Tag Archives: Hospitality

Different Cultures

25 Nov

One good thing that came out of 27 hours in seat F3 is that in seat F4 was a very nice man named Iddi. He gave me his information and wanted me to call him once I got to Arusha in Tanzania. I gave Iddi a call and he immediately came and picked me up and drove me to his house. I met his wife Mariam and their three children and then his daughter made us all cups of coffee. They wanted me to stay for dinner so I was ordered to sit and relax with Iddi as the women went about cooking. A little over an hour later a huge portion of beef stew and flat bread were put down before us. Mariam came over with a pitcher of water and a bowl so I could wash my hands to eat with and then did the same for Iddi. I waited for the women to join us but was instructed that they were not eating with us. The food was amazing and it is always fun to eat with your hands. After dinner the women came and cleared the plates, washed our hands and then gave us coffee. Every time I offered to help I was shot down and Iddi told me it is seen as an insult to offer help almost saying that I could do it better than them. It was a really cool experience to have a proper dinner in an African household, I am just glad my mother wasn’t there to tell my lazy ass to get to work on the pots and pans.

Foggy

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Meeting Mathieu

12 Nov

I was using my best French to talk to the information ladies in Bujumbura to figure out how much taxis costed around the city when a young guy came up and started talking to me in English. He was a university student on holiday break and he said he would just drive us around if I covered the gas. He ended up being much more than a guide as he showed me much more than the average tourist sees. We toured the black market since he needed a new laptop and we even tried getting into the DRC but even his persuasion skills couldn’t quite manage that. I also needed an extension on my visa which costs $40USD but he had friends in high places and only set me back $10, which I am sure ended up in a pocket. It is always great to be shown around by someone who really knows a city well and a huge thanks to Mathieu for doing that!

Foggy

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Avoid non-essential travel

8 Nov

The Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada has the following to say about Burundi:

 OFFICIAL WARNING: Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada advises against non-essential travel to Burundi. While the general situation in the country has started to stabilize as a result of peace agreements between the National Liberation Forces (FNL) rebel group and the Government of Burundi, sudden outbreaks of violence and civil unrest are still likely to take place throughout Burundi, including around FNL demobilization camps. There are large amounts of small arms and weapons in circulation, easily available to various groups. Violent attacks and ambushes by former soldiers, rebel forces, and youth gangs against humanitarian workers, including foreigners, occur frequently. These incidents include robbery and murder. The presence of refugees returning from Rwanda and Tanzania also continues to exacerbate tensions.

Like the sensible traveler I am, after reading this I decided to go anyways. I am definitely glad I made the decision because Bujumbura was an amazing city. I didn’t feel unsafe once and people were a lot more welcoming then they were in the neighbouring country of Rwanda. The one thing people in Bujumbura know how to do well is party and it doesn’t matter what night of the week it is, naturally I fit in quite well. The local drop was Amstel Bock and you can guess this traveler had his fair share.

Foggy

Bujumbura, Burundi.

Tags: , , , , , ,

22 Hours in Zurich

19 Oct

I booked myself a 22 hour in Zurich which really turned out to be 19.25. I got off the train from the airport and started to explore the city. There were three things I noticed right away, the city wreaked money, the women were gorgeous and the city was stunning. Zurich is situated at the northeast end of Lake Zurich and at that end of the city you have amazing views of the lake and the Alps. With a few more hours of checking out Ferrari’s and some Swiss women I went back to the train station to meet my couchsurfer Kate. I was more than stoked to get a couchsurf in Zurich since hostels will run you $45 minimum a night. Kate was a short little Russian that was a software engineer for Google. We went back to her place to drop off my things and then took the tram to Üetliberg. It had a crazy view of the whole city and the lake. We went back into the city and took in the best Zurich had to offer on a Tuesday night which happened to be Karaoke… I was working on about an hour of sleep so I decided to pull the plug and we cruised back home. A few short hours of sleep later I boarded my flight for Nairobi.

