annual" little accident with the oh-so-fragile ankle a few weeks ago). It's just that people don't really walk here. It's the safety thing of course. It's generally not a very good idea to walk around alone when it's dark. But it's not just that. The whole infrastructure and lack of city-planning has made the walking almost impossible and the dependency on cars a really important (and annoying) one.

even with the signature backpack..adorable...

Wen Line and I just moved here we made a brave attempt to walk to a mall close by. It was in the middle of a Saturday morning and we were walking along the highway. No real pavements, so obviously not pedestrian friendly. But still, we felt quite safe. So we were quite surprised when cars started to pull up and ask us if we were lost and if we wanted a ride. "Why are you walking" they said, "It's dangerous". We did not get into any of the cars stopping and offering a ride (that, in our mind, would have been more dangerous), and we reached the mall after about 20 minutes of walking. When we told our colleagues about it in the office the following Monday, people were shocked, and laughed at us. "You crazy Norwegians" they said. "What is wrong with you". It did not cross any of their minds that we actually enjoyed walking.

I find walking "gaa paa tur" as we say it in Norwegian, a really good way to relax and to get some light exercise at the same time. And here in South Africa I really miss it! In the weekends I like to walk to the gym which is a 20 minutes walk from home, as I can go when it's still light. I get lot's of reactions to my walking though. The taxis (the "public transport" around here - basically just vans in really bad conditions and with way too many passengers) stop every time they see me and ask "where to ma'm?". When I then answer "No, it's fine, I'm just gonna walk" They look at me as if i had a strange disease. "Really???"

South Africa's public transport: the taxis

Yesterday it was another lovely day and I decided that I just had to enjoy the sun (another north-European weirdness of mine - enjoying the sun? why?). I put on my training shoes and my ipod and went for a good old power-walk. It was lovely! Well, if you don't mind walking next to rush hour traffic and crossing heavy traffic roads without traffic lights or zebra stripes, but still, I really enjoyed it. I would have enjoyed it even more had it not been from the many people looking at me as if I was a freak and the many taxis stopping and asking where i wanted a ride to.

I know that many people in the more rural parts of South-Africa are forced to walk long distances in absence of means of transport, and that many have physically demanding jobs and needs to rest after a long day at work. But many many people spend their days sitting either in their office chair or in their cars. I would assume that people would be urging to move their legs. But no, I'm clearly seen as the weird walk-loving Norwegian girl around here. I don't really mind though, these feet are made for walking :)

The trees and the bees

Now that spring is coming to an end here in Joburg, I just have to show you this. I saw the Jacaranda trees for the first time in my life about a month ago, and they're absolutely amazing! Now that the blossoming is coming to an end, the trees creates a purple "magic carpet" under them. About the bees... haven't seen any really, but I'll pretend for the sake of the nice rhyme..

Mosi, bordercrossing, elephants and Zambezimania

Iris, TK, myself and Line having breakfast at Jollyboys

 Dr Livingstone I presume

A few weeks ago Line and I went to visit our Friends Iris and TK in Livingstone, Zambia. Iris and TK are Fredskorpset (FK) participants like Line and I, working as occupational therapist and physiotherapist in Livingstone and in the surrounding villages. Their work sounds challenging in ways a Joburger like myself could not imagine, but at the same time very rewarding as it is indeed needed and appreciated.
Getting from Joburg to Livingstone is really easy. Onetime airways (a low cost airline) has a direct route which takes you to "the real Africa" in less than 2 hours. Arriving at the tiny Livingstone airport in 40C and none of our phones working it felt like we were much further than the 2 hour journey from modern Joburg pumping with stressed businessmen and women. We'd reached the real Africa!

From the moment that the Viking-queen Iris of Livingstone came and picked us up at the airport to the moment we left I had the most amazing time! Even though the electricity goes out at least once a day, water in the tap is not a sure thing, the heat is boiling and things in general does not work like you're used to if you come from the more, how to put it, organized parts of the world, I found Livingston a great place to be. Truly laid-back with lots of fun and friendly people around. Iris and TK stays in a house partly turned into hostel due to their hospitality and the amount of Norwegians travelling through Livingstone in need of a bed. And it's strange really, there are so many Norwegians in Livingstone! Lots of FK people as well as exchange students working in the local hospital. Great fun people!

Hanging out at the Jollyboys backpacker drinking Mosi (the local beer, named after the indigenous name for Victoria Falls - Mosi Oa Tunya, which means 'the some which thunders') together with the kayaking people, and the Norwegians of course, was so much fun. It did not take me long to get into the relaxed Livingstone mood, and it really made me long for being a backpacker.. *sigh*

Pit stop at Shoprite, Livingstone

After having spent all Friday hanging out by the pool of the 5 star luxury hotel, The Royal Livingstone, pretending to be guests of the hotel, drinking Pimms and generally enjoying life, we were a bit bored and decided to go to Zimbabwe(!) The Vic Falls beer festival was going to take place in Vic Falls, a village/city right on the other side of the falls which is actually the border between the two countries. We decided to join in.

