India (December, 2016)  – When I need to relax, calm down, settle into a reflective mental headspace I often think back to mountain tops and monasteries. Back to altitudes, heightened attitude, deep breaths and the small details. It's a release which brings comfort, creates more wanderlust and a sense of freedom.

France (March, 2022) – Maybe it's the current mood; but there is an air of nostalgia humming around. After lunch; we walked back to Jardin des Plantes for a discovery tour of Les Grande Serres. Each glass hub provided a new climate; with new foliage, new blooms and exotic scents. It was a lovely afternoon with an old dear friend, rediscovering old haunts.

France (September, 2014) – A little creepy, a little eerie and out of the normal comfort zone, the Natural History museum and its famed collection of bones is a marvel to explore. The galleries have glass windows which allow a luminous light to magnify some rather haunting skeletal shadows. Entry into mammalia begins with human anatomy and ends in dramatic fashion with a blue whale carcass. My favorite section though is the glass ceiling gallery, and its skeleton collection of monstrous beasts and outrageous fossils.

Mexico (November, 2017) – After a whirlwind experience; lost in a world of fantastical beasts, devils, catrina's, a multitude of public altars, processions and a little mescal, we migrated back to the country's capital for a few days. We ended our journey by making the pilgrimage into the absurd world of Kahlo and Diego.

India (December, 2016) – We spent much of the morning driving up the mountain roads to admire a sacred lake; the result of glacier runoff. In my humble opinion, the panorama upwards and out was more spectacular than the final destination. Hills upon hills, clouds, mist, dew, and majestic blue skies. We stopped for a brief repose at the side of the mountain road. Looking back towards Seven Mile, a tiny hillside village with a little convenience shop and a beautiful row of pray wheels made of large plastic rasgulla containers. The repose allowed us to reimagine the crazy mountain road we had just survived.

Madagascar (March, 2010) – Having arrived in the middle of nowhere; the train halted, unable to traverse any further due to damage to the tracks ahead from the cyclone earlier in the month. My companions went in search of lodgings for the night; while I followed the boisterous cheering sounds, further up a little hillside. My little jaunt led me to a small group of boys playing foosball. Upon getting closer I noticed one of the boys holding a long thin stick with a small creature on it. To my surprise he had in his possession a golden mouse lemur. It was evident that his pet needed to be kept close, having use of one hand did not seem to deter him from playing in what appeared to be the season's championship match.

Uzbekistan (November, 2019) – We arrived at the Hazrati complex during renovation. The vast majority of the mosque and madrasa were restricted from visiting. The tiny museum, adjacent to the mosque holds a beautiful kufic script quran. Printed on skin, not paper it is one of the earliest replications of the original mushaf dating as far back as the 7th century. While I can't read any of the scripts, it reignited my love of calligraphy.