17th July 2011 …must come to an end. And our Galapagos cruise was definitely a good thing, perhaps the highlight of our time in South America. Perhaps not perhaps, perhaps definitely. Yes, definitely definitely the highlight. The last morning was bound to be anticlimactic, but the Interpretation Centre on San Cristobal really made sure of » » »
Archive for category ‘Video’
20 July 2011
Wonderful ridiculous II
16th July 2011 I’m talking about boobies. Boobies are birds, of course. Related to gannets if I’m any judge, but larger and – as with everything else here – quite happy for you to sit and watch them from just a couple of feet away. Indeed, some of the daft boobies make their nests right » » »
17 October 2010
Debating monks
Buddhist monks enjoy debating, and in some monasteries they get very animated about it. The standing monk asks a question, and the seated monk has to answer – they get a virtual slapping if they don’t get it right. I think questions like “when was the Battle of Hastings?” and “what was Chairman Mao’s favourite » » »
7 October 2010
Kathmandu goes BEEP
Sight-seeing in Kathmandu is an endurance sport. The whole city is clogged with motorbikes, pedestrians, tiny Suzuki taxis and other random obstacles, which might be okay if the roads weren’t barely one lane wide with shops and street pedlars spilling out onto them. Crossing a road is like walking across the dodgems ride at a » » »
5 October 2010
City of frowns?
Written by Maureen After meeting such friendly people on our trip so far I found the people of Hong Kong at best… indifferent. Perhaps this is big city syndrome, but I really don’t remember getting that impression from other cities. For example, on our last day a kind Chinese lady explained that we needed exact » » »
30 September 2010
Thoughtful in Tana
Madagascar is over. Two weeks is definitely not enough time to explore this nation, not even to explore the best wildlife sites. I’ve seen just enough of the people and places of the island in passing that I’d like to come back for more than just lemurs, though. There is so much here that is » » »
Tags: reflecting, travelling
29 September 2010
Safari Adventure
Itinerary updates, South Africa, Video
Here is a map of our journey around South Africa (thanks to Jane for the idea!). We were there for 7 weeks and drove ourselves in a hired VW Polo 1.4, stayed in more than 20 guest houses, self-catering places and hotels, and saw loads of wildlife. And just for fun, here’s “the next David » » »
14 September 2010
Otter book club
Written by Maureen Baedeker’s South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland We are not very impressed with this guidebook. It focuses on a few well-known tourist destinations and is not really geared for independent travellers, especially those like us who enjoy exploring beyond the Top 20 sights. The book lists places alphabetically, rather than by area, which » » »
Tags: books
12 September 2010
Great Escarpment
The Great Escarpment is pretty bloody amazing. You’re driving across the vast flat expanse of the low veldt and there is just this almighty wall of mountainous golden cliffs stretching from horizon to horizon, broken only by the Blyde River canyon which emerges from it. Anyone who visits the Kruger and doesn’t take a day » » »
1 September 2010
Whale of a time
Written by Maureen Firstly, apologies to everyone who tried to watch the previous video. Please try again – it should work now. Now back to the post… Hermanus is considered to be one of the best shore-based whale-watching spots in the world, and we were there at the Southern Right time (sorry!). Around August and » » »
29 August 2010
One month in
Written by Maureen on 26 August 2010 It has been exactly one month now since we left our cosy home in England to embark on this once-in-a-lifetime trip around the world. And it still feels like a holiday! I’m going to be honest (and risk the ire of serious travellers everywhere) and admit that I » » »