Globalwanderings is the personal photoblog of Richard Cain showcasing some of the amazing places I have experienced while living and working throughout Asia and more recently, Europe. In 2009, me and my wife Jackie left Asia to renovate a farmhouse and live a new life in deepest Portugal. Our continuing story is told on the blog called Casa Azul. We also run the podcasting site podcastsinenglish.com for learners and teachers of English as a foreign language.
The latest at Casa Azul
Greetings, Spring! (29 Mar 2021)
There’s a time when everything seems a little sad, the winter drags on and summer is a dream. And then, after the rain the sun comes out, the wind drops and in an instant everything really does spring to life. The trees suddenly have buds and most of them are in leaf, the meadows have some flowers and yes, there are more and more orchids to be seen. Along with the Early Purple (below) and Giant, we are seeing the...
A month of two halves (28 Feb 2021)It rained this month. Goodness, did it rain. Our dog walks were turned into river crossings and we were always hoping our waterproofs would be dry enough for the next one. To add to the slight feeling of gloom constant rain brings (we felt like characters in T C Boyle’s novel A Friend of the Earth) Portugal was making the headlines for all the wrong reasons: The Worst in the World label felt very grim. We discovered one of neighbours...
The weather at Casa Azul
My latest toy. All the weather information you could ever need. Updates every 15 minutes.
The latest at podcastsinenglish.com
Level 1.167 Farewell, Philip (15 Apr 2021)
Who was the world's most famous husband?
Level 3.167 Would I lie to you honey? (8 Apr 2021)Can you tell if someone said something that wasn't true?
Level 2.167 How did they survive? (25 Mar 2021)Two situations you wouldn't want to experience
The latest at Globalwanderings.
The Rias Baixas Sep 2019
For us, September is holiday time and it usually means a road trip into Spain. We had an ulterior motive this time - we were also looking for a possible place to live.
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Jaipur Feb 2019
My latest trip to India was almost at an end. I was up early and checked out of my hotel, the Bundi streets were strangely quiet first thing in the morning, as was the station, but the buses were still running and I managed to catch one to Jaipur just as it was leaving. The roads were surprisingly quiet as well so it only took four hours rather than the five and a half I was expecting. (read on)
Chittorgarh & Bundi Feb 2019
Got the bus from Udaipur to Chittorgarh no problem. Semi-deluxe, that's a laugh but I got a seat. The journey was pretty boring, just views of major road works everywhere and dust. The station in Chittorgarh is across the river from the old town so I managed to avoid the trishaw drivers and just walked across the bridge observing the hill fort in the distance. (read on)
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Palmyra
We visited Syria and Palmyra over Christmas and New Year 2007/08. We encountered a fantastic country and tremendously hospitable people. It will long remain in our hearts and we only hope that the country and people can once again rise from the ruins. During that trip we discovered Palmyra for ourselves and here is what we found.
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River Beaches of Central Portugal
One of the best things about Central Portugal and amongst the first things we discovered since arriving here were the river beaches. All over Central Portugal the local municipalities have selected a local beauty spot and improved upon it. In the main they have dammed a river, or partially dammed it to make a swimming area and then included some facilities, a cafe usually and picnic areas and places to lie out in the sun. All are unique in their own way and a fantastic way to cool off during the hot summer months. Below are a few of our favourite ones.
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Cambodia
This page is a bit of a cheat really as the photographs are of only a few square kilometres of the whole country. But these few square kilometres contain one of the top ten historical sites in the world. Most people just think of Angkor Wat but actually within this area are about a hundred temple complexes built over a period of a few hundred years (9th to 14th Century). Of these I've included photos of just four: Angkor Wat itself, identified by the famous 'beehive' towers; the many faced Bayon; and Ta Prohm - famous for sharing its space with the encroaching jungle and enormous trees.