Foodcation

The art of dining al fresco 

This trip to Africa was a true vacation for the taste buds, our chef at Sabora even packed us a delicious dinner for our long journey home (which saved us from having to eat the somewhat questionable food at Kilimanjaro airport, and risk Montezuma's revenge on a 9 hour flight). Thanks Singita! 

We were shocked to discover that food in the middle of the Serengeti could be some of the best cuisine we've ever tasted?!? In fact, we enjoyed the food so much that we made up a song entitled "Spices From Zanzibar" to give these exotic flavors the praise they so deserve.
 
They've even established The Singita School of Cooking, which encourages and helps develop the skills of local youth that have an interest in cooking.

Breakfast - Sasakwa Lodge - Abraham served us a healthy & delicious assortment of fruit, yogurt, juice, and muesli at our cottage. They made some killer scrambled eggs, and the pastries with jam were sublime. We had to be very aware of our toast though, because the monkeys would jump down from the roof and snatch it right out of our hands.

Lunch - It was a tie between Faru Faru & Sabora - At Faru Faru, they serve a different platter of Mediterranean inspired meze fare every afternoon. They made the best gaspatcho I've ever tasted. Then we moved on to Sabora, where they created  the most inventive cold soups, sandwiches and salads, that were out of this world. We had to ask the chef for the cold zucchini and mint soup recipe. Yum!! I also sipped on my very first Pimm's Cup in the Serengeti, both thirst quenching and delicious.

Faru Faru- Our friend Paul serving us the most delicious meze fare platter, ever!

Faru Faru Dessert

Cold Zucchini & Mint Soup

Apollo had a Pimm's Cup waiting for us after a long morning game drive.

Dinner - At Singita, every night they try to top themselves and make each meal even more spectacular than the last. At the end of the day I'll always prefer a casual, yet stunningly beautiful and romantic al fresco dinner, which happened to be our very last night of the trip. Our friend Apollo and his team set up the most beautiful scene right outside our tent, lanterns and candles, champagne, and Persian rugs with pillows to star gaze. They've perfected the art of dining al fresco. There was even a lion pride that strolled by as we were eating...luckily they were more interested in the zebra. Few things can compare to dining by an open fire and gazing up at the Serengeti ceiling, with all of its flicking glory, as you stare directly into the past. 

Singita: Sabora Tented Camp

(Continuing my journal on our trip to the Serengeti)

An hour after we embarked on our hot air balloon safari we landed in the flat grasslands right near our next destination, Sabora Tented Camp.

This is quite possibly my favorite photo from the trip, by Peter Ostrega :-)

   This time we had a warm Singita greeting by Apollo, who would be taking care of us for the next three days. As we walking into the main camp Apollo brought us over to a beautiful brass basin and poured warm water over our hands out of a large antique brass vase. The tour began out on the main deck over looking the Grumeti plains, where most of the meals take place. The first thing you see as you walk onto the main deck is the bar, made of a vintage hot air balloon basket that is split in half. This was my favorite piece at Sabora, so original. Then he showed us the indoor tented lodge, dipping pool, and tennis court where zebra are known to enjoy rolling around on the red turf.

P+Apollo+S

Tent No. 4

Next stop was Tent No. 4, our home for the next 3 nights. As we unzipped our front door and parted the canvas we were immediately absorbed in a 1920's explorer's paradise. This tent takes glamping to a completely new level, it's no wonder Travel and Leisure magazine named Sabora the best hotel in the world two years in a row!

Don't let its canvas exterior fool you, inside is an ultra luxurious time capsule of a Serengeti oasis. Complete with warren in vintage leather chairs, Persian carpets, plaid pillows, and a canopy bed with an army green linen comforter. Off to the right of the bed a stack of vintage leather luggage and trunks.

The water closet featuring a clawed tub with a view, an outdoor shower surrounded by tall and slender tree branches, and a dressing area with a large mahogany dresser, complete with a silver horsehair brush and matching hand help mirror. They know how to set a mood at Singita, that is a fact. With every detail they take you back in time. This is not a hotel, it is an experience.

At any give moment I would gaze out of tent onto the plains and see herds of impala, zebra, giraffe, buffalo, warthogs, baboons, and hyena. They would basically come right up to the tent! It definitely took me a night or two to get used to the sounds of the moaning buffalo and roaring lions that cut straight through the canvas every night. I felt a different electricity in the air at Sabora, it was the most laid back and casual of the three lodges, and in that way I liked it the best.

