Category: Country Files
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Spirit of a Nation: Laos
I’m just on a train from Luang Prabang back to the capital, writing my last two posts, before my flight home tomorrow. All the Lao people I have met have been utterly charming. They seem kind, quiet, serene, and clearly dislike conflict. My very kind request to “possibly have a weaker cup of coffee” the…
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Country File : Laos
I don’t know about the rest of you, but when I visit a new country, I like to have a mental picture beforehand: what is the population, how much land they inhabit, whether it’s cities or rural areas, the geography, their economy, their religion, and their politics. Is this a bit of imperialist thinking? I…
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Country File : Albania
When you are born in an island nation it is hard to imagine your small strip of land invaded and possessed so many times, even in recent history. Yet this is the story of Albania. Firstly, the Greeks occupied, then the Romans, the Byzantines for 1000 years, the Slavs and the Ottoman Turks in the…
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Spirit of the Nation : Japan
Travelling can be stressful even for seasoned traveller, but travelling in Japan is a very different experience and a reflection on the people and their culture. With brilliant vision the Japanese have made travelling here incredibly easy, despite the fact that the language, to us, is simply a group of pretty symbols. This is achieved…
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Country File : Japan
Japan is one of those countries we all know something about. Is it because we know it’s location ,the name of its capital, that is predominately Japanese people speaking Japanese or maybe because we’ve all owned a Sony TV? I’ve gleaned important facts in my reading about Japan. Firstly, it is classified as an archipelago…
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Spirit of a Nation : Madagascar
It is great to immerse yourself in a new place for four weeks. It doesn’t make me an expert. Far from it. But it does give me a chance to form a viewpoint, triple check with other people, and finally read up on all information available. Still I need to emphasise, the comments below are…
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Country File : Madagascar
Madagascar is an island country situated 250 miles off the South East Coast of Africa. Named as the 4th largest island in the World, after Greenland, New Guinea and Borneo. Its is similar in size to France at 592,796 km2. The inland capital is Antananarivo. Thankfully shortened and known by the locals as Tana. It…
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Spirit of a Nation : Namibia
I have now travelled Namibia for four weeks. A time when I can only scratch the surface, but these are my observations. Firstly, the Church is very important in the lives of the people. They practise their faith, taking moral guidance, support and cleansing of evil from the preacher. One person said to me, ”…
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Country File : Namibia
Namibia is a big country in the southern part of Africa, 3.4 times bigger than the UK and yet a population of only 2.53 million (2021) compared to the UK’s figure of 67.3 million. Interesting fact : only Mongolia has a sparser population than Namibia. Namibia boasts 3 people to every square kilometre where the…
