Yunnan Province. Three mountain ranges emerge out of eastern Tibet into what is now northen Yunnan in China - known as the area of the three rivers, for these mountain ranges hem in the Yangtze, the Salween, and the Mekong; or as it's called here, the Lancang Jiang - the Turbulent River. As the name suggests the Mekong, here in it's infancy rumbles and roars through gorges and canyons, and to us at least, is largely inaccessible. We content ourselves with getting a feel for the river, getting to know something of it's character in the cool high conditions before joining the Mekong in Jinghong and making our way down it's waters into Laos. A Little Bit of Tibet .... Songzanlin Temple. Ganden Samtsanling (as the Tibetans call Songzanlin) was once one of the great monasteries ... read more

A photo blog of our three Kruger trips. ... read more

'Ask in Paris, Berlin, or New York what the number one trail in Kruger is, and they'll all tell you - Sweni. We are the best. We are the A-Team'. Lourens and Nthambelenin ('call me Ndou - it's easier') our rangers, introduced themselves to us thus around the campfire. 'You Europeans are lost. We are going to bring you back to nature'. Explaining the morning routine, Lourens said 'there are no alarm clocks here - don't worry you'll be woken up - early'. Indeed, around 04.30 Ndou wisphered a soft good morning outside our A-frame hut, and I heard the sound of warm water being poured into the enamel basin on the porch. By flashlight I washed my face and tried to wake myself up. After a quick cup of tea (a huge kettle of water ... read more

Kashmir gets a bad press. A bone of contention between India and Pakistan since partition; Bill Clinton called it the most dangerous place on earth. The reality is somewhat different. The way of life on Dal Lake seems to be one that has remained unchanged for centuries, beautiful and serene; life on the lake encourages a state of lethargic bliss. Far from feeling under threat, we felt cosseted, comfortable and completely safe. Visiting Srinigar without staying on a houseboat would be like going to Agra without seeing the Taj Mahal. Ayub, owner of the Snow Goose bumped into us as we stepped out of the sumo at the bazaar. We agreed to take a look at his floating villa, and from the moment we saw it we were lost. We stepped into the living room via ... read more

Despite it's British origins (the design is based on the old Morris Oxford), the Ambassador is considered to be the definitive Indian car, the car of diplomats and tourists, and is called "The King of the Indian Roads". In production since 1958, it's graceful curves recall the elegance of bygone days. Roomy, comfortable, good suspension - essential for the potholed, almost crater-ridden Indian roads - for me this was the only option when choosing a car to tour India. In India car and driver form a package, and with our Ambassador we got Raj. I'd heard stories from other travellers about their driver woes. Drivers who insist on taking you where they want to go, who have no experience, who get lost, cannot read maps, and cannot speak reasonable English. I had doubts, but we were ... read more