Archives | Phil in the Blank

Archives

2024 (4)

April 18th | Culling the newsletter herd
April 14th | Our One Star Review
March 29th | Wasn’t Senegal’s democracy supposed to collapse?
March 24th | My daughter’s breakfast

2023 (17)

August 18th | 38 Things for 38 Years
July 4th | Mali on the verge of liberating Africa?
June 23rd | Do you believe?
June 15th | Adventure as an art form
June 6th | Senegal on shaky ground?
June 5th | Dakar to Cape Town on two not-so-fast wheels
June 2nd | I found a Malian, ceebu jën, and a cowboy hat in Mbour
May 30th | Manifesting Monday
May 29th | A typical day for me in Senegal
May 19th | My favorite father-son activity – widely frowned upon and illegal in some parts
May 12th | Africans dead at sea
May 11th | My Top 5 Favorite Birds
May 10th | One of many lovely things about Wolof
May 9th | Small town problems
May 8th | How I became obsessed with birds
May 7th | How my 6 year old convinced my 2 year old to eat a piece of fish
May 5th | Leaving Bamako, Starting a New Life, Resurrecting this Blog

2022 (2)

December 14th | Shifting Gears Without Dropping the Transmission
July 20th | A Privileged Pandemic, Coup d’Etat, Embargo, Global Collapse Life

2021 (2)

October 25th | Caipirinhas and Spike Proteins
April 15th | The Biannual Personal Life Update (v.Spring 2021)

2020 (2)

July 21st | All at Once: a View From Bamako, this Time with Added Political Crisis
April 18th | A View From Voluntary Lockdown in Bamako, Mali

2019 (2)

December 17th | End of 2019 Life Update
March 14th | Finding a New Sleeping Camel

2018 (5)

October 31st | Evicted
July 24th | A Few Thoughts from Pre-Election Bamako
June 7th | Bintou and Andre do America Round Two
May 7th | A Life Update from Bamako
March 27th | Guinea-Bissau is The Place: Photos and Words from Carnival and the Bijagos Islands

2017 (16)

December 29th | Dakar to Ziguinchor: 7 Days and 450 kilometers on 110 cc scooters with 5 clients
December 27th | From a Truck Filled with Cabbages to a 110 cc Scooter: Selling our First Trip
December 20th | Bintou and Andre do America
November 22nd | Off to Senegal
October 6th | Where I will be for the rest of 2017
September 19th | In Memory of Boukary Konate
September 12th | Raise your hand if you want to drive a Chinese scooter down the coast of West Africa
August 25th | Dry Your Water
July 3rd | Pictures of life after the jakarta tour of West Africa
May 23rd | The Great Jakarta Tour of Far West Africa Part 5: Guinea-Conakry to Bamako
May 5th | The Great Jakarta Tour of Far West Africa Part 4: Bissau to Guinea-Conakry
April 11th | The Great Jakarta Tour of Far West Africa Part 3: Casamance to Bissau
March 28th | The Great Jakarta Tour of Far West Africa Part 2: Dakar to Casamance
March 16th | The Great Jakarta Tour of Far West Africa Part 1: Bamako to Dakar
March 1st | Coming Soon: The Great Jakarta Tour of West Africa
January 14th | Plans for 2017

2016 (8)

December 27th | Adding another link in the Timbuktu Postcard chain
December 23rd | Welcome to the World, Andre
September 26th | What’s going on with Maliba?
August 24th | Behind the Scenes of Postcards from Timbuktu
July 20th | 31 ounces of alomo bitters
June 13th | Jaunt to Maroc
March 1st | A personal update
January 19th | A new project: Postcards from Timbuktu

2015 (7)

December 4th | Attack in Bamako: Forcing an Explanation of Something We Don’t Understand
October 6th | Pictures from the last two months in Mali, Turkey, Bosnia and Croatia
August 4th | Soliciting Advice: Traveling to Istanbul, Sarajevo and Dubrovnik
July 16th | Travelers who have their heads up their asses
June 10th | My sheep, sail boats on the Niger, dance contests and other photos from Mali
February 25th | Getting Hitched in Mali
January 22nd | No Turning Back Now

