The Brando – Dirty Old Bob’s Bar

It was a warm Tuesday afternoon as I sat sipping frosty chilled cocktails at Dirty Old Bob’s Bar. The recent tragic pandemic has us locked down and only dreaming of these languorous afternoons. Lacking the baby blue and gin clear seas nearby, who wouldn’t prefer to be stranded on The Brando Island? Panama hat and white linen de rigueur, of course. My pink sandals dangling from the bar stool, I was in a state of bliss. Tropical palm fronds whispering in the sea breeze, interrupted only by birdsong.

What I would give for a seat at the pandanus thatch-roof bar this afternoon!

Dirty Old Bob’s Bar – The Brando

So many choices, including the Marlon Brando Margarita, each equally energizing and effervescent! Several of the concoctions include island honey from the Tetiaroa hives sprinkled about the neighboring islands.

Dirty Old Bob’s Bar – The Brando

Rare Ingredients and even more Rarefied Scenery, captivating combinations at The Brando and Dirty Old Bob’s Bar.

Until you are ready to ring me and reserve, you should at least come up to speed on the bar menu. In the meantime, sip an icy cocktail:

Dirty Old Bob Ingredients
2 oz. Jack Daniel’s or favorite Whiskey
11.5 oz. pineapple juice
1/4 oz. lime juice
4 fresh mint leaves
½ half of an egg white
3 drops Angostura Bitters
1 oz. Tetiaroa honey

Dirty Old Bob’s Bar – The Brando
Dirty Old Bob’s Bar – The Brando
The Brando Island

An epic island retreat, a refresher to remind you of its charms! I’ve never felt so detached, calm and disconnected from the world as I did at this luxurious resort.

From the air, Tetiaroa Island is nary a speck of tall swaying coconut and vivid green palm fronds surrounded by the palest of brilliantly clear turquoise seas visible from your private plane that transports you from Papeete to the private island. Your first glimpse is of startling gem blue seas contrasted by white sandy beaches punctuated with miles and miles of jade green palms – a beautiful necklace of sea surrounding the pristine white beaches. A quick 25 min. hop, just barely skimming above the transparent seas and through huge billowy clouds; before you know it, the short runway appears on the edge of the sandy atoll.

The Brando Island

Legends abound about the lure of Tahiti from painters Gauguin and Matisse, to the writers Jack London, Melville and R.L. Stevenson. The brilliant light, the mighty sea and the allure of beautiful Polynesian women enticed many to this balmy paradise. You might be aware and possibly intrigued by Marlon Brando’s tranquil utopia, his paparazzi free hideaway. If you need such distance, this is the most enchanting escape. I truly felt I had left civilization behind – the real world was merely 25-air minutes away, yet it felt a million miles away.

Let me share my visit to this enchanting island, where I fished the flats with Teihotu Brando. https://www.gwenbooks.com/2017/08/the-brando-island-warm-winter-wanderings/

More on Teihotu https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJm4HYR6UjA

Teihotu’s charming daughter Tumi, who works on the island https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PerWfBJjwPQ

Cashew Bites from William’s Camp

Safari by Appointment. Our clients and I rave about our Kenya Safari Team’s wonderful portable tent camp in the migration path in the Maasai Mara on the banks of the Sand River. They own the spot and return every year to set up an exclusive private camp. In weeks, the herds will head toward the Serengeti, with half a million wildebeest competing for grazing with herds of zebra, all will eventually cross the Mara River. Our safaris include all private transfers, one does not share a bush plane with other travelers. At William’s Camp, you travel in custom stretch Land Rover Defenders with luxurious comfy leather seats.

Brekkie in the Bush, Kenya

It goes without saying that we provide the best guides and in our portable camp, Stormin’ Norman, the indomitable bush camp chef, turns out soufflés, exquisite appetizers and bountiful banquets. Eventually you beg him to stop serving more food, he doesn’t understand NO! If you need a stationary bike or small gym set up in the bush, we can oblige!

In Kenya, after staying at a few spectacular lodges, we usually conclude our safari’s at William’s Camp. One of my favorite snacks among a long list of menu items is a snack we dubbed Cashew Bites from William’s Camp.

Cashew Bites from William’s Camp
2 segmented and chopped limes
2cm piece of chopped ginger
1 finely diced shallot
1/2 chopped hot chili
1 Tbsp coriander leaves
2 Tbsp peanuts of cashews
dash fish sauce ( optional)
sprinkle of sugar
8- 12 spinach leaves
Mix together all ingredients except spinach leaves.
Lay the spinach leaves on a platter and place a spoonful of the mix on each, roll up on each leaf and eat in one bite!

Lunch in the bush, Kenya

A Day in the Life of A Safari Guest

  • As your plane descends towards the sun-baked airstrip, a beaming member of my land team is ready and waiting to welcome you with chilled drinks before you are whisked off on a scenic game drive en route to your lodge or camp.
  • The lodge staff is waiting at the entrance to greet you with refreshing drinks and fragrant towels. Your personal butler escorts you to your bush suite, where your luggage is already waiting, as you unwind and drink the views of the surrounding bush.
  • Mouth watering aromas waft on the still air as lunch is served on the private deck of your suite, on the wide veranda of the main guest area or at the poolside.
  • Choose between a blissful nap on your downy bed or chilling out at the pool.
  • After a sumptuous high tea, embark on a thrilling afternoon-into-evening game drive. Chances are excellent that you will encounter a great variety of exciting animals and birds. Your professional, highly trained ranger and tracker will interpret the wonders of the wilderness, making your experience effortlessly enlightening and unforgettable.
  • As the golden orb of the sun sinks towards the horizon, you stop in a scenic bush setting. As if by magic, a table with snacks and drinks appear, with the noises of the African bush as a primeval soundtrack. A traditional Sundowner is a nightly occurrence in the bush.
  • After a dramatic spot-lit night drive where you thrill to predators hunting and other nocturnal animal activity, you return to the lodge, where iced drinks and snacks await you in the fire- and lantern-lit boma under a bright canopy of stars.
  • Alternatively, you may experience a real surprise on your night game drive. Rounding a turn in the bush, you come across an enchanting scene: dozens of lanterns festoon the trees, and huge fire-bowls illuminate damask-clad tables twinkling with crystal and silver. An alfresco feast of scrumptious Pan-African cuisine is served by smiling chefs in crisp white, followed by cigars, cognac and stargazing.
  • As you drift into a deep sleep, you contemplate the delights that the next day will bring: an early morning wake- up tap on your door, fragrant coffee and muffins before setting off on a game drive as the pre-dawn sky reveals tints of cerise, gradually turning to azure blue as the new day welcomes the warmth of the rising sun. The bush is alive with wildlife, early risers browsing, lion stretching and yawning as their fluffy cubs frolic nearby. A mid-drive stop produces welcome hot drinks, chilled fresh juice and snacks: merely a prelude to the delicious breakfast that awaits your return to the lodge.
  • Later, you may decide on a fascinating bush walk, where your ranger will share intriguing insights into the fauna and flora of the area. Or you may simply opt to relax in a quiet corner, where warm, friendly land teams will ensure that your every desire is anticipated and exceeded.
Kenya Safari
Kenya Safari endless horizons