When our pockets are emptied and we are eventually forced back to reality, potential employers will no doubt ask what it is I’ve been doing since my graduation; why is there a gaping hole in my employment history? I’ll tell them that, amongst other things, I’ve been hiking. I’ll say it proudly, “Well, to you sir or madam who it may concern, I’ve been hiking in seven different countries thus far”. Is it reasonable to put that on my C.V.? Then perhaps I could remove “playing squash” from the hobbies and interests section, as in all honesty I haven’t actually played squash since I was twelve, but included it to seem more “well rounded”... Well, just look at me now, all rounded out, hiking! “There is no rest for the wicked.” Then I must have been ... read more

It seems as though we have chased the sunrise all around India, and we’re starting to feel the effect of those early mornings now. Bleary eyed and weary bodied we left our beds in Delhi to be at the airport three hours early rather than the customary two. The reason for the extra hour was down to the maddening experience we endured at Bangkok airport as we were destined for Calcutta; only three Indian men were boarding the flight before us, but in addition to their vast amount of luggage (much of which they wished to pass off as hand luggage), including but not limited to flat screen T.V.s, plastic bags filled with beer cans and a yard brush (!?), they brought with them an entourage of at least twenty people, all of whom crowded and ... read more

It was only the steep staircases of China’s Great Wall that left me feeling breathless. Though Ankgor Wat was stunning its structural beauty was less impacting than I imagined it would be. The many temples of Bagan, though a feat of engineering, astonishing in size and scope, did not excite me to the same enormity. That is because none posses the same brand of majesty as does the magnificent Taj Mahal. No other man made wonder is so wondrous. None can match that same sense of enchantment. It is unique in its atmosphere. And it appears that I am not the only one so taken by the Taj... As a cultural icon all around the world, the Taj Mahal attracts much artistic attention and it has been described so beautifully so many times before. ... read more

Ascending the unravelling mountainside, a sheer drop into endless tea fields to our right, countless potholes and uneven road beneath our wheels and a former British hill station retreat ahead, our feelings were mixed as we climbed ever higher into the shrouding mist. Having recently slumbered off the Darjeeling Mail, an uneventful night train (much to our surprise) from Kolkata, carefully picking our way through the sea of beggars that awaited our arrival at New Jalpaiguri train station, we hastily clambered into a jeep bound for Darjeeling, at the very foot of the Himalayas. To lay my eyes upon the snow capped peaks of this range has long been a dream of mine, and Darjeeling seemed an ideal place to dip our toes into our first Himalayan experience. However, as we climbed the mountain into the ... read more

Gold stupas wreathed in smog reflect light like diamonds in the dirt, meanwhile heavy foot traffic shifts about the city in swarms as thick as the haze surrounding them. Faces smeared with a tree bark mixture are tribally decorative whilst serving a purpose; protection from the oppressive Burmese-sun. Those faces survey us, white-skinned strangers and at first it feels a little intimidating. A leap of faith and an offered smile reveals the gorgeousness of this city; the smile is returned, exuberant and nodding in approval, the shyness dissolved into genuine curiosity and delight in the encounter. These faces illustrate the meeting of two subcontinents; the crux of Indochina, a spectrum of Asia displaying a multihued variety of skin and diversity of aesthetics unlike any other country we have visited. We are unfamiliar with the voluptuous script ... read more