Travel Stories

My Impressions Of London By Daniel Scrivner I absolutely love London! I love the public transportation, the ideals and the attitudes of the city. I love all the gardens, parks and public areas of the city - something seriously lacking in the United States. And I love the sound and look of the people of London. You can't help but be amused and envious of their accent - especially as a U.S. citizen. All of my life I feel as if I've heard English drawled and butchered. In the U.S. (especially where...

Fort Myers & Nalples in South West Florida by Steve After all said and done as much as I enjoy the "buzz" of Orlando with it's theme parks and attractions there comes a time when you just want to unwind and chill out. Or maybe it is not your type of thing to mix it up with the mouse. Then the ideal place is South Florida and Fort Myers or Naples in particular. I love these places they are so far removed from the hustle and bustle of Orlando with an almost "Caribbean" laid back way of life. Around...

Africa Under Canvas: Camping in Botswana By Peter Mandel sun pours from smiles. Somebody’s wave is like a branch back and forth in the wind. Everyone is kind. Except for, I would guess, some of the lions. I will see. And except for the customs guy at the airport who won’t let up. “Why are you here?” he keeps asking, even when I tell him it’s for a six-day safari. My trip is run by CC Africa, I say. Camping in tents with a guide from this big tour company. Driving in jeeps to see the animals and...

Bus trip from Malawi to Tanzania By Ayana Haaruun Diary from South Africa : Bus trip from Malawi to Tanzania an unforgettable journey Editor’s note: Chicago Defender archivist Ayana Haaruun’s fellowship to South Africa is ending. Here’s her next to last report from the mother Land. On the bus ride from Malawi to Tanzania, I met the kindest Africans yet, saw the most beautiful landscapes imaginable, and survived a bus ride from hell. Malawi, a small Southern African country, truly lives up to...

Mauritius Dive Diary by Derek Dear Situation: Mauritius is difficult to find on a map, as it is a tiny group of tropical islands of volcanic origin in the Indian Ocean about 3,000 kilometres from the coast of Africa. Look for Mozambique on the east coast of Africa, then draw a line out to sea, crossing Madagascar in the middle. Mauritius is about the same sea distance from Madagascar as Madagascar is from Mozambique (i.e. about 800 kms). Flying time from the UK is about 121/2 hours from Heathrow....

A Journey In The Gold Coast : In Ghana by Junfil N. Olarte Accra–Ghana 2nd–19th August 2004It was breezy late afternoon as I descended – boarding EK 781 – in the fertile soil of Ghana, a country in Western Africa. Indeed, it was my first visit to an entirely Black African nation with hospitable people. The uniqueness of humidity caught my attention next as we steered through traffic. Accompanied by my Ghanaian lawyer from the airport going to the place I was to stay. Ghana has a typical tropical...

South Africa to Kenya by Train and Boat by Matz Lonnedal Risberg INTRODUCTION For as long as I can remember, I've always dreamt of making six Transcontinental journeys, and when I write journeys I do not mean jumping from one spot to another by aeroplane - I mean travelling. The first one was to go by the TransSiberian Railway to Vladivostok and from there to Japan. The second one was to take a steamer to North America and go by the "Canadian" from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The third one was...

Egypt: Wheelchair Scuba Diving By Julie Mora Perez and Jasmine Boyd in association with the Handicapped Scuba Association International As an exotic dive/travel destination it would be difficult to outdo Egypt, especially when part of the journey includes actually touching the Great Pyramid, marveling at the centuries-old wall paintings in the Valley of the Kings tomb of Ramesses IV, and riding a camel to "The Oasis" - a dive site that's like a rare sapphire set in the shimmering desert sands. That's...

Bermuda is another world ... tired of snow and cold? by James Tierney We’ve heard that expression many times over the years from people coming back from Bermuda or, maybe, I only heard it from my wife after each of our four visits. No where on the planet is there such a rich palette of wondrous colors: the turquoise sea, pink sand beaches, vivid scarlet, crimson, and magenta flowers, deep green and vibrant vegetation, cerulean blue skies, and eccentric pastel homes. Even the bright pink and blue...

SAN MARINO was on my travel itinerary for one reason - to get the passport stamp. By JoAnn Alberstat I wasn't expecting much from a visit to the tiny hilltop republic in the midst of Italy. Guidebooks, if they mention the place at all, saying it's little more than a tacky shopping mecca for tourists.I wanted to go anyway and add it to my list of countries visited.But I wound up enjoying my time there so much that I count San Marino among my favourite places during a three-week Italian trip.I wandered...