Postcards from Southland, New Zealand
I’ve got this thing about going as far north or as far south as I can. Eight months ago, I stood at Cape Point, South Africa. At 3,900 miles (6,248km) away from the South Pole,...
Category: photos
Postcards from the Namib Desert
Sometime in mid 2013, I came across this photo: I don’t remember where I saw the photo but it came with a link to the National Geographic website. This was a real photograph of a...
A day on the Cape Peninsula
In front of me was a long sliver of land, a crooked finger that pointed to the South Pole. It was a clear day and I could see a footpath leading right to...
Sand and dust
I’ll be honest. It would be easier for me to write my stories on Africa with a list of things to do in each country I went to, in the order that I visited...
A weekend at a Malaysian homestay: Looking at stars
The last time I spent the night in a kampung or village with my family was decades ago. I don’t even remember how old I was. We were at my paternal grandmother’s house and...
Notes on the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival 2013
This year I attended the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival, but since it happened in October and it’s already close to the end of the year, I’m sure I’m the last person...
Beijing, late afternoon
I arrived in China by train from Mongolia at the end of September last year. I found the weather a bit strange then; it was surprisingly warm for autumn and on a day...
Mangroves along the Cherating River
Muddy, brackish, potentially smelly and difficult to swim in. Not much fun for humans, but great for fish and crabs. What am I talking about? Mangrove swamps. If you look closely at mangrove trees...
A short walk in Kaikoura
I love walking. I can walk for miles without realising I’ve been doing so and it’s only when I stop, either when I’m back at my room or during a chocolate break that my...
This week’s photo: String instruments, Istanbul
Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar has been around for centuries. It opened in 1461 and by the 1800s had more than 3,000 stores selling an incredible variety of items, thanks to merchants coming in...