Tented Library

Mahler Morning

When I woke up on my first morning at Sabora, I hear Mahler's first symphony in my mind (Movt. I & Ia, on repeat) as the darkness slowly turned to light and it was so quiet on the plains, the air was perfectly crisp and a single bird chirped just as the first ray became viable.  You could feel the sadness and struggle still lingering in the air from the previous night, and the glimmer of hope for the new day. 

 When the cellos come in (Movt. Ia.) the sun is up, it is officially morning, everything is in perfect harmony, the gazelles running and playing with each other, it's a peaceful time in the wild.

Now when I listen to the piece I envision the Grumeti plains coming alive, and the hot air balloon hovering over the pristine land. I only wish that I could have seen this before I performed the piece.

The original program notes attributed to the first performance:

Part I: From the days of youth, "youth, fruit, and thorn pieces."

1. Spring and no end. This introduction describes the awakening of nature at the earliest dawn.

Sabora Plains -

I loved the idea that you could walk out of your tent and frolic among the animals on the  plains. At this point in the trip I had never felt better in my life. I woke up every single morning feeling healthy and vibrant.

 

Serengeti Slumber Party - 

Buffalo Bombed!

Sabora Sunset Game Drives -

 With each lodge we got progressively deeper into nature, and it was magical. I couldn't imagine a more perfect way to celebrate our marriage. The striking beauty of nature in its purest form, just opens the eye to the wonder and limitless possibility of the world we live in. I'll never forget sitting by the open fire and laying back on our day bed staring up at the flickering darkness of the Serengeti ceiling. Rarely do you ever have the opportunity to see a sky so unspoiled and removed from civilization. It's hard to think about anything else when the intense beauty above is staring down at you, just commanding your undivided attention. Your mind naturally leads you in an existential direction, and you must consciously prevent your thoughts from getting lost in its infinite complexities...

"I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes." - e. e. cummings

Hot Air Balloon Safari

We woke up at 4am, packed our bags, and bid farewell to Faru Faru and our very favorite server/friend Paul, he greeted us in the main lodge at 5:30am just to see us off and make sure that we had breakfast before we left. 

We both gave him a huge hug and thanked him for his unrelenting kindness and karibu sana. I'll never forget his smile, so blindingly white and genuinely full of joy. There is no smile in the world quite like a Tanzanian smile.

 We drove for 10 minutes in complete darkness, until the sky started to turn light blue and we could dimly make out the half moon shape of the striped hot air balloon on its side, slowly filling with air.

 We were greeted by our pilot who taught us how to sit/lay on our backs until the basket is pulled upright by the force of the balloon. So we laid there with the flames right above our heads until all of a sudden we were pulled upright, and then ever so gently lifted from the earth.

Just as we took off the sun started to peak over the horizon and it was so peaceful, so quiet. When the pilot wasn't blowing air into the balloon it was completely silent, and we glided over the tree tops and herds of gorgeous animals. 

The Animals from Above

Water buffalo grazing on some delicious Serengeti grass.

A family of seven lions roaming through the plains, we met up with them after the ride was over.

Come on this adventure with us! Your Hot Air Balloon Safari Awaits!

 I made my first imovie from the (iphone only) footage that I took during the ride. This video is entirely my creation including syncing it with the piece of music that kept playing in my head during the balloon ride, Mahler 1!

What to look for:

Notice the herds of animals running in the opening of the video w/the trumpet fanfare. The birds that you hear in the background are the original audio from the video, I felt like the real chirping birds fit in perfectly with the music!

Notice the giraffes and zebras having an early morning snack on the hill side.

Later in the video notice the 7 lions that are frolicking through the plains, the cubs were adorable!

During the part of the video with the balloon shadow, notice the lines in the earth, those are elephant tracks, elephants actually cause quite a bit of damage to their environment and they often knock over trees as well.

Last but not least did you see/hear that the hot air balloon flames at the end line up perfectly with the music?? That was not planned at all. Love it!

Thank you to our guide Joe Kibwe for taking these gorgeous photos from the ground as he followed the balloon in his Land Rover.

"A symphony must be like the world. It must contain everything."

- Gustav Mahler