Author Archives: Silvia Martin

Reader in the grass – 5 books to try

This year again, the sunny summer has gone off my radar – and if you live in Belgium, you might have entirely missed it, too. Here, it shows up on a “now you see me, now you see me not” basis. And while I have to part with my much beloved notion of summer onceContinue reading “Reader in the grass – 5 books to try”

Smile – You are in Japan

There are many things to say about Japan, and hopefully I can get my thoughts together to tell you the whole story of my two-week experience in this very peculiar country. Some things in Japan, though, leave you pretty much speechless, and so I decided to let the pictures lead the way in this blogContinue reading “Smile – You are in Japan”

The spark that set the fire in South Africa – in We Said Go Travel magazine

At the beginning, it was a wild dream. South Africa revealed to me at first through the accounts of travellers or adventure novels I would read late into the night. It seemed a mystic land, a place like no other and, at that time for me, completely out of reach. I was not yet aContinue reading “The spark that set the fire in South Africa – in We Said Go Travel magazine”

Kissed by the Sun: Travel in Sicily – in Go World Travel Magazine

Sicily never ranked high on my travel list. But on a rainy day in the middle of Belgian October, it promised to be a great gateway from work and city life, with sun, sea and blue sky. Also good food and amazing landscape all waiting to be enjoyed. All at an affordable price. Ryanair tookContinue reading “Kissed by the Sun: Travel in Sicily – in Go World Travel Magazine”

Travelling soul – Remember Maggie

I lost a traveller-friend whom I had recently met, Maggie – an exceptional woman who inspired me. She left this world. But I shall remember her. We met in India in December 2015. You were one of the liveliest people in the group, the kind of restless creatures that catch the eye immediately. I rememberContinue reading “Travelling soul – Remember Maggie”

Travel in South Africa: The Beauty of the Rainbow – in Go World Travel magazine

There is no perfect place on Earth, they say. But “they” haven’t visited South Africa, the Rainbow Nation. Yes, the country has its struggles, but for the traveller in search of natural beauty, wildlife, wide open spaces and variety at all levels, South Africa is one of the most gratifying destinations I know. THE NATURALContinue reading “Travel in South Africa: The Beauty of the Rainbow – in Go World Travel magazine”

Highlights of Sumatra – on G Adventures Blog

I did not know what to expect when I booked my trip to Sumatra, Indonesia. It was the first time I was setting foot anywhere on the Asian continent and I’d say I was looking more for nature and animals than I was big cities or famously overpopulated beaches. I knew that I wanted a one-of-a-kindContinue reading “Highlights of Sumatra – on G Adventures Blog”

India is not for sissies

“You have to go to India. Once.” The man next to me, a travel companion, laughs devilishly as he says this to me, as if he is sending me straight to hell. When I announced that I was going to travel to India, another far-away friend typed back: “India? What’s happening? Sick of order, silence andContinue reading “India is not for sissies”

Belgium – No Safe Haven

It’s a particularly grey day in Belgium. It makes for the ideal background of a funeral. The country mourns its victims today, the ones it couldn’t save from yesterday’s terror attacks. But mourning, a sky that seems to be crying in unison with us, the one minute of silence and the countless hours of angerContinue reading “Belgium – No Safe Haven”