Elephants on the roads is a danger in Livingstone. A lady was killed by an elephant-attack the week before we arrived

Wrapping up a few things and rushing towards the border only with a pit stop at the supermarket in Livingstone for the necessary supplies, praying not to hit any elephants on the way, we just made it to the border before it closed and crossed it without any problems ;)

How about one trillion dollars?

 Not worth much though..

These notes were sold in the street as 

sovenirs

The night we spent in Zimbabwe was great fun! Vic Falls is in many ways different to Livingstone. Although staying in Zim in many ways has become "easier" (as in there is actually food in the restaurants and in the shops, since April 2009 they use USD so that you don't need to carry a big backpack of money to buy a cup of coffee etc) the challenges are still many. Vic Falls is a really touristy place where life is a lot easier than in the villages.

The duckie (with random guy paddling it) 

We went back to the Zambian side the next day to be able to go paddling in duckies (small inflatable kayak-ish boats) in the Zambezi river. Having slept for just a few hours, Line, Iris and I soldiered on and went for the ride of our lives! The three of us and an English girl called Hannah was given a duckie each, and after a few minutes of practicing how to get into the boat again if it flipped (which we were told that it would do  - a lot of times) we were sent down the river accompanied by two guides in a raft. Going through the first rapids was pretty scary, as all you can do if your boat flips - which it does - is to hold your breath, hold on to the boat and the paddle, try to get some air when your head is above the water and and try to get back u into the boat. Quite soon though, we got the hang of it, at least a bit. 

We paddled  rapid 10 to 25, I will never forget the Oblivion...

Baby croc, nanana ;)

When the rafting guide said "Some of the waves coming up are pretty huge. You're NEVER gonna get through them" he knew what he was talking about. Actually managing to get through the first "impossible" rapid consisting of really big waves, my confidence was quite high paddling into the next one... the duckie flipped after just a few seconds, I was rolled around in the river, thrown all over the place by the extremely strong current and crashing into waves that were many meters high and extremely powerful. After paddling through 15 rapids it really felt like I had been run over by a bus,  but it was the most fun I have had in my life! I did not even think about the crocodiles in the water and I would totally do it again. In fact, we're already planning our trip for kayak-school in the White Nile (Uganda).

It's a bit embarrassing, but I did not actually see the Victoria Falls.. yeah I know, it's really bad. Especially considering the fact that it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. My only excuse is that I really did not have time. I will have to go back though, that's for sure! And I know that even though i did not actually see the falls, I swallowed enough of the Zambezi river while paddling so I really "felt" the falls.

Thanks for an amazing, thrilling and hilarious weekend Iris and TK. I will visit you again before you know it...

A little bit of Joburg life

Hi all,

About time I did this. I mean really, I'm not good with email updates, phone updates, SMS updates or letters. Lets see now, if I'm able to do this right. You see, there are so much to this African adventure of mine that's worth sharing.

Right, so I arrived in Joburg, South Africa in the midst of the World Cup 2010 excitement. The whole country was on their tip-toes, and you could really feel it: The World Cup was upon us. The whole city was filled with this incredible atmosphere, and my friend and colleague Line and I were thrown right into the middle of it - and we loved it! Together with our Californian "sister" Marie Claire we went on a road trip trip to Durban to see the Spain-Switzerland and the Japan-Netherlands games. Driving past the breathtakingly beautiful Drakensberg mountains put this Norwegian "fjellgeit" into a lyrical mood, and Durban was warm, lovely and great fun. And when you get to surf with dolphins, everything is just euphoric from there.

Roads and highways in South- Africa are amazing, but despite this the numbers of car accidents are very high. Luckily we avoided getting into one of the about 10 car accidents that happened on the way from Joburg to Durban. And really, driving on the left side of the road is not so bad. Returning to right-side driving in Norway might be tricky though.

After the World-Cup-mania was over, the tourists had gone home and things went back to normal around here I've been able to experience more of the "real" South-Africa. Joburg -  the economic hub of Africa, buzzing, burning with activity... it really is the New York of Africa. There are so much going on so much to see, so much to do... if you have a car that is. We did not for the first three months. Life in Joburg without a car i would go as far as to say equals isolation. And when you live in a compound with high concrete walls around it, not very tempting. Public transport is nearly non-existing here. Everyone has a car. So when we finally got our little white Polo Classic we were thrilled.

Joburg is also an excellent point of departure for visiting other places and countries in Southern Africa, and I have really taken advantage of this. So far I've been to Cape Town, Tofo (Mozambique), Livingstone (Zambia) and Vic Falls (Zimbabwe).. although that last one is a story in itself.

More detailed "letters" from my journeys past and to come will follow. I'm now off to have dinner with Tuva in Sandton before going to the Mountain Club of South Africa Johannesburg Section (puh) meeting to sign up for some rock face action.


So long everyone!