Have you ever starred in an underwater adventure?

Read a short tale about my first ever whale shark encounter in this month's edition of Real Travel.

Whilst completing my PADI Open Water last year in Sodwana Bay, South Africa, I was fortunate enough to encounter a whale shark on my first ever dive. Oh and a very cute leatherback turtle too, oh my!

(Please click on the image below to read the full article...)

Feature Article on the Similan Islands appearing soon in SPORT DIVER!!

Well it is with great pride that I can confirm that my first ever published travel feature will be appearing in SPORT DIVER, the official magazine of the PADI Diving Association.

Following a fantastic week of diving in March earlier this year in the Similan and Surin Islands (an archipelago of nine small tropical islands, situated 100km northwest of Phuket in the tropical Andaman Sea), a three-paged article on my experience will feature in SPORT DIVER at the beginning of next year.

Oh and I forget to mention that my article will be accompanied by some pretty amazing underwater images too...

Tom Ozanne, a professional underwater photographer and videographer, teamed up with me for this feature, and well, the results speak for themselves!

If you fancy a sneaky peak, check out Tom's website - Are We Dreaming...

Enjoy!

Real Travel Magazine - May 2009: book review of Chris Harrison's "Head Over Heel"

A book review for UK-based Real Travel magazine:

Chris Harrison’s account of his love affair with Italy and Daniela, a shapely signorina from Puglia, makes for an entertaining, well written and insightful novel that will resonate with anyone who has ever relocated to foreign shores.

On a chance trip to Dublin, Aussie Chris falls head over heels in love with Daniela. With no choice but to leave his life down-under and follow his beloved to the Southern heel of Italy, Chris is faced with all the trials and tribulations of moving to an Italian rural village.

The image of the foreigner as he appears in the eyes of his new-found colleagues and friends is made very clear and leads to many humorous moments. The ensuing madness leaves you in no doubt that this is Italy (corrupt government authorities, dangerous drivers, bizarre catholic traditions) and keeps you turning pages long into the night.

Lonely Planet's The Big Trip - Where Dreams Come True...

As I mentioned a few months back, at the end of last year I won my second travel writing competition with Lonely Planet.

My winning article has now been published in Lonely Planet's "The Big Trip" guide book and is available in all STA Travel shops across Australia and New Zealand.

Living in the UK means that I will not have the chance to pick one up for myself. Luckily for me though, the guys at Lonely Planet in Australia posted me a few copies over and this is what it looks like - how very exciting!

Real Travel Magazine - February 2009: book review of Miriam Toews' "The Flying Troutmans"

A book review for UK-based Real Travel magazine:

Returning home to Canada following the break-up of her relationship, Hattie takes it upon herself to care for her niece and nephew, after her sister Min is admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Within no time at all, acting on her instincts, Hattie decides to set off on a road trip to find the childrens’ estranged father, who they are lead to believe lives in California.

It soon becomes apparent that the traveling itself is far more important than the actual destination that represents an escape from the family lives they knew. With flashbacks to the past, the reader learns more about the family’s history and the reasons behind the childrens’ sometimes erratic behaviour.

The author mixes humor with bursts of raw emotion in a direct discourse style, and The Flying Troutmans is a captivating and engaging read from the outset, depicting a journey of self-discovery for all involved.

It's not such a Lonely Planet after all - Tales of an Indian Dream

An article I wrote towards the end of 2008, detailing my ideal trip travelling across the southern region of India, beat over 300 entries to be one of the five winning articles to be published as part of Lonely Planet’s Big Trip book promotion, a one-stop guide to planning your first big trip overseas, which is on sale at the moment.

The The Big Trip guide will be full of information and tips to help plan fellow travellers’ trips and is available in all STA Travel shops in Australia and New Zealand.


This is what my local newspaper, the Nottingham Evening Post, had to say about my travel writing win.

And here is my winning entry:

As I arrive in Kerala, known by many as God’s Own Country, there will be no doubt in my mind that I am finally here in the land that I have always dreamt of visiting.

From Fort Cochin, I travel to the “Venice of the East” where I board my houseboat. As I cruise along the canals, flanked by village houses, everywhere I look there is a microcosm of daily life: colourful women washing their hair or the family’s clothes; laughing children swinging out into the canal on palm fronds; wizened old men fishing off the banks; cows being milked and goats on ropes being led back home. Gliding along, I enjoy the unique aquatic life that the backwaters have to offer, along with the otters and turtles that live in and around the water. The palm trees and leafy plants that grow alongside the backwaters provide a green hue to the surrounding landscape.Come dusk, the boat moors up by a canal bank where I watch the sun go down. I am lulled to sleep by the gentle flapping of the monsoon covers and the steady drumming of the rain on the reed roof.

From Kerala I take a boat to the Lakshadweep islands, a set of 36 coral islands that dazzle in their own vibrant colours. Renowned as India’s turquoise jewel and oblivious to the rest of the world, Kadamat Island is my haven for the weeks to come. I indulge my passion for diving among the unspoiled coral reefs. Exploring the underworld, I come face to face with resting turtles, lionfish, shoaling fish, groupers and tuna. Whilst nosing around a cleaning station, I discover a group of guitar sharks whizzing around on the top of a reef, showing off to each other. I stop and observe from a distance – they certainly will not notice me in my bright red wetsuit!

