I have claimed in the past that Belgium doesn’t have any mountains. That is true, objectively speaking, but not necessarily if you ask a Belgian. French-speaking Belgians indiscriminately include ‘mont’ as either prefix or suffix to the name of places that decidedly are flat. The Flemish are equally liberal in their use of ‘daal’ and […]
😀 I owe some appreciation for the country that has been good enough to have me as their guest for the past few years: Belgium. Until this year, Belgium had been more of a ‘base camp’ than a place where I spent my free time. This year changed that. Suddenly unable to travel ‘outside’, it […]
I am one of those people who may be found in the shade of at the back of the beach, complaining to everyone willing to listen about everything that others generally like about beaches. I burn at the slightest hint of sunlight; the accursed sun lotion gets in my eyes and stings like original sin; […]
Continuing a wee bit further along the rough but barely cyclable track from Bluff Beach we chanced upon this spot where a lonely palm tree begged to be photographed.
We had just arrived at Bluff Beach and were looking out at the decidedly violent waves that were pounding the shore. An unspoken question formulated itself in our minds as we gazed on the foaming surf
Except for lake-fishing, the career paths that lie open to the people of Uros are limited on the islands. They could go ashore, but many inevitably find that when working onshore, it is easier to live onshore – and leave the islands. Once or twice a day, the peace of the lake is broken by […]
I had read up on the floating Uros Islands before arriving in Puno. I had become particularly fond of a message board, that discussed the relative merits of visiting these islands.⠀Public opinion was divided. On the one hand, a visit to the Uros Islands was a life-altering experience that must not under any circumstance be […]
My mid-life crisis had primarily been a peaceful experience; there was no motorbike in my garage. Notwithstanding, some profound change had come over me. I had started to consider security when choosing travel destinations. Until recently, I had felt that a high crime-rate added to the ‘exoticism’ of a place. This time, I had not […]
Ten and a half hours on a train IS ten and a half hours on a train, no matter how nice that train may be. As we entered into the final hour of our journey, daylight was gradually giving way to dusk. The bar was closed, the tabs had been paid, the shock of the […]
As the afternoon drew on, the Titicaca Train slowed down as it passed through the city of Juliaca. I have spent much of my working life around urban planners. Many of these are architects and like to wear black polo neck sweaters and shroud themselves in a mist of obscure terminology. They love words like […]