Blogs from Africa - page 23

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Africa » Tanzania » North » Mount Kilimanjaro January 5th 2023

From the Female Traveler: A solo trip is about you and what you need or want to do for yourself. The best solo vacations give you a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment and help you grow as a person. Regardless of whether or not you have done this, always remember that traveling alone can be a defining moment. The fact that you can travel alone is a gift and privilege, and you should use it to the maximum of your ability. Above all, don’t forget to have fun! Over the last few years of solo travel, I have met more and more fellow solo travelers. The common traits are: independence, confidence, inner peace, and good planning. On my last trip to Europe, I met some interesting travelers, since it was winter, and not the tourist season. ... read more
A lonely road?

Africa » Egypt » Upper Egypt » Aswan December 28th 2022

Egyptian series: I swam in Aswan -Piprey on wheels Aswan is a tranquil city by the Nile, far away from Cairo making it a splendid destination to taste the authentic Egyptian food and experience Nubian life. After another excellent Egyptian dinner, I woke up early (truth is that I hardly slept) for the big trip to Abu Simbel. A boat rowed us to the mainland and then we started off in a 3-hour convoy through a flat, desert road, south of Aswan through the Sahara desert. At 5 am check point, the police checked our nationalities insisting for some reason on only British and Spanish. The sun winked but we were not to be humored, trying to catch up on our sleep. We stopped at a shanty but tea for 40LE, forget it. When we reached ... read more
Abu Simbel main entrance
Tall statues in Abu Simbel
Philae temple

Africa » Egypt » Lower Egypt » Cairo December 25th 2022

Cacophony in Cairo - Piprey on wheels Egypt is a dream destination since time immemorial. In ancient time, Socrates, the Greek philosopher travelled to Egypt to visit the pyramids. I was most excited and planned a 2 week dream itinerary. I am writing a travel series to focus on these fascinating Egypt cities. Cairo was my entry and exit point to Egypt. British Airways flight from London to Cairo was delayed by 1.50 mins because supposedly a crew member had called in sick at the last minute ( and so that they do not have to offer refreshment vouchers applicable for delay above 2 hours). I had a satchet of masala tea and a paper cup. Shopped around for hot water and sipped a masala tea with homemade cheese toastie in a quiet corner at the ... read more
Building lift
Pyramids of Giza
Inside of Khufru pyramid.

Africa » Egypt » Red Sea » Hurghada December 17th 2022

Finding Nemo in Hurghada - Piprey on wheels Hurghada is an Egyptian Red sea coastal town, famous for snorkeling, scuba diving and a beach holiday. If I took a flight, I had to change at Cairo. The best option was to take a train from Aswan to Luxor and then bus from Luxor to Hurghada. Train and bus journey from Aswan to Hurghada To catch the early morning train, I arranged a private ferry to the jetty closest to the railway station. I pulled my suitcase for the last leg of 300ms to Aswan railway station. No tea but grabbed a nice lebanah baguette. As soon as the train pulled off, I was staring at my clock. Was it not supposed to reach Luxor at 7.49am? I even stood at the train compartment door with my ... read more
Red sea
The dark batches are the corals
Sea shells on the boat board

Africa » Egypt » Lower Egypt » Cairo December 15th 2022

As a former longtime resident (and now a somewhat infrequent visitor) of this incredible country, I’m often asked about planning “bucket list” trips to Egypt: what are the do’s and don’ts? Is it safe? And so on……given my extensive experience, it’s time to write a Primer Guide and make a valiant attempt to address the myriad of questions I frequently receive - so here goes…… A dream trip like this isn’t easy to plan but it can be done – just be prepared to do extensive online research, talk to people such as myself who know the country well, and read everything you can about Egypt. With that data in hand, yes you can pull off a once-in-a-lifetime vacation. For most tourists visiting the Great Pyramids of Giza; the tombs in the Valley of the Kings; ... read more

