I was propping up the bar in a Durban hostel on the first night of my trip to Southern Africa. My enquiries at the hostel regarding a weekend safari at the nearby national park had reached a dead end, and it was while nursing a drink that I met the Action Man, a colourful young Alaskan guide and quite the adventurer. He dazzled me with tales of the Alaskan wilderness and encounters with grizzly bears. He would get dropped in by helicopter, he said, then wander alone camping without seeing a single soul for ten days or more before the pilot flew back to a prearranged spot to pick him up. "Why don't you come with me to Lesotho?" Action…

Bali is one of my favourite travel destinations, dear reader. This Australian tourist mecca on the Indonesian archipelago is only a seven hour flight from Sydney, and the first five hours are spent flying over the mighty Australian continent. Friends from home decided to have their wedding ceremony in Bali, and I was privileged to be invited at what turns out to be my second flight to Bali as a wedding guest. I've visited the magical island several times, but this was the first time since the Bali bombings in 2002. On arrival I paid my respects at the memorial to the victims in Kuta, built just across the road from the remains of the two clubs that were totally…

The flight from Sydney to Adelaide takes only two hours, dear reader. I arrived in the beautiful South Australian capital without a planned itinerary, but with a fortnight to explore this often neglected state of Australia. I've visited the City of Churches before, but was thrilled by the chance to finally explore the legendary tourist sights in the rest of the nation's driest state. I stumbled into a travel agency in Adelaide, and stumbled out a few hours later with a fully booked itinerary for the fortnight. Oh yes, we don't muck around here in Oz! The first journey was a long bus trip north on the Stuart Highway to the mining town of Coober Pedy, which is in the…

If you cast yours eyes across the Rio de la Plata from Buenos Aires the coastline of Uruguay beckons. The ferry trip across the river provides a marvelous opportunity to experience life in this beautiful country of three million people; which in world terms is famous for the obvious ... Uruguay is a two time winner of the World Cup! The country triumphed at the inaugural 1930 World Cup final played in Montevideo, and managed to double the dose with a second euphoric victory in the 1950 world championship of football staged in Brazil. Oh yes, and as an Australian it's hard to forget the final qualifier for the 2002 World Cup finals when Uruguay knocked the Socceroos out of…

We were having a good old chat, albeit somewhat one sided. While waiting at the bus terminal in Foz do Iguazu a local approached and started speaking in an animated fashion. Man could he talk, and clearly it was an important message he had to share except for one small problem, I didn't understand a word he was saying! Not to worry, he just kept talking away while my facial expression changed from a look of non comprehension to positively idiotic. Finally a woman chimed in to remind him I didn't speak Portugese, and at least I understood those words. That's right bro, no fala portugese! Yet I was in great spirits as I prepared to board the bus to…

It's not easy getting to Ushuaia, dear reader, which is the southernmost city in the world. Particularly when you travel overland on the bus from Santiago in Chile, now that's some commute! But the journal continues, and I'm glad to have made it. The city itself is spectacular as you stroll around the beautifully paved streets, while surrounded by a backdrop of snow capped mountains. The sights include taking in the gorgeous harbour which serves as the starting point for cruise ships setting sail for the final frontier of Antarctica. Ushuaia is without a doubt a unique travel destination and you can't help smiling as you walk around the city, because on this beautiful planet of ours this is truly…

I was looking forward to a change in travel destinations, to new experiences and new horizons. It was time to get out and explore a different culture, and a different language. Suddenly everyone was talking about South America as the place to be, and who am I to argue with the collective wisdom of my esteemed fellow travellers. So I was excited to board a flight from Sydney to Santiago; with Chile the first destination on my inaugural visit to South America. A Sydney couple who are great friends from home were winding up their Latino trip as mine began, so when my flight arrived I caught a bus to the hotel to greet them in downtown Santiago. When I…

Don't you love it when out of the blue a new travel opportunity presents itself? Oh yes, I know I do ... and continuing from the previous journal here's my story. My friend from Quebec and I were strolling around the Laos capital of Vientiane when a sign in a travel agency caught my eye. They were offering a direct bus trip to Siem Reap in Cambodia to view the world famous Angkor ruins. Was this for real, a single bus ride to the border, then all the way south through Thailand and into Cambodia? This opportunity was a dream come true, and I was galvanized by a sense of excitement. My friend was quickly won over, dear reader, but…

There are certain countries that always seem to pop up in travel conversations, and while exploring South East Asia the consistently good oil's on Laos. The planet is never so lonely after boarding an aeroplane, so let's go for a virtual tour ... to Laos! I took a flight from Sydney to Bangkok, spent a few days in the Thai capital and from there organised a bus trip to the Thai border on the Mekong river. After a short boat ride across the river I went through border formalities on the Laos side, before being stamped into this beautiful country of six million people. Laos was devastated by American bombing during the Vietnam War as the US airforce tried to…

The reputation of Manila precedes it as a city where trouble can find you, if that's what you're looking for. I boarded a flight from Sydney to the capital of the Philippines as the starting point of my trip to the archipelago. Manila is situated on the Luzon island group in the north of the country. I'd previously visited many years ago when an unscheduled flight stopover saw me spending a night in the capital. On that occasion I was taken to a hotel and made myself comfortable over a meal, but was told to bolt the door before going to sleep. That turned out to be good advice as a dodgy character tried to force his way into my…