Recently I was asked the question - "if you could only travel to one country for vacation (yes, vacation it was an American asking me) for the rest of your life which country would you choose?". Without hesitating for a moment I answered - the United States. The cynical readers amongst you may suggest my answer only derived from me being charming and polite; the really cynical amongst you will know I am never polite and would suggest that as I was talking to my boss at the time and as it was two weeks before bonuses were handed out I [View Full Entry]

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I have never been considered the most observant person in the world. In fact, I am often surprised to learn that the "new" shop I have just discovered on the high street has been there for 5 years and I have been walking past it twice a day all that time, blithely unaware of its existence. So it came as little shock to me yesterday morning when I arrived at Chambery airport that for the first time I noticed that this tiny gateway to the French Alps was surrounded by large mountains, each dusted with snow, and providing what could [View Full Entry]

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The 300th anniversary of the union between Scotland and England will fall this year. I am the first to admit that my understanding of both the history and intricacies of the United Kingdom is appallingly limited- but I must admit that I never thought that my first trip to Scotland would see me wondering whether there would be a subsequent three hundred years of unity between England and their northerly neighbour. In 1707 there were allegations of bribery, corruption and (obvious) disenfranchisement after the noblemen in the Scottish Parliament agreed to the Union with the Kingdom of England. Nowadays the Scots [View Full Entry]

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I was always under what was probably a poorly uninformed impression that Japan was a quiet, understated country. In my few (wasted) years in high school Japanese class I learnt about the culture of a quiet people, who respected tradition and weren’t amenable to the loud, disrespectful ways of us Westerners (hence the trainee Japanese teacher who came on exchange to Maclean High School for a few months and after one period of our Year Nine elective Japanese class she was so shaken by our loud and outrageous behaviour she took off the remainder of the week and steeled herself against [View Full Entry]

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After many questions from you all I can confirm yes I AM alive and I AM continuing the Blog. Unfortunately I have been robbed twice since updating my blog (man, they even stole the camera I had bought to replace the first stolen camera) and so photos are slim pickings. WhileI continue to harass people I have met on my travels for photos I will be slowly updating my site. I think Mexico or some huge volcano climb with an ex-guerrilla comes next. Currently I am in Germany with Amy and Ah Toy and am about to go and see Australia [View Full Entry]

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Cold. Bleak. Depressing. Climbing the final ascent of Central America's highest peak was just plain frigid. Sure, it was summer below in Quetzaltenango but up there in the volcanic rise of Tajumulco hail was peppering our tents lightly as a polite patter to the not so polite rumble of my tent mate's snores. It was 4.30 Am and soon we were herded out of our tents by our school principal and a guy who looked a lot like an Ewok (However, I feel obliged to point out that he lacked the requisite agility and strength that they possess. This old geezer [View Full Entry]

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Since returning from Cuba I have been asked dozens of times what Cuba was like. These queries mainly come from eager Americans and Europeans who seem keen for reports of a socialist paradise where liberated socialists enjoy the benefits of free health care and enforced leisure time. Each time I’m asked, all I seem to muster is a series of ummmms and errrs before quite meekly finally describing Cuba as “different”. And I suppose that is the truth. Cuba is unlike any country I have visited before. Did I enjoy Cuba? I’m not sure. Yes, parts of it were fun but [View Full Entry]

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The trade and economic embargo held against Cuba by the USA has lasted for some decades now. America has prohibited American companies and their subsidiaries trading with Cuban entities and prohibited its citizens from spending money in Cuba. (That’s right - I’ve always thought that US citizens were prohibited from visiting Cuba - however the various pieces of legislation that piece together the embargo actually only make it a crime to SPEND money in Cuba. SO for all those Americans aching for some April sun in Cuba I guess you just need to find a philanthropic friend to pay your WHOLE [View Full Entry]

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Traveling is one of those enlightening experiences where you get to engage with other cultures and meet interesting people with fascinating stories. Usually the people you meet on the road are of a like mind to you - why else would they be studying Spanish in a leftist school in Guatemala.? But every now and then you meet someone who is definitely reading from another page to the one that you are on. Of course you get the questions from Americans that are totally unbelievable, such as “Did y’all drive from Guatemala to Cuba?” - I mean SURELY an American would [View Full Entry]

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After my whistle stop tour of a few countries in Central America I decided that I was time to settle down and relax in the central highlands of Guatemala in the second largest city of the country. The city is named Quetzaltenango, (literally, “the place of the Quetzal”. The Quetzal is the national symbol of Guatemala. It’s a beautiful bird with an amazingly long tail. Renowned throughout Central America, it appears on the flag of Guatemala and even gives name to their currency. However, in one of life’s more bitter ironies the Quetzal is fast disappearing due to deforestation and consequently [View Full Entry]

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