Costa Rica is home to some of the most spectacular natural beauty on the planet, as well as teeming with wildlife and world-class beaches. The Pre-Columbian Gold Museum in San Jose is a marvel of design and beauty. On the Pacific Coast, you can watch both mother turtles laying their eggs and baby turtles hatching and running the gauntlet of countless predators to try and reach the ocean. This is the last of my five podcasts about my 6-week journey from Patagonia to Costa Rica in November-December 2025.

You can find many pictures to accompany this podcast at https://rleighturner.com/costa-rica/.

#costarica #turtles #reforestation #gold #precolumbian #history

Don and Mike recently interviewed me on their "Vintage FM" channel using a "Desert Island Discs"-type format. It's a brilliant format because it prompts lots of really personal stuff. You can hear the results here.

All FM is a fabulous local radio station in Manchester. Hosts Don Berry and Mike Bath run a series of interviews on their Vintage FM Channel every Tuesday between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. "A mixture of great music to suit all tastes and 'on the nail' interviews with local heroes that get behind the scenes on what makes Manchester great." Do tune in. I'm grateful to Don and Mike for making this happen. Lovely to hear the great music, too.

Colombia at last! Who knows the main sights of Colombia, a country as large as Germany, France and the Netherlands combined? I visited Medellin, with its tragic history and story of hope; and Cartagena, with its Caribbean beat, mighty castles and exquisite food and drink.

You can find many pictures to accompany this podcast at https://rleighturner.com/colombia/.

#colombia #medellin #cartagena #travel #southamerica #latinamerica

From an icy climb up the Cotopaxi volcano to a boat trip around the Galapagos, Ecuador is breathtaking.  Explore the highest active volcano in the world, spectacular Quito, and the world-famous fascination of the Galapagos Islands.

Pictures and text to accompany this blog post are ⁠here on my website⁠.

#ecuador #Cotopaxi #Galapagos #quito #gianttortoise

Peru is home to some of the greatest treasures in Latin America, including Machu Picchu. But there's much, much more to explore, from the ancient Inca capital of Cusco, the astonishing fortress of Saqsayhuaman, the Sacred Valley, Ollantaytambo, and Lima on the arid Pacific coast.

Pictures and text to accompany this blog post are here on my website. ⁠

#machupicchu #peru #lima #ollantaytambo #saqsayhuaman #sacredvalley #cusco

Chile is one of the world's most spectacular countries. Join a life-changing exploration of everything from the glaciers, fjords and vanished peoples of Patagonia in the south to Moon Valley, geysers and the Atacama Desert in the north. In between we visit the Lake District; ascend the perfect volcanic cone of Mount Osorno; and consider the life-affirming properties of a Pisco sour.

Pictures and text to accompany this blog post are here on my website.

#Chile #Patagonia #Atacama #Altiplano #vicuña #glaciers #geysers #moonvalley

“Luxury Spa” is the thirteenth in Leigh Turner's "Hotel Story" series, and the first set in Austria. Ms N is the world’s most glamorous, brilliant and mischievous hotel manager. She loves to solve problems – especially when they are caused by men. She and her colleague Tatiana travel to the HealCol 2000 well-being and weight-loss luxury spa, high in the Austrian Alps, for a well-earned break. But they find an institution in crisis.

Doctor Schmerz, chief doctor at HealCol 2000, prescribes tailor-made programmes of extreme dieting and exercise for her elite guests. Those guests include the owner of HealCol 2000, Ernest von Mannstein, known as “Always Angry Ernie” for his fits of rage and impossible demands. The starvation diets leave most of the guests depressed – yet a few seem strangely frisky. When a woman is found dead in a luxury suite and Always Angry Ernie is accused of her murder, Ms N must investigate.

You can read the post on which this episode is based on Leigh Turner's website here or buy "Luxury Spa" on Amazon here.

#stories #luxury #spa #luxuryspa #shortstory #comedy #strongwomen

"Salonica - City of Ghosts" is an eery, elegiac portrait of a city that - in many respects - had a completely different identity to modern Thessaloniki. " This podcast is based on my review of Mark Mazower's book of the same name about Greece's second city and its tragic history, including the extermination of its majority Jewish population. #Thessaloniki #Thessalonica #Salonica #Jews #Jewish #Greece #nationalism #diplomacy #diplomat #diplomats #diplomacybooks #booktok #books #Mazower #CityofGhosts

"German punctuality is a myth that German diplomats work hard to dispel. I... regularly attended meetings of European Union ambassadors where our German colleagues seemed to make it a point of honour to be the last to arrive." From Chapter 10 of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lessons in Diplomacy: Politics, Power and Parties⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: "How to know people". #diplomacy #lessonsindiplomacy #diplomat #diplomats #diplomacybooks #booksaboutdiplomacy #booktok #books #stereotypes #assumptions #Germany #Germans #military #militarywomen

Being the most powerful country in the world may sound appealing. But there are downsides, too. "Many people couldn't believe that the US was as vulnerable as 9/11 seemed to suggest. But another factor was at play, too.: reflex anti-Americanism." From Chapter 15 of ⁠⁠⁠⁠Lessons in Diplomacy: Politics, Power and Parties⁠⁠⁠⁠: "How to make diplomacy reflect our changing world". #antiamericanism #topnation #diplomacy #lessonsindiplomacy #diplomat #diplomats #diplomacybooks #booksaboutdiplomacy #booktok #books