Happy Pie Day Recipe: Butterscotch Mousse Pie

State Road Restaurant herb garden

State Road Restaurant on Martha’s Vineyard was one of our favorite go-to spots for a special dinner or fabulous burger at the bar. I would regularly order the smoked butterscotch pudding for dessert. I have repeatedly tried to duplicate the amazing depth of flavors in that treat, to no avail. In honor of International Pie Day, I present a recipe that may get me closer to recreating that unforgettable memory of deliciousness.

Home to All Corona All the Time

New screensaver in background of coronavirus search stats

It was a long journey home from South Africa. We spent 20 hours on two planes and plenty of hours waiting for two planes.

Now it's time to catch up on the news. I see that it's all about the coronavirus, which continues to plague the world and haunts the Chinese with considerable backlash. Like most news, the hype evolves around fear and sensationalizing the mundane. There is some worldly good from all of this corona publicity. First, the world now knows how to properly wash hands and, second, it has been sufficiently educated on historical flu patterns and statistics. I'm thinking we'll all be a little healthier after this schooling and, tbh, I think this too shall pass.

Play it safe and take care. Thank Sweet Jesus regularly for all your blessings.

Go to Africa

The monkeys were goofing around in the trees near the outdoor shower as Bill soaped up before our Friday departure. I decided to take an indoor shower. Haha.

As the final stragglers made their way to the idling airport shuttle, the staff at Makanyi were in friendly formation, ready to embrace us with warm farewells. And so we begin the long journey home.

There is no doubt that the AmaWaterways African adventure was among the most unique and enjoyable travel experience for each person on our tour. It combined luxurious accommodations, seasoned hospitality and top shelf food and beverage service with the privilege and safety of viewing magnificent creatures in their natural habitats.

If you get a chance go to Africa!

A Wild Day in the Wild

Mike was the first one to notice the pack of wild dogs hanging around the watering hole while he was having coffee. Sean, the guide, made it a point to track the dogs on our morning game drive. We followed the dogs for awhile, found some hyena, wildebeest and impala but witnessed no real interaction among the animals. We waited patiently while the dogs snoozed, until finally, the elephants scared them away with a loud demonstration of machismo.

Sean jumped on a lead and did a "Ferrari Safari" for a surprise: a pride of lions. There were six large females and five cubs hidden under a tree taking a morning nap. Super sweet. We left the lions and had a nice coffee break with Amarula and little turtles before returning to camp for breakfast and a massage.

We were back tracking the dogs on our dusk game drive and experienced the thrill of the hunt and the excitement of a kill. The ten dogs methodically tracked an impala, killed it and devoured it within minutes. It was scary and emotional for us to witness the frenzy just feet away from the bloody mess. Once again, hyena and elephants were in on the action and it was a nail-biting scene of wildness.

We moved on after quite the show and we were somewhat late to a sunset goodbye cocktail party in the bush. A lovely surprise and beautiful setting was prepared in honor of our last night. On our way back to camp in the dark we were treated to a final sighting: a leopard right outside our gate. Dinner was enhanced by joyful enthusiasm and lively conversation, celebrating such an incredible day in the wild.

Rare and Beautiful Surroundings

Up at the crack of dawn Wednesday, the Makanyi lodge safari squad were greeted with coffee and warm muffins on the deck before climbing up on the Range Rovers for an early adventure in the bush.

Within the first fifteen minutes, we were chasing down a couple of rhinos. We were so grateful to sit and observe the enormous creatures for awhile. The perfect weather and amazing wildlife all around makes for wonderful excursions. The sightings of common and rare animals are equally thrilling. We are all so happy to be apart of this great trip.

With hours between game drives, the Makanyi lodge is a comfortable and relaxing respite for downtime with plenty of food, books, devices, random animal sightings and spa treatments. A real crowd pleaser.

The late afternoon game drive introduced us to one of the most prized sightings in the area: the endangered pangolin. It is the world's most poached and trafficked animal because of its keratin scales. Sean, our guide, and Lux (aka Lucky), our spotter, continued to meander through the wild and shared all sorts of information on our sightings. They found the perfect watering hole, filled with frolicking hippos, for sunset cocktails.

Back at the lodge, the fire pit was ablaze and provided the perfect warm welcome to our African-themed buffet dinner on the deck.

Nature and Whispers

 We said goodbyes at Joburg airport to the five people on our tour heading to other locales. After a short flight to Hoedspruit airport, the remaining group was divided between two camps. Twelve of us going to Makanyi Private Game Lodge were crammed into a van and endured a very uncomfortable hour-plus journey through remote South African reserves. Once at Makanyi, a luxurious oasis in Timbavati Private Nature Preserve, adjacent to Kruger National Park, we were greeted with warm hospitality and an ambience of creatures and creature comforts. 

