Moscow to Irkutsk
Three days ago, I boarded a train from Moscow. My destination is a town called Irkutsk, the main stop for Lake Baikal. This is a four-day journey and I’m expected to reach...
Five Foot Traveller Blog
Arriving in St Petersburg
When does one start feeling for a city? What is the IT factor that makes you either hate or love a particular place? St Petersburg started out badly for me. I don’t...
Motorcycle diary
I heard the motorbike rattling behind me before I actually saw it. The sound got louder and louder, which meant that I was being followed. The noisy bike caught up with me...
The thing about money
Something has been happening lately- ever since ‘news’ of my big trip leaked out, people have been asking me how I saved up for it. (They obviously know I’m not rich). To me there’s really...
Walking the Great Wall
What could be more humbling than the combination of slippery ice, lack of exercise and a crumbling wall? I certainly couldn’t think of any- me, a tiny speck moving slowly on China’s...
One good day in Christchurch
This was a mission like no other. I hadn’t eaten any spicy food for five days and I needed to have some really quickly. I was in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was winter,...
Russia to Malaysia, overland
Ten years ago, I had this crazy idea that perhaps I could fly to Moscow, hop on a train and ride it right through to Beijing and from there, fly home to Malaysia....
How to stay the same after your travels
1. Don’t mingle with the locals. Don’t chat with that old lady selling flowers at the market or the 12-year-old selling postcards by the road. Be convinced that the only locals you need to...
Who follows you when you travel?
All those times I travelled alone, I was never totally convinced that I was entirely by myself. I heard my mother’s voice when I was in Beijing in January ’05. It was the...
Landmine Museum, Cambodia
This is a bit grim, but I took this photo at the Cambodian Landmine Museum a few miles out of Siem Reap a few years back. I wrote about how I got to the...
