The Last Supper

For Amy’s last dinner we went to one of the finest dining establishments in all of Namibia. The plush new Namibian Institute for Culinary Education (aka. Nice) is the hottest new spot in Windhoek.

The spacious old Brueckner residence at Mozart St no 2 Windhoek has been architecturally remodeled in the signature style of legendary Namibian architect Leon Barnard to house one of Namibia’s freshest and most exciting initiatives: the Namibian Institute of Culinary Education.


While enjoying an exquisite bottle of Excelsior Cabernet the head Chef of Nice brought around a new sample from the kitchen. Placed before us was Veal Liver atop pears. Can you imagine wanting to eat a baby liver? Well, I though I had better try it, complements of the chef and all. It was pungent to say the least. I only had a very small bit but the taste was left in my mouth for some time. Not recommended.

Amy insisted on three appetizers before dinner. She had roasted vegetables, I had pumpkin soup and we shared a cheese platter. It was a bit excessive, but being her last night we thought we should go all out. For dinner Amy had the pasta with Chicken and olive pesto. I had the Oryx steak. It was a very delightful meal.

Edit: Oops, almost forgot about dessert. I lovely Crème Brule.


As dinner came to a close Amy realized that it would soon be time to go home. Aww…so sad…


Do you see Amy’s face in that last picture? It was much like my face when receiving this bill after agreeing to buy dinner. Thank God for the ol’ TD Visa! Or we would have been washing dishes….

I put Amy back on the plane to Canada this morning. It was sad to see her go, but I must get back to reality and more importantly; off the martinis! She will travel 22 hours to her destination in Toronto. Because she is traveling east to west, she will actually arrive tomorrow afternoon. Let’s hope she is not too jetlagged and gets some sleep on the flight out of Africa.

Today felt very strange for me. I was naturally a bit down having to say bye to my sister, but it was the last day of my vacation so I decided I would try and enjoy it. I went to the mall and ate sushi. Then I found a pile of great records in the second hand store. When I got home the mouse for my computer stopped working. I went to the
store to buy a new one and came home with a ps2 mouse...a no go for my laptop. I will have to return it tomorrow. It was cloudy for the first time in months here in Windhoek. It really cast a shadow on the day. But there were bright moments. I found a lucky penny from South Africa (there are no penny's in Namibia so if you need change for $3.56 at the store they will actually round down so the customer always gets a break) The lucky penny turned out to be a very good omen. My bank account was suddenly rewarded with a very large monthly paycheck. (I mean, excessively large!) Someone must have either screwed up, or there is something I don’t know about. Anyway, I will be cautious as to how I inquire about the bonus.

I will post more pictures from our vacation in due time.

Amy's Last Day in Windhoek

We had lunch again at the craft centre for Amy's last day. Amy is pretty sad to be leaving tomorrow. She had such a short trip, but it was action packed. It was an expensive trip...and I think I will be living off bologny sandwiches for the next few weeks.

At the craft centre we came upon these beautiful wood sculptures. Amy poses with the turtle.


I picked the much more insteresting bushman carving.


Here is Amy with a few of the hundreds of meteorites that have fallen in Namibia (the meteorite capital of the world!)

Homemade Chicken Parmesan in Namibia?

What were we thinking? A huge project like this is hard work. But my brother and I have one thing in common....we love to cook good food (and eat it too!). Everything, even the croutons in the salad were made from scratch. Michael even slaughtered the chicken! haha...just joking.... But we pounded the chicken breasts ourselves with a log, and breaded the chicken with our own secret technique. Forget about frozen cutlets...this is the new standard.

The sauce was also prepared with Nooona's special recipe. Here the sauce is being poured over the chicken which was also smothered in mozzarella.


The final product. Little bit pasta smothered in special sauce. Zucchini prepared to perfection, sautéed with onion a garlic and a little bit a sauce. The chicken also turned out beautifully. Not pictured here was the ceaser salad which was a hit for Michael only.


I really enjoyed the meal.


Michael also enjoyed a tradiational Italian dish in Namibia....strange...


We often find ourselves wondering why we ever go out for dinner! There are talks of a restaurtant opening soon in your area!

