JohnCalwell

Hello everyone, I hope you are all well and that the dreaded month of January has not proved too difficult. Sorry it has been so long since my last post, Malawian internet is both rare and pretty expensive so doing blogs and such like can take a long time. In fact everything in Malawi takes time, I spent a whole day on buses just get to a working ATM machine. I am also sorry if I have not replied to any of your messages. I have read them now and will reply soon. You know I appreciate them so. My New Year got off to a bit of a disastrous start, I managed to pick up some sort of food poisoning so my New Years Celebrations were spent, alone, in bed, with a bucket of vomit ... read more

Hello everyone! I have settled nicely in to a routine as a Teacher. It continues to be a hugely satisfying experience and these people continue to be the most fantastic and welcoming people I have ever had the pleasure of spending time with. But, while these people never have even a sniff of self pity about them, they are far too positive, I can’t help feel that they are let down terribly by their Government, I often find myself asking quite what DOES the Government actually DO? In the West, we moan about our Governments but you must believe me when I say that for all our Governments faults, they fundamentally serve the people with high standards and a high level of accountability. There will no doubt be folks who disagree, but when you have spent ... read more

Hello everyone! Welcome to another installment of my ramblings. This one won’t be an epic because as before, the pictures tell all the story and I fear I will simply be repeating myself. Sri Lanka continues to be a fantastic to visit, it continues to throw up the most colorful surprises and the people continue to be wonderful. So….After leaving Tringo. I headed inland for one of my treats of Sri Lanka, Sigiriya. For those that don’t know: Sigiriya is a large stone and ancient rock fortress and palace ruin in the central Matale District of Sri Lanka, surrounded by the remains of an extensive network of gardens, reservoirs, and other structures. A popular tourist destination, Sigiriya is also renowned for its ancient paintings (frescos) which are reminiscent of the Ajanta Caves of India. It is ... read more

Hello everyone! Hope you are all well. As the title subject suggests, not much to report from sunny Thailand. This is for two reasons, first I haven’t done very much these last few weeks, and secondly my third camera expired shortly after arriving in Thailand so there are very few pictures To say I haven’t done anything is not entirely true. The weather in Koh Chang was getting progressively worse, the last couple of days of my stay were very wet, so I upped sticks made my way back to Bangkok and then headed back down (on the other of the Gulf of Thailand) to another island called Koh Samui. Good move it was too, the weather here has been stunning and the island has much better atmosphere then Koh Chang. This is not a negative ... read more

Hello everyone! Right, straight down to business. Do I hate China? This is a question I find myself asking over and over again. And the predictably complicated answer is, I really don’t know. I certainly don’t hate the Chinese people, most of who are friendly and helpful. I have met some lovely people who are desperate for me to enjoy my time in their country. You smile and they usually smile back. So to help me answer my question, let’s establish what I DO know. I do know that since entering this Country my enjoyment of travelling has diminished considerably. I am now at a point where I am not having good days and bad days, or even good hours and bad hours, it has now reduced to good minutes and bad minutes. Someone smiles at ... read more