07.27.06
Posted in Travel at 8.09 pm by niltiac
I normally associate Scandinavia with snow and ice but it’s really hot in Oslo right now. Along with a good number of the Oslo natives, I have spent the afternoon at the beach on one of the islands in the Oslofjord. Alternating between sunbathing on a rock and swimming in the fairly warm water – lovely, lovely, lovely! I was there for three hours and it was pure bliss. Oh and there were wild raspberries growing in a field for afterwards.
Tomorrow I fly north to Spitsbergen and will surely get my fill of snow and ice then.
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07.25.06
Posted in Food at 8.03 am by niltiac
Soya is usually thought of as a health food but it’s not all tofu and soy milk, it’s also a huge ingredient in most processed food. And apparently it may in fact be bad for you. It’s okay when consumed in the traditional way, such as in the form of miso or tofu, but modern usage leaves a lot to be desired and it’s in virtually everything we eat. Apparently it acts as a hormone and has been linked with all sorts of nasty diseases. Yet we’re clearing great swathes of the Amazon to grow it, both for our own consumption and for animal feed.
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07.24.06
Posted in Travel at 1.44 pm by niltiac
The first thing I have to mention is that I am writing this on board the train from Glasgow back to London. Not writing it to post later but actually writing it live via the wifi connection in my carriage. Eventually I think they plan to charge for wifi but right now they have a free trial so I can indulge for as long as I like. I also have a powerpoint plug next to my seat so I can recharge my batteries at the same time. Very civilised!
I had a lovely, albeit brief, trip to Scotland. It was good to see my family – my uncle, aunt and cousin as I mentioned and I also caught coffee this morning in Glasgow with Andrew, who is some sort of relation but I am not sure what kind. He is the first cousin of my first cousin, which perhaps makes him my first cousin once removed or something like that. (A second cousin is the first cousin of your parents or children, while a third cousin is the children of your second cousin so I know it’s not that). To complicate matters, Andrew is the first cousin of my first cousin on my dad’s side AND the first cousin of my first cousins on my mum’s side. (There is no incest involved). Whatever. He is also a friend so maybe that’s the simplest way to describe him!
On Friday evening I caught the bus up to Connel, near Oban on Loch Etive, and stayed overnight in a local bed and breakfast. I saw the Falls of Lora – where there is some white water and small whirlpools where a river meets the loch but only at low tide. I also caught a glorious sunset looking down the loch towards the sea and the Isle of Mull. I was in Connel overnight because I was going sea kayaking the next day but the first bus from Inverary wasn’t due to arrive until 11.20am.
I met Tony, my instructor from Sea Freedom Kayak, and two fellow paddlers in the morning and we took a half hour drive through Oban and south to the Isle of Seil. We parked at the romantically named Bridge over the Atlantic, which is just a stone bridge over a little bay but technically it’s over the Atlantic. Then we paddled out and around to some little islands. Sea kayaks are long and narrow and we also had a skeg (a bit like a rudder) so that made it much easier to steer straight. Tony was a good teacher and I really started getting the hang of the idea of pushing with the hand out of the water rather than pulling with the hand in the water.
The area was beautiful – crystalline water dotted with small islands with lichen-covered rocks, and green meadows filled with foxgloves. We saw literally dozens of seals, including some young ones that still had their white coats. They were very curious and although they kept a safe distance, didn’t seem scared. We saw some sea birds, including some that were black and white and orange but weren’t puffins but rather oyster catchers. I also saw a jellyfish with a luminous blue glow right beside my boat. It was a warm and sunny day – we didn’t even wear our waterproof jackets and the water was not too cold either, about 17 or 18C.
I arrived back in Inverary on Saturday night and on Sunday we all went up the glen to the cottage. The garden is full of ripe raspberries and nearly ripe black and red currants and gooseberries, as well as new potatoes and greens. My aunt and uncle have bought a very posh mobile home – all wood pannelling and ceramic tiles – which they plan to live in while they renovate the cottage. They have a flat in Inverary but now that Jenny is at university, they plan to move out of town. The mobile home still needs the electricity and water connected but they will probably be there by next spring.
Jenny and I walked from the cottage back down to Inverary, as far as Salmon Leap, a gorgeous swimming hole in the river not too far from Inverary Castle. The water is soft and deep and amazingly was not particularly cold after the initial chill. Jenny had been there a week ago and it was so cold that they could only jump in and jump out but this time we stayed in the water for at least 45 minutes quite happily! We jumped and dived off the rocks into the deep water, swam races, enjoyed the free massage service under the waterfall and just floated about. It was lovely!
