Endemic Fynbos! An Environmentalist’s dream come true in Cape of Good Hope, South Africa! Elsie Gabriel

                            Endemic Fynbos!

 An Environmentalist’s dream come true in Cape of Good Hope, South Africa!

Elsie Gabriel

Ever imagined walking through an endless green carpet filled with a million flowers, covering soft hills and rugged planes, almost taking you to heaven and back? Come walk with me and I’ll take you to the heart of pristine nature, the Table Mountain National Park Reserve near the Cape of Good Hope, in South Africa.

The sight is out of a picture book, it’s an environmentalists’ and nature lovers dream come true, the flaura collections here at the Southern African endless green arena include many rare and endangered species of flaura and fauna.

This open park Reserve leads to the Cape of Good hope, known as the southern most point in South Africa and is simply spellbinding. The Cape of Good Hope nature trail is a 34km circular route that starts and ends at the entrance gate to the Cape of Good Hope. Our guide Sonja was a fantastic driver, Guide and informative adventurous soul to have on such a journey.

This reserve boasts global recognition for its natural wealth, varied and absolutely unique fauna and flora. This is the only place on the earth where, essentially one finds such a heady mix of rich environmental bio-diversity and incredible natural beauty. This part of the park is home to a diverse range of fynbos, over 250 species of birds, buck and Cape mountain Zebra. There are numerous picnic spots, paths on which one can set off on foot .If you are interested in hiking, there are hiking trail offered in the Reserve. 

This reserve is the smallest but richest of the world's six floral kingdoms. This comprises a treasure trove of 1100 species of indigenous plants, of which a number are Endemic meaning ‘species which occur naturally nowhere else on earth’! The main type of  Fynbos which means ‘fine bush vegetation’ at the Cape of Good Hope is Peninsula sandstone Fynbos an endangered vegetation type that is endemic to the Cape Peninsula. Coastal  Hangklip Sand Fynbos grow on low-lying alkaline sands and  almost invading the sea small patches of  Cape Flat Dune Strandveld can be found emerging out of the rocky areas.

Characteristic fynbos plants include Proteas, Ericas and Restios reeds also cover the areas. Almost twenty four species of Proteas occur here, they include King Proteas, Sugarbush,Tree Pincushions and Golden cone bushes. When flowering the red Proteas and Ericas attract the Sunbirds and Sugarbirds. It’s an amalgamation of creation and true testimony of Gods natural kingdom right here in this very reserve in South Africa. 

 With its diverse habitat, ranging from rocky mountain tops to beaches and open sea, the Cape of Good Hope is home to at least 250 species of birds. There are a wealth of small animals such as lizards, snakes, tortoises, grass mouse, Mongoose and Otters.

 We saw baboons along the road on our way out. Ostriches and Kudu graze along the ocean, well camouflaged Eland graze carelessly in the distance too, making it a natural zoo of sorts.

Indigenous monkeys called Chacma Baboons are the mammal most intimately associated with the Cape of Good Hope.

[All pictures copyright@elsiegabriel.com]

Cape of Good Hope is not the southernmost tip of Africa as we learned way back in standard four, I guess, no; it’s the most south-westerly tip. The former is Cape Agulhas, and it’s another ocean stretch entirely close by.

Perched on the top of a soaring cliff rising a staggering 238 metres from the sea is the white Lighthouse which has been the guiding light for many sailors past the ages. Whiping winds slash down stone, rocks and hills surrounding the lighthouse making the peninsular look extremely dangerous as if possessed by the rough maddening ocean below.

Some of history’s biggest sailors like Bartholomew Diaz and Vasco Da Gama have stormed rough weather to find their destinations and many have died in that search, as this far end of the Cape is known for it’s dangerous waves.

I dedicate this piece of writing to my personal guide and driver Sonja, in South Africa for such an enriching journey which has made me praise Gods creation every day since. I still remember the song on that radio Sonja that Tanya, you and me sang our heads off  to driving through the reserve end of the day, “I need you now” ,by Lady Antebellum!

Cheers to South African nature which is so healing---

………Picture perfect memories, scattered all around the floor.
Reaching for the phone cause, I can't fight it any more.
And I wonder if I ever cross your mind.
For me it happens all the time.

