We left the glimmering lake at Dodital to climb another thousand metres, ascending pine forests, crossing streams and meadows to … More
Tag: heyloons
A funny incident in the men’s loo
Men’s bathroom protocol | What goes on in the men’s loos? | What is a loo? | A funny incident| … More
Getting over a fever in central Vietnam
We’re now half-way through our 90 days backpacking in south east Asia and we had just arrived in central Vietnam … More
On our way down south in Laos
A beery game of boules, realising the growing pains of middle-aged backpacking and a flight to the deep south of … More
In the laid-back city of Vientiane
We arrived in what must be the world’s most laid-back capital city; temples; national monuments; a moving rehabilitation centre, and … More
A slow and unintended minibus to Vang Vieng
We made our way on a tricky bus journey to Vang Vieng, a town in a lush setting of towering … More
Chiang Mai, pretty little temple town
After 20 hours of travelling from the Himalayas we got to the laid-back town in north Thailand, Chiang Mai; we … More
A tale of a dry day in India (it must be election time)
Departure Lounge Bar| Kolkata Airport | India We’re just about to leave India and go to Thailand on our 90 … More
A time of unbridled joy: the Assamese bihu
Man, those Assamese know how to celebrate. It’s the spring festival of Rongali Bihu and when we arrived in the … More
An unexpected treat on the River Brahmaputra
We got lucky. By an unexpected act of kindness we were spending the night aboard a luxury boat all to … More
Digboi, the oil town in the rainforest
We’ve made our way to the easternmost corner of Assam, to a sleepy town by a rainforest called Digboi. It’s … 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
Unguarded Moments
The basic facts I knew about Rwanda before I lived there were: it has rare mountain gorillas. Diane Fossey, the … More
The Resilience of Hope
I passed the cream-coloured boundary wall the next morning, its smooth surface was now pock-marked with a spray of holes, … More
Travel Advice in Pictures: Modern British Queuing
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The Day When Time Slowed Down
Einstein said that the faster you travel, the more time slows down. In fact, if you travel at the speed … More
Leisure pursuits: tennis, jogging and painful stomach-flattening (please do not try this at home)
I settled in to the small bungalow. My social life revolved around a good circle of colleagues and friends , my work … More
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
The Spotless City
How could a city in a developing country be so completely litter-free? From the airport taxi, the streets of Kigali, … More
Politicians and Popstars
Over the years the Kigali Genocide Memorial has been visited by countless celebrities and dignitaries; Angelina Jolie, Matt Damon, Natalie … More
The Chatter of the Raindrops
Continuing the series Letters from the Heart of Africa. My first few nights in Rwanda brought me shallow, dreamless sleeps; … 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
Stolen socks and missing underpants
One morning I phoned my friend Thierry. “Someone’s stolen my clothes.” “I can lend you clothes,” he said. Thierry was … More
Banana-leaf balls, making friends and a bitter falling out
The twin pillars of passion in Rwanda are Christianity and English Premier League Football. The sides of the small buses, … 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
The importance of memory
Continuing the series, Letters from the Heart of Africa. We all want to go places, forwards, like a car, pressing … 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
The fox in the box
One evening a fox was dying in my back garden. Its fur was patchy, its eyes were sad and watery, … More
Help! I’m a businessman going to work in an NGO in Africa
One of my life goals was to volunteer in Africa but I was never quite sure if my career path … More
Things to do in Formentera: Go down a hole and across a cliff
A hole appears in the ground before us. The huge white lighthouse to our left stares south and to our … More
Hey Loons 