There’s more to Japan than meets the eye and Intrepid leader Aaron Davis explains why the Land of the Rising Sun can also be music to your ears…
“Japan is a photographer’s dream. From the austere beauty of traditional shrines to the vibrant embroidered designs of women’s kimono or the explosive beauty of cherry blossoms in spring, there’s no doubt that this land is a feast for the eyes! But I always advise Intrepid travellers to take time to close your eyes or put down the camera and just listen to the sounds of the country. There’s a lot to hear.
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When you take time to get to know a local community the benefits can include a greater understanding of complex cultural contrasts, as Intrepid Express reader Jeremy Wilson discovered in Thailand…
“A short time back, the BBC reported that a rural school in Thailand risked using their campus for a peculiar experiment: they provided an extra washroom on their grounds; one for boys, one for girls, and one for ‘katoeys‘. The headline read “Thai school offers transsexual toilet.”
If encountered by an individual unfamiliar with Thai culture, such an article will automatically elicit some curiosity on the reader’s behalf. There are so many possible questions that an innocent person could potentially pose concerning this unusual topic. Let’s try to illuminate this murky matter.
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Brooke Malley was determined not to spend the next holiday season alone, but little did she know that she’d fall in love with Egypt, in more ways than one…
“London shuts down over Christmas. It’s hard to believe, but the greatest city in the world is a ghost town from Christmas Eve until after New Year. The streets are deserted and the bars and restaurants closed. I know this after spending one cold and bleak festive day wandering the usually bustling Notting Hill in search of Christmas lunch and a drink. I ended up with soggy take-away pizza.
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By the end of October, if all goes to plan, Bruce McPhie will have officially completed his 200th Intrepid trip! This means that since 1997, ‘Lemon Juice’ Bruce has shared the wonders of Vietnam and Cambodia with almost 2000 travellers from all around the world…
“What an incredible journey! It is hard to believe it has been 12 amazing years. Some time ago, I casually commented to a friend “Where do the years go?”, and he replied “They don’t go anywhere, they just add up.” How true. The past 12 years for me have certainly added up to a fast-paced, wonderful and challenging “real life experience”.
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India is high on so many people’s ‘bucket lists’ and thousands of travellers make a pilgrimage to this country rich in culture and real life experiences.
Intrepid’s Yvette Thompson was overwhelmed by the beauty, contrasts, chaos and spirit of India, but it was the generosity of the Sikh temple that moved her to tears…
“Finally, I have found a religion that makes sense to me! Today we visited a Sikh temple: a place of peace and prayer in the middle of a seemingly disordered, dusty Delhi. As we made our way into the marble entrance, we walked through a pool of cool water, cleaning our soles, or perhaps cleansing our souls, or perhaps both. We made our way up the inside steps, the calm and quiet a vast difference from the perpetual beeping and yelling out on the streets.
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For centuries, pilgrims have walked Spain’s Camino de Santiago to reach to the Galician city of Santiago de Compostela, where the apostle St James is said to be interred.
Intrepid Express reader Barbara Reid was among the weary worshippers whose spirits were lifted by the experience…
“My soul soared and reached the rafters with the magnificent censer in the cathedral at Santiago de Compostela. After walking with my daughter through mid-northern Spain, we arrived in Santiago in time for the pilgrim service.
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Want to look and feel five years younger? According to legend, that’s the result when you bathe in Singang Gila Waterfall on the island of Lombok, so Intrepid’s Sally Arnold couldn’t wait to take a dip in Indonesia…
“From the small rustic village of Senaru, nestled between the base of Mt Rinani and the edge of the lush rainforest, our journey begins. We head off though the jungle to the waterfall. It’s not long before we come to an aqueduct-type bridge. We climb the staircase and step carefully across the bridge, which is actually a water channel suspended over a ravine about ten metres below - not for the faint-hearted! We continue following a series of irrigation channels until we reach the river, then it’s time to roll up our trousers, hold onto our guide and cross the icy water that’s refreshing in the heat.
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There’s nothing pretty about excess packaging, possible water contamination and hair-care products that cost a fortune but leave you feeling less-than-shiny about the results.
It’s easy being green when it comes to giving your own shampoo a go and thanks to Planet Green here are some great recipes for shampoo success…
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Since ancient times communities living in the Sacred Valley of the Incas have worshipped nature and the universe. In Peru today many still subscribe to these strong beliefs and whether or not you consider there to be a logical explanation, Intrepid’s Julio Padilla had a very personal encounter with the powers of Pachamama…
“One day my brother told me he had been given a kind of ancient weapon that came from an underground tomb in the coast of Peru, dating back to around 500AD. I told him this could be very bad luck for him, because where we come from in the Amazon we do not touch things that belong to the dead. The belief of our people in the mountains is that the item could either bring you good times or bad times. And when it is about bad times, the energy of the dead could suck up your soul.
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