In some civilisations, life was simply a preparation for the afterlife. To them death was the ultimate goal, more important than life itself. These civilisations built magnificent burial chambers all over their kingdoms. A sort of departure lounge to the heavens. Just think of the ancient pyramids in Egypt or the even older Celtic tombs at Newgrange in Co. Meath, Ireland. Visiting the funeral sites of Tierradentro and San Agustin in south west Colombia, I was constantly reminded of similarities to Newgrange. Although built by a unknown people on the far side of the world about 4,000 years later, I couldn´t help thinking that maybe we had come across some Colombian Celts! Well the Irish do love to travel! A rough half-day bus ride took us from the warmth of Popayan through mountain villages where the ... read more

We have set eyes on church after church in Latin America. At times it seems there is one on every block. Every village, town and city is dominated by churches. Their architecture is unique so each one stands out from the other town buildings. The main plaza always has one if not two churches. Apparently the theory behind this is obedience. During the Spanish conquest, every town was designed around a central plaza. As crown and church drank from the same cup, by placing a church in the place where people congregated (still do today), it was as though a higher authority gazed down over their souls - "They shall behave!". So after seven months and countless churches, although many were very beautiful, we started to think "Oh no, not another one!". The Salt Cathedral at ... read more

Ahh the chicken bus - our main form of transport through Central America. There are long-distance luxury coaches, air-conditioned tourist shuttles, convenient taxis...and then there is the chicken bus, so called in reference to the way passengers are packed into the bus like chickens stuffed in a cage in transit. Not even room for a breeze to pass. These cheap and cheerful chariots are the pulse of Central America, pumping life around the cities and providing a lifeline to rural communities. Another reason for the name: an incredible amount of goods are squeezed onto the buses - sacks of corn, crates of coke, baby clothing, pillows, bags of concrete, puppies - anything and everything is hoisted onto the huge roofracks, pushed under seats or stacked in the aisles. And yes, chickens as well. The former US ... read more

I´ll admit, the title makes our day sound more dramatic than it actually was, but even so, it is a true account of what happened! It was a fairly ordinary quiet day. We didn´t have anything planned - no mountain to climb or buses to catch or birds to spot - just a day pottering about. We are in Tortuguero, a muggy village on Costa Rica´s Caribbean coast. It is famed for its shores where 40,000 turtles arrive every year to nest, but unfortunately we are visiting out of season. The next day we planned to visit the national park where even without any turtles around, there are caimans, toucans and monkeys. But today the plan was to chillax. At about 11.50am, the ground moved beneath our feet. Literally. A most unusual sensation. It rocked back ... read more

Today I saw something so heartbreakingly cruel, I am compelled to write about it - I saw a monkey chained to a tree with shackles around its neck. Those of you who know me will know that when it comes to animals I have honourable principles. I don´t eat anything with a face and I don´t buy leather. But surely even the most hardened carnivorous bull-fighting game-hunting cowboy would find this completely wrong. The poor monkey in question is apparently called Pico and watermelon is his favourite fruit. A sad irony - humanising an animal by giving it a name and then treating it so inhumanely. I just don´t understand why anyone would do this. Is it to amuse tourists? Is it meant to be cute? I hate the thought that it is for the benefit ... read more