“Ladies and gents, we are about to start our decent!” shouted the pilot as he turned in his squeaky seat just in front of me. Yes, there were no doors separating the pilot’s cabin from the main cabin of the tiny Blue Sky Airline’s operated Cessna Caravan 208B. Nor were there seatbelts, luggage storage or … Continued
I actually did my one year voluntary National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme after graduation in Ondo state, south west Nigeria. The state is five times bigger than Lagos state-Nigeria , the commercial hub of the entire West Africa and most populous city in Africa. However it is sparsely populated having less than one tenth … Continued
Editor’s Note: Congratulations to Ken Budd: This article won a Gold SATW award in October 2015 I’m carrying two-year-old Elijah, seeking shade to escape the Kenyan sun. My wife Julie and I are volunteering for two weeks at the Calvary Zion children’s home near Mombasa, helping (we hope) the home’s three “mothers,” who care for 40 … Continued
Nigeria: Calm Bar Independence! That’s one thing I had always sort my whole life. I was not born into a life of cream, drug nor violence. But I just grew increasingly dissatisfied about living that right about when this essay began; I badly needed a specialist to keep living. So, as he gazed at me … Continued
I am interested in this interaction between the place we are in and the development of our minds. The interplay of space and mind creates place when I think about my sense of place, it’s hard for me to pin it down. Let’s start with my hometown. I was born and raised in Agbor Delta … Continued
A Spiritual journey through West Nile, where hope and hospitality is in ready supply New to me is the picturesque St. Emmanuel’s Cathedral. The last time I was in Arua (Christmas holidays of 2000), grandpa had retired from active church ministry he served in the former sanctuary; a dilapidated temple reminiscent of the days of … Continued
Nigeria: A visit to the Ruin at Old Oyo National Park Ever since I was born, I’m always thrilled with culture especially the culture I was born into (the Yoruba culture). I love the moon light stories of long past warriors; those that have made their footprints in the sand of time. Invariably, travelling and … Continued
Tunisia hasn’t exactly had a lot of positive press lately, and for understandable reasons. The country’s disposal of its less than democratic ruler triggered revolutions across the Middle East and North Africa, which became known as the Arab Spring. Yet, what you likely haven’t heard is that unlike neighboring Libya and fellow countries on the … Continued
MOMBASA, KENYA: MY SECRET SAFE HAVEN When I was younger, I never truly appreciated the beauty of travelling and seeing new places, whether it was in my home country Kenya, or anywhere else across the globe. However, as I became older, I began to see things in a new perspective and gained a newfound love … Continued
Since I was a youngster, I dreamed of one day visiting Morocco. Towns and cities with exotic names such as Rabat, Casablanca, and Fez beckoned me from across the Atlantic Ocean. In 2008 when I researched direct flights from Los Angeles to Casablanca, Marrakesh, and Rabat, I noticed that most flights went via either London … Continued