Ethiopia: Of feasts & famines

Where in the world is Kim, I hear you ask? Yes, sadly my blog has been dormant for the last couple of months. The main reason being that I have been very busy travelling around Ethiopia updating the Bradt Travel Guide to the country. While I do plan to make some big changes with this site for the coming year, in the meantime if you want to catch-up with my Ethiopian explorations you can view more of my photographs from my trip on my Wild Writing fanpage. The above s a picture of the Blue Nile Falls.

The anticipation of travel revisited

Today I woke up and realised that in exactly eight weeks I'll be taking off on my next big trip for work to South Africa and Ethiopia. So I thought it was the perfect time to revisit a post I wrote in 2008 about the anticipation of travel and update it taking into account my new trip.

Alain de Botton might argue otherwise, but I really believe that half the fun of travel is the anticipation. Here’s how I’m try to savour the excitement in the build up to a big trip.

Buy a calendar
The first thing to do is to get a calendar and circle your departure date. I’m not advocating that you start wishing your life away in a great countdown to take-off, but it is fun to day dream and of course very useful to be aware of how many days or weeks you have until you leave – especially if you are like me and have a million projects you need to finish before you leave!

Make a list
I love lists. There is nothing more self-satisfying than crossing something off a “to do” list. At the moment I’m working with one long running list (though for every item I cross off, I seem to be adding another two or three “to dos”!). A more practical solution might be to have several lists – the all important “must do” list (organise passport, visas, tickets), a “things to buy” list (new camera, backpack), a “packing” list (T-shirts, underwear), a “things to organise at home before you leave” list (redirect mail, cancel subscriptions) … Just think; I could make a list of “to do” lists!

Buy a guidebook
OK, so the guidebook author is suggesting that you buy a guidebook! Now I’d never recommend that you consider your guidebook 'the Bible', but they do offer heaps of good practical information such as when to go and how to get around which helps make travelling easy as well as providing you with a handy and easily digestible snapshot of the country’s culture, history and politics. I’ve started with the Bradt guide I am updating and plan to buy others from competing guidebook companies (it always pays to know what the opposition is up to!). And for something completely different, I’ve also order the Royal Geographic Society’s updated 1889 guide Handy Hints to Lady Travellersby Lillias Campbell Davidson which I thought might provide me with some insights (and entertainment) on how my Victorian counterparts travelled around Africa.

Learn the lingo
If you are travelling to a country where you don’t know the language, it always pays to know some basic greetings before you arrive. You never know, you might even be able to put a smile on the face of a surly immigration official with a simple “hello” greeting in the local language. Although there are some 70 ethnic languages spoken in Ethiopia, fortunately for me English is the most widely spoken European language. That said, I am still trying to wrap my tongue around Amharigna (also written as Amarigna), which is the official language of Ethiopia.

Get cultural
A great way to absorb yourself in the culture of the country you are about to visit is to rent a video about your destination or read a book set where you are visiting. Not only will you get a better feel for the country, but if you try to locate and visit the places mentioned in the book or movie once you’ve arrived also makes for a more unusual and unique way to experience the country. I’ve ordered Beneath the Lion’s Gaze a novel by Ethiopian born-New York-based writer Maaza Mengiste. A friend also just droped off a copy of The Mountains of Rasselas: An Ethiopian Adventure by Thomas Pakenham.

Read the local papers
The best way to get acquainted with local politics and events is to start reading the local newspaper. Fortunately, with the rise of the Internet this is very easy to. A quick look on line and you’ll discover that almost every newspaper around the world has their own website – even those in Ethiopia such as Ethiopian News and the Ethiopia Daily.

Do you agree that half the fun of travel is the anticipation of travel? If so, how do you savour the excitement in the lead up to an overseas trip or holiday?

Top 10 Things to See & Do in Cape Town

News just in: My all time favourite travel destination – Cape Town, South Africa, of course – was just voted the No.1 Travel Destination in the World by TripAdvisor's Travellers' Choice Awards. To help celebrate, I thought I'd share an article I wrote on the Top 10 Things to See & Do in Cape Town for MSN NZ’s Travel Bite website:

Bold, brash and beautiful, Cape Town is one city that doesn't disappoint. With so many wonderful things to see and do, it's difficult to choose a top 10. But for first time visitors to South Africa's 'Mother City', here's what I'd suggest.

