Originally posted on The Pallasboy Project:
Dr Suzi Richer, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Archaeology, University of York Photo by Senna Thornton-Barnett. Wakas in Konso, Ethiopia “The wakas are a form a material culture in which elements of the process of ‘breastfeeding’ are represented” (Watson 2009) A couple of days ago, if I had been…
“Hold on, but loosely,” he said. The blood flowed back into my knuckles as I released my grip. “I don’t want to go fast,” I reminded him, “Safe and slow is good.” Whilst deciding to take a motorbike back from the airport in Dar es Salaam might seem slightly reckless at first sight, I promise […]
I’m standing there looking at a row of doors on either side of a raised platform. You can’t step down from them, they are too high, so you’re forced to use the entrance/exits at either end. None of the doors are labelled. Occasionally a bus turns up at one of the doors. But I have no […]
“Is this where the dala-dala stops?” I ask the guy who is standing by a slight bulge in the kerb of the road. To be honest I’m not entirely sure what a dala-dala looks like. But I have a feeling it’s basically a minibus. And whilst I’m massively apprehensive of it, I have little option […]
Enjoying sitting outside and eating stuffed pumpkin flowers, a first for me. You can even see the pollen stuck in the cheese! If you ever find yourself in Rome I can thoroughly recommend La Taverna dei Quaranta. Proper Italian food, not touristy in the slightest and yet still close to the Colesseum. #30DaysWild
An entire day spent outside learning how even farming needs to stay connected to the ‘wild’. Bees are used not just for pollination, but also to monitor the agricultural practices on the farm. Flower strips are planted near all the greenhouses to encourage insects vital for plant health and pollination. And we even got to […]
“It’s a…qw-urn stone,” said our guide pointing to the dark, crescent-shaped supine stone in the ‘industrial’ area of Malia Minoan Palace. He’d pulled a lined piece of paper out of his pocket with the word ‘quern stone’ written in red gel pen. After we’d told him it was a saddle quern, he squeezed the word […]
The saying also applies to poo. This might not be a post to read over your breakfast. On the edge of the villages that we’re walking through there are often big mounds of dried pine needles, like the pile behind the two horses. These provide an insulating and soft bedding for the animals. When the […]
“For men it takes about three hours to burn and for women it takes four hours. Do you know why?” asks our friendly guide. We hazard a guess that women have more flab. We’re not far from the truth. Pashupatinath temple is the one of most important Shiva Hindu temples in the world, but the […]
Can you spare £6? The price of a bottle of wine? We’re asking 2666 people to give just £6 to help repair this 600 year-old monastery in Nepal. Please help us if you are able to. We need your help to raise £16,000 in 60 days to save the Langtang monastery in this remote Himalayan […]
Suzi Richer 