2014 (11)

December 10th | Pictures from my life in Mali
November 26th | One more time on the bus: new roads and ebola controls
July 22nd | May we wake up one by one
July 2nd | July Travel Plans
June 12th | Some thoughts on the World Cup from Abidjan
June 5th | Neglected Photos from Mali and Cote d’Ivoire
May 19th | The Phone Cabin World
April 19th | Saturday morning at the garbadrome, travel plans, customers that have had too much to drink
March 19th | Getting hitched
January 31st | Worrying signs in Mali and a bonus travel guide: Bamako on $2 a day
January 8th | Somehow all these things happened in 2013

2013 (19)

December 18th | Observations after a month of running a restaurant in Abidjan
November 6th | Open for Business
October 3rd | A Cocktail Shaker and 10 meters of Fabric in Adjame Market
August 20th | If this works, I’m buying a camel
August 7th | Venya 2.0: Creating a restaurant sur place in Abidjan
July 22nd | Some thoughts about Mali’s upcoming election
July 8th | Red Roofs of Yop City Part III: Abbey and Jula
June 29th | Personal Update: Travel Plans for July and Updates on Abidjan Food Biz
June 24th | Welcoming Boubacar Traore to my family (of sheep)
June 6th | A Photo Essay: Bamako Taxi Interiors
May 28th | Why this can work
May 14th | SOS Democracy: how this came to be
May 2nd | Losing my tubabu pass
April 17th | Dancing on the Roof of Nafaji
April 3rd | Some recent photos from Mali
March 21st | Red Roofs of Yop City Part II: la Petite Réconciliation
March 5th | What some travelers to West Africa are missing
February 20th | Red Roofs of Yop City
January 26th | Mali is on the Front Page, This is What you Should Do

2012 (38)

December 31st | Some Thoughts About this Year and the Next One
December 13th | My babe, Maimouna
December 4th | I will not tell you what happened chez le feticheur, but I will show you these pictures from Kita
November 8th | Drawing Camels with 100 Different People in Bamako in 24 Hours
November 6th | Our First Major Setback
October 31st | I will be teaching 100 people in Bamako how to draw camels in a 24 hour period
October 23rd | Some Malians I Know
October 16th | Help me pull off my biggest camel drawing mission to date
September 26th | A Very Simple and Straightforward 5 Part Plan to Retake Northern Mali
September 15th | Remembering Chéché Dramé
August 30th | Photos from Abidjan in August
August 24th | What a Real Party Looks Like
August 15th | 25 Kg of Potatoes a Day
July 31st | Une Nuit de l’Intercommunalité à Bamako: This is from a different time
July 24th | This is a story from Bamako that you probably have not heard
July 5th | The life of one family from Timbuktu since the rebellion
June 28th | A Whole Bunch of Crap I Have Learned in Two Years of Running this Blog and Traveling West Africa
June 19th | New Growth: Scaling Up our Abidjan Restaurant and Catering Biz
June 14th | Walking on a Crocodile’s Belly in Lisbon
June 7th | Names by which I am known
May 24th | Kedjenou: an Ivorian dish that we serve at our restaurant
May 17th | I am going to Lisbon and I need your help
May 14th | Bamako to Abidjan by bus: a chance to get intimate with the hot season
May 2nd | Our Fight for Power and a Look at the Informal Electricity Economy in Abidjan
April 23rd | Early Successes and Failures of Running a Business in Abidjan
April 9th | You can come back now (unless you are a refugee from north #Mali)
March 25th | One Tubabu’s Thoughts on the Coup in Mali
March 20th | What it’s like to Start a Restaurant and Catering Business in Abidjan
March 6th | Mostly Photos of Food and Friends in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire
March 1st | Proof of Cote d’Ivoire’s Progress
February 26th | Et la Famille? Et les Affaires? Kow ka ŋi? Let’s Take this Thing Off the Tracks
February 20th | Want to Experience the Energy at Festival sur le Niger? Watch this
February 16th | Bamako Balani Shows: Streetside Music, Theater and Dance
February 7th | 2 Easy Ways you Can Help over 20,000 Malian Refugees Right Now
February 3rd | 2012 Festival au Désert in Words and Photos + Update from Bamako
January 27th | Interview with Juliet Bawuah on Ghana Football and the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations
January 19th | Brief Recap of 2012 Festival in the Desert
January 5th | Thoughts and Photos from Abidjan a Year After Elections and my First Visit

