Expeditions

Last year I met a man who once helped trophy hunters kill lions, leopards and elephants. I was in Tanzania’s Selous Game Reserve, during a private Hidden Places safari. Selous is massive, [...]

Shinto is the oldest religion of Japan.  On our third day here, it was really special to receive a personal greeting from this Shinto priest, Mr Yangagita, at the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu shrine in [...]

In case you’ve ever wondered where that green blob of wasabi alongside your sushi comes from, here is the low down from Mr Nori Toshi. He is an 8th generation wasabi farmer on Japan’s lush Izu [...]

Along a narrow lane in Yokohama, we duck under a low doorway hung with three banners and step into a tiny restaurant. The owner, Masaki Imahgahsi, bows to us in greeting. Foreigners rarely visit [...]

Here at the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation we are attending a workshop on the Target Training of captive elephants, led by renowned Mexican veterinarian and animal trainer Dr. Geraldo [...]

I woke at dawn to hear the breathy barking of impalas, a warning that lions were up and hunting. I sat up to see several elephants ambling towards the water hole below my banda as the equatorial [...]

We turn our kayaks down a narrow channel. Fifteen feet across, it’s lined by small houses, glimpses of verdant paddy fields between them. Children in immaculate school uniforms race along the [...]

It’s lovely to be home. But memories of recent ‘away’ places wrap around me, and fill me with gratitude. Most recent was Sri Lanka. The island – which is about the size of Ireland – has an [...]