Friday, December 26, 2008

Matt Chancey on Traveling Lite


Contrary to what the gods of the marketplace will tell you, it is possible to travel 12,000 miles to one of the most underdeveloped areas of the world for several weeks and carry all you need in one small bag.

My work with a Christian Foundation periodically takes me to Southern Sudan, an area that was plagued by civil war for over 20 years. More than two million people were killed and millions more displaced. The war ended in 2005, but the country was left in ruins. There are more paved roads in the little Alabama town in which I was born in than in the whole region the size of two states of Texas put together. Electricity and cell phone communication are available in a few of the larger towns, but they’re typically unreliable.


Transportation is unpredictable. A traveler has no idea if the mode of transportation will be a large dump truck, a donkey cart, or a small plane piloted by a one-armed, chain-smoking Bulgarian (this actually happened to me! She was a terrific pilot!).


To read more: http://www.mattchancey.com/blog/?p=42

No comments: