The biggest, best, most, highest, tallest - what has your country got? Here's Tanzania.

Flag of Tanzania.

Map of the world showing Tanzania on the East African Coast.

From Tanzania I received this message:

 Tanzania has the highest mountain in Africa, the Kilimanjaro.

Elephant and snow-capped Kilimanjaro. 

My husband did this climb, once. (I exercise daily, by climbing out of bed.)

A climber on Kilimanjaro.

Victoria, Tanganyika and Nyasa the three largest lakes in Africa are also largely in Tanzania.

Serengeti, the world largest game reserves and many other national parks are available in Tanzania.

What does your country have? Or your favourite country?

More on Tanzania

Art. Tingatinga painting.

Wikipedia reveals:

Tingatinga (also spelt Tinga-tinga or Tinga Tinga) is a painting style that developed in the second half of the 20th century in the Oyster Bay area in Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) and later spread to most East Africa. Tingatinga is one of the most widely represented forms of tourist-oriented paintings in Tanzania, Kenya and neighboring countries. The genre is named after its founder, Tanzanian painter Edward Said Tingatinga.

The Tingatinga school of painting sold their work in Oyster Bay, Dar es Salaam. Picture from 1973

Tingatinga is traditionally made on masonite, using several layers of bicycle paint, which makes for a brilliant and highly saturated colors. Many elements of the style are related to requirements of the tourist-oriented market; for example, the paintings are usually small so they can be easily transported, and subjects are intended to appeal to the Europeans and Americans (e.g., the big five and other wild fauna).

A feature of the art, which was probably inspired by murals on the outside of houses in Tanzania, is the filling of the entire canvas.

In visual art, horror vacui (UK: /ˌhɒrə ˈvækjuaɪ/, US: /- ˈvɑːk-/; Latin for 'fear of empty space'), also referred to as kenophobia (from Greek for 'fear of the empty'), is the filling of the entire surface of a space or an artwork with detail. In physics, horror vacui reflects Aristotle's idea that "nature abhors an empty space."

The tallest land Animals - giraffes

(Where next? The famous Giraffe Manor hotel is in Nairobi, Kenya. Costing over 600 dollars a night if you can get a room. It has 12 bedrooms. Next door is a giraffe sanctuary where you can meet giraffes.)

Monuments

Arusha Declaration Monument, has murals around the plinths of the arches.

If you climb Kilimanjaro, you will have ample opportunities to buy tee-shirts with the word Kilimanaro on them.

However, if you don't want casual clothes but something special and national look for a Kanzu for men.

The male costume, especially for formal occasions, is a white or cream coloured kaftan or Kanzu or robe or floor-length tunic. The kanzu is worn with a cap called a Kofia. (Other African countries wear the same or similar). 

the female common costume is a kitenge, a wax print, brightly coloured, oblong sarong, edged on the long side. It can be wrapped around the body, used as a baby sling, a head-dress, a table cloth or wall hanging.

Useful Websites

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Arusha_Declaration_Monument_mural_B.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tingatinga_(painting)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanzu

https://www.facebook.com/kitengeclothing/

https://www.businessinsider.com/giraffe-manor-center-travel-advice-kenya-instagram-famous-2019-4

https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest_mountains_on_Earth

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=471680081168487

About the author of this blog post

Angela Lansbury

About the Author Angela Lansbury

BIOGRAPHY

Angela Lansbury B A Hons ACG ALB PM5 EH5 DL5 VC5 
The Author of several books including  Etiquette For Every Occasion. Wedding Speeches & Toasts. How to be the Best Man. Quick Quotations. Who Said What When.

Blogs travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Club Vice President Public Relations (VPPR), Previous President

Join BHA 1st Wednesday 7pm and 3rd Saturday 2 pm Singapore time 

Vice President Public Relations (VP PR) of Tampines Changkat Advanced;

Secretary of weekly online Singapore International Dynamic Toastmasters Speakers’ Club;

Member and past president of Harrovians toastmasters club, UK; Past member of HOD Toastmasters, London. Past member in Singapore of: Toastmasters Club of Singapore (TCS); Tiarel; and Senja Cashew.

