So Africa is a wrap after 50 odd episodes. This episode sums up my epic journey overland across Africa by car, truck, bus, boat, train, bicycle, horse, camel, donkey and on foot. I travelled from the top to the bottom of Africa. Over that journey, I had the most incredible experiences with wildlife, immersed myself in amazing cultures and viewed stunning terrain. This journey changed my life in so many ways including: i) to take every opportunity to come my way, ii) to be so grateful for what I was experiencing and yet somehow always remaining safe, iii) to open my mind to the diversity everywhere in this world, iv) to seek a new career pathway through my discoveries and interests that arose in my travels, and v) to stop searching for my place in this world but find it is inside me all along. To celebrate competing my African stories, I created this episode as a video to listen and/or watch - including some of the photos and videos I took on my journey.

Has this journey aroused your interests to travel? I am also a travel coach. If you planning on a trip to Africa and are on the fence, just do it. If you need help planning, get in contact with me and we can plan that African experience you dream about. Safe travels!!

Videos in order:

1. Moholoholo Animal Rehabilitation Centre, Kampersus, South Africa

2. Nungwi, Zanzibar

3. Mountain gorillas, Mikeno Volcano, Buhumba, Democratic Republic of Congo.

4. Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo

5. Congo River, Zaire

6. Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania

7. Nigerian wedding, Kano, Nigeria

8. Samburu ceremony, Timau, Kenya.

Music played in order;

Solitude, Sand Take me to the Lake, Punch Deck - Magheda, Ambient Bongos by Alexander Nakarada, Bumbumchack by Alwin Brauns, Tribal joy by Alexander Nakarada.

https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode I recount my period I spent volunteering at a game reserve in the Limpopo Province in eastern South Africa. It was at the Enkosini Eco Experience (https://www.enkosini.org/) at Makalali Game Reserve, near Hoedspruit. Here I was involved in monitoring studies of predators and herbivore numbers, movements and behaviours. I also took part in the elephant contraception program, where elephant herds are monitored and females are given contraceptives to slow the density of elephants in the reserve. While I was there, we were lucky to be involved in removing radio collars off three bull elephants. This required watching the vet dart the elephants from a helicopter and being part of the ground crew. The experience was an amazing experience of morning and night game drives, walking safaris and bush camps. One particular encounter with lions was especially memorable.

I was also able to visit the Moholoholo Animal Rehabilitation Centre and Jessica the hippo. While these have become tourist attractions, they do play a vital role in educating the public and rehabilitating wildlife back to the wild. In light of this, I discuss the merits of zoos with animals restricted in their movements.

Lastly, I dwell on the lessons I picked up volunteering, including the gratitude I felt in being able to enjoy this experience and being immersed in this African landscape teeming with wildlife. I finish with my telling of my respect for the wildlife I encountered and suggest we should consider showing respect to the animals through keeping noise to a minimum when we experience these wildlife encounters.

In this episode I take a break from my travel stories and discuss the issues associated with travelling during the covid-19 pandemic. I discuss the requirements for entering most countries when travelling internationally - proof of vaccination and a recent negative covid test. I give my views on the controversial vaccination as a scientist and compare it with other global pandemics in history. I also give my travel tips on staying safe while travelling during covid as well as some of the pitfalls to be prepared for, such as sudden lockdowns and border closures and forced quarantines if exposed. 

With careful planning, practicing safe measures and becoming vaccinated, it is possible to enjoy travel again as we enter this new era of global travel. 

Photo: Covid-19 - Fusion Medical Animation on Unsplash

This episode recaps my arrival into South Africa from Mozambique. I get dropped off at the first big town Barberton over the border (I mention it was Komatipoort in the episode but I was incorrect) and am overwhelmed when I step into a supermarket and see wall to wall of overstocked shelves after 18 months of experiencing countries where they were lucky to have three items on a shelf. This was especially mind-blowing when the memories of a week ago when I had run out of food in Mozambique were still very fresh and raw. 

Within a week, I had managed to go from no money, food or water in a neighbouring country to having a job as a stable manager at the beautiful Hartfield Stables, near Diesploot, Midrand in Johannesburg. It felt a bit surreal. I describe how my daily life changed looking after and riding the horses and managing the staff. On my days off I only felt safe driving to Fourways Mall and parking my buccy (a utility) under security and watching a movie. I recall the time I had to get ambulance to the farm at night for a nearby stabbing and I sat like a sitting duck at the crossroads waiting for them to turn up and noticing they carried guns. Car hijacking is a major crime in South Africa and we lived close to a township with local shabeens. The only time I felt safe to park and go explore the surrounds was when I set off by car to Blyde River Canyon in the northern end of the Drakensberg range and I camped with the safety of the stable dog. I also visited God's Window, the Three Rondavels and Bourke's Luck Potholes and marvelled at the sheer beauty of the rock formations and vistas. 

My lessons include reflecting on my reaction to South Africa entering early 1995 when it was just coming out of the apartheid era and election riots were still occurring, especially in KwaZulu-Natal province. I had traversed the length of Africa wandering off in the middle of the night to drum beats, hitchhiking where needed, turning up in bizarre situations and experiencing so many amazing events, especially as a solo traveller.......but in South Africa I could not do it. I was not brave enough. I either thought my luck had been too good, or my intuition just warned me not to do it.  

I also reflect on my reaction to entering a fully-stocked supermarket after such a long period of living only on essentials and what was the only fare available through each country. I was shocked at the excess and the stark contrast between a rich and a poor African country. We may have only experienced shortages recently in the western world as a result of panic buying in covid. But this is reality to many poor countries and it is amazing  how simple it is to live when you are not spoilt for choice and you discover it is just over-indulgence.  

Photo: The Three Rondavels viewpoint at Blyde River Canyon, Drakensburg. Source: J.Murray

This episode recounts my journey through Mozambique with my South African friend, Errol. We left Cape Maclear in Malawi and travelled south into Mozambique. Little did I know realise I was entering a frontier land. 

Mozambique gained independence from over four centuries of Portuguese rule in 1975, then descended into a civil war from 1977-1992. Over a million people were killed between the two warring parties and five million displaced, with forced marches and child soldiers, and destroyed infrastructure across the rural region. The war ended with the collapse of Soviet and South African support with peace talks ending in the Rome General Peace Accords. The United Nations spent the next two years helping to rebuild the country. 

We arrived in the country as the UN was pulling out. We travelled down to Beira and then along the coastline down to Maputo. During that time, we passed impoverished rural villages scraping a living on their farmland, and old derelict Portuguese buildings with no windows and bullet holes in the walls. We grabbed a lift with a guy who was tasked to find the remaining land mines buried in the countryside. He was slightly crazy but who wouldn't be with a job like that. I had noticed quite a few maimed people, mostly missing some of their leg. It was a sobering reality check of the realities of war.

At Vinancular, we went over on a boat to one of the islands close by, Magarque or Benguerra. When we tried to land, we were chased off by security guards and told it was a private island. However, we slipped away and moved to the other side of the island where we spent a couple hours of bliss. It made me wonder how these beautiful islands were not developed being so close to South Africa.

At Xai Xai (pronounced shi, shi) we went to a campground right off the beach and backed by dunes. The first few days spent here were wonderful. We celebrated my birthday with a couple of South African lads on a weekender and a huge yellow-finned tuna caught by Errol, stuffed with vegetables and cooked on the coals. It was delicious. Errol left to do some business in Maputo for a few days. I had enough food and money to last that time. Unfortunately, Errol was away for ten days. I ran out of money and food. I remember living on a small baguette a day until I could not even buy that. I had to choose between food and water so I ended up just drinking the local water out of the tap (something that is not advised to do at any time). I was feeling sick for quite awhile. I thought I first had malaria and took anti-malaria medication to stop it. Then I felt the lack of food and drinking the local water was the reasoning for being sick. But it did not go away. 

I started looking around for how I was going to get out of my pickle. I could not leave as I had no money to pay for the camping. I thought of selling my camera. I had now run out of money to buy bread. At the local bar, some South Africans who lived there offered to smuggle me out on a boat at night. I felt uneasy with these people and did not trust them. I did not want to have to put my life in their hands but I was running out of options. Just when I thought I would have to escape with these others, Errol returned. I was so happy. Errol really was a saviour. We left the campsite and travelled to Maputo, where he found a lift for me into South Africa. But that is another story...

My lessons through Mozambique were immeasurable. Just going through Mozambique in the aftermath of a civil war was a sobering experience. Seeing the bullet holes everywhere, the maimed locals from land mines and the empty derelict buildings with a non-existent banking economy except for the blackmarket, was an eye-opener. My experience at Xai Xai was some of my lowest days feeling uncertain and desperate. Yet I somehow survived unscathed. 

