This is part 2 of the puzzle series that started at Living the traveller's dream. Each part is solvable on its own.
Dear Puzzling,
Time really does fly when you are having fun. It seems like only yesterday that I left home and I'm already on the way to country number three. That said, I have to admit that one week is not a lot of time to cover all of the places I am visiting. It's almost like the person making my travel plan didn't really stop to think how many spots one might realistically visit in one week! I hope you can keep up nonetheless.
Each puzzle has five "thematic" answers, which are geographical locations all in the same country. Each is notable enough to have its own article in the English Wikipedia, although not necessarily under the same name I use. Your task is to fill the grid, highlight the thematic entries, and guess which country I am currently visiting (which is not indicated in the grid). Some of the answers will be needed in the final part of the series. Except for the last part, all others are solvable on their own without knowledge of the previous puzzles.
This week I have seen roaring walls of water around me and dipped my toes in the ocean on two different hemispheres. I have ridden a buggy on impressive sand dunes, listened to music of amazing stylistic variety, and watched cattle herders in their natural habitat. Can you guess where I am?
Wish you were here!
Love, Gladys.
Across
1. Thai food cooked east of Bangkok's centre shows honest intentions (4,5)
6. Featured: A video clip identifying naked white man (5)
9. Admit intel being falsified (3,2)
10. Rebublic's leader ousted in surprising, violent insurrections (9)
11. Paper bound to cover Charlie following girl (5,3)
13. Regularly treat that there synthetic material (5)
15. Oscar winner's left deli wrecked (5)
16. In favour of Zulu describing story near African capital city (9)
18. Famous artist to give away fifty large? Add a zero in the end (9)
20. Like 15 across flower next to hospital (5)
22. Explorer's left Portman showing port (5)
23. A lord's crazy about Virginia's state capital (8)
25. Very beautiful Hindu god endlessly enthralls India in piece of cloth (9)
27. Before summer's end, one degree? That's comparatively cold (5)
28. Entertainers' headless spectres (5)
29. US writer's been sick, in poor condition, having temperature (9)
Down
1. Putting on green caps in government office? Lousy form (4)
2. Food from foal meat that's been ground without force (7)
3. Fanatics provide money to first-rate fortune tellers (15)
4. US flag Lucia renovated is an impressive sight (6,5)
5. The "man king" is a term used to objectify women? (3)
6. Nuts (as in, idiots) got maybe brain confusion (15)
7. Dick against Andy? Ken not taking a side (3,4)
8. Inquisitive, ultimately disgraced retired scientist named Freeman (5)
12. City bloke essentially drowning in wine and beer – and Greek absinthe, ultimately (5,6)
14. Somehow we do (or did?) have a debt to pay (4)
17. Wash your bottles like a funerary urn? (4)
19. Maybe Polish people in Poland – that is, Poles – are embracing upcoming musical (7)
21. Think highly of lies made up to support bachelor's last words? (7)
22. Thorn thrown from 23 across to 16 across? (5)
24. Henson character's upset I'm leaving for journey (4)
26. Ways to enter taverns, they say (3)
Gladys will return in All-round traveller chickens out.
