Archive for February, 2010
Meet Conor Godfrey
I’m heading to Africa. Conor recently returned. So we’re switching roles slightly for next 7 weeks while I guide several safaris, search out new places and complete some unfinished business in East Africa. I’ll blog as I can, and certainly detail as I have before the safari experiences my groups are having. You can follow [...]
France Apologizes, America’s Turn
Apologizing is hard and noble. It’s America’s turn. Today, France apologized to Rwanda for its actions that contributed to the Rwandan genocide of 1994. Like the Belgian Parliament’s historic apology to the Congo for its ancient king, Leopold, (which included substantial reparations) these are difficult and noble acts. “What happened here is unacceptable and …forces [...]
War in Ngorongoro?
Posted by jimheck in Ngorongoro Crater, Politics, Poverty, Wildlife Management on February 25, 2010
Education is fine if you’ve got something to do with it. Is there going to be war in Ngorongoro? The great experiment known as the “NCA” in what ABC’s Good Morning America christened one of the world’s Natural Wonders is coming apart. Most tourists know it as “The Crater.” But Ngorongoro Crater National Park is [...]
Bipartisan with China, against Eles
Posted by jimheck in Poaching, Politics, Wildlife Management on February 24, 2010
Two weeks from Sunday the Obama administration will finally let the world know what they think about elephant conservation. So far, they haven’t. The silence is deafening. I’m afraid the whales and elephants are being negotiated away for sanctions against Iran. This will be Obama’s first world forum on conservation. The last CITES convention held [...]
You got it Coming, but you can’t Go!
Posted by jimheck in Air Travel, Planning Travel on February 23, 2010
BA strike imminent If you’re planning to travel in the next few months, the chances are you’ll be effected by an airline strike. It’s your fault. There have never been so many major airlines in strike mode, and it reflects the recovery in only the way the travel industry can. Yesterday, the Lufthansa strike temporarily [...]
Bringing Iraq to Africa
Are Bush, Blair and Condy sending the right message to Nigeria? No. There is tension in Nigeria at the moment, as if there isn’t always tension in Nigeria, but Africa’s rich oil producer is technically without a president. The elected leader is either very sick or dead (no one’s sure), and the Nigeria’s Parliament has [...]
Peaceful Kenyan People Power
The coalition government in Kenya was fraying at the seams last week, but a large public demonstration may have stitched it back together. Wednesday several thousand protesters took to the streets of Nairobi in what many of us feared would be the end of the “Grand Coalition” which has held Kenya together in a fragile [...]
Panthers in Tanzania
Jaguars and mountain lions don’t exist in East Africa, but Black Panthers do. While some names like Huey Newton, Edlridge Cleaver and Bobby Seale are still recognized in the U.S. with the historic Black Panther Movement, in Tanzania there’s an even more famous panther, Felix “Pete” O’Neal. Like many panthers, Pete sticks close to his [...]
A Very Lonely Planet
Posted by jimheck in Advice, Planning Travel on February 15, 2010
Arusha is NOT one of the 8 worst cities in the world. It is the 8th most HATED city, so there! In October Lonely Planet published a list of the world’s most hated cities, and Arusha was 8th. As for lists, this was about the 8000th mistake Lonely Planet has made about East Africa. First, [...]
It Takes 2, or 3, to Tango.
Posted by jimheck in Corruption on February 12, 2010
The deal struck last week between a major world’s arms manufacturer and the UK and US governments explains why African leaders are corrupt. Corruption doesn’t start with an evil black man’s hand out. It starts with a white man. BAE Systems is the world’s second largest weapons manufacturer. It’s so big that it doesn’t just [...]
MADIBA 20
It’s hard for me to believe that it 20 years ago to the day Nelson Mandela walked out of the Drakenstein Prison after 26 years. We all mark our lives with significant events. My generation often asks, “Where were you when JFK was shot?” – “Where were you when Apollo landed?” When Madiba was released [...]
Would you like a zebra or a petunia?
Posted by jimheck in Amboseli, Economy, Wildlife Management on February 10, 2010
Or both? Animals are being frantically transported out of the Kenyan cut flower farms back into Amboseli National Park.. pretty much under the radar. Wednesday, the Kenyan Wildlife Service (KWS) began a massive relocation of nearly 7,000 animals into Amboseli National Park. KWS has issued no press reports on the move and there are growing [...]
Want a deal at the kill?
Posted by jimheck in Tourism Trends on February 9, 2010
So you’re ready to make a killing in East Africa? And I don’t mean lions. The savvy investors are gathering like vultures and tiny predators at the kill. Next month in Berlin several deals may consummate at ITB, one of the two most important tourism conventions each year. It’s sort of the tourism calendar’s January [...]
Quick investment in East Africa?
Posted by jimheck in Tourism Trends on February 8, 2010
There are incredible deals available for tourist investors in East Africa right now, but everyone is sitting on their hands waiting for a crucial report due out in the next couple weeks. The world famous Davos meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) ended several weeks ago with headliner Bill Gates announcing the “Decade of [...]
Ivory Jubilee!
Posted by jimheck in Corruption, Poaching on February 5, 2010
Officials from CITES were in Dar last week to inventory the ivory stockpile that Tanzania wants to sell. It looks more and more likely that Tanzania will prevail in Doha next month. The only hope that the momentum for the sale will be derailed is with Tanzania’s tourism minister, Ms. Sharmsa Mwangung. It’s not that [...]