This is a journey through Jordan, Syria and includes a short dash to Beirut. The illustrated narrative looks at both the present day and historical events that have contributed to the way the people are, how they seem themselves and how they see others. A more recent context is the turmoil in the Arab nations across the Middle East and the progressive removal of yesterday's tyrants and dictators.

Egypt and Turkey each have a surfeit of grand archaeological sites that have excited travellers over the millenia. Being as they are at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa the sites reflect a myriad of influences and the consequences of competing invaders and civilisations that have put their stamp on what remains. But there is a constant across the ages and that is the people and the need for them to survive and make their way in the social and economic environment that prevailed at the time. True travellers have a curiosity about the local perspective of common issues, how people...

These travels describe an Antarctic adventure through the wild Southern Ocean to the Ross Sea the so-called Heart of Antarctica and the furthest south you can travel by boat. This is the heartland of the region first explored by Scott and his compatriots before their untimely disaster. On the other side of the southern continent we visit those places put on the map by the intrepid whalers who roamed the southern seas. This is Shackleton country and we visit South Georgia and Elephant Island made famous by the heroic exploits of Shackleton and his party and then move on to the sublime beauty...