Entries by allan

Wandering Castles & Palaces Thinking Donkeys. Again.

While I love riding and experiencing through all my senses the sights, smells, changes in geography, geology, architecture, faces, landscapes and more when riding my motorcycle, perhaps the most fun is off the bike and walking through these small towns and villages. The good thing is that they’re usually small enough that hoofing it is […]

Getting Wet On Lake Tana Exploring Monasteries.

Eager to explore some of the islands of Lake Tana and seek the source of the Blue Nile, I arranged a boat with the folks at my hotel and headed out over what looked to be a calm and blissful lake. The first mistake I made for this journey is not exploring more options. The […]

Cash or Credit. In Sudan Both Are Problematic.

I haven’t had any decent amount of real crisp U.S. dollars in some time. Sure, I’ve had a stash that I had to tap into on a few occasions to pay for visas by countries who wouldn’t even accept their own currency for payment. Imagine that. But I’ve learned that in Sudan and Khartoum international […]

The Dangerous Ride To Bahir Dar

With a visa allowing me seven whole days to visit The Sudan taking up a full page in my passport, it was time for me to make a move toward the Nile: this time the source of the Blue Nile, which sits in Ethiopia at Lake Tana, a good days ride from Addis. I stopped […]

Sit, Shut Up & Wait. How Many Hours To Get A Sudan Visa?

The Consulate of Sudan accepts applications for Visa three days a week: Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Applications are accepted until 12:30pm, After this time, those who’ve been approved can retrieve their passports with visas after paying the fee which varies based on citizenship. The Sudanese Embassy is madness. There are always dozens of people crowding […]

Time For More Ethiopian Coffee

Remember that tire? You know. The one that flew off my motorcycle in Zambia and that was miraculously found more than a month later. But perhaps more amazing was that the founder schlepped it to a Christian mission where a missionary eventually contacted me. And thanks to the kindness of Lusaka’s KTM dealer, Ray Wilson […]

Market Meandering & Historical Heresy in Addis Ababa.

Hazy Addis. Not so much pollution but humidity effect. Above entrance to what was once palace to Selassie and below fountain in the gardens. My taxi driver Debebe Asafa (+251-911-190-418) and I hanging in front of the Addis University Museum. This was once palace to Halie Selassie At the National Museum in Addis a painting […]

Ras Tafari – Returning Home To Africa

While I consider myself to be attune and aware of world history, and topical events of the 19th and 20th centuries, I have to admit my ignorance to the influence of Haile Selassie on Jamaica and his importance to the dope-smoking, reggae playing and laid back lifestyle of Rastafarians. Nor did I know of his […]