Table Mountain
Sometimes it's possible to sum up an entire city with a single attraction. In Cape Town, it's Table Mountain. Rising 3,562 ft/1,086m above sea level and dwarfing even the city's tallest skyscrapers, the imposing flat-topped stone behemoth is impossible to miss. For the best view, you can hike to the top or catch your breath in the vertiginous, rotating cable car as it whisks you up to the summit. Once there, you'll be rewarded with exquisite wrap-around panoramas – provided the peak isn’t shrouded in clouds, of course.

Robben Island
Few places are more evocative of South Africa's apartheid past than the once notorious prison on Robben Island. It is here where former president Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for 18 long years along other prominent ANC members including current president Jacob Zuma. Now a world heritage site, a tour of the island is a must for anyone visiting Cape Town – you can peer into Mandela's old prison cell and hear firsthand accounts from former prisoners who now serve as guides.

V&A Waterfront
Set against the spectacular backdrop of Table Mountain, the V&A Waterfront is touted as South Africa's most visited attraction. For serious shoppers the Victoria Wharf Shopping Centre beckons with more than 400 retail outlets as well as some 70 restaurants, pubs and coffee shops to explore. While the adjoining Red Shed Craft Workshop is filled with an eclectic mix of handmade merchandise and art, and the Waterfront Craft Market offers a range of traditional handicrafts along with holistic lifestyle accessories.

Greenmarket Square
Over the years this cobble-stoned square in the centre of town has served as a slave market, vegetable market and even a parking. Today, Greenmarket Square is the city's most popular flea market with artisans from across the African continent converge to hawk everything from replica radios expertly constructed from wire to hand-painted fabrics and magnificent wood carvings.

District Six Museum
The humble District Six Museum commemorates one of the most startling apartheid-era events in Cape Town – the 1966 bulldozing and forced removal of residents from this once vibrant, multi-ethnic community after it was declared a "whites-only" area. Exhibits are mostly photographs and artefacts donated by former residents.

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
Located on the eastern side of Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch is renowned for the beauty and diversity of its indigenous flora. The former estate of Cecil Rhodes, it includes a restaurant, gift shop, bookshop and garden centre. Sunset concerts are held on the lawn of the gardens every Sunday in December-March, and there's a craft market on the last Sunday of the month September-May.

Chapman's Peak Drive
Chapman's Peak Drive is one of the world's most awe-inspiring coastal drives. The 9km route with its 114 curves hugs the near-vertical face of its namesake peak as it skirts its way around the rocky Atlantic coastline from Hout Bay to Noordhoek. You can drive it either direction, but the reverse route from Noordhoek to Hout Bay is better with the best views afforded from the left side of the road.

Cape Point
It's a common misconception that Cape Point, a.k.a. the Cape of Good Hope, is the southernmost tip of Africa. That distinction belongs to Cape Agulhas, 150km southeast of Cape Town. Nevertheless, Cape Point, a narrow stretch of land 45 minutes south of town, where the Atlantic and Indian oceans collide, is spectacular. To get to the top, you hike 15 minutes uphill or take the five-minute ride on the funicular.

Boulders Beach
Just around the corner from the seaside village of Simons Town, Boulders offers the unforgettable experience of swimming with endangered penguins. The sheltered beach dotted with giant granite boulders, from which it takes its name, and its infamous colony of African Penguins is very popular, so be sure to get there early.

Two Oceans Aquarium
Africa's largest aquarium, Two Oceans is home to ragged-tooth sharks, large rays, turtles and about 300 species of fish. There’s a variety of exceptional exhibits including submarine kelp forests similar to those along South Africa's west coast, intertidal zones, and wave pools with native plants and bird life. Sharks inhabit the Predator Tank, and eels and other unusual creatures can be viewed in the Fangs display.

A win well deserved. Congratulations Cape Town!

