Dear Friends, In January, together with my cousin Sarah, I embarked on an exciting adventure, travelling from Auckland, NZ to Buenos Aires then south to Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina before embarking on the 'Ocean Endeavour' for an expedition to the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. A journey of a lifetime, and [...]
Dear friends, I have long wanted to see the fall colours in Vermont and it turns out that I was there at the optimum time to glory in those remarkable colours and bright landscapes. How great to have my friend Lois who lives near Duxbury, between Montpelier and Burlington, to take me through some stunning [...]
Dear friends, It's amazing what you can fit into a week if you are with energetic and generous friends. Rada and Steve have a beautiful house right on the shore of Lake Champlain in Upper New York State, and although I am not generally an early riser, getting up before six am to view the [...]
Dear friends, Such a lovely week in around Washington DC, staying with my friend Betsy, a colleague from my Geneva days, and meeting up with others from my past, the Ethiopian artist Wasihun (see my most recent journal entry), with Carroll who was UNICEF rep in Myanmar when I worked there for the International Red [...]
Dear Friends, Sometimes it seems as though there is some kind of magic in the air, and Tuesday was one such day for me and for Wasihun Asnake Mengsta. We met first in Geneva in 1991, and now 28 years later we meet again in Washington DC. With Wasihun in his apartment with one of [...]
Dear friends, There is no doubt that the Thai kitchen is one of the world's most recognized and appreciated cuisines. Over the years living here in Chiang May, I have sent many visitors to cooking classes although have neglected to do one myself. However, this has been rectified as last weekend I had the opportunity [...]
Dear everyone, After our time in Christchurch and Akaroa, we travelled south from Christchurch, turning inland after an hour of so and headed west towards the MacKenzie country and the South Alps beyond that. Not so much traffic on the NZ roads ... The rolling green hills around Geraldine and Fairlie slowly gave way to tussock-clad [...]
Dear friends, One of the distinct pleasures of living in Asia is having the opportunity to celebrate the many colourful festivals which are an important part of life here. Perhaps none is as important across the whole region as the Chinese New Year. This year on 28 January we entered the Year of the Rooster [...]
Dear friends, For a long time I have been wanting to travel the Circular train route around Yangon, and finally, I have done it together with Andy, a friend since many years and newly established Tour Guide and Operator. Will tell you more about his business in a later blog just in case you are [...]