My mum, the pilot

A young girl was once told that women should not fly aeroplanes. My mum just went on to do it anyway and became a teenage pilot.

A hike in the Himalayan snow

We left the glimmering lake at Dodital to climb another thousand metres, ascending pine forests, crossing streams and meadows to … More

10 Annoying Behaviours on the London Underground

Londoners have a love-hate relationship with their metro system The Tube; but it’s more than just standing on the wrong … More

Great travel annoyances of our times: the hotel toaster

At the hotel breakfast, that metal appliance that toasts your bread on a little conveyor … I mean… how hard … More

Short story: Deano’s Return

Based on a true story of how a long lost dog came home. In the summer of 1972 Nita Rai … More

7 tips for volunteers in Africa

It’s almost time to fly home. These seven months in Rwanda have felt so much longer – the richness of … More

The Ragged Children of Kinigi

When the ragged children of Kinigi danced, it was a scene of both joy and sadness, those imposters both, two … More

Unexpected hosts: gorillas after the mist

After noon, we started the descent in to the mists of Mount Karisimbi, the highest peak in the Virungas, a … More

The snowman in the heart of Africa – Climbing Mount Karisimbi (part 2)

Continued from part 1 I walked towards the fire where there were two crouching silhouettes outlined in bright orange. I … More

Climbing Mount Karisimbi

CLIMBING MOUNT KARISIMBI , a snow-capped volcano between Rwanda and the DR Congo, the tallest peak in the Virungas, was … More

When Memories Come Calling

Memories are like kites dancing on warm zephyrs on high – with just a tug, and if our strings of … More

Images of Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat may not provide you with solitude at times and watching sunrise can be something of a tourist trap. … More

A Weekend Break in the Northern Hemisphere #2: Kampala and Lake Victoria

Crossing the border from Rwanda to Uganda, a traverse from Francophone to Anglophone Africa, offered subtle changes from the bus … More

Images of the Amalfi coast

Ischia, Ravello, Amalfi, Positano and Sorrento.

Being Lighter at the Equator: a Weekend Break in the Northern Hemisphere

With my friends Thierry and Juko, I took an 8 hour bus ride from Rwanda to Kampala in Uganda, crossing … More

A hike up Mount Bisoke and a lesson in understanding gorilla sounds

One Friday afternoon, with Freddy’s permission, I snuck out from work early – we had decided to climb the perfectly … More

Sometimes on Tuesdays, always with tea

Sometimes you can’t see how incredible a person is when you first meet them. Still waters run deep, people are … More

Faith, devotion and complicity

I enjoyed lazy starts to the day on the veranda, shooting the breeze with Peter the security guard. We’d breakfast … More

Where you never walk alone

In contrast to my daily commute in London, my walk home in Kigali was rarely dull, no two journeys were … More

Electric-green unplugged

Today it’s April the 7th 2018, a day that marks the 24th anniversary of the start of the Rwandan genocide. … More

As Time Goes By …

Giving a training course to a group of nurses in Rwanda gave me a new perspective on the concept of … More

Ever fallen in love with a stray dog you shouldn’t have fallen in love with?

The pack of beach dogs that played in the glinting waves, trotted purposefully onshore and shook off their sea-drops. Heads … More

The Childhood Adventures of Owning a Globe

On my seventh birthday my parents gave me a globe. My own spherical world of colourful landmasses and oceans, strung … More

Miss Freeman’s woodwork class: the end of my days of mischief

It took a moment of brilliance from a school teacher to turn me around and push me on to the straight and narrow. Her name was Miss Freeman and she taught woodwork .

Paris in the sun

Last month, I made my 7th visit to Paris. Here’s a few of our photos from our weekend in that … More

Where to propose in Paris

I had always said to my then girlfriend Sarah that I would never propose to her in Paris; ‘it’s too … More

Kivu: The Shimmering Lake in the Shadow of the Volcano

In the very heart of Africa, between Rwanda and D.R. Congo, is a silvery, majestic lake framed by breezy palms … More

What is Cambridge blue?

Last weekend we went for a long punt in Cambridge; we glided on the glinting River Cam in a  flat-bottomed … More

The Little Fish Mystery 

This is a true mystery that happened in my kitchen – it involves multiple murders, male-only breeding, a sex-change and … More

Things to do in Assam: The blue hill and the temple of the goddess of love

Assam, in India’s north-east, is known as the Land of the Red River and the Blue Hill. The Red River … More