A lovely place to visit is Hawkes Bay. Located on the east coast of New Zealand‘s North Island, Hawke’s Bay is famous for its wines, and the lovely art deco city of Napier. As it juts out into the Pacific Ocean, the folk in Hawke’s Bay boast that it is the first place in New…
One of the most popular and most visited attractions in Japan is Osaka Castle. Built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a famous general who was known to unite Japan through force, it was completed in 1590. That castle is now the symbol of Osaka and although much of it has been re-constructed, is still a worthwhile place…
I first visited Siem Reap in Cambodia in 2002 when they wasn’t a great choice of hotels. Returning in March, 2018 I discovered the Baby Elephant Hotel, and what a great choice that was. Located in a back street about a ten minute walk from the centre of Siem Reap, the Baby Elephant Boutique Hotel…
The approach for landing on my flight to Cape Town from Johannesburg was one of the most memorable that I have experienced. Not because I was fearful, but because the scenery was so dramatic. Suddenly, these tall, craggy mountains rise up and as you descend become even more impressive. There is a ruggedness about them…
Sitting on a point on the man-made Man Wan Island in the Malaysian city of Kuala Terengganu is the beautiful Crystal Mosque. Terengganu, of which Kuala Terengganu is the capital, is an Islamic State so religion forms a big part of everyday life here. The State of Terengganu is also oil rich, and much of…
Located just 3 kilometres from the town of Hyden, Wave Rock is a natural geological feature which does closely resemble a massive wave that is curling over getting ready to break. Hyden is 296 kilometres east of Perth, the capital of Western Australia, and is a small rural community with a population of slightly less than…
Located one hour’s flight from Johannesburg is the Madikwe Game Reserve, a brilliant place to get up close to some of Africa’s most impressive animals. At 75,000 hectares, Madikwe is South Africa’s fifth largest game reserve. Viewing animals in Madikwe is relatively easy thanks to Operation Phoenix, the largest translocation operation in the world which…
There’s always something to see in New York, particularly if you’re near Broadway. I was in the downtown area, just popped up from the subway only to find that Broadway was closed to traffic. I heard music, and there were hundreds of dancers in costumes gliding their way along the street. I didn’t quite know…