This episode continues the story of my travels through Malawi. I left off from last episode being stuck at the capital Lilongwe, where I spent a day in the bank trying to getting money wired from Australia. This was the days before internet so they relied on phones. It was explained to me that the bank had to make a call to the old capital, Blantyre, to South Africa and finally to Australia. They could not make that first call from Lilongwe to Blantyre so I was kicked out of the bank at the end of the day with no money and facing a weekend and Christmas in a very bad way.

A South African man, supposedly a diamond smuggler, came to my rescue and whisked me off down to Cape Maclear on the beautiful Lake Malawi (the longest freshwater lake in the world) to spend Christmas and New Year (1995) there. Cape Maclear was a fishing village but was used to South Africans and intrepid travellers coming to stay. The waters were beautiful and clear and it was like swimming in an aquarium as this lake is one of the Great Rift Lakes where African cichlids originate. I fell in love with the boldness of the cichlids and in later life kept a cichlid tank for many years. I spent the days swimming and snorkelling and did attempt a dive, but I panicked.

In the interim, I still had no money and had the South African guy, Errol, pursuing me around the area. I escaped in a dugout canoe across to the closest island, Domwe Island. At the time this island was uninhabited and had no development. The only activity would be fishermen landing at the small beach to cook their meal before heading out to a night of fishing. I spent three blissful days here swimming with the cichlids and watching the African fish eagles do amazing stunts overhead as they locked talons mid-flight in territorial displays and caught fish from the lake right in front of me. There were also blue or samango monkeys on the island that would come down to watch and play in the trees above.  

This period in my travels, when money became an issue and I lost my independence when I had to rely on someone else, was a difficult time. It was the first time I felt uncertainty and a feeling of being trapped and I had no control of my destination. It was the first time I had started to stop just going with the flow and reacting to each situation or opportunity that was presented to me. I started to look within myself, a task I had been avoiding, to start thinking what I really wanted and who I really was. It is amazing that sometimes when everything you take for granted is taken from you, as a Westerner, it makes you start questioning yourself.  

In this episode I leave Zanzibar and head to the Malawian border by boat, train, minivan and bicycle. There was a "no man's land" between Tanzania and Malawi of which you could walk or be "doubled" on a bike riding on the centre bar while the cyclist pedalled to the other side of Songwe River and the Malawian border post. I chose the cycle with another cyclist carrying my backpack. 

At the border post I was very short on funds and the border officer asked to see my money, the first time I had ever been asked. I was very nervous as I showed him by equivalent of $20 in local currency. He stared at me for awhile then suggested "I better hurry to get to the bank before it closed". I did not argue and was out of there as quick as I could. I got a lift with a truck driver to Chitimba on the shore of Lake Malawi. I stayed at a campsite owned by the driver who had abandoned us when the overland truck lost its brakes and crashed in West Africa (see Episode 13 for that story). However, while we reminisced about West Africa, the conversation was a bit strained. 

I then travelled to Livingstonia, an old missionary station on the highlands named after Dr Livingstone, a British explorer. It was founded by Dr Robert Laws, a disciple of David Livingstone after his third attempt to get away from the malarial zone down by the lake shores. I mention what I was told that this is where Stanley found Livingstone and said the famous saying "Dr Livingstone I presume?" However, this is not quite the case as that happened close by in Tanzania. However, Livingstonia, or Kondowe as it is called locally, was beautiful with the old colonial buildings and the views to the lake. See `https://www.malawitourism.com/regions/north-malawi/livingstonia-mission/ to read about the history of the mission.

I left Livingstonia and travelled to Llongwe, the capital of Malawi. While out wandering the town, I came across a political rally as protests from the May elections. The crowd was starting to get restless and build themselves into a frenzy so it was time to get out of there.  I noticed how intense it was and how people could change within the mob atmosphere. It reminded me of when I saw a young lad being chased by a mob through the markets after being accused of being a thief. They nearly caught him but he managed to escape over a fence but not before a bit of rough handling. It made me realise that you should never yell out "thief" in Africa for the small amounts they steal as the people will chase and seriously injure or even kill someone when they catch them with the mob mentality, and it is not worth someone's life.  `

I also reflect on my close brush with getting stuck at a border post. I could easily have been kept there as I did not have enough money to support myself. However, I just went with the flow, and things just turned out. Somehow I got out of that border post and picked up a lift as well. My positive outlook pulled me through yet again. I found it always allows you to see your way. 

The black market money-convertors were also a common occurrence to negotiate through any of the African border crossings. Even though it was illegal, they seemed to be tolerated as they exchanged money in the open. The rate was often better than the banks and you did not have to pay commission. Regardless, you had to be careful and keep your wits about you, know the exchange rate and what the new currency was worth, and it was an easy deal. Sometimes, even the banks dealt with and passed on counterfeit money so you had to be careful. However, this is all part of the challenge and adventure of overland travel. 

Photo: Old stone building that housed the missionaries, Livingstonia, Malawi (1994). Source: J Murray

This next episode is a wonderful interview with an amazing person Lungi Mchunu from Johannesburg, South Africa.

Lungi is a sailor, a polar explorer, and a climate change activist. She was the first African female to sail to the Artic. What started out as a dare has led her to endless possibilities and to her personal legend. She has battled fear, pushed past her limiting beliefs and social conditioning, hitched a ride to the ends of the earth, came face to face with death yet she’s still filled with love, enthusiasm, and determination to continue her climate change advocacy and highlighting the importance of the polar regions to the rest of the planet.

I met Lungi as part of the amazing women’s global leadership program for women in STEMM, named Homeward Bound (www.homewardboundprojects.org ), that both of us were lucky to be chosen to participate. The program ends with a journey to Antarctica to find ourselves while seeing first-hand the effects of climate change. Covid has postponed our trip but I hope to meet this amazing Lungi in person either on the ship to Antarctica or around a campfire somewhere on this planet.

In this episode, Lungi tells us about her time when she joined a sailing expedition to the Artic, losing herself in the beauty of the Norwegian fjords, and including the time where she had to be winched to safety onto a helicopter and camping at Svalbard when an Artic storm hit for a week and she saw was surrounded by walls of sea water.

She’s currently working towards completing her Pole-to-Pole ambitions with her training commencing with the Arctic Circle trail in Greenland during the peak of winter in 2021 and sailing around the world solo in the next edition of the Vendee Globe.

Lungi expressed some great inspirational one-liners during the interview:

· What would you do if you are not afraid?

· There is no such thing as being cold, just wrong clothes!

· Find your limit and go beyond it.

· You go out to these crazy places, only to turn inward…….

· The world has some ways of opening you up.

· Do whatever makes your heart skip a beat.

And not to forget a saying by Lungi’s mother – When a child is born, their hands are closed in a fist with all their blessings and talent and then they open their hands. Then they  spend the rest of their life finding it again.

It was a such a wonderful time spent with Lungi. I leant so much about exploring a realm I do not normally think about – the ocean. From learning you must give a lock of hair to King Neptune as you sail across the equator to not letting limiting beliefs stop your dreams.

I hope you enjoy this interview.

You can follow Lungi on @Lungisails on IG and Facebook.

This episode is again based in Nungwi in northern Zanzibar. I spent six weeks lazing at this idyllic spot wandering over the white sands and through the village and helping the women fish. I narrate the cultural events I witnessed while staying in this small fishing village over four consecutive weekends. This includes 1) a soccer match between two villages, 2) a visit from a Muslim child prophet, 3) a disco with associated ghetto blaster , and 4) witch doctors working on a cursed woman.  

Zanzibar has been exposed to many cultures for the last two thousand years with known trading routes and external influence between the 16th and 19th century. This includes the Arab countries bringing Islam, the Portuguese and other Europeans, India and Persia. 

I was blown away by the ease this village adopted cultural practices but still retained their traditions and belief systems as part of a melting pot of cultural diversity represented in one small population. With the pressure applied to this village later on with increased tourism expansion, I wonder if this plasticity has been lost or whether they have adopted new customs and lost others. These events that I witnessed will never be repeated again. I am so glad I got the opportunity to witness these amazing events. Once again, tourism leaves its mark. 

Photo: Tanzanian witch doctor. Source - medicalaid.org

In this episode I introduce you to one of my favourite places in all of Africa - Nungwi on the northern tip of Zanzibar. This was "Paradise" - a small fishing village with limited tourist exposure with strong traditional and Muslim ties. At the time it was difficult to get there, 85 kms of rough potholed roads that took hours to arrive. Therefore, not many tourists arrived. The men of the village were fishermen and boat builders, sailing their dhows during the night and landing their catch in the mornings. The women fished themselves in the shallows using nets, noise and teamwork. 

I spent six weeks at this village camping in my tent, lazing on the hammock and strolling along the white sand gazing out at the crystal blue water. Initially I spent time with a German girl also travelling solo but she had to leave after a few days. So I spent the time there alone watching the activities in this village and even joining in with the women in their effort to catch the small sardines with their nets and beating pots. The sunsets were some of the best I have ever seen. It was often made even better as you lay on the hammock, listening to the lapping waves and watching in the foreground of stunning colours, the fishermen raising the sails on the fishing dhows ready for a night of work.

