FALL 2018 TRAVEL

Fall 2018

Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

Contents: Travel Industry News page 7 Cover Stories page 53, 54 Travel Empowers Us page 12 Ancient Skills Preserved page 62 Cruise by Air page 76 African Cuisine page 86

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In This Issue…

5 From the Publisher...

Columns 7 62 64 74 76 82

Travel Industry News I’m Black and I Travel!

“ETHIOPIA: Faith Still Moves Mountains” Travel Africa - Where To Go, What To Do Ski Africa Cruise Africa - The Cruise of the Future - May be by Air. Golf Africa

86

African Cuisine Seychellois Cuisine

Feature Stories 12

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22 32 53 54

Tracee Ellis Ross on How Travel Is ‘Empowering’ Traveler Story: This is Why Zanzibar is The Ultimate Luxury Destination In the Kitchen With South African Top Chef Reuben Riffel A Blind Man’s Trip Will Change the Way You Think About Safaris Gorilla Trekking in the DRC Annual Naming of Baby Gorillas - “Kwita Izina”

Travel Africa 20 24 28 41

Snorkle & Swim at these African Islands Ruaha National Park, Tanzania West Africa’s Best Wildlife Parks Visit Namibia in August

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42 44 48 49 50 58

Experiencing Namibia’s History Oasis in Morocco For The Surfer For The Adventurer 3 Beautiful and Sacred Sites Around Africa Library of Alexandria, Egypt

Travel Resources 8

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18 30

40 60 70

Travel Resources Mosquito Wipes The U.S. State Department’s Travel Tips for Same-Sex Couples and Families Mobile Passport You’ve Been Buying Travel Insurance All Wrong - Consider an Annual Plan Fighting Fraud Abroad The Future of Biometrics at the Airport Travel Resources - Getting “bumped,” What to do.

Connec ng the USA to West Africa and Beyond

From the Publisher...

Earl “Skip” Cooper, II - Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Black Business News Group Sarah Harris - Associate Editor Narishima Osei - Production Manager Sarah Harris - Graphics La Sandra Stratton - Content Administrator Lion Communications - Layout/Typesetting Black Business News Group P.O. Box 43159 Los Angeles, CA USA 90043 1-323-291-7819 mail@bbala.org www.bbala.org View the publication at:

https://issuu.com/blackbusinessnews

Featured Destinations...

Republic of Benin Democratice Republic of the Congo Republic of Burkina Faso Republic of Egypt Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Republic of Gambia Republic of Ghana Republic of Kenya Republic of Madagascar Repubic of Mauritius Kingdom of Morocco People’s Republic of Mozambique Republic of Namibia Republic of Rwanda Republic of Seychelles Republic of Sierra Leone Republic of South Africa United Republic of Tanzania Republic of Zimbabwe

W

e hope that the issues of Travel Africa have enticed some of you to take the plunge, get on the plane (or ship) and go.

If you have traveled to some where on the African continent maybe its time to go again. With over 50 nations containing mountains, deserts, forests, plains, the oceans, Earl “Skip” Cooper, II seas, rivers, lakes, languages, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief cultures, monuments, Black Business News Group cuisines, adventure activities, pampering activities, learning opportunities, amazing flora and fauna and the bustling cities and towns. None of us have seen it all.

So, consider giving yourself and your family that first or next trip to Africa in 2019. Peruse the back issues of Travel Africa (www.issuu.com/blackbusinessnews) to help you narrow your choices - walk with the lions in Zambia, feed baby elephants in Kenya, stargaze in Namibia, view gorilla in Uganda, DRC and Rwanda, visit temples in Kemet (Egypt), watch master weavers in Ghana, tour rock hewn churches in Ethiopia. There is no end to list of possibilities.

The people of Africa are taking their place on the world stage. Don’t let them be a mystery or a myth to you. Go see for yourself.  Cover Image credit: ecotoursrwanda.com, gorillatrackingrwanda.blogspot. com

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Travel Industry News New Airfare Finder Software - Fareness

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o help streamline your ambitious travel dream, there’s Fareness (www.fareness.com), a flight booking app and website that tips you off to the most affordable dates and destination to travel within a given time frame.

Fareness works in two ways. If you have a particular place in mind, say Lisbon, search alongside your desired trip length to see airfare for dates up to six months out displayed neatly on a calendar. Most affordable fares are highlighted in green, allowing you to determine at a glance that it costs roughly half as much to go to Lisbon the third week of September than it does anytime in August.

If you’re just looking for inspiration, plug in your departing airport, trip length, and general timeframe wherein you want to travel — say July, August, or September — to see affordable trips around the world. A filter allows you to narrow your search between beach, Europe, U.S. cities, Asia, South Pacific, and South America destinations. The tool really comes in handy when you’re looking for a plan B. Fares too high to make it to the Mediterranean? A $500 trip to Oslo might satisfy the travel bug for the season.

When you’re ready to jump on a good deal, you can book immediately within the app, something that sets Fareness apart from other airline search engines like Google Flights, which sends you out to third party booking sites,

or Hopper, which notifies you at a later date when airfare hits rock bottom — potentially costing you if hotel room prices rise or excursions get booked up in the meantime.  https://fathomaway.com/ fareness-airline-app-review/?utm_ source=Fathom+Newsletter&utm_ campaign=9070bef73a-EMAIL_ CAMPAIGN_2018_08_21_05_33&utm_ medium=email&utm_term=0_fd909d041f9070bef73a-310506245

Google’s Touring Bird

G

oogle wants to make planning your trip even easier.

Google has been flexing its muscles within the travel space over the last few years, rolling out updates to Google Maps and Google Flights, and introducing us to Google Destinations and Google Trips. You can even look at every national park in South Africa on Google Street View. Now, the tech giant plans to streamline your travels even more, with a new planning app called Touring Bird (www.touringbird.com).

A quick skim of the featured cities shows all the sorts of big hitters you’d expect first timers to want to tick off their itineraries. If you’re traveling as a family, Touring Bird feels like a one-stop-shop for planning your entire itinerary.

Google has certainly done a solid job of surfacing searchworthy acti (vities in one, easy place.

Yet while the quality is certainly inconsistent, the platform is a guaranteed time saver if you already know what you’re looking for. No African cities as yet in the Touring Bird platform.

Keep checking the Google system or even let them know what cities 7 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

you want included in the Touring Bird system.  www.cntraveler.com/story/googlestouring-bird-will-help-you-plan-yourtrip-itinerary?mbid=nl_090818_

Kenya & Google Partner to Market Tourism Sites

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he Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) has partnered with Google to market Kenya digitally.

The partnership will see KTB launch Google Street View (www. instantstreetview.com) on October 15, enabling visitors to explore

Kenya’s tourism sites.

The first Google Street View was featured in Samburu National Reserve in 2015, to further create awareness and showcase efforts to conserve elephants in the country, Speaking at the World Tourism luncheon in Nairobi, Kenya’s T o u r i s m C a b i n e t S e c r e t a r y, Najib Balala, said the partnership with Google would be rolled out first in Nairobi and Mombasa before moving on to the rest of the country, reports The Star.  www.tourismupdate.co.za/ article/184574/Kenya-and-Googlepartner-to-market-tourism-sites

Travel Resources

Mosquito Wipes

By Aunt Fannie’s https://auntfannies.com/product/mosquito-wipes/ Mosquito Wipes: Protect your body from bites, and bug spray for https://auntfannies.com/product/ mosquito-wipes - $9.99.

• Repels mosquitoes • DEET free, worry free • Safe for kids over 6 months • Made with non-toxic, microbiomic ingredients • Non-irritating; safe for sensitive skin • 10 individually wrapped wipes Description: Each of us is our own microbiome, with gazillions of invisible allies that keep us healthy, safe and strong. Even “natural” products can disrupt it. Our Mosquito Repellent Wipes repel mosquitoes with a formula that is deet-free and worry-free. Made with non-toxic, microbiomic, hardworking ingredients that are non-irritating and safe for sensitive skin, our wipes are a chic alternative to chem-bombing.

Pleasant to humans & anathema to biting winged things. Comes in ten individually wrapped wipes for use on the go.

DIRECTIONS: Apply evenly to exposed skin every 2-3 hours. Use adult supervision when applying to children. Avoid contact with eyes and mouth. Wash hands after use.

PRECAUTIONARY STATEMENT: Keep out of reach of children. Do not apply to children’s hands

or on children younger than 6 months of age. Avoid contact with eyes and mouth. May cause skin irritation. If irritation occurs, discontinue use and wash with soap and water. If irritation persists, contact a physician.

INGREDIENTS: Citronella Oil, Cedarwood Oil, Peppermint Oil, Lemongrass Oil, Geranium Oil, Isopropyl Myristate, Soybean Oil, Vitamin E, and Cellulose (regenerated) 

http://wildafricacream.blogspot.com

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www.airnamibia.com.na

Monrovia, Liberia www.rljkendejaresort.com First-class amenities catering to international leisure travelers. For the business minded traveler, the RLJ Kendeja Resort & Villas offers full service business amenities along with meeting and function space for business and personal events. Amenities include ocean front beach, pool, spa, dining room, and relaxing bar.

SAFARI SUPREME

The Finest in Safari Travel Enjoy an adventure of a lifetime.

Bring a friend, share a memory.

Sign up with: Julien Dothard P.O. Box 1736, Hollywood, CA 90078 E-mail: dothard@sbcglobal.net Phone: 1-818-419-8639 11 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

Opinion

Tracee Ellis Ross on How Travel Is ‘Empowering’

By Jane Sung

taddlr.com

T

racee Ellis Ross feels very comfortable at cruising altitude. The actress, director, and star of ABC’s Black-ish grew up in Europe, spent her youth accompanying her mom, singer Diana Ross, on international jaunts, and racks up frequent flier miles monthly. Ross recently partnered with the new United Explorer Card, which now offers Global Entry credit and double rewards, and we sat down with her in her hometown of Los Angeles to talk about taking travel risks, carry-on essentials, and why you should always, always bring home a souvenir.

What inspires your love of travel?

[Thanks to my mom], I got really comfortable moving about the world. It’s empowering, and has afforded me the opportunity to connect with other human beings, to see how we are all so much alike, to learn about

different cultures and traditions, and to really open up my understanding of what it is to be a human. It has given my life a richness that I really appreciate.

Do you have an in-flight routine?

The first thing I do when I get on the plane is wipe everything down with my Wet Ones. I don’t drink alcohol on flights; it ruins everything. You think it’s going to make the flight more fun, but it actually makes it worse. I feel puffy and dehydrated. So I play a nice game with myself: How much water can I drink? Midflight, and twice if it’s transatlantic, I will cleanse, spritz, properly hydrate, and give myself a face massage.

Also, I’m very good at sleeping on a plane. There’s no pill involved—I just go to sleep.

Any carry-on essentials?

I always have my black scarf that’s oversized and

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balls up into a pillow, and I’ve got a Gucci backpack and black Balenciaga shopping bag tote that is the perfect combination—it really fits a lot and balances out the weight. I travel with Muji travel containers, including a plastic zip case that’s TSA-approved and fits shampoo, conditioner, face products—everything I use on the flight. I also love Jurlique’s rosewater, Shiseido cotton pads, and Retrouve products like their intensive moisturizer.

Do you have a travel uniform?

I’m very big on matching sweatsuits, especially with a high-waisted pant that actually ties. Sweatpants are key because they are tight at the bottom, so when you pull your pants down in the bathroom, they do not touch the floor. Don’t wear a wide-leg trouser on the airplane! If I happen to be wearing one I will full-on tuck it into my socks—and roll the pants as I pull them down. Sometimes I’ll wear the sweatshirt around my waist and put a blazer on over it to be a little more pulled together. For shoes, my favorite travel sneaker is the Adidas Stan Smith. It slides on and off really easily for airport security, and it’s just a comfortable, goodlooking sneaker that works. I also love sunglasses and a red lip for the airplane. I’m telling you, with a really hydrated, moisturized face and a red lip—you’ll look like Bella Hadid coming off a private plane, even if you’re flying commercial.

What do you do as soon as you arrive somewhere?

I immediately like to get settled, so I unpack, take a bath, and go for a walk to ground myself. I’m not so

affected by jet lag—I just ignore it, honestly. You have to be in the time [zone] where you are.

Where do you like to travel?

I’m a creature of habit, and I like going back to places that I’ve been to and hotels that I’m comfortable in, where I know my way around. I’ve been going to Italy for the last ten years with a group of women who are my best friends. This is the first year we’re making a switch and going to the south of France, near SaintRémy. I’ve been all over France, but I haven’t been where we’re staying. I’m doing two weeks, and it’s a stretch for me. It’s healthy risky behavior.

Have you picked up any memorable souvenirs?

My home is filled with treasures from everywhere. I love doing the vintage thing, going to flea markets and stuff. In Italy, I found this beautiful vintage turquoise cake plate, which could not be put in my luggage. Then I met my mom, and we went from Italy to Cyprus to somewhere else, and by the second leg of the trip my mom was like, Are we seriously going to bring that little cake plate everywhere? It made it safely home. I think that’s one of the nice things about traveling: learning something new about a different culture, a different place in the world—and also picking up a treasure that becomes a lifelong reminder.  www.cntraveler.com/story/tracee-ellis-ross-onhow-travel-is-empowering?mbid=nl_070318_ Daily&CNDID=38890654&secondary_link=1&spMailingID=13808 937&spUserID=MTQ5NTc0OTAyMDYxS0&spJobID=144026718 1&spReportId=MTQ0MDI2NzE4MQS2

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Traveler Story: This is Why Zanzibar is The Ultimate Luxury Destination

By Shontel Horne Travel  Noire

W

endy Watta (@wattaonthego) is a Kenyabased traveler and editor of Nomad Magazine Africa (https://issuu.com/ nomadmagazineafrica), and here she tells Travel Noire (https://travelnoire.com) why a trip to Zanzibar is a must for anyone that wants to see one of Africa’s greatest island destinations.

Travel Noire: Why did you decide to go to Zanzibar?

Wendy: I love exploring the East African coastline not only for the pristine beaches but also for the Swahili culture and food. Zanzibar is the only part of the coastline I hadn’t been to until this year. I had heard that it was really similar to Lamu Island, which is my favorite place in Kenya, with some nice beach towns coupled with a well-preserved Old Town that’s actually a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I just had to go check it out for myself.

Park Hyatt Zanzibar micexchange.com and decor. The story behind the old wing which dates back to 1847 (and is a good example of a traditional Zanzibar mansion) was also pretty interesting. In the South East Coast, I stayed at three all-inclusive hotels with some really amazing tropical cocktails. The first, Zawadi, is an intimate collection of six upscale villas with an infinity pool that would have been perfect for an afternoon dip with a lover, which only rubbed in the fact that I was traveling solo. They had an awesome local band during dinner that left me nostalgic with their Swahili taarab music.

I then stayed at The Palms which has only six villas and was therefore very intimate and personalized, followed Baraza Resort & Spa whose architecture

Typical Narrow Street in Stone Town dreamstime.com

Travel Noire: Where did you stay?

Wendy: This particular solo trip was all about luxury and I actually spent two days in the Stone Town and another five days in South Eastern Zanzibar. In Stone Town, I stayed at Park Hyatt where Zanzibar’s Omani influence is very distinct in the architecture

Baraza Resort & Spa african-safari-tour.com

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is reminiscent of the palaces of Omani Sultans who ruled Zanzibar in the 1600s. Their spa, which resembled a Moorish harem, was decked in gold and white and was hands down the most opulent I have ever seen.

Travel Noire: Where was your favorite place to eat?

Wendy: Forodhani Night Market is a glorious seafront night market bustling with tourists and locals alike, with numerous vendors selling various dishes all being cooked on the spot. Food is really cheap and my first instinct was to rush to any of the open tables where fried and grilled seafood was layered, with everything ranging from barracuda, squid, octopus, lobster and crab to shrimp. I was warned that the seafood is not always fresh because the vendors don’t refrigerate remnants from the previous day.

You should however definitely try Zanzibar pizza, which the vendors are all really proud of.

The technique for making it is very specific, and the toppings are actually folded inside the dough instead of being layered on top. Mine was actually more like a banana and Nutella stuffed crepe than a pizza. I also really enjoyed chips mayai, which is basically a french fries omelet and is really popular in Tanzania. By law, alcohol is not served at the market.

Forodhani Night Market

Zanzibar Pizza jonjensen.com

Travel Noire: What was the coolest thing you did?

Wendy: Swimming with turtles and getting to feed and learn more about them at a conservation pond which is an initiative run by the local community. We actually stumbled upon the place during an impromptu trip to Jozani Forest. That was pretty awesome.

Travel Noire: Would you go back?

Wendy: I would definitely go back.

One of the most popular spots with tourists on the archipelago is Nungwi which is up North, and I am keen to sign up for a yoga retreat there.

