Lijiang is an oasis for the burnt out backpacker. After six weeks of nonstop travel, endless bus rides, late nights on the town and early morning rushes to pack, rapid sightseeing tours and too much street food, we arrived weary and drained into Mama Naxi's Guesthouse for some much needed nurturing and mothering. Mama has a reputation around the inner travelling circles of China. Her name is whispered across pubs and communal rooms and her bent card is passed from hand to hand with declarations of affection and fond memories. Mama's cooking is an acclaimed ritual and grumbling tummies will [View Full Entry]

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We've officially done Hong Kong. We've climbed the 226 stairs to the top of Lantau's bronze Giant Buddha and grazed isle after infinite isle of claustrophobic market stalls; we've dined on spicy Cantonese yum cha and tasted the salty spray aboard the Star Ferry; we've strolled through the polished ambience of Louie Vuitton and gawked at luminous diamonds on display at Tiffany's. We traipsed down every naked alleyway and peered in all the clandestine nooks and crannies - - time in Hong Kong is winding down. The overcast gray skies seemed to taunt with smug, arrogant smirks, teasing that they alone [View Full Entry]

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My, my, my...time has sped by. I apologize for my lack of attentiveness since leaving you on a rainy afternoon in Yangshou. However, with the big city awe of Hong Kong, a timely visit by the police and practically quantum leaping over border crossings - yes, I admit that I've been negligent to my duties. If only to avoid the hassle of writing on bumpy buses or in the tea light lit murkiness of a cafe, I've been letting my thoughts pile into a cluttered jumble of chaos. Even I can't resolve what happened when as many of our nights and [View Full Entry]

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I promise to feed it and cuddle it and take it for walks everyday and I'll love it forever and ever...... On second thought, I don't think the horses on the farm would cooperate with a lazy, overweight bear sharing their stables. Sadly, I won't be bringing home a giant bear from this China trip. Supplying the vast quantities of bamboo that they inhale on a daily basis would dwindle my already meager savings account (which I need to use for travelling anyway). They were certainly cute to look at but I suppose a panda keychain will have sustain for [View Full Entry]

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Ice Mountain It was almost like staying at the Four Seasons. A few exceptions perhaps...The hard, cold ground didn't quite resemble a double stuffed air mattress and the air conditioner seemed to be permenantly stuck in the on position. Room service also had an obscene obsession for oily noodles and potatoes for three meals a day...but I won't be complaining to reception. Four days of horse trekking up in the snow capped mountains of Songpan, a small town near the Tibetan plataeu have finally come to a finale. Four wonderful, sunny afternoons clambering over sheer cliff drops, pristine forests, and [View Full Entry]

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First Impressions Thick yellow haze hangs in the air, hovering at eye level and drifting up to the gray, windowless buildings above. Relentless horns from passing motorist and jingling bicycles echo through the narrow Hutong alleyways. Another traffic jam perhaps? Senses come alive. Somewhere up ahead, a delicious aroma is wafting my way and...whoops.....I think I was very nearly just spit on there.....yup, I'm certainly back in Asia....Beijing, China to be exact. China - the country of mind bobbling linguistics, untamed rural landscapes, congested city streets, gastronomical delicicies and short statured people (at least in my case)....the list goes on and [View Full Entry]

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Fraser Island Dappled sun beams stretch inch by infinite inch into my derelict tent, warming my bare legs and rudely interrupting my vivid dreams. The murky, soothing coolness of night melts away as Morning shouts her brazen greetings, urging us out of bed, rumpled...sandy...and blurry eyed.....It's 5 a.m. Too late I realize that dawn has just begun her salutations as I make some halfhearted attempts to rustle the boys from their sound slumbers. Grumbles and sluggish moans surround the camp and they roll over, crushing pillows over their heads to hide streaming sun rays, already forgetting that we were going [View Full Entry]

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NAME Ashley Elizabeth Cultra (Ash to most of you) CURRENT OCCUPATION Displaced marketing student currently avoiding the wrath of the corporate world. Have chosen to spend the priceless years of my mid- twenties hopping around foreign cities and off the beaten path destinations. CAREER OBJECTIVE Eager to utilize 2 years of time tested experience on the international backpacker trail where I've picked up such talents as personal chef, island laborer, ABC teacher and singer of nursery rhymes, and other semi-useless, but highly laughable job skills . RELEVENT WORK HISTORY EKKA Marketing and Sales Associate Increased sales of Nestle drumsticks and chocolate [View Full Entry]

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From the big dizzy mountains that screen it, to the deep deathlike valley's below......it's the beauty that fills me with wonder, it's the stillness that fills me with peace. That little ditty is courtesy of Robert Service, one of my father's favorite poets. His literature is primarily based on his experiences in the Yukon but I think his descriptions depict the austere splendour of New Zealand flawlessly. Although I’m back in Australia at present, I can’t help but fill you all in on my last days in New Zealand. As appealing as it may be, I can’t leave big gaps in [View Full Entry]

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A Tongan paradise dwells on the forgotten island of Uoleva.....swaying palm trees, sweet coconut milk, cobalt skies, pink and white clouds floating overhead, a soft lullaby of waves at the tips of your toes and miles and miles away from civilization. Time has stopped. There are no queues, no traffic, no noise, and virtually nobody around except a few languid backpackers......a beach bum's dream come true and a workaholic’s worst nightmare. The five tanned bodies of my English travel buddies are stretched out in various stages of sleepiness, all glistening with tanning oil or the smarter choice of SPF 30. I [View Full Entry]

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