Bridgetown, Western Australia

I’ve heard people explain dreams they’ve had in which they’d reached some kind of heaven-like place or state of paradise. Where all your family are gathered together, time doesn’t seem to exist, and nothing bad can happen. Everywhere you turn some beautiful, tiny moment is unfolding, and you can tune in to whichever one you like.

This last weekend felt like that for me. It was time for our family’s yearly trip down to Bridgetown, a town in the South West region of Western Australia, approximately 270 kilometres south of Perth on the Blackwood River. We worked out that we’ve been going there for 30 years, since I was about 4 or 5 years old. It’s become such a family tradition that the idea of Bridgetown itself is (for our family) soaked in nostalgic memories of happiness, togetherness, cosy family bonding, growth, and quiet contemplation. Now the next generation of our family is approaching the age I was when I started going, which provides a opportunity for new memories to be created and the feeling of what “Bridgetown” means for us to be embedded in the hearts and minds of all my nieces and nephews.

Whenever I close my eyes and think of Bridgetown, this is the image that comes to mind.

Most of our memories of Bridgetown are etched in the confines of the farm stay accommodation we always stay at - Lucieville Farm Chalets. Imagine simple, cosy chalets in a picturesque farm setting. This is where all of those perfect moments have unfolded, and just looking at the chalets on the river instantly evokes a warm feeling inside.

The great thing for us is that because we’ve been there so many times, we never have to deliberate on what to do while we’re there. The options are perfectly limited. We (mostly) always do the same thing while we’re in Bridgetown - walk through the forest one morning, set up a fire by the river for dinner and toasted marshmallows at night, go to The Cidery one afternoon for a taste of the local brews, and relax on the balcony and admire the view. The phone signal on the farm itself is non existent (unless you’re with Telstra), which is an added bonus, and reminds you to switch off from the instant gratification of social media and mobile phones, and just enjoy the next moment.

I can’t remember having a bad time in Bridgetown. And yet I came away from this weekend feeling incredibly lucky that the events in all of our lives had led up to this moment, and allowed the last 4 days to unfold as they did - effortlessly, perfectly, unforgettably.

The Revival

After almost 7 years since my last post, I’ve decided to reactivate my blog and domain. There’s a few reasons for this. The idea had been rattling around in the back of my mind for a while after a few people reached out on Reddit and asked to see content from a previous post. Secondly, it’s a good excuse to practice my writing (and thinking) skills. And thirdly, I’d poured so much of myself into the recounting of previous trips that I’d like it to remain accessible as a memento of my previous trips for family, friends and strangers, as well as allow me to begin posting retrospectively on old trips which I’ve taken and not updated the blog (either before the blog existed, or during this recent hiatus).

Stone Town, Tanzania

It’s off to Zanzibar for the final leg of the trip. First a few nights in Stone Town, then finishing up on the beaches of Zanzibar for our final night with the group. On the way towards Zanzibar we heard from the group who stayed back and opted for the drive to Zanzibar instead - it was something ridiculous like 13 hours of driving in a cramped van. I was so satisfied with my decision to pay extra for the flight.

Arusha airport

Chlöe also paid for a flight, so we got there a night earlier than the rest of the group and went out for dinner.. We had some drinks on the rooftop at Upendo and then went to Cape Town seafood restaurant for dinner, until we were kicked out at around midnight. Stone Town has been really impressive so far. Very different to anything else I’ve experienced in Africa so far. Lots of old winding alley ways and historical buildings that blend African styles with Indian and Arabic designs from traders and migrants.

Lots of interesting winding alleys to explore in Stone Town

The next day I went out for a gym workout, and ambled between coffee shops, admiring the old feeling of Stone Town. Hearing some commotion on the streets, I turned a corner to find a group of people huddled around a TV, watching a tense penalty shootout at the end of a football match. It was some African youth tournament, and Zanzibar were playing. I joined in to watch the final moments of Zanzibar securing the win, to the delight and uproar of the crowd. It was one of those special moments that reminds you of a few things: football can bring strangers from all over the world together, and travel is one of the best experiences you can have. It was a moment of connection in a far away place, with complete strangers. I loved it.

