10 May, 2009
Nice
Nice is one of the playgrounds of the French Riviera – but it can look cold in Winter. Still a damn sight warmer than Liverpool, however…
19 March, 2009
Palenque, Mayan Ruins
Palenque town itself is a rather drab place, but the ruins, deep in jungle, are as spectacular as you might expect. It’s also the perfect place to feel like Indiana Jones for a day…
San Cristobal de las Casas to Pelenque
I’m never sure if it’s a great idea to save money on hotels by using overnight buses. It is, however, a very effective use of time. Just so long as you can get some sleep. The bus to San Cristobal was certainly as comfortable as was needed – we could only get seats on the […]
16 March, 2009
Planes, Trains and Taxis to Mexico
It felt like we’d been travelling for 36hrs… and we had. Tired, dehydrated and crabby, reaching Oaxaca and actually getting a proper meal and a comfy bed was actually something of a highlight…
4 December, 2008
Butterflies in Liverpool
Sometimes you see something so cute, cutting through the dreary, cold wetness, that you have to stop and take a few quick snaps. There was nothing to say who did it, or why – but this is the kind of art I appreciate sometimes. I hope it lasts.
12 November, 2008
Cuzco by Night
Cuzco is one of those places – full of foreigners who got there and thought “hey… let’s stop a while longer” and then don’t leave for years. It’s vibrant, beautiful, friendly and prosperous. See it while it’s still relatively unspoilt. If you like this shot, you may wish to check out my photoblog, which I’m […]
15 April, 2008
Hong Kong
It’s a funny place, Hong Kong… it could be really depressing, crowded and scary. But it’s just stunning. In spite of all those people living so close together there are still places to find quiet contemplation away from the bustle.
3 April, 2008
Santa Catalina Convent, Arequipa
The water looks dirty, but isn’t. You can see the goldfish clearly enough after all. The Santa Catalina Convent in Arequipa is an astonishing city within a city. In spite of the noise and bustle of the city outside, it manages to maintain a quiet calm. The nuns who lived here (and a small number […]
I Like It Low
I couldn’t believe how big this guy’s paintings were. Seems that as he got older his eyesight deteriorated. His solution? Paint so that at least he could see what he was doing! I believe this painting is by Andy Warhol. But I’m culturally dumb, so can’t rely on my memory. What I do know […]
Road to Bolivia
This photo is on the main road from North Chile to Bolivia as it heads through Chile’s Lauca National Park. This is the nice and easy part – it seems that once in Bolivia the road deteriorates significantly in quality and safety. Just a few weeks after I took this picture a minibus full of […]
2 April, 2008
Valle de la Luna
Ok, first shot to go up on the photoblog*. I’ve decided to leave it up even though it’s a relatively poor quality re-size. However, I feel it still illustrates the beauty and scale of this location. Here we are, perhaps 1000m above the valley floor below. Priscilla, who I’d just met on this part of […]
4 August, 2007
Maps of the World
Maps have always fascinated me – I can stand staring at them for hours. Or at least, minutes. Whether it’s a small map of the area, or something covering the whole globe. There’s a few in particular that stand out as interesting, partly for their political background, and others for their technical approach. The first […]
2 August, 2007
Cuban bathrooms
Cuba has, shall we say, a more relaxed approach to electrical safety than some other countries. In part because it’s poor – good electrics are expensive – but also, I suspect, because of some ignorance and lackadaisical enforcement too. But I was still surprised to see this shower in our first B&B: I will say […]
19 March, 2007
Transport in Cuba
Transport anywhere in what can be considered a third world country is quite a challenge to anyone used to online booking of easyJet flights. But… if you’ve arrived with Western wealth then it’s never going to be all that bad either. I mean for sure, your chances of arriving on time are little better than […]
5 March, 2007
First Impressions in Cuba
If you fly with First Choice on their Cuba West Traveller scheme they give you your first night’s accomodation free. The idea, we think, is that in Cuba you can’t just turn up as a typical itinerant and expect to wander about. Of course, that’s exactly what you can do… You just need to give […]
10 December, 2006
Liverpool Airport (Speke)
Liverpool has one of those small airports that’s done rather well over the past decade. A rise in air travel has been good for many airports, yet Liverpool’s Speke airport (now known as Liverpool John Lennon Airport) has done especially well. Why? Because first of all they worked well with easyJet – with a combination […]
26 November, 2006
Rocking in Paris
I spend… oooh, lots of time in Paris. Yet I’ve never actually quite got round to writing about it on this site. Why not? Good question. Perhaps because it’s a little personal. I’ve lived there, loved there, and so on. To talk about it in depth may reveal me more to the world at large. […]
19 October, 2006
Anthony Gormley’s Another Place
Some of you may have heard of Anthony Gormley’s Another Place. It’s a series of cast iron statues, of his own form. 100 of them, to be precise, spread over a large beach near Liverpool, in Crosby, and at the mouth of the Mersey. These figures stand looking out to sea and are remarkably poignant. […]
18 August, 2006
Italy – Lucky in Lucca, and more….
Sadly, I never had a chance to write fully about Italy – so you’ll have to make do with this brief overview. Sorry!
9 July, 2006
That Botfly Story You’ve Heard From Me 10 Times Already
In the Peruvian jungle, along the Amazon, lurk mosquitoes carrying botfly eggs. Nothing exotic ever happens to me on trips, so finally, something interesting to write about. I’ve highlighted this post because since I first wrote about it, this page has been visited by over 100,00 people… who are probably somewhat more scared of jungles than they were before.
22 March, 2006
More on my parasite story
Well, my friend Peter confirmed it with a dab of vaseline, some patience and good light. I have a botfly. I’ve done a separate page about it here.
16 March, 2006
Ouchy Wouchy!
When someone says they want to see you at noon, your mind usually meanders to thoughts of lunches. A salad perhaps, or maybe some pasta. And a beer. Hmmmm… lovely lovely beer. Not Dr O’Dempsey. Nice bloke though he is, he had an ulterior motive. You see, since New York I noticed that a mosquito […]