I have also recently taken up scuba diving and given that Zanzibar has some of the world’s top dive sites, I would love to go explore its underworld.  https://travelnoire. com/zanzibar-luxuryvacation/

Jozani Forest

jonjensen.com

flickr.com

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The U.S. State Department’s Travel Tips for SameSex Couples and Families

By Kelsy Chauvin

Every family faces their own challenges on the road, but same-sex parents heading overseas can boost their travel savvy with these insights from the U.S. State Department.

T

aking care of every single American traveling abroad is just another day at the office for Karen Christensen, the U.S. State Department’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Overseas Citizen Services. It’s a long title that she shortens to “mom to the world,” since her office is the first to respond to American citizens facing any kind of crisis around the world, be it an individual arrest, natural disaster, or terrorist attack.

With embassies and consulates around the world, Christensen’s bureau responds swiftly to emergencies.

But it’s also proactive about sharing information through the consular affairs website, where Americans can find country-specific travel warnings and alerts or log an upcoming trip abroad at the free Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP).

The agency’s “Before You Go” section offers tailored advice for seniors, women, students, and even journalists. For lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) travelers in particular, Christensen points to her office’s detailed LGBT information sheet with insights for topics like overseas adoption and revising a passport based on gender transitioning. Here are a few of her tips for globetrotting same-sex couples and families.

What’s your main piece of advice to LGBT parents preparing for a trip overseas?

For LGBT families particularly, be mindful of documentation, especially if you [and your children]

have different names. Make sure you have proper documentation that shows you are the parent. So if you are not a parent on the birth certificate—do you have the power-of-attorney of the parent who is on the birth certificate, to say that you are authorized to be traveling with the child? Also, both parents have to sign a passport application, and children’s passports are only valid for five years; adult passports for 10.

Why is parental documentation so important?

Around the world, there’s greater awareness of inter-country parental child abduction. More and more countries are aware of and looking for that sort of thing. So I think that’s really critical, particularly if you’re one parent traveling with a child, especially at passport control in the country where you arrive. Many countries have passport control on the way out too.

And you would need [parental documentation] if you get emergency medical care.

Any tips for LGBT families once they’re on the ground in a foreign country?

In general, learn about the social situation and local culture in the country you’re going to. It’s similar advice to what we give to all travelers: Learn about where you’re going, and adjust your behavior accordingly.

Many countries are a whole lot less tolerant than the United States, and some even have specific laws against same-sex relationships. So if you’re going someplace that you know is going to be very intolerant, then I think you may want to be discreet in your public presentation. But that goes for a whole lot of different situations, right? There may be some situations where you just don’t want to draw attention to the fact that you’re an American, either.

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Are there potentially greater pitfalls for LGBT travelers abroad?

Be aware of entrapment schemes. If you’re going to a place that’s less tolerant, where there are laws against homosexuality, then there might also be governments that are doing phishing schemes, or trying to entrap you to do something that is against their laws, and then they can take action against you.

Are there exceptions for LGBT tourism in more conservative countries?

There are countries that have laws against same-sex relationships, but have individual locations or resorts that very much welcome tourist dollars no matter who they’re coming from, and are very welcoming. If that’s the case, then just remember that the rest of the country might not be that way.

There is a six-week stay on the June 5, 2018 reversal, during which time the Bermudan government may file an appeal. We will continue to monitor this developing story.]  www.cntraveler.com/story/the-us-statedepartments-travel-tips-for-same-sexcouples-and-families?mbid=nl_061518_ Daily&CNDID=38890654&secondary_link=1&spMaili ngID=13696918&spUserID=MTQ5NTc0OTAyMDYxS 0&spJobID=1421371031&spReportId=MTQyMTM3M TAzMQS2 Illustration by Brown Bird Design

What overseas-travel advice is most overlooked?

One key thing for all travelers is having a communication plan with your family. One thing we see all the time is people traveling who contact their family every single day—by text, email, whatever— then suddenly for a few days they don’t call. Then their family back home thinks, “Oh my God, they’re dead in a ditch.” Really they just forgot to charge their cell phone. You need to make sure you have a plan, [and figure out] how you are going to communicate in an emergency.

In Bermuda, marriage equality was instituted in May 2017 by a judicial ruling. But in February 2018, Bermuda Governor John Rankin rolled it back, replacing full marriage equality for samesex couples with domestic partnerships. How has the State Department advised LGBT travelers visiting Bermuda since the rollback?

Despite Bermuda’s recent repeal of same-sex marriage and enactment of its Domestic Partnership Act, the country remains a welcoming destination for homosexual travelers. Bermuda has anti-discrimination protection for LGBT people; immigration and adoption rights for same-sex partners; and other spousal benefits in line with heterosexual marriage rights.

The U.S. Consulate hasn’t received reports of antiLGBT harassment or behavior directed at U.S. citizens in Bermuda. Our office has consulted with Bermuda Tourism Authority to help share the new law’s details, and its tourism ministers published a thorough FAQ that helps put it into context. Our Bermuda Information page also includes notes about local LGBT rights.

[Editor’s note: At the time of publication, the Chief Justice of Bermuda’s Supreme Court had ruled that the newly implemented law replacing same-sex marriage with domestic partnerships was unconstitutional.

Mobile Passport Will Get You Through Customs and Immigration in Under 60 Seconds

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by Paul Brady y secret is the Mobile Passport app, which was first released in 2014 but has yet to catch on the same way Global Entry has. The

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see page 18

Mobile Passport from page 17

app, which is completely free, has been downloaded about 3.5 million times since launch, according to its developers. While that number may sound big, it’s less than the number of people using Global Entry, which has at least 4.7 million members and “thousands of additional travelers applying for membership each day,” according to a November statement from Customs and Border Protection. That may explain why every single time I’ve used Mobile Passport to reenter the U.S., I didn’t have to wait behind a single person in line. On my most recent arrival at JFK, on Sunday, I breezed through customs and immigration

faster than the people stuck fiddling with Global Entry kiosks, exchanging exactly one word—”Thanks.”— with one CBP agent on my way.

If you haven’t tried it yet, here’s how it works: Download the Mobile Passport app for either Android or iOS, and save some of your basic information, like passport number, expiration date, and a photo; you can do the same for family members traveling with you. When you arrive back in the U.S. from overseas, switch off airplane mode, open the app, and answer a few basic customs questions, like Are you bringing back fruits and vegetables? and Are you carrying more than $10,000?—the same sort of stuff you normally answer on that blue paper customs form. Hit submit while you’re taxiing, and the app will provide a QR code “receipt” that you can use at customs and immigration in lieu of the traditional paper form. Inside the arrivals hall, you’ll often find a designated Mobile Passport lane, where, in my experience, there’s never anyone

waiting. An agent will check your passport, scan your receipt, and send you onward to customs, where you can once again take the special Mobile Passport lane to skip any lines.

The app works at 24 U.S. airports—and Fort Lauderdale’s cruise port—so far, including many major ports of entry including Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, Chicago O’Hare, and Los Angeles International, but it isn’t everywhere just yet. And though using Mobile Passport feels for the moment like a genius hack, things can always change. For now, though, Mobile Passport is still the quickest way to get through customs and immigration—and a secret I’m no longer keeping to myself.  www.cntraveler.com/story/mobile-passportwill-get-you-through-customs-and-immigration-

in-under-60-seconds?mbid=nl_070818_ Daily&CNDID=38890654&secondary_link=0&spMailingID= 13834478&spUserID=MTQ5NTc0OTAyMDYxS0&spJobID =1440649510&spReportId=MTQ0MDY0OTUxMAS2

You Could Be Denied a Passport if You Have Unpaid Taxes

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by Lyndsey Matthews

housands of Americans won’t be able to get a new passport or renew their existing one until they pay off their tax debts now that the IRS is cracking down on a law passed by Congress in

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2015, the Wall Street Journal reports (www.wsj.com/ articles/thousands-of-americans-will-be-denied-a-passportbecause-of-unpaid-taxes-1530869401).

The 2015 law says that the IRS and State Department must deny or revoke passports from any taxpayer who owes a debt of more than $51,000 in taxes. Currently, 362,000 people fall under this law that began to be enforced in February 2018, the IRS told the Wall Street Journal.

The IRS is now sending the names of people affected over in batches to the State Department,

and it confirmed that passport denials have already occured and that one debtor paid off $1 million to avoid being denied a passport.

Not surprisingly, that person wasn’t the only one to be incentivized by the possibility of having their travel privileges revoked. By the end of June, more than $11.5 million had reportedly already been paid off in full by 220 debtors, and another 1,400 people have signed installment agreements to ensure that they can apply for a passport.

For now, the IRS says they are only denying new passports and passport renewals instead of revoking current documents, which means that anyone affected by this new law can travel abroad until their passport expires. After that occurs, they will need to pay off their debts—or arrange to pay them off in installments— before they can be given a new one.

While this law applies to anyone with a federal tax debt of more than $51,000, there are a few exceptions. If you’ve filed for bankruptcy, been a victim of tax-related identity theft, are located within a federally declared disaster area, or have debts determined to be “not collectible due to hardship,” your passport is not at risk. Those who are serving in designated combat zones will also have their passport denial postponed. www.afar.com/magazine/you-could-be-denied-a-passportif-you-have-unpaid-taxes?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_ medium=email&utm_campaign=071618%20obama&utm_ content=B&utm_term=Daily%20Wander%20Newsletter

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Snorkle &Swim at these African Islands

By CNT Editors and David Jefferys

D

on a mask and fins and slip into the waters of these amazing island beaches, voted by Condé Nast Traveler readers as the 25 best in the world (we are showing the Africa sites) for snorkeling and swimming.

25. Mauritius A great place to first discover the underwater treasures of this independent island nation east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean is Blue Bay Marine Park. Visibility is near-perfect and it’s great for beginners, as you can snorkel straight from the beach. The park is home to angelfish, damselfish, parrotfish, and clownfish— among other colorful exotics. Note: Don’t forget to look up once in a while, as you’ll spot airplanes landing and taking off from the architecturally impressive Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport.

Favorite place to stay: Shangri-La’s Le Touessrock Resort & Spa, less than an hour’s drive north.

11. The Seychelles Comprised of 115 tiny islands, the Seychelles is one of the best spots in the Indian Ocean for snorkeling.

We like La Digue, Félicité, and Coco the most, purely for their intense variety of sea life including surgeonfish, Bengal snappers, and green humphead parrotfish, as well as gentle hawksbill sea turtles.

Favorite place to stay: For the ultimate private island escape, nothing beats North Island.

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2. Bazaruto Archipelago, Mozambique

Hard to get to, but well worth the effort, the Bazaruto Archipelago of Mozambique keeps us visiting and dreaming. Barely 22 miles off the east coast of Africa, this group of six islands (Bazaruto, Benguerra, Magaruque, Bangue, Shell, and Santa Carolina) continue to top our “must-visit” list of places in the world. The entire area was declared a National Park in 1971 and hosts a plethora of snorkel and dive opportunities.

Favorite place to stay: The super-classy andBeyond Benguerra Island, featured in our Hot List for 2016. www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2015-02-24/top-10-island-beaches-for-swimming-and-snorkeling?mbid=nl_073018_Daily&CNDID=38890654&weekend=0 &spMailingID=13955017&spUserID=MTQ5NTc0OTAyMDYxS0&spJobID=1442349960&spReportId=MTQ0MjM0OTk2MAS2

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In the Kitchen With South African Top Chef Reuben Riffel Sponsored by South African Tourism

Chef Reuben Riffel

R

iffel, who was raised in a segregated neighborhood during apartheid, has risen to become one of South Africa’s leading chefs, lauded for creativeyet-unpretentious cooking that features local produce and game.

Here, he dishes on his influences and must-do food experiences for travelers.

What kind of cooking did you grow up with and how has that influenced you?

I grew up eating fresh home22 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

Fallcooked meals using ingredients that came mostly from our garden.

Our food always had a bit of a kick, whether pepper or chili. From that point of view, I’ve developed a love for food that is uncomplicated and recognizable.

You came of age during apartheid. How did you get your start in the culinary world?

My mom worked as cleaner at a restaurant in Franschhoek.

She got me a job at the establishment, and I started out as a reluctant waiter and then moved to the bar. Eventually my interest in food, and the untimely absence of one of the chefs, gave me an opportunity to move to the kitchen.

What are some of your favorite local ingredients to work with?

I enjoy cooking with our game from springbok to rooibok. South Africa has the best game in the world.

Where does inspiration for your dishes come from? And what are some of that you’re most proud of?

It comes from reading, eating out, current cravings—from all over.

Our fried squid is not a brand-new

dish but we made it our own with the addition of the two sauces plus our salad accompaniment.

Tell us about your restaurants, including your latest opening: Reuben’s Restaurant and Bar in Franschhoek. How does it compare to your original Reuben’s location there?

It’s a more personal space for me. We bought the property a while ago and could mold the new Reuben's restaurant to what we wanted it to be. We have a braai (barbecue) section in the back and will soon use it to make braaistyle tapas. The space itself is more intimate than the previous one, even though we can do the same covers, and we’re just off the main street, so the vibe is slightly more chill. Of course, we're very proud of our Reuben's Restaurant location at One&Only Cape Town as well. We strive to be innovative at all our locations, but still provide an authentic South African dining experience.

How would you describe traditional South African cuisine? How is it evolving?

It’s as diverse as our people. It’s mostly regional as well; in the Cape, we have the Cape Malay, English, and Dutch influences, while up North is more Dutch. To the East, it’s very Indian. The saddest thing is that we tend to forget about the food of the Zulu, Xhosa, and Khoi, but a great movement of young chefs is increasingly looking inward to develop our traditional cuisine and celebrate its diversity.

You’re a top chef and one of the most prominent chefs of color in South Africa. How have you influenced the dining scene?

I sometimes struggle to define what impact I have had. Mostly 23 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

from a young chef’s point of view and not only chefs of color. I hope I have inspired inspired some of them to come into the industry.

Food wise, I’ve always believed in cooking what I like to eat and incorporating the food of my youth into what I do now. Instead of copy cats, we have chefs that cook from within but still are open to what goes on in the world.

What types of food experiences should travelers seek out while in South Africa?

There are so many fine-dining restaurants to choose from, but for a more authentic experience, try sishanyamas, which are restaurants mostly in informal settlements where the meat mostly is braaied (barbecued). Experience crayfish on the West Coast and salt-dried bokkkoms (a type of fish) with baked sweet potato. The snoek is a fish indigenous to our waters and, if you can, get yourself invited to a snoek braai.

What do South African cooking and dining customs reveal about the local culture?

We are hospitable and always ready to welcome people from outside our country. We are proud people, and food is about people and togetherness.

If you were hosting international visitors, what are three South African must-dos that you’d recommend?

Kruger National Park; a hike up Table Mountain, which is down the road from Reuben’s at the One&Only Cape Town; and as many of our winelands as you can manage. www.afar.com/magazine/in-thekitchen-with-south-african-topchef-reuben-riffel

Ruaha National Park, Tanzania

By Andrew Sessa

R

uaha National Park (www.ruahanationalpark. com) in southern Tanzania has 10% of the

world’s entire lion population, and East Africa’s highest concentration of elephants. So, many buffalo roam its grasslands and ancient baobab forests that you often think your’re hearing distant thunder. And yet, even though it’s Tanzania’s biggest park (nearly 8,000 square miles to Serengeti National Park’s 5,700) (www.serengetinationalpark.com), few safarigoers have heard of it. For decades, the government poured resources into the easier-to-get-to Serengeti, but it’s now focusing on Ruaha, trying to draw visitors with things like better roads and more rangers.

I recently visited and found that it delivered big on wildlife and landscape, with no crowds, and was equally thrilled that, unlike many parks where you have to sit for hours in jostling jeeps to glimpse game, I was

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allowed - encouraged - to take guided bush walks.

The park two camps last year to its existing eight, and there’s talk of building large-scale lodges. But it’s the lighton-the-land properties like Nomad Tanzania’s pioneering six-tent camp Kigelia Ruaha (www.nomad-tanzania. com/south/kigeliaruaha), which opened in 2014, and Asilia Africa’s new eight-suite lodge, Jabali Ridge, that seem the careful way forward.

Both are nearly invisible until you’re upon them: Kigelia’s dun-colored tents disappear into the shrubs that line the Ifuguru sand river.

The bungalows of Jabali Ridge--enclosed by

teak shutters and nestlike roofs--hide between giant boulders on a granite outcropping.

Kigelia is old-school simple but comfortable, while Jabali ups the luxe factor with an infinity pool and spa.

At either, staff are charming and expert, ready with a fun wildlife fact or a second G&T.  26 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

CondĂŠ Nast Traveler, Vol. III 2018 Image credits: barkingzebratours.com naturalholidaystz.com southerndestinations.com buckettripper.com safaritravelplus.com pinterest.com chaloafrica.com trueluxury.travel

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West Africa’s Best Wildlife Parks

By Emilie Filou for Lonely Planet

Everyone knows about the great national parks of eastern and southern Africa – Masai Mara, Kruger and Serengeti all conjure up images of majestic landscapes, packs of lions lazing in the shade and herds of elephants roaming the savannah. But have you heard of Mole, Pendjari and Waza? These wildlife reserves are some of the finest in West Africa – they may not be as famous but the wildlife is just as diverse, safaris cost a fraction of those in eastern and southern Africa and you’re unlikely to be bothered by crowds. Here are our top five blissfully low-key West African parks.

