HACKTREKS INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL Section 3- On-line portfolio for world travellers 2008 + Archives

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EUROPE & AFRICA

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Lion Hunting in the Serengeti Loree Westron "I give you good price," the man says, smartly-dressed with Reboks and Ray-Bans. He follows my eyes to the photograph of a lion in the safari shop window. 'My best price. Just for you.' A weekend in Dubai Aurelie Montfrond In ten years time, Dubai will become a global tourism destination Edinburgh Tetsuhiko Endo Edinburgh is all types of grey.  Monochromatic splendour: Granite grey, flagstone grey, rainy day grey, cold winter grey, fog grey, dawn grey, ghost grey... A weekend in Vienna Aurelie Montfrond I was completely lost, somewhere in Vienna desesperately stopping the few people I came across in the streets, asking them for directions. The Africa Inside E Marin Smith I was back in Africa last night—an accidental and instantaneous African transport that shocked my sleeping mind. Exploring Poole Natalya Popova inthe UK One day this summer I astonished myself by signing up for a ‘Ghost Walk’ around Poole, the town I have been living in for nine years now. A weekend in Helsinki Aurelie Montfrond I was taken aback by its calm serenity. There was something beautiful about all of this. The Path of Faith in Turkey Norman A. Rubin Turkey has a magnificent past, which is displayed throughout the land A Weekend in Geneva Aurelie Montfrond When people think of Switzerland, They think of Geneva. It is the third largest city in Switzerland. Amsterdam Weekend Aurelie Montfrond "One never feels comfortable anywhere but one only feels comfortable with someone." Copenhagen Weekend Aurelie Montfrond Copenhagen has become a cosmopolitan city but still has a Scandinavian charm and culture A Howling Moon Sean Hastings It was a slight surprise that awaited me when I found myself back in Turkey. the smell of home. To Hell and back Andrew Hodgson Friday 15.36 "There’s no space left in the sleeper - all we have are regular seats but only in first class." "OK. First class it is then" Luxembourg Kevin On my tour through Europe, I set off for a place of wild adventure, dazzling culture, magnificent landscapes, and superb weather. Instead, I ended up in Luxembourg. Granite Di Belvedere - The Italian Treat- Raymond K. Clement There is a frozen treat sold on the streets of “Little Italy” in Boston ’s North End. It is called (erroneously) Italian Ice. Notes from a Café – Zagreb Neha Puntambekar Delicate strings of cigarette smoke rise up in synchrony, like ballerinas magically suspended in mid-air. I'm sitting at a little café in the heart of Zagreb Shadows of Hope K. Bond Silently, the babushka adjusts the coffee-colored headscarf while gazing at the alluring bride glide across the cobblestone of the Red Square in Moscow Under the Ligurian Sun Caroline Cummins Italy's Cinque Terre region has the patent on charming beach towns A Dead Sea journey Marwan Asmar Every time I go to the Dead Sea, I find things have changed. The first time was in the summer of 1992. Aside from one rest house, there was precious little, aside from a small village, the blue salty sea, and long winding road that kept going to Aqaba. The Drive to Olympos Sean Hastings I find myself in the sleepy seaside town of Fethiye. I must yield to the pressure of depleted budgets and depart this country for more financially fertile climes Peugeot Vs Les Rues Phil Grimes/Kristeen Griffin-Grimes Thank heaven French cars are small. Drive through a typical village, and you realize that your basic SUV would never make it here, Cornwall diving trip Rebecca Wass The University of Portsmouth Sub Aqua Club journeyed to Cornwall for a fantastic week of diving A Week in Venice Natalya Popova First impression of Venice from the airplane window was a surprise: "Were we landing on water"? Berlin-Krakow Night Train Ying -Lan Dann "Krakow is an oasis, when they come, they can’t seem to leave." Budapest & Nagymama   Dean Betts They say Budapest is most beautiful at night, but it’s a tough call. I was sitting on a ledge on the west side of the Danube River overlooking it all. Vogelherd Caves in Lone Valley Eva Bell A trip to the Vogelherd Caves in Lone Valley is not advertised on any travel brochure. Tales of Samos - Part I Brian H. Appleton Around '68 I started spending summers in Samos. I fell in love with that