Sometimes I would stroll up the beach, away from the village and sunbake. Often I had a group of village children trailing behind. At one stage a young girl asked me why I was sunbaking and it really made me consider the purpose and why women, and even some men, change the way they look to reach a prescribed beauty when really we should be happy in our own skin. The thought were so profound that I have never sunbaked again.

I discuss how Nungwi has changed from my initial shock seeing some tourists turn up scantly clad in a primarily Muslim population and showing no respect for the culture......to current day when the hordes of tourists have found out about Nungwi and it is now covered with huge resorts from the big hotel chains and it seems the occupations are ferrying tourists around on boats or working in the hotels to cater for their needs.

Is it progress or loss? Have they lost their culture in improving the village economy? And are they now immune to the way westerners disrespect other cultures and display their body for all to see. I am so glad I saw Nungwi when I did - a special place!

Photo: Fishing dhows getting ready to set sail J.Murray Pentax Z-10 200mm Sigma lens.

This episode describes the journey to Zanzibar and my time in the old stone town. The stone town is rich in history: 1) it was a slave port where slaves were captured on the African mainland and shipped via dhows over to the island. Here they were sold at auction and then transported to different destinations across the seas. ii) it was regarded as the spice island with a big trade in pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves and coconuts, as well as a large ivory trade. iii) Because of its position, it has had a strong Arab, Persian, European, Indian and African influence over time, especially with the Arab and Portuguese influence on its architecture. The old fort was built by the Arabs to house the garrison and also used as a prison. 

I spent three weeks in Stone Town learning Swahili and exploring the labyrinth of alleys surrounding the old buildings. The large stone buildings often had elaboratively carved and massive teak and mahogany doors that flung open in the afternoon after siesta to reveal shops. This was occasionally interspersed with a mosque or another official building. At night the waterfront would come alive with markets and all sorts of meat and seafood was grilled on sticks along with chapatis and mandazis. It was a wonderful place to immerse myself in culture, people watch and soak up the historic feel to the place. 

During my time there, I saved a kitten from certain death. I discuss the merits of saving the kitten from an act of cruelty. 

Photo by FlightTravels

In this episode, I recap my incredible journey to Ngorongoro Crater, on the edge of the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. I could not afford to pay for a safari as none went just to the crater but added at least two days in the Serengeti and charged hundreds of dollars. So I decided to catch buses and hitchhike. I must admit I did not put much thought into the planning, just the direction. I spent two days first in Arusha, where I went into the hills to see the Tanzanian Maasai. The reception was a bit frosty so I retreated and continued on my way. 

I had to change buses at Karatu. I remember being told the bus had already been for the day and I had to find a hotel until tomorrow. I did not feel safe, so I stayed at the bus stop and the bus showed 30 minutes later. The bus trip was a memorable experience from the initial experience climbing over all the seats of a packed bus to my bought seat for the price of a beer, and finding the window covered in dried blood and the two Maasai sitting next to me staring with clubs in their hands, to a wonderful feeling of comradeship while they sang songs around me. When the bus broke down at the park gate, I had another stroke of luck and was offered a seat with a private safari company. I spent a day and two nights with them exploring the crater and camping on the rim, then they left me on the side of the road when they headed off to the Serengeti. 

After waiting for awhile with about ten other people, a matatu showed up. There was a mad scramble and the matatu was full and I was left alone on the side of the road. I started to get a bit concerned as here I was standing in a national park with no fences and there were lions, elephants, buffalo, wildebeest, and lots more. I had no protection, no weapon and was completely vulnerable. I was pondering what to do for quite awhile, including whether I should climb a tree, when a tip truck turned up and offered me a ride. I gratefully scrambled into the back and was whisked out of the park and out of danger to where I could catch the buses back to Nairobi.

The lessons here are that I would not have had any of these experiences if I had meticulously planned my trip to the last detail, or if I had allowed a limiting beliefs that I could not afford the trip to stop me going to this amazing place. I had the will to see the area and to just do it, and things just seemed to come together and worked for me. Sometimes just going with the flow with no plans is so rewarding. Certainly there were huge risks with what I did. There are risks with everything in life. But I still listened to my intuition, including staying at the bus stop when I was told I had missed the bus and accepting the seats I were offered in the bus and the land rover without hesitation as they felt right. 

It is good to plan, whether you are travelling or just on life's journey, but always leave that wriggle room so you can grab opportunities that show up and just go with the flow. I live by that and it has never seen me wrong.    

Photo: Wildebeest on the crater floor, Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania. Source: Justine Murray using a Pentax z-10 and a Sigma 75 - 200 mm lens.

In this episode, I describe my last trip to South Africa to Port Elizabeth (now called Gqeberha) in 2007.  I describe my mixed feelings as I board the plane from J'burg to Port Elizabeth alongside people handing in their rifles in a permanently-designated gun lane. I was attending an international conservation biology conference while finishing my Ph.D. However, at the same time there was a hunting competition and a large game auction happening at the same time in the region. Such conflicting agendas  - conservation, hunting and game farming - all big money earners in their own right. 

While I was within the district, I visited Addo Elephant National Park. The third largest park in RSA is famous for >600 elephants, 400 Cape buffalo and nearly 50 black rhino. The park has the title of being the only park to host the Big 7 after it has picked up neighbouring marine reserves that also have whales and great white sharks and two islands of St Croix Island and Bird Island that houses penguins, seals and many Cape gannets and crowned cormorants. It is also famous for the largest population of wingless dung beetle (Circellium bachuss) that has an important ecological relationship between itself and the elephants - moving the incredible amounts of elephant dung deposited by over 600 individuals back into the soil along with accompanied seeds that have survived an elephant's intestinal tract. The dung beetles have a right of way in this park. 

I found the region very pleasant with a the level of safety being much better than the bigger cities of Johannesburg and cape Town. Besides the conflicting areas of interest, this area is a definite place to visit on a trip to South Africa.  

In this episode, I dive deep into the controversial issue of Indigenous tourism. Is it something we should be doing? What harm do the Indigenous communities endure? Are there any benefits to them?

There has been a fascination with Indigenous or First Nation tribes for centuries. From the first explorers, to the colonists, to the missionaries - these people all had agendas to benefit themselves or their own countries. The tribes were an artefact along the way, to be dealt with accordingly, and mostly in a negative manner.

Then anthropologists came along and lived with the tribes. They also had their own agendas to learn about the cultures and report their findings in academia, but at least they did not want to harm the tribes. With my fascination with the different African cultures, I was often called a budding anthropologist that was 20 years too late. This sparked my interest so much that when I came back to Australia, I enrolled into university and became an anthropologist, along with my scientific interest - but I digress.......

Indigenous tourism has been around for awhile but it is only recently that they have started to control their own tourism and lead their own tours with more of earned revenue staying within the community. However, corruption still occurs. I remember my trip to the mountain gorillas, where I paid US$100 for the privilege. The rangers told me they were lucky to get $5 from that fee. It was a sad reality.

I discuss the pros and cons of indigenous tourism. The advantages include sustainable economic opportunities through Indigenous-led tourism, expanding the awareness of cultures and their connection to their land, creating employment that leads to affordable education and improving themselves, and also building community pride. The disadvantages include desecration of heritage and sacred sites, over commercialisation and loss of authenticity, the notion of visiting a "human zoo" just for the photo opportunities with little interest in the culture, and the loss of culture and connection through the mass production of trinkets and souvenirs. I also discuss the ethical dilemma of some customs and question if we have the right to judge. I offer advice of how we can still visit these communities but only have a minimal footprint, such as immersing ourselves into their cultures through extended homestays bringing in money to their village.

Lastly, I suggest the four basic rules to keep in mind when visiting a First Nation community

1. Stop - think before you visit

2. Respect - be respectful of the culture through your dress and your mannerisms, and who you are visiting. It is not a 'zoo'. Ask permission for photos and be aware of how you can impact a community through your actions.

3. Learn & listen - open your mind and take the opportunity to learn about different cultures. Many of these cultural tribes have oral traditions handed down over generations through story-telling. They are fascinating if you take the time to listen. You may also learn.

4. Behave accordingly and be mindful – you are also representing your nationality. Be courteous and patient. Time has a different meaning in these communities. Learn to go with the flow.

Photo: A Turkana girl standing outside huts on the edge of Lake Turkana, northern Kenya. Note, her expression at the influx of tourists with cameras clicking away. Source: Justine Murray, Pentax Z10.

