After an amazing month in Sikkim, we flew to Delhi then took a night bus up to Shimla in the south of Himachal Pradesh. It was from here that we began the epic Kinnaur Spiti loop, to finish in Manali just over two weeks later. This is the route we took: Shimla – Sarahan –… Continue reading Shimla to Manali: The Epic Kinnaur Spiti Loop
Back in Gangtok after the thrilling landscapes of North Sikkim, we made plans to explore the rest of the state. Namchi (1675m) Namchi is the capital of the southern district, much quieter than Gangtok with none of the traffic or commotion that plagues the state capital. Sherpas and other people of Nepalese ancestry make up… Continue reading Discovering Sikkim: Namchi to Yuksom
Our final stop in China was Chengdu, the modern capital city of Sichuan province. We arrived in the pouring rain after a long night train from Luoyang; after settling in at our hostel and having a good filling brunch we set out to explore the immediate area. The city itself offers little in the way… Continue reading Meeting our Panda Pals in Chengdu
After our time in Yunnan, we flew to Xi’an, the capital of Shaanxi province and the eastern terminus of the Old Silk Road. The glory days of Xi’an ended in the early 10th Century; it had been a melting pot of different cultures and religions, home to emperors, poets, monks, merchants and warriors. Today, despite… Continue reading Xi’an: The Old Silk Road Begins
In Spring 2018 Ollie and I spent a month in China, on what was our first trip to this hugely diverse country. We landed in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province, which is the most diverse in all of China. More than half of the country’s minority groups can be found in Yunnan, along with… Continue reading Highlights of Yunnan Province
Mymensingh and Birisiri were two massive highlights of our trip to Bangladesh. Mymensingh Mymensingh is a fairly modern, bustling city with a pretty riverfront on the banks of the Brahmaputra river; however it was the intriguing old quarter that really caught our attention. We arrived in Mymensingh after a fairly long bus ride from Bogra… Continue reading Beautiful Bangladesh: Mymensingh and Birisiri
Bustling Bogra is a sprawling town centred around the hectic Shat Matha - seven road junction. Ollie and I stayed at the lovely Red Chillies Guest House in the centre of town, which included a fantastic Bangla style buffet breakfast. Although we only really used Bogra as a base in which to explore two impressive… Continue reading Beautiful Bangladesh: Bustling Bogra
Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is one of the most densely populated cities in the world, bursting with nearly 17 million people. When Ollie and I first arrived we were totally overwhelmed. Dhaka made Delhi seem like a walk in the park; it was far crazier, dirtier and more confusing than India's capital and with… Continue reading Beautiful Bangladesh: First Stop Dhaka
We have travelled a lot of Thailand since our first trip in 2015; in fact we now live here in Ayutthaya as English teachers! The kingdom can basically be divided into five main areas - Bangkok and the eastern seaboard, the south, the northeast (Isan), the central region and northern Thailand. Our favourite part of… Continue reading Six Highlights of Northern Thailand
Bali is a magical island in the Indonesian archipelago that has come to be known as the 'Island of the Gods'. It is not hard to understand why. From golden sand beaches to misty volcano peaks and shimmering rice paddies, Bali is a very special island that is all too easy to fall in love… Continue reading How to Spend a Month in Bali: Island of the Gods
OLLIE AND LYNETTE ON THE WORLD 