To organise your trip to Pendjari, look no further than the excellent Bénin Aventure (www.beninaventure. com).

Réserve de Nazinga, Burkina Faso It may not be a national park, but it certainly matches the best. The star attractions at Nazinga are its elephants, which you have a good chance of seeing year-round: they love roaming through Ranch de Nazinga, the reserve’s main hotel, and wallowing in the nearby lake (they’ve also been known to swim in the deep lake). Elsewhere in the reserve, you’ll see monkeys, antelope, crocodiles, and a profusion of birds.

You’ll need your own vehicle to get to Nazinga. The best tour operator in Burkina is Couleurs d’Afrique (www.couleurs-afrique.com), who can organise stays in the reserve.

Mole National Park, Ghana The most amazing thing about Mole (www.molemotelgh.com) is how cheap and accessible it is: independent travellers can easily get here by public transport from Tamale, admission fees are under US$10 and walking safaris are standard (although if you did want to go on a game drive, the park has a 4x4 for hire). And then of course there is the Mole Motel, a little overpriced but in Two elephant bulls in an aggressive confrontation in Mole National Park. Image an unbeatable location overlooking the

by Mint Images - Frans Lanting / the Agency Collection / Getty Images. park plains, with premium views of what the animals – elephants, warthogs, baboons, antelope, birds – are up to. There is even a Parc National de la Pendjari, Benin swimming pool for a refreshing dip in between outings.

Surrounded by the beautiful Atakora Mountains, the If you don’t fancy trying Ghanaian public transport, Pendjari (www.pendjari.net) is probably the best park in Abacar Tours (www.abacar-tours.com) will see you West Africa. It has ‘big-ticket’ wildlife – lions, elephants, right. cheetahs, baboons – and plenty more for those with the patience to seek it. The infrastructure is fantastic too, with sensational guides and accommodation right at the heart of the park to enjoy drives at sunrise and sunset, when wildlife is at its best. Stay at the lovely ecolodge Pendjari Lodge (www.pendjari-lodge.com), or the more old-fashioned Hôtel de la Pendjari.

Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary, Sierra Leone This small island on the Moa River in Sierra Leone is unlike any other reserve or park in West Africa: with 11 species of primate present in the sanctuary

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The Gambia is known far and wide for its outstanding birdlife and many seasoned birdwatchers come back here year after year. Makasutu Culture Forest (www. mandinalodges.com/makasutu-forest) is certainly one of the choice picks in the country – although we’re talking shades of superlatives here. This small reserve is a kaleidoscope of The Gambia’s varied landscape and birdlife. You could easily visit from Banjul on a daytrip but if money is no object, treat yourself to a couple of nights at Mandina River Lodge (www. mandinalodges.com), a gorgeous boutique ecoretreat.

Makasutu organises packages with stays at Mandina Lodge; day visitors can use the park’s minibus from nearby Brikama and get the same excellent guides.

Floating lodge at Makasutu in The Gambia by Steve Garvie.

CC BY-SA 2.0. (www.tiwaiisland.org), it is one of the very few places

in West Africa where you are virtually guaranteed to see chimpanzees and other endangered primates such as the beautiful Colobus and Diana monkeys.

There are other rare species such as the endemic pygmy hippopotamus, river otters and more than 130 species of bird. There are guided excursions on the islands and nearby villages, and you can stay the night on a simple, covered platform. The sanctuary is easily reached by taxi from Bo or Kenema but do stay the night in Tiwai if you are using public transport.

Visit Sierra Leone (www.visitsierraleone.org) can help you arrange transport and tours.

Makasutu Culture Forest, The Gambia

Practical tips • The best time to see wildlife in West Africa is December to April, when the grass has been burnt (which improves visibility) and the dry season forces animals to congregate around water holes.

• Tracks are generally impassable in the rainy season (July-September) and parks often close.

• Entry fees vary from under US$10 in Mole to US$28 for Makasutu, a bargain compared to other parts of Africa.

• Bring sunscreen and plenty of insect repellent – or wear light, long-sleeved clothing and long trousers.

• Malaria is present in all national parks: take precautions.

• Pack binoculars and a wildlife field guide.  www.lonelyplanet.com/west-africa/travel-tips-andarticles/west-africas-best-wildlife-parks/40625c8c8a11-5710-a052-1479d277ba1d

We’re not African because we were born in Africa; but because Africa is born in us every day.

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You’ve Been Buying Travel Insurance All Wrong - Consider an Annual Plan

By Suzanne Rowan Kelleher

W

hile Americans are purchasing more travel insurance than ever before, they may be doing it wrong if they’re just buying one-off coverage for each trip.

The best way for frequent travelers to cover their getaways is an annual plan, something that is becoming more widely available from a number of providers. “Currently, we have a total of four annual plans and five single-trip plans,” says Richard Aquino, VP of Sales at Allianz Global Assistance (www. allianztravelinsurance.com). At the plan comparison site InsureMyTrip, sales of annual coverage have risen by 40 percent in the past year, the company says. And travel insurers Arch RoamRight (www.roamright.com) and Seven Corners (www.sevencorners.com) also report double-digit increases.

Travel agents are helping drive the shift. “I have recommended the annual policy for a few of my clients that travel very frequently throughout the year,” says Margie Hand, a travel agent at Andavo Travel (www. andavovacations.com). “One couple in particular usually took at least two luxury cruises per year, and together with their smaller trips, the annual policy was a great option for them.”

While annual and multi-trip plans are not new, traditionally they were marketed strictly to hard-core international travelers. “Most annual travel plans are focused on medical coverage for medical expenses and emergency medical evacuations,” says Justin Tysdal, CEO of Seven Corners.

Meanwhile, “for domestic trips, the number one reason somebody buys travel insurance is for tripcancellation protection,” says Cory Sobczyk, VP of business development at Arch RoamRight. Historically, he says, “there have not been a ton of annual plans out there that include a trip-cancellation component.” But this paradigm is shifting, and today some insurance companies, including Arch RoamRight, now offer annual plans with trip cancellation that cover both domestic and international travel.

The two factors that determine the price of an

insurance plan with trip cancellation are the traveler’s age and the value of the trip. So let’s say a 45-yearold traveler is taking a weeklong getaway valued at $2,500. On RoamRight.com, we searched for plans with a $2,500 claim limit and found single-trip insurance plans starting at $115 and an annual plan for $192. If our traveler increases the claim limit to $5,000—that is, takes a trip that’s twice as expensive—the annual plan’s premium climbs to $320. So in this scenario, an annual plan is a better deal after just two or three trips, depending on their total cost.

Like Arch RoamRight, Allianz recommends that people who travel two to three times a year purchase an annual policy. “Many travelers are choosing to take several short trips a year, and the annual plan is especially useful for this pattern of travel,” Aquino says.

In the future, travel insurance providers may offer even more flexibility. After sales of annual plans jumped by 50% over the last year at April Travel Protection (https://tripinsurancezone.com/april.html), the company’s CEO, Jason Schreier, asked underwriters to come up with a more creative product. The result is a new customizable annual plan that Schreier’s firm has just launched for residents of every state except Florida, Indiana, New York, and Washington. (Interestingly, “the state of Washington does not allow annual plans of any kind,” Schreier says.)

“Our April Annual Preferred Plan covers an unlimited number of both domestic and international trips a year,” says Schreier. “You can choose your level of trip

30 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

cancellation and interruption coverage, and the plan includes medical, evacuation, flight delays, baggage issues, and other benefits.” Prices are set on a sliding scale, starting at $75 for travelers up to 30 years old, increasing to $135 for customers up to 50 years, and $179 for up to 60 years.

Here are three more tips for deciding between single-trip insurance and an annual plan: Do the math Estimate how many trips you’ll make in the coming year—and how much you’ll spend on them—in order to price out various plans using a comparison shopping site like InsureMyTrip.

condition. And finally, be aware that the deductible works differently for an annual plan. “With an annual plan, the deductible is per trip,” Tysdal says.  www.cntraveler.com/story/annual-travel-insurance-plansbest-way-to-buy-travel-insurance?mbid=nl_091318_ Intel&CNDID=38890654&secondary_link=2&spMailingID= 14241338&spUserID=MTQ5NTc0OTAyMDYxS0&spJobID =1481077286&spReportId=MTQ4MTA3NzI4NgS2 Image credits: indiatrotters.blogspot.com, minoritynomad. com

Compare apples to apples “The benefit of an annual plan is that the consumer pays a lower cost for more trips, but annual plans may not have coverage limits as high as single-trip policies,” Aquino says. That means costlier individual trips may not be fully covered—even if you’ve got an annual policy.

Read the fine print “Some annual plans include trip cancellation, some don’t. Some have a four-trip maximum, while others allow more than four trips but put a cap on your claims,” Sandberg says. Additionally, some plans will not cover cancellation due to a pre-existing health

www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com

31 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

A Blind Man’s Trip Will Change the Way You Think About Safaris

By Ryan Knighton

Zimbabwe is home to nearly 700 species of birds and 199 species of mammals, including Burchell’s zebra. Photo by Cait Opperman

A visually impaired traveler journeys through the wilds of Zimbabwe and discovers a side of the safari experience that very few know.

A

s our land cruiser nosed through the brush, cicadas buzzed above us like power lines. My wife and I had been in Zimbabwe only a few hours. So far, our guide on our first safari drive, Alan, had already spotted several species of fleet antelope, and I was already concerned that for me—as a blind man—yes, this was going to kind of suck. I might as

well be at a drive-in movie.

Here, you try: Close your eyes. Over there is a kudu, whatever a kudu is.

Welcome to a blind safari.

Dharmesh, the driver, stopped the vehicle. Alan suggested in his lovely baritone voice that we step out and stretch our legs on the dusty path and have a drink, or “sundowner.” Robert, our animal tracker, dismounted from his seat on the vehicle’s grill to pass around beer and snacks. In the distance, apparently, a giraffe could be seen slipping into the trees. Tracy, my wife, watched quietly as Alan began his work, describing the animal and its behavior and its place in

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the ecosystem of the locale, the Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve.

My can of lager, because I could taste it, was more real to me than a giraffe.

How a blind man can be guided, how I might connect with unseen sights in an unseen place, would be Alan’s challenge for the next seven days. A few years earlier, he had guided his first blind client through a game reserve on the western boundary of South Africa’s Kruger National Park. The experience had radically enriched his approach.

“Whether you’re sighted or not, the bush is overwhelming and confusing when you first arrive. It’s an onslaught of stimuli,” Alan told me. “But guiding a blind person helped me realize the significance, the depth, of our other senses. I could use them to enhance my voice as a guide. A taste, a sound, touching or holding something, these slow everything down to a different focus.”

A safari, by cliché and assumption, is overwhelmingly driven by photography. Tourists survey a living museum of wild animals and, as their primary experience, merely look at Africa through cameras and screens.

But with Alan at the helm, here I was, ready not only to experience what a safari might reveal to the full spectrum of sensory input, but also to try to deepen my own understanding of what it means, or can mean, to be guided. Being blind, I’m a bit of a connoisseur. Daily, I’m dragged and steered and told where and how to move, perpetually hitched like a wagon to the elbows of strangers. You could say I live in a chronic state of guidance. But getting around without getting killed isn’t anything like having a sense of place. Perhaps a professional guide could impart some of that.

So far, I’d heard rumors of a giraffe and nursed a beer.

Suddenly Alan’s hand clamped my shoulder, communicating everything in a grip. Do not speak. Do not move. Adrenaline shot through me. We were in a clearing surrounded by bush and shadow and, well, something else. Something not-giraffe.

Silence, for the blind, is often the most terrifying sound. Alan’s grip firmed and pivoted me a few degrees to the right, aiming my attention like a satellite dish. At what?

“Elephant,” he whispered. “Twenty-five meters.”

I strained to hear it. To hear something. Was it moving? Had it seen us? Alan’s hand gently squeezed my shoulder, then again, and again, as if counting the animal’s steps.

“Fifteen meters,” he whispered.

I couldn’t hear my wife. I couldn’t sense where our vehicle was, or how far we were from its safety. Alan’s hand assured me we were fine for now, but it also

implied, by its constant grip, everything could change in an instant.

“Ten meters.”

Finally, a faint noise. The plodding of a six-ton bull.

Something I had never heard. An elephant’s loosestructured feet expand, landing with a small, dispirited squish, like the sound of spiking a semi-deflated football. Now I could understand how something so large could glide so quietly through the bush. Squish, squish, it lumbered toward us, deciding whether it would charge, or not.

Alan wanted us to experience the reality that everything around us is a living, working system, not just a view.

Alan’s hand clenched harder. The animal had stopped. I could sense its stare, Alan angling my body towards its gaze. Neither I nor the bull knew what to make of the other.

Then, squish, squish, it stepped off into the bush and was gone. An odor followed. Wet earth, like parched land after a first rain. Later, Alan would explain that I had smelled the elephant’s method of cooling and hygiene. Mud retains moisture, so elephants coat themselves to stay cool. When it dries, they’ll scrape themselves against leadwood or baobab trees, the hardened earth taking parasites from their skin. An elephant waxing. I hadn’t seen that, but I’d smelled my way into something.

Alan’s grip on my shoulder finally loosened, and a quick pat of assurance told me everything was OK now. Nothing to see here. I was, in a word, awestruck.

“Well,” he chirped, “that doesn’t happen every day.”

Singita’s Pamushana Lodge is, by all sensory metrics, a stunning nest of luxurious thatched villas atop the sandstone cliffs of Malilangwe Lake. This game reserve, formerly a commercial cattle ranch, sprawls across roughly 130,000 acres and remains privately owned and operated by a nonprofit trust. The land itself has rewilded, thick with mopani and acacia groves, dry riverbeds, and rising stone bluffs. Caves and rock paintings can be found, too, evidence of the land’s human occupants in centuries past. Revenues from photographic safaris like ours fund the trust’s wild game conservation efforts. A sampling of notable resident species include rhinos, both black and white, lions and leopards, African wild dogs and cape buffalo, cheetahs, baboons, wildebeests and hartebeests and, of course, elephants. In addition to our guide, driver, and tracker, the reserve employs biologists and includes an on-site lab, as well as an anti-poaching force. Whenever we stepped from our Land Cruiser, Dharmesh would radio central command to record our location, as the security team would find

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and track any unreported human footprints.

Mornings at the lodge begin early. The aspiration was to be on safari by sunrise. Most large animals would be on the move by then, in search of water before the day’s heat could stamp every living thing into lethargy.

“Today,” Alan posited over breakfast, “perhaps we should try our luck at the blind.”

Yes, the blind guy was going to—a blind. But this blind referred to a semi-underground hideout, like the ones used by hunters. Pamushana had constructed one next to a shallow seasonal pan where water, and animals, naturally collected. It would allow us to get close enough that I might smell and hear any number of thirsty species, from zebras to hippos to elephants, within a mere few feet.

Alan’s style of guiding was to set a soft goal for the day—in this case, to check out the blind—but to take the long way, leaving our experience open to whatever caught his attention. We’d barely descended the sandstone heights of the lodge when Alan flagged Dharmesh to stop the Land Cruiser and strolled off into the bush. You know, like he was popping into a convenience store, not a forest that could conceal a lion’s jaws.

“Here, take these,” he said as he returned to the vehicle. He handed Tracy and me some leaves.

“Crush one between your fingers and touch it to your tongue.”

My reflex was to ask what we were about to taste, and why. Nobody wants to close their eyes and put an unnamed unknown in their mouth. But I didn’t ask.

I shoved leafy bits into my face. Instantly my tongue went dry. Ridiculously dry.

“That’s from all the tannins,” Alan explained. “This The art of the Shangaan people inspires the decor of the is the leaf of a mopani tree. Now you know why most Singita Pamushana Lodge in Zimbabwe. Photo by Cait animals don’t eat them. Except elephants.” Given Opperman the tonnage of greenery they consume, it makes sense that elephants would possess the digestive thorns. Where you find acacia, you find giraffes. capability to tolerate a nasty plant that attracts few More than getting a botany lesson under the sun, I competitors. “Now we also know what animal we’re was learning about a way of guiding that begins with likely to find in a mopani grove and why.” the animal’s own sensory experience. Leaves are food, He handed me another leaf, this one attached so Alan had us approach them by taste and touch. to a twig and nestled tightly among short, sharp Because most safaris work toward a photographic barbs. Acacia. Whereas the mopani protected itself goal, the tendency is for guides to simply point to a biochemically, by taste, the acacia deterred predators distant scene and label it with names and facts like with pain. Imagine, Alan noted, that you are a bluntcaptions. Over there is acacia. Giraffes eat those. nosed browser, such as a rhino. To get between the That’s a mopani tree. Elephants like those. But Alan barbs for the leaves would be nearly impossible. wanted us to experience the reality that everything Giraffes, on the other hand, have long, narrow faces around us is a living, working system of taste and and long, narrow tongues that nimbly work between 34 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

tactile strategy for survival, not just a view.