2011 (57)

December 25th | A Christmas Camel on my Head
December 14th | Traveling from Accra to Bamako by Sound
December 6th | Drawing Camels with Ghana’s Young Female Aviators
November 28th | You Bring the Yam, I’ll Bring the Fire
November 16th | Sharing some love on my way out the door
November 4th | The Destination for your Pity Will Soon be Something Else
October 20th | In Photos: Possibly Strange Sights in West Africa
October 11th | Let’s Talk about Dance
September 27th | I Have a Plane Ticket
September 15th | Sound Memories
September 8th | Find me a Country with More Pride
September 1st | What’s Next for me
August 22nd | Putting your African Adventure to Shame: Kilimanjaro by Lionback
August 9th | Music that is Making my Life Better
August 4th | Do you Expect to See this in a West African City?
July 27th | Bamako to Dakar: a Tidy 35 Hours on the Okra Sauce Bus
July 21st | Scenes from West Africa
July 11th | How Should you Cover Africa? Better Question: How Should we Consume Media?
July 6th | 7 Links and a Personal Update
June 29th | The One Year Anniversary of this Blog and my Flip Flops
June 20th | The Live Music Capital of West Africa
June 9th | Teaching a Malian Village of 25,000 People how to Draw Camels
June 6th | If you Need Nobody, Nobody Needs you
May 26th | Is French West Africa Expensive as a Traveler?
May 20th | Why are you Traveling in West Africa?
May 16th | 40 Hours: Dakar to Bamako During the Hot Season
May 8th | Ode to Hobart Street
May 3rd | A Few of my Favorite Photos From West Africa
April 27th | Music in West Africa: Senegal Part II
April 22nd | How to Enjoy Possibly Unreasonable Trips on Public Transportation
April 11th | A Few Ways to Make Money Freelance Writing and an Update on Cote d’Ivoire
April 6th | Cote d’Ivoire: Time to Celebrate?
March 31st | Possible “Human Rights Catastrophe” in Abidjan – How You Can Help #civ2010 #IvoryCoast
March 25th | Blog For Cote d’Ivoire #IvoryCoast #civ2010 #blog4civ
March 23rd | Plans, Goals and Dreams for Upcoming West Africa Trip
March 16th | Music in West Africa: Senegal Part I
March 9th | I Haven’t had a “Job” in 8 Months and That’s OK
March 6th | Quick Update on Cote d’Ivoire
March 4th | Cote d’Ivoire Needs One Minute of Your Time
March 1st | The Story No One is Talking About
February 24th | 9 Things you May or May not Know about Africa
February 22nd | Reconnecting with Friends
February 17th | How to get a Cheap Plane Ticket from the US to Africa
February 14th | Music in West Africa: Mali Part IV
February 10th | And Now This: howtodrawcamels dot com
February 8th | Music in West Africa: Mali Part III
February 7th | Review of Hotelcalculator.com
February 7th | Travel Plans for the Near Future
February 2nd | Music in West Africa: Mali Part II
January 30th | Music in West Africa: Mali Part I
January 27th | Yes, this is Possible
January 24th | Photos of the Somewhat Less Phallic Landscape of Monument Valley, Arizona
January 19th | Photos From the Overly Phallic Landscape of Utah
January 17th | What Exactly is Happening Right Now?
January 13th | Camel Collage #1 – Things are about to get Crazy
January 9th | He is Undergoing Some Suffering – Things Said on a Movie Set in Ghana
January 5th | 10 Travel Blogs That Will Change Your Life (And, Thank God For That, Because Your Life Was Pretty Lame)

2010 (59)

