Church of St John
View of Lake Ohrid
View from Samuel Fortress
On the banks of Lake Ohrid
The ancient theatre of Ohrid
Go for a ride on Lake Ohrid
There’s often confusion when Macedonia is discussed because – depending who you talk to – there are two Macedonias. There’s Macedonia, the small independent country on the Balkan Peninsula which was part of the
Small islet of Sveti Stefan
The fortifications of Kotor
Magnificient Bay of Kotor
Wonderful old towns to explore
Church of St Archangel Michael Herceg Novi
Medieval clock tower in Kotor
Old town of Kotor
If you didn’t know that Montenegro was a country, don’t despair – you’re not on your own! While many travellers from Australia have discovered neighbouring Croatia as a fabulous destination, not so
Naga tribal elder
Wonderful faces of Naga tribes
Wrestling Naga style
Pulling of the monolithic stone
Tribal costumes you will see at the Hornbill festival
Impromptu dancing at the festival
Vibrant colours of Hornbill Festival
Tribal head gear worn at Hornbill Festival
The north east frontier of India has always been a remote outpost even during the rule of the British Raj. Whilst the famous Assam tea plantations saw early colonial interest
Welcome to Guatemala
Making tortias at the Chichicastenango markets
Something is wrong with this picture?
Atitlan volcano
Guatemalan masks
Meet the local cowboys
Local Antigua women selling colourful items
We all travel for different kinds of reasons. Some people like ancient history, others prefer more recent colonial history. Some folks love to photograph wildlife, while some would rather eat
Ruky mosque near Ashgabat
Flag of Turkmenistan
Visit the ancient city of Merv
Local Turkic family
Ministry of Happiness
Sheep pen
Colourful salad bar
Wishing tree - tie a ribbon for good health
Ancient city of Nisa
UNESCO's ancient city of Merv
Turkmenistan – Land of the Turkmen – could best be described as an odd country. The former Soviet state became independent in 1991 and was until 2006 ruled by Niyazov,
Valetta skyline
Mdina - Silent City
Love Malta
Nice way to see the harbour
Azure window in Gozo
Valetta harbour
I am lucky to have travelled to Malta on quite a few occasions. The more I go, the more I love it. Area-wise it’s a tiny country with two main
Bear Rock Porto Cervo at Capo d'Orso
Orgosolo painted mural
Sardinia vineyard
Su Gologone Hotel
A wonderful feast at Pabillonis
Castlesardo's castle at the top
Bosa one of Sardinia's most attractive towns
Suckling pig Sardinian style
Picturesque Su Gologone hotel
Mural at Orgosolo
Wonderful countryside
I came to Sardinia with few preconceptions, except about its reputation for brigands and kidnappings. Our itinerary included a visit to the mountain village of Orgosolo, a headquarters for the
Blossoms in bloom
Kimono ladies
Kumamoto Castle
Birds are out in spring
Daibutsu - The Great Buddha
Nara Todaiji Temple
Hakone Open-Air Museum
The Japanese are obsessed with the short-lived beauty of these fragile blossoms. They pay to reserve spots in the best parks where they can sit and appreciate their surroundings. The
Black volcanic sands of the southern shore
Thingvellir National Park
Icelandic horses
Icelandic fish lunch
Brett & Kate at Skogafoss falls
Gullfoss Falls in Golden Triangle route
The Great Geyser on the golden triangle route
Vic on the south coast of Iceland
We visited Iceland on a recce in 2013. The brief to ourselves was to develop an itinerary providing a “best of” and some lesser-known parts of the country for our
A model of the Arc of the Covenant
Blessing the water
Christians showered with blessed water
Priests chanting
Dancing and drumming as part of Timkat
Tabot is wrapped in cloth and carried through the crowd
Priests dance and shake their clappers during the procession
Priests holding Lalibela crosses
Colour of Timkat
Waiting for proceedings to begin
Day 2 of the Timkat Festival, we reach the special ground where the waters are blessed for the Baptism rites. The whole area was crowded, and locals waved lighted tapers as the priests
Cliffs play host to thousands of breeding pairs of guillemots
An icy home for these gulls
Cautious yet inquisitive walruses
Every ledge is precious to these Guillimots
Thousands of Glaucous gulls
Magic
The magestic polar bear
Our trip was all about the Arctic wildlife. The best opportunity to photograph a bear surely had to be the site where the remains of a sperm whale had been
Feel the serenity
Zodiac excursion
Arctic Rainbow
Blue glacial ice
Spend time watching the amazing birds
Waiting for the ice to carve
Ship ahoy
Kayaking in the Arctic
Arctic bergy bits
It’s coldish up here in the Arctic, ranging from daily maximum of 1 degree celsius to an incredibly warm 10 degrees. On the warm days, we shed layers like reptile
Dressing for the ceremony
Hamar women dancing prior to ceremony
Looking cool
Becoming a man
Face paint part of ceremony
Becoming a man today
Young boy ready for initiation
Young men from many cultures must endure rituals to enter manhood. The young Hamar men of southern Ethiopia’s Omo Valley, prove their manhood by eventually succeeding at ‘cattle-jumping,’ a challenge
I do!
