Aqaba is something of a paradox of geographical blessings. On land the cityscape is the bleached white and tan of a typical Middle Eastern town. Square buildings are bordered by a horizon of dusty mountains, with only the odd palm tree providing a break from the desert scenery. But below the surface, Aqaba as you knew it vanishes in a swirl of exotic underwater perfection.

Most far-flung dive sites enjoy the kind of colour scheme which holiday brochures are quick to capitalise, but here in Jordan’s Special Economic Zone, the spectrum really is something else. This is turquoise like you’ve never seen it before, rendered searing bright from the overhead sun, and painted in stark contrast to the heavy carpet of ever-changing coral, which stretches as far as the eye can see.

Then of course, there are the fish. Despite being a relatively diminutive stretch of coast, this part of the world forms a natural slim gulf with plenty rocky outcrops, making it perfect for aquatic life to intermingle and coexist. The variety of sea-life here puts the region on a par with the Great Barrier Reef – quite some feat when you consider it to be at least ten times smaller. The net result is to herd these many types into one convenient location, making diving here a voyage of quite breathtaking discovery.

Moving through the calm waters towards these mighty remains we’ve already encountered an impressive array of marine life. Our dive master stops us to point out an enormous lion fish its huge main of dappled spines striking quite an incredible contrast to the waving seaweed. Seemingly unperturbed this ornate predator floats unselfconsciously as one diver after another swims in to get a closer look, leaving the remainder to cluster around, mesmerised by the sheer size of the display.

Despite a heavy population of fish and other wildlife, however, this spectacular site is otherwise empty – a key advantage of this stretch of coast. It’s a phenomenon which would be unheard of in other dive sites of this calibre, and I later discover is a lucky, if not uncommon eventuality in Aqaba. To be free to explore such a magnificent collection of coral, fish and wreckage with only three or four other divers is one of the region’s big sells, but it’s only until you experience it for yourself that you realise just how privileged an uncrowded dive truly is.

‘Interested in more reading? For more articles about life in and on the sea, please visit www.themarineguide.com ‘

If nothing else, it also spares you the country’s hotels, too many of which offer what the brochures call ‘Scandinavian style’ but the rest of us might call ‘spartan’. After all, if I wanted to wake surrounded by Ikea furniture, I’d just stay home.

Norway’s capital Oslo is the usual jumping off point for cruises, and most passengers arrive a day or two early to take in the sights. The country’s relationship with the sea is highlighted here by the Viking Ship Museum and the Kon-Tiki Museum which displays the balsawood raft used by Thor Heyerdahl and his companions to sail from Peru to Polynesia. There is even a museum built around the Fram, the ship Roald Amundsen sailed in when he beat Scott to the South Pole in 1912.

Oslo’s most famous sight, though, is the Vigeland Sculpture Park, which displays more than 200 bronze, granite and iron nudes by sculptor Gustav Vigeland, detailing the stages of life. The park, the largest such display by any one artist in the world, is open all year and was built from 1939-49.

Sailing out of Oslo, the first stop is Kristiansand, jumping off point for the scenic Setesdal Vintage Railway, a narrow-gauge steam railway built in 1896. Kristiansand Zoo and Amusement Park is one of Norway’s most popular attractions, with a wide range of animals living in natural settings.

Stavanger is usually the next port of call, its cobbled old town contrasting with bright modern architecture in a picturesque typical Scandinavian setting. The 12th century Stavanger Cathedral, Norway’s oldest, sits unchanged amid a town that boomed after the discovery of North Sea oil. The Stavanger Museum tells of the city’s former glory as the herring capital of Norway.

A must-visit here is the village of Flam, at the bottom of Norway’s longest fjord, and one of its prettiest – the 204km-long, 1,300m-deep Sognefjord. This is the heart of the fjords, with waterfalls pouring off cliffs and calm, clear waters. The Flam railway climbs steeply up a mountain gorge to Myrdal, passing the mythical Kjosfossen Waterfall.

Said to be the haunt of the legendary Huldra – seductive creatures who lure travellers into the forest – the train stops in summer at the waterfall where, sure enough, one of these mythical creatures appears. Fortunately, they appear to wear wetsuits under their flimsy clothing, so you don’t have to worry about them catching cold at least.  This tourist-friendly sight is put on by students from the Norwegian ballet school.

Another tourist-friendly place is the World Heritage City of Bergen, a pretty town set below the handy viewpoint of Fløibanen that shows it off to its best. A funicular railway runs to the top, where a restaurant makes good business out of the spectacular mountain setting.

At night, Bergen’s harbourside is crowded with friendly young revellers, many of whom seem to make a point of getting very drunk. How exactly they manage that given the prohibitive local taxes on alcohol I have no idea.

By day, Bergen has a fresh fish market and a scenic area of quaint wooden buildings, Bryggen, that was once a centre for the Hanseatic League, the German trading bloc whose wealth was founded on salt cod.

Bergen is also blessed with great museums, with a unique collection of Edvard Munch paintings. You’ll also find memorials to Henrik Ibsen, who started his theatrical career here, and the picturesque studio and house of composer Edvard Grieg.

Bergen is also the jumping-off point for trips to Norway’s fjords, while Ålesund, a spectacularly pretty town slightly further north, makes a good base for exploring the North.

Rebuilt after a fire in 1904, this Art Nouveau port stands on several islands, many linked by road tunnels of claustrophobic length. Anything up to 30km long, they stitch together the various tiny communities, previously separated by the countless inlets that were once the source of this Viking nation’s seafaring strength.

Don’t miss Ålesund’s Atlantic Park, one of the largest saltwater-aquariums in northern Europe, where you can get an idea of what a shoal of cod looks like in its habitat. Fish and chips will never taste the same again.

Page & Moy have a nine-day ‘Oslo and the Timeless Fjords’ cruise from £995 – www.page-moy.co.uk

Norwegian Tourist Board  – www.visitnorway.com

‘Interested in more reading? For more articles about life in and on the sea, please visit www.themarineguide.com ‘

Only an hour north of the city, the scenic island is a fertile adjunct to the River Vah which flows to the north of Slovakia. This slice of verdant land is a rich source of natural springs, and hot water bubbles up from many places around the shoreline. What’s more, the warmed mud found in and around the river is hailed as a miracle cure for everything from stress to arthritis.

The properties if this magical mud are so exalted that it has been slathered on kings and queens since medieval times, and even Beethoven paid a visit to test its medicinal qualities. Today the island itself is lined with several large hotels, some of which attract annual ‘residents’ – rich locals who hole up for the winter to relax and rejuvenate for lengthy periods.

Glorious Mud

Given popular belief in the healing properties of sulphurous water-logged soil, it’s no surprise that mud and mineral waters form a large part of most treatments. And to put it bluntly, spa procedures are unlikely to be the sweetest smelling part of your trip, even if they do come with claims to cure your musculature complaints and put paid to that bout of depression.

You can choose to be massaged with mud, have it smoothed onto specific areas of your body, or live out a childhood mud-pie fantasy by immersing yourself in a mud pool. Whilst other treatments concentrate on spraying or massaging with the healing mineral waters, which are purported to decrease cellulite and improve circulation.

A favourite of locals is the ‘salt cave’, which form part of the facilities at several of the larger spa hotels. These are rooms which have been plastered in salts from various oceans, allowing guests ensconced in the chamber to breath in the healing minerals of seawater. Forty-five minutes in the cave apparently has the same benefits as a three day stay by the sea. And if you didn’t know an ocean visit was good for your health, Slovakians claim it will clear your airways and even act as a therapeutic tool for ‘diseases of the mind’.

The entire area is well set up for those on a leisure break, so if you’d rather not take the plunge in a spa, you can play golf, swim, or eat out in a number of local restaurants. According to most of the hoteliers, simply enjoying the island air is enough to benefit your health. So relax, breathe deeply, and consider booking yourself in for a longer stay.