December 31st | Let’s not Begin the New Year with a Civil War in Cote d’Ivoire
December 27th | ~~Ewoks~~ Jawas and Turbo Viagra in Essaouira, Morocco
December 20th | A Christmas Surprise
December 17th | Mountain. Desert. Camel. Photo. Parrot Cake.
December 13th | Things to Eat and Drink in Morocco that Taste Good
December 7th | How to Draw Camels Ebook
December 3rd | Dimanche à Bamako: a Day of Marriage
November 30th | 3 Fun Strategies to Deal with Hasslers, Hawkers, and Touts
November 26th | Capping the Loose Stool Count at 70, First Thoughts on Morocco, and Camel Drawing in Bamako
November 23rd | 5 Reasons Why Bambara is one of the Coolest Languages on Earth
November 19th | Inside my Head: Five Months Alone in West Africa
November 15th | An Absolute Nightmare: Timbuktu to Sevare with Amoebic Dysentery
November 10th | Timbuktu and Back
November 8th | Shitting Blood in Timbuktu
November 5th | Journey to Timbuktu Part II: Breathing Dust and Drinking Amoebas
November 1st | Danse Afrique Danse
October 27th | Journey to Timbuktu Part 1: a Breakdown, an Overloaded Pinasse, Flying Urine, and a Late Night Foot Job
October 25th | Interview with an Owner of the Sleeping Camel Hostel in Bamako
October 22nd | To Timbuktu and Back: A Brief Recap
October 20th | Les Enfants de Bamako
October 15th | The Only Reason You Need to Travel to Mali
October 11th | Spending an Afternoon with Vieux Farka Toure in Bamako
October 8th | Malaria’s Encore and Why You Should Invest in Coartem
October 5th | New Country, New Sim Card: Getting my Feet Dusty in Bamako
October 3rd | How I spent $140 dollars for the Month of September
September 29th | 33 Hours: Abidjan to Bamako Overland
September 23rd | I got my Visa to Mali in 15 Minutes?
September 20th | Open the Borders: on the Radio in Abidjan
September 17th | Where The Lagoon Meets the Ocean: Staying in a Village in Cote d’Ivoire
September 14th | Ivorians and Their Baguettes: a Few Observations and Some Pictures
September 10th | Again Slow Travel Wins Out
September 6th | A Sonic Tour of Mali: 8 Amazing Videos, Songs, and Artists
September 4th | Me and the Ivorian in the Stairwell
September 3rd | The Best Beach in Ghana
September 1st | Couchsurfing Takoradi and Some Leftover Accra Pics
August 29th | Farewell Ghana
August 25th | How Much Sand Have I Been Eating? Do Ghanaian Children Like Thomas Merton?
August 22nd | Some Art, Some Music, Getting Ready for Ivory Coast
August 19th | Trashy Bags and Trashy Babies – How a Non-profit in Ghana is Tackling Plastic Waste
August 17th | Coming Back Down to Earth
August 14th | Having Sex with Snakes in Ghallywood and a Complimentary Highlife Track
August 12th | Short Movie on Family of Women who Sell Porridge
August 10th | How I Learned to Relax With Bucket Showers; Also More Camel Drawing
August 7th | Tro-tros – Ghana’s Public Transportation
August 5th | Travelers Diarrhea From Another Planet
August 1st | A Graduation in Ghana and Some Gospel Highlife
July 29th | Why It’s Worth It To Stay A While – A Tribute To Newtown Part I
July 26th | Games of Ghana and Some Hiplife for Your Listening Pleasure
July 22nd | Leg Infection Part II (?) and Nana Boroo’s birthday
July 20th | Music in Accra: Listening and Creating
July 16th | Bits and Pieces: Drawing Camels in Accra
July 12th | Visiting Ms. Piggy in Accra
July 9th | Making Friends in Accra
July 7th | Eating Ghanaian Food: Kenkey With Fish
July 6th | Uruguay Beats Ghana: The Aftermath
July 2nd | Accra is Electric
July 1st | Virgin Atlantic, You Owe Me One
June 29th | Making my way to Accra – Ready for a Party in Support of the Black Stars
June 17th | The Two Year Curtain Project Test Post