Big Safari Game in the Okavango Swamp, Kalahari Desert Travel August 30, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Africa, Botswana, Travel Clinic, Travelling Bag , 6commentsStranded in the Kalahari desert we had no water and half a packet of Marie biscuits. The bus from Francistown had broken down again and the passengers disembarked, squatting in the cumbersome shade of a baobab tree. They, like us, were shifty-eyed; there had been no rain in Botswana for four years and the lions of the Kalahari were getting hungry. In Gaborone, a week before, we had watched the mauled body of a German girl carried into the hospital. Her death reminded us of the dangers of complacency in Africa. In the shadow of the bus, a vulture wheeling overhead, I kept my eyes fixed on the bush behind us. (more…)
The Sky Burial July 29, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Destination, Library, Memorial, Museum, Restaurant, Tour , 6commentsSix AM. I wake before the alarm, filled with apprehension. I had resisted attending the sky burial. However, I know that experiencing such a unique, ancient ritual is the essence of travelling. If I avoid it, I might as well be on a tourist bus, shielded from Tibet and from myself.
Pascal, Doune and I begin the hour-long walk out of L’hassa. We pick our way through a rubbish dump and climb to the burial site, a stubbly patch on top of a rocky hill, surrounded by desolate bare mountains, looking like wrinkled old elephants’ hide. Five Tibetan men and a boy of about ten, dressed in worn jackets and trousers, are seated around a fire, drinking tea, talking and laughing. (more…)
Please to make a Hotel Reservation July 23, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Accommodation, Air Tickets, Beach Resorts, Destination, Flight Schedule, Hostels, Hotels, India, Lodges, Motel, Passport, Tickets, Tour , 3comments“Excuse me, do you speak English?” “Oh yes, certainly.”
“I want to reserve three seats on a train from Calcutta to Patna.” “Please?”
“I want to reserve . . .”
“Where are you wanting to go?” “Patna.”
“Have you a reservation?”
“No. That is what I want.” “Please you wait over there.”
“I want to go during the day so that we can all see the countryside.” (more…)
The EXhilaration Adventure, real Hiking Mountain Trail, Kebnekaise Mountain Station continue… July 18, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Air Tickets, Beach Resorts, Cars, Flight Schedule, Hostels, Hotels, Lodges, Motel, Restaurant, Sweden, Switzerland, Wellington , 2commentsIt was soon clear that the man had no idea what he was doing. He shouldn’t have been in the mountains. I asked him where his gear was. “Over there,” he said, pointing to the corner of the room. There was a tiny rucksack, a summer sleeping bag and a pair of Wellington boots. “Is that all?” I asked.
“Shit man, I didn‘t expect this. I came straight down the path from Abisko. It was beautiful the first two days. Which way did you come?”
“Over the mountains through Lapporten.”
“What was it like up there?”
“Cold and too much snow.”
“Where are you going?” (more…)
Versailles: Europe’s greatest palace, a scene of splendour and despair 1 May 23, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Accommodation, Airlines, Destination, France, Paris, USA , add a commentHistory seems to select certain places, hitherto unknown, as appropriate settings for memorable events and scenes of splendour and shame. Looking back, the historian can see some connection between the name of such a place, its geographical position and the part it played in history. The fact that Versailles is built on a hill, and that the slopes that fall away on one side are covered in gardens while those that drop down on the other form one of the most impressive semi-circular approaches known to any royal residence, has frequently led men to think that the name ‘ Versailles‘ is derived from the word versant, a slope. (more…)
