I love to travel light, but travel shoes are always a problem. I’ve tried to adhere to a one-pair policy, but it’s just not possible if I plan to keep fit, visit cold places, and trek in the wilderness. I’ve attempted to find an all-around travel shoe, but again, there’s nothing that remotely covers all […]
Every now and then I discover something I can’t believe I’ve been missing. Things like goats cheese, Moleskines, pancakes with bacon, global travel even. Well, guess what, I’ve found a new one: audiobooks. And they’re especially handy for travel. Lauren got me onto audiobooks just last month. I assumed they were for people too lazy […]
When we arrived in India, we joined a circumnavigation of the entire country by rail. We visited its furthest corners from Dwarka in the West to Jammu in the North. Also, Dibrugarh in the East, and Kanyakumari in the South. But as 12,000km of train travel began to take its toll, we relished the thought of […]
When we think of cheap flights, we usually think of scouring the web for hidden deals. Either that or using frequent flyer points and sophisticated strategies that yield free trips in a few years from now. But there’s a more natural way. This may not work for very popular legs, such as New York to […]
India’s unique country. Unless you stay holed-up in an expensive hotel, you can’t avoid memorable travel stories. Down every street and around every corner you’ll find something that either knocks your socks off, drives you bonkers, or stops you still with utter confusion. It dawned on me last night, after a particularly harrowing experience, that […]
We love to travel light. Apart from the added flexibility, it affords an odd sense of independence. There’s something very ‘Alexander Supertramp‘ about having all of your belongings in a 30L pack and being able to carry it comfortably for many hours on end. If you need anything, it’s just back there, over your shoulder. […]
Why on Earth would anyone want a solar-powered MacBook? Well, for most people, they either want to work in remote areas, throw parties ‘off the grid’, or pursue something creative in the wilderness. For Lauren’s next expedition, the Gobi 2011, she falls into all of these categories. Although she’ll have sporadic access to satellite Internet, […]
I love Indian train travel. The journey itself is always an adventure, and if you’re in the right class, the ride is very comfortable. How many other countries would you visit just to ride the trains? Yes, seriously, it can be that good. But the process of booking fully-confirmed tickets can be daunting for newcomers. […]
Sunny days are double-edged swords. They make exploring new places infinitely more enjoyable, but they also cause nasty skin damage. It was only a year ago when I had surgery on my head to remove skin cancer caused by Australia’s harsh sun. So it’s about time I read-up and shared my interesting findings. Did you know that UV […]
From toilet roll holders for tents to packing cubes that organize luggage, most travel products are just gimmicks. I make it a point to only travel with items I’d use at home. The road is my home, so it only makes sense. But there’s one exception. The SteriPEN is by far the most useful travel […]
‘No… 150 rupees’, said the rickshaw driver as I offered my bundle of scruffy notes. ‘No. We agreed 50!’ I realized 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 notes were all rolled up and their value was imperceptible. […]
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 world and live in places where our Australian dollars would […]
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 are these anti-malaria tablets really needed? Doctors will tell you, ‘Yes, yes, […]
What do Gossip Girl, Ghostbusters, and Goodfellas all have in common? They were all set in New York City, along with other favorites, Friends, Crocodile Dundee, Law & Order, Scent of a Woman, Seinfeld, As Good as it Gets, Sex and the City, Cruel Intentions, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Boiler Room, The Apprentice, and many more. […]
We’ve traveled 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 nightmare when you walk into a dingy hotel room where […]
We traveled 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, US, UK, Singapore, Bulgaria, and India. All in 15 days; […]
Before coming to India, we were told we wouldn’t even last a fraction of the 4 months that we had planned to stay. “Rubbish”, was my usual response. I knew I’d love India. I imagined loving the food, the colors, the festivals, the people, the fast growth, the low cost of living, everything. How could anyone […]
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 about 2,000 meters above sea level. And although Darjeeling’s hotels have aristocratic English names, like the Windemere, this high-altitude town is much more Chinese and Nepalese than […]
Remember I said, ‘the longer the train trip, the better’? Well, we tested that theory by completing a 39-hour train trip from New Delhi to Dibrugarh. We caught this train and got the best berth to reach the Easternmost railway station in India, called Ledo, where we planned to stop for a few hours to […]
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 it all, you find businesses thriving, children playing and people […]
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 an authoritative growl. The GCIRC team is now split: half […]
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 to chat with the early-rising locals and train conductors. As […]
Ahhhh… Sitting back, taking in the scenery, chatting with my fellow trainophiles, getting some much needed sleep, eating some great Indian food, and hanging out the train door at 50 miles per hour… life is good. It’s the little things that tend to provide the most value, and hanging out a moving Indian train with […]
The raucous story-telling and laughter mysteriously descended into an awkward silence. We all looked away between scattered beer bottles, smirking with slight embarrassment, the way people do when they’re stuck for conversation. This time was different though; it wasn’t a lack of words or inability to converse, but a simultaneous realization of what lay ahead. […]
