Every morning I wake up, on the South Eastern tip of the United Kingdom, and I look out at the breathtaking view of France’s northern reaches, from the comfort of my window. I can see across the English Channel from where I rest my head. The view is another aspect of my days here at the Terlingham Vinyard, it’s a reminder of the close historical ties between these two nations, and a reminder of how foreign my surroundings have become. Such a site I can never take for granted, even though it has become rather habitual. As a worker at the vineyard, I wake up to such beauty every day.
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Laos is one of Southeast Asia's best kept secrets. It has all the spectacular natural beauty and rich cultural diversity of neighbouring Thailand, but remains unsullied by mass tourism. This means traveling there is rough. Infrastructure is lacking and the backpackers and hotels that do exist are often rudimentary; this is definitely an adventure for the Almost Fearless Backpackers. Still, nothing beats the gorgeous natural jungle splendour, the fantastic culture and the unspoilt beaches that are beautiful Laos. The Mekong River is the main artery of this part of Southeast Asia. Through fishing, transport and irrigation, the Mekong makes life in the jungle possible for the many river residents that live and work along its banks. The river meanders slowly, taking the flow of Laotian life with it as it snakes its way across the country.
If you're like many backpackers in your 20’s, you've more than likely made your way to mainland Europe and perhaps ventured into South America and Asia. At a cursory glance of most travel blogs, there's a definite shortage information about travelling to Africa - especially compared to the resources available for travel to the rest of the world. Nevertheless, the collective of mainstream travel blogs, notably The Lonely Planet, have been focusing more on Africa in recent memory. While I was in Uganda interning at a medical non-profit organization, The Lonely Planet named the country as its top tourist destination for the year 2011 shocking not only my fellow expats in Uganda but other potential tourists. With all of these considerations in mind, what can you expect when you land in Uganda?
This is how me (Ashley) and Chris became Jexter....have a look at some of the adventures we have been on so far. “This can’t just be shagging. Mini break for holiday means true love.” – Bridget Jones
We North Americans know how to do it. We devote countless hours of our cutest years to staring at a computer screen with an image of tranquillity on the screen saver, rather than going to visit that palm tree itself. I truly doubt those screen savers have the desired effect of transporting the honeybee worker from drone to vacation god/goddess. Rather it gets cluttered with the ornaments of Microsoft Word, Excel and pictures of the kids. When vacation per year adds up to two weeks, we feel like we have to have an all or nothing mentality. However, there is a middle ground between taking all two weeks and living in the office. Enter the mini break. If your brain is clogged by too many shoulds and not enough wants, let me help you to stoke the fire of creativity: Traveling in Ethiopia is like playing solitaire with 48 cards – it’s fun, but you may lose your mind….
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