It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now.
I said I wouldn't call but I lost all control and I need you now.
And I don't know how I can do without, I just need you now…….

Salute Sonja!

mytravelfootprints: One Man Woman - the Lady boys of Thailand! A salut...

mytravelfootprints: One Man Woman - the Lady boys of Thailand! A salut...: One Man Woman-the Lady boys of Thailand! A salute to the third gender! Elsie Gabriel Cabarets might not be on everyone's buck...

One Man Woman - the Lady boys of Thailand! A salute to the third gender! Elsie Gabriel

One Man Woman-the Lady boys of Thailand!

A salute to the third gender!

Elsie Gabriel

Cabarets might not be on everyone's bucket list when out in Thailand for the New Years weekend celebrations but in Phuket  you can enjoy a mesmerising  evening out filled with clean entertainment.  

In Thailand, the third gender is regarded as beautiful and the  society there  is generally more open to lady boys than many other cultures. Katoey, or the 'third sex', which  have played a prominent role in the country’s  entertainment industry for generations are almost revered. So if you want to sit back and enjoy the most gorgeous lady boys in the world put up a captivating musical, do watch the Aphrodite Cabaret show which is funny, entertaining and for the family too, join the hilarious antics at the show in Phuket. Of course these no non sense cabarets are also available everywhere in Thailand as well.This third gender work very hard to perfect the art of dancing and earning a living as well as look after their figures which they strut on stage.

 I found myself watching the troupe grind like Madhuri Dixit to the famous number “Aja Nachle Nachle” as part of the international cultural offering by the dancers and enjoyed every minute of it and am not ashamed to write about ad share their amazing theatrical talent. So keep an open mind and read on….

At first they are all simply the most beautiful girls on stage dancing gracefully, its only at the end that you are told that  each and every  participant was a ladyboy. Thailand's katoey are world famous, they are drop dead gorgeous and so well defined, you would never be able to tell if she was a man or a woman. The ladyboys are a Thai institution by themselves and have earned great respect in the clean musical world of stage performances.

For those sheltered few, katoeys is a term popularly used to refer to men who endeavour to be women, usually through  disguise and tactful surgery. They are jaw drop gorgeous and bewildering, soft spoken, and elegant and almost mythical. See the pictures and know why some women would almost envy them.

This Aphrodite Cabaret show involved perfected lip-synched interpretations of popular songs from various countries, complete with elaborate costumes and make-up. Some of the performances were  skilfully choreographed and the theme was light-hearted, star dusted magic,  glitter and glitz.

A  professional huge theatre with the most amazing acoustics delivers the show with a bang, being very punctual, featuring a full stage of dancers and ‘singers’, all impossibly glamorous and eye catching. It’s showbiz to the hilt alright! Technical qualifications and the modern stage  technology ensure the highest quality entertainment.

Defused lighting and soft rays not only bring out the best features of the dancers but also of the elaborate expensive shimmering costumes and stage décor  to the heights ,you could compare internationally to anywhere   in theatrical world.

 The cabaret theatre is built to accommodate 950 seats and offer a plush and comfortable seating arrangement.  So do include the Aphrodite Cabaret Show in your holiday schedule. I took the entire family to the show while in Phuket.

The Indians in the audience applauded when the  Maduri Dixit Bollywood number was belted out  and then the Koreans clapped to their familiar song and then it was time for the Chinese as their Umbrella song dance came a stage, so you see it was family fun all the way, including hilarious skits and songs which sent the audience into splits of laughter. To the amazement of the kids present in the audience, even the Korean Gangam Style stole the show at the Aphrodite concert.

The Lady boys simply serenade you with one great number after another non stop . The choreography at Aphrodite is admirable and the multi-armed Shiva goddess dance is a perfect example of the ingenuity on display here, fusing themes of religion and culture into one.

Finally, after just over an hour of colourful entertainment, the grand finale has over 80 of them making a grand exit and it’s only then that you realise that the whole show consists of men. There’s not a single lady on the stage and those sexy legs you’ve been admiring for the last  hour belong to gorgeous boys! Very pretty ones for sure, but guys nevertheless.