Soon after at a coffee stop, I opened up the first page of the first book I found - it did a good job of capturing my feelings and sentiment on travel:

Serengeti National Park & Ngorongoro, Tanzania

We camped overnight in the Serengeti, it was pretty tame but there was an insane amount of bugs everywhere. We went on safari all day, and saw a lot of incredible animal scenes. We managed to see a jaguar at the very end of the day, then had a long and fast drive back over rough roads to our camp in Ngorongoro crater. It’s a much nicer campsite, with great hot showers, and they even had a bar.

Lions in Serengeti National Park

Sometimes I have to pinch myself. I close my eyes and imagine I’m at home meditating, then open my eyes to realise I’m actually still in Africa living out some of what will undoubtedly be up there in terms of the top experiences of my life. I know soon enough I’ll open my eyes to find myself at home and back to reality.

But I had more pressing matters to take care of. Today I woke up at about 4pm and nearly shat myself. I ran outside my tent into pitch black darkness, and across to the bug infested toilets which involved narrowly missing a huge open gutter which would’ve easily caused a broken leg.

We went on more wildlife drives, this time exploring inside Ngorongoro crater. Surprisingly there was a coffee van inside the crater which made excellent coffee. We saw heaps of animals, and even though it was the last day of safari I feel well and truly satiated in terms of the animal experiences on this trip.

On the way back we stopped at Safari Land for shopping, and a nice lunch. The Serengeti beers were delicious. They probably taste worse than a standard beer back home - but because you’re in Africa on holiday, drinking a beer called Serengeti Lager - your brain just tells you that its delicious. And I’m okay with that.

Now, back to Arusha. I’m so glad I paid extra to get the flight to Zanzibar - the others have to get up at 2am tomorrow for a 13 hour drive.



Arusha, Tanzania

On Saturday 11th we headed into Tanzania, our first stop being Arusha - home of the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights. We were joined with some new travellers who were embarking on this leg of the tour with us. The accommodation was nice and so after a long bus ride and border crossing from Kenya, we had a fairly relaxed afternoon by the pool.

Our accommodation in Arusha

Today we head off to Serengeti National Park. It was a long drive, with lots of bumpy roads at the end. We are camping in the Serengeti tonight, which is a pretty cool experience. Something I’d imagined for a long time as a bucket list experience - camping out in nature, waking up to the sounds of wildlife, and perhaps a cup of coffee delivered to the tent (the last part didn’t happen unfortunately). After arriving at the campsite, I showered early and then we had dinner in the eating hall which was completely full of bugs, so we mostly ate in the dark. There were so many bugs I had to keep my hand over my mug of wine while I ate, and most conversation was interrupted regularly with someone spitting a bug out of their mouth. We sat outside by the fire afterwards (because there were less bugs outside) and I was talking With Chlöe and Dan. Now I’m in the tent, listening to the sounds of the night. Oh and we went on a wildlife drive this afternoon, and even spotted a Cheetah.



Nairobi, Kenya - Part II

Yesterday we crossed back into Kenya and stayed at Greenwood’s lodge. An impromptu game of football broke out, which quickly became World XI vs. Kenya. It was one of those beautiful experiences where you realise you’re just a group of completely random humans who happen to have congregated in the same small patch of the world, and yet we can all quickly organise into a game of football, and everyone understands it and enjoys it. Someone had the brilliant idea of grabbing a few beers, and the post game beers were extra satisfying. We set up our tents, and sat down for a buffet dinner. Even though it wasn’t the end of the tour, our tour guide made a speech and we all went around the room and shared our favourite part of the trip. It was a great moment that brought together different perspectives of the trip.

World XI vs Kenya

The next morning we packed up and drove back to Nairobi. We did pub trivia to pass the time, and Sadhbh and Chlöe ran a competition across the different crisps you can get in Africa. Back at the accommodation, I had a nap in the afternoon and sat by the pool. At night we went out for a final dinner together at Carnivore and then to a bar (The Alchemist). It was a fun night with lots of drinking and dancing - a great way to end this leg of the tour. There were of course a few wounded soldiers the next morning, with some barely managing to get up in time to make the bus ride. A few were finishing up their leg of the tour today, but most of us were continuing on, eventually to Zanzibar.

