October 6, 2015
Bali. I must say that Bali is not somewhere that’s been on my radar. I know people who go there love it (and I have friends that certainly do), but there are other, more deserving places to visit. Or so I thought. But now that I’ve gotten serious about my writing, I stumbled on a writer’s retreat that’s happening there. So…
March 8, 2015
India is crazy-amazing, full of crazy-amazing sights. This is a snapshot of the things I saw in my month-long sojourn there… An elephant and a naked man walking along the same stretch of road in Delhi Camels, horses and mules pulling carts Cows, pigs and bulls walking around loose on main roads Sheep, goats and camels being herded along highways Buses…
March 7, 2015
I had no idea that Kerala was a 1.5-2 hour drive from Cochin—I thought it would be relatively close. I was wrong. And the length of the drive depended entirely on the traffic and how much congestion there was. Luckily for us, the traffic wasn’t too bad, but the drive was uninteresting: lots of urban sprawl, large and small shops…
The Monarch Hotel has the the dubious honour of being the only hotel I’ve photographed on this trip. And for good reason. It is one of the worst hotels I’ve stayed in—ever!—but is where I’ve spent one of the funniest nights. Picture a Russian prison and you have the basic layout of the hotel: rooms built up to overlook a large,…
March 3, 2015
I am writing this post from inside a tiger reserve—part of the the Bandipur National Park—which spans three states. It has been a peaceful couple of days spent here, punctuated by delicious food, tranquil surrounds and safaris. Away from hustle and bustle of crazy, chaotic India, this place is a Mecca for the soul. There is literally nothing to do…
Last night, we travelled from Goa to Bangalore on the overnight train. It was a 15 hour journey, but it’s amazing how quickly the time flew past, almost as fast as the palm trees and rice fields and the stations. I chatted with my fellow travellers for an hour or so, then, wanting to check out the scenery, I wandered…
Given that I don’t need my cool weather clothes because I’m now in the south of India, and I won’t be running, I decided to post these back items home. After all, why lug around extra kilograms of stuff that you(I) don’t need? So Indira (my lovely guide) took me to the post office in Goa. It was a very…
After a couple of days of hard travel (all day bus from Jaipur to Kota, followed by overnight train from Kota to Mumbai, and then a very, very, VERY early train from Mumbai to Goa), I arrived in Goa, exhausted. We are staying in Panjim, north of Goa. It’s a pretty spot, heavy with Portuguese influence—from the architecture to religion…
It’s not easy to get alcohol in India, although it is readily available in the hotels. I bought a small bottle of vodka for a few hundred rupees from a hole-in-the-wall outlet in Amritsar, but it was small, and didn’t last long. When I travel, I like having a couple of drinks as I tuck in for the night, otherwise…
Delhi. Oh. Wow. We pulled into Delhi station, and organise porters to carry our bags for 100 rupees. Those men were amazing, carrying 15-20kgs worth of luggage on their heads plus an extra suitcase by hand. Up a long flight of steps, down a long flight on the other side. I saw similar feats of strength in China, when men…
February 18, 2015
I signed up for this tour because it involved a significant amount of train travel, including three overnight trips in sleeper carriages. After my Japan trip last year, I wanted to do more travel by rail. And what better way to see the vastness of India than by train? We boarded our train for Delhi early in the evening, traversing…
Urgh. When I disembarked at Delhi International Airport I thought wow! this airport has a bit of a Changi Airport kind of feel. I was expecting chaos and disorganization and masses of people. Instead I was greeted with an almost calm and serene atmosphere. That feeling of serenity and calm eroded quickly, and morphed into an abyss of urghness as…
Just when I think I’m a seasoned traveller, I make a rookie error based on an assumption. Picture this: me checking in at the Singapore Airport counter in Adelaide. (I like to check in just to see if I can get a better seat, just in case you are wondering why I don’t do it online.) I went to check…
This a quick post to describe what it’s like not being able to speak Japanese, and how difficult it is getting around only being able to speak English. The answer is: it hasn’t been as hard as I thought I thought it might. Everyone seems to have at least a few words of English, so I can generally make myself…
This trip to Japan has come at a good time. I feel like I’m running away, but in a positive sense, because I need to reconnect with myself. I need to sort out my head space, do a man detox and recalibrate my dating filter, because it’s been really skewed, and I’ve let men through who really shouldn’t have gotten…
December 11, 2013
After this year’s (marathon) seven week trip to Eastern Europe and my (enjoyable) five day stopover in Singapore, I wanted to keep next year’s trip shorter and closer to home. While I’ve fallen in love with Europe (who hasn’t?), I’d forgotten how much I also loved Asia. I wanted to go somewhere where it’s not to hard too travel around…
October 15, 2013
I woke late today, and that stymied my plans somewhat. I was going to head to Orchard Road in the morning, then over to Marina Bay Sands and the Gardens by the Bay in the afternoon. Instead, I just did Orchard Road. As a photographer, I have to say I was not stuck for material. The architecture and people made…
Well, the land part of my tour has all but finished. A two nighter in Athens, then I’m boarding the Louis Olympia for a four day cruise around the Greek Islands. Greece has been a welcome respite from Turkey, where I think I suffered from a case of “tour burnout“. Highlights Athens I love Athens. It greeted me with warm…
There may come a time when you need to avoid a Creepy Guy while on tour. You can spot him quite easily because he displays the following behaviours: > pays you just a little too much attention and compliments you just a little too insincerely; > remembers details of conversations you had days ago; > constantly and continually follows you…
I’m half way through my tour of Turkey. Today is a rest day – our driver is not allowed to drive on Sundays – so I’m swanning around a luxurious hotel in Antalya, catching up on things like washing, reading and blogging. The tour generally This tour – despite the earlier rockier start with the seating arrangements – has been…