Ethiopia guidebook update take two

After much deliberation, I've decided to move my research dates for the 6th edition of the Bradt Travel Guide to Ethiopia back by a few months. I'll now be criss-crossing my way around this mammoth country throughout the months of September, October and November 2011. I'm still looking for a travel buddy, so give me a shout if you want to join me on what is set to be my most epic wild wandering to date.

Ethiopia guidebook update

I've been so excited about the recent release of the new Bradt Travel Guide to Ghana which I updated late last year, I almost forgot to mention that I’ve just signed up to tackle the 6th edition of the Bradt Travel Guide to Ethiopia. For 10 weeks over April, May and June next year I'll be driving, bussing and bush taxiing my way around the entire country covering everything from the busy streets of Addis and the colourful South Omo Valley to Bale Mountains National Park and the thundering Blue Nile Falls – not to mention everything in between.

In all my travels to Africa, I've yet to make it to Ethiopia. Of course as child of the 80s, I grew up with the images of emaciated children and cracked barren earth that were beamed around the world during Bob Geldof's Live Aid concert in 1985. But there is much more to this ancient country than those lasting negative image stereotypes. So I'm really looking forward to debunking the myths and discovering Ethiopia for myself. If anyone wants to join me for my latest wild adventure, drop me a line!

Wild Wednesday: Walking on sunshine

I've been so busy with my fundraising efforts for my War Child Cambodia Cycle Challenge that sadly my poor blog has been neglected of late. To help kick things back into gear, I thought I'd highlight one of my favourite travel photographs of the sun setting over Lake Victoria which I took in Tanzania in 2008 while helping Philip Briggs update the Bradt Travel Guide to the country. The following short piece I wrote about the picture below was recently published in the Escape section of the Brisbane Sunday Mail:

"African sunsets are made for gin and tonics. It's a cliche I know, but I enjoy the ritual of sipping the beautifully crisp, clear drink while watching the sunset over the veld. From my box seat sitting on a small strip of sand wrapped around the south-eastern edge of Lake Victoria, I watch with glass in hand, mesmerised as deep oranges, rich reds and powerful pinks dance across the horizon in a silent symphony of colour. Setting my drink down on the sand, I pick up my camera and focus the lens on the play of light as the sun slowly sinks into the lake's far horizon. To my surprise just as I click the shutter a Massai warrior silently walks across the beach and into my viewfinder. Only in Africa I muse. Raising my gin and tonic, I salute the African sunset. Mzuri sana!"

Where do travel writers pay to stay?

Have you ever wondered where travel writers choose to stay when they're footing the hotel bill? Well, this was the question recently pondered by David Wickers and Mark Hodson at 101 Holidays. In a Twitter first, they asked a number of well-known, tweeting travel journalists and editors, including myself, to each recommend their favourite hotel, B&B or guest house. The rules were simple: the recommended place could be anywhere in the world, but it had to cost less than £150 ($250) a night for two people, and, of course, had to be described in no more than 140 characters.

My recommendation? "Tunza Lodge in Mwanza, Tanzania: Between the beach, the bar & the sunsets over Lake Victoria, this is one lusciously laidback lodge." Doubles cost $US45 - 60.

You can read the full list here

Picture? One of the many mesmerising sunsets over Lake Victoria as viewed from Tunza Lodge, Tanzania.

Wild Wednesday: Win a travel guide to Tanzania

In celebration of my wish for a wild, wild New Year for everyone this year I've decided to start a new regular segment for my blog titled Wild Wednesday. If any of you have seen my website, you'd know I have an affinity for the word 'wild'. It is more than part of my name. Wild is also symbolic of who I am. It describes my life and my experiences and it informs how I work and how I write. So in embracing my wild side, I've decided that each Wednesday I'll highlight something I consider wild whether it be a wild experience or wild photograph from my travels, a wild person or a wild place or even a wild posting from another blogger. To kick Wild Wednesday off, I'm giving away a copy of the new Bradt Travel Guide to Tanzania which I helped Philip Briggs update last year. All you need to do is answer this simple question:

What is the name of the wonderfully wild national game park stretching from northern Tanzania into southern Kenya which is famous for the annual migration of millions wildebeest and zebras?

The first person to provide the correct answer in the comments section of this post wins the guide (just make sure you include your email so I can contact you for an address to send the guide to).

