Dune 45: A Case Study of Effect of Desert Temperatures on Scotsmen
Introduction The psychological and physiological limitations of humans in extreme heat have been extensively documented. These effects are known to be drastically exacerbated with even light or...
View ArticleÀ la Recherche de la Bière Perdu
A cruel quirk of human nature dictates that we are unable to consciously appreciate one of our Top 5 Beers of all Time at the time of drinking. Like happiness and true contentment, it is usually only...
View ArticleTroll story: hiking the Romsdalseggen
Sometime in the not so distant past and in a bid to attract some tourist Kroner, I imagine a policy decision was taken by a civil servant in a very clean but forlorn office in Oslo to affix the word...
View ArticleEtosha National Park
In the local Oshiwambo language Etosha means “big white place”, a plain and perfectly articulate description of the massive salt pan that occupies a quarter of the Etosha National Park in northwestern...
View ArticleGo with the flow at the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
“Oh no, we’re not taking the boats out today. There’s too much ice.” Really? Too much ice in the Ice Lagoon in Iceland? Would that be like too much sand in the Sahara or too many tea leaves in China?...
View ArticleNature finds a way to the Ngorongoro Crater
It’s devastating but let’s face the facts. The half-life of DNA is around 600 years. This means that every 600 years, half of any given sample of DNA and the genetic information that it contains is...
View ArticleYour Next Intrepid Destination – a data-driven travel guide
Sitting at my desk today, I cast my gaze over the muted rain-soaked cityscape before me and felt an aching longing in my bones. I dreamed of places full of light and fragrant breezes where travellers...
View ArticleÞingvellir, homeward bound
‘YOU ARE NOW STANDING on the edge of the ancient parliamentary site’, read the text on the wide information board at my knees. I stepped back and blinked at the plains of faded brown grass and dark...
View ArticleWeekend Safari: Murchison Falls
“Oh my god. If I could just see one giraffe and just one elephant, I’d be the happiest person in Uganda.” Kirstie’s frenetic excitement reached its peak as our safari minibus jerked along the rutted...
View ArticleKampala Commute: the Boda Ride
I knew Johnny was an enterprising boda driver when he phoned me unprompted at eight thirty one morning and asked if I was ready to go to work. He had taken my number the day before after hailing him in...
View Article