Time spent in India has an extraordinary effect on one. It acts as a barrier that makes the rest of the world seem unreal.

A journey of observation must leave as much as possible to chance.

Life is devoted to exploration and deep-sea research work.

For me, nature is something you watch on the Discovery Channel, or on the evening news – as you learn how much more of it’s been savaged to make way for the Blackberry realm that is my home.

Lured by the wilderness, and by the chance of spotting rare desert elephants, a few intrepid tourists make their way to the Skeleton Coast each year. It’s just about as remote as any tourist destination on earth, but one that pays fabulous dividends.

There’s nothing like a pack of mules to give one a sense of entourage.

The pursuit of illusion is not about studying for prizes, or for study’s sake. There’s no right or wrong, no pass or fail.

Stories are not like the real world; they aren’t held back by what we know is false or true. What’s important is how a story makes you feel inside.

Close your senses and the imagination comes alive. It’s inside us all, dulled by endless television reruns and by a society that reins in fantasy as something not to be trusted, something to be purged. But it’s in there, deep inside, a spark waiting to set a touch-paper alight.

There’s nothing quite like a good quest for getting your blood pumping.