Soon we stopped again. “Give me your hands,” Alan said.

I couldn’t help myself. “What is it?” I asked. Something in his tone made me wary, as if he knew better than to tell me what he’d found.

“Just feel this. Hold this,” he insisted. “It’s really something.”

Please don’t let it be a snake, I thought.

He dropped into my hands a rough and fibrous ball, the size of a melon, of what felt like steel wool. I couldn’t guess what it was as I rolled it around between my palms. Nothing snakey, that was for sure.

“Rhino poo,” he said.

I swear I could hear him smiling. Then he laughed.

But you have to pause and appreciate such an act of bravery. Really. Imagine the potential offense of taking advantage of my blindness for a joke. So many people treat me like a child, or a fragile soul. Yet Alan had already figured me out. At least well enough to know I wouldn’t get upset when handed a ball of rhino poo. In addition to interpreting nature, a good safari guide must also interpret the other people in the Land Cruiser.

Our destination that day, the blind, was nothing like the structure I’d imagined. In my mind’s eye, we would crowd behind a lean-to, perhaps a wall of branches and logs among the trees, from which we’d spy on animals. Instead, we entered an entire room of comforts dug into the earth next to the water, its conical roof perfectly resembling a massive termite mound. A few steps down and through a door, we were shown into a lounge, complete with couches and a restroom and snacks, where we could wait for wildlife to arrive.

Dharmesh and Robert opened the windows, two long slats that squinted from ground level, with no screens, no barricade from whatever might visit the watering hole just feet from us.

The potential dangers of this were real. Dharmesh told us they once found a six-foot black mamba snake stretched out behind the couch cushions.

I had just started to doze a little in the dusky cool when Alan whispered, “Rhinos are coming. Two. A mother and calf.”

I jumped to the open windows and listened. Soon I heard a snort and some stamping in the mud, all of it just a few feet away. But the water was also being upset somewhere to my right. A splashing, distant, then closer. “Uh-oh,” Dharmesh whispered. “Hyenas.”

I felt a familiar tickle in my spine. The tension that precedes violence.

Three hyenas approached as the rhinos continued to drink, unfazed. I feared that, at any moment, the three could attack, or chase, or scare the rhinos. If

you can’t see, your awareness hangs on the slightest changes in rhythms, maybe of the hyenas’ feet, of their breathing, anything that might indicate where the situation is going. One hyena groaned, low and loud and clear, and then drank.

For now, little seemed to be happening in the peaceful distance between species, including us.

So many people go on safari with the desire, above all else, to see a lion. If you ask Alan, however, it is the

Singita Pamushana Lodge overlooks 130,000 acres of protected land. Photo by Cait Opperman least interesting purpose to have. Lions sleep most of the time. What is to be taken, to be remembered, from that? Here in the blind, the hyenas just feet from the rhinos, I stumbled on my own purpose, or a hope to guide me. I wanted to hear a hyena laugh. It would be a trophy of sound. My audio postcard, something so rare and otherworldly and off camera.

But the hyenas wouldn’t give a peep. Shortly after they arrived, they finished drinking and darted off into

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the hills, but not before the biggest one dropped the nastiest, most eye-burning carnivore fart ever blown into the face of a blind man. It was as if she knew I wanted to hear her laugh, and instead mocked me by obliterating my sense of smell. The stench was so foul and expansive in the blind that we were driven out and called it a day.

As we left, the rhinos continued to drink, as they will.

Our villa at the lodge, inspired by the mortarless stone walls of the royal palace of Great Zimbabwe— the now ruined 11 t h - c e n t u r y capital 100 miles north of Singita Pamushana— had few right angles.

Pillars and rounded corners softened any edge. I often pinballed off them and was sent randomly wandering our cool, snaking rooms, lost and disoriented.

At least I knew that Malilangwe Lake is home to hippos, we faced the lake. crocodiles, and a variety of fish and water When confused, I birds. Photo by Cait Opperman listened for the

hippos below our deck. Their old-man grunts and guffaws were my North Star. Every morning I awoke to their sound, and to the birds. Four percent of the world’s species are represented on the reserve. Imagine the variety and volume that creates. I would notice a specific call, and Alan would affix a name. Bulbul and oxpecker, quelea and ghost bird. My favorite quickly became the go-away bird, whose cry literally mimics a plea to, yes, go away. On the thatched roof above our breakfast table, we heard the foraging of hyraxes, creatures something like a marmot or a prairie dog, their name something from the pages of Dr. Seuss.

I relished the pleasure of so many new and strange names, their peculiar sound and shape in my mouth.

My own call. My own guffaws and song.

When you are a blind man strapped into the tracker’s seat on the grill of a Land Cruiser, you feel as if you are floating through the air, because you are. And dangling out in front like that, you are really just a hunk of bait.

Or at least that’s how I felt. I wasn’t forced to this perch, mind you. Alan was cool with me taking over Robert’s post, and was curious what would happen if the tracking were turned over to my senses.

On the third day, we began motoring through mopani groves and along riverbanks, and I became increasingly aware of myriad odors, some bold, some subtle, but all of them coming at me with Alan’s descriptions of the quickly shifting landscape. Perhaps I smelled dying yellow grasses, then suddenly the sour chemical of umbrella trees, their canopy passing above, then just as suddenly gone, all smells lifted, replaced by the breezy blank of an open, sandy flatland. As I inhaled the air, suspended on the tracker’s perch, my mind’s-eye image of where we were grew clearer and clearer, and more alive, than ever before. Soon I could raise my hand, flagging to Alan inside the Cruiser that something was disrupting the smell of the land, something that might be of note. A few times I noticed the same thin marbling in the air, a faintly sour streak, sweaty like a horse. Moments later, off in the trees, perhaps 50 yards away, Alan saw the giraffe. How rare it is that I guide anybody. Not that I was very good at it. Mostly I flagged the same pungent smell, only to be told I’d stopped us in the middle of another rhino latrine.

But I didn’t catch a whiff of anything before Dharmesh slammed on the brakes one afternoon. Alan immediately reached through the lowered windshield to where I sat on the tracker’s seat, and clamped my shoulder. You know, the way he had when we’d faced down an elephant. This time I was alone in front, and exposed.

“Black rhino,” he whispered. “Just be calm.”

We didn’t want to startle it. Quick movements

36 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

fresh leopard track Robert had spotted in the sand. We were more than a half hour’s drive from the blind. The hyenas could easily scatter before we got anywhere near. Then again, if they did run off, we could try our luck tracking.

It was a question of every safari’s diminishing resource: time. Burn an afternoon chasing nothing, or run after a specific experience and forsake others along the way?

We loaded up and took off in pursuit of hyenas.

By the time we arrived at the blind, things had escalated. Yes, the hyenas were still in the water with what looked to Alan like the leg of an antelope, possibly a hartebeest. But a pack of African wild dogs had gathered at the water’s edge. The species is nearly extinct.

Only 50 dogs live in the entire reserve, and more than 20 of them were here, closing in on the hyenas to either take their kill or pick a fight. The air smelled of blood. Hundreds of queleas, tiny birds, tornadoed above the dogs in a humming swarm. The wind from their wings blew in my face.

Soon there was a howl. Then a rumbling groan. And another. Warnings from the hyenas. Then I heard it. Their nervous laughter cut through the air. It was like a forced chuckle after a bad joke. Suddenly, an explosion of water and splashing as the The spotted hyena is the only hyena species that laughs. Photo wild dogs attacked. They rushed in on the

by Cait Opperman hyenas, trying to disable them, mobbing, circling, confusing them from every side. The cries of wild dogs are the most alien noise I’ve encountered, can alarm a rhino enough to charge. Black ones, in like a chorus of twittering computers. Vicious, the dogs particular, are nervous and prone to acting out. So bit. The hyenas bit back and laughed, or, wounded, Alan began to whistle like a bird, letting it know we squealed like pigs in slaughter. The sound at times were here, small and unthreatening. It turns out rhinos grew so intense that I wanted to turn away, as if I are nearly blind. Wouldn’t that be funny, I thought, the couldn’t bear to look. blind goring the blind?

All of this went on, the dogs circling our Land Cruiser, I heard it take a step. A snort. It was coming closer, the hyenas fighting, the chasing, the noise, for hours. curious. And closer. A few more steps, then it rushed It wasn’t pretty, no. Or so I assume. But I can say I at us, but stopped short. Sweat slicked my back. The listened, as did Alan and Tracy, Dharmesh and Robert. rhino was perhaps 30 feet in front of me, staring me We listened and we knew, given the dogs’ near-extinct down, with nothing between us. No smell helped me status, that we were experiencing one of the rarest track its movement. No sound hinted at what it would sounds in the world. In fact, their fight may have been do next. the only sound of its kind made on earth that day.

The rhino and I just hid in our blind silences.

And I can still hear it.  Then it took off for the safety of the bush, exit stage left. www.afar.com/magazine/a-blind-mansAnd I retired from my experiment as a tracker. trip-will-change-the-way-you-think-aboutOn one of our last days, the call I’d been hoping for safaris?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_ came over the radio. Five hyenas had been spotted medium=email&utm_campaign=081218%20 with a kill in the water near the blind. At that moment DigitalNomad&utm_term=Daily%20Wander%20 I was on my hands and knees tracing the shape of a Newsletter 37 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

PHGMEETINGS.COM

PLANNING RESOURCES FOR THE WORLD’S MOST EXCEPTIONAL MEETINGS HOTELS. Preferred Hotel Group brings together over 700 individual meeting places. From breathtaking resort retreats to smart, city center hotels and boutique incentive experiences, find a unique solution to match every need. Explore the entire collection, find essential resources, access offers, and submit your RFP at PHGMeetings.com. Visit PHGMeetings.com to view properties in Cape Town, South Africa and Marrakech, Morocco.

39 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

Fighting Fraud Abroad

By Sarah Bruning

With data breaches regularly making headlines, experts share five ways to keep your money and your identity safer overseas.

• ACCESS WI-FI WISELY “Using public networks in an airport, cafe or hotel can be dangerous from a cybersecurity standpoint, because they can be easily hacked,” says Eva Velasquez, president and CEO of Identify Theft Resource Center, who advises installing a virtual

Fi.

• KEEP YOUR BOARDING PASS SECURE That little slip of paper might seem innocent enough, but you’d be surprised how many specifics someone can glean from one “Housed within bar codes--easily readable with a mobile app or free website--is the traveler’s frequentflier number,” says Paige Schaffer, who runs the identity- and digitalprotection services global unit of Generali Global Assistance.

“A shrewd person can use cities from the traveler’s social media profiles to answer security questions, access their account, and cash out affinity points,” she explains “Or even obtain passport numbers, mailing and e-mail addresses, and credit card details.” Hang on to it and destroy it when you get home.

• PARE DOWN WHENEVER POSSIBLE

private network (VPN) on your mobile device. “It acts like a private tunnel onto the Internet and can help keep hackers from monitoring your activity.” A solid pick: NordVPN which you log in to and activate before hoppin on Wi-

Before heading out for a day of exploring, review the cards and identifying documents in your wallet and store any nonessentials in your room’s safe. Velasquez also advocates writing down a list of items you’re carrying on a trip, plus the contact numbers for the issuers, and keeping it in this safe as any easy reference if problems arise or you need to report anything stolen.

• INSPECT ATMS CAREFULLY 40 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

Ideally you’d always withdraw money from a machine attached to an actual bank, since those to be well-lit and under 24/7 surveillance.

Still, you can safeguard yourself whenever and whenever you need cash. Scammers can install surreptitious skimming devices that capture your info when you insert your card--and they have become increasingly hard to spot.

“Look for structures on or around the card reader,” Schaffer says.

If you see anything suspicious, Schaffer recommends giving it “a little shake to make sure it’s fixed to the machine and not an add-on.”

Another precaution: shield the keypad when you’re typing your PIN to combat inconspicuous video recorders hidden by criminals looking to score your card number and access code.

• CONVERT CURRENCY STRATEGICALLY Several options exist, depending on your travel MO and your aversion to risk. “Often you can order currency from your bank by phone or online and pick it up at your local branch,” Schaffer says.

The convenience will typically cost a bit extra, but the premium may be worth considering if you/ re concerned about security at your destination or just prefer the convenience of having cash on hand immediately upon arrival.

Alternatively, at most international airports, you can find a bankaffiliated ATM inside the terminal that will usually be safe and offer the best value since withdrawals ae based on wholesale rates.  www.travelandleisure.com

Visit Namibia in August

by Mark Ellwood

I

s there any month more tailormade for a vacation than August? The peak of summer is the perfect time to jettison all 9-to5 obligations and indulge in a trip.

Here is one suggestion of a great way to squeeze in a vacation before Labor Day. Consider Namibia.

Etosha National Park, Namibia Winter in Namibia is cold at night— you’ll definitely need a sweater for those early morning game drives— but the daytime’s drier conditions mean that animals congregate at waterholes and so are much easier to see. Namibia has bona fides in sustainable tourism: it was the first country on the continent to build environmental protections into its constitution, and almost one fifth of the country’s landmass counts as protected reserves.

The most high profile is Etosha

Serra Cafema Camp National Park, home to around 500 lions, or half the country’s population, as well as birds like ostriches and vultures, elephants, and, of course, cheetahs. In fact, Namibia hosts the largest wild population of the cats in the world.

If you opt to explore beyond Etosha, there are two new accommodation options to try: the just-opened S h i p w r e c k (https:// Lodge

Coast, right at the mouth of the Huarusib river or the freshly rebuilt, 8-room Serra Cafema (www.luxurysafaricamps.

Camp com/serracafema.html), which was reconstructed in collaboration with members of the local Himba villages (www.gateway-africa.com/ tribe/himba.html).  www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2016-07-12/thebest-places-to-visit-in-august?

journeysnamibia. com/Destinations/ shipwreck-lodge)

from Journeys on the Skeleton

Shipwreck Lodge

Shipwreck Lodge

Experiencing Namibia’s History

N

amibia is often thought of as a wildlife and nature destination, however the country also offers tourists a cultural experience, with particular reference to its German heritage.

Due to its colonial history, Namibia today offers guests a diverse range of cultures, architecture and experiences to enjoy. Chantal Pinto, Namibia Sales Executive of aha Hotels & Lodges, says: “Today, German is still widely spoken by ‘Namibian Germans’, and the old German-style buildings still exist throughout Namibia.” Nathaly Ahrens, Wilderness Safaris Business Manager, Namibia Travel Shop, agrees: “There is a distinctive Namibian character that freely blends African styles with European influences on architecture, food, customs and art.”

According to Peter Sawyer, Private Safaris General Manager for Namibia, German missionaries were some of the first Europeans in the region, landing in Lüderitz in 1883. Later, the diamond boom saw a greater influx of European migrants. Pinto expands on this, saying that following the landing of German traders, the German government occupied the territory soon after, proclaiming it ‘German South West Africa’. She adds: “In 1915, during the course of World War I, Germany lost its colonial possessions, including South West Africa. The German settlers were allowed to remain and, until independence in 1990, German remained an official language of the territory alongside Afrikaans and English.”

For tourists, experiencing the culture of Namibia adds to a trip to the country.

Ahrens says: “Our cultural tourism aims to promote respectful interaction in an authentic and educational manner.” Sawyer suggests: “In addition to the

frequently visited colonial architecture and historic monuments in Namibia’s main towns, a great way for visitors to experience Namibia’s German heritage is to explore some of the byroads. The southern regions of Namibia are full of lesser-visited historic sites that tell an incredible story of the journey from Lüderitz towards the interior.” He further elaborates that because of the country’s geography – the vast open spaces and barrenness – each town has a unique story about its establishment and choice of location: sometimes it was a trade route or missionary settlement, or more often, because of its proximity to a water source.

Sawyer goes on to explain that a great way for tourists to fully immerse themselves in the country’s German character would be to stay at a guest farm. “These ee page 43

Independence Memorial Museum

42 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

from page 42

farms are generally still owned by descendants of the initial German settlers and, in additional to household memorabilia, your host will delight in sharing stories, both from yesteryear and of typical life in Namibia today,” he adds.

as high as 100,000 people were killed in the genocide.

There are a number of monuments dedicated to those who lost their lives during this time. In central Namibia, there are monuments and gravestones dedicated to key Herero chiefs and leaders. In the capital city of Windhoek, the Independence Memorial Museum (www.namibian.org/travel/museums/independencememorial-museum.html, www.namibian.org/travel/ namibia/museums.html) was opened in 2014 to

commemorate anti-colonial resistance and the struggle for independence. The museum is open every day and entrance to the museum is free. 

