Durham to deliver the jeep James and Barbs' GPS directions took us straight to the address in sleepy Durham, with the university its only real focal point. We briefly stopped at the train station to check departures to local airport to pick up hire car (if we could get a stupid internet connection, everywhere seems to have WiFi but no computers, grr!). The earliest train left at 7.15pm that evening (airport only 12 miles away, not ideal!) Arriving at address to drop off jeep all we could really hope for is the owner of the jeep to be hospitable and kind [View Full Entry]

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After hitting the rack early last night, I was hoping today would bring great things. Best laid plans, right? After waking up on the hour throughout the night I was hardly refreshed. I woke up at 8:30 and after some brief planning, I finally sucked it up and got set to hit the road around 11:00 am. After loading up the car with all my gear, I started to leave the parking lot and noticed a shimmy in the left side of the rental car. I got out to inspect the cause and found the culprit - a flat left rear [View Full Entry]

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Home! All luggage arrived House fine, but grass desperately needs cutting Filthy laundry soaking - the "whites" turned the water instantly gray Need shower, but no hot water yet as tank needs to reheat Exhaused after 40 hours of travel - must nap now for several hours More soon... [View Full Entry]

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Life has been busy since my last entry--I successfully defended my dissertation, moved to North Carolina, started my dream job, helped Ken and the cats move into our new apartment, and started planning for my next trip abroad--South Africa! My first trip outside of the U.S. was to South Africa back in 2001. I went back in 2005 for my master's thesis project, but now that I am directing a 5-year HIV prevention project in Cape Town with couples who hang out in bars, I will be there on a fairly regular basis. My first trip for the project is mid-January, [View Full Entry]

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So, in just eight days I leave for the land of milk and honey... and then promptly head south from France to Mali, the land of goat and millet (ooh... I do love goat). I've got my visa, I've got my shots, and I've got my Internet-generated nickname (Carravanquelo, which means god knows what)--what more do I need? (Well, I suppose a place to stay in Bamako would be nice, but that will sort itself out when the time is right.) Anyway, the plan is to leave Raleigh on September 16, arrive in Paris on the 17th, catch a ride from [View Full Entry]

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This is my first Blog ever. I have written a few short things on Myspace before, but nothing worthwhile. I also used to think Blogs were a silly concept. After all, who would really care to read MY ramblings? However, now that I am going on my first trip to Europe, a friend of mine suggested that I start a blog to chronicle my adventures there. I figure, even if no one reads them, at least it is a way to share my thoughts and pictures with people when I get back home, and even look back at old trips I [View Full Entry]

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Wednesday afternoon, after updating my blog at the library I head out to visit a couple of parks in and around Greensboro in my attempt to make sure my pups stay happy on this trip. Obviously, they're spoiled. We walked through the Bog Gardens, the Bicentennial Gardens and Barber Park; I think that'll do it for a while, at least until Lynchburg. While I was out I decided to call Duke (only an hour away) to let them know I was in town, to see if I could maybe stop by for a short visit before Sunday. Ms. Barber, the assistant [View Full Entry]

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So, I have left Burkina Faso and I'm now exploring North Carolina. I left due to a number of factors, but none of them are serious enough to affect my love for Burkina. I had it rough at times, but overall I like it a lot. Now I am living and volunteering in the Triangle area of North Carolina. I must say it is very beautiful and I am enjoying myself a lot. I am fostering the best dog ever and her 6 puppies which are super cute so if anyone in the area wants to get a great xmas gift, [View Full Entry]

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Almost two months has passed, where did the time goes? From an late summer, I entered an early Fall, and that means a change of colors in the NE: and have to miss:(? October 17-22, Smokey mountains, Blue-Ridge Parkway From Nashville, I drove in my car and my car in theirs to the border with North Carolina for a couple of days of a more nature experience. Before getting to that, you have all what makes the Smokies the best visited park in the USA with 2 millions visitors a year: an arcade, trill-full, bad-food tourist towns of Gatlinburg and Cherokee. [View Full Entry]

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a few pictures from an afternoon at the ballpark. [View Full Entry]

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