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an urban primate with a conscience
Browsing Archives of Author »Asha Tanna«
China
I have just returned from a month’s gallivanting around mainland China. It’s taken me 20 years to get there but it’s been worth the wait. China has to be one of the most diverse countries I have explored. And I have hit almost 90 now. The landscape is jaw-droppingly beautiful, the food culture is astonishing: […]
The Arctic
July 19, 2024
Next month I’m headed on an expedition to THE ARCTIC!!!!!! When I told one of my best friends where my next adventure was, she said, “Asha how have you managed to eclipse Everest?!!!!”. The realm of the polar bear, also has puffins, walruses and all manner of arctic birds. On the agenda, hiking the volcanic, […]
The “Domino” Effect
June 3, 2024
The Buddhists say grief is the price we pay for love. On Friday night the wounds I had just managed to seal with the death of my father in 2022, were ripped wide open. My dear friend Domino Lee died. She was the only other person I know who had my disease, Multiple Myeloma. A […]
Tibet
May 22, 2024
I flew past Mount Everest in 2016. Her perfectly shaped snow-capped summit jutting out of the fluffy white clouds on my Bhutan flight back to Nepal. The sight of this incredible mountain captivated me immediately. My nose pressed up against the tiny plane window, mouth gaping, eyes wide and heart beating fast. From that moment […]
Earthquake
April 4, 2024
It was 0758 when the earthquake hit on Wednesday. I was in the kitchen of my hostel in Taipei, Taiwan making coffee. The floor beneath my bare feet started to shake hard, the noise was like a stampede. At first I thought “wow that’s a crazy vibration from the train station,” but the trembling turned […]
The Eagle Huntresses of western Mongolia
September 21, 2023
It’s been almost three months since I returned from Mongolia. In that time I have been working on what feels like a mini investigation. I tracked down interviewees from five different countries, ploughed through PhD papers and tried to make sense of a tradition that is steeped in thousands-of-years of history. The story about Kazakh […]
Siamese Cuisine
August 31, 2023
I met Hanuman Aspler at a dinner in the city three years ago. We were sat next to each other by accident. I was put on the chef’s table because I was alone and he arrived solo. It was at a fancy restaurant with a guest chef doing the dinner. The food was not memorable […]
Organ Damage
August 25, 2023
Today I watched my mum crumple up into a ball of tears, as I shared my hospital results with her via a video call. Yet again another hefty emotional blow, when I am far away and unable to put a comforting arm around her. After 3 years of blood transfusions every 8 weeks I have […]
After an epic hiatus, my name in print
July 19, 2023
It’s been five years since I had any work published as a journalist. I miss my career so much. Today I am wearing the biggest smile after seeing my story published online on Al Jazeera. Mongolia reminded me of who I once used to be, and the life I used to have. This is a […]
Tsagaan Suvarga – limestone cliffs
July 11, 2023
We didn’t plan to arrive at sunset, but it took hours and hours to drive here off road, and in the rain. We managed to catch a rainbow and a wedding shoot! Now they are gonna have some spectacular photos. Tsagaan Suvarga – white stupa – is found in “Middle Gobi”, in Mongolia and are […]
britaine.co.uk
whogivesamonkeys 
October 8, 2025
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