We don’t go back to places. However much we may enjoy a particular destination, the number of places we have seen and the variety of experiences we have gained along the way are still far outnumbered by those yet to be encountered. It’s the traveler’s perennial dilemma. You travel thousands of miles, find your favorite…
It has been a few years since we decided not to have a real Christmas tree. Our decision was not a comment on the bizarre ritual of placing a dead tree in the middle of your home, but rather on the practicalities of the exercise. However much you may enjoy your first days in the…
Standing behind the reception desk of a hotel in south west Iceland, the clerk was being as polite as his utter bewilderment and exasperation would allow. He was wearing the expression of someone who has just suspected he is the victim of a prank. His haunted eyes scarcely blinked as they flitted around the room,…
I have always been fascinated by maps. As a child, I would spend hours paging through my first world atlas; a book with a glossy, light blue, hardback cover whose spine weakened with each enthusiastic read. Occasionally, with a pen in my unsteady young hand, I would trace the borders between countries whose names I…
There is a taxi driver in southern Argentina named Ernesto. We didn’t know each other until a few days ago and we will never meet again. We met when chance placed us in his taxi at El Calafate airport. On the drive into town he politely asked us to share the contents of his small…
It’s something I’ve done hundreds of times. Sitting in my preferred window seat, I watch as the aircraft makes a ninety degree turn, lining up with its back to the lights that will guide its return. There is a slight pause. The dull throb from the engines turns to a roar as their full power…
Abrupt U-turns are rarely an indication that something has gone exactly as intended. They are the change of direction caused by each missed turning, each botched product launch, each political policy failure. In the air, unless you’re part of an aeronautical display team or are pulling an advertising banner above a sporting event, you can…
The day did not start well. Today we would leave Cuzco and, over the next four days, drive the 350 miles or so south to Arequipa, stopping for a couple of nights in Puno, on the shore of Lake Titicaca. Hoping for the early start that would see us rolling into Puno by late afternoon,…
There is a map of the world in the basement of our house. Each place we’ve visited is indicated on the map by a colored pin. There are a lot of pins. They sweep confidently across Europe, from the Algarve to Moscow, barely missing a country. The eastern side of North America is equally well represented – so much…
“No, I’m not making it up. I know it sounds incredible, but that really did happen.” Over the years, these words have become a standard conclusion to any story related to my experiences in mid-nineties Moscow. The words are usually greeted by intensely skeptical, almost sympathetic expressions on the face of the listener – as…
Journeys And 