Travel to France, Buis-les-Baronnies.

It seems crazy to be thinking so far ahead when you’re on holidays but today we had to work out our Sydney Theatre Co subscription requirements for 2014. Our group has now expanded to six people so Liz Jessop has done a good job getting everyone organised early so that we have a chance of the best seats. We had trouble downloading the brochure which made the task a bit tricky for us.

The day was cooler than any day we’ve experienced so far. This afternoon we headed for a village we’d admired in the distance on our way to Nyons. We planned to have a late sit-down lunch there but by the time we arrived, all the chefs in Buis-les-Baronnies had downed tools for the day. After a bit of a search we found an excellent boulangerie where we were able to purchase a range of delicious items which we then sat in the sun & ate. Most of the small towns in this area are pretty dead now that the school holidays are over but they all have something to offer.

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Travel to Mauritius, Rodrigues.

We arrived at Rodrigues about 1pm on Saturday 14th– exactly 14 days since leaving Cocos. We averaged 5.91kts (not quite making it to 6kts) The entrance was well defined with a well marked channel and reef clearly visible all round. We had to anchor in the ‘swing area’ as there was a ship alongside the dock. We hadn’t even finished setting the anchor when the officials came in their Zodi to clear us in. All in all 4 different departments all needing forms filled in and signed, but all very nice and welcoming. We didn’t go ashore the rest of that day, but we were within shouting distance to Cocokai so chatted with them, John from Boomerang came to visit in his Zodi, Tor from Imagine came in his Zodi for a visit and then John came back again later with Debby for sundowners. So, a lovely greeting.

The next morning the supply ship left and so we moved alongside the wharf. This way we don’t need to inflate the Zodi and can just step ashore whenever we want. (makes dining out easier!!)

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Travel to Zimbabwe, Victoria Falls.

The sound of raindrops on the thatched roof over my tent greeted me when I woke up this morning. It sounded like a "Country Rain", slowly but steadily, and I naturally hoped that he would stop before it was time the day of the Zimbabwe safari to begin. But in the meantime I enjoyed the sounds of the night, the Barn Owl was back on the hunt, the scops owls were heard their chirping calls and the bats chased back over my tent. Just before Andy's alarm clock rang, also Pauperize the first to speak out, her duet that you would not actually bring owls in touch if you did not know that it is Africa's smallest owls.

When the first light was visible, and I heard them talking to each other and Andy Norman, it was still raining. After all, it was warm, and therefore the way to the bathroom but just a little damp but not unpleasant. We held a short conference and decided extensively for breakfast while the rest look in plants and insects that we had not been able to determine tags.

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Travel to Iceland, Northwest.

This day started in Akureyri. We were up and out of our hotel early and we were able to walk around and enjoy this picturesque city, before hoping into the car for our next adventure.

The area we were travelling through is known for horse breeding. The Icelandic Horse is a unique breed of horse and is recognized as such world-wide. They are smaller than the horses we're used to seeing in North America but their manes are quite voluminous. Along our route we decided to pull over to the side of the road to snap a few pics of some horses we saw grazing in a field. As luck would have it one of the horses was quite friendly and he wandered over to us to say hello. We got to spend quite a bit of time petting him and exchanging Iceland stories. A few of his friends came over and also posed for a few shots. All was good until Andra realized her sunglasses were missing, we were so well treated by the horses that we hate to accuse them of theft.

After bidding our friends adieu we continued heading south west to the Grabrok crater in the Bifrost area; the crater had a short 5 to 10 minute trek to the top and while it was fairly large and impressive it didn't compare to the craters we had just seen in the Lake Myvatn area. We snapped a few pics and headed back to the car.

Chris then found an obscure reference in a road atlas to a waterfall not too far down the road called Glanni. Andra was skeptical but Chris insisted they check it out. Sure enough, Glanni, roared valiantly a short walk from the roadside. While Chris supported Glanni's waterfall efforts, Andra found Glanni's waterfall performance meagre in comparison to his larger more well known siblings and she didn't feel his performance was worth the stop... It's safe to say that Glanni welcomed at least 2 visitors that day but he only stole the heart of one... poor Glanni...

