Last week I was in Haiti, the 26th most dangerous country in the world — today I arrive in Honduras, the 35th most dangerous according to global peace index. But these two countries don’t just share danger they were also both pre-colonial powerhouses whose cultures were almost entirely wiped out…

In pre-colonial times, today’s Hispaniola was the Island of Haiti — home to around 7 million Taíno people. Spanish settlers arrived in 1493 bringing germs, guns, steel and a desire to enslave. By 1535, the Taíno culture was gone. Tragedy follows tragedy and in 1697 — the French and Spanish…

Like so many South American countries, Guyana has a history rich in suffering, slavery and European title fighting. Although it nomenclature is likely Indigenous (meaning many waters) — only 10 per cent of the population now is. Today’s borders were created when British colonialists took over from Dutch colonialists and…

And so, after several months of exploration, I finally arrive at the last of the African Guineas, the ex-Portuguese colony of Guinea-Bissau. This is a country that, despite being surrounded by Francophone Africa has kept its lusophone culture and love of Portuguese wine and treats. The wine I can understand…

It is unclear where the word “Guinea” comes from, but it is certainly popular nomenclature — it’s the name of an African region; three African countries; an Asian island and, not to be outdone, a town in Nicaragua. I have already Armchair visited the former Spanish colony of Equatorial Guinea…

Due to me appalling photographic ability, It may be hard to believe, but sometimes the meal is the armchair travel highlight! This week, for example, I made vegan Pepian de Pollo and learned much about Guatemala along the way thanks to a Guatemalan friend who explained the cultural importance of…

I could have easily skipped over Guam on these armchair travels using the excuse that it’s part of Micronesia and that the “democratic” United States shouldn’t consider anywhere a territory until there’s been a referendum and the people have the US vote. …

Three thousand years ago and four thousand miles from France the Arawak people landed on the islands that are now Guadeloupe and named them the Island of beautiful waters. Over the years since, they were taken by the Kalina-Carib peoples, the French and then the British… but the French so…

Not so long ago there was a British, a Dutch, a French, a Spanish, and a Portuguese Guiana, but colonies tend to collapse and so only French Guiana remains. It is the second largest region of France, the Outermost Region of the European Union and it hosts the EU’s largest…