Dear All Greetings from Mozambique! Wow – what an exotic place to be in, and although just nextdoor to Malawi, a completely different country with a completely different feel to it (starting with the fact that people speak Portuguese here...!) I must admit this different feel was a major shock when I first arrived, and my initial sentiment was one of missing Malawi actually and a desire to go back, which was a bit of a surprise. But fortunately I stuck through the feelings and am having an amazing time right now – different, but amazing! I am currently writing this from a super lodge located on the shores of the Lake Cahora Bassa, the 5th largest reservoir in the world, in the remote, far north-west of the country. Mozambique is primarily a coastal country, with ... read more

Dear All Greetings from Lake Malawi! What a beautiful place, and a far cry from either the blandness or chaotic riots of the capital. Apologies for taking time since my last entry – this has not been down to any social movements getting out of hand, but rather the lack of Internet places along the route to where I am now. But what a relief- since my last entry, things seem to have calmed down hugely on the Malawian city streets, and I’m in pretty much rural areas where most people don’t really know what’s going on in the urbanised world anyway. Currently writing from a beautiful bay on the southern shore of Lake Malawi, called Cape MacClear –absolutely stunning, like a snapshot of the Caribbean but with fresh water and not salt. I believe I ... read more

Dear All The Summer and another holiday is upon us, and alas I have packed my bags once more in search of more exotic climes and landscapes - this time the Southern African countries of Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Zambia for just under 6 weeks. It has been a while since I last set foot in sub-Saharan Africa, and also a while since embarking on such a long trip - this certainly feels like one of my greater challenges in terms of trips over recent years. I must confess, I am a tad nervous, and even though I always am before a trip, along with some amazing places and sights, there are some places I'll be visiting which are somewhat off-the-beaten track, and not comparatively easy to get around. On the positive side, it should make ... read more

Dear All Greetings from the Syrian Desert! Currently in the town of Palmyra, Syria’s star tourist attraction, and a rather touristy little town it is – more reminiscent of Thailand’s backpacker hotspots, with pancake houses and touts by the bucketload – seems a bit strange for Syria, but actually rather welcome to be back on the tourist track again particularly at this time. Last I wrote, I was just about to leave beautiful Aleppo, and a not-so-beautiful hotel room, taking a 4 hour bus trip eastwards towards the capital of the Syrian desert, Deir es-Zur. A journey of stark contrasts – starting off leaving civilization and verdant hills, and travelling through such a barren and inhospitable-looking landscape which is the Syrian desert. I felt thirsty just looking out of the bus window, from the comfort of ... read more

Dear All Wow – I'm having such an amazing time, and I have done so much since I last wrote that I really don't know where to start, or whether I'll be able to get it all down in one go without writing reams! I'll try. Greetings from Tartus, Syria's second port city to the south of Lattakia – the latter being a place which is certainly not on my itinerary given the current state of affairs there. Speaking of which, and I guess a good place to start this blog: despite what's being reported in the news from this part of the world at the moment, it feels remarkably safe and peaceful. This might be because I'm certainly sticking to places which are not making headlines, but also perhaps because the media does tend to ... read more