Dear diary,Today I arrived in the poisoned air of Beijing. Despite news reports of the past week about worst ever pollution levels, it was the best conditions I've ever seen here, my third visit to the city in 4 years. Where visibility was at about 50m the first time I came in Autumn 2010, it was of the order of kilometres today. Beijing this time is a staging post for the tour of North Korea that I am doing with a friend. The flight with the country's na...

I am traveling Oman for a week with a friend then North Korea with another friend next week. I'm planning to ski in the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai during my 15hr layover on the way, to complete the Axis of Evil ski tour. Yes there is a ski slope in the mall! I'll properly finish the tour by skiing Iraq next year and hopefully also the Afghan Ski Challenge then too, but Dubai makes a good substitute in the meanwhile. Here are my Oman photos. Today we&...

AlarmAn epistle poem about the unknown neighbourDear neighbourHaving successfully avoided you this past 10 monthsI cannot address this letter correctlyYou are next door though, So delivery would be easy In fact I'm not sure if you have been here that longMy lack of interactions with you A study in aloofnessI guiltily, occasionally, wonderMy awareness of you consistsOf the sound of you locking yourDoor in the morning at 625am My final unmutable alarmNext t...

This is my first piece for Plumae, a writers club for literary migrants in Kuwait. The assignment was to write a couple of epistle poems.Grateful An Epistle Poem to my Ambassador, Robert TysonBob, I'm reassured To have an ambassador with a name like yoursA lot has happened in the time I have been hereI have seen many thingsTravelled to many countriesLoved, lostSkied the axis of evil, Walked, riddenAnd acclimatised. Robert Tyson, I am not looking for a leader...

This is a catch up post on four fun activities I've done in Kuwait over the past few months. We went to the camel racing a while ago then in the past few weeks I have done a team time trial on a road bike, the North Face Challenge and today we went to a firing range. Camel RacingCamel racing is a genuine Kuwaiti experience. It felt special because I know I couldn't do it at home, we race horses there instead. Despite this, we certainly have plenty of wil...