My Trip to Africa

By Erin Cushing

Africa• On my trip to Africa I went to Djibouti and

Malawi. • I left on September 9th and came back on

September 20th.

Africa Travel Planning

• No current travel warnings in either countries• A travel visa required for Djibouti – it cost

$105• There was no visa required in Malawi• I used my current passport for this trip

The Vaccinations I needed cost a Total of $513.15

DJIBOUTI MALAWI● Malaria $176.00● Hepatitis A $63.72● Typhoid $70.00● Yellow fever $130.00● Polio already have● Hepatitis B $52.50● MMR already have● Tetanus- Diphtheria already have

• Malaria $176.00• Hepatitis A $63.72• Typhoid $70.00• Yellow fever $130.00• Cholera $20.93• Hepatitis B $52.50• MMR already have• Tetanus- Diphtheria already have

Djibouti

Djibouti Flag

Djibouti Facts

• Djiboutian• Population of 774,389 people• Muslim 94%, Christian 6%• Official languages are French and Arabic• They are a Republic• Current president is Ismail Omar Guelleh• Real, long name is Republic of Djibouti • Independence from France on June 27th, 1977• Export hides, skins, coffee • Djibouti is a poor but developing country

Djibouti Geography

• Djibouti, Djibouti is the only major city in Djibouti• Capitol is Djibouti• Djibouti is on the east coast of Africa• Borders the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea• Neighboring countries are Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea,

and Yemen• Djibouti is slightly smaller than Massachusetts

Culture and Food of Djibouti• While I was in Djibouti I also saw a performance of their

traditional dance, called jenile. This comes from their Islamic religious traditions.

• I was surprised to see that most people wore the same style of clothes that we wear and most of the Muslim women didn’t wear veils.

• The Djibouti diet is influenced by Italian and other European foods.

• I tried a traditional Djibouti food which is a thick flatbread made from wheat and eaten with a sauce made from ghee (clarified butter) and red pepper. It was really good.

Air Travel Itinerary

Departure Date – September 9th • From: MCI – Kansas City• To: IAD – Washington DC - Dulles• Departs: 8:15 am Arrives: 11:37 am • 2 hours 22 minutes• $188.00 + $25 for bag fee

Layover – 6 hours 23 minutes • From: IAD – Washington DC – Dulles• To: JED – Jeddah, Saudi Arabia• Departs: 6:00 pm Arrives: 12:55 pm (next day) • 11 hours 55 minutes• $739.00

Layover – 6 hours 25 minutes

Air Travel Itinerary

Arrival Date – September 10th • From: JED – Jeddah, Saudi Arabia• To: JIB – Djibouti, Djibouti• Departs: 7:20 pm Arrives: 9:25 pm• 2 hours 5 minutes• $246.00

Total time to arrive to Djibouti – 29 hours 10 minutes

Total cost of flights - $1,173 + $25 bag fee

Djibouti Palace Kempinski• I Arrived on September 10th in Djibouti

and took a taxi to my hotel called Djibouti Palace Kempinski. I was to tired to do anything so I went to bed.

• I stayed in the Deluxe Sea view room.• A 5 night stay in a Deluxe Sea View

room cost $2260.

View from my hotel room window.

Day 1 in Djibouti• In the morning I got up and went to watch the

Djibouti National Football Team play. Their nickname is the “Shoremen of the Red Sea”. Their stadium was very close to my hotel. After the game I shopped around and bought some souvenirs.

Day 2 in Djibouti

• The next day was very hot – the average high temperature in September is 99 degrees. So I went to the Khor Ambado Beach, which is well known for its snorkeling. While I was there I went swimming, I snorkeled, and I took a nap on the beach.

Day 3 in Djibouti• I went to a local animal refuge where they had

wild animals that they got from people trying to smuggle them into the country as pets. They had zebra, Oryx, ostrich, hyenas, other antelopes, and 4 cheetahs. I even got to pet one of the cheetahs.

Day 4 in Djibouti

• Another thing I did was swim with whale sharks. Whale sharks eat mainly plankton and never attack humans. We went out on a boat and once we spotted one we had to wait for our tour guide to tell us when we could jump into the water. Once we were in the water it was hard to keep up with them because they were so fast.

