The Trip

So, January 15th is almost here. For three months it has been a date on an itinerary:

British Airways

15Jan06 Sunday

ARRIVE 16JAN06
FLIGHT # 0116
DEPARTURE CITY New York Kennedy NY, USA
ARRIVAL CITY London Heathrow EN, UK
CLASS Y
DEPARTURE TIME 930P
ARRIVAL TIME 915A

British Airways
16Jan06 Monday

ARRIVE 17JAN06
FLIGHT # 0057
DEPARTURE CITY London Heathrow EN, UK
ARRIVAL CITY Johannesburg, South Africa
CLASS Y
DEPARTURE TIME 755P
ARRIVAL TIME 850A

15Jan06 is the beginning of a trip I've been planning for a while, from South Africa to Ethiopia by land. I'll fly out of Addis Ababa in mid-July and I hope this blog will chronicle everything in between. This will serve two puposes:

1. So that my parents can be sure I'm alive
2. To survey the level of internet connectivity in the region

Seriously (on both accounts), I believe internet technologies are vital to development in the region and I hope to get an idea of where they're needed, how they can be implemented, and who they can help. I'll be volunteering for a number of different organizations on the way, meeeting and reconnecting with some great people, and seeing some of the most beautiful places on the planet. And if all goes as planned, it'll all be thanks to public transportation...so, I'll also be doing my share of waiting on the side of dusty roads beside a broken down bus with a dead ipod and a sore back.

The countries I'll be visiting: South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, and Ethiopia. They're on this map, it's not great, but it's tough to find a JPEG of Africa on the internet. Hmmm, and I'm hoping to find the internet in Africa...