Some Photos From The Land Of The Long White Cloud — Despite being so close, I find the lands of Australia and New Zealand are so different. Only three hours by plane (it takes over five hours to fly from Sydney to Perth) and suddenly the land below me is long and thin, with snow-topped mountains stretching towards my plane. Even…

Even when marking the start of a holiday, airports are stressful. Between checking in and waiting in the eternal queue to get through security, it’s next to impossible not to feel tired and crumbled even before boarding the plane. Yet once through these obstacles, Singapore is not a bad place…

While completely jet-lagged Akasaka is often touted as an upmarket business area in Tokyo, yet away from the main roads I found cobbled streets and tiny restaurants which could barely accommodate a dozen people. That first night, after a long flight and what seemed an even longer time negotiating the…

A surprise on a cruise in the Maldives An unexpected delight of a sunset cruise while on holidays in the Maldives — a pod of dolphins putting on a show for us. Somehow these amazing creatures still have the energy to frolic and leap for pure fun as darkness falls.

From the Himalayas to my backyard — After a storm last night, I found this nest blown onto my deck. Fortunately, the babies have long gone. I’m not sure what type of bird made this nest. I’m lucky to have so many who call my yard their home. As I write this, I can hear cockatoos, currawongs…

A Working Town Despite the Crowds —

Which I had no chance of steering — “Come on,’ he said, “it’s easy.” Perhaps for someone raised on these waters. Perhaps for someone who’s been using these boats from the time they could walk. Perhaps, like the gondoliers of Venice, they are born with webbed feet, the better to walk on water. Or so the myth goes. …

Cruising the Chamberalin Gorge in WA — Reaching the Chamberlain Gorge involved a 2-hour drive over a road fondly known as ‘The Kimberley Massage’. Travelling in the Australian outback is not for the faint-hearted; heading along roads of red dirt, we passed a few broken-down cars as well as a flipped caravan. We were heading for a…

While exploring Puglia — Heading along the Salentine Peninsula in Italy, the coastline is ancient and windswept. This is the ‘heel’ of the Italian boot, in the Apulia region of Southern Italy.