Hi Dave. My contract with my current client ends in three weeks. Since I'll finally be a free agent I am going to spend several months in west Africa as I have a good friend living in Sierra Leone. I'm looking to teach, freelance or do whatever paying gigs come my way.

I have the 17in MacBook pro which is great even though I've had it since December 2007. I've been considering selling it for cash toward a new 13 inch MacBook Pro so that I can blog, do podcasts, etc. However I don't know if getting the new one is the right choice considering there's no slot for another battery. I'll be without power for about five hours a day in Freetown.

I'd feel safer having an additional battery in case the power is out for an extended period of time. Should I just look for the previous version of the MacBook? Would I be sacrificing a lot of power?

You seem to travel quite a bit, Dave, so I thought perhaps you could help me with some tips on how to plan a visit to Africa? I've been to most of the continents and really want to explore the African wilderness before it's all ruined by developers and commercial ventures, not necessarily a safari, just traveling to get a sense of the place and its peoples. Too far off the beaten track for Ask Dave Taylor?