More details from Toastmasters International find a club.

Regular attendee at annual Swanwick Writers’ School, England.

Regular attendee at annual Writers’ Holiday, Wales.

Contributor to poetry readings, and after tea courses on: Speaking On Radio To Promote Books; and Plots And Character.

Winner of many club and area speaking contests in the UK and Singapore.

Language advisor to Empire Toastmasters club in Indonesia.

Language and speech workshops in Singapore.

Speaker on radio and TV in England, Scotland, the USA, and Australia.

Compiler of a school course on public speaking for teachers to prepare pupils for school open days with attending ceremonies before government ministers, Singapore.

Former member of Harrow Writers’ Circle, London, and two writing groups in Singapore.

Angela is on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter. She would be delighted to link up with new friends.

 Please share links to your favourite posts.

Books by Angela Lansbury
How to be the best man. (Ward Lock / Cassell.)
Wedding Speeches and Toasts.(Ward Lock / Cassell.)
Unforgettable British Weekends.
Poetry Workshop Workbook.
The Tailor and the Spy. (Lulu.)
Larry The Talking Labrador. (Lulu.)
Writing Poetry for fun.

Quick Quotations

Who Said What When

 

Kendal Mint Cake For Climbing - Buy it in Britain

 The UK standby for hiking and hill-walking is Kendal mint cake, which comes as a plain white bar but many people prefer the chocolate covered version, a dark chocolate bar with a white centre. Not thin like After Eights, more like the round, hard, solid, circular mint chocolates. You can buy it in the Lake District in England. 

One of the Kendal Mint websites claims that Kendal Mint was taken up Everest by Chris Bonnington, which sounds very likely.

My husband took a bar up Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania.

"Delicious," says my husband. "You don't need it except up on the hill. But it's delicious even when you are up on the hill.

"In Kilimanjaro, a big hill, the highest in Africa, which takes a week to spiral up. On the last morning you get up at 2 am and walk in a large convoy. The route goes up to the rim. You walk clockwise to the highest point. 

 "At least, that was the route I took, we took. There are several routes up.

"When you get to the highest point you might spend twenty minutes there, taking photos, waiting for dawn. By the time I got there I was shivering.

"Then you come back anti-clockwise. And run down the gravel,  

"So, first, I ate my Kendal mint cake. It gives you instant energy. I wolfed it down. In a minute I stopped shivering. It's what you need."

I asked, "How do you manage not to eat it on the way up?"

"You have breakfast before setting off. You can't stop once you are on the way up. You are in a convoy. I must buy some."

I sit at home trying not to eat chocolate or sweets. I once offered to accompany my husband on a trek. He walks faster than I do even around a supermarket. He replied, drily, "You wouldn't enjoy it. Even if you did, if you came with, nobody else would enjoy it."

Useful Websites

Kendal mint cake

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kendal_Mint_Cake

https://groceries.asda.com/product/mints/romneys-white-mint-cake-chocolate-bar/709323

http://www.stricklandgate-house.org.uk/historic-kendal/kendal-mint-cake

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Romneys-Chocolate-Covered-Kendal-Mint/

https://www.kendalmint.co.uk/shop/kmc-nrg-bar-white

https://www.kendalmint.co.uk/our-story

Kilimanjaro trips

https://www.kilimanjarochallenge.com/

Mooncake update - making mooncakes, and travelling with mooncakes

 

I chose topics for impromptu speeches connected with festivals, mid-Autumn festivals, Chinese festivals, lanterns and mooncakes for a Zoom online meeting of the Braddell Height Advanced Toastmasters club, based in Singapore.

 I asked: What was your greatest success or failure with with festival foods, such as mooncakes. The winning table topic was about mooncakes.

In Praise of Mooncakes

To sum it up, winner, Jim started by praising the Chinese for inventing compact and highly calorific mooncakes. "Not like any other cake." 

Extracting Cooked Mooncakes From Moulds

The body of his speech was devoted to describing his failure to extract his home-made, cooked mooncake from the straight-sided cupcake shape bowl in a wooden mould. 

"Neither knives nor spikes would remove the cupcake, just created crumbs." 

