nairobi bet | best fixed matches, best prediction, best

I am just thinking, what If there was such an explosion in the rate of technological development at some other point in human history, but they either left earth or decided to keep to themselves since the rest of humanity wasn't ready for the power levels they had achieved? It could have been at any point in time. They would easily be able to erase evidence that they existed. Imagine if it happened 3000 years or more ago, AND THEY STILL HAVENT STOPPED DEVELOPING NEW TECHNOLOGY AT A BREAKNECK PACE??
this would explain UFOs, Atlantis, and probably a lot of other things, all at once. It might also mean there is a contingency under which they will save humanity from itself, since lately, with all this new technology, we are not doing so well. Imagine if they have already disarmed every nuclear weapon, without us knowing, as a safety precaution. This would explain why there is so much UFO activity around nuclear sites. I wonder if they are watching us on the internet, or from invisible flying saucers, and studying us like an anthropologist might study an uncontacted tribe in the jungle. Or laughing, like we might laugh at a caveman trying to make a triangular wheel. ("so close, yet so far away! lol!")
What other mysteries might this explain. The unexplained Hum and Bloop sounds might be them. I wonder if they have evolved the ability to breathe underwater and play with dolphins and sing with the whales and ride cyborg ocotopii as their faithful steeds and companions. octopi are super intelligent. I wonder if they have already colonized other solar systems and humans are the ones zooming around in UFOs on planets all around the galaxy, mystifying and inspiring native life forms made of gelatinous plasma on other planets. Or even made friends with them.
300 years. From simple farmers living in huts, or even just eating fruit from the trees, to where we are now. and we are not even fulfilling a tenth of our potential as a species, due to wars and greed and rivalry.
This could even have happened multiple times in multiple places at various times. Egypt, Macchu Pichu, Atlantis, Nairobi, etc. What if Stonehenge is a message from them? What if all of the ancient monuments were their way of speaking to the future. telling us there's so much beyond our understanding. reminding us to be humble. What levels might these splinter civilizations be at, now? what would they think of us? will they even bother to save us when it all goes wrong? One thing is certain, they have not gotten to where they are by quarrelling, and they have not started any interstellar or intergalactic wars with extraterrestrial civilizations, or we would know about that, already. They don't shit in their own backyard. wish we could take a lesson from that, at least.
Maybe they took MH370. just out of boredom, or maybe the next Hitler was on that plane and they used quantum predictive algorithms to see the future and they knew the only way to stop him was to take the whole plane and fix his brain using CRISPR-like aquatic nanites or something. And they just let all the rest of the humans aboard become part of their culture. Imagine how awesome it would be to wake up one day in Atlantis, with your own cyborg octopus and dolphins swimming around outside the windows and people around you speaking to them in dolphinese. god, I bet they're not very pleased with how we are treating their hyper intelligent friends in the oceans. heh.
anyway, I just thought, it happened now, we think we are so smart but what if we aren't even that great. it could have happened before and gone way better. and they may have had thousands of years to evolve, adapt, develop, experiment and explore. it seems to me that it is a lot more likely than not, that this has already happened. It also explains why historically many civilizations practices polytheism, because compared to us the individual members of those civilizations would, combined, constitute a pantheon indistinguishable from actual gods.
do they walk among us? helping? do they cast out their exiles to live with us as a punishment? do they even still take a corporeal form, at all? have they discovered the secrets of immortality and light speed travel? could they even live in giant subsolar colonies underneath the surface of the sun itself? I imagine it would be a good power source, and defense as well.
anyways thanks for reading! what do you think?

It's kinda funny and interesting to think which of these predictions will come true. You can bet on these events:

• Professor will die @ odds 10
  
• Tokio will die @1.8
  
• Monica will die @4
  
• Rio will die @10
  
• Berlin will appear in flashbacks in at least 5 episodes @1.8
  
• Professor will shoot someone @3
  
• Tokio and Rio will have a child @2.5
  
• Raquel will finally charge her phone @4
  
• Professor will commit suicide @50
  
• Professor will visit more than 5 countries throughout the whole season @3.5
  
• We will be able to hear the Bella Ciao song more than 3 times during the whole season @1.85
  
• The group will set the exact date and place of the meeting of all members @1.65
  
• There will be no meeting of all living members of the group @1.3
  
• Raquel will die @1.9
  
• Helsinki will die @1.5
  
• Nairobi will die @15
  
• Tokyo will be expelled from the group for ruining the plan @11
  
• Berlin is still alive @15
  
• Professor will kill someone @5
  
• Tokio and Rio will break up @3.5
  
• Professor and Raquel will break up @8
  
• Helsinki will kill more than 10 people throughout the whole season @1.9
  
• Raquel will finally use a hair tie and not a pencil @3
  
• Nairobi will meet her son @1.5
  
• The authorities will determine where the Professor and Raquel are hiding @1.5
  
• The professor will be arrested @1.8
  

What would you place your bet on? I think the Bella Ciao one is certain to come true, not really sure about the rest 😂

General Odion Dagher had not held the post of Imperial Commander for more than a year, mainly because that was how old the job was. The Imperial Guard, pride of the nation, was his baby (and some would say his brainchild). While General Gyasi Asker commanded the 1.8 million soldiers of the Army, he did not command remotely the same kind of loyalty that General Dagher did from his one hundred thousand Imperial Guardsmen.
General Dagher took every opportunity to remind General Asker of that. The enmity between the two men was legendary, going back to their days in the Academy when Dagher allegedly used his infamous charms to deprive Asker of a particularly beautiful companion.
The two men were ice and fire; Dagher was cool and calculating, while Asker was fiery and combative. They argued endlessly, their bickering overshadowed by the political enmity between the Imperial Guard and the Egyptian Army. Today, a particularly vicious round of insults was being witnessed by the Grand Vizier's council.
The Grand Vizier, predictably, did not tolerate such childishness.
"Be quiet, the both of you," ordered el Sadat, in a tone that brokered no argument.
The two men quieted down, but shot fiery gazes at each other. The argument would be resumed later, presumably over drinks.
"We have matters of import to worry about." the Grand Vizier turned to the central table, which showed a map of Northeastern Africa."Your report, General Asker?"
General Asker walked up to the map. The map was a rather artful device, a long panel superimposed on the mahogany table. The device could be used to display real time troop movements, and give the Imperial Council a better idea of what they were discussing. All in all, there were close to twenty people in the room. Several members of High Command were present, as well as the high-ranking officials of the Pharaoh's government.
"Your Eminence, this is the current state of affairs," he began, pointing at Southern Chad in the map, "where at the moment, our forces have begun to engage Kenyan assets. We have no concrete reports of how the battle is going yet, but our priority remains the protection of assets like the E-2s. They should have little trouble retreating."
The Grand Vizier's face was a mask of pensiveness. "What about our defenses? Are both Governorates secure?"
General Asker nodded. "The KAF does not have the strength to fight in more than one theatre. It is entirely possible that we may have a hard trouble holding on to Southern Chad, but that is the only victory they can achieve. Our territory is in no danger."
The Vizier of Upper Egypt, David Tahan, interjected. "This is exactly what I was telling you, Nader. The Kenyans are overextended; this is the time to hit them where it hurts! Bomb Nairobi to the ground, that'll show them not to mess with us."
"Don't be a fool, David." The Grand Vizier said icily. "The minute we turn this into an all out conflict instead of the limited one it is right now, all bets are off. Can you imagine the diplomatic disaster of having to invade Kenya?"
Tahan was unfazed. "We'd crush them. A single one of our Field Armies outnumbers their forces two to one."
"And then what?" The Grand Vizier asked. "Do we occupy them? Do we destroy them, or make them sign a crippling peace? An invasion of Kenya is the last resort, and wholly unnecessary right now."
General Dagher saw his opportunity. "If I may, your Eminence. It is clear that, whatever happens, we cannot be seen as defeated by the Kenyans. The Algerian fiasco crippled our diplomatic influence for years, and a defeat against Kenya would be even worse."
The Grand Vizier allowed himself a small smile. It was good to see someone else on the Imperial Council had a grasp of what was truly at stake. "That is the true state of affairs, gentlemen. I don't care what happens to Southern Chad. No one here does. But we have made a very public commitment to remove the CAE from Southern Chad, and going back on our word would cripple our spheres of influence."
Both Generals looked up to the Grand Vizier. They were accustomed to taking orders, and instinctively knew when a higher-up had made a decision. Tahan was not similarly trained, and he prepared to continue his argument.
They were cut short by the Grand Vizier's words.
"We must win this limited conflict. A victory in Southern Chad will cripple the KAF for years, and ensure that there are no more challenges to our hegemony for a long time."
The Grand Vizier began writing a decree. "These are your orders, gentlemen."
"General Dagher, your Imperial Guardsmen in the Nubian Governorate will prepare for an imminent offensive against Southern Chad. The Field Army currently deployed there will join you."
"General Asker, you will pursue whatever methods are needed for the total neutralization of the Kenyan Air Force. The Kenyans are the upstarts of the neighborhood, and it is time to bully them into submission. Prepare plans for a ground invasion of Kenya if need be."
"And David. Your task is the most important. For this conflict to truly end, Kenya must be brought to heel with the least amount of bloodshed possible. When their forces are reeling from our attacks, you will offer generous terms."
"Dismissed."

