The last several days have been wonderful, relaxing and hectic with little food and a lot of travel. I have come from Bujumbura, Burundi through Lilongwe, Malawi to Senga Bay on Lake Malawi all the way through Lusaka, Zambia to Livingstone, Zambia where I am now. I have ridden busses, dilapidated minibuses, flatbed pickups with […]
Gorillas in the Mist
January 2, 2010 by 20 Comments
As Charles Dickens once wrote, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” I think that aptly describes my experience tracking the Susa silverback gorillas in Parc National des Volcans in Northern Rwanda. It was great fun and it was miserable. It was memorable and there’s much I’d like to forget. […]
Kigali 15 Years Later
December 31, 2009 by 5 Comments
I’m not really sure how I want write about Kigali because it is a very beautiful city. It’s quite possibly the cleanest city in all of Africa and certainly the cleanest and safest capital city on the Continent. It is called “le ville des mille collines” or the city of 1000 hills and it is […]
There Is No Joy In Juba
December 30, 2009 by 27 Comments
You’ve probably never heard of Juba, Southern Sudan. You were also probably unaware that Southern Sudan is separately governed than Sudan and that they will most likely become an independent country within the next year or so. Believe me, your life will continue unaffected for you not knowing this information. I can’t imagine that if […]
In Search of Idi Amin
December 28, 2009 by 5 Comments
Like Rome, Kampala is said to be built on seven hills. Kampala is the intellectual and industrial heart of a country which has been recovering and rebuilding seemingly for decades. A center of political intrigue for much of its recent history, Kampala has been reborn and is forward looking to a very promising future. Modern […]
Christmas and Camel Racing in Kenya
December 27, 2009 by 8 Comments
I was never originally going to go to Kenya on this trip. I had already been there and it was just another long bus ride to get to Uganda. However, I had been moving faster than expected because of some days of flights, availability, etc. So I emailed my friend Joe who was traveling in […]
Brazzaville, Kinshasa and Muhammad Ali
December 25, 2009 by 7 Comments
First, I want to wish a Merry Christmas to everyone from Kenya as I am a little behind on blog duties so here we go. Before I talk about Brazzaville and Kinshasa I have to adequately describe the scene at the airport in Pointe-Noire before my Trans Air Congo flight to Brazzaville. I was lucky […]
A Weekend in Libreville, Gabon
December 20, 2009 by 22 Comments
You may or may not have heard of Gabon. Its biggest claim to fame was probably being the setting for a season of the show Survivor. I never did see any of those Survivor episodes but from being in Gabon and certainly from flying over it I can see that the jungles are vast and […]
Cow-Town in Equatorial Guinea
December 18, 2009 by 7 Comments
As I left on the 25 minute flight from Douala to Malabo, I got a great view above the clouds of Mount Cameroon which is the highest mountain in West Africa and I couldn’t help but be reminded of Kilimanjaro which put me in a great mood heading over to Equatorial Guinea. Considering the squalor […]
