Featured interest: Travel from the comfort of your own...

Reading blogs is one of my treasured ways to relax, escape from my daily grind and just simply get out of my own head. It seems to me that our minds are a huge portion of where we truly exist (seems to be true for me anyway) and we can experience anything through reading the imaginations or real life experiences of others. As much as I love to read fiction... shocking..., I've found that there is nothing more captivating, educative, entertaining and then liberating at the same time, to my thoroughly free spirit... which is currently pegged down by real life responsibility, than a back seat ride on a really good travel blog which takes me to all the places I would like to go. Travel blogs with good descriptive/narrative techniques and with the help of pictures and/or video, can be an open window to the world for the mentally curious and physically tied down. 

Today, I'll be sharing my most recent travel blog finds with a little bit of NatGeo travel thrown in.

The adventurer: 

Source: blog

Jean-Baptiste is the young French blogger on freewheely.com who has taken time off work to... wait for it... CYCLE, yes indeedy! On a bicycle... Oui, vraiment sur une bicyclette, powered by his legs... from Morocco to Cape Town, SA! His simplistic descriptions and his intense capability of picking up extensively detailed information about the land, the people, the culture, the history and general attitudes towards himself, from the countries and communities he rides through, coupled with his actual physical experience of being exposed to the elements with the challenges of a mechanical device which reaches it's limits and breaks sometimes, makes this blog my number one adventure addiction at the moment. His pictures, I might add, are stunning. I am humbled and secretly envious of the fact that he has managed to see my country in more detail than I ever hope to, but I am grateful for his perspective which captures Cameroonian life from a sometimes quizzical, other times comical point of view, with details that only a foreigner or someone who has been away from here for a long time, might deem noteworthy. He even went to lake Barombi Mbo just outside of Kumba, which I'm happy to say I beat him to last year (see here) with my friend Sosh, back when I was still learning to drive manual gear shift, making it an adventure of sorts! My favourite post under his Cameroon archives is the one about climbing Mount Cameroon. I saw a natural compassion in him; something that in Cameroonians has slowly been eroded and replaced by the type of complacency  that is only caused by desensitisation from decades of inappropriate governance and public mismanagement, when he ponders over the plight of porters and guides on the mountain, who do not have adequate hiking gear and shelter from the elements even though more than a thousand tourists are charged a considerable fee by the Ministry of Tourism, to climb the mountain every year. Jean-Baptiste came through Cameroon in January, has already made it through Angola and is currently on his way through Namibia. I wish him all the best of luck and more grease to his chain-link! Du courage mon ami, you only live once!

The expat-observer:

Source: blog

Frenchie is a young Haitian-American who wrote blackincairo between 2010 and 2011 while she was a student at American University Cairo. Let me start by saying that I love the way this woman writes. Her blog is like a public journal of life during that time and her travels within the Mediterranean area. It is difficult for me to summarise her blog, but I have been thoroughly enjoying her ability to objectively analyse matters of culture, language, religion, race, gender and her own personality and emotions. One recurring theme is the perception of and reaction to race, ethnicity and Afrocentrism. I've found her musings on gender issues and religion very informative as well. I think she is a wonderful writer and I feel quite lucky to have gotten a peek into her mind. One post I found quite interesting is the one about Cleopatra (here). It's not necessarily about travel, but then it points out an interesting observation about Afrocentrism and the diaspora idea of black history and representation. I myself have had a similar point of view time and time again. I was also struck by the amount of sexual harassment women have to deal with constantly in Cairo. After reading and shaking my head exhaustively, I re-established my previous conviction that men behave only as badly as their nurturing teaches them to behave, therefore men who behave badly are just incredibly mal élevé!  This blog won the best black travel blog award in 2010 and though concluded, it is still very much a must read if you have any curiosity about what life is like from a black woman's perspective, in Cairo.

The anthropologist researcher:

Source: blog

Kwekudee writes Trips Down Memory Lane out of Accra, Ghana. He researches the history of indigenous African people and the diaspora. I've been reading his research on the Wodaabe/Bororo people of Fulani ethnicity here. The wealth of referenced information and photo library is staggering. I've learned so much more about these people, whom I've observed with a healthy curiosity since childhood, than I would normally be privy to, considering that it is simply out of my capability (so I tell myself... especially since traveling in some of these areas might not particularly be safe right now... whom am I kidding, I'm just not brave enough) to travel in pursuit of knowledge about these nomadic people who are found in the Sahel region of every Sub-Saharan country, stretching from southern Niger, through northern Nigeria, northern Cameroon, western Central African republic, all the way to Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia. This blog is not typically a travel blog, but the writer's ability to transport his readers to some of the most exotic (so to speak) parts of the world, offering more than just a glimpse of life as one does not yet know it, makes it seem like a travel blog. If African ethnic anthropology is one of your interests, like it is mine, here's one to check out.

