This branch is close to moribund. So dig into your memories and tell your favourite story of why you love being there.

ANIMAL STORIES WILL BE DISQUALIFIED - well, of course they won't! But wouldn't it be a great thing if there were other reasons to be thrilled by the experience.

There is absolutely nothing more beautiful than a sunset over the Masai Mara/Serengeti other than possibly a sunrise!

Hot porridge with whisky on a cold bright winter morning with the anticipation of the day's game drive starting any minute.

The realisation that the Maasai really do live in much the same way as they have for centuries. Yes, we tourists are changing them, but many of the fundamental ways are still there and the perspective it gave me is immensely important and still returns to my thoughts as I grapple with my busy busy hi-tech life.

The connection with history that it gives me. One of my most vivid memories is turning to my husband as we set off on our Nile cruise several years ago and exclaiming "I'm on the Nile, I'm actually on the Nile". Realising that all the stories and images that I grew up being fascinated by were real!

Being out in the Ruaha for hour after hour without seeing another person other than our driver & guide. All that space, all that beauty, all that peace, with no intrusion from the 21st Century.

I could go on and on .......... there's so much to love about Africa. And then there are the animals as well - deserving of a whole separate thread for the things to love about them.

One of the reasons I loved being in Africa was observing the local religion - in Gabon there is a religion called Bweti.

I enjoyed everything from observing some of the rituals and ceremonies for half the night (hearing the tom toms, watching people dance, etc) to discussing these beliefs with other people. It took me a few years (via discussions) to realize that deep down, aspects of this religion were very different - ie., to try and control the forest, the dead, etc.

For me it is the space, I think. And something similar to what Ruthie was saying - timelessness. Egypt of course has millenia behind it - mapped history, if still only sketchily understood. It's the hard places that hold an enduring fascination - how people make a living and have done for centuries in ways that those in the comfortable West can only imagine.

And the sunrise, and the sunset. And as a passenger (knees around chin almost) in a matutu in Uganda, stopping at a roadside stall where another pax got out and filled up a plastic bag with milk, and got in again.

Keep 'em coming - the memories, that is!