Day 157 - Sierra Leone 🇸🇱

Sierra Leone is a West African country that’s marginally bigger than Ireland located in-between Liberia and Guinea. Sierra Leone Means "Roaring Mountains" in Portuguese. It earned its name thanks to the Portuguese explorer Pedro da Cintra who, in 1462, sailed into what is now the Freetown Peninsula during an intense thunderstorm.

Development has been stunted by political instability since its independence from the UK in 1961. Sierra Leone has endured civil war, multiple military coups and the ebola epidemic.

Most people have probably heard of Sierra Leone due to its reputation for diamond mines, blood diamonds, or at least the Kayne West song. Diamonds still actually make up 29% of Sierra Leone’s official exports although it’s thought many diamonds are exported unofficially. Aluminium and titanium ores account for a further 16% of exports. In short, Sierra Leone is rich in natural resources.

Recently the situation in Sierra Leone has been improving with a more stable political situation the economy has started to grow and there’s been a rapid rise in the growth in hydroelectric energy production.

Anyway, it’s Friday, I’m off out for a beer - sadly I don’t think it will be a Star Beer.

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Day 156 - Seychelles 🇸🇨

Today’s destination is Seychelles. Another tropical, palm tree-fringed island nation. One thing I’m learning along this journey is there are a surprisingly large number of picture-perfect tropical destinations.

Seychelles is located in the Indian Ocean around 1,500 km from mainland Africa. Seychelles have the smallest population of any African country with an estimated population of around 98,000 people.

Known for their pirate past (and also current threats) the Seychelles are also home to a giant tortoise named Esmeralda. Esmeralda is the heaviest tortoise in the world at 304kg and the second oldest at a remarkable 177 years old. She probably has a few pirate tales to tell.

Apparently, Seychelles is home to the vast hidden treasures of French pirate Olivier Levasseur. If only Esmeralda could talk.

Talking of large natural wonders, the coco de mer, or sea coconut, or even “love nut” is native to Seychelles and is the largest nut in the world.

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Day 154 - Senegal 🇸🇳

I’m back! And it feel’s great! A week in Crete was exactly what I needed. Joe and I mostly spent the week lazing on Southern Crete’s quiet, unspoilt beaches.

Anyway, today we’re heading to Senegal, a North-western African country I know very little about. Most of what I do know about Senegal is that it’s the end-point for the legendary Paris to Dakar Rally. Dakar is the most western city in continental Africa, and Senegal itself is the westernmost country in Africa. Another geographical  and Senegal also totally encases The Gambia. 

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Was a former French colony and gained independence in 1960. After a few decades of independence, Senegal and The Gambia agreed to merge into one country in 1981 in response to threats of uprisings and political instability. However there was little appetite from citizens of either country in further integration and the project eventually withered into nothing in 1989. For me it’s almost a shame this didn’t happen, it seems that countries nowadays are splitting up more than they are unifying and joining forces. If life has taught me anything, it’s that our actions have more impact when we cooperate as nations.

Talking of international cooperation,  Senegal will be the first African nation to host an Olympics event when it hosts the 2022 Youth Olympics next year. 

Senegal is also a key member of the Great Green Wall project. The Great Green Wall is planned forrest described as a 8,000km natural wonder crossing the entire width of Africa. It’s designed to prevent climate change, and halt desertification and the expansion of the Sahara desert. 

Senegal’s Capital Dakar is home to the African Renaissance Monument, the tallest statue in Africa. The statue represents a family rising up from the ground and was built by North Korea and cost over $27.7m USD. Thousands of people reportedly protested against its construction. That’s kind of understandable really in a country where almost 40% of people live in poverty. Perhaps less symbolism, and more concrete acts would be a bigger crowd pleaser?

Anyway, enough complaining, Dakar is certainly a city I’d like to visit one day.

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Day 152 - São Tomé and Príncipe 🇸🇹

I know absolutely nothing about São Tomé and Príncipe, so here’s a quick-fire collection of facts.

