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Elizabeth Willoughby's Blog – February 2012 Archive (4)

Kashmir's Paradis, Redefined

After two weeks in pollution-choked New Delhi, I’m still determined to discover some of the beauty India has to offer. There is a reason so many say they love India, and I'm going to find out why:

A friend of mine says he's on his way to Kashmir in August.

"Kashmir," I say, "isn't that a little…

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Added by Elizabeth Willoughby on February 26, 2012 at 7:00am — No Comments

Belize - Small in Size, Big in Beauty

We're about 10 minutes off the shores of San Pedro when our little six-metre boat is tied off to a big round buoy and my diving guide plops himself into the waters. I'm next. I sit backwards on the edge of the cockpit, put one hand over my mask and the other over my regulator, and fall backwards overboard. According to diving protocol I give the ok sign to the skipper, even though skippers are never looking, then deflate…

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Added by Elizabeth Willoughby on February 19, 2012 at 5:20am — No Comments

Tweeting Through Costa Rica the Old-Fashioned Way

An overnight downpour ends suddenly, leaving the sound of water droplets tapping down onto lower leaves from higher reaches, and puddles shrinking as they are absorbed into the dirt and evaporate under the rising sun, but the jungle’s earthy scent and freshness from the rinse remains, and the greenness of the plant life glows healthy and strong.

As I approach the entrance to Monteverde’s biological reserve in the Puntarenas Province of Costa Rica, my guide, Eric, points out a viper…

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Added by Elizabeth Willoughby on February 12, 2012 at 4:03am — No Comments

Red Sea Diving

Leaving the chaos of Cairo’s airport for the tranquillity of Sharm el Sheikh’s is rewarding, but leaving Sharm’s artificial oasis for some of the best diving in the world – in the Red Sea – is the big payoff. Here’s why:

The port in early morning is all hustle and bustle as crews…

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Added by Elizabeth Willoughby on February 6, 2012 at 1:00am — No Comments