On a harsh expedition, there’s no space for anyone who does not intend to finish.

The situation was different in the jungle. Every inch of ground had to be earned, and was done so through much exertion with the blade.

The first few hours in the cell were quite stimulating. I’d never been in a prison cell before and was quite enjoying the experience.

Time spent in India has a extraordinary effect on one. It acts as a barrier that makes the rest of the world seem unreal.

A little imagination goes a long way in Fes.

The ants are bad” The Bear”the ants?”Tahir”Do not be fooled. They look very small, so harm you don’t think of then at all. Then years. Then one day you wake up, and your home has...

With an enthusiastic team you can achieve almost anything.

On a hard jungle journey nothing is so important as having a team you can trust.

My father used to say that stories are part of the most precious heritage of mankind.

Venture to a remote corner of a faraway land and, from the moment you get there, every person and every thing becomes an obstacle, designed to entrap you, to stop you proceeding on your way.

The rain of Madre de Dios is similar to that of the Amazon, but there is a petrifying aspect to it, as if it seeks to wound rather than to nurture.

In moments of great uncertainty on my travels, I have always felt that something is protecting me, that I will come to no harm.

Only a man who has his health, a full stomach and wears clean clothes would ever entertain the notion of tracking down the greatest lost city on Earth.

I am all for curses and superstition, but there’s a point at which they start getting in the way. That point had arrived.

To be selfless, you would give charity anonymously, walj softly on the earth, and look out for others-even total strangers-before you look out for yourself. For the Arab mind, the self is an obstacle, an...

The mere mention of the Farakka Express, which jerks its way eastward each day from Delhi to Calcutta, is enough to throw even a seasoned traveller into fits of apoplexy. At a desert encampment on...

Contemplation is a luxury, requiring time and alternatives.

The last thing we wanted was for the Machiguenga to be sad again. Sadness appeared to bring out their violence.

For my father there was no sharper way to understand a country than by listening to its stories.

Respect was one thing. Survival was another. It was important that I kept my priorities in the right order.

There can be few situations more fearful than breaking down in darkness on the highway leading to Casablanca. I have rarely felt quite so vulnerable or alone.

It was an awkward moment. We were burning down our host’s house, a situation which any guest seeks to avoid.

In some warped way, having an embalmed body with us made perfect sense.

As I see the world, there’s one element that’s even more corrosive than missionaries: tourists. It’s not that I feel above them in any way, but that the very places they patronize are destroyed by...