Let’s face it. The world is becoming smaller each and every day, with a new generation hungry to see the world that value experience over earnings. While major travel destinations such as Thailand, Indonesia, and much of Europe are amazing places to see and to experience, they are slowly becoming bogged down with the tourist…
Category: East Africa
Pole Pole up Kilimanjaro
I pushed the wooden outhouse door open and was caught by a swift breeze that sent chills to the base of my spine, leaving such a dark space my eyes simply took in a strong white light before they could adjust, and when they did there stood the snow-capped peak of Kilimanjaro calmly resting about…
Hidden Lakes and Tiny Islands
For the first time, instead of braving the 2-day bus from Kigali, Rwanda through Tanzania I decided to head into Uganda; a country I highly praise but have never fully explored. I’ve been to Kampala and walked its city streets, been to Jinja and ragged the Nile but that had been it. So I booked…
The Road to Development
When I first visited the small area of Kiritu in Western Kenya in May of 2012 I was amazed at how beautiful the area was. The village encompasses a large area and each homestead has their own plot of land that is used for maize, black tea, banana trees, avocado, corn, and a few other…
The Slow Coast of Kilifi
After taking the 8-hour night bus from Nairobi to Kilifi I jumped off and grabbed a Piki-Piki to reach Distant Relatives, which is now officially the nicest hostel I’ve been to. I pulled up to the gates at around 5:30am, set up my tent and quickly fell asleep. I woke up to the sounds of…
The People you Meet
Well I arrived back to Red Chilli in Kampala, Uganda for the 3rd time in 2 months I was immediately excited. We took some time and got our rooms sorted out and me and a friend quickly made use of the bar and chose a table outside. Within about 5 minutes we had a table…
My Name is Not Mzungu
If you’ve ever been anywhere in East Africa the word Mzungu has certainly found it way to be directed at you. Be it walking down the road and hearing from an unseen window, “Hey Mzungu, how’re you?”, to quiet conversations you just happen to pick up on enough, to your cab driver calmly referring to…
To Hell and Back
Packing up from Manyatta Backpackers and hopping into the 14-person Mutatu with 15 people and 15 large backpacks made it feel a bit crammed. However, everyone was in and we were off. About 5 minutes into the trip we realized that an iPhone was left behind, although this person was quick to let it go…
Street art to street starts
The first time you meet Ashif you see a lanky tall Kenyan man, with dreadlocks poping out every which way, wearing an all green jump suit with the words “Brains on high voltage” tagged across the back. Everything about Ashif suggests a laid back and passion lived life that keeps him happy perhaps despite his…
Nairobi Nairobi
After having spent some time in Nairobi it’s wild nature seems to have become somewhat normal to me. However, when picking up 13 participants for our East Africa trip and walking them through the city it becomes suddenly clear again just how wild this city can be. I suppose the most appropriate phase I heard…
of Backpacks and Beards 