On the 26th December 2004, at around 9am, the coastlines of Sumatra, Thailand, The Nicobar and Andaman Islands, The Maldives and Sri Lanka were all hit by a massive Tsunami that had originated just off the coast of Indonesia. In Sri Lanka, beachside properties were pulverised and over 30,000 people lost their lives. A further…
The snow carpeted the floor of the mature pine forest, sparkling in the crisp, still, freezing morning air. A solitary raven croaked in the distance, it’s familiar sound carrying across an otherwise silent, arctic wilderness as I strained my ears, searching for the first faint noise of the approaching herd. The dogs’ barking, barely audible,…
In a region dominated by the vast turquoise waters of Lake Van, the southeast corner of Turkey is a land of contrasts: From the lofty barren mountains to the broad green valleys; from the grey, noisy, urban sprawl of towns such as Van, Dogubeyazit and Hakkari to the scenic fields of wind swept grass just…
Twenty one months after my initial meeting with Rugabo, in August 1995, he made international headline news when his body was discovered, shot dead along with an adult female. The motive appeared to be kidnap as the poachers had made off with a baby gorilla, although it was subsequently retrieved a few days later near…
Hanim is fifty-one years old, but she looks at least thirty years older, and for good reason: She’s the leader of the Hasasori, a small family of semi-nomadic Jelali Kurds who eke out a simple existence farming sheep on the southern slopes of Mount Ararat in East Turkey, and life is far from easy. The…
When the four members of our rock band in the UK decided to embark on an excursion to the home of the blues in the deep south, USA; we had little idea we’d wind up spending half our time in a remote swamp… and enjoy it! Two days of hard drinking in Bourbon Street, New…
