Page 59 - 101+ Tips for Solo Women Travelers

7 Follow the birdwatchers.

On O.A.T.’s African safaris, the Trip Leader will o en ask, “Who is a bird-

watcher?” You should get in the vehicle with the birders, if you can. They are
used to seeing movement in the trees, which might lead to a leopard flicking
its tail. They look for patterns that break, indicating a flock of something
feeding. Between the birders and your eagle-eyed driver-guides, it will be
like having extra eyes.

What to Eat

Pap is a mainstay on most tables in sub-Saharan Africa. It is a starchy
porridge (similar to grits or polenta) made from white corn maize. In Kenya
and Tanzania it is called ugali, and in Zimbabwe it goes by sadze.

Pap will o en it will be the base for chakalaka, a (usually cold) vegetable

stew made with tomatoes, onions, peppers, carrots, beans and spices.
Zimbabweans like their sadze with a tasty pumpkin leaf relish that is cooked
with peanut butter. In Botswana, try your pap with the national dish, seswaa,
a savory meat stew.
Also popular throughout the region is biltong, air-dried strips of beef or
other meat that have been cured in salt and marinated in vinegar. The
resulting jerky is high in protein and a great portable snack during those
long game drives.
If you’re invited to a South African braai (barbecue), chances are you will
be treated to boerewors, a savory grilled sausage made from beef, pork,
or lamb with spices.
In East Africa, sambusas are savory fried triangles of pastry filed with spiced
ground beef and/or vegetables such as lentils, potatoes, and onions. Got
a sweet tooth? Try mandazi, a fried yeast dough dusted with sugar and
cinnamon, and served with fruit dip.

Tanzanians and Kenyans love mchuzi wa samaki, a Swahili fish specialty
that uses any white fish (red snapper, cod bass) simmered with onions, oil,
garlic, curry powder, tomatoes, water, coriander and lemon juice. Try it with
some flu y coconut rice.

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