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My mum, the pilot

Once upon a time, a little girl was told that women shouldn’t fly airplanes … I grew up knowing ‘mum…

Featured, female pilots, Indian women pilots, women aviators, women pilots

Flying in the time of Covid

It’s not all bad news. The airport queues are short, bookshops are a breeze and even wearing a face mask…

COVID 19, Flying, Travel, travel blog

A hike in the Himalayan snow

We left the glimmering lake at Dodital to climb another thousand metres, ascending pine forests, crossing streams and meadows to…

Featured, heyloons, hiking, India, Mountains, Travel, treks

Spending half a day at the bank

It wasn’t quite how I imagined the start of my Himalayan adventure. This is the second part of the blog…

hiking, India, preparing for a hike, the Himalayas, Travel, travel blogger, trekking

A Merry Assamese Christmas (repost)

Man, those Assamese really know how to party. Here’s something I’m reposting from a couple of years ago, fond memories…

#christmas, Do the Assamese celebrate Christmas?, How Christmas is celebrated in the UK by Assamese, India

Crossing a special sea between Bali and the Gili Islands

It was a day that started serene, went chaotic and became serene again. A chaos sandwich, if you will This…

Bali to Lombok, crossing the Lombok Strait

A funny incident in the men’s loo

Men’s bathroom protocol | What goes on in the men’s loos? | What is a loo? | A funny incident|…

heyloons, rules of the men’s restroom

To Bali and Beyond…

The final week of our amazing 90 days backpacking in southeast Asia arrived far too soon. In search of some…

Bali, Travel, ubud, what is the religion in Bali

Thoughts on returning home after backpacking around Southeast Asia for 90 days

Or … why you can never really ‘do’ a country We’ve been back now for six weeks after our 90…

best length of time for visiting a country, returning home after a period of travel, Travel

Photography: Sunset over the Sulu Sea

Selingan Island | Sabah Province | Malaysia

Malaysia, Photography, Selingan Island, sunset, Travel

Things that can go wrong when travel-blogging

How to blog on the go when you’re in a relationship | when your thumb decides to blog without you…

blogging, how to blog when travelling, Travel, travel blog

Photography: Landscapes of Bagan

Last month we were in Bagan, a dusty plain in Myanmar, where there are over 2,000 temples and pagodas, some…

a view of Bagan, Photography, Travel

Turtle island, Selingan Island, Borneo

The islands between Malaysia and the Philippines must be some of the loveliest islands in the world. During the day…

are the islands in the Sulu sea safe for tourists, Malaysia, nature, Sabah, Selingan Island, Where to see turtles in Borneo, wildlife

How to see orangutans in Borneo

We arrived in Sepilok in Borneo, the world’s third largest island, famed for its wildlife. We saw orangutans at play…

backpacking in Borneo, Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan to Sepilok, two days in Sepilok, where to see the orangutans in Borneo

Finding the perfect perfume in Singapore

We’d landed in Singapore, our 6th country and 28th place on our 90 day travels around southeast Asia We immediately…

backpacking, origins of the singapore sling, perfumers, perfumes, Travel, two days in Singapore

Things to see on Lake Inle in Myanmar

After a one hour flight from Bagan, a 45 minute taxi and a 50 minute boat ride, we were in…

In dein Monastery, Lake Inle, Myanmar, Nyaung Shwe, Travel, what to do in Lake Inle

What to see in Bagan, Myanmar

Imagine over 2,000 ancient stone temples, the fruits of devotion that have lasted almost a millennium. Some grandiose, topped in…

Bagan, main temples in Bagan, Myanmar, Travel

What to do in Mandalay

The lay of the land can be a great tell about a people just like a first view of Myanmar…

backpacking, Burma, Mandalay jade market, Mandalay U bein bridge, Myanmar, Travel

Landing in the sea at Halong Bay, Vietnam

We arrived via seaplane, landing in a sea filled with spectacular limestone cliffs rising out of the water. Hanoi to…

airplanes, aviation, Flying, Halong Bay, seaplane, Travel, Vietnam

What to see in Vietnam: Hoi An, Hué and Hanoi

We visited the ancient trading port of Hoi An and the old royal capital Hué, and then on to Vietnam’s…

Backpacking in Vietnam, Hanoi, Hoi An, Hué, Southeast Asia, Travel, Vietnam

Getting over a fever in central Vietnam

We’re now half-way through our 90 days backpacking in south east Asia and we had just arrived in central Vietnam…

backpacking, getting ill while travelling, heyloons, Travel, travel blogger, Vietnam

