Tufu dancing on Ilha de Moçambique

The former capital of the country, Mozambique Island (or as known in Portuguese - Ilha de Mocambique) is so spectacular that it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1991. It's an intriguing and enchanting anomaly.

Settled by the Portuguese and the Arabs from the 16th century as a trading port from where to export gold, ivory and slaves, the island nowadays has a very distinct character where its colonial influences are evident throughout. The fortifications on the island are a great example of an architecture in which local traditions and Portuguese and Arab influences are interwoven. Indeed, the tiny Chapel of Nossa Senhora de Baluarte is considered to be the oldest European building in the southern hemisphere.

Extraordinarily nothing has changed in the last 500 years. Whilst meandering through the sleepy cobbled streets, it feels like time has frozen. The narrow alleyways echo with the sounds of playing children and squawking chickens, whilst fishermen sit on the sand repairing their long, brightly coloured nets

Whilst visiting Ilha last year as a guest of the Mozambique High Commission, I had the pleasure of watching a group of ladies from the Estrela Vermella neighbourhood perform the traditional Tufu dance. Influenced by the Arabic heritage, this celebratory dance is now performed by six different groups on the island and is truly spectacular to watch.

Northern Mozambique – East Africa’s best kept secret

Earlier this year I was invited by the High Commission of the Republic of Mozambique on a whistle stop tour of the country to learn how, following the end of the civil war in 1992, Mozambique is slowly but surely rising from the ashes.

With sustainable tourism being key to the growth of the country's economy as a whole, a series of projects are underway on both a national and local scale to help boost the tourism industry and ultimately benefit local communities.

Mozambique is a land of astounding diversity, with a distinct local style consisting of a blend of African, Arab and Portuguese influences, 2500 kilometres of long unspoilt coastline and 12 marine and land national parks.

To begin with, read here for my review in Style Bible of three stunning eco-lodges I visited in the northern region - Guludo, Ibo Island Lodge and Nuarro.

And here is my contribution to a destination feature on Mozambique that appeared in the Guardian's travel pages last weekend (Saturday, 19 September). A very proud moment for me indeed.

Sumatra - Indonesia's Wild West

And here is my long awaited first full-length travel feature in the October issue of Real Travel.

Earlier this year I traveled to the northern region of Sumatra in Indonesia and it was a truly fantastic experience. Not only was I privileged in having some incredible close encounters with the critically endangered Sumatran orangutangs, but I also got to dive the underwater wonderland of Pulah Weh. These will be memories that I will cherish forever.

Of course none of this would have been possible without the help of Ben Stokes and Sarah Kemsley from Dive Safari Asia. So friendly and helpful, and without doubt the experts when it comes to adventure trips in the region.

Anyway, without further ado, I'll let the words speak for themselves... Here is my article on Indonesia's Wild West.

Enjoy!

So you want to be a travel writer?

"So what do you want to be when you grow up?" Ah, the million dollar question. Hindsight is such a wonderful thing.

Chances are, what you envisaged yourself doing from when you were a child, is far from what your job now entails. For example, growing up, I really thought I would end up being a vet. If you were to mention this to my friends now, they would laugh in your face at the sheer thought of this.

I never thought in a million years, I would end up writing about travel. Let alone having anything published. But it wasn't until I returned from a trip in South America a few years back, that I thought I would try and put pen to paper. What was essentially a throw away excuse for me to relive my experiences in Peru, turned out to be a winning entry for a Lonely Planet writing competition that I entered at the end of 2007.

And then from there I guess it snowballed. I realised I actually quite liked writing, but knew I had a long way to go in terms of fine-tuning my style and adapting it to different audiences. Rather than it being "oh, this is what I did on my holidays".

Every day is still a learning curb and I am no way near in the same league as the many great travel writers who work so hard in this testing industry. And yes, 'travel writing' is not always the dream job everybody thinks it to be, even more so with publishing houses crumbling every day under the pressures of the economic melt down.

One particular person who I am indebted and forever grateful to, is the award-winning travel writer and Lonely Planet author, David Atkinson who writes an insightful blog Hit the North, and has been a fantastic mentor and a great inspiration to me. If perhaps, as a result of my constant badgering and nagging for advice. David, your efforts will be rewarded in heaven. I can assure you of this.

Over the course of the last two years, one publication that I worked with to varying degrees is the monthly UK based magazine Real Travel. I first started off with submitting selections of my travel images to their Reader's Gallery, and then from there I got the opportunity to review Tim Butcher's Blood River . And now, nearly two years on and several more book reviews and contributions later, I finally will have my first full-length feature published next month in their October issue.

The article will look at my time spent in Sumatra earlier this year. This is such a great achievement for me, even if I have to say so myself, and I am very excited.

So you can imagine how privileged I felt when Hfu Reisenhofer, Real Travel's newly appointed Chief Editor, asked me to contribute a few words towards an article he was writing about breaking into the industry, as I am a 'reader turned writer'...

If you would like to get a better insight into this and fancy reading my ''words of wisdom', then take a sneaky peak here: So you want to be a travel writer?

Hope you enjoy!

Five things you might not know about the Camorra

In 2008 the award-winning film Gomorrah stormed the big screen, exposing the day-to-day realities of the Camorra – a branch of the Italian Mafia that operates in and around the cities of Naples and Caserta in the Italian region of Campania.

Directed by Matteo Garrone, the film was based on Roberto Saviano’s book which exposed the territory and business connections of this merciless organisation. Since the book’s publication, Saviano has received several death threats from “GodFather” style Camorra exponents and as such has now been forced to flee his native Italy for his own safety.

As the film’s first anniversary fast approaches, here are five facts about the Camorra that you might not know:

1. The Naples rubbish crisis, which saw its peak in January 2008, has proven how deep-rooted the Camorra’s influence is within local government. Making millions of euros from the transport and illegal dumping of waste, the Camorra has also been accused of sabotaging plans for new incinerators.

According to Italy’s National Research Council, the Camorra-controlled waste disposal has poisoned the environment in such a way that people living in some parts of the Campania region are three times more likely to get liver cancer than those living elsewhere in the region.

2. Majority of companies that pitch for public works contracts are financed by the Camorra, guaranteeing themselves a substantial income flow and the reputation of an enterprise that creates jobs for the area.

3. In order to launder monies, the Camorra builds exuberant shopping centres within the Campania region, despite there being a lack of consumer demand.

4. Members of the Camorra often have strategic relationships with political figures showing them their support with votes in return for help and favours.

5. For over twenty years the Government has tried to widen the motorway running between Salerno in Campania and Reggio Calabria, a town in the toe of the Italian heel, but given the Camorra’s monopoly over the area and the local construction companies, this has yet to happen.

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!