Homecoming

After a fairly long haul, I am back on US soil, currently spending a few days on the West Coast before finally going home to Boise.

The trip itself was fairly smooth. I left Dakar at around midnight Friday night, this flight was delayed by about 90 minutes but I had a long enough lay-over in Paris. Charles de Gaulle airport, as always was charming. Both customs agents stamped over other stamps in my passport. Apparently France is more important than both Zambia and Panama. Thanks CDG.

Thankfully we left on-time and after a quick 8 hour flight over the Atlantic, I was back on US soil! The border agent in Washington D.C. was so friendly and told me "welcome back." But the other passengers waiting in line were griping about the wait, even though our flight arrived 40 minutes early!! Thus the different conception of time was immediately apparent upon arrival.

My flight to Portland went smoothly and again, I arrived about 15 minutes early. Although I am a little disappointed in United Airlines which did not feed us a single peanut/pretzel on a 6 hour flight. No I am not buying an 8 dollar snack pack, thanks. I anticipate being angry about the price of everything for the next few weeks, so bear with me.

Liz and Megan picked me up at the airport and here I am, chilling in Portland, Oregon until I fly back to Boise on Wednesday.

It is sure cold here after the beautiful 85 degree days in Dakar. I am also entirely unaccustomed to being surrounded by white people. I anticipate a healthy period of adjustment but for now a little well-needed nostalgia.

Things I Have Learned in Africa:

1. Sometimes the best place to be is on the floor

2. You can get a filling meal for under a dollar if you know where to go

3. Children have as much to teach me as I do them

4. How to drive on the left side of the road!

5. Love thy neighbor

6. How to get by surprisingly well without a washing machine, oven, electricity, hot water or even running water

7. Time is relative

8. Flexibility and patience pay

9. When life gets rough, seek the company of babies

10. Family will, ironically enough, keep you sane and drive you crazy

11. Always bring a buddy

12. Anything is possible

I believe this will be my last blog, unless I decide to post some pics from the last few weeks. It's been quite the journey. And as for those of you who think I should write a book, well, I'll consider it.

I hope that I will get a chance to see you all soon and catch up.
Happy holidays.
~Jess~

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello there!

I am down to my last few days in Ghana and I wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I leave this Saturday and it'll take me a few days to get to Dakar. Once there, I will spend a week seeing my host family and friends before I finally fly home.

I first want to send a shout-out to my lovely mother, Pam, who is celebrating her 30th birthday (again) on Sunday! I will be in transit so I can't promise she'll hear from me on her actual birthday. But I will be thinking of her on Sunday from a hot, sweaty bus somewhere in West Africa.

I also want to spend a moment in the spirit of the holiday for there are many things that I am thankful for this year.

I am so thankful for safe travels ( so far) and so many wonderful experiences during my time in Africa. I have learned so much and met a multitude of awesome people.

I am thankful for Lucy and my Ghanaian family.

I am very thankful for my family and friends back home who have supported me. It has been immeasurably helpful to have people that believe in me during this adventure.

Thanks go out to Ethel, Nelly, Zachary, Shark Tooth, Nancy, Giggles, Ivy, PP, Abigail and all my creche babies who somehow make the stress of a long day melt away with their tiny wonderfulness.

And for some conclusion to my stay in Ghana...

Things I love about Ghana:

Sunny days

Ethel
Red-red

Lightning

Plantains

My star students: Lily, Grace, Emmanuel, Sarah, Dau-Mensah

Lucy
Awesome sunsets

Lizards and geckos
Being so close to the ocean
Dinner, showers, reading, etc. by candle light.
The children

Frogs

Things I don't love about Ghana:

Cockroaches
The (over-friendly) men
Kenkey
Rain
The humidity
Power outages
Mosquitoes

Being called "Obruni"

My trouble-makers: David, Prince, Lieon, 4th grade

The children

Anyway, it has been a hell of a stay here but it is time for me to move on. I have learned a lot and this experience has certainly deepened my respect for teachers. I will miss all the great people I have met and become close to here but I am ready to head home after nearly a year away.

I'll be back on US soil in no time and I can't wait to see all of you!

Cheers.

Gotta love a spud

Hey everyone!

Well, my time in Accra is slowly coming to an end. It has been an amazing experience but I am ready to go home.

After 10 months in Africa, I got an American surprise this week. Thursday night we picked up a new volunteer and in one of the biggest coincidences in my time in Africa...he's from Idaho! It has been really cool to get to know him and it's nice to have another American around.

Saturday I got to experience a very key part of Ghanaian culture. I went to the funeral for the father of my school's headmaster. Funerals in Ghana are very big affairs. This one was held in Akatsi, about 3 hours east of Accra, towards Togo. The deceased man had 16 children, so there were a ton of people in attendance. Everyone wears black, brown and red. The funeral was held at his house, outside with tons of event canopies and plastic chairs.

One very different feature was the displaying of the body. His body was laid out on a bed and we all filed around it before the service. Then they had music and dancing which contrasted sharply with the somber mood of seeing the corpse. There were representatives from the family, his church and his work who read tributes. The service was conducted in Ewe and simultaneously translated into Twi (both local languages). At least the tributes were read in English but everything else was a mystery. The service lasted about 4 hours before the casket was taken to the cemetery. Also, he was a pastor of his church so his casket was shaped like a giant bible.

Sunday I hung out at the house and took Daniel (the spud) to Coco beach, near the volunteer house in Teshie-Nungua. It's been nice to show someone new around because I get to see things with fresh eyes myself. I've been in Africa for so long now that I sometimes forget that things work very differently here.

This week things have been normal. Classes are still interesting and challenging. I have finished poetry with my 7th graders and we are moving onto drama tomorrow. I am still doing a poetry unit with my 8th graders. In all the other classes, I generally treat grammatical subjects.

Tuesday was a holiday for Eid so I spent the day in Accra. I got my bus ticket out of Ghana for Saturday, November 27th. I am taking a bus to Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) and then from there, I will find a bus to Dakar. It will be my last, crazy African bus ride. I showed Daniel around Accra and he got to experience his first loud, harried African market.

Hope everyone is well. I will be back in Boise in a month and I can't wait to see you all.
Cheers! Daniel and I at the funeral
Gabriel, adorable kindergartener at school
Me and my boys

Togo

So I finally got a vacation and spent a great 4 days in Lome, the capital of Togo.

But let me back up a bit. School was quite exciting last week. Monday was the only semi-normal day. Classes proceeded as usual but I just finished up my prose section with the 8th grade class, so we spent half of class just chatting. People here are always curious about the United States and my life and I love to answer questions.

Tuesday, the fun began. The first day of the 'inter-house competition' was all about sports. The students played football (soccer), volleyball, ping pong, ampe (a clapping and jumping game for girls), ludo (a board game sort of structured like Sorry) and another board game that was like Mancala. The little kids also had two competitions: one was running with a lime balanced on a spoon, the other was filling a water bottle from a basin (using a cupped hand to transfer water). House 4, Team Yaa Asantewaa performed well all day. We won girl's ping-pong, ludo, and 1 round of water-bottle filling. We did respectably in football, volleyball and ampe. At the end of the day, we were barely leading by 2 points.

