As we talked to locals in Gaborone, Botswana’s capital city, people were so proud to talk about the things they love about their country. “We are free here, our country is so peaceful, you don’t have to be afraid,” said one. “You can criticize the government, you have free speech, free elections,” said another. Botswana is indeed an incredible country. Home to not only the most beautiful wildlife we’ve seen yet, including elephants, giraffes, impala, kudu, and warthogs, Botswana is also where we’ve met some of the friendliest people. And […]

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Full disclosure: We had never heard of the Republic of Mauritius until the day we bought a ticket to go there. When we arrived people seemed shocked to meet two people from the United States-hotel clerks, cab drivers, and vendors who’ve worked on the island for years said they never met Americans before. Yet, this is clearly America’s loss because sitting in the middle of the Indian Ocean is one of the most incredible countries we’ve ever visited. We always try to reduce our carbon footprint by traveling via public […]

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Sometimes it’s good to be cautious–and other times it’s better to go with your gut. People told us not to visit Madagascar, that political conflict made the country unsafe for tourists. But we decided to go anyway because if we had listened to those voices, we’d never have gone to Nairobi, Kampala, or Kigali. We are cautious when we travel, but aware that our best and most eye-opening experiences are places well off the beaten path. And, Anantanrivo, Madagascar’s capital city, is a place we fell in love with. The […]

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The bus ride from Lusaka, Zambia to Harare, Zimbabwe lasted four hours longer than it should have (total trip was nearly 12 hours). We spent four hours at the border crossing, where everyone’s belongings were examined, less for security and more to squeeze as much money as possible from undeclared goods. Baboons outnumbered travellers at the crossing and, having mastered the art of swiping food from unaware passengers, they seemed to want to be near the humans most afraid of them (ie. me). We started our first day in Zimbabwe […]

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We love the energy of Maputo. It is vibrant, entrepreneurial, positive, and alive. Though Mozambique is not without its problems, its capital city is clearly on the move, transforming itself and melding some of the best parts of its rich and diverse cultures. We spent the first day visiting a workshop organized by Prolinnova, the Spanish NGO Centro de Iniciativas para la Cooperacion/Bata, and the National Farmers Union of Mozambique, UNAC. The workshop brought farmers together from across the country to share with each other the different innovations each farmer […]

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Bugs. When I think of Zambia, I think of bugs. It started when a mysterious little creature bit Dani on the side of the head. We spent hours monitoring the swelling as it inched closer and closer to her eye, applying cortisone, and praying that we wouldn’t have to go to the clinic. Thankfully, Dani’s head didn’t explode and the bite went way. Despite a mosquito net, our favorite bug repellent (Dani has a newfound love for chemicals), and donning clothes head to toe while we slept-the bugs were everywhere. […]

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We’ve taken some long bus rides in Africa. We spent eight bumpy hours on a bus from Nairobi to Arusha and another eight from Arusha to Dar Es Salaam. The longest so far, though, has been from Kampala, Uganda to Kigali, Rwanda. Once we finally arrived, we quickly realized, that we’ve never traveled anywhere quite like Rwanda. Fifteen years ago one of the largest modern genocides occurred here. Our visit to the genocide memorial museum in Kigali, was a painful reminder to us that, as Jews, our shared global commitment […]

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People here are very laid back and the feeling is contagious! We managed to go three days without a cup of coffee didn’t seem to mind. You hear the words “Hakuna Matata” everywhere. Literally. Internet services down nationwide all day? Hakuna Matata… Flights cancelled? Hakuna Matata… Two hours in wall-to-wall rush hour traffic in Kampala? Hakuna Matata… In the Mukono District, about an hour outside of Kampala, Uganda, we met Edward Mukiibi and Roger Serunjogi, coordinators of the Developing Innovations in School Cultivation (DISC) project. Edward, 23, and Roger, 22 […]

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A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Kigoma, Tanzania. Actually, we never even made it to Kigoma. Precision Air, one of only two airlines that flies to the remote region, had just suspended all flights for the next several weeks and the other airline was all booked. No worries, we headed to Zanzibar instead… Everywhere you look in Zanzibar there’s a bounty of fresh vegetables, fruit, and spices. One of the “Spice Islands”-a group of islands that supplied cloves, coriander, nutmeg, pepper, vanilla, and others to Europe in the […]

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Our entry begins in Maralal, Kenya, a place mostly known for its wildlife. And as we made the seven hour, bumpy trek from Nairobi-half of it on unpaved roads-we saw our fair share of water buffaloes, rhinos, impala, and giraffes. But we weren’t here to go on safari. We were here to meet with a group of pastoralists-livestock keepers who had agreed to meet with us and talk about the challenges they face. Although most of these people don’t have access to cable TV or even radios, they do have […]

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We spent a couple of amazing days in Lilongwe, Malawi – although it was cut short because we took an emergency flight back to Canada for the funeral of Bernard’s grandmother (by the time you are reading this, we are back in Africa). We arrived after a long journey that started in Kampala, Uganda — and there’s nothing better than arriving somewhere new and having a great place to crash (at only $30 a night for a double). What makes a good hostel in Africa? If it were just the […]

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Originally posted as a two part series on the Worldwatch Institute’s Nourishing the Planet blog. Part I: Vertical Farms: Finding Creative Ways to Grow Food in Kibera Driving through the crowded streets of Kibera, it’s nearly impossible to describe how many people live in this area of about 225 hectares, the equivalent of just over half the size of Central Park in Manhattan. Everywhere you look there are people. People walking, people working, people selling food or tennis shoes, people sorting trash, people herding goats–people everywhere. Anywhere from 700,000 to […]

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We met Kes Malede Abreha, described by our guides/interpreters as a “farmer-priest,” on his farm near Aksum, Ethiopia in the Central Zone of Tigray region. A small, wiry, soft-spoken man with a neatly trimmed beard, Kes Malede is one of the leading “farmer-innovators” in his community. Roughly eight years ago, he started digging for water on his very dry farm. His neighbors thought he was crazy, telling him he would never find water on the site. His wife even left him, moving their children into town. But about 16 meters […]

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