Everyone was exuberantly blown-away by the rich accommodations at Makanyi and gleefully reconvened for a civilized lunch overlooking an animal’s watering hole off the deck.

We embarked on a sunset game drive just after 4:30pm. Two guides and a spotter indulged us in quality time as we observed our first leopards in the wild. We also had our first glimpse of rhinos, too. Traveling by Land Rover is super fun! Who doesn’t love forging their own path in life? TBH, I’m in heaven surrounded by nature and whispers. 

Sadness in Soweto

Quite a few travelers in our group opted to lounge around the beautiful Fairlawns Boutique Hotel on Monday rather than participate in a planned tour of Soweto. It was a dark, cold and rainy day; perfectly suited for viewing the depressed southwestern townships of Joburg.

AmaWaterways has a special connection to Kliptown, the oldest residential district of Soweto. And from the looks of it, the poorest. Ama has been contributing to the efforts of a goodwill organization, Kliptown Youth Program (KYP), which provides help to young people byway of extra-curricular activities centered around skill development.

It was a heartfelt presentation and tour of the KYP community, leaving many visitors with a conflicted emotional burden. Helplessness, sorrow and gratitude were all relevant feelings as we witnessed primitive living conditions, situations and potential solutions.

The Final Day in Joburg

The Monday morning tour of Kliptown provoked thoughtful contemplation of our riches and beauty in the US. The tour group gradually recovered from the depths of Joburg's seedy underbelly and came together for a delightful lunch break at Chez Alina in Soweto. The restaurant offered another wonderful story of people emerging from repression and achieving personal success and bringing others along. Lunch was prepared and served by an enterprising group of individuals and it was delicious. We were feeling all the feels as we were entertained with music and dancing and dessert.

Our group divided up after lunch, with half going to the Apartheid Museum and the others going to Cambanos Curio Centre for some retail therapy.

Back at the hotel, there was just enough time to change for dinner and enjoy a lecture on the gold and diamond legacies of Johannesburg.

Back to Joburg

 The men insisted that Lookout Café was a must-see. As the women missed afternoon beers at the café Saturday after the Falls, we were all in for Sunday morning breakfast. It was totally worth the visit. The food was off, but the venue’s decor and magnificent view justified the cost of the meal. 

Back on board South African airlines, we left Zimbabwe for Johannesburg Sunday afternoon. The Fairlawns Boutique Hotel was just as welcoming as last week. 

We six went to the Butcher Shop in Sandton for dinner and loads of laughs and then a nightcap at the hotel before calling it a long travel day.

Zimbabwe Adventures

Sopping wet but totally stoked by the Falls experience Saturday afternoon, the ladies walked back to the hotel for dry clothes and the men opted for beers at the Lookout Café. Patty arranged for a shopping excursion to a crocodile farm and then we all met for lunch at the Three Monkeys Restaurant in town. Bill ditched us for a helicopter ride over the Falls and the rest of us walked back to the hotel with another shopping detour.

With little time to rest, we were back on the bus for a short ride to the banks of the Zambezi River. A Sundowner boat was waiting to take us on a sunset booze cruise. We all were intrigued by a guest speaker telling the fascinating life story of famed explorer David Livingstone. The beautiful sunset was a bonus, too.

A Wonder of the World

The Saturday buffet at the hotel included a fine international assortment of traditional breakfast fare. All nourished and ready to go, our small group walked less than a mile to the entrance of the Victoria Falls footpath. We enjoyed the morning getting drenched by the powerful sprays while sightseeing along the longest curtain of falling water on earth. Not only were the Falls mesmerizing, they were thunderously enchanting and ever present by all senses.

It was so satisfying to be surrounded by people of all nationalities, united in awe, wonder and the majesty of nature. A feeling of peace on earth,
if only for a short spell through a rain forest.

Four Countries in One Day

Disembarkment from the Zambezi Queen was swift and smooth Friday morning. Once again we had to go through immigration checks in Namibia and Botswana before our bus journey to Zimbabwe. We were expecting a long passport process at the Zimbabwe border, but were pleasantly surprised by minimal chaos. 

Arrival at Victoria Falls Hotel was civilized. A stately and beautiful property with old English decor and amenities. Baboons were abundant in the lovely gardens and their antics lightened-up the travel day mood. 

Bushtracks provided the evening’s entertainment byway of an antique train ride over the Zambezi River and into Zambia, our fourth country of the day. We enjoyed cocktails, a light meal and a short hike to our first overlook of the Falls.