When I was travelling around the world, it was sometimes a challenge to get a conversation going with non-English speaking travellers. One method I used which was quite effective is the 'Ask a silly question in their language' method. I developed this method as I met people from all over the world and was looking for a way to engage them because it can sometimes be intimidating speaking a foreign language. It works something like this:

[I meet a Dutch person.]

Me: Oh, you're Dutch - I can practice my Dutch then.
Dutch Person: Oh? You speak Dutch?
Me: Hou je van pindakaas? [Do you like peanut butter?]
Dutch Person: [laughs and responds with something in Dutch which of course I don't understand]

...conversation ensues...

The key thing here is to open the conversation with a laugh to make it easier to continue the conversation. Making it a question allows them to respond in their own language, making them more comfortable. Making the question silly usually makes them laugh, which puts them more at ease. If it turns out that it doesn't make them laugh, then it can be a little awkward and either they have no sense of humour or you might need to find a new question...

Try it!

Note: It doesn't seem to work in my own language. People tend to look at me funny and back away slowly when I try it.

Why haven't I updated the site? Am I still alive? Where am I?

I am, in fact, alive. After spending a week in Cambridge, England at the beginning of August, I came back to Ireland. I spent several weeks on Inishmore and now I'm in Donegal. I'm a 3k walk to expensive internet access, so I've just been keeping up on email.

I'm sure I'll have more things to write about later on. Stay tuned!

I've just completed an upgrade of the entire website. Everything should look [and work!] the same as before. If you run into any problems, such as graphics not displaying properly or links not working, please let me know so I can fix it.

I added a link in the header to a section called 'quick facts'. If you have ever asked yourself:

• What currency do they use in Afghanistan?
• What languages do they speak in the Pitcairn Islands?
• What's the population of Iraq?
• Where the hell is Wallis and Futuna?
• What is the internet country code for Uzbekistan?

then this feature is for you. Answer these burning questions and more with quick facts!

I've never had anything like that happen to me before, and I've flown quite a bit.

So I'm getting ready to take off on my fall trip. My plan is to take 3-4 weeks in Madagascar and 4-5 weeks in South Africa, Botswana, and possibly Lesotho and Swaziland. The question is: How do you prepare for such a trip?