The Galata Mevlevi Museum | Istanbul | February 2020 *** A few months ago I had the good fortune to … More
Category: Travel
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 … More
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 … More
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 … More
Taking buses up the Himalayas
The first post of a new blog series about going up the Himalayas mainly on Indian public transport buses. Taken … More
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 … More
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 … More
To Bali and Beyond…
The final week of our amazing 90 days backpacking in southeast Asia arrived far too soon. In search of some … More
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 … More
Photography: Sunset over the Sulu Sea
Selingan Island | Sabah Province | Malaysia
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 … More
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 … More
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 … More
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 … More
Things to do in Singapore
We’d landed in Singapore, our 6th country and 28th place on our 90 day travels around southeast Asia We immediately … More
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 … More
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 … More
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 … More
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 … More
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 … More
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 … More
Visit the Saigon Opera House
Ho Chi Minh City | Vietnam There are many tourist activities to do in Ho Chi Minh City but we … More
Goodbye Laos, you beauty
In the south of Laos, we climbed a World Heritage Site called Wat Phu and relaxed on river islands in … More
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 … More
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 … More
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 … More
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 … More
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 … More
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 … More
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 … More
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 … More
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 … More
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 … More
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 … More
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 … More
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 … More
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 … More
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 | … More
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 … More
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 … More
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, … More
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 … More
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; … More
Travel anxiety: I’m about to go on holiday for 3 months, so why do I feel so anxious?
It’s weird, pre-travel anxiety. It’s that jittery feeling, not quite butterflies in the stomach, just a gentle fluttering of moths … More
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 … More
10 Annoying Behaviours on the London Underground
Londoners have a love-hate relationship with their metro system The Tube; but it’s more than just standing on the wrong … More
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 … More
Farewell to the land of a thousand hills – epilogue
Well, it’s taken 42 blog posts and over 60,000 words, but I’ve managed to get there – this is the … More
The bar that sold bananas
Wise words I once heard while buying bananas in a bar in Kigali, Rwanda in 2008: ‘Nothing can heal without … More
7 tips for volunteers in Africa
It’s almost time to fly home. These seven months in Rwanda have felt so much longer – the richness of … More
