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 … [Read more...]
A Few Words about Tanzania
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 … [Read more...]
A Few Words About Kenya
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 … [Read more...]
1,000 Words About Malawi
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 … [Read more...]
Urban Farming in Kibera
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 … [Read more...]
BorderJumping Ethiopia! One farmer teaches by example…
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. … [Read more...]
Botswana Safari
Where does a person go if she wishes to view the largest elephants in the world in their natural habitat? Botswana, specifically she would embark on a Botswana safari to Chobe National Park. This park is so enormous it can claim four separate ecosystems. There are more than elephants to view of course; the area has an impressive predator population that includes lions and hyenas. Another spectacular destination for a Botswana safari is the … [Read more...]
Egypt Uncovered
A vast expanse of sand stretched out before me, the fine soft grains covered in abstract monoliths of all shapes and sizes. For a moment, I felt as though I had been transported onto the film set of a "Star Wars" movie. All I needed now was my son's light saber and you could call me Luke Skywalker. The rock-strewn landscape glittered like gold in the midday sun, the harsh rays bouncing off the twisted structures. Eager to get a birds eye view … [Read more...]
A Journey In The Gold Coast:In Ghana
It was breezy late afternoon as I descended boarding EK 781 in the fertile soil of Ghana, a country in Western Africa. Indeed, it was my first visit to an entirely Black African nation with hospitable people. The uniqueness of humidity caught my attention next as we steered through traffic. Accompanied by my Ghanaian lawyer from the airport going to the place I was to stay. Ghana has a typical tropical climate: two rainy seasons in the … [Read more...]
ALO’s guide to Morocco, Outpost of the Middle East
"Sure," I said, waving goodbye. I hadn't the heart to remind her that the film was shot on a Hollywood sound stage in the 1940s and that Rick's Cafe opened in Casablanca only three years ago. Nine short miles across the Straits of Gibraltar from the Southern Coast of Spain, Morocco, the world's westernmost Arab country, looks both ways'to its ancient roots in the Middle East and north to its European neighbors. Long an outpost of the Roman … [Read more...]
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