More african shopping

In The Gambia I also found that they where really good at batik, a manual wax-resist dyeing technique that you can see here. 

The man is "painting" on the hot wax to the fabric. 

Here you have some typical african scenes, really vibrant and artistic in my opinion. 

This is some of the most beautiful and simple patterns and colours - that I found on this compound outside Serrekunda.

Running...

In the year of 2012 and The Olympics in London, I find this perfect to illustrate it all.
Sports, running, athletes and all that.

And yes, it is one of my late mother Gunvors work. In ceramic, and then hand painted. The athletes is in gold, as they already won first prize.

African shopping

Of course I did some shopping too when I was in Africa, in The Gambia. Here is some things that you could buy.

Here is a pictures from the Turist Market in Banjul, with things to buy just for for us turists.

And here is another photo from the same place, especially wood carvings. There is a lot of things that I never would buy, but if you look carefully there is always some lovely things here and there.

These hang on a wall in my hotel room, loved them! 

Gavel in wood

This is another of my mother's things that I really love, it is a gavel in wood. She made it from a branch of a tree here where she lived., all in one piece carved from the wood!

She made another one too, but that is used today by some lucky  chariman.
This one is formed after a horse head, with the ears and all. Isn't wounderful?

Showtime in Africa

At my hotel, Sheraton in The Gambia, they also hade some form of entertainment every night. Here you can se a band playing, with the typical african drums.

Then you have this photo where you can se more of the guy on stilts, there where two of them, dancing and singing. Here one is on the left.

The photos in taken at night, around 8, just before or after dinner. 

You can see the other guy on stilts on the right.

Baobab tree

When I was in Africa I also discovered a tree called Baobab tree, it is the national tree af Madagascar and is very common in Africa.

It is known as the tree of life. And it is providing with food, shelter and clothing. The leaves is used as medicines.

The fruit of the tree is called monkey fruit and look like a dead rat, hanging in the tree - but it provides vitamin c and is eaten.

For most of the year the tree is leafless and it looks lite its is turned upside down. These pictures was taken at my hotel, Sheraton in The Gambia.

Not only nice beaches...

But I did not only spend my time on nice beaches in The Gambia, I also visited Sukuta Health Clinic, a childrens hospital.

You can see it here, not like the hospitals in Sweden but all right anyhow.

You can see the entrance here, we were a group from Scandinavia that visited it one hot day.

Thay also had a pharmacy on the compound, you see it here.

Than I also visited Hart House, a home for children with learing difficulties in Serrekunda. 

This project was initiated in 2001 by Geoff Hunwicks, the man in the picture here, sitting on a bench in front of the school. 

Hart is a brit who has many ears experience with children with special needs, and he works here with his wife Rohey. You can see her in the picture here, inside the Hart House.

If you want to learn more - read here:

http://www.harthouse.gm/

My hotel in The Gambia

This is where I stayed in The Gambia, Hotel Sheraton in Serrekunda, just at the beach.  Her I took the photo from the beach.

And here I took it from the hotel, at the beach. At high tide.

It is inspired by local traditions and has a lot of african art and crafts as a decor, and the rooms are all placed in smaller houses on one or three floors.

And here is a part of the pool at sunset.

And here is my rooom.

Another photo of the pool.

Praying

My mother Gunvor did -as I told you before - some religious work during her active years. Now she is gone but I always will remember her - like this - thru her work.

This is a nun praying, a really wounderful piece, carved in wood that she found here in the countryside where she used to live.

And this is another carved piece of wood, I see it like the face of Christ. This one is not completed, it had to be refined, but I like it as it is really.

Nearly empty beaches

Where I stayed in The Gambia, Hotel Sheraton, the beach outside the hotel looked like this, almost empty. That is how I like it.

The sea is the big Atlantic Ocean. Rather big waves, but it was warm, not for me thou, I prefer the pool when it comes to swimming.

Some times during the day you could find people selling fruits on the beach, like these two women in the picture - carrying the products on their heads.

Selling fruit

It is not always easy growing up, especially if you live in a country like The Gambia, in need of building up the infrastructure and a lot moore to help the one in need.

Here is two kids I found in the market in Banjul, selling fruits, mostly bananas.

And here you have some more fruit, mango, just to pick from the tree.

My cat - now inside

Last week I did show you a photo of my cat Kisse in the snow - here is one photo of him inside, on his chair.

And here you have one of a stray cat that love to stay close to my home, he or she is very shy, but always hungry.

Photo taken in summer, as you can see.

Last week story of Kisse:

http://agnetanisbeth.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-cat-in-snow.html

African market - with more fish

Hallo again! Just came back from Africa, where I wisited The Gambia, a small country on the west coast.

And I give you more photos of fish, this time from Albert market in Banjul, the capital. It is a big smelly and amazing market with everything from food to clothes and things for your home.

Here is some dried fishes and their remains for sale.

And here is some more stuff on the market, just outside the market gates.
Will bring you a lot more photos from my recent African trip later...

Here you can read my other fish stories:
http://agnetanisbeth.blogspot.com/2012/01/more-fishes.html
http://agnetanisbeth.blogspot.com/2012/01/fish-but-no-chips.html

Reports from a wedding

Some years ago I was covering stories from weddings around the world - for a monthly Swedish bridal magazine called, Bröllopsguiden. I also wrote about honeymoons abroad.

This time I was in Malaysia and there in Borneo for a story about these that had a wedding abroad and the ones on a sun drenched honeymoon.

On one hotel I found a couple that just had got married and now was going to have a dinner then going to party the night away together with friends and family. These two photos are from the same couple.

And then you have these photos from another hotel, don't remember where, in a room prepared for a newlywed couple. Here is the bed...

...and here is the bathtub, in the same room. Filled with flowers, cute!

My cat in the snow

My cat does not really like to be out in the snow, but when I go out he will follow, like a dog. Here he is ouside my house. Pleading me to go inside.

Do I need to say I went in rather soon after the photo was taken, I just do not like snow and winter.

More fishes...

Some days ago I gave you some photos of a fishmarket in Borneo, Kota Kinabalu. Here is some more photos from the same place.

But this time, it is dried fish, that they use a lot in Malaysian cooking. And I can safely say I do not like to eat that at all. Small ones above.

Here is some of the bigger ones.

Here is the market again, fish and sea food everywhere.

Read an old entry about fish in Borneo here:

http://agnetanisbeth.blogspot.com/2012/01/fish-but-no-chips.html

Strange forms

Here you have some pieces of art that I do not really can explain, my mother loed to work with forms from the nature.

This is made of clay, and is very soft in it's forms, I am not shure but I think that is a woman with a child. But it could be something completely different,

And here is another one, a scuplture of people climbing, its it on the social ladder, or not? Love it anyhow, you can see whatever you like in in them,

Fish - but no chips

I like to eat fish, so long at is not whith bones in it. Anyhow, I love to see what they have to offer in fishmarkets abroad. These photos are from  Malaysia, mostly in Kota Kinabalu in Borneo.

These are red, have no clue what tipe of fish it is, maybe you know?

It was mostly women that sold the fish here, in Kota Kinabalu.

Here you have some more shining fishes.

More love in art

Here is another two statues made by my mother Gunvor, it is made in ceramic and it is all about love, you can see that they are quite different, but the theme is the same. One couple in love, that just can't keep their hands of each other.

And then it is the other form of love, a mother and her baby, the one to the right.