Into the Heart of Darkness

I guess the Vietnam War lodged itself in my memory alongside The Beatles, Nixon and the death of John Lennon as iconic moments during my formative years. My taste for the Orient deepened during our honeymoon to Thailand and, soon, we'll be flying out to Saigon, and working our way up the Mekong into Cambodia.

It's almost time to say bye bye to Blighty and head for the humidity of the Mekong and its lands. We fly into Saigon and then have some boat trips planned throughout the Mekong delta, visiting family businesses and floating markets. Our guide then takes us from Can Tho to Chau Doc via village wanderings which should be great! From Chau Doc the speed boat takes us to Phnom Penh ("5 hours" - every trip in Cambodia apparently takes "5 hours"!). Nothing prepares you for Tuol Sleng and the Killing Fields, but we're here to immerse ourselves in the culture and history, not lie on a beach somewhere. We'll then fly on to Siem Reap for a good few days to look around Angkor, before the trio of flights home (Siem Reap to Saigon; Saigon to Frankfurt; Frankfurt to Heathrow).

We're both passionate readers and and there's no better book than Francois Bizot's "The Gate" to understand recent Cambodian history. I'd urge anyone with an interest in Indochina to read this important book. For an insight into life as a foreign correspondent, try John Swaine's "River of Time".

The alternative Lake District

Being a piscean, I was destined to settle in the area described as the "alternative lake district". Based around Theale (a relatively unscathed village in the heart of the Thames Valley), over 30 lakes have been created out of the gravel pits, excavated for the construction of the M4.

.

Like Hosehill Lake, shown above: it really is a haven for wildlife and it will always have a place in my heart. Kingfishers, Peregrines, Nightingales, Hobbies and Ospreys have all been sighted in and around Hosehill Lake Local Nature Reserve.

.

Working from home occasionally, the best possible start to the day is a dawn bike ride around the lakes, lifting the spirits and helping centre me for a day of emails, phone calls and general office emergencies. Places like Hosehill help to remind me of the relative unimportance of work, office politics and the rat race in general. Focus instead on the beauty of the sun's reflection or the song of the nightingale.