by Matthew Allison | Aug 9, 2021 | Mexico, North America
Narco-Tourism in Sinaloa Exploring Narco-Culture: A Weekend Trip to Culiacán, Sinaloa August 2021: For a quick weekend getaway, my wife, a friend, and I flew directly from Tijuana to Culiacán, the capital of Sinaloa, with plans to return via Mazatlán. Our goal? To...
by Matthew Allison | May 23, 2021 | Africa
Searching for a Dinosaur Named Mokele Mbembe in the Central African Forests of Lac Tele-Republic of Congo May 2021: I have always been fascinated with Central Africa’s vast, ancient forests that are shrouded in mystery with tribes that continue to believe in...
by Matthew Allison | May 22, 2021 | Africa
Visiting Bangui, Central African Republic, Just Months After Being Under Siege from Rebels May 2021: A Visit to the Central African Republic Curiosity, Chaos, and the Allure of the Unstable I wanted to visit the Central African Republic (CAR) to see for myself whether...
by Matthew Allison | May 15, 2021 | Africa
Meeting Emirs with a Nigerian Prince During the Durbar Festivals of Northern Nigeria May 2021: Three times a year usually during Islamic holidays, people in the Emirates of Northern Nigeria hold a parade or durbar to demonstrate loyalty to their Emir, an Islamic...
by Matthew Allison | Mar 18, 2021 | South America & Antarctica
Paraguay-the Emptiness in Between the Places Tourists Want to Visit March 2021: I have always been intrigued by places that are seldom visited by foreign tourists, places where internet searches turn up mostly blank pages. Paraguay is no exception to this. Paraguay is...
by Matthew Allison | Jan 22, 2021 | Central America
Spending the Night Next to a 12,000′ Erupting Volcano During my travels, I have become obsessed with volcanoes and have been fortunate to visit dozens around the world, including those in Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nicaragua, Vanuatu,...
by Matthew Allison | Jan 14, 2021 | Central America
January 2021: Nicaragua was one of my first international trips. I first went there when I was a 19 year old college student. My friend and I went to western Nicaragua as part of a church related humanitarian trip to assist doctors and dentists with their medical...
by Matthew Allison | Jan 1, 2021 | Central America
Walking Among Bones of Human Sacrifices in the Caves of the Mayan Underworld January 2021: Belize is more than its famous cayes and world-class diving—its jungles hide ancient Mayan ruins and vast cave networks. Most Mayan cities in western Belize were built near...
by Matthew Allison | Nov 27, 2020 | Africa
November 2020: After my Kilimanjaro climb was over, my friends and I stayed in Zanzibar Island for two nights of rest and relaxation at the Zuri 5 Star hotel on a white sand beach. Zanzibar is a large semi-autonomous tropical paradise island that is part of Tanzania...
by Matthew Allison | Nov 21, 2020 | Africa
Climbing to the Roof of Africa-Kilimanjaro When your goal is to travel to every country in Africa, it is inevitable that you will eventually feel a beckoning to climb Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. For many years I wanted to climb the mountain but I was...
