A little over a decade ago, the neighbourhood of Jodipan (in the East Java city of Malang) was deemed beyond hope. Hugging the Brantas River, the area was considered squalid and unsanitary, with dreadful living conditions and severe infrastructure issues. The only solution for the local authorities was to demolish the whole site and relocate […]
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There have been occasions (not too many though) when a travel destination has left me a tad underwhelmed. I had VERY high expectations this time – and (rest assured!) – the experience was as good as hoped for! Getting to the Komodo Islands sounds more complex than it actually is. From Dublin, it means two […]
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There are bucket lists and there are … well … BUCKET LISTS! A while ago now – 2004 to be exact – I first encountered the Komodo Dragon in Sydney Zoo. I’d no idea such creatures existed. Then, much later, I discovered there was a place called KOMODO ISLAND!!! Just imagine! I never seriously thought […]
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I’d always imagined Madagascar as total jungle, narrowly framed by tropical beaches. Anything but! Especially nowadays. The island, which is a bit bigger than France and about twice the size of Arizona, now devotes over 70% of the land to farming. Most farms are small family units – there’s somewhere between 2.4 and 2.5 MILLION […]
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Did you know that Phuket is ranked in the Top Twenty most visited places in the World, welcoming over 10 million tourists per year! Most of those visitors base themselves at the beaches, never making it in to the town itself. That’s a pity – because the island’s capital is lovely and it’s old town […]
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