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Senegal
African music in northern Spain? Gotta love the global village!
I've recently moved to Santander, a port in northern Spain. While leaving a major European capital for a small provincial city was quite a leap, Santander has an international feel to it that I like. Being a port, it gets immigrants from all over the world, mostly China, ...
Man sets out on 5,000 mile hike throughout Asia to raise money for charity
Winston Fiore, a 26 year old Marine from Bloomington, Indiana, has set out on a 5,000 mile journey, by foot, throughout Southeast Asia and China. Fiore arrived in Southeast Asia on September 25, 2011, for what is called "Smile Trek", and is projecting it will take him a year ...Five stunning stone circles (besides Stonehenge)
Every year thousands of tourists flock to Stonehenge, the iconic stone circle on Salisbury Plain, England. While so much attention is focused on this site, especially with the recent discovery of another monument near Stonehenge, people often forget there's more than a ...Katie Spotz completes solo row of the Atlantic
Way back in December we told you about Katie Spotz, the 22-year old American woman who was planning to row solo from Dakar, Senegal in western Africa to the east coast of South America. This past Sunday, Katie arrived in Georgetown, Guiana, completing her journey, while ...American woman prepares to row the Atlantic
Katie Spotz has big plans for the new year. The 22-year old American is currently in Senegal where she is completing the final preparations for her attempt to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean. If everything goes according to plan, she'll set out on her journey on the first ...Gadlinks for Tuesday 8.11.09
Welcome back to another Tuesday of Gadlinks. How does it work? We scour the best of the travel web and pick our favorite links of the day, summarizing them all in one convenient post. It's like a big "travel smoothie" of goodness, except we don't add any antioxidants. OK, ...Taking the "Mad Way" South
There are many interesting and different ways to travel and see the world. For instance, some love to take a cruise through the Caribbean or a slow train through the Alps. Others prefer to zip through the streets of Bangkok in a tuk tuk, and some enjoy rafting the Grand ...Into Dakar: The logistics of a journey into Senegal
It's surprising to many that Dakar is actually closer to the United States than many points in Europe. As the crow flies, it's under 4000 miles from New York City to the westernmost point on the continent, a 7.5 hour flight from the bustling streets of Queens. Given the ...Into Dakar: The Typical Tourist Trifecta
It's already been said that one doesn't go to Dakar for the proper tourist attractions. Pick up a Lonely Planet guide to the entire country of Senegal and you'll find a book about the size of the Kalamazoos. The draw to Senegal is not in its proper monuments or attractions, ...Into Dakar: An introduction to cultural interaction
As a travel writer, it's almost cliché to say that a particular culture has the "most friendly, welcoming people in the world." In truth, it's easy to be see altruism and warmth when in that culture-hungry state of mind – even if it's not at the surface, the ...Into Dakar: Inside the tourist's frame mind
No, there are no ancient pyramids, sprawling vineyards or safari tours in Dakar. Five star resorts neither encircle the peninsula nor do tourists flock into the city to take part in the haute gastronomic culture. So why does a tourist head to Dakar? It's true that the ...Into Dakar: Flirting with the dark continent
Your first taste of Dakar begins long before you cross the Atlantic Ocean, or even get onto the 757 bound for West Africa. It all starts at JFK, where the direct flight on Delta takes you from the bustling neighborhoods of Queens onto the western most tip of Africa. Without ...Photo of the Day (6.30.09)
I find myself slightly unsettled about my upcoming travel to Dakar, Senegal this Tuesday, partially because the tourism office in New York wont pick up the phone and partially because Dakar is rock bottom on the Economist's recent liveability survey. Yet as our tweeters and ...Gadling Take FIVE: Week of April 18-- April 24
When I read through Gadling posts each week, there's this potpourri of options. Jon Bowermaster has traded Antarctica for the Maldives, Tynan has been roughing it on a cruise ship and Mike has the scoop on the Bay of Plenty in New Zealand. This week let's hone in on places ...Top Destinations for Independent Travelers in 2009
BootsnAll, a great online resource for independent travelers, has put together their list of top 10 destinations for 2009. The locations on the list are lauded for the options they offer the experienced traveler who is looking to explore on his or her own. Last year's list ...Ranking the world's best and worst flags
Gambia's great, Senegal plagiarized, and Libya didn't even try. So says a fun new evaluation of the flags of every nation in the world. In an admittedly unscientific ranking of the world's flags, high marks are given for good color schemes and originality, while grades are ...Dakar Rally, another victim of terrorism
On our way from Portugal to Madrid last week, we saw a lot of trucks on their way to Lisbon for the annual Dakar Rally (previously Paris-Dakar). Unfortunately, the next day, they got the sad news that the Dakar Rally was canceled for the first time ever, because of ...Straight No Chaser brings me back to Senegal with "Africa" and Christmas cleverness
I learned to make a food dryer while I was a Peace Corps volunteer at a food preserving training in Thiés, Senegal. It looked a bit like a space ship, but it did work. The friend who was my partner and I created the design ourselves. Oh, we were so proud when the ...
Cultural Sensitivity: It's Not That Easy
When I went through my Peace Corps volunteer training, hours were spent on cultural sensitivity. What to wear and what not to wear. What to say and what not to say. Which hand to eat with--always the right, and what do do when a cultural faux paux is made. Because The Gambia ...Running the Sahara
How's this for ballsy (I filed this one under "hiking", tho that seems to be an understatement). A couple of guys decide to do their part to help the world, in this case to bring better water conditions to Africa and Africans, and look for what would seem an impossible ...
