FreeSilva

Tanzania occupies an area of approximately 945,000 square kilometres, it is the largest country of the three East African countries, with a population of about 34 million people comprising of about 120 ethnic tribes and dialects.

The country has enjoyed a stable political climate since it attained its independence in 1961, and it is therefore regarded as the last remaining bastion of true peace and stability in a region normally characterised by political woes and ethnic conflicts. About 25% of the countries geographical landmass has been gazetted and put under protection as Game reserves, Conservation areas, Forest reserves or fully-fledged National parks, in total, Tanzania have 12 National parks scattered across the country.  The best African safari in Tanzania.

Recently I received an email from a friend describing an organization I’d never heard of. This is what she wrote:

‘I just met some unusual travelers. Airline Ambassadors is a nonprofit composed of mostly airline personnel who fly all around the world on humanitarian missions. I spoke with one woman, Penny, who goes repeatedly to Guatemala to bring supplies and goodwill to orphans. Another, Mary Anne, is departing in a few days for another trip to Pakistan and Afghanistan. They do what they can to get free or discounted flights, but also spend their own money on these volunteer service trips. They always carry boxes of supplies for distribution. They are absolutely committed to the one-on-one personal exchange with those who are in need of some care and attention. I listened to some of their stories of where they go and who they meet and what they do for people – and was surprised to hear about these rugged adventures and the generosity of these airline professionals.’ Read the rest of this entry »

I’m sitting on a sunny patio at Squaw Valley, California, USA, surrounded by snow-clad peaks and T-shirt-clad skiers and snowboarders. My wife and two children are on one of those peaks, swooshing away the last day of our spring vacation, and I’m sitting here basking in the glow of a wonderful family trip. We’ve laughed together, wiped out together, picnicked together on salami and cheese sandwiches made in our hotel room; we’ve oohed and aahed at snow-tipped peaks jutting pure white into the bluest of skies. We’ve enjoyed all kinds of small, simple things that we’re usually too rushed and routined to enjoy at home. Read the rest of this entry »

In last week’s column, while recalling my first tentative foreign-language forays in France, I mentioned one glorious dinner when, thinking I was telling my host family how full I was, I grandly announced to all assembled at the table that I was pregnant.

Such linguistic missteps are among the delightful serendipities of travel, and often they are linked even more directly to food.

Have you ever sat at a table in a foreign land with a menu in your hand and realized that you couldn’t recognize a single item? Of course you have. Now what did you do in that situation? Read the rest of this entry »

The inspiration behind FreeSilva Conversations is the idea of presenting a series of on-stage dialogues with great travel writers and adventurers. The goal is to present live and in public the same adventurousness of spirit, devotion to quality, and passion for travel that we pour into our guidebooks. After months of intense and enthusiastic preparation by LP staffers and intricate coordination with the event’s co-sponsors, the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley and the Commonwealth Club of California, the first event was held on the UC Berkeley campus on April 9, with me in conversation with travel writer Jan Morris. For all of you who couldn’t be there, here are some selected snippets from our talk. Read the rest of this entry »