“Become a stranger in a strange land. Acquire humility. Learn the language. Listen to what the people are saying.” — Paul Theroux “Hello, my friend! Where from? Where going? You want to ask me a question? I can speak with you, I know English, you can ask me anything you want. You understand my English? … Read More
“Voyage upon life’s sea, To yourself be true, And, whatever your lot may be, Paddle your own canoe.” — Sarah Bolton When you think about the fact that from tip to tip, India and Sri Lanka are only twenty miles apart, and that a direct flight from Trivandrum to Colombo would have taken merely an … Read More
“Blow, blow, ye spicy breezes — O’er Ceylon blow your breath, Where every prospect pleases, Save only that of death.” — Ambrose Bierce It was the kind of place that has two names—Sonali, India, or Belahiya, Nepal—depending on which side of the border you happened to be standing. At the end of September, I found … Read More
“I am not an adventurer by choice but by fate.” — Vincent van Gogh It was the summer after graduation and I was two months into living at home and waitressing at a local restaurant. One night, a customer asked what I was doing now that I’d finished university. “I’m moving to London in August … Read More
“Blessed is he that expecteth nothing, for he shall not be disappointed.” — D.H. Lawrence Kathmandu was supposed to be good. Better than good: great, enlightening, or even–dare I say it–magical. Somewhere in the back of the worn-down local bus I’d sat in for the last eight hours, packed deep in my dusty backpack, were … Read More
Yes, that is me astride a [what-I-hope-to-be] lovable, 30-year old female elephant named Sonakali. And yes, I am absolutely, bone-drenchedly soaked. So, you ask, what happened? I pulled into Chitwan, Nepal, yesterday, after an eight-hour bus journey from Kathmandu, having teamed up with Cox and Kings UK to do an elephant ride this morning through … Read More
Santosh is driving a hard bargain when I return to his shop Thursday morning. “Prices are fixed…fixed prices,” he says sternly to a group of Asian tourists, pointing at a laminated sheet of paper. Laminated. There’s no bending the rules with this guy. But why should he? He runs the shop of a recently founded … Read More
“Morning is when the wick is lit. A flame ignited, the day delighted with heat and light, we start the fight for something more than before.” – Jeb Dickerson As Citlalli and I get ready to head off on the Rickshaw Run one week from tomorrow–yikes!–I’ve also been busy putting together another new project: My Morning: … Read More
“Imagine you’re lost in a massive desert, hundreds of miles from civilisation, driving a car even your granny would be embarrassed by…This is what the Mongol Rally is about.” — The Adventurists Today is a big day. Not for me, really–I’ve been tucked away in quiet southwest London, thankful to be out of the way of what Obama … Read More
“Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.” — Dorothea Lange I’ll be honest with you…I’m a little jealous right now. As we speak, the second Travel Bloggers Unite conference is getting underway in Innsbruck, Austria, and from what I can tell from tweets and photos already pouring in, Innsbruck … Read More