In this episode, I describe how I was able to start visiting the Samburu tribe in northern Kenya through meeting a Samburu man who was a night watchman at the tea plantation where I rode horses. He took me to visit his family north of Mount Kenya. It was by bus as far as you could go and then walk for two hours across a vast plain teeming with wildlife till we reached his family's hut. I proceeded to replace my Maasai visits with the Samburu visits as these were much more enjoyable. I recount my wanders past zebra, antelope and giraffe without concern until one day I was on my own surrounded by baboons at a rocky waterhole and realised this was good leopard country as well. Another time I nearly broke my neck helping them carrying water. This gave me great respect for their strength and abilities. I also spent time trekking with the Samburu between different bomas (average of ~30 kms distance each), just walking through the Kenyan Highlands with a few Samburu passing wildlife, including seeing elephants push over a game sanctuary fence and continue on their path.

We mostly attended ceremonies on our treks, where many people arrived from everywhere and joined in the ceremony. I watched morani (warriors) dancing, singing and jumping with the girls watching and joining in at times. I was often busy taking photos and videoing them. Remember, this was the time when mobile phones and digital cameras did not exist so they did not have access to them. The video was a great hit as they could see themselves immediately. At one time, I was threatened with a spear as soon as I arrived to not take any photos. I said okay and walked off, visiting the women elders and drinking chai in a hut. The morani were not expecting that reaction. I knew they would come around. After about 20 minutes I was asked to come outside and start take some photos. I spent much of my time taking photos and getting them developed and giving them copies. It actually was a bit expensive for me with film development in Nairobi at the time around $20, basically a day's wage, but the experiences were so worth it.

In this episode I really learnt to appreciate what it was like living in a hut with limited resources, having to collect water from a spring and carry it back, dealing with daily situations and how visiting meant grabbing your spears and hiking long distances across amazing terrain and past abundant wildlife.

I also start to discuss some of the controversial experiences I witnessed and express my thoughts on the matter. Please note, when I mention 'barbaric', I mean the particular practice and custom is barbaric to the western civilization and I am not calling this tribe or other tribes that practice it 'barbaric'. I believe we really need to understand tribal customs and practices and their meanings so we can support them finding alternative outlets to convey the same meaning when stopping questionable practices instead of just blanket bans with no alternatives. I will continue this discussion in my next episode.

Photo: Samburu warrior at Lerogi Plateau, northern Kenya, surveying the Great Rift Valley. Source - Sapra M.M. The best postcard I ever bought, so much that I bought two of it. This image beautifully sums the magnificence of the land and the pride of the people of northern Kenya.

This episode relates my short trip up to northern Kenya to the Lake Turkana district. This is such an area rich in human history and really stunning scenery across the Great Rift Valley, amazing geological formations and volcanic activity, and lots of wildlife and absolutely incredible examples of some of the Kenyan tribes living their nomadic lives in one of the harshest areas in Africa. These tribes include the Samburu, the Pokot, the Rendille, the El Molo and the Turkana. They belong to the Nilotic group of people across the Nile Valley dispersing from Sudan and through Ethiopia thousands of years ago. 

Currently the area is in the grip of a lengthy drought and the effects of river damming upstream in the Ethiopian Highlands has caused much of their livestock to die with lack of feed, and they are struggling to survive. Combine this with political corruption and reduced tourism dollars as a result of covid, has left more than two million people struggling to survive.

We need to support aid organisation helping these regions at this time, and get back into the communities at the first opportunity to bring back tourism money to help these communities survive. It is an amazing region that I highly recommend to visit and see another side of Kenya.

Photo: Rita Willaert on Flickr

This episode recounts a typical day when I worked in Nairobi riding horses and the choices I had when I had to get from farm to farm. One way was catching the local mini-buses (called matatus). I always got plenty of stares walking down the back streets of Nairobi, dressed in chaps, spurs and carrying a whip. Interestingly, I was never robbed. However, the overcrowding of these vehicles, their state of roadworthiness and the state of the actual roads accompanied by speed meant there were often fatal accidents. Somehow I survived the many trips to tell the tale. At times I had access to a car and drove between sites. You had to be careful when driving, especially at night. The car could be forced off the road and be hijacked. At one time when I was house-sitting, I did not return one night as the rain was so bad. There was an attempt of a break-in that night when no cars returned. Luckily the servants were loyal and raised the alarm. 

From the time living in Nairobi, I learnt to be thankful for the relative freedom I have in my home country. I don't have to live behind high fences and lock myself into my sleeping quarters with alarms and an assortment of weapons beside my bed. I can also drive at any time within relative safety from being forced off the road and my car hijacked. Our public transport is very safe and reliable, and our roads are generally in good condition. Having seen this in Africa, I have so much gratitude for remaining safe throughout my travels and my many journeys. However, I do not regret any of my adventures as I feel I have lived life to the fullest, as one big adventure - risks and all.

Photo: Matatus lining up in Nairobi - Doreen Ajiambo 

This episode recounts the fantastic time I had a Aberdare National Park in Kenya, spending the night at The Ark. The Ark is a lodge that overlooks a watering hole and a salt lick within the park. The adventure starts when you drive to its sister property, the Aberdare Country Club. The Aberdare Country Club is an old rambling homestead reminiscent of the old colonial days of Kenya. Here you leave your vehicles and are bused into the national park to the Ark. The Ark has viewing decks, a ground-level hide and beautiful furnishings throughout in the typical African lodge theme. They have spotlights set up for night viewing of which the animals are familiarised. I spent the entire night in the hide watching the amazing interactions between the animals, especially in the early hours of the morning when everyone else went to bed. 

I highly recommend The Ark as a wonderful place to visit and soak in nature's surroundings and get up and personal with the animals without disturbing their behaviour.  Seize opportunities when they come up - like myself forgoing a night's sleep just to get every moment of that unique situation and watching the animals throughout the night. Step out of routines when situations arise as you never know what an opportunity will bring and the rewards make it all worth it in the end. 

Photos: Taken from https://thearkkenya.com/ 

In this episode, I interview my good friend Jacqui. I met Jacqui on the overland truck through Africa and we hit it off straight away. Jacqui has already been mentioned in a few of my previous episodes. Jacqui was my partner in crime when we took off after the boat ride down the Congo and through the many adventures until we reached Kenya. Since that time Jacqui has travelled extensively across the globe, including spending over nine months in South America and living and teaching English in mainland China and Hong Kong. As a result, Jacqui has gained a network of friends around the globe and this has been the highlight of her travels allowing her to travel for a year visiting each of her friends in their home country (including myself). Our conversation was so interesting and inspiring, the episode goes for a bit longer than normal. It makes me want to to just get up and travel......  

Photo: Jacqui at the Wrynose Pass in the Lake District National Park, Cumbria, United Kingdom.

In this episode I describe how I go searching for an authentic Maasai Village in Kenya by catching a matatu until I could go no further. They thought I was lost but I finally convinced them of my interest in their culture. I was invited to stay the night with a family in one of their typical bark and dung huts. This led to a friendship in which I returned every weekend after living for the week with white Kenyans in high-fenced estates, looked after by servants, and then each weekend living in the Maasai boma with the family, eating the ugali and spinach and drinking sweet milky tea. 

One day I was sitting on a stool in the smoke-filled hut when I felt a sharp pang in my forearm. I was told it was a scorpion and I should take my clothes off. I thought it was weird but I am glad I changed my clothes as I found the tiny scorpion still on my skirt in the morning. I felt the toxin move up my arm and by morning every nerve was alive and I had similar feeling of pins and needles over my whole body for three days.

I spent each weekend at this boma for a couple of months, being taken to some of their ceremonies and enjoying the bizarre lifestyle I was leading as a horse rider during the week and as a budding anthropologist on the weekend. I eventually stopped going when I was continually asked for big sums of money each time I turned up.

From this period, I learnt that sometimes it is scary to take a risk but if you do not take a risk, then you don't get the reward. I took a risk going out on my own to find the Maasai and accepting their invitation to stay, but this allowed me experience their life, their culture and immerse myself into their activities. The lifestyle I lived felt surreal - colonial living during the week and as a nomad on the weekends with pastoralists. The rally car event through a village with no resident car, made it feel even more surreal.  

I was very lucky with the scorpion incident as my body reacted to the sting but not to the point to be life-threatening. Note, pandadol does not help! You cannot carry a chemist store with you, but it may be worth carrying strong pain killers and always have a backup plan if things go wrong, especially if you are travelling alone. 

Lastly, unfortunately we have created a lot of these problems changing Indigenous cultures through tourism. Just turning up changes their lifestyle. We come through sometimes flashing enough money that would keep them for a month to a year. Some take advantage of it and suddenly it costs money to do anything. The Maasai have been very popular to the tourists, e.g. charging US$20 for a photo (equivalent to a month's wage when I went through). It became easy money and the Maasai got good at asking, and less time finding other work. I don't know what it is like now but I would be surprised if it has changed. We need to be aware of how we interact with different cultures and think of the potential long term impact our behaviours can cause and act appropriately to minimise our impact. 

