04/17/02 - Off I go

So, today's the day.
My bag's are packed.
My plane ticket's purchased.
My reservation made at Hotel D'Something or other.
My mass email's been sent with this URL.
I'm flying a red-eye into Paris and leaving for Dakar that evening. The time zone for West Africa is GMT on the button and I'm supposed to get in around 8:30 PM.
I suspect I'll just check in to my hotel and go to bed.
Wish me luck! Not with the bed, just with things in general.

-Marc

03/01/02 - 03/12/02 - Planning the next go round

It's been quite a struggle figuring out where to go next - all my choices in life should be so difficult. After consulting some experts in the field (Ben's Dad) I've settled on the following for my next 6-10 week jaunt:
West Africa
And more particularly, the swatch from Senegal to Burkina Faso. I was also considering the Slave Coast: Benin, Togo, Cote D'Ivoire but the loop I'm looking at is supposedly a little more... rustic and the thing to do if I'm not planning on going back to West Africa any time soon.
Plus: Timbuktu! And the Sahara! And the Gambia! These are all places I've always been curious about since I was a kid. Timbuktu is the call-word for remoteness, the Sahara is a famed desert and the Gambia is that sliver of a country surrounded on all sides by Senegal.
I think I'll fly into Dakar which should be a nice intro, and after that... well, we'll see.

More later when I have some more figured out.