Getting There

Trains depart from Bratislava around fifteen times a day to Piestany village on the River Vah, where On Kupelne is a short walk across the bridge. The journey takes about an hour. By car the distance is 80km north of Bratislava.

Checking In

A number of hotels on On Kupelne can be booked via a single weblink. Whilst the adjoining village of Piestrany also benefits from the mineral rich geography and is ideal for spa hotel stays. Bookings for all hotels at: www.spapiestany.sk

 An enchanting area of a vibrant city where the slums blend into consumer paradise, and bargaining tourists mingle alongside browsing locals.  Colaba Causeway is sandwiched in-between major Mumbai landmarks such as the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and the Gateway of India.  It’s a lively place but don’t be surprised to see a cow lying down in the middle of it all taking a well earned nap.  It’s also not a bad place to be if you want to get picked up as an extra in a Bollywood film.

Shopping

Colaba typifies the intoxifying madness of shopping in India.  As soon as you step onto the street your senses will be bombarded from every angle with colour, scent and glittering silver.  The stalls that line the pavement sell everything from hippy clothes to counterfeit watches to animal shaped purses.  Just be prepared to jostle against a constant flow of human traffic when seeking out bargains.
 
The stalls face onto their slightly more permanent counterparts in the form of boutiques selling a menagerie of items similar to that on the stalls as well as the odd antique.  Anyone brave enough to dodge through the speeding wall of traffic to the other side of the street will find the western influence and air-conditioned delight of high street favourites such as  United Colours of Benetton and Nike.
 
Eating

Indigo is the place to be when it comes to eating in Colaba, it is an Italian based restaurant with a Southern Indian Keralan twist.  One of its most renowned dishes is Kochi oysters with saffron ravioli.
 
Another popular eatery is Churchill, it’s a small tucked away diner but what it lacks in size it makes up for in menu variety.  Its meat dishes with assorted gravies and vegetable based accompaniments are a must for hungry tourists who have had their fill of spicy food.
 
History

The causeway was built at the tail-end of the 18th Century.  An increase in boat traffic to the area meant that capsizing was a serious problem where several people died.  The Causeway as it is known to the locals, was constructed by the British East India Company its construction was completed in 1838.

In more recent history Colaba witnessed the Mumbai bombings in 2006, with the worst of the blasts taking place at the neighbouring Taj Mahal hotel.  Shots were also fired in Leopold’s Cafe on the Causeway.
 
Read all about it

For many travellers, Colaba Causeway has now become synonymous with a book called Shantaram.  Soon to be made into a film starring Johnny Depp, Shantaram is a tale of love, fate, friendship and the criminal underworld.  Influenced by real events, with a few embellishments thrown in for good measure, author Gregory David Roberts recounts his time spent living in a slum in Mumbai having escaped from prison in Australia and fled to India. The book refers to real places in Mumbai and Leopold’s Cafe on Colaba Causeway is a favoured haunt of its characters.  The cafe is still standing today and regularly holds book signings with Roberts.

Best boutique stay
Just around the corner from Colaba Causeway, The Taj Mahal Palace and Tower hotel is the ultimate in unabashed luxury.  The man-made waterfall in the hotel’s entrance is a good guide to the kind of splendour you can expect from the suites.  Treating yourself to one of the 556 rooms for the night will set you back anything from a rather reasonable £200.
 
Best budget stay
Being a  backpacking hotspot there is plenty of budget accommodation in and around the causeway.  Hostels in the surrounding area include the Salvation Army and India Guest House where you can pay just over a pound a night.  Another option for those who want to keep costs low but don’t want to slum it is Bently’s Hotel, on the strip itself, with simple clean rooms and nice facilities at a very reasonable £15 a night.

Picture the scene… a harbour full of fancy yachts gleaming in the sunshine, beautiful sandy beaches, a smart waterfront dotted with great restaurants and bars serving delicious cocktails, and an array of outdoor activities and water sports awaiting you. What more could you ask for? Situated to the West of LA between Venice Beach and Playa del Rey (four miles north of Los Angeles International Airport) is Los Angeles’ Marina del Rey, a marina and beachside community that lives up to its name as the ‘Marina of the King’…

To read the entire article, click here. (http://themarineguide.com/features/mad-about-marina-del-rey-los-angeles/)

The Algarve (Portuguese pronunciation: [aɫˈɡaɾv(ɨ)]) from the Arabic word (الغرب, al gharb) meaning “the west” is the southernmost region of mainland Portugal. It has an area of 5,412 square kilometres with approximately 458,734 permanent inhabitants, and incorporates 16 municipalities.

Tourism and related activities are extensive and make up the bulk of the Algarve’s summer economy. Fish, seafood and fruit production, which includes oranges, carob beans, figs and almonds, are other important activities in the region. The Algarve is the most popular tourist destination in Portugal, it’s population more than doubles in the peak holiday season thanks to a high influx of visitors, and receives an average of 8 million foreign tourists each year.

Lonelyplanet.com

The Algarve is Portugal’s premier holiday destination, with pretty beaches, brash resorts and picturesque whitewashed towns that flood with foreigners when summer arrives. While the party atmosphere isn’t for everyone, the setting is undeniably beautiful: breathtaking cliffs, wide golden sands, natural bays, scalloped beaches and long sandy islands with waves lapping at the shore. Outside the touristy enclaves, there are quiet castle towns, flower-covered hillsides and enchanting stretches of shoreline still untouched by development.

Tourist Board – Visitalgarve.pt

Algarve. Wherever you look, the colours of the mountains and sea are always with you, creating the impression of a water-colour dotted with highlights of gold, green and blue.

The region is an extensive and pleasant one, with a Mediterranean climate, marked by the smell of the sea at low tide and the scent of wild flowers.
A stroll through the tangled web of narrow streets, alleys and steps to be found away from the coast is the best way of getting to know this part of the region. But you can also easily lose yourself in the vastness of the coastal strip.

Fco.gov.uk

Crime remains comparatively low in Portugal but pickpocketing, handbag snatching and theft from cars are increasingly common in major tourist areas. Take care of your belongings at all times. Do not leave your bag unattended while eating or having a drink in a café or restaurant.

There has been an increase in the number of reported cases of theft of personal belongings taken from cars in parking lots whilst thieves have distracted drivers asking for information. Be cautious and alert if you are approached by anybody asking for directions or any other information.  Report any suspicious behaviour to the local Police.
The blogger – Algarve-beach-life.com

By the time I’d enjoyed my first few Algarve holidays, I knew that I’d found the best beach vacation region in Europe. And that was before I bothered to discover anything about Portugal, or about the Algarve’s culture or its history.

These days, more and more people are looking for sunny beach vacations in Europe, as world travel becomes less attractive. In the three decades since Portugal changed from a dictatorship to a fledgeling liberal democracy, tourism has become the major contributor to the regional economy. And the Algarve has become a top spot for beach vacations. But, unlike many other popular holiday destinations, the region has managed to retain much of its original charm and attraction.

For information on the latest travel packages to the Algarve

please visit  www.bookingalgarve.co.uk

Can’t hear yourself think in busy airports? The Jawbone is a little headset which streams out background noise and kicks up the clarity of the speaker on the other end, allowing you to use your mobile despite heavy background noise. It’s based on technology developed by the army, so does the job to a military standard, and the sleek design will make you like a MI5 agent even without any extra noise to contend with.

www.jawbone.com

No think sunscreen

With 80% of us admitting burning the first day of travelling to a new country, this handy little device can step in to stop sun-burn. Worn on the wrist the UV Sun Sense lets you know when it’s time to reapply sunblock by changing colour, and can sense different SPFs and get the timing right accordingly.