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Date: 2013-06-14
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Questions	Answers
Kind of off topic, did you ever get made fun of for your first name when you where a kid? My first name is Grayson too and it was such a pain growing up. I've yet to meet another, but I hear about them a few times a year. Also, ordering anythere where they take your name. "Jason? Drayson? Creyson?"	My name has totally messed me up, when i was young, i got called Gracie. But it is a name to remember, even though as a family name I often get called Mr Grayson. By the way, my wife's name is Grace. How did your parents find your name?
Whats your favorite kind of tea? favorite professional mountain biker and favorite trail? ever get into any other cycling discipline like road or cross?	My favorite tea is the Kenyan Chai that is brewed for me at the farms we visit. It uses unpasteurized cow milk, and leaves this wonderful skim on top of the mug. As far as a mountain biker, Brett Tippie is pretty cool. I mostly ride road now, the trails on Mt. Fromme in North Vancouver are great!
How did you end up starting the relationship with the kenyan farmers? how did the idea for this venture come about? Did you have the idea and then find a tea farm for it, or vice versa/some mix of?	Most ideas start with a relationship. I was on a trip to Kenya in 2012 with some friends. We randomly met a tea farmer, Davison, in a market. He invited us to come visit his farm. We thought we would just come see the place for an hour or two, but his story was so captivating and he was such a genuine, friendly person that we stayed for a few days! That visit was the genesis of the idea. When I came back to Canada I dreamed and schemed for a year. In January of this year I went back with my son Paul and nephew Ian and we spent 2 weeks researching the possibility of the idea, and asking tea farmers how they would do it. Now here we are! Its the same way I got into mountain bikes.
How would a budding engineer like myself come to work at somewhere like Rocky Mountain Bicycles? Golf or sailing?	Thats got to be one of the most common questions I get. I hired tons, of intern engineers from the three local universities in Vancouver, are you at one of those three?:)
How in the hell did Rocky Mountain score bikes.com? That seems like a goldmine of a URL. Just luck?	Nope, no luck. predicted it would be nice to own in about '89 I think. Paid $50 bucks for it.
Also, what are your thoughts on the ever-growing diameter of our stem clamps? Will it stop at 35? SHOULD it have stopped at 25.4?	And on stem clamps, I don't know, it's evolved because of liability as well as anything. Fork column to blade to head tube is a tough area to engineer.
Will decent dual suspension bikes ever be made at entry-level-rider friendly prices?	Decent assumes you mean, they won't fall apart on the trail, and you want that at walmart pricing, never.
Is this company similar to how the fair trade coffee idea works in Mexico? How will your company hold itself accountable for where the money goes?	Fair trade coffee, is good if you know the actual source of the farm. JusTea will tell you, as a tea drinker the farms where your tea is grown and hand-crafted. We call it direct trade, we're trying to eliminate middlemen and connect the drinker with the farmer as directly as possible using social media and our website. As a non-profit our finances will be open to scrutiny.
What is the future, 26, 29 or 650B? While we are on the subject I just can't get into the 29er thing yet. PNW trails are tight and I prefer my smaller wheels.	I see where you're coming from, I think it is moving towards bigger wheels. I'm a roadie now so I don't have a personal opinion.
A roadie now..? How 'bout that. As a veteran of the North Shore who is hurtling towards 40, I'm starting to see older riders diversify their interests (the Transition guys doing Traitor Bicycles for example) and in some occasions, hang up their big hit bikes for good. Injury accumulation, mortgages, kids, careers, longer and more painful recovery times and a change in interests seem to claim riders in my age bracket. Is this a familiar story or are you a roadie for other reasons?	All true...also on my way to EuroBike Germany I got a head cold and the pressure in the plane busted my eardrum. Reeks havoc on the fine balance needed for tight trails.
Are each of the one-acre farms owned by a separate, independent farmer? If so, what methods are used to ensure that the quality of your teas will remain consistent between the variety of farms with each having a different owne"boss"?	Thats a great question! Yes, each farm is an independent family. We're starting the project with just one farm so initially, it won't be an issue. In the future though we want the project to expand to as many farmers as want to take part. We're hoping that eventually, each tea region we are operating in will have a co-operative of a few farms that would hand-craft their tea together using the same methods and equipment. They would share their knowledge and all use the same farming methods to grow their tea. Kenya has a strong tradition of self-governing co-operatives which we are hoping to carry on!
In your intro, you say you started selling bikes for west point cycles, then you bought it. That's quite a leap, and one that I hear often from entrepreneurs telling their stories. To me that would be the most interesting part to hear. Did you scrap and save for 9 years then use that money to secure a loan? Was the previous owner your uncle, and he wanted to keep it in the family? Did you hit the powerball and buy it because you thought you could make it better? How did it happen?	Scraping and saving, it was 8 years actually. Then I bought 50 percent -- from my Dad. I secured a Royal Bank loan on equity from the store. Prime + 2 - which was 22 percent/ year.
Hello Grayson, I am also Grayson from Vancouver(born and raised). I thought I was the only one. It feels good to know there is another Grayson in Vancouver. How do you feel about being slightly less unique? It makes me feel slightly less autonomous. How about you?	I don't believe you exist! I am the only Grayson in Vancouver, so you ...if you exist HAVE to move!
1) Do you plan operating on a contract model with the farmers you source from? If so do you have mechanisms for enforcing this model? Is side-selling an issue? 2) Are you working with any NGOs/development agencies (ACDI/VOCA, Technoserve, etc)? 3) How do you handle payments to the farmers and quality control? eg, do you pay farmers on the spot for their leaves, or is payment deferred a few weeks so you can assess quality? Do you pay farmers in cash or are you using something like M-Pesa? 4) Do you plan on collecting the tea directly from the farmers, or are you setting up more centralized collection points based on farmer density or co-op location? Best of luck! Edit: One more question that just came to me: Why did you decide to go the non-profit route as opposed to for-profit (or some sort of hybrid model, I forgot what the Canadian equivalent of the B-Corp is)?	OK, you are cool, I want to meet you...Skype? 1) Yes, it will be contractual. Enforcement of the arrangement is somewhat a moot point...we won't buy the tea if it is not made according to our templated process. As far as side-selling, we will not want it to happen, but we are most interested in breaking down the present monopoly. So if we are getting sufficient supply, we will all co-exist. This is a joint problem, not just "jusTea" We have our partners, nationals that have a separate company set up in Nairobi. They are the key to our success. 2)We're looking into working with an organization called the CPDA which was done a lot of work with tea farmers. 3)Good Q's - Please get on board and you can help the Kenyan partners answer this! On cash vs. M-Pesa - They have thought of both...unsure. 4)Centralized collection points, they will weigh it as it arrives. Only 3-4 farms per processing centre. VERY minimal capital output for the farmer co-op. 5)Non-profits and for profits are close...For Profit raises funds thorugh shareholders and debt. Non Profits tend to operate a flatter org model, but have a tougher time getting capital, since we can't pay out dividends. WHY choose a non profit? I wanted to try a model of co-created crowd sourced volunteer run organization. So far it'sa huge exciting challenge. and lastly, I'm always trying to stay conscious of the fact that we mzungu's think we have some idea of what to do when we enter Kenya business. We are going to keep a healthy distance and let the Kenyans be the heroes.
Any details on the prototype Flatline which has been appearing all over whistler recently? And thanks for making awesome bikes, I've been racing 4X on my Flow and just picked up a Slayer 70 frame!	You know more than I do! The first to find out are usually the Germans, watch the press there, their trade show is usually the earliest.
Thanks for doing an AMA! I'm currently an undergraduate student and want to get a job in the cycling industry when I graduate. (I'm majoring in Apparel Merchandising & Design) I'm also a web/graphic designer by trade. What does your marketing/design/branding department look like for Rocky Mountain? Do you have any tips or recommended skills to get into one of those positions?	I sold Rocky, but try sending your resume in to the HR department. People who have worked there, have often started out as free interns and then landed a job.
How much did you sell Rocky Mountian for? How much did race face cost you?	The price I sold Rocky for ...was undervalued because I had big problems 2 years prior with FX and A/R. (if you don't know those abbreviations- you should't have asked the question) RaceFace cost me cash for R&D intially. But it was birthd around the trials and milling machines by Rocky riders - especially Bryn Johnson.
Why tea? I thought tea consumption was decreasing, and why did you think it wise to go into such a market, already dominated by big players?	According to the Canadian Food Trends to 2020, a report commissioned by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, tea consumption is expected to jump 40% by 2020, as growing consumer interest in health and wellness has lead to increasing awareness of tea’s functional benefits.