Wednesday, however, we fell behind. It was all academic competitions for this day. Each house nominated 3 students to represent the team. Then questions were posed to each panel. When a question wasn't answered correctly, or time ran out, the next house in line had a chance for bonus points. First, the students did the Spelling Bee and then moved on to subject-related questions. They had to answer questions on French, Social Studies, Math, Science and Ga. It was a spirited competition but house 4 got third place behind house 3 and house 2. There was a brief awards ceremony.

My kids tried hard but they need to study hard for the next competition. I congratulated them and then headed home to pack. This long weekend was a much-needed break from the daily grind at school. It was great to get away and spend some time exploring a new place.

Thursday morning started at 4 am and it took me about 7 hours to get to Togo. The border is only about 250 kilometers (155 miles) east of Accra. So, first, I grabbed a tro-tro into Accra and then found a bus to Aflao (town at the border post). From there, I walked to the border post, situated practically in town, and bought my 15,000 CFA (about 30 dollars) Togolese visa. I had no problem getting out of or back into Ghana. Borders have generally been pretty low-stress affairs in Africa. Lome is only another 2 kilometers east, so I decided to politely decline all the various offers of transit and walk into town.

Togo is very big into motorcycle taxis. They are everywhere, swarming the streets (and sometimes the sidewalks) like a pack of bees. I very quickly got sick of saying "Je veux marcher" (I want to walk) and just started ignoring all motorcyles. Lome has about 700,000 inhabitants so it is a sizeable town, but it was totally walkable. I wandered down the beautiful beach-side boulevard the rings the south side of town and found a nice hostel close to the beach. After settling in, it was still early, so I took one of those detestable motorcycles (sorry Mom) out to the east side of town. I had heard about an impressive juju market and wanted to check it out. Unfortuntately, the 'owners' of the market wanted to charge me just to enter and look around. After a heated argument with them (my French came back quickly) I decided it wasn't worth it. So instead, I explored Lome. The town is ringed by one big C-shaped boulevard (Boulevard 13 Janvier) and in 4 days, I walked prety much the whole thing, and most of the town (contained inside the "D" made by that boulevard and the one along the beach).

It was surprisingly sunny in Lome the whole time I was there. I had become accustomed to Accra's perpetual grey-ness so I actually needed to buy a cheap pair of sunglasses in town. I was quite sweaty from my wanderings so I decided to cool off in the ocean with a late afternoon swim. The beach is long and beautiful but it slopes down sharply at the waterside and the waves were a bit large. I found some people to swim with and had a good time.

Friday I decided to check out Lake Togo. I had heard that there were watersports available but I found the lake to be pretty dead except for some fishermen and some lazy pirogues (wooden canoes). So I spent the day reading and relaxing, had a swim, got some sun and ate some cheap street food. I certainly missed being able to find a filling meal for under a dollar. I also found out that Togo's southern coast is only about 52 kilometers (32 miles) wide. So when I went to the lake, I was basically at the border with Benin.

Saturday I wandered around town some more. I checked out the governmental district, the Place d'Independence and found a really cool artesinal market. I always like supporting artists directly, so I got some souvenirs there. I spent the afternoon at the beach and did some more reading. After all, that's what a vacation is all about, right? I even had to go to a bookstore in town to get more reading material. I scoured their used books section and found possibly the only 2 English novels in the whole place.

Sunday, just as I had become accustomed to speaking French again, it was time to leave. I walked back to the border. I was staying on the east side of town, so it was about a 4 kilometer walk. I got a baguette before I left Togo, because I miss that style of bread. Another smooth trip across a border and I realized that my passport is pretty much full. I have a couple of spots left for my stamps into Senegal and back to the States, but I will soon need to apply for extra pages. Considering how empty it was upon arriving in Africa, I'd say I have a very impressive collection of visas and stamps. The trip back to Accra was uneventful. I found a tro-tro to Accra and then another to Teshie-Nungua.

It's been a great long weekend! Back to the grind tomorrow. I'm about 2/3 of the way through my stay in Ghana. Another month and it's off to Senegal and then back home.

Happy Halloween everyone! As far as I can tell, it's not celebrated here, so no costume for me this year.

Cheers.

Me at the beach by my hostel.

The shoreline of Lake Togo.

Chilling beside the Lake.

Spare the rod...

So, discipline in the school system here works differently. I would say they follow the old addage "spare the rod, spoil the child..." And when I say "rod," I mean it.

It has been a big adjustment to see teachers caning children to discourage bad behavior. Every day I have to come up with new methods of non-physical punishment. It takes a lot of energy and some methods are more effective than others but I push onward.

Teaching has been full of new challenges, joys and frustrations. The children are wonderful and some days I feel like I am really getting through to them. Some days they are just loud, rowdy and not picking up what I am putting down. Naturally, every class has its stars and its troubelmakers and it has been nice to get to know the students better every day.

My newest source of excitement has been the inter-house competition. All the students are divided up into 4 houses, each named after a famous person. There is Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana's first president), Kofi Annan (A UN secretary general from Ghana), Barack Obama (the US president) and Yaa Asantewaa (the greatest female warrior Ghana has ever seen). So, I am in Yaa Asantewaa's house and I love a good competition. I certainly love to fire the kids up and spur them to suceed. So far at the last week's point tally, we are in first place! Next week there is a big competition with sports, games and a spelling bee.

Also, I spent the weekend in Tema which is about 30 km east of here with another teacher from Vivibon. Her name is Lucy and she invited me to spend the weekend with her and her big, lovely family. She has five kids: Harry, Selassie, Confidence, Firm and Desire. They range in age from 20 to 15 months and they're a lot of fun but a handful at times. Lucy taught me how to cook red-red this weekend, one of my favorite dishes. We also pounded fufu together and I spend time helping the kids with homework.

Sunday morning it was off to the Apostolic Church of Ghana. The service featured loud, upbeat music with a full praise band and a strong sound system. It also had a firey preacher with an assistant who translated the sermon into Twi line by line. Some of the songs were in English, some in Twi and all were projected onto the front wall. This was great for me to be able to sing along however Twi has at least two letters that English doesn't and I wasn't quite sure what to do with them. They look like an upside-down and backward "c" and a backward "3."

Spending time around a family was great. It was nice to get out of Accra for a few days and have some new surroundings. It was also fun to hang out with new people as I met Lucy's older sister, younger brother and parents during the weekend. I will include some pictures of my house here and my weekend in Tema. Hope everybody has a great week!

Take care!

Me and the family: Lucy and her five kids.

Me learning how to cook Red-red.

This is me and Etil, my nursery baby.

Big ripe plantains in my front yard.

Teshie-Nungua and Hohoe

Hello there everyone!

I am sorry I haven’t been updating as much but life here is a little less interesting than being on the road all the time. I am still in Teshie-Nungua, still teaching at Vivibon School and finally feeling settled in and grounded here in Ghana.

I would like to take a moment to talk about my teaching experience thus far and show y’all some pictures of my school!

So, Vivibon School starts all the way down at the age they call “crèche” which is like kids age 1-4. Then they have several nursery classes, which is like kindergarten and then grades 1-6 for primary school and junior high grades 7-9 (which they call form 1, form 2, and form 3). I teach French to all three junior high school classes and English to kids from grades 1 to 8. There is only one class in each grade with 15-20 students in each class so it’s not too big. I have also started hanging out in the crèche and just chilling with the really little kids when I have a break from teaching.

