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When going to places like South Africa, Singapore, etc. you might want to consider getting multi-entry visas if a visa is required. Although they usually cost a little extra, it is worth the hassle of having to queue up, complete the paperwork, provide photos etc.

From South Africa I went to Zimbabwe by bus to Bulawayo and then by train to Victoria Falls, walked over bridge to Zambia and then took train back through Botswana and then to South Africa. Also one might want to make a side trip to Namibia. (I met a South African soldier in South Africa that delighted to tell me he had been stationed in Nam. I thought he meant Vietnam and then he smiled and said Namibia.) From Singapore using it as headquarters, I made side trips to Bali and back, India and back, Malaysia and Thailand and back.

While you might be able to get new visas getting a multiple entry might save you some time. From Johannesburg I also took a bus trip to the township where they then allowed gambling and had a small Las Vegas. The township and I cant think of its name began with b long name and they had distinctive stamps for sale. A small diversion if you have the time. Happy Travelling Mac.

If you would like to contact Mac, a 78 year old retired military, and extremely well travelled, he is happy to answer any questions even if his information may be out of date. Mac can be e-mail him on: macsan400@yahoo.com

Wandering amongst Pisa’s famed sights, I found myself eased culturally back into Italy and following the big, rounded taste of the evenings Rosso Di Montepulciano I felt readied (or should be that steadied?) for the imminent return. The year that had passed seemed all too long to be away from such a good friend as Firenze…

No alarm call was needed to wake me from the darkened Sunday slumber of Pensione Rinascente – the bright, cool morning had already been disturbed by medieval equivalents! Whilst masses filed through splendid church facades, my own calling came from Pisa Centrale and as I found myself being drawn across the Arno a thought occurred – would the famed Italian trains be on time? My answer was forthcoming as the 9.18 was only a couple of minutes late and was already busy transporting people going about their Sunday lives. Moving away from the platform a certain sensation I had felt when travelling on warm, early morning trains across India flitted through my consciousness once again – a good omen for the journey I smiled!

Stops such as Pontedera disappeared behind the train as a hazy sun opened up a landscape of smallholdings, allotments and vine trails. Surrounded by the languid Italian chatter of our fellow passengers, I felt suitably drawn away from everything of the previous working week – a fleeting travel moment to be cherished. Further along the journey, the archetypal Italian station of Empoli and the ever changing faces of fellow passengers also reminded me of previous travels – this time of Inter-rail journeys. Playing that old game of guessing people’s destinations, I wondered whether the young Scandinavians were heading south or and whether the Africans were heading business like to northern destinations. Our route to Firenze narrowed through a rising valley as it progressed and as in many photos and films, I glimpsed some of the traditional Tuscan imagery – hill top villages connected by winding roads that twisted through lush green countryside and trees stretching skywards. Almost as the quickly as the track had risen did we descend down through the last few suburban stops and onto the final destination…Firenze!

I hadn’t thought what I’d wanted to see of my old friend again, but first thoughts were drawn along a slow loop through the heart of the city, across the Arno and up to the panorama of Piazzale Michelangelo. Familiar sites greeted me as Kate and I sped across the expanse of the rather unvisited Piazza Dell’ Unita Italia– the still petitioning HIV charity, the market where I purchased a most expensive wallet and then onto a renewing glimpse of the Duomo’s bell tower and Battistero. What struck me this time about the magnificent cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (to give the Duomo its consecrated name) was not the beautiful façade but how the turret like bastions sat atop, allowing all comers to be seen. Being a Sunday we couldn’t undertake the winding climb to dome’s top (thankfully appreciated by my apprehension of heights) and the slower start to the day allowed us more space and time to enjoy the walk across Piazza del Duomo and onwards.

For those that cherish Firenze, Via De’ Calzaiuoli’s opening up on to

Piazza della Signora grandly displays much of what should be seen – the splendid Palazzo Vecchio with its dominating tower, the near perfectly copied statues of David or the beheading of Medusa by Perseus and the Uffizi’s columned walk ways sheltering its snaking queues! Though much of this grandeur owes its origins to the power of the Medici and their egos, its subsequent evolution into a marvel of civic planning underscores what the renaissance is depicted as representing. Even the mounted police seemed proud to be part of this elegant cityscape. We had little desire to enjoy the Uffizi’s always crowded galleries and somewhat cramped displays and instead Kate diverted us off to the quiet of Santa Croce. Previously I had strolled around this intriguing church with its incomplete facade and had found that many of two hundred plus monuments commemorated famous past lives – Michelangelo, Galileo and Dante I believe are of the many. The adjoining convent turned museum and its cloisters echo this silence and is a relatively unknown yet worthy destination for its visitors.

