First built in 312 BC, Petra was ‘lost’ for a 1000 years after an earthquake in 363 AD, only to be rediscovered again in 1812. Today, this 2000 year-old city is the most visited tourist attraction in Jordan. Blissfully ignorant of its intriguing history, Petra was already on my radar thanks to Indiana Jones, The …
Billed as “no ordinary walk in the park”, participants were forewarned of the many challenges such as limited forest cover, soaring heat, barren terrain with lots of rocks, boulders, steep cliffs and sandy beach. The circumnavigation of Cape Rachado, Port Dickson is only possible at low tide, and has a cut-off time of 5 hours …
Visited November 2019Impossible to SINK At 10 times saltier than most oceans, the Dead Sea is one of the rare places where it is impossible to sink. Floating on the other hand comes naturally. I made this interesting discovery as I tried to sit down in 18 inches of water. No matter how hard I …
While KL city was besieged by a Thor-like thunderstorm with lightning flashes streaking across the sky, seemingly with every throw of the God of Thunder’s hammer, just 22km out of the city at the Desa Melawati runsite, it was clear skies with nary a drop of rain. Being a less frequented site, the hares set …
Like many others before me, the Seven Wonders has been on my ultimate bucket list like... forever. On December 8, I struck gold with the Pyramids of Giza, which is the sole surviving wonder from the ancient world that is still standing today and was granted honorary status on the Seven New Wonders of the …
It’s a round trip. Getting to the summit is optional, getting down is mandatory… Anonymous Route Down 22 - 26 September The trip down took just 4 days. After Kalapattar, from Gorakshep I just wanted to go down to thicker air, setting my sights on Pheriche at 4240m. Thirty minutes into the 2-hour walk to …
It’s always further than it looks. It’s always taller than it looks. And it’s always harder than it looks The 3 rules of mountaineering The highs and lows DAY 8 - 21 September 2014 I woke up unrested. Today, I make the final push to Everest Base Camp (EBC). ‘Would I make it?’ passed through …
ROUTE UP 14 - 20 September 2014 DAY 1 - 14 SeptThe journey to Everest Base Camp starts with a 35 minute flight from Kathmandu to Lukla, an experience by itself. Built by Sir Edmund Hillary in 1964, this postage stamp airport sits on a hillside 2860m high, laying claim to having the highest and shortest runway (1,500ft) at …
I first heard about this hidden waterfall from a friend. However more information was mysteriously hard to come by, even among my regular hiking buddies. Surprisingly, our party was able to find Tanglir Falls, based on the scant directions shared - it is just up the road from an eco-resort at the foothills of Genting. …
When I announced my intention to visit Nepal that included a 10-day trek to Annapurna Base Camp, I was not prepared for reactions like "You are going solo? You are NUTS, is that safe?" Despite horror tales of altitude sickness, lack of bathrooms while trekking, aneuryms and what nots, I stayed resolute, carried on with my …
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