The Hungry Travellers

Independent travel, food, photography and culture

  • About this blog
  • Blog
  • Phil & Michaela
    • About Phil & Michaela
    • Our Philosophies
    • Travel bug – Michaela’s story
    • Travel bug – Phil’s story
    • Photography by Michaela
  • Destinations
    • Africa
      • Botswana 2024
      • Cape Verde 2023
      • Egypt 2022
      • Kenya 2024
      • Malawi 2024
      • MOROCCO 2016
      • Morocco 2023
      • Tunisia 2022
      • Zambia 2024
      • Zimbabwe 2024
    • The Americas
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      • BRAZIL 2024
      • California 2022
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      • Cambodia 2023
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    • Europe
      • ALBANIA & KOSOVO 2016
      • Andorra 2023
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      • AUSTRIA 2016
      • Croatia 2020
      • Cyprus 2023
      • France 2023
      • Greece 2021
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      • ITALY 2019
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    • MIDDLE EAST
      • Jordan 2019
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    • CITIES.
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  • Travel Stories
    • Bush Routes:
    • Across Sri Lanka by tuk-tuk
    • A Different New Year’s Eve
    • Bobsleigh Run
    • Camels And Khaled
    • Hamadi
    • Into The Unknown
    • Lightning Strike
    • Our strange invitation
    • The Curious Tale Of The Day Bag And The Dress
    • The Dirty Plastic Bucket
    • The story of Mangala
    • Travel Stories: From The Boudoir To The Bosphorus
    • Travel Stories: The Nungwi Sunset
    • Welcome To Dar
    • Were We Safe? Take A Look…
  • About this blog
  • Blog
  • Phil & Michaela
    • About Phil & Michaela
    • Our Philosophies
    • Travel bug – Michaela’s story
    • Travel bug – Phil’s story
    • Photography by Michaela
  • Destinations
    • Africa
      • Botswana 2024
      • Cape Verde 2023
      • Egypt 2022
      • Kenya 2024
      • Malawi 2024
      • MOROCCO 2016
      • Morocco 2023
      • Tunisia 2022
      • Zambia 2024
      • Zimbabwe 2024
    • The Americas
      • Argentina 2024
      • BRAZIL 2024
      • California 2022
      • California & Arizona 2022
      • Costa Rica 2021/2022
      • Jamaica 2022
      • MEXICO 2018
      • Mexico & Belize 2022.
      • Panama 2022/2023
      • USA 2024
    • Asia
      • Cambodia 2023
      • India 2017
      • India & Nepal 2023
      • Laos 2020
      • MALAYSIA,TIOMAN ISLAND, SINGAPORE 2018
      • Philippines 2025
      • Singapore 2023
      • Thailand 2020
      • Turkey 2020
      • Turkey 2024
      • Vietnam 2020
      • Vietnam 2023
    • Europe
      • ALBANIA & KOSOVO 2016
      • Andorra 2023
      • Athens & The Cyclades 2019 – Tinos, Syros, Andros
      • AUSTRIA 2016
      • Croatia 2020
      • Cyprus 2023
      • France 2023
      • Greece 2021
      • Greece 2024
      • GREEK ISLANDS 2017 – SANTORINI, SIKINOS, FOLEGANDROS
      • ITALY 2019
      • LA PALMA 2018
      • LATVIA 2017
      • Milan & Switzerland 2023
      • POLAND 2016
      • Spain 2023
    • MIDDLE EAST
      • Jordan 2019
      • Qatar 2025
    • CITIES.
      • Bologna & Rome 2022
      • BRUSSELS 2017
      • Budapest 2019
      • GENEVA 2018
      • VENICE 2017
      • Vilnius, Lithuania 2021
  • Travel Stories
    • Bush Routes:
    • Across Sri Lanka by tuk-tuk
    • A Different New Year’s Eve
    • Bobsleigh Run
    • Camels And Khaled
    • Hamadi
    • Into The Unknown
    • Lightning Strike
    • Our strange invitation
    • The Curious Tale Of The Day Bag And The Dress
    • The Dirty Plastic Bucket
    • The story of Mangala
    • Travel Stories: From The Boudoir To The Bosphorus
    • Travel Stories: The Nungwi Sunset
    • Welcome To Dar
    • Were We Safe? Take A Look…

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  • Africa,  History,  Independent travel,  Photography,  Travel Blog

