As a young school boy growing up in the cosmopolitan city of Lagos, the thought of visiting neighboring Benin Republic fiercely fascinated me. In our history class during my secondary school days, we'd been taught about the great Dahomey kingdom which, at its loftiest height, extended to parts of Badagry which is now located in present-day Lagos, Nigeria. Now an Anthropologist whose core research interests lie in cultural evolutions, I was quite … [Read more...]
Capital of Ghosts
What was Parisian-Style Boulevards, Empty Eight-Lane Highways, and Chistendom's Highest Chuch-All Dead Ending in Jungle? I was working for a magazine in Abidjan, the principal city of Cote d’Ivoire (better known as the Ivory Coast), when some co-workers and I set off on a pilgrimage to one of the strangest ghost towns in Africa: Yamoussoukro. The official capital of the country since 1983, this modern “lost city” is the architectural … [Read more...]
The Kenya Not Many See
When I was in Kenya this May, I didn't go on a tourist's safari. I didn’t ride in a Jeep with a group of other people, traveling across wide open plains, snapping pictures of dozens of wild African animals. I experienced that seven years ago, and though I would love to do it again sometime, this year there was neither time nor money in the budget. You may be asking yourself, “So why did you go to Kenya? Doesn’t everyone go for the … [Read more...]
Death in Africa
While scouting for the first descent of the Baro River in Ethiopia, a tributary of the White Nile, I heard about a Peace Corps volunteer, Bill Olsen, 25, a recent graduate of Cornell, who decided to take a dip in the river at Gambella, a village near the South Sudan border. The locals warned to stay away from the river, which they claimed was busy with monsters. Bill ignored the cautions, and swam to a sandbar on the far side of the muddy river, … [Read more...]
The Mozambique of my youth, happening now
I'm walking on Maputo Beach, a beautiful, litter-strewn stretch of coastline to the north-east of Mozambique's capital city. It's overcast, so most of the tourists have stayed away. I am among a group of ex-pat stragglers, making their way to the ubiquitous piri piri chicken stands dotted all along the coastline. We feast on the chicken, sitting on plastic chairs on the beach. After we finish, a group of four children between the ages of six … [Read more...]
Beware of Camels and Mysterious Shisha
I thought to myself, “I knew this was a bad idea.” I was officially stuck on top of a camel. Even after two weeks in this scandalous country, I had managed to fall into yet another obvious scam. A young boy had approached me at the base of the Great Pyramid in Giza and sweet talked me into climbing onto his camel for a picture. It seemed harmless enough; camels are pretty docile, and I was not obligated to pay for a ride. Just a quick … [Read more...]
Volunteering at YCC Ghana
When you volunteer at YCC Ghana (Youth Creating Change) its of course about the children but in addition its about the family, the family of volunteers that you live with and get to know very well. You are all working towards common goals and the bonds that you will form during your time here are strong. YCC Ghana is located next to the small town of Sogakope about an hours drive from Accra and only about 35 minutes from where the Volta River … [Read more...]
Malealea Lodge – Lesotho
This remote lodge is located just under 2000 meters in the mountains of Southwest Lesotho (the land locked country within South Africa). Because of its isolated location it is a destination in and of itself. It is peaceful here - the wind blows through the pines and the air is fresh. Delicious mountain air becomes even more invigorating to breathe after a heavy rain. The highlight of a stay is the fact that it is remote - coupled with a … [Read more...]
Ngoma Safari Lodge Botswana
Ngoma Safari Lodge is located on the edges of Chobe National Park in Botswana. This fairly new property opened in May 2011 and was officially dedicated in July 2011 with his Excellency, Botswana's President Seretse Khama Ian Khama attending the opening ceremonies. This is isolated luxury at its finest and rawest; the lodge is accessible by any of 3 dirt roads - which are more like 4wd tracks among the bush - there are no signs and you must … [Read more...]
A man named Bottles and a dog named Egg, Jet Boating on the Zambezi
In the late 1990's a "kiwi" named Bottles was traveling overland through Africa and came across the Zambezi River. He never left. Today Bottles runs Jet Extreme, a totally self made business which caters to adventurers looking to experience the fast moving Zambezi River in an even faster way - on a jet boat. We rolled out in Bottles' canopy covered people mover - through the Mukuni Village where the well educated chief used to run marketing … [Read more...]
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