Adventure
Peace Corps Week
In honor of Peace Corps week, I wanted to share a bit about my thoughts on volunteering. I was originally going to lobby on the Hill, but since I’ll be jumping on a plane to Congo this evening that isn’t possible. I’ve already shared a bit about my experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer in…
Read MoreVicarious Nomad
According to Wikipedia, nomadic people are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location. There are an estimated 30-40 million nomads in the world. There are certainly many differences from traditional nomadic populations and those of us who globe trot around the world, but there are…
Read MoreDukes of Hazards
Life in general certainly has its hazard, no matter where you. I don’t believe that anyone who has travelled to developing countries would disagree with the notion that there are simply more risks in certain places in the world. In the West, we try our best to mitigate risk and make things as safe as…
Read MoreNothing But Forest
As we traversed between Kisangani, and Walikale, approximately 600 miles. In 8 hrs of driving, there was nothing but jungle surrounding us. As you can imagine, it was an incredibly beautiful drive. As we drive along this beautiful road, at some point I start to notice the complete lack of traffic. We literally drive hours…
Read MoreMacGyver Moves
One big part of traveling, particularly to the places that I go to, is the need to go with the flow and improvise when need be. For those of you who are Americans, or lived through the 80s, you might know of MacGyver, who was legendary at fixing anything with a little improvising, as the…
Read MoreKing Leopold’s Ghost
Part of me wonders what it was like in the colonial and pre-colonial era. A book called King Leopold’s Ghost, by Adam Hochschild, has been on my wishlist to read for some time. I imagine it would give insight into the roots of Congo. Looking at the once beautiful colonial housing along the vast Congo…
Read MoreCheckpoint Charlie
We stop at one of many check points where they are surprised to see a couple of white people, particularly a woman. Most ask us for where we are coming and going, and explaining that we are relief workers, they send us on our way after attempts in vain for a small dash of a…
Read MoreWild West of Congo – Orientale Province
When we arrived in Kinsangani, Orientale Province of DRC, it was clear right away that things were different. The city reminded me immediately of Kinshasa and Bujumbura, with its wide boulevards and colonial feel. In fact, the city feels as though it never left the colonial era. Most of the buildings date back to the…
Read MoreSurviving Travel – Plan Z
In my crazy adventures around the globe, folks sometimes ask me how I manage. Let’s face it, what I do means landing in a place where I most often don’t know anyone, the language, the cultural nuances, the terrain, you name it. While you can do all the preparation in the world, most often this…
Read MoreWhat’s a little mud?
Adventures in Africa come in all forms! I love my Keens! On Monday we spent 13 hours driving in Liberia, this was after 7 hours the previous day. We’ll have somewhere in between to look forward to in the morning. The roads in Liberia are overall much better than in Congo, but now my standards…
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