Africa Archives - Page 3 of 4 - ETB Travel Photography

Postcard Apps for Writing Notes from Afar

Given most of the world is in lockdown due to COVID, this is probably not the best time to write an article about postcard apps that let you mail a note with your own photo from all over the world. At the same time, they may still be used to cheer someone up during this difficult time and for the holiday season.

When I began traveling internationally for extensive trips, I wanted an easy way to say “hello” to my friends and family back home without having to hunt for a postcard, find a post office, and get the appropriate postage.

SAY HELLO!

Safari in the Masai Mara – Day 3

Morning Game Drive

On our third day in the Masai Mara National Reserve, we arose for another sunrise game drive with breakfast scheduled upon our return. Always in need of food, I grabbed a hard-boiled egg for the 2-hour ride which could be longer if we stumbled across something cool.

GO ON SAFARI

Safari in the Masai Mara – Day 2

On our second day in the Masai Mara, our wake-up call, complete with coffee delivered to our rooms, came early. It was still dark as we walked toward the jeep, thus the night watchman escorted us from our tents. I asked if he saw any wild animals overnight, and he said he chased away some elephants. Hmm, I don’t think I’d like that job. Hey enraged elephant and lurking leopard, shoo! It was hard enough to keep the monkeys from visiting our tents. More on that later.

GO ON SAFARI

Safari in the Masai Mara – Day 1

So nine years ago, almost to the day, I went on a safari in Tanzania with some friends. It had always been on my bucket list, but I would never sign up to go because I was afraid it wouldn’t meet my expectations if I didn’t see everything I’d hoped to see.

Our trip included driving from Arusha to Tarangire to Manyara to Ngorongoro Crater and to the Serengeti. We literally saw just about all Africa had to offer: A cheetah kill an impala, a lion hunt, the wildebeest cross the river, the big five including the rare black rhino, and even three of the small five (which I didn’t know there was such a thing).

It was such an amazing experience that I have turned down Rootie’s invites to go on safaris ever since as I didn’t think it could be topped. Then I realized, the safari in Tanzania was my all-time favorite trip, so why not go back. And go back I did, this time to the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya with Mike, Rootie, Rozy, Jake, and Martha.

GO ON SAFARI

Orphan Elephants at Umani Springs

About Umani Springs

In a previous post Things to Do in Nairobi, I mentioned the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust whose mission is to promote the conservation, preservation, and protection of wildlife and habitats across Kenya. It is best known for its work with elephants by operating the most successful orphan elephant rescue and rehabilitation program in the world.

The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust houses the orphans at four locations: Nairobi Nursery, Ithumba Reintigration Unit, Voi Reintigration Unit, and Umani Springs Reintigration Unit. It is possible to stay at the units. As such, our group of six; Mike, Rootie, Rozy, Jake, Marty and I rented out Umani Springs for two days.

VISIT ELEPHANTS …

Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda

How to Get to Rwanda

While on safari in Kenya, we took a side trip to Rwanda for two days to see the mountain gorillas. RwandAir offered a 5am departure from the Nairobi to Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.

The domestic portion of Nairobi’s airport isn’t anything to write home about. There was a bathroom without toilet paper, one café, and a small waiting area in the terminal. The gate area required extra security, and once inside water and toilets were unavailable.

GO GORILLA TREKKING …

Throwback Thursday: The Red Sea

SCUBA Diving the Red Sea

This photo represents one of the many sunsets we enjoyed while diving off a live aboard for a week in the Red Sea. The Red Sea diving is marvelous. We saw a Moray eel attack a stonefish that was too big for it to swallow, so it wrapped its body around the fish like a pretzel to break it up. The eel dropped the fish and swam toward our semi-circle of six divers that mistakenly encroached on his space as we watched in awe. Our semi-circle quickly expanded, and the eel contentedly went back to his dinner. We hovered there for the last ten minutes of our dive before we had to surface to off-gas. Simply spectacular!

Continue reading “Throwback Thursday: The Red Sea” →

El Jadida, a Coastal Town in Morocco

From Casablanca to El Jadida

Today we took a trip to El Jadida, a coastal town 100km southwest of Casablanca. The town is an old Portuguese port with a medina that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The town, previously called Mazagan, was controlled by the Portuguese from 1514 to 1769 until it was taken over by Sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah.

EXPLORE!

Rambling Around Rabat

Morocco

Today we took a day trip from Casablanca to Rabat, the capital city. While driving the 87 km, we learned a little about Morocco. Its population is 35 million of which 40% are Berber. The Arab Moroccan dialect includes French and Spanish thus Arabs from the Middle East can’t understand Moroccans unless classic Arabic is used. Morocco is more progressive than other Muslim nations. Women can drive cars, over 70% of those studying to be a doctor are women, and Morocco even employs a woman judge.

EXPLORE MORE!

Casablanca…The White House

Casablanca, located on Morocco’s Atlantic coast, is the largest city in Morocco. Serving as Morocco’s chief port, it is one of the largest financial centers on the African continent. I didn’t know much about Casablanca before arriving, and had only associated it with the romantic movie Casablanca. Boy was I surprised by this city of over five million people!

TAKE A TOUR!