By night I laze around chatting to the local fishermen about coconuts and fish, discovering more about the daily life of an Indian sea nomad. The mysterious and white sandy beaches envelop me more than I could ever have imagined, despite there being a distinct lack of Facebook access.

Soon it is time for me to leave. As my boat departs the island, a man waves at me from the shore telling me I have forgotten one of my bags. Guess I’ll have to go back…

Brief Encounters at Beit Bridge

Through the window, I watched the other drivers hunched over their steering wheels, enveloped in their own thoughts. As our truck etched towards the border inspection point, a passenger in one of the cars parked by us noticed my gaze and turned his head. I took a chance, smiled and waved at him. He scowled and drove off as the barrier lifted.

Welcome to Zimbabawe I thought.

A country that once upon a time was known as the breadbasket of Africa, with its hugely productive farms and buoyant economy, is today rife with hyperinflation, political corruption and crime.

Years of misrule from its leader Robert Mugabe, whose lust for power and fondness for bribery completely destroyed the country, has left Zimbabwe on its knees.

On March 29th this year the Movement for Democratic Change won the parliamentary elections but the party fell short of gaining an outright majority, which meant a presidential run off took place on June 27th. During this election period, the country has been rocked by violence, which has escalated day by day as the elections approached. Mugabe and his followers have used every means possible to suppress, torture and even kill Morgan Tsvangirai’s supporters.

In order to avoid any further bloodshed, Tsvangirai pulled out of the presidential race, leaving Mugabe as the only remaining candidate and making the whole affair even more of a farce.

Given this political disaster that was unfolding, arriving in Zimbabawe in the first week of April was possibly not the wisest of decisions, but the lure of the country proved too strong for us to resist.

Driving up from Jo’Burg, South Africa, we stopped at Musina for some last-minute food and drink supplies and made sure we had sufficient fuel for any unforeseen circumstances.

Crossing the border at Beit Bridge was most certainly an eye-opener. Unlike many other borders, which consist of no more than a cattle fence at times, the Zimbabwean border with South Africa is separated by the high-security fencing, but also the Limpopo River that runs alongside it. The police at this border post are extremely vigilant at the best of times, and this week they were even more so.

Everywhere we looked there were vehicles packed to the rafters with food, furniture and people, as well as many other citizens walking around wearing pro- Tsvangirai t-shirts (an attitude I admired, though thought rather brave given the recent back-lash from Mugabe’s followers).

As we queued up to get our passports stamped, a gentleman turned round and asked us what on earth we were doing crossing into Zim. Very good question. As we looked across at the other passport counter, the number of people trying to cross over into South Africa was considerably higher, that is without taking into account the many petrified souls who every day chance their life by illegally smuggling themselves across the border, attempts which often end in death.

Even the slightest hope of a successful escape drives many hundreds of Zimbabweans doing this every day. That and the hope that “Bob” (as he is ‘affectionately’ known) dies. According to our new found acquaintance, this is something most Zimbabweans have been wishing for the last 84 years. Here’s hoping.

After the lengthy rigmarole of passport checks and queuing for what seemed an eternity, we were then told we were standing in the wrong queue for British nationals. Not surprisingly we were then ordered to pay an extra fee for our temporary visas – oh the joys of border crossing! This is not to mention the last minute attempts by one of the supposed officials to try and con some more money out of us. Eventually we managed to crawl our way onto Zimbabwean soil.

With our destination of Simuwini rest camp in the Mabaluta Province of the GonaRe Zhou National Park in mind, we hit the bumpy road. Though the camp is only about 30kms from the border, it took an age to get there, given we were trying to dodge pot holes as well as the odd stray donkey. In the vicinity of our lodge we were greeted by herds of fleeting impalas and boks, and two rather nonchalant looking elephants as they meandered down to the river at watering time.

For our first game drive we woke up for sun rise, and though not usually a morning person, I was rewarded when we came across a hyena darting in and out of the bushes, and spotted vultures and crimson herons circling above our heads.

When it was suggested to test out the 4x4’s 'true capabilities' and head down into the dry river bed on the look out for some wildlife, we should have known that this ‘adventure’ would end in disaster. As predicted, both cars got stuck. Well schooled in the principles of risk management, we diligently collected as many large boulders as possible to build a solid surface under the tyres to act as a ramp out of the sandy swamp, and then we sat back and watched as the boys struggled to sort out their mess!

Given the ongoing political unrest, travelling into Zimbabawe, was arguably not the wisest of ideas. Fearing for our safety and with the added worry of running low on fuel, we were initially hesitant about making this trip, however it was one of the most exciting and exhilarating trips I have even ventured on. Being able to see the Big 5, amongst others, in the wild, away from the tourist trap that the Kruger sometimes can be, was an experience not too easy to forget.

Sat overlooking Nyala’s river bed for the last time, I was reading through the not so well-thumbed visitor book that Robert the Camp Manager had given us to sign. Given that they don’t receive many visitors, many pages were still blank, though one entry particularly stood out to me: “We will pass the word on to others that if they haven’t visited this place, then they do not know Zimbabawe yet”.

There are one too many treasures that this Park has to offer and it is a great shame that as time goes on, many people won’t get to experience this first hand because of the trail of violence and destruction that Mugabe continues to leave. But until Mugabe is removed from power, people will still miss out on visiting this wonderful country, although this loss does not compare to the tragedy felt by the people of Zimbabwe.