Cycling through the deserts of Iran
Hundreds of kilometres of sand, carrying 14 litres of water, and sleeping at night on the roof of an abandoned silk road inn - a caravanserai!
“If I stay here, I’ll die.”
The desert forces you to confront your vulnerability as a human. But it also gives you a chance to realise your strength.
For four days I rode from Isfahan to Yazd, by the direct route - through the desert. The Zayandeh River flows under Isfahan’s iconic following the dusty bed of the Zayandeh River to its end in the dry Gavkhouni salt basin - and then on into the desert ridges beyond.
At over 40 degrees in …
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Visit Transnistria, where the Soviet Union never fell
Crossing an unrecognised country in eastern Europe, on the way overland from Ukraine to Romania. Technically it’s part of Moldova, but the Transnistrians had other ideas.
Transnistria is one of Europe’s strangest historical artefacts, an unrecognised country lying between Moldova and Ukraine.
Entering here is like a time machine back to the Soviet Union of the 80s.
Men in grey suits and ties emerge from the brutalist government building and walk toward the shiniest cars in the country, under a proud statue of Lenin, with the Russian flag blowing in the wind.
This is a place more Russian than Russia, where symbols of …
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A Silent Meditation Retreat in Nepal
Vipassana, Buddhism and the origins of Mindfulness - what happens after 100 hours?
The rough concrete path flows up the hill, silver in the Nepalese moonlight, weaving between the silhouettes of exotic trees. I’ve made the journey to the bathroom and I’m looking forward to crawling back into bed. Vigorous snoring curls out of the mosquito net windows of the dormitory block, joining the midnight chirping of crickets. As I reach out for the door, the chorus is interrupted by the metallic toll of the gong echoing down from the …
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