It’s been almost a year since we visited Ladakh. Now, news out of Leh is that flash floods have killed hundreds of people in the region. Both locals and foreigners remain unaccounted for, and the whole area is cut off from the rest of the world. Normally it never rains in Ladakh. As the above [...]
You know you’ve been on the road too long when you’ve checked into a five star hotel and the following conversation takes place: Jaime: “Is it embarrassing that we’ve just checked into this hotel carrying our own toilet paper?” Martin: “Not any less embarrassing than checking out with the two from our bathroom. Did you [...]
Is this a Delhi monument? A museum, perhaps? Or maybe it’s a palace? No, actually its our hotel in Delhi. Travel has been rough and dirty for the last few months and we couldn’t get excited about staying in a backpacker guesthouse during our two days here – so we went five star. Thanks to [...]
Our time here in India is winding down, and it’s time to review the local beer brands. Let me begin by saying that this is by no means a comprehensive review: India is a huge country, and we’ve only visited eight provinces. Also, I haven’t tried all the beers around here. For that, I believe [...]
Our Lonely Planet guidebook said that “people bring their possessed loved ones (to this temple) to have bad spirits exorcised” and that “the street outside feels like it’s hosting a Hindu rave.” Sounds like an amazing place to see, right? The temple they referred to was in Balaji, just three hours drive from Jaipur. [...]
Before leaving for this trip I asked Martin what souvenir he most wanted to bring home. Yes, I know it was an unfair question, since he had no idea what we would come across, but there was a method to the madness. I was trying to get him used to the idea of buying things [...]
The man pictured on the left in this picture literally pulled us over to his vending table so we could pose for a photo together. He then ran to the nearby store to grab a card, insisting we send a copy of the photo to the address on the card. I tell you this story, [...]
It was ten days ago that I reveled in Martin’s encounter with a cuddly Indian man. I laughed. I thoroughly enjoyed his awkward half-smile, half-grimace when it was happening. I made fun of him for days. Well, karma is a b-tch. I just spent our two hours of our bus ride from Miao in Arunachal [...]
This is a sight you don’t see every day: a Tibetan settlement, complete with gompas and prayer flags, transplanted onto the sweaty plains of eastern Arunachal Pradesh. The village has been around since 1976. It was originally set up as a refugee camp for people that fled the madness that was the Cultural Revolution [...]
Much to our disappointment, we didn’t make it to the Lake of No Return. Here’s Jaime explaining why. (Above: the check point where we were turned back by the Assam Rifles).
Traveling out here sure has its quirks and oddities. Like the other day when we tried to cross into Arunachal Pradesh from Assam. To the horror of the border guards, we attempted to do this on a public bus. This could simply not be permitted: nay, we had to have our own vehicle. Unlike the [...]
Carpets are a weak point for me (as seen here and here). It’s not always been that way. Maybe it happened after I hit 30, maybe I just miss having a home to decorate. Either way, I can’t stop imagining our future home filled with beautiful carpets. That being said, we stopped by the [...]
The lights had been out for three hours when a pop woke me from a deep sleep. Not yet awake but no longer sleeping, I lay on my side with my back to our window, drifting back toward sleep. A cool draft slid over my exposed shoulder. Funny, I thought, the window was closed when [...]
The Tawang valley is not only home to the massive Gompa, but also to a number of traditional villages. Because we’d spent so much time getting up there, we told ourselves that we would stay at least two days in the area. Our rear ends needed a rest and the thought of traveling again made [...]
What do you do when resources are scarce, but you really need new garage doors? In Dirang in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang valley, you save your cans of mustard oil, smash them flat and voila – the door is yours. We’re definitely going to start saving our mustard oil cans from now on. You [...]
You know the saying, “to fly by the seat of your pants?” Well, that's been our philosophy for most of our adult lives – before and after meeting, falling in love and marrying. We're now taking that idea on an extended round-the-world trip. Follow us as we share the good, the bad and the downright nasty of life on the road.
