Dear All Greetings from Laos, country number 70, and what a stunningly beautiful country to be writing from. Right now I am just slap bang in the lap of luxury, writing this one from the balcony of my stilted wooden bungalow overlooking the Nam Khang River, Mekong tributary, with nothing but the sound of birds and jungle insects, and the sight of the occasional local dugout canoe silently paddling by – tropical bliss! I believe the last one I wrote came from the middle of nowhere on an island in Halong Bay – this place is even further into the depths of rural wilderness, and off the tourist-beaten track – just perfect, and as Mr McDonald would say, I’m lovin’ it! Since my last update I spent one more night in Hanoi, having taken to the ... read more

Dear All Hello from Central Vietnam, second update of my trip so far, and having (as usual!) the most amazing time! What a country, and what lovely people! They really make you feel welcome here, and smiles abound wherever you go – and not those which are given to make a tourist dollar or two. These are genuine, heartfelt smiles and I have been initiating and reciprocating them wherever I go – they’re contagious! I must admit it’s rather noisy and hectic with the traffic in general (if you’ve seen my video uploaded onto my Facebook page, you’ll know what I mean!), but aside from this minor detraction, this really is an amazing, welcoming and lovely country, and I’m certainly having a great time of it. Writing this entry from my most comfortable room so far. ... read more

Dear All Here I am again, whiling away the last few hours before a big trip, and trying to control the nerves and channel the excitement at the same time – not easy. It is usually at this point that I ask myself why on earth do I do this – board a flight to the other side of the world with just me, myself and I (and my backpack) - but hindsight reminds me that it leads to an amazing time, and a fantastic learning experience of the world around me, the peoples, societies and cultures that make it up, which is far beyond my day to day (but far from unenjoyable) life here in London. I guess I am also just thinking too much before the huge unknown of the next few weeks, so ... read more

Dear All Greetings from the Sahara Desert! Wow – what a place to send greetings from, and what a place to visit. This place is amazing, and most unexpected to be honest. While most visitors come to Egypt for pyramids, temples or beaches, surprisingly few come and explore the desert, which makes up around 96% of the country’s land area (incidentally, Egypt's population of 81 million inhabit just 6% of the land!). And even fewer people are coming here now. Yes, I must say, despite having seen a fair number of tourists in Sharm, of the package holiday variety, and a few tour buses in Cairo, there really haven’t been as many as I expected. I have only just been able to speak with people about this over the last few days, and confirmed my suspicions ... read more

Dear All Greetings from Alexandria! City of my name, founded by none other than Al-Iskandar Al-Akbar himself (Alexander the Great), the capital of Cleopatra’s Egypt, and the site of not only the famous Great Library of Alexandria, the greatest collection of scrolls and manuscripts ever at that time, but also the Pharos lighthouse, one of the Ancient Seven Wonders of the World which towered over the ancient city’s harbour. Alas, none of these wonders remain today, as after the Arabs swept through North Africa in the 7th Century, Egypt’s capital was moved to Cairo, and Alexandria was all but abandoned. The Ancient City today sits some 6 metres below modern Alexandria, and much of it is actually now under water. Today the city is as Arabic as they come, a frenetic, heaving metropolis of 4 million ... read more