Hakone

An absolutely serene getaway from the action-packed capital, Hakone is scenic, slower paced and far more relaxed than Tokyo. It is famous basically for three things: Mt Fuji and its surrounding landscape, onsen and art museums. And our interests sat in that order. Getting there was easy, with our JR passes we could get a…

Sigiriya

Sigiriya was the first place Mum and I visited in Sri Lanka. Straight off the back of our India trip, the intensity levels couldn’t have been more different. We were staying at Sigiriya Riverside Home Stay and it was one of the best places we stayed on our entire trip. We were picked up from…

Kandy

 The second biggest city in Sri Lanka (after Colombo), and at least my second biggest disappointment of the trip (although I’m not actually sure of what was my biggest disappointment, so maybe it was my first). It was just underwhelming; definitely not somewhere where you would want to spend several days. The train trip to…

Udaipur

Udaipur was the only destination in our whole trip where I felt like the foot was taken off the accelerator, even if it was for just a brief time. With the nickname ‘Venice of the East’, I had high standards, and Udaipur does its best to live up to these expectations. It is a warren…

Bundi

Bundi is located in India’s northwest, and is most famed for its beautiful architecture. It has several ornate forts, palaces and step-well reservoirs which are known as baoris. I celebrated my birthday here, and wow, what a place to turn 27. I think it was the hottest day we had in India, clocking in at…

Jaipur

  About a four hour train ride from Agra, Jaipur (or the ‘Pink City’) is the capital of Rajasthan. It is famed for local artisans; ranging from jewellers, textiles (including block prints and carpets) and general thrift markets. It also plays host to the annual Jaipur Literature Festival (the largest free literature festival in the…

Agra

With a population of about 2 million people, Agra is so much bigger than I ever realised. Here I was, thinking that the glorious Taj Mahal was way out in the wops – little did I know there was SO much more to it. Obviously, Agra is home to the Taj Mahal (basically the only…

Delhi

Talk about a smack in the face. Or maybe something slightly more pleasant; a bucket of ice cold water tipped over you on a really hot day – an idea which would actually go down a real treat on your typical day in Delhi. This is India at one of its most extremes, and because…

Uluwatu

Uluwatu was one of the more surfy and relaxing spots we went to. Lots of Australian accents drifting past, and loads of modern dining options. We were advised to stay near Padang Padang beach, and although our hotel’s description of ‘beach front’ was pretty misleading, Padang Padang was a pretty cool spot. The Uluwatu Hotel…

Nusa Lembongan

Nusa Lembongan couldn’t be more different than Gili T. Given that we had just jumped from one island to another, we had expected them to be somewhat similar, so it was exciting to see such a massive change. Gone was the party, the hectic streets and the mass of vendors; Nusa Lembongan was all about…