Comparing Gary Arndt’s and Francis Tapon’s West African Experiences

My friend and author, Francis Tapon, has been traveling around Africa for the past year. While I was sailing up the west coast of Africa this year, he had been traveling across similar territory by land. Given how different our trips were, I thought it would be interesting for Francis to compare his observations about …

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The Seven Wonders of Egypt

Great Pyramids and Sphinx The very fist list of wonders created by Herodotus in the 5th Century BC had the pyramids on the list. In 2,500 years, not much has changed. The Great Pyramids and the Giza Complex are still one of the most impressive sights in the world. The pyramids are from the Upper …

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Alexandria

I’ve arrived in Alexandria. My first reaction is that I like it a lot more than Cairo. It isn’t as busy, dirty or crowded. Also, I have yet to have anyone “welcome” me to Egypt and try to sell me crap. I’m staying about 2 blocks from the Mediterranean Sea, in a hotel which would …

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First Thoughts on Egypt

I haven’t really written anything since I’ve arrived in Egypt. Usually when I arrive in a new place it takes a while to adjust to things. That adjustment period can be as short as an hour or as long as a few days. Egypt has taken a lot longer than normal. While it is ostensibly …

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South Africa Update

I’ve only been in South Africa for a few days, but it seems as if I’ve been here a week. I’ve already taken hundreds of photo and I’m sure I’ll be taking 100’s more before I leave. So far, in just the few days I’ve been here I went on a safari, got to take …

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Out of (South) Africa

After 32 hours of airports and airplanes, I am back from South Africa. The last 10 days have were an amazing experience and I have to give a big thanks to South Africa Tourism for the opportunity to visit a country which had been high on my list of places to visit. Here is a …

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McArabia: McDonald’s in the Arab World

Since I last wrote about McDonald’s when I was in Dubai, I’ve been in Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt and Jordan. As all of the McDonald’s in the Arabian Peninsula are owned by the same company, there isn’t a whole lot to add to what I had to say about McDonald’s in Dubai. I managed …

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Day 13, West Africa Cruise – Principe

Our day in Principe was perhaps the most atypical stop we’ve had, or will have, on our entire trip. Rather than going out to visit sites or meet local people, today was devoted to rest and relaxation. G Adventures rented several cabins for the day at the Bom Bom Resort on the northern point of …

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Day 10, West Africa Cruise – Point Noire, Republic of Congo

Latitude: 4° 37.0843’ S Longitude: 11° 51.5024’ E The benefit of traveling by ship is that you can explore 70% of the Earth’s surface. The downside is that you are limited to only exploring places on land which are near the sea. I don’t this is effect more pronounced than in the Republic of Congo. …

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