School here sure is different. I teach at a private school so everyone has to wear uniforms. They ring a bell to signal the end of a class but it’s done by hand and so it’s an actual bell! The students at every level have to learn English, math, science, Ga (local language), French, computer, religious/moral education, home economics, PE, creative arts, citizenship and social studies. They stand and greet me when I walk into the room; they also stand to answer a question. Many teachers use a cane as discipline which I am personally against. Each grade has class officers and prefects as well as someone assigned to hand out notebooks, clean the board, fetch me chalk, etc.

The infrastructure is different, too. There are very few decorations on the walls and no glass in the windows. It is basically a big concrete structure with openings in the walls for windows. We use a blackboard and chalk has sure been an adjustment for me. Things are structured differently in terms of notes, too. They have a notebook for homework, a different one for class-work and a different one for class notes. Handwriting and neat headings are very important. Often times teachers will dictate notes or write them on the board. Repetition and recitation are common teaching methods.

It is a lot to adjust to but I am learning. I make my expectations clear to my students and we get along just fine. Mostly I just teach whatever subject they’ve been working on, create homework for them and grade it. As long as I’m given a textbook or some idea of their current topic of study, I can make it up as I go along. As for my junior high students, I need to prepare lesson plans ahead of time. It’s a little harder to wing it with teenagers.

I am pretty comfortable here in Teshie-Nungua. I am close enough to Accra and I know the public transport system well enough to get around. Nevertheless, I still love to travel so I got out of the city this weekend and headed up north. I went to the Volta region in eastern Ghana, right on the border with Togo. Lake Volta is the largest man-made lake in the world and it is gorgeous. The whole area is lush and green and humid. I went to a town called Hohoe (ho-ho-ay) this weekend to visit what is supposedly the highest waterfall in Western Africa.

The Wli Waterfall is in the Agumasta Nature Sanctuary. It was an easy, 30 minute hike to the pool at the base of the lower falls. The whole area is very pretty, dense forest with lots of birds, butterflies and rivers. My guide pointed out papaya trees, orange trees, pineapple plants and cocoa trees. At the waterfall, I was brave enough to wade into the pool and walk all the way up to the falls. The water coming down about 150 feet was pretty intense and felt a little like a sandblaster at times, but it was worth it to stand in the waterfall. There were tons of bats chilling on the cliffs and the cool dip felt very nice.

I am back in Accra now, still teaching. I am starting to enjoy it although the kids can be quite the challenge sometimes. I will try to put up some pictures of my school so you can get a visual to go with my description.



Here you'll find:

The "teacher's lounge."

First graders, ground floor (remember there is no glass in the windows).

8th graders on the third floor.


The beautiful Wli Waterfall.

Photos VI

Hey everybody! I had a great week at school and things are really starting to come together now. I am putting together a schedule that allows me to work with all grades from 1-9 at least once a week. I will be teaching English for the most part but I also want to help out with the junior high school French classes (to keep my language skills sharp.) I really enjoy working with different age groups and I am looking forward to teaching more classes in the future. I have been doing a lot of observing to learn about the teaching style here but I have also already taught a few classes on my own. School is a constant challenge and it keeps me busy.

Here is the last installment of pictures, for now.

The huge mosque in Touba, Senegal. This is the quite possibly the holiest city in Senegal

Me inside the mosque

Me and the famous mud mosque in Djenne, Mali

Our bus to Ghana, complete with goats in one of the storage holds beneath the bus.

Photos V

Here's me on the roof of our hostel for the night. We slept on the roof because it was cooler. Behind me are the famous mud huts in the cliffs of the Dogon Plateau, Mali.

Climbing up toward the huts.














A shot down the valley amidst the old huts.















The Dogon people now live in huts on the valley floor.












A few days later we climbed all the way up to the top of the Plateau. Here's the view from the top.

Photos IV

This is the canopy walk in Kakum National Park (outside Cape Coast, Ghana). It is strung between the treetops, 100 feet above the forest floor. I am standing with our nature guide.

















Here I am at the top of one of the forts in Cape Coast, Ghana












Me in the stadium in Port Elizabeth for the Uruguay vs. South Korea game



Cape Town from the top of Table Mountain

This is Cape Agulhas, the southernmost point of Africa. You can see it is called the point where the Indian and the Atlantic meet.

This is me and the Wall of Names at the Memorial Monument in Pretoria, South Africa. Behind me are names of people who died for the independence of their country from apartheid all the way back to colonial times.

Photos III

Me and the sand dunes at Sossusvlei, Namibia









Sandboarding outside Swakopmund, Namibia




Salt Works in Walvis Bay, Namibia









Michael and I in a makoro. Okavango Delta, Botswana

The boardwalk in Maputo, Mozambique

Me in the Old Fort, Maputo, Mozambique

A very stuffed "chapa", local transport taking us south along Mozambique's coast to Ponto D'Ouro and then back into South Africa. You can see my backpack barely tied on near the back.

Photos II

Taking the jump off the bridge between Zambia and Zimbabwe at Victoria Falls

The view from the back of the Tazara Train

I got soaked at Victoria Falls

Here is the mighty Smoke that Thunders.

An elephant Skull in Victoria Falls National Park, Zimbabwe

Photos

I made it to Accra and I am getting settled in at the HWI volunteer house in Teshie-Nungua (about 40 minutes east of Accra). I have had a very relaxing few days getting comfortable here and exploring the area.

I spent today at the school, talked to the headmaster, met some teachers and sat through a 3 1/2 hour staff meeting. Today is all the administrative stuff and classes start tomorrow. I hope to be teaching English and then also helping out with French instruction. I should have my schedule this week.

At long last I have my netbook back so I can upload some pictures from my epic trip this summer. I am going to start with Tanzania and work my way back.

Here is Coco Beach just north of Dar es Salaam

Me on a dhow in Zanzibar

Uhuru Peak at sunrise

Me and Mount Kibo

Me standing up out the top of our safari vehicle. Herd of water buffalo in the background.

Safari!

Hello everyone and greetings from Nairobi. I had a great safari in Tanzania and now I am in Kenya, just relaxing a bit before I fly out tomorrow morning.

My safari started on Tuesday when I met up with a group of Europeans that were already out in the bush. They saw Lake Manyara and that was the one day I missed. We camped near the Lake and then headed out in our old but comfy Land Cruiser Wednesday morning. We drove to Ngorongoro Crater which is famous for its high concentration of predators, said to be the highest in the world. We climbed the outside of the crater, got a good view and then headed down into it.

At the bottom, we took off the roof panels. Our vehicle was equipped with three 'sun roofs', one running over each set of seats. So, as our trusty driver, Abrahim, navigated, all 5 of us stood up on our seats and enjoyed the ride. It was so much fun. We didn't sit down hardly at all during the day as our vehicle bowled along rough, dusty roads. And we saw a ton of wildlife. We saw 2 cheetahs from a long way off, plus the elusive black rhino, casually grazing about 100 meters away. We saw a bunch of lions, including a group of 4 (2 male, 2 female) laying in the savanna grass. We also saw 2 female lions fast asleep just 10 meters off the road!

