III.II.V – City of Lakes

III.II.V CITY OF LAKES The second leg of our journey involved a super bumpy eight-hour bus ride that took us straight to Pokhara; the City of Lakes. Aptly known as the tourism capital of Nepal, Pokhara is a destination for many avid adventurers seeking to brave the Annapurna Circuit. Though we wouldn’t get to do that, the scenic drive there already […]

III.II.IV – Difference

III.II.IV DIFFERENCE Keep in mind that the universe loves to prove me wrong. Much to my surprise and as busy as we were, we still had plenty of time to roam about and discover the city. And when we were done with orientation, it was finally time for us to roll our sleeves and start our volunteering. After being introduced […]

III.II.III – The Great Divide

III.II.III THE GREAT DIVIDE Over the first week in Nepal, we were kept busy with the orientation program. We were taught some basic Nepali, informed about their customs and told what we were to do. We parted ways with the rest of the group who’d be participating in other programs; mainly construction, female empowerment and teaching, and, as the only […]

III.II.II – Land of the Gods

III.II.II LAND OF THE GODS I might be in love with travelling, but if there’s one thing I hate, it’s long-haul flights. Seriously, hate them with a passion. My nose alternates between being as dry as a fistful of Martian soil and bleeding like a stuck pig, my joints and muscles age by fifty years and my hypothalamus suddenly decides […]

III.II.I – Gearing Up

III.II.I GEARING UP Islander lifestyle be damned. Something much better was in store for me. Something my friends and I had been planning for months on end was now just around the corner. Something… Okay, I’m done with all the suspense. As soon as exams were done and dusted, we were gonna fly off to Nepal! But it wasn’t just […]

III.I.III – Rose-Coloured Glasses

III.I.III ROSE-COLOURED GLASSES I was never a summer person. You know how everyone just goes bonkers at the simple mention of the season? Not me. I’m a sucker for autumn. I think I have Gilmore Girls to thank for that – is that a more autumny TV show out there?  There’s just something about autumn that makes me feel as […]

III.I.II – Moving On

III.I.II MOVING ON And life went on. I now had all the time in the world for my studies and for myself. The second semester of our third year in med school is renowned for its trials and tribulations, so this ‘freedom’ seemed to be god-sent. The catch? The ‘me time’ soon started taking over the study time and before you […]

III.I.I – Back

III.I.I BACK I arrived back home in one piece, unprostituted and as sober as ever. I had been expecting to come back a different person, and that I did. Only I couldn’t quite recognise what was so different about me. On the outside I was still the same; though lighter and my skin now perfect, shiny and tan in the […]

II.III.IX – Home

II.III.IX HOME Constantly moving on from adventure to another, I failed to notice my time in Colombia was almost up. On my last day, I opened my eyes and I was wide awake. I wanted to keep them closed, to go back to sleep. I wanted to stay in that moment right before you wake up – when things are […]

II.III.VIII – Wandering

II.III.VIII WANDERING Just before we’d get to enjoy the city of Bogotá, we had one final road trip planned in order to cover as much ground as possible. Luckily, Pedro’s father offered his car for that.  Our first stop was the Catedral de Sal de Zipaquirá which are salt mines extending some 650 feet underground with a church at their epicentre. Apart from being […]