Dodging Swindlers, Aggressive Snake Charmers and Pick Pocketers All While Purposely Getting Lost in the Endless and Charming Alleyways of the Marrakech Medina, Morocco

by Matthew Allison | Nov 10, 2013 | Africa

Day Trip to Marrakesh: Navigating Morocco’s Ancient Medina First Impressions of Marrakesh November 2013: Over the years, I’d found myself repeatedly passing through Casablanca on brief, overnight stopovers, but never venturing far beyond the airport or...

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: An Unplanned Country Dakar Nights and West African Characters The day began like any other in Dakar—recovering from a night out that involved beach bars and conversations with an intriguing new American acquaintance. He was one of those characters you...

Observing 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 A Journey Shaped by History, War, and Wildlife A Nation Founded on Freedom Sierra Leone shares a striking historical parallel with neighboring Liberia. Both countries were established as destinations for the resettlement of freed African...

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...