Jinja, Uganda

On the 7th we were up early, and started making our way back to Jinja. The camp here is beautiful, and this afternoon we had an amazing cruise up the Nile river. Then we came back and kept drinking and chatting, but that’s all it is and I feel like I get bored sometimes when it’s just drinking and talking. The started doing shoeys and at that point I really start to question if I’m in the right place. Yes - the experience has been great, the people are awesome - but drinking beer out of a shoe and cheering wildly isn’t my idea of fun.

Team photo on the Nile booze cruise

Our stay in Jinja provided a nice break from the past week or so of big days of early starts and long driving. The lodge (Nile River Explorers River Camp) is right on the lake and provided a scenic backdrop at meal time.

The next day I took a boda (motorbike taxi) into Jinja and walked around Main Street, stopping in some coffee shops and gift stores. I walked up and down a few times, getting followed by a group of young kids asking for money, and locals staring at me. I bought a few gifts and headed back into town. It was only after I got back to the group at the camp that I found out the US and UK had issued high terror warnings for Jinja and warned against all non essential travel due to the music festival happening there.

In the afternoon I did chip ratings with Chloe and Sadhbh, then we tubed down the Nile in the afternoon. The second night was much more calm, and we all had an early night.

Kalinzu Forest & Lake Mburo, Uganda

The day following our little jaunt into Rwanda, we drove a few hours to Kalinzu Forest Reserve. It was raining pretty heavily, and water was leaking from the air conditioning vents (the joys of budget travel). On top of that, at the next accomodation (Leopard Rest Camp), there were limited room upgrades available. They were snapped up pretty quickly, and so most of us ended up setting up mattresses in the “conference room”. Not ideal, but it was only for one night. I also didn’t really want to put a tent up outside in case it rained and my gear was soaked. Interestingly - there were one or 2 bats perched up on the ceiling of the conference room, which added to the ambience.

The camp offered a “coffee experience” which was actually pretty cool. The host brought over some locally farmed and roasted beans, we grinded them using an oversized wooden mortar and pestle, and enjoyed the freshly brewed coffee with some bananas - both were surprisingly delicious. We sat around the fire in the evening and turned in relatively early. Before going to bed however, someone in the group found out about a couple murdered in the area recently while they were on tour at the Queen Elizabeth National Park. Whilst it was probably unlikely to happen to us, it was interesting to see our guides handle the conversation, and really what could they say? Yes it was possible, and no there’s not really a lot they can do to avoid it - if some crazy terrorists from across the border happened to run into us at the wrong place at the wrong time. I was already resigned to accepting the risk - I was already this far into Africa, a long way away from home, and there wasn’t really an option to do anything else. Funnily enough, the camp had actually hired some guards to patrol the camp site (not sure if it was just for show or they were actually equipped to stop a terrorist attack - one of them only had a bow and arrow).

Making fresh coffee, Africa style

On the morning of the 6th November, we ventured into the Kalinzu Forest to see the chimpanzees, and also visited a tea plantation, stopping for a brief lunch by the bus afterwards.

We headed back across the equator in the Lando (Uganda is one of the few countries int he world where you can cross the equator on land), and then headed to our accommodation for the night at Nile River Explorers River Camp.

Unwinding with the group at Nile River Explorers Camp

Kigali, Rwanda

Today we visited Rwanda. As this was just a day trip from Bunyonyi, we were on a fairly tight schedule to make it across the boarder, spend a day visiting a few sites, then getting back across the border into our Uganda accommodation. The drive into Rwanda took a couple of hours, and it quickly became clear the driver was in a rush. They were absolutely flying down the highways, taking corners far too quickly (we heard the tyres screetching a number of times), and although we joked about it in the car, I think all of us were at least in part legitimately concerned about having an accident. But we survived, and made it into the capital of Kigali.

