Articles by Joe Slater

In spring 2013, I travelled by train across China from Guangzhou to Qingdao in the north via Wuhan. This leg starts at Shijiazhuang, where I discovered the hard way why most Chinese plan their journeys [more…]

In spring 2013, I travelled by train across China from Guangzhou to Qingdao in the north via Wuhan. This part starts in Wuhan, from where the high-speed rails led northward from Hubei Province and across [more…]

This is NOT about the Wuhan virus, but it is about Wuhan. In spring 2013, I travelled by train across China from Guangzhou to Qingdao in the north. Wuhan was more or less the middle [more…]

First a caveat. In the following, there are no commando raids, aristocratic murders, medieval siege engines or scenes of hot sex on a Makati pool table. If that’s you want, scroll straight down to the [more…]

Lausanne, 2014 Back in the 1980s, I had been in Switzerland mainly to make a bit of money and “have an experience.” I hadn’t really been too concerned with the politics or culture of what [more…]

Brussels. Is there any less loveable west European capital? The moment you step out of Bruxelles-Midi station — after all these years, I still forget that Midi means south, not central — your heart sinks. [more…]