The limpid waters of the Lembeh Straits lapped the black sands of Tangkoko as our outrigger canoe pushed out in search of pilot whales. The fuzzy edges of the nearby volcano slowly sharpened into view as dawn broke over this little-visited corner of Indonesia’s 17,000 or so islands. The hot roti hurriedly collected from a…
Category: Travel inspiration
A Sulawesi state of mind (tips for where to visit in Sulawesi)
What image does the word Sulawesi conjure up for you? Have you even heard of it? Maybe if you’re older you might know it by the names of Celebes. Sulawesi is one of the largest islands in the Indonesian archipelago, oddly shaped like an octopus or spider. Its northern tip and southern province welcome some tourists…
2 weeks in Java and Sulawesi – trip highlights in photos
The stupas of Borobudur, central Java The incredible Hindu temple of Prambanan, central Java The keraton (sultan’s palace) in Yogyakarta Javanese dance in Surakarta An amazing sunrise boat ride spotting pilot whales, Tangkoko national park, North Sulawesi Relaxing in paradise a.k.a. Bunaken island, North Sulawesi The fascinating cliff burials of Tana Toraja, Sulawesi Torajan…
Stevie in the sunshine: a perfect summer weekend in London
Last night was something I’d been looking forward to for months – Stevie Wonder performing his classic ‘Songs In The Key of Life’ album live in Hyde Park. And Stevie did not disappoint playing for over 3 1/2 hours with a fantastic medley of his hits and other album tracks. It was great to hear…
What to do in Lisbon? 5 different places to see
Lisbon has mixed reviews, it’s fair to say. The city seems to divide opinion but I found much to like during a visit back in January. It didn’t hurt that the sun shone all the time; sometimes the weather can be quite overcast but we were lucky. It’s easy to get around on Lisbon’s buses,…
A great start to the year – Saltwater mentioned in National Geographic Traveller magazine
Something amazing happened last Monday. Well, amazing to me. I was scrolling through my emails on the train into work when I spotted a notification. A pingback link to my site. Normally I would have waited and checked the link later, but something caught my eye. Wait…was it National Geographic Traveller linking to my…
Revisiting an icon – when is the best time to visit Iguazu Falls?
I’ve been lucky enough to visit Iguazu Falls twice now and it’s definitely an amazing place to add to your South American trip. But the two experiences were quite different; one in February (summer) and one in July (winter), when the water reached exceptionally high levels due to floods in Parana state. You can read…
Adventures in the Bolivian Pantanal
“We usually eat them whole, with our hands.” She mimed chomping across the bony flesh, then gestured to the knife and fork on the table. “But you can use those.” Piranhas have a fearsome reputation but most of the time they’re harmless enough. Just don’t get into the water with them during mating season….
What’s in your travel bag? My 5 travel essentials
I recently joined Instagram, which is a terrible time-waster great source of travel inspiration. I love the wanderlust-inducing travel shots, but also the small insights into people’s worlds, halfway around the globe. A morning coffee here, a pet photo there. And I love the little details about travel most of all. I’ve been meaning to…
I left my heart in…Chapada dos Guimaraes
“Ah, my other son. He’s in some tiny town in the far north, in Piaui state. I’ve never heard of it.” Our laid-back guide rolled the window down and shrugged. There’s many unknown places in Brazil. Take Chapada dos Guimaraes. It may be the official geodesic centre of South America, but until we…