https://rhiaro.co.uk/2019/05
type: Collection
type: Container
contains: photos-bratislava
contains: week-in-review
contains: photos-zimbabwe
contains: photos-zimbabwe-2
contains: rhino
contains: photos-zimbabwe-3
contains: photos-zimbabwe-4
contains: photos-zimbabwe-5
contains: photos-zimbabwe-6
contains: photos-zimbabwe-7
contains: week-in-review-2
contains: photos-zimbabwe-8
contains: photos-food
contains: photos-bratislava-2
contains: mystery
contains: week-in-review-3
contains: photos-sibenik
contains: croatian-coast
contains: photos-dubrovnik
contains: photos-bijela
contains: photos-herceg-novi
contains: photos-boat
contains: week-in-review-4
contains: photos-lepetane
contains: harare
contains: vegan-in-harare
name: Posts between 2019/05 and 2019/06
total items: 26

croatian-coast
type: Note
content: 6.5 hour bus down the Crotatian coast is a Very Good Idea.
published: 2019-05-20T14:22:00+02:00
tag: travel
tag: bus

harare
type: Article
content: My travel plans and no-fly rule took an unexpected turn this month when I decided to visit Elizabeth in Zimbabwe. Having spent the last two years begging friends and family to take advantage of my various temporary residences in Europe, I was sympathetic to her plight of struggling to persuade people to visit in Southern Africa. I try to put into the world the energy I'd like out, so I tracked down return flights from Vienna for less than $500 with Ethiopian Airlines. I also really wanted to hug Elizabeth. Life In Zimbabwe, it is sunny every day. I was there at the start of winter. The sky was consistently brilliant blue, and the temperature was mostly in the late 20s Celsius. The climate is basically vacation-perfect. Never raining does not bode well for the crops though, and even though the temperature was good on paper the sun felt hotter and closer and more vicious than I've ever felt it anywhere before. Harare is a super green city, with lots of trees, bushes and maize or millet fields filling the wide open spaces between roads and blocks of buildings. Often the maize was looking dead and dried up, while decorative plants in public spaces or peoples' gardens are alive and well. Roads are concrete or dirt, scattered with enormous potholes in both cases. I was frequently a passenger in cars that needed to steer all the way around a hole rather than dipping into it or going over. The CBD is fairly built up, with some tall office buildings and malls, although I only passed through in the car a couple of times. Most of my time was spent taxiing between little pockets of reasonably well maintained commercial areas in the various suburbs. The self-enclosed bubbles of shops and cafes, supermarkets and cinemas, which depend on cars to travel between reminded me a lot of the US. It seemed like the other form restaurants and bars took were as stand alone properties in what felt like residential buildings in the more upscale residential areas. Many have lots of outside sea…
name: A couple of weeks in Harare, Zimbabwe
published: 2019-05-31T21:59:00+02:00
tag: life
tag: vegan
tag: zimbabwe
tag: africa
tag: travel
tag: harare

mystery
type: Activity
type: Note
content: It remains a mystery why to this day it still hasn't occurred to anybody to put up a big board with departure platforms anywhere in Zagreb bus station. It's a huge station, and every time I have to go ask at the information window where my bus is leaving from. Pro tip: if it's a busy time, do not leave this to the last minute. (happy to be back in the land of krompirusa though, eh. Even mediocre Croatian bus station 'burek krompir')
published: 2019-05-16T08:20:00+02:00
tag: bus
tag: travel

photos-bijela
type: Add
content: Moved to Bijela in the Bay of Kotor. It's beautiful, peaceful but not dull. Plenty of places to swim and hike, or bus to for day trips.
published: 2019-05-24T19:08:45+02:00
summary: Amy added 44 photos to https://i.amy.gy/20190506-me/
target: 20190506-me

photos-boat
type: Add
content: Boat ride from Herceg Novi, around Mamula island (abandoned prison being turned into a hotel), to the blue cave, a stop at Zanjice beach and a visit to Fort Arza, and some old torpedo tunnels. Rained a bit.