Good luck!

The world's best cityscapes

Whether they are surrounded by natural beauty or dotted with modern architectural wonders some cities just scream: location, location, location! With this in mind, I recently compiled a list of my top seven favourite cityscapes for a slideshow/article for MSN NZ Travel. My top pick? Cape Town of course! The first thing everyone notices in Cape Town is beautiful Table Mountain, a flat-topped stone behemoth slap-bang in the middle of town that rises above the city, dwarfing even the tallest skyscrapers. But there's more to the city than its picture-postcard profile. From glorious sun-soaked, sandy beaches and rolling vineyards to a vibrant mix of cultures and a variety of top-notch restaurants and nightclubs, South Africa's 'Mother City' is an electric, cosmopolitan city that has it all. If you don't believe me, check out Xander's posts over at Primitive Culture - an online ode to the city if ever there was one!

New Bradt Travel Guide to Tanzania released

While I was off galavanting around Ghana, the new Bradt Travel Guide to Tanzania which I helped Philip Briggs update last year was finally released. It's so nice to see the final product after months of blood, sweat and tears. The new 608 page guide is jam-packed with practcal information for both independent and upmarket travellers on everything from how to oragnise a safari and tips on photographing wildlife to how to avoid trouble with hippos, crocodiles and snakes, and interacting with the local people. It also provides detailed coverage on Tanzania's world-famous national parks, including the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, the lusciously laid-back islands of Zanzibar, Pemba and Mafia, and the country’s rich history and culture. Click here to find out more.

Just another day in paradise?

I swear I must be walking around Ghana with "I'm updating a guidebook" stamped on my forehead. Yesterday I was set upon by a group of curio sellers as I was jotting down a phone number outside Cape Coast Castle who angrily claimed that they didn't hassle tourists as most guidebooks stated. One even declared that he was going to kidnap me so that I wouldn't write any more 'lies' about them. I didn't even have a guidebook on me – just a pen and paper – and I certainly didn't tell them that I was updating a guide. Needless to say I made a very hasty retreat! Oddly enough I also had a similar experience outside Vic Baboo's Cafe in Kumasi a few days ago where I was harangued by a group of touts who gave me no end of grief for the unkind words that had been written about them by previous guidebook authors. I must admit it has certainly been very surprising just how clued-up everyone here seems to be about travel guidebooks and the impact they can have on business.
Picture: Sunset, Biriwa Beach, Ghana

The long, hard road

Sorry for the long silence. Sadly, I haven't been able to post as regularly as I had hoped while I've been travelling around Ghana. The greatest problem has been lack of internet access and of course time (I am working after all!). My journey around Ghana updating the Bradt Travel Guide though, has been progressing well. I've met numerous wonderful people (must send a big shout out to all of Ghana's fantastic PCVs – thank you, thank you, thank you!) and have some fabulous experiences – I danced under the stars at the opening of a new night club in Kintampo, learned how to weave kente cloth in Kpetoe and went walking with elephants at Mole National Park. Mind you, there have been a few nasty bumps in the road I wish could have been avoided – I was accidentally hit in a punch-up between local community members in Larabanga fighting over tourist dollars (I promise I will post a blog about my experience as soon as I can), my driver almost rolled our car during a heavy rain storm on the dirt road between Mole and Tamale (we did a 180 and slammed into a ditch; we'd still be there if we weren’t in a 4WD) and then yesterday he sadly hit a cyclist who swerved in front of the car on the road Yendi (thank God the man was OK!) and just today some rogue traffic officers in Tamale tried to make me pay a bribe because my driver inadvertently went to drive the wrong way up a one way street (I just played stupid and pretended I couldn't speak English). But as always, the life of a travel writer is not an easy one, but it is certainly an adventure!

Goodbye Byron....Hello Ghana

Hi everyone. I've now left my beautiful home in the hinterland hills of Byron Bay and am on my way to Africa for the next three months for work. First stop Singapore (where I am currently), then Johannesburg before I continue on to Ghana to update the Bradt travel guide to the country. I am sure my postings will be sparadic, but I'll endeavour to keep updating my blog as much as I can as I go along. In the meantime, you can now follow me on twitter. Also, before I left, I wrote a guest post on my favourite places in Byron for Anja over at Ever the Nomad; you can view it here.