Day 5 in Djibouti

• On this day I just hung around in the hotel, went swimming and was lazy. This was because I would have to board the plane to Malawi at 1:55 AM. I also went to the little gift shop in the hotel and bought everybody in my class a keychain. I went to bed at 7:15 remembering all the things I did in Djibouti

Air Travel Itinerary

Date – September 15th • From: JIB – Djibouti, Djibouti• To: NBO – Nairobi, Kenya• Departs: 1:55 am Arrives: 6: 00 am• 4 hours 5 minutes

Layover – 3 hours 50 minutes• From: NBO – Nairobi, Kenya• To: LLW – Lilongwe, Malawi• Departs: 9:50 am Arrives: 11:00 am• 1 hour 10 minutes• $885.00

Air Travel Itinerary

Date – September 15th • From: Lilongwe, Malawi• To: Likoma Island, Malawi • Departs: 3:15 pm Arrives: 4: 45 pm• 1 hour 30 minutes• Charter Flight - $200

I see my hotel

Malawi

Malawi Flag

Malawi Facts

• Malawian• Population of 16,323,044 people• Christian 82.7%, Muslim 13%, other 1.9%, none 2.5%• Official language is Chichewa and they also speak English• They are a multiparty democracy• Current president is Joyce Banda• Real, long name is Republic of Malawi• Independence from the UK on July 6th, 1964• Export tobacco, tea, sugar, cotton, coffee, peanuts, wood products, and

apparel.• The majority of the Malawian people live in rural areas without access to

health care facilities, schools, or electricity.

Malawi Geography

• Malawi is in Southern Africa• Neighboring countries are Mozambique, Zambia, and

Tanzania• Slightly smaller than Pennsylvania• Malawi is landlocked• Capitol is Lilongwe• There is no major city in Malawi

Culture and Food in Malawi• Their diet consists mainly of nsima, a thick porridge made

from corn flour.• I tried the Mtedza (Peanut Puffs). They are made from

peanuts, sugar, vanilla and flour and rolled into a ball.• Storytelling and songs are important to their customs and

beliefs.• In urban areas, women usually wear a skirt and a blouse

or a colorful modern dress Men wear pants, shirts, shorts, and occasionally a suit.

• Pregnant women are forbidden to eat eggs

for fear of bearing bald-headed babies.

Kaya Mawa

• The hotel I stayed at in Malawi was the Kaya Mawa Lodge.• This hotel is in the middle of Lake Malawi on an island called Likoma

Island.• My house, called Madimba House, was on the shore of Lake Malawi.• I had my own private beach where I could walk out, snorkel and swim.• I also had my own pool that looked over Malawi Lake

Day 1 in Malawi

On my first day in Malawi I walked into town to see a cathedral. The only town on the island is called Likoma Town and there I visited St. Peter’s Cathedral- the third largest cathedral in Central Africa! St. Peter’s was built in 1903 and is still in perfect condition.

Day 2 in Malawi

• Kaya Mawa lodge offered a variety of activities on the water. On my second day I learned how to water ski and windsurf with some help from my instructor named Chiwa. I caught on pretty easily but it was tiring, so at lunch I stopped and decided to spend the rest of the day by the beach.

Day 3 in Malawi

• My lodge also had a lot of activities in the water. In the morning, with more help from Chiwa, I managed to put on the scuba gear and get into the water. I swam around for a while and Chiwa showed me some awesome plants and animals. After I ran out of air, I switched to snorkeling and saw a pod of dolphins.

This is when we came back from diving

Day 4 in Malawi

• Day 4 was the last day I had with Chiwa. This time Chiwa took me kayaking. Kayaking was really fun and it was pretty easy but Chiwa made me wear a life jacket. We kayaked from one end of the lodge to the other and back. When we were putting the kayaks away Chiwa told me that her name means death and I told her that my name means Ireland.

Bye Africa

• The next morning I got up really early and watched the sun rise over the lake. This was the day I would be going back home. Sniff sniff. I stopped at the gift shop and bought a necklace made from a local tribe on my way to the airport . I said good bye to Malawi and Djibouti as I flew back to Lilongwe. I will never forget this trip to Africa.

Air Travel Itinerary

Date – September 20th • From: Likoma Island, Malawi• To: Lilongwe, Malawi • Departs: 9:00 am Arrives: 10:30 am• 1 hours 30 minutes• Charter Flight - $200

Air Travel Itinerary

Date – September 20th • From: LLW – Lilongwe, Malawi• To: JNB – Johannesburg, South Africa• Departs: 1:15 pm Arrives: 3:40 pm• 2 hours 25 minutes• $435.00

Layover – 4 hours 45 minutes• From: JNB – Johannesburg, South Africa• To: ATL – Atlanta, Georgia• Departs: 8:25 pm Arrives: 6:40 am (next day)• 16 hours 15 minutes• $2277

Air Travel Itinerary

Date – September 21st • From: ATL – Atlanta, Georgia• To: MCI – Kansas City, MO• Departs: 8:30 am Arrives: 10:00 am• 2 hours 18 minutes• $175.00

Total time to return to KC – 21 hours 43minutes

Total cost of return flights - $2,652.00

TOTAL COST OF ALL AIR TRAVEL = $4,935.00

Final Cost of the Trip

• Before the Trip:– Vaccinations and Visas = $618

• Air Transportation = $4,935• Hotel = $8,860• Taxis & Tips = $300• Food ($50 per day) = $650• Trips and Activities = $2,000• Gifts/Souvenirs = $500

TOTAL = $17,863