photos-bratislava
type: Add
content: Some more days in Bratislava, also with jaunts to Vienna. Lots of food.. donuts from La Donuteria (now mostly vegan!), a Beyond Meat burger at Urban House, re:fresh and Made with Laf again, Balans Bistro. Walk up to Slavin monument, and departure.
published: 2019-05-02T19:00:29+02:00
summary: Amy added 42 photos to https://i.amy.gy/201904-sk/
target: 201904-sk

photos-bratislava-2
type: Add
content: A flying visit to Aila and Beny on my way from Vienna airport to the Croatian coast.. Such a good dog. SUCH a good dog.
published: 2019-05-15T23:56:59+02:00
summary: Amy added 34 photos to https://i.amy.gy/201905-skhr/
target: 201905-skhr

photos-dubrovnik
type: Add
content: Bus down the Croatian coast from Sibenik to Dubrovnik. Accidentally a day early. Hostel let me check in anyway. Dubrovnik is as touristy as expected, but much more impressive than expected, so I guess the hype is somewhat justified. I didn't feel a need to stay there long though. Walked around the old town, went on a boat right, climbed the hill overlooking the town and hiked back to the hostel. Ate two meals at Nishta.

photos-food
type: Add
content: Cooking for Elizabeth & co in Harare, Zimbabwe. Much room for mushrooms.
published: 2019-05-15T11:37:07+01:00
summary: Amy added 6 photos to https://i.amy.gy/madefood/
target: madefood

photos-herceg-novi
type: Add
content: An afternoon wandering around Herceg Novi.
published: 2019-05-25T19:13:02+02:00
summary: Amy added 62 photos to https://i.amy.gy/20190506-me/
target: 20190506-me

photos-lepetane
type: Add
content: Kamenari is about a 30 minute walk around the bay from Bijela, and from there there's a free (for foot passengers) ferry to Lepetane. It takes about 15 minutes to cross, and they run 24/7. Once one is filled up with vehicles it leaves, and the next one starts loading. Pretty neat! I went across to check out the small town of Lepetane, following the coast around in both directions. I would definitely consider staying here if I return to this area. If you head east (away from the direction that would take you to Tivat) the road leads around to the head of the bit of land, where you can climb down to the Church of the Gospel of the Angels, sit by the ocean, and have a view of Perast. I decided not to return by road, instead climbing up a switchback trail in the carpark across the road from the steps to the church. From there, it appeared that a trail ran parallel with the road back to the town. It should have taken about 45 minutes. It took several hours. It deterioated quickly into definitely not actually a trail, and I found my self suspended in giant ferns, battling spider webs, worrying about snakes in the undergrowth, and not really able to see the ground or the drop down the side of the verge. It wasn't too bad just far enough and just often enough that I made it too far to turn back. It would get more accessible for a few meters so I'd press on, thinking the real trail must emerge eventually. It did not. My legs got completely scratched up by the spikey bushes that hide in the ferns. It was too hot. This was not a fun adventure. The view was really good though when I had brief windows to enjoy it, and I saw a tortoise. Eventually I emerged at an unfinished house on the edge of the top of Lepetane. I had to climb a tree, through a ditch and over a fence to make it to solid concrete ground. Then I had to climb another fence to get out of the house grounds and to the road. I limped back to the ferry and home.
published: 2019-05-30T22:52:21+02:00
summary: Amy added 72 photos to https://i.amy.gy/20190506-me/
target: 20190506-me

photos-sibenik
type: Add
content: Took a bus from Zagreb to the small town of Sibenik on the Adriatic coast. It's a super cute old town with a sheltered bay, and there weren't many tourists. Hiked around the bay to an abandoned fort that is 'only accessible by sea' but there's a small walkway and some rocks to hop from land. Climbled over a wall to get inside, and it was enormous and epic. There were a few other people there, some of whom came the same way as me, some who came by boat. We all hitched a ride back on the boat, saving 3 or more hours of walking back. Also ate at SHE a lot, and discovered the amazing veggie burger and chips at Bounty. Visited the forts in the old town; sat on the beach under the Blue Moon; swam in the sea.

