What would another African country stop be without a “family fundraising” encounter with local police? In this instance, thankfully we weren’t driving. Not so thankfully, our driver wasn’t able to get out of the speeding ticket by gesturing to the Honorable Minister of the Interior she had as a passenger. The incident naturally sparked some […]
Crossing overland from Mozambique to Eswatini, there was a noticeable improvement in road conditions. The first impression was a welcoming place that has made considerable infrastructure investments. That perception was reinforced throughout our stay. Prior to our visit, I definitely didn’t have high expectations… this was gonna be a “checkoff” country maybe good for a […]
Plenty of countries throw some red color on their flag to symbolize the violence that helped get them founded. With so many similar flags though, splashing a few complementary colors together may not convey the kind of threat display that your newly founded Federated People’s Democratic Republic of whatever needs. Now, if one had zero […]
Visiting nine African countries over a month, we were pulled over by the police three times. The first was a bribe shakedown in a Namibian rental. The other two stops were “police family fundraising” speed-traps with local drivers. We only got out of one of these without a ticket or bribe. Driving back to Lilongwe […]
Crossing overland between Zambia and Zimbabwe treads a well-worn tourist path. We even encountered an irate line-cutter at Zimbabwe immigration that had stayed in Zambia and was only crossing the border to (try to) catch her flight. Crossing back and forth in that area, the distinctions between the two countries can get a bit blurry. […]
Bungee-jumping over the Zambesi River is not on my bucket list. Actually, neither is bungee-jumping anywhere. I can imagine vomiting just after the first bounce, falling then at the same rate as a raincloud of emesis, then being pulled back up the Victoria Falls bridge covered in fluid from both ends. Luckily, there are other […]
Unfortunately Botswana didn’t prove to be our favorite stop. Kasane is a small spartan tourist trap of a town that runs along the Kwando River bordering Chobe National Park. Overpriced lodges line the river, taking boats & safari vehicles packed with tourists into the park. The area actually borders Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, making for […]
Maybe this a little premature. I’m close to 20 out of 55 African countries and I’m ready to declare a winner. Now, I can imagine the winners on many lists and I’m gonna have to disagree. I’m sure plenty of people would tell you to visit Botswana if you only go to one country here. […]
I’ve heard more than a few terrifying stories of violent robberies and carjackings in and around Johannesburg. With that in front of mind, safety was certainly a primary concern as we arrived there first to start a month-long trek around Southern Africa. Now that we’re back home and I’ve had a bit of time to […]
Jamming out to Bob Seger as the plane touched down in Nepal’s capital city may be a little gauche. One listen to that song though and it was stuck on repeat in my head. Earworm or not though, it’s a pretty dumb song. But so began a nice long all-inclusive tour through Nepal after our […]
Tamil Nadu has seen some severe flooding in recent years during monsoon season. The floods in October-November 2015 were particularly devastating. Some of the factors that contributed to floods in prior years have been mitigated, but severe rains can still grind Chennai to a halt. Before even deciding WHERE we wanted to have our wedding, […]
When did the pandemic end? No, not for unserious horse-paste advocates, but when did it end in reality? It certainly didn’t end on any specific date and hey, for some people it still hasn’t. Nevertheless, the new reality that slowly crept into travel planning… repeat PCR tests, laminated vax cards to eat/sleep/travel… has dissipated with […]
On a group safari with some friends, a woman in the back asked our guide: “Why are the watering holes so small? They have much bigger watering holes in Kruger.” Would you really like to know why, dear short-haired lady with your arms folded, watching a herd of elephants with a thoroughly unimpressed look on […]
Closing out this trip and crossing the 100 countries mark, I wanted something to really mark the occasion. Getting to this point had taken a full decade and certainly had it’s share of hiccups. It was also a great excuse to get my hands on something I’d been admiring from a distance for a number […]
So maybe you know where Ukraine is on a map. And maybe you really know your geography, and you also know where Moldova is on a map. (It’s that chunk wedged between Ukraine and Romania.) Well, the place up for discussion today is a tiny wedge that’s wedged between that wedge and Ukraine. It’s a […]