Lüderitz In exploring Namibia’s history however, it is vital that tourists see the full picture of the country’s painful colonial history, particularly with reference to the German treatment of the local Nama and Herero people. In the early 1900s, the German government issued an order of extermination against the indigenous groups. Figures vary but some quote

www.tourismupdate.co.za/features/6592/184150/ Experiencing-Namibia-s-history/ Image credits: informante.web.na, trekearth.com, skr. de, gondwana-collection.co, telegraph.co.uk, kwekudeetripdownmemorylane.blogspot.com, telegraph.co.uk, ferrebeekeeper.wordpress.com

Hereo Women Nama Girls 43 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

Oasis in Morocco

By Gisela Willaims

M

arrakesh’s hottest new hotel, Berber Lodge (www.berberlodge.net), isn’t even in the city proper, but rather 14 miles south of the center near the village of Oumnas. There, French-Swiss expat Romain Michel-Ménière, the city’s “it” interior designer, has built a minimalist, contemporary version of a Berber village, with low-slung adobe structures and a beautiful 50-foot pool set amid olive groves. For the nine rustic-chic rooms, Michel-Ménière combined the traditional (baked-tile floors, Berber antiques) with the up-to-date (custom wicker and Midcentury Modern furniture) in way that feels effortlessly sophisticated. Since it opened last spring, the lodge has become a magnet for a fashion-forward crowd-even though the Wi-Fi spotty at best, making it nearly impossible to post photos to Instagram. Eventually, the glitterati stop taking pictures and just enjoy connecting to the countryside. www.travelandleisure.com

44 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

Cultural Tourism

NEW WORLD HERITAGE SITE

Photo by © Tony Ferrar

Lomati Valley in South Africa’s Barberton Makhonjwa Mountain

S

outh Africa’s Barberton M a k h o n j w a Mountains are what UNESCO

describes as “the best-preserved volcanic and sedimentary rock dating back 3.6 to 3.25 billion years.” Because of its position as one of the world’s oldest landscapes, the mountain range has provided geologists with invaluable information about the early formation of Earth’s continents. The Barberton Makhonjwa mountain range is a site of immense historic and scientific value, but it’s also a magnificent destination for adventurers: The mountains’ rivers, trails, and biodiverse plant and animal ecosystems offer bounties for travelers to navigate. 

46 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1575

NEW WORLD HERITAGE SITE

Š National Museums of Kenya Author: Ephraim Mwangi

Thimlich Ohinga Archaeological Site, Kenya

S

ituated northwest of the town of Migori, in the Lake Victoria region, this drystone walled settlement was probably built in the 16th century CE. The Ohinga (i.e. settlement) seems to have served as

a fort for communities and livestock, but also defined social entities and relationships linked to lineage.

Thimlich Ohinga is the largest and best preserved of these traditional enclosures. It is an exceptional example of the tradition of massive dry-stone walled enclosures, typical of the first pastoral communities in the Lake Victoria Basin, which persisted from the 16th to the mid-20th century. ď ‘

47 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1450

For The Surfer

Dakar, Senegal Go for: Hanging Ten in Africa

T

he city—a Franco–West African mashup with an innovative music scene, excellent textile shopping, and lively beaches (think: similar to Rio or Venice Beach for their families, surfers, and body builders)—has been one of the safest and most politically stable in the region for decades. Head to Ngor Island for world-class waves made famous in the seminal 1966 surf film The

world?mbid=nl_081218_Daily&CNDID=3 Endless Summer, or get your 8890654&weekend=0&spMailingID=1404 toes wet at the sandy, calm Yoff 1003&spUserID=MTQ5NTc0OTAyMDYxS Beach, 30 minutes by car from the 0&spJobID=1460935752&spReportId=MT capital. Departing from the East Q2MDkzNTc1MgS2 Coast, you could be in Africa in the time it takes to get to Paris, Mafé eating a spicy fish mafé with a cold La Gazelle beer and listening to mbalax (mbalax is the national popular dance music of Senegal and the Gambia) at a beachfront café.

Surf’s up.  www.cntraveler.com/gallery/ emerging-destinations-around-the-

48 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Spring 2018

For The Adventurer

Nosy Mangabe, Madagascar Go for: The Greatest Adventure you haven’t had yet

A

teardrop off the southeastern coast of Africa, Madagascar, due to millennia of geographic isolation, is home to creatures that exist nowhere else on earth.

Bug-eyed lemurs, luminescent frogs, leaf-nosed bats—it’s no wonder the island was featured on three different episodes of BBC’s Planet Earth II. Much of the island, covered in dense jungle,

is still virtually impenetrable. But thanks to a smattering of new hotels—including an ultra-luxe (and eco-conscious) private resort on the northeastern island of Nosy Ankao—it’s more accessible than ever. For that ultimate Lost World feeling, start with Nosy Mangabe, an island reserve reachable only by boat where you can search for one of the strangest creatures on earth, the elusive aye-aye.  www.cntraveler.com/gallery/ emerging-destinations-around-theworld?mbid=nl_081218_Daily&CNDID=3

49 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

8890654&weekend=0&spMailingID=1404 1003&spUserID=MTQ5NTc0OTAyMDYxS 0&spJobID=1460935752&spReportId=MT Q2MDkzNTc1MgS2

Aye-Aye

Cultural Tourism

3 Beautiful and Sacred Sites Around Africa

By Bridget Hallinan

Getty

Victoria Falls, Zambia and Zimbabwe

V

ictoria Falls may be known as an adventure travel hotspot, but it also has spiritual roots. Named, “Mosioa-Tunya,” (The Smoke That Thunders) by the Kololo in the nineteenth century, the formidable falls have been considered sacred by local tribes for hundreds of years. They introduced David Livingstone—the Scottish missionary and explorer—to the falls, according to Zambia Tourism, prompting him to write, “No one can imagine the beauty of the view from anything witnessed in England. It had never been seen before by European eyes, but scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight.” see page 51

50 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

3 Beautiful and Sacred Sites Around Africa

Getty

Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela, Ethiopia

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n northern Ethiopia, the small town of Lalibela is renowned for its eleven medieval churches—carved out of monolithic rock. Dating back to the twelfth century, the churches were built on orders of King Lalibela, who wanted to create a “New Jerusalem” during a time when pilgrimages to the holy land were hindered

by Muslim conquests, according to UNESCO. Today, the site still sees many pilgrimages, largely from Coptic Christians. The structures, complete with catacombs and ceremonial passages, are fascinating; the House of St. George, or Biete Ghiorgis (pictured), is particularly famous for its cross-shaped design and network of trenches, which connects it to the other churches.

51 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

3 Beautiful and Sacred Sites Around Africa

Getty

Abu Simbel Temples, Egypt

A

nother UNESCO World Heritage site, the Abu Simbel Temples were built by King Ramses II during his reign from 1279-13 B.C.E. The complex, in southern Egypt, includes both the Great Temple and nearby “Small Temple.” Carved out of a sandstone cliff, the Great Temple’s main entrance is flanked by four statues of Ramses himself, with likenesses of family members at his feet. Per Encyclopedia Britannica, the structure is dedicated to the ancient sun gods Amon-Re and Re-Horakhte, but Ramses is also depicted as a god. On two days of the year—usually February 21 and October 21—the sun hits the Great Temple just right and illuminates the inner shrine.  www.cntraveler.com/gallery/beautiful-sacred-sites-around-the-world 52 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

Gorilla Trekking in the DRC

By Jen Salerno

T

our operators are more actiely promoting their offerings in the Demoratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Learn to create the unique tastes The population of mountain gorillas in Virunga

National Park (https://virunga.org) has quadrupled in recent decades, the result of increased security and environmental measures.

Deeper Africa (www.deeperafrica. com) offers the Call of the Congo itinerary which includes stays on an island in Lake Kivu and visits which a canine anti-poaching unit.

You may also plan a custom itinerary with Journeys by Design (www.journeysbydesign. com) that include excursions to the Nyiragongo Volcano’s lava lake and the Senkwekwe Center gorilla orphanage.

The 3,000-square mile park is the continent’s most biodiverse protected area, with ecosystems that range from savannas to active volcanoes, Between gorilla treks you can spot chimpanzees, okapi, and some of the 700-odd bird species that make the park their home.  Image credits: lovewildafrica.com visitvirunga.org

53 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

Annual Naming of Baby Gorillas - “Kwita Izina”

by New Times Reporter

T

he annual Gorilla naming ceremony, popularly known as Kwita Izina, the biggest event on the Rwanda’s tourism calendar, is slated for September 7.

The event, which is organised by Rwanda Development Board (RDB), will be held in Kinigi Sector, Musanze District.

23 baby gorillas will be named for this year’s event.

Namers include Rwandan and international conservationists, sports personalities, renown philanthropists and diplomats.

The list revealed

by RDB, include former First Lady of South Africa and Mozambique, Graca Machel, AmericanSenegalese singer, songwriter and businessman, Akon and former Arsenal and Cameroonian football star, Laureano Bisan Etamé-Mayer, among others. Naming a mountain gorilla baby is considered a great honour. Baby Namers are carefully chosen to include individuals that have made a great contribution to conservation efforts both in Rwanda and the world.

Kwita Izina, a uniquely Rwandan event, was introduced in 2005 with the aim of creating awareness of conservation efforts for the endangered mountain gorilla.

This year, the gorilla naming will be held under the theme;

hose.rw

dreamstime.com ‘Conservation is Life’.

The event has been newtimes.co.rw credited for raising awareness of the endangered species, whose population in the Virunga Massif, their habitat, had risen to 604 by 2016, up from 480 in 2010.

The Virunga Massif comprises Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Mgahinga Gorilla theugandatoday.com National Park in Uganda.

242 in 1981.

Mountain gorilla numbers in the As Kwita Izina endures to go entire area had fallen as low as further and beyond in terms of 54 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge

Wilderness Safaris Bisate Lodge

awareness, so has the growth in numbers of conservationists.

Even more to say, growth in numbers of facilities have been evident as so, to accommodate the growing numbers of tourists.

Over the last 14 years, Kwita Izina has attracted investors who have taken the initiative to establish high-end lodges in the foothills of Musanze where the naming ceremony takes place.

Lodges such as Wilderness Safaris Bisate Lodge (https:// wilderness-safaris.com/our-camps/ camps/bisate-lodge) which won the

World Winner for Hotel Interior Architecture at the Versailles Awards World Ceremony, Amakoro Songa Lodge (http:// songaafrica.com/amakoro-songalodge), Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge (www.governorscamp.com/ property-descriptions/silverbacklodge-parc-national-des-volcansrwanda), Virunga Lodge (https:// volcanoessafaris.com/virungalodge-rwanda), Mountain View Lodge (http://3bhotels.com/

mountain-gorilla-viewlodge), Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel (http:// fivevolcanoesrwanda.com)

– additionally to Singita Kwitonda Lodge under development (https:// rwanda.singita.com) and One and Only Gorilla’s Nest Lodge (www. oneandonlyresorts.com/ one-and-only-gorillas-nestrwanda) set to establish

its premises by end of 2019.

Did you know? The World Economic Forum report 2017 states Rwanda as the safest African country and the 9th safest 55 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

jetsetter.com country in the world.  www.newtimes.co.rw/news/kwitaizina-2018-who-are-gorilla-namers www.micemediamarketing.com

Mall of Africa

I

ntroducing the modern shopping experience, Mall of Africa encapsulates Life’s delights in an open and natural environment, inspired by Africa.

Mall of Africa, South Africa’s largest shopping mall ever built in a single phase with 130,000m2

of retail space, is home to over 250 shops with four anchor tenants. In addition to a vast array of both local and international brands, the Centre also boasts uniquely identified court areas made for easy shopping navigation as well as exceptional access, location and visibility.  Lone Creek Cresent and Magwa Crescent, Waterfall City Johannesburg, Gauteng 1686 www.facebook.com/pg/TheMallofAfrica

One of the World’s Most Beautiful Libraries: Library of Alexandria (Bibliotheca Alexandrina), Egypt

By Lilit Marcus and Caitlin Morton (Condé Nast Traveler)

A

lexandria was once home to the most famous library in the world. Now, Egypt pays homage to its biblio-heritage with this sleek granite (www.bibalex.org/ building en/default).

The circular structure, designed by Norwegian firm Snøhetta, is covered in carvings done by local artists and sits next to a large reflecting pool. Although there are plenty of books in three languages (Arabic, French, and English), there are also museums, a planetarium, and a lab dedicated to restoring and preserving ancient manuscripts.  https://www.cntraveler.com/ galleries/2014-09-02/10-of-theworlds-most-beautiful-libraries?mbid=nl_091718_Daily&C NDID=38890654&weekend=0&spMailingID=14253043&sp UserID=MTQ5NTc0OTAyMDYxS0&spJobID=1481196581 &spReportId=MTQ4MTE5NjU4MQS2

sharmegitto.wordpress.com

keepcalmand 58 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

Alamy

dwander.com theculturetrip.com

the U.S. government has been grappling The Future of Biometrics 9/11, with ways to prevent foreign visitors from overstaying visas, but only recently did the idea at the Airport of tracking travelers via biometric IDs take off,

by Barbara Peterson

I

n five years, experts say, boarding an international flight will require little more than stopping to pose for a photo, thanks to facial recognition technology.

Yep, that’s right—no digging in your pocket or purse for passports or boarding passes; instead, you’ll pause for a camera and be on your way. Arriving in the U.S.? You’ll move through customs and immigration formalities in a matter of minutes—not hours—via the same facial scanning procedures.

Those, at least, are the benefits that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency (CBP) is touting. So far, 15 U.S. airports, including Atlanta’s HartsfieldJackson, Boston’s Logan, Los Angeles’s LAX, and New York’s JFK, are in various stages of testing this technology with airline partners, including British Airways, Delta, JetBlue, and Lufthansa. It generally works like this: passengers who agree to participate approach a camera or kiosk, get their picture taken, and then, once their identity is confirmed against stored images like passport photos or visa photos, proceed to the plane.

More airports, too, are expected to roll out tests in the coming months, with Washington’s two major airports, Dulles and Reagan National, trialling biometric IDs this fall. Most of these tests are limited—usually using one or two gates, and thus affecting only a few flights a day—although in aggregate, the CBP estimates as many as three million travelers have encountered facial recognition technology since mid-2017. And it’s about to spread—fast.

On Thursday, Delta announced that it would launch a biometric terminal at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson later this year—the first of its kind in the U.S. And recently, Orlando Airport announced a sweeping plan to become the first airport in the U.S. to use facial recognition for all of its international flights by the end of 2018. Arriving international passengers will see more of this, too; those who get their photo snapped at their departure point can whiz through formalities upon landing back on U.S. soil. British Airways is currently testing the set-up for travelers on flights from London to Miami and New York-JFK, and CBP recently said it would expand biometrics at arrivals to 20 airports by the end of 2018. Among them? San Jose’s Airport, which recently committed to becoming the first allbiometric airport on the West Coast.

This is all, in large part, because of security. Since

with Congress in 2016 authorizing $1 billion collected from visa fees to jumpstart the plan.

The technology is also finally accurate enough to identify people using facial recognition, which is gaining favor because it’s cheaper and faster to snap someone’s photo than to capture their fingerprints or iris scans.

What does this mean for the flying public?

Some questions, answered: What are the benefits to passengers?

According to a recent survey of airline passengers, 92% of all passengers said they’d “definitely use” or be willing to try biometrics if it made for a better flying experience—and already, airports and airlines are saying it will. British Airways claims it can board a full plane of 400 passengers in 22 minutes using the biometric boarding gates it’s testing at LAX, about half the time it takes under the regular boarding process.

Lufthansa, for its part, saw similar results, boarding some 350 passengers onto an A380 in 20 minutes earlier this year.

While airports, airlines, and the CBP all say they see gains, the time-saving, hassle-free processes are major pluses for passengers, too, says Sherry Stein, senior manager of projects and innovation at SITA, the aviation technology company that’s working with some of the test airlines. “It’s the hands-free convenience that is compelling, the faster time that it takes the airline to complete the boarding process. You don’t have to worry about having to juggle that boarding pass, and that cup of coffee while you’re boarding.”

The biggest gains for travelers, though, may be at arrivals, where those who don’t already have Global Entry or use the Mobile Passport app continue to experience long waits—these times could be greatly shortened if facial scans help match IDs with faces faster.

What about privacy concerns?

True, fears of a vast government database on travelers are making some people uneasy. Critics, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and several members of Congress, claim that it’s an overreach for the government to require U.S. citizens to submit to facial scans in order to board a plane. (CBP sources say that the facial scans will not be stored for longer than 14 days, but skeptics are not satisfied.) Senators Ed Markey (D-Mass) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) recently called for a halt to any further expansion of airport facial scanning until the Department of Homeland

60 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

Security (DHS) kicks off a promised rule-making—an often lengthy process that federal agencies typically use before taking major actions. (There is no word yet on when this will be.) “American travelers deserve to know exactly who has access to their facial recognition data, how the information will be safeguarded, and how they can opt out of the program altogether,” the senators wrote in a joint statement in June.

