My brain grappled with the apparent oxymoron, “Skiing in India” but as my source elaborated, my eyes adjusted. A picture of paradise was sketched, of vast untouched mountains descending into pristine valleys of conifers and snow leopards. It was the first time I’d heard of Gulmarg, nestled in the flank of Mount Apherwat in Indian Administered Kashmir and the first time I’d learnt of Skiing in India. The only familiar sound was the brutally gentle “Kashmir”; connotations of the finest wool sweater clashed with the memory that Bill Clinton once labelled the ar [View Full Entry]

---

---

A visit to Sweden wouldn’t be complete without at least seeing (or perhaps eating) a reindeer, the subject of every child’s Christmas dream and the quintessential ‘Northern’ beast. There was no way I was going to take the easy way out, having come this far I refused to visit theme parks, petting zoos are worse still, introduce myself awkwardly to an air-tight plastic pack at the supermarket. I insisted that my first reindeer experience would be in the wild with no weapons, machines or fat Santas (although if he or she wished to air-freight me a new season snowboard in t [View Full Entry]

---

---

When does the pursuit of a cheap backpacking holiday turn ridiculous? The subtle transition from a smart, cautious, economical traveller to the self proclaimed ‘stingiest backpacker of all time’. Wearing the title with pride on your sleeve and advertising your pittance of a daily budget to any traveller in earshot. What do I know about this ridiculous, self-indulgent behaviour? I unwillingly became one of ‘them’! Becoming a ‘tight-arse’ may well be a compulsory bi-product of any long journey through Asia or parts of the developing world but sometimes you [View Full Entry]

---

---

‘Depressed, lonely, feel like you’re just another face in the crowd? Come to India and be everyone’s best friend!’ It’s true, travelling in India can do wonders for your self-esteem; people want to see you, talk to you and be seen with you. When we ventured to Amritsar, home to the sacred Golden Temple we became embroiled in a bizarre love triangle that only India could compose. The walls to the Golden Temple complex obscure the gem hiding within. Like a gleaming pearl from a roughly hewn oyster, the central shrine or Gurdwara takes the breath from devotee [View Full Entry]

---

---

Rajasthan is for many the highlight of a trip to India, whether this is for a specific perception of what entails exciting travel or a lack of comparable experiences, it wasn’t for me. One can’t argue against the stunning history, bizarre cities, rich and colourful people and must-do activities but with such appeal comes the inescapable use and abuse. It was the place in India where we felt most threatened, uncomfortable, un-special and most like a walking dollar bill. Coming from our rather surreal experience of being the centre of a bizarre love triangle in Amritsar we fell direc [View Full Entry]

---

---

A couple of years ago I discovered that my family has some strong connections with India. In fact I’d been given a faint hint some years earlier that India may be the reason for my somewhat dark and ‘eastern’ appearance. Through some newly discovered relatives from my grandfather’s side our family began to piece together some blanks and for the first time take an active interest in our Indian heritage. It turns out that my great great Grandfather was the world champion of billiards toward the end of the nineteenth century, a man by the name of John Roberts Jnr (1847-191 [View Full Entry]

---

---

I’d made the decision to end my big Asian adventure with a month in Sri Lanka for a number of reasons. First and foremost was to soak up paradise and get some waves after a long absence from the surf life and it was also a chance for Lisa to have some time to acclimatise to home after over a year and a half away from Sweden. It was everything I could have hoped for and more. I had some fantastic surfs, met some lovely people and saw some beautiful things. I completed my first official pilgrimage, climbing the 2243m Adam’s [View Full Entry]

---

---

It was inevitable that the eight-month journey from Australia to India had to come to an end. I said a sombre farewell to the tropics and with my newly purchased replica Helly Hansen jacket under my arm boarded the plane to Sweden. Waiting for me at the airport was my angel who felt more like a stranger for the first few minutes. Acclimatising to Lisa was easy; acclimatising to 8 degrees was a little more difficult! Thankfully she’d brought shoes and a sweater to the airport for me, what a sweetheart. It took some time to get acclimatised to the ‘sophisticated’ [View Full Entry]

---

---