There is one certain prediction that can be made about the 2008 Olympics in Beijing - it will be a bad one for ducks. Roast duck is still the main speciality here and duck restaurants abound. Whole ducks, bagged for takeaway, are sold at almost any kind of outlet as if they were merely cigarettes, phonecards or lottery tickets. Some might feel it fitting if Glen Hoddle, the once manager of England's football team who parted their company after some injudicious remarks as to the behaviour of the disabled in previous lives, should be reincarnated as a Beijing Duck. Others might [View Full Entry]

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The streets, buildings and people of Ulaan Baatar form a riotous assembly, a motley crew. The days when one would charge down the main street astride a galloping steed, loose a few arrows then decapitate your brother-in-law with a double-headed axe are largely gone. These days the chariot of choice is the automobile. The great Chinggis Khan, were he alive, would understand as well as anyone that you cannot conquer the largest empire mankind has ever seen by respecting traffic lights, zebra crossings or even the direction of traffic flow on dual carriageways. The next kamikaze Japanese game sho [View Full Entry]

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To understand what life is like on the Trans-Siberian express it is first necessary to understand what the train is like. I'll first describe a second ("kupe") class carriage on train number 10, Moscow to Irkutsk. The carriage is divided into about seven compartments, each about 5.5 feet wide by 7 feet deep. The main space is taken up by four bunk beds, which double as seats during the day, and can be stowed against the carriage walls. Between the beds is a space of about 1.5 feet, and at the opposite end to the door is a small table about [View Full Entry]

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Russia has an inexhaustible supply of miserable fat old women whose sole aim in life seems to be to harass, harangue and chastise the young for doing not very much wrong at all. What infernal alchemy is at work that transforms Russia's inexhaustible supply of pleasant and friendly youngsters into these hideous old hags? I must apologise for this seemingly uncharitable rant. For several days we had gone out of our way to help these Babushkas, carrying ridiculously heavy bags down flights of stairs for them, giving up seats, holding open doors and filling their begging bowls, but frankly our [View Full Entry]

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The cold-war Soviet Scientists appear to have managed to keep one key invention from the Western world. It seems they have invented a material that is incredibly light but incredibly strong. It keeps its strength even at a thickness of only a few millimetres. No doubt it was of much use in strategic weapons systems, but the modern day use seems to be to support the beauties of St Petersburgh as they elegantly perambulate up and down Nesvky prospekt on their three inch high stilettos. Apart from these incredible shoes, the predominant uniform is jeans (made from some kind of new [View Full Entry]

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For any city to be compared favourably to Prague must be complementary. However Estonia's delightful capital falls short in two areas; there is no view as spectacularly romantic as the nighttime vista of the Prague Castle and Charles Bridge - the most beautiful view in any European city I have visited.; tthe other area in which Tallin appears lacking is the atmospheric smoking dungeon bars full of old and ond-style locals, drinking beer and eating plates of meat and lard. In contrast Tallin is almost too cool, too chic, maybe perhaps a little too Scandinavian ? The medieval old town, in [View Full Entry]

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Not strictly a travelblog as we are still sitting in Sheffield trying to book rooms in Moscow, but I thought this account of overlanding in East Africa by one of our truckmates gives a different and more amusing perspective. "I’m not depressed (anymore) but I did run away from the most miserable 18 months of my life. I may not have had a revelation on the road to Dar and I may not have found a solution to what will still be there when I get home but I have absorbed some of Africa’s positivity and resilience. Life on an overland [View Full Entry]

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Less than a week back and another wedding, this time the groom is Kim's Dad Steve, fresh off a pre-wedding honeymoon in Egypt, taken out of order so that his lovely daughter and her wonderful partner (that's me) could attend. The location was the equally wonderful Armathwaite Hall in the wonderful Lake District, at the north end of Bassenthwaite Lake for afficionados. Hawking (with birds, not wood-carvings) and archery replaced welly-tossing and egg-and-spoon, and as far as I could tell the small band of guests enjoyed themselves tremendously. One interesting fact to emerge in conversa [View Full Entry]

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Less than 24 hours after landing in Manchester our winged silver (leather-clad) chariot arrived to wisk us up to Braemar in the fairly far north of Scotland for a merger of Shell and BP. Suffice to say it was a great day in a great location, and we wish the happy couple all the best for the future ... ... Here are some more photos. [View Full Entry]

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The time I spent floating in the Orange River that sunny afternoon might better be measured in millilitres and ABV than in hours and minutes - three tall Windhoek’s and a stubby of Castle precisely. Initially the place was crowded with school kids swimming across the border to Namibia, and Kim bathed her wounds as we had a pleasant conversation with a South African couple, interested in the economics of overlanding (a common theme through Southern Africa). Kim had to leave for cook duty as did the schoolies so I was alone for at least one can, sitting in the water [View Full Entry]

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