On This Day

𝗢𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟬𝟵: "Spending Christmas Eve in a huge empty YMCA at the foot of Kilimanjaro - not sure whether it's more surreal or depressing, but I do have a godlike view of the mountain (or at least I would if it weren't covered in dark grey clouds)."

𝗢𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟬: "So the "convoy" to Somalia ended up consisting of one car, and was only armed with apples - lots of apples - and an old woman who vomited all over. Easily the strangest 16 hour drive of my life, which is saying something...."

(𝗔𝗹𝘀𝗼) 𝗢𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟬: "Here is our apple-laden Land Cruiser stopped in the middle of a desert somewhere in Somalia last night under a full moon - we gave our spare tyre to the other car and then proceeded to drive over a rather rocky and steep mountain with no spare of our own. Also, our driver was insane...."

(𝗔𝗹𝘀𝗼) 𝗢𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟬: "Had to eat goat for dinner, as apparently camel is only served during the day - disappointing, but at least I have plans for Christmas lunch now...."

𝗢𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟮: "Off to Austria for three days of Christmas, sarma and no internet....."

𝗢𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟯: "Christmas eve sunset at the beach in Abu Dhabi - no sign of Santa Claus, but there were ninjas everywhere....."

The lobby of the YMCA in Moshi, Tanzania, during the festive season..... - December 2009

Godlike view of Mt Kilimanjaro is just behind those clouds....- December 2009, Moshi, Tanzania

[NB: In hindsight I was especially glad to have seen the famous mountain up close and personal in all its glory on a flight from Nairobi to Zanzibar the previous week]

Here is our apple-laden Land Cruiser stopped in the middle of a desert somewhere in Somalia last night under a full moon - we gave our spare tyre to the other car and then proceeded to drive over a rather rocky and steep mountain with no spare of our own. Also, our driver was insane....

Just before tackling the mountains after crossing the Somalia border (which I didn't get photos of, but was one of the most surreal borders I've ever been to - picture militia men in street clothes with machine guns sitting on cardboard boxes watching WWF wrestling on a TV screen plugged into a 100 foot extension cord in the middle of the desert).....

A switchback on the main 'motorway' connecting Djibouti and Somalia, no joke....

Domača srpska sarma is without question the tastiest food that homo sapiens have ever produced. If you've never tried it, you'd be well-advised to get yourself a Serbian father-in-law asap.... - December 2012, Gallizien, Austria

Christmas eve sunset at the beach in Abu Dhabi - no sign of Santa Claus, but there were ninjas everywhere..... - December 2013, Abu Dhabi