Beyond predators, though, we saw a lot of prey. We saw some elephants eating in the acacia trees, zebras, water buffalo (done with the big 5!) and a huge herd of wildebeest. They were all over the road, just walking slowly toward one of the many lakes on the crater floor. We also saw Thompsons gazelles, impalas and antelope. The lakes were home to hippos, flamingos, storks and cranes.

We camped at the same campsite Wednesday night and I walked into town with Angel, one of the staff, to find some local fare. First I tried the red banana, one of about 80 different types of bananas grown in the area. Supposedly, this is the only place to find the red banana. It was good, a little bigger and sweeter than normal yellow bananas. I also wanted to try Banana Wine, the local brew. It is about 10% alcohol, similar to wine and actually very tasty.

Thursday morning we packed up camp and headed to Tarangire National Park. Here, we rode around in much the same fashion. The landscape was different, more hills and rivers, no lakes. It was also covered in huge baobab trees! Here, we saw tons of elephants. Whole herds of them! Once, we came across a family of 12 that was ambling slowly across the road. We just sat and watched as they passed by, from huge old elephants to tiny new-born babies. They were an incredible sight. We saw more lions, mostly just sleeping, but we saw two that were getting frisky under a baobab tree! Tarangire had zebras, antelope, gazelle, vultures, wildebeest and also lots of giraffes. At lunch, the birds and baboons were all very interested in our food. We ate quickly but some other groups got really harassed by the persistent primate attention.

All in all it was a wonderful safari. I got to see a lot of animals and some very cool landscape. I stayed in Arusha Thursday night and then headed to Nairobi on a bus Friday morning. Mike is busy hanging out with some Maasai friend he met in Karatu but I expect to see him sometime today. The road to Nairobi was terrible, very dusty and bumpy and under constant construction.

Saturday I explored the city on foot. I walked around downtown and then headed out to the suburbs. I saw a movie that afternoon, my first cinema in 7 months! It was quite the experience.

It's been rainy here so I relaxed on Sunday, went for an afternoon run and then walked around the government district in town. There are some very large, interesting buildings in Nairobi.

Today I plan to see the other side of this city. I am going on a walking tour of Kibera Slum. It is huge and famous, said to house over a million people, without any running water.

Tomorrow morning I fly to Accra to start my 3 month teaching gig. Wish me luck!
Cheers.

Mount Kilimanjaro

Well I am safely back in Moshi breathing all the lovely oxygen available at 2600 feet. I made it all the way to the top of Kili, Uhuru Point, at 5895 meters (19340 feet) and it was one hell of a journey!

Day 1 (Tuesday). I had a good breakfast, got picked up by Ahsante Tours and headed toward Machame Gate. In my van was Clive, the Aussie climber and a small army of porters. There was also a trio from New York (Jeremy, Triada and Sarita) that met us at the gate. We got all signed in, the porters divided up our gear and we set out. Our hike started at 1800 meters (5905 feet) and we climbed to 3032 meters (9947 feet) over about 5 hours. I went slowly to give my body ample time to adjust and I wasn't affected by the altitude until we got near the summit. The 11 km hike was a nice, gentle climb through some very interesting mountain rainforest. Dinner was excellent and I had a tent to myself so I was well fed and well rested throughout the trek. Upon reaching Machame Camp, after a short nap, I hiked up the trail for about 30 minutes with my guide, Chris, to acclimatize a little further. The motto is "hike high, sleep low" and it helps make the altitude easier to adjust to.

Day 2 (Wednesday). We got up at 6 am and Ahsante has this great tradition called "bed tea." Literally they bring you a hot cup of tea or coffee in bed to wake you up and start off your day. Ahsante was one of the more affordable tour companies but they had a lot of little perks that made the climb much more enjoyable. After a solid breakfast we hiked up to Shira Camp at 3847 meters (12621 feet.) It was about a 5 km day that took about 5 hours to hike. We passed out of the forest and hiked through rockier moorland. Again camp brought good food, a nap, acclimatization hike and a good night's sleep.

Day 3 (Thursday). This was a long day. We left Shira Camp and hiked for about 7 hours. We gained a lot of elevation, heading up to Lava Tower at 4530 meters (14862 feet) for lunch. After a rest there, we headed down to Barranco camp at 3985 meters (13074 feet). I took it slow again and felt pretty good at the top. While most people get a headache or other symptoms from the altitude, I think youth was on my side. My body adapted pretty readily to the changing altitude and I felt good enough to climb up to the top of Lava Tower. It was a sheer, 50 meter climb that required some rock climbing moves at times but the view from the top was amazing. Total hike was about 11 km.

Day 4 (Friday). We left Barranco Camp at 7:30 am and hiked 10 km in about 7 hours. This day is sometimes split into 2 segments to give people time to acclimatize but we stuck to the 6-day plan. We had to climb up Barranco Wall which was quite steep and narrow. Some parts required hand-assisted climbing. After a steep descent into Karanga Valley and then another climb, we lunched at Karanga Camp at 4130 meters (13549 feet). This is where some companies break for the night. Then we headed east toward Barafu Camp at 4681 meters (15357 feet). The Machame Route is a little harder than the Marangu Route (which can be done in 5 days) but has a greater success rate because you spend longer on the mountain and generally acclimatize better. We also see more sides of Kibo (the highest peak) because it starts on the west and wraps around to the east right before the summit hike. It was another 10 km day and it got quite cold and windy at the camp. We had an early dinner and hit the hay around 7 because the summit attempt starts at midnight.

Day 5 (Saturday). The hardest and most rewarding day of the trek. We were woken up at 11 pm for a quick "breakfast" of porridge and popcorn. Appetite disappears at this altitude but I kept eating well because I knew my body would need the fuel. At midnight, we began to hike and Chris and I made really good time. We passed a lot of groups on the way up and kept steady pace. I let my mind go blank and just focused on my feet. Nothing existed except for the meter of light between my feet and my guide's. It was only about 4 km to the summit but it is very steep and we climbed 1214 meters (3982 feet) in about 6 hours. I felt so good the whole first 4 days, I think I underestimated how difficult the summit climb would be. It took all my energy to keep putting one foot in front of the other. 4 kms seemed endless when I was advancing about 2 inches at a time. I didn't get sick but an extreme exhaustion takes over after a few hours. It's cold, dark and windy. You run out of breath but you can't stop or your body will get really cold. I was glad I rented snow pants and a big winter coat. About 3 am it gets even colder and my CamelBak tube froze. It was a painful climb but I made it. In fact, I got up there almost a little too early. I got to Stella's Point around 4:30 and it was still super dark. So, we sat for a very cold 20 minutes before slowly going the rest of the way to the top. I hit the summit just before 6 am and gradually approached the battered yellow sign announcing Uhuru Peak. We were some of the first hikers to arrive and we beat the sun by about 20 minutes. After a picture at the top, I was ready to head down because the body doesn't like that altitude and it was about 10 degrees F.

Of course the hike down still awaited. It took about 2 1/2 hours to get back to Barafu Camp. After about 10 minutes of descent, the euphoria wore off and was replaced by a sense of total exhaustion. I had no food in my stomach, no water to drink, almost no sleep the night before and no energy. I rested and snacked on chocolate and gradually headed down. After a well-deserved nap, we had to pack up camp and head to a lower camp for the night. Took about an hour to get down to Millenium Camp at 3700 meters (12139 feet) where the air was much nicer to breathe. 4 of the 5 group members made it to the top. The 5th had to turn around at Stella's Point due to altitude sickness. In total, about a 12 km day. We all celebrated our accomplishment with about 10 games of Uno and a hearty meal. Needless to say, I slept like a rock.

