With four days left in this year's Travel Highlights competition, it is a pleasure to feature this second entry from Malcolm Welshman.

A CALL OF NATURE
 
My call of Nature came one moonlit night, the rocky ridges of southern Sudan awash with silver. I slipped out of our tent, careful not to wake my girlfriend and clambered up the slope.

My relief was short-lived when each side of me deep-throated snarls erupted. I hurtled back down to the tent. The snuffles followed.

I nudged Maxeen. ‘Listen,’ I hissed, rasping purrs just inches beyond the canvas. ‘Leopards.’

She half-woke. ‘Frogs,’ she murmured drowsily and fell asleep again.

When we emerged the next morning, large pug marks encircled the tent.

‘Bloody large frogs,’ was all I could say.

For our second travel highlight today, I am pleased to feature the third in a series of entries from Dolores Banerd.

With 5 days left in this year's Travel Highlights competition, it is a pleasure to feature the fifth entry from Syd Blackwell. Many thanks for all your support Syd.

COME ON
 
And are you interesting she began
as though the conversation had already
Are you interested he countered
Can you teach me something she persisted
I have been where you have not
Ah then you are a traveller
There are many ways to travel
And what ways have you travelled
I have travelled the ways of the eagle and the dove
the seeker and the lover
and walked the paths that only I may walk
Then let me walk the path to tomorrow
with you today
And interestingly he did

Syd Blackwell

I was born in a little ski town that used to be a gold mining town in the mountains of southeastern British Columbia.  I also lived on the coast, on Vancouver Island, in the north, and even in northern Alberta for a decade.   I visited every province and territory in Canada, and more than 40 other countries.  I was an educator, an innkeeper, and an assisted living facilitator.  My life was rich with experiences before I left Canada less than two months before my 61st birthday.
​
Uruguay, has been our home for more than a decade.  My wife and I share our home with our five dogs. And quite a few visitors.   We have found time in our retirement to do things we never seemed to find time to do before.   I have found time to be a writer and an artist.  Both give me great pleasure.  We have continued to travel, particularly in South America.

Otters by the Pier
 
We finally arrived in Monterey. 
Getting out of the car, I made my way from the carpark to a small beach beside a pier which stretched out into the bay. The sun setting cut through the dappled clouds, coating the sea in yellow. Waves lapped against the concrete pier. Gulls cawed overhead. Docked ships creaked as they swayed. But there was another sound. Squeaking perhaps. 
I saw, writhing in the seaweed, a young sea otter. Nearby was its mother, lying on her back, scraping shells on her belly. The baby dived playfully, slinking amongst the kelp. 
I was in awe.

Basilica View 
 
Despite my claustrophobia I ascended the Esztergom Basilica; the largest church in Hungary.
Enclosed by ageing walls, I took each narrow step slowly.
Once I’d survived, the landscape met me warmly. Red-capped roofs jutted out of the tree-line. Boats dotted the shimmering surface of the Danube. The only bridge in sight crossed from Hungary to Slovakia. The neighbour melted into the horizon, conjoining fertile hills with the misty skyline.
My outlook was bookend by two blue domes, topped with crosses. I’m not religious. But no Atheist could deny the beauty that the Esztergom Basilica displays. 

All Roads Lead to Seligman 
 
“On this site in 1897,” read the plaque, “nothing happened.”
And nothing had happened since. Aside from the completion of Route 66.
Walking down the street I could smell the old burning rubber imbedded in the tarmac. It was as if every American car had passed through Seligman, and with it every American town too. 
The hulks of re-painted vehicles lounged by the roadside. Number plates dotted the walls coloured with red, white and blue. 
A pole stood directing me to Berlin, Melbourne, Glasgow and Rome. But road signs wouldn’t let me forget; I was still on Route 66. 

Bear out of Nowhere
 
“If we saw a bear,” said Sally, “I’d just run.”
Anything was possible. The dense forests could conceal any predator Yosemite might throw at us.
As we drove, cars in front began slowing down until we had stopped. 
“What’s wrong?”
Sightseers leapt from vehicles, clutching their cameras. We tentatively followed, past the parked cars to the travellers by the roadside. And there she was. A body of rippling brown fur lumbered in the green meadow. Her ears twitched as she sniffed through the shrubbery.
Awestruck; we couldn’t even bring ourselves to take a photo. All we could do was stare. 

Lochside 
 
I couldn’t take my eyes off the view that the small reception of our hostel was blessed with.
The body of Loch Ness.
I made my way from the hostel down to the banks of the loch. The serene lake, made bright blue by the reflection of the clear sky, stretched out in front of me. Far on the other side was a lush forest, unimpeded by the man-made. From left to right, there was no end to the loch in sight. 
It appeared to go on forever.

Today it is a pleasure to feature another two travel highlights from Robyn Boswell. Thank you for all your support this year Robyn and best of luck in the competition.

If you are thinking of entering this year's competition then you have just over a week left to get your entry or entries submitted. You can find out more details here.

Frosty Morning, Scotland 
 
The trees have sung the songs of autumn and now their bare, blackened fingers claw at the silver sky. Grass crunches under my feet and I brush swirls of white off the heather bushes lining the path. The long-horned red beasties by the fence breathe clouds into the frigid air and shake the snow out of their shaggy coats. I reach the tiny loch, ready to try my first ever step on a frozen pond. One step and a boom echoes through the still air as a crack opens up right across the loch. I jump back – not this time!

