the blue list of africa...

Heading north from Sesriem to Swakopmund on the coast, the land was pretty bleak. There weren't many places to stop for gas except for an aptly named place called Solitaire.

The gas station here is famous for it's delish apple strudel. Mmmmm...fresh-out-of-the-oven 10 cm by 25 cm chunk of apple strudel. I looked for strudel in Frankfurt, Germany (waiting for the connecting flight to Jo'burg, SA) only to find out that it originated in Austria. It was ironic that I found it in Namibia (out in the middle of nowhere), a former German colony back in WWI. Anyway, I'm glad I got my studel when I did because shortly after this pic was shot, the "Rollen Hotel", a massive overland truck, rolled into the station. At least 30 German tourists piled out and they went straight for the apple strudel.

The Ultimate African Itinerary.

Recently I received an email from Aubrey (whose thinking of a prolonged 8 month trip through Africa) asking for a top ten list of must see/do's on the "dark" continent. That was a daunting task to say the least. After reviewing my responding list, I don't think I did Africa justice. Here is what I came up with:

1. Egypt. all the big sites in Cairo and along the Nile. if you want to get off the beaten path, i'd get out to siwa oasis in the west. Dahab's ok.
2. Sudan. see as much of this as possible. particularly along the Nile in the north.
3. Ethiopia. If there's only place you want to see that is Ethiopia: Simiens for walking, Lalibela, Gonder, Axum (maybe), Danikil depression (if you can afford it), Harar, Omo Valley, Gambella. you can easily kill a couple of months here. such a beautiful place. Test you mettle as a traveler though. The roads and people will challenge u.
4. Kenya. Definitely head out to Lamu on the coast. Nairobbery is not so bad. Couple of days to re-charge there. Didn't make it to lake turkana. My bad. definitely next time for me. if you make it there, please post the pix.
5. Uganda. Rafting the Nile is a must (here, Zambezi river in Zimbabwe or both). Lake Bunyonyi in the south. Kampala is pretty lively (ie. chaotic), definitely worth a visit. I was going to the north but got side tracked.
6. Rwanda. See the gorillas here. You'll be able to get permits on the spot. Pricey but worth it. Kigali is nice. Lots of genocidal memorials to visit.
7. Tanzania. I climbed Kilimanjaro a long time ago. Don't know if it's worth it anymore. it's nice up there though. Zanzibar is pretty interesting. Good source of photos. Ngorongoro crater is like a zoo (animals and tourists). I really recommend getting out to Kigoma and riding the SS Liemba down Lake Tanganyika.
8. Malawi. Another hangout spot. I'd recommend Senga Bay and Point Maclear if you want to hang out by the Lake. Livingstonia's not bad.
9. Zambia. I wish I spent more time here. Livingstone is a big tourist hangout. I believe that's your base for seeing Victoria Falls. They're pretty nice. But you can't go there without rafting the Zambezi, another must do.
10. Botswana. Expensive place but you must get to Maun and into the Okavango Delta.
11. Namibia. Etosha National Park, Swakopmund/Walvis Bay, and Sossusvlei are the must sees. in fact, if you only go on safari once, i recommend etosha.
12. South Africa. I wish I could spend more time here. Capetown and Johannesburg are nice. Kagaligadi National Park was just brilliant, really wild. The Garden Route is a bit overrated. I'd certainly check out the Otter Route next time. It's a hiking trail along the south coast.
13. Mozambique. Poor poor poor place. Maputo is a must. Pretty vibrant city. Go up to tofo if you're into snorkeling with whale sharks. You don't want to miss Ilha do Mozambique either.

Ok, I tried my best (I couldn't keep it to ten items). Just too many variables to crunch.

Tell me what you think of the list, 'cause I haven't been everywhere in Africa...

Not wanting to sound corny, I should have wrote, "go and meet the people and feel fortunate everyday that you're in Africa." Well, at least that's how I felt when I was there...

Aubrey is based in Dharamsala, India, right now, hanging out H.H. the Dalai Lama. Check out his blog Ketchup with Aubs for swell pix and stories of his travels.

Mpulungu, Zambia

for January 16th, click here...

