But For the Sky

Author: Claudia

  • Yum: A Taste of Tibetan and Sikkimese Food

    —

    by

    Claudia
    in ,

    One of my favorite things about Darjeeling and Sikkim was — surprise, surprise– the food. We found the variety of Tibetan noodle soups to be delicious, healthy, and so comforting in the cold evenings. There are three main types of noodle soups: thenthuk (flat noodles), gyathuk (thin noodles), and bakthuk (gnocchi-type pasta) . A large bowl of…

  • Yum: Where the Chapatti At?

    —

    by

    Claudia
    in ,

    Let’s not sugar coat this: generally speaking, Africa is not exactly full of culinary delights. We ate chicken and chips for dinner more times than I care to remember, and for about two weeks our diet consisted almost exclusively of corn, bananas, peanut butter, and crackers– that’s all we could find. So when you find…

  • Volunteering with Soft Power Education

    —

    by

    Claudia
    in ,

    We were ready for a somewhat different experience during our time in Uganda, our last stop in Africa. Uganda, also known as “the pearl of Africa”, is a country roughly the same size as the state of Oregon, but with a rapidly-growing population of 33+ million people (for comparison, Oregon’s population is 4 million). The…

  • Zanzibar Part I: The All-Inclusive Experience

    —

    by

    Claudia
    in

    Along with climbing Kilimanjaro and going on safari, the third top destination (for good reason) in Tanzania is a trip to Zanzibar. Some of you may not know what/where Zanzibar really is, so first, some quick and cursory history! The Zanzibar Archipelago, which includes the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba, served as one of East…

  • Yum: Coca Cola’s East African Concoctions

    —

    by

    Claudia
    in ,

    It’s simple: Tanzania won the soda lottery. I don’t know what we Americans did to piss off the Coca-Cola company, causing them to deprive the U.S. of the incredibly tasty Krest Bitter Lemon and Stoney Tangawizi, but trust me, we’re missing out! Bitter Lemon is refreshing, crisp, and tastes like a strong lemonade but without…

  • Northern Tanzania Safari

    —

    by

    Claudia
    in

    Having successfully bagged our first ever high-altitude peak, it was time for some wildlife viewing in northern Tanzania’s famous national park circuit. Six more of our friends from DC met us in Moshi on Christmas Eve, making for a total of 12 of us, and we spent the day catching up and had some of…

  • Chimp Tracking at Gombe Stream National Park

    —

    by

    Claudia
    in ,

    Upon arriving at Gombe Stream National Park, you get the feeling that you are landing at a research station more than a park. There’s a reason for that: this is the site of the longest ongoing study of any animal population in the world, the study of chimpanzees that Jane Goodall started in 1960. The…

  • TIA: This is Africa

    —

    by

    Claudia
    in , ,

    A boy walks up to your bus trying to sell you a mousetrap, razor blades, wallets, and watering cans. A woman walks down the highway carrying an infant on her back and the largest sack of potatoes I’ve ever seen on her head. A truck drives by with several large, dead fish hanging off the…

  • Lake Tanganyika: Vacation from our Vacation

    —

    by

    Claudia
    in ,

    We made the executive decision that things were not meant to be between us and Lake Malawi (or maybe just between us and boat departures?), and with mixed feelings, we left Malawi for Tanzania the day after leaving Nkhata Bay. The journey was long and trying–we’ll spare you the details of the many buses we…

  • Yum: Nali Hot Sauce

    —

    by

    Claudia
    in ,

    Unfortunately, we were not in Malawi long enough to get a good taste for what the country’s cuisine is all about (unless it really is just chicken and chips, in which case we had more than enough time to get a taste for it…), but one thing we loved about every meal in Malawi was…