Kigali, Rwanda

The first stop was a grim experience at the Genocide Museum. I’d only just recently learned about the Rwandan Genocide of the early 1990s, and found a podcast to listen to on the drive over. The gravity of the atrocities quickly dawned on me, which only became more apparent as we entered the museum. The museum was a horrific account of what happened in Rwanda during the genocide against the Tutsi people during the war, and I found myself wanting to learn more and more about what actually happened, the history behind it and the impact on Rwanda and African history since. I learned about the UN’s involvement during this period, and ended up reading a few books written by the UN General in charge of the peacekeeping mission at the time, after I returned back home from the trip.

We were all in a sombre mood after the museum, but still had a few more sites to hit up - mostly related to the genocide still. Later we visited the spot where Belgian UN Commandos were killed, and then had lunch at Hotel des Mille Collins. The hotel became famous after 1,268 people took refuge inside the building during the genocide, and the story of the hotel and its manager at that time, Paul Rusesabagina, was later used as the basis of the film Hotel Rwanda in 2004.

In Rwanda I bought a football kit for Dad, and a kitchen magnet which still sits on my fridge and reminds me of my experiences in Rwanda, and the history of its genocide. My little time in Rwanda left an outsized impression on me, where I become increasingly curious to learn more about just how tragic the genocide was. It was (and is) hard to get my head around how we as a species can turn so dark and inflict such unspeakable horrors upon each other. After reading Shake Hands with the Devil by Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire, I watched the film Hotel Rwanda, and then read Dallaire’s second book about the crippling PTSD he experienced following his time in Rwanda. It still fascinates and saddens me, which is why I’ll never forget my time in Rwanda.

A daily reminder of Rwanda





Lake Bunyonyi, Uganda

We spent most of November 1st driving. We stopped at a local craft store for some good coffee, and as per a very loosely kept tradition, I bought a football shirt from a roadside shop, right next to the equator. Our accomodation in Bunyonyi had some fantastic views over Lake Bunyonyi, and the bar there had a version of Guinness I’d never seen before, which is supposedly popular in Africa. A bit tired of camping, I upgraded my accommodation to a cottage, and it’s here that we set off to see the mountain gorillas - a bucket list experience I’d been thinking about doing for years.

With the group about to start our trek

The day we set out for the gorilla trek was November 3rd. It was absolutely incredible. It was another early start, and a 2.5 hour drive to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. After arriving, we were split up into smaller groups, each one assigned a family of gorillas to track down (the local trackers had set off earlier in the morning to find them, so we had a plan of how to get there). We were warned that, depending on how far away the family was or if they had moved, it could be anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours to locate the family of gorillas. And whilst some walking “paths” were well worn, we’d likely be having to cut our own way through the forest at some point. On top of all that, we’d be fighting bugs, mosquito, and any other surprises that might fall our way.

Mid-trek: no gorillas spotted (yet)

We set off on our group and, luckily, ended up having the easiest experience out of all of the groups. After about 1.5 hours of trekking e came up close and personal with a family of gorillas, and one of them even came up and was trying to play with us. One ran up to Shaun and hit him (playfully), and then started doing roley-poleys, rolling in to my legs as the guide pulled me away. Whilst this young gorilla was friendly and outgoing, the silverback of the group sat at the back and observed everything happening around us. I was glad he did, because he was absolutely huge, and I don’t think I’d have been able to hold my nerve if he started heading towards us. We hung around this family of gorillas for about an hour, and it was far better than anything I could’ve expected for this experience.

One of many gorillas we got up close and personal with

Our time with the gorillas was up, but the experience wasn’t over yet. As we started to walk away, the young playful gorilla came running over through our group, bowling over a few of our members. The guides said it was just “being playful”, but it certainly was an unnerving experience to be around wild animals, and I kept checking over my shoulder to see what the silverback was doing. Luckily he stayed in his spot and we were able to get away in one piece, starting to the long journey back to our campsite for a well earned beer - while we waited for the rest of the groups to make their way back.

Kampala, Uganda

Early start (4:30) today. We packed up our tents and then hit the road for Kampala, Uganda. A long day of driving (11 hours). We make a few stops, but there’s hours on end of driving in between. And it’s impossible to get a decent coffee anywhere.

