Naturally, after 7 months on the road in Asia, the first stop for any hardy traveller is of course Oberstaufen in Germany’s southwesternmost Allgäu region. So naturally it is from this pretty little Alpine hamlet that I now write to you. How did I end up here you may ask? Did I mention sexy Bavarian medical students? Ok, it is time to admit, the holiday romance with Christine may have developed a little. Well, at least enough to at least stop by on my way to the motherland. Well that’s what I thought anyway, so I’ve spent the last month in [View Full Entry]

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Ok, I admit, as much as I liked Nepal, I’m not actually still there. I’ve been such a lazy bugger in the blog writing stakes lately that, in a vain attempt to recompense you, dear reader, beloved fan, for your anguish in not having had anything to read these last two months, I’ve written not one but TWO blogs! You are at this point allowed to express your appreciation. Now, where was I? That’s right. Kathmandu. Finally escaped the delights of Pokhara and heading to the top of the world. And so it was that on a brisk September morning my [View Full Entry]

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The best preparation is always the worst preparation. This nicely ambiguous statement is my new motto. It was certainly on my mind as we four intrepid adventurers (Alastair, Simon, Aimee and I) set out that brisk August morning for the town of Besisahar and nearly 3 weeks of hard slog around the Annapurna Himalaya Massif. It wasn't so much the month of partying that preceded this moment, but more the discovery the night before of a cover band which played nearly the same music as the one and only DSO, and who invited yours truly to sing along for a set. [View Full Entry]

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They sell alcohol in Nepal. There are other people in this world with just as much inclination as me to get drunk on a regular basis. These are the two most important facts I have discovered in the last 6 weeks in this tiny oasis-like kingdom at the foothils of the Himalayas. Greetings from Pokhara, the beautiful lakeside city in central Nepal (400km west of Kathmandu), and gateway to treks in the Annapurna region. Having been here the last 4 weeks I am pretty much a local now, and have finally had the kind of holiday I guess I've been craving [View Full Entry]

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Tibet: Shangrila, the roof of the world, the land of snows... with a lovely touch of cultural genocide thrown in for good measure. Since the last update, I've travelled in Tibet through some of the real highs and lows of this trip so far, until visa restraints, and general travel weariness, deposited me in the veritable oasis of western goodies that is Thamel, Kathmandu (of course this means the location of my blog is technically wrong, but how could I not write at least one blog from Tibet?). It all augured well. The Dirtman had arrived in Chengdu safely, we'd met [View Full Entry]

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"Veerrry Goood... veerrry goood" drawled the driver in a smug, low, voice as our minivan was speeding along the bumpy dirt road, soon to rendezvous with yet another downhill hairpin turn. The ten or so Tibetans that had been crammed into this little 7-seater with us, for whom reckless driving was a rare treat, weren't helping, egging the driver on as he attempted to pass (yet again) his friend who was driving the minivan up ahead. "I've travelled the best part of twelve months in Western Sichuan over the last few years", lamented Isamu, my new Japanese traveller friend I'd just [View Full Entry]

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Its amazing how one song by Monty Python can be so useful. Well, its only Wazza on Holiday once again. After 3 great weeks together, Yvette has had enough and is on her way back to Sydney, and I'm stuck here on my own in the amazing mountains of Yunnan. Its a hard life. We spent the best part of the last week or so in the mountains west of Deqin, about 180km by winding, mountainous road northwest of Zhongdian. The town itself is a small, decidedly depressing settlement (although boasting a kick-arse internet centre, auspiciously enabling me to see highlights [View Full Entry]

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The Wazza and Lynchie show is on the road. Greetings, loyal (perhaps bored, with no life?) readers from Zhongdian in the Tibetan world of China's northern Yunnan Province. Its been a busy 3 weeks or so since my last entry. After spending a delightful (sorry, I needed a new adjective but that one really does suck) week or so on Koh Chang, Thailand's next big tourist island near the Cambodian border, I met the beautiful Yvette off the plane in Bangkok for a few weeks of travelling together. She was lucky enough to be immediately whisked from the plane to an [View Full Entry]

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After suffering a 30 year secret war while the world's eyes were on Vietnam; enduring the most sustained bombing campaign in history (leaving most of the land unusable due to unexploded ordinance); experiencing ongoing skirmishes between Royalist Hmong Rebels and the Pathet Lao Government; and being heavily reliant on foreign aid with no real industry; you'd forgive the Lao people if they occasionally wanted to walk around with a frown on their face. But these are the most outwardly happy and friendly people I've ever met while travelling. I spent the best part of the last 2 weeks travelli [View Full Entry]

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Arriving in Vientiane, after 24 hours on the bus from Hanoi, was like stepping into a war-zone. Every one of the dusty side streets showed evidence of a recent skirmish. They roamed in gangs, some as young as 3 or 4, armed to the teeth with pistols, pump-actions, and buckets. Just when I thought I'd found a safe street to walk down, a sniper from a second floor balcony got me in the back... "Sabaidee Pii Mai" he screamed as his friends laughed. I certainly left Vietnam and made it to Lao (don't use the 's' if you're cool) at the [View Full Entry]

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