Island To Chiang Mai and Sleep Aby Davis Sleeping on a train is a most discombobulating experience. I think I woke up more times than I actually fell asleep. Icelandia Aby Davis The spooky darkness below the plane was Iceland. A small island poised above masses of red hot rock, straddling the north American plate. Two nosy kids on a gap year, wanting to see something new. Casablanca in Winter Joe Gill Went to find 'Rick's Place' Off the Tracks in Prague Alyssa Connolly To expect to have few, if no, problems while backpacking through Europe with three friends is naïve, to be certain. Magyar Magic Malcolm Hawkins My first trip to Budapest was in 1966. I have lingering memories of a surly passport inspector, glaring at an ID.  Tabytha Towe takes Europe Whirlwind adventures for our Vancouver Girl. Never Fly with a hangover Hong Kong Dash Tabytha Towe in Hong Kong Welcome to Chum Hung Kok Let Sleeping Dogs Thai Tabytha Towe Every dog you see here are either lying on the ground dehydrated and too hot to move, or either scavenging for food. Bachelor Weekends Rama Vama on the A3 It was one of those weekends when you wake up with memories of angry surf lashing the shingle and gulls clacking and careening beside the cliffs. Flying Bicycles & Italian Politics on the Adriatic Coast Thomas P. Coppock Mats, & I rode our bikes from Copenhagen to Thessaloniki, Greece. One night on Italy’s Adriatic Coast stands out… Messing Around in Mesr Brian H. Appleton in Egypt It was so hot that later when we walked through the main square of Cairo, the asphalt would stick to the soles of our shoes Tuscany: the Art of Simplicity Sonu Purhar I hear the merry ping of a horn behind me and automatically step aside; my short stay here has already schooled me in small-town road etiquette. Venezia Sam North I am not sure whether you go to Venice for the history, the romance, the idea you can go everywhere by water or you just want to see it before it crumbles, but we all have reasons to go there and go there one must. The Mezquita and Rabo de Toro Christian J Perticone Coming upon the Mezquita with open doors there was little I could do to resist going in. Libertine Amsterdam Marianne de Nazareth In Amsterdam, a tram ride is the most fun thing to use to get across the city. Belgrade Tariq Elkashef quick guide Oktoberfest Amber Turnau 482,000 chickens 560,000 pork knuckles. Geneva Lorraine Balita goes beyond the chocolate The Sengalese Tabaski Sacrifice - Kari Masson Learning from Africa Cordoba, Spain - Habeeb Saloum- explore the history of the Moors Precious Water - The Most Rare of Liquids Kit Chapman in Kenya Candy Cake and Cold Coke Jane Shepherd in Harare Puglia - A new place to buy Polly Barraclough Goats on the line Kit Chapman in Kenya The Pyramid Cat Colony Eva Bell Baku Wedding Jim Solan Wild, Wild, East in Romania Samantha Cliffe Weekend in Amsterdam Natalya Popova Leda Revisited Brett Hardmanin Greece Learning from Daouda Kari Masson in the Sahel Arrested Development Susan Mintz in Ghana The Monastry Certosini Raymond Clement In Search of Jeanne d'Arc Pat Hood-Miller Paris Pat Hood Miller Building Schools in Africa Tina Nandi The Weight of London Eric D Lehman La Madrugada Paul Read in Spain Pentidattilo Raymond K. Clement in Italy Mallorca Artá Caves Habeeb Salloum in Spain A New Year in Prague Natalya Popova My Russian experience in Prague 24 Hours In Amsterdam Eric D. Lehman Jeremiah, Subhash, and I arrived in Amsterdam by bus through France and Belgium... Fire Dancing W Ruth Kozak in Greece The search for fire in Macedonia

To Heaven and Back: Ladakh Anirudh Chaoji Alchi is a Monastery, close to the town of Leh, high in the cold desert of Ladakh, in the eastern part of the trisected state of Jammu & Kashmir Nature and Nostalgia in Nagarhole- Aruna Purohit It was the beginning of monsoon season in the southern region of India. Frequent rain and flooding are the essence of that season Old Train in a New Country: Josh Lew in Vietnam Ha Noi is a city at peace with its yesterdays museums feature Vietnam’s wars with France, America, and itself. An Indian Adventure Keith Leonard There are ghosts in Ootacamund, fleeting, shadowy forms that materialize in moments of brief and unexpected enlightenment. Shop House Culture Steve Tothill in Phuket Away from the sandy beaches it’s well worth spending time wading through the wok smoke to discover refreshing architectural gems Elephant in the Room Annie Lalla in Chiang Mai If you want to feel a King or a Queen, try