What to take, what to leave behind and how to make it all fit into your backpack (which always seems just a little too small) are things we all agonise over before a big travel adventure. I wanted to share what I did right and wrong my trip. What do you do differently? How to … Continue reading Packing for Africa
The Maasai Warrior and the Holy Mountain
Tanzania is home of some of Africa’s greatest natural spectacles but it also feels, well, just that - a spectacle - its roads lined with German tourists in safari vehicles and its traditional African hospitality coming with a (large) price tag. You have to search harder for the magic here than elsewhere in Africa, but … Continue reading The Maasai Warrior and the Holy Mountain
Madagascar, the Nothing and the Neverending Story
Madagascar feels like a fairy tale. In its varied landscape, around 90% of its 200,000 known species are unique to the island; lemurs, fossas, tenrecs, pygmy chameleons and giant geckos are just some of the wonders. Originally settled by Indonesians, its culture is a strange mix of Indonesia, Africa and France, where people grow rice, … Continue reading Madagascar, the Nothing and the Neverending Story
16 of July in Indonesia
I woke up at midnight to climb Mt Ijen to view its sulphur-fuming crater. It looked like hell painted in delf blue – the colour of the burning sulphur. In the distance, erupting Mt Ruang’s outline and column of smoke was cut black felt against a bright milky way, the column flickering red with larva … Continue reading 16 of July in Indonesia
Mastering the Art of Travel
I'm about to go on a six month travel adventure through the tropics (with some skiing in between). I wanted to gather some advice for myself and others about how to travel well. Don’t treat travel like a holiday Make the most of it. Treat travelling like a skill to master; time spent travelling and … Continue reading Mastering the Art of Travel
Dry Season is Coming
Hope you've been enjoying the recent posts from tropicalista Nina. Here's a meme I created to capture the mood.
A Balinese spa treat, plus lessons on tropical architecture and ethics
Cantika is one of my favorite places in Ubud. To mix desert-tropical metaphors, it is an oasis of beauty and integrity in a land already full of beauty, but sadly not presently always full of integrity. I’d been to Cantika Alami (one of three Cantika massage and spa centres) on a previous visit and been … Continue reading A Balinese spa treat, plus lessons on tropical architecture and ethics
My special place in the tropics – Nusa Lembongan
A bunch of my mates are currently discovering the place in the tropics I go back to more than any other - a small island off the east coast of Bali called Nusa Lembongan. It draws people for its surf breaks, its dive sites (awesome reef condition, not much big stuff) and it's laid back atmosphere … Continue reading My special place in the tropics – Nusa Lembongan
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