The ancient city of Palmyra is home to some striking ruins - the most impressive of which is the Temple of Bel.

Some company would have been nice, but even on my own, spending a birthday exploring probably the best Crusader castle in the world takes some beating.

I have spent nearly a month in North Africa and the Middle East and in both areas the land seems in grave danger of being suffocated by swathes of fluttering, tattered plastic bags and mountains of plastic bottles.