It’s really not that bad
The youth was about 14 or 15. My age. He was running for his life. Naked, except for the torn remnants of a sarong held ...
My Life in Lockdowns
I was playing outside our home in Sri Lanka when the military Jeep roared up. There was a bullet hole in the windscreen ...
Coronavirus Diaries
A couple of chaps were driving around on a Sunday evening looking for toilet paper - they were planning on cornering the ...
Travel in the Age of Coronavirus
It was only a few weeks ago, but it seemed like we were living in a different age. My local grocery store had ample sto ...
Tales of Africa – Mermaids and Elephant Poo Gin
As regular readers know, I spend the month of January in South Africa escaping the worst of the northern hemisphere wint ...
Merry Christmas from Martini Mandate!
My Christmas story begins in a small town in Pennsylvania. A group of men gather at the local playhouse late on Christm ...
The Most Beautiful City in the World
Barely ten minutes after landing at Marco Polo airport in Venice, I was swinging my bag onto a wooden hulled speedboat p ...
A Night in Colombo
It’s my first visit to Colombo since the terrible Easter Sunday bombings. The nation has been here before - for 26 year ...
I Just Want Stuff to Work!
British Airways flight 183 was taxiing for takeoff from London’s Heathrow Airport. It was 8pm and I was bound for John F ...
The Chelsea Flower Show, Brexit, and Women Leaders
My nostrils twitched as I entered the Chelsea Flower Show. The pollen count was overwhelming. The old chap next to me s ...
Martini Mandate in Cape Town
Click on the map for a list of our favourite haunts in Cape Town ...
In Memorium
A Hymn for Ceylon 🇱🇰 Jehovah, Thou hast promised The isles shall wait for Thee; The joyous isles of Ocea ...