Extracts from Wayne Visser’s private diaries and letters, 1990–2025: travels, encounters with nature and reflections on life.
Names of people in Wayne’s personal life are shown as [name]. “[…]” marks text left out within an entry.
Three and a half decades of journeys, from Japan in 1990 to Ghana in 2025: one post for each country and trip, in Wayne’s own words from his diaries.
53 diaries →
Forests and wildlife, gardens, mountains, rivers and the sea: encounters with the living world, taken from Wayne’s diaries.
35 diaries →
Reflections on meaning and truth, the sacred, life and death, wisdom for living, and love, drawn from Wayne’s diaries and letters.
51 diaries →
139 diaries
7 September 2025
Back from Ghana and on my way to Porto today. After arriving in Accra on Friday evening, we visited the Saturday street markets, which were…
Ghana · Africa
15 May 2025
[Name] and I arrived in Mauritius on Tuesday morning. We are staying until Sunday at Villa Harmonie on the small peninsula Îlot Fortier near Black…
Mauritius · Africa
23 June 2024
Spending time at our Koshutan Mountain Cabin, with its spectacular views and surround-sound bird song. The wild flowers in the mountains – and on our…
Kosovo · Europe
3 April 2024
8 am. We are on the Gatimaan Express train at Nizamuddin railway station in New Delhi, awaiting the departure for Agra. We arrived from Heathrow…
India · Asia
2 October 2023
[Name] and I arrived in São Paulo early yesterday morning. Over the next few days, we will be attending the RTRS (Roundtable on Responsible Soy)…
Brazil · Americas
31 December 2022
After arriving at our hotel in Auckland (The Pullman), we walked a few blocks to find lunch, then returned for a swim before succumbing to…
New Zealand · Oceania
24 July 2022
Day 1. 5.30 am start. We drove to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and went on a one-hour walking safari to track the rhinos. We were lucky…
Uganda · Africa
19 December 2019
Last night, I went to the Siam Niramit theatrical show in Bangkok, a cultural extravaganza of elegant dancing, joyful music, spectacular costumes, creative sets and…
Thailand · Asia
20 June 2019
It’s nearly sunset and [name] and I are sitting on the wooden deck in front of our safari tent in Phelwana Game Lodge, surrounded by…
South Africa · Africa
15 July 2018
I am sitting at Mare’s Beach Bar, under a dappled shade, chilled Somersby cider (blueberry flavour) in hand, cicadas chirruping, Croatian music playing over the…
Croatia · Europe
23 October 2016
Borneo, Malaysia. As night falls, the surrounding Borneo tropical rainforest has come alive with noise – most notably the trill of frogs and the rhythmic…
Malaysia · Asia
27 July 2016
Scrumptious lunch at Mrizi i Zanave, a sustainable, organic, slow-food restaurant in Albania. Arrived in Shkodër at sunset. Looking forward to sampling the traditional bread…
Albania · Europe
23 July 2016
I have woken to a breathtaking vista of pine forest covered mountains. A cock is crowing and a cow bell is clanging. We are staying…
Kosovo · Europe
26 April 2015
As I write from my study in Cambridge, with grey skies outside, still languishing from jetlag and a bout of flu, my reflections on the…
Sri Lanka · Asia
17 November 2014
On our way from a rainy London to an icy Moscow, where the temperatures will not rise above freezing for the duration of our visit…
Russia · Europe
4 April 2014
After watching swallows swooping and diving at Nairobi airport, we flew to Antananarivo, where we were met by our driver for the week. The drive…
Madagascar · Africa
10 November 2013