Happy travels!

Tears in Tobruk: The tears flow on

Today I had a moment. No, not an Oprah light bulb moment, but an "OMGH how cool is that?!" moment. Quite by accident, I discovered that the Australian Government has quoted me on their official website. The quote they used is from an article I wrote last year about travelling to Tobruk in Libya to celebrate ANZAC Day. This was a very emotional and personal journey for me – my grandfather, Private John Joseph Alman, was a member of the 9th Battalion who, against all odds, held Tobruk for an astounding 240 days during WWII; unfortunately he died before I was able to make it home to tell him about my trip – and as such it was a hard article to write. So I have to admit that I'm kind of chuffed that they quoted me. For anyone who is interested, you can read the article here.

Picture: That's me (in green) delivering my grandfather's speech at a small impromtu service on ANZAC Day in Tobruk, Libya.

Africa calling

By now you all should be aware of my affection for Africa. So it should come as little surprise to learn that I am about to pack my backpack and return to the continent in August. After my mammoth world-wind adventure last year which took in three continents and seven countries including Tanzania, Cuba, and the United States, this time I’ll be devoting my entire three month trip to Africa taking in Ghana and South Africa with a possible side trip to Namibia.

While much of time in southern Africa will be spent catching up with old friends, in Ghana I will be updating the 5th edition of Ghana: The Bradt Travel Guide for author Philip Briggs. So for eight weeks over August and September I'll be driving, bussing and bush taxiing my way around the entire country covering everything from the busy streets of Accra and the string of forts and castles that line the former Gold Coast to the lush mountains of the Eastern Highlands and game-rich savannah of Mole National Park in the north. It's been a few years since I was last in Ghana – I stopped by briefly on my way to cover Togo and Benin for the 5th edition of Lonely Planet's West Africa - so I'm really looking forward to reacquainting myself with the country. If anyone wants to join me for my latest wild adventure, drop me a line!

African butterfly: An interview with Angelique Kidjo

I recently had the great fortune of meeting and interviewing Grammy Award-winning world music songstress Angelique Kidjo. The fiery diva, who hails from Benin in West Africa, was in Byron Bay to perform at the Bluesfest. During the interview I asked her questions about her work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and the founding of The Batonga Foundation through which she supports the education of young women in Africa.

According to Ms Kidjo the greatest threat facing women today in Africa is the lack of education. "When you are a girl born in Africa you have no identity, you belong to your family – your mother and your dad have the right to decide on your life. That's why there are so many early marriages," Kidjo explains.

"We have to change Africa," she argues. "We need women leadership. We need women to be empowered in order to save the life of their children. So we need to educate the women...Because you have to have that protection of education in order to be a leader wise enough, and strong enough, and powerful enough to make the men of your country realise that we are not enemies, we are partners."

To find out more about The Batonga Foundation and how you can help out visit: www.batongafoundation.org.

The things we leave behind

I recently stumbled across this article, What we leave behind, by Kelly Westhoff on the Wanderlust and Lipstick website. Not only did her article intrigue me because it was about an encounter she had in Cuba, but it got me thinking about the trail I've left behind in my many years on the road. While like Kelly, I'd like to believe that as a traveller I've "taken only photographs and left only footprints", as I'm usually limited by what I can carry and, of course, can't resist buying a few souvenirs along the way (not to mention all the PR paraphernalia I collect as part of my research) I inevitably leave things behind to "lighten my load".

On my recent round world trip alone, I left behind my jeans, a sweater and a pair of thick woollen socks (which I had worn every day in cold and chilly Cape Town) at a hotel in Dar es Salaam in Tanzania along with a note for the maid telling her to either donate them to charity or keep them for herself. Considering it was averaging around 38 degrees Celsius outside, I'm sure she had as much use for them as I did – none! In Nairobi, I left behind two of my three travel guides to Tanzania and a DVD I’d been given at a friend's place. Then in Cuba, I left behind my towel and some more clothes with the local family I was staying with, before finally dumping some of my souvenirs from Cuba, including Cuban cigars, in my hotel room in Jamaica because I was too afraid to enter the US carrying them!

