Roaming Tales

Professional articles

Guardian article: A marriage of inconvenience

Violence and political instability made weddings in Baghdad virtually impossible in the years following the Iraq War. In July 2008 I joined one family who crossed the border to celebrate. Hind Al-Rubawawi twirls on the dance floor with her groom. Dressed in white, including the obligatory hijab, the 22-year-old university student from Baghdad beams... [Read more of this review]

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A matrilineal, Islamic society in Sumatra

Life is changing for the Minangkabau people of Sumatra, Indonesia, reports Caitlin Fitzsimmons The emerald terraces of the rice paddies stretch to the edge of the valley, bordered by sheer cliffs and a fringe of dark green forest. A makeshift tent is perched at the edge of the fields, almost swallowed by the dramatic landscape. Inside, Yuna kneels... [Read more of this review]

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7 Seconds with Youssou N’Dour

My interview with world musician Youssou N’Dour at his home in Dakar, Senegal in May 2007. You have just come back from New York – what were you doing there? “I was invited by Time magazine. Every year they nominate the 100 most influential persons around the world, sometimes artistically or politically. I was there with my band,... [Read more of this review]

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Coffee in Nicaragua

Caitlin Fitzsimmons explores the coffee country of Nicaragua – the ‘land of lakes and volcanoes’. On the old coffee farms of Nicaragua, some things never change. The farmer, a cowboy hat on his head and a whip in hand, rides his horse. The giant wooden water wheels mill the ripe coffee cherries. The farm hands break for ‘cafe... [Read more of this review]

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Close encounters with Arctic wildlife

Travel article for Australian Women’s Health on a kayaking trip to Spitsbergen in the High Arctic in 2006. By Caitlin Fitzsimmons The seal reclined on the ice floe, its stumpy flippers looking slightly ridiculous against its tubby body. We stopped paddling and let the kayaks glide in silence for a closer look. The seal lifted its head and then... [Read more of this review]

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Secret Singapore

By Caitlin Fitzsimmons Singapore feels on first acquaintance like a tropical version of Legoland. Despite the steamy heat and Asian faces, it’s hard to escape the impression that we have been transported to the set of the Truman Show, that Jim Carrey movie where an entire city has been created for television. Skyscrapers of chrome and glass dominate... [Read more of this review]

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Coffee in Tanzania

By Caitlin Fitzsimmons There are few places on earth more steeped in myth and romance than Kilimanjaro. In ancient times, the tribes living on the volcanic slopes below told stories of demons and evil spirits guarding fabulous treasure. One tale has an ancient chief Mawenzi sending his younger brother Kibo, both the names of two of Kilimanjaro’s... [Read more of this review]

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Coffee in Uganda

By Caitlin Fitzsimmons Many hundreds of years ago the fearsome warriors of Uganda chewed on the coffee bean before going into battle. Coffee grew wild in the thick rainforest that blanketed the lands north of Lake Victoria and chewing the bean was believed to confer strength and invincibility. Today coffee is no less important for Uganda and its people. This... [Read more of this review]

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Shanghai delights

By Caitlin Fitzsimmons China’s growing economic clout has propelled Shanghai into the spotlight as a centre for international business. The good news for business travellers is that Shanghai is also a place that knows how to play. The city, known in the 1920s and 1930s as the “Paris of the East”, fell into a dreary decline after the Communists... [Read more of this review]

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Fighting dragons in Cappadocia

By Caitlin Fitzsimmons The fresco in the ancient church puzzled us: what was the patron saint of England doing in Turkey? It was definitely St George. The painting showed a knight on horseback fighting an evil dragon, his shield with the distinctive red-on-white cross clearly visible. Of course, it turns out that St George was a local; just the first... [Read more of this review]

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Chinatown in Dakar

By Caitlin Fitzsimmons It’s morning in Dakar and in the centre of town the Sandega Market is heaving. A rainbow jumble of fabrics tumbles out of wheelbarrows, or is piled high on trestle tables and hung from cars. Household goods and children’s toys are on sale alongside artworks and bead jewellery, while roaming merchants selling sunglasses... [Read more of this review]

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Roman ruins at Dougga

Dougga in Tunisia is a well-preserved Roman city that is off the tourist track. The columns and arches of the crumbling Roman city loomed above us, its winding passages hinting at secret spaces. Below us, stretched the countryside, the slopes patterned with olive trees and dotted with the occasional dwelling. Not Italy, but Tunisia; a country more renowned... [Read more of this review]

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