Out in the middle of the Indian ocean, the water is shimmering in deep emerald green. A traditional dhow rocks gently against the lapping ripples. Next to the boat, a group of divers are flipping their fins in excitement and snorkeling alongside with a whale shark, the biggest fish in the ocean and a species now classified as endangered. This is not a typical scene on any tropical island. This experience – and all its other attractions in one place – is what makes Mafia Island unique and alluring. About […]

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I’ve been in Port au Prince for five days now, it’s time for a change of pace. I climb into the rinky-dink turboprop to Cap Haitien, a mid-size town on the northern coast of Haiti. It’s a bumpy 30-minute flight but it sure beats the 7-hour bus drive over rough terrain and potholed roads. Usually, I always opt for ground transport because it allows me to see the country up close. Circumstances force me to choose the plane this time – to good effect, as it would turn out. Cap Haitien […]

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“Excuse me, you’re going where??!” she gasps while simultaneously taking an irritated stride back, crossing her arms and dishing out that look that husbands the world over dread. “Um. Haiti,” I whimper back. And how can I blame her surprise? Just think of the things that come to mind when you hear the name Haiti: crime, armed violence, political instability, UN soldiers, endemic corruption, hurricanes, earthquakes, Zika virus, poverty, famine, cholera outbreaks and on and on…. But is news-driven negativity all there is to Haiti? Surely there must be more. After […]

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When Spain made claim to a small corner of North Africa and christened it Río de Oro – River of Gold – the country’s colonial ambitions for what amounted to a patch of sand in the western extreme of the Sahara Desert were clear. With the third glass of mint tea broiling my insides as I looked across the same area of sand, I considered that perhaps my own intentions in Africa were equally unrealistic. I was a week into seeking as much cold lager – my own river of […]

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Dolphin Encounters is located in Ponta do Ouro in southern Mozambique just across from Kosi Bay in South Africa. There are several companies here that offer swims with the Dolphins but Dolphin Encounters is the oldest in the area and also the only non profit and dolphin research organization here. They were Africa’s first Dolphin Interaction and Research Center. The organization was co founded by Angie Gullan in 1994 after she experienced seeing Bottlenose Dolphins near where she was swimming. Her intrigue and curiosity had led her to dedicate her […]

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I’m walking on Maputo Beach, a beautiful, litter-strewn stretch of coastline to the north-east of Mozambique’s capital city. It’s overcast, so most of the tourists have stayed away. I am among a group of ex-pat stragglers, making their way to the ubiquitous piri piri chicken stands dotted all along the coastline. We feast on the chicken, sitting on plastic chairs on the beach. After we finish, a group of four children between the ages of six and ten approaches our table to ask for what is left of our meal […]

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Today we drove out to Jarvis Bay – about 190 clicks south of Sydney. We were expecting summer time temperatures and clear skies but upon arrival were greeted with heavy fog showers, wind and unseasonably cold temperatures. Needless to say, this made for a miserable picnic lunch (from the awesome Husky Bakery & Cafe in Huskisson Beach) and even more miserable swimming for those brave enough souls in the water. We swam with dolphins in Mozambique earlier this year – this time we took a dolphin cruise. We kept our […]

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Recently we had a chance to ask Charles about some of his travels (he has been all over the world) and what went into starting his successful travel company, Holidaysplease. Q. What is your background and when did you first become interested in International travel? Despite being brought up in a small village in the UK I managed to experience international travel from an early age. I used to get driven down to the south of France with my family every year. One of my earliest memories overseas was playing […]

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Upon finalizing my flights to South Africa from Bangkok, I told a good friend who has traveled extensively in Africa that I would kiss the African soil for him. He replied, “Kiss Africa’s ground for me, but remember: Africa always wins. No matter how much you try to make sense of all the nonsense, it’ll never make sense. Thus Africa wins.” Winning or not, the unpredictability of adventure travel in Sub Saharan Africa has always appealed to me – oh and its vast outdoor beauty and finding areas of this […]

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The Kingdom of Swaziland is small and you can easily see the major attractions within 4-5 days or longer if you prefer spreading the driving out over a longer period of time. The oldest mine in the world is here and dates back 43,000 years!! Its an iron ore mine and ancient people’s use to get hematite and other iron ore for making tools, and coloring for painting in caves. We drove in just after the the visitor center had closed for the day but the guard was super cool […]

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We arrived in Kosi Bay after about 10 hours of at times stressful driving – from near the Lesotho Border in the Free State of South Africa. We arrived here in the dark of night and promptly made a beeline for the beach on the sandy roads in our 2wd Honda Jaz- looking for lodging – big mistake. There were no lights – and signs indicating hotels located just down the road were misleading as we later found out we were many kilometers from the beach. Passing no cars and […]

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Its been a crazy few days in South Eastern Africa! Sitting with John and Trish at Rose House Inn plotting our drive to Mozambique we were discussing how there are no guarantees in Africa. 30 minutes after we left their idyllic location we experienced this “no guarantees” first hand. Our route took us back through the small touristy town of Carens. Only this time as we approached the city limits we were greeted by large rocks strewn across the highway. We promptly slowed down and quickly saw what looked like […]

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We are always going into Bangkok for something. This time for yellow fever vaccinations – I had mine last year for Cote d’Ivoire (good for 5 years) – this time around for Syy for our January trip to Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Mozambique. Its not easy getting Yellow Fever vaccs in Bangkok – only available on the weekdays – hospitals don’t offer it so we ended up going to the Red Cross Clinic at the Snake Farm. This time of year Bangkok is just plain crowded – traffic stretched as […]

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We love the energy of Maputo. It is vibrant, entrepreneurial, positive, and alive. Though Mozambique is not without its problems, its capital city is clearly on the move, transforming itself and melding some of the best parts of its rich and diverse cultures. We spent the first day visiting a workshop organized by Prolinnova, the Spanish NGO Centro de Iniciativas para la Cooperacion/Bata, and the National Farmers Union of Mozambique, UNAC. The workshop brought farmers together from across the country to share with each other the different innovations each farmer […]

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Among those who come to Africa to join a safari, the holy grail of animal tracking is the so called ‘Big Five’. Originally coined by the big game hunters of days long past, it comprises the lion, African elephant, rhinoceros, leopard, and the Cape buffalo. Supposedly these were not necessarily the biggest animals, but the most difficult to hunt. Now, my brother Abdul and I were definitely not out to hunt these animals. We just wanted to see them up close and personal. And as cheaply as possible. In fact, […]

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