Dining for Tanzanians: a different kind of 'safari'

Africa ... the word conjures up images of exotic wildlife, vast plains and jungles, deserts and mountains, adventures beyond what we can experience at home.

It can also create images of the continent's various cultures...the music, art and food of the people who live there, who call Africa "home."

While travelling around Africa, one of the things that struck me - in almost every one of the eight countries I've visited - is how happy the people seem to be, there.

The Serengeti plains, Tanzania, Africa

Keep in mind, these are people that have no TVs, iPhones, cars, desktop computers, fancy flush toilets (in fact, running water is a real luxury), electric ovens - none of the things we take for granted, things we count as given commodities in our western lifestyles.

Yet they seem to be happier than many North Americans.

That may make you think of the old adage, ignorance is bliss; yet, these people - many of them smart, young adults - are aware of the world. They have some education, so they are not really ignorant.

And despite not having these material items, despite their awareness, they are not envious - they are, for the most part, very friendly toward foreigners.

Example: while touring in southern Tanzania not far from the Malawi border, our tour group wanted to go back down the road to another set of outdoor shops; myself and Ann were embroiled in a major bartering transaction that Africans love so much. The guide made sure we felt comfortable being left alone in the middle of nowhere on a dirt road (we were, of course) and they took off.

When we'd concluded our deal (both sides feeling they had gotten the "best" of the transaction), a couple of young men asked us if they could buy us a soda pop in the cafe across the street.

That's right - they wanted to treat us. The well-off foreign visitors. They wanted to buy us a drink.

We took them up on it, and they insisted on paying for the colas we drank.

They were incredibly curious, hungry for real knowledge about us, our country, what we did for a living. (When I told the one fellow I was a sports writer, he told me what that was in Swahili: "michezo mwandishi.")

African cart, ready to load up.

A desire for that kind of knowledge really deserves to be fed.

However, even though by our standards, education there is not that expensive, many of them cannot afford to go to school. Many of them do not even have homes, and live on the streets.

Dan Budgell, a UBC biology grad discovered that same fact when he travelled in Tanzania a few years ago. Rather than just give money to street kids, he bought them meals. But he wanted to do more.

He found out how little (in western terms) it costs to send kids to school, there. So with some other friends, he set up a foundation called the Global Peace Network. Among its humanitarian projects: raising money to help street kids get access to information.

They raise money in various ways. One of those ways is through an event that takes place this Wednesday, Dec. 11 at Simba's Grill on Denman Street in Vancouver. From 7 to 9 p.m. that night, GPN is hosting an African dinner at the restaurant that specializes in East African fusion cuisine. I have eaten Simba's food before, and I'm looking forward to eating it once again.

But it's about much more than just eating...at this time of the year, when we celebrate and feast and give presents, it's nice to feel that by participating in this type event, we do more than just enjoy a nice meal - we help some youngster in Tanzania get an education, and quite possibly, a better life.

I can't think of any better way to celebrate this festive season than doing something like that.

Africa gave me a whole lot when I was there. It's only right I should give something back.

Kurshid Khan cooking up some African cuisine at Simba's in Vancouver.

Big firs, smaller furs and feathers on Vancouver Island

Why did I get the feeling I was stuck in the intro to the old Friendly Giant TV show for kids?

Probably because I was looking up  ... w-a-y up.

But of course, that's what you do when you visit Cathedral Grove - you look way up into the towering Douglas fir trees that make up the grove. Some of them are more than 800 years old. To put that into perspective, they have been around for almost 300 years before Columbus landed in the Caribbean. They have been around since the Magna Carta was signed. They have been around as long as people have been jumping in boats with paddles. They have been around almost as long as the Toronto Maple Leafs' Stanley Cup drought. (Well, okay, maybe they're a little older than that...)

While it may be difficult to wrap our heads around something that old, it's certainly not difficult to see these Doug-firs are some big honkin' trees. One of the largest is more than nine metres (that's 10 yards) around at the base, the distance of one first down in football.

As for the height...let's just say that even if the aforementioned Friendly Giant teamed up with the Jolly Green Giant and Giant-Man, and they formed a human ladder by standing on each other's shoulders, they would still not be able to put the star on the top of most of these Christmas trees.

Although it is a grove, and it's located away from some of Vancouver Island's larger cities, with all the tourists that frequently visit the site, it certainly does not boast a cathedral-like ambiance, at least in terms of quiet and meditative qualities.



Walking through Cathedral Grove

It actually reminded me of rush hour in downtown Vancouver, there was so much traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian - just more trees. And it was barely summer season (the long weekend in May, to be exact). 

Despite all that, it is spectacular to see.

I spent part of a day there with Pacific Rainforest Adventure Tours as part of the company's Spirit of the Animal Ancestors tour. (This tour has since been dropped, and replaced by the very similar Ancient Forest Grove Nature Ecotour)

Following a pick-up at the Quality Resort Bayside located in Parksville, it was a fairly quick drive, just 25 km west on Highway 4, and we were there.

We had an aboriginal guide, Tom, who took us through the forest and explained what the area had meant to his people, sharing stories from his culture.
 
After we were finished having our breaths taken away, we headed back the way we'd come - but not all the way back. First, we paid a visit to the North Island Wildlife Recovery Association, a wildlife rescue-and-rehab facility located outside of Parksville, on Leffler Road in Errington.

Heron diorama in the nature museum

There we saw some display dioramas in the facility's museum of nature as well as many of the animals they were in the process of rehabilitating, including a black bear, some eagles and a rare white raven, in enclosures outside the museum. (No parrots, though - saw them earlier in the day at the World Parrot Refuge .

Again, because we were early in the season, we did not have the opportunity to watch any of the live raptor shows which take place during the summer months.