Love what you are doing and have been telling many people about your efforts! I can't wait to help you and the farmers. What is the nature of your partnership? I've read it described as a non-profit, so who gets the profits of the tea that is sold and how are funds allocated for your efforts and marketing to get the tea to the customer? I was a founding member of the International Tea Farms Alliance, which operates on a very similar model as yours. Unfortunately the organization had much trouble sustaining because of the inability for the members of the organization to get paid for their time and resources. For this reason I started its for-profit partner; Tealet. How do you plan to sustain and grow your organization?	OK you are my friend. Thanks, I am so grateful for your support! 1)What is the nature of your partnership? At the moment there is JusTea, a non-profit in Canada, partnered with a few key contacts in Nairobi. In the future we want to be partnered with a fully autonomous Kenyan Co-op.
	2)I've read it described as a non-profit, so who gets the profits of the tea that is sold? When the tea is sold, the profits will be split between JusTea in Canada and the Kenyan co-op. Up until now we have been running almost entirely on a volunteer basis, but this may not be sustainable so we will use some of the profits for workers in Canada, as well as for expenses to sell the tea and market the tea. The rest will go to the Kenyan co-op including funds for expanding to other areas. As we are just starting out I can't break down exactly what percent of profits will go where yet, but in future, once we are established we want to operate with financial transparency.
	3)how are funds allocated for your efforts and marketing to get the tea to the customer? A percentage of the profit will go to marketing, promoting, packaging, and sending out tea. I'm sorry I don't really know what you mean by how?
	4)How do you plan to sustain and grow your organization? You are way ahead of us (in tea). I could learn a lot, or maybe we could talk about joining in a JV at some level. With my awesome Board and the dedicated vollies, we have lots of strategic ways to make this happen. We want to create a dedicated, engaged community of tea-drinkers in the west, as well as a community of farmers in Kenya. Our big risk is not so much the lack of funds but the lack of market in the West to sell the hand-crafted tea produced.
What do you think of Paul Brodie moving away from FS bikes to HT's? I think his last FS series was built in 2010. Is he trying to focus development into different markets (ie. commuter, road, and XC rather than a full range with DH and AM) Secondly from my understanding sometimes fair trade programs can actually cripple third world farmers because of the "licensing"/"certification" costs for their farm and it only then makes sense for big MNC agri-business (who then buyout the smaller guys) to license and charge the downstream end consumers higher prices. It's good that you're going farmer direct but would problems like the fair trade thing I mentioned above happen or would it be minimized compared to a fair trade program? For more information go to this wikipedia page on Fair Trade Criticisms . If you need more info, feel free to private message me, I have a bit of a background in Economic Geography. Thirdly, as far as teaching farmers to process and prep their tea leaves, you said that you planned on adding more farms and trying to keep the quality the same. I don't know much about tea but could they learn the basics and with time eventually have the knowledgebase built up to be able to create unique "artisan teas" (for larger margins to be able to get out of poverty and make a better living than just making standard black teas for the rest of their lives) that have a minimum quality and experiment with giving their teas unique features (like whisky does with it's different peats and mashes and whatnot giving different qualities to the end product)?	1)It's hard for a small co to keep up with full suspension tech. 2)You're right in your concerns. This is a tricky balance of politics economics and, corruption. The JusTea project won't be fair-trade certified, it also won't charge fees or anything to take part in. It won't affect the other farmers business, because the other farmer's sell their tea leaves before they are processed, to large centralized factories. The factories process it into CTC tea, which is low grade tea-bag tea. These factories operate on such huge volumes, that our production won't affect them or their demand for raw unprocessed tea leaves. 3)The tea we produce will already be a unique hand-crafted artisan whole-leaf tea! Keep in mind that as of now, the farmers don't make tea they simply sell their raw unprocessed leaves, missing out on the value addition. When we expand to more areas it would be awesome to have region specific tea. They definitely won't be 'just making standard black teas for the rest of their lives'. We want them to be in charge as much as possible, choosing and creating packaging options, tea blends etc.
How has nobody asked this yet? What are you currently riding?! Mountain and road. Whats your favorite local track?	Just Road - Prestige (Carbon) and a pimped out Sherpa Touring (steel) for winter..
What was in your opinion, the most iconic development in the cycling industry? Also, if you had to ride one brand of bike besides your own, what would you ride?	I'm a roadie, I would like a BMC..if not a RMB! What's an iconic development if it is not the 1980's combination of "Mountain" with "Bike"??? (BTW, that was a tradename to start with - MountainBike was owned by Gary Fischer)
Are tea leaves bad to eat on their own? can I eat them after i make tea with them??	I've never tried it, let me know how that works out for you!
What's your favorite business(or business idea) you had that ultimately failed?	Building fat-boy electric bicycles. It was fun while it lasted, but it cost me $25 000.
What is your proudest bike/bike product/bike related accomplishment?	Hard to narrow down, as some of the people along the way that came through West Point Cycles and then Rocky Mountain are talented, amazing individuals- starting Syncros, Kona, adding to Schwinn, RockShox, SRAM, Norco and many other companies. But just creating 2 companies that have world wide fame - RMB and RF is cool? And the I beam crank, or 1st Cdn built Mountain bike...or...ok, enough bragging.
What period of time while running Rocky Mountain Bikes was your favorite? When did you think you made the best product with what you could do?	1)The Early suspension yrs with creating the Edge. Haha if only we knew back then what we do now re suspended dynamics of rider over bike + big steeps! 2)Ditto - Edge. Also the RF I Beam crank.
Why would you rate Kenyan tea so highly? How does it differ from the rest?	I'm not a tea expert, personally I love the way its strong maltyness goes with milk, and especially the Kenyan chai with their unpasteurized milk! But from a tea sommelier's perspective here's a short video of our partner Brendan of www.theteaguy.com tasting and describing our tea! Link to www.youtube.com
Will large company tea processers in Kenya give resistance to small farmers processing their own tea?	The main players in Kenyan tea deal in such high volumes, that our use of 1 acre, to produce a few hundred kilos of whole-leaf tea will be of no interest to them. They are also focused mostly on producing CTC tea, which is the tea in tea bags. Our whole-leaf tea is more of a specialty tea so we're not really in competition with them.
Ever been to Red Bull Rampage? I know you guys sent a couple people there.	Yah...@ WhistleBlackcomb not to ride tho (i'm old)
Grayson! A guy I know used to have the distribution for Rocky Mountain in Mexico! Do you know this Victor guy? My real question is, what is the single most important entrepreneurship lesson that you have learned the hard way, after your 20 start ups?	Relationships are more important than even the most brilliant idea! Start with a clear Purpose, then love your People ;) then Plan and finally build the Process.
Any advice for a young entrepreneur that's just out of college and ambitious to start a small start up?	Don't... Nah i'm kidding. Check out the "Business Model Canvas". Sorry no URL.
What bike are you currently riding the most? What's the one startup that failed that you really,really wanted to be sucessful?	1) It's summer, - Prestige (Carbon) 2)Ha! Ummm I guess there's 2 Revclick, for online kids. And Bluesky for electric bikes.
Do you anticipate starting even more companies in your lifetime, or are you planning on retiring anytime soon?	I want to be a coach for others who build business-for-good. I own 3 myself and mentor a dozen or so business leaders. Why retire when this is such a ride!
What are some of your all time favorite bikes? (Road, Mountain, etc.)	RMB Turbo - built for me by Bo Juskew. The first RMB XS Speed - weird and wonderfu.
I have not tried your tea, but I plan on it! I like programs like yours that encourage growth in 3rd world areas. Is there any flavor difference to expect?	Repost from a similar question above : Personally I love the way its strong maltyness goes with milk, and especially the Kenyan chai with their unpasteurized milk! But from a tea sommelier's perspective here's a short video of our partner Brendan of www.theteaguy.com tasting and describing the tea we are selling in the fundraiser! Link to www.youtube.com
Over the years, what have been your favourite bikes (both road and mountain) that you have owned/ridden?	The XS Speed ... and the super scooter. Bet you never heard of those...Ha.
How did you get the URL bikes.com?	Predicted it would be nice to own in about '89 I think. Paid $50 bucks for it.
No question, just a thank you. I bought one of the last RM7-FR frames available (if I remember correctly) Pic. Thanks for my favorite bike of all time.	Super good to hear - wow. Thks
According to the Canadian Food Trends to 2020, a report commissioned by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, tea consumption is expected to jump 40% by 2020, as growing consumer interest in health and wellness has lead to increasing awareness of tea’s functional benefits.	Whole-leaf tea is especially on the rise, as you can see by Starbucks moving into the market by acquiring Teavana, and chains of tea shops popping up such as David's tea.