Crossing the border into Uganda


At 2pm we rolled into Java House which was a welcome surprise. Finally, good coffee! And we only had a few hours left of driving. We made it to the camp site around 5pm, and not long after news spread around the group of a couple who were recently murdered on their gorilla trekking tour. Whilst I still felt “safe”, it is unsettling to hear about these kinds of things happening, to tourists doing exactly the same thing you are, in exactly the same place.

We had some beers by the pool, and welcomed some new campers into our group during dinner. Tomorrow it’s another early start and a long day of driving, but at least there’s a good coffee stop along the way.

Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya

The days are flying by here, so much so that I’ve missed a day of journaling yesterday. We travelled to a new campsite at Nakuru and had our first night of camping. For years it had been a bucket list item of mine to camp in a wildlife park, awakening to the sounds and sights of animals roaming around. Whilst there were none of the Big Five immediately outside our tents, it still scratched the itch that I’d dreamt up of one day living through.

Camping in Africa

The wildlife here was really impressive and we spotted a whole heap of animals. The most impressive encounter being a family of rhinos, which we spent about an hour just watching. We’re on the move again to our next camp site, driving through the countryside of Kenya which is a clean, green change from the dirty and dusty towns we’ve been driving through before. I don’t think there’s any activities today, but tomorrow we head into Uganda.

Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

We set off for our two days camping in Maasai Mara, stopping off at the Great Rift Valley viewpoint. It was a few hours drive total, and a really bumpy road at the end. We visited a local tribe in the afternoon, then entered the reserve and spotted quite a few animals - elephant, buffalo, zebra, hyena, lions with cubs. This was my first ever experience of safari in Africa, something I’d been wanting to do for years. It felt amazing to be standing at the back of the jeep, looking over the expanse of land with animals roaming. This is exactly what I had pictured when I started thinking about planning a trip to Africa.

Day 2 in Maasai Mara was another big day. I was up at around 5 AM for the hot air balloon ride. It was nice, but the weather conditions weren’t ideal - it was quite foggy, so we had to fly low to get a view of any of the animals. We finished with a champagne breakfast with Sadhbh and Dan from my tour group, but I’m not really into these overtly luxurious activities. Later that day we went back into the national reserve, driving around in the Jeep until about 6 PM. We saw loads of animals, it was never ending. The tour group is still forming and getting to know eachother. There’s about 20 of us. I feel more comfortable getting to know people in smaller groups, in larger groups I feel a bit disconnected and go into my shell a bit. We’re on the road again tomorrow with more camping on the menu.

Nairobi, Kenya

This is the first post of a series where I’m retrospectively reflecting on a recent trip to East Africa. It’s now July 2024, but for posterity the date of this post will be set to the date I was actually in each of these places. These posts are based on my journal entries I kept throughout the trip.

So, I’ve made it to a new solo trip. This time, East Africa. It feels good to be getting back to solo travel, something I haven’t done since before COVID. It’s a welcome feeling, getting back to exploring the world, being curious about everything, and dialling up the amount of entropy in my life. Here’s to this trip. To Africa, to adventures, to solo travel, to meeting new people, and having completely new, unpredictable circumstances.

I had a layover in Dubai. Tired and uncomfortable, I wandered around the airport in search of caffeine. I managed to get a short (expensive) long black from Costa coffee. I love how when you’re travelling, and feel a bit worn out or alone, getting one small thing right (in this case, coffee) makes everything feel okay.

Everything feels better after coffee

I almost missed my flight from Dubai as I was waiting at the wrong gate (they don’t announce flight details over the PA at Dubai airport), and it was thanks to a chance conversation with an Indian man that prompted me to check the displays for my gate again. I rushed off to Gate A19a and got on board to Nairobi. Only to sit on the plane for an hour or more before finally taking off.

