Unexpected Country Stop Due to a Blown Airplane Tire in the Female Sex Tourist Hot Spot of the Gambia

by Matthew Allison | Nov 9, 2013 | Africa

November 2013: The day started off as usual, with plans to leave Dakar after a night out, beach bar hopping with an intriguing new American friend. This guy was one of those fascinating characters you sometimes meet in West Africa—he provided security training in...

Searching for the Critically Endangered Pygmy Hippos in Tiwai Island While Trying to Avoid Corrupt Police, Sierra Leone

by Matthew Allison | Nov 4, 2013 | Africa

November 2013:  Sierra Leone is like Liberia in that it was intended to be used for the relocation of freed African slaves from British Territories. My main motivation to visit was the movie Blood Diamond, one of my favorites and a huge inspiration for...

Surfing Empty Beaches in a Country Still Re-Building from Civil War in What Was the Only American Colony in Africa, Liberia

by Matthew Allison | Nov 4, 2013 | Africa

Liberia: Surf, Civil War Shadows, and America’s Only Colony in Africa November 2013 Journey As part of a 20-day trip across Asia and Africa that included Kuwait, the UAE, Socotra (Yemen), Mali, Senegal, and Sierra Leone, I carved out three days in Liberia. My goals...

Lava Lakes, Bubbling Acid Pools and Nomadic Camel Caravans Carrying Salt Across the Lowest and Hottest Desert in Africa

by Matthew Allison | Dec 5, 2012 | Africa

Into the Inferno: The Danakil Desert December 2012 – Earth’s Most Alien Landscape Quite simply, the Danakil Desert is one of the most incredible places I have ever been. Tucked into the northeastern corner of Ethiopia, near the borders of Eritrea and Djibouti,...

Traveling Overnight Through the Somaliland Desert in a Bush Taxi and Being Detained in a Remote Village for a Day During an Election

by Matthew Allison | Nov 24, 2012 | Africa

A Visit to the De-Facto State of Somaliland November 2012: A Last-Minute Adventure into Somaliland As a backup plan after my failed attempt to visit Socotra Island in Yemen, I decided to travel to Somaliland from Djibouti-Swimming With Whale Sharks and the Bizarre...

Swimming With Whale Sharks and the Bizarre Desert World of Lake Assale

by Matthew Allison | Nov 23, 2012 | Africa

Djibouti: The Backup Plan That Became an Adventure November 2012: As part of a larger Middle East-Middle East | Venture The Planet and East Africa-East Africa | Venture The Planet trip, my friend Evan and I ended up in Djibouti for four days—a destination that,...