Profile in el HOY

Here's a profile that was written up about me after winning the travel writing prize, the Premio de Periodismo Ciudad de Cáceres Fundación Mercedes Calles y Carlos Ballestero.

Battuta's Least Known Journey

This plaque on the church is about the only evidence you'll find of Battuta's visit in the town of Coin.

Think Marco Polo was the world's greatest traveler? If you do, it's because you haven't read Ibn Battuta. For whatever reason, be they ethnocentric prejudices, islamophobia or the simple fact that Polo had better PR, Ibn Battuta's epic 14th century journey that took him from Tangier to China and back remains relatively unknown to most.

And within this obscurity lies his least known sojourn, his jihad to the Iberian peninsula in today's Spain. Follow his footsteps in a piece published in Dubai's Khaleej Times.

Mogadishu Style Shark Fin Soup

Photographer: Feisal Omar/Reuters

On it's way to Shanghai, or have the Somalis developed a taste for shark fin soup too?

photographs of spain

One of the many lovely pictures of Spain found here.

Seen From the Road: Rhodes, Greece

Seen inside the citadel/city built by the Templars, now haunt of cruise-goers stretching their legs and dining ashore.

Granada...in English and German

A walk through the Albaycin in Granada

A look at the new mosque that has been built

A reflection on the concern it's caused

A way around conflict

In both English and German in DW-WORLD's Qantara magazine.

Trazzler Writing Contest

One of the internet sites that I have been writing for has been running some great contests as of late. Click over here to Writing Contests for more details...you never know, a new job or a few nights in a Fairmont hotel may await!

A Different Iran

One of the strongest memories I have of Iran is standing outside a regular neighourhood mosque covered in the black mourning flags that are so typical there. Decades of negative imagery on T.V made my wife and I unsure about entering the courtyard. Finally we ventured in and ended up parting ways. Suddenly I heard a commotion only to turn around and see my wife engulfed by around 40 women, all curious as to where she was from...friendliness and hospitality that we were to encounter wherever we went.

At every turn we found things that ran against the facile stereotype propagated outside its borders.

Another shock were the fashionistas in northern Tehran, words would be hard to describe it but perhaps paintings can.

I've just come across this wonderful young artist from that huge city at the foot of the mountains whose paintings show that world. Many may have heard of Saghar Daeeri, but if you haven't, definitely click over for more.

Walking to Hornachos

10kms to go

Springtime outside Hornachos, Extremadura, Spain.

A Walk in Istanbul

I took a walk awhile ago with my Couchsurfing host, now friend, Oya. We started in the Istanbul of the guidebooks and ended up in the Istanbul of her childhood. A walk that took us from the tank tops of Eminonou to the hiijabs and niquabs in Fatih, with a short detour to see the black robes through the last remaining churches in Fener. Needless to say which was more interesting, the guidebook loses once again. Published in Singapore in The Straits Times.

La Barrosa

8kms of beach, just under 30º and no one else in sight.

It was a good weekend.