Author Archives: Chris Desmond

Oman, Muscat, 10-16 November 2012

Posted on Friday, 16-November-2012 by Chris Desmond

Oman, the home of Frankincense, its tree sap and has been traded for over 5000 years. Very different from Abu Dhabi and Dubai, its mountainous and with its commanding position on the Strait of Hormuz it has been a cross … Continue reading →

Posted in Oman | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

United Arab Emirates, Dubai, January 2011 & November 2012.

Posted on Tuesday, 13-November-2012 by Chris Desmond

Dubai is bigger than Abu Dhabi and the infrastructure is state of the art. The Metro is one of the best, driverless trains, spotlessly clean and cheap. Again it is populated by Indians, Pakistanis and Filipinos, if you see a … Continue reading →

Posted in UAE | Tagged | 3 Comments

United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, 1-5 Nov 2012

Posted on Monday, 5-November-2012 by Chris Desmond

Abu Dhabi, big modern city with 8 lane roads and not a lot of traffic on them, no traffic jams here. There are 1.5 million men and 0.6 million women in this Emirate, 21% locals and 79% Immigrant workers mainly … Continue reading →

Posted in UAE | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Seychelles, Mahe, 25-31 Oct 2012

Posted on Wednesday, 31-October-2012 by Chris Desmond

Home of the Coco de Mer (it’s the biggest seed on the planet, looks like 2 coconuts stuck together) Another idyllic tropical island paradise, any more of this and I could develop an allergy to City air. The people here … Continue reading →

Posted in Seychelles | Tagged | 4 Comments

Mauritius, Mahebourg, 16-25 October 2012

Posted on Thursday, 25-October-2012 by Chris Desmond

Home of the Dodo (it’s an extinct bird) A slightly bigger dot in the southern Indian ocean, roughly 40×50 km, population 1.3 million, 80% Indian origin, 20% African, European and Chinese origin. Being further south means it’s a bit cooler … Continue reading →

Posted in Mauritius | Tagged | 2 Comments

Maldives, Male, 30 Sept – 7 Oct 2012

Posted on Sunday, 7-October-2012 by Chris Desmond

The Maldives looks pretty from the air, the first thing you see at the airport are signs which say among other things “No Dogs”, No Pork” and “No Alcohol”. Resorts are exempt from the Alcohol ban, if you try and … Continue reading →

Posted in Maldives | Tagged | 2 Comments

Sri Lanka, Galle, 29 Sep 2012

Posted on Saturday, 29-September-2012 by Chris Desmond

Last day in Sri Lanka, drove from Galle to the Colombo Airport stopping at the Galle Fort and a Turtle Hatchery. At the Hatchery they collect eggs from the beach before they get stolen, rebury them in the hatchery, wait … Continue reading →

Posted in Sri Lanka | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Sri Lanka, Tissamaharama and Galle, 27-28 Sep 2012

Posted on Friday, 28-September-2012 by Chris Desmond

Descended from Nuwara Eliya 2000m to sea level at Tissamaharama in the south east where you have the famous Yala National Park. From lush green mountains to a dry flat landscape by the ocean. Went on a Yala Park Safari … Continue reading →

Posted in Sri Lanka | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Sri Lanka, Nuwara Eliya, 26 Sep 2012

Posted on Wednesday, 26-September-2012 by Chris Desmond

First stop was the Kandy Botanical Garden, very nice, well maintained then back on the winding road, average speed 30kph to Nuwara Eliya climbing all the way to 2000m. Stopped at a Tea Factory on the way, very interesting process, … Continue reading →

Posted in Sri Lanka | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Sri Lanka, Kandy, 25 Sep 2012

Posted on Wednesday, 26-September-2012 by Chris Desmond

Left Anuradhapura and headed for Sigiriya which has a Temple on this huge rock, I did not climb the 3 million stairs in the 40c heat, took a few pics and off to Dambulla which surprise, surprise also has a … Continue reading →

Posted in Sri Lanka | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment