Blogs from Africa - page 3306

Hello hello! Another updates, this time about my week in Yendi, a town/city about 100km from Tamale. During my tour on the first day by one of my co-workers, I was told that Yendi is “a big small town in West Africa” I laughed at the time, but looking back it’s a pretty accurate description. I really enjoyed my time there actually, and I’m looking forward to going back next week for another 5 days. Yendi is the Dagomba capital (Dagomba is the most prevalent tribe in this area), even though Tamale is the political capital of the Northern Region. It hasn’t been influenced as much by western culture as Tamale - there are no multi storey buildings, the food is pretty traditional but things are definitely changing - they have just opened their first internet ... read more

This is the first time we've been back to Egypt since 1997. Oh, how I've missed it! They say that if you drink the water of the Nile, you'll be sure to return. They're right.. Ahh, ya Eskendereya.. :)... read more

Geo: -24.1401, 30.9286Going on safari has been one of my most long lived dreams and eventually I got to do it! And it definitely didn't fail expectations, it was even better. I was amazed we were lucky enough to see as much as we did in only 3 days. We managed to see all of THE BIG FIVE (elephant, rhino, lion, leopard and buffalo) Quite an achievement! Safari does involve a lot of driving and I found it very difficult to stay in the car and not get out to try and hug the lovely animals, especially the giraffes who were my favourites. Such a funny looking animal yet so elegant! It really is quite something to see the animals in the wild, especially as some of them are just so huge they seem completely out ... read more

Perhaps the most unnerving part of entering a new country is what makes it so exciting: namely, the uncertainty. Things one has gotten used to (if only for a few weeks) can be swept aside in the few innocent steps that take you across the border. There are practical considerations: money looks different; a dollar can vary from 70 cents (Jordan) to 1.5 million (Turkey) in local currency; the food is different; the language is different; transportation, hotel, and restaurant standards change and must be re-learned. Perhaps the most important change is the renewed uncertainty of one’s position as a foreigner: am I welcome? Am I walking dollars? Am I held responsible for the sins of the West? Do people wish I hadn’t come? Finding one’s niche can be a stressful and long process, particularly when ... read more

Jo, ett par saker som jag glomt beratta; Pa kvallen den 11 hittade jag antligen ett par skor jag kunde anvanda. Helt syntetiska, ratt ackliga pa det viset, de skapar svett i mangder, men sa mjuka att de ar underbara. Har gatt i dem sedan dess utan problem, det var en underbar kansla! Dessutom har jag sedan skaffat en scarf, fast Klas kallar den en hijab, sa vi enas om att det val ar en scajab eller hijarf. Det ar onekligen lattare att ga pa gatorna med huvudet tackt, men samma erfarenhet har jag a andra sidan ocksa haft i Italien, sa det ar inte speciellt for arablander. Na, onsdag: Morgon och vi har ett tuff-tuff-tag att passa. Det ska vara med luftkonditionering, har vi fatt uppgift om, och det stammer verkligen! Det ar nastan sa ... read more