This is the first part of a series that will highlight some of my favorite genres and artists in West Africa. On my past trip, I collected tapes and CDs, met musicians, and drank raw milk that was poured into my mouth out of a Calabash by Mamou Sidibe at a concert in...
Month: January 2011
Yes, this is Possible
Earlier you saw a picture of me in a suit and tie and my friend Sam in a cow costume (this post). We were dressed so because of a new project: Yes, this is Possible Please spread the word. Phil in the Blank will continue. My next post is going to be a massive West...
Photos of the Somewhat Less Phallic Landscape of Monument Valley, Arizona
I am now temporarily settled in the Valley of the Sun. Javelina country baby. The road trip is over. Many people seem to be confused as to why I was sitting in a suit and tie next to someone in a cow costume, in Arches National Park, in winter. This website cannot...
Photos From the Overly Phallic Landscape of Utah
These photos are from Arches National Park in Utah. I have been deliberately cryptic about what we are up to on this road trip, but a lot is revealed in the last photo of this series, in which me and Sam are playing the board game "Settlers of Catan" under an arch....
What Exactly is Happening Right Now?
I write from a car in Kansas. We have not encountered the feedlots yet, but I'm hoping the cold air will help mute the smell. Here's my attempt to distill this road trip into three words: fear of hemmorhoids. I really don't want them. Sam said that hemmorhoids come in...
Camel Collage #1 – Things are about to get Crazy
If you are confused about this project, please go read the How to Draw Camels Ebook now. Apologies in advance to those who don't have camels featured in this collage. This is the first in the series. If you don't see yours here, look out for the next one. I have...
He is Undergoing Some Suffering – Things Said on a Movie Set in Ghana
"So who is that guy?" I asked this of Harriet, who I had met through Rita, who I met through Couchsurfing. I was on the set of a movie, Harriet's senior thesis, at the National Film and TV Institute of Ghana (NAFTI). "Oh he is the doctor." "What's wrong with him?"...
10 Travel Blogs That Will Change Your Life (And, Thank God For That, Because Your Life Was Pretty Lame)
I hope that most of you have realized by now that much of what I do on this site is not very serious, with exception to the previous post on the Cote D'Ivoire crisis, this post on eating sand and Thomas Merton, and of course the How to Draw Camels Ebook. This post,...
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Scoot West Africa

Want to travel with me in West Africa? A friend and I run scooter trips in the region. scootwestafrica.com.
Things I write about
The Great Jakarta Tour of Far West Africa Part 1: Bamako to Dakar
That time I got married in Mali
Bamako to Abidjan by bus: a chance to get intimate with the hot season
You Bring the Yam, I’ll Bring the Fire
Drawing Camels with 100 Different People in Bamako in 24 Hours
A photo essay: Bamako taxi interiors
A Cocktail Shaker and 10 meters of Fabric in Adjame Market
My sheep, sail boats on the Niger, dance contests and other photos from Mali

