Travelogger

Dec|29|2006

Cambodia Dreaming: Getting There

Posted by Zahir as Adventure, Asia, Arts & Culture, Family

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This, and the next few posts are written by a guest blogger, who is an expat living in the Philippines and is a mother of 2. Here she writes about her recent 8-day trip to Cambodia.

Think French provincial architecture, café with river views, baguettes, and cold beer. Now think temples, motorcycles, tut-tuts, noodles and pomelo. Is this Hanoi, Bangkok, even Singapore? None of these cities, but the South East Asian neighbor Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

The family of three, including a four year old and a six year old completely skilled at wrestle mania, and minus the workaholic fourth member, set off for a Christmas holiday adventure in Cambodia. The travel was made easy by booking online with …

Dec|27|2006

Travellers: Ferdinand Magellan

Posted by Zahir as Around The World, People, Historical

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Ferdinand Magellan, (1480?-1521) the Portuguese-born Spanish explorer and navigator, leader of the first expedition to circumnavigate, or sail completely around the world. He was born in northern Portugal and is perhaps the most famous explorer of all tim, proving that the world was indeed, round.
Portuguese sea captain Ferdinand Magellan and his crew were the first Europeans to sail around the world, proving that the world was round. From 1519 to 1521 Magellan, with five ships and a Spanish crew of about 250 men, searched for a western route to the Moluccas, or Spice Islands. He was killed on April 27, 1521 when he interfered in a dispute between indigenous people in the Philippines.

Only two of his …

Dec|25|2006

Travellers: Santa Claus

Posted by Zahir as Around The World, People, Historical

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Some people attribute the origin of Santa Claus to the legendary St. Nicholas, who was born in Patara, a village in what is now Turkey, in a wealthy Christian family. He became the Bishop of Myra. He was well known throughout the land for his generosity to those in need and for his love for the children. He had given gifts to children anonymously throwing them through the windows of their houses and helped unmarried woman with dowry, so that she may get married! It is said that he had performed several miracles and also helped sailors at sea and saved them from drowning and brought back to life three murdered theological students!!

Roman Emperor Diocletian, …

Dec|23|2006

Wheelchair Travel Tips

Posted by Zahir as Transport, Air Travel, Health & Wellness, Tips

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If you or somebody you know is travelling for the holidays and uses a wheelchair, a quick whiz through these tips below should make the trip a lot more comfortable.

1. If you are able to fly first class, go for it — more room and lot more enjoyable. If not, try to get the first bulkhead seats; they are closer to the front of the aircraft and they give you more room if you should have spasms.

2. If possible, book a nonstop flight. You’ll have fewer problems with a wheelchair. If you can’t, always allow at least 45 minutes for connecting flights. Some wheelchair travelers prefer to have a change of aircraft for an hour or so. It …

Dec|21|2006

Travellers: David Livingstone

Posted by Zahir as People, Historical, Adventure, Africa

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Born in 1813, David Livingstone was a Scottish explorer and missionary and doctor who walked across Africa from coast to coast before there were any roads, bridges, hospitals or shops. He survived fevers and infections, attacks by wild animals and Muslim slave traders.

Livingstone was the first person to bring medicine and Christian gospels to many remote regions of Central Africa. His travels covered one-third of the continent, from the Cape to near the Equator, and from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean.

Livingstone was raised in poverty; the family of nine lived in a single room in a Lanarkshire cotton mill tenement. In 1838 he went to London to offer his services as a medical missionary to the …

Dec|19|2006

Travellers: Peter Mayle

Posted by Zahir as People, Food and Drink, Europe, Arts & Culture

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When I want to do some seriously relaxing armchair travelling I turn to Peter Mayle, who has written some of the best books on what life is really like in the Provence region of France, as well as its wonderful food and drink!
Born in 1939 in Brighton, England, Mayle spent 15 years of his career in the cut-throat world of advertising before becoming a writer in the mid-seventies. He started off writing educational books for children on useful topics such as sex education.

In 1989 his most famous book, “A Year In Provence” detailing his life in Provence was published and became an international bestseller. More books followed, as well as contributions to …

Dec|17|2006

Travellers: Sir Edmund Hillary

Posted by Zahir as People, Australia NZ, Historical, Adventure, Asia

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“My God! We’ve climbed the thing! We’ve done it!”
Edmund Hillary

Between 1920 and 1952, seven major expeditions had failed to reach the summit of Mount Everest. In 1924, the famous mountaineer George Leigh-Mallory had perished in the attempt. In 1952, a team of Swiss climbers had been forced to turn back after reaching the south peak, only 1000 feet from the summit.

Edmund Hillary joined in Everest reconnaissance expeditions in 1951 and again in 1952. These exploits brought Hillary to the attention of Sir John Hunt, leader of an expedition sponsored by the Joint Himalayan Committee of the Alpine Club of Great Britain and the Royal Geographic Society to make the assault on Everest in 1953.

The expedition reached …

Dec|15|2006

Himalayan Origins

Posted by Zahir as Historical, Adventure, Asia

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I’ve long held a fascination with the majestic Himalayas, and indeed with Mount Everest. Around 5 years ago, when I visited Nepal, I cannot forget the first time I saw these awe-inspiring mountains. With the sheer scale and beauty of the scenery, it was an almost spiritual experience.

Nepal includes 8 of the highest 14 summits in the world, which exceed altitude of 8,000m including Annapurna, Dhaulagiri and others.

The Himalayas are among the youngest mountain ranges on the planet. According to the modern theory of plate tectonics, their formation is a result of a continental collision or orogeny along the convergent boundary between the Indo-Australian Plate and the Eurasian Plate. The collision began in the …

Dec|13|2006

Baros Water Villas

Posted by Zahir as Islands, Nature, Asia, Luxurious, Getaways

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At first look at the photo above, this pretty non-descript photo of a resort’s “water villas” could be anywhere from Fiji to the Philippines. So many resorts these days have cashed in on the concept of providing a hut on top of the sea complete with glass flooring, Bose systems and fancy tubs - but without any real style, individuality or fabulous service to really carry it off. In short, you’re bound to leave with a humongous bill and no plans whatsoever to return.

Baros, a resort in the Maldives, seems to have gotten it right at least. A great location, good food (3 restaurant choices), discrete but competent service, fantastic water sports, a decent …

Dec|11|2006

Travellers: Ian Wright

Posted by Zahir as Around The World, Television, People, Adventure

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“The sort of trips I go on are all about living cheap and getting dirty which is how I like it.”
Ian Wright

Cheap, yes. Dirty, yes. And also the most interesting and funniest of most travel shows in television today I think. Host of Globetrekker and other shows including Ian Wright Live and Ian Wright’s VIP Weekends, Ian Wright is a 40-year old Englishman, who, before the travelling bug hit him, was an accomplished artist and theatre performer, who even sold home-made jams and crafts at London’s Spitalfields market.

Engaging, honest and endearingly a little mad, Ian’s passion for travel and love for the cultures of the world truly come off in his show, making …