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Botswana Surprises on My Voyage of Rediscovery

Botswana Surprises on My Voyage of Rediscovery

Prior to touching down at Gaborone nearly three weeks ago, I had some knowledge of Botswana, knowing it to be one of the more successful of African countries since gaining independence from Britain in 1966. I had earned a Certificate in African Studies as part of my Masters degree in Mass Communication, but this was my first visit to the continent south of the Sahara. A visit I had long anticipated and looked forward to. Though, like battle, our preconceived…

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Cavorting With the Animals: New Discoveries on the Voyage of Rediscovery

Cavorting With the Animals: New Discoveries on the Voyage of Rediscovery

I arrived in Botswana 10 days ago, and I’ll have lots to say about my visit here, which has been full of surprises, in a coming post. But last Wednesday I ventured across the border to the Madikwe Game Reserve in South Africa, and it was such an amazing experience it needs its own blog post. While I’ve lived and traveled fairly extensively in North Africa, and I hold a Certificate in African Studies as part of my Masters degree,…

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A Livable Country Where I Wonder How People Live: Discovering Uruguay

A Livable Country Where I Wonder How People Live: Discovering Uruguay

Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, is the kind of human city that cities should be. Orderly, safe, pleasant, the city’s streets and its beachside promenade — along what is called the Rambla, which stretches for many miles — are full of joggers, bikers, dog walkers, and others just out enjoying life and themselves. I almost gave Montevideo a miss, but am glad I did not. Montevideo always figured big for me as a kid, since it was off Montevideo, in…

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Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes: Rediscovery, 50 Years On

Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes: Rediscovery, 50 Years On

Coming into Costa Rica this time, I thought how different my arrival into the country was from the first time, 50 years, almost to the day, later. This time I was flying in a Copa Airlines 737 from Panama City to San Jose. A half century ago, I was nearing the end of my four-month exploration through Mexico and Central America. Three days earlier, I was leaving Guatemala heading south, four countries yet to go, with $22 left in my…

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Lessons Relearned: Rediscovery Continues

Lessons Relearned: Rediscovery Continues

Sometimes it’s good to relearn things about yourself, important things but things perhaps forgotten with time and routine. My seven days in Panama, even beginning before leaving Colombia, have been largely a relearning experience for me. The main thing I’ve relearned is how focused, persistent, and resilient I can be in reaching an objective. In this case, it was the focus, persistence, and resilience in finding destinations in a country that suffers from a serious allergy to signs. On several…

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