It’s hard to not be prejudiced when going to places you have always wanted to go. Of course I want to go everywhere, but for quite some time … I’ve longed for Florence, Italy. I guess to some degree it was something sparked at quite a young age… whilst watching late night Italian films on SBS. And then hearing about its character and class from those who have been there. It also helped that one of my top three favourite books of all time was set there, Hannibal by Thomas Harris- which solidified in my mind: Firenze- a place I must experience. So yes it’s hard to tell what part is actual affinity for a place and how much is just falling into the romance of a dream coming true. So Jian might be the ... read more

After a 2 hour flight, a 1 hour train ride, a 20 minute subway trip and a 30 minute metro journey … we finally reached our campsite in the northern suburbs of Roma. As it was May the 1st, an important labour day holiday throughout Europe, every cheap bed remotely close to the city was fully booked out. It was not a bad alternative however, as the staff were friendly, it was super cheap and it offered a welcoming retreat from the tourist mecca that Rome has now become. I guess we didn’t really know what to expect in Rome. With such monumental attractions as the Colosseum and the Vatican City we should have expected the phenomenal hordes of tourists lining up for hours just to even pass through the security barriers; or the 6 ... read more

Let me paint a picture for you, okay? Santorini is watercolours, oils and graffiti painted not on canvas but on the eternally blue, flat surface of the sea. It has colour Athens doesn’t (which is so refreshing), though still the base of all is the same: Mediterranean white wash- but haphazardly splashed with reds, blues, yellows and donkey shit. This place redefines beautiful as we have seen ‘beautiful’ thus far on our trip, which like a complex strain of the flu- is always evolving; with each bout stronger and more powerful. I’ve come to realize that I am now at a point in our travels at which I am truly happy. This happiness is not coming out of lack of happiness prior to now, not at all. But I seem to now be able to live ... read more

Three flights (Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok, Bangkok to Bahrain, Bahrain to Istanbul), 10,000km , 23 hours later we left the Asia continent and landed in Turkey, the entry door into Europe from the Oriental side of the globe. Some people are absolute terrors on flights; airplane attendants must need a thousand times more patience than the average customer service assistant to deal with tired, cranky and often unnecessarily rude passengers. We flew Gulf Air, and a couple of gentlemen in front of us demanded a second meal, before everyone had been fed. They did not care that if they got a second meal, someone else would miss out on a meal altogether. A French couple next to us got into a screaming argument with the couple behind them because they refused to restore their reclining seats ... read more

Angkor Wat. One of the main reasons I wanted to come to SE Asia. It was exactly like I imagined. The architecture was painstakingly detailed and overwhelmingly grandiose. Each and every temple that we saw was different from the last in terms of both architecture and atmosphere. Some were exquisitely designed with bas reliefs carved into the stone wall facades still in almost-mint condition, whilst others were much more simply detailed but so tall they seemed to reach the heavens, overgrown vegetation and sprawling tree roots intertwined with the temple's stone foundations. Unfortunately we only had 2 days exploring the various temples; a week would have done it more justice. We will definitely come back to this country again one day to travel more to the eastern and western parts. Cambodia is an intriguing country whose ... read more