How my lifelong investment in travel is paying dividends now
Experience is anything but fleeting. And thank God for that.
Latest posts
- Apr 16, 2020
A Category Three Christmas
It'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, 2020
The 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, 2019
Cycling the coast of Lamma Island - Hong Kong's rural neighbour
Lamma Island is a glimpse into what Hong Kong might have been before it made it big and left its rural beginnings behind.
- Oct 3, 2019
The Chicken Church of Java
Among 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, 2019
MANILA. Limtuaco Distillery - where whisky is born from an erotic dream
Deep 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, 2019
Why serendipitous travel is becoming a thing of the past - and why that's a bad thing
How 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, 2019
PHILIPPINES. Camiguin Island - Volcanoes, jungle and sunken graves
Flying into Camiguin feels a lot like flying into Jurassic Park - if Jurassic Park were real with rumbling volcanoes, a sunken city and...
- Jul 15, 2019
PHILIPPINES. Fantasy World, when theme parks go wrong
An abandoned theme park in the Philippines complete with Bavarian castles, broken windows on rooms never entered and ghostly rollercoasters.
- Jul 15, 2019
SOLO 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, 2019
PHILIPPINES. 24 hours in Taal
This 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, 2019
PHILIPPINES. The Rizalistas of Mount Banahaw
Mount Banahaw is a holy mountain home to the Rizalistas, followers of a new religion where the Philippines' most famous son is God.
- Jun 26, 2019
WESTERN SUMATRA. A true eco-lodge is hard to find – unless you find Rimba
Rimba Ecolodge in Western Sumatra is run with the health of environment above all else - genuinely. And business is booming.
- Jun 17, 2019
MANILA. Living with the dead in Manila's cemeteries
It 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, 2019
MANILA. Five things to know
Think 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, 2019
PHILIPPINES. 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, 2019
AUSTRALIA. 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, 2019
The Best of Manila - Pinto Art Museum
A 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, 2019
PHILIPPINES. 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, 2019
Siquijor 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, 2019
The Best of Manila - Ateneo Art Gallery
Modern art and sleek spaces, Ateneo is a gem Feeling hungover yet a little culture starved, I recently ventured north into Quezon City...
- Apr 9, 2019
New Year's Eve in the Grampians - one of Victoria's best loved national parks
It 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, 2019
The Best of Manila - The National Museum of Natural History
Manila can often seem like just the sum of its most obvious parts - traffic choked roads, never ending tail backs, polluted streets and...
- Dec 23, 2018
South Australia - Where to go and what to do
From the haunting expanse of the Nullarbor Plain to swimming with tuna - SA has something for everyone Nullarbor Plain The vast, treeless...
- Nov 27, 2018
Cultural Immersion and Dirty Feet in Taipei
A 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, 2014
The 15 Best Day Trips from Marrakesh
It's not all souks and snake charmers Visiting Marrakech can feel a lot like stepping back in time. This chaotic, ancient city may have...