Travel stories, quotes and fun facts

Souk directions

We asked for a shop and were escorted personally for ten minutes through covered alleys by a man who then refused to be thanked and disappeared.

In three words

In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.

African wild dogs hunt by vote

Researchers found wild dog packs decide when to hunt by sneezing, with more sneezes meaning stronger consensus.

Sunrise over Cappadocia

A hundred and fifty balloons launched in twenty minutes. From the ground it was chaos. From above it was completely still and you could hear other baskets' burners.

Meerkats take turns on watch

Meerkat sentries rotate duty and give different alarm calls for aerial and ground predators.

Weaver birds build apartment blocks

Sociable weavers build communal nests weighing a tonne that house over a hundred birds for generations.

The road goes ever on

The road goes ever on and on, down from the door where it began.

The ferry that crosses continents

Twenty minutes, a glass of tea, seagulls following the boat for bread, and you have changed continents on a commuter ticket.

The Atlas Mountains hold snow

North Africa has ski resorts. Oukaimeden near Marrakech sits above 2,600 metres and opens most winters.

Africa's largest market is in Lagos

Balogun and its surrounding markets sprawl for blocks, and navigating them without a guide is close to impossible.

Turkish breakfast arithmetic

We ordered breakfast for two and eleven small plates arrived. Then bread. Then eggs. We did not eat again until nine that night.

It's a dangerous business

It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.

Ostriches cannot fly but can outrun horses

Ostriches sprint at 70 km/h and their kick can be lethal, which is why farm handlers keep to their side.

Hippos kill more people than lions

Hippos are responsible for far more human deaths in Africa than big cats, especially near riverside paths at night.

Hammam scrub

The attendant showed me the grey rolls coming off my arm with visible pride, as though we had achieved something together, which I suppose we had.

Canada has the longest coastline

Canada's coastline runs over 200,000 kilometres, longer than the next ten countries combined thanks to its Arctic islands.

Home is behind

Home is behind, the world ahead, and there are many paths to tread.

Kangaroos at the tee

The golf course had a local rule about kangaroos on the fairway. There were fourteen of them and none of them moved for anyone.

Canada holds most of the world's lakes

Canada contains more lake area than the rest of the world put together, with over two million lakes.

Newfoundland has its own time zone

Newfoundland runs half an hour ahead of Atlantic time, a 30-minute offset kept since 1935.

Driving the Nullarbor

Ninety miles straight, no curve at all. We passed four road trains and one cyclist who waved with an energy that suggested he had not seen anyone for a while.

One's destination

One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.

Churchill is the polar bear capital

Bears gather near Churchill each autumn waiting for Hudson Bay to freeze, and the town leaves cars unlocked as bear shelters.

Quebec keeps French alive

Quebec's language laws protect French in commerce and signage, and it is the only province where French is the sole official language.