The oddest thing I've ever left behind though was a drum in Libya last year. I'd spent a day shopping in the souks of Benghazi with my guide who rather charmingly, though disconcertingly, insisted on buying me every item I vaguely showed interest in, including a large terracotta drum which was covered with what looked like a very fresh goat's hide (I swear I could still see blood around the edges!). Knowing that there was no way that I would ever be able to get the drum through Australian customs I "accidently" [read: on purpose] left it behind in the lobby of the hotel I was staying at in Tripoli on the morning before I departed. (I had actually tried to leave it behind in my hotel room in Benghazi the previous day, but my guide spied it just as I was closing the door to my room!).

If this is what I left behind on only two trips, it truly frightens me to really think back and start listing the trail of belongings I've dumped in unsuspecting hotel rooms and backpacker hostels over the years!

Most travellers have been guilty of leaving behind books and clothing – they're the first things to be evicted from my bag when I start getting weighed down – but perhaps this says much about about the throw-away society we live. What have you left behind in your travels?

I'm dreaming of Africa: My top 10 movies set in Africa

With Australia in the middle of its coldest winter on record (well in my books in any case!), I'm finding myself dreaming of Africa and longing desperately to be back on the beach in Mwanza with an ice, cold Tusker in my hand. Of course it doesn't help that I am writing up my research from Tanzania! So here are my top 10 movies set on the continent that help me keep my African dream alive when I cannot be there:

1. The Power of One (1992)
I’ll probably be universally paned for this listing The Power of One as my all time favourite, but this is the movie that started my love affair with the continent. It's undoubtedly a very flawed movie, but it's nevertheless a good adaptation Bryce Courtney's 1989 novel of the same name. Set in South Africa against the backdrop of apartheid it tells the story of Peekay (Stephen Dorff) a lonely English orphan and perpetual outcast who through his two mentors - Doc (Armin Mueller-Stahl), a liberal German scientist, and Geel Piet (Morgan Freeman), a black prisoner – learns that to overcome life's adversities and to make a difference all he needs to do is reach into his inner spirit and discover of the power of one...OK, you can start throwing the tomatoes!

2. Tsotsi (2005)
I loved this gritty drama and was so happy when it won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2006. The film centres on the life of a young Johannesburg township gang leader named Tsotsi - a colloquial term roughly meaning "thug" in township patois – played by Presley Chweneyagae. After hijacking a car one night he inadvertently ends up looking after the baby that was still in it and is thus propelled along the not-so-easy road to redemption.

3. Cry Freedom (1987)
Another movie that helped fuel my passion for the Africa continent, Cry Freedom is based on the true story of newspaper editor Donald Woods' investigation into the murder of Steven Biko, leader of the Black Consciousness movement in South Africa. While originally mistrustful of Biko (Denzel Washington), after being persuaded to meet with him, Woods' (Kevin Klein) attitude changes and the two men become friends. When Biko is brutally killed by the South African police, Woods is determined that the world knows the truth and, as a result, he and his family are forced to flee South Africa.

4. Hotel Rwanda (2004)
Labelled by some as the Schindler’s List of Africa, Hotel Rwanda tells the story of hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina, played brilliantly by Don Cheadle, who saved the lives more than 1,200 people Tutsi refugees by sheltering them in the hotel during the midst of the Rwandan genocide. While it may not be the greatest film, it is certainly an important one.

5. Yesterday (2004)
This beautiful yet heartbreaking story puts a human face on the AIDS crisis in Africa. The film tells the story of Yesterday, played by Leleti Khumalo, a young mother who, after learning she is HIV positive, becomes determined to live long enough to see her daughter, Beauty, attend her first day of school. The first commercial feature-length production in isiZulu, Yesterday was nominated for an Oscar.

6. U-Carmen in eKhayelitsha (2005)
U-Carmen is a bold, bawdy, and offbeat remake of Bizet's classic 1875 Sevillian gypsy opera Carmen. Set in a modern day cigarette factory in the township of Khayelitsha, near Cape Town, the film is sung entirely in isiXhosa. In the movie Bizet's Carmen (Pauline Malefane) is transformed into an alluring and outspoken cigarette roller who has a doomed love affair with weak-willed police sergeant Jongikhaya (José in the original opera).

