Pokhara – Its festival time you know “Inside the bus is full Nigel” Our guide Sunil said. “Okay sure” I replied “sure we can just wait for the next one”. In a calm confident manner Sunil suggested something else.. “No No we go on roof...its better you know”. In Nepal the buses have big roof racks for luggage, which are regularly used as an overflow when the bus gets full. Its not exactly comfortable...or safe....or legal for the matter, but on mountain the locals don't worry about such trivialities. Up I went and tried to make myself as comfortable as possible, putting my bag behind my back as a shock absorber, and sprawling my legs out across the metal bars. Copying my guide I sat with my back to the side of the bus against the ... read more

Kicking back in Kathmandu “Excuse me Sir, but you have a knife in your carry on bag” .......Not the greatest way to start my big 6 month trip around Asia, with all my experience after nearly a year and 9 months of travelling! At the last minute, before leaving for Cairns airport, I decided to put my medical bag in my carry on, but forgot about my penknife....dope! Needless to say I got chosen for the explosive swab test aswell... at least they didn't have a full cavity search. On the bright side not one of my 4 connecting flights from Cairns to Kathmandu were delayed over the 30 hour journey! It was time to start my long winded voyage back to Ireland. I miss my family and friends so it is nice to know that ... read more