I finally tucked in to bed at 7:30 PM after a meal at the hotel. After an excellent 10 hours sleep, I packed my day back and set off. Despite being told it’s not safe to walk around Nairobi, I decided to take the plunge. What’s the point of travelling to Africa if you’re not going to take some calculated risks! I’ve the walking tour starting in 30 minutes so thought it would be cool to walk into town, get a coffee and take some money out, and explore Nairobi on foot. I felt so happy on the inside. Being back in a position to travel, see the world, just be in the moment and notice things. It’s such a great feeling, it’s hit me on numerous times in my life and I feel so blessed to be experiencing it again.

My room at The Heron Hotel in Nairobi

Today I did the Nai Nami walking tour, run by a guy named Tsunami. Him and his pals are (in their words) recovered thieves/drug addicts who live in the slums. They showed us around downtown Nairobi which is pretty sketchy. We had lunch at a local lunch joint, and in the afternoon I visited the museum of Kenya - the highlight of which was seeing Turkana Boy, a nearly complete skeleton of a Homo ergaster youth who lived 1.5 to 1.6 million years ago! This specimen is the most complete early hominin skeleton ever found. Tonight I’m meeting up with the G Adventures group, and actually feeling a bit nervous about it!

Last night we had the group meeting. We had to go around the table and do introductions, which is always nerve wracking when you’re in front of a group of strangers. The people seem nice of course. I had a terrible night sleep as I kept thinking about having to get up early and pack. Early the next morning, we split up into 4WDs and set off to Maasai Mara National Reserve for a few nights.

Barcelona, Spain

I was getting tired of moving every few days, so I spent an extra couple of days here - I figured there'd be plenty to do. What I'm realising however is that I'm becoming less inclined to the do's and more so to the who's - and making meaningful connections with people. Not sure if that's a sign of my age or something that I've picked up through my involvement in things such as The School of Life conference.

Luckily, I found this. Whilst at the conference in Lisbon I met Victor, and he encouraged me to contact him when I arrived in Barcelona. When I arrived he gave me plenty of tips on how to navigate the city, and we spent a few great nights out on the town with his mate Andres - full of fantastic food, wine, conversation and laughs. This to me is more important than sightseeing - and it gives the city, the trip and my experiences geniune meaning.

Casa Batlló, one of Antoni Gaudí’s masterpieces

I did tick off a few sightseeing "must-do's", which mainly revolved around Gaudí architecture. While I'm not an architecture buff by any means, I felt a sincere and precise moment of awe when I walked inside Sagrada Família that I won't forget for a long time.

Porto, Portugal

Unfortunately, the last stop in Portugal. A little lonely, but the day spent in Douro was impressive, even if it rained most of the day. Good company, tranquil views and some Port wine helped. Experiencing my first Champions League game (FC Porto vs. Leipzig) was a highlight - the passion from the crowd (the guy next to me jumping out of his seat and yelling out Caralho! every time a player messed up) actually put Old Trafford to shame. Smoking is allowed inside the stadium (and in most nightclubs), so I left Porto with half of my laundry smelling of cigarettes.

Exploring the Port wine region of Douro

London, Manchester and Edinburgh, UK

I've quickly realised that 3 months is next to no time at all to explore Europe. I felt an attachment to Portugal, as it reminds me of my many trips to Brazil, however I begrudgingly had to move on. To colder weather, and a more familiar culture in the UK.

London

London is gigantic, and within it is more than anyone would need of anything - people, shops, rain and traffic. Fortunately I had some friends here to hang out with, which made it feel a little more familiar. The London Tower was impressive, however apart from that I didn't feel a strong connection to the city and its culture. I could see the appeal, however I think because of the strong UK influence in Australia, I didn't get the feeling of exploring the far corners of the world when I was there.

Next stop was Manchester. It was five years ago that I met Louise, Ross & Caroline on my first solo adventure (it was in South America), and on my first night in Manchester we all went out for dinner and some drinks. It's times like this that make you appreciate the friendships that travelling can provide you with.

At The Theatre of Dreams

Manchester was also an eagerly anticipated destination as I was able to fulfil a dream I've had since childhood - seeing Manchester United play at Old Trafford. I met up with another mate of mine who's now living in Leeds, and we soaked up the atmosphere (and some gin & tonics) in a bar outside the stadium before the game. The game itself was an incredible experience and whilst I was worried for a while that the game would end goalless, it was nice to see United score a winner with only 10 minutes to go.

