Photo of the Week: Balance and Poise (Burkina Faso)

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I love the grace of this west African woman as she carries her baby, nonchalantly balancing half a dozen bowls and plates on her head. Yells of nasara (white person) punctuated the colour, activity and music of this vibrant food market in the west African country of Burkina Faso as it became impossible to anonymously and quietly purchase some food and enjoy the market. An aid worker in the area informed me that the term was endearing and respectful, simply a way to attract your attention and not vaguely racially motivated.

Review: Iconic Guides

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Most travellers are familiar with the idea of hiring a knowledgeable guide or renting an audio tour for castles, museums and historic sites. While guides vary in quality and language skills but can answer questions, audio tours are typically well spoken and cost around US$10 for headsets and the recording.

Dr Benedict Davies, an Egyptologist, approached me for a review of his new business, Iconic Guides, an online organisation that offers specialist detailed audio tours of historic sites around the world. Dr Davies hit upon the idea after a frustrating tour of China unable to find good guides for some of the major Chinese sights.

Guides for various significant locations can be purchased for £2.99 (around US$4.75) each via Paypal and downloaded to the traveller’s personal iPod or MP3 player.

At present, selections are available for Egypt, Greece and Japan with plans for an expanded Greece, Italy, Turkey, Mexico and China as knowledgeable specialists for these countries produce suitable guides.

Having travelled to Egypt a couple of years ago, Iconic Guides offered me two sample audio tours (that normally cost £2.99 each) of locations I am familiar with – the 4500 year old Step Pyramid near Cairo and the Temple of Hatshepsut or Deir el-Bahari (temple to the first great female Egyptian ruler) in Luxor.

With a link (active for 72 hours) obtained on payment through the Paypal system after registration with Iconic Guides, each guide is downloaded (several MB in size) as a zip file containing a simple one page printable PDF map of the site with numbered locations corresponding to a recorded segment detailing between one and five minutes of information about the specific location. The guides start with more general information placing the site in context with the relevant history of the time.

The audio guides are spoken by a professional, high-quality, well spoken female UK English voiceover artist making the descriptions easy to absorb and easy to listen to and understand. The information is reasonably detailed covering cultural, artistic and architectural heritage without veering into areas beyond the interest levels of most informed visitors. A sample of the audio content is available on the website’s home page. The Step Pyramid commentary runs to around 19 minutes in eight parts while the larger and more complex Temple of Hatshepsut guide is around 26 minutes in 16 parts.

The audio guides are factual, detailed and informational in style but lack the flair that good on-site human guides can offer, interspersing factual details with entertaining anecdotes to keep a lighter more entertaining feel.

As travellers typically visit several sites in one major location, several packages of audio guides are available. Examples include the temples of Kyoto (seven guides) for £13.99 (around US$22) and the temples of Luxor (five guides) for £11.99 (around US$19).

In my view, Iconic Guides are best suited to those organised and informed independent travellers who typically hire the handheld recordings or hire guides for a more in-depth experience and understanding of a site. Spoken in clear easy-to-understand English, there are also no battles with accents or the frustration of limited or poorly written English signage. It will also suit those travelling in groups on a pre-defined itinerary that may wish to escape the tour group at a specific location or hear more about a location than the accompanying tour leader may be able to offer.

While presently limited in locations, Iconic Guides will become more prevalent as further guides are added.

At little more than the cost of a coffee, the price of an individual recording compares more than favourably with the price of renting an audio guide on location. Related bundles reduce the cost of individual guides but start to mount for countries with wide numbers of historic sites (such as Egypt). One attractive bundling option that Iconic Guides could consider for countries like Egypt and Japan is a “highlights” bundle that groups the temples and sights more typically visited by travellers on touring a country, accompanied with a general quick overview of the ancient history of the country.

Photo Credit: Girl

Top Five Travel Wonders of Scotland

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Guest post by Scottish castle venue, Birkhill Castle

Scotland has a rugged beauty rich in history and stunning scenery. This is a list of five special Scottish wonders.

1. Isle of Skye

The Isle of Skye is a beautiful must-see scenic island located off of the west coast of Scotland. The location offers many attractions to visitors including a vast assortment of wildlife and a rich variety of birds. The picturesque mountainous landscape harbours a rich culture and history dating back to the Mesolithic period. Traversing the crags and lochs of the Isle of Skye is sure to be a breathtaking experience.

2. Loch Lomond

Loch Lomond, a freshwater loch located between the Scottish highlands and lowlands, is the largest loch in Great Britain. It contains numerous small islands within its perimeter. The Loch is famous for the Loch Lomond Golf Club, its aquarium and its variety of watersports. Visitors come from all over the world to kayak, canoe, jetski, and various other water activities on the loch.

