Jack's Travelogue

Durbar Revisited

Some people have asked about my Durbar experiences. You can see photos in the folder on the right and you can read about the Durbar by clicking "Posts by Month or Category"

Articles appear in October and November 2005.

Adventure in Niger

On a recent long weekend, four Americans and four Brits set off for an adventure to Niger. Niger is a country of twelve and half million people and is one of the poorest countries in the world. Our quest was the Cure Salee (Salt Festival), held annually in September, in the small oasis town of Ingall near Agadez at the edge of the Sahara Desert. The Cure Salee is a one hundred year old festival, at which the nomadic Tuareg and Fulani tribes come in from the desert to celebrate the rainy season and to allow their animals to drink the salty water and eat the plants, which are at their peak at this time of year. With camel races, camel displays, a market of silverwork and leather goods and traditional dancing by matrimony seeking members of the Wodaabe people, a group of Fulani, it promised to be a good adventure. And a good adventure it was, but not the one we intended...

See photos in the Niger folder on the right.

Nigerian Moon Landing

The Nigerian government on Wednesday announced that it had drawn up a master plan through which the first Nigerian would "land on the moon by 2030."

Globalization

One of the nice things about this assignment is the experience of meeting all kinds of interesting people I never would have met in my relatively homogenous world in New York.

The other night, I had dinner with the U.S. Military Attache, a U.S Army Colonel and the Chinese Defense Atache, a General in the Peoples Liberation Army. The U.S. Colonel said that it was ironic that his office gives out souvenir coffee mugs with U.S. military logos on it but if you turn the cup upside down, it reads "Made in China". The Chinese General replied that his regulation issue survival knife reads "Made in U.S.A."

Back on the Blog

I can't believe that 6 months have gone buy since I've posted anything here but here we go again. Please read on...

The Durbar II

Last week, I went to Kano  to see the Durbar, a centuries old festival that is a celebration marking the end of Ramadhan, a month-long period of fasting and prayer in the Muslim faith.
(See the photos in the folder on the right.)

The Durbar

I have been invited to attend the Durbar, a festival celebrating the end of Ramadan. This festival, one of three that will be held in the country will take place in Kano, a city 250 miles north of Abuja, on November 3. Photos and commentaries will be posted when I return. Read more about the Durbar...

A Joyous Wedding

Last Saturday, I had a wonderful experience. One of the young Nigerian men working at the American Embassy invited the staff to his wedding and four of us decided to attend. After a scenic two and a half hour drive, we arrived in the small village of Kafanchan. See the photos in the “Wedding” album.

As we entered the small church…

Bulge

What’s that bulge in my trousers, you ask?

Most Dangerous Place...II

A Nigerian woman has written to me (see comments section), taking offense at my last posting "Most Dangerous Palce on Earth". I tried writing back to her but the e-mail address I have does not seem to work. Here is a copy of my reply to her and to any other Nigerians who may have taken offense.