Thelma and Louise in England

Thelma and Louise in England

Thelma and Louise in England Dimuthu and I hit the road. We were Thelma and Louise without the murdering and thieving. Dimuthu was my Sri Lankan sister, my twin. We shared a birthday, but she was young and pretty while I was past my best. We came from places half a world apart, yet we … Continued

Reaching for the sky in Kenya

Reaching for the sky Caroline unraveled from a tangle of ragamuffin children onto the compound of caked earth and crumbling concrete. She was an explosive meteor shower in her thin psychedelic planet-themed pajamas: zigzagging across the yard, shooting a ragged football and darting through the ‘don’t-mess-with-me’ older boys. She was there, then gone, before reappearing … Continued

An outing in Sri Lanka

An Outing in Sri Lanka Dawn in a rural corner of Galle and the light is soft and milky, the air cool. Across the road, Langur monkeys scrabble through trees. On the lane a solitary cow grazes on the verge. A man wanders into view pulling an empty cart and disappears again. A cyclist wobbles … Continued

Secret Beach in British Columbia, Canada

Secret Beach My dreams spread across the sheet, each fragment captured in its own little box: Moraine Lake; the Saskatchewan River Crossing; The Athabasca Glacier; Sunwapta Falls; Maligne Canyon; Tofino; Clayoquot Sound; Ucluelet; Vancouver. I savoured each name on my tongue – some smooth as New World silk, others rough as the cedar bark cloth … Continued

England: Under Big Norfolk Skies

The water is steaming, a white vapour sponging the darkening sky. I watch the heavens smudge grey and pink before deepening to navy-blue. High above us midges dance in dizzying circles. I plunge under the warm, bubbling water and when I surface again, one single star has emerged, alone in the sky. “Vega, Arabic for swooping … Continued

Scotland: New Year on Conic Hill

New Year on Conic Hill New Year’s Eve in a Scottish new town, and it was strangely subdued – the lull before the storm of celebrations. Then as midnight approached, tall, dark-stroke-red and (allegedly) handsome men (for these are the necessary credentials of the first-footer) crept out onto the streets armed with whiskey, a tumbler, … Continued

Kenya: Serengeti Surprise

Serengeti Surprise Charles pulled out the biggest kitchen knife from his box of utensils and laid it out on the makeshift table beside him. It glinted in the early morning sunlight. This was all he had to protect himself. A few hours earlier, this place had been crammed with trekkers: little groups huddled over fires, … Continued

Farne Islands,UK: The Birds

The Birds He didn’t want to go. He eyed the fishing boat doubtfully. “What if it sinks?” “It won’t.” What if there’s a storm?” I looked out to sea. It was as still as a millpond. “There won’t be.” “I might get sick.” “I doubt it.” I might get blown overboard.” I sighed. My son, … Continued

England: The Lost World of Arkwright

The Lost World of Arkwright The stillness is unnerving in this dark, dank, virile valley. Nature is out of control here: Ivy, moss and lichen are choking stone and tree, swallowing the stream even. This place was once very different. I catch glimpses of the past through snaking roots and shrubbery: a gable here, an … Continued

We Said Go Travel