by phil | Mar 31, 2011 | Cote D'Ivoire
**UPDATE 1030AM 4/5** UN SAYS GBAGBO IS NEGOTIATING SURRENDER (USA Today) **UPDATE 3PM 4/4** – Water is cut to most of Abidjan. Power intermittent. The UN has reported that 11 of their peacekeepers were attacked yesterday. In response, the UN has mobilized...
by phil | Mar 25, 2011 | Cote D'Ivoire
At the doctor’s office yesterday, I walked into an animated discussion in the waiting room. “Can you believe how crazy it is everywhere?” “I know! The Middle East and this earthquake in Japan. It’s hard to keep up.” I listened for a...
by phil | Mar 23, 2011 | W. Africa
I have mixed feelings about the term “bucket list.” Creating a list of specific experiences and things to see can give a person tunnel vision. For example, maybe I’m in Mali with limited time and Timbuktu is on my bucket list, but when I show up in...
by phil | Mar 16, 2011 | Music, Senegal
Previously, I covered Malian music: Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part IV. In April, I will visit Senegal for the first time. While it will be my first trip there, I have long been familiar, and occasionally obsessed with, Senegalese music. The dominant genre in...
by phil | Mar 9, 2011 | Tips
The last day I worked a conventional job was sometime in late June 2010. It is now March 2011. I don’t have a lot of money. I traveled for six months last year and I recently bought a one way plane ticket back to West Africa. How is this possible? 1. I saved...
