Kenya: It pays to read the fine print

Jumbo! Inveterate world traveller Ros Freeman should have read the trip notes before booking her 'camping' trip in Kenya. Will all end well for Ros?

Time to brush up my Swahili as I arrived at Kenya’s Nairobi Airport. A big smile and a local greeting don’t go astray, especially at immigration. But no worries, getting through Nairobi airport was a cinch. Now the adventure truly began. And what an adventure it would be!

Arrivals and departures: VIP treatment at Doha's Hamad International Airport

Sometimes, it's a toss-up whether arriving or departing an airport is the most stressful. 

Is Costa Rica really the poster child for ecotourism?

A couple years back I was fortunate to visit the beautiful Central American country of Costa Rica, long extolled as a model of ecotourism.

Sure, it has plenty to offer for the sensitive traveller, but is it really all it's cracked up to be.

I investigated Costs Rica's credentials for Medium.com and here my story:

 

Malawi - Sunset Destination

Inveterate traveller and quiet explorer, Ros Freeman, caps off an another African sojourn with a visit to Malawi.

Fittingly my final destination was Malawi, the land of the setting sun. Malawi, which means ‘flaming waters’, refers to the sunsets over Lake Malawi. The sunset is featured on the Malawian flag.

Uganda - Gorillas in the midst

Inveterate traveller and quiet explorer, Ros Freeman, embeds herself with a family of Ugandan mountain gorillas

The midday sun beat down hard as we trudged through the jungle, slipping and sliding in the mud. We went uphill; at elevation, each step was a labour. Stopping to admire a butterfly, we were assailed by a nest of stinging wasps. Further along, a disturbed ant nest resulted in many bites. We then brushed against stinging nettles. 

Himalayas: Mountains of Joy

Trekking toward Mount Everest delivers jaw-dropping scenery with every step as Kris Madden discovers.

Leaving Everest glowing white on the horizon, our plane swoops down between the mountains

following the silhouettes of the valley, each dramatic tilt of the wings offering close-ups of mind-

bogglingly steep slopes and the swirling clouds around them.

Five really good reasons to visit Victoria

Victoria offers many spectacular coastal, cultural, spa and gourmet experiences within an easy drive of sophisticated Melbourne.

Hotel Review: Taj Bengal, Kolkata

A lavish, well-oiled and centrally-located luxury hotel that is a perfect base for business or pleasure.

UNESCO World Heritage paradise of Palau

If you were to ask most people if they could put a pin on Palau on a map, few would get close, assuming they have even heard of the place.

Fiona McIntosh in Tasmania with Captain Charlie Nash

I've chosen this cottage for Charlie and his daughter to live in Richmond, Tasmania.

I'm 50,000 words into the new book for you, which you'll be able to enjoy in 2025. And as most of you who keep up with my news know, this is the continuation of the story of Captain Charlie Nash who broke our hearts in The Champagne War. Actually I feel responsible for breaking his heart but can I say again that I don't plan my books so when tough things occur I just blame my characters.

Furama Hotel brand debuts in Sydney

When is a new hotel not quite a new hotel? When it is rebranded by an international group, zhooshed up to meet the demands and wants of guests and given a total personality transplant. Sounds about right?

Aussies heading back to Vietnam with VietJet

Australians, especially boomers, seem to be spending money on travel like there is no tomorrow. Let’s hope they’re wrong.

Words and images: Roderick Eime - traveloscopy.com

All kidding aside, we are certainly travelling again. We’re spending big and we’re going overseas, despite some expensive airfares. Where are we going? We seem to be travelling closer to home, especially to the South Pacific and Southeast Asia more so than Europe or the Americas.

Peleliu 1944: Hell in The Pacific

Following the trail of famed Australian war photographer and cameraman, Damien Parer, we explore the jungles of Peleliu and awaken some restless ghosts.

Just as the morning sun began to bake the sand and rubble beaches of tiny Peleliu, two divisions of US Marines set off from their ships toward shore in waves of motorised landing craft. Intelligence had told them to expect only moderate resistance, but they were in for the surprise of their lives.

Fatu Hiva: For the Love of Nature

One of the 20th Century’s best known explorers and ethnographers began his celebrated career on a far-flung outpost in the Pacific Ocean in 1936 with his new bride and not much else.

French Polynesia is nowadays a world famous location for honeymooners who spend their languid days in 5-star over-water bungalows, getting endless massages and drinking colourful cocktails with little umbrellas. But not the newlywed Heyerdahls. They had every intention of eschewing the trappings of civilization and returning to a simple life ‘back to nature’ on the most inaccessible yet fertile island they could find.

Anik Palace Hotel. Emerging luxury in Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh recalls its colonial luxury with emerging brand, Anik Hotels. John Savage gets embedded.

Tourism took a mammoth hit around the world during COVID-19, and no popular destination was more affected than Cambodia which has suffered more disasters than most.

The Anam Resort Paved The Way To Luxury On Vietnam’s Cam Ranh Peninsula

The Anam is the first five-star colonial beach resort in Cam Ranh and a sanctuary of contemporary luxury that harks back to a bygone. John Savage indulges himself.