Last updated: 2013-06-18 22:09 UTC
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Date: 2013-08-13
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Questions	Answers
This all sounds incredibly awesome! The only thing is that any time i hear of someone doing something like this I think "how the hell could they afford it?" Ill take great memories any day over money but I was wondering all in all how much a trip like that set you back?	Before leaving, I sold my 07 Subaru Impreza for $13,500, and made another $4,000 or so from selling off things in my home. Plus existing savings (which I was surprised to have, because before this trip I spent six months backpacking in Asia) I left home with a good chunk of cash in the bank.
	I set out with two South African guys in a 4x4, however before doing that we had to fix up and outfit the vehicle, which cost a fair amount of money though I'm not sure exactly sure how much now. Before leaving I bought a lot of toys, $800 in scuba gear and another $700 on GoPro camera gear and a new laptop. When we were driving, and that was from South Africa, through Mozambique, Malawi and into Tanzania, we stayed at backpackers places, which meant paying to camp every night (in a tent instead of a room to save money). We cooked a lot, but in that kind of atmosphere it's easy to buy dinner instead, and especially to buy drinks. Before that leg of the journey fell apart, me and one guy paid something like $750 for a five-day safari in Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater‎. Although worth it, it's a lot to spend at once. At one point, a broken laptop forced me to spend another $250 on a new one, so unexpected expenses can come up from time to time.
	When that leg of the trip finally ended and I was on my own, things got VASTLY cheaper. I began using Couchsurfing, and in the next 15 months, probably only paid for a place to sleep just over a month. I may have spent less money in the next year than I did in the first three months! People frequently invited me into their homes, gave me places to stay, fed me and gave me whatever else I needed. I always did my best to return the favor.
	I'm sorry I don't have an exact figure to give here, but if I had to guess I'd say I spent around $20,000. BUT DON'T LET THAT SCARE YOU AWAY. I did nice things from time to time, I never worried about going out to eat at a decent place on occasion, and I did a few high-ish end tourist activities that add up fast. There were months when I was only spending like $100, and I met people traveling on even less. Often you can get local food for $1-2 a meal, and a room for under $5 depending where you are.
	Knowing what I know now, if I had wanted to, I probably could have done and seen 90% of what I did on this trip for a few grand. I met people hitching across Africa and paying nothing. I met people working and making money while traveling, and so on. Travel doesn't have to be expensive, it just depends on what you want to see and what your comfort levels are!
$20,000 ??? jesus christ man.. I've been saving up for a year to 18 months of travel I have $50,000 saved and I wasnt sure that was enough... thank you.	Travel is a skill and an ART, the more you do it the better you get at it.
	Right now I could probably fly to Africa with $2,000 and spend the next 10 years there if I wanted, although I'd probably have to find a cush job at a resort or something part of the time ;)
	For $50,000, you can see the whole world if you do it right!
Oh god...was it an sti?	Nah, not an STI... but I loved it.
	Link to i.imgur.com
I know the AMA is meant to be about your trip to Africa but could you give a little detail on the 6 months in Asia? That's pretty much my dream trip at this point.	No problem, dig into a few of my posts and let me know if you have some specific questions. My trip in Asia was originally a 3 week trip, and it is how I fell in love with traveling the world. It was a VERY different kind of trip than Africa, kind of travel 101 and I've grown and changed a lot since then, but I love the place and would recommend it to anyone.
	Genocide, Rocket Lanunchers and Buddha: Just Another Day in Cambodia
	Rock Climbing on Railay, Does it Get Any Better Than This?
	An Indian Wedding!
	Life on the Dali Lamas Doorstep
	The Unforgettable Everest Base-camp and Gokyo Valley Hike
Did you hook up with any beautiful black women?	>As I walked back to find a place to sit and wait, a rather annoying woman came up to me and asked what I was doing. I told her I was looking for the bus and she grabbed my hand and said she would help me. I didn’t really want to be around her but she was very insistent, and I figured what the hell. The bus was supposed to pass in about half an hour, then I could get the cheaper ticket, so she proposed we sit down for a coffee. It was obvious she was just trying to get something from me but I figured I could pay for a 100 franc coffee (15 cents) and maybe she would prove useful. She then began ordering food which I told her I wouldn’t pay for, and kept trying to feed me out of her hand, which honestly was gross. We talked for a few minutes, and eventually I asked her what she did. She mumbled a bit, but said “I’m a prostitute”, which I didn’t catch the first time so she said it two more times, haha. I’m used to African women coming onto me just because I’m a white man, with dollars in their eyes, and I guess on that level it isn’t so different, but this one was just a straight up prostitute. Eventually a man from Jaguar, a different bus company, showed up and even though he was offering a ticket for 6,000 rather than the 5,000 I was hoping for, I took it just to get away from this woman. I paid for the two coffees but refused to pay for the food she had ordered (she walked away from the table without paying for the food she had ordered and eaten part of), then she kept asking me where I was staying. I refused to tell her. I hopped a moto hoping she didn’t have money to get one herself and I could get away, but she hopped on one as well and seemed to be trying to follow me. After a few blocks, her driver was just ahead of mine, so I quickly tapped mine on the shoulder and had him suddenly turn off onto a dirt road before she could see where I’d gone. I paid the driver and made my get away, glad to have escaped from this woman.
	From the post: Rwanda Part II: Wonderful Lake Kivu and the journey to Uganda
	Edit: a few girls wanted to marry me, one told me I didn't own enough cows though.
I was in Africa the past two months. I can not explain how many times prostitutes approached me and tried to get me to buy them drinks and shizz. Pretty flattering and a great self confidence boost when all the ladies are surrounding you, but got to remember why they're there. $$$ haha.	Yep, I was even offered a free one once by a guy promising I could 'be in his music video' but yah, nooo thanks.
I've wanted to do something similar for eons. For now I'm saving up (well, paying off debt from previous travels, then saving up) for the big day.	1) Absolutely a woman can do it in Africa, but you will face more challenges. Every part of Africa I visited was still VERY much male dominated, but as a white foreigner you will almost always be treated far better than they treat the local women. I met a few solo women in Africa, the three that stand out to me were an 18 year old Scottish girl who was maybe 4'11'', and a Japanese girl riding from Nairobi to Cape Town and a woman from Argentina who spent 3 years in Africa. You will have an easier time if you move slowly, such as working/volunteering in a place because then the people will get used to seeing you around, but in truly rural places people are usually just so curious to see a white person that they will help you no matter what. Most of the time they complained about cat calls, or people staring (get used to it, especially if you have blond/long hair) and occasionally men groping them on public buses. There are plenty of horror stories out there, such as the recent acid attack in Zanzibar, but honestly those are pretty rare and Africa is a hell of a lot safer and more friendly than people think it is.
Is something like this feasible for a woman travelling solo?	2) Cycling was AMAZING. My sister did a year long, 15,000 solo around America and I've wanted to do a bike trip ever since. I never planned on it, but when I read the book saying not to cycle across Botswana, I decided to say screw that and go for it. I did it on a one speed bike I bought for $124, did the whole thing in flip flops, and had a wonderful time. I think it's one of the best ways to travel, because there is no barrier between you and the people, which makes a huge difference. I absolutely loved the freedom having a bike gave me.
How did cycling go? I'd love to bike on a trip like this. Were the parts of Africa you visited cycling friendly? Are there maps, or did you stick to roads? Can you even find bike parts in the middle of Malawi??	Africa is not especially cycle friendly, but it's not really unfriendly either. In Botswana, NO ONE cycles, so everyone was amazed to see me, gave me TONS of space on the road, and word of me spread across the country actually. In Zambia on the other hand, locals cycle all the time and cars don't like them. The only rule on roads in most of Africa is the bigger thing has the right of way, so be prepared to MOVE.
Amazing story and pics, and thanks for your input!	I stuck to roads, paved most of the time, sometimes dirt. Again, I was on a single speed bike not made for touring. Then again, it would be hard to do anything other than ride paved/dirt roads. Maps were frequently hard to find and locals don't know how to read them, so bring your own from home. Parts are VERY hard to find, with the exception of a few capital cities, so plan on bringing all the important stuff you will need.
What if you were a nonwhite foreigner?	Once they hear you speak, the will quickly realize that you are a westerner, and will treat you pretty much the same. As someone else pointed out, people are usually very, very kind.
What was the scariest thing you yourself experienced? I'd love to go to Africa, but as with traveling other places abroad you need to be safe to avoid certain groups/areas, etc.	Without doubt, the biggest danger in Africa is traffic. Here is photos of the crash I mentioned in the OP: Link to imgur.com
	What happened was a minibus was driving with a bald tire, it blew out, the driver lost control, turned in front of a dump truck and was t-boned. It killed all 13 people inside, and the road and car were covered in blood. People were screaming, crying and soldiers and police were everywhere.
