About the Author

About the Authors STEVE WATKINS Photographer and writer Steve Watkins specializes in covering adventure travel, extreme sports and cultural issues, especially in his favourite destinations Latin America and Australia. His work has featured in numerous publications, including No Limits World, Traveller, Global Adventure, Wanderlust, Mountain Biking UK, Sunday Express and various BBC publications, and his photographs have been widely exhibited, including at London's Barbican Gallery. Now based in south Wales, he has recently finished writing Adventure Sports Europe (Queensgate Publishing). SIMON RICHMOND Simon Richmond's first brush with adventure was on the Big Dipper roller-coaster in his hometown of Blackpool, England. He's been in search of the same adrenalin rush ever since. Now based in Sydney, Australia, he's worked as a journalist in London and Tokyo. His features have been published in many U.K. newspapers, the Sydney Morning Herald, and The Australian. He now spends most of his time travelling and writing guidebooks for the AA, Lonely Planet and Rough Guides. MATT CAWOOD Matt Cawood is an independent journalist and travel writer. He has written for many magazines and newspapers including the Sunday Times. He lives in the Outback in New South Wales. LEE KAREN STOW Lee Karen Stow is a full-time travel journalist and photographer, based in Yorkshire, England. A member of the British Guild of Travel Writers, Lee's work has appeared in a number of publications including The Times; the Sunday Express; In Britain; Wanderlust; Travel Weekly among others. Born with a wandering spirit, Lee travels whenever possible perhaps scuba diving, scrubbing floors, sailing a yacht or teaching English to schoolchildren. CHRISTOPHER KNOWLES Christopher Knowles used to travel the world as a tour guide, specializing in journeys by train across Europe, the Soviet Union, the Silk Road, Mongolia and China. The author of books on Shanghai, China, Japan, Moscow and St Petersburg, Tuscany, and the English Cotswolds, he also runs a company specializing in walking holidays. ANNA CARTER Anna Carter is a full-time writer at what others describe as the wrong end of her forties but which she describes as the best age yet. She is happily ensconced in her homeland, New Zealand, after much wandering, including a lengthy stint in Britain. She was one of the first New Zealand women to qualify as a hot air balloon pilot and enjoys stepping outside her comfort zone whenever possible. VERONIKA MEDUNA & ANDY REISINGER Veronika Meduna has worked for The Press in Christchurch, New Zealand, for a number of years and has written several books. She is best known for her international best-seller Teach your children well, but has also written many travel features. Andy Reisinger is a well-known outdoor photographer who works for Hedgehog, New Zealand's leading photographic agency. REBECCA FORD Rebecca Ford is a full-time travel writer and photographer. Her travels have taken her all over the world--from walking the Great Bear's Trail in Finland to whale watching in Canada's Hudson Bay.