Biking to Wineries in Mendoza
The hum of rubber on the flat pavement. The gentle movement of a sun-warmed breeze past your face. The buzz of how many glasses of wine? Wasn’t counting. This is why we came to Mendoza. Mendoza is...
View ArticleThe Best Tango Lesson in Buenos Aires
If you’re looking for a tango lesson in Buenos Aires, La Catedral is definitely the place to be. It’s a little out of the way, and you won’t get the added frills of a professional tango performance,...
View ArticleWhy San Telmo is the Best Neighborhood in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires feels a little bit like New York City when you first arrive. An energetic buzz pulses through the streets – streets that go on for as far as the eye can see. The neighborhoods are many,...
View ArticleHiking Table Mountain – Skeleton’s Gorge
Table Mountain offers a sense of majesty to Cape Town, South Africa. It’s steep granite cliffs rise over 3,500 feet (1,055 m) above the city and bring a kind of unity to the disparate neighborhoods...
View ArticleHow We Were Almost Robbed: The Cape Town ATM Scam
I had read about ATM scams being a problem in Cape Town, but as we disembarked the train from Simon’s Town, exhausted and cold, I didn’t remember any of the precautions I was supposed to. The ABSA ATM...
View ArticlePenguins in Simon’s Town, or Learning the Hard Way
We started our day foiled. The Robben Island ferry had been canceled for a second time, even though the sun was shining. We didn’t have any other open days to reschedule, so we had to move something...
View ArticleThe Obvious Need for Structured Social Spaces
We sat down with Hillary and Jody over lunch to talk about the Social Club they organize for students at the middle school in their community. We left quite impressed. Hillary is an alum of the program...
View ArticleTriumph of the Human Spirit – A Visit to Robben Island
The line for the ferry to Robben Island snakes back and forth to fill up nearly an entire room and then continues up a ramp, across the lobby, and out the door. Along the walls are large boards that...
View ArticleVictoria Falls: Zambia v. Zimbabwe
Victoria Falls is more than a waterfall. It’s the hub of a host of adventure tourism activities that sprawl across three countries. We spent two weeks there partaking in a canopy tour, the best one-day...
View ArticleMarriage on the Road #2: I’m Happy When You’re Happy
Will and I got into a big fight in Mendoza, Argentina just as we arrived. It’s not unusual for Will and I to fight after a long, frustrating travel experience (in this case, 5 hours waiting in line at...
View ArticleSPARK Schools: A Recipe for Teacher Joy and Excellence
Elizabeth and I left SPARK schools in South Africa with our minds spinning. We had spent the day talking with several groups of teachers and administrators and participating in parts of their day-long...
View ArticleSPARK Schools: Where Vision Drives Reality
Every school has a vision statement nowadays but most don’t take them very seriously. I remember talking with a student in Baton Rouge several years ago about his school. “Everybody is always talking...
View ArticleBorders and Buses: How We Got from Livingstone to Lilongwe
Unlike South America, Africa has many fewer bus companies and there is very little information online. We got our information from a pair of travelers from Malta who had gone from Tanzania to...
View ArticleA Black Rhino Fight and Other Highlights
“We want to see a rhino,” we told the hostel manager. “Then you want to go on this game drive,” she said, pulling out a pamphlet. Several days later we were being picked up in a safari vehicle by...
View ArticleHappy Thanksgiving, from Zanzibar!
The post Happy Thanksgiving, from Zanzibar! appeared first on Letters from Elsewhere.
View ArticleA Pride Premature: Lessons from a School in Malawi
Phillip is a young man with a broad smile. He’s not a teacher, but the school where we’re sitting wouldn’t exist without him. He enjoys talking about how it all started; how he and the village chief...
View ArticleChobe National Park Day Trip, Botswana
There are many national parks in Africa, and one of the most celebrated is Chobe National Park in Botswana. It’s located at the intersection of Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia. You can visit Chobe...
View ArticleExcellence and Inequality: Reflections from an International School in...
Elizabeth and I have a lot of experiences walking into classrooms. We’ve done it hundreds upon hundreds of times. The basics of the scene are generally the same. The teacher usually talks while...
View ArticleZambia Safari: The Animals of South Luangwa National Park
Our previous game drives were all a precursor to our big Africa treat – a 3-night safari in South Luangwa National Park. Located in northern Zambia, the park is known for its high density of big cats,...
View ArticleHiking Mt. Mulanje Malawi
We have done a fair amount of hiking on this trip, but our four days and three nights hiking Mt. Mulanje was by far the most intense, interesting, and rewarding. When we arrived in Africa we had never...
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