Monthly Archives: March 2009
Internet Access in Africa. Or Why You Haven’t Heard Much From Us Lately
After our experiences in South America, where we had Internet access almost anywhere at any time (and for free), we began to do what we all know is dangerous: we began to assume. We assumed that we’d have similar luck in Africa. Well, we didn’t think it would be quite as magical as it was in South America; we just also didn’t think it would be quite so difficult, especially in South Africa, the most developed of the countries we’ll …
3 responses to “Internet Access in Africa. Or Why You Haven’t Heard Much From Us Lately”
Road Trip!
After five months of travel spent almost exclusively on buses…school buses, overnight fully reclining buses, long distance buses that lacked working bathrooms, buses that were nearly empty, buses where we had people practically sitting on our laps…we’ve traded the buses in for our own wheels. That’s right we’re now traveling by car, a rented orange Kia Picanto to be exact. Southern Africa has so much to see: the second and third largest canyons in the world; massive reserves full of …
South America Superlatives
As we land in Africa today, leaving South America behind, we thought we’d look back at some of the best and worst of our time there. Our initials follow our choices to indicate which of us thought what. If we left anything out and you’re just dying of curiosity to know what we thought, leave your question in the comments and we’ll answer as soon as we can. Friendliest People: Nicaragua (T); Quilotoa, Ecuador (J) Best Natural Scenery: Torres del …
Water, water everywhere!
We arrived on in Puerto Iguazu after our 17 hour, overnight trip on the fully reclining “luxury” bus. Neither the movies nor the food was better than the regular bus. True to its jungle nature, it was hot and sticky, and we all were in a solid sweat by the time we made it the five or so blocks (yes, we made Terry and Mary Jane walk it … and many many more miles, just ask them) to our hotel. …
Playing Gaucho and Tourist in the Pampas
Just outside of the Buenos Aires megapolis, an area of 13 million inhabitants, the endless apartment buildings disappear. So does the Parisian architecture, the ice cream shops, the fancy stores. It’s all replaced with endless open space, the land of the gauchos. Or at least it used to be. Now it’s not, because as we learned on our “Dia del Campo,” or day trip to an estancia in the pampas, there are no more gauchos in the country. Apparently Argentinian …
Budget Buenos Aires
Since the Argentinian economic collapse of 2001, Buenos Aires has had a reputation as a great bargain for travelers. Despite the fact that eight years have passed since the collapse, the reputation has remained, though the reality of the situation is that Buenos Aires is no longer the bargain basement of cities. The collapse, while sending large numbers of the country’s citizens plummetting into poverty, acted as a calling card for millions of tourists…and the money they brought with them. …
Two to Tango
Who could go to Buenos Aires and not take in a tango show? Well, we couldn’t. But we were hoping to avoid a big Vegas style show, after all, we don’t need to see horses on stage, as one of the shows advertised. We were hoping to find an intimate, authentic “feeling,” high caliber show to enjoy. Turns out that Cafe Tortoni, a Buenos Aires institution and on the must-do tourist circuit itself (though the locals would say its a …
There May Not Be Free Lunches…
But there are free tours of Buenos Aires, and quality-wise they are about on par with the steak. In other words, they are pretty damn awesome. I wasn’t expecting that. When Jeff, while surfing the Internet for things to do in Buenos Aires, announced that he’d found a free tour of the city, I scoffed. There had to be a catch. Free…but only if we stayed at a certain hotel. Free…but boring as sin. Free…but we had to listen to …
Alive and Well in Buenos Aires
So yes, we’ve been slow with the posting lately, but we have good reason: my parents have been visiting us since March 1. We’ve been hanging out in Buenos Aires for the past week, and tonight we’re headed up to Iguazu Falls for a short visit before returning to Buenos Aires for my birthday on the 10th. Then it’s less than a week until we leave South America for the great and unknown (to us) continent of Africa. Expect a …
Ole!
The largest Carnival celebration in Ecuador is in the large city of Ambato. It is surprisingly large for how little you hear of the city, but yet, you understand when you get there because there is not much going for it really. Even for Carnival. We made a morning parade, which was flashy, wacky and colorful, but after that we were at a loss for what to do, as the only activity seemed to be drinking into oblivion. That and …
