While living and working in Europe, I traveled extensively during my time off. I took a lady friend along to the Canary Islands one year, where we spent two weeks in bliss. Although it was …
Africa: news, stories, and travel reviews
Canary Islands Getaway
Ethiopian Time Travel
The Omo River empties into Lake Turkana, not far from where Ethiopia, South Sudan and Kenya come together. The river valley is difficult to reach; from Addis Ababa the road trip takes the better part …
June 29, 2012
Tarangire National Park, Tanzania
Tarangire National Park is probably the least visited of the northern Tanzanian game parks and retains a real air of undiscovered Africa. The park is famous for its huge number of elephants, baobab trees and …
April 12, 2012
The Big 5 in Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) in Tanzania includes the Ngorongoro Crater, covering 8,300 square kilometers and the only place on earth where mankind and wild animals co-exist in harmony. This uniqueness earned it a UNESCO …
Captivating Cape Verde: Locked in an African Wine Bar
I’m sitting in an African bar scratching a description of Praia, Cape Verde, into a notebook, sipping my third cup of passable Portuguese plonk. I don't know if it was my intense concentration on the …
The Cape, South Africa
South Africa is becoming a destination of choice for good reason. We were happy to arrive in Cape Town, the mother city, after a very long flight: 24 hours across two continents on South African …
January 25, 2012
Climbing Jbel Toubkal: Morocco
Toubkal’s name translates to “big” in Arabic, and at 4,167 meters (13,671 feet), it’s the highest peak in the Atlas Mountains and Northern Africa in general. Since the mountain is 70 kilometers from Marrakech, my …
September 15, 2011
Tofo, Mozambique
I was lying on Tofo Beach in Mozambique with my shirt shielding my face from the sun when I heard the distinct plop of a human sitting down next to me. I peeked from underneath …
January 11, 2011
Bargaining in Cairo
"For you," the merchant murmured, "three hundred Egyptian pounds." I guffawed. Three hundred pounds? For a little wooden lute? I wanted the rababah, to hang on my wall back home, but I wasn't about to …
Lesotho, Africa
There's a hole in the map of South Africa. That hole is a separate little country, Lesotho, which is where I was riding a horse when it started to hail. As I lowered my head, …
June 1, 2010
Egypt (Cairo, Giza, Luxor)
Camels, pyramids and mummies, oh my! This ancient civilization features some of the most famous attractions in the world. Consider these tips from my itinerary and you’ll be walking like an Egyptian in no time. …
August 16, 2009
Gekkolick in Egypt: Ten Camels and Two Ferraris
Although I was inclined to frantic groin grabbing, inarticulate moaning, and random curling into balls, the last day of the holiday was a good one by any standards. The itinerary had me trying a body-conditioning …
December 28, 2006
Gekkolick in Egypt: Tutted In Egypt
Misery, thy name is the two-headed serpent of cystitis and thrush. Ill in a foreign country — curses! I'd been awake for hours, drinking water and moaning softly in the loo as lava wee escaped …
December 21, 2006
David Young in Botswana: Clowns of the Plains
Does the wilderness call your name? I often hear my name. Today I am answering the call and feeling fortunate to be looking at a packed safari vehicle with open air seats and a canvas …
November 30, 2006