With an infectious smile as wide as Cam Ranh Bay, the Anam journey had started. She said her name was Pinky and she was at the airport with a welcoming smile, a sign bearing my name and a luggage trolley. She walked me over to a sleek black Merc for the 15-minute drive to The Anam Cam Ranh, one of the first five-star resorts in Vietnam’s Cam Ranh area.

High in India - A steaming Darjeeling

(c) Werner Fritthum

For more than 130 years, a tiny train has laboured up from the plains of West Bengal to the lofty Himalayan tea plantations. Follow the tracks of the famous ‘toy train’.

words and pictures by Roderick Eime


“One steps into a railway carriage which might easily be mistaken for a toy, and the whimsical idea seizes hold of one that one has accidentally stumbled into Lilliput.” - Lawrence John Lumley Dundas, Earl of Ronaldshay (1876-1961)

Stroking Strath. An easy and popular day ride from Adelaide

The Adelaide Hills presents a multitude of of riding and driving opportunities. The Southern Route to Strathalbyn is, you'll quickly find, one of the most popular as rider, Rod 'Rowdy' Eime discovers.

I know, I know. You’ve heard me blather on and on about the myriad riding opportunities within cooee of Adelaide. So, let’s move on and take that to the next level and create some history. And you read it here first.

A Journey on The Overland

A lot can happen in 60 years. 

As I sit comfortably in my Red Premium seat on the Adelaide-bound Overland intercity train, I fondly recall the several previous journeys I took when it was an overnight express.

The Magic of Morocco

Morocco is a land of vibrant culture and colour. Tripwired's Michael Gebicki channels the Berbers and Tuaregs.

It’s late in the evening when we finally arrive at our desert camp deep in southern Morocco. It’s been a huge journey, two hours in a four-wheel drive from where we turned off the road at Foum Zguid to cross a parched, stony wilderness that morphed into the ochre sands of the Sahara. There’s ice, a miracle, and we gulp down chilled drinks handed out by Bobo, the camp boss. 

USA Canyon country: A matter of scale

Utah is home to some of the world's most astounding natural architecture. Graeme Willingham explores the canyons of the Quaker State.

It is zero degrees Celsius, confirmed by the layer of frost on the exposed roots of a sentry Ponderosa pine clinging to the top of the fragile ridge. We’re some thin-air 2.5kms above sea level, at 7 o’clock, on a Fall morn. The sun had just cleared the horizon and started its work in the clear sky to light the limestone pinnacles, known as hoodoos, in Utah’s Bryce Amphitheatre.

Bali off the beaten track

There is a lot more to Bali than Kuta Beach and noisy bars, Winsor Dobbin reports.

There is something for just about every traveller in Bali.

Looking for bars and nightlife? Sorted. Delicious food and affordable beers? Sorted.
Cultural experiences? Sure.

But what if you want to get away from it all? To chill out in a hilltop resort that’s surrounded
by local villages, temples, and farms.

Visiting Valletta

by Ian McIntosh

For a lot of people, Malta’s Valletta is a one-day stop on a Mediterranean cruise. As you roll up you firstly marvel at the height of the ancient walls built by the Knights of St John to protect the settlement. A quick stroll and you are at what is called the Upper Gardens - a magnificent lookout over the entrance to the port - and beyond. From here a short walk and you are in the colourful streets admiring the elegant baroque-style buildings. 

Viking Cruises Arouses History

As cruising makes a post-COVID resurgence, veteran journalist, Ian McIntosh, recalls earlier times at sea.

Before I outline why Viking is the best cruise line I have sailed on in recent times - a little bit of background. The cruising industry in this part of the world started when the P&0 line ships that used to cart just about everyone to Europe along with a hold full of produce suddenly faced an uncertain future. Aircraft were finally making an impact despite the fact that they were incredibly expensive. Qantas started to snatch away the younger crowd by introducing what was called the Pacesetter fare - a cheap deal to London that included a few days in Hong Kong and Greece. In my case Mykonos. These were the days of DC8s and 707s. 

A head for heights and Dolomite delights

High in Italy's mountainous northern Alps lies one of Europe's smallest wine regions where quality prevails. Roderick Eime sips, sniffs and spits his way through the misty valleys of South Tyrol.

His knee was now more painful than it had ever been as he struggled down the glacier, barely a few hundred metres ahead of his pursuers. In his mid-40s, he was now an old man with the body to match. His laboured breathing and awkward gait hampered his hurried progress across the ice when suddenly he felt a searing pain in his shoulder. He’d been hit with an arrow fired from behind and the exhausted fugitive fell forward heavily and waited for his fate.

Richard Quest takes a break after 20 years

After 21 years at CNN, I am taking my long service leave! 

Loh and Behold: The Legend of the Giant Coconut Crab

Location: Loh Island, Torres Group, Vanuatu

Legend tells of the story of the giant coconut crab that inhabited the jungle of Loh Island in the Torres Group, the most remote of all the island groups in Vanuatu.

This massive, bad-tempered crustacean had the unfortunate habit of eating the villagers and threatening the survival of the inhabitants until one brave soul needed to venture into the jungle to get much-needed food and disguised himself as a beautiful red crab hoping not to appear as a delicious human. The ruse worked and the man-eating monster was so enthralled at the attractive colouring of the villager’s disguise that it enquired of the villager how he too might look so attractive.