riding an elephant. Nothing is more majestic than cruising through the rainforest atop this epic beast. Travel India by Bus Chi Tranter I missed several buses before I learned that tickets are not purchased from a ticket booth but from an un-uniformed ticket seller who leans out the bus door Bangkok Blues John Edwards Bangkok Massage ...rows of hospital beds full of fully clothed, groaning patients, whose limbs were being gleefully mangled amid the wild hoots and derisive snorts of bystanders, Eating Crabs in Kuching Fiona Lal ‘Malaysia truly Asia’, the sing song refrain kept bouncing around my brain as we lurched down the runway at Kuching. Scruffy palm trees bent graciously as we rather jerkily slowed down. Mumbai market vendors – a league of their own Meera Manek Stall after stall of flowers greet me as I enter a chaotic street in Bhuleshwar, one of Mumbai's oldest markets Wind Flower Welcome Marianne de Nazareth The Wind Flower Spa and resort, is nestled in the arms of the majestic, tree covered, Chamundi Hills in Mysore, just 140km from Bangalore. Saving Cham Culture Antonio Graceffo The Kingdom of Champa, originating in the second century AD was one of the most powerful empires in Indochina Outriggers of Hong Kong Antonio Graceffo Oh Little Town of Bethlehem Keith Rhoades Prior to my departure to Israel, I was cautioned by several people that Bethlehem can at times be a bit on the dangerous side Teaching India to Read Reva Sharma Translation Treachery C. Lee McKenzie reads the signs in China Volunteer Travel Help India's poorest The Gift of Reading Teaching Volunteers in the Philippines with GVN Ticket to Ride Rishi VK encounters problems on India Rail Royal Enfield Bullet Paul Jeffrey rides India Reality Moment in Vietnam with Lila Nordstrom Sumatra: Brain Fever Steve Wheeler On the Buses in Korea Jim Sutherland Driftwood to Ontong Java Chris Parrish Wall of China Maria Lambert Honeymoon in Bhutan Jayantee Saha The Markham Festival - Tibet Tariq Elkashef Kurumba by the Indian Ocean Marianne de Nazareth Life of Pai in Thailand The Flurries Istanbul - Watch out for the taxi drivers Tariq Elkashef Floating Down the Mekong Libby and Justin Furry DMZ - Live and Direct from the 38th Parallel Aidan O’ Donoghue –The lights are on but nobody is home Casa Deep Woods Marianne de Nazareth Enjoy the real feel of the Indian jungle Nagarhole National Park Marianne de Nazareth If you are a nature lover, only then make the trip down to Nagarhole National Park where the long awaited monsoon has rejuvenated the park after three years of drought more Drab Beijing a sleeping giant -Paul Haire Beijing can be a pretentious place, made up of drab apartment blocks, smog and traffic jams. A Passage to Old India by Marianne de Nazareth Visit Ooty and find old England alive and well in Bangalore more No Stop Signs Brian Andrea in Trichy You will either love it with a passion or hate it with a vengeance. And it would be madness to cycle there. We go anyway! The Inner Mongolia Story Neil Smith In the land of goddesses she sits on a suitcase waiting... Jinchengjiang Ben Lerwill Jinchengjiang as a town did anonymity like it did Marmite. I remembered what it tasted like, but there wasn’t a hope in hell of getting any. My Heart Goes On Neil Smith One month after moving to Northeastern China I was invited to dine at a restaurant located outside of town as far away from the police as it could be since it served "special" dishes. Visiting a Chinese sauna Paul Haire One of my students who I teach English to recently invited me to a sauna to see a show and have dinner. I was slightly apprehensive Working as a Model Paul Haire Yesterday I had a very unusual experience, possibly the most unusual experience I’ve had in my life so far. Long Lost Winter Colin Todhunter in Anjuna Take me back because I need to be reminded of what I left behind. Take me back where? I don't really know anymore: a time, a place, a memory? But just take me back Loneliness Paul Haire in Beijing I watched the rugby on Saturday night this weekend, it was Scotland versus Ireland and I drank too much as usual All Alone in Macau Tabytha Towe 'How does it feel, to be on your own, with no direction home, like a complete unknown' - The Rolling Stones Thailand Adventure & Turning 25-Tabytha Towe in Thailand Part Three If you didn't know any better or have enough common sense it is easy to get ripped off. Muay Lao, the forgotten art of kickboxing Antonio Graceffo “You can gain extra power on your kicks by throwing your kicking arm down, but you need to protect your face with a cross arm defense.” Aalankrita Marianne de Nazareth Just a 20 minute drive out of Secunderabad, in South India, the Alankrita resort on the Shameerpet Road is a haven for Indian antique lovers and connoisseurs of Indian Cuisine Bangladesh Erik Johnson The tourist slogan for Bangladesh is, ‘Come to Bangladesh– before the tourists do.’ They’ve had the same slogan for over 10 years Hyderabad Marianne de Nazareth What strikes a visitor to this twin city of Hyderabad and Secunderabad is its sense of history Australia - Part Two Tabytha Towe Melbourne is a pretty damned phenomenal city! It has everything you need and has well planned transit systems to get around from suburb to centre and back. Tabytha in OZ: Part Three Tabytha Towe I’ve got the city blues with holes in my shoes and bursts of bubbles and rays of sunshine. It keeps on spinning, the world and my head, Bpee Mai in Laos Thomas Phipps Travelling down the Mekong in a narrow wooden boat provides plenty of time to contemplate ones future Serendipity & Rickshaws Sam Freedman Departing from New Delhi, I left behind the raw, musty smell of sweat covering every surface in India for the mystique of Nepal. Stutter, Shudder and Jeepneys – Manila Dr Steven Collins Like most Europeans, we knew little of the Philippines when asked to go to Manila

Slowly Being Born E. Marin Smith I’m pretty sure the day I arrived in Buenos Aires was the hottest day of the year on the Rio de le Plata, which made the whole day seem like a fever dream Akumal Beach Resort Dean Borok in Mexico I never imagined a place could come so far so fast. Quintana Roo state is now the richest state in Mexico due to the tourist boom. Rambling through Rotary Tyrel Nelson Sunday morning. That’s always my answer whenever I’m asked what tops my list about Cuenca. The Quirks of Cajas Tyrel Nelson in Ecuador Without warning, the skies turned overcast and a light rain began to fall Planning the Trip Sam Black in Alaska I believe in having goals. I’ve been that way since my early twenties I guess. North to Alaska Sam Black Petoskey sits on Lake Michigan and if you haven’t been there I suggest you visit it someday. Mele Kalikimaka Roger Poppen I arrive at the Honolulu airport on Christmas Eve, a little before midnight. Searching San Cristóbal Tyrel Nelson Breathing in dust and pouring out sweat, I trudged along the sultry gravel road beneath my feet. So Long, Sidekick Tyrel Nelson Fighting off a fierce caffeine headache I struggled to keep up with Andrew as we proceeded south on Bolívar. Destination:Check Jenna Simsen The first time I got on an airplane I was 13 months old Riding Powderface Trail Joel Palenychka If you want a traveling adventure then travel with an adventurer One Fine Day…at the Bullring Tyrel Nelson Highly outnumbered, wounded bulls entered the rowdy arena to be stabbed to death by costumed men. A Hike in Girón Tyrel Nelson According to the Tica, there was no reason to visit Girón. It was ugly, boring, and a waste of time. And on every occurrence that I mentioned I might visit the pueblo, my lanky, graying friend looked at me like I had completely lost my mind. Steeped on Santa Cruz Tyrel Nelson Life was good. I was recently reunited with my girlfriend, Amanda, who I hadn’t seen in over 5 months, and we were in a place that many people only get to visit in their dreams. Paducah Ari Kaufman This is America at its most authentic The Search for Crazy Horse Harlan G. Koch on a Harley We wanted to actually "see" wagon wheel tracks and pony express stations. At Wyoming’s Independence Rock we wanted to see the actual proof of pioneer names and dates carved into stone Do The St Lucia Shake Linda Regan Saint Lucia- our peaceful Island in the sun. That was the advert that lured us into the travel agents. It sounded exactly what the doctor ordered Glenwood Hot Springs Kelly Crusty As a Colorado native, I have been to the hot springs more times than I care to remember. Some good, some bad, some downright awful. Historic Indiana Ari Kaufman Explored as early as the 17th century, Indiana became my home in early July 2006. Albuquerque’s Hot Air Balloon Festival: Southwestern adventures- Adee Braun Today I realize a dream. Perhaps not a lifelong dream, or even a year-long dream, but maybe a four month long dream ever since the idea of circus-toned flying objects in a southwestern sky first lodged itself into my stubborn imagination The Queen