Blogs from Africa - page 2976

The Tsingy National Park, is a World Heritage Site and well worth the trip if you ever get the chance! I say that because we ummed and arrred about going because of the cost of the 4x4 necessary to get there, but were very glad we did. They are basically a huge collection of amazing limestone pinnacles. The Petits Tsingy around 40-50 feet high and the larger Grands Tsingy another group 20Km north which are more like 100-150 feet high. We spent 2 days climbing on, around and squeezing through these bizarre, sharp and tuneful rocks (they rang like metal when hit). The park is basically dry when open in winter, but closes in December for half the year due to the heavy rain which makes the place inaccessible and helps carve some more weird shapes. ... read more

Dar Es Salaam is a very strange city, the kind that is neat to experience but you would never want to stay for any length of time - at least in my eyes. It is the capital city of Tanzania and is so full of contrasts. As we arrived into the ferry port at Dar Es Salaam, I was pleased to see that it wasn't quite as chaotic as I had been told it was. As a matter of fact, only one taxi driver approached us to offer his services, and even quoted the correct price when I asked him "How much to the Peacock Hotel". I always know ahead of time how much it should be and if they try to rip me off by doubling the price, I refuse to use them. It is ... read more

November 11: We crept into Benin at twilight, after hours of frustrating travel to the East frontier of Ghana and across Togo. The country appeared unremarkable at first sight: a plain of grassy earth punctuated by a few modest mud structures and tall palm trees ending, rather abruptly, at the deep blue waters of the Gulf of Guinea. The chartered taxi that we were traveling in dropped us in the nondescript 'burbs of Cotonou, the tiny francophone country's largest city. Here, hundreds of zemijohns (motorcycle taxis in various degrees of upkeep) thundered down the streets shrouded by a brown haze of exhaust and dust. We quickly found a few willing drivers and sped off through the congestion and chaos to the Jonquet district of Cotonou. After finding a spartan but tidy room at a nearby pension ... read more

It's here so very early! The house is busy with boxes! We were expecting not to receive the container until December! and the Hedgehog, well that's one I never expected! Well November is already half way through and the time is just flying by. It hardly seems possible that we have already been here for 2 months. With thanksgiving just around the corner and the holidays fast approaching I know everyone back home must be busy about getting things prepared for family and friends and all the get togethers we tend to have this time of year! We are planning on having a Thanksgiving meal here at the staffords house next Thursday as well. All the Missionary families and guests that are here along with some of our co-laboring Tanzanian & Kenyan families. The container ... read more

ended up negotiating a tent to sleep in, which was lovely. camp fires, beach sounds, village sounds, and even animal sounds (including lion roaring yesterday morning) rocked me to sleep. went on safari the next day. got ripped off by the park ranger. hired a local vehicle. took a local amazing guide who knows so much---for any travellers coming across this---andrew starting a new "warthog camp". was going to be great budget trip. five minutes into the drive we have to forge a newly-formed river. made it. see some giraffe, antelopes, lots of warthogs, beautiful birds, some kind of rare antelope type things (so im not great at remembering this type of thing but i wrote them all down somewhere and have pictures ill put some up). got stuck in the mud. spent most of the ... read more