OUR TRAVEL blogs - PAGE six

SRI LANKA - ANDREA COOPER NOUR, TRAVEL CONSULTANT (JUL 10)
I can't help but smile as I recall my recent travels to Sri Lanka. It is a gem of an island, filled with gentle, friendly and always smiling people and most definitely worthy of its appellation 'serendipity'. This may be because close to three quarters of the population are Buddhists and therefore value is placed on all forms of life...

MARRAKECH - DAWN SMITH, PRIVATE TRAVEL SPECIALIST & SARAH QUIGLEY, TRAVEL CONSULTANT (JUL 10)
The car stopped in front of an unmarked door, where a man dressed in a jellaba stood guard. He swept the door open with a flourish, and we stepped into a foyer decorated with flickering lanterns. A young man in similar dress bowed and motioned for us to follow......

TANZANIA - RACHEL HUNT, TRAVEL CONSULTANT (JUL 10)
I had sort of presumed that the landscapes and regions of Tanzania were all going to be quite similar but as we travelled through I realised how wrong I was. Even from the very first night sat in Level 8 Bar on the top floor of the Kempinski Kilimanjaro looking out over Dar Es Salaam harbour I was surprised at how unlike my imaginations...

TANZANIA - ANNABEL TREMAINE, HEAD OF MARKETING (JUL 10)
The resident herd of impala were settling down for the night as we retired to our tents at Swala Camp, the older members of the herd protecting their fawns from harm by creating a circle around them. As he escorted us to our quarters, the Masai askari explained the impala 'borrow'...


CHILE & ARGENTINA - LOUISE MUMFORD, PRODUCT MANAGER - THE AMERICAS (JUL 10)
So dense were the constellations of stars as I gazed up from my terrace at the Alto Atacama near San Pedro de Atacama in northern Chile, it looked as though someone had strewn fairy lights across the sky in a thick carpet of light. This isn't a onetime event...


BOTSWANA - NICK COATES, PRIVATE TRAVEL MANAGER (JUN 10)
Guides inform, interpret, add colour and provide proud insight into their country, and in many instances become good friends. Indeed, when chatting with clients about their travels, they are at their most animated not when talking about what they saw, but who showed them. In Africa the intrepid safari guide assumes an additional responsibility...

MOROCCO - JANINE STAFFORD, PRODUCT MANAGER - MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA (JUN 10)
Though it's only a short flight from the UK and experiences the same rainy weather at the end of its winter season, Morocco really is a world away. In Marrakech you will see a man on a donkey next to the most modern of cars and century-old professions selling their crafts in the local market next to luxurious shops.

MAHARAJAS' EXPRESS, INDIA - ANNIE JENSEN, TRAVEL CONSULTANT (JUN 10)
The red carpet had been rolled out, a traditional Indian welcome was extended and a band was playing as I arrived at Delhi's Safardjung station where my personal butler was eagerly waiting to show me my Junior Suite on the Maharajas' Express, India's newest and most elaborate luxury train.

MALAYSIA - VICKY HAMLIN, TRAVEL CONSULTANT (JUN 10)
There were so many different experiences and adventures rolled into my recent amazing journey through Singapore and Malaysia… how do I pick a highlight?? Taking in the stunning view of the Petronas towers in KL lit up at night (the tallest twin towers in the world), experiencing the fine traditions of the Eastern and Orient Express from Singapore...