photos-zimbabwe
type: Add
content: My first weekend in Harare, Zimbabwe was pretty chill. We visited some markets and hung out in cafes. Ate great Ethiopian food at Queen Makeda, reasonable pizza at St Elmo's, amazing noodles at the market.
published: 2019-05-05T22:23:04+02:00
summary: Amy added 48 photos to https://i.amy.gy/201905-zimbabwe/
target: 201905-zimbabwe

photos-zimbabwe-2
type: Add
content: Went with a Fin and two Russians to Lake Chivero nature reserve. We drove around in a totally in appropriate car for a while, and saw zebra, wildebeests, impala and other similar things, monkeys, tons of interesting birds and a giraffe (rare there). Then we stopped at the park headquarters and chatted to the rangers. They agreed to take us on foot to see rhinos and other things for a small fee. We stumbled upon a snoozing rhino almost immediately, which Gladys, our guide, didn't see until we were way closer than we should've been. We snuck away, and the rhino stayed put. Minutes later, one of the Russians behind me said "oh my god" (she saw a snake? I wondered), and then Gladys in front of me turned her head and said "Run." with the fear of god in her eyes. I didn't look back, and took off with the group. The rhino had decided he didn't like us after all. Gladys wove us through the trees as you're supposed to, and for some reason the Fin took off in a straight line, away from the group. I tripped and fell. I had no idea how far behind me the rhino was, and my legs were lead, I couldn't get up. Figured even if I could I can't outrun a rhino anyway, so maybe I should just curl up in a ball and hope for the best? This is probably as cool a way to die as I could really hope for. Then Gladys was back, hauling me out of the undergrowth. Simultaneously, the rhino had paused to decide who to chase; I had a second to look back and saw him standing there debating his options, still far too close. Lucky for stumbling me, he decided to go for the Fin. Gladys and the Russians and I put enough distance between ourselves and the rhino to slow down, and when the adrenaline had stopped I almost passed out, probably from a combination of heat, shock, and the fact my knee was bleeding everywhere. We lurked around, calling for the Fin and waiting for me to recover. Eventually Gladys got a call from HQ - he had run all the way there (having been followed a pretty long way by the rhino, …
published: 2019-05-06T20:26:54+02:00
summary: Amy added 49 photos to https://i.amy.gy/201905-zimbabwe/
target: 201905-zimbabwe

photos-zimbabwe-3
type: Add
content: The power went out. Fortunately the Fin and the Russians were still sightseeing (Elizabeth was at work) so I had ample opportunity to get out of the house. We drove through the CBD of Harare, and then to the balancing rocks. We tried to negotiate, but they would only accept USD (at a vastly higher price than the local price) and we didn't have any on us. So we took photos from the road, and went to the Botanical Gardens instead. They're not very well kept but there's lots of interesting trees. The only vegan place in Harare listed on Happycow is V-Delights, which was in walking distance. Only it's closed. Obviously. We ate Ethopian food at Queen Makeda again.
published: 2019-05-07T22:49:49+02:00
summary: Amy added 70 photos to https://i.amy.gy/201905-zimbabwe/
target: 201905-zimbabwe

photos-zimbabwe-4
type: Add
content: Still no power. Went to some markets with the Fin and the Russians where I bought tasty snacks and tea, and in the evening we climbed up a hill in the south of the city in time to see the sun set. From the distance, Harare looks almost like a modern and functional city.
published: 2019-05-08T23:55:07+02:00
summary: Amy added 50 photos to https://i.amy.gy/201905-zimbabwe/
target: 201905-zimbabwe

photos-zimbabwe-5
type: Add
content: I spent a morning with the tutors from Sprout Coding in the suburbu of Dzivaresekwa, learning about the programme, listening to them prepare as a group for the start of term the following week (when they go into schools to teach young children Scratch and Woof) and chatting to a few of them about web development and git. Ate lunch at Gava's, finally getting a taste of delicious Zimbabwean food. The veggie option is just what comes on the side of all the meat dishes - sadza (or peanut rice), greens (canola/rape) and beans. But it's enormously filling in itself. And a whole french press of local coffee, plus chilli to top it went down really well. Got home to find the power finally restorted, so I could make dinner for Elizabeth, Sarah and Andrew. The next day I met the Sprout Coding folks again, this time for a braai (bbq) in Kuwadzana. The tutors came out of their shells more and we had good discussions about hacking, encryption, privacy and surveillence. And the food was great (sadza and greens). We ate dinner at Little Eataly, the only option for me being pasta with tomato. It was really good though. Then we made a half-assed attempt to socialise at Tristen's bar, where there was supposed to be a gig of some kind, but it was just full of drunk dudes who wanted to chat and I was too tired, so we went home.
published: 2019-05-10T23:23:33+02:00
summary: Amy added 24 photos to https://i.amy.gy/201905-zimbabwe/
target: 201905-zimbabwe

photos-zimbabwe-6
type: Add
content: Some Saturday morning market touring, followed by an extravagant lunch at Pistachio Cafe, probably the place with the most explicit vegan options in Harare. In the late afternoon Andrew drove Elizabeth and I to Domboshava, a breathtakingly beautiful granite hill and national monument about a 45 minute drive north of Harare. We climbed about and watched the sun set. There are cave paintings there too, but we didn't find them before it was dark.

