After a hearty breakfast at the hostel in Gisenyi on Lake Kivu, the four of us were ready to go. As we stepped outside, it started to rain and we immediately put on our rainjackets and backpack covers. Welcome to…
Kigali and Kibuye, Rwanda
After an epic journey from Kigoma, Tanzania, to say I was happy to be in Kigali, would be a vast understatement. I woke up to a fresh pot of filtered coffee and free breakfast (I actually had no idea how…
Transiting in Tanzania Part III- Kigoma to Kigali, Rwanda
I woke from a very light sleep with a kink in my neck and a returned awareness of the pain in my legs and my back. I checked my phone and saw it was 1:15am and that we were finally…
Transiting in Tanzania Part II- Sumbuwunga to Kigoma
Waking at 5am in Sumbuwanga, I was pleasantly surprised when breakfast was being made for me. It was included in the room price but when I asked it it would be available so early, I had received a definitive “no”,…
Transiting in Tanzania- Part I- Livingstonia, Malawi to Sumbuwunga, Tanzania
After a great last night in Livingstonia, I woke up 4 minutes before my alarm was set to go off at 5:00am, woken by the birds and the sun starting to rise. I packed my tent and headed up to…
Livingstonia- last stop in Malawi
Yet another town by the name of the famous African explorer, David Livingstone. I have yet to figure out if he deserves all these places named after him, or if his legacy needs to be revisited. The first white person…
Last Stop on Lake Malawi- Nkhata Bay
After recovering from the crazy journey from Mulanje to Likoma Island, I was rested up and ready to tackle the ferry from Likoma to Nkhata Bay. There were 7 of us leaving the island that day for the journey, so…
Likomo Island- worth the journey
Heading into Malawi, I knew I wanted to hit Likomo Island. I hadn’t actually met anyone who had made it there due to complicated ferry schedules, but I was determined to make it work. With one ferry heading north once…
Mountains of Mulanje
From Zomba, I was lucky enough to share a taxi with the traveling family I met originally in Livingstone, Zambia, and I had seen a couple of times along the way, as they were traveling the same route as me…
Welcome to Hanoi…or is it PEACE LAND?
A lesson in double-checking our travel visas! Jon and I almost didn’t make it to Vietnam. Our flight from Southern Thailand had been slightly delayed. When we arrived in Bangkok for our connection to Hanoi, we found ourselves in a…