En route, Venice to London. I have spent a wonderful few days in the city of bridges and canals. On Thursday, I discovered an exhibition…
Italy · Europe
1 November 2013
Barrancabermeja – I arrived here two days ago and felt, on stepping off the plane, that I had finally arrived in the tropics. Bogota, like…
Colombia · Americas
4 August 2013
I could never have imagined – back in 1989, when the crumbling of apartheid in South Africa was echoed by the fall of the Berlin…
Russia · Europe
2 October 2011
I’m on the plane at Guayaquil, in transit from Quito to Galapagos. Once again, I am struck by how fortunate I am. Bizarrely, this little…
Ecuador · Americas
15 September 2010
I am on the train from Mountain View in Silicon Valley to San Francisco. Finally this gives me the chance to write again. I had…
USA · Americas
15 August 2010
Yesterday, I toured the Panama Canal, visiting both sets of locks on the Pacific ocean side. I suppose what I didn’t realise was how long…
Panama · Americas
15 August 2010
I am on the bus, having just crossed the border into Costa Rica, a process that took about 3 hours. Apart from queuing in the…
Costa Rica · Americas
31 July 2010
I am writing from the botanical gardens in Rio. They are a real oasis of green and shade. I walked this morning from the hostel…
Brazil · Americas
12 July 2010
I’m quite settled in at the hostel now. Yesterday, I walked for 4 or 5 hours around the city. It is a massive city, quite…
Argentina · Americas
26 June 2010
I am staying in La Casa Roja hostel in Santiago. I am sitting on a little sofa near my room, beneath one of those ‘patio…
Chile · Americas
15 June 2010
Walking to the village, I catch a glimpse of the bay. It’s easy to see how people are lured to New Zealand – the slower…
New Zealand · Oceania
30 May 2010
There is an old tower near my hotel, which I sketched. In fact, it is all part of the Peking University campus, including my hotel.…
China · Asia
21 April 2010
Indians are either the worst or the best drivers in the world depending on your perspective. It all kind of flows though. Delivered a workshop…
India · Asia
10 April 2010
We've arrived in a baking Siem Reap. Already, I love it - more undeveloped than Koh Samui and Bangkok. My sister's wedding yesterday was beautiful.…
Cambodia · Asia
5 April 2010
Arrived in Koh Samui, after a few days in Bangkok, spent with my parents. We took in the usual sights – a visit to the…
Thailand · Asia
22 March 2010
Where I happen to be today is in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – sitting in a Pizza Hut sipping ice tea (passion fruit flavour). My travels…
Malaysia · Asia
20 March 2010
It is raining steadily, as I sit overlooking the Singapore River, with my hot tea and curly fries. Not exactly sightseeing weather, but as it…
Singapore · Asia
18 February 2010
Staying with friends in Sydney, I was treated not only to their wonderful hospitality, but also spectacular views across the bay. On my "tourist day"…
Australia · Oceania
2 February 2010
Last week, I was hosted by Ufadhili Trust to deliver a 2 day workshop on CSR in Nairobi, Kenya. I captured my impressions on CSR…
Kenya · Africa
17 January 2010
Istanbul didn’t quite live up to its promise of being ‘the most inspiring city in the world’ – perhaps because of the wet, chilly weather…
Turkey · Europe
17 December 2009
Sousse, Tunisia – This year, I am spending my birthday on African soil, in Sousse, Tunisia, with [name]. We arrived yesterday and made our way…
Tunisia · Africa
21 November 2009
Spent a wonderful afternoon walking around the old town of Tbilisi. Bought a stunningly beautiful local painting of a woman playing violin.
