Tag Archives: blog

Anyone familiar with the rugged, jungle-clad terrain and dearth of infrastructure across Papua New Guinea will be horrified by the news of the recent rise of Covid-19 cases in the country (e.g. Covid Cases Triple). The very remoteness of tribal territories that helped keep the epidemic at bay until now also complicates the delivery of […]

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My idea of a great New Year’s party is a trip into nature. The bonus of being “down under” is that the New Year break falls in the height of summer. I escape to Kosciuszko National Park to enjoy fresh air, summer alpine flowers, and some quiet contemplation. I have my favourite walking tracks that I return to regularly […]

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Once again, pictures of camels and colour are flooding my news feed: the Pushkar Camel Fair in Rajasthan is currently in full swing, and photographers from around the world are there, posting pictures that make me nostalgic for India. The Pushkar Fair, or Kartik Mela, is a multi-day livestock fair and cultural fête. Animal breeders and buyers descend on […]

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The landscape around the Altai Mountains of far-western Bayan-Ölgii Province in Mongolia is as untamed as the people and animals who live there. The cold desert climate experiences dustings of snowfall – but little rain – and the measured temperatures – ranging from -22.6C (-8.68F) on a January night to 22.6° (72.7F) on a July afternoon – […]

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“A fast horse and a soaring eagle are the wings of a nomad.” –Kazakh proverb The animals in Western Mongolia are as wild as the landscape: the horses are unruly and the hunting eagles are never fully tame. I suspect that the ethnic Kazakhs who live there prefer it that way. The Kazakhs are descendants of […]

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