Author Archives: Ursula It is hard to know what to say about a day on which one of the high points is a rough-hewn three-sided toilet shelter. For most of our bumpy drive across the Mongolian steppes, we made do with rocks to squat behind. Cross-country travel in Mongolia is not for the faint-hearted – or for those who are weak of […]  Lucerne has history. Of course, every place has a history. But – as is the case across Europe – so much of Lucerne’s history is still present in the wood, the stones, and the brickwork of the Old City. Lucerne also has scenery: sitting on Lake Lucerne where the Reuss runs into it, and surrounded by mountains – including Rigi and Pilatus – Lucerne […]  It is hot in the northern reaches of Namibia. Very hot. Even in August, in the middle of the dry, winter season, when night temperatures can drop below 10°C (which is pretty cool when you are camping!), the sun rises early and bakes the arid landscape. By mid-morning, the daily highs of 30°C+ have already been reached. I […]  I had a map and a plan. Turns out, I needn’t have bothered! We were headed into Đà Nẵng for a February afternoon, and I had done my homework. But, as soon as my husband and I alighted from our resort shuttle bus, we were greeted by a smiling pedicab driver who cheerfully persuaded us we […]  The New Year’s period is a time when we can look back over the recent past and start to make plans for the coming 12 months. As regular visitors to these pages know, I usually escape to the mountains during this time, preferring some quiet contemplation over the noisy drunken revelry that is more common in the […] |
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