KatLowles

Hi everyone. We are now 4 months into our trip and I can't believe how quickly it's gone! When we left Sri Lanka we flew to Kuala Lumpur. It's an incredible city and it had a great atmosphere, however, I'll save KL until I write about our final month in Malaysia! The next four weeks we spent in Indonesia, a truly unique and fascinating country. A vast archipelago of over 17000 islands Indonesia is huge and immensely varied. We visited 4 (5 if you count lunch on tiny Gili Air) out of these 17000 so I can hardly claim to know the country inside out - we only scratched the surface but I think we experienced a few different aspects of the culture. We flew in to Bali and arriving at midnight we decided to stay ... read more

Hello there! Apologies for the delay in writing this next blog, I did type it out once then promptly lost it when the Internet cafe lost power (no, I still haven't learned to save) and we haven't had Internet for a few days... Since I last wrote we have spent a month in Sri Lanka. Once described by Marco Polo as one of the 'best islands in the world', it's easy to see why. Tear drop shaped and cast adrift in the Indian ocean Sri Lanka is small but perfectly formed and is so varied that it feels like several countries rolled into one. Unlike India whose vast scale makes it impossible to explore fully, I do feel as if we have experienced a great deal of the country. Although we haven't seen everything, we managed ... read more

Hello everyone! As I write this I'm sitting in an internet cafe in Trivandrum, the capital of the Kerala region of India, and it's so hot I think I might melt! We started our stint in Southern India with a quick flight from Delhi to Bangalore on the 14th March with 'Spicejet' (thankfully it did turn out to be a real airline!). Bangalore, or Bengaluru, though still a bustling Indian metropolis, is nowhere near as dirty, crowded or characterful as Delhi. It is also very much a city on the 'up', with huge billboards advertising expensive jewellery for the modern career woman and swanky new apartment blocks that promise not just a home but a whole lifestyle package. Building work is going on everywhere and a new overpass and metro network are under construction. Bangalore also ... read more

Hi there, It doesn't seem like five minutes ago I was writing about Nepal and now it's time to give you the latest on our trip round India! Since Lewys' has already written his blog and told some of the funnier anecdotes I'll do my best to make this interesting... India, where do I start? Even as I'm writing I know how impossible it's going to be to describe our first two weeks in this amazing country. I had read about it, I had seen pictures and I'd spoken to people who have visited, but nothing can prepare you for actually being here. Delhi hits you like a ton of bricks. We thought Kathmandu was crazy but nothing compared to the mayhem that is Delhi. The city is just huge and and there are more people ... read more

Hello everyone...anyone... This is my very first blog, so please go easy on me as I try to make it interesting! After a pretty straightforward 14 hour flight, if you discount me being 'travel sick' after a bit of turbulence, we arrived in Kathmandu - Nepal's crazy capital. The noise of the constantly tooting horns assaulted our tired senses as the taxi (the mandatory, indestructible and suspension-less Suzuki) weaved its way around massive, colourfully painted trucks, tourist-laiden rickshaws and the occasional suicidal cow. After a couple of nights staying in the tourist district of Thamel, a riot of colour with streets full of fluttering prayer flags, lined with pashmina shops and trekking touts, we caught the tourist bus to Pokhara. Pokhara, Nepal's other major city, is the starting point of all the treks into the Annapurna ... read more