Mar 28th by Ian under Travels, my Friends travels
In 1997 my son and I took our Mercedes 408 camper van on a trip through Nth Ireland and Eire. That was the first year the ferry ran from Campbelltown to Ballycastle, we parked on the Campbelltown pier, nice and flat, and near the chippy and cinema. Handy to pee on a slipway down into the harbour, but not in the morning after the tide had been in and it was a bit slippery, for Neil cos he ended up in the harbour! I heard a shout and plop rushed over to see Neil swimming to a ladder and me …
Mar 2nd by davidleask under Travels, my Friends travels
Tags: Mount Rainier, Seattle, Space Needle
My wife and I visited Seattle in September 2007 as part of a mini tour of the USA’s Pacific North West. We found it a very interesting city and from a photographic point of view it is something very special.
We stayed 5 nights at the Best Western Plaza by the Green Hotel in Kent, to the south of the city. Although still very much within the sprawl of Seattle the hotel was around 30 minutes drive from the centre. Travelling around was fairly easy with the Interstate 5 running north/south through the city linking all the main attractions.
Eating …
Feb 22nd by Ian under Travels, my Friends travels
I worked in the Egyptian desert, it’s western desert, as an inspector of civil works. The whole trip was an experience particularly Cairo. I know cities can sprawl, but Cairo when flying over it in a small plane is huge!! Anyway to the desert, the company I worked for, was, from memory Solus engineering and the guys i worked with were all brits, so we stuck together. Americans were there of course and that multi-national company Schlumberger. Anyway to the point of the blog, El Alamein, amongst our group were two pot smokers, plus me and a scouscer boiler maker …
Feb 21st by Ian under Travels, my Friends travels
Tags: Hong Kong shopping, wimpey asphalt
Sent by Wimpey Asphalt to set up a post as technical manager, I arrived in Hong Kong, the MD immediately set about me with beer and the need to stay. I was resolute having been an expat I had to measure up the place. It did not measure up, plus for the first time in my life I had jet lag!! When you lie awake in the middle of the night having had a belly full of beer you know you are in trouble. So what of Hong Kong? Great for shopping, terrible for driving, most cars are automatic, because …
Feb 20th by Ian under Travels, my Friends travels
Tags: angel falls, Caracas, Il Pirata, St Lucia
Pete and I were so fed up with St Lucia, that from information gleaned from the Italian owner of our local restaurant / bar the Il pirata (the pirate) we decided at Christmas we were off. Landed Christmas eve got to hotel, booked in and took to our feet. We were lucky to get fed and watered by 9.0pm as everywhere was closing down. So ended up in bed early to be woken at 12.00 when the whole place went mad with fireworks and a street full of people. We stayed in bed. Next day we started to explore on …
Feb 15th by davidleask under Travels, my Friends travels
Once I’d seen images of grizzly bears catching salmon I was sold. I had to go see for myself and try to capture similar images.
After a bit of research on the web and through photographic forums my wife and I came up with only a few options where we could view grizzlies in the wild, have guaranteed sightings (well almost!), and be safe all at the same time. We chose Brooks Falls in Alaska, within the Katmai National Park, for our adventure of a lifetime. Further research lead us to our tour operator Katmailand at www.katmailand.com. [As a wee …
Feb 14th by davidleask under Travels, my Friends travels
Tags: Hotel Cloisters, Photography, Prague
Prauge is a very beautiful city, especially in December when the Christmas markets are on the go. Here are my thoughts and musings after a long weekend trip there last December.
We flew from Edinburgh to Prague using Jet2.com – very easy and quite cheap. You may hear “horror” stories about being ripped off by taxi drivers and to make sure you book a transfer from the airport. These transfers will cost around £40 return. We chose to find our own way into the city from the airport. Get on the 119 bus to Dejvicka metro station (it’s the bus …
Jan 31st by Ian under Materials and Construction, Travels, my Friends travels
I like Oman, and it’s people, even though when I had to leave within a month when my work permit was not granted, I had 5mins left on my visit visa, at the airport, Mr jobs worth said, your lucky, another five mins and we would have to jail you. Back to Dubai I went.
I was subsequently jailed, but that’s another story.
Anyway I loved Oman, real people, real links to the history of their land, settled they were. I could sense the difference between Dubai, Saudi, Bahrain, and Oman, settled, the folks there had been there a while …
Jan 28th by Ian under Miscellaneous, Travels, my Friends travels
Tags: army worms, laterite roads, Liberia, third world
Army worms? what on earth are these attacking the crops in Northern Liberia? Seems they are a caterpillar of a moth.
Insects and snakes dominated my first few weeks in Liberia, mainly through expats, not really winding you up (that did work) but it’s a kind of “induction”. In 1979 I arrived as a seldom drinker and emerged 6 months later as a regular drinker. I blame McCluskey, and he has carried on being an expat, where I no not where? McCluskey you’re a Luddite without a pen. Liberia, my first third world country, I was seconded to Ove Arup …
Jan 25th by Ian under Miscellaneous, Travels, my Friends travels
Tags: BBc world service, Club Med, DAB radio
Even those poor inhabitants of Gaza will have realised that change has happened in America. Mainly because their plight is linked to America, but not through being able to watch TVs, with lumpy and restricted electricity, in situations like these the power of the radio becomes the communication media. I have for years listened to the BBC world service. In Oman I had a Nissan Patrol that had a short wave feature on the radio and I could pick up the world service, brilliant. A link to home and the rest of the world. I am not a newspaper fan, …
Jan 21st by Ian under Miscellaneous, Travels, my Friends travels
Maybe we will discover our own island now that the pound has less than parity with the Euro and we have less disposable income. I have been privileged or took my chances on working abroad during the early years of my marriage. This project to project country hopping business, did in my pension but it gave me a wider view. Travel does broaden the mind and working as an expat does make you singularly able, or sent home. I have seen more than a few very able in the UK not cope with expat life. What I paint is a …
Jan 10th by Ian under Materials and Construction, Travels, my Friends travels
The standard of detail is appalling and the bulletin issues never help as it is just overload, then as you find apparent mistakes and dichotomies and TQ them, it jams up the system. Much time is spent not in producing solutions but trying to understand what the client requires.
Dec 24th by Ian under Bird Watching, Travels, my Friends travels
Tags: Bird Watching, saffa park, Salim Ali
There is, I my opinion, a feel good factor that comes from gardening, allotmentering, (new word) and birdwatching. It is our link to the Earth and literally the soil. Is this in everyone’s psyche ? mmm wii playing young things, maybe not cultivated yet, time enough. I grew up in the country and I only remember the countryside as a part of my education by one teacher in primary school, I hope things have changed given our environmental situation.
Holidays never meant that much to me, well what I mean is the concept of ” I am dying to go …