UVSunSense.com

Dental hygiene on the move

If you’re carrying the same old toothbrush around on trips and wondering how many germs it’s picking up help is at hand. Violight have employed ultra-violet sterilising technology to blast through bacteria, leaving your toothbrush germ-free and ready to launch.

www.violight.com

This elegant tree-lined boulevard, Lisbon’s main street, is peppered with chic hotels, pools and fountains, luxury shops, theatres, monuments and statues. It runs for a mile (1.6km), linking the central squares of Restauradores and Marquês de Pombal, and connects the older 18th cenury quarters of the Baixa with the more northern parts of the city that developed in the 19th and 20th centuries. Being more than 300ft (90m) wide, there’s plenty of room for ample pavements decorated in abstract patterns and ideal for a stroll, whenever the traffic subsides.

Shopping

If you are looking for bargain buys, this is not the place to go. Being one of the swankiest addresses in Europe, it is not surprising that the avenue is full of shops displaying high fashion and popular international brands. Outlets include Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Hugo Boss, D&G, Versace, Armani and Gucci.

Eating

The avenue is lined with some of the city’s most pleasant pavement cafes. There are lots of small, independent eateries both on and just off the avenue, including Ribadouro at Avenida da Liberdade 155, which is renowned for its excellent fresh seafood and beers. At number 185 sits contemporary gourmet restaurant Terraço, on the top floor of the 1950s modernist Tivoli Lisboa Hotel. Leave the main thoroughfare for cheaper cafes, restaurants and bars, with good selections in neighbouring Baixa and Bairro Alto.

History

Lisbon’s grandest avenue was built between 1879 and 1886 in the style of the great boulevards of Paris and is seen as the Portuguses equivalent of the Champs Elysees. Soon after completion it became a popular address for the upper classes. Named Passeio Público prior to the 1974 Revolution, where an army rebellion overthrew Portugal’s fascist dictatorship, it has seen many original buildings replaced in recent decades – some of them, unfortunately, rather ugly and inappropriate – so that it is now a showcase of Portuguese architectural styles spanning the late 19th to early 21st centuries. Generally, the further you walk from the river along the avenue, the more modern it becomes. It has been the location for many parades, march-pasts and demonstrations over the years.

Read all about it

Fernando Pessoa (1888-1935), Portugal’s best-known poet and author of The Book of Disquiet, a work of prose set in Lisbon, called the Avenue “the finest artery in Lisbon”. He wrote: “Fleeting black shadow of a city tree, quiet sound of water falling into a sad fountain, straight-edged green lawn in a public park at twilight, at this moment, you are my entire universe.”

Best Boutique Stay

The Heritage Av Liberdade Hotel is a delightful, swish restored late 18th century building with rooms from €139.00. www.heritage.pt

Best Budget Bed

Residencia Nova Avenida is a charming pension with a blue and white tiled entrance and marble staircase, some balconied rooms, some even with chandeliers. Rooms from €15.00.

http://avenida.no.sapo.pt/index.htm

For Sale

Pied-a-terre: a small apartment nearby would start at around £90,000.

Moving in: Your are looking at £5m or so for a large house here, and a four-bedroom luxury duplex apartment in the Avenida da Liberdade vicinity would currently set you back around £2m.

Many African languages repeat a word for emphasis. If you have any South African friends, you will have heard them use expressions in English such as ‘now now’–  meaning ‘urgent’– which borrow from Zulu grammar. So you can take it that piri piri is pretty hot. However, the word is actually a Brazilian one, as Portuguese traders introduced this pepper from their Latin American colonies.

The actual plant, in case you were wondering, is the African bird’s-eye chilli, a variety of the Capsicum frutescens.

Piri-piri chicken is so prevalent on the Algarve you might think it has been around for ever. Not so. The village of Guia, near Albufeira, claims to be the birthplace, with the Ramires restaurant staking a claim to be the home of the inventor. Mr Ramires says he came up with the secret recipe ‘that I invented myself’ in 1964, cooking it for friends and it became so popular that he had to start the restaurant. With people flocking to the village to taste it, several other competing places opened up and the village is now known as the ‘Piri-Piri Capital of the Algarve’.

Ramires never registered the trade mark, or tried to expand his business, preferring to keep it family affair. His loss, our gain, as he has never lost sight of his original vision of serving good food to a few friends. The restaurant is simple – even basic – and busy: you can order any size of chicken, from a quarter to the entire thing, and it comes with hand-made chips and a basic salad of lettuce and lovely local tomato. Oh, and the choice of wine is red or white, plus a few local beers. Well, if you are a fan of the dish, that’s all you need.

There are other options on the menu but no one was eating them. Desserts, of course, are another matter. Flan, of course, and an artery-clogging dessert called Dom Rodrigo, made with sugar, ground almonds and cinnamon.

Given my own experience of piri-piri (chicken and prawn), long ago in Mozambique during its civil war, I’m slightly sceptical of the claim by Mr Ramires. How did something he invent get back to Africa so quickly it became a staple there, especially since Mozambique was the home of the spice? Perhaps it’s a case of Dr Livingstone Syndrome: he ‘discovered’ Victoria Falls when all the natives hadn’t noticed the rather large waterfall in their neighbourhood.

Still, every good dish needs a good story so I’ll give Senhor Ramires the benefit of the doubt. He may well be right, as this sauce – like many good curry ones – is instantly addictive, as I found to my delight all those years ago. His recipe is certainly a good one and it’s well worth the drive out to Guia to try it. The Ramires restaurant is up a small side street and can seat 300 people. The Rei do Frango in the town centre can seat close to 800. That gives you an idea of the popularity of this dish with locals.

To cook it yourself, you need to grill – preferably over a barbeque, though you can do it in the oven – a whole chicken (the smaller the better) that has been rubbed with rock salt, then chop it into large chucks and brush it with a piri-piri sauce. Basting it with the sauce while it cooks is a good idea if you like it even hotter. What’s in the sauce? Well, that’s the secret. Oil, garlic, dried piri-piri chillis and a little something else that the chef will refuse to reveal. More research is called for, I feel.

For information on the latest travel packages to the Algarve

please visit  www.bookingalgarve.co.uk

Well, naked white flesh or today’s fish catch are not the only things that are roasting on the coast: that burning rubber you smell is the Algarve International Motor Park. This 4.6km track near Portimao cost nearly Euro200million to build, the biggest development the Algarve has ever seen.

With race track, go-cart track, technology park, five-star hotel, sport complex and apartments, it is a self-contained home for racing fans with its own exit from the A22, only an hour from Faro airport.

The track opened in late 2008, giving it time to bed in before hosting a round of the ill-fated A1GP in April 2009. Although this ‘race of the nations’ is now in suspension while new financial backing is found, the event proved the circuit was well able to handle F1-style racing, with exciting action on its 18 bends and world-class facilities for both teams and spectators.

The track has also hosted the Superbike World Championship and one of its bends is named after young British racing star Craig Jones, who was killed in a Supersports race at Britain’s famous Brands Hatch track in 2008.

The 2009 season was so successful that the track was named Motorsport Facility of the Year in the Professional Motorsport World Expo Awards 2009, beating the near-mythical Nüburging which was also short-listed.

Gary Anderson, ex-F1 technical director and one of the judges for the awards, said: “The Algarve Motor Park has a unique configuration and demanding curves that provide unique challenges, to both pilots and the engineers: to make a car go fast on this circuit is to guarantee the rest of the season.”

If you like the sound of that, you can drive the circuit yourself. Regular track days mean you can bring your own car, if you are brave enough and your insurance company is understanding enough, or you can attend the racing school.

There is a Sporting, Off-Road and Racing School, “dedicated to motoring enthusiasts wishing to improve their driving skills as well as budding motorsport drivers looking for professional training”. Like most racing schools, this will start you off in a standard saloon car and work you up to a single-seat racer once you feel confident enough to take on the challenge.

