Wed 20th December 2000. This time it was the fairly short trip to Asmara. In fact, when I arrived I noticed a bus to Massawa was about to leave so I hopped on that one and was soon heading off the plateau and down 2500m to the shores of the Red Sea. They say this road goes through three seasons in two hours. I can believe it because the blue sky was blotted out as we descended through clouds and…
The following day was another early start, this time due west to Tesserai which sits on the border with Sudan. I’m not sure why I went. Why not perhaps. the Eritrean plateau is dry and dusty but as you might expect nearing the Sudanese border takes it to another level. Also never mind Eritrea had recently had a war of independence the road was lined with refugee camps filled with Sudanese. There were also loads of checkpoints. Mainly composed of…
Mon 11th. Time for some bus travel – to the second city of Keren. At the bus station it was a bit of a scrap to get on but as an honoured foreigner I was shown to a seat. In Keren I checked in at the Sicilian Hotel, a pleasant hotel with an attractive courtyard bedecked in bouganvillea, in fact I had noticed a lot of this growing in Asmara as well – it brought some colour to an otherwise…
Those unfamiliar with Cairo will not realise that it is pretty cold in winter. The builders of my apartment block obviously didn’t realise it either as there was no heating and the wind was whistling through my (closed) windows. It was coming up to the Christmas break and I was wondering where I could go on holiday that would be warm but not too far away. I presumed seeking warmth meant going south so perusing a map, I quickly ignored…
I’ve covered most of the trips I made around Sri Lanka on other pages so this is a bit of a mish mash of other short trips and photos of Colombo and the two places I lived in my time there. I think central Colombo was not the most attractive of cities but it’s a shame I didn’t take more photos. Mainly to keep fit and to socialize I played for the Puffins Rugby team. We mainly just played touch…
The run up to Christmas 1999 wasn’t the best. I had got knocked off my bike, fortunately not sustaining any major injuries but there were also a series of suicide bombings in the city. In one, 38 were killed and the President lost an eye. In the aftermath there was a curfew but surprisingly life pretty much returned to normal. It was a war zone after all. I had some friends over and on Christmas Day we had a fantastic…
June 1999 was a big time for me. I had moved into my new house in Pepiliyana but there was no time to settle in, it was holiday time and this time a trip to the war torn East coast. First stop was Habarama a five hour journey. I stayed at the Village Hotel and was joined by the BC crew who were travelling by van. It looks like an expensive place now but I wasn’t impressed at the time…
I’d been in Sri Lanka for three months and settled in quite nicely. I’d already been on explorations in the hinterland, got a job at the British Council and moved into a house in Rosmead Place in Colombo. My first term at the BC had finished so time for another trip away, this time to the Hill Country. 28 Sep 1998 Up at 7am and soon on the bus to Haputale. I checked into Mr Amarasinghe’s Guest House, where I’d…
Diary entry, Wed 7th April. Souvenir Guest House, Kathmandu. “Stomach feeling a bit upset. After 10 hrs getting shaken hither and thither on the bus I checked into the hotel, showered and had a big juicy steak at G’s terrace. After a week of no meat I think I overdid it. Not a bad little guest house (I’m glad to say it is still in business in 2022 as the picture below attests). My room was similar to Potala guest…
Before I start this post I must make a reference to the horrendous earthquake and subsequent avalanche in 2015 which completely destroyed Langtang village where I stayed on this trek. Since then it has been completely rebuilt. Some other places I stayed remarkably are still there. Diary entry, Tuesday 30th March 1999, Langtang View Hotel, Dunche. Got a taxi from Hotel at 6am. Already light and not too cold. At bus station went straight to ticket window and got last-but-one…