What an awful name for an awful place I should have stayed in Lusaka [ed. note: i arrived early to ensure that i would catch the SS Liemba]. There's absolutely nothing here. Lk. Malawi was much nicer. At least there was something going on [there] - fisherman/beach.

I heard from the restaurant lady at the hotel that the Liemba has overstayed in Mpulungu an extra day for the last few trip. I hope not this time.

I'm really not enjoying myself. I went to a local eatery today just down the road. As usual, i was the only white guy (mzungu) there. I'm quite use to being stared at by now. It's the constant "mzungu", Nihon, Japanese references that are beginning to wear thin. Hell, I'm not even past the quarter way point of the trip. Relax, relax...

On the positive side of things, I got a call from LB/LG and their dad today! I spoke with my sis yesterday on the bus!! I love this phone...

lusaka, zambia

For January 15th, click here...

...I had another dead end conversation with a Zambian guy [at the guesthouse last night]. This time it was with an off duty cop at the guesthouse bar. Usually starts off with the same old pleasantries. Then he starts naming off a list of Zambian places where I should go visit (expensive places). He names Livingstone [town by victoria falls]. [then] i suggested that he should visit Vic Falls as well and partake in rafting. I said not to worry because there are "Zambian prices". He's clearly pissed off. He says he can't even afford the bus ticket. Ok, man, i get the point. Well, things deteriorated after that little terse comment. We go over my African itinerary once again. He sat there shaking his head at how "rich" I was. Totally pissed off, he turned his back to me and I don't hear another peep out of him. oh well, what was I supposed to do.

All conversations lately seem to tend this way. They usually ask for employment or a way out of the country. I hate it.

big announcement...welcome to the 21st century...

hello my friends...

first, i'm still in lusaka. except for good internet access here, i find nothing really remarkable about this town (in fact, it's a bit of a shithole -- no insult intended to my zambian brothers). reminds me of nairobi. lots of people, mainly uneducated idiots, are calling me japan or china and making utterances that are suppose to be ramblings in japanese/chinese. i was shopping today with my new friend, jenny, from the netherlands/malaysia. she's chinese. she feels like killing these impersonators.

it's time to move on from this town. i'm breaking a security rule by staying at the bus station tonite in order to catch the 4 AM bus for mpulungma tomorrow. it's going to be a long night. i'll sleep on the bus tomorrow (the trip will take 12+ hours - could be a big +).

second, i've joined, temporarily, the 21st century. i bought a cell phone. for those interested, my zambian number (for the remaining 3 days i'm here) is +2609984472. 26 is the country code for zambia. send me a text message (i dunno how). or, if you're really brave, give me call. i'll be at the said bus station tonite. man, it's gonna be a lonely night...

out of touch...

hello my friends.

haven't posted lately. when that happens, it's either i don't have access to the internet or the cost of hooking up is outrageous.

it's been so long i had to review my last posting.

but to be brief, i did make it to malawi (in fact i'm currently in lusaka, zambia). it took 48 hours to get there, including a hell ride in the back of an open pick up truck. that ride from mocuba, mozambique to milange at the malawian border, took 5 hrs. it was 3 hrs. in the dark of night with rain coming down.

i thought i was in steven spielberg's Amistad, with my 20 other passengers.

from there i headed to cape maclear on the shores of lake malawi.

my immediate impressions of malawi: crowded, lots of coffin builders, seems to be better off than the mozambicans, and, man, they seem to be happy.

there was no internet access in cape maclear. i spent 5 days there just chilling out after the bus ride from hell. it's so beautiful there...

from there i made it to lilongwe, the capital of malawi.

i completely messed up my rendezvous date with the s.s. liemba on lake tanganika (sp). i had to hoof it back to lake malawi for more r&r. i'm not perfect yet, but i'm getting good at chillin'.

just yesterday i made it to lusaka after one of the most convoluted route/transport itineraries i've ever encountered.

there are numerous stories to tell and people to mention.

i'll save those till next time. plus, a big announcement.

but, to keep everyone abreast of the upcoming itinerary. i should be in northern tanzania by the beginning of next week. inshallah, of course...