gred78

Say it ain't so Jim...... say it ain't so! The end of the road... I guess the road didn't really end, we just somewhat reluctantly got off of it. Somewhere out there intrepid travelers are looking a near global recession in the eyes and hitting the road anyway. Thanks to all of you who kept us in your thoughts and helped will us home safely... fingers toes and hands intact. Traveling and meeting other travelers along the way is cathartic in that it lets you know that your not insane. While packing up your possessions and hitting the road is not something you can do everyday, it is nice to meet other travelers on the road doing the same things you are, sharing the same risks and rewards and assuring you that when you get back ... read more

Botswana… As a lover of all things African wildlife I have heard stories and wanted to visit Northern Botswana for years… Northern Botswana did not disappoint and delivered a very “basic” safari/camping experience. The country of Botswana manages tourism tightly and has pushed prices up, to limit the volume of tourists… this means more money for them, and more pristine habitat for animals and humans alike. While this approach helps keep the numbers low, it makes it harder for those on a budget so for this go round we joined a group of 9 others for a camping safari. The campsites were ultra basic, basically a designated spot in the woods with no running water or facilities of any type and we would pitch tents, cook over an open campfire and provide free fertilizer to the ... read more

After not showering for a week (thank you wet wipes) and dealing with hyenas at night we were looking for a change of pace and headed off to Zanzibar… which is yang to a safari’s ying I guess. We spent our time in Zanzibar between Stonetown, Nungwi and Kendwa… each a little different, but great in their own right. Stonetown The city has been around for hundreds of years and is a mix of Muslim, Arab, Asian and (of course) African influences… one of the ports draws is just walking the old towns narrow alley ways and taking in all that is stonetown. I walk here and want to take pictures of everyone and everything around me as it is very picturesque… everything from the oversized doorways with ornate metal decorations, to the colorful clothing of ... read more

Luxor is billed tongue and cheek as the hassle capital of Egypt… and the city apparently takes the title pretty seriously and works actively to live up to the hype… enter Luxor. The economy of the city of Luxor is heavily dependent upon tourism… or was anyway prior to this little revolution that happened in the country back in January. As far as revolutions go it actually wasn’t that bad… no civil war, no genocide, minimal casualties and a still functioning government… sounds pretty good for the political future of Egypt… but the revolution was disastrous for tourism as westerners universally watched and gasped in unison as Anderson Coopers’ silvery mane was unceremoniously and publicly frumpled on the streets of Cairo… things just haven’t been the same since. In the face of a shrinking tourist dollar ... read more

Yes blogs are out of order... I got behind and started posting current blogs (Serengeti) and will back post Egypt shortly... Turkey wasn’t even on our list of places to visit when we set about planning this trip… we were supposed to go straight from Manila to Cairo Egypt before the good people of Egypt decided (after 30+ years) that they were through with Mubarak. As we watched events on the ground in Egypt unfold we opted to add Turkey as a stop right before Egypt as a resting and replanning place if Egypt had descended into civil war by this juncture of the trip… As it turns out there is no civil war in Egypt… but we still had tickets through to Turkey where we would spend a few nights and my birthday before heading ... read more