As for that whole handing-over-personal-data thing?

Biometrics supporters point out that most consumers now freely share vast amounts of data online, and are

entering information that the government uses to prescreen passengers, so you don’t need to do anything out of the ordinary to qualify for facial recognition.

Depending on the set-up at the particular airport (and each airport is charged with devising their own program and securing their own technology), you’ll get your face scanned at a gate agent-manned kiosk at the gate or pass through a turnstile self-service gate, like at LAX. You’ll still need to show your passport at some point in the process—likely at check-in—but ultimately, even that basic document check may not be necessary.

Opting out is simple, and CBP says that signs are posted to inform passengers that, if they prefer, they can see a gate agent at the counter to have their boarding pass scanned the traditional way. “For U.S. citizens, it’s not mandatory,” says SITA’s Stein, pointing out that the benefits of the system, including futuretravelexperience.com faster boarding, wouldn’t be realized accustomed to using biometric IDs to perform tasks if the airlines had to segment passengers according like unlocking their phones. (Thanks, Apple.) to nationality.

But what about glitches in the technology?

What about internationally?

Privacy advocates say that the program is a classic case of “mission creep”: a program that was originally intended to apprehend those overstaying their visas that is now being used to surveil law-abiding citizens.

And they point out the technology is hardly foolproof— according to DHS’s own data, the biometric algorithms, on average, rejected about one in 25 travelers because their photos were mistakenly matched with someone else’s. (A Georgetown University study in 2017 also reported that facial recognition often fails to correctly identify women and African-Americans, too). But proponents say the technology is continuing to improve dramatically.

If you do get rejected by the tech, you aren’t automatically barred from boarding—you’re merely sent to see gate agent, and the airline has the ultimate discretion to check your credentials, decide you’re OK, and let you board.

SITA says its surveys show that 63% of all airports worldwide and 43% of airlines are looking into adoption of some form of biometric screening technology. Many major international gateways are already on board with the concept, including airports in Amsterdam, Beijing, and Sydney.

What do passengers need to do to sign up or opt out?

When you make a flight reservation, you are already

What’s next?

In the coming years, all fliers, domestic or international, will be using more biometric IDs, including fingerprints and iris scans, to get from airport curb to boarding gate (Already, Delta uses Clear’s biometric IDs to let members enter its Sky Clubs.) Some industry sources go further, envisioning a time when using face or iris scans will be used to shop at airport duty-free shops, and indeed, any place where you might need to display a boarding pass or passport, including airport hotels.  www.cntraveler.com/story/the-future-of-biometrics-at-theairport?mbid=nl_092318_Daily&CNDID=38890654&secondary_li nk=1&spMailingID=14300898&spUserID=MTQ5NTc0OTAyMD YxS0&spJobID=1481885234&spReportId=MTQ4MTg4NTIzNAS2

I’m Black and I Travel! …on the radar!

Greg Gross @imblacknitravel

“ETHIOPIA:

Faith Still Moves Mountains”

Carving churches out of rock is a practice going back to the 12th century in what is now Ethiopia (photo courtesy of Michael Gervers)

A Canadian university professor has discovered that the ancient practice of carving Christian churches from solid rock, a skill thought lost for half a millennium, is still alive in Ethiopia…but only just.

W

hile in Ethiopia for the first time last summer, I saw four of the 11 famed rock-hewn churches of Lalibela. It’s perhaps the bestknown of Ethiopia’s nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the most of any country in Africa.

The experience of seeing and entering those incredible structures blew me away. But I’ve just learned something so exciting, it makes me want to

62 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

Having found that they and their skills still exist, head back immediately to Addis Ababa.

Professor Gervers now has a new mission — to help The men who carved out the 11 churches under the preserve this precious culture heritage before it’s lost. orders of King Lalibela, as part of his plan to create “a After 900 years, the original rock churches of Lalibela new Jerusalem” for Ethiopian Orthodox Christians, remain and still in use by worshippers and pilgrims, left no written record of how they did it. This left the probably even as you’re reading this. But these are no way open for certain Euroskeptics to speculate that longer priceless historic relics of a living religion and a they must have help from Europeans to create these lost art. The tradition of hewing these sanctuaries from churches, surely being too unskilled and ignorant to stone lives, albeit barely, in Ethiopia. And that tradition have created them on their own. is just as much a priceless heritage as the churches That view has been dismissed by just about themselves. everyone, but there was little tangible evidence in the West to drive a wooden stake through this racially motivated skepticism once and for all.

Until now.

A certain Canadian history professor, Michael Gervers of the University of Toronto, was commissioned four years ago by a private foundation to see if he could find Ethiopians still practicing the ancient art of hewing churches from solid rock.

He did.

He also found another 20 rockRock-hewn church at Lalibela canadiangeographic.ca hewn churches Perhaps one day, besides marveling at those in Ethiopia, all of them carved out in modern times. original churches, visitors will have a chance to meet He talked about what he found in this Canadian the Ethiopians carrying this tradition forward into the Press interview (www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/11/21/ ancient-practice-of-carving-churches-into-rock-still-alive-u21st century. ”  of-t-professor-finds.html). https://imblacknitravel.com/grand-tour-africa The practice lives among a scattered handful of Ethiopian orthodox priests and believers. www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/11/21/ancientUntil now, the carving of the rock-hewn churches was practice-of-carving-churches-into-rock-still-alive-u-ofviewed by the outside world as a mystery, created by t-professor-finds.html methods lost to Time. Now, we know — the techniques used to form these incredible houses of worship are Arcadia Fund: www.arcadiafund.org.uk/, http:// still with us. eamena.arch.ox.ac.uk/the-arcadia-fund/ The question is, for how much longer? Gervers fears the knowledge of these techniques could be lost www.utoronto.ca/news/u-t-professor-uncoversforever, in part because that knowledge is held by so churches-carved-out-rock-ethiopia few Ethiopians.

63 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

Travel Africa Algeria

Where To Go, What To Do

Tamanrasset Camel Trekking Sahara Dune Skiing The Turquoise Coast CAPITAL: Algiers www.algerie-tourisme.dz

Fort Sao Miguel Slave Depot Calandula Waterfalls Palmeirinhas Beach CAPITAL: Luanda www.angola.org

Benin

Lake Village of Ganvie Nakoue Lagoon Pendjari National Park CAPITAL: PortoNovo

Botswana

Mandera Mountains (hiking, climbing) Bouba Ndjidah National Park Festival National des Arts et de la Culture (FENAC) in December

CAPITAL: Yaoundé

Angola

www.benintourisme. com

Cameroon

www.cameroun-infotourisme.com

Cape Verde

Baia das Gatas Festival Scuba Diving and Snorkelling at Boa Vista UNESCO world heritage old fort site at Cidade Velha CAPITAL: Praia Ministry of Tourism, Praia, Santiago: +238 615 697

Mountains Galawa Beach on Grande Comore Lake Chad CAPITAL: N’Djamena Office du Tourisme, Tel: 01 45 53 36 75

The Comoros

Climb Mount Karthala (active volcano) Nzwani Island Hot Sulphur Springs at Lac Salé CAPITAL: Moroni Comoros National Tourist Board Office, Tel: 269 73 3044

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

Frère Gillet Botanic Gardens world-famous rare orchids Ruwenzori Range

Fort Sao Miguel Slave Depot, Angola wonderquests.wordpress.com

Okavango Delta Central Kalahari Game Reserve Transfrontier Park (Kgalafadi National Park) CAPITAL: Gaborone www.botswanatourism.co.bw

Burkina Faso International Arts and Crafts Fair, Oct-Nov Ranch de Nazinga game reserve Mare aux Hippopotames CAPITAL: Ouagadougou www.ontb.bf

Burundi

Chutes de la Kagera Waterfall Lake Tanganyika Craftwares Village at Giheta CAPITAL: Bujumbura www.burunditourisme.com

Central African Republic Boali Waterfalls Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park Lobaye Region CAPITAL: Bangui ministere_tourisme@yahoo.fr

Chad

Camel racing in the Tibesti 64 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

Virunga National Park CAPITAL: Kinshasa Ministère des Affaires Foncières, Environment et Tourisme, Tel: (+243) 8802093.

Côte D‛Ivoire (Ivory Coast)

The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, Yamoussoukro Mount Tonkoui (mountain climb) Comoë National Park

CAPITAL: Yamoussoukro www.tourisme.gouv.ci

Djibouti

Gulf of Tadjoura (snorkling/ diving) Lake Abbé Lake Assal (windsurf on wheels) CAPITAL: Djibouti www.office-tourisme.dj

Egypt (Kemet) Nile River Cruise, Aswan Temple of Ranses II, Abu Simbel Alexandria CAPITAL: Cairo www.tourism.misrnet.gov.eg

Equatorial Guinea Arena Blanca Pico Malabo Volcano (mountain climbing) Cascades of Moca

CAPITAL: Malabo www.embarege-londres.org

Eritrea Dahlak Archipelago Tour of Eritrea (bicycle race) Akordat CAPITAL: Asmara eritreantourism@tse.com.er

Ethiopia

Atlantic Ocean Exhibition of the slave trade at Albreda and Jufureh Makasutu Culture Forest CAPITAL: Banjul www.visitthegambia.gm

Ghana

Cape Coast Castle Slave Fortress Mount Afadjato and Togbo Falls (Volta Region) Kakum Nature Reserve (treetop walkway and stay in a tree house) CAPITAL: Accra www.touringghana.com

Guinea

Kindia (cloth market) Kinkon Falls Îles de Los CAPITAL: Conakry www.ontguinee.com

Guinea-Bissau

Bijagos Archipelago Cantanhez Natural Park Museum of African Artefacts CAPITAL: Bissau www.guineabissautourism.com

Kenya

Mount Kenya National Park

Tsavo West National Park Watamu-Malindi Marine Park CAPITAL: Nairobi www.magicalkenya.com

Lesotho

Bushmen Rock Paintings Ski Lesotho Highlands (www. afriski.co.za) Sehlabathebe National Park CAPITAL: Maseru www.ltdc.org.ls

Liberia

Sapo National Park Kendeja National Cultural Center Firestone Rubber Plantation CAPITAL: Monrovia www.micat.gov.lr

Libya

Akakus Mountains (prehistoric rock art) Ubari Lakes (dune surfing) Leptis Magna (tribute to African Roman Emperor Septimus Severus) CAPITAL: Tripoli www.libyan-tourism.org

Madagascar

Fianarantsoa (Capital of Wine) Montagne d’Arbre National

Rock Hewn Churches of Lalibela Frère Gillet Botanic Gardens , DRC ecocongo.cd

(New Jerusalem) Home of the Queen of Sheba, Axum African Union Headquarters, Addis Ababa TOTAL Great Ethiopian Race

CAPITAL: Addis Ababa www.tourismethiopia.org

Gabon Cathedral of St Michael in Libreville Lopé-Okanda Reserve National Park (gorilla) M’Bigou (gold mines/ crafts)

CAPITAL: Libreville www.legabon.org

The Gambia

Deep Sea Fishing, 65 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

Travel Africa Where To Go, What To Do Park Queen’s Palace CAPITAL: Antananarivo www.madagascar-tourisme.com

Malawi

Lake Malawi Marine Park Nyika National Park Liwonde National Park CAPITAL: Lilongwe www.malawitourism.com

Mali

Festival in the Desert Timbuctou La Boucle de Baoule National Park CAPITAL: Bamako www.le-mali.com/omatho/index.htm

Mauritania

Parc National du Banc d’Arguin Chinguetti, a holy city of Islam Oualata CAPITAL: Nouakchott www.tourisme.mr

Mauritius

Black River Gorges National Park Ile aux Aigrettes Nature Reserve Rodrigues Island CAPITAL: Port Louis

www.mauritius.net

Morocco

Todra and Dades Gorges Talassemtane National Park Essaouira CAPITAL: Rabat www.visitmorocco.com

Mozambique

Maputo Elephant Park Gorongosa National Park Bazaruto Archipelago CAPITAL: Maputo www.futur.org.mz/index-en.html

Namibia

Mahongo Game Reserve Etosha National Park Skeleton Coast CAPITAL: Windhoek www.namibiatourism.com.na

Niger Agadez ‘W’ National Park Igouloulef CAPITAL: Algiers www.niger-tourisme.com

Nigeria

Cross River National Park Emir’s Palace, Kano Benin City CAPITAL: Lagos www.tourism.gov.ng

Republic of the Congo

Loufoulakari Falls Loango (main embarkation port for slaves) Congo Rapids CAPITAL: Brazzaville Direction Generale du Tourisme et des Loisirs, Tel: 830 953

Reunion

Piton des Neiges Plaine d’Affouches Le Voile de la Mariée (The Bride’s Veil) CAPITAL: Saint-Denis ot.saint-pierre@wanadoo.fr

Rwanda

Cards From Africa, Kigali Parc National des Volcans Gorilla Trek Nyungwe Forest Canopy Walk CAPITAL: Kigali www.rwandatourism.com/

São Tomé & Principe

Bom Bom Island Deep Sea Fishing Humpback Whale Watching Agua Izé Plantation CAPITAL: São Tomé www.saotome.st

Senegal African Renaissance Monument Retba (Pink) Lake Maison des Enclaves (House of Slaves), Goree Island

CAPITAL: Dakar sentouroffice@aol.com

Seychelles

Marlin Fishing in Denis St Anne Marine National Park Aldabra CAPITAL: Victoria www.seychelles.travel

Sierra Leone

Outamba-Kilimi National Park Freetown Peninsula Bunce Island, Slave Trading Station CAPITAL: Freetown www.welcometosierraleone.org

Somalia

Aldabra Atoll Island , Seychelles tripfreakz.com

66 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

Hargeisa National Park Neolithic Paintings Las Geel Indian Ocean Coastal Beaches CAPITAL: Mogadishu www.somali-gov.info/Tourism/index. html

Somaliland

Hargeisa National Park Neolithic Paintings Las Geel Indian Ocean Coastal Beaches CAPITAL: Hargiesa www.somalilandgov.com (Ministry of Tourism & Culture 252-225-7917)

South Africa

CAPITAL: Juba www.goss.org

National Park CAPITAL: Lomé

Sudan

www.togo-tourisme.com

Port Sudan, The Red Sea Gemmeiza Tourist Village Pyramids of Meroe CAPITAL: Khartoum www.sudan-tourism.gov.sd/english/ index.php

Swaziland

Mkhaya Game Reserve Phophomyane Nature Reserve Usutu River (white-water rafting) CAPITAL: Mbabane

Nelson Mandela Centre of

www.welcometoswaziland.com

Memory & Dialogue, Johannesburg Great White Shark Festival, Cape Town/Gansbaai The Elephant Coast, Zulu Kingdom

Tanzania

CAPITAL: Johannesburg www.whitesharkfestival.org www.nelsonmandela.org www.zulu.org.za www.southafrica.net

South Sudan

Boma National Park Nimule National Park Nile River

Bagamoyo Slave Trail Katavi Plains National Park Ngorongoro Crater Stone Town, Zanzibar CAPITAL: Dodoma http://tanzaniatouristboard.com/

Togo Koutammakou (World Heritage Site)

Whale Watching, Gulf of Benin Fosse aux Lions (Lions’ Den)

Tunisia

Desert Trekking from Douz Matmata (Star Wars film site) Sidi Bou Saïd CAPITAL: Tunis www.tourismtunisia.com

Uganda

Mountains of the Moon (Mount Rwenzori National Park) Bwindi National Park (view gorilla) Source of the Nile,Owen Falls Dam, Jinja CAPITAL: Kampala http://visituganda.com/index.php

Western Sahara City of El-Aaiún Dakhla (surfing) CAPITAL: El-Aaiún

dajla47@hotmail.com

Zambia Walking Safari, South Luangwa National Park Musi oa Tunya (Victoria Falls), Livingstone

Zambezi White Water Rafting CAPITAL: Lusaka www.zambiatourism.com

Zimbabwe

Great Zimbabwe Lake Kariba Chizarira National Park CAPITAL: Harare www.zimbabwetourism. co.zw Sources: www.worldtravelguide. net/africa www.internationaltouristboards.com www.worldtourismdirectory.com/directory/africa/ index.html

White Water Rafting, Usutu River, Swaziland swazitrails.co.sz 67 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

AffinityWings

Connecting you to higher rewards with Affinity Wings

Affinity Wings is Arik Air’s new frequent flyer programme, aimed at giving something back to our customers and rewarding them for their patronage.

Become a Member now and you’ll find flying with us even more rewarding – whether it’s for business or leisure. Joining Affinity Wings is quick, easy and will cost you nothing.

even more Affinity Points, fast-tracking your way through the tier level. Affinity Points are valid for one calendar year, so make sure you come back and fly with us again to keep up your membership level.

Membership is open from age two and above, allowing your entire family to enjoy Affinity Wings substantial benefits.

