William Dalrymple, the Scottish Catholic adventurer, wrote in his book From the Holy Mountain about the modern remnants of Byzantium, the following:

"John Moschos did what the modern travel writer still does: he wandered the world in search of strange stories and remarkable travellers' tales."

Note that Dalrymple did not say that travellers go to discover new things, or places, or people. He sets the modern travel writer on a different plane, as one who adventures through human narrative by means of travel.

That is certainly true of the opulent works of Dalrymple, for whom travelling to places is merely a starting point for an intellectual journey through past civilizations and cultures. At his best Dalrymple delivers writings that reveal intellectual continents, through which run his riveting historical and moving personal revelations.

When Dalrymple spoke of travel writing and John Moschos, he was referring to an ancient traveller whose footsteps he would retrace in his quest, from Greece through the Levant to Egypt, to find the monasteries and cities that Moschos had previously written about. With John Moschos' book, entitled The Spiritual Meadow, in hand Dalrymple journeyed to the ports of Sidon, Tyre, Beirut, Alexandria -- to see what Moschos had seen, or to discover if anything Byzantine was still there in any incarnation at all.

A huge gulf of time separated Dalrymple from Moschos and yet in several appealing ways they had much in common.

An Oxford graduate from the leisured classes of Scotland, when Dalrymple set out for Byzantium he had already written a best-selling travel book In Xanadu: A Quest. For this he travelled to China while an impecunious student accompanied by relays of girlfriends. He had also written City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi based on an uneasy year he spent in the city with his young artist wife, Olivia. In his much later book White Mughals it would emerge that Dalrymple's Anglo-Indian origins were the reason for his fascination with India.

Prior to setting out to discover Byzantium, Dalrymple consulted with a veritable slate of geniuses and eccentrics: Sir Steven Runciman, Robert Lacey and Robert Fisk among them. On his Byzantium odyssey Dalrymple started his journey at the monastery of Mount Athos on the Greek mainland in 1994. He began here because he went to see an early Greek manuscript of Moschos's book.

John Moschos began his journey from the gates of the great desert monastery of St Theodosius overlooking Bethlehem. The year was 578 A.D., nearly 1500 years before Dalrymple set out from Mount Athos. Moschos was "an almost exact contemporary of Mohammed." This "wandering Jew of a monk" as a biographer of Moschos wrote, travelled with his pupil Sophronius, who in old age would become Patriarch of Jerusalem, and "it was left to him to defend the Holy City against the first army of Islam as it swept up from Arabia, conquering all before it."

Moschos wanted to see and write about Byzantium when it was under assault. Justinian's efforts to re-establish the Roman Empire had failed. Now Byzantium was threatened in the west by Slavs, Goths and Lombards and from the east by "desert nomads and the legions of Sassanian Persia".

Dalrymple wanted to write about a civilization that is largely forgotten and its remnants growing few and remote from modern life. It is not commonly realized that for 300 years Byzantium was the dominant culture of Eastern Europe and the Levant. It was a distinct cultural era between Rome and Islam, and yet so little of it remains in the Western consciousness, except in Eastern Orthodox religious traditions.

Both Dalrymple and Moschos wanted to recover, record and preserve a phase of history most remembered in the adjective "Byzantine" or faintly remembered from the portraits in mosaic of Justinian and Theodora at Ravenna.

John Moschos and his companion ended their journey in Constantinople where he wrote his book. It was hailed as the masterpiece of Byzantine travel writing even then and in a generation or two was translated into several languages.

William Dalrymple ended his journey in Egypt and sojourned in the home of a friend in Somerset, England where he wrote his book. With From the Holy Mountain Dalrymple came of age as a writer. Some would say it was his greatest work. Today Dalrymple the family man divides his time between a farm outside Delhi, London and Edinburgh.

With From the Holy Mountain he did what he wanted to do. "I wanted to see wherever possible what Moschos and Sophronius had seen, to sleep in the same monasteries, to pray under the same frescoes and mosaics, to discover what was left, and to witness what was in effect the last ebbing twilight of Byzantium."

THE hiker walks slowly, as it has been a tiring day. But soon he forgets his weariness. With a growing sense of danger, he notes that there has been a dramatic change in the sky, followed by a different smell in the air and a deathly silence. Clouds gather and it grows darker. Suddenly, there is a deafening clap of thunder in the sky!

