Thank You

I have to give a huge thanks to everyone that helped make this entire journey possible, particularly Ghana. I can't express in words how overwhelming your support has been and how much it is appreciated. This has been an extraordinary learning experience for me both professionally and personally. Professionally I have gained firsthand knowledge working in a developing country and helping others. At this point I am not really sure how I will use this. Maybe I will pursue such a career, but at the very least everything I learned will be of use regardless of the path I choose. Personally, the gains go deep. It has been so refreshing and humbling to spend time with the people I got the opportunity to work with. To be able to give respect and get respect from people of a different culture was highly rewarding. Your thoughtfulness and kindness has gone a long ways. Thanks!

As I type this on the eve of my departure home, I can't help but think of this quote by the great Ed Abbey,

...a countryman has a place on earth that is his own, and as much as he may love to wander, as I myself do, he loves the wandering more because he has a place to return to, a place where he belongs.

See you all soon!

Bahariyya - Oasis in the Sahara

My final excursion in Egypt proved to be a delightful one. I headed west into what is ironically enough, called the Western Desert. I decided to go against the grain and didn't book any packaged trip deeper into the desert. Sure, I probably missed some stunning scenery and a night out in the desert under the stars. However, it was wonderful to watch all the other tourists get hurried out of the village in jeeps while I was left there pretty much on my own to immerse in the culture. That is the one thing I missed while in Dahab, and was hoping to find in the oasis, a closer look at the Egyptian culture. In many respects I succeeded. I was able to spend about a day and a half in the village of Bawiti wandering the streets and exploring the surrounding desert.

Bawiti is the main town in the Bahariyya Oasis which is one of a handful of oasis scattered across the desert between the Nile and Libya. The bus ride out there was great. Once past Cairo the landscape turned into a stark, desolate desert. I will never forget the glow of the golden sand dunes against the deep blue skies. I was really hoping the bus would break down for a couple of hours so that I could get off and run in the sand. But unfortunately, no breakdowns, so I had to settle with enjoying the dunes through the dirty window of the bus. The oasis is what it is because it is fed by several springs that provide the essential water to sustain life in the desert. Without that water, I can imagine life would be tough. The air was extremely dry and the sun's rays pretty harsh. I could hang my laundry out to dry and in about 5 minutes it was ready to wear. Sure beats the drying machine. The village itself was fascinating; a mix of old and new. Of course there were modern, concrete buildings but down many of the backstreets people were still living in old mud-brick houses. During the middle of the day everything would become very quiet. Shops and restaurants would shut down during the heat of the day and I guess everyone would go take a siesta. The town would come back alive in the evening.

Bawiti - the new

Bawiti - the old

The outskirts of the village

Besides exploring the village I was able to get out and wander in the surrounding, empty desert. No big sand dunes though, it was probably more comparable to the moon. There was more gravel than sand but there were several hills to climb to the top of and small, sandy-bottomed canyons to get lost in. The best part about it, I had it all to myself. All the other tourists were off elsewhere getting guided around and I can't see any reason why any of the locals would want to go out there.

Sahara bliss

Hello...or is it good-bye?

I am getting out of Egypt just in time. Today is the start of Ramadan, which means fasting during daylight hours. That is terrible news for a growing kid who enjoys eating. I can't wait until the sun sets, then I can get some real food!

Sinai - Beautiful Desert, Beautiful Sea

The past five days have been spent on the Sinai Peninsula in the small, but touristy, town of Dahab. The area has some spectacular scenery. The town sits smack dab between the Red Sea and the steep, rugged mountains of the peninsula. The sea itself is a wonderful turquoise and has abundant fish and coral life. Right off shore there are great reefs with a wide variety of colorful fish. Contrasting starkly with this is the dry and barren mountains. The mountains rise ruggedly to around 8,000 feet and despite a total lack of vegetation, they are beautiful. All of this combined makes for a truly amazing setting. My time has been split between soaking in the sea, snorkeling, exploring desert and canyons by jeep, and making a night hike to the top of Mt. Sinai (where Moses received the Ten Commandments) to catch the sunrise. All wonderful trips but it would take too much to go into detail. Besides, I will be home soon. There is a lot of potential for adventure here, however my time is limited so I have been getting packaged up and rushed around to see the sights. By "packaged" I mean handing over the money to someone else and letting them get me there and showing me around. Not exactly the way I enjoy traveling, but as I am finding out, Egypt is that type of place. Tourism is the name of the game here so everything is pretty much handed to you. But on the bright side, if something goes wrong I can blame someone else! It is well worth it though, Egypt is an amazing country with some fascinating history. I will be itching for some time to return.