7. Red Dust (2004)
This is another movie that I am sure would not make it on too many people's top 10 list, but for me it is all about location. The film which stars Hilary Swank as a South African-born attorney who reluctantly returns home to represent a young black politician (Chiwete Ejlofer) forced to confront his former torturer who is seeking amnesty from the TRC, was shot on location in my favourite dusty Karoo dorp, Graaff-Reinet. What can I say? I’m a Karoo girl at heart!

8. African Queen (1951)
No list of great movies set on the African continent would be complete without this 1951 classic adventure staring Katherine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart. Set during World War I, it tells the story of a drunken riverboat captain (Bogart) who provides passage for a Christian missionary spinster (Hepburn). Taking an instant dislike to each other, the pair bicker continually whilst tackling white water rapids and dodging German bullets and in the process eventually fall in love.

9. Out of Africa (1985)
This multiple Oscar winning epic follows the life of Danish writer Karen Blixen (Meryl Streep), better known as Isak Dinesen, who travels to Kenya to be with her German husband (Klaus Maria Brandauer) but falls for an English adventurer, Denys Finch-Hatton (Robert Redford). Who could forget the incredibly romantic scene in the bush where Denys washes Karen's hair while quoting from "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"? … Sigh!

10. Casablanca (1942)
“Of all the gin joints, in all the in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine”… Yes, another great Hollywood Golden Era classic, this time starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. Yet while Rick’s “gin joint” was supposedly located in the Vichy-controlled Moroccan city of Casablanca during World War II, the movie was shot entirely on a Hollywood sound stage. Location aside, there’s still plenty to admire in this doomed wartime romance saga including wonderful performances and cracking dialogue – So go on, play it again Sam! (The actual quote was in fact: "You played it for her, you can play it for me. Play it!")

I’m sure I’ve left many great movies off my list such as Cry the Beloved Country, which – Shock! Horror! – I still have not seen yet. So if you have a favourite movie set in Africa you want to add to (or remove from) my list let me know.

From Cape to Cuba

I know I've mentioned this before, but when I lived in Cape Town I loved spending my weekends hanging out in the small seaside suburb of Kalk Bay; having breakfast at the Olympia Cafe & Deli, rummaging through the antique shops and second-hand book stores or stopping in for a beer at the Brass Bell. It was here where I took the above photograph of one of my favourite watering holes; the Cape to Cuba restaurant. Now as I sit back home in Australia reflecting on my 11-week round-world journey, it's only just dawned on me that this trip quite literally took me from Cape to Cuba. So before time gets away from me, I thought I'd take the opportunity to share a few of the most memorable moments from my Cape to Cuba odyssey.

Getting down and dirty in Cape Town
As many of you are aware I'm a big fan of offbeat tours and attractions, so the first thing I did when I arrived in Cape Town was to organise a Below the Surface sewer tour of the city with Figure of 8. The tour, which was part of an "amazing race" experience organised to raise funds for one of the outlying townships, took us through a network of secret underground tunnels to emerge in the grounds of the city's castle; the Castle of Good Hope. It was certainly an odd experience shuffling my way through the pitch-black tunnel with only my dim headlight lighting the way, all the while trying desperately not to fall into the stream of cold water that ran between my feet. Luckily I'm not claustrophobic!

Traipsing around Tanzania
Naturally topping my list of highlights from my time in Tanzania were the couple of days Dan and I spent game viewing in Ruaha and Mikumi National Parks – being charged by an elephant is not something I’m likely to forget anytime soon! But, there is of course much more to Tanzania than famous parks and abundant wildlife.

In Tanga, a quiet seaside town near the country's northern border with Kenya, Dan and I met the indomitable Mama Ruth and joined her to watch a local village soccer match (made all the more entertaining by the appearance of a herd of stray cows!). Outside of Mbeya, a sprawling town in southern Tanzania, we stayed at the wonderfully delicious Utengule Coffee Lodge, where we learned the art of coffee cupping – a tasting technique used to evaluate the aroma, fragrance and flavour profile of a coffee. In spite of my newfound understanding of what it takes to make a perfect brew, I still remained an avid tea drinker, so was thrilled when we took some time out for tea with Rungwe Tea & Tours in Tukuyu.