In this episode I am now on my own in Nairobi, Kenya. I needed a job so I turned to my riding career. Kenya is a former British colony so there are many British residents and expatriates. I knew the British love their horses and the wealthier groups often own horses as a hobby but not always have time to ride them. I had to get in contact with them to see if there was any job opportunities and i did not know anyone. Remember this was the time when there was no mobile phones, no email, no internet.......I went looking for hoofprints in the dirt on the outskirts of Nairobi. I saw some from the local bus (matatu). I then left a note in the local shop looking for work as a rider and to leave me a message through my backpackers accommodation. I was contacted within that day. I was invited to spend a weekend at a horse event being introduced to potential employers. I readily accepted but I did not look the part as an equestrian rider and so was immediately judged. However, two families were willing to give me a trial on their horses and after one ride, I suddenly had a full-time job riding horses and training people to ride their own horses. 

There were two life lessons from this period of my life. 1) I needed a job and I managed to get one in a foreign country within 24 hours. This was with no digital technology to help me. Where there is a will, there is a way. Using my initiative and perseverance, I came up with an idea and did not give up on it until I was successful. Having that drive to see things through has got me a long way in life and I have used it continually in my travels and other aspects of my life. Have a vision, set some goals and don't give up, even if you have to ride some setbacks along the way.   2) I mention I was judged by my looks when I was looking for horse employment. I did not look the part as a professional rider neat and tidy in the "right" clothes. However, some people took a chance with me and let me ride their horses. Once I got on the horse, I was able to prove my worth by the way I was able to train the horse. If no one took a chance with me because of the way I dressed, I would have been out of a job but also I would not have been able to help these people. I had recently come from an Austrian barn where I as riding up to 15 horses a day, so I was a good rider and there were very few horse trainers/coaches in Nairobi at the time. So be careful how you judge someone by their looks, the way they dress, their background and associations. They may just be a diamond in the rough waiting for a chance to shine. Give them that chance to help them be the person they are meant to be. On the flip side of the coin, you do not have to act, dress or be like anyone else just to try and fit in. You are unique. Given the right opportunities, even if you have to make those opportunities happen, you can shine your own light and be yourself. 

This episode describes our trip to the Masai Mara Games Reserve in Kenya. We found a safari company in Nairobi and booked a four-day, three-night package for a reasonable price. My fellow travellers were from the overland truck. It was my last adventure with them before they headed south and I stayed behind. Knowing this was my last time I would see these people I had spent nearly every waking moment for the last few months was scary. We were travelling in a minivan, which had a roof that lifted up so we had better viewing of the animals. We stayed in budget accommodation, which was not bad at all considering how we had been sleeping on the truck. The accommodation was a permanent tented site with a pair of real beds and an adjoining toilet and shower. This was luxury. It was April and we had the short rains occurring so the grass was green and high. Still, we saw lots of wildlife. Because of the rainy season, there was not as many tour groups and often we would have a wildlife sighting to ourselves for long periods.

We spent two whole days in the minivan driving around the reserve. However, knowing everyone well and being used to travelling for long periods of time, we did not mind it at all. The highlight was seeing the lionesses and their cubs winding their way past us with no real concern. However, I felt we did intrude too closely to the wildlife, affecting their behaviour. It is wonderful to view this wildlife from the safety of a vehicle but I wonder on the intrusiveness of what we do with the self-righteousness of humans detaching ourselves from the animal world as observers.

The Masai Mara is a must-see but pick your time to visit wisely. During the migration, the park is packed and it is difficult to see the animals for the people. We chose the rainy season and it was less crowded. The Masai Mara village visit was staged with the only purpose to buy jewellery. They were also ruined by tourists flaunting their dollars around. I was not impressed. I vowed I would never willing attend another of these staged "village visits" but go searching for the real experiences myself. However, you have to tune into my future episodes for those stories.

Photo source: Craig Stevenson on Unsplash

This episode discusses the potential dangers of travelling not just off the beaten path, but really anywhere. We had spent the last few months travelling through West and Central Africa. We tried to immerse into each culture and were often invited to share meals, and refusing was considered an insult. When we came into East Africa, we had not changed the way we interacted with the locals and we had to learn quickly to bring our guard back. This was brought home when a friend of mine was drugged on an overnight bus from Kampala to Nairobi and her money and cards were stolen. There was three of us so she sat by herself. A man sat beside her, befriended her, they chatted for a long time and he eventually offered her a sweet. The sweet was drugged. We were oblivious to the event until we reached Nairobi and we could not wake her up. The man was long gone. We took her to Nairobi Hospital and she recovered there for a couple of days. This event made me more cautious. We were now in east Africa, where there were more tourists and more opportunities for thefts. Not every one could be trusted.

I ended up staying six months in Kenya, mainly Nairobi, and I did not have another incident. However, I became more vigilant of who was around me. I let my own intuition decide on my actions. I still accepted offers of hospitality but only when it felt safe. My intuition never let me down. If I ignored it, I usually did to my detriment. Travelling solo really meant no night life as it was too risky. I made friends with the local boys, with friendly banter each time I passed,  and I think as a result, they looked out for me. 

Travelling in any country can be dangerous but if you keep your wits about you (whether you are solo or in a group), trust your intuition, and be respectful and friendly to the locals without encouraging too much familiarity, you should be fine. I also avoid any areas that are current hotspots or any war zones. No point asking for trouble.......

In this latest episode of my podcast, I discuss my journey back to Johannesburg and KwaZulu-Natal Province in South Africa. It was five years since apartheid ended and four years since my last visit, and South Africa had completely changed as the sanctions had been lifted and now the big commercial chains had moved into the country. I stayed with a Zulu friend, visiting the infamous Soweto township in J’burg and then went to Empangani near Richards Bay in Natal. We visited the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park and Thanda Safari – Big 5 Game Reserve, where I enjoyed showing my daughter the African wildlife.

I also visited the Islandlwana and Rorke’s Drift battlefields which were major events in the Anglo-Zulu War in 1879. Islandlwana is famous for the first major loss the British suffered by an Indigenous tribe. Around 20,000 fighting warriors were able to sneak up close to the British camp and wipe out the camp even though the British had superior weaponry and the Zulu mostly only had their assegai (short stabbing spears) and a cowhide shield. Rorke’s Drift is famous for a handful of men holding off a Zulu attack. Eleven Victoria Cross medals were awarded for this one battle. Between 3000 and 4000 Zulu attacked 150 soldiers and injured left at the hospital and barracks.  While there is a museum at Rorke’s Drift celebrating that British win, there is little evidence of a major battle was held at Islandlwana except a small memorial and some stone cairns.

When visiting places, it is always good to ensure you hear and understand the history from all perspectives so you receive a balanced view of events, and not be coloured by any inherent bias.

This episode I give tips on how to support yourself when you do not want your travel experiences to end. When I left Australia, I had $1000 in cash, a one-way ticket and a Eurail pass. I hoped to be gone for one year. I came home seven years later. I ended working in the Greek islands at a restaurant and getting jobs riding horses in England, Austria and in Africa. I found if you have a specialised skill, it was much easier to find work for a longer period of time than weeks or a few months. I discuss the advantages and disadvantages of working legally and illegally (I mean without a work visa - not dealing with any illegal stuff :-) ). 

These days it is much easier to work anywhere in the world if you have a computer, a reliable internet and an online business. Covid has slowed it down but we will get back to globetrotting one day and now may be a good time to build an online business that makes work/travel easy for the future.

This episode describes the historic train ride from Kasese to Kampala in Uganda. We meet two young lads that show us their bullet wounds on their bodies and I reflect on the crazy history of Uganda, especially the far-reaching repercussions from the Idi Armin era. 

We meet the overland truck again in Kampala then travel down to Lake Victoria for a trip over to Sese Islands. These islands were beautiful and not much tourism development at the time. I was worried about my cut toe in the water, where they often gutted fish, but I was carried to the boat. 

Watching the fishermen for a day on the shore of Lake Victoria made me realise just how much Nile Perch was being caught and loaded onto refrigerated trucks waiting nearby. The fishermen kept coming ALL day with their catch of fingerlings, to mostly ~30-40 cms (12 - 16 inches) in length, but a few times a huge fish, greater than one metre, were hauled in. I began to be concerned that there did not seem to be any thought as to the sustainability of the Nile Perch population. The sheer volume of fish on the shore was staggering. All sizes were being caught and processed and this was just a snapshot in time with me sitting on the beach that day. I assumed this was a daily practice. I mentioned it to the fishermen and they got angry at me. I found out later overfishing in Lake Victoria became a major issue with a number of species declining. The number of fishing boast rose from around 10, 000 in the 1980s to over 60, 000 at the start of the millennium, and fish factories had increased significantly as well. Illegal fishing was also rampant. Eventually authorities from Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya had to step in and control the situation, but it was many years before this happened.

