Against The Odds by Martin and Susanna. Seven different species of sea turtle live in our oceans, some inhabiting the shallow seagrass beds of the Indian Ocean. Sri Lanka is privileged to have 5 of the seven species nest on its shores namely the Green, Hawksbill, Loggerhead, Leatherback and Olive Ridley turtles. Human activities have tipped the scales against the survival of these ancient creatures whose ancestry has been traced back to the Jurassic period. Nea...

During our first week in Vietnam, we went on a cooking class. The day began with a trip to the bustling market of Hoi An where we were going to buy all of our ingredients. As we strolled into the market, pungent smells penetrated my nostrils from the stall which was selling chicken feet and eels, making me feel sick. First of all, we bought some herbs: green onion, lettuce, mint and coriander. Next, we bought some shrimp, beef and pork before going on a boat jour...

On our second day in Vietnam, we went to a silk lantern making workshop just around the corner from our homestay. When we arrived, we were served green tea which had been brewed to perfection by the Vietnamese teacher who would be teaching us how to make the lanterns. The teacher, who was called Ganta, brought out the frame of the lantern and the silk which we would stick on the frame. Once we had sat down, we got stuck in with gluing the silk onto the frame. A...

As part of our travels in Cambodia we were keen to give something back and immerse ourselves in the local culture. Our first taste of Cambodian life was in the capital city of Phnom Penh as we disembarked from our flight late in the day. We drove past the factories as they were churning out thousands of workers after a long hot day into trucks like cattle. In fact it was worse than cattle. All the workers were stood up, maybe 50 or so of them literally squashed i...

In the lead up to Christmas we took the opportunity to go off grid and spend time in a community living in the hills of northern Thailand. In a remote village, reached by a four hour hill trek, the hill tribe live a simple existence in bamboo huts on stilts. Riverside living, surrounded by lush tropical vegetation, they cook with the indigenous plants available; banana flowers, chillies and herbs to produce some delicious dishes. Animals roam freely and the focus...