Northern Cape, South Africa

Panda cubs in Bifengxia, China

Chengdu, China: Open for Business

Settling into our front row seats at the opera we couldn’t help feeling lonely. Behind us were 20 empty rows, to our right a trio of Japanese businessmen and to our left a bunch of bewildered looking tourists, no doubt wondering where the rest of the audience was.

Normally at this time of year, the Sichuan opera theatres sell out every night, but since the earthquake hit in May, tourists have been staying away and the show that was to round off our weekend in west China echoed in the empty venue.

As the artists took the stage, slightly outnumbering the spectators, I mused at why the visitors weren’t coming back to the region.

Chengdu, the provincial capital, was largely untouched by the earthquake and we were amazed to find its buildings still standing and its streets free of rubble or chasms. Sadly, most would-be visitors, both domestic and international, fear the worst, and although the city was spared by the quake, it is now being hit economically by the dearth of tourists... Read More

The Bastakiya district in Dubai

In Search of the Real Dubai

The first thing that struck me when I arrived in Dubai was how utterly friendly the people were.

Rather than the unsmiling and slightly intimidating officer who usually presides over passport control, we were greeted with a grin and a welcoming chat while being stamped into the UAE’s tourist hub.

I was further amazed that evening when, hailing a taxi to take us to dinner, the driver announced that the traffic was too heavy, a cab would be too pricey and recommended that we head to a restaurant within walking distance.

We were astounded at his honesty but a little disappointed since in the absence of any Emirati food we’d hoped to eat in the only Arabian restaurant listed in our guidebook.

This was the second thing I noticed about Dubai – the strange lack of anything Emirati. Every restaurant offers either Indian or Lebanese cuisine, the streets are lined with British or American stores, and when you look around you start to notice that even the people don’t hail from this part of the world... Read More

Feeding Lucy, the teenage hippo

Feeding a Teenage Hippo

I’ve never been terribly fond of animals. It’s not that I don’t like looking at them; I just have an innate fear of anything with more legs than I have. So imagine my surprise when one sticky afternoon on the border of the Kruger National Park I found myself with my hand in a hippo’s mouth.

Of course, South Africa is well known as a safari destination, and opportunities to get up close with fierce creatures present themselves often. I’d already stood on the sidelines while friends petted lion cubs, stroked cheetahs and rode elephants.

Then a modest sign at the side of the road jumped out and grabbed my attention. Having explored the less-than-engaging town of Hoedspruit we were searching for some way to kill time, so a notice inviting us to meet, pet and feed an actual hippo was a welcome diversion to say the least.

By the time our bottom-of-the-range hire car had navigated the dirt road leading to the hippo’s home, I was starting to have second thoughts. How could it be safe? I’d heard the stories, as I’m sure you have – it’s an oft-quoted fact that hippos kill more people than any other mammal in Africa... Read More

A sumo wrestling match

A Beginner's Guide to Sumo Wrestling


Witnessing something like sumo is always going to be a thrill. It’s weird and unique, you’ve seen it on TV and it seems to epitomize the culture of a nation.

But in truth if you don’t really understand what’s going on, sumo wrestling can soon become pretty dull. The pomp and ceremony takes up around 90 per cent of the day, with some of the bouts being so short you can easily miss them if your mind wanders for a moment.

Once the novelty of actually being at a real sumo tournament wore off, I felt the need to get a little clued up so that I could really enjoy the last few bouts of the day – the crucial ones featuring the yokozuna.

Having read up a little, I felt a new respect for a sport that I had previously considered somewhat ridiculous. For those that hold a similar opinion, or are simply bewildered by the whole flesh baring, thigh slapping event, here’s a total beginner’s guide to the art-cum-sport that is so revered in the Land of the Rising Sun...Read More

The author and her friends suit up for a day of cleaning.

Korea: Pitching In to Clean Up An Oil Spill


South Korea has been my home for almost a year and although the Taean Haean National Park is a mere two hours from my house, I’d never got around to visiting.

I can’t tell you how sad I was that the first time I saw these quiet, secluded beaches (a rarity in small, overpopulated Korea) the entire region had been destroyed by South Korea’s largest ever oil spill.

Disaster struck in early December when a South Korean barge hit a Hong Kong ‘supertanker,’ causing it to send almost three million gallons of crude oil gushing into the ocean seven miles off shore.

The spill affected an eleven-mile stretch of the coast, much of which falls into one of Korea’s few marine National Parks... Read More

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