of Tonalá, Jalisco, Mexico Doug Bower I had never been to Tonalá, Jalisco, Mexico, before this week. Bonjour Blueberries: Off the Beaten Path in Quebec Kathleen Hegedus-Beeksma North of Quebec City in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of the belle province. Portugal Day- Ironbound District Newark, NJ - Ulle Trautvag Having a great time dancing in the streets and feasting on all types of seafood. Toronto Safari Habeeb Salloum Take your children to the African Lion Safari and the Blackwood Creek Pioneer Village The Last Costa Rican Paradise Kimberley Johnston The name Costa Rica now proves itself to be ironic; a country that was once so naturally rich, threatens to impoverish itself. Restoration Dermot Sullivan in Mexico The plan was to cross Mexico from the Gulf of Mexico in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west. Stratford's Shakespearean Festival- London, Ontario Habeeb Salloum The Green Dog of Sosua Dominican Republic Dean Borok Panama Nikolus Cook I had never seen as many whores as in Panama City Guanajuato Nickolay Todorov in Mexico Tampico - Friendliest City in Mexico - Habeeb Salloum Frontier Country Nickolay Todorov at Toroweap and Lava Falls Charlevoix: Quebec Province Habeeb Salloum Canadian eco paradise The 'Other' Michigan Ari Kauman on a Great Lakes Roadtrip Indianapolis Ari Kaufman Art for a rainy day Eric D Lehman at The Clark Museum - Williams College New York - More for Less Erica Johannsson A Tale of Three Cities Stewart Mandy in Mexico RV Vacation in California Chris Zawistowicz Montezuma - Costa Rica Mariska Van de Linden Why Toronto is Canada's Least-Loved City Stefanie Stiles Hoosiers in the Fall Ari Kaufman Lakes, hiking, camping Indiana and Appalacia Ari Kaufman on the road The Road to Thanksgiving Ari Kaufman drives 1000 miles for dinner Not Sleeping Just Waiting Ronan Dockery Christmas Eve in Recife with only a slight hangover Ozark Adventure Ari Kaufman My fiancee and I (well, maybe just me) felt it incumbent upon us to embark on one final road trip to what many call “the American heartland. Rock Island Bliss Roger L. Baty II Joseph Campbell tells us all to find our bliss... I believe I found my bliss long ago somewhere on Rock Island Trail Buddies Eric D Lehman Karma and friendship on White Mountain Trails Where North Meets South Ari Kaufman "Looville" is Kentucky's largest city. Founded in 1778 it is best known as the home of "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports" Driving America Ari Kaufman - Fingerlakes February - a good time to remember the summer in America's Mid-West 800 Miles Ari Kaufman Eight hundred miles of driving in a single weekend,much of it on the windy, back roads of Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee. The New 2007 Mexico Diary Dermot Sullivan in Mexico I am in Mexico. I often ask myself how on earth I ended up here, especially as I was set on going to Japan. Turning 30 in Mexico Dermot Sullivan I am having some trouble adjusting to the altitude. To try to get fit I have started playing football with some of the students on a Friday afternoon and but find myself gasping for air after only a few minutes! Understanding Mexico Dermot Sullivan Mexico is a country both sure and unsure of its identity. Chickens in Church James Mathews In few places in Latin America is the collision of imperialist Catholic Spaniards with indigenous Maya cultures more visible than in the small village of San Juan Chamula in Chiapas, Mexico. South American Cities Michael Zurakhinsky The best cities of South America have one thing in common: they each reflect unique cultural histories and rich traditions. Each city has its own character Call Some Place Paradise, Kiss it Goodbye Eric D. Lehman won't tell you where he has been Why keep the name of that town a secret?The reason is that this town isn’t sharable at all. Teased by Baños Tyrel Nelson If you can only visit one place in Ecuador, it has to be Baños, A Night on Sugar Mountain Eric D. Lehman The Sucrerie de la Montagne, or sugar-shack of the mountain, was the dream-turned-reality of Pierre Faucher, Doing the Mandango Tyrel Nelson It was a beautiful day. The Tuesday morning sun brilliantly shined over the tiny pueblo Charlevoix's La Fete Des Saveurs Habeeb Salloum The elite of Quebec’s Charlevoix gourmet region simply enjoying themselves at La Fête Des Saveurs The Other Baños Tyrel Nelson We finally pulled into a small, dusty lot in front of a giant, light-blue church, which sat