Les and Peter

We left Istanbul and headed inland to Cappadocia. It's incredible here, the landscape is like something from a different planet. There are solid towering cones all over the landscape that were formed from ancient volcanic erosion. The locals call the cone- like formations "fairy Chimney's". Apparently because they couldn't imagine humans building them, so they figured fairies did (?). The history in this region is quite overwhelming and we hardly managed to get it all. But, it's mentioned in the bible and has been inhabited since the 6th century BC! Many of the caves were transformed into functional spaces and used as houses, churches, and factories. Entire cities were built using the structures. Unfortunately the iconic intolerance of Muslim invaders and European treasure hunters is apparent everywhere. Many of the frescos and ruins in Turkey have ... read more

We kind of left Africa with a little pang. As frusturating as it was from time to time, it was always exciting, new and somewhat challenging. It was never for a second dull. When we arrived in Sofia, Bulgaria, everything felt so sterile and easy. The interesting part was that we could just sit and relax, take a breath and not really worry about anything. Nobody stared, nobody called us 'tubop' (Sengalese for white), nobody badgered us for anything and, because Peter arranged for a rented car during our time here, we didn't even have to bother with a taxis! We arrived at our "backpackers" and took it easy. We had become quite accustomed to eating Yassa and Mafe. Both delicious Senegalese dishes with lemon and peanuts etc.. but when we sat down for our first ... read more

Travel is so easy in South East Asia. Generally, you arrive at the bus station, buy a ticket and have a cushy, air conditioned drive to where ever. Not in Africa. There is little to no public transport in many African countries, so most travel is done using 4WD vehicles or "sept-place" taxis, French for "7 seats". That's 7 people crowd into a little wagon that seats 7 (5.5) people. On first glance the whole ordeal just appears very haphazard and confusing, but once you get the hang of it, there's quite a rhythm to the madness. I've met my fair share of people trying to rip me off, I haven't had too many problems in the past, but this one takes the cake: We got a taxis outside our hotel in Dakar. We were told ... read more

Who would have thought that it'd be hot in Africa's Sahara Desert in the summer?? Somewhere, somehow, Peter and I neglected that minor detail when we set off with our little, rented Renault. Holding tight to our budget, we also neglected to investigate the car rental personnel's look of curiosity when we said 'no' to the more expensive car, with A/C. It's difficult to explain how hot +50 is, but the best way, is to sit in your oven right before you put in the Turkey... a convection oven would be perfect...the ones that blow the hot air around. As a matter of fact we discovered that closing the window is actually better than keeping it open, further proving that convection ovens do work better, as with the windows closed, it took us about half as ... read more

Well about 30 hours out of Zanzibar via Nairobi via Amsterdam via Heathrow via Gatwick we arrive in Marrakesh. All this instead of flying direct from Tanzania to Marrakesh to save a mere $2000.00! Thanks to Ben for providing us with comfort, a much needed shower and a great meal at a Thai restaurant during our brief stay in London. We didn't get the heat in "Africa Proper" re Tanzania/Kenya, as one of our fellow English travellers said, but we sure got it now! 45 degrees was waiting for us at Marrakesh airport. Off we went to try our bargaining skills on the local taxi crew. He was a tough nut to crack for us polite Canadians, but we agreed on 130 dirhams about $20 cdn. Higher than Lonely Planets suggested cost, obviously due to the ... read more