    Djerba: Rich Jewish History & The Riches Of Street Art

    May 23, 2022 /

    The island of Djerba has a unique and fascinating history of huge significance for those of Jewish faith. Legend has it that when Nebuchadnezzar II destroyed the Temple Of Solomon during the destruction of Jerusalem in 586BC, the fleeing high priests took with them sections of the temple, settled on Djerba and used the remnants to commence construction of a synagogue on the island. Legend or fact? Story or history? DNA testing of the modern day community has revealed a high level of Kohanim lineage – direct descendants of the early high priests, so the story may well be founded on truth. The Jewish community on Djerba has survived and…

    read more
    Phil & Michaela 25 Comments

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    Diani beach near Mombasa Kenya

    Diani Time: Mishaps & Monkey Business

    August 2, 2024

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    April 5, 2022

    Cairo, Saqqara And The Pyramids 

    March 26, 2022
  • Africa,  Independent travel,  Photography,  Transport,  Travel Blog

    To The Last Place…On To Djerba Island 

    May 20, 2022 /

    “Can I ask you something personal?”, he says from behind his camel dinner, in that way that only an American would just five minutes after introductions, “Do you think the guy who runs our hotel is kinda rude?” Well no, actually, he’s been fine, but, as far as Dennis and his cousin Bonnie are concerned, our maitre d’ seems to have failed to have made a connection. As it turns out, Dennis and Bonnie had spotted something that we hadn’t. In the way that Americans do. Because let’s fast forward now to our departure date, when immediately after breakfast a maid bursts into our room without knocking on the door,…

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    Phil & Michaela 19 Comments

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    Jacaranda trees in Gweru, Zimbabwe

    Westward To Botswana: Dirty Shoes And Itchy Feet

    September 24, 2024

    Back North To Fes, Then West To Casablanca 

    October 12, 2023
    Mountains on the journey from Tangir to Chefchaouen in Morocco

    Into Africa: Sometimes Things Don’t Go To Plan

    September 18, 2023
  • Africa,  Independent travel,  Photography,  Travel Blog,  World food

    Oasis: Days In The Sunshine And A Bit Of Morning Glory

    May 16, 2022 /

    Haircuts are something which need consideration when travelling longer term. Now, some who may have noticed that nature has already removed most of my hair will say that haircuts can’t possibly be a source of angst for me – and you’re right, they’re not. But bear in mind that when one doesn’t have much hair, a small amount of growth in millimetres is a large amount of growth in percentage terms – so whilst it’s not angst ridden, the problem is one of regularity. Michaela and her hair is of course a completely different matter, one which involves equal quantities of research, reconnaissance, perseverance and, ultimately, courage. Once through that…

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    Phil & Michaela 28 Comments

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    Migration of elephants at Amboseli, Kenya

    Stage Four: Amboseli And A Missing Mountain 

    July 26, 2024
    Ziz Valley oasis in Morocco

    Desert Road Trip: From Fes To The Sahara 

    October 5, 2023
    Quebra Canela beach in Praia, Santiago Cape Verde

    From Boa Vista To Santiago: A Praia Arrangement 

    November 26, 2023
  • Africa,  History,  Independent travel,  Photography,  Travel Blog

    Empty Roads, Desert Rain & Mirages: Matmata-Douz-Tozeur

    May 13, 2022 /

    It’s fair to say that the journey from Matmata to Douz isn’t the most challenging foreign drive we’ve ever undertaken, with long stretches of empty road cutting a perfect straight line through the desert. In terms of civilisation, there is nothing: a good hour of roadway passing not a single building, let alone anything as grand as a village. In fact the greatest – maybe the only – challenge is the patches where the sand has covered the road, the tarmac has all but disappeared and the grip of our tyres is about as good as a stiletto on a polished floor. At last we reach signs of life as…

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    Phil & Michaela 32 Comments

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    Aswan Days 

    April 11, 2022

    To A Different World: Kairouan To Monastir 

    May 5, 2022
    The dunes meet the sea in Boa Vista Cape Verde

    Return To Boa Vista: Playing Crusoe, Eating Tuna And Exploring The Island

    December 11, 2023
  • Africa,  History,  Photography,  Travel Blog

    Going Underground: Matmata

    May 10, 2022 /

    As soon as we heard that some former troglodyte homes beneath the ground had been converted into a place where you can stay the night, we knew we had to do it. The temptation of spending a night in one of these most unusual cave dwellings was just too much to resist, especially when our route south and west was taking us close to their very location. An entire population of troglodyte people lived in and around what is now Matmata, in man made cave dwellings constructed in intriguing fashion. Some of these cave dwellings were simply hewn into the rock, often behind tight entrances between tall natural pillars, but…

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    Phil & Michaela 34 Comments