	I've almost crashed on motorcycles dozens of times, either riding myself or as the passenger of a moto taxi. Driving full speed, lane splitting, overloaded bikes, it all happens and every day, every hour, people are dying. The only way to avoid it is to stay off the roads, but to be safest, avoid night buses (I rode them all the time), don't take moto taxies even though sometimes they are only only way through a traffic jammed city, and travel on the biggest buses you can. usually there are good bus companies and bad bus companies, by just looking at the bus it's easy to tell.
	Other than that, the most important thing to know about safety in Africa is that crime, like in most of the world, is concentrated in the cities. African cities tend to be pretty slummy places and I'm not a big fan. The most likely problems are pick pocketing, as poor people move into the cities and find no jobs, they need to do something to get by. White people are an obvious target and I had a few attempts but stopped all of them by noticing it start to happen.
	One final thing I'll mention is alcohol. It is probably the factor in a majority of violent incidents. Bars, and coming home from a bar are areas/times where you must be on your guard. I was frequently in places where you don't walk alone, even as a man, but taxis are cheap and worth it in those situations. That said, I went out to the dirtiest, most local bars I could find, had wonderful times and never had any serious problems.
Apparently just checking the tire conditions would be a big indicator of whether a company is safety conscious.	ABSOLUTELY. I saw fatality crashes in every country I went through, I'd bet a large number of them were from running on bald tires. If I get a chance while answering all the other questions, maybe I'll post an album of crashes.
White people are an obvious target and I had a few attempts but stopped all of them by noticing it start to happen.	Often times, people will act as a team, one tries to distract you while the other reaches in our pocket or bag. the attempts are usually pretty obvious.
How did you notice and stop the attempts??	Other times, I simply felt as hand grabbing around, one time in line for a club, I just started shouting at the people behind me and threatened to start kicking asses. Maybe it wasn't the best response, but I didn't have any problems after that!
You mention about the violence and death you experienced while there - did you ever feel personally threatened? Were there any places where your presence was distinctly unwelcome? How did people who were potentially threats to your safety treat you in general?	I never felt personally threatened.
	I did hear a few stories of people being attacked by a group of guys, but I certainly never had any experiences like that. Usually when I'd show up in a new place, they were usually just too surprised to see a random white guy, one with long hair at that, and I was treated like an honored guest. I walked into local bars and had guys buy me drinks literally all across the continent.
	Edit: Also, especially in small towns, everyone knows everything. If someone hurt or robbed me, the whole town would know, and well, they just might beat that person to death... not kidding. I heard a number of stories of foreigners being robbed, then someone from the village returning their possessions once they were found.
As a woman, do you think it would be possible to make this trip alone without being in some sort of danger? Right now feel like I would probably never dare go alone on such a trip, but then again, I don't quite know how women are treated everywhere in Africa.	Yes, I think it is possible, this comment starts an interesting discussion on the subject of females traveling in Africa, check it out: Link to www.reddit.com
You said you ate elephant. I am curious. How do the people there feel about these and other endangered animals and how passionate can they be about protecting them? I'm not trying to give you a bad time about that. Just want to understand the perspective.	That happened on a whim. I was in rural northern Botswana, in an area almost no foreigners go, traveling with my new German friend in his 74 VW. We met a local guy, he invited us to come see his property, we spent the day helping him clear brush and burning it that night and meeting his family. The next morning, he offered us some elephant meat from a recent kill.
	It's a bad situation. The animals are being forced onto ever smaller pieces of land, as development and population increases come to Africa. This means people and animals are in each others territory, and guess what? The people have guns, the animals don't. I met a few locals concerned about species loss, but most don't even have the concept in their head. This guy we bought the elephant from, he was talking about some big lizzards that they used to eat, saying "there was plenty!" but that they were all gone. He went on to say it was happening to other species, but seemed to have no understanding of his own role in the situation. The fact is people need food, they eat anything and everything they find, and the results are very predictable.
	The elephant we ate was one that was supposedly in someones farm. They are protected there, 'unless they are in someones farm', so we were told. The elephant was shot, the villagers came, took every last piece of it and that was that. It was so tough I wasn't even able to chew it, I had one bite, spit it out and we had to throw the rest away.
	Here is a picture of getting the meat: Link to i.imgur.com
	And you can see the blog post about it here: An Old Volkswagen, A New Country and a House Full of Kids
Ok... I haven't seen it asked, so I'll ask. Why were you shitting blood?	Haha, this happened when I was trying to paddle Lake Tanganyika, it was food poising.
	>That night it happened (this is going to be a bit nasty, but hey, I gotta tell the truth), the worst food poisoning of my life and actually the first time I’ve even gotten sick in Africa. I’d been struggling to get to sleep and feeling uncomfortable when I began to alternate between shaking and shivering, and sweating and feeling like I was on fire. Waves of pain were rolling through my body from head to toe and I knew I was in a bad state. Really bad. My head was pounding, my mouth was dry, it felt like I was being kicked in the stomach and that I had razor blades in my intestines. I knew my body was going to evacuate itself shortly; I just didn’t know which end it would be coming from and tried to mentally prepare myself to experience the fury from both. Eventually the knots and pain in my stomach told me it was time to force myself to crawl on hands and knees out of my tent and let it rip. I got about 30 feet away before unleashing the most horrid diarrhoea I have ever experienced. I waited, squatting in the sand under the stars, trying to keep myself from falling over due to the pain and let the demons flow out of me in their unholy river. A few hours ago I felt like I was on top of the world, now I was headed somewhere very, very low.
	>When round-one finished, I dragged myself back to my tent, laying out tarps inside in case I couldn’t make it out in time during the next round and shit myself then and there. I was in such a bad state that even turning over in my tent from one side to the other was a ten minute mental struggle to force myself to move, followed by intense pain of actually moving, then trying to recover from that slight movement. All this to simply turnover, and I was still crawling out of the tent frequently relieve myself all night, a distance that got closer and closer as the night wore on and I was unable to get any rest. It was going to be a long night.
	>Day 5: After a sleepless night, probably what was the worst night of my life, the sun eventually made my tent too hot to stay in and I managed to drag myself into the shade of some bushes along with a piece of canvas to lay on. The pain in my stomach and in my gut was terrible radiating through my whole body. I was for large parts of the day, nearly unconscious, so weak I could hardly move and even so weak I literally couldn’t keep my eyes open. At one point I even fell over simply trying to stand up. Despite the pain and exhaustion, I was able to make it to the bush every time to relieve myself (though I never got far) and became a bit horrified when I began to see I was expelling blood along with the horrible bile that was inside me. I felt like I was dying.
	>Around 6pm a group of fisherman showed up, mostly just to have a look at the white man on the beach. I was feeling a bit better at this point, but still I wasn’t in much of a condition to be social. I couldn’t ignore their friendliness however, as they quickly pulled my boat up onto the beach and began doing some repairs (cotton stuffing) without my even asking. They then offered to take me out on the lake to go fishing in their boat but again due to my condition had to decline, though I wish I could have said yes. After they had left, the 10 minutes of sitting upright, walking a few meters here and there and forcing a smile left me so exhausted again I collapsed to the ground, happy to have my peace and solitude back.
	>Once again I spent the night unable to sleep for a single second, going between lying on the ground in pain and forcing myself to get up and shit my guts out in the sand as I stared at the stars, wishing this would all end.
	>Day 6: Two nights in a row without sleep, in addition to the pain and absolute inability to even think about eating. This has never happened to me before and it’s taking a heavy toll. Getting up to relieve myself is such an exhausting experience that the few meter walk leaves me sweating and out of breath for about 10 minutes. All food in my system was expelled long ago and at this point I’m not sure what’s coming out of me at this point, other than to say it’s green, yellow and filled with blood.
	>In the early afternoon a young boy and his brother, fishermen, come up to say hello. Again I force myself to be social, hell; I force myself to just stand up. The older of them speaks a little English and we talk for a few minutes. He then gives me a fish he caught as ‘a gift.’ I’m so grateful for the kindness the locals have shown me on my journey thus far I don’t have the heart to tell him I’m far too sick to even think about eating it, but I can’t refuse the fish and he and his brother paddle off.
	>That afternoon my spirits were very low, but I could feel myself getting better. I knew the worst was over. At this point I finally decided to take some antibiotics, something I generally try to avoid unless absolutely necessary but it was pretty clear it was necessary. That night I even got a few hours of sleep between getting up to empty my guts, but still probably only clocking about 5 hours. Still, better than 0 the last two nights.