São Tomé and Príncipe is located off the coast of Gabon and is a bit smaller than the Faroe Islands and consists of two archipelagos. In terms of population, São Tomé and Príncipe is the second smallest African nation.

The islands were completely uninhabited until they were discovered by Portuguese explorers in the 1400s. São Tomé and Príncipe then became a centre for the Atlantic slave trade before becoming a hotspot for sugar cultivation. Nowadays cocoa is the main crop of the island nation and it represents 95% of the country’s exports. 

São Tomé and Príncipe eventually gained independence from Portugal in 1975 and has since transformed into one of Africa’s most politically stable countries.

São Tomé and Príncipe is known for its huge rock monolith, Pico Cão Grande. Pico Cão Grande is a needle shaped volcanic plug that rises 663 metres into the sky. Apparently it’s particularly difficult to climb due to all of the snakes who call it home, but that hasn’t stopped groups of adventurers trying. Still, I bet the view’s good.

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Day 146 - Rwanda 🇷🇼

Rwanda is a small, landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley in central East Africa. Rwanda is also the smallest country in East Africa, and it’s even smaller than Haiti.

I don’t know much about Rwanda up until this day, but like me, of you’ve heard of Rwanda, it’s likely because of the horrific Rwandan genocide in 1994. During the Rwandan genocide, up to 1,100,000 people are though to have been killed in a period of 100 days.

Nowadays it seems Rwanda is in a much more positive place, and is one of the success stories of Africa.  For example, Rwanda has the world record of the most representation of women in Parliament as 64% of the seats in the Rwandan parliament are occupied by women.

Rwanda also has a reputation for being a clean country and is also known for conservation and protecting the environment and in In 2008, Rwanda made headlines by banning plastic bags. Another initiative that made the news is  Rwanda’s mandatory, monthly national community service initiative called Umuganda where all residents work together to put something back into the Rwandan community.

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Given everything we’ve seen about Rwanda so far, i’s not so surprising that Rwanda is one of the fastest growing economies in the World. Arguably this calls for a cold Primus to celebrate!

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Day 129 - Nigeria 🇳🇬

Today we head to Nigeria, and unexpectedly the weather in Copenhagen is glorious. So in a bid to maximise my exposure of Denmark’s limited rays here’s a quick fire list of Nigerian facts!

1. Nigeria is the 7th largest population in the world and most populous country in Africa.

2. Nigeria is also the largest economy in Africa and oil  makes up 90 percent of Nigeria’s exports.

3. The average life expectancy in Nigeria is one of the lowest in the world at only 54 years.

4. English is the main official language, but there are over 525 indigenous languages used in Nigeria.

5. Nigeria gained independence from the Britain in 1960 and since then Nigeria has been ruled by military leaders for a total 29 years.

6. The country’s film industry, known as Nollywood, is one of the largest film producers in the world, second only to India’s Bollywood.

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Day 128 - Niger 🇳🇪

Niger is the largest country in West Africa and is roughly twice the size of France.

Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, and in the region and is generally not recommended as a travel destination.

Niger has the worlds most remote memorial to victims of an aircraft disaster. The UTA flight 772 memorial in the Sahara Desert is so large it can be seen from space. 170 people died in 1989 when a UTA DC-10 exploded due to a bomb planted in a suitcase.

Talking of remote places, there was a well known, solitary tree in Niger. It was located in the desert and was over 400km from the next closest tree. A remnant of a forest swallowed up by desertification, the last tree of Ténéré survived until 1973 when a drunk truck driver mowed it down. Now the remnants of the tree have been relocated to a museum and in its original place is a memorial. 

