I paid a taxi driver to take me to the train station in Mineralnye Vody and caught the overnight train to Sochi. Trains are an excellent way to explore Russia. A town’s train station is generally near the center and connected to other forms of public transport, while the trains themselves are comfortable and pass […]
Continue ReadingMount Elbrus – The Roof of Europe
My one man expedition to climb the highest peak in Europe – Mount Elbrus – and the adventures in Russia that followed.
Continue ReadingPearl of the Antilles – Haiti and the Dominican Republic
In April 2018, I visited the island of Hispaniola, which is shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti. I arrived in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, and spent a few days exploring the city’s colonial and modern attractions. Santo Domingo was founded in 1496 by Bartholomew Columbus, Christopher’s far less famous brother. […]
Continue ReadingBeautiful Burkina Faso
With my limited time in Burkina Faso I decided to visit Banfora, a town in the south of the country surrounded by beautiful scenery. I hired a scooter and to take me to the area’s two main attractions: The Cascades de Karfiguela, a series of picturesque waterfalls, and the Domes de Fabedougou, an interesting rock […]
Continue ReadingA Visit to Mali
There are no buses between Guinea-Bissau and Mali, so I made the journey in several stages. Late in the afternoon of my first travel day, I crossed the border to Ziguinchor, Senegal, a four hour ride. I spent the night in the charming Hotel le Flamboyant. I ate an excellent dinner along the Casamance River […]
Continue ReadingGambia and Guinea-Bissau
A long day’s journey brought me from Dakar to Serrekunda in the Gambia. First I took yet another sept-place to Karang, the last Senegalese town before the border. This took most of the day due to rough road conditions. After about an hour changing currency and buying a SIM card for my phone, another taxi took […]
Continue ReadingSenegal
I arrived on Senegal’s shores aboard a canoe that ferried me the short distance across the river from Mauritania. A horse and cart brought me the short distance to the waiting cars bound for Saint Louis. Like most road journeys in Senegal, I would be traveling by sept-place (French for “seven places”). These decrepit Peugeot station […]
Continue ReadingMauritania
Just over the Mauritanian border from Western Sahara is the country’s largest city, Nouadhibou. This town is a critical seaport where iron ore from the country’s north is brought to the coast and shipped to world markets. For the most part, it’s an uninspiring town. Nouadhibou used to be known among adventure travelers for its […]
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