Shooting Without Guns


World Wildlife Day was on 3rd March. This wildlife gallery is a belated celebration of the event. The images were captured by me on numerous trips to some of the wilder parts of the planet over the years. I hope you enjoy it.

Kantharodai & Tamil Buddhists Of Antiquity


“…Few have heard of it and fewer have visited it…”   I heard about Kantharodai only recently. There seemed to be a certain magic about the place and I yearned to visit it. The big coach I was travelling on this February could not negotiate the narrow winding side road from the main Jaffna-KKS road…

Great North Road


“…It is exciting to be on the A9, weaving my way through the Tiger heartland for the first time…” There are cows, dogs and mad drivers on the road. Cops hide behind trees, waiting for easy pickings. My betel chewing driver spits a jet of red betel juice out of the window and just manages…

An Autumn Walk In Fewston


The six mile walk at Fewston Reservoir near Harrogate in North Yorkshire is one my favourite weekend outings over the past thirty-five years. In spring, bluebells carpet the forest floor and in autumn, the colours can be breathtaking. There are ducks and gees and Great Crested Grebes in the water and woodpeckers in the trees.…

Do Tourists Get ‘Ripped Off’ in Sri Lanka?


Today, I wrote to Sri Lanka Tourism about taxi fares in Sri Lanka: “About 40 UK visitors attended my daughter’s wedding in Sri Lanka last week. Almost all of them made adverse comments about how much the taxi drivers demand from foreign visitors even for short journeys.They all wanted me to book transfers to the…

Yangon to Colombo with Malaysia Airways


Today I took the morning flight from Yangon in Myanmar to Kuala Lumpur with Malaysia Airways. There was no problem with the flight itself but the service in economy class left a lot to be desired. The stewards were glum faced and unhelpful and the lunch served was one of the worst, no choice inflight meals…

Gauguin at the Tate Modern


“Have you brought something for breakfast?” I asked Peter. “I have a magnum of Devaux,” he said. There were boiled eggs, smoked salmon and half bottles of well chilled Manzanilla too. The smell of freshly brewed coffee began to fill the coach. We were on our way to London for Gauguin at the Tate Modern. I have waited…

Rutland Bird Fair 2010


Rutland Bird Fair is another opportunity to meet old friends and make new ones. Steven & Ann Cameron were running the African Bird Club stand. Gehan de Silva who arranged our last birding tour to Sri Lanka was at the JetWing stand promoting ‘Big Five‘ tours to the island. Dimiter who was our guide in…

A Walk Down Memory Lane


“Another trip to the Sherry Triangle is long over due” they tell me. The last visit was nine years ago, in 2001. We still talk about it – the Fiesta in Jerez, visit to the hunting lodge in Donana, flamenco of Sara Barras and of course, the food and wine of Andalucía. It would be…