Oct 6th, 2012 at 10:00AM: This week I learned the sad news that a friend and coworker in Harar, Ethiopia, had died. Mohammed Jami Guleid helped me out countless times while I explored the Horn of Africa. If you enjoyed my series on Somaliland or Harar, you have him to thank.
I first met "Dake," as everyone called him, on my first visit to Harar in eastern Ethiopia as I was searching for a way to get to Somaliland, the ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Somaliland posts
The Death Of A Good Travel Companion
Oct 6th, 2012 at 10:00AM: This week I learned the sad news that a friend and coworker in Harar, Ethiopia, had died. Mohammed Jami Guleid helped me out countless times while I explored the Horn of Africa. If you enjoyed my series on Somaliland or Harar, you have him to thank.
I first met "Dake," as everyone called him, on my first visit to Harar in eastern Ethiopia as I was searching for a way to get to Somaliland, the ...Six things I've learned about travel writing after submitting 1000 posts for Gadling
Mar 28th, 2012 at 10:00AM:
My blogger dashboard tells me, "you have written 465,451 words in 1,000 posts since you started publishing 1,048 days ago." Wow! I've been working for this wonderful blog for that long? It's been fun and I've learned some important things about travel writing.
The subjects are endless
I got into travel writing years before Gadling hired me, but working for a daily blog made me worried that I ...Adventure travel in Somalia?
Mar 9th, 2012 at 10:00AM:
Will Somalia become the next big adventure travel destination?
Short answer: Not anytime soon.
Long answer: For the first time in two decades, there's a ray of hope shining across that chaotic land. The Islamist terrorist group Al-Shabab is on the defensive as it gets pummeled by Kenyan, Ethiopian, African Union, and Somali "government" forces. They've fled Mogadishu and several other ...Somali murals: funky advertising in the Horn of Africa
Oct 21st, 2011 at 2:00PM: One of the fun parts of travel is discovering the street art of a new place. Whether it's the elaborate graffiti of New York or Madrid, the political murals of Mexico, or the current craze of Yarn Bombing, there's always something cool happening on the street.
In the Horn of Africa, street art takes the form of murals. I believe this is a Somali development, because I've seen it much more in ...Eating in the Horn of Africa: camel, goat and. . .spaghetti?
Oct 13th, 2011 at 9:00AM:
When my wife and I went to the Horn of Africa last year for our Ethiopia road trip, we were eagerly looking forward to a culinary journey. We weren't disappointed. Ethiopian food is one of our favorites and of course they make it better there than anywhere else!
While it came as no surprise that the food and coffee were wonderful, the cuisine in the Horn of Africa turned out to be more varied ...Somaliland: the country without mail
Oct 9th, 2011 at 3:00PM:
Today is World Post Day, celebrated every October 9 to mark the anniversary of the foundation of the Universal Postal Union in 1874. More than 150 countries celebrate this day honoring something that's so vital to our lives but is generally taken for granted.
In Somaliland they aren't celebrating, because they don't have a postal system. No other country recognizes Somaliland as a nation and ...My kid is more up-to-date on geography than Google Maps
Sep 23rd, 2011 at 5:00PM: "Where's South Sudan?" my five-year-old asked me.
Being my kid, he's big into maps. He has a map of Africa with all the flags on it hanging above his bed. Using it, he's been able to trace dad's adventures in Ethiopia and Somaliland. It's been marked up a bit since I got it for him more than a year ago. I had to draw the boundary of the unrecognized state of Somaliland on it, and we had to add ...Ancient port discovered in Egypt
Jul 30th, 2011 at 12:00PM:
Archaeologists working in Egypt have discovered a harbor on the Red Sea that was used for international trade.
The excavation at Mersa Gawasis has revealed traces of an ancient harbor. It's long been known that the Egyptians traded down the coast of Africa, but the location of their embarkation was unknown. A famous carving at Deir el-Bahari, the temple of Queen Hatshepsut, shows an ...Ethiopia's Somali region: a potential adventure travel destination?
Mar 31st, 2011 at 9:00AM:
As I mentioned yesterday, I've been exploring Ethiopia's Somali region. While my quest for Ahmed Guray's castle was a failure, I did see potential for adventure travel in the region.
Adventure travelers generally are looking for three things: historical sights, interesting cultures, and natural wonders. The Somali region is a bit short of historical sights, although there are a few of interest, ...Harla: Ethiopia's lost civilization
Mar 29th, 2011 at 9:30AM:
Eastern Ethiopia's history is shrouded in mystery. Most archaeologists investigate early hominids like Lucy, the famous Australopithecus afarensis, or study the great civilizations of the north like Gondar and Axum. The east, though, is virtually unknown, and only enigmatic ruins and strange legends remain.