My most heartfelt and emotional experience in Tanzania was visiting SOMAFCO; the former ANC school close to the town of Morogoro where young exiled South Africans were educated between the late 70s and early 90s after fleeing the apartheid regime. Finding the campus however proved a difficult task, with the campus now the Sokoine University of Agriculture and many people either unable on unwilling to remember the school and its location. This discovery was made more special knowing that one of my dear friends from Cape Town had grown up here. You can read about my friend's experience in the paper I wrote: I dreamed of South Africa: History, memory and identity.

Walking on the wild side in Nairobi
I know many tourists can't wait to come to Australia so that they can hug a koala or see a kangaroo, but for me nothing beats coming face-to-face with the world's tallest creature –the giraffe – or watching the antics of a mischievous baby elephant. Surprisingly, Nairobi, Kenya's big, bustling capital city unfortunately renowned as Nairrobbery, is one of the best places to get up close and personal with Africa's wildlife. Just 12 kilometres from the city centre in the leafy suburb of Lang'ata is the Giraffe Manor, a quintessential English manor which is a sanctuary for the endangered Rothschild giraffe. At the manor's attached Giraffe Centre Dan and I lined up with busloads of local school children to feed and hug a giraffe – Dan even kissed one! The next day we then visited the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, a haven for orphaned baby elephants next to the Nairobi National Park, where we watched the playful baby elephants as they were fed milk from bottles and were given a dust bath. For anyone who is interested, the Trust has created an online fostering program whereby you can adopt an orphan elephant. It might not be the same as having one at home – but then again, do you really think an elephant will fit in your backyard?

Discovering Jamaica
In Jamaica I met up my dear friend Natasha Himmelman to attend the 2008 ACS Crossroads in Cultural Studies Conference at the University of West Indies in Kingston. While sadly our time in the country was limited and, of course, marred by my unfortunate 3-day stint in hospital, we did manage to squeeze in a little sight seeing in between seminars and preparing our presentation. Not only did we explore Bob Marley's Kingston and taste-test the country's famous jerk chicken, we also popped by the prime minister's house for dinner – OK, so it was a reception dinner for the conference, but I still got to check out the PM's diggs and drink Jamaican rum on his lawn!

Cars, cigars and cabarets in Cuba
Visiting Cuba was definitely a dream come true. The politically isolated Caribbean island has been on the top of my "must see" list for as long as I can remember. After reading Hemingway’s "The Old Man and The Sea", I was keen to indulge in the legend of 'Papa'. From sipping daiquiris at El Floridita, where the novelist’s former seat is preserved as a shrine, and rumbling down the road in a classic chrome-laden Cadillac to smoking a fresh cigar straight from the factory and watching the spectacular Las Vegas-style cabaret at the Tropicana, the famous pre-revolution open-air nightclub where Carmen Miranda once performed, my fantasies were not only fulfilled, they were surpassed. While Cuba is undoubtedly intoxicating it is still clouded by the sinister shadows of the past with the stern visages of Ernesto "Che" Guevara and Fidel Castro keeping a careful watch over the country's citizens. Yet somehow this caught-in-a-time-warp feel only added to its appeal!

Picture of the Week: Walking on sunshine

There is nothing like a sunset. The way the sky is transformed into a dazzling display of colour as deep oranges, rich reds and powerful pinks splash across the horizon announcing the fall of night is truly mesmerising. For me though, you can't beat the African sunset. It somehow has a power that reaches right into my soul; a power which has kept me transfixed for more than a decade. (Perhaps this is why I feel such a connection to the African continent?) Case in point is this sunset I captured a couple of days ago on Lake Victoria in Mwanza, Tanzania. While I was focusing my lens on the play of light as the sun set on the lake's far horizon, a Massai warrior silently walked across the beach and into my viewfinder – where else but Africa would that happen? Mzuri sana!