During a recent transit through India, we found ourselves in Mumbai. We’d been advised by a fellow passenger on our flight to try out Fresh Catch, but as she’d told us it was far from our hotel, and since it was getting late, we asked our hotel reception staff for a recommendation of a restaurant within walking distance, and they suggested Aroma. That-Man and i had been discussing what we’d have to eat for a few days now, and he was insistent that we should have authentic Ind

Well, we’re back from the mountains and ready to share our experiences with our readers. This was our first trek in the Himalayas and what a trip it was! As you’ll remember, we wrote recently about our plans for the route. Now we’ll share what we’ve learned: DAY 1 First things first: Getting to your starting point may not be as simple as you’d expect. Chamje, where we planned to start hiking, might only be 209km from Kathmandu, and Google maps might estimate that it would tak

It is one thing to decide you are going trekking, and quite another story finding the right gear. I suppose our first problem was the fact that we live in Kimberley, which is a smaller city with less options in these kinds of items. Even so, we eventually purchased the bulk of our equipment there. It all started as I Googled “trekking boots” and “backpacks.” Finding the best equipment in cyberspace is a walk in the park; finding it in South Africa, much less in Kimberley, is

2016 10 03 So we asked a friend who live in a village close to Kathmandu if we could come for a visit, as we have to do some more intensive hill training. He said he could do better than that. We could visit one of his friends in her village in some more challenging terrain. So we decided that we’d travel there, do some hikes, and then walk back to the first bloke’s village, do some more training, then return to the city by bus. All very neatly sorted, wouldn’t you think? You

1 Alkmaar Cheese Market Alkmaar’s famous cheese market is a treat for almost any person. It involves stacks and stacks of Gouda cheese, a town square that’s been enlarged eight times to accommodate the amount of golden cheese discs traded since the 14th century, and an ordinary yet extraordinary hierarchy of officials who’s kept everything in order for more than 400 years. An ancient ritual between buyers and sellers is still maintained here, and the most entertaining part is

2016 09 25 After our session in Nagarkot, we were psyching ourselves up for more and more physical exertion in preparation for Thorung La, and we realised that we needed more than “The Hill” if we wanted to complete our expedition in the most comfortable way possible. Not that we’re anticipating comfort, but rather that we’re hoping to limit our discomfort as much as possible. First on our list of further training was a “long walk.” That-Man is a runner, and when he prepares