Waiting my way to Ouagadougou…

Experiences during a much-delayed journey between Johannesburg, Brazzaville, Abidjan, Ouagadougou and beyond, in 1994.

December in the African bush (and water)

It seems like a very long time ago, but this was only December 2018 and we were visiting the Victoria Falls (in Zambia) and Chobe National Park (in Botswana) with our son and daughter-in-law, who were visiting from Europe. Time for what our friend Willem would call some typical "Smittenstreken" (loosely translated into English as … Continue reading December in the African bush (and water) →

Tramping through Toronto

This midwife continues to make a difference in the world, every day! Toronto actually provided the reason (or the excuse) to visit Canada during 2017 in the first place. Marina was a participant in a triennial international midwifery conference and we concluded our trip to Canada in this city. It was a large event, unsurprisingly … Continue reading Tramping through Toronto →

Heavy trucks and tiny animals and lots in between

This time, we had no interaction with the fiscal road warriors of the Zambian Police Service on the way out of Lusaka, thank goodness. No, that only happened much later, somewhere between Kafue and Chirundu, when an officer informed Marina that the top speed limit for that entire part of the country had been reduced … Continue reading Heavy trucks and tiny animals and lots in between →

Treasure Island

Looking down from the highway, the forested mountainsides seemed to continue all the way to the horizon. I wondered what it must be like in there... if you get lost in those woods, you'd be gone forever. No roads visible down there, but there would probably be lots of rivers and streams. Images from that … Continue reading Treasure Island →

Flags and fanfare and lakeside luxury

The parade featured a lot of Canadian flags. By pure coincidence, we happened to pass through the Village of Lumby, en route between Calgary and Vancouver, while they were having their annual "Lumby Days" family fair. 2017 was the year when Canada deemed itself 150 years old, providing the theme for that year's festivities. Canada, … Continue reading Flags and fanfare and lakeside luxury →

Gorges and forests, from Field to Revelstoke

During the next few days of our western Canadian odyssey, we were almost overloaded with views of wild waterfalls, gorgeous gorges and fantastic forests. I will share some of the images here, with an apology: It's just not the same when you only look at a photograph. You don't experience the quiet and the smell … Continue reading Gorges and forests, from Field to Revelstoke →

Beauty and bother in Banff National Park

After our arrival in Calgary early in July, 2017, and after sightseeing in that area with friends, described in my previous post, we continued on our journey westwards. I'd been looking forward to our entry into Banff National Park, last visited with our kids during a road trip in the mid-90s. It's very popular with … Continue reading Beauty and bother in Banff National Park →

Canadian kaleidoscope… the journey begins

Travelling, and experiencing different parts of the world, is very valuable to me, more so than a beautiful house or a flashy car. There's nothing like the excitement of being on the open road, or on a hike somewhere, not knowing what we'll see around the next corner... I love sharing that with you, so … Continue reading Canadian kaleidoscope… the journey begins →

Mongolian memories

Today (11th July) sees the start of the Mongolian festival of Naadam, and seven years ago, on the evening before Naadam, I was in "Bud", a bar on Sukhbaatar Square in Ulaanbaatar. The square was named after Damdin Sukhbaatar, a national hero who was born in Ulaanbaatar and eventually helped liberate Mongolia from Chinese rule … Continue reading Mongolian memories →