How We Were Almost Robbed: The Cape Town ATM Scam
I had read about ATM scams being a problem in Cape Town, but as we disembarked the train from Simon’s Town, exhausted and cold, I didn’t remember any of the precautions I was supposed to. The ABSA ATM...
View ArticlePenguins in Simon’s Town, or Learning the Hard Way
We started our day foiled. The Robben Island ferry had been canceled for a second time, even though the sun was shining. We didn’t have any other open days to reschedule, so we had to move something...
View ArticleVictoria Falls: Zambia v. Zimbabwe
Victoria Falls is more than a waterfall. It’s the hub of a host of adventure tourism activities that sprawl across three countries. We spent two weeks there partaking in a canopy tour, the best one-day...
View ArticleMarriage on the Road #2: I’m Happy When You’re Happy
Will and I got into a big fight in Mendoza, Argentina just as we arrived. It’s not unusual for Will and I to fight after a long, frustrating travel experience (in this case, 5 hours waiting in line at...
View ArticleBorders and Buses: How We Got from Livingstone to Lilongwe
Unlike South America, Africa has many fewer bus companies and there is very little information online. We got our information from a pair of travelers from Malta who had gone from Tanzania to...
View ArticleA Black Rhino Fight and Other Highlights
“We want to see a rhino,” we told the hostel manager. “Then you want to go on this game drive,” she said, pulling out a pamphlet. Several days later we were being picked up in a safari vehicle by...
View ArticleHappy Thanksgiving, from Zanzibar!
The post Happy Thanksgiving, from Zanzibar! appeared first on Letters from Elsewhere.
View ArticleA Pride Premature: Lessons from a School in Malawi
Phillip is a young man with a broad smile. He’s not a teacher, but the school where we’re sitting wouldn’t exist without him. He enjoys talking about how it all started; how he and the village chief...
View ArticleZambia Safari: The Animals of South Luangwa National Park
Our previous game drives were all a precursor to our big Africa treat – a 3-night safari in South Luangwa National Park. Located in northern Zambia, the park is known for its high density of big cats,...
View ArticleHiking Mt. Mulanje Malawi
We have done a fair amount of hiking on this trip, but our four days and three nights hiking Mt. Mulanje was by far the most intense, interesting, and rewarding. When we arrived in Africa we had never...
View ArticleCharity v. Solidarity: Creating a Community School in Rural Malawi
One of the first things ‘Love Support Unite’ did when they began working with the school in Mkunku village, Malawi was to create a women’s group. They had noticed that women didn’t speak up in the...
View ArticleHow We Traveled Malawi 2015
Traveling in Malawi was definitely outside my comfort zone. I like lots of information. I like to sort through it, reject some of it, and come to a conclusion about what I can expect and what remains...
View ArticleOn Comfort Zones
No doubt – Africa was an awesome experience. Between the landscape, the people, the wildlife, and the history – it was a travel experience I will never forget. But by the time we were leaving Malawi,...
View ArticleThrowback Thursday: Will and the Dugout Canoe
This is the story of Will and the dugout canoe. At Mayoka Village, where we stayed on Lake Malawi, there is a dugout canoe challenge. If you can manage to get into a dugout canoe (already a feat), and...
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