The Travel Bug

Sydney is the largest and most cosmopolitan city in Australia, with lots of attractions for residents and tourists alike.

Much of the action is based around its large and picturesque harbour, which features boat rides, swimming and sightseeing, either from the water, the shore, or high up on the magnificent bridge which straddles the harbour.

Far North Queensland cities like Cairns and Townsville are gateways for the Great Barrier Reef, where the water is extraordinarily clear, and the reef is full of surprises, such as remarkably colorful giant clams.

From Cairns you can explore the surrounding attractions of the tropical rainforest, while Townsville and Magnetic Island, just offshore, are home to animals of the dry forest, like echidnas and koalas.

Delight yourself with the comical antics of those adorable fun-loving Australians.

Who can forget such classics of "dinkum Aussie culture" as gambling on the outcome of toad races?

Belize is the only English speaking country in Central America and a good introduction to the pleasures of this area of the world.

Tucked away below the south-eastern edge of Mexico, its relatively undeveloped attractions are ideal for adventurous travellers.

At the time I visited his kingdom, the Sultan of Brunei had for many years been the world's richest man, courtesy of the massive oil wealth which he distributed as he saw fit.

Since then he's fallen on harder times, his richest man bragging rights taken by a computer geek called Bill Gates, his moral purity tarnished by accusations that he kidnapped an American beauty queen as a sex slave, and his family's unity broken by the financial scandals brought about by his brother Jeffrey.

Still, the oil keeps flowing, and the largesse trickles down to the general populace in the form of free education, free health care, and no taxes.

The oil wealth has resulted in a population lacking in initiative and enterprise, with the ironic result that the jungle which forms the background to the narrow inhabited coastal strip has been left virtually untouched, to the benefit of the local insect and bird life.

Cambodia is perhaps most well-known for the slaughter perpetuated by the genocidal ultra-communist Khmer Rouge, commanded by the infamous Pol Pot.

If you come to the capital, Phnom Penh, then it's well worth a visit to the memorials of this dark period, like the Choeung-Ek killing fields and S-21, otherwise known as Tuol Sleng, one of 196 detention and torture centers.

As all informed people know, Canada is a frozen wasteland, a vast country with a razor thin inhabitable strip just north of the border with the United States.

It's a land where the currency is called the looney and the national animal is an oversized rat.

As the more astute among you might have already deduced, my actual experience of Canada is limited to the area around Niagara Falls.

Perhaps if I'm not assassinated by enraged Canadians I might one day have an opportunity to explore more of the country.

Costa Rica's volcanoes are a definite drawcard, and some tourists are even lucky enough to see them when the ever-present clouds part.

The architecture, though often pleasant, befits the country's position as a modest backwater.

There's very little worthwhile diving, and although there's some surfing and some attractive white sand beaches, this country will never be in the same league as the Caribbean islands inundated by hordes of sun-worshippers each winter.

The Czech Republic has some of the most attractive architecture in the whole of Europe, with Gothic cathedrals, Renaissance towns, castles and chateaus scattered all around the country.

Even without travelling around, you can sample a lot of these cultural treasures by spending a few days in the very lively and pedestrian friendly capital of Prague.

Salamanders, toadstools and killing machines aren't the only exotic delights of the Czech Republic.

Aviation enthusiasts like myself can also visit the Kbely aviation museum in Prague for a broad selection of German aircraft from world war two, as well as Russian cold war equipment and machines designed and built in the Czech Republic itself.   Fans of the really freakish can make a beeline to the town of Sedlec, which has a chapel decorated entirely with human bones!

However Napoleon and those who followed were by no means the first or only people who had been drawn to the extraordinary relics that are found here.   So while you can certainly see French grafitti inside the Red Pyramid and British grafitti on the Temple at Philae, there is even more ancient grafitti on artifacts such as this Shrine of Hathor which is now at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.   This country is jam packed with monuments and artifacts.   At times it seems as if there are almost too many ancient wonders in the country, and if you're not careful you might find yourself secretly dreading your next visit to that awesome temple or tomb.

One wonder which earlier tourists certainly didn't experience was the beauty along Egypt's Red Sea coastline.

The island nation of Fiji has a huge amount of variety, with sandy beaches, flat coral islands and large mountainous volcanic islands with thick forests and waterfalls scattered across a large area of the South Pacific.

The only part of the natural environment which many tourists encounter first hand is the coral reef which they snorkel on, an attraction which brings thousands of hard-core scuba divers to this country each year.However, there's also some interesting native birdlife and other wildlife, including flying foxes as well as beautifully coloured dragonflies, damselflies and beetles.

It's a shame, not only for the people who have to cope with this legacy, but also because Guatemala has a lot of geographical and historical sights to offer visitors including Tikal, the largest and most spectacular complex of Maya temples and buildings in Central America.

Indonesia is the fourth most populated country in the world, with over 230 million people, and it's also very diverse culturally.

The most well-known tourist destination within Indonesia is the island of Bali, renowned for the Hindu-based culture of its people, expressed in painting, carving, dance and the many temples which still form a vital part of daily life.

The large human population and a largely unfettered plundering of natural resources has decimated the original flora and fauna, but Indonesia is still considered the second largest region of bio-diversity in the world, after the Amazon basin.

In particular, divers will find a whole universe of other-worldly creatures, and Lembeh Strait in northern Sulawesi can justly claim to be the "muck diving" capital of the world, home to more extraordinary animals than can be seen on any coral reef, such as the "bearded ghoul" shown here.

The ancient culture of Japan lives on strongly even amidst the modernity and ugliness of its commercial buildings and the practical needs of its citizens. 

The atomic bombing of Hiroshima is one part of history that many Japanese would rather forget, both for the terrible direct consequences, and for the memories of their own actions which most Japanese prefer not to think about.However, a visit to the city reveals a real desire to learn from the past and benefit from all its lessons.

Okinawa is a tropical island which seems to combine some of the worst aspects of Japanese and of American culture.

Kuala Lumpur is the dynamic heart of Malaysia, with skyscrapers and a telecommunications tower which are amongst the world's tallest, along with other symbols of Malaysia's drive to become an economic power.

In spite the best efforts of its leaders, Malaysia still hasn't succeeded in wiping out the extraordinary birds, butterflies and other wildlife which inhabit this part of the world, giving Malaysia a mixture of modern, colonial and natural sights.

Mexico has almost 100 million inhabitants, making it the second most populated country in Latin America, and enough of those inhabitants are crammed into Mexico city to make it the second most populated city in the world, after Tokyo.   Its huge population has made this a sprawling, infuriating city where even a day in the park feels more like a visit to a circus or amusement center, and the chaotic traffic causes the air to regularly exceed basic health standards.

There's plenty more to do in the areas surrounding Mexico city, like visiting natural sights such as the massive caves called the Grutas de Cacahuamilpa, and the spectacular volcano Popocatepetl, snow-covered even in summer despite being in the tropics.

There are also human-made wonders, including attractive Spanish colonial cities and many monumental structures built before the arrival of the Spanish.   As well as the famous pyramid complex at Teotihuacan, there are other pre-hispanic cities such as Xochicalco, Cacaxtla and Xochitecatl, with restored buildings and remarkable artwork.   Further south, the Yucatan Peninsula is home to amazing Maya cities, some of which are extraordinarily well preserved

At the ends of the earth, New Zealand is the first country to see each new day.   Fifteen hundred miles and three hours by jumbo jet from its nearest neighbour, New Zealand's native wildlife is unique and benign with no land mammals, no snakes and only one venomous spider, which never bites anyone.

This country is a unique collection of what the world has to offer - mountains like the Swiss Alps, fjords like Norway, glaciers like Iceland, geothermal wonders like Yellowstone National Park, and some things like nowhere else on earth: a city whose harbour is dominated by a volcano and caves filled with thousands of glow-worms shining like stars.

There's plenty of fascinating wildlife to see for people willing to leave the cities and beaches, including endemic animals like this Philippines Tarsier, one of the smallest primates in the world, with the largest eyes of any mammal relative to its size.

Even the local insect life is fascinating, with attractive butterflies and dragonflies, jewel-like beetles and weirdly shaped ants and other critters.

Russia might no longer be the sinister and inaccessible place it once was, but it's still a long way off the beaten track for anyone who doesn't live in Europe.   And travellers who have filled out the Russian visa papers can be forgiven for thinking that this place is still in a Cold War time warp.

It's a shame, because there's a wealth of interesting architecture and scenery in the country, and although I only had an opportunity to see some of the highlights of Moscow and the "Golden Ring" towns, it has left me with a desire to return and see other parts of the country.