Full bloom in Shinjuku Gyoen park - FINALLY!
Blossoms everywhere
Everyone's welcome
Kanazawa castle
Vibrant blossoms
Tokyo with the sakura blooming
Chasing cherry blossom in Japan is well worth it
Take a tour named Japan in Spring and it’s perfectly reasonable to expect to see cherry blossom … and lots of it. What I didn’t expect was the fervour that came with
Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon
Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach
Magnificient waterfallsa
Blue Lagoon in Reykjavik
Hardy Icelandic horses
Old whale watching ship in Iceland
Whale watching
Quaint farm houses in Iceland
Huskavik port
Cutest puffins in Iceland
Stunning scenery everywhere
Erupting hot springs
Iceland conjures up images of a remote island in the arctic, with freezing temperatures and a small population. After all, who could live on an island in the middle of
What do make of all these Australians
Meet the locals
City view of Tehran
Flag of Iran
Brett at a local restaurant
Local Tehran students
Visit the carpet museum in Tehran
View of Tehran
I cannot recall visiting any country in any part of the world where the people are more welcoming than in Iran. This might sound like a big statement but it’s true. Within my first 24
Nalychevo National Park - Kamchatka
Travertine Creek Kamchatka
One of the many carnivores to be found in Kamchatka
Ex-military helicopter is the standard mode of transport
Valley of the Geysers
A Kamchatka brown bear
One of the many volcanoes in the UNESCO-listed area
I’m fortunate enough to have visited the land of fire and ice on a few occasions. It’s a destination that few people can pronounce and even fewer know where to find. Kamchatka
View of Khiva from the wall
Want to buy a carpet?
Old city of Khiva
A wonderful book to read if visiting Khiva
The walls of Khiva
Walls at sunset
I liked to think I was well travelled but my recent visit to Uzbekistan made me realise that skiing four continents (even including sliding down a couple of runs in
View above Victoria Falls
Brett & Holly Goulston at the falls
Don't miss out on this
Our Blue Dot group ready with raincoats
View from Victoria Falls Hotel
View from the helicopter
Holly Goulston ready to take off
Victoria Falls Hotel
Mosi-oa- Tunya translates to the Smoke that Thunders. It describes the world’s greatest sheet of falling water aptly, where over 500 million litres of water each minute, pours over the
Enjoy the peaceful waterway of Okavango
Mokoros or dug out canoes
Focused on her job
Flying over Okavango Delta
Some impala on our walk
One of our paddlers
Our paddling crew in Okavango Delta
Water lillies in the Okavango delta
Herd of impala in the delta
Gordon and Julie McRonald on tour
Beautiful local girl
Even in the dry season, the Okavango Delta in Botswana’s north west, is an amazing sight. It’s the world’s largest inland delta, which, depending on the season, sprawls across some 15,000-22,000 square
Timurid ruler
Colourful suzannis make a perfect souvenir
Old photos of Samarkand
Exploring Samarkand
Meet the locals in Samarkand
Registan Square Samarkand
Traditional food
Magnificient Sher Dor Madrasah
Samarkand – conjures up so much when you say the name. One of the oldest inhabited cities of Central Asia, Samarkand was a legendary stop along the Silk Road, being strategically
Victoria and Alfred Harbour
Cape Seals
Nelson Mandela's statue on Robben Island with Brett & Holly Goulston
Rock hyrax commonly called a dassie
Wine regions near Cape Town
Table Mountain aerial cableway
African penguins at Simon's Town beach
Victoria and Alfred Harbour Cape Town
Local musicians
District 6 Museum
It’s hard to argue about the beauty of this city, at the very bottom of the African continent. Cape Town points of interest including Table Mountain as a backdrop to the
Nomadic golden eagle hunter
On the road in Kyrgyzstan
Holy Trinity Cathedral in Karakol built with no nails
Livestock is moved to mountains during the summer months
Brod Brennan at Lake Issyk Kul
In Kyrgyzstan they serve a type of bread called “boor sok
Kyrgyz musicians
Summer yurt camp for Kyrgyz family
With an average elevation of 3000 metres and over 90% of the country covered in mountains, you’re in for a treat when travelling throughout Kyrgyzstan. After being in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan the
Mongolian horse and rider at Naadam
Eagle dance by winning wrestlers
Mongolian archery at Naadam
Warming up at Naadam
Wrestling competition at Naadam
Mongolia’s annual Naadam Festival first ran in 1920 but has its roots in the centuries-old traditions of the great Khans. The “three manly sports” of wrestling, archery and horse racing
Panama City bus
UNESCO old town cathedral
Portobelo Spanish Fort
Frank Gehry designed Natural History Museum
UNESCO site Society of Jesus, Casco Viejo
Black Jesus in Portobelo
After a three-day visit to Panama City, I can confirm that Panama is not just about the Canal! Panama City is the most cosmopolitan capital in Central America where many
Victoria Memorial
Artisan making clay statues in Potters Lane
Flower market in Kolkata
Sunset over Hooghly River
Bath time by the Hooghly River
Waiting for the train
Waiting for the next ride
Kolkata is very loud and very busy and some parts (but not all) are dirty. It could be best described as chaotic, but its utterly fascinating and if opening your mind
Whale watching Isle Saint Marie
Tropical paradise
Lobster anyone?
