By Nick
Our journey overland from Malapascua to Leyte, then on to Samar was meant to take 2 days but instead lasted 3. We seemed to have always just missed that bus or jeepney and much of the time was spent frustratingly waiting around for our transport to fill with passengers. Samar and Leyte have some of the most beautiful countryside we have seen yet in the Philippines but we did not stop to appreciate it for long, we had lots of ground to cover, our travel days lasting at least …

by Nick
After some debate Lianna and I were signed up to join another couple on a camel trek into the Thar Desert outside of Jaisalmer. Sometimes in relationships, compromises must be made and this was one of those times. Lianna agreed to 2 nights provided she had a tent to sleep in instead of being exposed at night to the desert wildlife (spiders and scorpion she wants to add) so after paying a little extra her requirement was arranged and we were off.

The novelty of riding a camel wares off …

by Nick
Today began with the four of us loading our rucksacks into the Landcrusier for the long journey towards Mt. Everest Base Camp.
After departing from Shigatse, Tibet’s second biggest city, we drove for approximately 4hrs until we reached Sakya Monastery. This monastery was significant due to the fact that it is the oldest monastery in Tibet and survived the Cultural Revolution. The monastery follows the Tantric sect so over the next hour we wondered around the various dark and grim chapels full of protector deities and more chanting monks.

1. Getting to the bar
In a packed pub, getting to the bar can be an aggressive affair. The oldest bar patrons tend to congregate around the entire circumference of the bar as they want to see everything happening in their local watering hole. Shoulders and elbows must be used, and literally picking up a person and moving them to a more convenient location is an option if they are small enough. Locals will want to get into deep conversation with you once they hear your accent so venturing …

With laws prohibiting smoking, billboards, plastic bags, traffic lights, the support of Gross National Happiness over Gross National Product, Bhutan is unlike any other nation. It’s uniqueness coupled with superb Himalayan trekking, authentic Buddhist culture, and astonishing bio-diversity, it is surprising that Bhutan sees less than 20,000 tourists a year. This is because like all other aspects of the nation, Bhutan has a different way of doing things.

In the spirit of our up and coming Asia trip I decided to take a look at some of the most exotic foods I have come across over the last few years. Some are delicious, some are…not delcious but everything is worth a try right?