Obviously I am feeling quite relaxed after six months of travel and here’s just a marker comment to signify the mid-point.
I am posting from Aqaba, Jordan and slept in the Wadi Rum desert last night. My adventurous activities are often unplanned with little time to feel worried: I took an opportunity to try some rock climbing and my first abseil in one of the canyons (40m drop) – not bad for a beginner and I’m still alive; It’s good training for my imminent more strenuous trek in Nepal.
Madagascar is famous for them. They’re a bit like penguins in the sense that everyone seems to love them and I have never met anyone who hates them.
My French feels more comfortable and I have managed to scuba dive a couple of times just off the south-west coast in a small village called Toliara. My African jaunt is coming to an end. I have 14 hours at Nairobi airport to entertain myself before returning to London … and embarking on another round-the-world trip (of course) towards the end of April.
Who knows what I’ll see next. It’s worth it just for the people I’ve met and the conversations I’ve had.
Even without my “Mzungu” t-shirt, I stand out as a “white man” here in Nairobi, as I see familiar shopping infrastructure and the Internet, a home away from home. Looking back, Mali is probably the poorest country I have seen and it really isn’t the same seeing pictures or videos, you have to walk the same tracks before the poverty becomes real.
By chance I was in Ghana for the 50 year anniversary of independence so saw lots of flags. The beach in Accra, Ghana, gives you an idea of the economic development of the coast near the capital today.
I need to learn to relax and maybe I should take my cue from the lions in Tanzania, after a heavy morning hunting for food.
I am flying to Madagascar tomorrow.
There really isn’t much in this iconic place in the middle of nowhere but I now have the official stamp in my passport which should open doors to new life opportunities. Riding camels is probably one of the most touristy activities and here’s a closeup of the teeth with a young trainer in the background. This may be my last ever entry about Timbuktu.
For a better quality image click to
I’ve spent the last three months eating cheap authentic international food in restaurants, including Paris! taken over 1000 photos and tomorrow I’m flying to Mali – so keeping very busy. Splitting the year into individual trips is more expensive but a good idea to prevent burnout. Some of the Internet Cafes are quite slow so I haven’t been spending time uploading hi-res photos to photosharing websites but here’s a taste…
Everything is very nice!
– more serious update to follow 🙂
