A friend who lives in the center of Florence came over for dinner the other day. We got to talking about tourists. “I can’t take it anymore,” she said. “Just getting out the front door has become a problem… then you stand in line for hours to buy a loaf of bread, the prices are … Read more
When I visited Bhutan on assignment 15 years ago, I didn’t encounter many tourists. The country had been open to visitors since 1974, but prohibitively high entry fees (at the time, at least $200 a day – including food, guides and accommodation – plus a government surcharge of $65) meant that only those with a … Read more
In a hot, dusty car park within sight of Ibiza’s old town, but a world away from the hedonistic clubs and bougainvillea-lined villas of the Balearic Island, Ami Mohamed-Ali sits in his van patiently nursing the first of three cups of coffee in the late afternoon. strong tea. “The first glass is bitter as life,” … Read more