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Travel to Cambodia, Phnom Penh.

It’s been fairly quiet since my last post. I went home for just over a week and did some work with a client and saw Janet, Jeff and Dwain. It was good to be in Houston for even a short period of time but I was also ready to get back. Clearly, I’ve made the switch and both places feel equally like home. Each now own a different place in my heart for different reasons. It was a bit strange to know that this would be my last trip back to Houston before repatriating at the end of April, 2014.

Last week I went down to Sihanoukville, a coastal port city, for a youth conference with one of my Ph.D. students. He’s a really bright and talented guy who is the Dean of the Undergraduate School of Business and Economics. We’ve spent some time together but this was truly special. He opened up a lot and shared many of the stories of his life. I treasure those glimpses when people really allow you to see their soul. I think it take a lot more time to build the kind of trust here that allows people to do that.

Ratha (not to be confused with my assistant who is also named Ratha), was nine years old when the Khmer Rouge came to power. He is now 48 with two teenage children. He and his family were forced from their home down near Sihanoukville to a labor camp up in the northeast part of the country. He told me all of the things they did to survive. He was very cleaver as a young boy. He would watch how other people set traps for animals and fish including snakes, spiders, lizards, or basically anything. He'd sneak around at night and steal from the traps to find food for himself and his family. He’d watch the guards at night until he knew they were asleep and then he’d go out to the fields and break open watermelon or anything else he could find growing. He knew that if they ever caught him, they would kill him. So far, there is nothing too extraordinary about his story. It sounds a lot like the many survivor stories that I’ve heard/read since coming here.

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Travel to Indonesia, Bali, Ubud.

I wake up to the bus conductor yelling where we are. “Ubud! Ubud!” he wails, as the passengers get off the bus. During the early afternoon drive to this bucolic town in the middle of Bali, all image of paradise I had in my mind of this Indonesian island were quickly replaced by grinding traffic and unremarkable city structures, and before I knew it, I was asleep. After yesterday's trip to Mount Bromo, I backtracked in the afternoon to Surabaya, where I took a short flight to Bali, the last leg of my (ill-advised) whirlwind trip.

I had actually scheduled an early morning walking tour that would have taken me across Ubud's rice fields, local villages, and possibly a Balinese dance school. But during my last night in Yogyakarta, a blackout hit the city, which prevented me from using my credit card and forced me to pay the guest house in cash. As a result, I’m now left with only a few thousand rupiahs. I had to cancel the walking tour (because it was payable only in cash), and I was in fact resigned to the idea of spending my last days of the trip just hanging around the beach in Kuta.

But curiosity and Mark Twain’s “you’ll regret more the things you didn’t do” aphorism won over me, and after tweaking my budget, I booked a ride to Ubud. Even if it was the overcrowded site I fear it would be, I thought I could surely find an intimate corner somewhere and claim it as my personal space. I managed to get a discount on a round-trip bus fare that would take me to the town after lunch and return to Kuta in the evening. I also decided to skip dinner and tomorrow’s breakfast to compensate.

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Travel to Bolivia, Potosí Department, Salar de Uyuni.

I arrived in Tupiza with Mariano and a couple of Italians we had met at the border. It was immediately apparent my money would go a lot further in Bolivia, as we managed to find a hostel with beds for 25 Bolivianos per night (around £2.50)! We went out for dinner as a group and it was clear my Spanish had a long way to go, as I could barely follow the conversation.

Although my main reason for being in Tupiza was to book a tour to Salar de Uyuni, the world's largest salt flat, I found the town pleasant and friendly. I spent a good few hours exploring the Valle de los Machos, which was walkable from town, and saw the rock formations "Canyon del Inca" and "Puerta del Diablo". Tupiza was also a place for trying new things: first, coca leaf, which I had in tea (it's supposed to be a pick-me-up but I didn't notice any effects and wasn't keen on the taste), and second, llama, which was very tasty and quite similar to lamb.

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