Registered with the Crown (Travel Tale)
By 4.00 pm I was close to the English border and passed a hand painted sign nailed to a tree pointed the way down a narrow lane “Farm B&B”. I like farms. Enjoy all the old buildings, the layers of human occupation and toil, the old cars and discarded machinery rusting away slowly out back. And I like farmers; good honest workers doing good honest work (a little different to my colleagues in the finance industry). More ... (25 Dec 2006)
Floating down the Mekong (Travel Tale)
My first two days in Laos are spent travelling on a slow moving river boat down the Mekong River. At first it seems impossible to obtain passage on such a craft but somehow at Laos customs questions about boats are asked and everything happens with the minimum of fuss. It is at the end of my travels through Laos that I understand this is the Lao way. More ... (18 Dec 2006)
Branching out in New Zealand (Travel Tale)
We hadn’t had much luck as we started our tour of New Zealand. Arriving in Auckland we collected the campervan that was to be our home for the next two weeks. This would have been a good way to travel if it hadn’t been for one thing: the low branch on the side track on day one. More ... (11 Dec 2006)
Baronial Glory (Accommodation)
Manaus itself is one of those fabled towns built on incredible wealth produced by rubber and gold (I read that the wealthy sent their linen to Europe for cleaning). Great architectural glories are now mouldering away from neglect and the effect of the tropical climate. Manaus’s glory days are well in the past. More... (04 Dec 2006)
Into the storm (Travel Tale)
As we drove through the northern parts of Switzerland I wondered about the wisdom of entering the storm and trying to outrun it south. I did a quick calculation in my mind: behind us, just across the border into southern Germany was a solid house that would protect my little family, offer warmth and a glass of wine (singular) and a comfortable bed for the night. And a German mother-in-law. More ... (27 Nov 06)
Who stays the ferryman? (Travel Tale)
The deckies on these large ferries are not known for their gentle ways and as the ship docked he indicated that my wife should get in the car and shift it. The trucks, buses and vans cranked up their engines, eager to continue their journey. A tiny car with a blonde woman waving to her child blocked their way. Air horns sounded. The deckie approached. More ... (20 Nov 06)
Call of the jungle (Accommodation)
Arriving at Cave Lodge plunges you deep into the jungle and the sounds are those of gibbons booming, birds shrieking and the river close by. We’ve heard that a white guy runs the place and I can’t rid my mind of Kurtz and Apocalypse Now. More ... (13 Nov 2006)
New and Old (Accommodation)
My first visit to Marseille was about 20 years earlier and I stayed in the general area of the New Hotel. On that occasion all I could afford was a room above the bar of a wharfies’ hotel. The barmaid gave me a key and a wink and told me to be sure to lock the door. What the wink implied I couldn’t tell but when I saw the room I took her advice about locking up. More ... (06 Nov 2006)
Magic in Peccioli (Travel Tale)
In the far corner a few lights illuminated a group of men enjoying their evening grappa. Quiet men used to farm machinery and hunting. Hands like leather, faces carved from old wood. I approached to ask if there were any hotels close by but a slight nod indicated that either there weren’t or that they didn’t speak English. More.. (30 Oct 2006)