Romans far and wide

One of the most fascinating things about the middle east is just how much of the history of the world's civilisations is centred here, and how incredibly accessible it is. There are a huge number of sites, such as here in Jerash, testifying to the region's importance to a great many pivotal points in human history.

It was here that people first started cultivating the fertile crescent, cradle of the first civilisation; here that saw the bloody beginnings of the world's first empire; here that subsequently represented the farthest boundary of the most influential empire the world has seen; here that a young man, with an incredible vision and influence over those he met, walked and preached the word of a new and single god; and here that has seen the incredible highs and lows of a religion and empire based on another prophetic man, who saw the same god, but with a different vision.

None of which I'm interested in, of course - I just like taking pretty pictures...

Good morning Amman!

I am always going to be grateful almost to the point of disbelief for the opportunity I was given to see the Middle East from a local perspective. Arriving in Jordan at my friend Mo's house I wasn't sure what to expect either from the city of Amman or the region in general. While I had some vague impressions of what things might be like, as always the reality is never quite as imagined.

The capital of Jordan is a polarised place; large parts of the city is under construction, as whole neighbourhoods spring up in a matter of years on the tide of foreign wealth (Jordan is something of "a high class refugee camp", as Mo put it, to this troubled part of the world). Malls in the western style are appearing, and strolling along these and resting in cafes you could be in many southern European cities - a sensation only really dispelled when the chants of the muezzin call the faithful to prayer.

However, you don't need to go far outside these wealthier districts to see something far less comfortable. A country like this, with little to no natural resources and minimal arable land, makes for a severe wealth divide. It makes for a place of contrasts - but no matter where you go in this country, or who you meet, people will invariably know at least one word in English - "welcome".

To have experienced that hospitality first hand, being welcomed into an amzing home by a beautiful family, served incredible home-cooked food, showered with the attentions of curious (dare I say cheeky?) local kids and to kick back and share an arguileh pipe and a "mexican" beer and soak it all in, is something I'll not forget.

It's not a lark

This photo represents the most effort I have ever gone to for a shot. After several days spent befriending a flock of geese on a stopover during their migration south, they finally allowed me to join their formation in my light aircraft, for this one-off photo shoot. I became particularly close to a young gander I named "Nipper". It was heart-wrenching to see him wing his way south; would he make it through the harsh spring storms to his final destination of the Ivory Coast? I can only hope so, and that I will see him again next summer, clearly identifiable by the dent on his beak where he head-butted my camera while trying to bite my nose off.