This is a story about visiting a South African township by bicycle, where people and life and answers to questions are up close and personal.
As we rode to the end of our visit, a big white van, way too clean, rolled passed us in almost slow-motion like you might expect in a movie. From the side windows, faces peered out, their eyes snagging on us. Others pressed cameras. They were touring the township from above, behind closed doors. They looked at us on our rickety bicycles, a tad perplexed.
We looked at them much the same way.
They were missing out. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Africa, South Africa, Travel by: Daniel Noll
7 Comments | 24 May 2013
This is a story about an afternoon in Durban, South Africa where everything seemed to go wrong, but somehow ended up right. It’s also everything you ever wanted to know about bunny chow but were afraid to ask.
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Filed Under: Africa, Food, South Africa, Travel by: Audrey Scott
21 Comments | 19 May 2013
There are certain parts of the world that simply cry out: Road Trip! You know the requisite ingredients: rugged cliffs dropping into blue ocean waters, waves crashing against rocky outcroppings, and pockets of white foam shooting into the air. Roads wind, barely two lanes wide, cars hug mountain turns. Drivers and passengers crane their necks to catch a glimpse — the glimpse — over the next cliff, wanting to pull off for the perfect photo.
The whole thing sounds cliché, perhaps, but maybe that’s just because that’s the way it really is. There are a few drives in this world that deliver on all of this. And Chapman’s Peak Drive in Cape Town happens to be one of them. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Panorama, South Africa by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
2 Comments | 16 May 2013
This is a slice of backstory regarding our current visit to South Africa. It’s about a man named Tutu, a book entitled Invictus and a musician called Rodriguez. It’s about South Africa and about our relationship to places before we’ve ever visited them. Finally, it’s about our journey from Cape Town to South Africa’s Northern Cape.
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Filed Under: Africa, South Africa, Travel by: Daniel Noll
14 Comments | 9 May 2013
Banana beer and biryani. Night markets and nutmeg. Kilimanjaro and Kendwa beach. Safaris and Stone Town. Zanzibar and zebras. Maasai and Manyara.
This is Tanzania in three weeks. See it all in the slideshow below. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Africa, Tanzania, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
8 Comments | 19 July 2011
An Egyptian cobra pays an unexpected visit to a Maasai village and makes us realize that we share a fear of poisonous snakes — and that we’re all more alike than we first thought.
“There’s an Egyptian cobra in one of the huts.”
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Filed Under: Africa, Tanzania, Travel by: Audrey Scott
18 Comments | 14 July 2011
A few life lessons we picked up from the animals of Tanzania’s big safari parks: Serengeti, Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro Crater. Includes a slideshow of our favorite Tanzania safari photos.
When we humans observe animals and their behavior, we’re often tempted to anthropomorphize them, ascribing to them our human qualities. The zebra “wears” stripes, the cheetah “eats breakfast” and the warthog “hangs out with his buddies.”
While we were on safari in Tanzania, all those lions, elephants, cheetahs, and hippos prompted us to take this one step further and ask: What could the wild animals of Tanzania teach us about life, and possibly even business?
If all the safari animals were contracted for an motivational speaking conference, here’s who might show up and what they might say. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Africa, Tanzania, Travel by: Audrey Scott
28 Comments | 1 July 2011
Reflections on our safari in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park, including a slideshow of the big cats – lions, cheetahs, and a leopard – who have made this place their own.
Expectations: dangerous stuff. It’s virtually impossible not to have them when it comes to an iconic experience like a safari in the Serengeti. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Africa, Tanzania, Travel by: Daniel Noll
18 Comments | 29 June 2011
How do I prepare for climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro? What equipment will I need?
No shortage of digital ink has been spilled on this topic. Even so, every article we’ve read seemed to be missing a little something.
Based on our Kilimanjaro climb experience, here are the nuts and bolts of what an average, ordinary hiker will need for a Kilimanjaro climb. We’ll address choosing a Kilimanjaro route, costs, equipment and hiking gear, ways to avoid and manage altitude sickness and other illnesses, and whether or not you really need to train for a Kilimanjaro climb.
Don’t worry, it’s not as daunting as it sounds.
Continue Reading »
- Climbing Kilimanjaro: Life Lessons from the Top of Africa
- Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro: Day by Day
- Climb Kilimanjaro: Equipment and Preparation
Filed Under: Africa, Tanzania, Travel by: Audrey Scott
29 Comments | 26 June 2011
Poa kichizi kama ndizi.
– Swahili for “Crazy cool like a banana,” the most appropriate response to “How are you?” while climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro.
So we climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and shared some of the life lessons we learned along the way. But what did the climb look like? How did it feel?
Continue Reading »
- Climbing Kilimanjaro: Life Lessons from the Top of Africa
- Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro: Day by Day
- Climb Kilimanjaro: Equipment and Preparation
Filed Under: Africa, Tanzania, Travel by: Daniel Noll
30 Comments | 21 June 2011