You can have photos clicked with them for over 100 bts or almost 200 Rs as they line up outside to bid farewell. Watching their immaculate makeup, ostrich feathers, sequins and outrageous outfits, they make an attractive package for sure, Oh what the heck  I posed with some of them and couldn’t help but notice that some of their features put mine to shame! I was talking about their height. Caught ya….

Come join Terra Madre and the Slow Food movement. Keep track of your Food Prints.Elsie Gabriel

Come join Terra Madre and the Slow Food movement.

Keep track of your Food Prints.

Elsie Gabriel

From simple home dinners to community festivals, local food is being celebrated in hundreds of different ways on December 10. It’s not too late to know that ‘Slow Food’ still exists and that if we try ,we can surely pass on this gourmet tradition to the next generation before we actually lose it! I was lucky enough to celebrate the Slow Food day with my Young Environmentalists Colleagues this week as we all came together to enjoy local organic vegetables!!

Am sharing how we women friends got together with Chef Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal MD -A Perfect Bite Consulting and APB  studio kitchen in Powai, to cook up and make an  effort to unite those committed to the slow food movement, focus on the promotion of local, sustainable, organic food products from across the country. We cooked up Spicy Millet Porridge with Melon seed topping,Sweet Potato Gnochi with Thencha Pesto, Sesame Potato Gratin, Pump

kin Soup with Green Garlic oil and papad twists, Salad of Seasonal Greens, Root and Shoot Salad and Seasonal Fruit Parfait cups with honey yogurt.

I love food. I simply love food and am not ashamed to talk about it. For me one of the celebrations of life is Food!  Am no hypocrite! If I want to eat Non vegetarian I eat non vegetarian and if I do not want feel like eating I simply don’t fuss, I devour vegetables galore.  I indulge in food! And I love to cook! Baigan bharta, Alu chokha, Baigani, Bhindi fry, Patal alu, Lauki patta bhaji, mixed vegetables in dil, good old fashioned panch phoren daals in garlic or pumpkin sabji with rotis, I cook every day!

 I celebrate ‘Slow food’ everyday and how far my kids run from the table the day there is ‘Slow food ‘movement going on, on my table is my challenge! Which is everyday! My Slow Food movement starts right on my kitchen table, dining table and how I shop in the vegetable markets. I enjoy the shopping in the local sabji mandi and fish market, I love to bargain too. I make no bones that I simply love to go to the market and take in all the bright colours, smells and noise!!

How much you eat and how much you burn off is every one’s personal business though. If you follow a diet chart or eat every two hours or eat only vegetables, its all a part of personal choice. If you follow your doctors orders or simply make up a time table with a YO-YO diet spaced out with cheat days, it’s all in the name of food , so enjoy!

It is not hard to counter the disappearance of local food traditions and people's dwindling interest in where their food comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world.  We envision a world in which all people can access and enjoy food that is good for them, good for those who grow and produce it and good for Mother Earth. 

Terra Madre is the world meeting of food communities launched by Slow Food in 2004 in Italy. It brings small-scale farmers and food producers together with cooks, academics and the young generation to promote food in a sustainable, good, clean and fair way.

This year Terra Madre is being celebrated on December 10^th, so go on make your own Slow food recipes, whether its vegetarian or non vegetarian, it’s simply a dish cooked slowly using local seasonal produces available near by so that you do not increase your ‘Food carbon footprints’ while buying products from far away. The simplest and most cost effective way to reduce your food footprint is to minimize food waste. Although not all food waste is within your control, your purchasing and cooking habits can play a large part in reducing food losses. Food’s carbon footprint, or ‘foodprint’, is the greenhouse gas emissions produced by growing, rearing, farming, processing, transporting, storing, cooking and disposing of the food you eat.

I am glad this week I re-established the simple pleasures of preparing and eating one’s own meals. Save your leftovers and create a new meal with them whenever you can. Think about where food comes from, if it is from the other side of the world, it will have a high transportation footprint. Thankfully, we here in India still do our own shopping locally mostly and still belong to the Slow Food movement, at least  most of the rest of the rural country does. And here in the city believe me, most of the ladies still try to hunt out the cheapest bhaji walla, admit it!?