by Matthew Allison | Sep 18, 2017 | Australia & Pacific
September 2017: Paula and I planned a trip to Samoa, also known as Independent Western Samoa. Although it lies just 500 miles from American Samoa, a U.S. territory, Independent Samoa is its own sovereign nation. The country is known for preserving its traditional...
by Matthew Allison | Sep 13, 2017 | Australia & Pacific
Swimming with Giants: Our Journey to Tonga In September 2017, my wife and I traveled to Tonga, the last Pacific kingdom still ruled by a king, for six days as part of a two-week journey that also included Samoa and New Zealand. Our main goal in Tonga was to swim with...
by Matthew Allison | May 5, 2017 | Default
May 2017: To celebrate my 40th birthday, I flew to Medellín, Colombia, with a few close friends—Johnny, Jimmie, Dan, and Frank. This was my second visit to Colombia- Colombian Cocaine Labs, Indians and Hiking to the Paramilitary Controlled Lost City of Tayrona |...
by Matthew Allison | Mar 28, 2017 | Middle East
About the Marsh Arabs The Marsh Arabs of Iraq: A Vanishing Civilization March 2017: My introduction to Iraq came not through travel, but through the Gulf War when I was in junior high. I remember seeing images of Bedouin camel caravans moving alongside American tank...
by Matthew Allison | Mar 18, 2017 | Africa
March 2017: Exploring Eritrea In March 2017, I spent four days in Eritrea with my friend Richard as part of a 10-day trip that also included southern Iraq. Eritrea was one of my last “Badland” countries—a place infamous for having one of the most...