The image of this day stuck in my mind and eventually led me back to Australia and university to eventually work as an ecologist. The overfishing, the destruction of forests with the daily search for fuelwood and clearing for crops that also leads to erosion. This is evident in many of the African countries I visited. It was seeing the effects on no conservation effort in Uganda (from the violent history and exploitation of its natural resources) that inspired me to become knowledgeable in the topic so I could influence others in sustainable practice with natural resources that are all finite in quantity. 

Cover: Large Nile perch being carried by a fisherman. (Source - Nation Media Group)

This episode covers the last days Jacqui and I spent in eastern Zaire on our way from visiting the mountain gorillas in Virunga Mountains National Park to the Ugandan border post at Mpandwe on the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains (Mountains of the Moon). We travelled by truck, ute, minivan and boat. We spent nine hours one day sitting at a corner waiting for some transport to arrive, surrounded by children repeatedly reciting the four French phrases they knew. It tested our patience. We made it to Butembo and decided to take a shortcut to the border post via the fishing village Kyavinyonge on Lake Edward. The trip down to the village was a nightmare. Very drunk fishermen loaded up the only vehicle with their empty fish baskets and about twenty people on the back of the ute. I was perched on the side edge with only one handhold as we negotiated a track off the side of the mountain down to the floodplain, full of hairpin bends and steep drops. I thought I was was going to my doom. However, we made it down to the village on the edge of Lake Edward, where we were put on immediate house arrest until they decided what to do with us. After a couple of days, they let us continue our journey catching a minivan. We crossed the Semliki River via a makeshift vehicle ferry poling across while looking out for hippos and made it to the Congo/Ugandan border post. From there we travelled via more minivans through Queen Elizabeth National Park to Kasese. At one stage, we spent the night at a rustic camp site with a sleeping platform above a large entertainment area. I fell up the roughly hewn stairs and sliced my toe open at the base. I then had to manage treating the wound without adequate medical facilities and the real risk of picking up all sorts of bacteria and parasites, such as bilharzia (a parasitic flatworm that spends some of its lifecycle in freshwater snails and then infects humans through mainly contact through the water).  

Life lessons include learning patience as everything works on African time (i.e. no schedules), and questioning some of my life choices when my life comes at risk, putting it into the hands of inebriated drivers on a suicide drive down a mountain side while perched on the side hanging on with one hand. I made it down but anything could have happened. I also discuss the issues with becoming injured when you are travelling off the beaten path, too far from medical facilities. A first aid kit is an essential travel item with enough supplies to see you out until you reach suitable medical facilities.   

Cover: The fishing village of Kyavinyonge on Lake Edward, Democratic Republic of Congo. (Source: MNCTV Congo)

This episode discusses the political unrest and the humanitarian crisis that was occurring around the time we travelled through eastern Zaire. Burundi was in a civil war as a result of their Hutu president being assassinated in 1993. The next president was shot down on a plane with the Rwandan president in April 1994. This sparked the Rwandan genocide for 100 days when up to a million Tutsi were massacred. The Rwandan Patriotic Front of mainly Tutsi, retaliated to stop the genocide. The Hutu, and some Tutsi, fled into neighbouring countries. Around two million Hutu fled into Zaire in a matter of days. This was only a few months after we had passed through the area and we noted the lack of food in the area. There was stories of refugees roaming the hillsides and eating tree roots. I was concerned about the survival of the mountain gorillas when food was a huge issue. The refugees arriving in Goma ended up with four large refugee camps of around 800,000 people in each. However, Hutu were also controlling the camps so many humanitarian organisations pulled out. Cholera, typhoid and other outbreaks were common.  

Having been through this area and experienced the hardships people were having in trying to survive in a densely populated area, it was hard to imagine the increased pressure when the two million refugees hit that area. The humanitarian disaster started from ethnic intolerance between two tribal clans, the Hutu and the Tutsi. This is common in Africa and many other places around the globe, where people are afraid of differences and show hostility. We need to stop intolerance for other races, colour, religion, and other differences. One of the best steps is educating our children to be tolerant of differences and stopping the hostility. We can all do our part.   

This episode describes the journey from Bukavu on the southern tip of Lake Kivu by boat to Goma, then our truck ride than hike up to the slopes of Mt Mikeno and Mt Karisimbi in the Virunga Mountains to the ranger headquarters to see the mountain gorillas on the Congolese side. We enjoyed a lovely chicken dinner that night from a very fit chicken, which was a pleasant change from our recent diet of chilli sardines and dough balls. The next morning we were up early to search for the night nests from a gorilla group. We were very lucky and found them within an hour instead of having to trek for hours. We watched them for an hour. It was one of the highlights of my life when a juvenile came up to me and grabbed my leg and started pulling me along. It was an amazing experience to watch these beautiful animals, just as much as they interacted with us. Too soon we had to leave them but you could not wipe the smile off my face for days. My photos did not work but I got some film. If only I had a digital camera then........

My life lessons here were living in the now instead of thinking of what to do when things go wrong. Visiting the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat was such an amazing experience and will never be forgotten. Being witness to the encroaching farmers chipping their way into the forest of the gorillas made me understand the impacts of human populations and the pressing need to protect and conserve this species and its habitat. The US$100 park fee we paid helps conserve the species but we heard from the rangers that they only get to keep ~$5 of that for gorilla conservation, and the rest went to corrupt officials. It was such a shame. I am not sure of the status now. I was so privileged to visit this family group with the silverback Rafiki and interact with them for an hour. If you ever get the chance to visit, do not hesitate. 

Photo: Porco Rosso on Unsplash

I am so excited on this episode to introduce a fellow traveller and friend, Kim Schutzhofer for my first interview. Kim is a South African that has been based in Austria for nearly three decades. I met Kim in Austria in the early 1990's and we hit it off straight away. In this episode, Kim describes her best travel experience volunteering in a kibbutz in Israel. Kim elaborates "I have seen beautiful places and I have had amazing experiences, but I have never felt such a sense of community in any other country. I still have a huge connection to Israel. I am a very emotional traveller who always tries to find an emotional connection to the places I visit and the people who live there. I have seen many beautiful places I wasn’t always able to connect to emotionally."

Kim has two websites to connect with her:

www.isnotso.com - This is her blog that concentrates on her perspectives to life and matters that matter to her, her poetry, her photography, her book, and an online bookshop that will be built up at and promoted at some point in the future.

www.satnightcitybeat.com - This is the website that concentrates on the youth, her #No2Drugs! and #No2Alcohol! Events, her blog section with interviews with former drug addicts/lost youth, and info around new technologies that are rapidly bringing mainstream into the digital era.

Photo: Kim on a tractor in the avocado orchard on an Israeli kibbutz.

This episode continues the story of my African adventure. I leave Kisangani in central Zaire and travel with a friend down to Kabare on the edge of Lake Kivu in eastern Zaire. We hitchhike and end up on a flatbed truck with sides crowded with people and their belongings. We are stopped by soldiers, who target us as we are the only Europeans on the truck. Bubonic plague has erupted in the area we are traversing and I internally question a family that hops on and are covered with black spots. During a heavy storm, the drivers pull a tarpaulin over the truck to keep us dry. However, when they lash it down, only a small square of fresh air is left. I have discovered a new word as I do not have claustrophobia but have cleithrophobia, which is the fear of being trapped. I tried to fight but my body had other ideas and I had to dive to that little square of air at the back of the truck to stop being nauseous and fighting rising panic. 

The life lessons I learnt is "not to read a book by its cover". The soldiers' irritating constant demands for money and items of worth were brought on because they had no been paid for two years as a result of the government corruption. Assessing information on bubonic plague in the middle of central Africa was challenging when there is no Google and the only reliable source of information was BBC radio. I was immediately sceptical of the family that joined us with possible symptoms. It correlates well with our current covid situation except for scale. Lastly, after trying to conquer my phobia and failing, I have increased understanding and tolerance for people with phobias. They are difficult to overcome and we need to give the people time and the space to achieve it. It does not happen in one sitting. 

In my next episode, I have my first interview with a friend and avid traveller as well as a writer, blogger, business owner and sole parent. I look forward to catching up with you there.

Cover photo: Flatbed truck similar to what we travelled in. (Sam Mann on Unsplash)

In this episode I recount on arriving at Kisangani, I disembark off the boat after a 7-day amazing adventure and spend a few days in the town greeting strangers like long-lost friends and meeting expatriates, including their primate pets. I also spent a morning watching the local fishermen at Stanley Falls (named after the explorer Stanley and now called Boyoma Falls) on the rapids of the Lualaba River. I watch the fishermen climbing over the tall framework and raising and lowering the large funnel-shaped fish traps or standing in the chest-high fast-flowing river current fixing traps.

