Finding Art and Beauty in Liberia

Liberia. Literally the land of liberty. Africa’s oldest republic. An independent nation since 1847, yet it remains one of the poorest places in the world in per-capita GDP, sandwiched between Tokelau and DR Congo. Don’t worry, I had never heard of Tokelau either. It’s a group of 1,200 Polynesians on a couple of small atolls in the South Pacific.

Mad about Madagascar

I admit that I came to Madagascar with a head full of preconceived notions, which mostly (thankfully) turned out to be false. My first thoughts of this forested island nation were of humidity, bugs and French–three things I dread.

Just a peaceful Sunday drive

Driving in Kenya is a very interesting experience. In theory, I won’t have to take the driving exam to get my Kenyan license, as I hold a valid US license and an international driving license from AAA. But if I did, here’s what I imagine would be on the exam. This is just a taste of what I deal with on my 15 minute commute in the morning.

A Nice Climate is Good to Have

The human species is incredibly adaptive. We have exploited essentially every ecological niche thanks to our large brains and tool-making abilities. In colonizing various habitats, humans have shown remarkable resiliency to a variety of climates, from hot and wet tropical forests to the cold arctic tundra and everything in between. 

10 Years, 28 Countries: 2013

Finally getting around to updating these photo blog posts. In 2013 I made two trips to Namibia, both related to a project involving developing small drones for anti-poaching operations to protect rhinos and elephants.

Book Review: The Emperor and the Elephants

Upscale Shack readers will recall my 2014 review of Dr. Richard Carroll’s first book 2000 Miles around the Tree of Life, which recorded the author’s experiences hiking the Appalachian Trail from start to finish in the mid 1970’s. In his latest book, The Emperor and the Elephants (ISBN: 1935925709), Carroll recalls his Peace Corps service in the Central African Empire (today known as the Central African Republic, or CAR), in the late 1970’s, and his subsequent years working as a conservationist in Central Africa .

The Myth of Wild Africa

For nearly 100 years, the land that is today the Bubye Valley Conservancy (BVC) of Zimbabwe was not wilderness. The land was a cattle ranch. Wild animals were intentionally wiped out, for fear of disease transmission, and to eliminate predators that would kill cattle. For nearly a century, the land hosted a cattle monoculture, devoid of wildlife; and elephants, rhinos, leopards and lions were completely wiped out. For a century this land was the furthest thing in the world from wilderness. 

10 Years, 28 Countries: 2011 Part 2

This is the second part of my 2011 travels, which documents a trip to Cameroon and Central African Republic. I will let the photos speak for themselves for the most part. Starting in Yaounde, Cameroon, we traveled by Land Cruiser east to the border area with Central African Republic and then crossed the river by boat into CAR. 

10 Years, 28 Countries: 2011. Part 1

2011 was also a big year for travel. I started in Kenya, attending my brother-in-law’s college graduation and visiting in-laws. I then continued flew to Yaounde, Cameroon via Kigali. From Yaounde, I drove with coworkers across eastern Cameroon to the forest of southeast Cameroon, and ultimately across the Sangha River by boat to visit Bayanga and the Dzanga Sangha Protected Area Complex, where I saw lowland gorillas in the wild for the first time. I will break this up into multiple parts because I have many photos from these trips. 

10 YEARS, 28 COUNTRIES: 2010. PART 3

I am finally getting around to finishing this photo series documenting my travel history over the past 11 years with WWF. I started it as a way to commemorate 10 years with the organization. Little did I know that I wouldn’t make it to my 11th anniversary. Life had other plans. But I’m excited to be starting a new job soon, and continuing to travel to great places for work.