Podworld - Exploring interesting places

There are a number of places in the world when one is minded to go but other destinations get in the way. Whether they are adjudged to have more glamour, better facilities or countless other reasons, many places remain on the book-it list. Poland was one such place but quite by chance there was an opportunity for me to visit at the end of the summer. I suppose Poland is often judged against the conflicts it has endured be it from wartime Nazi Germany or Cold War repression under the Soviet Union. Nowadays Poland is fully paid up member of the European Union but I was not certain what awaited me. The nearest template I had was Lithuania, a land which had been under complete Soviet control before breaking free and also joining the EU. Lithuania was a hybrid between Soviet style austere buildings such as railway stations and old factories and newer modern glass and concrete structures paid for by European money. Would I find Poland the same after all I had enjoyed Lithuania? T...

I hope lovers of Yellowstone find these geysers a visual treat. It was a filming treat capturing these moments

Tucked away on a quiet back road between the Yorkshire town of Doncaster and its Lincolnshire neighbour Scunthorpe lies a unique collection. A group of enthusiasts have been preserving an often forgotten tradition of transportation, the trolleybus. A brief history. The golden age of the trolley bus was a short period between the end of World War II and the early 1960s. Twin overhead cables carried electric power to the motors which powered these transportation giants. In all the major cities of Britain including London, Glasgow and Hull the trolleybus transported thousands of people to their place of work or to centres of shopping. The were green, clean and dependable. So how did they come to leave our streets and roads? The answer lies in what is now called the baby-boomer era. Rising populations encouraged municipalities to build big housing estates out-of-town, beyond the capabilities of the trolleybus network. Recognising that with more disposable income, families were tur...

Borneo. It has always evoked deep emotion within me from when I first saw a wildlife programme filmed there on a flickering black and white television set. It was remote, distant and seemingly untouchable. Human contact with orangutans is kept to a minimum as they will return to the wild The world though has become a smaller place and getting to Borneo could not be easier, especially that part of the sizable island governed by Malaysia. I traveled to the province of Sabah in the north. Here there are two points of entry. Sandakan, our chosen arrival point close to the rain forest in the north-east and the much more accessible and barely remote Kota Kinablau. Around Sandakan it is possible to book tours into the rain forest and along the Kinabatangan river. That was our choice.It was not cheap but the experience of a dawn river patrol will live in the memory with hornbills, money's and giant crocodiles among the many astonishing creatures that can be seen. At ...

It is one of the most written about areas of the world. The Yellowstone National Park is the first national park created anywhere in the world. That status dates back to 1872 when enlightened Americans sought to protect some of the natural landscape. It is not for me to add to any of the extraordinary descriptions of this vast and beautiful landscape. Greater writers than me have committed their words to paper on the matter. Instead I am posting a number of short videos and images which I filmed during my eleven day stay in the park during the late summer of 2014. It is only when one leaves the park and returns home that you can get a grasp of how wonderful Yellowstone really is. Day after day its beauty, wildlife and delightful features assault your very senses. The first film which I am posting is rare occurrence which by happenstance took place during our stay. It was the eruption of the Steamboat Geyser. It could be many many years before visitors will cast their...

I should not be surprised by the USA,  I have been coming here for three decades but I am always struck by its vastness.  Normally when I write these entries,  it is in retrospect having given myself time to contemplate what it is I wish to convey.  This however is being written as I journey. Nevertheless there is a retrospective element to it as part one if the adventure has been undertaken.  This early part to me to the fascinating city of New York.  What can I add to the many words of writers more gifted than myself? Very little poetically but I will offer a small insight into my personal journey. There will be more to come in subsequent entries but I begin in Brooklyn. Brooklyn is not Manhattan as anybody from the island will tell you but Brooklyn is fighting back in a good way. I was staying in an apartment near Fort Greene.  It was apparent to me that this area had been smartened up over the years.  Look in the window of any Estat...