Travel Writing Library

My husband had always wanted to go on a balloon ride but I had never been that keen. However, I had always said I would give it a try if the place interested me and an opportunity presented itself.

Imagine walking among the world’s greatest game herds and the Big 5 on the plains of Masai Mara, the ‘pink’ lake-Lake Nakuru, or even the Special 5 of Samburu.

"There are poisonous snakes here, so you have to be careful", said our guide Jorge turning back to look at us as we walked. "When it´s sunny in the Winter I always see a Jararaca or a Cruzeiro Snake in the path", he said.

We started our month in British Columbia with a wish list: eagle, moose, elk, orca, coyote, chipmunk, racoon, bear. In Vancouver we learned that bears were everywhere except in the heart of the cities, even suburban gardens were troubled by them.

You’ve been in Orkney 1200 years but I’ve only been here three weeks. We both travelled a long way to get here – me 11,000 miles, you 1,200. My journey was by plane, train and boat, yours by long ship.

Down Under in the Outer Barrier Reef, fish are wild, aggressive, and hungry. The sea creatures starve, and will do anything to kill. When large humans step foot into their territory, many could attack for their six o’clock dinner.

It was Tuesday at 2:36 PM when it all went black. Above, the grey skies mirrored the austerity of the crash. Below, a frenzy of helicopters and blood, of life and death, of trepidation.

The gates of Hell have opened...so bring on the food and festivities its time to party with some hungry ghosts!

Stepping onto the platform my girlfriend (at the time) and I realise we are literally at the end of the line. The locomotive(from the Harry Potter films) disappears into its own smoky haze with a shrill noise.

It had been over a week since I had immersed myself into Cairo culture, but was it the culture I was after? I had done all the touristy business, Pyramids( from the popular and grand Giza trio! to the lesser visited but more interesting area of Dashur the Red and Bent Pyramids!)