I must come up again soon and stay for a bit longer next time.
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07.21.06
Posted in Family & Friends, Travel at 11.30 am by niltiac
I met my cousin Jenny in Glasgow yesterday and we caught the bus back to Inveraray yesterday. Inveraray is about two hours west of Glasgow on Loch Fyne and it’s a beautiful little town of white buildings perched on the shore of the loch and a castle just outside the town boundary. Jenny is now studying at university in Glasgow but she is home for the holidays.
I haven’t been up here since last August and I am glad I made the effort to come, despite squeezing the trip in between Tanzania and Norway. (Eeesh – so busy!). It is good to see my aunt and uncle, especially since my uncle has had some health troubles. He had an operation for a bad hip earlier this year and seems much happier now because he is no longer in such pain, so I am glad for that. He is my dad’s twin and I have always felt close to him despite that I don’t see him very often.
This morning Jenny and I climbed Du Na Cuiache – the hill behind the castle – to the watchtower at the top. We went up by the walking path, which was all mossy and ferny before opening onto a field of foxgloves at the top. Unfortunately, the mist came in as we climbed and it was a 360-degree white-out at the top where there is usually a lovely view of the loch and town. Like England, Scotland has been having a heat wave but a cool change came through yesterday bringing some much needed rain. It felt good to be outside and stretching my legs though and it was nice to catch up properly with my cousin.
I have some work to finish off this afternoon and tonight I am probably going to catch the bus to Oban and stay overnight so I am ready for sea-kayaking in the morning. I have booked myself in for a day in preparation for next week – I leave for the Arctic next Thursday! I will spend Sunday back here in Inveraray or maybe up at my uncle and aunt’s cottage ‘up the glen’ if the weather is nice and on Monday I return to Glasgow and then London.
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07.20.06
Posted in Travel at 4.40 pm by niltiac
My four days in Tanzania have been and gone and I am writing this on the train to Scotland, where I will spend the next four days visiting family. I arrived back from Tanzania yesterday morning after a very long flight that involved a stop in Cairo for refuelling thanks to a fuel shortage in Tanzania. I spent yesterday relaxing and spending time with my boyfriend.
I was reunited with Peter, the Austrian photographer that I worked with in Uganda, and also met Mike from a coffee importing company and Paul, the manager of the coffee plantation. Peter, Mike and I were staying in the Protea Aishi Macharme Hotel near Moshi, beneath Kilimanjaro, and we used that as a base to explore the region. This was a much more ‘touristic’ trip than Uganda since Tanzania is a more of a tourist destination, with not only the allure of Kilimanjaro but also several nearby game-parks. While the article I wrote for the magazine on Uganda was much more about the coffee, this one will be more of a travel piece with coffee as a central theme.
Tanzania, or at least this one small part of the country, seemed more developed than Uganda, even just with basic things like electricity provision, which is 24 hours on, 24 hours off in Uganda. Also the average family size is four to six in Tanzania rather than nine or more in Uganda and the houses are of much more sophisticated construction than the mud huts in Uganda. The locals are used to the presence of ‘mzungu’ tourists and wise to the fact that they can ask for money for photographs so we kept a pocket full of 500 shilling notes (worth about 20p) for this purpose.
Coffee is very important economically. Everyone grows it and small-holders are responsible for about three quarters of the production in the area. It used to be higher because there are now several large commercial farms, which lease the land from the local co-operative, which in turn own the leasehold from the government. The land was nationalised after independence and given to farming co-operatives to run but this failed due to mismanagement and the global collapse of coffee prices. The new arrangement means that the co-operatives get a direct income from the coffee – a fixed rent plus royalties – and at the end of the 20-year lease with the commercial farm can either choose to negotiate a renewal or can resume control of a fully functioning commercial coffee farm. It also means wages for the locals who work on the farm, especially during the harvest season from April to November. In this case, the co-operative is using the money to build a secondary school, which Peter and I visited. Right now it only goes the third form (year nine) but another form is added every year and the long-term goal is to establish an A-level college as well. It felt very strange visiting the school – standing in front of the class for a sing-song ‘good morning madam’ and being asked to introduce ourselves.
