A rich and rewarding world.

"Our planet remains a vast and fascinating world of discovery for those who venture off the beaten track." Says Simon Manning owner of Timbuktu To Kathmandu. "Its still full of remote villages that to this day maintain a tribal way of life, and a sense of community." As any visitor to Timbuktu To Kathmandu quickly realizes everything is hand made and most comes from the developing world.   Owners Eva and Simon Manning search remote and sometimes hostile markets and villages to buy the beads, jewellery and artifacts for their two galleries.

"One Question I'm often asked" says Simon "is which is your favorite country in the world?   I have many favorites and all for different reasons.   For absolute immersion in a foreign culture India is my favorite. India assaults every sense, and confronts our western ideologies and it renews and ages at the same time. I love the colours, beautiful fabrics, elaborate jewellery and the language, I love talking with Indians.    "An area of the world I have a love hate relationship with is West Africa," remarks Simon. "It's confronting, corrupt, dangerous, and utterly different to anything we are used to!   I have been in many difficult and demanding situations in West Africa including doing business during a civil war in the Ivory Coast.   On this occasion the fighting was limited to sporadic gunfire in the capital Abidjan and so could be diligently avoided.   At night we locked down until daybreak.   It sounds exiting but it's nothing I would go through again. The tribal diversity of West Africa is amazing encompassing the Sahara Desert right through to Equatorial Jungle.   It's here we find the masterpieces of tribal artifacts, huge wooden masks from Burkina and Guinea beautifully carved statues from Ivory Coast.   One fact that makes West Africa so unlike the rest of the world is that there are no tourists! There's no tourist infrastructure either, making it almost impossible for the average person to visit any of the 15 or so countries that make up West Africa."    

"For Food lovers Morocco is a feast waiting to happen.   This along with Turkey are my favorite cuisine cultures. Abounding in fresh olives, fruit, vegetables and meats all laced with copious quantities of freshly ground spices.   I really enjoy Morocco as a contrast to the rest of Africa the carpets and pottery of the Atlas region are beautifully hand crafted and the craftsmen still use natural dyes and weaving techniques.

THE PINK MARKET - Click here