Annapurna Base Camp: One idiot’s guide

For reasons unbeknown to even me, in September 2013 I set off to do the Annapurna Base Camp hike. I hadn't done much research, nor completed any training, basically I had little idea what I was signing up for. While I was setting of solo,  I was fairly hopeful I would find a hiking buddy....

Kathmandu

I had conceptualised Kathmandu to be a quiet and peaceful city. But it turns out this mental image was formed from the countless travel photos of Kathmandu, that are actually just Durbar Square.  The streets are small and packed full of honking taxis, street vendors, ‘holy men’, legless beggars, homeless children, wandering dogs and sacred...

London to Kathmandu

  The worst thing about travelling is travelling itself On leaving London Max seemed to be stressing out on my behalf. The three months of travel had turned my appearance into that of a tramping hobo with a scratchy beard and shabby clothes. Max seemed to regret sending a message for an upgrade on the...

One Night in Paris

The final stop on our tour de France was Paris. Patty had arranged our stay with her friend Laura, who she had only met two weeks earlier in the Cannery Islands. Unlike our first stop in Paris, this was a real Parisian experience. Laura lived in a tiny one bedroom apartment with wooden floors, paintings on...

Heads South, Tails North: Part 4

Aubeterre sur Dronne Following my time solo, I met up with Max and was taken to our next destination, a ville in Aubeterre sur Dronne, somewhere in the middle of wine country. Max was delayed in his arrival at Bordeaux airport. I had tried to play the smooth move and wait seated under a cafe...

Heads South, Tails North: Part 3

Bordeaux My next stop in France was with a couchsurfer named Jean Baptiste (JB) in Bordeaux. I met him after he got off work, we grabbed some city bikes and headed to his place. It was swanky little pad, beautifully furnished with pop-art style paintings draped across every wall. It turned out that JB was...

Heads South, Tails North

Following my return to London, Max had invited me to join him and his brother Robin on a Roadtrip to France as they made their way south to their sister’s postmodern relationship celebration in a little villa near Auberge. At the same time, my friend Geoff has sent me a message saying I should come...

Puerto Escondido and Mazunte

The road from Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido is a windy eight-hour trip over a mountain pass in a mini van, locally referred to as the Vomit Comet. It’s so bad that people consider taking an overnight bus or a plane to avoid that road.  Arriving in the evening, having survived the turns and churns,  I...

Mexico City to Oaxaca

Arriving in México was the first time I really felt like I was travelling. I guess it all depends of what your definition of travelling is, but for me Europe doesn't give me a culture shock, rather it is a gourmet version of what I am use to. As a country Mexico excites me, an...

Succumbing to the Orange Feeling at Roskilde

As an avid music lover, I have been to many festivals over the years and after attending Roskilde it is easy to say that it is now my personal favourite. What makes the Roskilde Festival is somewhat difficult to describe and I don’t think there is one specific answer. To me, Roskilde is when you...