COULD BE MY SECOND FAVORITE COUNTRY IN THE WORLD Could be my second favorite country after Burma. Partially because the country is so beautiful, partially because of the time with James. Unfortunately the country struggles economically and politically. You wouldn't know when you travel there, but it's a shame. FOND MEMORY Best night sky of [...]

WER HAETTE WISSEN KOENNEN? Namibia turned out to be a favorite spot - beautiful and adventurous. We did what's called champagne backpacking - we were definitely in the wilderness but we also stayed in nice tents and ate great food. FOND MEMORY I always knew my German would come in handy some time.

COOLEST NAME FOR A COUNTRY We mainly went to Zanzibar because of the name - how can you not if you're already spending time in Kenya and Tanzania? They are also known for their fruits and colors used in makeup and dyes and Gretchen loves that. The country is mainly muslim so the woman wear [...]

A COUNTRY FULL OF SURPRISES Probably just easiest to list out the surprises: very lush countryside, biggest marketplace I've ever seen, most luxurious Sheraton I've seen (Sheraton Addis), lots of old bibles, churches built into the rock. Unfortunately also included bed bugs in the last place we stayed. Wasn't expecting that, but probably should have. [...]

VISITING THE MOUNTAIN GORILLAS Rwanda is a beautiful lush country with a tragic recent history. The country has recovered and is a model for reconciliation, but it was a hard struggle. Going up to visit the gorillas was amazing - the tour guides still were talking about a trip President Clinton had done 15 years earlier. [...]

A VERY DIFFERENT WORLD It's pretty crazy that there is still a country where you can see only grasslands and animals like zebras, giraffes, elephants. etc. We were there during the great migration of the wildebeests. We stayed in some beautiful remote campgrounds and went on safari with the Masai  FOND MEMORY We stayed in [...]

YEAH, I KNOW - MOZAMBIQUE I never would have considered going there. I only know the country from its troubled history during the Cold War. But it has some amazing islands that are very private and beautiful. The capital is a very typical African city - vibrant and up and coming. FOND MEMORY The views of [...]

HOW MANY COWS DO YOU HAVE? This is an important question in Swaziland. We drove through on our way from Kruger and the mountains down to Cape Town. We met a lot of local people and they confirmed that the wealth of the country is still driven by how many cows you own.  FOND MEMORY [...]

WORLD TRIP TAKE 2 WITH JAMES Before taking the plunge to my first startup, I figured it would be a good chance to travel the world again. I went with James through some of Africa and the Middle East. South Africa was great. We rented a car and learned quickly how to drive on the [...]