africa Archives - Books And Travel

The Gardens Of Mars. Madagascar With John Gimlette

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An island nation off the coast of Africa, Madagascar has an incredible diversity of unusual landscapes and wildlife, of which lemurs are the most famous but by no means the only ones! 90% of its flora and fauna are endemic, found nowhere else in the world.

While there are some resorts, much of Madagascar is remote and escapes the influence of modern life with unique religious and cultural practices, as John Gimlette talks about in this interview.

John Gimlette is a multi-award-winning travel writer. His latest book is The Gardens of Mars: Madagascar, an Island Story.

Show notes

Unique aspects of Madagascar including the landscape and wildlife
Influences of Borneo, Africa, and France
The beliefs about ancestors that guide the Malagasy life
Food and drink in Madagascar
Recommended travel books

You can find John Gimlette at JohnGimlette.com and on Facebook.com/JohnGimlette.

Desert Nights, The Skeleton Coast And The Cry Of The Fish Eagle. Namibia With Angelina Kalahari

Unusual Places

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Hello travelers, I’m Jo Frances Penn and in today’s episode, I talk to Angelina Kalahari about Namibia in southwest Africa. We recorded the interview a few months back as I tend to batch my interviews and so it was well before the coronavirus changed our perspective on world travel.

But perhaps in difficult times, it’s good to hear about interesting places and people and travel in our imaginations. Those of us with wanderlust are staying indoors under lockdown right now and I must admit to sitting down with my photo albums the other night, looking at past travels and wondering at how much I have taken for granted.

Angelina is wonderfully enthusiastic about her beloved Namibia, a country that I have dreamed of ever since I heard about the Skeleton Coast, I think from Clive Cussler in the book of the same name. We talk about the landscape and how the deserts and ocean shore shape the country, as well as its history with Germany and how that impacted the people who live there.

Angelina Kalahari is the author of Under A Namibian Sky, as well as other novels and nonfiction books about voice. A former operatic soprano, professional actress, and stage director, Angelina was born in Namibia and now lives in London.

Show notes

Language origins in Namibia
The different ecological regions of the country including the Kalahari desert
Why the Namib desert sunsets are the best in the world
The Skeleton Coast where the sand roars
German influence on culture, language, and architecture as well as the darker times of colonialism
Food and drink including Namibian beer
Africa as a ‘possessive mistress’

You can find Angelina Kalahari at AngelinaKalahari.com and on Twitter @angelinakalhari

Between The Desert And The Sea. Djibouti With Rachel Pieh Jones

Unusual Places

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Djibouti is a meeting place of cultures with French, Somali, and Yemenese influences. It’s shaped by its geographical position between the desert and the sea, on the borders of Ethiopia, Somalia and Eritrea as well as the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.

In this interview, Rachel Jones explains how she came to love the country she now calls home, some tips for traveling to Djibouti, and thoughts on being an expatriate as well as raising Third Culture Kids.

Rachel Pieh Jones is the author of Welcome to Djibouti: Arrive, Survive and Thrive in the Hottest Country on Earth, as well as Stronger Than Death, The Djiboutilicious Cookbook and Finding Home. She’s also a freelance writer, blogger and runner.

How Rachel went from Minnesota to the Horn of Africa
Djibouti’s French colonial history and the influence on food and architecture as well as religion
How Djibouti’s capital city — also Djibouti — lies between the desert and the sea and how that shapes the fascinating landscape and things you can do there, like snorkeling with whale sharks over Christmas
Some of the good things to eat locally
Safety and health factors including the sun in the hottest country on earth
Bringing up a family in Djibouti and Third Culture Kids (TCK), those who live between cultures
The meaning of home and being an expatriate
What travel means when you live somewhere ‘else’
Recommended books for getting a sense of the culture

You can find Rachel at DjiboutiJones.com and her books on Amazon here.

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