Off the north east coast of Madagascar lies the tropical island of Ile Sainte-Marie, a place where bragging rights are assured because you can almost certainly be sure nobody you know will have heard
Ancient city of Petra
Camels in Jordan
Cool off in the pool
This might be your camel
Desert sunset
Brett Goulston and guides in Jordan
Ready for your camel ride?
Often it’s a country’s capital city that offers a tourist the best things to see and do with the most important places of interest usually located there. This is not
Ovoo - made up of rocks and blue ribbons
Flaming Cliffs Mongolia
Yol Valley frozen river
Brod standing on frozen river with ovoo behind
Ovoo looking across Flaming Cliffs
According to Wiktionary an Ovoo is a shamanistic cairn found in Mongolia, usually made from rocks or wood and found on or around mountains. These large piles are found on mountain
Rhino out in the open grass
On safari in Kazaringa
Sunrise over Kazaringa National Park
Salient features of Kazaringa
Up close to one horned rhino
Early morning elephant safari
Sneaking up on a rhino
Hunting leopards in Kazaringa
Mother and baby rhino
The rays of the early morning sun bounced off the water drops on the giant elephant grass as our mahout steered his 37-year-old elephant on our 5.00am morning safari. The
Bonifacio Citadel
Wonderful Corsican cheese
Bonifacio port and marina
Kings Aragon Steps
Seagull and the cliffs of Bonifacio
Bonifacio atop its Limestone promontory
Azure blue water of Corsica
Corsican olives anyone?
Meet the locals
Dramatic face of Bonicacio
Stunning Corsican cove
One of our best experiences was a day trip from St Teresa di Gallura on the northern tip of Sardinia on a ferry to Corsica. Bonifacio is a town on the
Japanese geisha girl
Sado Island taiko drumming
Anyone for squid
Japanese shrine
Quaint wooden buildings
Taiko Centre for a hands-on drumming experience
Cherry blossoms in the spring
Spring in Japan
Blue Dot Travel clients learning to drum
Japanese girls in traditional dress
Bamboo forest in Japan
Sado Island, one of Japan’s smaller islands, is rarely visited by the European Tourist. In fact, it’s very difficult to find anyone – even in the hotels – who speak
Buddhist statue in ancient city of Polonnaruwa
Sigirya an ancient rock fortress
Warthogs on parade
Deliveroo Sri Lanka style
Elephant safari in Sri Lanka
Crocodile alert
Sigiriya fresco wall paintings
Leopard up a tree in Sri Lanka
Road side fruit stall
Sail away from Negombo Beach
Ceylon spotted deer
It’s no wonder that Lonely Planet recently named this island-nation the “hottest destination on the planet to visit”. And they weren’t talking about the weather! There are so many reasons
Lip plates worn by Mursi tribe
Hamar women in traditional clothes
Ritual face painting of Hamar boys
Typical houses made from acacia wood
Modern take on Hamar tribe boys gear
Hamar women at market
Karo men like to dress up
Young Hamar man in traditional costume
Painted face of Hamar boy
The Omo Valley, in the remote south-west of Ethiopia, is a vast river basin fringed in the far distance by mountains. Life here has largely stood still. No Ethiopia trip is
Burchell's zebra
Lioness kicks back and relaxes
Small ears ... small eyes ... big mouths!
Time to head home late in the day
Brett & Holly Goulston ... cute hats!