I love racing schools; it’s a chance to burn off all that aggression you need to bury on the road and learn a few skills that might actually come in useful one day: how to control a skid, emergency braking, handbrake turns… Sorry, scrub that last one. Don’t know what I was thinking.

Anyway, the Motorpark also has a kart track for those who like to take their high-speed thrills a few inches off the ground.

For a proper appreciation of the track, however, you need to sign up for a Taxi Experience. Two high speed laps of the track as a passenger in a Porsche, BMW, Nissan GT-R or Ferrari driven by one of the Racing School’s instructors, or as a passenger on a Honda CBR 1000R motorcycle will no doubt leave you with the impression it left me. Although the laps pass incredibly quickly, the memory lingers for a long time. First, I realised I had never really been properly scared in my life before. Two, when it comes to driving fast, I am a complete amateur. The second, at least, is a very useful and chastening lesson to take back to the road.

If all that gives you a better appreciation of the skills of a professional driver, there are several key events that are already firm fixtures in the Motorpark’s year, from the World Superbikes (March), World Series Karting Championships (June & July), World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), Algarve 1000Km (part of the Le Mans Series) (both in July), GT Championship & British Formula 3 (17-19 September 2010) and the Historic Formula One Championship (16-18 October 2010).

The undulating track gives spectators excellent views of most of the action, while the first-class facilities are the envy of many longer-established names. If you fancy some takes of derring-do to freshen up the conversation after that bottle of wine with your friends, this might be the place.

For information on the latest travel packages to the Algarve

please visit  www.bookingalgarve.co.uk

PRAIA VERDE, Monte Gordo: Just 10km (6miles) from the Spanish border, this long, broad beach is popular with families as it is quiet and the water warmer than further west. Shaded by pine trees (hence its name), there is a simple beach bar but few other facilities. However, cycling, horse-riding, fishing, sailing, surfing and, of course, golf are among the many activities available nearby.

PRAIA DE BARRIL, Tavira: This area near Tavira has some of the Algarve’s best Blue Flag beaches. It’s a long walk to Barril beach across the Ilha de Tavira but there is a miniature train in summer if you’re feeling lazy. The pathway is lovely, though, under shady trees, across a pontoon bridge and past mud banks and sand dunes, with plenty of birdlife around. A graveyard of rusted anchors is another photographer’s dream. The beach itself is well served with shops, restaurants and cafes but its endless expanse of lovely sand never gets crowded.

PRAIA DA ARMONA, Olhão: The nature reserve of Ria Formosa envelopes Olhão and Faro with the three islands of Armona, Culatra, Barreta and Farol protecting the seaward side. A ferry will take you across the reserve’s lagoons to the islands, all of which have long beaches. On Armona, long walks are a popular activity but the island has some restaurants and facilities for water sports.

PRAIA DE GARRÃO, Vale de Lobo: Halfway between the two chic resorts of Vale de Lobo and Quinta do Lago in the Loulé Golden Triangle, high-end restaurants, jet-skis lifeguards and all the trappings of the good life abound. But you can also take to the sand dunes (using boardwalks to protect the delicate and beautiful eco-system) to find peace and literally smell the flowers.

PRAIA DA FALÉSIA, Vilamoura: The distinctive low pine-topped red cliffs that give Praia da Falesia its name stretch from Vilamoura most of the way to Albufeira. This 8km (5mile) stretch of sand is protected from north winds by the cliffs and is popular for long strolls, especially at sunset. Sun-loungers and sunshades are available for those who want to take it even easier.

PRAIA DE ALVOR, Alvor: This beach is one of the Algarve’s very best, with miles of fine white sand, clear water and great views. Immensely popular in summer, it’s big enough to absorb the crowds effortlessly. The western end is very quiet, with nature walks around the estuary of the Ria Alvor. It is also near the amazing Caniço restaurant in Prainha which you enter via a lift from the cliff top.

MEIA PRAIA, Lagos: Another Blue Flag beach, stretching for 4.5km (3miles) from the east of Lagos to Alvor along a sweeping bay. The eastern end, sheltered by Ponta da Piedade, is popular for surfing and other watersports. The clear water, the views of Lagos and Alvor and to the distant horizon also make this another great beach for long walks. Nearby is the scenic Palmares golf course which has five link-type holes.

PRAIA DE BURGAU, Burgau: Well sheltered by cliffs, the beach of the pretty cobbled-street town of Burgau is usually quiet even in summer. It’s the perfect place for a relaxing day not doing very much except eating and drinking at the famed Burgau Beach Bar. For the more active, scuba diving is popular.

PRAIA DO CASTELEJO, Vila do Bispo: The big Atlantic waves and rugged rocks of the west coast give its beaches a very different feel to those on the south of the Algarve. A Blue Flag, lifeguards and lack of strong currents make Castelejo beach popular with swimmers while novice surfers and bodyboarders also love the predictable waves.

PRAIA DA ARRIFANA, Aljezur: This secluded beach has wonderful views that make the long trip to Arrifana well worthwhile. This tiny village has become a base for surfers, but development has been well controlled and the beach’s remoteness and beauty ensure it remains a relatively hidden gem. The bay sucks in Atlantic swells and you will see some world-class surfing from the cliff-top bars.

Weather note: Algarve summers are hot and dry with temperatures averaging around 29º and up to 12 hours of sunshine a day and a cooling sea breeze. Spring and autumn are milder but temperatures still average 17 – 20º with lots of sunshine. The 50 days of rain that the Algarve averages usually come in winter, when temperatures are usually around 15º.

For information on the latest travel packages to the Algarve

please visit  www.bookingalgarve.co.uk

Eating and drinking

Madeira is well known for excellent cuisine, which is an appetising fusion of Portuguese and African. The island benefits from the delicious specialities of its Mediterranean big sister, with sopa de tomate e cebola (tomato and onion soup), caldeirada (fish soup) frequently served dishes, along with fresh young white wines.

But Madeira also benefits from its geographical location, which is nearer to Morocco than Europe. Dishes with more of an African flavour make use of spicy seasoning with sides like fried maize and plantain. A popular quick dish for those eager to sample the local cuisine is prego or steak marinated in garlic and peri peri served in a sandwich. You’ll be hard pushed to find a bad one on Madeira, and almost everywhere seems to sell them.

Top Five Activities in Madeira

Take a Toboggan Ride

Despite clement all-round temperatures you can still take an adrenalin fuelled trip downhill on Funchal’s cobbled streets. Although it’s something of a tourist activity, visitors should allow them selves to be raced downhill by locals at least once.

Going Underground in Pe de Passo

As a volcanic island, Madeira also has some incredibly tunnels to explore. The area of Pe de Passo by the Sao Vicente river crossing has a complex of volcanic tunnels stretching over 1000 metres in length – the longest on the island.

Beach Bumming at Porto Santo

Madeira has little in the way of beach life, but if you’re desperate from some sandy shores then the Porto Santo sands offer a heavenly slice of golden sands and clear blue waters.

Go To Market

The famous Mercados dos Lavrodores in Funchal is a great example of a traditional Portuguese market, with a few local specialities thrown in for good measure. It includes an excellent array of flower sellers, fresh fish (including rather frightening scabbard fish) and basket weavers plying their wares.

Watch the Birdy at the Campo de Golfe Santo da Serra

With its mountain scenery, Madeira offers one of the most breathtaking golf courses in Europe, with sweeping views across the ocean.

Festival Fun

Madeira comes alive in the spring and summer months with all sorts of carnivals and festivities. Here’s a pick of our seasonal favourites.