The hiker heads quickly for shelter. But he does not run-that would produce static electricity, which attracts lightning like a magnet. The rain comes; then hail, stinging his face. He finally reaches the shelter, regains his breath, and stares out at the spectacle.

The sound of thunder crashing and reverberating through the surrounding peaks is frightening. And the darkness is relieved only by the lightning that illuminates the opposite mountain face. For an hour the storm rages. But as quickly as it came, it subsides, and the hiker makes his way to the cave that is his temporary home.

Such scenes are common in the so-called Dragon Mountains-the famous Drakensberg range of South Africa. One of its peaks is actually named Indumeni, which in Zulu means "the place of thunder." White settlers gave this huge range its name because of the legend that dragons once lived here. Indeed, the range sprawls like a lazy dragon some 650 miles [1,050 k.m.] through South Africa. However, the section forming a natural border between Natal and Lesotho is by far the most spectacular part of the range. It is often called the Switzerland of South Africa. This name is fitting, especially when the heights are blanketed with snow.

The fierce summer storms in the Dragon Mountains enhance their reputation for being beautiful but dangerous. Yet, it has not been the ravages of nature alone that have earned them this reputation.

Man-The Greatest Danger

The story of man in the Drakensberg is often more violent than the summer storms that strike here. In 1818 a period of bitter tribal warfare among the blacks began, and the beautiful Drakensberg became the backdrop for many terrible acts of man against fellowman. By 1823 the population of Natal had shrunk from possibly a million to a few thousand. Remnants of scattered tribes sought refuge in the mountains.

Before the black man arrived, though, another race had lived in the shadow of the Drakensberg. For how long the so-called Bushmen were sole inhabitants of the area, we do not know; neither is it certain where they came from. They had light, yellowish-brown, wrinkled skin and were of short stature.

The Bushman's ways were strange to the white man. The Bushmen were skilled hunters but hunted only for food, never for sport. They had a sound knowledge of plants and were careful not to upset the balance of nature. Some were accomplished poets, others were artists. The mountain caves were their homes, and they decorated the walls with the now famous Bushman paintings. Visitors to the Drakensberg can still enjoy some of this beautiful rock art. How the Bushmen mixed their durable paints is still a mystery.

When in 1837 the first white men started to settle in the area, a clash of interests became inevitable. The Bushmen did not keep cattle. In fact, they viewed all animals as there to be used by all men. But they did recognize territorial hunting rights. For strangers to hunt in their area was thus a declaration of war. The white man hunted for sport, killing off the game that was the Bushmen's food. They retaliated by stealing the white man's cattle. The white man responded by hunting down and destroying the Bushmen. The little men were also attacked by black tribes. As a result, the Bushmen became extinct in this region.

The Dragon Mountains no longer lure hunters, as hunting is now prohibited in the Drakensberg. The mountains, nevertheless, still beckon another kind of adventurer-the nature seeker.

Men and Animals-Watching and Listening

While the Drakensberg can be a dangerous place for unprepared visitors, with proper precautions one can enjoy scenes of stunning beauty! Africa is renowned for its variety of plants, and this area is richly endowed. Especially after good rains, the flower lover will be delighted to discover wildflowers like the bottlebrush, red-hot pokers, and ground orchids, to name just a few. The diversity of wild animals is impressive. You will not see all of them, but you will hear many if you are alert to their distinctive calls. You may be startled by the eerie howl of a black-backed jackal or the bark of a baboon, and with practice you can distinguish the sounds of many birds. Hundreds of eyes will be watching you, although you may not see them.

Many kinds of antelope reside here. Among them are the tiny gray duiker, which is usually active at night; the larger bushbuck; and the majestic eland, the largest of all. The beautiful oribi, with its reddish coloring and white markings, is rare, but you will find it at the Giant's Castle Nature Reserve. Sometimes, as you look at a slope, it appears as if the grass were moving, but then you realize that it is some well-camouflaged antelope grazing!