As part of the life lessons for this episode, I look at tourists, travellers and expatriates and explore their differences while emphasising the need to respect cultural differences. 

This episode details the epic river journey we undertook from Bumba to Kisangani on the Congo River. We travelled on a past-Rhine River steamer with attached barges absolutely overflowing with a mass of people for a journey of a life time. It was an incredible sight when we first saw the barge. The steamer and the three barges was packed with people on the inside, people on the roofs and people in the canoes attached to the sides. Our three day voyage became a 7-day adventure as barges kept becoming detached in the night and had to be recovered. From our first-class cabin, where water came from a bucket, we stepped outside to see trussed up crocodiles, to running out of food, being locked in a cage to dance to lively Congolese rumba music, to watching the pirogues (canoes) coming from everywhere to sell their wares and buy necessities while dodging the officers checking tickets. It was basically a floating market thumping with music, and the hum of the steamer engines being drowned out by people's conversations as they went about their daily lives on the boat. 

My lesson I got out of this adventure was how grateful we should be at everything we take for granted. We were in first class but there was no running water, the bath was stained and the beds were mediocre. You could not even compare this to first class in the western world. But we had it better than third class sleeping on the barge roofs or alongside market stalls. Seeing the desperation of the people when they came via canoe to hop on the boat and were stopped by the boat officials made me realise how the trading on the boat was their only mechanisms to sell and buy their wares until the next boat came through, so it was a matter of survival to get on the boat. We just have to go down to the shop or we can get anything delivered. It really is another world.  The reality of the consequences of bushmeat was a hard lesson especially with the treatment and disappearance of the baby chimp. Stopping the trade was beyond my own capability and I knew I could not encourage it. 

This episode brings us back to Africa where we wait in Bangui to be picked up. We meet two gold miners and went upriver in a canoe to a pygmy village and watch some drumming and dances. Back in the town, the owner of overland truck company had arrived with two trucks, a semi-articulated and a short-based truck. We loaded ourselves into these trucks and crossed into Zaire posing as missionaries. This started the unforgettable journey on the main road to Lisala, which actually was a mud highway covered in wheel ruts and soft edges with makeshift bridges of logs, dirt and tin over fast streams. Often we were digging the bogged trucks out of the thick mud or helping reinforce the log crossings to manage the truck weight. We finally made it to Lisala to see a beautiful Congo River before a manicured lawn. Perfect photo opportunity.......Next minute I was being marched up to police headquarters with an AK-47 behind my back........

The life lessons were again just go with the flow. I realised I was not interested in seeing tourist performances but was more interested in seeing the real deal of life in villages and their associated ceremonies. The pygmy performance made me see how we were viewing Africa and I wanted to be immersed rather than watch as a spectator from the side-line. This became my motto for life. I was also overawed in the feats achieved in maintaining a road through the tropical depths of the African jungle. Finally, my more intense brush with the law made me much more cautious in what I photographed or filmed in politically-unstable countries. 

In this episode, I travel to Vic Falls in Zimbabwe and explore the gorge on the ground and in the air. It was an awe-inspiring example of the power of nature watching the sheer volume of water dropping off from the Zambezi River into the gorge. I enjoyed the 15-min helicopter ride over the falls to view the ‘smoke that thunders’. It was short but it gave me an idea of the sheer scale of the falls through this crack in the plateau. It made me consider what the explorer Livingstone thought when he came across the falls.

We then travelled south to Hwange National Park to observe large herds of elephants and then continued to Bulawayo, where we saw some great tribal dancing along with artistic examples of traditional costumes and masks. We also visited Matobo National Park to marvel at the unique rock formations, view the 2000-yeat-old rock paintings and visit the famous colonist Cecil Rhodes gravesite. I finish the episode discussing the ramifications of colonialism including my thoughts on its recent bearings of global issues and dealing with discrimination.

This episode is a flashback of one of my adventures in Europe. I went on a trip to Venice to surprise my grandmother, who was on an European tour and was passing through. I had no idea when or where she was but I sat in the piazza and watched every tour pass until I saw her. It was a wonderful surprise and we ended up having dinner. I had to rush back and catch the ferry to another island to the backpackers where I was staying but I missed the curfew and was locked out. After a misunderstanding with some police officers, I hid down a lane and slept on the dock - it was a cold and uncomfortable night. in the morning, I returned to the hostel and collapsed on my bed. I woke in the afternoon to find someone has stolen my wallet while I was asleep. It turned up back in Australian six months later. 

I learnt from this trip that where there is a will, there is a way. Be persistent. It was also wonderful to give someone a surprise, to do something nice for someone rubs off on yourself. Lastly, watch your belongings at backpackers/hostels, especially in shared dorms.  

Photo: Ricardo Gomez Angel on Unsplash

This episode divulges the events that happen after the truck crash. We are rescued by missionaries and later taken to the nearest large town, Bangui, in Central African Republic. We were reunited with the injured and were stuck at a camp site for three weeks while we waited out fate. In that time my tent was slashed and a bag stolen. Luckily for me, but not for the thief, it was my toiletries bag. :-) I also describe the standoff in the market place when a man tried to steal my money out of my shirt pocket and I reacted immediately by using the only weapon in my hand, a recently-bought pineapple. It was like time had frozen........

The lessons learnt here is to always be aware of your own security when travelling and protect your valuables. One of the biggest lessons in this situation is do not form daily habits in movement as then it becomes easier for you to be targeted by thieves and others meaning harm. I got away with my retaliating threat but I was constantly assessing the situation and would have quickly submitted in the presence of a club, knife or gun. A person's life is not valued as much in these countries so you have to be careful how far you push the boundaries.  

Central African Republic is another country that is now a 'no go' zone with internal conflict and warring parties. My heart goes out to the families trying to survive in one of the poorest countries in the world and the internal conflict would only make matters worse. I am so lucky to have experienced this journey when I did.  

Cover photo: Typical African market. Photos by Beks on Unsplash

It is so fitting to talk about the next stage in my overland journey for Episode 13. This Unlucky 13th episode recounts the leadup to our epic truck crash and the repercussions in the middle of central Africa. However, I consider it lucky as somehow we were saved from serious injury and a potential worst fate further down the road.

From this unforgettable series of events, I learnt to take life as it comes. It is great to plan for the future, but really live in the present. We do not know how long we are here on earth and everything involves some sort of risk. Learn to weigh up the risks and take chances to extend yourself outside your comfort zone and really LIVE. 

Note: On further recall of the events in my mind, I made a mistake in the podcast. We were only stuck on the side of the road for a day before the missionaries rescued us just before evening. But let me tell you, surrounded by villagers with machetes, that was a very long day. And the injured were taken to the French Foreign Legion's base hospital before we were re-united in the next town while they waited for a flight back to England. However, that is for the next episode.

The overland journey continues into Nigeria. I witness an political election drive with horses, colour, singing and dancing, drums and chanting. I get invited to a Nigerian traditional wedding where I personally experience the custom of spraying money. I reminisce over the week spent at Yankari National park  - soaking in the Wikki warm springs, and getting close and personal with elephants and baboons. I consider the political environment at the time of my visit and the Ogoni struggle for their homeland from the greed of politicians and international giant Shell petroleum that resulted in land degragation from oil spills and the ultimate deaths of Ogoni that protested, all only ~500 kms from where I unknowningly partied with politicians from the same country at the time. 

Image: Nigerian wedding https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/149181806387390600/

We continue our journey through West Africa leaving Mali and travelling through Burkina Faso, Togo and Benin. I describe a typical day's travel on an overland truck from the time we wake up till we set up camp and finish for the day, including a short summary of our typical diet each day. I discuss the ramifications of Togo starting a border conflict with Benin while we were travelling through and how it impeded our journey. I also discuss how the sound of distant drums in the night would send me searching and uncovering some wonderful local experiences. I also recount my first wild lion roar.

My biggest life lesson here is how stepping out of your comfort zone really opens you up to allow for some amazing experiences in life. There will always be an element of risk but the life changes are so worth it. 

Photo: Typical town we drove through in Burkina Faso.

Each 10th episode I will pause the travel stories and talk about some historical facts, some travel tips or interview a fellow avid traveller. This episode is about the advantages and disadvantages of travelling in the non-digital era.

I look at how the introduction of the internet, mobile phones and digital cameras have changed the way we travel. This includes reminiscing on the lost art of letter writing, the challenges of using a phone on an exchange and the old film cameras and SLRs in comparison to what we have today.