Foggy

Tags: , , , , , ,

Reuniting with Mates

16 Oct

Some of you might remember old Sammy from my adventures in Turkey. As I wrote back then he is one of those people you meet traveling that you know you will connect with later on in life in one way or another. When I found out that one of my layovers was in London I immediately sent him a message seeing if he was around. He of course said he would clear some beer cans off the couch so I could rest my weary head for a few nights. There was no time for Jetlag as I arrived on a Friday night that just happened to be Sam’s 27th birthday(I know I am surprised I am friends with such an oldie as well). He is looking pretty good for 27 and has even avoided the *Heathrow Injection so far.Even Alastair aka Big Bear from the Turkey cruise made it out. For the next four days we didn’t see much else except for the inside of pubs but I feel I got a true London experience, even though it was at the hands of a *JAFA.  Here’s to the next time Sammy and I meet up around the globe but by that time he will have probably be on the wrong side of 30.

Foggy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Heathrow Injection- The inevitable weight one gains for an extended stay in London.

*JAFA- See End of an Era

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Foggy’s Back!

11 Oct

Everyone’s least favourite travel blogger is back! Check out the new video put together by my good friend Andrew Noon, hope you enjoy!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

My Wellington Farewell

24 Sep

I may have had a few drinks my last night in Wellington with the boys and forgot a couple things in the apartment when I left New Zealand for good. Luckily Will made a visit back home and returned my trusty handheld and I found this gem on there.

Foggy

Tags: , , , , , , ,

LA Riot

1 May

I decided to do a three-day layover in LA en route home. I contacted Zach, a friend I had met in Mozambique two summers ago and he let me crash at his place. His place was in West Hollywood and it took a while to get out there using the old public transit system. I managed to make it out to 11 bar with Zach and his boyfriend Bill and was introduced to show tunes night.

The next day Bill picked me up and we hiked up to the Hollywood sign. We managed to get lost on the way up but eventually made it to the top of LA. It was a little surreal to be so close to such an iconic sign, as tacky as it is. On the way back down we managed to take a wrong turn again and had to do a steep decent into somebody’s backyard, I think my urban abseiling came in handy! We rewarded ourselves with a beer at Barney’s Beanery before continuing our drive through Hollywood and Beverly Hills.

Bill dropped me off and I ventured out to Dodgers Stadium to see LA vs.Atlanta. I noticed there was an all you can eat section and bought a ticket immediately. $33 gets you a seat plus as many dodger dogs, nachos, peanuts and pop corn you can fit in over nine innings (and people wonder why North Americans are so overweight).

The next night ticked off another large item on the old bucket list. Emily (Zach’s roommate) and I went to Jones bar for dinner and then went to see a show at the Whisky a Go Go, for you music lovers out there this is the bar The Doors and Motley Crue got their start. Those being two of my favourite bands I had always wanted to have a drink in the place.

My quick stint in LA was definitely a success, but that is mostly because of the great company I had. A huge thank you to Zach, Bill and Emily for taking the time and being a tourist with me. I will hopefully see you later in the summer!

Foggy

LA

Tags: , , , , , ,

Bondi with Britt

22 Apr

My run of good luck continued on my Australian tour. My friend Britt was living in Bondi Beach so I again had a couch to sleep on. It was my last weekend in Australia and Britt was determined to show me a good time. We ended up in Kings Cross both nights and took in the sights of the night. It was a great way to wrap up my time in the country as I look forward to my next adventure.

Foggy

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Gold Coast Adventures

18 Apr

I got off the train from the Sunshine Coast and Lauren was there to pick me up. I had met Lauren at the races up in Brisbane and she had invited me down to stay at her place. We stopped in at a few beaches before driving out to Burleigh National Park. It was an awesome hike through the bush up to an amazing lookout down the coast. We refreshed ourselves afterwards with some drinks at a surf club. That night she gave me a tour of the pubs in Surfers Paradise and it turns out there are quite a few.

The next day we got up and drove up to Tamborine. It was this little craft town and we went on this glow-worm cave tour. We were unimpressed 1 minute into the tour when we found out the cave was man-made. We then went and checked out Tamborine National Park. It was a great 2.4km loop walk that took you to this amazing waterfall. We snuck down closer to the edge to take in a closer look. For some reason Lauren trusted me with her car for the drive back and I put my right hand drive skills into action. That night we went out to a hair fashion show with Lauren’s friend Brook and witnessed some strange styles. Never a dull moment so far on this tour of Oz.

Foggy

Tags: , , , , ,

← Older Entries