charlesgannon

Part 3 of ‘The Middle Kingdom’

This latest and final section of ‘The Middle Kingdom’ deals with my 1989 trip through China, travelling along the Silk Road into Xinjiang Province, where I mingled with the Uighur people. I then flew down to Chengdu in Sichuan Province to join students whom I had met two years previously. However, trouble was brewing. AlthoughContinue reading “Part 3 of ‘The Middle Kingdom’”

Part 2 of ‘The Middle Kingdom’

The first two chapters in Part 2 of ‘The Middle Kingdom’ – my trip through China in 1987 – have now been added to the website. You’ll find these two chapters, about my journey to Lhasa and a short stay in Chengdu, in the Travelogues section. Enjoy!

The islands of Scotland

I am delighted to welcome Lindsay Armstrong to our list of writers. Lindsay’s various jobs have included being an oboist and cor anglais player in the RTÉ Symphony Orchestra here in Ireland, the first general manager of Dublin’s National Concert Hall, and the first director of the Royal Irish Academy of Music. He was Co-FounderContinue reading “The islands of Scotland”

A Caribbean Cruise Diary

I’m delighted to welcome our second female writer, Anne McLoughlin (the author of the historical novels ‘Lives Apart’ and ‘Lives Without End’), who has very kindly written a delightful travelogue entitled ‘A Caribbean Cruise Diary (2005)’ for us. It is a lively account of a week-long cruise, with a group of friends, around the CaribbeanContinue reading “A Caribbean Cruise Diary”

A new contributor and a new travelogue!

I’m delighted to welcome the first female contributor to this website: a former colleague of mine, Margaret Martin, who has kindly written a short but delightful travelogue about trekking in the Anti-Atlas mountain range, in the south-east of Morocco. Her account is delightful and is illustrated with some fine colour photographs like the one youContinue reading “A new contributor and a new travelogue!”

China: The Middle Kingdom

New on Trips and Travelogues: ‘The Middle Kingdom: Three Journeys to China (1977, 1987 and 1989)’. Travel back in time with me for my first trip to China in 1977, when I went with the first tourist group from Ireland after the country had opened up after the ten-year Cultural Revolution. Let me bring youContinue reading “China: The Middle Kingdom”

Part 3 of ‘In High Places: Tibet’ added

Join me for my crazy overland trip from Beijing to Tibet and ten-day stay in Lhasa back in 1987! Highlights include visits to the famous Potala and Norbulingka palaces on the outskirts of Lhasa, as well as trips to the nearby monasteries of Sera, Drepung, Ganden and Samye.

A new contribution from Tim Thurston

For all of you who dream of travelling to Italy to visit Florence and the nearby cities of Pisa, Arezzo, Assisi and Siena, here now is a short guide to all these wonderful places and their cultural treasures, written by Tim Thurston in 2006. In Florence and around, he advises readers as to the bestContinue reading “A new contribution from Tim Thurston”

Bhutan trek added

Chomolhari mountain, eastern Bhutan I have now added Part Two: Bhutan of ‘In High Places’ to the Travelogues section of the website. Come back in time with me to 1986 and join me on a trek up the mountains in the secretive Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan – the ‘Land of the Thunder Dragon’.

Introducing Tim Thurston

Piazza San Marco, Venice The latest contributor to Trips and Travelogues is the respected broadcaster Tim Thurston, who presented programmes on Ireland’s music radio station, RTÉ FM3, which later became RTÉ Lyric FM. You can read all about Tim in the About section of the website. Tim has written a piece on the city thatContinue reading “Introducing Tim Thurston”