The soft roar of the electric fan wakes me in darkness. A cool breeze pushes back the mosquito netting and lifts the thin sheet off my feet. We are fortunate to have such luxury in this tiny rural village of Apimsu in Ghana, West Africa where an electric appliance often costs more than a year's income. My husband lies next to me, and our son Casey, who has called this place home for many months, sleeps on a floor mat a few feet away. It's been … [Read more...]
Three Days in Apimsu – Ghana, West Africa
The brilliant sunlight stings my eyes as we make our way out of the airport in Accra, Ghana, but it's the view ahead that has me fighting tears. Our son Casey has been waiting at the entrance gate. Since he entered the Peace Corps in West Africa his father and I have been separated from him for many months and 7,000 miles. Now, just fifty feet across the courtyard, I see that his pale northwest skin is shades darker, his brown hair cropped close … [Read more...]
Dimples in the Rain
Its a safe place where I live. It's all vanilla condominiums, white fences, tree lined streets and all the stuff of suburban legends. Every dog here has a license and a leash. It's not like that in Africa. At least not in Ethiopia. In Ethiopia, only the donkeys were sure-footed, as I traveled during the rainy season. I slipped down the hilly, rocky streets and hopped over gutters filled with trash and the heads and hooves of the prior night's … [Read more...]
Pack for a Purpose with the Selous Safari Comany in Tanzania
Small space. Little Effort. Big Impact. Pack For A Purpose (www.packforapurpose.org) is a simple concept that makes a big impact on the lives of children around the world. The organization was founded on the principal that every little helps; all it takes is to use a small amount of holiday luggage space for medical supplies and educational materials. The Selous Safari Company in southern Tanzania is one of Pack For A Purpose's biggest … [Read more...]
The Cyprus Tug o War
The first thing that drew me to Cyprus is that they are another of those countries that "doesn't exist". The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is only recognized by Turkey itself. It's also known as "North(ern) Cyprus". According to the European Union (and much of the world), the whole island is one country. The reality of this is pretty clearly in dispute, as the TRNC runs its own border control at its (internationally unrecognized) … [Read more...]
The Two Sides of Marrakech
Since the situation in Libya and other Arabic countries remains tense and we are all hoping for a more peaceful resolution of the conflicts, I would like to do follow-up on my post from last week and talk about the city of Marrakech, Morocco. Staying in one of the apartments in Marrakech you will come to find that the city can be divided into 2 very different parts: The Medina, the historical old part of the city and the Gueliz or Ville Nouvelle, … [Read more...]
A Climb of Mount Kilimanjaro
As per Wikipedia: Altitude sickness: Symptoms that may indicate life-threatening altitude sickness include: - Pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs): - Symptoms similar to bronchitis - Persistent dry cough - Fever - Shortness of breath even when resting - Cerebral edema (swelling of the brain): - Headache that does not respond to analgesics - Unsteady gait - Gradual loss of consciousness - Increased nausea - Retinal … [Read more...]
IExplore Photo Contest
Check out Iexplore's photo contest. Anyone can enter and you have a chance to win an Africa safari for two in Kenya! You can vote every day for the same photo until the contest finishes on April 15. On that day, the 20 photos with the highest vote totals will be selected as finalists Help out our contributor Nick with his cool photo taken in Vietnam amazingly shot with a cheap Walmart camera! Nick is our video specialist and also runs … [Read more...]
Valley Song, to run in Venice CA in March
This is a play that is well worth attending if you are in the Los Angeles area, running from early March for three weeks. We interviewed actress Gloria Huwiler sometime back and she has a starring role in this play. Valley Song opens at the Electic Lodge Theatre on Friday March 4th and runs through March 20th. The play, directed by Patrick Ssenjovu, is presented by African Theatre company Sunchild productions and the Electric Lodge and will … [Read more...]
GranMonte Vineyards, All in the Family
After returning from Brunei and a quick day of rest we set out for the jungles of Khao Yai National Park and part of Thailand's "wine trail". GranMonte Vineyards located in the heart of the small Asoke Valley was the highlight of our day. This winery was founded by Thai couple Visooth and Sakuna Lohitnavy. Their daughter Visootha (or Nikki) is Thailand's first female winemaker (only in her 20's, she has many harvests ahead of her). The entire … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 22
- 23
- 24
- 25
- 26
- …
- 37
- Next Page »