Africa (61)
When German archaeologist Leo Frobenius first discovered beautiful terracotta sculptures and copper cast head pieces in Nigeria in 1910, he proclaimed that he had discovered Plato’s lost city of Atlantis. European attitudes were so negative to African abilities that he reasoned that the artworks must be the work of foreign settlers, inconceivable to be created by African hands.
Eventually as more works surfaced through further discoveries, explorers began to change their attitudes. The Western wo
Ever wonder why your neighbors aren’t just growing their own coffee beans in the backyard garden? That’s because the world’s best coffee, the kind you get at your favorite coffee shop needs just the right climate.
The mountains of southern Colombia to the Kona Coast, from the highlands of Papua New Guinea to the foothills of Mt. Kenya, are ideal. A coffee’s flavor depends on where it comes from as much as how long it is roasted. Origin influences the look, smell, and taste of coffee while roasti
by Felice Hardy
I daresay snow sport will come to no one's mind when contemplating the fascinating North African country of Morocco. But more adventurous types might know that the high, craggy Atlas Mountains sweep across a goodly swath of this country, giving rise not just to a robust trekking and climbing scene, but even some pretty good skiing and snowboarding, with the season running January to early April - and what's more, even within convenient distance of Marr
by Cristóbal Ramírez
Wee it may be, but the West Africa country of Senegal definitely punches above its weight when it comes to culture, nature, and historic sights on this continent. All that, plus a wonderful sense of taranga (hospitality in the local-majority Wolof language, spoken together with colonial-holdover French).
Most visitors, of course, experience dynamic capital Dakar, with its exuberant street life, nightlife, and remarkable Gorée Island, site of several interesting mus
Al-Muizz Street
In addition to its bustling shops, cafés, restaurants, and street life, this street is also home to the greatest concentration of medieval treasures in the Islamic world and one of Egypt's greatest Islamic open museum. The charming Muizz street was built by 969 AD and holds many castles and mosques the features the masterful architecture design of the Ayubid, Mamluk and Ottoman dynasties.
Old Cairo Nightlife
During the daytime, Cairo offers countless number of monuments and ar
Oguz Dikbakan
In the West these days, we rarely if ever spare a thought for North Africa's largest and second-most populous country, but as this blog has reported several times, Algeria is an underrated gem, from the history and culture of capital city Algiers to ecotourism to ancient Roman ruins to amazing ecotourism. The world was much more aware of it during the middle decades of the 20th century, though, thanks to the works of Paul Bowles and French Nobel-prize-winning writer Albert Camus
secundemal
Quick, what’s the capital of the Rainbow Nation? It’s certainly understandable if you immediately thought Johannesburg. And if Cape Town came to mind, you’re partly right – it is, after all, the seat of parliament. But the country’s president and the rest of the executive branch and administration are based in a rather smaller city (pop. 742,000, metro area 2.9 million) just an hour north of Joburg.
Personally, I’d heard of Pretoria way before the other two, thanks to, of all thing
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The Maasai (also spelled Masai) are is a unique and popular tribe due to their distinctive, long preserved culture. Despite education, civilization and western cultural influences, the Maasai people have clung to their traditional way of life, making them a symbol of Kenyan culture as well as important in that of Tanzania.
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| Making a fire. |
Maasai's distinctive culture, dress style and strategic territory along the game parks of Kenya and Tanzania have made them one of
by Oscar Scafidi
Africa’s only Spanish-speaking country is divided into two major regions – the island on which capital Malabo (which I covered here recently) is located, and larger Río Muni on the mainland, sandwiched between Cameroon and Gabon. Bustling port city Bata (pop. 173,000) is the capital of Litoral Province, which runs along West Africa’s Atlantic coast, and is the country’s economic capital, with a lot of domestic airlift to/from international gateway Malabo (which I wrote about
Photos> Ruta 47
by Oscar Scafidi
When you think about Spanish-speaking nations outside the mother country of Spain – well, it’s all about Latin America, right? The answer is: not quite. Tucked away on West Africa‘s Atlantic coastline, Equatorial Guinea is the only country on the entire continent to have Spanish as its official language (alongside local African languages such as Fang and Bubi).
How in the world did this come about? Well, to cut a very long story short, after being initially di
LMSpencer
Zanzibar is a beautiful Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa. It's the perfect place to get away from hectic modern life and enjoy the wonders that nature has to offer. If you are travelling to Tanzania, there are two main things you have to do: Tanzania safari tours and visit Zanzibar. You will see that Zanzibar’s reputation as an island paradise is definitely on the mark.
If the Tanzania safari tours give you an insight into the wild animals' habitat, the beautiful Za
That Friday, when the Lord was on the Cross, an angel named Ourael took the blood of Christ in a glittering cup and sprinkled it all over the Earth. All grounds that received a drop of the holy blood were chosen to be sanctified and blessed places to establish churches on them and made them their holy seats. So Ethiopian Orthodox Church history recounts.
The following writings are to give histories and descriptions about the churches and monasteries scattered all over Ethiopia. Read those words
istockphoto
by Fyllis Hockman
For people contemplating an Africa safaris, the first place that comes to mind may well be Kenya. But many aficionados favor Tanzania, thanks to its vast Serengeti plains and a nearby volcanic caldera called Ngorongoro.
On my trip to this East African country not long ago, Ngorongoro was far and away the star. Occupying just 102 square miles (264 sq. km), this 2½-million-year-old collapsed volcano is a virtual microcosm of this region of the continent, home to som
At 370 meters (1,214 feet) above sea level, the Chalbi desert is located in northern Kenya, east of Lake Turkana, (otherwise called the Jade sea), the largest permanent desert lake in the world. Chalbi in the local Gabbra language means "bare and salty." It is among the hottest and most regions in Kenya, a salty pan surrounded by volcano and lava flows. The nearest big town is around 15 hours away.
The Chalbi desert has a semi-arid climate. February is the warmest month in Chalbi, rising to ov
Not too many people know much about (or have even heard of) the tiny, 10-island West African country of Cape Verde, on Boavista island). But even though relatively few actually understood her song lyrics, plenty in Europe, Africa, and the rest of the world certainly knew and loved its most famous native daughter, a soulful singer whom we lost a year ago today at age 70.
Like one of my favorite U.S. jazz icons, Alberta Hunter, Cesária Évora started her career young and at one po
We used to have a desire to kick back on holiday, but now the desire to give back has moved to the forefront when it comes to booking that dream trip. Proof that there’s more than one way to join in with the “feel good” factor, the “Travelling Eco-Book Depository” combines the traditional idea of recycling with the ethical mindset of today’s travellers – “reduce, reuse, recycle,” entering the travel sphere.
Simplistic it may be, but while most initiatives are generally tour operator led, this
