When the fine art of conjuring the mighty cosmic serpent goes wrong, it takes a Colombian juggler, a bottle of snake juice and a steady needle to sharpen the carnal fang. Vilcabamba Valley, deepest Ecuador, 2pm under a fierce Andean sun: here we are in the garden. Humming birds whiz about like dabs of oil … More The boy with the really bad tattoo
The pin-up boy for conservation is now known as The Face of Extinction. Lonesome George stands pickled in New York while whispers surf the streets of his Galapagos home. Was the father of a never-born-generation killed by the scientists who ‘saved him’? Have conservationists wiped another species off the Earth? You hop a bus, ferry and … More The Face of Extinction – who killed Lonesome George? Galapagos diary # 3
How Charles Darwin’s ‘Struggle for Survival’ theory produced a sick-minded, hell-bent humanity which has failed to notice that… the scum also rises. Jetting into the Galapagos Islands is like taking a slow-motion swan dive into the infinity rock-pool of the cosmos. You rise out of the hell that is Guayaquil – with its horrendous infestation of … More The Scum Also Rises… Galapagos Diary # 2
They sell the remote Andean paradise of Vilcabamba, Ecuador online as The Valley of Longevity – a cheap, beautiful, magical place where you can re-start your life, connect to nature and fulfill your dreams. But beware of sharks in the waters if you’re hunting for a peaceful place to relocate – all is very much … More Mr Walker’s Fingers
Seven years on….. trails of blood and the sweat of healthcare workers mark the way to President Correa’s constitutional promise of health care for the people. Dr Maria Cordez works in a sparsely appointed concrete bunker in the dusty heart of downtown Raita, on Ecuador’s dreamy Pacific coast. The clinic serves villagers from hundreds of pueblos speckled higgledy-piggledy along … More The Blood Edge… Ecuador’s Progress for the People
Oh shit….. here we go again!!! Standing on top of the launch tower at Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre, astronaut Kathryn Thornton was savouring her last moment on Earth. It was night, the air was sick with tension but the sky was full of stars. “It’s a very strange thing to find yourself in a moment … More Shatter
A continuation of a one woman’s quest to make sense of various things (and a small, fluffy dog’s endurance of it) …. Well, it appears that most everything, still, hinges on secrets and lies. Secrets and lies. … and lashings of confusion, red wine and procrastination… if that’s what you call it! After boldly declaring … More Blame it on the Sushi
Cuenca, Ecuador, is the gorgeous once-Inca, suddenly Colonial, and now rapidly emerging medical epicenter of life in Ecuador. The charming little city is famously aflutter with rainbows, cathedrals, moody blue skies and all manner of medical wonderments. It’s the perfect destination, in fact, for the connoisseur of health – offering everything from state-of-the-art medical facilities … More Shrink, Shrunk, Shrank – the ultimate face lift.
Vilcabamba artist, James Birthrong, talks to a difficult bitch about love, drugs and the higher ground on the eve of his latest show, First Harvest, opening this Friday in Ecuador. The artist smokes. He eats meat if he wants to, gambles, swears, describes himself as try-sexual (“I’ll try anything, twice!”)… and is brave enough to be interviewed … More Man of Flowers
Of all the cities in the world to soothe a tattered dream, I hand my vote to Cuenca, in Ecuador. With regrets, of course, to Paris. Folks from the more rural, southern parts of Ecuador will say the little city of cobble stones, cathedrals and actual cappuccino is too cold to be comfortable, too wet … More The Last Beautiful Thing
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