Travel Writing Competition 2010 Shortlist

It was 1959, and I was on Ice Station Charlie in the deep Arctic, doing research on ice drift, melting and refreezing. During the summer, aircraft cannot land on the soft undependable sea ice riddled with melt ponds...

We settled into our tent aware that the noise of the night did not observe fabric boundaries. I thought I heard a crunching sound coming from the far end of the tent clearing. The crunching crept closer and closer and...

Tired as a well-worn cliché, I finally reached Ciudad Cahuatemoc, a “city” on the Guatemala-Mexico border, that consisted of two identical wooden shacks, one a customs shed, the other a bar. Lying on a wobbly bench...

The slightest tic-tic-ticking of the motor harmonized perfectly with the steady rise and fall and rise on the tidal waves of the Senegal River. I rocked slowly, through the Djoudj National Bird Park to absorb the crisp salt air...

I never meant to walk into Desi’s place; I didn’t ask for what I saw in there. Finding transport in Canggu, a quieter Balinese surfing village north of Kuta, had proven to be a burden and all I wanted to do was hire my own...

Tucked in behind the fish gutting plant, away from tourists, the market was made up of make-shift stalls and carpets where all the produce was lain out. I was on my gap year in the town of Malindi, Kenya, staying with the local...

The sound comes again, nearer and louder. A brief intake of breath followed by a sighing, snorting exhalation. Last time, I thought I heard something. This time I’m certain. A killer whale, orca, is heading towards me...

‘This should be a good area, let’s see what we can find’. Daniel donned his flippers, adjusted his mask and snorkel, and dived backwards off the rubber dinghy. As our trusty guide, born and bred in the Galapagos Islands...

Little did we know that our dive boat was the safest place to be when the tsunami ripped through Asia. I had flown to Thailand to spend Christmas with my sister and brother-in-law on Koh Lanta, a small island with few visitors...

It was 1959, and I was on Ice Station Charlie in the deep Arctic, doing research on ice drift, melting and refreezing. During the summer, aircraft cannot land on the soft undependable sea ice riddled with melt ponds...