Hill Town Hopping Through Central Italy

John

It’s a beautiful, sun-drenched morning and we’re driving through tranquil rolling hills, past the occasional vineyard and olive grove, and tiny picture-perfect rural villages. We’re so distracted by the scenery that it’s a while before we realise the roads are getting ...

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Dahab Diving: A Red Sea Escape

John

Sydney diving is great fun, but we’ve been aching for the warm, clear waters of the Red Sea, and the spectacular dive sites off the coast of Dahab. It’s a place we frequently talk about, especially with other divers, and ...

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Bali’s underwater wonderland: Photo Gallery

John

Superb shipwrecks, mantas, mola mola, fantastic coral, cute cuttlefish, morish muck diving, nifty night diving and fantastic tropical water with awesome visibility. Add easy, relatively short flights from Sydney, great cheap accommodation overlooking the ocean, and friendly, gentle people, and ...

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A birthday diving adventure in Bali

John

Hopping across to Bali from Sydney may not be your typical long weekend break, however for this birthday boy it seemed like a great antidote to the depths of a Sydney winter. Sunshine and diving anyone . . . . ...

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Sri Lanka: Circumnavigating the emerald teardrop

John

We arrive at Colombo International Airport at 5am, weary and a little tetchy after taking the red eye from Mumbai. After a long queue through immigration with a plane load of other grumpy travellers, we finally emerge into a breaking ...

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From the Red Sea to the Dead Sea

John

It was a journey of biblical proportions, starting with a mad dash across three countries in as many hours as we crossed borders from Egypt through Israel and finally into Jordan.

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Istanbul to Cappadocia and everything in between

John

Our tour guide looks and sounds frighteningly like Borat. He’s decked out in a safari vest, a neck scarf, and he’s sporting a moustache Merv Hughes would be proud of.

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Maasai Mara Safari: Photo Gallery

John

Welcome to safari heaven. The Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya is 1,500 square kilometres of expansive savannah landscapes, magnificent wildlife and vibrant local culture. Whether you’re out spotting the Big Five on a jeep safari or hunkering down at your camp twitching for birdlife, every ...

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From Bedbugs to Bliss: A Marrakech Birthday

John

Carrying the scars of the budget-conscious – bedbug bites, mozzie welts and that general itchy, uncomfortable feeling that comes from staying in less-than-salubrious digs, we left windy Essaouira for our return to vibrant Marrakech and some five star treatment. Arriving at Maison MK in ...

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Pushing the senses: Fez to Essouira

John

“Welcome to Fez, where you from?”“Australia.”“G’day maaate! What you looking for?”“Just walking, thanks.”“There is nothing this way, it is closed.”“Really.”“Really, the lane, it is closed this way.”“Well, we’ll have a look anyway.”“The tannery is not this way, you want to ...

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Falling for Iguazu

John

Iguazu Falls is a place where pictures really do speak louder than words . . . and even then, it’s hard for photos or even video to really do this amazing place any kind of justice.

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New Orleans: Jazzed in the Who Dat Nation

John

‘Who Dat!’ It’s been the catch-cry of proud New Orleanians for over a hundred years, and it had a resurgence last year after the New Orleans Saints won the superbowl. More than just the game, the win was symbolic of ...

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