For hardcore aviation enthusiasts like myself there's another must see site near Moscow, the Russian Air Force museum at Monino.

As well as a very complete collection of Cold War fighters and bombers, there's also a collection of American lend-lease aircraft from world war two, and a large number of historic Russian helicopters, including the extraordinary V-12 "Homer", by far the largest helicopter in the world ever to take to the air.

Fear of racial tension amongst its mixed Chinese, South Asian and Malay population, together with a love of orderliness has now made this the world's ultimate Nanny State.

Planned to the nth degree, it's hard not to be impressed by the cleanliness of the city and the law-abiding people - this is perhaps the only place in the world where people like their government sponsored high-rise apartments enough to buy them.

Very few of the young American marines who departed from training in New Zealand had ever heard of the island of Guadalcanal before they landed there in 1943.

The fighting turned into an extremely vicious and prolonged struggle, but not without results - before Guadalcanal the Japanese always advanced, but after Guadalcanal they always retreated.   After all these years, the relics of war are still around.

Struggling to develop a national identity on top of traditional tribal loyalties, the Solomon Islands has recently experienced a major period of unrest and upheaval.   Its location means that it is fated to remain a backwater, with tourists as a tiny but economically significant minority.

Hopefully the genuine friendliness and helpfulness of the local people will continue despite the difficulties, and they'll find a way to keep this small tropical paradise peaceful and pleasant.

Thailand is blessed with lots of great landscapes, with large limestone formations providing not just other-worldly Karst scenery around the south-west coast, but also interesting caves scattered throughout the country.

The jungle-clad mountainous areas have great landscapes and also provide the settings for many attractive waterfalls.

The original inhabitants of Trinidad called it Lere, "Land of the Hummingbirds", and it's still a mecca for bird and nature lovers, with 400 species of birds, 600 species of butterflies, 50 reptiles and 100 assorted mammals such as agouti, armadillos, and monkeys.

The people of Trinidad and Tobago have the largest Carnival in the Caribbean, which gives them an excuse for two months of unbridled excess.

Tobago's no slouch in the tropical bird stakes, but whereas Trinidad lacks coral reefs because of its proximity to several large South American rivers, Tobago has spectacular reefs and underwater sights, including the largest brain corals in the world.

The Bosporus (literally "place where the cow crossed') is the geographical feature which made Istanbul so important.   This waterway connects the Black Sea with the Mediterranean, and separates Europe on its eastern shore from Asia on its western shore.

Even today it's a major transport route, and no visit to Istanbul is complete without a ferry excursion along its length to see the traffic that plys its way through the heart of the city, as well as the many historical buildings, fishing villages and villas which overlook its waters.

The famous wit-about-town Dr Johnson said "If you're tired of London then you're tired of life", and what was true in his day is still true today.

Of course Johnson and Bosley would have no problem recognizing most of the landmarks that people associate with London.   The historical sights scattered around the centre give the place a familiar and well-worn feeling.   It might not be flashy, but this slightly shabby place is undeniably one of the world's truly great and memorable cities.

For the noble, sensitive and artistic souls among us, museums stuffed full of treasures stolen from all over the world!

Other islands in the group have their own charms, like Pentecost, where bungy jumping was invented, using jungle vines and 90 foot bamboo towers.

And on the island of Tanna you can stay in a local village and test your nerves against a lecherous ten-foot dugong, a close relative of the Caribbean manatee.

While you're in Tanna, visit a classic "cargo cult" village next to an active volcano, and see the place where the local people used to throw irritating people to the sharks.

Vietnam has numerous scenic attractions for visitors, from the highland areas with their scenic beauty and interesting ethnic cultures, to limestone formations and caves in places such as Tam Coc and Halong Bay, to classic white sand beaches with palm trees and crystal blue waters.   There's also a considerable amount of historical architecture, including various sites in Hanoi such as the Temple of Literature, through to the emperors' tombs and remnants of their Chinese-style imperial city in Hue, and the little known Cham Towers, which are of Hindu origin.

I made a real point of visiting some of Vietnam's few remaining natural areas while I was there, so I could photograph some of the extraordinary creatures that live in the world's tropical regions.   Although it was the wrong time of year to dive on Vietnam's reefs, I was still able to photograph many colorful butterflies and dragonflies, and I also saw many equally attractive moths and caterpillars, as well as beetles and spiders.   Despite being the cold season there were still many lizards about, especially in the south, as well as frogs and toads.