a perfect angel

Throughout the winter in the greyness of the rainy afternoons, behind busy desks you closed your eyes wishing to have sun kissed skin, feet bathing in the ocean or you imagined walking in some exotic destination eating ethnic food and sought. Tell the truth, has this happened at least once?

The desires, in this strange autumnal spring, can become reality.

As ?

#sciogliersialsole

#alpitour

#francorosso

Until May 31st you can subscribe to “Melting in the Sun” a competition of Francorosso that could lead you to discover the places of origin of chocolate.

In this way you will have the chance to win a vacation package consisting of a flight + stay for 2 people in a double room, all inclusive, in a destination of your choice between Zanzibar, at the Diamond Royal SeaClub or in Madagascar, at the Amarina SeaClub.

# Travel

Try your luck and hope for a holiday of relaxation and taste is easy. You will only need to identify 4 photographs, among the 12 proposals, which illustrate characteristic aspects of Madagascar and Zanzibar.

You will have to test your knowledge of travelers and focus on your photographic memory.

# The Choco Case

In addition, if you want, you can take part in the weekly draw of a ChocoCase Domori made up of 6 bars of fine chocolate that you can make at your choice by selecting the most preferred variations.

You will discover how cocoa and chili, mint or orange go together so as to create truly inviting aromas.

# Useful info

• Thanks to the newsletter subscription you can also stay up to date on the curiosities and offers of Francorosso.

• The competition will end on May 31st and the extraction of the weekly prizes will take place in two trances: May 8th and June 15th. By this date the final prize draw will also take place.

I do not remember if it was the 5th or 6th trip to Tanzania for me and my 12-year-old son. We have agreed with Kili Sky Safaris a Wild trip : safari car with Italian speaking driver-guide, overnight stays chosen by me or suggested by them in camping and cheap B & B, with some exceptions.

The parks in the south are much less frequented than those in the north. The difference is not due to the beauty of the landscapes or the quantity of wild animals, but to comfort. In the North the parks are all close, in the South they require long distances. But that was also what we were looking for on this trip.

We land in Dar es Salaam and we stop in the central area in a very cheap but spacious and clean B & B, with a well-functioning fan: Econo Lodge .

The next day we decide to celebrate our birthdays at ‘ Amani Lodge in Ras Kutani , a promontory not far from the big city, but already wild and lost. We cross the port with the ferry, first me and Emanuele with pedestrians, then Daniel with the “gari”: the off-road vehicle. Of course you do not go unnoticed in this crowd of people who clings to more I can not to let everyone go! Although the spaces are infinitesimal, the peanuts, water and candy sellers rush to reach their hungry customers. The children at the necks of mothers are the most daring to study with wide eyes. And we smile. No danger here, people are curious but very quiet.

Ras Kutani beach is beautiful: deserted, white, wide as far as the eye can see. The next morning we get up at dawn to find shells but the sea has not been generous today. We arrive to the nearby lagoon , which almost joins the sea. They also organize canoe and horse rides.

The Amani Beach is too luxurious for us, very spacious and well spaced bungalows, fine finishes and swimming pool, excellent cuisine.

We leave late and we will pay for this time. The road to the South is one, it connects the economic capital to the whole South and beyond, and is the only way to supply a population as large as … invisible! The streets are full of overloaded trucks but people? Where are the people? The south is the most populated area and yet people live in villages in a traditional way, are content with little, do not trade and do not live along the streets like in many other areas. Driving is very challenging, trucks go at top speed and you do not understand how they will stop if needed. While Daniel remains focused, we admire the arid hills covered with shrubs, in contrast to the valleys traveled by the Little Ruaha Riververy green and full of trees full of leaves and fruits. Every so often a baboon looks at us with an air of sufficiency. I really appreciate the prudence with which he leads Daniel because it allows me to relax and enjoy the movements. In reality it is very attentive to all our needs. It is obvious that he has been doing this job for many years.

One of the most spectacular valleys is Mbuyuni , literally “where there is a baobab”. I’ve never seen so many all together! Their immense trunks look like the work of an artist. Every now and then on the street appears the colorful stain of women selling tomatoes, arranged neatly on buckets.

We arrive early in Iringa. We stopped shortly before, at the Rivervalley Campsite , which I had chosen for its location along the Little Ruaha River. Indeed the river full of water and the huge boulders from unlikely positions give a fairytale touch to this Campsite! It offers different solutions for housing but we assemble our tents. Luckily we had a sleeping bag, Iringa is at 1500 m altitude and that night is really cool!

“I was thinking…”

When I utter these words, my husband looks at me in terror, aware that the thought I will formulate will almost certainly concern planes, coincidences and … travels.

He loves traveling too, but sometimes my exploits worry him a little!

It was a super cheap flight operated by Air France unearthed in January, to convince him: South Africa in September say it is wonderful.

We started from Milan full of expectations and our goal was so kind as not to disappoint even one. Earth, air, water and fire characterize this country of many facets and I decided to talk about the places we visited starting from here, from the four elements.

Cape Town and the Western Cape

Water:

It is the immense expanse of the ocean that characterizes the area of ​​Cape Town and the Western Cape: a hidden gem, is the West Coa

st National Park , north of Cape Town. The Postberg Flower Reserve (open only between August and September) offers the spectacle of the desert bloom, truly enchanting … even on a rainy day, even with the sky dark and threatening.

A bright sun and a strong wind have instead welcomed us to the Cape of Good Hope which is not the southernmost point of the African continent, unlike what is believed. However, remains a place with a special charm, the sea is an intense blue and the waves crash on the rocks swept by the wind, enchanting the viewer.

The penguins’ sympathy in Boulder’s Beach , the breathtaking views from the Chapman’s Peak road (on the right side, please!), The Winelands vineyards, are just some of the wonderful memories we took home.

Kruger National Park

Fire

An internal flight took us to Johannesburg where we rented a car and reached Kruger National Park in about five hours (there are closer airports but the cost of the ticket is considerably higher).

It is difficult to transform into words the emotions that a safari gives you: the sun that sets the bush on fire at sunset, an elephant that looks at you curiously moving the trunk to smell you; so close you can touch it (do not do it!), a bunch of lions resting in the middle of the road, a lone leopard that you can admire for a few seconds, before disappearing so quickly you leave with the doubt you only imagined it, the coffee drunk at dawn in the middle of the bush, the posting on the river bank to observe the hippos … every image that comes back to mind is covered with earth, red like fire, the predominant color of the Park.