22 Photos of East & Southern Africa

22. Books by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Books by Acclaimed Nigerian Author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

It was great fun reading these books last year. A big fan of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie‘s, I had watched her TEDTalks, listened to interviews she’d given, read articles she’d written, but never read any of her books. Find out what I thought of these books when I finally did in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Half of a Yellow Sun Summary & Americanah) (clue: I was pulling all-nighters just because I couldn’t put the books down—the books were really good!).

21. – 20. Food

Oysters at the Ocean Basket, Gaborone, Botswana not Holy Crepe Kololo

These cold raw oysters served on ice at the Ocean Basket in Gaborone, Botswana were a sheer delight. I hadn’t had raw oysters in over 26 years and they took me right back to happy childhood memories. With a squeeze of lemon and a quick slurp, they burst in my mouth with the taste of the sea. Glorious! (To which the person I was having lunch with asked: why would anyone ever want anything to taste like the sea?) Read more about Gaborone, Botswana in my Guide to Gaborone.

Food at the Swedish Community Lucia Celebration in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania not Holy Crepe Kololo

The Lucia celebration in Dar es Salaam was not only about children singing and light processions. We got to sample typical Swedish Christmas fare too.

This delicious potato gratin made of potatoes, anchovies, and cream—you couldn’t tell there were any anchovies in it—is known as Jansson’s Temptation, or Janssons Frestelse (in Swedish). It is said to have been named after Pelle Janzon, a food loving Swedish opera singer of the early 1900s.

Jansson’s Temptation is a classic Swedish dish traditionally served before guests leave to ensure that during their cold journey home they have something warm inside them.

19. – 16. Shots Taken in Tanzania

Sunrise in Saadani, Tanzania not Holy Crepe Kololo

Sunrise as seen from Saadani Park Hotel located just outside Saadani National Park, Tanzania

Chalkboard Walls in the Toilets at Vino Wine Bar, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania not Holy Crepe Kololo

I love the chalkboard walls of the bathroom at Vino Wine Bar in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Beyond the pleasure of writing deep wine-inspired truths is finding the deep wine-inspired wisdom left behind by your friends. Good one, @ngasuma!

Shrubs & Trees, Saadani National Park Tanzania not Holy Crepe Kololo

Clear skies, Saadani National Park, Tanzania

Old Father’s House, Holy Ghost Mission, Bagamoyo, Tanzania not Holy Crepe Kololo

The Old Fathers’ House at the Holy Ghost Mission in Bagamoyo, Tanzania was built around 1872 and was under renovation when this picture was taken. The Holy Ghost Mission in Bagamoyo was started by the Catholic Holy Ghost Fathers. The church they built in 1872 is reportedly the oldest church on mainland East Africa. Today, the mission houses an awesome museum documenting history from the 19^th/20^th-century Swahili coast and East Africa as a whole. Each time I visit (and I have been many times), I learn something new.

This building was built in the local style of the time with mangrove wood floors and roof, and coral stone walls of a precolonial style of architecture. It has open arches on its periphery and has no resemblance to the German colonial architecture so common elsewhere in Tanzania.

15. ORS Olive Oil Edge Control

I was a late comer to the edge control party, but when a mandatory microbraid hairstyle worn when I was my cousin’s maid of honor ripped out my edges, I needed to find a solution to stop my raggedy edges from making all my natural hairstyles look unkempt. This was the solution for me, and I have NEVER looked back. It’s now one of my staple hair care products. Find out more about it here.

14. Bomani Beach Bungalows, Bagamoyo, Tanzania

Bomani Beach Bungalows, Bagamoyo, Tanzania Holy Crepe Kololo

Every year, for my birthday, I have only one request of those who want to celebrate it with me: take me to a place I have never been before.

My mother and brother scored well with this place: Bomani Beach Bungalows in Bagamoyo, Tanzania.

I had been right next to this place before but had no idea it offered such beautiful views. For other pictures taken at Bomani Beach Bungalows, check out Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge Images & 30 Other Photos Liked By My Instagram

13. Headwrapping Skills

She was all dressed up to celebrate her last born’s 32^nd birthday. Who did her headwrap? Yours truly. #SkillsLearnedInWestAfrica

12. Shuka at Goat & Kachumbari, Kampala, Uganda

Shuka at Goat & Kachumbari, Kampala, Uganda not Holy Crepe Kololo

I am still dreaming about this copper-colored @shukauganda necklace that I saw at a Goat & Kachumbari event held last year at @yasigi_beergarden in Kampala, Uganda. Why was I being budget-wise that day?!

