Itsukushima (aka Miyajima, which translates to ‘the shrine island’), is a small, romantic island in Hiroshima Bay. It is known for its magnificent torii gate, an 800-year old monument standing in the middle of the bay, appearing to float on the waves. Miyajima has a lovely small town which is perfect for exploring, a World … More Miyajima – A Day Trip Exploring One Of Japan’s Most Scenic Islands
Koyasan, a secluded temple town in the mountains, has a quiet, charming sense of mystery. The centre of Shingon Buddhism, Kobo Daishi’s tomb, the surrounding cemetary, and the temple complexes are a lovely trip away from modern Japan.
We were the last ones in the bus, sitting in the back seat with our backpacks still on. We craned our necks to find any kind of sign as to where we were, but night had already fallen, and there were no streetlamps on this zig-zagging mountain road. It reminded me very much of the … More Hiking the Magome – Tsumago Trail in Winter
Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania’s bustling capital, was a place I didn’t care to stay long in. The drive in was a gridlock of beeping horns and clouds of exhaust fumes. Trucks with colourful stickers and cabin decorations, battered cars with cracked windscreens and huge luxury 4WDs and black taxis.
It only took us about four days to pass through Zambia. What was originally just a transit through ended up being awesome fun. We loved the challenge of the insane potholes, the offroad highways to nowhere, the beers and the zombie antelope. One challenge remained. To exit the country by road.
We arrived in Livingstone just before dusk. The streets basked in the orange glow of the setting sun. This was an exciting time in our Africa road trip – after we drank some gin and tonics and a camped on the shores of the Zambeze – we’d be seeing Victoria Falls.
Our headlights were illuminating the tall, wooden, arched gate. ‘Welcome to Chobe national park’. Through those gates were elephants. Further beyond that was the border to Zambia. But we were in a pickle; we were denied access and could go no further.
Southern Namibia was so vast and empty, it felt like we were driving across the moon. The arrow-straight gravel highway was so long, and so straight, it touched the horizon with a pinprick. The vast pastel sky seemed to be about a hundred times larger than usual. We felt extra excited now; Cape Town was well behind us, and … More Camping in the deserts of Namibia
Everything was dark when we got up in Cape Town. The cloudy night sky was smudged with black ink. Our car was waiting in the driveway, packed and ready to go. It had been raining last night, and the clean white paint was beaded with glistening droplets of water. We didn’t feel quite so fresh. It was well before dawn, earlier than we were used to, but we were … More The Unofficial Road Rules of Africa – a Driver’s Guide
I did a road trip through 7 African countries by 4×4, with two travel buddies. It was an epic adventure – after more than five weeks on the road, we’d camped in lion territory, fixed flat tyres and run out of fuel, forded rushing rivers, and drove over sand dunes. And it required a lot … More Preparing for a road trip in Africa
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