At this point I finally decided to take some antibiotics, something I generally try to avoid unless absolutely necessary.	It's not good to take them if you don't need them. I knew it was something that would pass in a day, or a few days, so i waited to see what would happen before taking heavy drugs.
You had antibiotics the whole time?!?!	Plus, when your body is emptying itself at that rate, you can't keep meds IN. I had to let it run a bit until I was more stable, otherwise I would have just shit them out as well and it would be a waste.
Sounds like a case of Shigellosis to me. You were lucky to have antibiotics.	Just googled that, yikes!
the worst food poisoning of my life and actually the first time I’ve even gotten sick in Africa.	I got mild food poisoning two other times.
But not the last?	Amazingly low numbers, because I ate street food, tons of sketchy meat from sketchy places, often times drank local water, and had generally poor hand washing practices, haha. I guess I have a strong stomach, I got through two months in India without getting sick!
This sounds like a nightmare (although the rest of the trip sounds incredible). I would be scared... wait for it... shitless. Do you know what it was that gave you the poisoning?	Link to i.imgur.com
	Could have been the 4-day old chapatti as well...
You never said you thought you were going to die, but did you? Particularly on that first night, you must have had doubts you'd see the sun come up.	It felt like I was dying at times, but I knew it would pass.
How much did you know about Africa before you went there, and what inspired you to go? Did you speak any Swahili, MaShona, Xhosa, IsiZulu, or other local languages before you began your journey? If not, did you learn any African languages when you were there? I am not looking at the map right now but if I recall correctly you didn't go to any Lusophone or Francophone countries--did everyone speak English, or were you often unable to communicate? I want to go back to Africa, but my mother has told me she almost died of worry the last time, and if I go again she wants me to stay with a group or hire a bodyguard. Do you have any advice for me about this?	1) I knew almost nothing about Africa before setting out, or at least no more than your average American college grad. Which well, isn't much... haha. I did my learning on the fly and that made it constantly exciting and interesting. By talking to locals, expats, foreign volunteers and especially by reading the local news, you can learn a tremendous amount in a short amount of time. Add to that the wiki page on each country and you can come up with a pretty good base that will allow you some pretty solid insights.
Thanks again for your posts here and your blog, which I am also gonna go check out right now! Sala kahle!	But you know what, you have to live your own life. Parents worry, that's their job. I know my parents did (probably not as much as yours!) but just show them that you are smart, capable and can take care of yourself. Keep a blog, show them what you are doing, and with time they will get more comfortable with the idea and more trusting of you as an adult.
Can you tell us the story about how your possessions were stolen? Also Alex is hot!. Tell me more about her?	>Amazingly, all the most important, valuable and resalable items were left in the room. They grabbed the biggest things that must have looked like they had all the good stuff. My computer, sitting on the floor and on, was left behind. My camera was sitting on the bed and not seen because it was in a small black bag. My ‘important’ bag with passport, Visa card, and about $250 was left behind. Ok, so I had the critical things, but what next? If I want to buy everything again I either have to return to South Africa, or go home to America. >We walked back to where they were, which was literally 30m outside the wall of Nkupi Lodge, and what I found was my gadget bag ripped open with my things strewn everywhere. They were probably digging through my things when we came out with lights, and ran off. They were looking for the good stuff. I gathered everything up, and local guy said he found another bag. It turned out to be nearly all my clothes, backpack and dry bags. Oh thank you! It seemed they had been stashed for someone to come back for. We searched through the tall grass for a while, looking for anything else and when I figured we had found what there was to find, we returned to the lodge to make an inventory. After finding that amazingly I had recovered most of my items, Ghram and I went back for a second look and found a few more things. >Here is the list of what I lost, in rough order of value: My retainer (why they took this I can’t say, it’s useless to them and expensive for me to replace), a 1TB external HDD (although they didn’t take the USB3 cable, which I’m sure you can’t find outside of Lusaka, so that is also useless to them), about $31 USD cash, my rain jacket, my beanie, MSR stove tools, swim goggles, headphones, SD memory cards, USB card reader, phone charger, a bar of soap, q-tips, tooth paste, deodorant, and a few other bits and pieces. All things considered, I’ve lost a few hundred dollars of things, but it could have been about a million times worse. The worse things to lose are the retainer because I care about my teeth, and the hard drive, because I lost the ability to back-up my photos, as well as losing the 400+ movies I had…
I cringed when I saw they took your retainer. I hate not wearing mine at night. I don't sleep well if I don't have it in. haha.	Yah, what a weird thing to take right? I had to pay like $300 to get a new one when I got home, like 9 months later...
If I were you I would be really upset if lost the HDD and SD cards. I'm sure you had a ton of memories on those.	As for the HDD and SD cards, I had all the photos on my laptop which was not taken, and I had 800x600 versions of all my photos backed up online, so even if I lost ALL my things, I'd have kept nearly all my photos, at least since the last backup. It was a pretty good system.
Did you, or do you have a "career" and what is your plan to reintegrate back into your current life now?	Link to imgur.com
	It was something I sort of fell into while I was taking a year off college (majored in sociology, not a lot of jobs, haha), did during school and after. It was never a job I planned on doing for too long, but I love working outdoors, doing something physical, climbing trees, running saws and driving big trucks! It's one of the most dangerous jobs in America, so I guess I have a high tolerance for excitement.
	I don't plan on 'reintegrating' back into the world of living in the city, having a regular job, having a family or getting a house any time soon, there are just too many places I want to go and too many things I want to do. I'm hooked.
	Now that I'm back in America, here is my plan: Some of my friends have property on a small island of 200 residents by the border with Canada and are starting an organic farm. Soon I will be moving up there to help get the project off the ground, and at the moment will be living in a tent. My plan is to eventually build a tree-house, maybe 120sq ft, and have that be my home when I'm not traveling the world. I will work odd jobs on the islands as well as help on the farm, and will probably have to do some seasonal work like fishing in Alaska, or whatever to save up money. When you have the right attitude, it is amazing what is possible.
	I realize I'm giving up a lot of what people consider 'normal life' but I've done that and found something better. It's not for everyone, but right now it's what is best for me.
	Then I head out for The Next Adventure.
May I ask where this island is? "by Canada" describes a pretty big area. :)	I'm from Seattle, so that narrows it down ;) Or... The San Juans... or...Shaw Island. Bring beer and cookies.
Looks like no plans to start a family?	Not in the foreseeable future, no. But who knows, life can take strange turns, so never say never.
Your plan sounds awesome and exciting. It made me pretty jealous. After reading your post, you inspire me to make something out of my life.	If your not enjoying life, your doing it wrong ;)
How often and under what circumstances did you get laid?	Link to i.imgur.com
So uh what's goin' on in the top right-hand portion of this picture OP?	Folks gettin jiggy wit it.
How were you able to communicate with the locals in many of these countries? Did you speak any other languages other than English?	I only speak English.
	The spread of English in east Africa is AMAZING. This is primarily due to the influence of the British as colonizers, but most of the region realizes that English is the laguange of business and if they want to be part of the modern world they had better learn to speak it. English is the official language of many of the countries in East Africa, is taught (with varying degrees of success...) in most schools in most countries I visited.
	Even when I was in the smallest, most remote villages, it seemed someone who spoke English would show up and act as a translator. Other times, I was staying with Peace Corps volunteers or other NGOs and those people were usually fluent in the local language and could help with whatever I needed.
	That said, it is absolutely worth it to learn some of the local languages as you go, even if it's just simple things like 'hello', 'good bye', 'thank you', 'excuse me' and so on. People really appreciate it and will respect you more for it.
how are you spending money while in Africa with all the different currencies? I imagine rural areas have a different system as well.	ATMs are becoming amazingly common. Most towns on main roads have an ATM and an internet cafe, even in pretty undeveloped areas. You still have to plan ahead and make sure you have enough cash to get to the next spot, but I almost never had problems. I always kept a week or two of local currency from the ATM on me, and usually around $150 in USD.
	The only times I had money problems was in Burundi. It's one of the poorest nations on earth, extremely undeveloped and the ONLY place you can get money off a card is at the central bank in the capital of Bujumbura. I found myself on the other end of the country and running out of local cash, but the solution was simple. Because I always carry USD on me (every traveler should, it's the standard across Africa, much more so than Euros) and went to a money changer. Problem solved.

