Sand Skiing (video clip)

Check out the not-so-steady-cam clip for our MTV moment of flinging ourselves down the world's (reputedly) biggest sand dune, Big Daddy.

Fish River Canyon, Namibia

Our first sight in Namibia was a stunner. Fish River forms the second biggest canyon in the world. To Sam's disapointment, but Phil's relief, the 5-day walk through the parched river bed was closed for the horrendous heat of summer.


So instead we pushed on through the desert, in full belief that our landrover is the toughest vehicle there is.

Northern Cape, South Africa

With a fully-loaded landrover we shot north from Cape Town until a sneaky detour took us off the tarmac highway and into diamond country.

De Beers security guards waved us through endless checkpoints and surveillance stations. We only relaxed once we made it to the banks of the beautiful Orange River.

We spotted our first game, gemsbok and ostrich, on the other side of the river, the Namibian side. Our wildlife adventures were about to begin.

Western Cape, South Africa

First stop on our landie trial run was the whale-watching mecca, Hermanus. Uncle Phil was alert on duty even if others seemed to prefer beach chatter.


At the heart of our jaunt around the southern tip of Africa were formal and fabulous celebrations with all of Phil's close family at a private game reserve. After our fill of sparkling wine we lazed in the tiny Victoria Bay. Whales, seals and dolphins were of brief interest, but not before diving into fish and chips and watching the local surfers.

From the coast we turned inland, through ostrich country, and up and over the Swartzberg Pass. Not too painful, we rested in sleepy Prince Albert before our first taste of the desert: The Great Karoo. We swept on down the N1 and into the beautiful Breede river winelands.

Here we paused a short while to train our palate. Before heading to Stellenbosch for just one more quick tasting.

Swartzberg Jazz (video clip)

A musical interlude during our first big driving test.

Hout Bay, Cape Town, South Africa

We're ready for the second leg of our travels; We've done Asia, now it's time for Africa. Arriving in to Cape Town we were warmly welcomed by our generous hosts, Pam and Paul.

Sam's Dad Paul served up dinner and his wife Pam poured the drinks in a flurry of lively meet-the-relatives evenings. Hout Bay is our launch pad for more adventures. For not only are Paul and Pam hosting us in their lovely home, but for two months they are also lending us their prized wheels.

Some route-planning, lessons in mechanics and optimistic packing and we are now all set for our great trek into Africa.

Life Interruption: April to August 2010

On returning to England our travel blog went awry. Weeks passed as we indulged in boost bars, newspapers, Jim's food and all the fine things we'd missed. All importantly, we spent time with family and friends. Not least as Sam had some auntie duties to catch up on.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD THEO, SEBASTIAN AND GIL!

Phil went to work at sea, first off the coast of Cumbria but now West Africa where he is watching humpback whales.

And we returned to Skopelos. Back to our own secret beach, the official starting point of our travels last July.

The beach from which we now begin a whole new big adventure...
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Catch of The Day (video clip)

A romantic beach sunset is interrupted as the unusual catch of the day is brought ashore.

Ngwe Saung, Burma

It's been a full 12,000 miles since we last saw the sea: the Aegean to the Andaman. We ran over the hot sand and charged into the surf, as Ngwe Saung marked the end of our travels. For now, anyway.

In this stunning beach setting we took the time to reflect on all the experiences of our last 8 months exploring Asia. Before starting to wonder about the rest of the world.

Inle Lake, Burma

There is an otherworldly feel to the beauty of Inle Lake. The shallow waters are fringed by an all but lost way of life where vegetable patches float and inhabitants paddle along boats with just one leg.

Pushed along in this peculiar manner we explored the semi-aquatic street-life of a village built entirely on stilts. It's a surreal feeling to glide along at the eye level of tomatoes, broad beans and chillis growing voraciously on little organic islands.

At another village, we visited a project supported by our irrepressible new friend, Pascale. A workshop producing refined scarves from silk and the root of the vital lotus plant.

Behind the tourist friendly shop-front a team of craftsmen and women keep alive their traditional techniques. We were humbled to learn that the silk-workers' daily reward was less than the change from a modest purchase.

The many traditional ethnic groups of the area are recognisable by the colour of their rich clothes. We couldn't help but be inquisitive and our friend Nan Pan, a more worldy modern Burman, was able to break the ice.

We soon became objects of curiosity ourselves. Kids in the marketplace stopped to stare at us before collapsing into giggles.

The extraordinary sights, sounds and feelings of exploring Inle Lake, and in such good company, will live long in our memory.

Stilted Village (video clip)

Our extraordinary tour of an ordinary village on Inle Lake.

Bagan, Burma

Bagan is the most magnificent complex of ancient temples we'd never heard of. On a dusty plain by the Irrawaddy river, noble kings and petty despots have been building pagodas here since the 9th century. There are now thousands of them. Some crumbling, some brand new.

Bagan should be world renowned for its history and beauty. It could be a modern tourist mecca congested with tour buses. As it was, we toured the vast area with a few new friends by bicycle, fuelled by freshly ground cane sugar juice.

A knowledgeable young guide showed us the exquisite frescoes, Buddhist icons and long forgotten nooks of one of the few pagodas we managed to explore.

In truth, we gave the temples short shrift, for in Bagan we became English teachers.

Our class of young adults were so keen to learn that the cultural wonders took a back seat as we began classes in a spare space in the local monastery. We offered only enthusiasm and native vowel sounds but were soon overwhelmed, and a little embarrassed, by the generosity shown in return. Our students gave us performances of lute-playing, traditional dancing, gifts of watermelons, paintings and wood carvings and made us guests of honour at their peanut-farming village.

One day, when we return, we really should spend more time admiring the pagodas.