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This is an excellent question. Coming from tiny Bermuda with no lakes and rivers, no waterfalls or mountains, l am fascinated even today, eleven years later by these wonders of nature. As the years have gone by my fitness levels have dropped rather than improved and so this could create problems pursuing these adventures.

From 2014 to 2019 there was no problem. Either alone or with a group off l went in pursuit of that something that l wanted to experience Finally in fall of 2019 l was with a group in the Siemen Mountains of Ethiopia when l realized the person in the rear holding up the group was me. It hit me like a lightening strike.

I took this very seriously and, while reflecting upon it back in Bermuda, l accepted that my trekking days were over. Of course, l have walked many places since then but trekking?…

Of the 54 countries in Africa, you visited 28. There are 52 countries in Asia; what is your target number of countries to visit there? That is a thought-provoking question. While I do not know what the final number for Asia will be, I am confident that I will visit more countries in Asia than in Africa. There are two principal reasons for saying this. First, I was making great progress traveling across the African continent until COVID came. I lost three years of travel, and I hope and pray that we will not see a repeat of the world being shut down again in my lifetime. Secondly, there were quite a few countries that I deemed unsafe due to civil strife, so I could not enter these countries in my usual slow, solo travel mode. It is my hope that in the future ''good health prevailing'' I will be able to…

I recall you saying that your November 2019 trip to Zimbabwe was the most difficult trip you had experienced. What caused you to go back in 2023?

Zimbabwe had become one of the most talked about countries in the world during President Mugabe's later years. And, of course, 90% of the talk was negative. By the time I arrived the external pressure placed on the country had all but collapsed it. Whilst I was keen to go there, as I went around the country, conditions were so bad, I was worried whether I would have the financial resources at my fingertips to get out of the country!

As I observed from afar, even with the presence of Covid, conditions seemed to be improving. Therefore, when the opportunity came to go to Botswana in the summer of 2023, I felt I must also go to Bulawayo, the former capital of Zimbabwe.…

I have never considered using a pen name for several reasons. I believe a writer writing non-fiction should always use his or her name. It adds credibility to do this, while using a pen name has the opposite effect. Some potential readers would be inclined to think, if this is so true, why haven't you put your name to it? Of course, very few writers have a household-name recognition situation, but even without it, being willing to place your name beside the factual story you have written can only benefit your effort. In some cases, the writer may have a very good personal reputation before writing her first book, and that reputation can help draw eyes to the story. These are the reasons why I do not use a pen name. What are your thoughts?