Charmaine Hallmark – Page 15

Brazil’s Pantanal – the largest wetland in the world!

BRAZILS PANTANAL, THE LARGEST WETLAND IN THE WORLD Brazil is so huge and we’ve all heard of the Amazon, Iguazu Falls, Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach and Sugar Loaf Mountain – and I bet we’ve all heard of Brazil’s football team!! …but The Pantanal – hardly ever gets a mention! And I wonder why? It’s…

Egypt – one of the World’s Greatest Treasures

EGYPT, ONE OF THE WORLD’S GREATEST TREASURES An exciting start to an exciting place! And Heathrow’s Terminal 2, called the Queen’s terminal was just the beginning. It was certainly a pleasure to pass through, lovely restaurants everywhere and shops – including John Lewis! Egypt Air was comfortable – they don’t serve alcohol – but with…

Bali Hai! An Island of Enchantment and Romance?

BALI HAI AN ISLAND OF ENCHANTMENT AND ROMANCE I thought Bali was just a pretty place – fringed with beaches, palm trees and lots of privacy – a place for weddings and honeymoons – and lazing around, relaxing, and taking pictures of sunsets. Was I wrong! Yes Bali has all these, but so much more…

The Sultanate of Brunei

THE SULTANATE OF BRUNEI It’s a little bit of Islamic Middle East nestled in the heart of Malaysia. Brunei means “a place of peace” Under the Sultan’s rule, the people enjoy a good living – no poverty or unemployment. The country is safe, clean and pollution free. The rain forest and river are well preserved,…

Cruising – as it used to be

CRUISING AS IT USE TO BE Hapag-Lloyd took me away from it all on their newest luxury cruise ship Europa 2. The ship is beautiful, elegant, hushed and upscale. Works of art, and ornaments at every turn. Being of German origin you can imagine – the ship is run with precision and every detail is…

Hampshire Heritage

HAMPSHIRE HERITAGE Tucked away in the south of England is some fabulous English Heritage – and if you can get just one night away – let me tell you how to make the most of it! Let’s start at Beaulieu, I’m not a car enthusiast – but even I enjoyed the old cars from the…

Night Train to Lisbon

NIGHT TRAIN TO LISBON The first few minutes of this intriguing story rivet your attention, and then as you read on, you will join the hero on a thrilling adventure, a journey that leads him to the heart of himself! Your first visit to Lisbon will be exactly the same! Your attention is arrested as…

Fatima

FATIMA This is a story for all you Doubting Thomases out there! It’s about a pilgrimage to Fatima Fatima is in Portugal, about an hour from Lisbon and Lisbon is an easy (and cheap) flight from Gatwick with Easyjet. So I made some time in my “city break” to visit Fatima. You may say “not…

David and Goliath

DAVID AND GOLIATH I walked slowly up the cool dark corridor, the noise around me fading in my ears as I approached the shining white marble apparition, high up on a pedestal bathed in a light that emanated from where…? In the moment that I stopped and looked up at Michelangelo’s David, my breath caught…

Saturday Kitchen – South Africa Style!

SATURDAY KITCHEN SOUTH AFRICAN STYLE I love cooking, I love food and I love travel! So an invitation to compete in a cooking competition in Sun City with some fellow travel agents was irresistible! First we visited Cape Town. In the shadow of Table Mountain, I went sightseeing! V&A Waterfront, Green Market…