Dahab

Sinai sunset

Wandering through the White Canyon

Taking in the sunrise from atop the mountain

Besides the sites, I have certainly been enjoying the food (of course I have to mention food). Egyptian cuisine gets knocked on pretty hard when compared to other regional cuisines like Israeli and Lebanese, but I have never been to those countries, so my palette isn't ruined. I am finding the food here quite delightful. Falafel has been a staple in my diet. The falafel itself is deep-fried and stuffed into a pita with different sauces and topped with salad. Delicious and cheap...perfect. There are variations of this as well with essentially spiced refried beans or spiced ground meat instead of falafel. Tea is the favorite drink here, for the locals and me as well. It is done really well with a loose black tea, lots of sugar, and fresh mint; really tasty. Also, there is a refreshing drink of boiled, sweetened, and chilled hibiscus. After a hot slog through the streets of Cairo, this is especially a refreshing treat.

This was only the appetizer

So my days here are coming to close quickly. One more quick jaunt out to the western desert and then I will be finding myself on a plane home. I am excited to return to Missoula but of course will miss the freedom that comes with travel.

Cairo Life Continues

The last couple of days have been a whirlwind tour of Cairo and the surrounds. I am finding out that the combination of heat and congestion make this place exhausting. However, it is well worth it. I spent an entire day wandering the streets and riding the subway exploring various parts of the city. I visited Old Cairo which has amazing old churches connected by narrow cobbled alleyways. On the other end of the spectrum I visited what is called Islamic Cairo (not that any one part of Cairo is more Islamic than another). Here, there is a busy market amongst massive old mosques. Overall, the history and architecture of Cairo make it a fascinating city. In addition, the everyday life of the Egyptians is fascinating. The traffic is crazy and death defying. It is certainly not pedestrian friendly. Luckily I have mastered a technique for crossing the streets; get on the downside of an Egyptian also crossing and move when he/she moves, essentially using them as a shield from the oncoming traffic. It is has worked out flawlessly, so far. I am also finding that Cairo has some amazing cyclists. There are fellas on old rickety bikes that deliver pita bread. They carry huge flat crates filled with the bread on top of their heads and magically drift in and out of the traffic. It blows my mind that they stay on the bike, or keep the bread on their head for that matter.

The very impressive Al-Azhar Mosque

Streets of Coptic Cairo

Besides hanging out in the city proper, I have gotten out and seen two different pyramid sites. Much to my surprise, there are many more pyramids out in the desert than the famous Giza Pyramids. The desert runs right into the edge of Cairo and along this line there are several pyramids (maybe 20 – 30, but an archeologist might say otherwise), some more intact than others. I visited a sight called Saqqara which is said to have been a burial site for more than 3500 years. Here, there are several crumbling pyramids and underground tombs to explore. Of course, in addition to visiting this site, I went to gaze at the Pyramids of Giza. These structures are truly amazing and are even bigger than they appear in the photos. It is mindboggling that humans had the ability to put these things together over 4000 years ago. What more is there to say?

Still standing tall

Desert Honda...Desert Cadilac

So after a couple of chaotic days in the city I am ready to unwind a bit on some beaches, which is exactly what I am going to do.

Welcome to Egypt

Salam Alykum!

So after a couple of quick flights over the Sahara I have left behind the humid heat of Ghana and am now roasting in the dry heat of Cairo. This is an absolutely amazing place. For a person who doesn't necessarily enjoy city life, I am thrilled to be in another exotic mega-city. Much like Delhi or Mumbai, Cairo has its own pulse, but in an Islamic kind of way. As I sit here typing this, the streets below echo with the enchanting "call to prayer".

Cairo has an estimated population of around 18 million, mega indeed. Everything about this place is stunning. From the towering minarets of the numerous mosques to the relaxed feel along the banks of the Nile. The traffic is crazy, the smells overwhelming, and the chaos strangly enjoyable. I haven't had too much time to soak it all in yet, I arrived only hours ago, but I am looking forward to a day wandering the streets and discovering what else the city beholds. Of course I plan on visiting the Pyramids of Giza but other than that I am keeping my plans flexible. I may head to the Sinai Peninsula and the Red Sea and maybe head into the interior and explore the oases in the desert. There is so much to see here and unfortunately the two weeks I have will not be enough to fully explore the country. But I should get a good sampling and I am sure there is going to be some excitement, as I am already feeling like there is that potential. So I will leave it at that for now until I fully dive in. Here are a few pictures I took today around the neighborhood. Hope you enjoy!