Scattered around eastern Ethiopia all the way to Somaliland and the Red Sea are the ...Harar, Ethiopia: Two months in Africa's City of Saints
Feb 28th, 2011 at 9:00AM: What makes an adventure traveler return to a place he's been before? When so many other destinations beckon, why spend two months in a town you've already seen?
Because there's so much more to see. Harar, in eastern Ethiopia between the lush central highlands and the Somali desert, can take a lifetime to understand. For a thousand years it's been a crossroads of cultures, where caravans from ...The burqa and niqab: can travelers get used to anything? Should they?
Jan 31st, 2011 at 11:00AM:
Travel broadens the mind, at least for most people. As we explore different cultures and beliefs we see that for the most part they're OK. While there are always local customs we just can't follow, in general the more we travel, the more accepting we become.
But how accepting should we get? I've traveled extensively in the Muslim world and I've yet to figure out exactly how I feel about the ...It's time travel writers stopped stereotyping Africa
Jan 21st, 2011 at 9:30AM: Pop quiz: where was this photo taken?
OK, the title of this post kind of gives it away, but if I hadn't written Africa, would you have guessed? It was taken in Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania. This isn't the view of Africa you generally get from the news or travel publications--a modern city with high rises and new cars. A city that could be pretty much anywhere. That image doesn't sell. ...Piracy reached record levels in 2010
Jan 18th, 2011 at 9:30AM:
Pirate hijackings in the Red Sea and nearby waters reached their highest levels ever, the Associated Press reports.
Pirate hijackings worldwide claimed 1,181 hostages and 53 vessels, a rise of ten percent since 2009. Of these, 49 ships were taken by Somali gunmen in the Red Sea or nearby waters in the Indian Ocean. Somali piracy has been the biggest problem area despite an international fleet ...Somalia's Al-Shabab bans handshakes between men and women
Jan 8th, 2011 at 9:00AM:
As if you didn't have enough reasons to avoid visiting Somalia, Al-Shabab has given you another. BBC reports that the Islamist group has banned handshakes between men and women in the town of Jowhar. It's also illegal to walk with or chat with a member of the opposite sex you're not related to.
It's not clear what the punishment would be for committing these "crimes", but BBC's ...Gadling t-shirts go on adventure travel around the world
Dec 31st, 2010 at 9:30AM:
One of the best things about blogging for Gadling is seeing where my coworkers are off to next. Like me, they're sure to pack that essential item for every adventure traveler's kit: the Gadling t-shirt.
We've collected photos of Gadlingers flying their colors in some of the most remote parts of the world, and some places that are not so remote but equally rugged, such as the waiting area at ...My year in adventure travel: a look back and a look forward
Dec 26th, 2010 at 10:30AM:
Happy Boxing Day everybody! As I sit here stuffed with my mother-in-law's cooking after a traditional Spanish Christmas, I'm thinking back on all my travels in 2010 and looking forward to 2011. One of the best parts about my travel year has been sharing it all with you. I love the comments you've sent suggesting sites to see and trails to take, and was especially amazed by the outpouring of ...Ancient cave art discovered in Somaliland
Sep 18th, 2010 at 11:00AM:
Somaliland is little-known as an adventure travel destination. The breakaway region of northern Somalia isn't even recognized as a nation, but traveling in Somaliland I found it to be a fascinating and friendly country. Its biggest draw for visitors is the well-preserved cave art at Laas Geel, shown above.
Now Somaliland has even more ancient attractions with the announcement that ...Uganda defies terrorists and remains open for business
Jul 20th, 2010 at 2:00PM: Way to go, Uganda.
A week after a bomb ripped through a crowd watching the World Cup, Uganda has thumbed its nose at the terrorists and declared it is open for business.
The country's tourism minister says they've beefed up security at public gatherings and are checking public places such as bars and restaurants to improve day-to-day security. Serapio Rukundo, the tourism and wildlife ...Somaliland: the next big adventure travel destination?
May 26th, 2010 at 3:30PM: Can a country that doesn't officially exist develop a tourism industry? Some entrepreneurs in Somaliland think so.
Abdi Abdi, owner of the Oriental Hotel in Hargeisa, already runs a tour company. Other hotel owners are following suit and experimenting with special tours. Abdi Abdi offers home stays with nomad families. Hassan Ahmed Hussein, owner of the Hadhwanaag Hotel and Restaurant, is ...