Day 6 (Sunday). Last day on the mountain consisted of descending on the Mweka Route to the Mweka Gate at 1600 meters (5249 feet). It was another 10 km hike that only took me about 3 hours. For the first half of the hike, the ground was solid and I was so ready to be off that rock! I hopped down the trail and made really good time. After passing through the cloud layer, however, the trail got very slick and I lost my footing a few times. This forced me to slow down until the last half hour where the trail was more gradual and less trecherous. I signed out at the gate and got my certificate proclaiming my successful summit climb. We all got a beer to celebrate and then headed back to town.

I want to thank my wonderful crew that helped me make it to the top. Chris was my guide and was so positive and encouraging. Pascal was the assistant guide and gave me the nickname "mountain cheetah" after I summitted. Emmanuel was a porter and the cook, his excellent food kept me going all the way to 19340 feet! Joseph served Clive and I all our food in our cozy little mess tent. Valerian and Jaffet were 2 other porters that made sure all my gear made it to camp before I did, set up and took down camp and filtered water for me. The guys were all amazing and so friendly. I learned a lot of Kiswahili on the trek and I am so grateful for everyone's hard work. Ahsante Tours did a wonderful job and I highly recommend them to anyone interested in Kili or other safari activity in the area.

So, I am back in Moshi, clean and well rested but still a little sore. I took my first shower in 6 days yesterday and it felt amazing. Climbing Kili was a very challenging experience but I am glad I did it and so happy that I made it to the top. Off to Arusha today to meet back up with Mike and hopefully plan a safari through Ngorongoro and the Serengeti. Only 1 week left to travel and then I head back to Ghana to teach English for 3 months.
Cheers!

Moshi

Hey there everybody!

So, I begin my trek up the mighty Mount Kilimanjaro at 7 am sharp tomorrow morning. Mike left today on a different route (Marangu Route) for a shorter but steeper climb. I will be taking a 6 day trek on the Machame route which takes longer but allows a little more time for the body to acclimatize to the extreme altitude changes.

We got to Dar on Friday morning and promptly found a bus to Moshi, a medium-sized town that sits at the feet of the mountain. We settled in at a cozy backpackers place and on Saturday, we started shopping for tour companies.

I had read that many companies are not good to their porters, so I decided to check out Ahsante Tours, which has a great reputation and caters to budget climbers. I really liked their vibes and they seem like a friendly, conscientious company. While Mike decided to arrange his own independent "hard-way" climb, I decided to go with these guys.

So, we lazed around Moshi Sunday since everything was closed and Mike set off early this morning for his climb. I met with the folks at Ahsante to go through all the details. They gave me a complete de-brief so I know how much we'll be hiking every day and the altitude gain for different sections. It is not going to be easy, but I feel more prepared than ever now. I joined up with a group of 3 people from New York and 2 Aussies but I will have my own guide. His name is Chris, he is very nice and quite experienced on the mountain.

I rented some gear from the tour company since I did not pack for sub zero temperatures and snow. Coming from the sun and white sand of Zanzibar, it might be a bit of a shock. I rented hiking boots, fleece, socks, snow pants and a baller winter jacket (that just happens to be orange and black, another good sign.) I walked around town with Chris this afternoon. I bought snacks for the hike and a headlamp. They didn't have any to lend and it's going to be essential since we start our summit climb at midnight on Friday, to ideally hit the top at sunrise Saturday morning. We had a great lunch of ugali at a local spot and then I packed up my bag to prepare for tomorrow.

I am so stoked to have the opportunity to climb Kilimanjaro. I am not so foolish to say that I will 'conquer' her peak, I merely seek the chance to join her at the top for a few minutes. I feel like I am in the right mental state now and I really like my guide. Ahsante Tours seems very on top of things and I know they will do everything they can to get me to the summit. So all that is left for me is a good dinner and a solid night's sleep. Tomorrow morning bright and early the trek begins. Wish me luck! Should be back to Moshi Sunday afternoon. I will let you know how it went next Monday.
Peace!

Dar and Zanzi

Hello everybody and greetings from the island of Zanzibar! We've had a really great time exploring two awesome Tanzanian cities: Dar es Salaam (Dar) and Zanzibar (Zanzi, not actually a city, but a whole archipelago, my bad.)

Dar was a fun town. We found a cheap hotel right in between the Muslim and Hindu districts. Every time we went for a walk, we saw cool mosques and temples. We settled in on Tuesday and wandered around. We walked to the ferry port, through a raucous fish market and then saw the botanical gardens. We had to wait out an epic rain storm all morning, too.

Wendesday we headed north to Coco Beach. We stopped at a really cool place on the way called "Wonder Welders." It is workshop run by a local group of handicapped artisans. They sell cool art pieces made of recycled metal and glass as well as handmade soaps, jewelry and paper. We hung out on the beach but swimming was difficult because the shores around here are long and shallow and rocky. It wasn't quite high tide anymore so the rocks were hard to walk out on, which was necessary to find a place deep enough to swim.

Thursday was a nice lazy day in town. We had some good local food at the Kariakoo market and wandered around that neighborhood (the native or black part of town.) Each district has its own distinct feel to it. I have also been practicing my Swahili at every opportunity and I have just now begun to train to climb Mount Kilimanjaro (or Kili). It's going to be tough, so I need to get in the proper mental and physical state.

Friday we headed out to Zanzibar on the afternoon ferry, called the Flying Horse. It took us about 3 hours to get out here. Zanzibar is the name of the whole string of islands so technically we are on Unguja, the largest island, the capital of which is Stone Town. We found a hotel in Stone Town's winding, maze-like streets and explored a little.

Saturday we spent in Stone Town and had a very cool day. We saw the old fort, the national museum and the beach. We ate local food with a group of rastas and then helped cook our own locally spiced and caught (octopus) dinner at the hotel. We went out that night to a reggae party and met 2 girls from Macedonia. We also happened to run into 2 people that we met on the train (Mike and Caitlin) and they came to the reggae party with us.

Sunday we decided to relax for another day in Stone Town. Everything here seems to move a little slower, us included. We ended up going to the beach in town and swimming. The water here is undescribably gorgeous! The beaches are full of white sand and the water is every conceivable shade of blue!

Finally Monday we moved on to a new city, still on the same island. We took a minibus, called "daladalas" here. We went southeast to a town called Jambiani on the eastern coast. It was so amazing! There is a 7 km long beach that runs uninterrupted all down the coast. 7 km long, that is, during low tide. The tide shifts by nearly a kilometer every 6 hours because here, too, the beach is very shallow and long. At high tide, the water rushes all the way up to the barrier walls and the waves get pretty big. We found a nice guesthouse and got comfy.

The next few days were all pretty similar. We ate good local food and relaxed on the beach. We swam in the waves and wandered around the town. I went snorkeling for a morning and saw a lot of cool underwater life.

Today is Thursday and we are back in Stone Town. It is taking us longer than we expected to tear ourselves away from this beachy paradise, but we are making progress. Tonight, we are taking the ferry back to Dar es Salaam before we head up toward Kilimanjaro! Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Cheers.

