Rensina van Den Heuval regularly takes small trips to Mongolia - you can join her 24 August - 9 September 2019 this year More. Here she writes about food in Mongolia. Dumplings... Sitting in a teeny cafe in a Gobi desert town of Dalanzadgad, I see a very tall young Mongolian man saunter through the door. Everything about him is big. His presence, his walk and his traditional brown leather boots with pointy turned up toes. I am guessing … [Read more...]
A Pedestrian in Paris – book Review
The Most Beautiful Walk in the World - a pedestrian in Paris, by John Baxter, Harper Perennial Reviewed by Ceridwyn Parr What is the most beautiful walk in the world? For ex-pat American John Baxter who has chosen to live in Paris- sigh- the most beautiful walk is down his street. His street happens to be Rue de l’Odean, in St Germain –des-Pres. This is where Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby, where Gertrude Stein lived with Alice B … [Read more...]
Becoming a Digital Nomad
Colleen Kinsey Writes about life as a digital nomad I remember what my life was like two years ago. I did the normal 8 to 5 corporate job Monday through Friday. By the time Friday would finally roll around, I was too exhausted to plan the trips or adventures I was secretly pining to do. Instead, I would scroll through travel blogs and Pinterest and dreaming of a different life. One day, I came across a blog that mentioned the term “digital … [Read more...]
West Coast of Africa
The West Coast of Africa is a place that I have dreamed of travelling in for a ‘lifetime’…but the opportunity never presented itself and I was always busy ‘doing’ other things. I have travelled in many countries now and as the world has changed a lot since my teenage dreams of it, Africa has waited. Rensina van den Heuvel writes: But I am 61 now and time waits for no one. As my overlander travelling partner, love of my life and treasured … [Read more...]
Mongolia volunteering and exploring….
Rensina van den Heuvel is a regular traveler to Mongolia, and loves sharing Mongolia with others. Read more of her stories here Join her on this trip which includes: a week in Mongolia volunteering on a Project at Lotus Childrens Centre followed by two weeks into the wilds of Mongolia - a camping, walking and cultural expedition. 2-23 July 2018 All inclusive price $2000USD excluding international airfaires We will spend our first week … [Read more...]
Walk with Camels
Rensina is once again heading overland. This time in Australia. "Just stay up on the wagon, hang on to the reins and hold the handbrake as well; in case they bolt," Debbie yelled at me as she attempted to control the two huge woolly beasts which she has just harnessed to the wagon which I am now standing on. Truth be known I was actually clinging on; in an elevated state of alert....not quite panic. My adrenaline levels hit a new high when … [Read more...]
Sacred Valley Women’s Weaving Collective – a must visit
Awamaki is an organisation which connects Andean women in with international markets. It operates out of Ollantaytambo an amazing Inca village in the heart of the Sacred Valley in Peru. We had been told by someone else about this women's weaving collective, and were keen to do it - we had a spare day in Ollantaytambo and this was how we wanted to spend it. Read more about our stay in Ollantaytambo and we loved it and recommend staying … [Read more...]
Rafting the Urubamba River in the Sacred Valley
When I read the Lost City of the Inca’s, the Urubamba River was such a key element in the story of the Sacred Valley, that I set out to find a way to raft it. Some warned against ‘less than satisfactory’ safety and equipment on some trips, so we asked advice and found Apumayo.com offered a 2 hour rafting trip near Ollantaytambo. What a great trip – Luis our guide was fantastic, spoke great English, knew his plants and history. He … [Read more...]
Ollantaytambo, the best place to stay in the Sacred Valley
We arrived in Cusco, and headed directly to the Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley – the only Inca town that is still inhabited. Many people had recommended this as a way of dealing with altitude; the other benefit is that our first experience of Peru is this amazing Inca town. KB tours met us as arranged with a taxi at Cusco airport for transfer to Ollantaytambo (always a relief when an arrangement actually works!) Our driver stopped several … [Read more...]
Santiago or Quito? Quito or Guayaquil?
Santiago is crowded, smoggy, full of traffic. I enjoyed the time we spent there, and we are going back on our way home. It is great to spend two nights to recover from a flight like ours from New Zealand. However if you asked me where I would rather spend some extra time, it would be Quito in Ecuador. Quito or Guayaquil? We were on our way to the Galapagos, and our flight could go from Guayaquil or Quito. Quito was the right choice! We … [Read more...]