atop a small hill a few miles southwest of Cuenca. A Walk in El Cajas Tyrel Nelson With some free time at last, I felt relieved as the monstrous bus roared westward through the green hills just outside of Cuenca. An Afternoon in Azogues Tyrel Nelson I’m not a superstitious man. In fact, I think it’s funny that my so-called 16-unit building really only has fifteen apartments Climbing Leconte Jeff Doran -Smoky Mountains The first two times we hiked to Alum Cave we were forced to dodge frozen missiles. Hitting the Chor-Princi Trail Tyrel Nelson The gloomy Sunday morning sky chilled our bones as my specs-donning friend, Andrew, and I waited for our connection. The two of us were an hour east of Cuenca. Shurniak Art Gallery Habeeb Salloum It’s one of Canada’s great museums here in the heart of the prairies

Java Journey John M Edwards Café Hopping in Indonesia I went out to get a cup of java in Java and ended up on an infernal coffee odyssey through the Indonesian archipelago. Destination Unknown John M Edwards The only problem with the New Years vacation I was taking was that the destination was right smack dab in the middle of a war zone! Cuban Folklore Habeeb Salloum It was late in the evening when we left our hotel on Varadero Beach - Cuba's paragon of resorts for a half-hour trip to the city of Matanzas Finding Fidel David Russell In Havana, the game was to spot Fidel Castro. Jordan Through Foreign Eyes Noor Al Saleh Ever since I started working in the Petra National Trust I realized that it is not easy to get people interested in an organization that preserves a heritage site. So You Want to Teach English in Korea? Austin Wallace In 2000 there were close to 20,000 Westerners teaching English in Korea I thought it would be a good public service to offer my fellow expatriates some advice Volunteer Travel Nooshin Shabani Petra the rock and the hard place - Awni Kawar Having achieved our goal of getting Petra voted as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World it is up to us to act now and put our tourism house in order Mazen Kawar Interviewed by Marwan Asmar Jordan is a booming tourism destination. More and more international tourists are visiting the Kingdom than ever. Journey To Palawan A.T. Allan Manila, Philippines. I wanted to get out of this big, noisy city. The personable young woman at the travel agency in Ermita gave me some important and practical advice. Unlock the Key to Japanese Architecture Kelly Waterbury The word ‘pub’ is misleading to a foreigner in Japan, misinterpreting a simple word can take you places you never dreamed of going. Letting Off Steam Ed Freeman Mistakes on the road travelled Secrets of a Travel Writer Colin Todhunter Joining Indicorps Reva Sharma volunteers Scottsdale: Arizona Kelsey Havens on USA's best city? Become a travel writer Antonio Graceffo Tanning in Kos Gregory McGuiness Wisdom and the World Traveler Antonio Graceffo Sussing Out South Korea Arya Kazemi on ESL Being surrounded by a group of kids chanting "waygook" What Brings You to Derry, Then? Ashley Dresser "What brings you to Derry, then?" the cashier asked. I stared at her, suddenly frozen by a query that had been repeated to me almost daily since my arrival in Northern Ireland` A Hammam in Damascus Namit Arora I was traveling alone and, on a whim, dropped by at a hammam near my hotel. It was one unforgettable experience. Hangzhou Pilgrimage Paul Haire Hangzhou is firmly established as a favourite destination for the Chinese traveler and is one of the prettiest and most historic cities in China. A Walk on the Wild Side Marianne de Nazareth at Vythiri We needed a break and the brochures of Vythiri resort in Wyanad district of North Kerala beckoned inexorably. Set on 30 acres of land the jungle retreat is an escape into the lush forests of Kerala. G'Day Cobber Ray Heap down-under Checked in last night curtains still closed, pitch black, had a few beers at the bar went to bed, time for breakfast…look at clock… Sod it, it's only two thirty, five hours until I can get lifegiving coffee into the plumbing Down south of the border… Ray Heap in Mexico For now I am quite at peace with myself, sitting in a bar at the Mexico city Airport I have a beer in front of me and their little Tequila try outs. Beijing Bicycle Paul Haire navigates the city It's fairly busy, as it always is in Beijing, but I still feel a sense of freedom Teaching in Istanbul Toral Pattni Why the hell am I going to Istanbul was the only thought in my head as