St Mark’s Square, Venice 1975 
 
In awe to actually be in the magnificence of St Mark’s Square, we gather together in a huddle around our guide, Bill. None of us notices the elderly gentleman hovering on the edges of our group. Bill continues extolling the virtues and history of this fascinating, ancient city. Finally he announces “Venice is sinking at the rate of a few centimetres a year.”
 
The elderly gent pushes through the crowd, clenches his fist, waves it in Bill’s face.  His voice rises in anger. “Veneeze is not a-sinking! Veneeze is not a-sinking!”
 
His words still echo down through the years.

Robyn Boswell New Zealand

I live in the spectacular far north of New Zealand surrounded by the beautiful South Pacific Ocean. My family have lived here since the earliest days of settlement in New Zealand.  I love to travel and have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to travel to many corners of our wonderful planet. However, my heart always draws me back to the South Pacific. I have chronicled my trips through scrapbooking and journal writing so my memories are always with me. 

A warm welcome back to Malcolm Welshman with his first travel highlight entry in this year's competition. He entered two engaging travel stories earlier this year and also featured in a guest blog that you can catch up with here. His recently released book An Armful of Animals is a wonderful read and I would highly recommend it.

I know that it is Malcolm's birthday today and would like to send him all our best wishes for a very happy day.

With under two weeks left in this year's competition, it is my pleasure to feature another two highlights from Alan Passey.

The Blessing by Alan Passey
 
We agreed that he was beautiful. The young shaven monk, twenty years old at most, amber robed and with skin as smooth as silk, sat smiling contentedly at the ungainly Westerners ranged before him. Each of us would receive a blessing, when, in turn, we shuffled forward, place our palms together and bend in supplication. He acknowledged each ungainly wobble on knees no longer fit for purpose. 
A short prayer in Khmer, for our knees, probably. A red band tied around our wrists to signify the blessing.
Six weeks later I still wear the band. My knees are holding out.

A warm welcome back to Sunny Lockwood with her first entry in this year's Travel Highlights Competition.

A Taste of Time Travel 
 
My Peruvian taxi driver says the most popular soft drink in the nation is Inca Kola.
 
"What's it taste like?" I ask.
 
He smiles mysteriously, "Unforgettable."
 
Suddenly, despite historic churches and monuments, all I want is to taste Inca Kola.
 
I get my wish.
 
Inca Kola is yellow.  Not pale yellow like lemonade. Piercing yellow like neon on a rainy night.
 
One sip and I'm immediately a child again, standing at our local grocery candy counter. Dusty sweetness. Excitement. Little kid giddiness. What time travel magic!
 
Another swallow and I understand.  I get it.

Inca Kola tastes like bubble gum.

Sunny Lockwood lives with her husband in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina (U.S.A.). Both retired, they write travel memoirs about their various adventures. Their books, available at Amazon.com, have won awards and fans from around the world.
 
Some of Sunny's favorite authors: Laura Ingalls Wilder, Loren Eiseley, Viktor Frankl, John Steinbeck and Alexander McCall Smith.
 
Her heroes include Albert Schweitzer, Nelson Mandela, Vaclav Havel, Prudence Crandall and Harriet Tubman.

It is a pleasure to feature two more entries from Helen Bing in our 2018 Travel Highlights Competition. 

In a Caravan Built for Two 
 
Thirty six hours from New Zealand to England, with 3 children, ready to
spend our first night of our 3 month stay in my sister-in-law’s 12 foot
caravan. That included the tow bar!
 
We’re jet lagged, and overwhelmed after a day with the extended family.
 
We’re tired.
 
Now it’s just us, the luggage and the caravan. We need sleep.
 
The sling style top bunk for you my daughter.
 
The divan bed below is for you, my son.
 
In between Mum and Dad, young one.
 
Sleep well, one and all.

Broome, Western Australia
 
Early this morning, the sun had turned the water a gentle turquoise, and the silvery light danced on the surface. Now the tide has filled the bay and the colour has intensified. A light breeze touches the surface.
 
The coastline that this morning sizzled with rich reds have now morphed into softer, sandy tones by the sun’s shadows. Scraggy trees silhouette the clear skyline. Gulls screech across the water.
 
It’s raw. It’s pristine. It’s Western Australia.

Kia ora.
 
My name is Helen Bing and I’m from New Zealand. Travel has been an important part of my life. Through travel, I met my husband and brought him home with me. This has meant we have family spread widely apart, so that has been another reason for us to keep travelling. In 1991, we took our 3 children back to England to connect with the extended family. My sister-in-law lent us her caravan for the 3 months, which was somewhat smaller than we anticipated, and, we found that the awning leaked. However, with a few tweaks here and there, things turned out just fine.

SUNSET 
 
From the sandstone bluffs
that rise abruptly
above the sand at Atlántida
the summer sun had not yet set
From the perspective of the beach
it was just disappearing
and a ripple of clapping
rolled into a wave
A mostly standing ovation
for this day’s duration
thank you for the sun now done
Applause crept up the bluffs
until all about me
homage was paid
to the sun
for the day it had made
​

Syd Blackwell

I was born in a little ski town that used to be a gold mining town in the mountains of southeastern British Columbia.  I also lived on the coast, on Vancouver Island, in the north, and even in northern Alberta for a decade.   I visited every province and territory in Canada, and more than 40 other countries.  I was an educator, an innkeeper, and an assisted living facilitator.  My life was rich with experiences before I left Canada less than two months before my 61st birthday.
​
Uruguay, has been our home for more than a decade.  My wife and I share our home with our five dogs. And quite a few visitors.   We have found time in our retirement to do things we never seemed to find time to do before.   I have found time to be a writer and an artist.  Both give me great pleasure.  We have continued to travel, particularly in South America.