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
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,