As the climb upwards began, I noticed another of those travelling oddities that catch my imagination – certain cities feature a building or place that my wandering always seems to take me through or past! In London it is the Embankment underground station, with Dublin it is O’Connell Bridge and with Firenze it is the Biblioteca Nazionale! Whatever view or late night revelry I have been party to, these buildings always seem found themselves within view and I have no idea why! As we swiftly crossed the modern Ponte Santa Niccolo we again had to pass this squared jawed building before moving over to the quieter side of the Arno.

The steep route up through the steps and gardens of Guiseppe Poggi lifts the walker onto a supreme vantage point! This perspective offers an unbeatable right to left panorama – the view sweeps back across the trail I’ve just described, over the Arno hunched Ponte Vecchio and through to the old Forte Di Belvedere. From here I could imagine no better way to present the city to visitors. Like many I sat awhile, allowing the warm breezes to brush across my face and savour my return to this wonderful city. Somewhat later our thirsts were indulgently quenched before moving on by visiting one of the hilltop gelateria and selecting a double-portioned cone. Here less cream and more ice is definitely better, with my favourite being strawberry overlain with pistachio! Whether any sports dietician would approve of such recharging remains to be seen but we were certainly ready to move on…

If you’d like to contact Matthew about his time in Firenze or any of his other travels, please e-mail him on: matthewdoughty@totalise.co.uk

Novodevichiy Convent (Nunnery) is one of the most beautiful Moscow convents. By studying its history we discover many facts about the history of the State, which is extremely interesting.

It was founded in the early 16^th century. Its main cathedral was consecrated in honour of the Smolenskaya Icon of the Mother of God Hodigitria. According to the legend, St. Luke himself painted the icon, and it is closely linked with the convent’s foundation.

So Great Prince Vassily 3 founded the Novodevichy Convent in 1524 in honour of the seizure of Smolensk. The Convent stood on the road leading to southwest, in the direction of Smolensk, a small town 300 km away from Moscow.

The convent is like a miniature Kremlin. Its cathedral church was built with the Kremlin Cathedral of the Assumption as a model, perhaps by the Italian architect Aleviz Fryazin, and in 1525 the copy of the Smolenskaya Icon was placed in it. The convent’s fortified, toothed walls and the towers were added at the end of the 16^th century in the reign of Boris Godunov, and their design was also based on the Kremlin. In the 17^th century the towers were decorated with splendid tracery crowns.

It was the richest convent in Moscow. Noblewomen of the time became noviciates in it- wives and widows of the tsars and boyars, their daughters and sisters – and on taking the veil they handed over their jewels, pearls, gold and silver. Women were secluded into this convent for several causes: either if they couldn’t get a divorce, which was impossible at those times, or if they became widows, also if they were to be devoid of their political rights, like it was the case with the sister of Peter the Great. It was here in 1689 that Peter the Great confined the intelligent and power-loving Sofia, who did not wish to concede the throne to her brother after he had attained adulthood.

The same fate was in store for Yevdokia Lopukhina, the first wife of Peter the Great and mother of Tsarevich Aleksei. In 1727 she was brought here from the Shlisselburg Fortress in St. Petersburg after Peter’s death, and not long before her own. Both of Peter’s relatives are buried in the convent’s Smolensk cathedral.

It was here, in the Novodevichy Convent, that Boris Godunov was «summoned to kingdom» in 1568. In the fire of 1812 the convent was nearly ruined. At the beginning of September numerous French soldiers were billeted here and later on Napoleon himself visited the place on horseback. Without dismounting he looked round at the convent and gave orders for the Church of John the Baptist to be blown up, then he departed. On the night of 8 October the French troops were getting ready to retreat. Before leaving they stuck lighted candles on the wooden iconostases and threw them on to the floor where they had scattered straw everywhere. In the cellar of Smolensky Cathedral the nuns discovered open barrels of powder with smouldering fuses. With only seconds before a terrible explosion, the nuns managed to put out the fuses and prevent a fire in the convent.

