I walk past this paddock all the time, but today I noticed something special: Ankole cattle. This breed of cattle, native to East Africa and known for its peculiarly large horns, is absolutely beautiful.
I remember seeing them years ago when I was driving through Uganda. Little did I know I would come to work in the International Livestock Research Institute and be surrounded by scientists studying to understand, improve, and protect indigenous breeds of cattle like these Ankole!
I snapped this picture of a Coca Cola bottle last week in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia:
I thought it was cool to see the famous brand name printed in something other than English. In the Amharic language the four characters spell “Coca Cola” phonetically: Co-ca Co-la. The bottom part apparently says “Trademark.”
I was in South Africa last week visiting Cassandra’s family. Because there’s only so much to do in Kimberley (yes, I’ve seen the Big Hole), we decided to take a road trip to see some new scenery. I had been looking at the map of South Africa and noticed that Lesotho, the small nation enclave surrounded entirely by South Africa, was fairly close. Cassandra’s dad suggested that we drive to Clarens to get a good view of the Maluti Mountains.
Clarens was a pleasant surprise. It kinda reminded me of little towns I’d been to in Northern California (especially Calistoga) — quaint, quiet, clean, and safe. The town is situated around one or two main streets and a small square, with cute restaurants, pubs, antique shops, and bed and breakfasts dotted along the way.