Time flies. One month in Africa and the Middle East! We are left with so much to reflect on that I think our brain is still digesting everything.
I’ll keep it short and sweet and quickly recap what the major highlights were and main reasons everyone should put Africa on their next itinerary.
Highlights:
The people: Country to country, even ones nearby to each other, there was so much to take in and experience. The "socialness" of people was so refreshing. Often times, it felt like in most countries everyone knew everyone. Independent of the local customs and how people do things, people stopped to talk, to joke, and to connect, amongst the Tik Tok phone sessions of course. While there is economic poverty, sometimes extremely severe - people seemed happier than those in economically well off nations. A laugh, a smile - its free.
The food: This continues to be one of our favorite ways to take in how different cultures express themselves. We continue to be impressed wherever we go. Egypt (Koshary at Abu Tarek), Jordan (Raw Lamb at Fakhreldin), and South Africa (Sprinbok at TTK in Capetown) had absolutely phenomenal food. These are meals I will be thinking about having again and again.
The sights: this is a tricky one. I have definitely felt a few, "yea this is cool but that's it?…" at "must see" landmarks. For example: The reality is if you’re not that into wine and you go to winery because “you have to go, it’s very famous” - you’re most likely going to have a shitty time.
If you can appreciate the certain thing that is also a must see then it’s the obvious sweet spot. We have realized that it's OK to intentionally skip some of these places in exchange of unique experiences. However with that being said, certain sights are amazing despite the lack of being a history buff or whatever: case in point: Pyramids, Petra, Riads, National Museum Egypt, etc. vs. after a while a desert dune just look like another dune.
TAKEAWAY:
Africa offers such a wide range of religions, customs, cultures, and food that you can get a variety of everything within a relatively short flight. Everywhere there were so many people that were genuinely very nice and knowledgeable. With the exception of a few not so ideal instances (Avoid Luxor 🙃) there are places that are really welcoming. As Africa closes the gap on solving infrastructural problems, the possibilities are endless. Namibia, for example, seems like it will be a hot spot 10-20 years from now as do other countries & cities that are either battling crime, water, or education. (Did you know in Namibia only 40% of roads are paved)
We were grateful and fortunate to get such a diverse set of cultural experiences and meet a lot of great people. We learned a lot and look forward to coming back. Asia next.
Rankings so far:
Cairo, Egypt
Nakuru, Kenya* due to unique experience
Cape Town, South Africa
Amman, Jordan
Petra, Jordan
Marrakesh, Morocco
Nairobi, Kenya
Swakopmund, Namibia
Windhoek, Namibia
Dead Sea, Jordan
Luxor, Egypt
Sending much love,
Adi & Daia
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