11. – 10. More Shots Taken in Tanzania

Sunrise at Saadani National Park, Tanzania not Holy Crepe Kololo

Saadani National Park is the only wildlife conservation area in Tanzania that borders the ocean. It is surreal to wake up to sunrises like this and then go for a game drive later in the day. Only two and a half hours to the park’s gates from Dar es Salaam (when I drive like a fiend), it amazes me why more people in Dar es Salaam don’t visit Saadani more often.

9. AidChild’s Equator Café & Gallery, the Equator, Uganda

For many travelers on the Masaka-Mbarara highway in Uganda, the traditional stop for food, drinks, and a bathroom break near Masaka is Highway Takeaway next to the Total station. My new favorite place to stop, though, is at AidChild’s Equator Café & Gallery, located near the Equator in Uganda, where you can get some guacamole and chips, good food in general, peruse BEAUTIFUL local crafts, buy books about Uganda, take photos at the Equator marker, and just chillax in a beautiful environment.

8. Trees in Mikumi National Park, Tanzania

I never tire of this picture: a baobab tree in Mikumi National Park, Tanzania. Read more about my visit to Mikumi National Park here.

7. The View from Sawasdee Restaurant, New Africa Hotel, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

My favorite view of Dar es Salaam harbor for the longest while has been the view from Level 8, at the Hyatt-Regency Dar es Salaam, The Kilimanjaro hotel. And then I saw this one from Sawasdee, at New Africa Hotel. How had I lived in Dar for almost 8 years, hung out at the New Africa Hotel several times, and never known about this gorgeous view?

6. Yasigi Beer Garden at Sunset, Kampala, Uganda

I rarely drink beer, but the one time you’re sure to see me drink beer is when I go to a micro-brewery like Sierra in Nairobi or this one, Yasigi Beer Garden in Kampala, Uganda. I can’t believe I just came back from a month-long Christmas break in Kampala and didn’t go to Yasigi even once. (You can be sure it wasn’t for lack of trying! :-/)

P. S. Would you like to sponsor a post on Chick About Town to let my readers know about your East African product, service, establishment, or event? If so, find out more about how you can do that here. Have you subscribed to Chick About Town yet? If not, why not go ahead and do so now? Thought these photos were cool? Then please share this post with your friends and followers on social media. Want to use any of these pictures on your own website? Go ahead and do so, but please link back here. Thanks. 🙂

5. Sunset at the Jetty of the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Dar es Salaam—Oyster Bay, Tanzania

Sunset from the Jetty at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Dar es Salaam - Oyster Bay, Tanzania

Sunset seen from the jetty of the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Dar es Salaam—Oyster Bay in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Merry Christmas y’all! 🙂

4. Korean Food at Oktopbang Restaurant in Oysterbay, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Having Korean food for the first time not at a school UN Day under the careful tutelage of my sino-French friend Iris. Here, we were having a hot seafood soup. I couldn’t wait to pounce on that crab claw!

3. Goretti’s Pizzeria & Bar, Entebbe, Uganda

Despite Kampala being on the shores of Lake Victoria, I have not had many good waterside experiences there. (What you need to check out though is Lakeside Escape in Mukono. You can thank me later! 🙂 ). In search of just that, I found myself at Goretti’s Pizzeria in Entebbe which I had heard so much about.

While the service and setup were not much to write home about, it was nice to sit so close to the water. As for the pizza…now that was good. Even if you are not a fan of anchovies, try out their anchovy pizza. It’s perfectly balanced, delicious, and you’d never guess it had anchovies in it unless someone told you.

2. – 1. Sunsets in Dar es Salaam

Sunset from the Jetty at the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Sunset at the jetty of the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Dar Es Salaam—Oyster Bay. This picture of sunset was taken at an Afternoon Delight event last year. That was a lot of fun!

Sunset outside my Window, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

When I am working away at my desk at home and look up only to catch a sunset like this outside my window, I feel utterly, utterly blessed. Enjoy the last day of of the year y’all.

Tell Me What You Thought of These Pictures

So there you go. That’s the best of what my Instagram gallery had to offer in the past three months. As promised, there were lots of sunset (and sunrise) pictures, shots of food, and a picture of some great books I read recently. Leave me a comment below telling me if any of theses pictures resonated with you. As always, I look forward to hearing what you have to say.

Until the next time,
Biche

Table of Contents