Not to be overlooked is the giant, soaring lammergeier, also called the bearded vulture. It has the eating habits of the vulture, but in flight it resembles the eagle. The chest is off-white, the throat and neck are an orange color, and the head is white. This contrasts with the black feathers on the wings and tail. A tuft of black bristles forms a "beard" around the beak, and a mask of black feathers around the eyes adds to the bird's fearsome appearance. But it is a shy bird that lives mainly on carrion.

The lammergeier has the habit of dropping bones from a great height to shatter them on rocks. It then swoops down to scoop the marrow out with its tongue. The black eagle and the Cape vulture also reside here, but the lammergeier, with a wingspan of nearly nine feet, [3 m] is king. Unfortunately, it is an endangered species; very few are left. A lookout blind is provided at Giant's Castle Nature Reserve where it may be observed.

Spectacular Mountains

The challenging summits of the Dragon Mountains-peaks like the massive Sentinel, 10,384 feet; [3,165 m] the smooth, dangerous Monk's Cowl, 10,610 feet; [3,234 m] and the treacherous Devil's Tooth with its 656-foot [200 m] sheer sides-also beckon to the adventurous mountaineer. But such climbing is dangerous. The composition of the rock itself adds to the danger. This basalt is quite crumbly.

A number of passes to the escarpment, though, are steep but safe and do not require special climbing equipment. Of course, it is essential to obey the rules of the mountains. Warm clothing, a tent, and a reserve of food are vital. The escarpment can be bitterly cold, with fierce winds at night. "I remember one night," said a hiker, "with the wind tearing at our tent and the cold so severe we could not sleep. The next morning our water bottles were frozen although they were inside the tent. I vowed I would not subject myself to this torture again. But the following year I was back! This time I was better prepared for the elements."

Each year many thousands of hikers, campers, and mountaineers of all races leave behind the stress and pollution of cities and come here for the fresh mountain air, the thrill of a dip in an icy pool, the tingling sweetness of mountain water, and the grandeur of the majestic heights. At night they can see a blanket of brilliant stars crowding the sky.

Selecting the right traveling companion may seem like an easy task, but when you get right down to it not everybody you know is travel worthy. Going for lunch and to the movies with your best friend twice a month or playing on the same softball team with someone every week does not necessarily make you compatible travel buddies.

Many friendships have been permanently damaged because of differences in travel styles. As a result, it is critical that you choose your traveling companion wisely. Some people can turn a well thought out travel experience into a vacation from hell. These are some companions you need to leave at home if want to enjoy your next vacation.

Now if by any chance you happen to be married to, living with or related by blood to any of the following people, it is suggested that you take separate vacations. Oh and by the way, if you happen to fit into any of these categories yourself then you might want to find someone just like you to travel with or simply travel alone.

1. Avoid people who invite themselves on your trip then proceed to tell you where you're going, when you're going and what hotel you're staying in. These types are so pushy that they even have the gall to invite other people along without your approval. So your well planned out trip for two has now become an awkward group of five and guess who gets stuck on the roll-a-way in the triple room.

2. Keep away from people who have messy bathroom habits. Nothing is more annoying than going into the bathroom after your companion is finished and it's an absolute mess. The floor is soaking wet, there's hair is all over the place and they have used all of the bath towels leaving you with a facecloth to dry off with after you've taken a shower.

3. Keep cling on's at home. Traveling with someone who wants to spend every waking moment of the trip with you can be very stressful. They constantly ask you where you're going and tell you to wait for them when you try to sneak away. They interrupt your conversations with other people because they don't want to be left out and sulk when you don't want to be near them all of the time.

4. Avoid people who are always on a timetable if you're not the agenda type. These people insist on setting times in advance for when you should eat, when you should take tours, when you should go down to the beach, when you should get out of the sun and when you should breathe. Exhale and leave them behind.

5. Evade people whom one would call space hogs. They enter the room and immediately unpack taking up all of the closet space, hangers, drawers and places to put your shoes. They then go into the bathroom and unpack all of their toiletries, leaving no room for you to put any of your items on the counter. When you make a comment that you need some space, they politely apologize and provide you with two hangers and one drawer to put away one week worth of clothing. As a result you spend most of the vacation living out of your suitcase.

6. Snoring companions can make your vacation in paradise a vacation in misery. Nothing is more irritating than listening to the up and down breathing of someone who snores. It makes you not want to go to bed as you know it's going to be another sleepless night. In some cases battling through a hurricane could be less painful that sharing a room with a snorer.

