The soggy sand sucks at my feet, things are moving around down there. Blind sea creatures are inspecting my heels and toes with tickly feelers, horrors with narrow jaws and razor claws are searching for the tenderest meat. I pull out.
“These prostitutes, you’re sure they are Japanese?”
“Yes. And Australia.”
To Nazar ‘Australia’ was a catch-all for the worst kind of westerner. There had been a bad experience with an Australian-crewed yacht once, which had coloured his view of that country.
There was a VIP party in a smart room next to the lecture theatre where we, as mere hoi polloi, weren’t allowed. Until the Wanderlust crew arrived and the lovely Lyn Hughes swept us along with her into the party. Wine, canapes, speeches, chit chat. What more could you want?
Two long tables are spread with curry, rice and pasta dishes, as well as over-sugared cakes. Covered in floor-length black polyester, women buzz around the spread, eyeing my colourful baggy trousers and long sleeve tunic with deadpan expressions.
“I meet no one who privately disagrees that population growth is a problem. No one, except flat-earthers, can deny that the planet is finite. We can all see it in that beautiful picture of our earth taken from the Apollo mission. So why does hardly anyone say so publicly?”
“Rather than seeing travel as competition or a materialistic exercise in one-upmanship, Transitions Abroad has always believed that more experienced travelers and travel writers seek to engage more deeply in a destination by staying for a longer period of time and thereby immerse themselves in the culture and homes they are fortunate enough to visit.”
News reports said the locals were scared and had threatened to kill any tiger unless rangers from nearby wildlife parks didn’t immediately catch and relocate them. When we arrived Varghese told us that just last week a tiger had been spotted drinking water from a stream 100 metres from the house.
Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To hell with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.
“Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.” – Margaret Mead
“The four judges present on Monday night at the event in Stanfords, Long Acre, all praised the very high standard of entry in this, Bradt’s 40th anniversary and the 15th year of the travel-writing competition. It just seems to get better every year.” Hilary Bradt
In ancient villages, I was enchanted by wooden houses, elaborate clocks and ornate town halls, straight out of a Grimm fairy tale. The glittering salt mines of Krakow, with chandeliers intricately carved from black or white crystals, fuelled my enthusiasm for trolls, elves and the supernatural.
When Nazar met our coddled cat, he fell in love. He adores animals, but the few ragamuffin moggies you see in India are tiny. To him Millie was an exotic sleek-coated giant.