photos-zimbabwe-7
type: Add
content: Chill Sunday. Adventure cancelled due to lack of fuel (in the whole country) so I joined Elizabeth and co at church again, and then we had a long, drawn out bbq at Andrew's house, including a jump in the pool. We ate and chatted and played board games into the evening. The power went out due to load shedding (coordinated turning-off of parts of the city, semi-accurate information about when this happens is on the electricity provider's website).
published: 2019-05-12T18:40:00+02:00
summary: Amy added 22 photos to https://i.amy.gy/201905-zimbabwe/
target: 201905-zimbabwe

photos-zimbabwe-8
type: Add
content: Last couple of chill days in Harare. Random cafe stops, cooking for Elizabeth, excellent Indian food at Spice Lounge (including really spicy chai), and sorghum sadza at Gava's. Then, depart.
published: 2019-05-15T06:27:39+02:00
summary: Amy added 38 photos to https://i.amy.gy/201905-zimbabwe/
target: 201905-zimbabwe

rhino
type: Note
content: Today I sustained minor injuries whilst escaping a charging rhino. It's day 4 in Zimbabwe, I think things are going pretty well.
published: 2019-05-06T20:56:00+02:00
tag: rhino
tag: zimbabwe
tag: travel
tag: africa

vegan-in-harare
type: Article
content: There was only one vegan place listed on happycow (V Delights), and I went there and it did not exist. The sign was up, and their website says "Restaurant is currently closed however you can still enjoy these meals by enroling to our Vegan or Gluten free Cooking classes as an individual or group!". Maybe it'll be back in the summer, who knows. The next best place for intentional vegan food (with a well-labelled menu) is Avocado Cafe in Sam Levy's Village. They have several dishes that are or can be made vegan, and plant milks for their variety of fancy coffees and latte drinks. They have energy balls which are vegan too. Maasdorp farmer's market is every Wednesday and Saturday, and I ended up going three times. It's a great place for handmade souvenirs and local produce. A nice lady sells homemade cashew cheese in blocks for 14 bond under the name BConscious. I bought one with jalapenos and one with olives and it was so good. Some of the best I've had. She told me about her imminent store opening (Vegan Vibes), the day after I was due to leave of course. Across the road from the Maasdorp farmer's market is another market and a Chinese grocery store. At the grocery store I found all kinds of tofu, fresh in big blocks as well as dried and flavoured. It's super cheap. At the market outside are freshly fried noodles and vegetables. You can choose your fillings, and there's even a bowl of seitan, and watch it get mixed up in front of you, then eat it on one of the benches in the market. They had vegetable bao, too. Ethiopian food is always a safe bet for vegans; I ate at Queen Makeda twice and it was delicious. The vegetarian menu is distinct and varied. The Ethopian coffee pot seems to be bottomless. Thai and Indian food are usually good options too; I ate Thai food at Chang Thai, which has many obviously-vegan vegetarian dishes, and was pretty good. On my last night, really amazing Indian food at Spice Lounge. Especially the milkless masala chai, which was properly spi…
name: Vegan in Harare, Zimbabwe
published: 2019-05-31T22:00:00+02:00
tag: https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/zimbabwe
tag: harare
tag: vegan
tag: food
tag: travel

week-in-review
type: Article
content: Note-took in interviews for ODSCo-op developer hiring. Did some work on flatten-tool. Walked a bit around Bratislava environs, and went to Vienna again. Finally said goodbye to Bratislava, and then Europe.. and flew from Vienna airport to Harare, Zimbabwe, via Addis Ababa (Ethiopia). Reunited with Elizabeth in Harare. Learnt all about the complicated currency situation, and got set up with EcoCash. Spent the weekend and markets and cafes and low key parties and generally chilling. Attended a very musical and colourful church service. A member of the congregation pegged me as a lost soul and took me aside afterwards to reassure me God is looking out for me. Saw Avengers Endgame again. Caught Elizabeth's cold, I think.
name: Week in review: 29 April - 5 May
published: 2019-05-05T22:17:00+02:00
tag: life
tag: zimbabwe
tag: africa
tag: travel
tag: week+in+review
tag: flattentool
tag: ods

