India Page 2

‘No… 150 rupees’, said the rickshaw driver as I offered my bundle of scruffy notes. ‘No. We agreed 50!’ I realised straight away I was being ripped off. There’s no way he could have known whether my bundle was 50, 150 or even 1050; the … Continue reading →

Since leaving Sydney, we’ve lived in Montreal, Cusco, Buenos Aires, and now Bangalore. We’ve experienced the full gamut of living expenses; from 500-dollar dinners in Sydney to 7-cent samosas in far-Eastern India. But this odyssey isn’t just about saving a few quid. We left Australia to explore the … Continue reading →

Malaria is a tricky one. You can’t be vaccinated against it, but it can be cured. Yes, almost one million people die from it every year, but those who do, don’t have access to treatment. There are many ways to try and prevent malaria, but … Continue reading →

We’ve travelled around India non-stop for the last few weeks, spending only 2 out of 20 nights in the same bed. Not knowing the state of your next sleeping place (location and/or cleanliness) can be a little unnerving. Your travel dreams can quickly turn into a … Continue reading →

We travelled over 12,000 kilometers; that’s 3,000 more than the Trans-Siberian. On 15 different trains; from general class, all the way to 2AC. To 12 towns and cities; the Easternmost, Northernmost, Westernmost and Southernmost railway stations of India. With 20 undeniably crazy people; from Australia, … Continue reading →

Before coming to India, we were told we wouldn’t even last a fraction of the 4 months we had planned to stay. “Rubbish”, was my usual response. I knew I’d love India. I imagined loving the food, the colours, the festivals, the people, the fast … Continue reading →

Wow! Darjeeling is absolutely nothing like what I expected. The 3-hour taxi ride from New Jalpaiguri station is a nail-biting white-knuckle ride along a series of switchback to 2,050m above sea level. And although Darjeeling’s hotels have aristocratic English names, like the Windamere, this high-altitude … Continue reading →

In my chilled hands is a searingly hot, seriously tiny cup of chai. How I wish I’d invested in a thermos that could satisfy my tea needs beyond two mouthfuls. Instead, buying a cup for each hand, I’m immobilised to do anything, except sip. It’s … Continue reading →

After travelling through 6 continents, on a range of budgets, in a range of styles, there’s nothing more thrilling, culturally immersive, and enjoyable, than a shave at a local barber. I had a shave in Ledo today, the Easternmost railway stop in India. A couple … Continue reading →

Remember I said, ‘the longer the train trip the better’? Well, we really tested that theory by completing a 39 hour train trip from New Delhi to Dibrigah. We caught this train to reach the Easternmost railway station in India, called Ledo, where we planned … Continue reading →

After the near death of the GCIRC, we rested up in our new train berths onwards to New Delhi. Arriving in the early morning, Delhi was everything I expected India to be and more. There’s rubbish, poverty, and chaos everywhere, but once you look past … Continue reading →

PSSSHHHHHHH!!!! Air screams from the train’s undercarriage as ‘someone’ (names redacted to protect the not-so-innocent) pulls the emergency brake lever. People all over the platform run to the source of the sound; they shout foreign words like gunfire while the conductor chases after them with … Continue reading →

Bzzzzzz! Up I was at 4am. Okay, there was no alarm, but my internal body clock buzzed after I fell asleep at 7pm the night before. These trains really don’t help with jetlag, but the plus side is that I woke up nice and early … Continue reading →