Tag Archives: blog

Blues musicians rock! The entertainers at the Thredbo Blues Festival last month had me smiling from ear to ear. This little event takes place in the charming alpine village for which it is named, high in Australia’s Snowy Mountains. For two and a half days, the restaurants, bars, and public spaces are bouncing with joyful […]

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Is there anything as joyful as being in a room with live music that is being performed by musicians who love what they are doing? I had the pleasure of attending the 31st Thredbo Blues Festival last month. It started on a Friday evening in January, and continued through to late Sunday night. I’ve attended […]

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The best way to visit the Maluku’s (Malakas, Moluccas) in the eastern part of Indonesia is by ship. These were once known as the Spice Islands. The nutmeg, mace, and cloves that grew here – and nowhere else – attracted the attention of 16th century European colonial powers. The Spice Wars of the 1500s were […]

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The breadth and impact of the Roman Empire always amazes me. And I marvel at the remarkable endurance of the artefacts left behind. Walking on roads that were laid over three thousand years ago never ceases to fill me with awe. I was travelling around Morocco in a bus with a small group of seasoned […]

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I’ve heard it described as a chocolate-box scene: you know, like those pastel-painted views of idealised or conventionally pretty locations that were on the front of old-fashioned chocolate or sweet tins. They are not wrong! Dal Lake, Srinagar, in India’s Kashmir, is impossibly beautiful. The way the autumn light filtered through the willow trees at […]

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