Cairo ... Aswan ... Luxor ... Dahab ... Red Sea ... We've been everywhere!!! Our tour is going better than either of us had expected (truthfully we were shell shocked after our tour in Kenya and were REALLY afraid of who/what we would encounter)! So far, our guide has been really cool (and knowledgeable - he doesn't make up random facts like the last two have!), the people we are travelling with are really nice - no more self absorbed crazy people! And small world ... there is a man on our tour who lives down the street from us, [View Full Entry]

---

---

Egypt Baby, Yah!!! It was a little bit wierd being in countries which celebrate Christmas all the way up until Christmas Eve, and then POOF, we get to Egypt and Christmas disappears! Egypt so far has been really cool ... the people are incredibly friendly and we are not afraid to wander around on our own ... so automatically the country gets a huge thumbs up from us!!! People stop us on the streets just to say "Where you from? Welcome!" ... it's awesome to get such a friendly greeting from the locals. Cros [View Full Entry]

---

---

Safari Time!!! We arranged a 9 day Safari through Gap Adventures and couldn't wait to see the animals! We were super excited to go to Kenya ... but got a nasty surprise when we realized that Nairobi is NOT a safe city! We only spent a day there though, then headed out for the safari. Our tour group consisted of 8 people ... and it was a bit of a trying trip because we really clashed with a few of our fellow safariers. It's amazing how 1 or 2 people can really affect the group dynamic ... Ugh! Five of [View Full Entry]

---

---

After 5 days in Kigali, we decided to sign up for a "community based" tour in Ruhengeri, about 2 hours north. We boarded a bus for $3 and off we went! The intention of the tour is the give travellers the chance to really meet Rwandans and experience true Rwandan culture. Day One - Street Kids Project After arriving in Ruhengeri we were taken to a project which helps male children who are not living at home - either because they don't have homes, or because there are problems there. The project invests time into these kids, and teaches them useful [View Full Entry]

---

---

Sooo... HOW IS RWANDA!!!???!!! That has been the most common question in our emails, and the answer is AMAZING!!! When we mentioned to a man in South Africa that this was where we were headed next, he said "Oh, well don't forget to bring your flak jackets!", but nothing could be further from the truth! (Mr. I-Know-Nothing clearly lives under a rock!). We knew enough to know that there wasn't a war going on, but still weren't too sure what to expect, and really, when we got off the plane, both of us were a little wierded out knowing what had [View Full Entry]

---

---

"If you had known yourself, and you had known me, you wouldn't have killed me." The reason we came to Rwanda was because we both felt very drawn to the history here, and felt that it was important to experience for ourselves what happened in the genocide of 1994, where more than 800,000 people were killed in 100 days. The genocide was very systematic, and was completely ignored by international communities, as it was downplayed as a "tribal conflict" between the Hutu and Tutsi tribes. People, mostly Tutsi, were killed as violently and humiliatingly as possible. W [View Full Entry]

---

---

The second half of our time in South Africa wasn't as cheery as the first. South Africa is a beautiful country ... but it is a country divided. There are still so many problems here, and even though we are not locals, or experts, we picked up on the tension in the air almost immediatelly. The people here wear their hearts on their sleeves ... meaning there is a "no bullshit" attitude, and they tell you exactlly what they think. Racism is alive and well in South Africa. It is incredible. Most interesting though, is that we felt it more from [View Full Entry]

---

---

Oly Chit Mang! We are in South Africa!!!! We don't even know where to start!!! First off, we should say that we are PLEASED AS PIE to be in a land where English is widely spoken ... although we still greet people with "Hola" and "Senor". Haha, such gringos we are. Cape Town is absolutelly beautiful!!! There are amazing beaches and mountains ... and the government really makes an effort to conserve their enviroment (for both plants and animals). We notice that it is really clean here - not sure in comparison to Canada, but to ANYWHERE in South America, this [View Full Entry]

---

---

We are equal opportunity kindof people, so welcome to the Brazil side of the falls, and THIS is why you need to see both sides!!! Brazil was stifling hot (kindof odd, considering the two countries are seperated by just a river) ... and random fact for you: in just taking the bus over the border to the other side of the falls, we were given all the usual "cautions" again... you know, the "Be careful, they will kill you over there" kinda warnings. Fantastic. We didn't actually go into the town on that side, just the falls, but it was all [View Full Entry]

---

---

We love waterfalls!!! They seriouslly have to be the MOST amazing thing that nature has to offer (well except for sea lions who nibble on your flippers when you snorkel with them)! Seventeen hours on a bus turned out to be not so bad (thanks to the complimentary champagne, whiskey and Robin Williams going on an RV trip with his family). We had heard GREAT things about a place called "Hostel Inn" (creative, isn't it??), so we hopped into a cab and 10 pesos later, arrived at the worst hostel SA has to offer. Except for the monsterous swimming pool (which [View Full Entry]

---

---