Georgia · Europe
21 November 2009
Armenia also has a proud and long history, being the first country to be a state-declared Christian nation (in the 1st century AD I think).…
Armenia · Europe
12 December 2008
En-route to Marrakesh – A welcome break from the drizzling mist of daily writing and the icy chill of winter stress. Another promise to myself…
Morocco · Africa
6 September 2008
Well, I am back from my pyramids tour. We started by going to some Catholic basilica - supposedly the third most visited religious site after…
Mexico · Americas
12 June 2008
Sometimes, my life seems surreal, and perhaps no more so than now, having visited China, which has for so long drifted like a cloud across…
China · Asia
7 December 2007
Travelling to a new country, and soaking up the sights and sounds of a different culture, gives me a real high. It has something to…
Guatemala · Americas
30 August 2007
Okavango Delta – This is serenity; this is bliss. Lying in the shade of a copse of African trees, a gentle breeze blowing, birds calling.…
Botswana · Africa
30 August 2007
Returning to Vic Falls was like coming home, finding my place of rest. My adrenaline-filled day of madness there – white-water rafting, bungi-jumping and microlighting…
Zimbabwe · Africa
20 May 2006
Back to Africa. My first trip to West Africa. I’m interested to see if it feels the same or different to other parts of Africa.…
Ghana · Africa
23 April 2005
I took the opportunity of being in Tanzania for the first time to do some sightseeing. The conference was held in Dar es Salaam, a…
Tanzania · Africa
29 September 2001
I went to Egypt looking for stimulation, perhaps even inspiration. I was not disappointed. Cairo was less chaotic and crowded than I had psyched myself…
Egypt · Africa
24 September 1999
Porto, Portugal – Today, I am at the world’s heart of Port wine-making. As I glance out of my youth hostel dormitory window, I see…
Portugal · Europe
11 September 1998
SA 323 Cape Town to London: In flight above the Great Continent … a pause to breathe deeply, rejuvenate, reflect. My work, once again, has…
Norway · Europe
12 May 1996
Aran Island. As I sit here on a stone bench out the back of the Lodge, sun caressing my body and playing hide and seek…
Ireland · Europe
1 May 1994
Oh, the privilege of living on this great continent - Africa! Never before was this realisation brought more sharply into focus than after returning from…
Zimbabwe · Africa
5 September 1990
I woke up with a gentle breeze on my face, and for a moment I was not sure where I was. My room had reed…
Japan · Asia
7 September 2025
Ghana: Aburi. The visit to a cacao farm was fascinating, showing us how cacao is grown, the fruit harvested, and the beans fermented and dried.…
Trees & Forests
15 May 2025
Mauritius. [Name] and I arrived in Mauritius on Tuesday morning. We are staying until Sunday at Villa Harmonie on the small peninsula Îlot Fortier near…
Trees & Forests
28 July 2017
Malaysia: Taman Negara. Wednesday was a sightseeing day for us. We left at 5.30 am and drove about 4 hours to Taman Negara, a 130…
Trees & Forests
23 October 2016
Malaysia: Borneo. While it is always disturbing to see rainforest being cleared, it is not old growth, virgin forest (i.e. it has been logged numerous…
Trees & Forests
10 February 2013
South Africa: Garden Route. It is always good to be back in South Africa, like coming home – and all the more so in Cape…
Trees & Forests
8 August 2008
Canada: Vancouver. I started in Vancouver, where I interviewed Joel Bakan (author of The Corporation). I ended up having lunch and a walk along the…
Trees & Forests
1 January 2000
South Africa: Cape Town. Towards sunset, we ceremonially dedicated a Millennium Tree, chosen to symbolise the “tree of life” and planted as a gift to…
Trees & Forests
2 April 1999
South Africa: Hogsback. The enchantment of this forested hilltop community takes only a short while to unveil itself. This morning, as we drove from East…
Trees & Forests
8 April 2024
India: Ranthambore. Our safari drive in Ranthambore National Park on Friday afternoon (5th) took place in sight of the eponymous hilltop fort, which encloses 102…
Wildlife
24 July 2022
Uganda. Day 1. 5.30 am start. We drove to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and went on a one-hour walking safari to track the rhinos. We were…
Wildlife
24 December 2019
Thailand: Khao Yai. We did an overnight trip to Khao Yai national forest park, taking a surprisingly comfortable, air-conditioned train to Pak Chong. Our package…
Wildlife