I boarded the plane. MPs and the Walrus James Skinner Honorary Consul ‘I’ve finally decided to retire as Her Majesty’s governmental representative in this remote part of Europe known as Galicia after nearly 5 years of rescuing Brits from the gallows Chiang Mai on a Shoestring Rachel Chan Suet Kay Rachel Chan Suet Kay tours the city during a Peace Studies training course in Thailand. Beijing Bus Paul Haire I check the word in my dictionary nervously one last time as I wait at the bus stop - a hundred Chinese bodies squashed together look down at me Beijing and My Pseudo Sign Language Skills Anna Loraine Balita Who says you can’t survive in a country where you don’t speak, read and understand the language? I did, for one whole week! Jordan’s Azraq Wetland, a heaven for ecotourists Marwan Asmar It was 6:15 in the morning, there was a chill in the air but the dew and the mist were intertwining with the brilliant sunshine. JITOA juggles more than one ball Marwan Asmar Business Associations are a new buzzword in Jordan’s corporate world of finance. Hiking Ajloun Marwan Asmar Looking up into the sky, it was pitch black, to the east directly, you see the faded lights of Bissan, the Palestinian town that is now under Israeli rule and jurisdiction. Tales of OZ Tabytha Towe Leaving Thailand nearly a month ago was extremely surreal and rather hard to let go of. I was still stuck in Thai mode for a few days until I realized, abashed and confused, that ‘shit, I’m in Australia!’ Save Your World Tabytha Towe Oh what a day! Hanging out with my girl friends nude on the beach, I can’t think of anything better. A Very Good Day Tyrel Nelson in Ecuador During the few days leading up to our first Christmas in Ecuador, my next-door neighbor, Juan José asked us to fish with him in El Cajas National Park, we couldn’t refuse. Viva Cuba: Got Rolled and Clobbered by a Lead Pipe in a Back Alleyway and Woke Up in the Cargohold of Some Ship Bound for Havana John Edwards Postcard from Persia John Edwards On the way to Iran, John M. Edwards wonders if they play Uncle Wiggly in Tehran Spanish Elephants Colleen Kelley Nine hours on a plane, two days of group road trips interspersed with vomiting, eight hours on a bus -finally we arrived at our destination: the Puerto de Cádiz Taxi Hostage Kate Mead in Ghana It was 1:30 in the morning, and I was exhausted from a day of travel and a night of dancing. An Unexpected Stop in Extremadura Tyrel W. Nelson The putrid smell that permeated the rail car. "Huele mal, huele mal (it smells bad, it smells bad)," she kept screaming Tales of Turi Tyrel Nelson I was fresh off the plane and going to visit the Mirador Turi, the lionized lookout that I’d only read about in my guide book. Cueva Pintada Patrick Radford Twelve weeks of hitting the beach, boozing for England, ... when I received the email that confirmed my place on the Leonardo da Vinci project to Gran Canaria. To Windsor to visit the Queen Marianne de Nazareth "Come on over to London and see Windsor Castle," offered my friends EMS Duty in Tondo Antonio Graceffo "How do you shower on a twenty-four hour shift?" I asked, noticing that there was no plumbing. "We can use the hose from the firetruck," answered the chief. Last Hurrah for Old Friends Tyrel Nelson I did a double take. While I moseyed toward the middle of Cuenca's Parque Calderón I was almost certain that I knew the pair of young, specs-donning gringos ahead To Turkey from Oz Sean Hastings As I sit here and write these words, I realize that no fantasy I could have conjured, would have prepared me for the sights I’m seeing ‘Ayubowan’ Sri Lanka Marianne de Nazareth It was super flying into the spanking new airport in Colombo, with gleaming Imperial White granite floors. Five Days in Tehran Brian H. Appleton Tehran is a very large and beautifully picturesque city with many hidden worlds within worlds to discover, which runs downhill from the foothills of the Alborz Mountains in the north all the way down to the edges of the Dasht Kavir desert in the south. Yugoslavia Remembered David Russell The year was 1985 and Yugoslavia was still an undivided country Stay free in Spain Beverly Rorem There is a small village in the mountains west of Madrid that has been transformed into an English speaking enclave Vaughn Town Madrid Elaheh Farmand In Madrid, the first day A stranger walking in your skin, through the calles, the streets of this beautiful, beating town, Madrid

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