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Lunch with Mr Noon and his family
Of course the main reason to visit Siem Reap is to see the temples of Angkor. But it’s possible to get ‘templed out’ so it’s good that there are alternative activities and places to explore between temple visits.
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Living on borrowed time in Djiffer
At the southern tip of a spit of land on the coast of Senegal, which separates the sea from the waters of the Saloum, lies the small village of Djiffer. Its narrow strip of houses is thus squeezed between the waters of the Atlantic to the west and the lagoons of the Sine Saloum delta to the east. The Atlantic Ocean to the west is continually nibbling at its sandy shores in an effort to meet up with the waters of the Saloum. People living here are doing so on…
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Gallery: taking the plunge
There are plenty of quotes that encourage us to take the plunge. We all understand the concept. Be brave, don’t hesitate, don’t hold back. We can apply this to our working lives (go for that promotion!), and our personal lives (don’t wait, travel, book that flight, train for that marathon!)
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A walk in a Tharu village
The Tharu are a people of the forest. They have lived for centuries in the lowlands of southern Nepal and northern India. Often persecuted, they have now been recognised by the Nepali government as an official nationality. But their lives are still not easy.
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A postcard from Nepal: souvenir seller
A statue of Shiva, the second largest in Nepal, was unveiled near Pokhara last year. A lady was selling souvenirs next to the steep path up to the statue.
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A postcard from Nepal: Manakamana
We rode a cable car to the top of a mountain to find a Hindu temple that draws thousands of believers. The small town that has sprung up to serve their needs is full of shops selling garlands, offerings and even chickens and goats for sacrifices.
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A postcard from Nepal: Sadhus
Sadhus are holy men who have left behind all material attachments. We came across a number of them in the Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu.
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Gallery: fleeting moments in Indochina
Our visit to Indochina was only just over two years ago, yet in some ways it feels like a world away. A world barely touched by Covid, in which we didn’t question our ability to travel. Took it for granted, perhaps? Looking back at my photos I wonder why we didn’t realise that the disease already causing deaths and chaos in China would spread to engulf the whole world. Were we like ostriches, our heads in the sand? Or was it such an alien concept that we couldn’t envisage it?
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Gallery: on the streets of Paris again
Jean Cocteau said that, 'In Paris, everybody wants to be an actor; nobody is content to be a spectator'. I disagree. For me, there are few more pleasurable ways to pass the time in Paris than sitting on the terrace of a pavement café watching the world pass by.
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The best views of Paris?
It’s hard to ignore the Tour Montparnasse. This 210 metre high skyscraper dominates the skyline on the southern fringes of central Paris. Its monolithic appearance has often been criticised as incongruous or inappropriate for this proudly elegant city.
