Over the two weeks of our journey in Sri Lanka, I slept in a number of different places from upright in a crowded train carriage from Colombo, to a beach by the surf on the south coast. We stayed in…
Dear Low Cost Airline
The following is a work of fiction. Any persons or situations that resemble real life are absolutely intentional, but no offense is intended (well, not too much anyway). I buy low-cost flights because of the low cost (big surprise there)…
Meeting Linh: Part 2
The phone’s ring dragged me from blissful slumber, and I hadn’t even accepted the call when my stomach leapt into my mouth and wrenched me in to full consciousness. I was still bumbling through apologies as I stepped into the…
Meeting Linh: Part 1
When people ask how Linh and I met, the answer often elicits a condescending smile – at least until we provide a little more detail. The short version of this story is that I found Linh on Gumtree, but before…
Sacré Cœur – poor service, fond memories.
I spent two busy days in Paris, experiencing as many of the sights as possible. Forgetting, for a moment, that we could have extended that time from days to weeks and conceivably still not seen everything, it may come as…
Fuelling new Discoveries
Running out of – or at least grossly miscalculating – fuel is almost a rite of passage for the seasoned overland traveller. I’v lost count of the number of times that I’ve spent long stretches of road sweating the minute…
My first real encounter with the language barrier
Whenever I travel, people ask me how I deal with the language barrier as if it is some kind of physically oppressive wall that stops them from travelling themselves. Of course I tell them that language is only a part…
What to do in Kalbarri when it’s raining.
As important as it may be for Western Australia’s farming community (and by extension the rest of us), I struggle with wet weather. The mercifully brief winter rains in Western Australia bring with them – for me – a dark…
On the train to Colombo
I have never loved crowds. I have quite the knack for avoiding situations where I have to deal with being crushed against hundreds of sweaty bodies. I shun most events that mean that I’ll have to jostle, fight, bite and…
Barber Shop Photos 11 – Stilt fishermen in Sri Lanka
One thing that fascinates (and concerns) me about travelling is the effect we have on cultural and social practices as we trudge our way through countries that often have vastly different structures than our own. This shot of the stilt…
Rain on Lion Rock (Sigiriya Fortress)
Once we decided to travel to Sri Lanka and we began to investigate what to do while on the island, I quickly identified four experiences that I could not miss. Firstly, we wanted to climb Sri Pada (Adam’s Peak) and…
Enter the Dragon
The idea of an African Safari has never been at the top of my travel list. I’m confident that it would be fantastic, and when I make it to Africa I will most certainly partake, but in terms of the…
Whip it real good!
In 2013 I found myself in a small mountain village about an hour out of the Flores fishing village and divers’ Launchpad of Labuan Bajo. I was there with a school group looking for opportunities for cultural experience and community…
No delays please – we’re Australian
This blog might seem angry and mean spirited… And it is. But I did not change the intent once I cooled down because somewhere amidst the vitriol there might be a good lesson for someone. One thing that every traveller…
The Night Bus to Vientiane
It was after 11pm as the bus hurtled through the night. We departed almost thirty minutes behind schedule – not bad as far as Laos buses were concerned. The afternoon swelter had slowly diminished and it was only now, at…
The Barber vs The Burger
Gastronomical adventuring has never been high on my list of travel motivations. In fact I have been known to become ever so slightly cynical when somebody carelessly mentions the latest season of ‘Master Chef’ or ‘Whatever cooking sellout plays prime-time this week’.…
Breadcrumbs
The most memorable thing I have ever brought while abroad is a small model of the Great Pyramid complex at Giza. They are memorable to me, not by virtue of their expense or rarity, but because of the bumbling…