Mombasa, Kenya Aug 11, 2024 Manbasa as the Arabs called it, was in a prime location for all the spice traffic along the sea routes between Asia and Europe. From its beginnings in the 10th century CE, it flourished on the edge of the Indian Ocean. In Mombasa there is still a building that was … More From the Days of the Spice Trade
Maasai Mara, Kenya Aug 5, 2024 The thousands upon thousands of wildebeest that dot the plains of the Maasai Mara had me feeling deflated. Oh no, I thought, the migration must have already happened. Although typically taking place in the first week of August, it is subject to Nature’s whims. This year it started in … More A Heaving Seething Stampede
Maasai Mara, Kenya Aug 4, 2024 The sun is barely over the horizon as we enter Maasai Mara at the Sekenani Gate. This time around, I was not on a tour like I was twenty-three years ago but had chosen to camp near the gate and hired a jeep and driver instead. Henry, the driver … More An Orgy of Feeding
Elsamere, Kenya Aug 1, 2024 Born in 1910 to a wealthy Austrian family in Troppau, Silesia (present day Czech Republic), she broke the mold before it was considered a mold. Intelligent, feisty and creative, she had studied fields as diverse as music and medicine. A talented artist, her paintings of African flora and fauna were … More The Joy of Elsa
Fisherman’s Camp, Lake Naivasha Kenya July 30, 2024 I hear a snuffling noise close by and get out of the tent to see. A giant bottom stares me in the face. The hippo snoozing centimeters from the fence is startled as well and gets up faster than I thought an animal that size could. I … More Thank Heavens for the Electric Fence
Nakuru, Kenya July 28,2024 The bus was a museum-worthy relic that shuddered with every kilometer, threatening to fall apart and ensured we felt every bump in the road through its sagging seats. I found myself thankful that this might be the last interminable night bus I take on this trip. Woo hoo! Around 2 am … More In Kenya Once More
Jinja, Uganda July 26,2024 Were it not for the Nile, there never would have been an Egyptian civilization. Flowing out of Lake Victoria, the White Nile makes its way north through South Sudan and Sudan before joining with the Blue Nile in Khartoum and flowing through Egypt to empty itself in the Mediterranean. It is … More The Mighty Nile
From Fort Portal to Kampala, Uganda July 24, 2024 In the gray gloom of early morning there was plenty of activity at the bus station. These seen-better-days buses carry not only passengers but goods, parcels, documents and everything else imaginable. Like elsewhere, the station has a security guard who opens and shuts the gate officiously. … More Through Rural Uganda
Rubrizi district, Uganda July 21, 2024 The Rubrizi district south of the Queen Elizabeth National Park is dotted with lakes, formed from dammed rivers when volcanoes erupted in the distant past. Some have myths and mysteries attached to them, but all are said to be spectacular. Once again in Mac’s car, we drove up the … More From the Rift Valley
Kazinga Channel, Uganda July 16, 2024 On the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo is Lake Edward, shared by the DRC and Uganda. A narrow channel joins this lake with Lake George in Uganda. In dry season it is here that the animals are seen coming to water and a boat ride along the … More A Birder’s Paradise
ITCHY FEET TRAVELS 