Author: oldbirdtravels

Read More

XMAS AROUND THE WORLD.

OR THE SOLO TRAVELLERS XMAS OVER THE YEARS.

Proper Xmas day in Buda

Alert: this lacks photos as I am talking of pre phone camera days mostly and finding from my albums is a huge endeavour. It’s shocking that I acttually expected to find you all pics. It seems we didn’t bother so much before but it’s getting late now and this is what I’ve grabbed!

Log fire in Chislehurst one Xmas

Merry merry Xmas and all that but has it really arrived, and so quickly? In a blink of the eye, another year has elapsed and not a particularly brilliant one for many. Anyhow, let’s have a chat about Yuletides of old and spending them in different countries or indeed just solo in the UK.

Big snow in Soho!

In my sixty-four years, I have seen the migration of ye olde traditional festivities to the more modern and greedy rather soulless affairs that a lot of people clamour for now. Gone is the one main present under the tree and the pillowcase at the end of your bed in the morning containing trivial bits wrapped in cheap flimsy paper and an orange and a couple of Quality Street at the bottom of it all, and arrived is high tec. No gifts that helped the family interact but “precious” things that leave everyone separate and losing humanity. the clickety-click of fingers and thumbs on gadgets immersing and slowly brainwashing next generations. Heigh hoe you reap what you sow.

Read More

BROKEN RIBS NOW, JUST IN TIME FOR XMAS! LONDON.

OR, TO ADD TO MY RAPIDLY GROWING INJURIES LIST.

Yes, yes I know it’s a bit extreme to have another accident so as not to write some more tricky bits to my book and blog, but I swear it’s because I am clumsy and accident-prone. I can now add breaking my ribs a week ago to dislocating my knee previously. If I had been practising what I preach in SOLO TRAVELLERS AND FITNESS then this might not have happened. No doubt there are some errors in this as I’m still on the painkillers!

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is tree-gone-1.jpg
I would have missed this too if I had given up. It is now permanently closed to the public. I soaked my foot in the mineral-rich water of Hierve el Agua Mexico
Read More

BIG HEADS IN THE JUNGLE! VILLA HERMOSA MEXICO.

OR GETTING TO GRIPS WITH ANOTHER CULTURE, THE OLMECS.

Alert: This is a light-hearted travel blog from two years ago before I publish a more serious one about the birth of the Mayan city-state empire in its Pre-Classic era! The “Mother Culture” being inextricably linked to the developing Mayans

Read More

CHOLULA

When I say bizarre it’s more of a tragedy really, a Spanish church plonked on the top of a huge pyramid, this with a full view of one of the local temperamental volcanoes, Popocatépetl or more easily known as ‘Popo’ and Iztaccihuatl or ‘Izta’. According to one Aztec Legend, Popo was a great warrior who loved Izta. He went off to war and when Izta heard false news of Popo’s fall in battle, she died of a broken heart. When Popo returned to find his love gone, he vowed to always watch over and defend her. The shape of Iztaccihuatl mountain is that of a ‘sleeping woman’. It is also said locally, that when trouble is brewing in the world Popo becomes active