Osaka Castle The samurai screamed a short, sharp battle cry, and drew his sword to expose the blade halfway from the hilt. The noise caught my attention, and I turned to see the commotion. The tourist walked away, and a new one walked up, also dressed in samurai costume, to join the staff member in … More Visiting the Highlights (and tourist traps) of Osaka
Near the top of the mountain, we walked into a perfect view of Fushimi Inari’s torii gates. We turned a corner, and there it was waiting for us, with no tourists or anything. A long tunnel of vermillion was being illuminated by a perfectly angled sun, turning every gate a different shade of bright orange, … More Experiencing Fushimi Inari: an illustrated walkthrough
I came across a quote by Leonardo da Vinci the other day, which I quite like: For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you long to return.
You may not have heard of the Pont des Arts by its real name – but you might have heard of the ‘love lock’ bridge in Paris. It’s the pedestrian bridge known for its railings covered in padlocks, locked there by loving couples who sign their initials and throw the key into the Seine river … More The story of the Paris love lock bridge
I stood in the middle of the highway, and watched it disappear into the distance. There were no cars. All around us was a lunar landscape of black volcanic soil, and endless rocky plains which stretched from mountain to sea. Beyond, something brilliant and white was pouring down the mountainside. A spectacular glacier.
Iceland has so many Þings to see! (It’s a bad joke. I’ll explain later)* We had a car, and all of Iceland lay ahead. We were excited to see everything. First up, the Golden Circle, an easy day trip from Reykjavik that has some of the countries most spectacular sights. Here are some of the … More Iceland’s stunning day trip – The Golden Circle
A man with a bow and arrow was stalking the beach. He had a backpack full of other weapons, like blowpipes. He probably didn’t manage to sell many. Nor the salesman sailing a pirate ship-shaped kite through the air. Who needs that stuff, anyway?
Every backpacker has a special relationship with their backpack. Packing it and repacking it becomes somewhat of an art after those weeks and months, with each item in its own special place, and a million ideas on how to improve the packing system. Here is my list of things I would optimise for next time.
The banana pancake trail: a nickname given to the popular tourist routes through South East Asia, where foreign influence has shaped that place to cater for foreign taste (ie. banana pancakes for breakfast in Asia!).
It seems scary, applying for the Myanmar visa, with many rules and limits and strictures, just like ordering a soup from Seinfeld’s ‘Soup Nazi’. But don’t worry, it’s dead simple.
