Ok so when last you saw me it was in Senegal, at night, on the side of the road, in questionable company, hitch hiking to St Louis with about an hour to go....Definitely not what was intended!As fate would have it our angel of mercy appeared in the form of a fly 20 something year old with fresh haircut (so full of complicated razored intersecting lines and angles as to confound even Pythagorus) in shiny black car, reverberating with pumping bass, sporting multiple air fresheners and juju beads hanging in a cluster from the rear view mirror. He and his equally slick traveling companion took pity on us, flew us to St Louis in record time, and deposited us gratis in what was probably the closest to Hades that I've ever been and ever hope to ... read more

Let's see...there was the night in Croc River camp, an un fenced campsite in lush Zambia, where all day monkeys had terrorized us stealing sandwiches, water bottles, lens caps...anything that wasn't nailed down. Where hippos (and hopefully not crocs) had wallowed in the river not far from where we were camped and lions roared mightily in the not so distant distance That evening we were briefed on proper night time safety protocol: 1. Walking to the toilets at night always hold your headlamp in your hand and sweep the area far in front of you 180% from side to side with the light....you don't want to surprise or be surprised by anything large and aggressive on its way to some important rendezvous. 2. If possible let someone know where you are going or go with a ... read more

I don't know how many shades of green there are on planet earth. But am sure that all of them can been seen in a glance out the open sided truck in Malawi....gorgeous! Vast lake Malawi is 160km long and 60km wide and boasts up to 1,000 species of aquatic life, it is the most diverse fresh water habitat in the world. We have taken on 4 refined, educated, 30 something Northern Europeans and the entire tone and intellectual level of the truck has improved. The literati and I paddle out to the island in the lake and are joined by an Italian biologist who is doing research on lake Malawi. An afternoon of snorkeling and interesting conversation restores my faith. People in this region of Malawi are poor, struggling but smiling and kind...I buy too ... read more

How many of us have sat next to total strangers on an airplane and either divulged our deepest secrets or been the recipient of amazing stories? In my case on the flight from Livingstone Zambia to Johannesburg South Africa I was gifted with an amazing real life story by my seat mate. Let us call her Mimi. As she sat next to me I noticed her no-nonsense natural haircut, capable hands, clean but inexpensive white shirt and lack of jewelry save for a large tigers eye ring on the middle finger of her left hand. (A gift she said). She had veiled darting eyes that hid all but missed nothing...curiously got the better of me....I spoke first. Throwing out a drag net I hinted at my adventures, New York, my fascination with Tanzania, the mysterious appearing ... read more

At the border BAM! Zambia is on and poppin! Efficient and correct, not overly nice...we were all done in half an hour. Money collected, passports stamped...Next! This is definitely another country. Auto parts shops, bicycles for sale....they want to keep moving forward And are hustling for it. Driving deep into the countryside: high school boys and girls make their way home from school, crisp white shirts, pleated skirts, ties flying in the wind. Packs of little children run long distances barefoot to and from school ...they race against all odds to make it... This is the bright side... Many of these are the children with sponsors.... Zambia has the worlds 3rd highest death rate with life expectancy of only 38 years. 86% of Zambians live below the accepted poverty line of $1 per day Only 57% ... read more