3. St. Andrew’s

The university town of St. Andrews, Scotland is the spiritual home of the sport of golf with Scotland and Ireland being home to a number of the most beautiful and famous golf courses in the world. St. Andrews is the home of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club which was founded in 1754 while the area of St. Andrews has been the home to settlers since the Mesolithic period. Other attractions include the historic university, the tower of Holy Trinity, the picturesque ruins of St. Andrews Castle (dating from 1200) and the Cathedral of St. Andrews, located in the east side of the town.

4. Edinburgh

Although also being the capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh boasts several historic attractions of its own making it another must-see for the visitor to Scotland. Edinburgh is located in the south east side of Scotland and is the second most visited location in Great Britain. When in Edinburgh, visitors should catch a glimpse of St. Giles Cathedral and the Royal Museum of Scotland located in Old Town Edinburgh as well as other locations including the imposing Edinburgh Castle from which one can see all of Edinburgh New Town.

5. Stirling Castle

Located atop Castle Hill, a volcanic hill in Stirling, Scotland, this castle is arguably one of the most awe- inspiring castles in all of Scotland. The buildings range in age from the fourteenth to the sixteenth century and have undergone numerous sieges and uses over the centuries but remains to this day, one of most notable locations in Great Britain.

Photo Credits: Boat, Isle of Skye, Loch Lomond, St Andrews, Edinburgh, Stirling Castle

La Residencia in Deia (Mallorca, Spain)

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guest post by Elegant Resorts

La Residencia hotel is situated in the small village known as Deia, Spain. It is an ideal place for a luxury holiday in Spain with its luxurious spa facilities and tennis courts and stunning mountain views. It is located close to the Mediterranean Sea and offers guests the unique experience of fun, comfort and seclusion. Tucked away on a hillside, surrounded by a host of trees and citrus groves, this hotel has been voted in the top three of its kind in Europe.

The history of La Residencia dates as far back as the 16th century. Initially the hotel consisted of three manor houses. Today it has grown significantly to include 63 rooms situated on over 30 acres of hillside. There is also a gymnasium, Jacuzzi, sauna, indoor pool a therapy centre and steam room. The hotel offers activities such as golf lessons, bike rides or beauty treatments.

Deia is an idyllic village with beautiful historic buildings constructed of local stone and a secluded cove. Olive groves and orange trees add to the extraordinary beauty and peace of this Mallorcan haven.



La Residencia is famous for its cuisine offered at the two restaurants located on the premises. El Olivo is arguably one of the best restaurants in Mallorca. The tasty meals are prepared by renowned chef Guillermo Mendez. The restaurant offers a romantic candlelight setting and is also known for its impressive wine list. The Son Fony bistro serves breakfast made from homemade products. Guests are able to enjoy a delicious Mediterranean meal while taking in views of the mountain.

The hotel offers a wide variety of options to keep guest accommodated. They offer ballooning, helicopter rides, yoga lessons, donkey trials and other activities. However, one of the greatest appeals seems to be the spa packages. This includes a daily buffet breakfast and a choice between four different spa programs. This hotel is also the ideal venue to host events such as weddings and receptions.

There are three banqueting salons and conference rooms. Each distinctive in décor. There is the Sala Albeniz, Sala ex Teix, Sala son Fony and the Sala sa Tafona gallery. The salon Albeniz is large room, ideal for banquets, reception, dinners or other events. The Sala ex Teix offers a smaller space than the previous one; this is perfect for conferences or small business meetings. The third salon is known as the Sala sa Tafona gallery and can be used for meetings or cocktail parties. As the name suggest this room is beautifully decorated with a number of different pieces of art. The salon son Fony is attached to the Son Fony restaurant and is usually reserved for cocktail or dinner parties.

Whatever your reason for visiting Deia, be sure to stay at the luxurious La Residencia, one of Europe’s finest hotels.

Photo Credits: Sunset, Deia Hilltop, Stairs

Drinks Around the World: Zobo (Nigeria)

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Many years ago, I spent a year travelling through Africa overland starting in Morocco and ending in Zimbabwe. One of the most remarkable aspects of Africa was the broad variety of local drinks created, brewed, cooked and mixed.

In a number of small towns in Nigeria, a refreshing drink called zobo was offered to visitors or available in the market. The rich red beverage is created by adding a generous handful of hibiscus buds and sugar to boiling water (making it safe to drink!!) and brewing for around 10 or 15 minutes. Left to cool, pineapple juice and sometimes ginger are added to make for a refreshing cool drink that tastes of a mix of a tart herbal tea and tangy juice. While in Nigeria, I had to be extremely cautious that cold water or ice had never been added, it tastes best chilled and is fairly easy to recreate at home.
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At the start of every month, Travel Wonders highlights a characteristic drink experienced on his travel. Previous non-alcoholic Drinks Around the World include Indian Masala chai, Mint Tea from Morocco, Vietnamese slow-drip coffee, Coca Tea from Peru and Austria's herby Almdudler.

Photo credit: Drink