Backpack Vagabond
an opinionated travel blog
Invisible Lines; A Story of Independence on the British Isles
This year marks 100 years since the Easter Rising - the event that would eventually kick Ireland's fight for independence from Great Britain into full gear. But at first the uprising was extremely unpopular. You see, when Patrick Pearse first stood on the steps of the...
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Trump’s Wall vs. TribeLAB’s Playground – Two approaches to the refugee crisis
"All Mongolians are criminals, they're drug dealers, and they're rapists!" proclaimed Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi, China's first Emperor as he rose to power, promising to build a wall to keep out all those pesky Mongolians. Which is exactly what he did, and so the Great...
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Old Man | Nepal
Nepal is a poor country, really poor. It's never been the seat of high power, always a country on the margins. But it's a country rich in character, culture and humility. Nowhere else have I ever been met with such dignity and kindness as I did in Nepal. A part of the...
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Why I walked out on a date with the hottest girl I’d ever dated
I just walked out on a date with one of the hottest women I've ever been on a date with. Here's why... So we met up at this taco place in Cancun, and she arrives and looks absolutely gorgeous, with a fancy dress and hair and make-up all done up like it was a Friday...
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Lovebirds | Nepal
Lovebirds
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Monkeys | Remember Nepal
I found this mother and child at the very top of the temple complex Swayambunath in the nort-western parts of Kathmandu. The climb up was steep, but all the monkeys I saw everywhere made me stop every few steps just to watch them and try to snatch a photo before they...
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Remember Nepal | Boudhanath
Boudhanath was meant to be a minor stop on the way to catch a glimpse of the mighty Himalayas, but I ended up becoming sucked in by the place. I'd been told that you always walk clockwise around all Buddhist and Hindu temples, rooms and structures. So I followed that...
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Remember Nepal | Rooftop View
This image was taken from the balcony of a rooftop restaurant at Durbar Square in Kathmandu. The mountains in the background are barely visible through all the smog. Many of the buildings you see in this photo are no longer standing, a silent testimony to the force of...
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The Problem With Not Giving A Fuck
Do you give a fuck? Or do you not give a fuck? Really who gives a fuck if you do or you don't? Why do we give a fuck more about what happens on Sons of Anarchy than actual gang related violence? Why do we give a fuck about Kim Kardashian's ass and not about the...
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Remember Nepal | The Monk and the Birds
Kathmandu was a magical place, it really saddened me to hear the news of the earth quake that devastated the city and all its rich cultural heritage. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have been there so recently and just before the disaster and was able to see...
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All We Need Is Music
Sometimes we don't need to actually read an account of a great traveller in order to feel inspired. Sometimes all we need is music. This time the music that inspires is this awesome piece by Parov Stelar, just listen to the lyrics and you will understand what makes...
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Return Home – If only for a little while
Man it sucks getting back. But it’s also really great. I don’t know which. Nothing beats seeing new things and experiencing the world around you, meeting new people and finding new bars to get drunk in. But then there’s getting home to a safe haven. A place where you...
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London Houses Are Really Cold
I see the connection; the obvious teachers of Australian construction workers: the English. The houses are of the same poorly insulated quality. In Australia it almost makes sense, the southern parts of the country are only cold for a couple of months every year and...
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Thoughts on the Road
Things are shaping up on the road. One piece after the other is falling into place. I love setting out without a means to get from point A to point B with stops in between. Only a date and a flight out. It gives me that bit of pressure to perform and finish my goal,...
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On the Road to England: Hitchhiking and Trains
If you want to try something that will be far beyond your comfort zone; try hitchhiking. I haven't felt that much anxiety about anything in many, many years. Not because I was afraid to be molested or murdered, but simply because I was afraid to talk to strangers....
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