20 June 2019
South Africa: Phelwana. It’s nearly sunset and [name] and I are sitting on the wooden deck in front of our safari tent in Phelwana Game…
Wildlife
26 June 2016
South Africa: KwaZulu-Natal. On Thursday 23 June we flew to Durban where we met Mom and Dad and drove to our eco-lodge near Hluhluwe. It…
Wildlife
25 January 2016
South Africa: Western Cape. As I write, I am seated at a beautiful rough wooden table, in a Bush Villa at Botlierskop in the Western…
Wildlife
4 April 2014
Madagascar. This morning we woke late (9 am) and went to meet our guide at the National Park. He took us to one of the…
Wildlife
3 October 2011
Ecuador: Galápagos. A day of sun, surf & snorkelling off one of the newest Galapagos islands. Climbed my 1st volcano & saw my 1st sting…
Wildlife
28 August 2011
South Africa: Western and Eastern Cape. On our second day in Cape Town, we went up Signal Hill and Table Mountain (the weather was windy…
Wildlife
2 February 2011
Australia: Great Ocean Road. Amazing trip down the coast. Swam in the sea, sunrise on the beach; even saw koala bears in the wild &…
Wildlife
30 August 2007
Botswana: Okavango Delta. This is serenity; this is bliss. Lying in the shade of a copse of African trees, a gentle breeze blowing, birds calling.…
Wildlife
27 June 1997
South Africa: Johannesburg. Thoughts for the day, inspired by a leisurely visit to Zoo Lake park in Johannesburg: I have been focussing too much on…
Wildlife
24 April 1990
Zimbabwe. Well, here I am aboard the Trans-Karoo on my way home after 2 weeks away. I’ve been in Zimbabwe attending an AIESEC environmental conference…
Wildlife
18 August 2019
England: Norfolk. We also discovered Thetford Garden Centre. Inspired, yesterday we spent most of the day gardening: trimming the beech hedge, pruning bushes along the…
Gardens & Home Ground
29 August 2015
Singapore: Gardens by the Bay. In the evening, we visited the Gardens by the Bay, including their Flower and Cloud Forest bio-domes – with beautiful…
Gardens & Home Ground
1 July 2005
England. Apart from the sport, we did get out one weekend to visit The Herb Garden at Hardstoft in Derbyshire, a truly delightful little place.…
Gardens & Home Ground
12 April 2003
England: Nottingham. Spring is springing here. We’ve had a month of daffodils and crocuses, and now the tulips are starting to blossom. It is such…
Gardens & Home Ground
1 October 1995
Scotland: Lauriston Hall. Having spent 2 days here, Lauriston Hall seems to be a most fine example of sustainable community. The 30 or so residents…
Gardens & Home Ground
23 June 2024
Kosovo. Spending time at our Koshutan Mountain Cabin, with its spectacular views and surround-sound bird song. The wild flowers in the mountains – and on…
Mountains, Rivers & Landscapes
28 July 2016
Albania: The Great Highlands. I am in a cosy 3-bed room, looking out on a gathering mist over pine-forested slopes. We are in a wooden…
Mountains, Rivers & Landscapes
23 July 2016
Kosovo: Rugova. I have woken to a breathtaking vista of pine forest covered mountains. A cock is crowing and a cow bell is clanging. We…
Mountains, Rivers & Landscapes
10 April 2015
Kosovo: Accursed Mountains. Yesterday, we took a drive through the spectacular gorge of the Accursed mountains of Peja. It truly is scenery to fall in…
Mountains, Rivers & Landscapes
29 September 1996
South Africa: The Karoo. Our drive back to Cape Town from Joburg was pleasant and somewhat like crossing the threshold to arriving back home. The…
Mountains, Rivers & Landscapes
12 January 2023
New Zealand. I had hoped to be able to write about swimming with wild dolphins, but it didn’t quite work out. Cyclone Hale has been…
Sea, Sky & Seasons
13 May 2021
Kosovo: Rugova. Eid. Scenic drive across the Dukagjini plains, stopping to photograph a wild field of crimson clover, with a late lunch at Trofta e…
Sea, Sky & Seasons
12 February 2014
South Africa: Swellendam. In the afternoon, we drove across to Bontebok National Park, where we swam in the river. The water was warm and the…
Sea, Sky & Seasons
21 July 2013
Greece: Corfu. The island is much greener and more mountainous than I expected. Our villa is about 750 metres up a steep winding road from…
Sea, Sky & Seasons
Meaning, Purpose & Truth · 2022
Finding a purpose for your work is important (Handy calls it your “golden seed”; something you can nurture and grow that is aligned to your…
Meaning, Purpose & Truth · 2020
Superficially, when we wish someone a happy birthday, it would seem that we are wishing them to be happy on that particular day, which is…
