Laos
It was a dusty border crossing – the newest gate on this frontier, and as far as anyone could tell, the least used. The visa clerk, who had been called […]
Countries
Vietnam
It’s very easy to judge a country before you get there, and for Vietnam there are no prizes for guessing what I thought. Try playing James Bond’s word association game: […]
Japan
The airport guard was trying to tell me something and he looked rather agitated, his hands whirling in some cross-linguistic mime. I thought I understood his message but I definitely […]
South Korea
On the plane to Hong Kong I chose a South Korean spy film as the in-flight movie. It was about a Southern spy who befriended his target in the North […]
Canada and Alaska
The North. My tour so far had passed through familiar ground: the trip down memory lane on the European prologue, the prairies and dustbowls of the southern US, the well-used […]
The United States of America
The USA is so many things. World policeman. Imperial power. Nation of immigrants. The home of the free. International bully boy. Inward looking nation of rednecks. Jesusland. The gun capital […]
Portugal
If you’re like me you’ve always thought of Portugal as something of an annex to Spain, tacked onto the side, a 20% Extra Free offer on land area, kind of […]
France
I love France. For any Brit looking to do a first cycle tour, it’s the ideal place: friendly drivers, good roads, better food, lots of wine and a climate that […]