On the subject of trees, one plant particularly common in Niger is the Moringa tree, and I just realised it’s also in the shower gel I’m using at the moment. It’s a hardy, drought-resistant plant that is used in several dishes. Moringa is now being used to help poorer, remote communities become more self-sufficient in Niger

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Day 122 - Namibia 🇳🇦

Was a German colony until the end of WW1 when the League of Nations transferred control to South Africa. This meant that South Africa’s apartheid rules applied in Namibia meaning curfews, and racial discrimination for the vast majority of Namibia’s citizens. Namibia only gained full independence from South Africa in 1990.

If you look at a map of Namibia, you’ll notice the peculiar Okovango Panhandle, or Itenge, a 450 km long strip of land north of Botswana protruding towards Zimbabwe. It was created in the 19th Century when Britain and Germany reached an agreement to carve up parts of Southern Africa. Unfortunately for present-day Namibia, the process was a little rushed and lacked any form of due diligence. The only reason the Okovango Panhandle exists is that the past German colonisers thought that it would provide a navigable route towards the Indian Ocean and Germany’s East African territories. Sadly for the German colonialists, they made one crucial error - they forgot about the Victoria falls. 

Namibia Map

Today Namibia is considered one of the freest and democratic countries in Africa and is considered an upper-middle-income country, yet life expectancy is one of the lowest in the world at only 64 years. 

Namibia is one of those countries I’d really love to visit sometime. Here’s a quick list of things I’d love to see:

• View wildlife at the Etosha National Park

• Head to the Dune Sea of the Namib Desert

• Explore the eery Skeleton Coast

• Visit Swakopmund, Namibia’s (and probably Africa’s) most German town

It’s the last public holiday here in Denmark until December, so I think this calls for a Windhoek Lager (or closest equivalent) in the sun!

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Day 120 - Mozambique 🇲🇿

Today we’re taking in the South-East African nation of Mozambique, a country that is surprisingly (to me at least) larger than Turkey. 

What’s Mozambique’s top tourist attraction?

This is most likely the UNESCO listed Island of Mozambique, an island laying off the Northern coast of Mozambique. It’s a former Portuguese trading post with a fortified city. 

What was the last war or conflict Mozambique took part in?

Mozambique has had more than its fair share of difficulties, most notable of which is the brutal Mozambican Civil War that raged from 1977 to 1992. Most recently Mozambique is facing an insurgency by Islamist groups in the North of the country

A Bizarre fact about Mozambique

Today we have two facts - Mozambique is the only one-word country name to feature all five vowels. Also, the Mozambique flag includes a depiction of an AK-47 rifle. The rifle apparently symbolises defence and vigilance.

Was Mozambique a former colony?

Yes, it was a Portuguese colony until 1975, and still speaks Portuguese to this day.

What are Mozambique’s main exports?

Unprocessed aluminium and aluminium alloys and “unclassified transactions”. Sounds fishy. To give a little context, Mozambique is one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world but has experienced rapid economic growth over the past 20 years.

What’s Mozambique’s National dish?

Mozambique’s most popular dish is xima, a thick polenta-like porridge. It’s often served as an accompaniment for vegetable stews or meat dishes.

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Day 119 - Morocco 🇲🇦

Tonight we’re taking a quick trip to Morocco, the only African country I’ve had the pleasure of visiting.

Morocco is a country of searing dry heat, aromatic dishes, kasbahs and as it turns out lots of goats. I heard that Morocco is somewhat known for its tree-climbing goats. We mostly saw goats teaming up with cows to raid rubbish bins though.

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This is the first (and only) time I’ve ever seen a goat raiding a bin

We visited the lesser-known coastal city of Essaouira, a place known for its year-round winds and cool micro-climate. We stayed in the wonderful guest house of Dar Sahil. Dar Sahil is possibly one of the most wonderful places I’ve ever stayed. Run by a lovely warm French couple (who referred to us as “elegance British”), Dar Sahil is an old Berber building surrounded by an organ orchard. 

Anyway, enjoy a few pictures from our trip, and happy Friday! 

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Joe taking in the view

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Elegance British taking a dip

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Essaouira, Morocco

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