A) The Tuareg of the Sahara
Last year, I travelled to Mali to witness firsthand the ancient Tuareg way of life in the Sahara Desert in north and west Africa. I was immediately struck by the bright indigo veils worn by, I assumed, the women of this tribe. Imagine my surprise when one of these figures on a camel introduced 'himself as Vousseff al-Hamada and explained that it's the Tuareg men, not the women, who wear this protection against the harsh sand. While drinking the first of many cups of mint tea together, the Tuareg drink tea 6 or 7 times a day, Yousseff explained that in the past, these 'Blue Men of the Sahara' protected the camel trading caravans crossing the Sahara Desert, but now they mostly work as livestock herders. I sat fascinated as Yousseff showed me the ancient script of the Tuareg's language which can be written from right to left, left to right or top to bottom. Later, while listening to the men singing traditional poems and the women playing a violin-like instrument, it seemed like an idyllic way of life.
Unfortunately, as water holes are drying up and animals are dying because of recent droughts, many Tuareg are now migrating to cities. "We are seeing the beginning of the end of the Tuareg way of life," Yousseff told me, sadly.
Steven tones, travel journalist

The Sea Gypsies of the Andaman Sea
It is said that the 2 - 3,000 Moken or 'sea gypsies' who have lived for hundreds of years off the coasts of southern Thailand and Myanmar are born on the sea, live on the sea and die on the sea. Settling in temporary stilt huts only during the monsoon season, they live more than half of each year in hand-built wooden boats using simple nets and spears to catch fish to eat and to sell. While spending 6 weeks photographing Moken families in Thailand, what struck me most was the simplicity of their lives. They have few possessions and don't even have a word for 'want' because they have always taken everything they need from the sea. They treated me as family, sharing what little they had. I learnt that the Moken can see twice as clearly and stay underwater twice as long as normal. So deep is their knowledge of the sea, that they recognised the signs of the 2004 Asian tsunami coming and fled to higher ground before anyone else. Unfortunately the Moken are facing problems which are reducing their population.
There are no words for hello or goodbye in the Moken language so I just left. I was grateful for my experience, but sad that the future of these unique people is so uncertain.
Jill Bradley, photographer

C) The Mongolian nomads
Mongolia is the most sparsely populated country in the world and 40% of its population lives a life of nomadic herding, moving from place to place. A Mongolian proverb says 'Happy is the one who has guests' and in fact this was proven to me from the moment I first entered the traditional circular tent of my hosts. The first thing they did was serve me a cup of horse milk, Mongolia's favourite drink. I later learnt that showing hospitality is so important to the Mongolians that it's rude to pass an empty tent without going in to help yourself to refreshments! I participated in every aspect of daily life during my stay, watching over, milking, shearing and combing the family's 40 goats, 20 horses, 4 camels and over 200 sheep. The nomads spend all day caring for these animals which they rear for meat, dairy products and clothes. Still, one thing showed me that the nomads aren't totally untouched by the 21st century - the satellite dish attached to the outside of the tent!
Ian Cauldly, tourist