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Trip: To the end of 2007

There are [24] stories from my trip: To the end of 2007


Swimming with dolphins

NEW ZEALAND | Wednesday, 19 Dec 2007 | Views [984]

If ever I felt that I have been blessed, it was when a dolphin checked me out. In Kaikura, on New Zealand’s South Island, you can swim with dolphins. On their terms, providing them with entertainment and not the other way around. They are curious, graceful ... Read more >


Gallery: 100% New Zealand

NEW ZEALAND | Monday, 17 Dec 2007 | Photo Gallery


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Melbourne or Sydney

AUSTRALIA | Monday, 19 Nov 2007 | Views [529] | Comments [1]

Melbourne or Sydney? It’s a tougher question than you might think and one I do not fail to ask everyone I meet. The variety of response is spectacular. To people’s loud and enthusiastic “Melbourne hands down” I get an equal “Sydney is so beautiful”. To ... Read more >

Tags: Culture


Gallery: Adventures in Oz

AUSTRALIA | Monday, 19 Nov 2007 | Photo Gallery


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The Greeks in Australia

AUSTRALIA | Thursday, 15 Nov 2007 | Views [811]

I met my first Australian Greek in Darwin. Dimitris spoke perfect Greek with an Ozie accent and worked at a lovely caffe on Mitchell street. As soon as I walked in I got suspicious. I first saw loukoumades on a table next to the laptops a couple of business ... Read more >

Tags: Culture


From Alice Springs to Uluru

AUSTRALIA | Saturday, 10 Nov 2007 | Views [1238]

I chose to fly the 1,500 km. or so that separate Darwin from Alice Springs. From 40 degrees the temperature inexplicably dropped to 17. Apparently this is an aberration for a place that is very nearly a dessert. It is surprising how civilised a town ... Read more >

Tags: Culture


Outback Australia

AUSTRALIA | Sunday, 4 Nov 2007 | Views [627]

My gateway to Australia is Darwin. A timezone away from Bali and an obnoxious airport search later, I roll into town at 3 am. It’s dead quiet and I seem to be staying in the back of a parking lot. Next day, I realise that I am in the heart of Darwin at ... Read more >

Tags: Adventures


Bali

INDONESIA | Thursday, 25 Oct 2007 | Views [591]

At last! A holiday within the holiday! Bali. The mood is of dolce far niente and the itinerary confined to Lovina beach in the north, one volcano and its lake in the North East, Ubud for a small cultural and luxury immersion inland and Kuta, otherwise ... Read more >

Tags: Beaches & sunshine


Java's volcanoes

INDONESIA | Sunday, 21 Oct 2007 | Views [645]

Indonesia is an overwhelming country. First there is the sheer size and diversity. It spans three time zones and gathers peoples of different languages, origins and religions. Then there is the nature. Dramatic, hostile yet fertile, in parts overpopulated ... Read more >

Tags: Culture


Ramadan in Java

INDONESIA | Monday, 15 Oct 2007 | Views [1094]

In Jakarta now and what comes to mind more than anything is Tin-Tin. Tin-Tin and Jakarta are somehow intimately connected. I don’t even like Tin-Tin, come to think of it I don’t much like Jakarta either. What was the nickname again? The “Big Durian” to ... Read more >

Tags: Culture


Gallery: Java

INDONESIA | Monday, 15 Oct 2007 | Photo Gallery


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What we can do for Burma - sent to BBC World

MYANMAR | Friday, 5 Oct 2007 | Views [909]

I am writing, not because I witnessed any momentous and heart breaking events. I am writing to describe a mood. A mood that carried even us who did not understand the language. A mood that was felt even in the remote and quiet parts, far away from Yangon ... Read more >

Tags: People


Gallery: People in Burma

MYANMAR | Sunday, 30 Sep 2007 | Photo Gallery


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Turmoil or resurgence of hope?

MYANMAR | Wednesday, 26 Sep 2007 | Views [795]

We are caught up in history. Myanmar is experiencing its biggest mass protests in 20 years. Protests crying out for desperately needed reforms. Asking for compromise from a military regime that does not understand the meaning of the word. It’s funny being ... Read more >

Tags: Culture


gentle Hsipaw

MYANMAR | Sunday, 23 Sep 2007 | Views [894]

The gate is locked and there is not a sign of life in the overgrown, flower filled garden. We are in the Shan Palace in Hsipaw. I wanted to see it. There is a book, a real story written by the Austrian born last princess of Hsipaw. In it she speaks of ... Read more >

Tags: Culture


Caught up n Burma

MYANMAR | Friday, 21 Sep 2007 | Views [712]

Up in the Shan hills and the country is in chaos. Monks have been striking for almost a week asking for reforms. Not that we would know, except that in the last couple of days it has been literally impossible to get an outside line for the phone and the ... Read more >

Tags: Culture


What I am learning about Burma

MYANMAR | Thursday, 20 Sep 2007 | Views [950]

Things you learn to do without in Burma 1. Electricity. Whether it is a 5 star hotel, a dingy little café or a store, electricity comes and goes at will. For indefinite amounts of time and business continues as usual with private generators or without.... Read more >

Tags: Culture


On Shan land

MYANMAR | Sunday, 16 Sep 2007 | Views [1630]

Kalaw is an old British hill station nestled in the bowl formed by green slopes. It’s got a sky blue and white mosque, a terracotta church, a field of white stupas and a golden Buddhist temple. The market is at the heart centre of the town and serves ... Read more >

Tags: Culture


A golden triangle – the lake, the mountain and a town

MYANMAR | Thursday, 13 Sep 2007 | Views [1067]

We took the easy option and flew to Heho, the gateway to Inlay Lake. We still have not realised that the time here in Myanmar is half an hour backwards with respect to Thailand, so we turn up earlier to everything we plan. It will still take another day ... Read more >

Tags: Culture


Gallery: Inle Lake

MYANMAR | Wednesday, 12 Sep 2007 | Photo Gallery


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