At about 4:30am the guides returned from base camp with the yaks, bells clanging in the pre-dawn darkness, carrying their cargo. Headlamps buzzed around like fireflies as preparations were made. I had a quick breakfast of rice and vegetables and by the time we joined the parade of pilgrims the sun had began to tint the sky a brilliant pink and orange.
It is an extraordinary way to live, waking up everyday and putting on your boots and everything else you need on your back and heading off into the unknown. I mean, you have a destination on the map you’d like to get to but essentially you have no idea what you will encounter, what beauty awaits you.
When there wasn’t such access to photographs and stories people had to seek it out. But it seems with cheaper flights and abundant information more and more people are inspired to get out of their comfort zone and explore this world. It can have adverse effects like over tourism but can also inspire positive change in people’s attitudes.
A particular destination becomes so popular due to its cultural significance or aesthetic beauty that it almost loses its charm due to the influx of foreign and domestic tourists. But there is an alternative. If you want to immerse yourself in the culture of a place, understand what makes the people tick and be the first to uncover some little hidden gem then you need to be prepared to wing it a little, get off the well worn path, go somewhere that you didn’t see in lonely planet or on instagram and be more than an average tourist.
Manila was tough, not least because it’s big and dirty and hard to get around. For the first time in a long time my brother and I were in just each others company and in a foreign land. Issues began to arise. When you are travelling with someone and your opinions on certain topics differ, there is nowhere to hide. Life can be tough when someone close to you feels strong negative emotion but it’s how you react that determines…
A story about buying a van for travelling and a case of mistaken identity.
What its really like at a 10 day silent meditation retreat in Thailand. What good is anyone who just sits around on his arse all day anyway? You could be building a school in Africa or something right? With his legs crossed and his eyes closed and doing, well not much at all really. Rest assured, its not as easy as all that and the truth of the matter is that anyone can get busy doing something…
25 photos of various national parks from my road trip through Canada and the U.S.