Lindsay Polega is a travel blogger and adventure enthusiast currently based out of Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. Her past travels have taken her through Europe, across Canada and the U.S., and into many oceans. If you would like to follow her adventures, or take a peek into her past ones, visit her blog …
The first time an African elephant charged at me I was encased in the safety of a safari jeep. Although the 5,000 kg giant came at the jeep with surprising speed, shaking his head from side to side, ears flapping back and forth in a display of admonition, I knew I was relatively safe in …
Dry Rivers of Namibia Are there rivers in African deserts? Yes and No. Hiking on the dry river beds was one of the most eye-opening experiences during my time in Namibia. It taught me, once again, that something we see isn’t everything. As you can see from the picture, there are rows of …
An Introduction: Travel to Somaliland The name Somaliland conjures up images of violence associated with Somalia, but the reality could not be more different. The people are mostly friendly and the capital city Hargeisa is rather laid back, as far as cities go. What is Somaliland all About? The world recognizes Somalia as being made …
I like Djibouti in the morning. I wake up early in the US, so jetlag throws my natural tendency into overdrive with a 3:15, 4:30, or if I’m lucky, 5:00 am wake-up call. I have spent the past week in Djibouti at a training conference for our new Somalia program. US Government restrictions on …
Read Part I: On the Water in Guinea Part II We have been following the other boats. There is an art to seeing the schools of fish playing just below the water and on each boat men are standing tall, not even realizing their legs roll of the boat. There is an art to seeing …
By Jett Thomason Part I I’ve been living in Guinea’s capital, Conakry, for six weeks now. Conakry is a city built on a peninsula jutting into the Atlantic and it has long outgrown the French planning for the town. Two million people have been living poor and densely packed for fifty years in the limited …
By Jett Thomason Lamu Travel Lamu was to be the crown jewel of my East African coastal journey. I had read about the town and the imminent construction of a new port. After Mombasa, which is already at capacity, Lamu is the only natural spot for a harbor in Kenya. The construction of a port …
I recently had my first month-long work trip to Rwanda, Uganda, and Burundi. The trip represented a number of firsts. First time to Africa. First time to be jetting around for quick site visits rather than long-term job assignments. And first time to be representing the US government in the field with the official passport …
I know I shouldn’t complain about business travel to Africa. It’s always a rewarding experience. But it’s also an exhausting one. For nearly three weeks I had been waking up at 6, cleaning out my work emails, and leaving the hotel by 7. We would be on the road all day seeing projects. With the sun long set, I would return to my hotel room, eat an overpriced and usually mediocre hotel meal, and crash. So when I suddenly found myself with a free afternoon in Burundi, I was thrilled.
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