Tag Archives: environmental portrait

The best way to visit the Maluka’s (Malakas, Moluccas) in the eastern part of Indonesia is by ship. These were once known as the Spice Islands. The nutmeg, mace, and cloves that grew here – and nowhere else – attracted the attention of 16th century European colonial powers. The Spice Wars of the 1500s were […]

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The breadth and impact of the Roman Empire always amazes me. And I marvel at the remarkable endurance of the artefacts left behind. Walking on roads that were laid over three thousand years ago never ceases to fill me with awe. I was travelling around Morocco in a bus with a small group of seasoned […]

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I’ve heard it described as a chocolate-box scene: you know, like those pastel-painted views of idealised or conventionally pretty locations that were on the front of old-fashioned chocolate or sweet tins. They are not wrong! Dal Lake, Srinagar, in India’s Kashmir, is impossibly beautiful. The way the autumn light filtered through the willow trees at […]

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Sorong, the largest city in the newly-formed Indonesian province of Southwest Papua, is the sort of place people usually go through rather than to. As the logistics hub for Indonesia’s thriving eastern oil and gas frontier, it harbours a busy industrial port. For tourists and scientists, it is the gateway to Raja Ampat, a collection […]

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I read a lot of historical fiction growing up. Much of it took place in “The Colonies”. So, I always had a fascination with India’s many Hill Stations. Finally! A couple of years ago, I had my chance: I was booked on two trips in India’s south, with a four week interval between them. To […]

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