compassandladle-blog

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Driving around the Masai Mara was such a treat. There had been a decent amount of rain a week or two before we arrived meaning good grass cover and LOTS of game. Apparently with that little bit of rain the migrating herds had stayed put for a few weeks longer. Charging about the savannah with the Lion King sound track blaring and animals absolutely everywhere was something neither of us will forget in a hurry. Totes AMAZEBALLS! (at Masai Mara National Reserve)

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What do you do when you have a whole chicken and a camp fire in the hills of Uganda? You make chicken pie god damn it!!!! This little beauty took a while to make but it was so worth it. Super tasty and delicious. (at Uganda)

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Bull Jumping Ceremony Part 4 According to Hammer tribe traditions a young dude must run nude across the back of bulls four times before he can become a man. This is why they call it the bull jumping ceremony. While local herdsmen hold the bulls somewhat still, the young man leaps from bull to bull, running back and forth. At the ceremony we saw, the man of the hour completed this feat with ease and a certain degree of nonchalance. It was quite amazing. As he touched down for the last time a cheer went up and friends and family came to congratulate him. Then, with no further fuss, it was over. The bulls were rounded up and led away and the crowd all started walking back to the young man’s village. Truly this was one of the most bizarre things we saw during our time in Africa. Check out our earlier posts for more on the bull jumping ceremony we saw in Ethiopia’s Omo Valley. (at Turmi, Gamo Gofa, Ethiopia)

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Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony Part 5: The final act in our series on the Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony is of course the bunna itself. Most Ethiopians like to load up their bunna with sugar but for the most part I never found this necessary as the coffee itself was delicious. It was at times chocolaty and nutty, a touch smokey or even a bit herbaceous from when they dunk a sprig of fresh ‘tena adam’ into the cup. Tena adam (adam’s health) is a popular accompaniment to Ethiopian bunna and has a fresh almost menthol type flavour. The whole herb in coffee thing may sound weird but trust me it was GOOD! So, next time you’re in Ethiopia, make sure you hunt out your own Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony experience. Try and find something small and local versus part of a tour. You won’t regret it! (at Turmi, Gamo Gofa, Ethiopia)

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Bull Jumping Ceremony Part 3: Once the women have shown their love for the man of the hour, the final step before the actual bull jumping is to get the blessing of his parents and the village elders. This was the only part of the Hammer tribe ceremony where tourists weren’t allowed. Fairly fierce looking characters with Kalashnikov rifles ensured that all outsiders kept their distance for this crucial part of the ceremony. Once the blessing was complete the young man selected a bull to be his totem and then the jumping could begin. (at Turmi, Gamo Gofa, Ethiopia)

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Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony Part 4: In an Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony, coffee or bunna as it’s known locally, is brought to the boil three times before its ready. After that the ceramic coffee pot is put to one side to settle while incense is lit. Thimble sized cups are put out on a tray and then the bunna is theatrically poured from height. The aroma of the coffee mixed with the fragrant incense and the sound of the bunna gurgling as it fills the cups is all rather exciting. It feels like you’re stepping back in time. (at Tigray Region)

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Bull Jumping Ceremony Part 2: When a young man of the Ethiopian Hammer tribe comes of age, all his female relatives compete to show how much they love him by getting whipped. First they dance and sing around the bulls which have been brought in for jumping. Then periodically the dancing stops and the woman present themselves in front of local tribesmen to get whipped by thin pieces of tree branch. The harder they are whipped and the less emotion the women show when getting whipped the more love they are demonstrating for the man. Often the woman will dance right up to a tribesman’s face to goad him into whipping her harder. By the end of it the women’s backs and arms are covered in long, bleeding welts. It was such a brutal and really uncomfortable thing to watch. Why a woman needs to get whipped to show her love for a man was beyond us but that’s the way they do it. It was easily the most confronting example of how tribal ways still dominate many African communities. (at Turmi, Gamo Gofa, Ethiopia)

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Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony Part 3: Once the roasted beans are at a nice grind, they’re into a small ceramic urn, water is added and onto the brazier it goes. In Ethiopia, coffee or ‘bunna’ as it’s called in Amharic, will be brought to the boil three times before it’s finally ready. Each time the aroma and flavour is intensified but miraculously doesn’t seem to burn. The caffeine suspension builds!! Bring on the bunna! (at Tigray Region)

