Tag Archives: travel

I love Bluesfest! Byron Bay Bluesfest, the annual five-day Easter long-weekend festival of blues and roots music from around the world, always includes a line-up of interesting international visitors. Some are big names that take me back to my youth (see, for example: Bring on the Big Names; The Soundtrack of my Youth; Musical Name-Dropping; The […]

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There are places where you can truly “get away from it all” – away from the trappings of modern life: phone and internet coverage, electricity and running water, roads and basic infrastructure … Of course, you have to get there; and then, unless you are hardy enough to stay in the wilds forever, you have […]

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There is nothing quite like a Māori haka to get your festival day started! (Double click for: Māmā Mihirangi & The Māreikura – E-Te-Ariki) The music clip attached is a prayer: E te Ariki – “Lord”, but the Aotearoa (NZ) Māori artists and activists Māmā Mihirangi & The Māreikura had started the set – first up on the […]

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“And King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all that she desired, whatever she asked besides what was given her by the bounty of King Solomon. So she turned and went back to her own land with her servants.” – 1 Kings 10:13 Ethiopia – and its capital Addis Ababa – is the quintessential paradox. […]

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Riding the rails is my favourite way to travel. Being able to move around at will, or nestle in a seat or a berth, while watching the world chug past the windows, is just magic to me. It was summer – many years ago now – and we had several weeks in which to explore […]

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