7. Companions who have no money and mooch off you the entire time can be very taxing. How convenient is it that they forgot to bring more money with them or better yet, they spent all of their money during the first two days of the vacation. This means that taxi rides, excursion, off property meals and the final hotel bill will be at your expense. Oh, what a joy!

8. Stay away from people who talk too much. Can anything drive you crazier than a constant talker? These kinds of people love to hear the sound of their own voice. They talk through the announcements on the plane, the descriptions or instructions of the tour guide and most annoying, they talk while you're trying to read a book, listen to music or attempting to get some sleep.

9. Companions who have no respect for your privacy and time can be the most damaging of all. They don't think twice about inviting strangers back to the room without your approval. You decide to go to bed early only for your roommate to bring the crowd from the bar back to the room after it closed to continue the party. They also think nothing of including strangers at your table for meals and love to invite them to join you on all of your outings for the week.

10. Steer clear of people who are depressed and want to spend the entire time moaning about their miserable life. These energy drainers can really put a damper on your vacation. Comforting an ailing friend is challenging on a regular basis, but doing it in at a beautiful resort can be pure torture.

The Sierra de Cadiz, constituted by 19 townships, is a region full of natural, environmental, cultural, historical, and anthropological resources. The so-called White Villages offer us a wide range of unparalleled tourist possibilities. The colour of its rough geography, the whiteness and brightness of its streets, the greenness of its natural spaces, the location of its towns and the history transmitted through every spot and its most prized possession.... its people!

The Sierra de Cadiz has been inhabited and visited from the most distant times and it has contemplated the passing of numerous peoples, cultures and different ways of living and thinking. From the Palaeolithic to the present day la sierra has welcomed amidst its striking geographic and environmental resources, all those who have chosen it as a home, dwelling, refuge or frontier. That's why such a beautiful and spectacular landscape hides a treasure, the traces of our ancestors, our historical memory.

Remains of towns, settlements, cities, strongholds, villages, roads and paths exhibit nowadays a huge and rich cultural legacy represented in a substantial number of archaeological sites spread all around the regional geography. The archaeological route of the white villages is addressed to a public that is respectful to the patrimony and thirsty for knowledge and discoveries.

In the district of El Bosque, entrance to the Natural Park of Sierra de Grazalema, you can visit the Centre of Interpretation of the Archaeological Route of the White Villages. The Archaeological Route is divided in three sub-routes based on the three periods in which la Sierra enjoyed its most considerable historic prominence: The Prehistoric Period, the Roman-Iberian Period and the Medieval Period.

The Prehistoric Route is formed by the visits to the funeral assemblages dated between the fourth and the second Millennium B.C., between the end of the Neolithic and the beginnings of the Bronce Ages, such as the Alberite Dolmen in Villamarin, the El Charcon Dolmen in El Gastor, Tomillos Dolmens in Alcala del Valle and the Prehistoric Necropolis of Fuente de Ramos in Puerto Serrano.

In the Roman-Iberian route we can visit the city of Sierra de Aznar in Arcos de la Frontera with its striking 'Castellum Aquae', the Roman-Iberian cities of Ocuri in Ubrique, Carissa Aurelia in Espera and Saepo in the so-called Cerro de la Botinera in Algodonales.

The Medieval route includes many villages of the Frontier between Christians and Muslims, like the medieval village of Zahara de la Sierra, Olvera's stronghold, the Great Wall of Torre-Alhaquime, the Barrio Nazari in Benaocaz and the paved roads on Villaluega del Rosario and Grazalema.

Apart from the archaeological resources the area also offers two extraordinary Natural Parks: Grazalema and Los Alcornocales. The Sierra de Grazalema is located between the Andalusian provinces of Cadiz and Malaga and it houses an important relict wooded-patch of Spanish fir, a tree that has become a symbol of these mountains. The entire territory of the Sierra de Grazalema Nature Park was declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1977. And Between the Sierra de Grazalema and Punta de Tarifa, stand a series of middle-sized mountains whose interior houses Natural Park Los Alcornocales, the 'kingdom of the cork oak' which is the most important formation on the Iberian Peninsula.