Katatura Face to Face: The Namibian Township Tour

Katatura translates to "The place we do not want to live." It was the original area that people of colour were forced to live during the Apartheid in Namibia. Today Katatura is a bustling community with markets, schools, and community services.

At the market meat is prepared all day long. Not a piece of the cow is wasted. We did not try it.




We visited the Penduka Project which is a community initiative to empower poor and predominantly disabled women with the means to create crafts and art. We visited the workshop and the shop where Michael bought a great little table cloth.


Here is a view of the inforal settlement where most people new to Windhoek start their city life. Although most of the houses look very makeshift we were surprised to see TV antenas on some. Priorities, priorities...


Here is Michael and I enjoying a Windhoek Lager in the 'Sheebeen'. A sheebeen is a very informal bar sometimes built right into a persons house. The beer was cold and delicious.

More from Amy's Trip to Swakopmund


Amy and Cyrlene visit Angelina and Brad's (Brangelina's) love nest, The Burning Shore Hotel, on the coast of Namibia. It is halfway between Swakopmund; where we stayed, and Walvis Bay where the beautiful Dune 7 is located.



Look at me at Brad and Angelina's dinner table! What a luxurious spot they have picked.


Here we are at our fabulous dinner at the Tug reastaurant. The Tug is one of the best restaurants on the Namibian coastline. I am sure that Brangelina came here. We had the blackened fish. It was delicious.



Nightlife comes and the cats come out. Cyrlene and I have cocktails at the local cocktail lounge, Plush. I like cocktails.


Resident DJ, fresh master Dj Plush works the beats.


It is beautiful, BUT, it is cold in the African Winter. Can you believe its Africa?


This guy looks pretty cool.


On the boat trip the seals made themselves comfortable on board! So cute!

Swakopmund

Amy and Michael at the coast.



Shooting the big harpoon! (Originally used for whale hunting)


Its Amy!


Approaching Dune 7-The tallest sand dune in the world.


Can you spot the people attempting to climb?


Amy and Cyrlene at the summit.


Amy is at the top-hurray!


Looking down from the top of the sand dune!


Brother and sister reach new heights!


GQ Stud Master Fresh.


On the booze cruise on Saturday morning. Before having some cocktails.



After some cocktails....


And some more....


And finally....


Winning big at the Swakopmund Casino Friday night. Both Michael and I won a couple hundred dollars... WOW we are winners!

Chakalaka Dinner and Nice Restaurant

Michael enjoys the Chakalaka dinner.


Michael enjoys a mojito in Africa...so handsome.


Michael and Amy toast!

I have taken my sister to the coast to see the sights and sounds of
the Southern Atlantic ocean. We will return Sunday August 27.

Amy's New Sweater
Look at the fabulous new sweater I found at Woolworths. Do you remember Woolworths? It is a very popular chain of stores in the South African region.

Not much else new here...just enjoying a Martini before dinner. Jokes....
 

Etosha National Park

Peak season in Etosha is peak for a reason. The park is busy in the dry season with animals that flock to the water holes to catch a drink of water. It was my first safari and I was super excited to see some rare African animals.


We were able to drink beer in the back of the van! Wow, African beer is so tasty!


What a surprise! Within minutes of crossing the gate we ran into a herd (Thanks Keith!) of elephants.


Here is my new zebra friend. I called him stripey.




Oryx cross the water hole. Look at all of the animals in the background!


A very African scene.


Our first lion, Leo. I am a Leo too. We rock!


Gerry the giraffe likes leaves. I tried them too....they were not so great. Not so yummy.


Its a rhinocerous in the moonlight. This is the best picture we could get!


The next day I was passed out. Too much safari for me...


Me and our guide Nelson. Nelson did a great job, considering that we had a two day safari! Lots of driving for Nelson. He is awesome!

Amy in Windhoek

We spent the first night at Michael's friend Barbara's house for a delicious cheese dinner.
I could barely keep my eyes open.



First full day ...me and my new friends

Windhoek horizon

This is our lunch that we had at the Craft Centre Cafe. It was so great. Yummy.


