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Mark Moxon's Travel Writing

Top Travel Tales

There are hundreds of travel tales on my site, so to help you choose which ones to fill your lunch break with, here are a few 'top ten' lists to help you pick. If you like these, why not try the rest?

My Favourite Tales

These are my favourite bits of writing, irrespective of whether the destinations themselves are any good. Indeed, some of the worst experiences and sights bring out the best in a writer; such is life.

  1. Mali: Bloody Nora
  2. India: Pigs Over Jaisalmer
  3. Mali: Tambacounda to Kayes
  4. India: The Dogs of Bhagsu
  5. Nepal: Death in the Afternoon
  6. Malaysia: The Cavalier Roundhead
  7. Senegal: King of the Café
  8. Ghana: Rastafarian Christmas
  9. India: Louis Armstrong
  10. Malaysia: Meeting the Orang Asli

My Favourite Places

Every country has a wealth of wonderful places to visit, but some stand out from the crowd. Here are ten of my favourite destinations, all of which made my jaw drop and my fingers fly over the keyboard.

  1. India: Mandu
  2. Australia: The Kimberley
  3. India: Varanasi
  4. Indonesia: Gunung Rinjani
  5. French Polynesia: Gambier Islands (Mangareva)
  6. India: Alang
  7. Australia: Karijini
  8. Mali: Djenné
  9. Malaysia: Taman Negara
  10. New Zealand: Hollyford-Pyke Route

My Favourite Walks

I adore walking, whether short day trips or ten-day extravaganzas, and as a way to see the countries you're visiting, it's perfect, even in the rain. Here are my ten favourite walks, and they're all highly recommended.

  1. New Zealand: Hollyford-Pyke Route
  2. Indonesia: Gunung Rinjani
  3. Australia: Fraser Island
  4. New Zealand: Tongariro Northern Circuit
  5. Nepal: Annapurna Circuit
  6. Malaysia: Taman Negara
  7. Australia: Pilbara Bushwalk
  8. Indonesia: Bada Valley
  9. Australia: Hinchinbrook Island
  10. New Zealand: Routeburn-Greenstone Track

Trippy Travelling

Sometimes travelling puts you in places where you have no choice but to think: 'This is just so trippy!' Some countries, like India, specialise in trippy travelling, but if you're lucky you'll see bizarre things everywhere. Here are just some examples...

  1. Ghana: The Road to Jesus
  2. Australia: Top-up, Sir?
  3. India: Death on the Platform
  4. Morocco: Morocco, German-Style
  5. India: I'll Have a Limca, Please
  6. Ghana: Down the Den
  7. India: The Dogs of Bhagsu
  8. Nepal: Death in the Afternoon
  9. Ghana: Nzulezo
  10. India: The Sound of Indian Politics

The Travelling Condition

Travelling – if it's done right – can put you through the whole gamut of emotions, from up to down to completely sideways. That's all part of the thrill, and to celebrate here are some tales that touch on what goes through a traveller's mind, particularly when things get tough.

  1. Mali: Marmalade!
  2. Ghana: A Change of Heart
  3. India: Slowing Down
  4. Indonesia: Loneliness on the Road
  5. Australia: Travelling Possessions
  6. French Polynesia: Escape from the Yacht
  7. Malaysia: The Company of Travellers
  8. Mali: Down on the Upside
  9. India: Schrödinger's Cat
  10. Nepal: Floundering in Kathmandu

Being Ill on the Road

Illness gets to us all, but when you're eating strange foods and being exposed to all sorts of bugs that your body's not used to, it's not surprising that illness is a fact of travel. But it needn't be a drag, as the following tales show; after all, I survived them all to travel another day!

  1. Indonesia: Unwell in Tana Toraja
  2. Ghana: The Struggle into Ghana
  3. French Polynesia: Sailing to French Polynesia
  4. Mali: Dogon Country
  5. Morocco: The Sahara by Camel
  6. India: Puri
  7. Indonesia: Bada Valley
  8. Nepal: Annapurna Circuit (Stage 1)
  9. French Polynesia: Makemo
  10. Australia: Pemberton