Well, I'm back in Calgary but thought I better write an entry for my time in Madagascar... The landscapes, flora and fauna of Madagascar really are out of a fairy tale land. Walking around the tsingy I couldn't believe that this was actually what the rock really looked like, and lets not forget watching the lemurs jump from tree to tree, decent distances too. Unfortunately Madagascar is also very poor and it snaps you back into reality, you want to do something to help these people, but what is the best and most effective way??? I arrived in Madagascar with no plan and very rusty french and no Malagasy at all....but by the next day I was on a trip to float down the Tsiribihina River and go see the Tsingy (means to walk on your ... read more

Wow!!! I've covered a lot of ground since my last entry. I joined an overland tour in Livingstone and over the past couple of weeks we have driven through Botswana and into Namibia. After leaving Livingstone, Zambia we crossed back into Botswana and headed for Chobe National Park for a game drive and a cruise. Botswana has so many elephants, thanks to their anti-poaching laws, that they are now culling them, so in Chobe I saw lots of elephants and giraffes as well. Seeing them on the islands in the river was especially nice. From Chobe we headed to Maun, our jumping off point for the Okavango Delta (I believe the largest inland delta in the world). Even though it is the dry season in southern Africa, the delta is currently in flood. The water comes ... read more

Hi Everyone, First off let me apologize for the lack of pictures again...I now have all of the tools necessary to get pictures on the blog but the computer that I'm on keeps crashing when I'm adding them. So at my next opportunity I will give it another try. I was sad to see my time at the beach end because it was so relaxing but I shared a taxi to Stone Town, a shoppers dream...and a serious navigational problem to solve. The streets are walking streets super narrow with bends and dead ends. By the end of my 2 days there I had basic routes mapped out and under certain circumstances may have even looked like I knew where I was going! The food in Zanzibar was delicious and I took full advantage. I did ... read more

6 days of hiking brought me to 5050m and back down the mountain. We had some great weather for the hike and wonderful guides they were all so nice and helpful. On the day we were to climb to the top we woke up at 11pm and started to climb at midnight. I couldn't believe how cold it was. The night was clear and we climbed slowly, we were scheduled to reach the first point on the crater 5 hours later for sunrise. I was feeling good and hadn't yet feld any of the affects of altitude sickness and was optimistic about my chances. However just after we climbed past 5000m I all of a sudden thought I was going to pass out. I sat down put on my down jacket and drank a little water ... read more