It is almost impossible to overemphasize the importance with which ancestry is held in the Middle East and North Africa.
Osman and Prideep had been in my employment for some weeks. Every Friday I would take the to lunch. It was the high point of their calender. During the meal I would harangue them as a reminder of what...
Lured by the wilderness, and by the chance of spotting rare desert elephants, a few intrepid tourists make their way to the Skeleton Coast each year. It's just about as remote as any tourist destinati...
In some peculiar way, indeed, the rules were now beginning to seem quite logical. It was then I knew that I had been in India long enough.
Calcutta's the only city I know where you are actively encouraged to stop strangers at random for a quick chat.
Buy a house in a foreign country and, it seems, that anything which can go wrong usually does.
There can be few situations more fearful than breaking down in darkness on the highway leading to Casablanca. I have rarely felt quite so vulnerable or alone.
The only thing they valued higher than ammunition were Man United footballs.
Back at the Chateau Windsor there was a rat-like scratching at the door of my room. Vinod, the youngest servant, came in with a soda water. He placed it next to the bag of toffees. Then he watched me...
The taste for glory can make ordinary men behave in extraordinary ways.
Previous journeys had taught me the danger of taking too much stuff.
I had learned years ago never to give original documents to anyone if I could help it.
Do not stand in a place of danger trusting in miracles.
Where does one go in a tremendous city like Calcutta to find insider information? I recalled India's golden rule: do the opposite of what would be normal anywhere else.
Stories are not like the real world; they aren't held back by what we know is false or true. What's important is how a story makes you feel inside.
Settling into a new country is like getting used to a new pair of shoes. At first they pinch a little, but you like the way they look, so you carry on. The longer you have them, the more comfortable t...
One senses that, in these conditions, no amount of wet-wiping could bring true hygiene.
Believe, and what was impossible becomes possible what at first was hidden becomes visible.
At the last moment, the fish and I exchange a troubled glance. The murrel seems to be demanding an explanation. Alas, I am in no position to start justifying the unusual treatment. What comes next is...
A journey of observation must leave as much as possible to chance. Random movement is the best plan for maximum observation