IN MAY 1860, ‘Pony Bob’ Haslam was riding the Pony Express east from Friday’s Station on the California-Nevada state line (where the resort of Lake Tahoe is today) to Buckland’s Station, 75 miles away in Nevada. At Buckland’s his relief refused to ride because of Indian trouble, so Haslam carried on to Smith’s Creek – a total distance of 190 miles without rest, returning after a nine hour break with the westbound mail. The 20-year-old born in London, England, had covered 380 miles on his own during an Indian war, the longest ride ever by a Pony Express rider.Continue reading “Wyoming: Pony Express”
Missouri: The real Jesse James
THEY ARE very nice people in Middle America and tend not to say bad things about anybody. However, try as they might to put a fair spin on it, there’s no getting around the fact that the story of Jesse James, for all the mythology, is a nasty one. Continue reading “Missouri: The real Jesse James”
Kiev: Beyond the Orthodox
IT’S the statues. Kiev looks like many a European city while the people in designer clothes, ever so slightly out of London style time, and the shops featuring labels such as Louis Vuitton or Nike could be anywhere. But the statues of heroic people straining their every sinew to serve the Motherland could only be from the former Soviet Union.
Lisbon: Looking out for No.1
AS any Sharpe fan will know, and hopefully most of the rest of us, too, Portugal is Britain’s oldest ally. Visiting Lisbon, I was reminded of the link between the countries by one iconic image: the bright red pillar box.
Lisbon’s post boxes are the old British Victorian design, given a local makeover with a ‘Correio’ stamp instead of our regal ciphers, and a glass-fronted dial to show the next time of collection.
They also bear a number and, after noting this, the latent trainspotter in me couldn’t resist looking out for No.1.Continue reading “Lisbon: Looking out for No.1”
Zanzibar: Ancient ways
ZANZIBAR is one of those names – such as Casablanca or Marrakesh – that conjures up a romantic image of adventure and travel. We’ve all heard of it, though most of us might be hard-put to find it on a map.
The Spice Island, to give it one of its titles, is actually two small islands, Unguja and Pemba, just off the eastern coast of Africa. Politically a part of Tanzania, it has been linked through trade and history, by dhow and trade winds, to India and the Gulf States.Continue reading “Zanzibar: Ancient ways”
Berchtesgaden: A leap of faith
‘HOW MUCH do you weigh?’ asks my instructor. An innocuous question normally but, considering I am just about to launch myself off an alp on a parachute that he has already attached to me, surely one I should have been asked earlier?
Calgary: The Stampede
THE four teams of horses – four thoroughbreds in each team – charge past, the light wagons they are pulling wheel to wheel as they come around the final bend and gallop, nostrils foaming, for the finish line. The drivers lash the reins, straining every muscle to bring their passion to their teams. Behind, another 16 riders urge their horses in a pack towards the line, as 18,000 screaming spectators get caught up in the spectacle.
No, it’s not the chariot race from Ben Hur, but Chuck Wagon racing at Calgary Stampede – with a cool $1million dollars on offer to the winner.Continue reading “Calgary: The Stampede”
Dubrovnik: Historical ties
LIKE many of you, I lament the loss of the cravat. Not quite wearing a tie, not quite a slob, you have the best of both worlds: casual while being elegant. But did you know a tie is a cravat – ‘tie’ merely referring to the fact the cravat is knotted at the collar?
And ‘cravat’ is a corruption of the word Croat, Croatian mercenaries are the ones to thank for introducing to the rest of Europe in the 16th century the fashion of men wearing a piece of lace about their necks.
New Zealand: Coromandel characters
IN 1820, HMS Coromandel, a British Admiralty supply ship moored off a remote peninsular in New Zealand. Its crew had the job of cutting down kauri trees, whose thick trunks and lack of branches made them perfect for ship’s masts and spars. After a year, the ship sailed for England, leaving her name behind for this remote corner of the British Empire.Continue reading “New Zealand: Coromandel characters”
Mendoza: Wine from the Andes
SIT IN ONE of the many quiet squares of Mendoza and you feel a long way from anywhere.
Although it’s not the prettiest of towns – there are one or two bustling avenues of anonymous shops, vibrant with identikit Internet cafés, and a few interesting colonial churches and municipal buildings – the land around it stretches out for miles.Continue reading “Mendoza: Wine from the Andes”
Inherit The Earth 