Tag Archives: landscape Travel in Europe is such a joy! Everywhere you go, there are beautifully-maintained, fresh and green outdoor public spaces, and well-preserved and integrated historical buildings. Take Rapperswil on Lake Zurich in Switzerland, for example. Part of the municipality of Rapperswil-Jona, this is a town I probably would never have heard of, had we not been […]  With about 1400 individuals living across three villages, the Kara are the smallest discrete ethnic group in Ethiopia’s Omo Valley. They are closely related to the Benna-Bashada-Hamar group and share many linguistic features and cultural practices with these tribes. For example, their young men take part in the Bula, or Pilla, or Bull-jumping ceremony: jumping […]  When I was a child, one of my favourite Christmas activities was to get into the car at night, wrapped up in blankets against the cold, and drive out to the more affluent suburbs and gaze in wonder at the elaborate displays of festive lights. These lights were especially magical against the winter snows. It […]  “Respect all religions. Practice your own.” So said a Swami visiting Australia many years ago in interview when asked if he wished to attract people to his Hindu faith. Proselytisation is an alien concept in Indian religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. Sectarianism violence has played – and still plays – a central […]  “Send us more camels!” Last year when I was in Jordan, that was the exhortation of every second person I met, once they heard I was from Australia (see: Desert Rains and the Seven Pillars). Who knew we actually sell camels to the Middle East? I knew there were feral camels – at least 300,000 […] |
|
