Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent
  • Journeys
    • The Naga Hills
    • Arunachal Pradesh
    • The Ho Chi Minh Trail
    • Tuk to the Road
    • Black C90
  • Books
    • Land of the Dawn-Lit Mountains
    • A Short Ride in the Jungle
    • Tuk Tuk to the Road
  • Journalism
  • Speaking
  • Other Stuff
    • About Antonia
    • Blog
    • Get in Touch
Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent

travel writer

Home » travel writer
Feature articles | Ho Chi Minh Trail | Uncategorized

So you want to be a travel writer?

June 10, 2014 by antsbk

A few weeks ago The Adventurists interviewed me about what it was really like to write a travel book. Gazillions of people think they want to waft around the globe with a quill and some ink, but it’s not all … Read More


antsbk

Happy International Women's Day! Today, three yea Happy International Women's Day!

Today, three years ago, I met this exceptional young woman, Zamira, in Kyrgyzstan's Tien Shian mountains. While her seven brothers and sisters had all moved to the city, she'd decided to stay in her remote village to farm. By the time we met, Zamira - 32 and resolutely single -  had a herd of 400 yaks, one of the biggest in the country, and made enough money to go travelling in Europe every summer. Talking to her, in that remote, wind-bitten place, I felt full of admiration for this young woman who had defied convention to boldly follow her own path. May she be an inspiration to us all.
Clouds breaking against the northern ridge of the Clouds breaking against the northern ridge of the Black Mountains today. Below; a still, foggy realm of muted shapes and colour. Here, above the clouds, a dazzling land of sunshine and lapis skies.  Mesmerising.
This morning - a soul-firing walk into the mountai This morning - a soul-firing walk into the mountains to watch a new day, a new month, break across the land. Through the dark tangle of hawthorns, a Song thrush singing in the pre-dawn gloom. Up the steep shoulder of Y Das beneath a high, gibbous moon. Then hot tea drunk in a grassy hollow, away from the scouring wind, watching the sun set fire to the eastern horizon and the sky bleed pink. Magic.
A week ago these hills slumbered under the icy gri A week ago these hills slumbered under the icy grip of winter; the earth as hard as iron, waterfalls suspended in sharp curtains of ice. Today, the sun shone from a cerulean sky and Song thrushes trilled in the bare branches. At 2 pm, unable to sit at my desk a second longer, I pulled on my boots and tripped out of the door, not even bothering to get dressed properly. The sun was like a siren call - I HAD to be out in the hills. Puffing up to the top of Mynydd Buchan, feeling the warm sun on my face, I realized I hadn't felt as fizzingly happy in months, and thought how quickly life can change. Just as easily as things can slip into the shadows, so too they can emerge joyously, unexpectedly, into the bright light of hope, of Spring. I hope that, wherever you were today, the sun was shining for you too. x
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Connect with Antonia
Tweets
Ants BK
Ants BK @AntsBK

Feast your weary eyes on these wondrous Crocuses, spotted today on a muddy roadside verge. No filter necessary. #Wales https://t.co/SqK3Y3QIZn
View on Twitter
AntsBK photo
0
5
Sign up to my newsletter

© 2021 Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent

  • Journeys
    • The Naga Hills
    • Arunachal Pradesh
    • The Ho Chi Minh Trail
    • Tuk to the Road
    • Black C90
  • Books
    • Land of the Dawn-Lit Mountains
    • A Short Ride in the Jungle
    • Tuk Tuk to the Road
  • Journalism
  • Speaking
  • Other Stuff
    • About Antonia
    • Blog
    • Get in Touch