‘Mamiwata’ is an African name for a spirit believed to be embodied by the manatee. She’s a female and caprious spirit. When waters are high here during the rainy season they say Mamiwata is hungry (which is cool, because manatees enter flooded forests to feed during the rainy season). I’m hearing some stories here and will relay more soon….

Finally in Gabon!After 7 months of planning and 33 hours of travel, I arrived in Libreville, Gabon (the capital) about a week ago. On the way I had a 10 hour layover in Casablanca, Morocco and was able to see a bit of the city including a breath-taking mosque. The second largest mosque in the world. I spent 2 days in Libreville and then flew