February 17, 2015
Incongruence was a word that came up time and again while we were in Amritsar. The juxtaposition of chaos with calm, serenity with edginess was has left me with mixed feelings about this city. On the one hand it was dirty and congested and unsettling, and on the other there were oases of peace and tranquility. The approach to the…
February 14, 2015
The chaos of the night is replicated in daytime Amritsar. The road is crowded with pedestrians and drivers in all kinds of vehicles, including horse and carts and tractors. The missing footpaths force pedestrians to take their chances walking along the sides of shoulderless roads. The air is clear and cool, but dusty. I’ve brought my running gear, thinking that…
I have to start by saying I have never been as happy to see anyone in my life as my driver who picked me up from Amritsar airport. Firstly, I assumed he wouldn’t be there because I was bumped from my original flight and had to take a later one. And second, I didn’t want the transfer I paid for…
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…
The thing I like about travel—really like—is that it gets me out of my comfort zone. I’m sitting here waiting for my plane to Singapore and thinking about India, my destination. My emotions are roller-coasting, alternating between fear and excitement. My stomach is a ball of nerves and I feel the stress of venturing into an unknown destination. On my…
By this time tomorrow, I would have checked into my hotel in Changi Airport, foraged for food, maybe caught a movie and prepped for a restful night’s sleep (hopefully!) before flying out to Delhi early on Thursday morning. By this time Thursday afternoon, I would have checked into my hotel in Amritsar, Punjab, up near the Pakistani border. It will…
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August 27, 2014
I have been fascinated with India since, well, forever. From what I’ve read, and seen on TV and in the movies, it’s a country of many contrasts. Modernity is slammed right up against tradition, causing all sorts of cultural dilemmas and reinventions. The rich history, the spirituality, the vastness – not unlike Australia in that regard – and the people…
On the Go tours managed my itinerary while I was in Japan, including where I stayed. I would travel with them again in a heartbeat. I had the flexibility of travelling independently without the drudgery of having to organise domestic transport and accommodation, and I had someone on the ground in Japan if I got into trouble. The standard of…
May 2, 2014
After having a lazy day yesterday, I vowed to be more active today, mainly because it’s my last day in Japan AND I had IC Card credit that needed to be used before going home. I’m on my last ¥1000 ($10) or so, and I set myself a target to go to only free things today, because I don’t want…
May 1, 2014
What a throbbing mass of vibrant hustle and bustle the city of Osaka is! It heaves and spews people out of its subways and stations and shopping strips like a dragon breathes out fire. And amid it all, I wander alone and at peace, but somehow connected to this thriving metropolis, knowing that I’ve really only just barely scratched the…
April 29, 2014
Every trip I take, I always find a place that resonates with me. A place where, if I had to move to that particular country, I could totally live. In Vietnam, it was Hue; in China, it was Shanghai; in Italy, it was a toss-up between Stresa and Assisi; in the Former Yugoskavia, it was Sarajevo; in Turkey, it was…
April 27, 2014
The two and a half hour train ride from Kyoto was nothing short of spectacular. The train snaked through ravines with sheer drops to meandering rivers, only occasionally angry and foaming below; mountains thick with pine forests and splashed white and pink with cherry blossom; rustic towns and villages dotted with thin two story housing, cemeteries, glass houses and manicured…
April 26, 2014
I spent three nights in Kyoto and it wasn’t nearly enough time. This city is a really interesting blend of traditional and modern Japan. Wide boulevards funnel into tiny side streets with limited pedestrian access; department stores compete for the attention of shoppers with local markets selling all manners of goods; space age buildings are within walking distance of shrines…
April 23, 2014
Yesterday I caught the train from Nagano to Matsumoto, where I stayed overnight, before heading to Tsumago today. Matsumoto was a lovely town, albeit chilly. I checked into my hotel, and then walked up to Matsumoto castle, which was a pleasant 2km stroll. The main street looked almost European in the way it was set out with its shopfronts and…
I’ve been travelling since 2010 and this is my first trip ever that I’ve done as a solo traveller. Previously, I’ve relied on group tours to get me around, and up until last year’s trip to Eastern Europe, I was content to be a relatively passive traveller. So what happened last year? This. Three bus tours back-to-back, packed full of…
April 21, 2014
I took the Shinkansen (bullet train) from Tokyo to Nagano, and it was a very relaxed and pleasant journey (once I found my way through the organised chaos of Shinjuku and Tokyo stations). Travelling this way – as in local transport options – certainly broadens the travel experience into something personal and unique. It’s almost, but not quite, an immersion.…
April 19, 2014
Tonight is my last night in Tokyo. It’s been a wonderful week, and I’ve packed the days (and some evenings) with all sorts of sightseeing experiences. Here are my highlights, in no particular order: Tokyo transport I must admit I was extremely nervous about using Tokyo’s transport system. I mean, it’s a city of 13.2 million people and HUGE. What…
I often get asked that if I had to travel with just one app, what would it be? I can reply without hesitation that it would be CityMaps2Go. This handy app – available for iOS and Android – allows me to download maps of the cities I am will be visiting for access offline. No nasty and expensive data connection…