A far-away local:

Source: thai-pork-larb-lao-laab

Connie Veneracion is the writer on casaveneracion.com. A wife, mom of two, retired lawyer, retired magazine columnist, and a phenomenal cook, living in The Philippines. I love food and I'm always searching for recipes that I can easily recreate in an attempt at breaking the monotony in our Cameroonian cuisine. My search brought me to this lifestyle blog, where Connie cooks, shares recipes, travels, reviews restaurants, markets and tourist attractions. All the while taking some wonderful pictures that transports me to the pacific and Asia. If you like food and have never been to the Philippines, you're in luck! I'm impressed by the diversity found in Pinoy cuisine with foreign and local influences that blend to make it quite unique.

A Foodie presenter:

Ishai Golan is the Israeli actor who hosts the television series Street Food Around The World on NatGeo People. The host takes viewers into the world's street kitchens, markets and alleyways hiding the best street food. He occasionally takes some local chefs and food connoisseurs along to help unveil their local cooking  treasures. I've been somewhat glued to the tv while this show is on and I admit, the host is rather dashing... in a mature... boho sorta way! Combine that with food while traveling, and yumm! If you can get this channel where you are, tune in...

That's a sum of my wanderlust interests at the moment. In  the old days, when a baby was born in my little Bafaw community, the placenta it came with was wrapped in a coco-yam leaf, taken home and buried somewhere near the family house. It was believed that for this reason, no matter how far away from home one roams the earth, our link to our birthplace will always remain strong and we are forever drawn back to it. Doesn't explain why I'm constantly being pulled to Kumba, but the metaphor "anchored at the roots" does apply in the same way. While I am here, establishing a secure base for my young family, my mind can still travel to the nearest or farthest locations, traversing some of the most scenic routes,  to observe and absorb the most interesting cultural communities, with the bravest, most passionate bloggers and hosts I come across. If you've discovered some interesting travel from the comfort of your own couch and don't mind sharing, please leave a comment with directives. Thank you and enjoy...

My latest sewing aspiration: The tulle skirt...

For some time now, I've mused over the possibility of making this delicate and somewhat tricky item; a tulle skirt. It's an item a girl just simply must have (this girl particularly)! It adds versatility to any wardrobe simply by making an outfit playful, sophisticated, chic and/or classy depending on how you choose to wear it. Since I can only shop high-street online now (on account of living in the K), I have resolved to making items that I really like. The one problem I foresee is finding tulle netting in Kumba. Will hit all the stores tomorrow morning and if nothing turns up, might have to make a trip to Douala as well. Fingers crossed! In the meantime, I've been reading some great tutorial and style posts of tulle skirts online. I managed to collect a sample of the most comprehensive ones, ranging from simple to moderately challenging. I also found some that I think are absolutely gorgeous even though they appear to be out of my league, especially because there are no tutorials. Tulle skirts come in a variety of shapes and styles, but I'm particular to the full skirt and the circle skirt cuts. Looking forward to making one soon. If you also like the big girl tutu like I do, you'll enjoy this collection...

Source: See tutorial here

Source: See tutorial here

Source: blog

Source: blog

Source: See tutorial here

Source: here

The pictures in this post belong to other bloggers. I have provided a link to all the sources. If your picture is featured and you wish it to be removed, please send a message to parasolsandwellingtons@gmail.com and your picture will be removed promptly. Cheers...

Lifestyle Stores Inc. Coming to a market near you.

Hello readers. If you live within the South-west Region or travel down here often, this post will probably be noteworthy for you or someone you know. I have written only briefly about my natural haircare routine and provided links to sources for my products last year. Since moving from the UK to Cameroon earlier this year, you're probably wondering how I'm keeping my mane in check without my beloved Boots store at every major street corner. Well, lucky for me, a new store has recently opened it's doors within our area in Cameroon. This means fewer shopping trips to Douala. Lifestyle Stores Inc., has filled a void in my area by bringing much needed quality products to our region of the country. As I made my way down the aisles, I was pleasantly surprised to see the same quality shampoos, conditioners and countless other products that I used regularly in the UK on their shelves . If anyone else is like me, they also probably dislike hopping from store to store in the hustle and bustle of the Kumba Main Market (especially in the rainy season), while trying to politely avoid the beckoning store keepers who most often are not carrying what you are looking for. Lifestyle Stores Inc. which is a one-stop shop for pretty much all your household needs makes for convenience while shopping in Kumba's largest and most congested commercial area.