This is my brother the coolest guy in the physical universe.

My Sister arrives in Windhoek!!

36 hours of travel....4 hours of sleep....three major cities...welcome to Windhoek.

I am so honored that my sister would come so far to visit me! I have promised her the best visit I can possibly offer her in Namibia. It’s great to see her again.

I will keep pictures of her visit as up to date as possible in the next 10 days.

Just in case anyone was wondering....

Polytechnic of Namibia - Cultural Festival 2006
Traditional Dance Festival

Herero




Herero Dance Clip

South African


Kavango


Tswana


Nama


Nama Dance Clip

Caprivian


Caprivian Dance Clip 1
Caprivian Dance Clip 2

Oshivambo


Marilyn Mon'vambo?


Oshivambo Dance Clip 1
Oshivambo Dance Clip 1
Oshivambo Dance Clip 1


Not pictured:
Angolan Dance Clip
Angolan Dance Clip

Polytechnic of Namibia - Cultural Festival 2006
International Cuisine Day

Oshivambo



Nama - Donkey meat bbq!


Director of Computer Services: Laurent Evrard, with the French offering.


Romeo teaches me how to eat mopane worms


Yummy.....


My reaction.


Some background on mopane worms and traditional usage:

The mopane worm as food
Mopane worms are hand-picked in the wild, often by women and children. In the bush, the caterpillars are not considered to belong to the landowner (if any), but around a house permission should be sought from the resident. Chavanduka describes women in Zimbabwe tying a piece of bark to particular trees to establish ownership, or moving the young caterpillars to trees nearer home. When the caterpillar has been picked, it is pinched at the tail end to rupture the innards. The picker then squeezes it like a tube of toothpaste or lengthwise like a concertina, and whips it to expel the slimy, green contents of the gut.


Preserving
The traditional method of preserving mopane worms is to dry them in the sun or smoke them, giving additional flavour. The industrial method is to can the caterpillars (usually in brine), and tins of mopane worms can be found in rural supermarkets and markets around southern Africa.


Eating
Dried mopane worms can be eaten raw as a crisp snack, although in Botswana people tend not to eat the head. Alternatively, mopane worms can be soaked to rehydrate, before frying till crunchy or cooking with onion, tomatoes and spices and serving with sadza. The flesh is yellow, and the gut may still contain fragments of dried leaf, which is not harmful to humans. The taste is somewhat reminiscent of tea leaves. Source

Malaysia represents...



Kavango girl

Polytechnic of Namibia - Cultural Festival 2006
International Showcase

Rehoboth Basters


Democratic Republic of the Congo


Tswana Tribe


Tanzania


Oshivambo Tribe

Frühschoppen!

"Frühschoppen" is an old tradition in Germany where the men (after church!) got together in a local pub to reminisce with their cronies, play skat or another card game – while the women at home prepare Sunday dinner for the family.

"Früh" refers to morning, while a "Schoppen" is usually a large mug of beer – sometimes several(!), or a glass of wine. Source

This past Saturday we gathered at the local beer garden for an afternoon, err...morning of drinking. I though that we could start early in the afternoon, but my German and Austrian comrades insited that we go for 10am. We sat for the rest of the day drinking Weisse (Wheat) Beer and keeping the Jagermeister girls busy drinking shots.



Erdinger Beer


The band Double Trouble, was actually not at all bad. They did a few covers but had a fresh sound. They also were reponsible for giving away prizes..."First prize is a weekend in Karabib, second prize is two weekends in Karabib." Jokes...

Note the Namibian Stock Exchange office in the background.


Dominik and Judith from Austria.


Starting to get jolly at about 11:30am!


I have been taught to pour the perfect pint of Weisse Beer.


This photo won us a prize pack of Hunters Dry cider in a backpack.


This was just for good measure.


Tina and I toast to good times.


Once dinner had been prepared by the ladies they were allowed out of the kitchen to come to the party. (Joking!) Naturally they bust out the crazy dance maneuvers! The woman on the left was really working it on the dancefloor!

Why I Love Canada
Anyone seen this ad around town? Georgie looks so cute...