Templo I from the top of Templo II at Tikal, Guatemala.

Can I climb Temple IV at Tikal, Guatemala?

Discover which temples you can and can’t climb at Tikal – and which one offers the best views. The greatest Mayan site? Tikal in the Petén department of Guatemala is perhaps the most evocative of the ancient Mayan sites in Central America. Its tall, pyramid-style…
A beach stop on a Rarotonga bike tour.

Exploring Rarotonga on a half day bike tour

Rarotonga in the Cook Islands may be small, but it packs in plenty of surprises – as a half day bike tour around the island shows. Cycling around Rarotonga The circular road around Rarotonga in the Cook Islands is largely flat, making it easy going…
Drake Well in Pennsylvania.

The birthplace of the oil industry in Pennsylvania

In north-east Pennsylvania, discover the origins of a multi-billion dollar industry that fuels the world. The smell of Bradford, Pennsylvania The sudden stench makes me start fretting. It’s not a natural smell – it’s a “there’s something wrong with the car” smell. Has something started…
Selecting a bat at the Wood Bat Factory batting cages in Cooperstown, New York.

How much does a baseball hurt when it hits you?

In Cooperstown, New York, a quest to get into baseball ends up being beaten up in the Wood Bat Factory’s batting cage. Getting hit by a baseball Yeeeeeouch. It seems that baseball isn’t quite for complete wusses after all. The fastball crunches into my finger…
The Brimstone Hill Fortress in St Kitts.

A quick travel guide to St Kitts

What to see it St Kitts St Kitts is one place that manages to deviate from the Caribbean’s usual sun and sand image. For the British and the French, this was the mother colony, the island from which all the other Caribbean islands were conquered.…