Visit the Saigon Opera House

Ho Chi Minh City | Vietnam There are many tourist activities to do in Ho Chi Minh City but we…

backpacking, Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon opera house, South East Asia, Travel

Goodbye Laos, you beauty

In the south of Laos, we climbed a World Heritage Site called Wat Phu and relaxed on river islands in…

backpacking, Don Det, Don Khong, how to apply for world heritage site listing, Laos, Travel, Vat Phou, Wat Phu

On our way down south in Laos

A beery game of boules, realising the growing pains of middle-aged backpacking and a flight to the deep south of…

backpacking, heyloons, playing boules in Laos, Savannakhet, Travel

Caves, a jungle trek and the mysterious turquoise lake

We arrive in central Laos; take a jungle hike; visit caves and a mysterious lake; enjoy a Mekong sunset Thakek…

backpacking south Laos, biodiversity areas in Laos, hiking, khoun khong leng, Phou Hin Boun, Savannakhet, Thakek, travel blogger, trekking

In the laid-back city of Vientiane

We arrived in what must be the world’s most laid-back capital city; temples; national monuments; a moving rehabilitation centre, and…

backpacking in Laos, heyloons, how to pronounce Vientiane, Laos, Patuxai Vientiane, Pha That Luanng, Travel, what to see in Vientiane

A slow and unintended minibus to Vang Vieng

We made our way on a tricky bus journey to Vang Vieng, a town in a lush setting of towering…

heyloons, travel blog, travelling in Laos, vang Vieng

Luang Prabang in Laos: the jewel on the Mekong River

We arrived at a picturesque town of French colonial architecture, swam in clear blue waterfalls, ate local food in night…

backpacking, flight chiang Mai to Luang Prabang, mount Phousi, Tad Kuang Si waterfall, Travel, what to see in Luang Prabang

Replanning our route, re-routing our plan

A Street cafe breakfast of omelettes and rice | Chiang Mai | Northern Thailand This post is part of the…

backpacking, planning a route, Travel

Chiang Mai, pretty little temple town

After 20 hours of travelling from the Himalayas we got to the laid-back town in north Thailand, Chiang Mai; we…

Backpacking in South East Asia, Chiang Mai, heyloons, Thailand, Travel, Wat Chedi Luang

Kalimpong and a Magical Himalayan Wedding

We woke early to see the world’s third highest peak and there she was, Kanchenjunga, at dawn, ready to witness…

Backpacking in South East Asia, Buddhism, Indian wedding, Kalimpong, Travel, wedding

A tale of a dry day in India (it must be election time)

Departure Lounge Bar| Kolkata Airport | India We’re just about to leave India and go to Thailand on our 90…

dry day in India, heyloons, India, Indian elections alcohol ban, Travel

A time of unbridled joy: the Assamese bihu

Man, those Assamese know how to celebrate. It’s the spring festival of Rongali Bihu and when we arrived in the…

backpacking south east Asia, Bihu in Assam, Guwahati, heyloons, Rongali Bihu

Where the Rhinos Roam

We’re in Kaziranga National Park in Assam, a UNESCO world heritage site which has two thirds of the world’s one-horned…

Assam, conservation, kaziranga, one horned rhino, rhino poaching, travel blog, vets

Helpful hints on how to climb a 17 foot elephant on your wedding day

From Jorhat we travelled west for one and a half hours till we got to Kohora, a small village on…

how to climb up an elephant, India, things to do in Assam, Travel, weddings

An unexpected treat on the River Brahmaputra

We got lucky. By an unexpected act of kindness we were spending the night aboard a luxury boat all to…

Brahmaputra River Cruise, heyloons, RV Charaidew, travel blog

Things to see in Majuli, the world’s largest river island

We sailed to the world’s largest river island, Majuli, in the mighty river Brahmaputra and cycled in stunning Assamese countryside…

Assam, how to get to Majuli, India, Travel, what to do in Majuli

To Sivasagar: home of the Assamese kings

We’ve made our way to the ancient capital of Assam, full of monuments of the Ahoms. Digboi to Sivasagar |…

Ahom historical sites, Charaideo, Kareng ghar, Ranghar, Sivadol, Talatal ghar, Travel, what to see in Sivasagar

Digboi, the oil town in the rainforest

We’ve made our way to the easternmost corner of Assam, to a sleepy town by a rainforest called Digboi. It’s…

Assam, heyloons, how Digboi got its name, how oil was discovered in Digboi, things to do in Digboi, Travel