Photo: Mobile phone use compared to access to electricity 2012 (Source: The Economist, 2017. https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2017/11/08/in-much-of-sub-saharan-africa-mobile-phones-are-more-common-than-access-to-electricity)

This episode recounts the continuation of my overland trip through Africa. We left Goree Island and travelled east into Mali. We drove through Kayes, Bamako and up to Mopti on the Niger River.  We spent awhile here watching the markets, admiring the unique architecture of the mud mosques and going for a boat ride on the Niger to visit a fishing village downstream. From Mopti we travelled to Bandiagara and by ox cart to Sangha Ogol Leye on the Bandiagara Escarpment to visit the amazing Dogons in their villages. I spent an afternoon behind a tree watching a mens-only ceremony entranced with their stilted and masked dancers. I also watched the horse and rider display with fascination. Later we explored the escarpment, where the Dogon bury their members in caves, and the village Bombou above the escarpment. On the third day we walked to the next village Bolomo with the ox cart. On the way there, three horsemen from the festival caught up with us and I was able to convince one to let me ride his horse. with the drums beating, the horses doing tricks, we dashed off to the next village to the astonishment of the inhabitants. I had not known who I had kicked off his horse. From the honour to ride a chief's horse and sit the horse tricks, to making a fool of myself, it was a memorable event.

Mali is a stunning country with much to offer from its terrain, its cultures and its architecture. However, currently Mali is a 'no travel' zone with internal conflict from ISIS-backed Islamic groups hassling smaller ethnic non-Islamic groups. There are killings, kidnappings and massive movement of people fleeing from the troubled areas and becoming refuges. The Dogons are also being persecuted and there has been recent conflict between the Fulani herders and the Dogon with their crop areas.  Any international travel is risky, but especially off the beaten path. You have to be always aware of any simmering tensions and avoid conflict zones. I never travelled in war zones and got myself out any time unrest erupted. In these areas, a human life is not valued as much as in western society, or at least a death or murder does not hold as much weight. I hope Mali is able to stabilise itself and its minority ethnic cultures continue to survive well into the future.  

This episode describes my continuing overland journey from Mauritania into Senegal as we crossed into the sub-Saharan zone. We travel to Dakar noting how the environment changes from wind-swept desert to the horizon, to grassy rangeland with the odd stunted tree and started seeing my first boababs and acacias. 

Spending the Christmas week on Goree Isand was both a sobering and inspirational experience. Here I contemplate the history of the West African slave trade, imagining the horror of the practice and the reprecussions for families, both remaining in Africa and the ones that survived the horrendous voyages and life on the plantations in the Americas, to start new families over there. 

I become immersed in African music, falling in love with the African djembe (drum) and the skill of the drummers playing each afternoon in one of the quiet alleyways. It spoke to a wild side of me as I soaked in the African culture and the atmosphere of the place and its locals, and I forever followed this music after this trip. It was a beautiful example of how music, song and dance lifts the soul and produces such positive vibes to carry on with life's fluctations. Don't be stopped by thinking people are judging you, be yourself and let what moves you come part of your life. 

What I got out of this section of my journey was the realisation of how cruel people in history have been and the value of human beings in this world has changed at least in most places. The slave trade to the Americas in the 17th and 18th centuries changed the spread of the world population and the global genetic pool. How different the US would be today without their slave history and the history of their freedom fighters still fighting for equality today. 

Slavery is still going on unfortunately in 167 countries in 2016 including Mauritania, Eritrea, India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, Libya and Noth Korea being the main offenders. People are either born into slavery, become child slaves, sex slaves, have forced marriages or as forced labour in state-run projects, or become slaves from armed conflict. However, it is now an invisible issue. Even in the developed countries, slavery is known to exist, illegally of course but is still happens. I am one of the lucky ones to take our freedom for granted. However, many of these slaves are in low income-producing countries, where the cheap products that we buy come from these same countries and may be the product of slave labour.  Something to think about next time you are buying cheap goods......... 

Music: Kwassa from Afrodrumming (https://afrodrumming.com/download-free-djembe-mp3-ax234k2kf3gg/)

Photo: Goree Island by Geoff Weed on Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/155866837073578733/)

This episode starts in the southern part of Morocco and recalls the journey via soldier-escorted convoy through the minefields of Western Sahara and into Mauritania. I recount my ride on a black horse along a beach, sandmatting through the Sahara, my next attempt at killing or maiming myself again on a sand dune, swimming with dolphins, watching the local Arab populations fighting for existence on the brink of the desert, trying to dodge a locust plague and being accosted by officials in Nouakchott. 

These eye-opening life experiences led me to reflecting on how lucky we are with our freedom to travel and not be burdened by internal conflict in our country. We also take for granted the variety of food we eat, yet there are many countries with limited food resources that are hit hard by natural disasters or western greed. We need to consider others, how they can cope with current situations, and how we can limit their burden without just providing charity.  

On a personal note, I noticed the effect the weather can have on a personality. I had to learn to be more considerate and compassionate with people as everyone has different abilities and may or may not be good at everything or their body limits them. I also realised I need to make smart choices when seeking to be different and stand out from the crowd. Was this another way to prove I was good enough - Something I have been trying to prove all my life?   

Lastly, as a travel tip, don't take photos of bridges and major buildings in countries which can be slightly unstable and paranoid an enemy will get hold of these strategic points in conflict. If you see a lot of soldiers or police that is a general give-away that within-country tension is high.

Photo: the overland truck in convoy in the Western Sahara 

This episode continues the story of the overland trip into Morocco - a journey of non-stop action. From being dragged by the hair in Casablanca, negotiating for a taxi ride in a bar late at night in Fez, dealing with aggressive dogs and pushing the boundaries in safety and endurance at Todra Gorge in the high Atlas, exploring the medinas, bartering for great bargains in the souks and running away from water bearers in Marrakesh,  and finally relaxing at the seaside town of Essaouira, Morocco was a country of colour and contrasts. I came away with a number of lessons, including selecting your travel companions carefully, and realising sometimes you have to do a juggling act in choosing the path off the beaten track while taking a risk in the process. 

Photo: Myself on a donkey in Todra Gorge, Morocco.

Today is International Women’s Day so I thought I would celebrate it by publishing this episode on ‘Travelling solo as a woman’. If you have been following my podcast, you would know I have done a lot of travelling as a sole traveller, including in areas off the regular tourist path through many countries and across continents. Travelling solo as a woman exposed me to some extraordinary experiences with different cultures and situations. However, being on my own also meant I had to take extra precautions and always be aware of my surroundings. In this episode, I discuss the advantages and disadvantages of travelling solo. I also give you 15 tips to help make your first or next solo travel journey be a wonderful experience. I focus on women with it being International Women's Day. However, these tips are just as relevant to men travelling alone although potentially the risk is lower. Provided you take some care and do your prior research and follow these tips, the world is yours to explore. Enjoy the journey, and if you want to hear some of the stories I mention, go back to the relevant episodes.

Photo: Author on a camel near the pyramids at Giza, Egypt (Episode 2). 

This episode recalls the start of a supposed 6-month overland journey from London to Harare, Zimbabwe. It was a fateful journey from the start. This episode details the start of the journey from London to Gilbraltar. In that short period we already had a last-minute change in driver/leader and two passenger casualities - an ominous start to an eventful journey. 

Photo: similar truck diagram from the current Oasis Overland company. Hann Overland was an old Bedford truck similarly decked out but no storage on the side of the truck.

In this episode, I recall my difficult decision I had to make at a crossroads in life when I decided to leave my horse-riding job in Austria and travel overland. I discuss the decision I was facing, the steps I had to take and the importance of how these decisions at these pathways in life can change your life.

Note, I mentioned Isle of Wright but I correct myself as I should have said Holy Island off Angelsey in Wales. I stayed at Holyhead and also did a trip over to Dublin while I was there. 

Cover photo: Evelyn Mostrom on Unsplash

This trip was part of my journey around Europe. It was the year before the war broke out between Bosnia and Serbia when we caught a train from Vienna down to Thessaloniki in northern Greece. The train trip took over 24 hours and it was an eye-opening journey through a former communist state with obvious poverty and associated issues, visa problems and over-crowding. Apparently these days you cannot even do this journey by train as a result of the ongoing tensions.    

My first journey off the beaten path when I was in Egypt and I was invited to spend a week living at a local village close to the earliest step pyramids. Travelling around Cairo as a solo female traveller during Ramadan was a challenge, even when I dressed conservatively. I went to Giza, spent the morning going from cousin to cousin's shops but I only bought perfume and papyrus paintings. I also got to run a camel and a horse across the Sahara in front of the Giza pyramids. Something to tick off my bucket list.........

I met a couple of young lads up on the citadel overlooking Cairo and they invited me to stay at their mother's village. I was there for five days living in a one-tap village on the outskirts of Giza near the ancient step pyramids. I experienced Ramadan with them, dining with the family every night. At one stage I asked to find somewhere I could have a shower. Little did I know that the mother carried water to fill a tub in the stable, heated it up and proceeded to wash me. It was such a humbling experience that I have never forgotten. But cemented my desire to experience countries and cultures by immersing myself into their everyday lives. It was a wonderful journey and a great life lesson in expressing humility and humbleness, and be exposed to different religions and cultures.