Blogs from Africa - page 3319

it was our last day in serengeti. our mission: cheetah hunting. we drove about an hour from our hotel to enter a different section of the park where cheetahs are known to frequent. in this area of the park you are allowed to drive off-road. we start driving through the plains and circling the kopjes, or rock formations, that are common in serengeti. these rocks are often hangouts of lions, where they are often found basking in the sun. we drove for hours. nada. to give you an idea of the size of serengeti, it's roughly the size of england. and here we are trying to find the fastest, and one of the most elusive, animals in nature. "it's like trying to find a cheetah in the serengeti" should be the expression. finally after circling another ... read more

Hello Hello, Première semaine au Benin, plus précisémment au Centre Songhai à Porto Novo. L'endroit est magnifique mais ne reflète pas la vrai réalité du Benin, ce pays très populaire pour l'ancienne pratique de la traite des esclaves et pour le culte vaudou, le centre accueille plusieurs étrangers occidentaux et est plus ou moins adapté aux besoins de cette clientèle difficile. Effectivement, plus de 300 stagiaires sont accueillis annuellement pour différentes formations allant du microcrédit à la culture du riz. Le Centre a comme objectif premier la formation et l'éducation à l'agriculture, première source de revenu pour plus de 80% de la population béninoise. Pour plus de renseignement sur la mission, vision et autres du centre, voir ce site: http://www.songhai.org/. Nous n'avons toujours pas de projt défini et ce n'est pas faute de faire des pressions, ... read more

So, the first day when I have arrived here in Zimbabwe, I made a call back to Zambia to check on the status on of my work permit. The answer that was given to me was that it was almost ready and that I should check back tomorrow. So I spent the day doing a blitz tour of Harare, quickly getting a small feel for Zimbabwe and then the next day, with my bag packed, I gave a call to Zambia. But when I asked them which bus I should take back, they said it wasn’t quite ready and that I should call back again tomorrow. No problem I thought, I get another day to explore the city in a bit more depth. So that’s what I did and the next day, again with a full ... read more

Welcome to Fes! You see this impressive blue and green tiled door? This is Bab Bou Jeloud. The entrance to Fes el-Bali. The Old Fes. It's Tuesday, 4pm. It's pretty dusty. Two hotels to the right. One, fully booked. The other, expensive. Now, turn right. Walk down. Hotel Lamrani. Little silver haired Mohammed says hello. Put your bags down. You've got a place to sleep and take a (cold) shower. Back in the streets. People don't stop. People drink. People shout. People run. People watch people. People talk to people. Close your eyes. Smell the spices. Can you hear the muezzins' prayer calls? Sip your mint tea - slowly!!!! it's pipping hot. The hustlers bring you back to reality. You have to say 'La shukran' (No, thanks) and escape them! Quickly. You have to get lost! ... read more

So here I am. No longer roaming through beautiful Canada. No longer working every waking moment through the entire UK. I AM IN CAIRO!!! Arriving at the first stop in the big adventure was daunting, the fact that it was the middle of the night was a mere inconvenience. Looked for my pre-arranged driver named Ahmed that would hopefully be looking for me as well. Sounds easier than it really was. There must have been at least 10 other guys that grabbed my hand, "I have taxi for you" "No no Miss, not him, I have cheaper price for pretty lady" And then at the end of the line, there he was. Phew- task one is over with, now let's get out of this airport! Ever lost your car in a parking lot? It wasn't the ... read more