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Around the world and back again

We took the train from Fes to Tangier and then a taxi for the 60 km journey to Marina Smir where Captain Neil was waiting to whisk us back to Europe in Koala. I guess it was time to go home. We stood on the quay, looking across the narrow waters to Spain with mixed emotions. For a year […]

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Fes, Morocco — our final city

It’s Ramadan, it’s boiling hot and we’ve made it as far as Fes in Morocco. The easiest way to get here from Zanzibar would have been to fly into Europe and then back out again, but that seemed gutless. The hardest way would have been to walk but that, I’m ashamed to say, held even less appeal. […]

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Sun, sea and scuba

When I step off a plane I can always tell if I am on a tropical Island. It’s the smell: the aroma of salt mixed with seaweed and sand suspended in the heavy humid air. It is a wonderfully intoxicating perfume that makes the heart beat quicker while, at the same time, relaxing the mind […]

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On top of Africa: Mount Kilimanjaro

I’m not sure what possessed me to book a climb up to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895 metres/ 19,200 feet) but I suppose I thought it was a good idea at the time and something Debbie would enjoy. As we trudged our way to the summit, in the dark early hours of the morning, […]

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African wilderness: Ngorongoro Crater

The first thing we noticed about the Ngorongoro Crater is the cold. Crater Lodge is perched on the top of the rim at a height of 2,200 metres (7,200 feet) and several layers of clothing are required at night. We have log fire blazing away in our (very large) hut that just about keeps the […]

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The African savannah: Masai Mara

We are camping again. I can hardly believe it! Our tent is spacious, strung below a wooden roof, set into the Esoit Oloololo Escarpment with a large decking area that overlooks the Masai Mara. Inside is a bed big enough for a whole family, a shower with water hot enough to make tea, a separate […]

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Nairobi for the night

‘One of the gladdest moments in life, methinks, is the departure upon a distant journey into unknown lands. Shaking off with one mighty effort the fetters of habit, the leaden weight of routine, the cloak of many cares and the slavery of home, man feels happy once more. The blood flows with the fast circulation […]

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