The first explosions awoke me in the middle of the night, in my tent on the slopes of an active volcano. We were in Sumatra, one of the largest islands in the world, that sits on the equator and is the home to volcanoes, tropical forests and a population of tigers greater than the rest …
Category: Travel
Coming home in Beirut
“Welcome Mr David. Why are you so late?”, Mady said as she opened the door to the apartment that was to be my temporary home in Beirut. After showing me around the place and giving me the three keys I would need to get from the street to the apartment, Mady gave me the schedule …
A Sense of Place
Reflections on my childhood in my home town and how the seeds of curiosity about other cultures had been planted long ago. As someone who loves to travel and experience different countries and cultures, it has been easy for me to be envious of those people whose childhoods had been spent overseas, travelling from country …
From Mount Errigal to the Blue Ocean
The views from Mount Errigal to the blue ocean were spectacular when I reached the summit. It was a perfect day to climb the highest peak in Ireland’s County Donegal in the Derryveagh mountains. I had stayed overnight in the nearby Errigal Hostel and woke early under a blue sky. Later, some clouds appeared but …
Travel quotations
The following travel quotations inspire me in one way or another. Some of of these travel quotations have links to my travel blogs on associated subjects; and some are referred to in my travel blogs when relevant. “I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.” Susan Sontag Read: Climbing above the Clouds in the Arctic Circle “To travel …
A postcard from Malin Head
Nobody sends them any more, but I thought I would write you a postcard from Malin Head. You know, just a few sentences scribbled on the back of a piece of card, saying “I wish you were here”, and reporting on the weather. Talking of weather reports, “Shannon, Rockall, Malin, Hebrides, Bailey” is a familiar sequence …
Surviving without wi-fi in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea is a place we’ve all seen on maps and on TV, where remote jungle tribes are discovered and studied by anthropologists. No doubt the best of this country is well away from the cities: hidden inland villages or a coastline that offers perfect conditions for diving. I didn’t have time for either of …
Observing Timor Leste without taking photos
Somehow the driver hears the signal despite the noise. Heavy music is beating inside and there’s the din of the traffic outside, but the driver stops when a passenger taps a coin against the metal rail on the low ceiling of the minibus: his ears finely attuned to this frequency. I soon learnt the system during …
A run before dawn near the international dateline
Travel can help us remove illusions of perfection when the reality of exotic locations marvelously messy. I decided to go for a run in the morning, so before going to bed I put out my running shorts, t-shirt and trainers, and set my alarm for seven o’clock. Despite that I awoke at 5.30 am, so …
Finding a route over the mountains in Macedonia
I couldn’t see any path. This new landscape wasn’t as I’d imagined it from looking at the map. Perhaps the track I was looking for started further down the road. I must have looked confused because a man called out to me: “the path is there!” I hadn’t noticed the sign because it was just a …