TheExpeditioner.com To Africa

Into Africa

This morning, as a stepped out of the shower, I noticed that for the initially time in very a while, I didn’t quickly start sweating profusely as a outcome of the oppressive humidity that generally blankets New York City in August, which only implies a single factor: summer season is officially coming to a close. (I also noticed for the very first time that my neighbors in the nearby 11-story apartment complicated, who have a clear view into my bathroom window, like to eat breakfast out on their patio in the morning, something I ought to don't forget subsequent time I hop in the shower.)

Right here at TheExpeditioner.com we like to celebrate holidays, momentous occasions, and the closing of seasons in the best feasible fashion: hitting the road. In this case, the road getting a 15-hour flight to South Africa, where, as you can see from the above map, I hope to try out my brand new $30 hiking footwear and spiffy Nikon D40 SLR camera in two of Southern Africa’s finest known national parks: Kruger and Chobe. (Videos, articles, and much debriefing to come in the coming weeks/months).

Fascinating News

Offered the higher unlikelihood of much, if any, world wide web access over the subsequent 15 days or so, I’ve enlisted the enable of two former TheExpeditioner.com contributors, one particular of whom, Jon Wick, I’m pleased to announce, has graciously accepted the title of “Contributing Editor,” and will be posting his personal thoughts, recitations, and insights about travel for the foreseeable future on the website (or at least till he decides that he doesn’t want to any longer).

Additional, Hal Amen, of Matador Trips fame, has also volunteered to contribute posts of his personal for at least the time that I’m away. This even though he’s not sipping lattes at outside cafes and partying to six a.m. in his new Buenos Aires neighborhood.

For a little information about both Jon and Hal, please see their quick bios and Hollywood-like head shots under.

Till Then . . .

As for me, I’ll be posting once again routinely when I get back on the 14th. Also, by the magic of the newfangled globe-wide-world wide web, I will also be publishing a couple of feature stories from my trip to Colombia more than the subsequent two weeks. I know I’ve exceeded the suggested length for on the web articles by about 10X in each of the pieces, so I apologize ahead of time.

“For Africa to me . . . is much more than a glamorous fact. It is a historical truth. No man can know where he is going unless he knows specifically where he has been and specifically how he arrived at his present location.”

Maya Angelou (American Poet, b.1928)

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Jon Wick

I’ve been approaching the age of 30 all my life, but on my 27th birthday I stole a page from the film “The Bucket List” and decided to generate my own, generating an work at reach 1 point a year, for the rest of my life. That has taken me to all but seven of the states, up the flanks of Mt. Rainier, to the strings of hand-me-down guitars, and to Korea, exactly where I am finishing up a year of teaching English and traveling whenever possible.

When I’m not forcing myself to eat Kimchi or quarantined for attainable H1N1, I get in touch with the mountains of Montana household. I have taught elementary school in Major Sky Nation for four years prior to setting off for Asia. All through my travels, I’ve been compiling a list of the “Top 5 Locations I’ve Eaten Lunch.” They presently are, in no certain order: a sea cave in the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior, any square meter along Boracay’s white sand beach in the Philippines, a narrow canyon along the White Rim Trail in Canyonlands National Park, aboard a junk boat in Vietnam’s Halong Bay, and at Camp Muir on Mt. Rainier.

I look forward to joining TheExpeditioner.com team and looking for extra places to add to my list!

Hal Amen

Hal Amen has spent 2009 bouncing amongst volunteer organizations, Spanish classes, and street meals stalls in South America, during which his favored trip by far was a tour of Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni and the summiting of the 19,400-foot volcano Licancabur.

His final nonprofit gig wrapped up in August, and he’s closing out the year in Buenos Aires, exactly where he’ll be on the constant lookout for drip coffee and meals that don’t function half a cow (great luck with that). A freelance educational writer, Hal also co-edits the travel web-site Matador Trips and has contributed to TheExpeditioner.com in the past. He’s psyched to be on board, even if it’s only till Matt (hopefully) returns.