As the recent TIA posts recorded our departure from East Africa, the question arose: Is there anything more for TIA to report each week? The posts started in late 2010, five years ago. There have been some 250 of them. They’ve taken readers from a beginning with Donanne in high school in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, on through Fred’s adventures in the Congo, on further to our joint experiences as a journalist couple working out of Kenya and still further on to us as travelers just at the beginning of the 21st century.

Furthermore, readers have had the blessing of a goodly number of posts by guest contributors. How pleasant to go places with folks willing to share their adventures. Our heartiest thanks to them.

Doing the blog has been great fun for us. We’ve met some surprising people along the way. As everyone knows, the internet’s reach is worldwide. We’ve received hellos, both across space and time. Lincoln Sixishe wrote from South Africa after he came upon the name of his father Desmond, who delighted me in Lesotho. As an official of the Lesotho government, he could venture into neighboring South Africa and tweak Afrikaners by failing to act like a “kaffir” and getting away with it. The son of Paul Efambe wrote to tell of his surprise to come upon his father’s name. Paul Efambe was a provincial minister in Coquilhatville when I was there. I also heard from Johanna Boudart and Piotr Michejda, descendants of Coquilhatville friends.

They all found the names of relatives by entering the name into a search engine and watching to find out what came up. That’s one way to use the TIA posts in the future. We’ve also heard from people who’ve had experiences similar to ours. All terrific blessings!

The blog has an archive. It’s easy to access, though I’ll admit it may not be all that easy to use. The posts are filed by subject matter – at least that was the intention in the beginning. The blog will remain on the web for the foreseeable future. It’s a way to take a trip to Africa where you may not be sure of your destination.

It’s possible that there will be reason now and then to send out new posts. That means we may be putting a “New post up at Travels in Africa” in the subject line of your emails. Probably there will be more books to tell you about. Writers do keep writing.

Our enormous thanks to all of you who shared these journeyings with us. We look forward to seeing and hearing from you down the line.

Meanwhiie, may your travels online or on foot enlighten and delight you. With every good wish,

Fred & Donanne