Lifestyle Stores Inc. also boasts a burgeoning adult clothing department with both menswear, womenswear, shoes, handbags and other accessories. Today I'm featuring this beautiful mustard and black polka dotted skater dress with accessories from Lifestyle Stores Inc. This dress comes in different colours, fabrics and sizes. Grab one now while supplies last.

Items featured

Yellow and black dotted skater dress ( ♥Influence )

Black court heels ( Elie Tahari )

Black and gold tassel earrings ( H&M)

Black faux laser-cut bangle ( Express )

The two Lifestyle Stores Inc. in the South-West Region are located in Kumba, at the far left corner in the Main Market parking lot area; and in Buea at Mile 17. Here is a link to their website. Apparently, you can order items through their customer service line and have them delivered to a store near your area in a reasonable amount of time. Keep an eye out for future featured items from Lifestyle Stores Inc. Happy shopping!

Movie controversy: Django Unchained

Django Unchained is an American western movie which is written and directed by Quentin Tarantino and is scheduled to be released in most North American cinemas tomorrow, December 25th 2012. The central characters are Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington and Samuel L. Jackson. 

The movie seems to have generated some controversial reactions due to the fact that it is primarily a comedy 

built around the central theme of slavery. Some people seem to have the opinion that slavery in North 

America was too serious a reality to be trivialized in one of Tarantino's "spaghetti westerns". Here's a trailer 

of the movie:

Here is a response from Spike Lee:

He also twittered further ‘American slavery was not a Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western. It was a holocaust. My ancestors are slaves. Stolen from Africa. I will honor them.’ 

I haven't thought much about whether or not this movie is appropriate as a comedy given its very serious central theme. I just know that I want to see it because I've never seen a western which was politically correct on the particular theme of slavery. It will be interesting to see if Tarantino can succeed in pulling off his usual satirical stunts in favour of ridiculing racism as it existed in that time and space. I believe that this satire can hit a nerve with present day racism and encourage people to talk about it more and hopefully adopt a more progressive stand on the issue of race. It's a difficult job, but someone has put his neck out to do it and I applaud that. So, I'm going to see it, then I can criticize it for what it did or didn't do, unless of course, I'm stuck under a rock in Cameroon or somewhere equally limiting!

Movie: Last Chance Harvey

One of my great loves is cinema. My favourite movie genre is drama. epic dramas, period dramas, decade dramas, ethnocultural dramas, animated dramas, sci-fi dramas, romantic dramas; the list is almost endless and it's always just drama in the end! A good movie is almost as stimulating and entertaining as a good book. Watching them is one of the best ways of escaping into, learning about and just simply experiencing the existence of other people. People one may never get to meet, in places and in circumstances one may never get to experience, and ultimately acquiring knowledge one may or may not get to use, but nonetheless growing by learning.

Today, I watched the movie Last Chance Harvey, on BBC iplayer. It is a romantic drama about a middle-aged American composer, who goes to London to attend his estranged daughter's wedding. While in London, he bumps into a lovely British woman, then fate, chance and destiny begin a little dramatic tango!

It's interesting to find how much I felt connected to both of the central characters of the movie. The man, Harvey (Dustin Hoffman), is a brilliant music composer who has settled into a modest career as a jingles composer and as he has gotten older, his work has become come and more under-appreciated in favour of that of his younger colleagues who are not necessarily as brilliant. He is disconnected from his daughter, ex-wife (who has remarried) and friends of the family. He has become the outsider who does not fit in with the glamorous and successful American expatriate community in London and worst of all, his ex-wife's husband has taken his place as father to his own daughter.

The female central character, Kate (Emma Thompson), is a forty-something year old  single woman who's life revolves around her job at the airport, providing customer services and taking surveys at the airport; her lonely/reclusive  mother and her writing class. She seems to have all but given up on the drama of dating when Harvey appears.

I'm not going to narrate the entire plot because firstly, I'm lousy at narration and secondly, the movie is a worthwhile watch and I have provided a link at the bottom of this post. The drama in the story is mainly emotional. It's about being assertive and getting what is rightfully yours. It's about making the decision to walk away from people and situations where one feels under-appreciated. It's also about letting yourself take a chance at love because everyone deserves the happiness and inspiration that can come from a partner.

What I took from this dramatization:

1. Stand up for yourself when it matters most. You might ruffle a few feathers, but you will gain the respect you deserve.

2. Analyse yourself and how you interact with your family. People are often the bad guys they appear because they are simply responding to us. Checking yourself gives you the opportunity to be humble, redress past faults and salvage relationships with family.

3. Let yourself be inspired positively and make a positive effort when a chance at happiness presents itself.

Here is a link to the movie. I hope someone else enjoys it as much as I did. If not, at least it will be a good afternoon distraction. The acting is brilliant, btw!

Last Chance Harvey