Meaning, Purpose & Truth · 2018
I am already convinced by the scientific evidence of extended consciousness, including abilities like telepathy, precognition and remote viewing, which has been capably synthesised by…
Meaning, Purpose & Truth · 2017
When I started university, fresh out of school, 17 and living away from home for the first time, I was in the midst of seismic…
Meaning, Purpose & Truth · 2016
I remember having that tug-of-war with myself; in fact, it still continues. On the one side, I am pulled by unseen forces that search for…
Meaning, Purpose & Truth · 2015
It was Jung who came up with ideas like the collective unconscious (a kind of invisible connected consciousness, a bit like the digital cloud), archetypes…
Meaning, Purpose & Truth · 2015
There is not only natural beauty here in Kosovo. There are also all the shadows and ghosts of the past; the ruined homes and memorials…
Meaning, Purpose & Truth · 2015
The other thing I’ve been thinking a lot about this week is the meaning of ‘home’. Where is home? This used to be a simple…
Meaning, Purpose & Truth · 2015
This weekend has been a chance for deep, existential reflection. It began when I bought and started to read The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. The…
Meaning, Purpose & Truth · 2015
Many a truth spoken in fiction. I think the reason so many people resonated with the Harry Potter story is because J.K. Rowling managed to…
Meaning, Purpose & Truth · 2015
Recently I have had a few moments of serious existential crisis – a feeling of futility and meaninglessness; that nothing I (or anyone) might achieve…
Meaning, Purpose & Truth · 2010
Truth is a vision of the whole in all its complexity, not a pedantic description of the parts in all their simplicity. Is a lie…
Meaning, Purpose & Truth · 2007
What we call reality is simply what we are focused on at any given point in time and place. We place our picture of reality…
Meaning, Purpose & Truth · 2005
A book I read recently talks about how the speed of our natural (physical) evolution has not kept pace with socio-economic and ecological changes. The…
Meaning, Purpose & Truth · 1989
There comes a time upon your journey through life when you realise that the journey is indeed yours and nobody else’s; that no one else…
Spirit & the Sacred · 2024
I've decided to take up the Book Challenge on BlueSky. The instructions are as follows: Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced…
Spirit & the Sacred · 2023
So, why do we put up Christmas lights? Of course, they are part of spreading “good cheer” and adding to the festive spirit of the…
Spirit & the Sacred · 2023
Decorating Christmas trees almost certainly has its roots in pagan traditions. For example, one element of the Roman festival of Saturnalia, predating Christianity by several…
Spirit & the Sacred · 2023
At face value, Christmas is a Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus. But I think it is so much more than this. The Christmas…
Spirit & the Sacred · 2023
I often hear people complaining that buying presents at Christmas detracts from the real meaning of the celebration, although some Christians will make a tenuous…
Spirit & the Sacred · 2015
We visited the ancient cave temples of Dambulla, which are adorned with Buddha sculptures large and small and paintings on the cave walls depicting the…
Spirit & the Sacred · 2010
When I was growing up, I got a lot of pleasure from nature – especially hiking and camping – but my meaning in life came…
Spirit & the Sacred · 2008
Sometimes, my life seems surreal, and perhaps no more so than now, having visited China, which has for so long drifted like a cloud across…
Spirit & the Sacred · 2000
I led a service with the theme Hope for the Flowers, inspired by the amazing colourful little book of the same title, by Trina Paulus.…
Spirit & the Sacred · 2001
Today, I led the Unitarian service, with the theme “Experiments in Time”. I began my talk by pointing out why time was an appropriate topic…
Life, Death & Time · 2023
There is merit in reflecting on how the world changes – and even more, how our personal world changes. There are three insights I’ve gained…
Life, Death & Time · 2021
What makes it hard, I suppose, is that we have been living through a period of slow time, when getting to the end of the…
Life, Death & Time · 2018
We had a friend die unexpectedly this year. It’s like being punched and winded, shocked with disbelief, then wanting to lash out in anger, but…
