Lee Abbamonte
Try to become the youngest person to travel to every country in the world
Gorillas in the Mist
By Lee | 
15 Comments » 
As Charles Dickens once wrote, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” I think that aptly describes my experience tracking the Susa silverback gorillas in Parc National des Volcans in Northern Rwanda. It was great fun and it was miserable. It was memorable and there’s much I’d like to forget. It was gorgeous and it was ugly. There was OK weather and there was a lot of cold and rain. But the experience for better or worse was well worth it because most of all there were the amazing gorillas and babies in their natural habitat which is something I will certainly not forget.
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Kigali 15 Years Later
By Lee | 5 Comments » 
I’m not really sure how I want write about Kigali because it is a very beautiful city. It’s quite possibly the cleanest city in all of Africa and certainly the cleanest and safest capital city on the Continent. It is called “le ville des mille collines” or the city of 1000 hills and it is very hilly which adds to the aesthetic allure of the city. However, Kigali has a dark past that is inescapable. The city is haunted by memories of a cataclysmic genocide that took place just 15 short years ago. While the people seem to have tried to move on and put the pieces back together; as a visitor, there is nothing else you can think about as the city brings you face to face with the true evil of man.
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There Is No Joy In Juba
By Lee | 15 Comments » 
You’ve probably never heard of Juba, Southern Sudan. You were also probably unaware that Southern Sudan is separately governed than Sudan and that they will most likely become an independent country within the next year or so. Believe me, your life will continue unaffected for you not knowing this information. I can’t imagine that if and when Southern Sudan becomes an Internationally recognized country that many tourists will rush to get here. It is hot as hell, extortionately expensive and a dusty mess with not a damn thing to do. Sounds great right?! Well in truth, I wasn’t expecting much-well anything, and that’s why I was at least able to find the place interesting in some ways as my expectations were zero.
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In Search of Idi Amin
By Lee | 5 Comments » 
Like Rome, Kampala is said to be built on seven hills. Kampala is the intellectual and industrial heart of a country which has been recovering and rebuilding seemingly for decades. A center of political intrigue for much of its recent history, Kampala has been reborn and is forward looking to a very promising future. Modern buildings have done much to mask the battering it took in the late 70’s and early 80’s and the city has a confidence that things are better. It is infectious. Kampala has modern amenities missing in many African capitals such as ATM’s, banks and people that speak English. It is a glowing example of the new African city; modern of sorts but certainly in touch with its roots and from where it has come. Kampala is just a cool place.
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Christmas and Camel Racing in Kenya
By Lee | 7 Comments » 
I was never originally going to go to Kenya on this trip. I had already been there and it was just another long bus ride to get to Uganda. However, I had been moving faster than expected because of some days of flights, availability, etc. So I emailed my friend Joe who was traveling in East Africa to see where he was and if we could meet up on Christmas for a few days. We had originally talked about doing a portion of this trip together but couldn’t work out the timing or the details. But luck had it that I could meet him in Mombasa, Kenya on Christmas Day after a night in Nairobi. That decision turned out to be the best decision of the trip thus far. And the biggest lesson learned is that Christmas in Kenya is a lot different than Christmas in Connecticut!
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Brazzaville, Kinshasa and Muhammad Ali
By Lee | 4 Comments » 
First, I want to wish a Merry Christmas to everyone from Kenya as I am a little behind on blog duties so here we go. Before I talk about Brazzaville and Kinshasa I have to adequately describe the scene at the airport in Pointe-Noire before my Trans Air Congo flight to Brazzaville. I was lucky to get a seat on any of the flights as they were shockingly all oversold even though there were 4 or 5 per day. So I got to the airport 2.5 hours early as was advised by the wonderful lady who booked my ticket on the oversold flight as she said it was a little crazy at the airport. I was smugly thinking, “Do you know who you’re dealing with?” Well I was soon to see why she said that and that I clearly know nothing!
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Paradise of Sorts in Pointe-Noire
By Lee | 8 Comments » 
Sometimes you discover the best places by accident when you are traveling especially in really off the beaten path places. For instance, my original plan was to fly from Gabon to Brazzaville where I would take the boat to Kinshasa and go from there. However, such is life in Africa-there were no flights because Air Service Gabon decided to shut down until January for unspecified reasons-TIA (this is Africa). This left me with two options. Go overland through a dangerous section of the Congo to Brazzaville that’d take days to get there or fly to Pointe-Noire for a few days then connect to Brazzaville. I chose the latter and I am so glad I did as Pointe-Noire is somewhat of a paradise.
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A Weekend in Libreville, Gabon
By Lee | 8 Comments » 
You may or may not have heard of Gabon. Its biggest claim to fame was probably being the setting for a season of the show Survivor. I never did see any of those Survivor episodes but from being in Gabon and certainly from flying over it I can see that the jungles are vast and untouched. The weather is hot, humid and nasty which makes for a great place for ecotourism which is the new buzzword in Gabon. The only problem is that it’ll cost you…a lot! Gabon and Central Africa in general are very cheap in terms of living, food and other basic necessities but as far as travel and certainly tourism-they are among the most expensive places on earth.
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Cow-Town in Equatorial Guinea
By Lee | 5 Comments » 
As I left on the 25 minute flight from Douala to Malabo, I got a great view above the clouds of Mount Cameroon which is the highest mountain in West Africa and I couldn’t help but be reminded of Kilimanjaro which put me in a great mood heading over to Equatorial Guinea. Considering the squalor I was expecting, it could only exceed any expectations that I had. As you fly into Malabo, you will see tons of oil platforms scattered around the harbor, tankers steaming and coastal refineries shooting off flames day and night. Malabo is “Cow-town” Africa: make no mistake; the city and in fact the country is run by big foreign, mostly American oil and it looks like it’ll be that way for a while.
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My Day in Douala
By Lee | 8 Comments » 
After a very pleasant evening in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, I took a four hour flight over the Sudan, Central African Republic and down into Douala, Cameroon. Everything was fine except for the daily double of having the only super fat guy in Africa right next to me crushing me into the wall and a guy behind me hacking up a lung the entire four hour flight and obviously never covering his mouth. Let’s just say I was happy to land and meet up with my friends Augustine, Henry and his wife Honorine in the sweltering and busy port city of Douala.
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