Bamako May Be Hot, Dusty, Expensive & Polluted, But They Sure Make Some Good Chow

Party time in Bamako Roland, who is always clamoring to go see nothing but filth, decay, degradation and abject misery-- that and all that i...

How Safe Is Mali For American Tourists?

Roland at the Djenne market After spending some time in Dakar and Bamako I posted about how I found both cities very safe for tourists . Now...

How Safe Is It For Americans To Visit Dakar In Senegal And Bamako In Mali?

Mali feels very safe all the time Conventional wisdom is that Bamako is uber-safe and Dakar is infested with pickpockets... but otherwise pr...

Bassekou-- Master Of The Ngoni-- Rocks The House

Thursday I went out to Quizambougou to watch Bassekou Kouyate finish recording his second album, a follow-up to his amazing debut, Segu Blue...

First Day In Mali

Can't read our logos? Click the pic Ahhhh... Mali, land of my dreams; well that might be a little exaggeration but ever since I was a ki...

You Can't Always Count On The Guide Books

Especially not in remote places that don't warrant frequent updates. For this trip, I'm using a Lonely Planet for Senegal and a Bra...

First Day In Senegal

My Air France flight from L.A. to Paris was an hour early-- and there's an adequate lounge at De Gaulle with free computer use (Macs, no...

Thai Court Ousts Prime Minister Over Election Fraud-- Airport Siege Ends

With 300,000 tourists stranded in Thailand-- and the economy losing at least $2 billion-- Thailand's Constitutional Court banned Prime ...

Shit Happens-- Even In Happy Go Lucky Thailand: Bangkok Airports Closed Down

Thailand's welcome mat rolled back in Last night Roland drove his friend to LAX. His friend bought a home and a business and is moving a...

I Would Rate Mumbai, India As A Safe City To Visit Although It Wasn't Today

Gates of India on the right, Taj Mahal Hotel on the left The first time I was in Mumbai, then called Bombay, was 1970 and I was so happy to ...

Getting Ready For Senegal

I'm getting ready for my trip to Senegal and Mali. It was a bit of a hassle getting the Mali visa-- which sat on the desk of someone at ...

Wireless Service Coming To Delta

I've often mentioned that Delta is the worst of all the awful domestic carriers. I try to avoid flying that airline when there is an al...

Where on Earth will YOU vote?

I could have voted in Fez Right now, as I mentioned, I'm planning a trip to Djenne , Mopti, le pays Dogon and Timbuktu; that's all M...

HOW SAFE IS MEXICO CITY FOR U.S. TOURISTS?

Short answer: very, very safe. If you're looking for trouble-- in Mexico City or anywhere else-- you can surely find it. But all the hyp...

TRIP PLANNING: MALI, PESHAWAR AND MEXICO CITY

Djenne-- Growin' a beard so I can get in here For several years I would wake up in the back on my VW van, crawl into the front seat and ...

OUR ANNUAL NEW NEW ORLEANS CATCH-UP BY MICHAEL SNYDER

Hard to Leave the Big Easy I’m continuing to depressurize. Trying to reintegrate right and left brains. Weaning myself off of Pimm’s cups an...

A VISIT TO THE TOMB OF SARMAD-- A GAY, NAKED (AND BEHEADED) SUFI POET AND MYSTIC

When I arrived in India for the first time, in 1969, I immediately gave up my dependence on drugs. I've been-- excuse the expression-- ...

LUNCH IN THE SAME BANGKOK RESTAURANT EVERYDAY FOR A MONTH-- BUSSARACUM, THE BEST RESTAURANT IN THAILAND

I've been visiting Thailand for nearly 30 years now. It's a lot easier to find great food in Bangkok now than it was when I first st...