A picturesque pond with ducks just near the convent makes it a wonderful place.

Novodevichy Convent has been witness to many historical events in its time, but it managed to go through it, endure it and not only preserve but also multiply spiritual heritage with centuries.

After the revolution the convent was secularised, then it housed a branch of the State History Museum. Today it’s a convent with 2 museums but it has been given back to the church.

Everyone has heard of the Kruger National Park. It's the biggest game reserve in South Africa. Its border stretches from the Limpopo River in the north to the Crocodile river in the south. The whole eastern boundary of the park borders onto Mozambique.

The park was established in 1926 and is over 2 million hectares in size. Its size can be likened to that of Wales or the American state of Massachusetts. There are a large variety of animals in the park, ranging from 122 different species of mammal, 109 different types of reptile, 55 species of fish and 422 species of birds.

The park is also home to 7000+ Elephants, 30000 Buffalo, 120000 Impala Buck and 22000 Kwaggas (Zebras). To add to this list you will also find giraffe, lions, leopards, cheetahs, hunting dog, hyenas, rhino and hippos.

A visit to this park is a must and if you are not an animal mad person, after your first visit here you will find that you have become one.

Most visitors to South Africa do not have enough time so a quick visit is what they opt for. To get to the park they either travel by tourist bus or fly in and land at Skukuza, the largest rest camp in the park. There are many others to stay at as well.

At Skukuza you can hire a car and drive yourself, or elect to go by coach on a guided tour through the park. There are a couple of rules one has to follow in the park.

• Do not leave your car under any circumstances except in designated rest areas.
• Keep to the speed limits.

There is a good reason for the rules. There are wild animals out in the bush. You might get out of your car and walk slap bang into a lion lying in thick grass right next to the road.

Guess who is going to win that argument! The lion initially, but once it has killed someone it will kill again and become a threat, thus necessitating its own demise.

The rest camp gates open at six in the morning and you are able to venture out onto the roads. Suddenly 10 metres in front of you there is a movement in the bush. You stop your car and one impala crosses the road. Sit still, don't move, suddenly there are hundreds of them in the road. In about 10 minutes they have all crossed and the road is clear. Moving on you come across a clump of rocks with some thorn bushes.

At the base of the thorn bush the grass is moving.

Taking a closer look you can see a largish animal lying on its side. You've found a lion lying twitching its tail. It does this to rid itself of the flies. Lions love to sleep in the shade in the heat of the day and if you keep your eyes open you are likely to see more of them.

Leopards are very difficult to spot. Where there are largish trees, check the higher branches and with a bit of luck you may spot one relaxing on a branch.

At sundown its time to get to that water hole. Find a good spot where you can see clearly, keep quiet and watch. The animals come from all directions to drink. Impalas, kudus, warthogs and giraffe to name but a few. They are very wary as they approach the waters edge. Have you noticed the log floating close to the water's edge? It's a crocodile lying patiently in the water with only its eyes sticking out waiting for its supper. If an animal gets too close the crocodile will launch itself and grab its prey, and drag it into the water where it will drown it.

The elephant in all its splendour arrives waving its trunk as it savours the breeze. It's long white tusks glint in the evening sunlight as it makes its way down to the river’s edge. Close behind come the rest of the herd. Soon there is no place for the other animals, they must wait their turn as the elephants suck up trunkfulls of water to drink and spray over themselves.

It gets dark quickly so you need to get back to camp.

Along the way keep your eyes open for the nocturnal animals that should be out and about. You would be amazed at what's out there.

When you get back to camp, have a meal, and hop into bed.

Before dropping off listen to the sounds of the bush. You'll hear lions roaring and in the morning might even find their footprints around your bungalow.

Love an experience like this?

Visit the Kruger National Park in South Africa.

Geoff Fairman is the editor and publisher of Banker's Oldboys Ezine, a free electronic publication. Subscribe to Bankers Oldboys Ezine for more articles about Cape Town and South Africa by sending a blank e-mail to BrerRabbit-subscribe@topica.com