Disaster strikes suddenly, our chances of victory in the Tour de Yunnan are dealt a sever blow with Charlie waking with a deathly pale visage after a horrid night running to the toilet. A tummy bug is a wretched thing at the best of times without being stuck in a foreign bed having to tiptoe […]
The first day of competition is upon us, a buzz fills the breakfast hall in a heady mix of nervousness and excitement, the addictive toxin of any elite level athlete. It could be the competitive spirit or it could be that we’re about to see familiar faces, Charlie’s mum in particular has been keen to […]
In a tempest of emotion we farewell Nepal for the short hop over to China and into a different world, it still amazes me the power contained in a border. With China on the horizon we’ve been soaking up literature about this mysterious nation so recently thrust into our consciousness in a way we cannot […]
How lucky we are so safely tucked into a relatively unaffected part of Nepal during what, as far as I can tell, might stand as the largest natural disaster of this year. Buildings we were standing on lay in rubble, the death toll sits at over 8000 and rises daily and all the while we […]
Our trip to Nepal originally focused on completing the Annapurna Circuit including Thorung La (5416m pass); however the major 7.8 earthquake occurred when we were in Manang just prior to the assent to the pass. We turned back rather than risk the aftershocks creating an avalanche on the pass. We feel desperately for the Nepali […]
What a first introduction into Asia, we entered Nepal with a foremost thought to mountains and a spiritual people; we leave fixed mostly on the earthquake that at this point has claimed over 8,000 lives. Our time in Nepal has taken place in only really three places yet from those three places we have indulged […]
Annapurna sinks back in time despite standing guard above us all the while here in Pokhara, the sedate travellers waltz has taken it’s grip on us in a slow rolling sway through a city not known for passivity. The world peace pagoda holds no surprises, a big shiny stupa commemorating world peace and not much […]
Makeover day was yesterday, today is a new day in Pokhara as the footpaths are swept and the city wakes to the repetitive tune of a tourist town mixed with local heart and clashed cultures. We’re scrubbed and pretty sauntering morning streets awash with people carrying laden trays of pastries surrounded by fresh fruit and […]
What is all this stuff, these strange surroundings? Heavy fabric curtains cover large windows casting only a small halo of light on these unwitting soon-to-be humans who belong to the other side of the heavy fabric. Replacing our sleeping bags is a mountain of soft down with no limiting sleep sack to restrict movement; I […]
Charlie and Steve's Excellent Adventure 