Blog

After the challenges and excitement of the detour to Tilicho Lake, it was time to rejoin the Annapurna Circuit, with a few easier days before the ultimate challenge of crossing Thorong La Pass. If you missed it, you can catch up on part 1 here . Day 11: Shree Kharka to Yak Kharka - 10km (6.2mi) Our destination today was a settlement called Yak Kharka - with a name like this translating to ‘yak pastures’, we held high hopes of seeing some yaks! Our dream was fulfilled very qu

Hiking around the Annapurna Circuit is what is commonly known as ‘teahouse trekking’. It follows a well-established trail which passes through many small villages with teahouses (or guest houses), which are hosted by local families welcoming trekkers with meals and accommodation. Over the past 40 or so years, the Circuit has gradually become more commercial, with a road now extending as far as the town of Manang, meaning some trekkers take a jeep along the treacherous mountai

The year is 2080, and we’ve been transported into the future. Although at times it felt like we have been transported back in time. On our evening flight from Singapore in 2023 to Kathmandu in 2080, we sat next to a chatty Nepali man who was a Christian theology teacher living in San Francisco for the past 30 years. He initially fled religious persecution in Nepal, but now returns twice a year to work with orphans and contribute to his community there. It was great to get som

The first destination on our next world adventure was a place very familiar to us both, the city/country of Singapore! The last time we were here, it was 2017, we had just finished 2 months in South East Asia together before heading our separate ways for 10 weeks - Luke to cycle down the East Coast of the US, and Jelley to visit Europe for the first time. It felt like a lifetime ago!! Fortunately, we had seen Jelley’s brother Geoff & sister-in-law Sara a few times since then

We landed into Auckland to a different New Zealand than the one we left mid-pandemic in December 2021. It was surreal to be surrounded by Kiwi accents, there was a distinct lack of face masks and it felt like we had gone back in time, but in the best possible way. We’d struck the jackpot with our remote flat-hunting, and were able to move in right away to our new villa in Eden Terrace with Kim, Krystal and Bagheera (the cat!). Luke had to leap immediately into his new job wit

Embarking on an epic journey through the rugged landscapes of Torres del Paine National Park is not for the faint of heart. From chaotic bus rides to wild weather swings, this trek was a real test of our resilience. After 8 days and 140km of hiking, we had finally earned the title of ‘hardcore hikers’. After a 4 hour bus from Argentina to Chile, we found ourselves in the cute port town of Puerto Natales. Nestled on the edge of Chilean Patagonia, Puerto Natales serves as the p

It was an anxious night’s sleep in O’Higgins. The wind howled and shook our tent, and we thought there was no way the boat would be...

Travel planning & logistics along the Carretera Austral was an ongoing challenge. It was a daily struggle to find reliable information...