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In many ways, time seems to stand still in Ethiopia’s Omo Valley. For the tribes who call it home, very little seems to have changed and ancient traditions still hold important sway. The bull jumping ceremony of the Hammer tribe is one such tradition. The bull jumping ceremony is all about the coming of age of a young man and his declaration to his community that he is ready to marry. It’s an at once beautiful, brutal and very confronting demonstration of the tribes adherence to their traditions. We were lucky enough to visit a bull jumping ceremony and wanted to share it with you. .. .. .. Bull Jumping Ceremony Part 1: This young guy looking back at the camera is coming of age. Once his older brothers have completed their bull jumping ceremony, a specific date is set and he spends the preceding days visiting the surrounding villages to let his community know when his bull jumping ceremony will be. On the day we visited and amongst all the craziness we witnessed (more on that later) this young dude appeared so calm. Almost regal. (at Ethiopia)

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We love this photo! Yes we had to pay for it but this old women’s face from the Kara tribe in Ethiopia’s Omo Valley has so much history. There is a life time of experience etched at the corner of her eyes. She is so beautiful. What do you think? (at Ethiopia)

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Ethiopia is the birth place of coffee. The story goes that over 1100 years ago an Ethiopian herdsman noticed his goats getting extra frisky after munching on some berries. Those berries turned out to be coffee and thus began Ethiopia’s obsession with the good stuff. In modern day Ethiopia, this obsession can be seen everywhere as small terra-cotta pots fill thimble sized cups of fragrant black coffee. If you’re lucky (or if you pay up) you’ll get to enjoy the full coffee ceremony and this is what we wanted to share with you over the next week or so with our series on the Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony. Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony Part 1: A handful of green coffee beans go into a special little roasting pan and get roasted over a charcoal fired brazier. Within seconds the outstanding aroma of roasting coffee fills the room. While the beans are being roasted any dodgy looking ones are plucked and thrown out. After a minute or two a pan full of golden brown and delicious smelling beans are ready to go! (at Turmi)

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Crossing the equator is always special. Especially when you’re doing it in Uganda, in a 29 year Landcruiser named Bertha and ESPECIALLY when you’re doing it with family. Might have been a bit tight in Bertha but we were so lucky to have Fi’s sister and boyfriend AND my cousin join us for some African shenanigans! Much fun!! (at Uganda)

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Lake Nakuru National Park was our last game park for Africa and what a cracker! Flamingos, rhinos, lions, hyenas, giraffe, the list goes on. Very chuffed we made a quick stop at this beautiful spot in southern Kenya. (at Lake Nakuru National Park)

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We were so pumped to arrive in Ethiopia, not just because we survived the drive around Lake Turkana, but also because of the FOOD! Undoubtably Ethiopia has one of the most developed food cultures on the African continent and we were stoked to get amongst it. As a result when we had the chance to share a plate of injera (the iconic fluffy pancake made from ‘teff’), shiro wat (spicy bean stew), vegetables and braised goat with some local villagers in the Omo Valley, we were all rather excited. Pretty soon the village hut was packed with locals as everyone came to share lunch with us ‘farengi’. Lunch was delicious. Breaking bread with the locals? Priceless! (at Turmi, Gamo Gofa, Ethiopia)

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The tribes people who call the bleak shores of Lake Turkana home survive in some of the harshest conditions you can imagine. Forget about electricity or running water and don’t even think about popping down to the corner store for a loaf of bread. We ran into these beautiful women a few hours from Loiyangalani tending a few camels. Really makes you think about how good we have it in the developed world. (at Lake Turkana)

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Driving around Lake Turkana in Kenya’s far north west took us along some of Africa’s most isolated roads yet most beautiful countryside. Loved bush camping in the middle of no where with nothing but the African bush for company. (at Lake Turkana)

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To kick off 2018, we wanted to share some photos from our time with some gorillas in Uganda. Spending an hour just a few metres away from a family of 12 gorillas has to be one of the highlights of our time in Africa. Staring into their eyes felt like staring back into your own soul. Mildly disconcerting, very humbling and an absolute privilege. Long may these awesome creatures grace our planet so future generations can enjoy them as much we did. (at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park)