Redeem Affinity Miles for rewards

Wherever you travel with us, each flight will earn you Affinity Points that will help you move between our four tiers – from Pearl up to Gold.

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Each tier has different benefits, for example: Pearl Members can collect Affinity Miles to spend on reward flights. Bronze Members are offered priority boarding, Silver Members can enjoy the comfort of our lounges, while Gold Members receive a generous extra baggage allowance.

As an Affinity Wings member, you can collect Affinity Miles across our domestic, regional and long haul international network.

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69 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

Travel Resources Getting “Bumped,” What to do.

F

all brings a huge uptick in air travel. According to data from travel management firm SAP Concur, crowds grow as we

move toward the end of the year.

In fact, October and November are the busiest months even for infrequent travelers.

With so many crowds, there’s nothing more annoying than trying to make a flight and getting “bumped.”

But you can earn some money for this... if you know your rights to compensation as mandated by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The No. 1 question that people forget to ask is: “Can I get cash instead?”

Here’s the thing...

Most airlines will initially offer you an airline voucher. This is cheaper for them. But if you don’t have a choice in giving up your seat – an involuntary denial of boarding – ask for cash.

Here are the rules: If you give up your seat and the agent books you on a flight that arrives at your destination one to two hours late, you should receive a check for two times your oneway fare, up to a maximum of $675. And if you arrive more than two hours late, you should receive four times the cost of your one-way ticket, up to a maximum of $1,350.

Considering that the average cost of a one-way domestic

flight in the U.S. is around $350, according to the Department of Transportation. That’s $700 that you could pocket... just for knowing your rights.

Usually, the process to get this money is fairly straightforward.

But if you run into hassles with your airline, you can file a complaint through the Department of Transportation’s Aviation Consumer Protection Division (www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/

file-consumer-complaint).

Or you can use the website AirHelp (www.airhelp.com/en).

AirHelp takes care of all the legwork for filing your claim.

While it does take about 25% of any compensation you receive as

70 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

a fee, this can be worth it if you don’t have the time to hound the airline for your money... or if you’re just not sure if your flight qualifies.

According to the company, “Less than 2% of eligible air passengers receive the compensation that is rightfully theirs.”

And there’s no risk... If you don’t get paid, you don’t owe AirHelp anything. AirHelp isn’t just for U.S. citizens. It can also help people flying in Europe.

(European readers can also use Refund.me (www.refund.me) – another service that handles flight

compensation for people in various countries in Europe.)  www.stansberryresearch.com Image credits: ittn.ie, refund.me, transportation.gov

Welcome to Henderson Travel Service...

“We take you to Africa and the World!”

With nearly six decades of expertise in the travel and tour industry, our experienced professionals are dedicated to creating exciting tours to destinations throughout Africa, the Orient and beyond. We also offer cruises, Caribbean holidays, and meeting planning/events for all types of travelers.

By reducing overhead and seeking the best value in the current travel environment, Henderson Travel Service delivers quality service at competitive prices. Our team fosters a work ethic that caters to families, organizations, groups, couples, and solo travelers who require a diverse spectrum of travel services.  Gaynelle Henderson-Bailey, Ph.D., President & CEO Henderson Travel Service / Henderson Associates 7961 Eastern Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910 TEL: 301-650-5700 E-mail: gaynelle@hend.com

71 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

72 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

73 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

Ski Africa Overview: Skiing in Africa

T

here are currently 10 indoor and outdoor ski resorts set in the nations of Kingdom of Morocco, Republic of Egypt, Republic of Algeria, Kingdom of Lesotho, Republic of Namibia, and the Republic of South Africa.

There are 4 unconfirmed ski resorts. The following facts provide an overview of the ski regions of Africa: Elevation of the Ski Resorts 70 m - 3268 m Elevation Difference max. 658 m in one ski resort Slopes 21 km (max. 10 km in one ski resort) Ski Lifts 23 (max. 7 in one ski resort) Ski Passes € 14.40 to € 30.74

Oukaimeden

www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/ oukaimeden The ski resort Oukaïmeden is located in the Marrakesh-TensiftEl Haouz Region (Morocco). For skiing and snowboarding, there are 10 km of slopes available. 7 lifts transport the guests. The winter sports area is situated between the elevations of 2,610 and 3,268 m.

Chréa

www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/ chrea/ The ski resort Chréa is located in the Province of Blida (Algeria).

For skiing and snowboarding, there are 0.5 km of slopes available. 3

lifts transport the guests. The winter sports area is situated between the elevations of 1,460 and 1,550 m.

Afriski Mountain Resort

www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/ afriski-mountain-resort The ski resort Afriski Mountain Resort is located in the ButhaButhe District (Lesotho). For skiing and snowboarding, there are 1.8 km of slopes available. 2 lifts transport the guests. The winter sports area is situated between the elevations of 3,030 and 3,222 m.

AfriSki, the only skiing resort in the Kingdom of Lesotho, is located 3222 m above sea-level in the Maluti Mountains. It offers a main Ski slope, a beginners slope and operates during the winter months.

74 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

Tiffindell

www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/ tiffindell The ski resort Tiffindell is located in the Province of Eastern Cape (South Africa). For skiing and snowboarding, there are 2.4 km of slopes available. 5 lifts transport the guests. The winter sports area is situated between the elevations of 2,700 and 2,930 m.

Tiffindell is the highest resort in South Africa. It is nestling snugly on the slope of Ben McDhui (3001m), the highest pass in South Africa and the highest peak in the Cape. Within 15 acres of terrain, there are pistes suitable for all abilities. In an average season, Tiffindell is open for skiing and snowboarding in June, July and August. It has slope-side accommodation available for 150 guests and many more day visitors

michlifen The ski resort Michlifen is located in the Meknès-Tafilalet Region (Morocco). For skiing and snowboarding, there are 1 km of slopes available. 1 lift transports the guests. The winter sports area is situated between the elevations of 1,880 and 2,060 m.

Ski Egypt

www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/ ski-egypt/

ses-ski.com in the surrounding valleys. There is a restaurant, coffee lounge, 2 bars, ski clothing shop and ski school.

Non aspiring skiers join in to enjoy a unique experience, making snowmen, throwing snow balls or tobogganing, making it the perfect family holiday for young and old.

Matroosberg

www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/ matroosberg/ The ski resort Matroosberg is located in the Province of Western Cape (South Africa). For skiing and snowboarding, there are 2 km of slopes available. 2 lifts transport the guests. The winter sports area is situated between the elevations of 1,794 and 2,132 m.

Michlifen

www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/

The indoor ski resort Ski Egypt is located in the Mall of Egypt, 6th October City, Cairo (Egypt). For skiing and snowboarding, there are 0.6 km of slopes available. 1 lift transports the guests. The winter sports area is situated between the elevations of 150 and 180 m.

With over 7,000 tons of snow, Ski Egypt is launching the first ski resort in Africa with the world’s largest indoor snow park, offering everything from skiing, slope snowboarding, sledging and a Polar Express Train to a jolly kids area and a professional Ski School, all in a one stop, breathtaking experience for family and friends.

Jbel Hebri

www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/ jbel-hebri The ski resort Jbel Hebri is located in the Meknès-Tafilalet Region (Morocco). For skiing and snowboarding, there are 1 km of slopes available. 1 lift transports the guests. The winter sports area is situated between the elevations of 1,950 and 2,090 m.

Azrou

www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/ azrou The ski resort Azrou is located in the Ifrane Province of the FèsMeknès region (Morocco). For 75 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

skiing and snowboarding, there are 1 km of slopes available. 1 lift transports the guests. The winter sports area is situated between the elevations of 1,800 and 2,000 m.

Ski Namibia

www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/ ski-namibia Options for Dune Skiing in the Namib Desert, Namibia (high dunes, breathtaking landscapes, long dune belt) are manifold.

Not only the fast ski runs on the dunes bring the kick, but also the landscape and nature aspect are simply one-of-a-kind amidst the world’s oldest desert. For information and arrangements: www.ski-namibia.com, henrik@ ski-namibia.com, P.O. Box 8140, Swakopmund, Namibia.

Unconfirmed Ski Resorts Cape Town, South Africa (In development, possibly) www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/ snowfun-cape-town-planned Kingdom of Morocco (mountain climbing resorts that may include skiing opportunities) www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/ djebel-bou-iblane www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/ hoher-atlas www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/ rif-gebirge  www.skiresort.info/ski-resorts/ africa

Cruise Africa The Cruise of the Future - May be by Air.

W

e were excited back in 2016 to hear that the Airlander 10, a 302-foot-long hybrid airship, was finally taking its first test flight.

Our enthusiasm, however, was tempered when on its second flight, the largest aircraft in the world went nose first into the grass near its hangar at a U.K. airfield shortly after take off. But today at the Farnborough Airshow, Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), the aerospace company behind the airship, unveiled what the interiors of a tourist-focused Airlander could look like and, well, consider us psyched again (www.hybridairvehicles. com/aircraft/airlander-10).

The interiors—conceived in collaboration with aviation and automobile design firm Design Q—look pretty plush, but if heights aren’t your thing, you might want to reconsider. The couches and bean bags look plenty comfortable, the full bar might serve as a crucial self-medicating hub, and spacious bedrooms look like they belong more in a five-star hotel than an aircraft.

But—and this is where vertigo might come in—the cabin is practically covered in glass, including some of the floors, so you can really take in those views from 16,000 feet. Or, you know, have a panic attack. HAV says the Airlander 10 could carry up to 19 passengers on three-day expeditions, with full catering provided. The interior layout is also modular, too, meaning it can be customiz ed depending on the nature of the journey.

The focus here is clearly not on getting you across the Atlantic as quickly as possible: After all, the Airlander 10 will only be able to reach a max speed of around 91 mph, falling a tad short of the Airbus A380’s cruising speed of 560 mph, for example. Instead, the goal of HAV’s tourism-focused, eco-friendly aircraft will be on what the company is calling “luxury expeditionary tourism.” Think of it more as a cruise in the skies, where routes could showcase attractions like the Grand Canyon or the Amazon rainforest. Its ability to land and takeoff anywhere, including water, opens up possibilities beyond airport-to-airport trips. “Air travel has become very much about getting from A to B as quickly as possible,” HAV’s CEO Stephen McGlennan told the BBC. “What we’re offering is a way of making the journey a joy.”

This is the first evidence that HAV is leaning into the potential of the Airlander 10 as a tourism-focused craft

Bar

Passenger Lounge

Be

in a major way. When it was first under development, it was touted as a solution for carrying cargo—it’s carrying capacity is ten metric tons—as well as for military surveillance and network connectivity,

76 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

Airlander 10

Flying Bum,” due to its posteriorshaped hull) to be considered flightready though, it needs to complete 200 incident-free hours in the sky. It could be a while yet until we’re joining the waiting list for tickets. There’s also no word on how much a three-day trip would cost, but we’re going to go ahead and guess it’ll be a whole lot of dollars. 

droom Passenger Lounge because of its ability to stay afloat for five days at a time with a crew or up to two weeks unmanned.

It’s likely that versions of the aircraft will still focus on these more practical use-cases, but we’re all aboard for a three-day trip on one.

The Airlander 10 has completed six successful test flights so far. For the Airlander 10 (which has taken on the unfortunate nickname of “The

www.cntraveler.com/story/the-worlds-largestaircraft-will-have-luxurious-bedrooms-and-glassfloors?mbid=nl_100518_Daily&CNDID=38890654&w eekend=1&spMailingID=14382930&spUserID=MTQ5 NTc0OTAyMDYxS0&spJobID=1500429908&spRepor tId=MTUwMDQyOTkwOAS2 Image credits: ibtimes.com, businessinsider.com

77 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

West Africa Airways Inc. is a low-cost airfare Passenger airline offering air charter airline services along with our Partners in Aviation and the fleet of B767-300 Extended Range aircraft.

The company was formed in 2004 when it reached an agreement with some of the countries in West Africa, to begin flight operations from Thurgood Marshall BaltimoreWashington International Airport, (BWI) USA.Fax: (775) 882-6818 E-mail: info@westafricaairways.com Website: www.westafricaairways.com Destinations: Roberts Field International Airport, Liberia (ROB); Dekar Yoff International Airport, Senegal (DKR); Kotoka International Airport, Ghana (ACC)

www.gov.rw

Black Cultural Travel Made Easy http://soulofamerica.com/international-guides.phtml 79 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

Be in touch Be in tune Be independent

Nesting international standards with African hospitality.

Kuramo Waters, Victoria Island, Lagos | Nigeria Phone: +234 1 277 2700 | Fax: +234 1 270 4071 E-mail: reservation@ekohotels.com | info@ekohotels.com Website: www.ekohotels.com 80 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

www.starrafricanrum.com product of Madacascar

Made For Walking - CH Zambia Safari Boots The Vintage Shoe Company http://blog.vintageshoecompany.com/index.php/2012/08/cool-hunting-vintage-shoe-company-safari-boot

Golf Africa www.golfworldmap.com/africa/#9.622414142924805,17.05078125,3 Botswana

Mauritius

www.phakalane.com

www.paradis-hotel.com

Egypt

Legend Golf Course, Poste de Flacq

Gaborone Golf Club at the Gaborone Sun Hotel Phakalane Golf Estate Hotel Resort

Alexandria Sporting Club, Alexandria Cascades at Soma Bay Golf and Country Club www.residencedescascades.com

Dreamland Golf & Tennis Resort, Cairo www.dreamlandgolf.com

Golf City, Cairo Katemeya Heights Golf & Tennis Resort, Cairo www.katameyaheights.com

Madinat Makadi Golf Course, Madinat Makadi www.madinatmakadigolf.com

Mena House Oberoi Golf Course, Cairo www.oberoihotels.com/oberoi_menahouse/index.asp

Mirage City Golf Club, Cairo www.golf.jwmarriottcairo.com/golf

Steigenberger Al Dau Beach Hotel, Hurghada www.steigenbergeraldaubeach.com

Kenya

Karen Country Club, Nairobi Kiambu Golf Club, Kiambu Leisure Lodge Beach & Golf Resort, Mombasa Muthaiga Golf Club, Nairobi Nyali Golf & Country Club, Mombasa www.nyaligolf.co.ke

Railway Golf Club, Nairobi Royal Nairobi Golf Club, Nairobi The Golf Park at the Jockey Club of Kenya, Nairobi Windsor Golf Hotel & Country Club, Nairobi www.windsorgolfresort.com

Ile aux Cherfs, Trou d’Eau Douce Le Paradis Hotel & Golf Club, Le Morne Peninsula

www.bellemareplagehotel.com

Links Golf Course, Poste de Flacq www.princemaurice.com

One&Only Le Saint Géran Golf Course, Poste de Flacq http://lesaintgeran.oneandonlyresorts.com

Shandrani Golf Club, Blue Bay www.shandrani-hotel.com

Troux aux Biches Golf Club, Troux aux Biches www.trouauxbiches-hotel.com

Morocco

Anfa Royal Golf Club, Casablanca Cabo Negro Royal Golf Club, Tetouan Royal Golf of Dar es Salam, Rabat www.royalgolfdaressalam.com/ english/index.cfm

Club Med les Dunes, Agadir El Jadida Royal Golf Club, El Jadida Fes Royal Golf Club, Fes Marrakech Royal Golf Club, Marrakech Meknes Royal Golf Club, Meknes Mohammedia Royal Golf Club, Mohammedia Settat University Royal Golf Club, Settat Tangier Royal Golf Club, Tangier

Nambia

Keetmanshoop Golf Course, Keetmanshoop Okahandja Golf Club, Okahandja www.okahandja.net/sport/default.html 82 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

guardian.ng Orandjemund Golf Club, Oranjemund Rossmund Golf Course, Swakopmund Tsumeb Golf Club, Tsumeb Walvis Bay Golf Course, Walvis Bay Windhoek Country Club Resort, Windhoek www.windhoek.co.za

Nigeria

IBB Golf Course, Abuja IITA Golf Club, Ibadan

Golf Africa www.golfworldmap.com/africa/#9.622414142924805,17.05078125,3 Ikeja Golf Club, Lagos

www.centurioncountryclub.co.za

www.ikejagolfclub.org

Champagne Sports Resort, Winterton

Reunion

The Country Club Johannesburg, Rivonia www.ccj.co.za

Clovelly Country Club, Cape Town

Killarney Country Club, Johannesburg

www.clovelly.za.net

www.killarneycountryclub.co.za

Crown Mines Golf Club, Johannesburg

Kingswood Golf Estate, George

www.g-i.co.za/clubs/?c=274

Kleinmond Golf Club, Kleinmond

Darling Golf Club, Darling

www.kleinmondgolfclub.co.za

Senegal

www.darlingtourism.co.za/sportdetail. htm#golfclub

Kloof Country Club, Kloof Knysna Golf Club, Knysna

www.golfsaly.com/intro/presentation_fr.htm

De Zalze Winelands Golf Estate, Stellenbosch www.golfdezalze.com

Koro Creek Bushveld Golf Estate, Nylstroom

Golf du Bassin Blue, St Gilles les Hauts Golf Club de Bourbon, Etang Sale les Bains www.golf-bourbon.com/spip/spip. php?lang=en

