Time passes quickly when you’re in Maputo, especially on a first visit. One moment you’re eating a pastel de nata for breakfast and the next you’re having flame-grilled crayfish for dinner. Here’s my advice about what to do during a two-day visit to Mozambique‘s capital…
It was only after I returned to South Africa in early 2012 – after living abroad and travelling for two years – that I truly began to explore Johannesburg as a tourist would. And that’s when my love affair with this city began. Here are 11 things…
I recently spent a few days in Durban – named the most underrated South African city by CNN in 2014, which saw numerous publications and news agencies follow suit. And in case you didn’t know, it’s also been rated as the South African city with the…
These black and white, long-exposure captures of the Johannesburg skyline paint it in a different colour, to reveal the relaxed atmosphere that enveloped the cityscape at twilight on New Year’s Eve. Few cars were seen navigating the street grid that stretches below Randlords. One of…
It’s known as the ‘Supermoon’ to us non-astronomy types, but to those who study the night sky and beyond — as they peer into the past — it’s the Perigee moon. ‘Tis the largest full moon of the year, due to its proximity to the…
Nelson Mandela Bay is known by many names. So many in fact that it’s hard to keep up with all of them: The Friendly City, The Windy City, Algoa Bay, The Bay. Until 2001 it was known as Port Elizabeth, although you’ll find that many…
Herzogshof Frescoes Herzogshof facade is truly striking: it is covered in frescoes depicting Greek and Roman gods. It was originally painted in 1742 by Johann Mayer, but since then has received multiple new coats of paint. It’s only a couple of hops and skips away…
Graz was already on my list of towns to visit while in Austria, but when my dear friend Rachel, with whom I worked in South Korea moved there with her husband, we decided to explore the city together. As the second largest city in Austria,…
Clock towers and fortress watchtowers are characteristic of many European cities. This panorama of Salzburg was taken from the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Museum Der Moderne, which is situated atop a precipitous granite cliff. Its location is truly spectacular and it calmly observes the the…
The rolling hills from Vienna to Salzburg were dotted with pastel-coloured gingerbread houses, which were sprinkled with icing sugar. Graceful snowflakes danced around me as I descended the train steps. The snow-capped Alps waved hello from a distance. The centre-ville enchanted me with its lucent…
The old town square in Bielsko-Biala, which dates back to the 13th century, was the judicial, administrative and cultural centre of the city. During the Second World War it was gravely damaged and the commercial hub was relocated to the lower districts of Bielsko-Biala. By…
With Eid al-Fitr approaching to mark the end of Ramadam – the muslim month of fasting and restraint as a means of purifying the soul and becoming closer to Allah — here are a few photographs of Sultan Masjid. It is Singapore’s largest mosque and is…
Kampong Glam is a palette of colour. From the small haberdasheries along Bussorah Street – with its two-story shophouses on either side – you can buy decorative materials, buttons and ribbons. It’s a good place to buy hand-made souvenirs too. One of the most popular pastimes…
Chinatown will satisfy any shopaholic with trinkets, curios, countless varieties and colours of ‘I love Singapore’ t-shirts, fridge magnets and fashion. The district comes alive at night: the ground floor, open-air Chinese restaurants (the cheaper kind where you sit on plastic chairs, beneath a beach…
A Buddhist and Hindu temple stand next to one another near the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple in Kandy, in central Sri Lanka. I witnessed a ceremony in the packed Hindu temple. Worshippers were sitting cross-legged with their knees touching, as praise songs wafted outside. It…
The Dambulla Cave Temples are best explored during Poya – the full moon festival celebrated each month by Buddhists throughout Sri Lanka. The majority of Sri Lankans are Buddhist and follow a lunar calendar. The day of the full moon is a national, public holiday and…