Oman is a fascinating country. For anyone who has been to Zanzibar, there are striking architectural similarities, but it is not all about modern or ancient towns, there’s desert, mountains and, of course, the Arabian Sea! Most of the dive operators are attached to hotels. There is one dive operation, called Dive Oman which is…

While I spent last week in the shadow of Kilimanjaro the thought occurred to me, “Is anywhere still truly remote?” Though we were in the middle of Maasailand and a five-mile walk from the nearest town, Britney Spears still wafted through the air as we worked to lay the foundation for a Maasai health clinic.…

Skagway, Alaska is quite impressive – one shack and a runway! Pyongyang, North Korea – loads of staff servicing very few flights! Canaima, Venezuela, says the Beetle, is quite funny, a tiny strip cut out form the surrounding jungle with a wooden café close by with tens of stalls operated by companies all offering trips…

Greetings!! When last I wrote carnival was in the offing and here it is a month later and it all seems so far away. Rio was excellent despite the weather that alternated between wet, humid and baking hot. I was staying at a fancy hotel (+++++) and the air-con. was a life saver. There was…

Music and travel have been synonymous since the hippies took their music along with them in the sixties. Certain pieces of music have the ability to remind of places we have been and the experiences we enjoyed there. Here are my top 5 that evoke cherished memories of my travels. Istanbul – “Mea Culpa” by…

The Beetle’s second favourite museum in London is the National portrait Gallery. At the moment, this is a terribly fashionable place to be seen as it currently hosting a Mario Testino exhibition, attracting the likes of supermodels and Madonna. It costs £6 per ticket, (like gold dust) which can only be booked through the booking…

This is the first of a series of seven looks at the seven wonders of the world. The list was started in the second century BC and the wonders we know today were finalized in the Middle Ages. Only one still in existence, after some 4,500 years, and visible today is the great pyramid of…