A short flight down from Hanoi to Da Nang, another efficient pick up, an hour long transfer, and we arrived in Hoi An. We’d booked a beautiful looking Air Bnb about 15 minutes stroll away from the main areas, and were certainly not disappointed. For a cost of £23 per person per night it was … More Vietnam. Hoi An. The land of lanterns.
Rather a sobering start to this post I’m afraid, but an important and interesting part of Vietnam’s history. We paid a visit to Hỏa Lò Prison. The prison was built by the French, when Vietnam was still part of French Indochina. It was intended to hold Vietnamese prisoners, particularly political prisoners agitating for independence, and … More Vietnam. Hanoi. A prison, a temple, a mausoleum and a palace.
The Imperial Citadel of Thang Long is a complex of 1000 year old buildings and open spaces, and was on our ‘must see’ list. The entrance fee was just over £1.00, and we had to double check that we’d converted that properly as it’s ridiculously cheap. When we walked in we couldn’t believe how huge … More Vietnam. Hanoi. The Imperial Citadel and Museum of Fine Arts.
Over a year ago myself and my best friend Judith started planning a special trip to celebrate our milestone birthdays. We’re the same age as we met at school many many years ago, but have never had a holiday together. We decided to have an adventure to a country that neither of us have been … More Vietnam. Hanoi. Train Street.
Whilst walking along the beach late one afternoon I saw several small fires in the distance. As I got closer it looked as if several boats were being burned. It took a while to work out that they use this method to get rid of the algae, and because the wood is so hard, the … More Zanzibar. Part 3.
As if turquoise seas, white sand and blue skies weren’t enough colour, throw in a beach festival and I was in my element with my camera. African Impact had a ‘table’ there to help spread the message about conservation and the need for ethical dolphin tourism. There was a huge gathering of children on the … More Zanzibar Part 2. Jambiani Beach festival.
After I left Kenya I flew to Zanzibar, an Island that has appealed to me for a long time and the photo above shows just one reason! I spent two weeks there volunteering on another African Impact project – wildlife again, but this time in the sea and not on land. Volunteering there meant taking … More Zanzibar. Part 1. Marine Conservation Volunteering
We saw a lot of hyenas in Kenya and whilst they are part of the ‘Ugly 5’, I don’t always think that they are ugly. We actually heard one ‘laughing’ and it’s a great sound. Top right is the head of a wildebeest, and bottom right are two hyenas hanging onto a baby impala. One … More Kenya 2019. Part 4.
I was lucky enough to see and hear many lions on this trip to Kenya. There were some huge paw prints very close to camp one morning so it was good that we’d been warned about the need to shine a powerful torch around before making any nocturnal trips to the toilet block! Lions are … More Kenya. Part 3. Big Cats.
“A Maasai warrior is a fine sight. Those young men have, to the utmost extent, that particular form of intelligence which we call chic; daring and wildly fantastical as they seem, they are still unswervingly true to their own nature, and to an immanent ideal. Their style is not an assumed manner, nor an imitation … More Kenya. Part 2. The Maasai People.
