This is a piece I entered into a competition in 2018. It didn’t get chosen but I had a lot of fun writing it, so here it is… Tibet. I urged the little grey pony into a canter. Left hand gripping my Mongolian bow, right hand on the reins, ready. My hand flew back to … More Quivering with Determination
We were on the bullet train speeding through Chinese countryside, getting glimpses of vastly changing landscapes. It was my birthday weekend and Lucas had planned a weekend getaway to surprise me. While I dozed, nibbled on snacks and peered out the window, I could feel Lucas getting more and more tense. Every couple of minutes … More A Whirlwind Tour of Guilin
July 2017 – Jogjakarta, Indonesia An overly-cheerful, intensely irritating, chorus of operatic “Good mornings” filled the room. I opened one eye, and fumbled around for my phone. 3:15AM. Why on earth had I suggested this? No, not just suggested it, campaigned for it. I cursed myself, turned off the alarm and rolled out of bed. … More A One-Stop Guide to Jogjakarta
May 2017, Shei-Pa National Park, Taichung, Taiwan We arrived at the start of the trail and we were met with several large warning signs. Landslides, bees, snakes and…bears. This was supposed to be just a casual stroll in the woods! Katie and I swapped alarmed glances. Filled with trepidation we took a deep breath, girded … More A Bear-y Scary Walk in the Woods – Taiwan Cloud Mountain 2017
May 2017, Heping District, Taichung, Taiwan. Thick steam rose from the hot spring pool in the centre of the room, but it was chilly out here at the entrance, where Katie and I were nervously dithering. Before entering, we were supposed to strip naked, hang up our swimmers, then walk across the room to the … More Tits Out For The Girls – Taiwan Hot Springs 2017
And just like that, it was all over. We were standing in Jakarta airport, about to board our separate flights and a deep melancholic feeling settled over me. We had spent every moment of every day for the last 27 days together (miraculously without a single cross word being said) and separating from my “drunken, … More The End of an Era
There’s a joke in Sulawesi that the Torajans live their whole life preparing for their death. It isn’t too far from the truth. When a Torajan dies, their death is not acknowledged until the funeral ceremony. This takes place over 6 days – 3 days of bull fighting and 3 days for the actual ceremony, … More The Cult of Death
We arrived in Makassar and as we looked out of the window of our guesthouse, a sickening sense of dread descended on us both – there, not 5 metres away was a loudspeaker attached to a mosque. The call to prayer starts at 4am! As we settled in, the last call to prayer erupted from … More Down on my cluck!
After my malaria diagnosis, I sweated my way through the next three days, almost entirely bed bound, and we abandoned our original plan to proceed further into the interior of West Papua – exploring areas devoid of tourists and largely impossible to get to. Manado would be a much better destination for rest and recuperation, … More Escape from West Papua
Things were not quite right when I woke up. My head was splitting and I had a slight fever – and when I pushed my breakfast away untasted, dad was concerned. I love breakfast. Luckily, there was a boat leaving for the mainland that morning and he decided to go to a doctor to get … More Ellie gets malaria
Musings and Wanderlust 