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    Chouwara Tannery in Fes, Morocco

    The True Face Of Fes

    October 3, 2023

    Safari Stage One: Into The Maasai Mara

    July 23, 2024

    In Deeper: To The Sacred City Of Kairouan 

    April 30, 2022
  • Africa,  History,  Independent travel,  Photography,  Travel Blog

    The Journey Continues: Monastir-El Jem-Gabes 

    May 7, 2022 /

    Strictly speaking, El Jem isn’t a desert town, but as we step off the louage from Monastir and squint through the haze, it bears all the hallmarks of one. We arrive in a dust storm – or maybe a sand storm – which makes the whole town shimmer in the heat and minarets and palm trees drift in and out of sight. Flags whip and crack in the stiff wind, the sun is clogged and filtered by the sand which is so concentrated that it’s a bit like looking into a fog. Our glasses and sunglasses are quickly covered in a film of dust, layers of sand particles have coated…

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    Phil & Michaela 19 Comments

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    Concluding Cairo: Time To Move On 

    March 29, 2022
    Jacaranda trees in Gweru, Zimbabwe

    Westward To Botswana: Dirty Shoes And Itchy Feet

    September 24, 2024

    Red Sea Coast And Other Stories 

    April 13, 2022
  • Africa,  History,  Independent travel,  Photography,  Travel Blog,  World food

    To A Different World: Kairouan To Monastir 

    May 5, 2022 /

    We have barely entered the chaotic louage station before someone spots us – two backpack laden travellers on the move – and points us in the direction of the correct ticket window for Monastir, and as soon as we have our tickets, a second person is there to show us to the right louage. This is just how Tunisia, and Kairouan, is: helpful people everywhere. For those unfamiliar with this kind of transport, the louage and its counterparts in other countries, there is no timetable, the driver simply waits until all seats are taken and, as soon as they are, he hits the road. With a stroke of luck the…

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    Phil & Michaela 20 Comments

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    To The Last Place…On To Djerba Island 

    May 20, 2022
    View of Chefchaouen from ths Spanish mosque, Morocco

    Chefchaouen, The Blue Pearl Of Morocco 

    September 20, 2023

    Safari Stage One: Into The Maasai Mara

    July 23, 2024
  • Africa,  History,  Independent travel,  Photography,  Travel Blog

    In Deeper: To The Sacred City Of Kairouan 

    April 30, 2022 /

    We feel quite a sense of anticipation as we make our way across the nondescript scrubland plain towards the city of Kairouan and step down from the minibus beneath greying afternoon skies. Indeed, there was a time when we couldn’t even have got as far as this: until being taken by the French in 1881, Kairouan was strictly Muslim only with all others barred from even entering the city. It is today the fourth most sacred city of Islam after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem, tradition stating that seven pilgrimages to Kairouan equals one pilgrimage to Mecca. The Great Mosque of Kairouan (aka the Mosque Of Uqba) is widely accepted as…

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    Phil & Michaela 18 Comments

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    Pelicans on Nayvasha, Kenya

    Stage Two: Maasai Mara To Lake Nakuru

    July 24, 2024

    Aswan Days 

    April 11, 2022
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    Diani Time: Mishaps & Monkey Business

    August 2, 2024
  • Africa,  History,  Independent travel,  Photography,  Travel Blog

    The Wider Tunis: Carthage, The Coast And More 

    April 27, 2022 /

    The teenage boys are just as boisterous on the train now as they were half an hour ago performing outrageous gymnastics on the beach, which in itself is pretty impressive, particularly if they’re practicing Ramadan and leaping around like that when they can’t even take on water. Now, on the train, they jump off and run from carriage to carriage at each station, open the doors while the train is moving, swap shirts and throw bags at each other: we just smile at the fact that wherever you are, whatever the culture…..boys will be boys. We are on the short suburban railway which runs out from Tunis, across the water…

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    Phil & Michaela 22 Comments

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    Last Days In Egypt: Exploring The Reef

    April 18, 2022
  • Africa,  Independent travel,  Photography,  Travel Blog

    The Doors & Shops Of Tunis 

    April 25, 2022 /

    Doors and shops. Now there’s two things which hold a fascination for many travellers. Doors because they just do: there’s something irresistibly photogenic about them. Shops possibly because they are a familiar concept whose distortion by different environment is such a tangible measure of a different culture. Tunis has delivered so much on both fronts that we thought we’d interrupt our commentaries with this gallery. Doors first….. And on to the shops….. And to finish, a few mosaics from the walls of the Medina….

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    Phil & Michaela 17 Comments

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