Khadija and I plunged into new territory earlier this month by traveling to Mali and then to Guinea. West Africa has many countries and we are slowly but surely visiting them all to learn about their amazing cultures and histories.

I’ve been thinking about traveling to Mali for two decades, starting back in the day when the Festival of the Desert was happening from 2001 to 2012. Finally, I made it, UN country #155 even though Khadija had been there previously while working for the UN. We visited only Bamako as the security situation is uncertain outside of this sprawling capital city because of Jihadists, kidnappers and criminals (these groups overlap).

It seems everywhere there are street vendors, either on crowded blocks full of them or isolated by themselves, such as this man selling a variety of things from his backpack and hanging on his arm.

The residents use private passenger vans, called Sotramas, derived from the French phrase "Société du Transport du Mali", with established routes but no timetables. I took one for the experience and they are a cheap option (equivalent to 20 to 40 cents) if you know where they are going.

Guinea is often called Guinea Conakry (the capital) to distinguish it from its neighbor Guinea Bissau (also the capital). This was a new place for both of us (#156 for me and #153 for Khadija).

The mountainous areas receive prodigious rains and are the source of many West African rivers, including the Niger, Gambia and Senegal. As a result, it has several marvelous waterfalls such as Ditinn which is the height of 3 American football fields. To get there, we drove several hours on extremely bumpy roads, walked over a jerrybuilt bridge made of fallen trees and trudged through swampy areas.

The internationally famous singer Miriam Makeba, born and raised in South Africa, became a Guinea permanent resident in 1960 after South Africa revoked her passport because of her anti-apartheid activism. She was living in the U.S. and after marrying Black Panther leader Stokely Carmichael in 1968 had her visa revoked the same year. Guinea President Sekou Toure gave the couple citizenship in his country and she lived there for about fifteen years while performing around the world.

She had a versatile and dynamic voice which she used to blend traditional South African melodies and rhythms with jazz and Western pop and folk influences. She often sang in local languages, including her native Xhosa, known for its distinct click sounds. In 1966, she became the first African artist to win a Grammy.

The Guinea government built a house for Miriam and Stokley (who later changed his name to Kwame Ture) in the town of Dalaba in the beautiful Fouta Djallon Mountains on what is now known as Rue Miriam Makeba.

Many of the interior rooms have rounded walls with traditional Guinea motifs and in the center is a dome with decorations we saw in “palaver houses” which are time-honored meeting places for communities to discuss matters and resolve disputes.

The structure and furniture have deteriorated a great deal and the only security is an aging caretaker. Last year, robbers stole valuable paintings and personal items belonging to the couple. I hope that someone, the Guinea government, the family or the international community, come to the rescue and restore this home with this storied history.

UPCOMING TRIPS

For Thanksgiving, we will be visiting family in Colorado. We are tentatively planning on revisiting Bamako to see the Dogon festival in late January. However, we are monitoring the security situation as a few days ago the U.S. State Department advised U.S. citizens in Mali should depart immediately.

RECENT POSTS

My post Moldova – Europe’s Best Kept Secret ponders why so few travelers know little or nothing about the country even though it’s in Europe and easily accessible. Moldova has a lot of places to explore, including the autonomous Gagauzia region, museums and restaurants in Chisinau and cave monasteries in Tipova. There are also Ottoman forts, massive wineries and traditional handicraft complexes, as well as outdoor adventures like hiking, cycling, kayaking, and bird watching. Tourism is rapidly increasing and it’s better to go as soon as possible before it becomes deservedly well known.

An odd but interesting part of the country is Transnistria, a 127-mile strip essentially between the Dniester River and the Ukrainian border. Since 1992, it’s been a breakaway republic with the official name as the Pridnestrovian Moldovan Republic, though still universally recognized as a part of Moldova.

The country is an ethnic hodgepodge with a population of about 450,000; approximately 1/3 Russians, 1/3 Moldovans and 1/4 Ukrainians. However, Russian language and culture have come to dominate the de facto state. For example, over 90% of preschoolers are taught in Russian. In the capital of Tiraspol is one of the highest Lenin statues that remain standing (a few days after we left Osh, Kyrgyzstan in June, the city removed a huge one).

Russia had long been economically supporting Transnistria by providing free natural gas but stopped in 2025 (no doubt reflecting their need to marshal resources into the Ukraine invasion), causing a severe crisis where the Transnistria government has difficulty providing basic services.

There is no doubt if Russia had been successful in occupying Ukraine, it would have marched into Transnistria and made it a permanent part of Putin's expanding empire.

SUBWAY PHOTOGRAPHY:

My beautifully printed black and white “Station to Station: Exploring the New York City Subway” coffee table book is still available. You can see all photos @nycsubwaybook on Instagram and New York Subway Book on Facebook. Click here or email me for a signed copy, not available anywhere else!

SOCIALS:

My website www.ExploringEd.com with detailed posts on our trips.

FB: @Ed.Hotchkiss.3 and @Exploring Ed Travel | IG: @Exploring.Ed.Travel​

RECENT BOOKS​:

“When the Lion Feeds” (1964, 534 pages) is a historical adventure novel by Wilbur Smith, and the first book in the Courtney family series. The book follows twin brothers Sean and Garrick Courtney in 19th-century South Africa, chronicling their differing paths through war, gold fever, and romance. It was Smith's debut novel and the one that launched his successful writing career. He eventually authored over 50 novels, which sold over 140 million copies worldwide, and was known for his meticulous research and action-packed plots.

DONATE

Khadija and I have traveled extensively around the world and have often seen the effects of devastating poverty, pitiable sanitation and unhealthy diets on local people, especially children. We are very happy to recommend initiatives by friends of ours to improve the lives of people living in these conditions and have just contributed to their efforts. Please consider also donating to them.

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Khadija’s former colleague Giovanie returned to her home country of Burundi after a long career at the United Nations. On her visits to Mbuye, her birthplace, she spoke with the over 100 students and the staff of Lycée Communal de Muzenga and was deeply inspired by their spirit and determination, despite the school’s lack of basic infrastructure and essential resources.

She has launched a campaign to bring clean water and sanitation to the school involving installing pumps, filtration, piping, a storage tank, a maintenance plan and extending distribution to nearby households and adequate sanitation facilities for the school. Thanks to her personal and local investments, the project has started. To finish it, she needs an additional $19,300. This is one case where every contribution definitely counts.

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Humanity Effect was founded in 2023 by Cameron Mofid, whom I worked with on the scholarship committee of NomadMania. During his global travels to all 193 UN countries, he visited Makoko, a slum in Nigeria home to 250,000 people living in extreme poverty. While there, he visited Part of Solution Nursery and Primary School, where 351 students attended classes in a floating wooden structure. Despite lacking clean water, healthcare, and basic necessities, the children’s resilience and positivity left a lasting impact on Cameron.

Moved by their spirit, Cameron launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise $5,000 for the school. In just a week, over 200 people donated, raising more than $10,000. This covered backpacks, uniforms, and essential supplies for all 351 students. The campaign gained further momentum when NBA star Kyrie Irving donated $45,000, securing a water tank, water shoes, a school boat, and electricity for the school.

​The success of the fundraiser and the significant improvements led Cameron to create Humanity Effect. Today, Humanity Effect operates two schools, supporting more than 750 students, and an orphanage that cares for 40 children. Funds contributed to this organization make immediate and significant improvements for the education and wellbeing of children living in very rudimentary conditions.

Happy Traveling 🌏… Exploring Ed