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…
Category: Where I’ve Been
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…
When Cars Stop
Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, otherwise known as Nairobbery carries certain connotations about it. One being the fact that you have to be vigilant with any of your belongings, especially if you’re a traveller. Travelling from Rwanda to Kenya you notice a few clear distinguishing factors. For one, Rwanda’s piki drivers wear a helmet,…
Lost in Translation
After a few days in Uganda we booked a bus taking us to Kisumu at 8:30pm. Since we booked the bus early in the afternoon we felt that we had ample time to relax at our hostel, send a few emails, and enjoy a cold Tusker or two. However, in a time span of what…
The “Big Up”
Sitting down enjoying a cold Tusker I was approached by a Ugandan man named Michael. He took one look at my hair and immediately decided that I should have some dreads. Apparently he’s the best in the business and my shoulder length hair was ready to take its next step. After countless excuses for why…
Why I love Kampala
It kind of just hit me. As I was cruising on the back of a Boda taking me back to my hostel I realized that I love this city. Maybe it’s the fact that the majority of people are more than happy to help you in any way, give you directions or even bargain for…
The Business of Development
Upon arriving in Musanze, Rwanda and spending a few hours around town I quickly learned that sometimes you need somewhere more than it needs you. The goal of this trip from Kigali was to meet a potential development partner and perhaps find or create a small scale community requested development project that our team could…
Why sleep when you can bus?
So I’ve finally arrived in Rwanda after the longest 4 days I’ve had in a long time. after 23 hours of flying I landed safely in Kenya, where I quickly paid for my visa ($50 USD) and grabbed a taxi to Nairobi International Youth Hostel where I found Kate (my co) and Sabrina (my trip…
of Backpacks and Beards 