Flower Festival, Funchal, 3rd and 4th of May

Madeira is known for its exotic flowers, and May sees the annual flower festival celebrate the floral abundance of the island in beatific style. This is the season when the flowers are at their best, and the locals of Funchal celebrate with a plethora of creative floats and floral tributes. Visitors on the island for the spectacular flower parade through the city streets will be astounded by the sheer variety of blooms on display.

Atlantic Festival. Every Sunday in June

Whilst some countries choose to set-off fireworks for New Years celebrations, Madeira devotes the entire month of June to celebrating pyrotechnics to a back-drop of classical music. There’s plenty of time for recovery from the festivities, as major events take place on the weekend around the island. But the Atlantic festival is certainly one of Madeira’s biggest parties.

Madeira Wine Rally, 1st Weekend of August

Not to be confused with the International Wine Festival in September, the Wine Rally is more about motor cars than it is about fine wine. But this being Madeira, food and drink play an integral part of the festivities, and stalls line the streets to feed the hungry spectators of the rally. Two days of rally racing around the island make it the largest event of its kind in the area.

For information on the latest travel packages to the Algarve

please visit  www.bookingalgarve.co.uk

Pousadas are protected buildings with unique histories which make them worth preserving. And whilst guests can choose to visit by day, Portugal’s famous hospitality culture means the government has seen fit to make them available for nightly stays. The result is an entirely unique accommodation which is something like a cross between a boutique hotel and a heritage site. And visitors can enjoy the best of these architectural legacies on an extended pousada tour.

The best place to make a number of nightly hops throughout Portugal’s best pousadas is in the lesser known region of Alentejo. Whilst tourists flock to the country’s coast and capital this central region remains a remarkably unspoilt tribute to stunning scenery, and is one of the best places in the country to enjoy local history. Host to countless medieval castles, Alentejo is also dubbed the ‘castle route’, and augments the plethora of ancient strongholds with traditional local villages and enough cork trees to supply most of Europe’s wine trade.

With thirteen pousada’s clustered into the small region touring by hire car is a simple and scenic business, and when it comes to choosing where to bed down, there’s a handy system to ensure visitors are not overwhelmed by choice. Pousadas are categorised into four separate groups allowing visitors to either mix and match for a taste of everything the country has to offer, or pick one kind of accommodation for preference.

Historic pousadas are most likely to offer a genuine glimpse into history, and are generally converted from buildings such as villas, convents and monasteries, whilst historic design pousadas are of a slightly grander old world stamp, and are found within the walls buildings such as ancient castles. As the names suggests, nature pousadas enjoy unrivalled natural landscapes and vistas, and are designed to allow guests free access to untapped wilderness at its very best. Finally charm pousadas have afforded the hosts a chance to exercise true Portuguese hospitality in environs similar to a boutique hotel, with creative decor, artistic furnishings and a personal touch.

In addition to some interesting accommodation, Alentejo’s land-locked nature also lends it more of an activities slant than the rest of the country, as visitors have no beach to swelter on. Instead they can take cycle tours through the rustic countryside of olive tree groves and golden wheat fields (Alentejo is known locally as ‘The Golden Plain’). Or hike through wonderfully preserved walled villages and the architecturally blessed towns of Beja and Evora, the latter of which has a UNESCO heritage Roman temple to Diana.

Must-see: The Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones), the lovely walled village of Marvao, the university town of Evora and Monsaraz Castle.

Must-do: Take a cycle tour of the rural countryside, stay the night in a local pousada, try the regional wine with a dish of porco alentejano – pork with fresh-water clams.

For information on the latest travel packages to the Algarve

please visit  www.bookingalgarve.co.uk

Whilst he may not manage to venture to every location however, James makes a good job of staking out the most glamorous ones, making a trip to Monte Carlo for a casino scene in his latest book. When not travelling he has also made the rather radical step for an author of entering the modern world of online blogging.

“I’m probably not the world’s best blogger” he explains. “I can’t really just dash stuff off on a daily basis. I like to write something and then go over it again, so I update every few weeks or even months – just whenever I have something interesting.”

Opening himself up to an online audience has proved a mixed blessing, however, as fan mail can become combined with more unusual enquiries. “I had one seventeen year old boy write to me to say that he wanted to buy my book, but before he did so was checking as to whether or not there was any sex in it” says James. “He was a strict Christian and was anxious that he didn’t want to be exposed to any writing of that sort. I wrote back saying that my wife always tells me I’m better at violence and sex. But he didn’t get the joke sadly, and just reiterated the question.”

The Geneva Deception is published by Harper Collins and is available on Amazon

You can read about James’ latest exploits on his blog at www.jamestwining.com

A drum, the chanting of an imam and the responses of the dancers are sounds that add to the atmosphere of peace and harmony – a complete contrast to the last Islamic religious ceremony I witnessed here. Then it was the Shiite ritual of Ashura, which commemorates the 7^th-century martyrdom of Hussein, beloved grandson of the Prophet. His death is marked by self-flagellation with chains that draw blood (called zanjeer – the ritual, considered heretical by many Muslims, is known as zanjeer zani). On a stormy night in the heart of Stone Town, the warren of crumbling ancient coral-built houses that is the capital of the island, I sheltered in a doorway from the rain – and the eyes wary of a stranger – as lightning flashes lit up bare backs streaming with water and blood. In other doorways, groups of women in veils watched their sons and husbands undergo this rite of pain.

These are the contrasts that make Zanzibar such a fascinating island. Once the capital of Oman, it is now a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, but considers itself independent. On its streets, you see Muslim women, their eyes veiled, while on its golden Eastern beaches, Italian tourists sunbathe in the skimpiest of tooth-floss bikinis..

It is an enchanting place, though its romantic image hides a dark heart, where drug abuse and disease grip parts of the slums far away from the luxury beach-front hotels. But that’s a truth we prefer to forget about many tourist destinations – even London has its doorway sleepers on the Strand, a short drive from where one of the world’s richest women sleeps in Buckingham Palace. And an even shorter distance from Leicester Square and Soho where other young men (and woman) perform their own ritual dances in London’s throbbing club heartland.

The word safari comes from the Swahili for journey and was adopted by the Victorians to mean a trip for a big game hunt. With species now protected from the gun, all shooting is done through the lens of a camera and, while most trips to find the Big Five are taken in the back of a jeep, there are a number of other ways to see Kenya’s animal magic.

By balloon
Fly over the Maasai Mara

It’s 4.30 in the morning when we receive our wake up call – an ungodly hour, even by safari standards. A quick cuppa and a couple of biscuits later and we are speeding through Kenya’s most famous reserve, the Maasai Mara but this time we are not pausing to photograph any animals, rather heading to our dawn take off point. On arrival, people gather in the early dawn light but there’s no need to wear a fleece against the chill – huge burners, pumping hot air into balloons, are enough to keep us warm. Once inflated, we step into the basket, eight of us in each one, a slow bump, a slight creak and we are off into the sky, floating over herds of buffalo, parades of elephants and prides of lions below.

By camel
Ride camelback through Laikipia

Climbing aboard is ungainly and the camera around my neck bashes me around the head as I get my leg over the hump – but then I’m on, and my trusty steed, a dromedary camel, raises to its feet as we leave the Sabuk Lodge. As we head to the open plains of the Laikipia, two Samburu Warriors, resplendent in red, go ahead and two follow. Along the way, we stop to see huge herds of elephant drinking at watering holes and see too many birds to list. At night, the Samburu pitch our tents by a river and we camp out in the bush by a crackling fire. Some how, some way, in this most magical of settings they manage to conjure up a delicious apple crumble cooked over its flames.

