The sky was a pale blue, with airplane contrails criss-crossing the frozen winter air high above, and a bright, shining sun. It was a great day to visit one of Tokyo’s most peaceful places, the huge gardens of the imperial palace, and residence of Emperor Akihito of Japan. The first important thing to know – … More An Illustrated Visit to the Tokyo Imperial Palace
Japan was one of most wonderful destinations we had ever been to. I always imagined two sides of Japan – the historical and traditional Japan of temples, torii gates and elegant geishas, against the hyper-modern cities, cartoons and robots. Inbetween it all, there are so many tiny quirks and conveniences that are the cherry on … More The Little Things That I Love About Japan
Langkawi, a popular holiday island in the north-west of Malaysia, is made for scootering around. A great network of local roads can take you all around the island; and with so many beaches to see, mountains to ride up, and shortcuts to take, two wheels is the only way to go. Renting a bike in … More Exploring Langkawi by Scooter (and Boat)
Kuala Lumpur is not an instant charmer. Dirty, smelly, hot and (sometimes) smoggy, for many people it falls into the category of just a transit hub to other destinations. I’ve visited KL many times, whether it be on a holiday, or as part of a layover, and I’ve grown more and more in love with … More Why Kuala Lumpur Might Be My Favourite Transit City
A big transition is afoot. This blog is changing from a travel blog to an illustrated travel blog. It will be a slow transition, because illustrating is a slow process. Goodbye photos, hello coloured pencils. But beneath the surface, there is a lot to consider. Here are some simple steps to think about when changing … More Changing The Niche Of Your Blog
Well, that’s it! I’ve finished publishing all my stories from my Africa travels. And just in time, too, because a new journey is just beginning, involving me leaving my home for a new life in Europe! And to accompany it, a complete revamp of my blog to incorporate my artwork is also coming. Please visit … More My Blog Is Evolving
The second last day of our trip, Newcastle to Port Elizabeth, was an epic drive of 1100km. It took us about twelve hours, rising up through the Drakensburg mountains, past the entire country of Lesotho, and ending on the southern coast of the African continent. We’d been driving for weeks, and couldn’t wait to reach … More Wrapping up an African Road trip
Our final African border crossing was the Lebombo/Komatiepoort border from southern Mozambique into the northeast corner of South Africa. We were excited to put our feet on home soil. We all were; the trip so far had been weeks of relentless driving, from dawn to dusk some days. We wanted to put our feet up with a cold drink, do our washing, have a long … More Road tripping in South Africa – From Mozambique to Newcastle
Our last stop in Mozambique was the capital, Maputo. The traffic was a long crawl, and we arrived in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Maputo mid-morning. We parked up near the Maputo Central train station, a beautiful, classic building. It was domed and spacious, painted green and white rumoured to be designed by Gustave Eiffel of Eiffel Tower fame … More One (Unusual) Day In Maputo
Blue skies, wide sandy beaches, soaring palms and fishing boats bobbing in sparkling waters. This is Vilankulos, Mozambique’s paradise beach getaway. So far, Mozambique had not been comfortable on our self-drive. Sand and offroad, potholes and camping. It was time to relax with gin and tonics. We entered Vilankulos around midday, and found the roads were roaring … More Vilankulos, the most relaxing beach in Mozambique
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