The river Nile

The streets of Cairo

One of many minarets shooting into the sky

So long Ghana

One journey ends but another begins...

Next stop...

One Unforgettable Journey - Part 3

So the saga continues, but unfortunately all the excitement is over.

So down the road we go, probably another 2-3 hours more to Mole N.P. We managed to make it there without any more major catastrophes, only one near miss. The driver at one point lost control (I think he fell asleep or something)and drove right into the bushes and nearly rolled the van. Half of us dove out while the others leaned way over to the other side to prevent the van from rolling on its side. I was pretty sure the van was finished with and we were going to have to spend another night in the bush, but we got it back aligned on the road and were off again. Later in the day we finally made it to the park, exhausted, dirty, and hungry.

Mole (pronounced mole-ay) is certainly the gem of all of Ghana's national parks. The highlight is it's wildlife, especially elephants. The place is abundant with wildlife, including several species of antelope, deer, warthogs, baboons, monkeys, and probably countless birds and insects. Rumor has it that lions exist somewhere in the park. Several of these species have become pretty habituated to humans so at times it could feel more like a zoo. The hotel in the park had baboons and warthogs right out the door and elephants weren't too far away. Despite this though, it was fun to sneak out and wander around in the bush to observe the animals in a more natural setting.

Mole was the ultimate destination for this journey so from here I shot back south to Cape Coast. The journey back went smoothly, much to my relief. Even though this leg was less eventful than the journey up, there is still that excitement that exists from just being in a foreign place. It is a real joy for me traveling exclusively by public transport. It is not necessarily comfortable but fascinating. There is so much to see, from sitting at a crowded, noisy, and dirty bus station anticipating the next bus, to watching the country go by through the window. There is a lot for the senses to process and that is what makes travel so wonderful.

Safety first

Ancient Mosque in nearby Larabanga

Savanna sunset

One Unforgettable Journey - Part 2

Continuing where I left off last time...

Tamale is a major town in the Northern Region of the country. The environment changes pretty drastically from the south. I have heard many say that northern Ghana is Africa while the south is the Caribbean. I believe it. It is drier and feels very vast. The dense, tall forests are replaced with savanna that is dominated by open grassland peppered with small trees. This part of Ghana is also predominately Muslim whereas the south is Christian. So it is a new Africa to me and very exciting.

After the boat rides I hooked up with a great English couple who were on the same itinerary as me. We arrived in Tamale late in the afternoon and were hoping to make the 5 hour journey to Mole N.P. that evening. However, we missed the last bus. Luckily though there was a group of folks from Belgium wanting to get there as well. There was enough of us to justify hiring a van off the street. We found a driver who was willing to take us in on the notoriously bumpy and dusty road. So we all piled in along with the mate (driver's assistant) and a small boy off the street who just felt like going for a ride. Off we go.

The road to Mole was indeed rough going. It is a pretty remote dirt road with a few villages scattered around. Maybe about an hour and a half down the road, for some unknown reason I decide to stick my head out the window and check the tires. Sure enough, we have a flat. Turns out the driver doesn't have a spare. We all start walking while he limps the van into the nearest village. There is little concern, village people are crafty so they should certainly be able to fix a tire, right? Nope. Plan B, the driver finds a motorcycle in the village and piles on with a villager and off they go back down the road to the junction with the highway where he should be able to fix the tire. The sun is getting low on the horizon by now.

In the meantime, the village kids are on to us. It must have been quite the ordeal for them. They see so many white people driving by on a daily basis, but to have some actually out of the car and physically there, must have been a dream. It was a joy playing with them. It was fascinating to observe the differences in them as well. Supposedly there were three separate tribes living in the village. The children had different markings on their faces identifying their tribe. Some had painted purple dots, black tattooed around their eyes, and others had scars cut into different patterns. There was very little interaction with the adults of the village. The village itself was the idyllic African village; mud and grass huts, no electricity, and goats and chickens running around.

Night comes and no sign of our driver. Concern starts setting in. Eventually we see a single headlight bumping down the road and sure enough it is the motorcycle. No driver, no fixed tire. Turns out the driver decided go back to Tamale and would return sometime the next day. Suddenly we are faced with sleeping in the bush. We have little food and water, and the village certainly doesn't have a provisions store. The small boy, Jason, that jumped in with us back in Tamale springs into action and hunts down the village chief and gets permission for us to sleep in the village. The chief cleaned out a small room that would fit 6 of us while the rest would have to sleep outside. A women brought us some dinner which we happily accepted. I can't tell you exactly what it was but it filled the void. So we settled in for the night. I slept outside the hut under an amazing starry night. Throughout the night I woke to find a goat standing over me, watching, maybe protecting, I don't know what it's intentions were. My wake-up call was the release of the chickens from the coop who found my head a nice place to stand. The mosquitoes were happy too. They had an all you can eat feast despite wrapping myself in my mosquito net. So much of a feast that they couldn't stop and burst leaving the net dotted with blood splotches. But I was alive, I didn't get eaten buy some fierce African predator. The same woman brought us breakfast (again, I don't know what it was) as we sat by the road waiting for a ride. Eventually our driver appeared in the back of a truck with a shiny new tire. Problem solved. The bumpy journey continues...