On a boat
See hippos and flamingo at lakes Naivasha and Nakuru

A pair of giant eyes rise over the surface of the water, followed by two large nostrils. As the hippo raises it’s head, I can’t help but remember that more people are killed by hippos than by all the Big Five together and I’m thankful for our skilled captain who keeps a respectful and safe distance from the huge pod that live in Lake Naivasha. The lake is also home to more than 400 species of bird and while spectacular to see, none of them compare to the huge mass of pink that lines the shores of Lake Nakuru when we visit the next day. One of the Rift Valley soda lakes, it is packed with algae – ample food for the thousands of flamingo that live on the lake.

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Thirty Seven years later and anyone who takes on the walk will be sure the book to hand though, such is the richness of its detail and sensible advice on how to break the walk up into chunks – essential information when you’ll be on your feet for more than 200 miles.

Haweswater reservoir in Cumbria

The route traverses the north of England from Cumbria’s St Bees to Robin Hood’s Bay in Yorkshire (or vice versa) passing through the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors and taking in the kind of scenery that must have inspired the hymn Jerusalem – England’s Green and Pleasant Land indeed.

Wainwright’s suggested route takes around two weeks to complete and the author, who died in 1991, suggested people dip their toes in the Irish Sea before starting and in the North Sea on completion by way of celebration.

A slightly easier – think, crucially, flatter – way to traverse the country is on the official Trans Pennine Trail which cuts from Hornsea in the east to Southport in the west. It is mainly on disused railway lines, is largely traffic free and can easily be done on foot, by bike or even on horseback. The route celebrates its 21st anniversary this year.

www.wainwright.org.uk
www.transpenninetrail.org.uk

It’s an odd take on the usual morning cuppa. But I am surrounded by tea. Lots and lots of tea, stretching in soft green waves towards the very edge of the horizon. In front of me my guide Joel rapidly fills his out-size basket, whilst trailing behind I do my best to imitate. Luckily for me this is a temporary excursion. Whilst Joel snatches up leaf after leaf in a rapid double-handed cull I’m still trying to work out which part of the plant can be gainfully added to the basket. But despite being laden-down and set to work I am actually enjoying myself. In amongst the lush rows there is a sort of serenity unique to Africa.

For many travellers, Kenya operates as a sort of continent in microcosm. Traversable in hours rather than days, this is a country of rolling desert planes, lush valleys, and zebras just about everywhere. It’s also an area replete with national resources. Whilst most visitors fly in, spot wildlife from a jeep, and fly out again, other parts of the country quietly manage some of the world’s largest coffee and tea exports.

And it’s the latter exports which make the small town of Kericho worth a diversion from the well-trodden safari routes. Whilst classic African scenery might not conjure up images of tea, this enormous expanse of plantations stretches for some sixty-kilometres across Kenyan soil. What’s more, the town is on the Moi Highway which slices east to west of the country, constituting the only sizeable portion of decent road. It’s easily reachable direct from Nairobi by public bus, which is a five hour trip through some of the country’s best scenery, for the princely sum of £3.60.

Kericho has been slow to capitalise on the tourist appeal of its beautiful tea plantations, which have been in abundance since the 1930s. During the 1950s, the legendary Tea Hotel was built in the town by Brooke Bond as a kind of colonial club-house for expat executives ensconced in Kenya. Some years later the hotel was bought privately by locals, who now run it as a luxury accommodation service for guests. The main lure is the scenery, which sits lush and green on every side of the hotel, thick with native birds and monkeys. Due to its fifty’s heritage, the accommodation has a rather charming public school feel about it, and a certain well-worn air of post-war Britain. But it also offers activities for modern tourists, including nature walks, and a tour of the local tea plantations.

The tea here is farmed by PG Tips, who launched as Brooke Bond’s signature brand in the 1930s. And for a few pounds the Tea Hotel can arrange for visitors to don the heavy tabard of the local workers and get stuck in amongst the tea leaves. I was fortunate enough to arrive to bright skies and clement weather. Kericho is cooler than the rest of the country, and even in high summer temperatures rarely rise above 288?C. In recompense for the haven of cool conditions, however, the high altitudes do attract almost daily showers – ideal for tea, but admittedly less so for tourists.

The first thing I discovered about tea picking is that the advertising spiel is true – it really is just the tips which are selected for. Not just the tips in fact, but the soft duel leaf and bud arrangement newly sprouted at the top of the bush. Anything else is dismissed as tough or inadequate, making picking work a combination of speed and accuracy. I also learned that there are many ways to pick tea, of which my single-handed technique was the least effective. Fully-trained pickers can deliver their own body-weight in tea on a good day, and can expect to pull in ten kilos of leaves in around an hour. That’s a lot of tea. In comparison, loading my sack was an agonisingly slow process. But it’s soothing work, waist deep in the plantation, with swathes of tea panning-out endlessly into the distance. The plants are also mercifully free of pesticide coatings, which means that picking can take place without protective gloves. Rather remarkably this area of the country lends fosters no natural pests which prey on tea. Instead the plants grow happily unchecked by hungry insects or chemical sprays.

Tea production employs 20,000 pickers in Kericho, most of which also take accommodation provided on-site. The drink itself is also integral to the culture of the workforce, who run tea-shops and tea-rooms across the complex. The branded tea-bags which arrive in UK supermarkets are not available in Kenya. Instead, workers buy tea direct from the plantations, and package it to sell locally in jaunty yellow bags.

In fact the humble cuppa is somewhat evangelicalised in the area, as a cure for all kinds of physical ailments, as well as a general pick-me-up. The broad-leafed Assam tea grown in Kenya holds more health-giving flavanoids than other varieties – an attribute which is currently being recognised as a selling-point in the UK. Flavanoids are associated with a number of benefits from cancer reduction to heart-health, and a quick glance at the glowing skin of the workforce here seems to prove the theory. Although the exhilaration of heaving ten kilo sacks of tea to be weighed might also play a part. After an hour in the fields I’ve managed a rather paltry two-kilos, although Joel assures me that my technique will improve. As we speed away through the tea-bushes I notice I have developed a kind of leaf-tip myopia – I now see the lighter coloured parts of the plant which are good for adding to the sack.

If tea-picking seems a little like heavy labour, then there are more relaxing ways to enjoy the prime industry of this African town. Rather fittingly, PG Tips also runs a sanctuary which protects endangered species of monkey. Tourists interested in paying a visit need to make a special request for a visit, but as entry is free, it’s well worth the extra effort. Inside various troops of monkeys scamper around man-made pathways and bridges, bordered by a dramatic fast-flowing river and rapids. Traditional Kenyan style mud-huts offer shelter in case of rain, and effusive staff are on hand to feed the animals and answer questions.

Kericho’s most practical appeal is a simple question of geography. A few hours on good roads makes a world of difference if you’re planning a short trip to Kenya. But it’s also an ideal focal point around which to schedule a range of other activities, including the compulsory Kenyan safari. Particularly recommended is a short stay at Lake Navaisha, which affords a comfortable stop-off between Nairobi and Kericho. Heritage Hotels run stunning lodge accommodation here, set into the side of the Great Rift Valley. It’s a great place to enjoy international luxury against a breathtaking African panoramic before setting off a little deeper into the wilds of the countryside. The Great Rift Valley Lodge can arrange short excursions into the surrounding valley, including trips to the rather incredible natural saunas which dot the area, which is set on volcanic terrain. And if you fly into Nairobi, Heritage can arrange transfers direct to Lake Naivasha, saving you the headache of negotiating Kenyan transport with jet-lag.

With or without a stop-off, endless cups of fresh tea make a welcome pick-me-up on arrival in Kericho. Teaming African colour with colonial grandeur makes for well-balanced blend in a community where it’s always tea-time.

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Photo courtesy of: venicedailyphoto.blogspot.com

Tripadvisor.com

Venice makes you a believer in fairy tales. Cars are banned, so the only way to get around the 1,500-year-old city is by foot or by water. From these vantage points, you’ll be awed by the magical beauty. La Serenissima, “the most serene one,” is filled with palaces and art, fine shopping and excellent food.