The Tazara Train

Happy Tuesday everyone. Mike and I just got into Dar es Salaam, Tanzania after a 30-hour delay in Kapiri Mposhi and a 58-hour train ride.

We got to Kapiri Mposhi (200 km north of Lusaka) Friday afternoon reading for the 2 pm departure. At the train station, however, we learned about a derailment of a cargo train on the Tanzanian side. So, we were delayed until they could clear it up and repair the tracks. We found a cheap guesthouse in this tiny little train town and just hung out for a day and a half. We met all the other white people on the train, similarly stranded. Mike, Caitlin, Sean, Matt, Eric and Adam (plus Michael and I) made for a very conspicuous group. We saw the nightlife and ate a lot of good nshima.

Finally Saturday night at 8 pm, the train left and we were glad to be out of Kapiri Mposhi. The train takes 48 hours hypothetically speaking, but we were on the "standard train" and not the "express" so we made a lot of stops. We ended up getting into Dar es Salaam at 7 am Tuesday morning, but more time on the train was not a cause for complaints.

The train wasn't too crowded, at least in first and second class. Plus we got a wicked 50% student discount on the tickets. I seriously recommend this as a very nice, relaxing way to travel. We mostly hung out in the lounge (i.e. bar) between 1st and 2nd. I had my own compartment to myself in 2nd class (until Monday night) because they have gendered cabins. 2nd class was pretty empty anyway, so I had a 6-berth cabin to relax in. Mike and Sean were next door and everyone else was in 1st class.

We had good, cheap chicken nshima and the restaurant staff brought it to wherever we were sitting when meal times hit. I also brought lots of bread and peanut butter to sustain us. The train was pretty clean and it was nice to be able to walk around during the journey.

We didn't really see any wildlife but the landscape was beautiful. Savanna gave way to mountains, forests and rivers when we crossed into Tanzania. Anyway, long story short, we made it to Dar es Salaam safely and the train was an enjoyable, albeit slow, way to travel. We are hoping to see Dar for a few days and then head to the legendary Zanzibar!
Hope everyone is well wherever you are.
Peace!

Zambia

The adventure continues! Mike and I spent a day in Zimbabwe, a long train ride, a great few days in rural Zambia and then headed to Lusaka, the capital.

On Thursday, we saw the mighty “Mosi-oa-Tunya” or “Smoke that thunders” from the Zimbabwean side of the falls. We were able to see more of Victoria Falls along the walking path from this side of the border although we got quite soaked in the process. It really is an impressive sight. The water crashes over a series of falls nearly a mile long and is crushed into the bottom of the gorge with such force that the spray coming back up feels like actual rain. We also walked around Vic Falls, the town just over the border (Zimbabwe’s equivalent of Livingstone.) We found a beer-hall with the help of a friendly local and tried the widely popular “Chimbuku”. This is also called “opaque beer” and it is made out of maize. It was certainly a new taste (an acquired one at that.) Maize is the staple food in this area and their main starch is ground, cooked maize called nshima, which comes out looking something like mashed potatoes. It is eaten twice a day, with your hands, accompanied by a small salad, sauce and meat (chicken, fish, beef or bushmeat.) It is super tasty and we eat it pretty much wherever we go.

Friday we packed up and prepared to head out of Livingstone. We took the train because it is several dollars cheaper than the bus but it took us 19 hours to get to Kafue, just south of Lusaka (a journey we were told would take 11 hours). The bus would have taken a third of the time or less but we wanted the experience. It was a slow, drafty ride overnight that allowed us to see a bunch of the countryside (as soon as it got light.)

Saturday afternoon, we finally arrived in Kafue. From Kafue we took a shared taxi east to a town called Chirundu, on the Zambezi River which forms the border with Zimbabwe. The mighty Zambezi is the river flowing over Victoria Falls and the Lower section is supposed to be teeming with wildlife.

Sunday we hiked and then hitched further east to a safari lodge to try and book a canoe safari. We got some helpful information and then took a boat transfer downriver to another lodge so that we could bargain directly with the people who offered river safaris. Unfortunately even their best offer was out of our price range so we decided to do something else in the area. Waiting for a ride east, we met a nice man named Mateo who told us about a local guest house with good food and good prices just 3 km up the road. So, we decided to walk it and soon found ourselves with Faith, the matron of Zindoga Guest House. We showed up right at lunchtime so she brought us into her hut and we had a lunch of nshima and fish with the ladies of the house. Their spontaneous hospitality reminded me a lot of Senegal and it felt good to see traditional African customs again. Faith (Mrs. Zindoga) set us up in the very affordable guesthouse and then we walked down to the river. A local man showed us the village’s extensive gardens (sugar cane, maize, tomatoes, bananas, squash, cabbage, sweet potatoes and lots of other crops.) We also met a fisherman and learned about the area. More nshima and local fish (Bream) made for a delicious dinner.

Monday morning we did a short canoe safari of sorts with a local man. He took us up river and we walked around on a mid-river island. We finally saw hippos! We came close to one chilling in the water and we saw a group of 6 off near the far shore. They really are cool looking creatures even though they are way more dangerous than most people realize. They are fast and aggressive both on land and in the water and hippos account for more animal-related deaths than any other African creature (except for maybe the mosquito.) We hung out all afternoon in the village with local children and young adults. We discussed life in our different countries and what people do for fun. The village doesn’t see a lot of tourists because most outsiders stay at the (way over-priced) safari lodges and this village wasn’t even on the map. We got lucky that we ran into Mateo and were able to find a cheap guesthouse that came with a genuine rural experience. Two white people, or “mazungus” were something of a novelty at first but after 3 days in Chiawa, we were part of the village.

Tuesday we went on a walk with local big man, Jackson Zindoga. He was sort of paternal during our stay, ensuring that we had a wonderful time and were well provided for. He owns the local grocery, bar and guest house and is well-known in the community. He even treated us to more “opaque” maize-beer our first night in the village (the local brands in Zambia are Lusaka and Nkhosi). We were able to relax and see how the locals kick back at the end of the day. Anyway, we walked around the surrounding area before packing our bags and saying good-bye to the very friendly people of Chiawa.

Earlier, we had learned that there was a large banana farm run by Jerry the Irishman. We visited him because we were interested in working on the farm for a few days to earn a ride to Lusaka on his bi-weekly banana trucks. Jerry informed us that, though we could not work, we could still get a free ride on the truck. So, we spent the afternoon watching the men harvest, separate, clean, crate and weigh over 400 crates of bananas. They loaded the truck and we set off. It took just over 4 hours to get to Lusaka and it was an enjoyable ride because Jerry had given us 2 dozen ripe bananas before we left.

Wednesday we saw the better part of Lusaka on foot. We ran some errands at the bank and then checked out Kabwata Cultural Village. I picked up some cool souvenirs directly from the artisans that make them and then we tried some nshima with bushmeat. We walked around to Lusaka’s golf course and polo grounds before doing the rounds in “Embassy Triangle.” We checked in with both the Tanzanian and Kenyan embassies to make sure we knew what the visa requirements would be for the last leg of our trip. We also went to Tazara House to get our train tickets to Dar es Salaam for Friday. Then we got passport pictures taken for our Tanzanian visas. It was an exhausting day!