I had varying reports on the average farm size of a smallholder – from one or two acres up to five hectares (about 10 acres). It is certain that there is enormous land pressure on Kilimanjaro because the national park areas are off limits and the remaining land is subdivided every generation so I would tend to err on the side of the lower estimate. In some cases several siblings may own the land but only one will run the farm on behalf of the others so this probably obscures the picture. Coffee was introduced by German missionaries in the 19th century and, although there is some local consumption, it doesn’t have any particular cultural significance for the locals – it’s “just for business” as one farmer told me. Other crops include maize and sunflower – we saw a lot of both crops – beans, bananas and it is common to keep cows, goats and chickens. Kilimanjaro has its own micro-climate – cool and moist with rich volcanic soil – but it is freestanding so once you get off the mountain you hit much drier country with grassland and bush scrub, and this is where the Masai live.
The highlight of the trip for me was the trip to Arusha National Park on the Sunday. We saw giraffes, zebras, baboons, several species of monkey, an eagle, flamingo, a hippo, warthogs, buffalo, and red deer but sadly no elephant, only some elephant dung. The park is not big – about 20 square kilometres or 20 square miles (not sure which) – but because it houses Mount Meru, the surface area is much greater and the ecology quite varied. Meru is the third highest mountain in Africa, behind Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya.
Probably next best was the Masai village. Our driver, Bashir, took us off the road and into the grasslands in search of the Masai and we struck it lucky. The group we visited lived in ten mud huts – so probably about 40 or 50 people – amid grasslands filled with grazing cattle. The Masai traditionally believe that God appointed them protector of cattle and therefore that they are the rightful owners of all the cattle in the world. I was told that they rarely eat them but they drink their blood and milk and are very strong and healthy despite eating barely any vegetables. Bashir spoke Swahili – the second language of nearly everyone in Tanzania including the Masai – and the headman agreed to let us visit with them and take photographs (for money of course). Life is changing for the Masai – they still live out on the plains as they always did but their children now go to school and they buy and sell at the local markets more than they did in the past. I was a little embarrassed when Bashir insisted on taking my photograph with some of the Masai and one of the women came over and put one of their colourful cloths over me so that I could be dressed as one of them. Very touristic but I had to see the funny side.
The biggest disappointment was Kilimanjaro itself. By the way ‘Kilima’ means mountain so it is either Kilimanjaro or Mount Jaro, never Mount Kilimanjaro. I’m sure it’s very beautiful but we didn’t see it as the mountain was completely shrouded in cloud for the entire four days! This was despite lovely sunshine and clear skies on the plains below – curse that micro-climate! At one point I caught a glimpse of the mountain – but not the famous snow-capped peak – but that was all. This was a shame for me but even more of a problem for Peter since every shot he took – from the coffee picking to the Masai village – really should have had the mountain in the background as a kind of leitmotif. He is going back to Uganda in August/September to take photos for an exhibition so perhaps he can come back then and reshoot.
The only other downside was that my baggage was delayed and I was stuck in my aeroplane clothes for the first two days. On the way to Tanzania, I had to transfer in Nairobi and when I got to the plane to Kilimanjaro we were asked to identify our baggage on the tarmac. It turned out about twenty people, all from the flight from London, were missing baggage. The airline staff looked for it but then informed us that our bags were still in London and would be sent the next morning and delivered to the hotel. This was obviously rubbish – it seems incredibly unlikely that the baggage control staff in London simply forgot to load twenty bags – one, maybe, but not that many. Far more likely is that they weren’t separated from the other bags in Nairobi and they couldn’t find them but wanted to save face by blaming their colleagues in London. It was okay for me since I was staying put but I felt really sorry for the people who had planned to either go off on safari or start climbing the mountain the following day. In fact, Peter later pointed out that Lonely Planet recommends people wear their hiking gear on the plane since this apparently happens a lot. I had to spend $US35 on a pair of hiking boots since my black pumps, although very nice, were completely unsuitable for the mud. On Saturday, the hotel staff spent almost the entire day trying to call the airport or airline to check on the bags but there was no answer on any of the numbers provided or listed in the phone book. On Sunday, the bag had still not been delivered and the hotel staff had not managed to make contact with the airport so we drove out there on our way to Arusha. The good news is that my bag was there and I was able to retrieve it without too much fuss. The bad news is that when I asked for a receipt showing the date and time for insurance purposes, the airport officer not only refused but also insisted on keeping the form showing the initial baggage delay. He promised to come back with someone from KLM since he was just an agent but then disappeared behind security lines and never reappeared! I didn’t have the time or energy to fight further and didn’t want to delay everyone else ar so after waiting a while I decided to let him get away with this – $35 out of pocket is not the end of the world. I later saw on the baggage tag still affixed to my case that the luggage had arrived at 10am the previous morning and had been sat on for 24 hours so he was obviously worried about getting in trouble. The moral of the story is to fly direct whenever possible, pack what you need in your hand luggage (thankfully I had my sponge bag) and that in Africa, no matter what you are promised, you have to do everything yourself.