Wikipedia.com

Venice is one of the most important tourist destinations in the world, due to the city being one of the world’s greatest and most beautiful cities of art. The city has an average of 50,000 tourists a day (2007 estimate). In 2006, it was the world’s 28th most internationally visited city, with 2.927 million international arrivals that year.

Today there are numerous attractions in Venice, such as St Mark’s Basilica, the Grand Canal, and the Piazza San Marco, to name a few. The Lido di Venezia is also a popular international luxury destination, attracting thousands of actors, critics, celebrities and mainly people in the cinematic industry.

However, Venice’s popularity as a major worldwide tourist destination has caused several problems, including the fact that the city can be very overcrowded at some points of the year. It is regarded by some as a tourist trap, and by others as a ‘living museum’.

lonelyplanet.com

From the look of it, you’d think Venice spent all its time primping. Bask in the glory of Grand Canal palaces, but make no mistake: this city’s a powerhouse. You may have heard that Venice is an engineering marvel, with marble churches built atop ancient posts driven deep into the barene (mud banks) – but the truth is that this city is built on sheer nerve. Reasonable people might blanch at water approaching their doorsteps and flee at the first sign of acqua alta (high tide). But reason can’t compare to Venetian resolve. Instead of bailing out, Venetians have flooded the world with voluptuous Venetian-red paintings and wines, music, Marco Polo spice-route flavours, and bohemian-chic fashion. And they’re not done yet.

Venice Tourist Board

Venice, the fairytale city created by human ingenuity, goes beyond and ascends the laws of nature. The area in and around Venice is a realm of culture, art and civilisation that combines to create a unique and exceptional human experience.

Fco.gov.uk

[On Italy] There is a general threat from terrorism.  Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers. See the Terrorism section of this Travel Advice.

There is currently a risk of unannounced wildcat strikes by municipal transport workers in cities across Italy.  See the Local Travel section of this advice for dates of major pre-planned strikes.

The blogger –  venicedailyphoto.blogspot.com

They are not really street numbers in Venice. Instead buildings are numbered by Sestieri, roughly from east to west. San Marco, for instance, begins at the Doge’s Palace and ends at the Rialto bridge, where the Post Office (Fondaco dei Tedeschi) bears number 5562, the last number.

As night falls frenetic bargain hunting switches to encompass the lively bar scene, which serves infamous ‘Thai buckets’ (wine buckets filled with a blend of strong spirits and various Red Bull-style soft drinks and consumed, in theory, by several people at once).

Shopping

Unless you’re looking for a briefcase and a pair of brogues Khao San is likely to be able to accommodate you. The area’s shopping may have sprung up to cater to the hippyish ways of 1980s backpackers, but Thais are masters at supply and demand, and millennial goods and services attend to a broad sweep of tastes.

Bohemian clothing of all kinds is widely available, as are the classic ‘same same but different’ designer label knock-offs and pirate media options. For those searching for something more unique to Thailand several art shops now ply local works and a number of stores sell interior décor and popular Thai axe cushions without the stuffing for easy export.

Eating

Even taking a very circuitous route around the stalls you will rarely be more than a few feet away from a banana pancake. But other street food includes pancake rolls, hot noodles, and chicken satay. Opt to pull up a chair and the range extends to various soups, rice and Thai curries. But Khao San Road has also developed apace, and to the despair of some backpackers now hosts a McDonalds and Subway alongside several western-style restaurants.

History

Back in the 1970s Koa San road was originally no more than a residential street, with hardly a mention in Lonely Planet’s first edition Asia on a Shoestring. In 1982, however the Thai government decided to fuel its burgeoning tourist industry by hosting festivals in the city, with the grandest culminating around the Royal Palace.

The move was such a success that budget accommodation became all but non-existent in the city and innovative backpackers negotiated with residents in the conveniently located Khao San Road to rent their spare rooms. The deal worked so well that guest houses began to open and before long the ever entrepreneurial Thais quickly catered to food and shopping requirements with souvenir stands selling everything a shoe-strong traveller could wish to buy.

Read All About It

The Khao San Road was made infamous in Alex Garland’s The Beach as being the site of the grisly suicide which prompts the main character to set off in search of a mysteriously mapped beach.

“Khao San road was backpacker land. Almost all the buildings had been converted into guest-houses, there were long-distance telephone booths with air-con, the cafes showed brand-new Hollywood films on video, and you couldn’t walk ten feet without passing a bootleg tape stall. The main function of the street was as a decompression chamber for those about the leave Thailand, a halfway house between east and West.”

The Beach, Alex Garland, www.penguin.co.uk

The many cheap guest houses which originally drew foreigners to the area continue to offer the chance to hole-up in low-cost, if noisy accommodation. And with hedonism running at full pelt, few arriving in Bangkok forget their experiences of Khao San.

The Temple of Bachus, Baalbeck

‘We are Phoenicians by habit – merchants and travellers – and Arabs by language. Arabic is a language, not a culture and people get confused between Arabs and Muslims – they are not the same thing. There are 11 religions in Lebanon, all with Arabic as a language.’ My guide at Byblos, Waad Khalifé, has thoughts running out of him faster than the words can sometimes form. He is passionate about Lebanon – and Byblos.

Even so, he remains objective. Some say Byblos is the oldest continually inhabited city in the world. We can never know and Khalifé points out that most cities in the region, from Damascus to Jericho have some claim to the title. The Roman columns from which the Crusaders formed the castle walls of Byblos show that many civilisations have come and gone, without paying great heed to the question.

Pepe's wall of fame

Down at the fishing harbour, the Byblos Fishing Club is much as I last saw it before the recent war with Israel apart from the absence of Pepe Abed, the owner, who died in 2007. The walls are still covered in photos of Pepe with celebrities from its Sixties heyday: Sinatra, Brando, Bardot, Ekberg, Niven, and a string of identikit beauty queens. His philosophy was to live life for the moment, although the restaurant is full of priceless artefacts from the town’s archaeological sites and the seabed around.

In Beirut, living for today is a way of life, with the nightclubs heaving until dawn. I am struck by the energy along the partying Monot Street and in the trendy bars and clubs that have sprung up in the Gemmayzé district next to it. The Lebanese are less impressed. ‘Of course, everyone is away skiing,’ I am told.

Enjoying the warm Mediterranean sun during the day, having come from a bitter London February, that seems hard to believe. But, driving up to the Bekaa valley, which lies at 1,500m, snow is what I see around me. Soldiers at checkpoints huddle into themselves, cold and bored, as a stream of traffic flows to and from the border with Syria. Trucks labour up the inclines as oncoming drivers somehow find gaps in the traffic to overtake on blind bends.

A stiff drink is welcome after that, so a wine tasting at Chateau Ksara hits the spot (www.chateauksara.com). As I am not driving, little is spat out. A massive recent investment aimed squarely at the UK market has brought French expertise, barrels, corks and bottles to the vineyard here. The wines are not yet world class but are still very drinkable, some capable of repaying a decade or so in your cellar. The vineyard’s cellars themselves stretch for miles underground and date back to Roman times, with stacks of bottles covered in dust that look equally ancient: a priceless hoard.

Wine is also celebrated at the nearby Temple of Bacchus, the most complete temple remaining of the Ancient Roman world. Baalbeck, its town now a Hezbollah stronghold, is also the site of the Temple of Jupiter – the largest the Romans ever built. Its foundation stones weigh 800tons, or the weight of two Jumbo jets. I can’t imagine how they moved them but I have no doubt they needed a drink afterwards.

Hawkers try to sell me Hezbollah T-shirts as I leave, bearing the arm waving an AK47 that is the party symbol. I’m more interested in the party still going on in Beirut, where I find a salsa bar to dance in until dawn after being turned away from B108, the hip underground bunker where the tables resemble coffins. I made the basic error of not turning up in a Ferarri with two slim, scantily clad blondes on my arm and flashing a thick wad of dollars. Pepe would not have been impressed with me. I buy my three sexy salsa partners a drink in his honour.