Tranquil lands provide sanctuary to much wildlife
Baby elephant after its bath
Wildlife is abundant and in close range
Just saying this country makes you feel like you are on an exotic safari! Recently I camped in Botswana with my teenage daughter. It was a never-to-be-repeated daddy/daughter experience. There
Beautiful Split Harbour
Harbour of Hvar Island
Rooftops from Dubrovnik wall
Walls of Dubrovnik
Terracotta roof tops
View from Castle Hvar
Dubrovnik Church Tower
Dubrovnik Harbour
View from Hvar Castle
Croatia could be described as the “new” Italy for Australian travellers. The people, the pace of life and the food are considered “similar but different”. If you haven’t visited
Gorilla eating tree bark
Walking to find the gorillas
Two juvenile gorillas
Brett and Kate ready for ultimate gorilla experience
Magnificent siverback gorilla
Mother and baby gorilla
Tranquil Uganda landscape
There are just 880 mountain gorillas left in the wild. They exist in three countries; The Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda, has over 400 living in the mountains, almost half
You may be lucky to see a tiger in Southern India
Bath time by the river
Enjoy House a boat experience on the tranquil backwaters of Kerala
Boatman with bamboo pole
Everyday life along the river
Kerala houseboat
Local transport on Kerala backwaters
Back waters of Kerala
The South of India around the Kerala Backwaters, could not be more of a contrast to the North. If your view of the North conjures up images of overcrowding, huge
Ancient citadel - Tower of David
Ultra orthodox children
Israel's Negev desert is magic
Dinner Tel Aviv style
The Bell Caves have a unique sound
Explore the landscape of the Negev Desert on camel
The Dead Sea - lowest point on earth
Wailing Wall in Jerusalem
Palestinian man enjoying his lunch
Fascinating ancient ruins of Beit She'an
Israel has many unofficial names including The Jewish State, The Promised Land and the Land of Milk and Honey. But it could also be called Iswowl! There is so much
The famous Bikini Girls mosaic
Images from the Great Hunt
Inside Villa Romana
Bringing back the wild boar
Gentlemen hunting scene
The cheeky embrace
Elephant boarding a boat
Fishing from a boat
Lion kill mosaic
Most likely created by north African craftsmen
A major highlight of our visit to Sicily was Villa Romana del Casale, a Roman Villa built in the first quarter of the 4th century and located about 3km outside the
The origin of nuraghes is uncertain
Nuraghes from prehistoric Sardinian culture
Each nuraghe is different from the other
Each nuraghe contains hundred of stones
Stand only by virtue of the weight of the stones
Large stones on the base of nuraghe
No one can visit Sardinia without becoming aware of the island’s ancient Nuraghes, built between 1500-1200 BC. They are Bronze Age circular towers built with local rock without mortar of
Iranian women
Ancient city of Bishapur
Beautiful places to visit in Iran
Dried herbs used in Persian cuisine
Friendly locals in Iran
Turquoise tiles of Iran
Persian gardens
Beautiful eggplants for sale
Rolling dough for dinner
Architectural columns with blue tiles
Want to buy a carpet?
Often when you mention to a friend or family member that you plan to tour Iran or have an interest to, it is often met with a question of “Why?”
Local fishing boats
Dried fish at the market
Colourful sign
Fresh produce at the markets
Beautiful old wooden buildings
Beautifully restored building
Locals going to work
I’m on a research trip with my wife Kate, doing our homework for a tour to what is collectively knows as The Guianas. We travel from Guyana to Suriname, flying into the
Located in north-east India and bordering Myanmar (Burma), the state of Nagaland is one of the last frontiers of India and is home to sixteen major Naga tribes – the
Timkat Festival unfolds
High priests carrying the church Tabots
Deacons in a rhythmic dance
Orthodox Christian priests bless the water
Christians showered with blessed water
Annual site of Timkat in Lalibella
The Timkat Festival is a highlight of any visit to Ethiopia. Celebrating the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, it is one of the most important religious events in the Ethiopian
The Big Tsingy
One of the many lemurs
Crossing the suspension bridge
At the river crossing
Rafts are pulled across the river
Ring-tailed Mongoose
Climbing up through the gorge
Tsiribihina River crossing
Everyday tasks along the river
Using carabiners to hook on and off
Crossing suspension bridgs
River crossings on the way
The highlight for many of us on our Madagascar trip has been the trip to the Big Tsingy. Just getting there is an adventure! After passing through ancient baobab forests we finally
Three Brothers rock
Valley of the Geysers
Native wildflowers
View from your helicopter
Cute ground squirrel
Brown bear looking for salmon
Fishing for salmon in Kamchatka
Brett hiking up Mutnovsky Volcano
Looking for wildlife
Not many people know where Kamchatka is. And not many people can pronounce it, let alone spell it. For the record… it’s a peninsular at the southern end of Siberia,