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Monthly Archives: February 2021
Seram: In the Indonesian Rainforest – Part 1.
This post covers the first part of Operation Raleigh 10F Expedition to the Island of Seram in Indonesia – The Expedition ran from July to October 1987 as part of a global comparative research programme on the diversity of tropical … Continue reading
Posted in History & Culture, Trees & Greenspaces, Wild Places, World
Tagged agathis, Alifuru, Ambon, arrows, bananas, bioresources, birds, bows, butterflies, Calloa, cassava, cassowary, cloves, comparative rainforest programme, deer, Elimata, Enclave, epiphytes, ethnobotany, exotic bird trade, Expedition 10F, flora and fauna, forest gaps, forest gardens, Gunung Binaiya, Hua Ulu, hunting, hymenoptera, kamane resin, Kanikeh, keladi, KM Rinjani, Kobipoto, lepidoptera, mace, Maluku Province, Manusela, Manusela National Park, mechanised logging, Merkele Ridge, Mt. Binaiya, nutmeg, Operation Raleigh, orchids, parrots, patatas, purple naped lorikeets, sago palm, Salimena, salmon crested cockatoos, Seram, spears, Spice islands, sugarcane, swiddens, Wahai, wild pigs
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Restless Natives
We’re all a product of the time and place we come from. Looking back, I think I was lucky to have the freedom to get out and about exploring wild places around Scotland from a comparatively young age. At the … Continue reading
Posted in In Scotland, Mountain Treks, Wild Places
Tagged Aonach Eagach, Arrochar Alps, Borders, Cairngorms, Cuillins of Skye, dreich, Gaelic, Glen Shiel, Glencoe, hillwalking, Isle of Harris, Knoydart, Loch Lomand and the Trossachs, midges, North West Highlands, Outer Hebrides, Pinnacle Ridge, Sgurr nan Gillean
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Snow Days
Straight back to the present again and winter in this part of Germany can be a grey time, often without a glimpse of sunshine for days on end. Corona lockdowns, gloomy news headlines, cancelled events and restrictive lives haven’t helped … Continue reading
Posted in Aachen & Euregio, In Europe, Trees & Greenspaces
Tagged Aachen, cross country skiing, Eifel, outdoors, Snow, snowman, wellbeing, winter
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Koh Tao – Searching for “The Beach”
Danny Boyle’s film “The Beach” Starring Leonardo DiCaprio was set around the theme of a mythical beach, located in a pristine bay which was tucked away somewhere in the Gulf of Thailand. In the movie, the beach had assumed a … Continue reading
Posted in Canoe Trips, Wild Places, World
Tagged "The Beach" movie, Bangkok, Gulf of Thailand, Kho Pha Ngan, Ko Phi Phi, Ko Samui, Koh Tao
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By the Rhine – 25 Years On
There’s certainly been a Nepal theme of late in these posts, recalling heady days from the 90s spent wandering around the Himalayas as a VSO Forester. Although I’ve now used up my best photos (and written far more words than … Continue reading
Posted in History & Culture, In Europe
Tagged Bacharach, Reunion Group, Riesling, Upper Middle Rhine, Vineyards, VSO Nepal
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Langtang – Paradise Changed
There are some natural events which are on a scale beyond our ability to comprehend. The 2015 earthquake in Nepal was undoubtedly one of these events. The Langtang Valley in Central Nepal, located just 50km to the North of the … Continue reading
Posted in History & Culture, Mountain Treks, Wild Places, World
Tagged 2015 earthquake, Himalayas, Kyanjin Gompa, Lama Hotel, Langsisa Kharka, Langtang Valley, trekking
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Highs and Lows on the Annapurna Circuit
Sometimes you just have to grab the opportunities out there when you have the chance. That was very much my mindset when I boarded a less-than-luxurious “tourist” bus from Kathmandu bus bound for Pokhara, in the autumn of 1993 and … Continue reading
Posted in History & Culture, Mountain Treks, Wild Places, World
Tagged Annapurna Circuit, Besisahar, Besisahar-Manang road, Bhakra Monastery, Braga, Chamje, chortens, Dashain, Daulagiri, Ghyaru, Jharkot, Jomosom, Kagbeni, Kali Gandaki, Machapuchare, mani walls, Marsyangdi, Middle Earth, Mring Taal, Muktinath, Mustang, Ngawal, Paungda Danda, Pisang, Pokhara, Poon Hill, porters, Tatopani, Thorung La, Tibet, Tilicho Lake, trekking, Upper Manang
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Carnival in the Eifel
It’s getting close to Carnival time here in Germany – however due to the Corona pandemic festivities will be somewhat muted this year, if virtually non existent. Normally, at this time (around mid February), the whole population goes a bit … Continue reading
In Kathmandu
No tour of Nepal would be complete without Kathmandu; what a colourful, chaotic, crazy and fascinating city the Country’s characterful capital really is – no less than an assault on the senses at times ! I was fortunate enough to … Continue reading
Posted in History & Culture, Urbanism, World
Tagged 2015 earthquake, Bagmati River, Bhaktapur, Boudhanath Stupa, Budhanilkantha, Dashain, Dewali, Durbur Square Patan, Ganesh Himalaya, Ghats, Haribondhini Ekadashi Mela, Hinduism, Kathmandu, Kathmandu Durbur Square, Lalitpur, monkeys, Newar, Pashupatineth, Sadhus, Shiva, Shivapuri Hill, Street dogs, Swayambhunath, Teej, Temple restoration, Tibetan Buddhism, Tihar, UNESCO World Heritage, Vishnu, VSO Nepal
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Off the Beaten Track 