Enveloped in the darkness, and flying in this metal contraption at thirty thousand feet, I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. Looking back at this past year, I realized how tired I felt. Though I've learned much, I've also had to deal with a lot more stress than is probably healthy. Any excuse to escape from this twisted rat race of society, even for a short while, is very welcome. Here I was heading to Roadburn festival 2014! I've longed to experience European festival culture, and at last I finally would. The Roadburn festival began more than ten years ago in Tilburg, a city in the south of the Netherlands. It consists of bands specializing in heavy metal, doom, black, progressive, experimental and psychedelic genres. One of my favourite bands of all time, Opeth, ... read more

With less than 24 hours of rest from our climb, we were off 250 clicks west on a four day journey to see some east African wildlife. Our driver and guide was named Wynluck, a very nice and well spoken man in his late 50's. He drove a Toyota landcruiser with a roof that popped up for game viewing. On the drive out there, we passed through Moshi and the second largest city in Tanzania, Arusha, as well as many small villages dotted along the way. We also spotted many indigenous Massai people, identifiable by their colourful garbs and heavy jewelery. They lived in straw huts and primarily herded cattle. We arrived near Lake Manyara, and would be staying at this inn called Haven Earth at the top of a small hill. It lay in a ... read more

It had been less than half a year since I was in Africa, and I could not be happier about returning. While I was in west Africa last time on a humanitarian school trip, I was now headed to east Africa for the main purpose of climbing the highest peak on the continent, Mt Kilimanjaro. My folks were coming along with me. My mom, who had been planning this trip for years, had asked me if I wanted to take part because she knows I love climbing. My dad would be attempting Kili as well (although he didn't train) but his primary focus was photography. Our trip began with an 11 hour layover in London, England. Upon arrivin, we made our way through Heathrow and got onto the tube, taking the picadilly line all the way ... read more

Another packed day lay in store. Duke and I woke up super late and we scrambled to get our gear together and have enough time to eat before taking off. In what was probably our nicest accommodation yet, I was insistent on indulging in the breakfast provided and I needed to fuel up asap. Ultimately we had about 10 minutes to chow down before loading up on our new and improved mini bus. Everyone was pretty quiet on this morning as we headed to the Manhyia palace in downtown Kumasi. It was built in 1925 by the British and housed the King of the Ashanti, and is now a museum showcasing Ashanti royalty and their interesting history. The Ashanti once controlled a great empire stretching over a vast swath of West Africa and used a golden ... read more

We departed Abor for the last time in the wee hours of the morning. Our short time at the hospital now complete, we were off for a few days of sightseeing through Ghana before our unfortunate departure home. Our three hour ride back to Accra ensued (most of which I slept through) and when we arrived we met our driver and our guide named Cosmos. Gaby also came by to say hi to us and it was so good seeing him again. We then made our way north for 12 grueling hours. Approaching the north the road was no longer paved and we hit brutal stretches of nausea inducing path, until we finally reached the northern region and Mole National Park. Everyone was so wiped, and thanks to our crammed tro-tro, really sore. Needless to say ... read more