Category: Recollections
Stories about events that happened well before the time I wrote the story. Mainly recollections of earlier travels before I started posting on Facebook.
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MY BARBER LARRY
In the four years I lived in Madison in the late 1980s, I only let one man cut my hair, Larry the barber. I have never been fussed about my hair and hated going to fancy hairdressers who would offer you a Chardonnay. I just wanted to come out with hair shorter than it was […]
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THE AUSSIE IMMIGRANT
It was pouring down rain in Adelaide 19 years ago today. I don’t have a good memory for the weather, but I remember that day clearly. On 4 April 1995 Adelaide welcomed its newest migrant. Prior to April 1995, Padma and I had been living in Cali, Colombia but things got a bit rough as […]
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THE EXPLORATION OF LA AMISTAD
In 1982, the Costa Rican government created the La Amistad Biosphere Reserve which covers a massive area in southern Costa Rica along the Talamanca mountain range. At the time, the biosphere was relatively unknown to scientists – very few had ventured into the depths of the Talamanca. The Costa Rican National Park Service hired wildlands […]
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A NIGHT WITH THE BEDOUIN
In May of 1992, I joined my ICARDA colleagues, including my mate Ben Wedman on a journey to visit a Bedouin group in the eastern Steppe of Syria. The Bedouin are known for their hospitality to strangers and our visit was no exception. In this photo Ben joins our Bedouin hosts for breakfast and has […]
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THE MAGICAL SOUK OF ALEPPO
The Al Madina souq is one of the most magical places I have ever visited. The bazaar is a labyrinth of covered markets in the heart of Aleppo’s old quarters which would stretch out 13 kilometres if the streets, alleys and paths were laid end to end. When you enter the souq you walk back […]
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LOST IN THE SOUK
I used to have a recurring dream of being lost forever while driving in the labyrinth of narrow streets which is the old quarter of Aleppo, Syria. It was one of those dreams where nothing would go right, and you’d wake up sweaty and in a panic. One day my worst nightmare came true. As […]
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HANS AND THE SELVA LACANDONA
Yesterday was an exciting day as I became reacquainted with an old travel companion. Thirty two years ago I was trying to sort out some train schedules at the Ciudad Juarez station in northern Mexico as I wanted to travel to the southernmost state of Chiapas. I was 23 and had a couple of months […]
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ON! ON!
When I think of happier days in Syria, nothing brings a bigger smile to my face than memories of the Halab Hash House Harriers. I first ran a Hash House Harrier event on the east coast of Malaysia in 1978. I was in a little village and saw signs with HHH so I followed them […]
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