On the lazy man’s road: the story of Dhodar Ali

We’re travelling further east in Assam, towards Digboi on an old road that has a curious tale about it. Dhodar…

ahoms, Assam, Dhodar Ali, Gadadhar Singha, Joymati, Travel

A storm in an Assamese tea cup

We’ve arrived in Upper Assam at the start of the tea plucking season; the tea-pluckers are out in full force,…

Assam, India, tea estates, Travel

Flying past Mount Everest to Assam

Delhi to Dibrugarh, Assam, North-east India. Flight time: 2 hours 25 minutes. Blogging with a view of the Himalayas. It’s…

Auto rickshaws in Delhi, flying over Mount Everest, hotels in Paharganj, India, travelblog

How to sleep on a flight (Aches on a plane).

Overnight flight from London to Delhi. 9 sleepless hours Sleeping vertically has never been a human trait unless you’re Spider-Man;…

how to sleep on a flight, In search of vertical sleeping position, sleeping on a flight

What to pack for backpacking

With less than a week to go till our 90 Days Backpacking In South East Asia I’ve started to pack…

useful things to pack for holidays, what is a shemagh, what to pack for travel

I’m backpacking around South East Asia for 90 Days

When a rare opportunity for extended travel arrives, you just have to grab it with both hands I’m going backpacking…

backpacking, Backpacking in South East Asia, Burma, hiking, hosteling, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, South East Asia, Thailand, Travel, Vietnam

Great travel annoyances of our times: the hotel toaster

At the hotel breakfast, that metal appliance that toasts your bread on a little conveyor … I mean… how hard…

breakfast food, Featured, hotel breakfasts, hotel toasters, hotels, Travel, travel blog, travel problems

The Little Fish Mystery 

This is a true mystery that happened in my kitchen – it involves multiple murders, male-only breeding, a sex-change and…

blogger, Featured, Fish, heyloons, mystery, nature, pets

Getting to work, Rwanda style

Whoever first coined the term ‘the Dark Continent’ to describe Africa was either wearing very powerful sunglasses, or was nocturnal.…

Africa, blog, heyloons, kigali, pikipiki, Rwanda, Travel

Hints of Holi: after India’s festival of colours, the powdered dyes linger on

Days after Holi, India’s festival of colours, the powdered dyes linger on in tiny cracks, on walls, on doors, paving…

India, Jaisalmer, Photography, Travel

Things to see in Kolkata

 We have precisely seven hours in Kolkata before the taxi leaves for the airport. We’re spending the day traveling on…

places to see in Kolkata, things to do in Kolkata, what to do in Kolkata

Varanasi: Notes from the banks of the Ganges

India wakes early and Varanasi is no exception – at dawn the eastern sky above the sandy floodplain shines pink…

thing to see in Varanasi, things to do in Varanasi, what do see in Varanasi

Virtual London Tour: From St Paul’s Cathedral to London Bridge

This virtual online walk along the Thames, from St. Paul’s Cathedral to London Bridge features google Earth images, photos and…

Virtual London tour: Canary Wharf and Limehouse

To book this tour please click here ( via the Eventbrite website) Using google Earth images, photos and a real…

Virtual London Tour: Whitechapel, East End

Bring your own cuppa, put your feet up and enjoy this virtual walk from Let’s Discover London. Using Google Earth,…

Virtual tour of the Assyria gallery of the British Museum

Virtual tour of the Assyria gallery of the British Museum Virtual tour of the Assyria gallery of the British Museum —…

My mum, the pilot

Once upon a time, a little girl was told that women shouldn’t fly airplanes … I grew up knowing ‘mum…

Featured, female pilots, Indian women pilots, women aviators, women pilots

The whirling dervishes of Istanbul

The Galata Mevlevi Museum | Istanbul | February 2020 *** A few months ago I had the good fortune to…

Travel, Turkey, whirling dervishes

My Mum the Pilot

In honour of International Women’s Day, I’m reposting a blog post I wrote a few years ago which was featured…

airplanes, Flying, international women’s day, women

The holyman, the emerald lake and the three stoned porters

I hiked through a Himalayan snowstorm and felt all tough … till we met an old holyman who had done…

hiking, hiking in Garhwal, India

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  • Flying in the time of Covid
  • Virtual London Tour: From St Paul’s Cathedral to London Bridge
  • Virtual London tour: Canary Wharf and Limehouse
  • Virtual London Tour: Whitechapel, East End
  • Virtual tour of the Assyria gallery of the British Museum
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