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Questions	Answers
As many others have said, Thank you for taking the time to do this. These AMA's really are making reporters seem human again. Recently, Hillary Clinton pledged millions of dollars for the Syrian rebels/Resistance. She pledged humanitarian aid, and electronic support/assistance. By your view, have these pledges made there way to the ground? Have you seen such missions being carried out? If so, what sort of aid has been given? By your own view at least.	I was in Istanbul when Hilary Clinton pledged more humanitarian aid in August and there have been more such gestures since. There is aid - but not enough - reaching the 90,000 + Syrian refugees here in Turkey. But on the other side of the border next to nil. Western NGOs and aid agencies are very thin on the ground, partly because the Syrian Government doesn't want them there, Last week I was at Atma camp - a stone's throw from the border where 7,000 internally displaced people are living in dire conditions. Many under the branches of olive trees strewn with the few blankets they possess. I spoke at length to a Syrian lawyer there who explained he didn't necessarily want to leave the country he loved.. he was living in those awful conditions to keep his kids safe. Sorry have to cut short.. shells have landed Turkish side of border at least five dead and we have to do a team briefing, Back within 15 minutes.
What's the average day like for the citizens there? Have you ever been close to dieing from a suicide bomber or gun-fight?	The average day is absolutely dreadful for so many Syrian civilians right now. Please view the report running on AJE if you can - it's on again in just over 5 minutes. It hasn't been uploaded yet - I will post the link as soon as it is up there. It's the children who are suffering the most.
Do the rebels have any chance of winning?	That is hard to predict. And dependant on how they can somehow co-ordinate their actions on the ground in a better way. Not only that and far more crucial they are crying out for more effective heavier weaponry and more ammunition supplies.
How many foreign fighters did you come in contact with?	Only a handful -- but I haven't been to areas where they are reportedly prevalent. They tend to be at the very frontline of conflict.
What are the main foreign interests in Syria? Who is (or isn't) supporting which side of the struggle, and for what reasons? And why are the UN having such trouble there?	The main foreign interests in Syria are these: Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, Egypt, the USA of course, Europe (particularly France of late), Russia and China. Russia and China are with the Assad government. The rest support opposition to Assad but they are split on which elements of resistance both politically and militarily they are prepared to back.
	As for the UN – the Security Council is impotent in taking any action. Resolutions have been vetoed by China and Russia. And the UN General Assembly is turning out to be little more than talking shop and place for all sides to grandstand. Meanwhile the abysmal human tragedy of Syria carries on.
	Edit: Caps.
Mr. Simmons, thank you very much for this. Where does Turkey stand on the movement of men and materiel across its southern border into Syria? How are weapons and ammunition, outside of store captured from the regime, making it to the frontline brigades?	Turkey turns something of a blind eye to the movement of men across the border and I have no doubt that arms and ammunition are crossing as well although covertly and with the watchful eye of Turkish intelligence services. I cannot give absolute evidence of this but I do know their intelligence agents are active on the border and fairy well appraised of what is going on. Again I cannot prove this but reliable sources have told me that much of these arms and ammunition are bought on the black market and smuggled along well used routes through holes in fences along the long winding border with Syria that stretches more than 900 kilometres. As for foreign arms shipments there appear to be none from Western states in line with their public statements. However there are unconfirmed reports of Arab states supply arms or the money to buy them. But how such weaponry is getting in is unclear.
	Edit: Caps.
If the anti-government forces succeed in toppling the regime could it inspire other revolutions in other Arab states? Would a decisive victory by the al-Assad regime quell protests and slow the spread of the Arab Spring?	This of course is a possibility. There is little doubt that the Syrian uprising would not have happened had it not been for the Arab Spring starting in Tunisia and inspiring the Egyptian revolution and then the uprising in Libya. As for a decisive victory by Assad quelling protests elsewhere that is a hard call. I think it unlikely. I also find it hard to foresee Assad remaining as president should there be a political settlement eventually.
	Edit: Caps.
When do you think Turkey will say "Enough" and either intervene or close their borders? Thanks for the AMA.	Turkey has already closed its borders to internally displaced people in Syria who become refugees once they are here. They are allowing a few thousand a week through but that isn’t enough. Turkey is overwhelmed by the influx of Syrian people – the total of officially registered refugees is about to reach 100,000 and you have to add to that a colossal number of unregistered Syrians most of whom have been smuggled across the border illegally – something that is commonplace at a cost to the Syrians. Politically Turkey is at risk of political isolation should it try to intervene militarily. Put simply without US support it will not do so.
	Edit: Caps.
How does the Free Syrian Army compare to similar groups in similar conflicts?	I normally baulk at comparing one warzone or force within it to another because every conflict is different. Syria is one of the most complex wars I have covered. The Free Syrian Army is an umbrella organisation that gradually started showing some signs of co-ordination. But now it has splintered and its very existence isa t stake. No one knows an accurate number of brigades, battalions, military councils and fighting groups. The head of the FSA Riad al-Asaad who has been trying to run his campaign from Turkey is under serious pressure now because of dissent and outright hostility on the ground in Syria. I reported on this two days ago. A new command of military councils has now been formed that claims 80 per cent support. One of the main aspects of the frequent switches of allegiance from one command to another is the poor supply of weapons, almost exclusively off the black market, that the FSA gets. Riad al-Asaad told Al Jazeera English in a rare exclusive interview that he hasn’t received one bullet from any foreign power. However other groups do seem to be getting much better arms shipments from Arab states. It gets complicated but as for comparing the FSA to similar groups in similar conflicts I would say there are no such similar groups and no such similar conflicts.
	Edit: Caps.
How much is your station influenced by the fact that the Qatari royal family is funding you? They are really pro America and against countries who are openly hostile to western interference. This fact is also why your network has lost a lot of face, would be great with your perspective on it.	I answer this with all sincerity as a Correspondent of 57 years of age with three decades of experience in broadcast news. Not once with AlJazeera English have I been swayed, censored or had story ideas refused in my seven years with the organisation. And I know I also speak on behalf of my colleagues in saying this. Please judge our journalism from what you see on screen, not the predictable lines you have obviously seen in other media.
