Imagine a Switzerland cut off from the rest of the world until very recently, where internet and television have been permitted only in the last ten years, where 19 languages are spoken by a population smaller than that of Glasgow, where more than 600 species of orchid and more than 50 species of rhododendron grow, where the monarch’s crown features a bird not jewels, and where Buddhism suffuses each facet of everyday life. A country so mountainous that the only way to get from east to west was, until recently, to cross the border into the neighbouring country. Where one of its nature reserves was created to protect the habitat of the yeti. A country that stands precariously between two of the world’s emerging superpowers, having watched one or other of them absorb many of its ... read more

As usual, I couldn't decide how I could further narrow down the collection of photos to illustrate the latest blog... so here's some more, if you're interested...... read more

..and not forgetting my home country... With enormous thanks to Jen and Ross for a truly fabulous few days at Brodie Castle, and to Lisa, Lorraine and Bonnie for giving me several great excuses to explore - and even go out in - my home town for the first time in, err, more years than I care to remember...... read more

Sitting in a Caffé Nero in London’s financial district with its faceless traffic of suits and double-decker buses, passing the afternoon between lunch with an old college friend and dinner with a former skiing buddy, I feel that Namibia was an eternity ago, a gazillion planets away… I guess it’s not too surprising. The two months since I returned have been hectic, not only in the sense of time-consuming, but also emotion-sapping - sometimes agreeably, sometimes not. Most of my time has been spent in Edinburgh engaged on tour of duty as a quasi-Florence Nightingale for my post-operative mother. It was Mum’s third joint replacement in nine years and, understandably, she struggled to recover from this one as quickly as she had the previous two. A number of other factors complicated the process, but, without inflicting ... read more

There is something reassuring in the effort still required, even today, to visit Antarctica. Yes, day-long scenic flights from New Zealand and Australia have been an option for the well-endowed of pocket for a while, and now equally well-heeled tourists will be able to fly in to Australia’s Casey Station. But this does not get you to the incredible sights, sounds and silences that we had been lucky enough to experience. Only days and days on board a well-provisioned and expertly-navigated ship could do that. But it’s a long schlep even to the Antarctic Circle, and we were delighted to be able to break our journey at some of the sub-Antarctic islands. Going south and with a good following wind, we reached New Zealand’s Auckland Islands less than 24 hours after leaving Bluff, and Campbell Island ... read more