Eat: Pastries at Rafaat Hallab – www.hallab.com
Stay: Riviera Hotel – www.rivierahotel.com.lb; Four Seasons Hotel – www.fourseasons.com/beirut/
Fly: BMI – www.flybmi.com

Travel: Exodus – www.exodus.co.uk

Sea Cucumber in the Cook Islands

On this particular mission me and fellow food explorer Katy Warburton set out to grab hold of one of what seemed to be many black soft sea cucumbers which lay all over the place. They’re strange things because the minute you pick them up they go kind of limp and mould themselves to the shape of your fingers. Then they squirt a jet of water at you with alarming accuracy. Having negotiated these perils we took our sea cucumber to a local lady who duly sliced it open with a big carving knife. There was blood and icky orange messy guts.

“This is not the right on” she tells us, wrinkling her nose in disgust. “It is too small.” And so we take back our butchered friend to drop back in the sea and trek out further to find bigger prey. It should be noted here that sea cucumbers honestly do recover from this treatment – really they do. You can slice them and gut them and drop them back and they heal up all ready to grow some new tasty guts. Unless you get the wrong one and then they just heal up wondering why you picked on them in the first place.

At around this point Katy got bitten by a trigger fish (karma), and we realised we weren’t going to be able to get far out enough without a boat. I’m all up for having another try, but on this occasion didn’t manage to get the sea creatures to spill their guts.

Every month we round-up the opinions of the most popular travel sites on the web. This issue, it’s time for The Cook Islands to take a turn in the spotlight.

Tripadvisor.com

Truly the charm of the Cook Islands is the friendliness of its people.  They are warm and hospitable.  The mood is quite relaxed by locals.  The Cook Islanders have tried to preserve their old ways thereby retaining their culture.  The polynesian culture can be found in their everyday life, in their dance, and in the many cultural events throughout the year.

Wikipedia.com

The Cook Islands are a self-governing parliamentary democracy in free association with New Zealand. The fifteen small islands in this South Pacific Ocean country have a total land area of 240 square kilometres but the Cook Islands Exclusive Economic Zone covers 1.8 million square kilometres  of ocean. The main population centres are on the island of Rarotonga (population 14,153 as of 2006), where there is an international airport.

LonelyPlanet.com

Scattered over a vast expanse of empty ocean the size of Western Europe, the tiny Cook Islands is a castaway’s dream come true. If you’ve ever fantasised about escaping to a remote desert island, far from the hustle and hum of the modern world, then look no further than these 15 fascinating islands, where you’ll find a thousand years of Polynesian culture sitting side by side with some of the most spectacular natural scenery in the South Pacific.

Cookislands.travel

The Cook Islands’ is an authentic and refined Pacific experience encased in a lifestyle that exudes warmth, happiness and respect. We are a proud people with a rich culture and a lush tapestry of traditions that entwine with our daily lives. As part of our welcome to you, we would be honoured if you would share our customs and culture, and in this way, become one of us.

Fco.gov.uk

No dangers or possible problems listed for visitors to the Cook Islands.

BlogSpot – BackpackerBen.com

A mere 14,000 people are lucky enough to inhabit the 15 islands that make up the Cook Islands. The islands of the Cook Islands are spread over an area the size of India so its pretty easy to find your own piece of paradise. Each Island is different with its own unique qualities. Raratonga is the biggest island and the main destination for most tourists, however to really experience the wonder and beauty of this country a trip must be made to one of the outer islands.

The Handpresso Wild is the ultimate gadget for all those mobile, coffee lovers out there. This neat device uses no electricity and makes a quality cup of espresso with just the pump of a handle. The sturdy, little machine has a built in pump to make a strong, pressurised drink in seconds. It works with either pods or ground coffee depending on the model you purchase and is super portable, measuring less than 9 inches long and weighing just a few hundred grams. It’s a brilliant invention that’s been beautifully executed and designed and is available on its own or as part of a handy Outdoor Set that includes a carry case, cups and a thermos. Now we can all look forward to many mornings out and about, wide-eyed and bushy-tailed. Handpresso’s are priced from £84 and are available from http://www.handpresso.co.uk/.

Power Up

If you’ve fallen for the delights of the iphone we’re guessing you’re not loving the power hungry email aspects. Whilst making calls is reasonably frugal on power supplies, using the internet can really eat into battery life, and this is a particular problem when you’re on the move. A number of energy holding devices are now on the market to help couter this problem, but we like the stylish iPhone battery from Richard Solo. Not only does the stylish battery work perfectly with the aesthetics of your iPhone but it comes with a number of really useful features for travelling types. http://www.richardsolo.co.uk

Mosquito Aid

If you’re in a mosquito inhabited country it’s always the vulnerable ankle areas which get bitten – often no matter how much repellent you use. With many travellers also suffering from allergies to Deet, and the product not being suitable for young children of pregnant women, these mosquito bands are an ingenious way to get protection without drawbacks. They clip around your wrists and ankles releasing a steady cloud of bug repellent, keeping you free from bites with minimal hassle. www.design-go.com/en/detail_38907.html

The Best Seat in the Plane

If you can’t afford first class but want a reasonably comfortable travelling experience, there are more choices than you think. Choose your seat according to your priorities: For comfort and a smooth ride, choose a central seat situated over the wings. If a quiet trip is what you’re after, sit quite forward, avoiding the galley and rest rooms. For optimum leg room, grab the front row or the seats beside the emergency exits.

The Cooks Islands are one of the last places on earth where you can still find our prey, coconut crabs – beings of almost mythological status among the locals. These prized delicacies have become a rare find on the larger islands of Rarotonga and Aitutaki, but on the lesser-known Atiu, whose unique rocky structure ensures hundreds of hidey holes, there are plenty of crabs safe from hunters.

For this reason the wily creatures are even harder to seize and bagging one for the pot is a high accolade indeed – something of a specialist sport for many of the locals. As the name suggests, this species of crab feeds on coconuts, although it’s still something of a mystery as to how they prise them open. Coconut crabs are the largest kind of arthropod in the world. They can grow to over a metre in length, or to give a more average example, a usual sized crab would fit comfortably over a dustbin.

But despite their size, they’re notoriously well hidden. The trick is to look for evidence of butchered husks during the daytime, in the hope of identifying a crab’s territory, and then slice open a small section of coconut to set as a trap for over a week or more.

“The crabs can smell the open coconut and they’ll come out at night to find it” confirms Robert. “But it’s not easy to catch them. They’re clever and they’ll scuttle back into the holes in the rock before you can grab hold of them. And if you do get them it’s a hell of a job to bind up the claws. It takes a full grown man 20 minutes and he’s sweating buckets by the end of it.”

Even success isn’t necessarily long-lasting. One night Robert’s son managed to snare a particular prime specimen, bound it up and threw it in his backpack. But halfway through the dark jungle trek home he felt an awful kind of pressure on his shoulder. The crab had cut loose, and he was lucky not to sever a tendon.

Back in the streaming daylight of the paradisal Cooks, it’s hard to imagine the midnight hunters tracking their enormous prey. And with the archetypal Polynesian views of white sand, coral reefs and blue seas, it’s tempting to view this select group of remote islands as a typical holiday destination. Unlike similar holiday spots, however, the Cooks have managed to keep a unique hold on their own culture, with a government system which still affords hereditary chiefs a place, and a decided equality among the locals.

So although scenic idylls might see the typical lazy lifestyle of a tropical destination, a special breed of island magic means culture galore for those willing to hunt for it.

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For more on the Cook Islands, see www.cookislands.travel