Even though the entire experience doesn't sound too appealing, it was absolutely amazing. The kindness of the villagers was overwhelming and it was a wonderful opportunity to experience traditional African village life. I found it very refreshing to see people happily living off the grid with very few material possessions. It is particularily amazing, especially after thinking of life back home, that people still live in this manner. It was such a blessing to get that flat tire.

Not quite a five-star hotel

In good company

No caption needed

Our driver and tire returns

One Unforgettable Journey - Part 1

So what is it that makes for a good adventure? I have certainly had some adventures both at home and abroad but the ones that stick out the most are the ones when the unexpected happened. And that is exactly what happened over the last week as I traveled the country. As you can tell by the title there is going to be more than one part to this story, there is too much to cover in a single sitting, so I will spoil you over the course of the week. Where to start...

I took the week off to explore some of the Northern Region of Ghana. I had read in the guide book about a ferry that runs up the Volta River/Reservoir. The boat runs up the river once a week to bring yams down from the upper reaches of the river. The information I was getting was a little vague, as that is the nature of this boat, and accounts I have heard from others described the ride as being quite miserable. But that is all relative, miserable to one may be a joy to another. So I arrived at the boat excited to get on the water and begin this leg of the journey. Much to my surprise there were several other foreigners taking advantage of this cheap transport to the North which was a bit reassuring. Very much in line with the Ghanaian norm, the boat left late. Off to a good start. The sleeping arrangements on the boat were basic, actually nonexistent. There was a dining room, where the options were to sleep on the tables, wooden benches, or floor. It was pretty cramped in there so I decided to sleep on a bench on the upper deck. It wasn't the most comfortable wooden bench in the world but it worked and I did manage to catch a couple of hours of sleep. We were scheduled to arrive in the first port sometime late the next morning and the final destination later in the evening. But the first port didn't appear until later in the afternoon, several hours late. Turns out the boat lost an engine early on and was now just limping around, quite slowly. That was OK though, I was ready for another night on the boat and the scenery was great. The ferry started near the Ghana highlands and as it progressed North the land flattened and started to give way to savanna. It was nice to laze around on the boat, watch the villages go by, and go on deck and observe the activity as the boat made numerous stops.

Night came again and rumor had it that we would arrive in Yeji (the final stop) sometime around 2:00 in the morning. Just wonderful! I would have preferred the boat slowed down so that I could spend the entire night on the boat instead of getting off in the middle of the night in a strange place. But that was out of my hands. At this point most of the foreigners were mildly concerned about our impending fate and we banded together and schemed. What to do when we arrive? Sure enough the boat arrived around 1:30 and we were booted off. So the rest of the night was spent sitting up, trying to sleep on another bench at the Yeji port. Again, I managed a couple hours of sleep.

The kind-of reliable Yepei Queen

Gathering more villagers and stuff

The next morning it was time to catch a canoe ride back across the Volta to catch transport on to the next destination. As planned, the canoe came cruising in early in morning. Turns out though that it was market day on the other side, so there were a lot of villagers with a lot of stuff needing to get across. We managed to get on the boat, which was a relief because it appeared that there was more people and stuff trying to get across than there was room in the boat. Or was there? The boat kept filling up. More and more people and more and more huge sacks getting piled high. It was amazing how cramped and uncomfortable the boat was getting. Finally the boat departed for the hour long ride. The first red flag that things were sketchy came as the boatmen began rapidly bailing water. I began to inspect the boat and sure enough it is leaking. It was just like the cartoons. There were holes with water spraying in and villagers trying to plug those holes with their fingers, with little effect. The water seemed to creep closer and closer to the edge of the boat and I was certain we were going swimming. I heard a Ghanaian behind me very upset that the boatmen had disregarded our lives. Not too reassuring. Miraculously though the boat made it. What a relief, once again. So after two cramped and dusty tro-tro rides we successfully made it to the town of Tamale.

From Tamale a new adventure begins, but I am going to have to save that for next time.

The canoe continues to fill up

Patiently waiting to further overload the canoe