What is the most interesting thing you have encountered during your time spent reporting in Syria?	DEPENDS WHAT YOU MEAN BY INTERESTING. IN TERMS OF NEWS INTEREST THE MOMENT IS NOW. SORRY I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO ANSWER MORE QUESTIONS BUT I HAVE BEEN REPORTING LIVE FOR THE PAST THREE HOURS IN OPEN ENDED COVERAGE OF TURKEY'S ARTILLERY ATTACK ON SYRIA IN RESPONSE TO THE ASSAD FORCES MORTAR THAT KILLED FIVE TURKISH NATIONALS AMONG THEM CHILDREN. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME TURKEY HAS RESPONDED MILITARILY IN THE 19MONTH CONFLIC. DIPLOMATIC HOTLINES ARE BUZZING. NATO EMERGENCY MEETING SOON.
In your opinion, is there any way this conflict could end other than either side claiming a military victory? Would Bashar al-Assad ever conceivably step aside under an amnesty agreement, power-sharing arrangement, or some other non-military option? EDIT: Removed a small typo.	I think your question is well put. Russia wants to see a political settlement along the lines of the latter part of your question. However, all sides in this have come so far down a bloody road it is hard to see anything settled in the near future. But many observers feel realpolitik will have to kick in eventually. One has to ask what the people of Syria want - they don't have a vote or any means of an opinion poll. The longer this goes on the more polarised it gets with sectarianism making a peaceful solution appearing unattainable.
sigh I bet this will be ignored or buried, but I wanted to ask how you got your career started at Al Jazeera Mr. Simmons? I love the courage journalists like you have to dive right into the action and come out with a story.	My career started in tv news three decades ago. I was a correspondent for the UK's Independent Television News for 16 years followed by Sky News then the BBC. I had been based in West Africa when I was asked by a former ITV colleague to join AJE pre-launch and set up Africa Bureaux. I hesitated at first but then jumped in at the deep end in June 2005. And I've never looked back. In 2006 I moved to Nairobi, Kenya in 2006 and I transferred to London News Centre two years ago. But I'm on the road most of the time. It's a great channel for independent journalism. Multinational spread of staff,culture and receptive to ideas form the field in a way I haven't experienced at any stage in my career.
Since there is all this death in destruction going on in Syria have you seen something while you were there that has restored your faith in humanity?	The level of support civilians have for each other -- often selfless under the most appalling circumstances. And a lawyer sitting under an olive tree in Atma IDP camp with absolutely nothing apart from the love and care that made his 3 kids smile. And he was smiling too. I gave him a Turkish cellphone and SIM card and we'll keep in touch.
Are you always fearful of your surroundings? Are you always alert just in case you end up in the wrong place at the wrong time?	Yes you have to be alert - not just for yourself but the camera person who takes more risks than the Correspondent. In TV news the pictures are obviously the priority and that sometimes means taking calculated risks as a team. We are also so dependant very often on fixetranslatoguides who are much braver than us. And so often we leave them behind when the assignment is over. They deserve more plaudits than us in making things happen. As for wrong place wrong time well yes you are mindful of that but if it spooks you through some instinct then you just don't do it.
What was a typical day like for you while in Syria?	Getting very little sleep although I was so exhausted at one point that I slept though an air raid in Jabal AlZawiya with one bomb landing fairly close. Getting stressed by the time it takes to get from A to B - with fuel shortages you have to be vigilant about having enough to make your destination. Food isn't in short supply so no real problems there. The stories covered made for different days really - not a typical one. In Jab alZawiyah the random nature of shelling and air attacks was a constant. It was striking how extraordinarily resilient civilians have become in dealing with the threat. Digging out their gardens to make bomb shelters, some using caves. There is a mood of sad acceptance that the war will be prolonged.
Is there any fear of retribution in the Alawite community if the rebels are able to unseat al-Assad? Do you think that kind of retribution is likely?	I am afraid sadly the answer is yes.
"fresh out of Syria."	Fresh as described by an online colleague isn't the word I would use to describe my state. And as for shipments, carrying a rucksack with a couple of changes of clothes, some protective body armour and water supplies with long walks across borders is about all any shipment amounts to on newsgathering assignments.
Do you speak Arabic? If so, do you've any advice for an English speaker in the process of learning it? It's damn hard.	I don't speak Arabic and wish I did. And I agree it is very hard - especially at my age. Please pass on any advice!
How long do you expect the conflict to continue?	Impossible to judge. I would suggest that it will be well after the U.S elections.
So what's the deal with Turkeys counter artillary strike against Syria? Are we looking at a war between the two nations now?	Turkey says it has run out of patience with shells and mortars landing its side of the border in the Akcakale area. At time of writing Turkey is still reported to be firing shells into Syria. This has all the hallmarks of a limited retaliatory action but the longer it goes on the more the risk of more escalation. Syria has in effect apologised to the Turkish people for the 5 civilian deaths Wednesday and says it will investigate. It is important to stress that we have absolutely no evidence the Syrian mortar was deliberately aimed at Turkey. The fighting that is going on with rebels on the border town of TalAbyad. Are we looking at a war between Syria and Turkey? Right now the answer is no. For background on what was happening on the ground prior to this action please watch my report from a few days ago Link to goo.gl
Syria just attacked Turkey and the situation between the two nations has escalated. In your professional opinion, do you think Turkey will strike back?	That question has been answered now by events -- I hope you can watch AJE online for updates. Please see earlier post for my brief thoughts.
Why is Al jazeera so openly against America and the west?	It isn't ! It just asks questions that should be asked of anyone in power.
The average day is absolutely dreadful for so many Syrian civilians right now. Please view the report running on AJE if you can - it's on again in just over 5 minutes. It hasn't been uploaded yet - I will post the link as soon as it is up there. It's the children who are suffering the most.	On your second question - I've never thankfully been near to a suicide bomber. In this conflict I have been lucky so far although only a few days ago we had to take hard cover during an air raid. In the past yes I have been too close to gun fights. In Grozny, Chechnya and in Bosnia. And in Iraq on Gulf War 1 I was taken prisoner by the republican guard in Basra for more than a week. At one stage it looked like I was going to be executed. However, it was at the end of the conflict and I along with the rest of the team for the UK news organisation ITN became part of the final peace deal by being classified as POWs and handed over to the ICRC in Baghdad.

Last updated: 2012-10-08 10:48 UTC
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