KK & Chris' Kenya Adventure

  Driving from northwestern Rwanda to western Uganda, we noticed a change in the strategy for farming on hills. Rwandans  preferred to construct terraces, like broad steps climbing up a hillside. A patchwork quilt of farm plots and crops blanketed the Ugandan hills. Ugandan farmers appear to prefer working on slopes. Water and red earth clay make great bricks for building homes. This is true in many of the African countries we've traveled through. Madagascar had a huge brick making area just outside the capitol. Along roads well-traveled by tourists, children appear, hoping for handouts. Boaz made some new friends at this stop. Notice the lake in the background. Our first view of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park was taken from a small hotel perched at the top of a hill. The view was stunning but, due to a miscommunication, they didn't have rooms for us. We were disappointed.  There were at least 50 steps up to the hotel from the parking lot! Our first Ugandan ...

 Our East African Adventure began in Kigali, Rwanda, at the Genocide Memorial. We spent several sobering hours in the museum learning the colonial history that fueled the 1994 genocide and remembering the approximately 1,000,000 Rwandans who were murdered. Our friend, Boaz, from Kenya, is standing next to platforms that cover large vaults where remains of many of those murdered now rest. Rwanda is known as the land of 1,000 hills. We spent several hours driving up and then down and up and down to get to Volcanoes National Park. Our accommodations, Island Paradise Resort, were great and included dinner and breakfast. The place raises money for a non-profit group "Future 4 Kids" as well as providing jobs for former kids they have served.  Volcanoes National Park shares borders with Congo and Uganda which together include 8 volcanoes. The rainforest shelters many wildlife species including mountain gorillas and golden monkeys. We were there to see golden monkeys. Masks were requ...

  (April 2024) On the way to Swakopmund, Namibia, we crossed the Tropic of Capricorn. This is the group that departed together from Cape Town a week earlier. Traveling north, the scenery was never dull and always changing. At Swakopmund, our first stop was Walvis Bay to see flamingoes. On the coast, temperatures were much cooler than in the desert. Morning fog was common and afternoon sunshine felt wonderful. Swakopmund shows strong German and Africaan influences. The Germans arrived after the Dutch and developed a port. After WWI, the colony was controlled by the Union of South Africa.  A large retirement community lives here, many from outside the country. Prices are very reasonable, including beachfront property. Exploring some of the neighborhoods The Namibian currency is the Namibian dollar so it was strange to see coffee drinks for $35. The US dollar is equal to $18 Namibian dollars, so the coffee drinks are quite reasonable. We found a large, public recreational center ...