I've dedicated so much time to being sat in front of this computer since I got home, and soooooo many people have asked me "What's it like to be home after so long?" that I really feel I should try and answer. For myself if no-one else. The initial reaction is its the same. Same same, but different I guess. I was prepared for a massive culture shock, and it felt as if I had just been away for the weekend. Whats with that? I wanted culture shock. I wanted it to feel wierd. But no. If I look really, really [View Full Entry]

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1. Accept any ticket priced at 100 Rupees or below to Rekong Peo. Especially from Israelis as their parents will undoubtedly have rescue missions waiting prior to the landslide (not actually sure how this is helpful). 2. Roof seating comes highly recommended but please hold on, watch for overhanging rocks and DO NOT take photos for fear of death. 3. Neither looking out the window or screaming when the bus is reversing is recommended. 4. A lunch stop will take place around 12:00. The budget does not cater for lunch however so ration 1/2 cracker for energy for the crossing which [View Full Entry]

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I get asked this a lot. I came up with this answer after my first day in Nepal. Far below my 'Air China' wings Sand turns to snow Samuri swords to daggers Defeated by reality's version of 'Risk' My journey has become all too easy All too unadventerous Luxary travel apparently respects your personal space So there's no neighbour To squish up to To share my drunken excitement As my dreams become reality The Himalayas The Himalayas The Himalayas Touching down in the valley of the Himalayas I'm disorientated, lost I want to say Xie Xie But the only response is [View Full Entry]

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Travelling for 6 months without a camera was strangley refreshing, this is what happens when you cross back to the other side.... [View Full Entry]

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After arriving in China from Laos and spending a couple of days in the Yunnan province, Dali and Kunming, falling in love with chinese culture (God this was what I had been looking for in Aisa) and already being rescued several times by generous Chinese people it was time to f*&^ (sorry Mum) up the visa I had nicely stuck in my passport and head for Hong Kong airport where I would dutifully meet Cat off the plane (she had flown arther a long way to see me). I did duitifully meet Cat off the plane, and we straight away sat, [View Full Entry]

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Laos and the climbing in Laos came highly reccommended. And being so close from Chaing Mai it seemed like a logical progression, and so I convinced Alex to come along with me.......... Unfortunatley first impressions of Laos were not exactly what we had hoped for. Crossing the border from Thailand you cross the river into the town of Huxai. The river crossing was controled by the Laos river mafia who charged extortionate rates and threatened to flatten anyone who attempted to challenge thier monopoly on the river. Were getting off to a great start! Next was the slow boat from Huxai [View Full Entry]

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All it took was one 17 hour train journey (cattle class of course) at 295 Baht (think there's 300 to the pound) to get Alex and I from Bangkok to Chaing Mai. We arrived about 6am, and not knowing how long Alex was going to spend there, we didn't want to waste a day so got straight into the climbing. 40K outside Chaing Mai is the crag Crazy Horse Buttress. We jumped in the pick-up with the rest of the climbing school and headed out for the day. The climbing was awesome, the only problem with staying here it seemed was [View Full Entry]

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Good old Facebook enlightened me to the fact that my old climbing aquaintance no other than the Mr Graeme himslef was in Tonsai, due to leave on the 21st of Feb, the date I was originally supposed to fly back to KL. Well bugger Borneo I thought and any world class snorkeling it might have to offer, I want to climb and I want to climb now! So change my flights I did, and arrived in Tonsai in time to spend a week climbing with Graeme. Being the sort of climber that Graeme is, it took us a while to get [View Full Entry]

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Hanging out in Kuala Lumpur with Ling I started wondering what I should do with myself for next month. Not due to meet friends in Krabi, south Thailand for some rock climbing untill February gave me a month to kill in Malaysia. However, January is monsoon season so all of the East coast of Malaysia was closed off, leaving me with very few options. So I started flicking through Ling's stack of Lonely Planets untill I came across Indonesia. I quote 'Deep, dark and exotic, the very notion of Borneo rouses something in the subconscious.' I think that was enough to [View Full Entry]

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Hello again! Its that time already. It’s come around so fast I can’t quite believe I'm leaving already. I arrived here in Alice Springs 4 months ago. Weary and bleary eyed I tumbled out of the Ghan that had carried me 1500K along one of Australia's great train journey's from Adelaide in Southern Australia to here in Alice Springs, slap bang in the middle of Central Australia. Another 1500K North and you’ll hit Darwin, with little in between. Stepping off that train really was like stepping into another country. Alice is a small town of about 28,000 people, in existence due [View Full Entry]

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