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I should first admit that airlines are a passion of mine, and their operations in remote and tricky locations of particular interest. I should also point out, in the interest of fairness, that my own international flight (Fortaleza to Praia) with onward connections to Mindelo via Praia worked like a charm; my second attempt at inter-island travel, however, did not, and a one-hour journey became a twelve-hour slog. Sadly, however, for reliability, TACV (Transportes Aereos de Cabo Verde) is, however, in a league of its own. When it comes to scheduling, adherence to these timetables, indifference to their passengers, and […]

“The best laid plans”, it has been said, are not immune to change, and nowhere is the more true than in Cabo Verde – so Plan B was to visit Santiago and Tarrafal Tourists and travellers to this island nation really fit into one of two groups, those who stay put and those who wander. I am of the latter. One curiosity of Cabo Verde is the paucity of inter-island transportation; the national airline, TACV, flies between the islands with an imaginative schedule, an almost complete disregard for punctuality and a flair for the dramatic. Competition is non-existent, and those […]

In the argot of today, and the overuse of superlatives, it is difficult to describe an island as remarkable as this; Santo Antão, the most northwesterly island in the Cabo Verde archipelago, is quite simply stunning. It is beautiful, it is remarkable, it is friendly, it is simple and beyond all, it is quite astonishing that it has remained off travel radars for so long. It is, however, probably a good thing. Cabo Verde is a remarkable country. Santo Antao is a remarkable island in this unique archipelago. São Antão offers visitors some unique opportunities for travel, in particular for […]

Cabo Verde is a very odd place, which is possibly the best reason to travel to these islands. First to Sao Vicente. It is an country that is comprised of ten islands, each of which purports to offer visitors a very different experience, and from an initial and hasty overview, they are correct. Tourists travelling to Cabo Verde, and astonishingly there are many, may be disappointed if they only go to Sal, the primary island; it is from exploring the others that an appreciation for the distinct Cabo Verdean experience will be drawn. It is not quite Europe, and nor […]

French Guyana is not known for much except its Penal Colony and Papillon French Guyana French Guyana is not known for much. Its history is shady, its current politics virtually unknown, but the country does have an icon for tourists, and that is the penal colonies, and in particular the character of Papillon. The story of Papillon, Devil’s Island and the amazing escapes immortalised in the movie with Dustin Hoffman and Steve McQueen has fascinated us for decades, and is a very strong lure to this very interesting, but rather remote country. France used these brutal places both to hide […]

The Suriname River is fascinating, and for tourists travelling to Suriname, the communities along its bank offer a spectacular experience. Surinamese jungle lodges are great, and really offer visitors a wide range of standards, accessibility and activity. Some time ago I wrote about Kabalebo, a lodge deep in the rain forest, and accessible only by air; it is a rather odd place, and worth considering on any trip to the country. The Surinamese government built some decades ago, several air strips in the jungle to assist the development of minerals, hydro power and other economic opportunities. Some worked out, and […]

The Upper Suriname River is a living museum, and worth the effort to reach it Suriname Apart from geography geeks, stamp collectors and cartophiles, Suriname is a country that has escaped most peoples’ awareness. And this is a great pity, because as a destination, Suriname offers interest travellers a peak into any number of worlds. It lies, along with Guyana and French Guyana on the north-est coast of South America, tucked in between Venezuela and Brazil. Access is patchy but straightforward; from North America, there are flights into the capital of Paramaribo directly from Miami, or with connections in Port […]

Scotland is a truly peculiar destination, and driving in Scotland – its Highlands, its Lowlands, its cities and its islands offer visitors more variety than one can shake a proverbial stick at. From Glasgow to St Kilda it is one long exploration. From the major southern cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh to the remote Orkney and Shetland Islands, from the majestic Highlands to the wild Outer Hebrides, Scotland has it all, and it is all worth exploring. It is also, one of those countries that virtually every visitor believes that they know before they arrive; they know because, as the […]

Northwest Scotland and the Scottish Highlands in November Touring in the Scottish Highlands is always a joy, and travelling the far-north of this wonderful destination is always an exercise in surprises. The scenery is breathtaking, the communities are charming, the food is memorable, accommodation delightful and the weather always a subject of conversation. This trip was no exception, and having decided to spend a few days in the South Of The North Of Scotland, with friends who dwell in Ardgay, I suggested a two-day drive to the north coast. I had my reasons; in search of a series of Around […]

Introducing North American journalists to Georgia is fun! As you probably know, Georgia, at the eastern end of the Black Sea, is one of my favourite countries in the world. Tbilisi, its capital enchants, Svaneti and Tusheti are two mountainous regions beyond description and the wine-growing region of Kakheti and its gorgeous community of Sighnaghi are utterly wonderful. However, one sometimes gets to believe one’s own rhetoric, and faced with the critical eyes of an audience unseduced by its charms sometimes one’s loves shatter and fade. And such was the worry when I agreed to arrange a group tour of […]

Can you travel too much and suffer from The Travellers’ Curse? Perhaps I am! The Travellers’ Curse, as it is widely known is a curious phenomenon. I was minded to think about it after reading a piece in a blog that I follow. The Travellers’ Curse, appears in many variants, and this is but one. “The more places you see, the more things you see that appeal to you, but no one place has them all. In fact, each place has a smaller and smaller percentage of the things you love; it drives you, even subconsciously, to keep looking, for […]