week-in-review-2
type: Article
content: Chilled with Elizabeth and friends. Went to Lake Chivero Nature Reserve and got chased by a rhino. Toured Harare markets and cafes, saw balancing rocks, and the Botanical Gardens. Watched the sun set from a hill in the south of Harare. Enjoyed a 5 day wifi outage and 3 day power outage. It's cool I didn't want to do any work anyway. Visited Sprout Coding in Dzivaresekwa and then joined them for a braai in Kuwadzana; chatted about web dev, encryption, hacking, privacy and surveillance. An inspiring bunch! Watched the sun set from Domboshava. Chill Sunday BBQ.
name: Week in review: 6 - 12 May
published: 2019-05-12T23:59:59+02:00
tag: prewired
tag: tourism
tag: zimbabwe
tag: travel
tag: week+in+review
tag: africa

week-in-review-3
type: Article
content: Got my hair dyed green as a souvenir from Zim. Had final food adventures, and departed Zim for Vienna via Addis Ababa. Spent the day in Bratislava, picked up some stuff I left at H&B's place in Dubravka and visited Aila and Beny. Ate at lots of my favourte places once more. Took a night bus to Zagreb via Vienna (VIB interior is entirely closed now apparently, and my bus was late, not entirely fun on a cold midnight), and a day bus to Sibenik. Some very hot days and a little rain in Sibenik; hiking, swimming, mooning around. Nice to be back in the Balkans.
name: Week in review: 13 - 19 May
published: 2019-05-19T23:59:59+02:00
tag: africa
tag: zimbabwe
tag: travel
tag: week+in+review
tag: harare
tag: croatia
tag: bratislava

week-in-review-4
type: Article
content: Bussed down the Croatian coast from Sibenik to Dubrovnik. Spent a night and a day in Dubrovnik, dodging tourists, eating, sitting by the sea, climbed a hill. Bussed from Dubronik to Herceg Novi, then a little bit further to the next month's home in Montenegro. Settled in in the Bay of Kotor. Spent half a day exploring Herceg Novi old town and surrounds. Went on a boat ride around the Bay; saw Mamula island, the blue cave, old torpedo tunnels; only rained a bit.
name: Week in review: 20 - 26 May
published: 2019-05-26T23:59:59+02:00
tag: tourism
tag: montenegro
tag: week+in+review
tag: travel
tag: croatia
tag: bay+of+kotor
tag: bijela

https://rhiaro.co.uk/2019/05
type: CollectionPage
type: Container
contains: photos-bratislava
contains: week-in-review
contains: photos-zimbabwe
contains: photos-zimbabwe-2
contains: rhino
contains: photos-zimbabwe-3
contains: photos-zimbabwe-4
contains: photos-zimbabwe-5
contains: photos-zimbabwe-6
contains: photos-zimbabwe-7
contains: week-in-review-2
contains: photos-zimbabwe-8
contains: photos-food
contains: photos-bratislava-2
contains: mystery
contains: week-in-review-3
contains: photos-sibenik
contains: croatian-coast
contains: photos-dubrovnik
contains: photos-bijela
contains: photos-herceg-novi
contains: photos-boat
contains: week-in-review-4
contains: photos-lepetane
contains: harare
contains: vegan-in-harare
items: photos-bratislava
items: week-in-review
items: photos-zimbabwe
items: photos-zimbabwe-2
items: rhino
items: photos-zimbabwe-3
items: photos-zimbabwe-4
items: photos-zimbabwe-5
items: photos-zimbabwe-6
items: photos-zimbabwe-7
items: week-in-review-2
items: photos-zimbabwe-8
items: photos-food
items: photos-bratislava-2
items: mystery
items: week-in-review-3
items: photos-sibenik
items: croatian-coast
items: photos-dubrovnik
items: photos-bijela
items: photos-herceg-novi
items: photos-boat
items: week-in-review-4
items: photos-lepetane
items: harare
items: vegan-in-harare
name: Posts between 2019/05 and 2019/06
next: https://rhiaro.co.uk/2019/06/
part of: https://rhiaro.co.uk/2019/05
prev: https://rhiaro.co.uk/2019/04/