Africa » Egypt » Upper Egypt » Kom Ombo December 13th 2022

Crocodile and other temples of Egypt -Piprey on the wheels My cousin had mentioned as not to be missed and I was determined to see these magnificent ancient temples. I went the Egyptian tourist board at the Luxor train station to book a private car. After a lovely breakfast of Brinjal (Mesaqa'ah), Ful medames (fava beans with olive oil and cumin), ommlette, red hibiscus cold drink and tea, I was picked up in style by a private car. I asked to see the Esna temple but the tourist agency said that it would be de-tour as it was on the other side of Nile. The countryside was simple with some banyan trees, tall kash grass and cultivated in a narrow strip of land by the river. At every checkpoint, the police checked the tourist permits and ... read more
Horus leading pharoah to afterlife
Crocodile mummies
Two birds repeated twice is name of Cleopatra

Africa » Egypt » Upper Egypt » Luxor December 11th 2022

Legends of Luxor -Piprey on wheels Luxor was formerly called Thebes or Waset. It was the capital of the Pharaohs. It encapsulated all the wonderful things of ancient Egypt. A long-distance train from Cairo at 8am to reach Luxor at 8pm, took about 12 hours. With my zero knowledge of Arabic, conversation was impossible. Perhaps, a flight would have been a better idea. The grilled chicken lunch of the train for cost 125 LE and was bland. My co-passenger on the window seat shared his lunch of thin, long baguette with cheese and thin, meat salami which was much tastier and filling. I bought some knick-knacks like hair bands and gave two to the two young sisters playing about in the train. At Luxor, my co-passenger showed me the correct way out to the city center. ... read more
Inside Hatshetput's temple
Inside a tomb in the valley of kings
Luxor temple

Africa » Egypt » Mediterranean » Alexandria December 7th 2022

Egyptian series: Ace of Alexandria -Piprey on wheels Alexandria is an ancient port city on the Mediterranean Sea. It is located on the fan like delta of Nile and named after the Macedonian conqueror, Alexander. I caught VIP train (second class) at 8am from Cairo Rameses train station to Alexandria. To tide away time, I bought a 3 LE Pretzel and 5 LE Egyptian tea. The station was as chaotic as any other megapolis with newspaper men, shops selling thin, small baguettes with cheeses and processed meats, a variety of fruits, locks and keys etc. A comfortable journey to Alexandria after 3 hours or so and I was hungry. Ate a falafel sandwich at a local eatery and followed my nose with the sea breeze to the marine promenade. Alas, there was a line of cafes/ ... read more
View from the window
Marine parade
Sunset

Africa » Kenya » Coast Province » Mombasa December 4th 2022

These are the kinds of weird sights that I live for when I'm traveling abroad. Sometimes my eyes take in hundreds of oddities a day (an hour?), but only rarely do I have a camera at the ready to capture them. Here are a few fun ones from Mombasa that just don't fit into any of my other blog posts, but I wanted to share anyway. I found a really weird chimney at this alley-way restaurant that looks like it was envisioned by Dr. Seuss. These guys at the Bamburi junction were selling the so-called "Flintstones" weights that I know so well. We had these kind of weights at Steve's gym back in 2007 (dubbed the original "CrossFit Kenya" on CrossFit.com) and I built myself some while I was living in Thailandmany years later. This tuk-tuk ... read more
Heavy lifting
Weed.  Nuff sed
Dr. Seuss?

Africa » Kenya » Coast Province » Mombasa December 3rd 2022

We held a commemoration celebration for the Rastafari Community Development Office on Saturday the 3rd of December. On the Ethiopian calendar, this is the day of the Kahinate Semaye (heavenly priests) who appear in the Book of Revelations. It was an appropriate day, we felt, to praise His Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I and to celebrate the opening of this mission for community development. InI the founding members (Ras Franklin, Ras Simba, and myself) were joined by some Sistren and Bredren from the greater Mombasa area who made the trod to visit the library for the first time and join us in Ilabrations. We held Nyahbinghi ises, ate exclusively fruits, and held reasonings. We were joined by video call with Ras Untunga of THE ETHIOPIAN WORLD FEDERATION, INC, who made a powerful presentation on the importance ... read more
Ras Simba represents
Glorious Banners




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