mepalmer, Author at Bucket List Publications

Entering the Darkness at Kiyomizu Temple

Posted on April 24, 2012 by mepalmer | 1 Comments

Featured writer: M E Palmer During my stay in Kyoto I visited an ancient temple called Kiyomizu-dera. Kiyomizu was founded in 780 (the present buildings date from 1633) at the Otowa Waterfall, in the hills just outside of Kyoto. No nails were used at all for its construction, and it is fronted by a large wooden veranda that gives breathtaking…

Paradise on Lake Kivu

Posted on April 22, 2012 by mepalmer | 2 Comments

I confess that I hadn’t expected to discover a tranquil retreat overlooking the troubled Democratic Republic of Congo, but that is what I found at the Hotel Paradis Malahide on the shores of Lake Kivu – a vast lake on Rwanda’s western border, and a popular spot for water sports and tilapia fishing. The Hotel Paradis Malahide is filled with…

Gorillas in the Mist

Posted on April 20, 2012 by mepalmer | 0 Comments

Featured Writer: Megan Palmer The mountain was entirely enveloped in mist as we crouched just metres from a family of wild mountain gorillas, in an island of lush green vegetation. If I had reached out, I could almost have touched their human-like hands, felt their leathery faces, whose intelligent eyes peered curiously at us. They seemed entirely unconcerned about our arrival,…