Pema Dorji’s Positive Story
I was cycling up Gaden Lam, slow and red-faced, when I met Pema Dorji. He pulled up alongside me on his mountain bike, wearing a gho and bike helmet – […]
Category Archives: People
A day in Myeik
U Chit Ko Ko and I had had a busy morning. We had explored Myeik’s main market, U Chit Ko Ko walking ahead and pointing at things (“Burmese shampoo!”, “Big […]
Mr Book’s Ginger Tea
Mr Book suddenly let out a hoot and, leaning closer, pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with his forefinger. Glancing around to see what had caused the […]
Looking back at Burma
Hello there! Remember me, the errant author of this blog? Lovely to see you again, after all this time… I returned to Hong Kong last week after 67 fascinating days […]
The Ladykiller
When Wayne pulled up on his motorbike and asked me where I was going, I’m afraid I sighed inwardly, in anticipation of the conversation ahead. Like most independent travellers, I […]
Bodhisattva For Sale
“Come here”, the cook said, beckoning Chinese-style – her palm facing down and fingers moving together. I followed her behind the grimy sheet that hid the kitchen from the restaurant […]
Golden Worm: A Film
“Look! They only have to work for a few months each year – the rest of the time they just relax and get fat…” Dorjee grumbled as we were overtaken […]
The Case of the Lost-and-Found Passport
{In which my guests and I leave Chengdu on the journey that will take us to Lhasa:} While driving through rush-hour Chengdu bears more than a passing resemblance to piloting a […]
Paperwork Pains
The post-trip dust of mystery receipts and cryptic notes-to-self (‘It [what?!] starts at 4,650m’ and ‘Watch out for… [illegible scrawl]‘) has finally settled. When I’m leading a journey, the adventure is […]
Leaving Lhasa
We made it! Despite the worryingly high chance of getting snowed in en route, we got all the way from Chengdu to Lhasa – 3,000 kilometres – with only two […]
Radio Silence Imminent
All is well in cloudy Chengdu, my guests having thus far braved Chinese domestic flights, temporary driving license applications, and weapons-grade hotpot. Tomorrow the actual hijinks begin… Unlike my adventures […]
Freewheeling with Nirwan Moktan
On April 1 this year, Nirwan Moktan set off to cycle from Hong Kong to his hometown in Nepal. On his 6,000-kilometre journey home, he passed through many of my […]
Three handsome boys, please.
“You know, in Cantonese slang, you can ask for a bowl of rice by asking for a leng jai,” Mr Yak told me years ago, when I was still young and […]
A Call to Doctor Ho
I recently found myself in the awkward position of having to call someone to ask whether they were still alive or not. The man in question, Doctor Ho, and I […]
Teatime in China
Like many British people, I come from a family of tea-drinkers – black tea with milk, please, served after meals or with biscuits and cake. In the past, I’ve tended […]
Little Yak 