Maxim magazine recently voted Bogota the “hardest city” in the world. Here’s how they explained their decision: Bogota is tough. Drug barons and guerrillas infest the place like flies and brutal violence occurs daily. Around 23 people are murdered each day, and the leading cause of death for citizens aged between ten and 60 is … Continue reading
Our first night out of Khartoum was spent camping in Old Dongala. Old Dongola is situated on the east bank of the Nile opposite the Wadi Al-Malik. Originally founded as a fortress, Old Dongola soon grew into a town. With the arrival of Christianity, it became the capital of the Kingdom of Makuria until the … Continue reading
I found it incredibly difficult to find any reliable information at all on this topic before heading for Venezuela. So, hopefully, this post will go some way in enlightening those that are frustrated and confused by the lack of reliable information out there. First of all, don’t be put off by the guide books that … Continue reading
Heading out from Old Dongola, Sudan we drove for hours across the desert… …Until arriving at a small town near the Nile (as all towns in Sudan are). The “town” consisted of just a few homes, but Ramadan, our guide and driver, knew one of the families and so we stopped for a visit: The … Continue reading
Inside the Henri Pittier National Park, we stayed in the town of Puerto Colombia. Puerto Colombia is where most of the accomodation and action can be found in this area. The lifeblood of Puerto Colombia is the malecon, where the fishing boats dock. People congregate here at night and on weekends one can supposedly see … Continue reading
For a quick escape to nature from the intensity of Caracas, one can ride the cable car that ascends from the streets of Caracas (at the intersection of Avenida Principal de Mariperez and Avenida Boyaca) to the top of Parque Nacional El Avila. Separating Caracas from the coast, the park is based around a mountain … Continue reading
I’ve discussed these nomadic wells before, but given that their existence is absolutely essential to the nomadic community, it is worth describing another one. Ramadan spotted this one as we were driving back to Khartoum: The depths of the well… Unlike the last well I described, the water was drawn out of this one by … Continue reading
The Velvet Rocket 