Life, Death & Time · 2018
Life is suffering. And the root of suffering is attachment. At least, that’s what Buddhism teaches. I don’t fully accept that, but it’s a good…
Life, Death & Time · 2017
In my own life, which has been filled with existential angst since I was 17, I have arrived at two answers to life’s impermanence. They…
Life, Death & Time · 2015
When the heart is full and the days are long, it is hard to imagine anything else. And yet, as night follows day and winter…
Life, Death & Time · 2007
We live in the eternal present. While I am alive, the present is all that is real. Reflections on the past and speculations about the…
Life, Death & Time · 1999
Naturally enough, as the year begins to ebb, my reflective mood rises like the tide. Somehow, the psycho-numerological effect of 2000 weaves its spell on…
Life, Death & Time · 2001
This New Year marks the true beginning of the third millennium, according to Arthur C Clarke in his book, Greetings Carbon-Based Bipeds. Unlike last new…
Wisdom for Living · 2025
I’ve been reflecting on the question: How do we keep going (in the face of unbearable suffering and destruction in the world)? Answering less poetically…
Wisdom for Living · 2025
I prefer the word ‘content’, because I believe ‘happy’ is too much to hope for. Happy is a moment in time, just like ‘sad’ is.…
Wisdom for Living · 2022
I get more and more inspired by the Stoics. There are some commonalities with Taoism, but it has a more pragmatic view on how to…
Wisdom for Living · 2018
We all have our own concept of value – consciously or unconsciously – and this guides us in our life. It determines where we put…
Wisdom for Living · 2015
Here’s what I’ve learned about success and achievement. First, the desire to achieve is human; in fact, it is one of the existential drives from…
Wisdom for Living · 2015
It is always the letting go – the leap of faith – that takes us on the paths of learning and adventure. Yet most people…
Wisdom for Living · 2007
We always have a choice, and each choice always has consequences. This morning, I could take the shorter, more direct route to work, that takes…
Wisdom for Living · 2007
Sickness is seldom a welcome visitor, but it does usually come bearing gifts. It asks us to slow down, to focus our energy, to be…
Wisdom for Living · 2007
Change starts with a dream, a fantasy of what the future could look like. We have to imagine the possibilities and try the alternative realities…
Wisdom for Living · 2007
Changing our life is all about changing our habits. I want to be a writer, so I am choosing to write something (anything, no matter…
Love, Ethics & Hope · 2022
One book I love is Rebecca Solnit’s A Field Guide to Getting Lost. That may sound like a strange book to be quoting from at…
Love, Ethics & Hope · 2022
The parable of the river creatures in Richard Bach’s Illusions, and the wisdom of letting go, is at the heart of Taoist philosophy, which I…
Love, Ethics & Hope · 2022
It all comes down to love – which is easy to say and hard to do. Love is such an enigma that it has puzzled…
Love, Ethics & Hope · 2016
When I was young, I found the ‘L’ word a bit scary, at least in terms of romantic love. With the possible exception of sex…
Love, Ethics & Hope · 2011
How do I define freedom? It is the ability to make choices about my life in a way that does not harm or disrespect others.…
Love, Ethics & Hope · 1992
Business organisations are social institutions and their prime function is to serve society. As such, their responsibilities should be:
Love, Ethics & Hope · 1991
Love should be at the very heart of our thinking, our decision making, and our actions; in fact, at the heart of our living and…
Diary of the Day
Travel Diaries
Day 1. 5.30 am start. We drove to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and went on a one-hour walking safari to track the rhinos. We were lucky to find six together and spent half-an-hour observing them. The sanctuary currently has 33 rhinos and the numbers are increasing. Rhinos were poached to extinction in Uganda in 1983 and only reintroduced in 2005. To protect them, two armed guards stay with each group 24 hours a day. The rhinos are not electronically tagged, for fear that poachers might hack the system. They also give the surrounding villagers cattle grazing rights and a 20% share of tourist revenues. Besides acting as a disincentive for poaching, the cattle graze the taller grass and leave the shorter grass which rhinos prefer.
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