Then it was time to leave, and say good-bye to the eagles, hawks, ravens - and let's not forget Rusty the Rooster...

A happy ending for this healed bald eagle.

Paddles with Wolves on Indian Arm

Well, to be more precise, we were paddling with the "wolf" clan of the Coast Salish First Nations, people - with Takaya Tours, to be specific.

In the language of the Salish, "takaya" means "wolf". I guess since we were paddling on Indian Arm, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, technically, that would make us sea wolves. But I didn't see Jack London or even Edward G. Robinson there, so I guess I'll let that one pass...

However, as I am sometimes wont to do on this blog, I digress.

Our trip consisted of a full morning's excursion that combined outdoor adventure, culture and nature.


Takaya Sea wolves - ready to paddle!

A short drive from downtown Vancouver brought 11 of us to our put-in/takeout points in Cates Park, known traditionally as Whey-ah-wichen, Salish for "facing the wind."

Our interpretive guide, Laura Leigh Yuxweluptun'aat, began our journey with an explanation as to the history of the area and what it meant to her people, the original inhabitants of the area.

First came a blessing in her native tongue, a prayer for a good journey. Then she and canoe guide James Healy drummed and chanted as part of the ceremony to send us on our way.

They also explained about the paddles we'd be using in our traditional ocean-going canoe. One side contained an image of their clan symbol, the wolf; the other side an "eye" painted to help guide the canoe.

At rest on Indian Arm.

Proper paddling means the eye should always be facing backward, towards the stern of the canoe. 

Of course, there were some non-traditional chores to attend to as well, like digging out the rain gear and picking out, then adjusting the PFD's we had to wear.

Following tradition, we greeted our canoe as we entered, with, "Hello, Dancing Serpent, I'm coming into the canoe." It also lets anyone else already in the canoe that someone else is getting in, and rocking the boat at that point is not really a good idea.

Soon, we were off and paddling up the inlet, passing forested beaches and some other small craft, including some people fishing from a rubber dinghy and a pair of kayakers out for a morning paddle.

While it was not raining at this point, the mist-shrouded shores around us created a mystical feel to our environment.

At various points along the way, we would stop for rests, and Laura Leigh would share stories from her people, handed down orally, generation after generation.

As we approached a sheltered point on the opposite shore where we planned to take another break, I spied a great blue heron, serenely walking along the water's edge, looking for some tasty fishbits, no doubt.

Laura Leigh shares Salish stories.

The heron was one of several birds we saw during our trip, including several cormorants, a Pacific loon or two and a marbled murrelet.

I occasionally scanned the sky to see if I could spot a bald eagle, but no luck this time at catching a glimpse of the feathered monarchs of the coastal airways.

A harbor seal also popped its head up briefly, but didn't linger, quickly diving back into the depths of the ocean.

All too soon, our journey came to an end.

Schedules being what they are, we knew we'd have to come back another day if we wanted to participate in an ancestral rainforest walk, or sample a traditional salmon feast which Takaya offers as an option to its tours.

Video courtesy of Vancouver's North Shore Tourism

Hanging with the Hill Tribes of Thailand

A good portion of one day during my recent travels around Thailand involved a bit of hiking, a bit of haggling and plenty of highland views of some wonderful landscapes.

We enjoyed these experiences while visiting a pair of Hill Tribe villages in the Chiang Mai area of the country.

Hill tribe is a term used in Thailand for all of the various tribal peoples who migrated from China and Tibet during the past few centuries. They now inhabit the remote border areas between northern Thailand, Laos and  Myanmar. These areas are known for their thick forests and mountainous terrain.

Ready to bargain for a purse

We spent time with the Palong (also spelled "Palaung") tribe, a group originating from China and Myanmar. We only needed about a half hour hike up a road through the forest from our van to reach the first village, set off the road a bit, which peters out as it goes further into the hills.

As soon as we arrived, three or four women wearing the traditional clothing of their culture began to spread out blankets and set out crafts to sell us.

Bartering is part of their way of life, so I quickly became embroiled in a bargain for a small purse. She wanted 150 Baht for it, I countered with 100, she came back quickly with 120, and I thought that was a good bargain, so I purchased it.

The most striking feature about Palong women is their teeth: they're dark black. Depending on who you talk to, it's caused by chewing betel nut combined with lime paste and palm nut wrapped in a betel leaf, done to improve the strength and health of the teeth (that's what our guide, Chan, told us); or, according to other sources, it's done through a painting process as the women consider it to be a form of beauty, much like we co, according to other sources.

While not all the women sport blackened teeth, and regardless of the reason or cause, it does produce a striking appearance.


Beyond the Lost Horizon ...

After chatting with some of the women through Chan's interpretation (most of the men were away from the village, working), we paid a quick trip to the village temple, then strode across a short bridge and began a trek that would take us high up into the hills above the village.

When we reached the highest point, we looked back down into the village we had left, and down and ahead to a beautiful valley below, seeing the village we were headed toward.


 We were about halfway between the two villages, in terms of the distance between them. The one we were headed for, far below, surrounded by hills and forests, reminded me of the mythical kingdom of Shangri-La, of the book and movie , The Lost Horizon.

Down we went, across the hills, past fields of crops, including coffee and pineapple plants. A short walk along a narrow forested path brought us to a bridge across a stream and into our second village.

We ate lunch, did some more trading, took some more pictures, then piled into our van, which had met us there, and our drive back to the city. 

A Palong woman weaves cloth the traditional way,
and listens to the less traditional radio.


Before leaving the village, though, we had an opportunity to observe a Palong woman using a traditional loom to weave cloth used by the tribe for their traditional dress as well as for selling to tourists.

It was a short trip in terms of distance - but it was a much longer trip in terms of time, if you consider it truly is a trip back in time to see an ancient way of life practised as it has been for centuries throughout southeast Asia.