Archive for June, 2008
Belize
Belize embraces a beguiling mix of Caribbean and Latin cultures, infused with a colonial history brought to its shores by British settlers. English-speaking, Creole-dominated with a thoroughly coup-free history, this tiny country has an atmosphere that couldn’t be more laid-back. Tourism may be unashamedly big business, but visitors rarely feel commodified. The local people are […]
Honduras
Honduras’ slow pace, natural beauty and low-profile tourism make it particularly appealing to travelers (well-armed with with insect repellent) who enjoy getting off-the-beaten track. Take your pick from the spectacular Mayan ruins at Copan, the long and lazy Caribbean coastline, the idyllic Bay lslands, the tropical rainforest of the Mosquitia region, colonial mountain towns, the […]
Nicaragua
Tucked between Costa Rica’s mammoth ecotourism scene and Honduras’ dazzling displays of indigenous history, Nicaragua is all too often ignored by travelers. Their loss. The warm, inclusive pride of the Nicaraguan people suffuses the country with an intoxicating energy that captivates. For the cognoscenti, Nicaragua is inspiring landscapes, colonial beauty, weeklong parties, stunning wildlife, beautiful […]
Portugal
Poland is a country of striking contrasts: contemporary city slickers fill the capital, Warsaw, while in the countryside horse-drawn carts negotiate peaceful lanes where the new millennium is just a rumour. Nestled in the heartland of Europe, Poland has been both a bridge and a front line between eastern and western Europe. Today the country […]
Kuwait
With the 1990-91 Gulf War a fading memory, Kuwait is once again the prototypical Persian Gulf oil state. Walking around Kuwait City, it is hard to imagine the destruction of just a decade ago. There has been an obsessive, meticulous re-creation of the country’s pre-invasion appearance. Liberation brought new kind of openness to Kuwaiti life […]
Sao tome-principe
Never heard of this little slice of the Caribbean in the Gulf of Guinea? You ‘re not only one. The two islands of Sao Tome and Principe comprise the smallest country in Africa, and one of the newest. These sleepy islands boast of deserted beaches, crystal-blue waters, rolling hills, jagged roc formations and lush rainforests. […]
Pitcairn islands
Beautifully green and lush, and with a population you could easily seat in a city bus, tiny Pitcairn is most famous as the hideaway settlement for the notorious HMS Bounty mutineers. lronically, more than 200 years later, it’s one of the last remnants of the British Empire that Fletcher Christian and his gang rebelled against.
With […]
Reunion
Reunion is so sheer and lush, it looks as if it has risen dripping wet from the deep blue sea-which it effectively has, being he tip of a massive submerged prehistoric volcano. The island is run as an overseas department of France, making it one of the last colonial possessions in the world. French culture […]
Pakistan
Media impressions of Pakistan are a jumble of lslamic fundament-alism and martial law, while for overland travelers the country is often seen as the last hurdle before reaching lndia. ln fact Pakistan offers some of Asia’s most mind-blowing landscapes, extraordinary trekking, the spectacular Karakoram Highway, a multitude of cultures, and a long tradition of hospitality. […]
Afghanistan
Blessed with stark natural beauty, venerable history and rich and diverse culture,Afghanistan has of late been blinghted with more than its share of troubles. This landlocked country,at the crossroads of Central Asia, has seen armies and empires,merchants and mwndicants, poets and prophets come and go over millennia. Lmages of a war-blighted landscape do not do […]
