The person who has not travelled widely thinks his or her mother is the only cook (the best cook).

Origin: Ganda (Uganda). Also found in Akamba and Gikuyu (Kenya), Igbo and Yoruba (Nigeria), Haya (Tanzania) and Bemba (Zambia)

Thanks to African Proverbs.

Kalahari Desert

Photo published with friendly permission by Thomas Shipley.

We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.

- Jawaharal Nehru -

With record highs recorded for late April, most Germans are out and about. And we were one of them.

Bundesstrasse Germany

The Greens, represented here in this post, have been nominated by me.

The green route we take to get to our forest garden does look and feel like a ski jump at times.

Heading towards Schlossborn

The lilies of the valley are winding their way around the edge of the terrace. Nature will always find its way.

Lilies of the valley

cloverleaf

The effects of Planetary Warming have not made an impact on natural greens yet, ostensibly.

… was these tetra-paks of Soju.

One of my friends had advised to get a few of them at Incheon Airport, but due to almost missing our flight, we had no chance to look around.

When I told one of my Korean students in Germany how I regretted not having been able to get a couple, she immediately promised to share some of her supply. This seems to be a popular souvenir to bring back from Korea, also known as Korean Jet Fuel.

Pakju from Korea

They look like little juice packs, with an opening to insert a straw, and are popular take-out drinks for attending sports games.

More information about Soju on facebook.

Back in 2008, we tried to get to the top of Mt. Aso, an active volcano on the southern island of Kyushu (Japan).  Due to heavy sulfur fumes, the top of the mountain was not accessible to the public.

Just this month, we were fortunate to visit Mt. Aso on a sunny morning.

On our way up, we stopped at this roadside stand selling blocks of sulfur.

Blocks of sulfur for sale on Mt. Aso

Notice the shade of green in the bubbling hot water.

Mt. Aso in Japan

This is one of my favorite pictures showing volcanic rock formations and a man-made rail.

Volcanic formations around Mt. Aso

Last, but not least. I have again become a fan of Japan’s unusual fusion food, strange concoctions, and unlikely flavorings, such as this one…. black sesame ice cream.

Black Sesame Ice Cream at Mt. Aso

Out of the unusual ice cream flavors I had sampled during this trip (Black Sesame, Wasabi and Corn), I liked the wasabi flavored one the best (more about that on my post about the Taio Gold Mine near Hita).