"Finally, I tried the traditional system of banging  the mould on a table. My cupcake fell on the floor!"

Mooncake For Travelling?

He ended by suggesting that such a condensed cake would be ideal for a quick pick-me-up for travellers. Small. Simple shape.  

Hm. A bit heavy to carry.

 The UK standby for hiking and hill-walking is Kendal mint cake, which comes as a flat plain white bar. But many people prefer the chocolate covered version. The white sugar centre is not thin like After Eights, more like the round, hard, solid, circular mint chocolates.

My husband took a bar up Kilimanjaro. If you are in the East, or near a Chinatown at the right time of year, look for mooncakes. 

If you are in the west, in the UK, look for Kendal Mint cake. See next post

Useful Websites

Mooncakes

Dozens of suppliers during the season. Set your price and filling in the search engine. Look for local Chinese or other oriental restaurants such as Korean and Japanese.

https://tuktukmart.co.uk/products/double-happiness-white-lotus-paste-double-yolks-mooncake-

https://www.foodforfoodies.co.uk/products/zheng-feng-mooncake-red-bean-paste-

2 mooncakes, London, UK:

https://www.yepss.co.uk/products/fa-famx210102

Mooncake moulds

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cookie-Stamps-Autumn-Festival-Cutter

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cookie-Stamps-Thickness-Adjustable-Decoration

Set to amazon.com if not in the UK. In theory your computer shows Amazon the address you have set and adapts.

https://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Paper-Lantern

About the Author

Angela Lansbury is Vice President Public Relations of  Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Club.

Advice and Memories Of A Serial Trekker and Walker

Problem
"Will I be able to cope with a trek to Annapurna base camp, (in Pakistan), after managing my trek in Indonesia?"

Answer
Trekkers write to each other for advice. They ask, "What's it like climbing such and such a peak? Who should I book through?"

Story
Our local international expert has done 15 treks, including Everest and Kilimanjaro, and plans two more this year. He has an ambition to climb all the 3000+ metre peaks in Indonesia, having done the top three.

How High Is Too High
I have to type fast to catch his reply. "You start with the lower shorter walks and climbs and find out how you cope with the heights and altitude. My friend from the last trek in Indonesia has been within 404 meters of the next climb. That's only an hour and a half's extra walk.

I am going on a walking holiday, to Romania. My first ever walking holiday. I might practise walking, from my desk twice a day, to the bathroom, just to get fit.

Other members of my family do marathons. They run up and down 14 flights of stairs twice a day, at first just running, then after he first week, for more challenge and achievement, adding wights of rucksacks continuing cans of drink.

I ask, "What was it like last year, walking in Greece?"

Our expert says: "We usually drive to a different starting point each day. We could be walking around the mountain. Or along by a beach, like we did in Greece. Or up a volcano, like we did in Indonesia. It depends on the country."

Walking In Greece
"In Greece we walked near Olympia, which is a 40 minute driver from the west coast on the mainland. During, before or after the walking holiday we could visit the ancient Greek site of Olympus which has a museum open to the public for a fee.

"Although we were walking, some of us hired cars. Often the group organiser hires a car. We then share as much as we can between drivers and non-drivers. This cuts the cost, and saves time. You enjoy the company, for socialising. A practical point is to keep the group together en route to the starting point so nobody gets lost or delays the others. Coming back you all arrive at the hotel not in a close convoy but more or less the same time in time for dinner together.

"Athens is on the isthmus - a piece of linking land. The land passage is not a causeway, much bigger, although it looks narrow on the map. There is also an inland sea, but the sea doesn't violate its linked land characteristic.

Walking in Greece
"In Greece, if you wanted to go from Olympia to Troy on the northern side you either drove all the way back via Athens or had to catch the ferry. This was a non-walking alternative for people like me. Anybody who twists an ankle or who won't want to be too strenuous usually have an alternative for one day or more of a walking holiday."

Tips
"If you are mountain climbing, like to Annapurna base camp, you need evacuation insurance, to pay for a helicopter to rescue you. Nobody carries thousands of pounds with them trekking up a mountain. And the helicopter company knows from experience nobody will pay after they've been reduced.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please follow me and share my posts.