Back in 2009, I spent three months working for a conservation company called CREES in the Manu National Park in Peru, in the Amazon Rainforest. It was organised through a company called Traveller’s Worldwide. The final part of my South American adventure was a four-week photography course in Buenos Aires, Argentina. On my penultimate day, … Continue reading
As part of my 30-day Amtrak tour around America last spring, after finishing my study abroad program, I spent three nights in San Francisco, couchsurfing with a guy I’ll call Brad, because that’s a nice standard American name. I have fond memories of a girl I’ll call Holly I met while I was there, but … Continue reading
I love bus journeys. Whether it’s getting from Venice Beach to downtown LA on a city bus with bilingual schizophrenic homeless people, or a 30-hour cramped coach journey down the coast of Chile, I love every second. I said to my friend I travelled to Israel with this summer, “I’ve never been on a bus … Continue reading
Regular readers will recall the first part of my two-part trip to Hebron in the West Bank/Palestine. This is the second part, in which I was given a tour of a Palestinian’s home under the shadow of one of Israel’s notorious “settlements.” ————— The driver of the servees from Bethlehem to Hebron let us out at an … Continue reading
I visited Hebron in the West Bank/Palestine not knowing what to expect. People back home and people in Israel had told me it was dangerous and to “not get kidnapped and held for ransom.” The American activist now living in Bethlehem had told me to visit Hebron if I wanted to see what the situation … Continue reading
Jerusalem, the cultural heart of Israel, made a lasting impression on me. I was there six nights in total; three consecutive, then I went to Palestine, two more nights back in Jerusalem, then I made my way to Jordan for most of a week, then one final night in Jerusalem. I couchsurfed the first three … Continue reading
Jerusalem was easily my favourite city in Israel. There’s such a mixture of things to see and do. A gay party one night (see my previous entry), watching some football in a bar another. Exploring the religious stuff one day, shopping on another. More photos of the place coming soon! … Continue reading
On my first night in Jerusalem, the holiest city in the world, I found myself being hit on by a gay Israeli goat herder. What happened was, right, was that our host had taken us to a gay party outside the student union in the centre of Jerusalem, beneath the walls of the Old City. … Continue reading
I’ve neglected this place for eight days now and I’m feeling bad about it. Unfortunately I haven’t had time to write new stuff so I’m forced to post something old (and pictureless) for you to enjoy. So, erm, enjoy. ——————————– In a hotel room in a small town in the Amazon Rainforest I found myself … Continue reading
“You’re a hard guy to hate, Chirpy,” my friend said to me an hour into our two-day road trip around the Golan Heights in Israel. As far as compliments go, it wasn’t great (although not as bad as “you look good with hair” which I received recently). But I knew what he meant, and I … Continue reading
Wanderings of a Young Man 