See the World Differently
In darkness, we crunched along a gravel path, following the torchlight from our host, Tim, who led the way. As we boarded the ferry, we realised any concerns of missing the boat had been unfounded. It turned out that Tim was our captain. He hopped into the cab and began to manoeuvre the 18-ton hulk […]
We stood on the saddle between Northern Ireland’s two highest peaks in blazing sunshine. Looking back down the valley, we could see the seaside town of Newcastle, where our car was parked. The edge of the Mourne Mountains rose in sharp contrast with the perfectly flat patchwork of fields that filled our view all the […]
Exhausted, overheating and with hefty rucksacks on our backs, we tramped along Khaosan Road. We had just arrived in Bangkok, it was nearly midnight and all we could think about was finding our guesthouse and getting some sleep. The vendors on Khaosan Road, however, had other ideas. The street was thronging with drunken tourists. Badly […]
It was bitterly cold as we marched through the harshly-lit tunnel. Water dripped on us from above as we left the comparable comfort of Crumlin Road Gaol behind us. The brickwork gave way to concrete as we passed beneath the road, narrowing the tunnel and squeezing us closer together. The concrete was added to reinforce […]
With a particularly ear-splitting shrill, the seagull dive bombed, narrowly missing me before it wheeled around to attack again, and again. More seagulls lined the path, their angry screeches building into a deafening cacophony as I advanced. It was clear the seagulls at Inchcolm Island were not fond of visitors. The seagull chicks were another […]
“Body lean back!” “Hmpf!” Thwack! My conversations with Nok were rather short and repetitive though I have to admire his patience. After a week of intensive training at a Muay Thai Camp in Thailand, I was finally leaning back enough to get some real power into my Thai kicks. Muay Thai has a fearsome reputation […]
A sharp squawk and some frantic scuffling caught our attention on the train in Vietnam. Subtly peeping between the seats, we saw a lady scrabbling around on the floor. She was berated by a member of staff and everything quickly settled down again. She had been sitting quietly, snacking on an orange and stuffing the […]
Despite its tiny size, we got lost in Victoria. We weaved through a warren of narrow alleyways, with stone walls rising tightly either side of us. Little statues of Mary stood in alcoves in the walls with some people even finding space for a small shrine outside their house. Every street looked the same and […]
With a shaky clunk the cable car passed the pylon at the apex of the ridge. As the next valley came into view, the lush greenery of Hakone gave way to a scorched landscape of steaming vents, stained yellow and white by minerals dredged up from the bowels of the Earth. In the distance, the […]
As the sun set, the castle was bathed in a rosy glow. Sipping cocktails, we looked out across the city, over rows of houses to the towers and battlements that crowned the hilltop. From our vantage point, we could also see the Santa Justa Lift. A constant stream of tourists arrived at the observation deck […]