Wicked places in Africa

So how can palm groves, fruit trees and vegetable gardens grow in the middle of the Sahara desert. In M'zab Valley they have over centuries constructed a sophisticated irrigation system which leads water (when it comes) to where it's needed. In Ghardaia Palm Grove they have constructed of system of underground tunnels, some tall enough for a (short) man to stand up in. It's possible to explore these dark tunnels when they are waterless.

Shipwreck Beach is a devastating sight, yet so fascinating. Kilometres after kilometres of shipwrecks rusting up in the surf. Though nobody knows for sure, the ships were most likely just dumped here many decades ago after they became unseaworthy. Unfortunately, the practice has just started again with new shipwrecks getting dismantled in the surf. It's possible to enter some of the wrecks, but obviously such adventure isn't without risk. The beaches are also known to locals as either Praia do Sarico, Praia da Santiago or just Karl Marx Beach named after the first shipwreck, which is still lying there (photo).

Angola was at civil war from 1975 to 2002. Today you can still see war relics here and there throughout the country. Particularly, there are a handful of rusten tanks and MPVs shattered along the road between Xangongo and Ondjiva. However, the biggest collection is at Namacunda closer to the border to Namibia.

Burkina Faso doesn't have a whole lot of tourist attractions, so some of the country's sights are a bit wicked. The gold mines outside the village of Yako is probably one of the most mind blowing. Here miners dig shafts several hundred meters deep to get to the gold ore. It's a dirty, hot, and dangerous job, but the prosperity of become rich quickly allures people into the mines. Every aspect of the gold extraction is done here, from digging, crushing rocks to washing. Though the miners look tough and intimidating with their mud covered faces and big muscles, they are friendly and don't seem to mind foreigners to have a look, if you approach them gently. That said, it's still best to go with a local.

When Côte d'Ivoire's first president, Felix Houphouët-Boigny, built his presidential palace, he toured the country in order to find the crocodiles that were to inhabit the lake in front of his new compound. He picked the most aggressive and vicious crocodiles he could find, supposedly to reflect his own strength. While Houphouët-Boigny passed away in 1993, the crocodiles are still there. Photos aren't allowed by the presidential guards – unless you buy a live chicken, which is then fed to the always hungry crocs. Or you could simply show up at the lake around 5 p.m. when the creatures are fed. Be careful, though, the crocodiles here have at least three lives on their conscious. A dedicated supporter of the late president through himself for the crocodiles on the day the president's dead. Later a veteran feeder got eaten during a photo-op with UN troops. Lastly, a tourist who scaled the low fence to take a selfie with these beasts, obviously, got eaten.

In the eastern outskirts of Cairo, at the foot of Mokattam mountain (well, hill), lies a community which is almost made up entirely by garbage collectors, so-called Zabbaleen. The neighborhood is known as "Garbage City" and has almost 30,000 inhabitants. Here the streets are dusty and filthy, and sorted trash are pilled up everywhere. Inside the half-completed buildings the Zabbaleen sort the newly arrived garbage from all Cairo, which come in on overloaded trucks, cars, and horse carts, yes, even on the backs of men. The stench is overwhelming and foul throughout the neighborhood. However, the grim setting stands in stark contrast to the friendliness of the people, and as repulsive Garbage City might sound, as mind blowing will a visit be to this bizarre community.

Every evening, Yusuf Pepe feeds wild hyenas, just outside the city of Harar. This tradition started a long time ago, to prevent the hyenas from feeding on the local cattle. And, according to Yusuf, it really works. Therefore, every night - year round - he feeds a flock of wild hyenas, believed to live nearby, with raw meat given to him from the city's slaughterhouses. About 20 hyenas come to feed under his single light bulb. You can't see more than a few at a time, but you can hear them in the dark - fighting and "laughing".
Anyone who cares to watch can just appear in front of his house just after the sun sets. But remember, there are no fences here - and these animals are wild. Yusuf himself treats them like tame dogs. At first, he feeds them with his hands, then he puts the meat on a stick, which he puts in his mouth. If you're up to it, you can try too (but make sure your travel insurance will cover the damage if your face is chewed off). To find him, just ask anyone in Harar.

There are many bad roads in Africa and some of them connect two countries. The border crossing between Gabon and Republic of Congo is one of them. The dirt road starts in Ndende in Gabon, where the immigration also is located, and continues all the way to Dolisie in the Republic of Congo. The distance is just 200 km, but the red dirt road is littered with potholes big enough to swallow small cars. Not that a normal car will make it, because the road requires a proper vehicle with off road capacity.

As you come driving on the road towards N3, you will eventually pass the Equator. Elsewhere on the globe there are usually a monument of some sort, but in Gabon a broken knocked over sign hidden in the bushes on the shoulder of the road will be the only indication that you have crossed the Equator. It might be a good idea to keep an eye with a GPS, so you don't miss it.

If you have always wanted to study crocodiles up close, the Kachikally Crocodile Pool is the go to place. Both the crocodiles and the pond are considered holy by local, traditional folklore. Women come here to improve their fertility by praying to the crocodile spirits and washing in the pool. Any Gambian child named Kachikally is a result of a successful prayer. Given the crocodiles nature of eating people, locals have fed them in order to visit the pool. Today, they are given 250 kg fish a day to keep them fed and happy. This has tamed most of the crocodiles to a state where visitors can get quite close to the crocs and even touch them. The crocodiles roam the area quite freely, so be careful not to step accidentally on them. There is also a small museum that tells the pond's story and those of many other historical events and cultural traditions in the Gambia.