It felt lovely to return to Africa and I’m sure it won’t be the last time I do.
Photos to come …
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07.19.06
Posted in Media & Internet at 5.22 pm by niltiac
Some of the guys and gals in my office have started a breakfast blog. I never knew there was so much comic mileage in what people eat for breakfast! See Studio 20’s Breakfast
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Posted in Books at 3.32 pm by niltiac
I have tamed the beast! 1474 pages and I am done. Woo hoo!
A Suitable Boy was definitely worth the effort. I already admired Seth for An Equal Music and in this, very different, book he doesn’t let me down.
I enjoyed it from the beginning, although it is true that it was slow to begin with. Over the course of the novel, the characters seeped into my consciousness and came to life. By the end it had the familiarity and comfort of a long-running soap opera and I cared deeply for Lata and Maan and their families – the Mehras, the Chatterjis, the Kapoors – and friends. Without spoiling the plot, suffice it to say this made certain events in the novel quite heartbreaking.
Yet this is as much the story of India as it is of the characters in this book. It is set in the early 1950s, after independence and during the time of the first general election and it reveals all the richness and ructions of the fledgling nation, its prejudices and norms. It is a time of arranged marriages, frictions between Hindu and Muslim, colourful religious festivals, stifling snobbery, and great joy in life. It makes me more keen than ever to visit India.
The central theme, as the title suggests, is love and marriage. Next are the wider social and political themes of religious tolerance and intolerance, class consciousness from the poverty of the bonded labourers to the Anglophile snobbery still so prevalent in post-colonial India, and the struggle for independence and democracy.
Interestingly and less obviously, music is an important theme, though it less obviously so than in An Equal Music. There is a passage early in the book (by the book’s standards this could be anywhere in the first 700 pages!) where Seth articulates the nature of Indian music, how it introduces themes and returns to them and expands on them, until it builds a coherent whole. Unfortunately, I didn’t mark out the passage and it would take some time to find but it is quite clear that this explanation also serves as an exposition of the structure of the novel itself. Music is certainly a recurring motif, with the constant singing of raags and especially with several of the characters who are either musicians or patrons of music.
34 down, 66 to go… (That’s nine so far this year and this book probably accounted for a good proportion of the pages).
This copy was from BookCrossing – see all journal entries here.
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07.15.06
Posted in Books at 10.02 am by niltiac
I think from now on, I should only release copies of How to be Good by Nick Hornby and nothing else. I don’t know what it is but I have had the most phenomenal luck with wild catches from this book. The first copy was released in a cafe in Sydney in August 2003 and resulted in MsScarlet joining. The second copy was released at the Barbican Centre in February and resulted in Solar-Flare joining. Solar-Flare has now released it and the person who found it also joined, leaving this journal entry.
Journal entry 4 by SAE from Bristol, Bristol United Kingdom on Saturday, July 15, 2006
What a brilliant idea! Found the book on 15th July in ladies’ loos in The Mall, Cribbs Causeway, Bristol. Was intrigued when I saw the bookcrossing label on the cover. Will read it and take it on holiday to Northumberland where I will release it. Thanks!
See all journal entries for this book.
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07.10.06
Posted in Media & Internet at 10.45 pm by niltiac
You may have read about the guy who wanted to trade one red paper clip for a house. He started with a red paper clip and traded it for a fish-shaped pen and made better and better trades with the idea of working his way up to a house. Now the town of Kipling in Saskatchewan has decided to give him one, just a year after he started! In return they get a role in a movie, which they will hold a talent show to decide, and of course it puts their town on the map. They are going to erect a giant red paperclip on the outskirts of town and declare 12 July One Red Paperclip Day. CNN has the story.
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Posted in London, Skating at 10.15 pm by niltiac
Our skate to Wimbledon was on BBC News last night, right between the end of Wimbledon and the start of the World Cup Final! Magic! The Beeb had 17 million viewers for the football last night so that’s not to be sneezed at in PR terms.
I didn’t see it so no idea if you could see me or not – but I saw the cameras so it’s possible! I’m in a few of the pics on the LFNS website though.
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