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Libreville Me From Another Coup, So Gabon With It!

Libreville Me From Another Coup, So Gabon With It!

by Calvin Sun | Jan 10, 2024 | Gabon, Getting that VISA, How Did You Do That?, Way Way Off the Beaten Path, Winter 2023: The Gulf of Guinea

  We were worried whether the bloodless peaceful (if there is ever such a thing) coup d’état that took place here in Gabon less than only 4 months ago would affect our chances getting here. The coup had been the conclusion to a 56-year-long rule of the...
São Tomé & Away!

São Tomé & Away!

by Calvin Sun | Jan 9, 2024 | São Tomé & Príncipe, Way Way Off the Beaten Path, Winter 2023: The Gulf of Guinea

São Tomé & Príncipe were a handful of islands first discovered by the Portuguese in the late 15th century but settling proved difficult due to its remote location. Therefore the earliest inhabitants were “undesirables” sent from Portugal, mostly Jews...
Nature’s Last Stand: It’s Only A Matter of Príncipe!

Nature’s Last Stand: It’s Only A Matter of Príncipe!

by Calvin Sun | Jan 8, 2024 | How Did You Do That?, Príncipe, São Tomé & Príncipe, Way Way Off the Beaten Path, What Dreams May Come, Winter 2023: The Gulf of Guinea

  After a 10 day long roadtrip across the coast along the Gulf of Guinea and a day to recover in Accra, we flew out on an afternoon 4:10pm TP1527 TAP Portugal flight from Accra to TMS airport in São Tomé, one of the least visited countries in the world.  ...
Let’s Go-lan, Far, and To New Heights Together

Let’s Go-lan, Far, and To New Heights Together

by Calvin Sun | Sep 25, 2023 | Border Crossing, How Did You Do That?, September 2023: Syria, Syria, Travel Warnings, Way Way Off the Beaten Path, What Dreams May Come

  After saying our goodbyes yesterday to Francois and this morning to Rajani and Chris this morning, all of whom had to leave much earlier for their scheduled flights, we took a detour drive west to the Golan Heights before we’d make our own flights back...
Humbling Homs

Humbling Homs

by Calvin Sun | Sep 23, 2023 | Crisis, September 2023: Syria, Syria, The Nightlife, Way Way Off the Beaten Path

  This morning after breakfast and another quick workout at Hotel Laurus in Aleppo, we drove back south towards Homs at 9am.     Along the highway towards Homs we stopped for local pistachios back at Hama.     While our family dinner 2 nights...
Mogadishu, Somalia: Witness to Reconstruction & Renaissance

Mogadishu, Somalia: Witness to Reconstruction & Renaissance

by Calvin Sun | May 27, 2023 | Getting that VISA, May 2023: Horn of Africa, Somalia, Travel Warnings, Way Way Off the Beaten Path, What Dreams May Come

 The Battle of Mogadishu took place nearly more than 30 years ago in 1993 and its subsequent depiction in the film Black Hawk Down has remained a fixture of my childhood since high school. I still remember the night when we went to watch the film with my fellow...
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