Aug 6, 2020How my lifelong investment in travel is paying dividends nowExperience is anything but fleeting. And thank God for that.
Apr 16, 2020A Category Three ChristmasIt's not letting up, I thought. The wind screamed and wailed, bending the thin walls of our beachfront cabin with every gust stronger...
Jan 19, 2020The Black Nazarene – how a black Jesus effigy from Mexico became a symbol of hope and healing The Black Nazarene is the single most highly revered religious icon in the whole of the Philippines - and for such a fervently Catholic...
Dec 9, 2019Cycling the coast of Lamma Island - Hong Kong's rural neighbourLamma Island is a glimpse into what Hong Kong might have been before it made it big and left its rural beginnings behind.
Oct 3, 2019The Chicken Church of JavaAmong the many things you're unlikely to encounter in everyday life, a church built in the shape of a giant chicken is probably one of...
Aug 13, 2019MANILA. Limtuaco Distillery - where whisky is born from an erotic dreamDeep in the tourist mecca of Intramuros, stands the weather beaten 'wouldn't look out of place in a David Lynch film' Limtuaco Distillery...
Aug 12, 2019Why serendipitous travel is becoming a thing of the past - and why that's a bad thingHow often do we find ourselves somewhere we know almost nothing about, with no room booked and no-one to meet us and very little...
Jul 31, 2019PHILIPPINES. Camiguin Island - Volcanoes, jungle and sunken gravesFlying into Camiguin feels a lot like flying into Jurassic Park - if Jurassic Park were real with rumbling volcanoes, a sunken city and...
Jul 15, 2019PHILIPPINES. Fantasy World, when theme parks go wrongAn abandoned theme park in the Philippines complete with Bavarian castles, broken windows on rooms never entered and ghostly rollercoasters.
Jul 15, 2019SOLO FEMALE TRAVEL. Taking that first trip (even when everyone puts the fear of God into you) After travelling solo on and off for the last 20 years, I've recently thought back to the moment I realised being a woman meant, for...
Jul 10, 2019PHILIPPINES. 24 hours in TaalThis weekend I found myself with 24 hours to spend in the historic town of Taal, a small district of Spanish Colonial houses with a...
Jul 5, 2019PHILIPPINES. The Rizalistas of Mount BanahawMount Banahaw is a holy mountain home to the Rizalistas, followers of a new religion where the Philippines' most famous son is God.
Jun 26, 2019WESTERN SUMATRA. A true eco-lodge is hard to find – unless you find RimbaRimba Ecolodge in Western Sumatra is run with the health of environment above all else - genuinely. And business is booming.
Jun 17, 2019MANILA. Living with the dead in Manila's cemeteriesIt was a steaming afternoon in mid-summer when I found myself at the gates of Manila North Cemetery drenched in sweat and wondering what...
Jun 10, 2019MANILA. Five things to knowThink of Manila and your first thought is likely to be “traffic”. Or maybe crime, or pollution or a whole host of other negative...
May 24, 2019PHILIPPINES. Puerto Galera - a paradise island in the Philippines you DON'T have to fly to Last weekend I spent a few days in Puerto Galera on the northern end of the island of Mindoro. It was my second trip down there and it's...
May 16, 2019AUSTRALIA. Discover Melbourne's street art scene Melbourne isn't short on artistic cred. Australia's premiere hip city has always had an edge over Sydney when it comes to embracing...
May 1, 2019The Best of Manila - Pinto Art MuseumA lush garden oasis hides in the hills above Manila The verdant paradise that provides the setting for the Pinto Art Museum is probably...
Apr 25, 2019PHILIPPINES. Crucifixion in the Philippines. Yes, it's a thing.Good Friday is commemorated to the extreme in San Fernando, Pampanga The blood whipped through the air lightly spraying my arms and...
Apr 18, 2019Siquijor Island - mysticism and deserted beaches I've been to Siquijor twice now and I'm still bowled over by the beauty of the place. A tiny speck of green mountains and deserted...
Apr 10, 2019The Best of Manila - Ateneo Art GalleryModern art and sleek spaces, Ateneo is a gem Feeling hungover yet a little culture starved, I recently ventured north into Quezon City...
Apr 9, 2019New Year's Eve in the Grampians - one of Victoria's best loved national parksIt was New Year's Eve and there wasn't a firework in sight. Well, not unless you counted the sparks leaping from the flames of the...
Apr 4, 2019The Best of Manila - The National Museum of Natural HistoryManila can often seem like just the sum of its most obvious parts - traffic choked roads, never ending tail backs, polluted streets and...
Dec 23, 2018South Australia - Where to go and what to doFrom the haunting expanse of the Nullarbor Plain to swimming with tuna - SA has something for everyone Nullarbor Plain The vast, treeless...
Nov 27, 2018Cultural Immersion and Dirty Feet in TaipeiA short story about trying to relax in a Taiwanese bath house, but ultimately ending up in an argument with a naked woman. The...
Sep 18, 2014The 15 Best Day Trips from MarrakeshIt's not all souks and snake charmers Visiting Marrakech can feel a lot like stepping back in time. This chaotic, ancient city may have...