Today (Thursday) we are tying up some loose ends in Lusaka. We will get our visas sorted out and then prepare for the 48-hour international train ride. Zambia has been a really fun country. The food is great, the people are friendly and it is full of natural wonders and wildlife. With just 4 more weeks to travel, however, it is time to move on to new adventures (which Tanzania is full of). Hope everyone had a great week!

Cheers.

Victoria Falls

Hey all! So, a couple things to add. Here is me going off the epic sandboard jump in Swakopmund. Not the best quality, but the guy caught me at a fine moment.

Also, it was so bizarre to drive on the left side of the road, on the right side of the car with the shifter on the left. It gave me some good practice. I think the weirdest thing was turning left on red.

Mike and I made it to Livingstone, Zambia with no problems. We settled into a nice backpackers hostel (camping outside since all the cheap options in town were booked). We explored town and found some great street food. We are definitely back to a more African-vibe area with big, street markets, cheap local food and people hanging out on the street. We have left the neat, paved roads and sterile malls of South Africa and are thoroughly enjoying Zambia.

Today we took a mini-bus down to the Falls. It really is the "Smoke that Thunders." We haven't gone into the national parks yet but we got some good views from the bridge between Zambia and Zimbabwe. The viewing is supposed to be better from the Zimbabwean side so we are planning to spend the day there tomorrow. Today, however, I was determined to go bungee jumping. The bridge at Victoria Falls has the world's 3rd highest jump at 111 meters (364 feet.) I must say it was totally worth it but also the scariest thing I have ever done in my life! It is more intense than skydiving because you have to throw yourself off the ledge when you feel like you aren't attached to anything. I personally prefer skydiving because you get a much longer fall and an upright landing.

Anyway, we are having lots of fun and planning our next week or so in the country. After that we are taking the train all the way to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. The adventure continues.

Cheers!

Namibia

Wow, Namibia is an intense country! First of all it is huge with some crazy landscapes, game parks and coastline. Second, there aren't many people here. About 2.1 million which isn't much considering its size. In fact, it is a lot like Idaho: a big open expanse of adventure (full of wildlife, light on people) that is somewhat hard to get around but totally worth the effort.

Needless to say I have spent the last 10 days exploring this rugged, varied and awesome land. Mike and I rented a car (with some other travellers we met along the way) and covered about 2,500 miles in 7 days. Yeah, I am still trying to catch my breath.

So, we got to Windhoek just fine after a 20 hour bus ride. Problem was, we arrived at 4 in the morning. So, Mike and I trooped over to a nearby backpackers hostel with Yuko and Jeff, two other travellers on the bus to wait til day light. It's funny because we later ended up renting a car with those same two travellers. Our journey together started in Cape Town and we didn't even realize it.

Anyway, we explored the town all day Sunday. We walked along a hiking path on a ridge that overlooks town (which is in a valley, kind of like Boise.) and saw a lot of historic buildings. There is very little public transit around Namibia and it is hard to see the really cool parts of the country without wheels or joining an organized tour. Problem was, the organized tours are super expensive! So, we decided we would go it alone, rent our own car and finally have some flexibility to see and do whatever we wanted to.

I must say, it worked out quite well. The car gave us exciting new possibilities but also came with a lot of responsibility. But we were able to see what we wanted to and the car performed brilliantly.

The four of us started out in Windhoek on Monday and headed south-west to a little town called Sesriem. We camped there Monday night because it is right on the edge of a big national park with huge sand dunes. We got an early start and explored the park on Tuesday. We even climbed up a dune to watch the sunrise. We visited Sossusvlei which is a big flat pan that has dried hard after all the water evaporated. It was a short hike over to Dead Vlei which was a similar thing. The whole landscape is full of white pans with towering red dunes. It was very eerie and totally cool!

After that, we headed up north along to coast to Walvis Bay and Swakopmund. I tried sandboarding in Swakopmund on Wednesday and it was so awesome! Sand handles a lot like snow but it is heavier so it grabs your board when you go slow and throws you into the sand. But if you ride fast, it is quite smooth. It is tough though, because you have to climb back up the dune after every ride. We drove around Walvis Bay, home to a huge salt works that supplies 90% of South Africa's salt and also a huge coastal wetland network that hosts a huge migration of flamingos. Maybe you are beginning to see that Namibia is a country of truly epic porportions.

We headed north again on Thursday but left Yuko in Swakopmund as she had to return to Windhoek. We drove up the so-called Skeleton Coast. It is a long barren stretch of trecherous coastline layered first with a row of sand dunes and then a large desert and finally huge mountains farther inland. Anyone shipwrecked here could be sure about their fate. In fact, it is famous for its shipwrecks and we saw a few of them on the way. We also stopped in Twylfelfontein which is home to one of the most extensive collections of rock engravings in all of Africa. The artwork depicted mostly animals and is estimated to be about 6,000 years old! We camped just outside Etosha National Park Thursday night.

Friday morning bright and early we were into the park and driving around in our little white Toyota Corolla. It was quite covered in dust by now from all the unpaved roads but it handled well the entire trip and wasn't too expensive split several ways. On the way to the first water hole we passed ostriches, zebras, springboks and giraffe. At the first water hole, we were lucky enough to spot a young male lion, lazily sipping water and laying down in the tall grass while all the other animals eyed him warily and kept their distance. Throughout the day, we traversed the western half of the park in search of game. We drove around the giant Etosha Pan which is a large flat area that was left after an ancient lake dried up. The water is low because it is winter and the dry season so game is concentrated at the few water holes that aren't dry. We also saw a female lioness later at a different watering hole. It helped to start early because the game disappeared some during the heat of the afternoon. We later saw wildebeest and a rhino with a baby!

We camped inside the park at Halali Lodge which has its own floodlit water hole. Jeff and Mike even saw elephants there late at night.

Saturday morning we headed out, you guessed it, early again. By 7 am we had seen 3 lionesses stalking across the plains as well as a reclusive leopard hidden in the bushes. We didn't spot these magnificent creatures on our own, mind you. We just happened to be driving past and stopped where a bunch of other cars were stopped and got lucky. We saw a lot more giraffe on the way out as well as eland, impalas, roan antelope and oryx.

We drove most of the day, letting Jeff off in Rundu because he was hitching toward Victoria Falls (where we are headed to tonight) but Mike and I had to return the car to Windhoek today. As a final last hurrah in the region, we headed into Botswana to see the Okavango Delta because we had one day left with our sturdy little Corolla. We mis-timed the border though because it is an hour earlier in Namibia than it is in Bostwana. So we got out of Namibia but then had to sleep between the two countries at the border. We got safely into Bostwana at 6 am Sunday.
We drove down to Seronga on the Okavango panhandle and organized a makoro (small, traditional dugout canoe) ride into the delta for the afternoon. We saw some fish, snakes, monkeys and a water buffalo skull. Our guide was excellent but we didn't have time to go find hippos, as they hang out farther away from the population centers.