Club du Colorado, La Montagne Golf de Saly, Mbour

www.champagnesportsresort.com

www.kingswood.co.za

www.kloofcountryclub.co.za www.knysnagolfclub.com

Golf International du Technopôle, Dakar Le Méridien President Resort & Golf Club, Dakar

Devonvale Golf & Wine Estate, Stellenbosch Durban Country Club, Durban

Langebaan County Estate Golf & Leisure, Langebaan

www.starwoodhotels.com/ lemeridien/property/overview/index. html?propertyID=1821&EM=VTY_ MD_1821_DAKAR_OVERVIEW

www.dcclub.co.za

www.langebaanestate.co.za

Sierra Leone Freetown Golf Club, Freetown

South Africa

Akasia Golf Clue, Pretoria www.akasiacountryclub.co.za

Atlantic Beach Golf Club, Cape Town

www.devonvale.co.za

Durbanville Golf Club, Durbanville www.durbanvillegolfclub.co.za

East London Golf Course, East London www.elgc.co.za

Emfuleni Golf Estate, Vanderbijlpark www.emfulenigolfestate.com

Fancourt Hotel & Country Club Estate, George www.fancourt.co.za

www.atlanticbeachgolfclub.co.za/ capetown/index.asp

Gary Player Country Club Golf Course, Sun City

Bellville Golf Club, Cape Town

www.suninternational.com/Destinations/Resorts/Golf/Pages/Golf.aspx

www.bellvillegolf.co.za

Benoni Country Club, Johannesburg

George Golf Club, George

www.benonicountryclub.co.za/pro/ Default.aspx

Germiston Golf Club, Germiston

Blair Atholl, Fourways

Glendower Golf Course, Johannesburg

www.blairatholl.co.za

Blue Valley Golf & Country Estate, Olifantsfontein www.bluevalley.co.za

Bryanston Country Club, Bryanston www.bryanstoncc.co.za

Centurion Country Club, Centurion

www.korocreek.com

www.georgegolfclub.co.za www.germistongolf.com

www.glendower.co.za

Hermanus Golf Club, Hermanus www.hgc.co.za

Houghton Golf Club, Houghton www.houghton.co.za

Humewood Golf Club, Port Elizabeth www.humewoodgolf.co.za 83 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

ktpress.rw Leopard Creek Country Club, Malelane www.leopardcreek.co.za

Lost City, Sun City www.suninternational.com/ Destinations/Resorts/Golf/Pages/Golf. aspx

Malmesbury Golf Club, Malmesbury www.malmesburygolfclub.co.za see Golf Africa on page 84

Tiger Woods

from Golf Africa page 83

Metropolitan Golf Course, Cape Town www.metropolitangolfclub.co.za

Milnerton Golf Club, Cape Town www.milnertongolfclub.co.za

Modderfontein Golf Club, Modderfontein www.mgclub.co.za

Monks Cowl Coutry Club & Lodge, Winterton www.monkscowl.co.za

Mossel Bay Golf Club, Mossel Bay www.mosselbaygolfclub.co.za

Mowbray Golf Club, Cape Town www.mowbraygolfclub.co.za

Paarl Golf Course, Paarl www.paarlgolfclub.co.za

Pearl Valley Signature Golf Estate and Spa, Cape Winelands

www.ptacc.co.za

Bay

Randpark Golf Club, Randburg

www.stfrancisgolf.co.za

www.randpark.co.za

St Francis Links, St Francis Bay

Reading Country Club, Alberton

www.stfrancislinks.com

www.readingcc.co.za

Steenberg Golf Club, Cape Town

River Club Golf & Conference Center, Cape Town

www.steenberggolfclub.co.za/Framework/index.asp

http://riverclub.co.za

Stellenbosch Golf Club, Stellenbosch

Riviera on Vaal Country Club, Vereenigning www.rovcountryclub.co.za

www.steenberggolfclub.co.za/ Framework/index.asp

Royal Cape Golf Club, Cape Town

Umdoni Golf Course, Pennington

www.royalcapegolf.co.za

www.umdonipark.com

Royal Durban Golf Club, Durban

Umhlali Country Club, Umhlali

www.royaldurban.co.za

www.umhlalicountryclub.co.za

San Lameer Country Club, Margate

Westlake Golf Club, Cape Town

www.sanlameer.co.za

Scottburgh Golf Club, Scottburgh

Wingate Park Country Club, Pretoria

www.scottburghgolf.co.za

www.wingateparkcountryclub.co.za

Selbourne Golf Estate, Pennington

Swaziland

www.westlakegolfclub.co.za

www.pearlvalley.co.za

www.selborne.com

Pecanwood Golf & Country Club, Hartbeesportt

Silver Lakes Golf & Country Club, Pretoria

www.pecanwoodgolf.co.za

www.silverlakes.co.za

Plettenberg Bay Country Club, Plettenberg Bay

Somerset West Golf Club, Somerset West

www.plettgolf.co.za

www.somersetwestgolfclub.co.za

Fajara Club, Fajara

Pretoria Country Club, Pretoria

St Francis Bay Golf Club, St Francis

www.smiles.gm/fajara.htm

84 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

Royal Swazi Spa Country Club www.suninternational.com/Destinations/Resorts/RoyalSwaziSpaValley/ FacilitiesActivities/Pages/Golf.aspx

The Gambia

Golf Africa www.golfworldmap.com/africa/#9.622414142924805,17.05078125,3

Tunisia

Djerba Golf Club, Midoun www.djerbagolf.com

El Kantaoui Golf Course, Port El

Kantaoui www.portelkantaoui.com.tn/golf

Flamingo Golf Course, Monastir www.golfflamingo.com/english/flamingo.htm

Golf Citrus, Hammamet www.golfcitrus.com

Palm Links Golf Course, Monastir 85 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

www.golf-palmlinks.com/english/ presentation.htm

Tabarka Golf Course, Tabarka www.tabarkagolf.com/en/index.htm

Yasmine Golf Course, Mannamet www.golfyasmine.com/en/index.php 

African Cuisine!

Seychellois Cuisine

S

eychellois cuisine is the cuisine of the Republic of Seychelles, an archipelago country consisting of 115 islands.

Fish plays a prominent part in country’s cuisine because of its location in the Indian Ocean. The Seychelles’s cuisine has been influenced by African, British, French, Indian and Chinese cuisines.

Seychelles Fish Curry Ingredients: For Massalé 2 tsp coriander seeds 3 tsp cumin seeds 2 tsp black peppercorns 1 tsp cardamom pods 1 tsp cloves small piece cinnamon 1 tsp ground chilli 1 tsp grated numeg For Curry 900g firm sea fish (snallper; brill, bream or monkfish) salt and freshly-ground black pepper 2 tbsp olive oil 2 onions, chopped 2 bsp massale 1/2 tsp ground turmeric 2 cloves arlic, chopped 3 tbsp amarind water (1 tbsp tamarind paste mixed with 2 tbsp boiling water) Leaves from 2 springs thyme ½ tsp anise 450 ml fish stock/water Directions: Dry roast the spices until lightly coloured and set aside to cool.

Grind finely and stir in the chilli and nutmeg (this can be stored for several months in an airtight jar).

Cut the fish into bite-sized ieces,

Fish Curry

season and set aside.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the onion until golden.

Stir in the massale and turmeric and fry lightly.

Add the fish and all the other ingredients.

Bring to the simmer and cook for 10 minutes.

Serve with rice.

Chicken Seychelles Ingredients: 4 bone-in, skin-on split chicken breasts approx. 1 t ea salt and pepper 1 1/2 c Mandarin oranges with juice 1/2 c chicken broth or stock 1/3 c Major Grey’s chutney 1 T almonds, sliced 1/2 T brown sugar

1/4 c raisins 1 T yellow curry powder 1/2 t ground cinnamon 1 t fresh thyme leaves, chopped 1/2 bunch green onions, chopped Cilantro Couscous Ingredients: 1 1/4 c chicken or vegetable broth 1 1/4 c water Pinch of salt 2 c large Israeli couscous (if using other type, follow package directions) 3 T cilantro, chopped Directions: Preheat oven to 350°. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Combine remaining ingredients in a roasting pan. Place breasts on top of mixture and coat well with liquids (leave nuts and fruit in bottom of pan to avoid burning). Roast uncovered for 20 min. Baste meat with pan juices 3-4 times until done (165° internal), roast approx. 30 min more. Pour remaining pan juices, fruit and nuts over chicken before serving. Meanwhile, prepare Cilantro Couscous.

To make Cilantro Couscous, bring liquid to a boil in pot with tight-fitting lid. Add remaining ingredients, cover and reduce heat to a simmer for 3 min.

Turn off heat and leave covered for 7 min more until all liquid is absorbed.

Fluff with fork and serve immediately.

Yields 4 large servings.

Grilled Red Snapper

Chicken Seychelles 86 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

Ingredients: 1 large red snapper onions 100g 20g garlic 10g ginger 10g bilimbi (green mango) obtained from most indian grocers

12 small chillies (use as many or a little as you like) Couple of lemons Handful of flat leaved parsley Salt Pepper Directions: • In a food processor finely chop the ingredients all except the lemon.

• Slash the fish as pictured and fill each slash with the mixture.

Season with salt and pepper and squeeze the lemons over the fish leave to marinate for a minimum of 20 mins.

• Grill the fish until brown and the skin is crisp.Serve with a simple tomato salad and basmati rice

Grilled Red Snapper

Mango Salad Ingredients: 2 semi green mangoes 1 onion Pepper Salt ½ lemon Directions: 1. Peel the skin off the mango 2. Slice the mango, leaving the seed 3. Peel the onion and slice it into thin slices 4. Take the sliced mango and onions and put in a bowl 5. Season it with salt and pepper to your taste 6. Take the ½ lemon and squeeze into the salad 7. Mix and the salad is ready

Octopus Salad Ingredients:

Mango Salad 500g octopus Salt Pepper Vinegar Onion ½ Capsicum (bell pepper) ½ Tomato Herbs (Parsley & Thyme) Directions: • Wash the octopus thoroughly with salt • Once all slime has been removed, place the octopus in boiling water • Allow to boil for 30mins, then poke with a fork to check if it is tender • Once tender, remove and cut into slices of about 1cm • Peel and slice the onion • Cut the capsicum in thin slices (julienne) • Dice the tomato • Chop the herbs • Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl • Season the food with salt, pepper and vinegar to your taste

Sweet Potatoe Pudding Ingredients: 1.6 kg sweet potatoes 1.5 litres fresh coconut milk 10g salt

Sweet Potatoe Pudding 87 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

Directions: 1. Wash the sweet potatoes and cut into pieces.

2. Place in a saucepan together with the coconut milk and salt.

3. Bring to the boil and continue cooking until a thick purée is obtained.

4. Mash the sweet potatoes until smooth and creamy 5. Serve hot.

Ladob Banan (Bananas in Coconut Milk) Ingredients: 3 large plantains or green bananas 1 tsp freshly=grated nutmeg 1 vanilla pod, split in half lengthways 1 tsp salt 3 tbsp brown sugar 6 cinnamon leaves (or 4 cinnamon sticks) 600ml coconut milk Directions: Peel the bananas (or plantains) and

Ladob Banan

split them in half lengthways.

Now cut each half in half lengthways again.

Arrange the pieces in a large, heavybased saucepan then add all the spices.

Pour over the coconut milk then bring to a brisk boil Cook for 10 minutes then reduce to a simmer and cook, without covering the pan, for about 30 minutes mor or until the plantains or bananas are completely tender.

Remove the vanilla pod and cinnamon leaves or sticks.

Divide the mixture between four small bowls and serve. www.marketofchoice.com/?option=com_ra pidrecipe&page=viewrecipe&recipe_ id=240&Itemid=179

UPS WorldShip™

Your Desktop Guide Through International Shipping Preparation

The KARIDERM products for hair care, body care and facial care are made from certified organic shea butter, offering all the benefits of this African green treasure.

Rich in nutritious fatty acids and regenerating vitamins, KARIDERM’s shea butter nourishes and balances the skin, giving a superior level of protection, revitalization and hydration.

Available in Canada & Africa.

Order directly from www.kariderm.com/en

Download Free Software www.ups.com

Pan-African CHILDREN’S FUND

people-to-people, church-to-church initiative to contribute to a better future for the children of Africa Please send your contribution to:

Pan-African Children’s Fund P.O. Box 8386 Los Angeles, CA 90008

323-733-1048 pacf@westa.org

www.facebook.com/BaBaBlanket 88 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

ENJOY!!

The many beers, wines and liquors of Africa.

On the continent and in the U.S.A. 89 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

Aviation Maintenance Technician International Students Welcome



IT’S CLEAN™

Wedgywall™ Modelar Panel and Exhibit System Rentals •Durable double-sided, seamless panels •Sets up in seconds •No visible hardware •Manufactured in the USA

West Los Angeles College 9000 S. Overland Avenue Culver City, CA 90230 USA

McKenzie Exhibits International

www.wlac.cc.ca.us

818-756-5375

Instant Hand Sanitizer Bio-Based

Kills 99.9% of Germs Moisterizing Formula with Vitamins A&E order cartons of 32 individual packets by calling

14803 Vanowen St., Suite #14 Van Nuys, CA 91405

1-773-888-9999 1-800-MONEYGRAM® www.moneygram.com

ASSIST THE PEOPLE OF SOUTH SUDAN Sudan Sunrise

S

Help Build Schools in the South Sundan www.sudansunrise.org

outh Sudan is the most underdeveloped region of the world today. 85% of the population in South Sudan is illiterate. Only about 7% of teachers in the south have any professional training, and it is not uncommon to visit a school where the teachers themselves have not been educated beyond fourth grade. Some 1.5 million children who should be in school are not, due to lack of schools. The majority of schools that do exist consist of a chalkboard under a tree. Read about the camapign and contribute to the program to build over 41 schools at www.sudansunrise.org.

Southern Sudan Literacy Project (SSLP)

T

Build a Primary School • www.thehopealliance.org/?q=node/77

he Southern Sudan Literacy Project (SSLP) is designed to build a Primary school in Dongchak Payam, Duk County, Southern Sudan. Solomon Awan, who was one of the “Lost Boys from Sudan,” now lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.

He desires to help the village he is from, Duk Padiet. Villagers are just now returning after so many years of war and genocide. During the Spring of 2008, Solomon traveled back to his home village where he was reunited with his mother and sister. He met with the village community and agreed that the education of their children is the most critical need. We hope to finish building the school before the 2011 rainy season. To further this goal, SSLP has partnered with Hope Alliance, allowing our donors the benefit of a tax deduction. Please help SSLP accomplish this worthwhile project: send donations to The Hope Alliance (www.thehopealliance.org) For further information please contact: solomonawan@ yahoo.com.  91 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018

Sailing July 20 - 27, 2019 from Ft. Lauderdale onboard the Celebrity Equinox to: San Juan PR - Tortola BVI - Punta Cana DR Key West FL. FESTIVAL AT SEA is the ORIGINAL African American themed cruise. Entering our 28th year of Cruising with an African-American Twist, we’ve set the bar high. 2019 reaches that mark as we set sail on the beautiful Celebrity Equinox.

The Equinox captures the very essence of premium cruising and luxury. With new amenities not available on any other Celebrity ship, prepare to have your expectations exceeded as soon as you step on board. This is “Modern Luxury” and in 2019, you will be the Celebrity!

On Festival at Sea we bring top-name entertainment to perform for you in our venues. DJ’s spin music in our onboard clubs and our White Night and Costume Theme Nights are off the hook. The days are filled with dozens of activities, shows and classes that will keep you moving throughout the week. That’s why so many people make it their annual Family Reunion at Sea. Some of our exclusive events include: Speed Dating  Gospel Brunch  Worship Service and Bible Study  Bid Whist  Dominoes  Aqua Zumba  Steppin’ Classes  Urban Line Dancing  UNCF Bachelor Auction  Boot Camp Workout  African-American Idol  Urban Ballroom Dancing  Family Feud  Jewelry Raffle Giveaway  Stomp The Deck Frat and Sorority Step Competition  2 on 2 Basketball Tournament  Gospelcise  African Attire Evening & Fashion Show  Renewal of Wedding Vows  Beach Parties ... plus much much more!

All of this is wrapped up in 7 days of excitement and celebration ... plus 4 ports and two days at sea!

Festival at Sea… Once You Go… Then You Know!

Blue World Travel Corporation 351 California Street, Suite 950, San Francisco, CA 94104 Telephone: 1-800-466-2719 Facsimile: 1-415-882-9985 E-mail: fas@blueworldtravel.com Website: www.festivalatsea.com 92 | blackbusinessnews/TRAVEL | Fall 2018