My final stop in the UK was Edinburgh, and to be honest I was eager to get back down to Portugal and Spain. Another place I wanted to see on this trip was the home where my Dad grew up in Scotland - and luckily enough in Jimmy I had an old family friend who was more than happy to take me there. After trying some haggis and walking around the city early the next day, I was back on a plane to Porto, Portugal, where wine tours and more football matches awaited.

A statue of the famous dog "Greyfriars Bobby", who apparently spent 4 years guarding the grave of its owner

A Yelp style review of Lisbon, Portugal

I never thought I'd be someone to have a favourite book or author. However on my last trip throughout Latin America, I stumbled upon The Art of Travel and was soon hooked on the writing of Alain de Botton. A few years on and I now found myself attending his The School of Life Conference here in Lisbon.

Given the subject, I shouldn't have been as amazed as I was by the people I met and the conversations I had with at the time complete strangers. I left the 3 day conference with new ideas, friends and experiences that well and truly inspired me.

Praça Rossio

For reasons of brevity and otherwise, I'm going to sum this post up with a Yelp-style review of my experience of Lisbon:

Overall I recommend this place to literally everyone who isn't boring. It's a beautiful city with friendly people, fantastic food, great hostels and luckily for me it happened to be hosting a just as impressive gathering of like minded people.

Do: Try the beef rolls at As Bifanas Do Afonso, go out for a Portuguese Feijoada and Fado show, walk around the Alfama district, and talk to the cute girl who caught your eye at the conference.
Don't: Book your flights to leave the day after the conference finished (leaving you with no option but to come back in a few weeks to see more of the city), book a 7 bed dorm the first night of your stay because this is undoubtedly where the terminal snorers sleep, and don't spend an hour on the Tram to Belém Tower, arriving at 5:30PM only to realise that it shuts at 5.

4 stars out of 5.

Padrão dos Descobrimentos

São Miguel and Madeira, Portugal

Sao MIguel was probably everything I'd hoped the Canary Islands were, and Madeira everything I was glad they hadn't been.

Lagoa das Sete Cidades (Seven Cities)

Incredibly lush, alive with rolling green paddocks everywhere you looked, the beauty of the island beats you into submission. The views underwater were just as impressive, as I managed to squeeze in a couple of dives to a WW2 wreck and the reef of Lava Quita, where an Octopus got hold of my hand, which took surprisingly more strength than I expected to pull away from him.

Unfortunately Madeira was a bit of a letdown. More brown than green, and the skies more grey than blue. But we found a rock to sit on, and a cliff edge to make you fairly uncomfortable peering over. The traditional snack Bolo de Caco was also a resounding success for many meals spent with Adam and Paul. We'd for years talked about travelling together with the three of us, and in Madeira we finally made it happen.

Sao Lourenco, Madeira

Málaga and Las Palmas, Spain

Well I wasn't planning on blogging this trip, but I had a few requests from friends, family, and even someone from the other side of the world who had been following it and wanted to show their friends.

I'm feeding the travel bug again, this time for 3 months across Europe, Asia, and I've left a good chunk of it unplanned to allow for some surprises.

Nerja

The 30+ hour journey took me to Málaga where I was picked up by Adam, a good mate of mine from school and football back home in Perth. After spending the day in Torre del Mar and Nerja, we spent this night in the centre of Málaga, getting about 3 hours sleep before hopping on another plane, this time to the Canary Islands.

Maspalomas Dunes

Having our own car meant we could explore a fair chunk of the island, although as they drive on the other side of the road, it took my brain a few hours to stop reaching down with my left-hand for the non-existent gear stick. The other thing that took getting used to was the amount of nude beaches in Maspalomas, I actually felt a little self-conscious by having clothes on.

The highlight of the Canaries for me was Roque Nublo. I experience for the first time in a while that transcendent feeling of being awestruck by nature. The trek to it from the entrance was an arduous rocky ascent taking about 25 minutes, which was even harder the second time around after I ran back to get my camera that I'd left in the car.

Roque Nublo