Then, not a moment to spare, we drove south along the delta, reaching the border at 7 am sharp to cross back into Namibia bright and early Monday morning. On the main road, right after the border crossing we spotted a cheetah, casually crossing the road! We have been so fortunate with the wildlife sightings and this one was quite a luckily find. Driving back to Windhoek, we also saw baboons and warthogs on the side of the road. We are trying to catch our breath in Windhoek right now. We had the car thoroughly cleaned and will return it this afternoon. I also had my first proper shower in 3 days and am feeling mightily refreshed. It was quite a high-speed adventure through this part of Africa and I am ready to relax for a few days at the wonderful Victoria Falls.

Hope everyone is well.
Cheers!

South Africa part II

Mike and I are now in Cape Town and it has been a great 10 days or so since my last update. We headed to the Transkei aka the Wild Coast. We spent two days in a eco backpackers called Bulungula Lodge. We explored the area and saw a whale breaching (jumping out of the water) in the bay! It was so amazing, it just kept jumping for like 30 minutes. It was probably a southern right whale. We also saw two huge pods of dolphins. Wednesday we hiked 10 miles up the coastline to a spot called "Hole in the Wall". The name is due to the huge rock formation on the coast with a big hole in the middle. The hike took 8 hours because the coast line is very hilly and my pack weighs about 40 pounds. We spent Thursday in Coffee Bay, another few miles up the beach, but this time we hitched a ride there. The whole area is very green and the coastline is incredibly beautiful.

Friday was an adventure as we tried to head west but all the bus companies were full. We ended up getting two stand-by seats from Mthatha to Port Elizabeth with one company and then headed farther west to Swellendam with another company.

From Swellendam we headed south to the southern-most point in Africa at Cape Agulhas (I did the western-most in Dakar at Point Almadies, so I am halfway there.) From there we hitched a ride up the coast a little to Hermanus.

Hermanus is a cool little town and "The best land-based whale watching in the world." Well, we did a hike along the coast but didn't quite catch any whales.I tried to book a day trip shark cage diving but everything is super booked out since South Africa has seen around half a million tourists during the World Cup. Oh well, it just means that I will have to come back to do that.

Tuesday we headed north to Stellenbosch, just outside of Cape Town, which is the heart of South Africa's wine region. We walked the entire town in about 20 minutes. It is very picturesque but small. The most striking feature of this region of South Africa are the huge mountains jutting suddenly out of the countryside. Wednesday we went on a wine tour and got to see four different cellars all around the region. We started out at Simonsig in Stellenbosch and then went to Fairview, Dieu Donne and Boschendal in the neighboring towns of Paarl and Franschhoek. At Boschendal (established in 1685 and the 2nd oldest winery in South Africa) we had a contest to guess the age of the historic tree in their courtyard. I guessed 285 and was spot-on so I won a nice bottle of red wine.

Wednesday afternoon we took the commuter Metro train into Cape Town and found a nice backpackers on Long Street, which is a hopping district full of bars and restaurants in the heart of this big, beautiful city. Yesterday we settled in and today we started exploring the many, many sights here. We had an exceptionally beautiful day so we headed up to the Table Mountain Cableway. It is a rapid ascent to the top in a large gondola that rotates as it climbs to give the riders a wonderful 360 degree view of the city. We hiked around at the top and then headed back down into town. We wandered around the V & A Waterfront, got some great sushi and then headed over to Green Point to see the stadium.

Tomorrow we are hoping to see some more of the city. Cape Town is called the "Mother City" of South Africa. There is a lot of history here, including beautiful old buildings, museums, gardens, beaches, hiking, etc. Saturday morning we are heading north, off to Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. South Africa has been a great place to explore and I am thoroughly looking forward to seeing more countries soon.

I hope everyone is doing well. Happy 4th of July (a little late) and take care!

South Africa

Hey everyone! So, I hope that you have all been following the World Cup. It has been very exciting to get into the action right here in South Africa.

Mike and I made it back into South Africa. The train no longer runs so we took a more interesting route. We took a chapa south to Ponto do Ouro and spent the afternoon in the beautiful Indian Ocean. Then we hitched south-east to the South African border. We were picked up by very nice people and were able to hitch from the border into the next town, Kosi Bay, where we stayed the night. It was my first time hitching and it was necessary since we were far out in rural areas without much regular public transit.

The next day we took a minibus to Durban and spent 2 nights there. We explored the city which is gorgeous and very warm, despite the fact that it is winter here.

Thursday we took an overnight bus into Port Elizabeth and found a backpacker's hostel right near the beach. We picked up our World cup tickets on Friday and explored the nice town of Port Elizabeth (AKA Nelson Mandela Bay). We went to our World Cup match yesterady and saw Uruguay beat South Korea 2-1. We had 10th row tickets and the energy inside the stadium was insane! We had a great time and the numerous vuvuzelas (long horn-like noise makers) were not nearly as annoying as I thought they would be. We also watched Ghana beat the US to advance. Though it is sad for my home team, I am glad that there is still one African team being represented. Go Black Stars!

Today we are gearing up for 2 weeks exploring the rest of South Africa. We did some planning and found some very interesting sites that we want to check out. Tomorrow we head east to an eco-resort on the "Wild Coast" and then next week we will head to Cape Town and the wine country. South Africa has been a bit of a surprise to be honest. The towns are all very safe and well-developed and the extra security for the World Cup is visible everywhere. The people have been friendly and we have met a lot of soccer fans from all over the world.

I hope everyone has a great week.
Peace.

Mozambique

Hey everyone.

Mike and I successfully made it south of the equator and are currently adjusting to the major season change.

Thursday morning we flew out of Accra and everything went smoothly. We landed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia because I chose to fly Ethiopian Airlines. Well I highly recommend them! The airlines put us up in a nice hotel overnight, provided transport to and from the airport, took care of our visas at the border and gave us two meals at the fancy hotel! It was service like no other. I really wish I had time to explore Addis Ababa, it just means I will have to go back someday. It looks like a fascinating city.

Friday morning our flight was only minorly delayed and we flew from Addis Ababa to Johannesburg. At the airport, we were able to find transit directly to Pretoria. We spent two days in Pretoria which was plenty of time to explore. We stayed at the Hotel Victoria, Pretoria's oldest hotel and walked all over downtown. We visited the famous Church Square and saw the Palace of Justice where Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment. We also went to Freedom Park which is a beautiful hilltop memorial to all the people who have fought (and died) for South Africa's freedom.

Sunday morning we took a bus to Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. It took us about 9 hours to get here, but it was worth it! The border crossing was pretty slow and we had to get our visas there. We were also in a bit of a rush because the bus company warned us that we would get left at the border if the lines were too long. Luckily, we got through the Mozambican side pretty quickly.

We spent all day today (Monday) exploring Maputo. This is quite the town. It is pretty modern and developed despite Mozambique's gruesome past and fairly recent independence. We saw the old Portuguese fort, the cathedral, the train station, the central market and an artist's cooperative called "Nucleo de Arte." They displayed innovative art made out of old Kalashnikovs as well as local paintings. We watched more football games and met some cool travelers at a chill little backpackers' hostel right in downtown. We also walked along the major ocean-side boulevard and saw some cool municipal parks. It was a great day exploring this very interesting, dynamic town, "Africa's only Latin capital".

So, tomorrow we head back to South Africa. We are hoping to catch a mini bus to the border and then find a bus to Durban. Our soccer (football) match is Saturday at 4 pm local time in Port Elizabeth and we want to give ourselves plenty of time to get to the match city. Hope everyone has a great week!