Someone recently described me as having a spiritual connection to Arenal volcano. I’ve never thought of myself as a spiritual person. But either way, she draws me in. She has so many personalities. Sometimes she looks like a monk with a ring of white hair as the clouds gather round. Read more…
This week has seen three celebrations in Costa Rica: Children’s Day, Independence Day and of course the big event – my birthday 😉 9 September is Children’s Day. Which is slightly ironic as, apart from a few teenagers waiting for the school bus, I have hardly seen any children since Read more…
Pura Vida. It’s a ubiquitous and integral part of Costa Rican life. You will hear it said umpteen times a day. In shops and restaurants. In passing in the street. It must be the most used phrase in Costa Rica. Which makes it surprising that it is not the official Read more…
This is not the country I had planned to move to. I was looking for an emerging economy with a new and distinct culture. Not Britain in the sunshine. But New Zealand has got completely under my skin. It is so much more than Little Britain. It is a country Read more…
The landscapes may be vast, but much of rural New Zealand life happens on a much smaller scale. Fulfilling the needs of the handful of early settlers who packed the 4-pew churches to the essential services of today’s rural villages, the images below tell a story of the communities of Read more…
Life as an expat is full of wonderful experiences. But it also has its drawbacks. And one thing that is of course under pressure is relationships. How to stay connected to those people you have left behind. Of course, the age of WhatsApp and Zoom makes it infinitely easier than Read more…
I hate driving long distances. Hours of monotonous motorway driving fills me with dread. The classic road trips have never appealed. Route 66, the Garden Route or the Great Ocean Road? No thanks. I once considered the Mongol rally but that was more the pull of adventure in foreign lands Read more…
Before I moved to New Zealand, I was warned that it would be like stepping back in time. Back several decades. I had visions of brown wallpaper and formica tables. Of a world before online deliveries. On-line house hunting before I left home seemed to reaffirm these suspicions. Floral wallpaper. Read more…
Lockdown. It’s what everyone is talking about. What else do we have to talk about when we haven’t been allowed to leave our homes for the past 7 weeks? So how has it been? Actually not too bad. I thought I might miss the personal interaction at work. But it Read more…
Like much of West Africa, Ivory coast is 50% Muslim, 50% Christian and 100% animist. Praying at church or in the mosque does not stop people from worshipping the animist Gods. Mother earth. Fetishes are common place and to the uninitiated often look like a pile of rubbish crowned with Read more…
Only 1 year after the liberalisation of the European aviation industry was agreed, the Yamoussoukro Declaration was signed in 1988 to great fanfare. A decision to liberalise the African aviation industry, to drive economic progression through increased trade, an opportunity to raise their people out of poverty. The unification of Read more…
The first question my mum asks when I tell her I’m going somewhere is “is it safe?” Weirdly when I announced I was going to Pakistan, she took it very much in her stride. I say weirdly because as everyone who sees the news knows, Pakistan is best known for Read more…
Chinglish is a well-known phenomenon. Some phrases are really sweet and summarise how beautifully the Chinese phrase quite mundane things. Others are simply hilarious. And others are just downright puzzling. These are all signs seen on my recent visit to Yunnan. Here’s a few sweet phrases for positive mindfulness… Keep Read more…
The Nazca Lines are what drew me to Peru. How on earth could an ancient civilisation draw such enormous yet accurate shapes? Even today it would be considered an accomplishment. But before the age of aeroplanes and drones? It should have been impossible. Yet a short flight takes you up Read more…
The history of this region is almost as long as the novel. But it’s the most recent past for which the region is most commonly remembered. The nineties brought bloody war. The unity of Tito’s Yugoslavia collapsed as provinces declared independence. Settled peoples suddenly found themselves living in the ‘wrong’ Read more…
As this phase of my journey through Africa comes to an end, I’ve reflected over what I am taking away from the experience. Lots of wonderful memories, thousands of photos, new friends. But in thinking about what I have learnt from my time in Africa, two things strike me most. Read more…
T.I.A as Leonardo DiCaprio once said. T.I.A. This Is Africa. It’s the phrase to sum up the lackadaisical attitude of Africans to things we would pay more attention to at home. To be fair, I was expecting to write this blog earlier. But things have improved a little over the Read more…
Taking public transport in Africa is usually like taking life into your own hands. It’s more of a white knuckle ride than a rollercoaster at Alton Towers. In Uganda the main form of transport is the motorbike or boda-boda. So called because they used to go from border to border. Read more…
Things in Malawi did not start out as I had hoped. I had been looking for another volunteer project where I could use my business skills and add value but without it being a rerun of my time in Uganda. I found a project working with entrepreneurs in Mzuzu, a Read more…
There’s a question travellers are asked – ‘What are you? Mountain, ocean, forest or desert?’ For me it has always been desert. Which is ironic as I’m not great with extreme heat. But there’s something about a desert that is mesmerising, inspiring and humbling. The colours, the wildness and the Read more…
Is South Africa really Africa? Geographically of course it is. Politically? Well the recent demise and corruption charges for President Zuma certainly suggest it is. Corruption is sadly endemic at the highest levels of politics in most African countries. Zuma certainly won’t be winning the Ibrahim Prize. Economically it is Read more…
I met my travel companions in Ethiopia in 2011. Three visits later, here we are again. It is a country that is easy to fall in love with. The Danakil Depression is one of the lowest points on earth. 123 metres below sea level, this is a harsh place. Sulphur Read more…
My time in Uganda has sadly come to an end. It’s been fulfilling, fun and sometimes frustrating but an excellent experience that I would thoroughly recommend. I will be sad to leave but excited about the next stage of my adventures. Ethiopia, here I come….! As a farewell post I Read more…
Although Uganda is one of the more developed African countries I have been to, it is a relative term. 38% of people still live below the poverty line of $1.25/day. Life expectancy is a mere 58. Houses (more often than mud huts these days but these are by no means Read more…
My trip to Sipi Falls started badly and got worse. Not the falls themselves but the journey. The driver was an hour late. That wouldn’t normally surprise me, it’s African Time. But I had been told 7am sharp. Not far into our journey he then overtook a lorry in front Read more…
We all know we should eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Carbohydrates should be limited and wholemeal where possible. Not in Uganda! Meals consist of at least 2, often 3, forms of carbohydrate. Rice, pocho (wheat flour mush), Irish (that’s potato to you and me), Read more…
Despite being a very Christian country, it is so uncommercialised that I keep forgetting it is Christmas. Instead of gifts everyone gets a new Christmas outfit so the only sign of the festive season my side of the river is the hawkers walking round selling clothes and shoes. Even in Read more…
So I’ve moved. With no end to my hostess’s murder trial in sight and with the maid gone on indefinite maternity leave, I had no choice. No cooking, cleaning or laundry is only sustainable for so long. Two weeks it would seem. So bye bye to waterside bungalow living and Read more…
I stand out like a sore thumb here. Although Jinja is fairly touristy, barring the nun down the road I seem to be the only white person this side of the river. In the small villages we visit children stare at me in either bewilderment or pure excitement. Cries of Read more…
My home for the next three months is Bukaya, a small village on the outskirts of Jinja, Uganda. I’d requested a few amenities before I left – a hot shower (I don’t mind slumming it occasionally but 3 months is a long time with just a bowl of cold water Read more…