Ben Vance & Sarah Casboult

Ben and Sarah

Ben Vance & Sarah Casboult

Well, we're finally leaving London after 5 years to do what we first set out to do - travel the world! It starts in South America...stay tuned!



Asia » Nepal » Pokhara November 20th 2013

After a few days in Kathmandu to rest after our trek, enjoying a massage at the Serenity Spa (bliss!) and pizza and sizzling brownie at the Roadhouse Cafe (the BEST dessert in town...and pretty darn good pizza as well), our recuperation was complete and we were ready to move on. So to Pokhara it was! After a 7 hour bus journey that is...one that takes you along a road missing sections due to landslides and with steep drops on the side that when you are too close to them, the bus driver’s assistant sticks his head out the window and bangs on the outside of the bus to say when to go and when to stop...really the only thing to do is put your music on, close your eyes and hope for the best! Pokhara is ... read more
Pokhara
Pokhara
Pokhara

Asia » Nepal » Himalayas October 18th 2013

Hi again everyone :) Well...this blog is all about the Everest Base Camp trek...yep! We did it!!! HOORAAAAY!!!!! The blog will have a slightly different format to the others...we wrote a bit of a diary as we went just noting down altitudes, where we walked, where we stayed etc etc. So the plan for this blog is to document our walk day by day....really just so we have a record of what we did! So feel free to skip the details and move straight to the pictures....and there are LOTS of pictures! We have some absolutely amazing photos which really do not do the Himalayas justice at all, but we have narrowed them down to oh, only 70 or so (!!) for your viewing pleasure. A few minor details first though...we actually decided to use a ... read more
Tough trekker chick!
Tribhuvan Airport, Kathmandu
Tribhuvan Airport, Kathmandu

Asia » Nepal » Kathmandu October 18th 2013

Arriving in Kathmandu after spending time in Europe is a bit of a shock to the senses. There is so much chaos & disorder, from the persistent beeping of traffic whilst weaving through the streets constantly on the lookout for obstacles to the steady haggling from taxis, rickshaws and shop vendors vying for your business. But there is also such a rich culture to indulge in with endless shops selling different spices, teas, luxurious silks, and brightly coloured dyes bringing so much colour and life to the streets. The heavy pollution from the traffic & dusty roads is unavoidable but the occasional wisps of smoke from incense burning offers a welcome contrast. Battling the roads around Thamel can be exhausting and you soon need to retreat to the comfort of a cafe or restaurant to recharge. ... read more
Kathmandu
Kathmandu
Kathmandu

Middle East » United Arab Emirates » Dubai October 18th 2013

The city where there is no end to new building projects, world records and manmade greatness. We only spent a couple of nights here to get a taste of the city which is emerging more and more as a tourist destination – more for the families and the package tourist than anything else, which is not usually our cup-a-tea. But as we were flying past we thought why not stop off for a sample, our curiosity had caught the better of us. Unfortunately Sarah, who was laid up in bed sick, missed most of the sampling of Dubai due to a chest infection. She couldn’t even enjoy the benefits of staying at a luxury resort with various pools, spas, restaurants, a gym, golf course, tennis courts and even a private beach with water sports! But I ... read more
Dubai Mall
Dubai Mall
Dubai Mall

Europe » Germany » Bavaria October 18th 2013

Meersburg, meaning “burg on the sea”, the burg referring to the castle sitting on the edge of the enormous Lake Constance, is a famous medieval town which had been attracting tourists long before we showed up. We arrived late in the evening but could already see how quaint and beautiful this little village was. By the next morning we were wandering the perfectly paved streets, passing by colourful buildings that could not be faulted, with flower beds along window ledges and leafy arrangements crawling up walls and positioned in pots along the pavement. What a perfect place for a wedding. Mr Matthew Wall, the man of the hour, was due to marry Melanie Munz, whom he skilfully met and seduced on a plane from London to Australia a few years back. Sarah and I lived with ... read more
Meersburg
Meersburg
Meersburg

Europe » Liechtenstein October 16th 2013

We came, we saw, and we checked in on Facebook! One of the smallest countries in the world, only 25km long and 6km wide, Liechtenstein is famous for exporting dentures...apparently...and has one of the most expensive McDonalds we have ever been to – not much change from €20 for a regular meal and a burger without the burger! Beautiful view though...xxx... read more
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein

Europe » Austria » Tyrol » Mayrhofen October 16th 2013

Now Sarah and I both go weak at the knees at the sight of any impressive mountain range, so as you can imagine, we have a love affair with Austria that has actually been ongoing for some time now. We’ve previously visited three times on skiing holidays and just love the place for what is has to offer, we’ve skied at Iggles, Leche, St Anton, Mayrhofen and the Zillertal Valley and have a very good perspective of this place from high up on the mountains in the snow - the aspres ski is great too! However this time we were visiting at the end of summer, and rather than arriving by plane into Innsbruck we were arriving by car from Germany across the border. Well, at least the imaginary border as they don’t seem to monitor ... read more
Mayrhofen
Mayrhofen
Mayrhofen

Europe » Slovenia September 30th 2013

What an amazing little country Slovenia is, from cosmopolitan Ljubljana to the beauty of Lake Bled and the Julian Alps, and all within a couple of hours driving! Slovenia is also where we discovered Airbnb.com, a website that allows you to rent an entire apartment for about the same cost as a hotel/hostel room! What a brilliant idea! In Ljubljana we stayed at Gasper’s little one bed apartment near the Roznik-Tivoli reserve. We spent four nights in this beautiful little city in total, which was possibly more than you need there but with Ben still sick we just wanted to stop and relax for a while. Plus, it rained. A lot. So we hid out a bit as well. Ljubljana is a small but perfect city. With only about 300,000 people it is not much bigger ... read more
Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana

Europe » Croatia » Dalmatia » Dubrovnik September 29th 2013

Aaahhh the beautiful Adriatic coastline...yes, we remember you well and we are still friends. We arrived by bus from Montenegro along a fairly spectacular road cut into the steep mountainside with dramatic views down to the sea and Dubrovnik appearing in the distance, what an entrance. Yep, happy to be here...apart from a little stomach issue still lurking about. Anyway, I am sure a dip in the deep blue Adriatic will cure me. Sarah and I had to rustle up some accommodation since we hadn’t pre-booked anything and soon realised that in fact it was pretty busy here, mostly full said the lady in the tourist office. So we hit the streets looking for the private accommodation hawkers that we usually avoid, this time making friends with a fairly well dressed young Croatian lady named Tea, ... read more
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik

Europe » Montenegro September 21st 2013

Well it has been a while since our last blog...the laptop died and we believed it dead for a couple of weeks...and then miraculously it revived itself – hooray!! So we are now sitting at the airport in Munich waiting for our flight to Dubai and planning on doing a little bit of catch up! Okay, now that is explained, our apologies given and accepted, I will paste below a blog I wrote a couple of weeks ago and was not able to post...enjoy! We arrived in Montenegro after a surprisingly good sleep on our overnight train from Belgrade. To be honest, after seeing the cabin I wasn’t really expecting to! But we had our pastries and chocolate to munch on and they provided blankets and pillows...plus, we managed to get a four person cabin to ... read more
Stari Bar
Stari Bar
Stari Bar




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