Airbnb in Japan is a great alternative to traditional accommodation, both in big cities where accommodation for tourists is often booked out, and also in more rural locations where there is a lack of hotel infrastructure and vacation rentals. Not to mention the added convenience of facilities like a kitchen and a washing machine. We […]
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The Story of My Eye-opening Cockfighting Experience in Bali
“Did you kill Gaddafi?” was the first question asked of me as I stumbled upon a casual yet organised meeting of men on the side of a dirt village road on the outskirts of Ubud, Bali. “Gaddafi’s dead?” was my first response. Obviously the first time I had heard this news, the man explained. “Yes, […]
Inu no Hi: Japan’s ‘day of the dog’ for pregnant women
Inu no Hi, literally meaning the ‘Day of the Dog,’ is an important pregnancy ritual and rite of passage for pregnant women in Japan. As dogs are widely believed to have easy and uncomplicated births as well as large litters, dogs are considered to be a symbol of smooth delivery and an animal deity of […]
Mount Kinabalu climb experience – what to expect
When there’s a mountain there, we just have to climb it, and Mount Kinabalu in Malaysian Borneo was one of those accessible peaks that we had been keen to conquer for some time. So when we once again found ourselves in Southeast Asia it seemed like the perfect time to check the Mt Kinabalu climb […]
Climbing Mt. Kinabalu on a Budget 2020-2021 (and what happens if your trip is canceled)
If you’re planning on going to Sabah (Malaysian Borneo) and have already done some research on climbing Mt. Kinabalu, you’ve probably quickly realized that it’s not exactly cheap to sign yourself up for physical duress. Many prices quoted on the Internet are quite steep and have many travelers wondering whether it’s worth forking out their […]
7 Wonderful & Charming Things to do in Fukuoka, Japan
If you haven’t yet travelled to Japan’s southern island of Kyushu, you’re missing out. Fukuoka is one of my all-time favourite parts of Japan. Seriously, one year I went three times. While I loved living in Tokyo, I always said that if I didn’t live in the country’s capital, I’d live in Fukuoka, hands down. […]
Our daughter’s birth story
Nomads, she’s here! On 17 October 2019 we finally welcomed our long awaited rainbow baby, Maika Rei. She’s 12 weeks old now, if you can believe it? If you follow us on Facebook, you’ll already know this, but we haven’t shared the news here yet, or had the chance to tell you about her birth […]
10 Interesting Things to do in Oita, Japan (that aren’t the Hells)
Oita Prefecture in Kyushu is just one and a half hours by plane from Tokyo and is the perfect addition to a trip to the capital or as a side trip from Fukuoka. Think hot springs, the outdoors, mountains and meditation, which all meld together in a kind of harmony between nature and man. Beppu […]
My Miscarriage Story: What nobody tells you about miscarriage
It took precisely two window-shopping rounds of a Taiwanese food court to reach breaking point. Eyes glazed over and with a sluggish gait, the first lap was an unenthusiastic attempt at surveying the dinner options. Round two carried with it a ‘choose something and get out of here’ sense of self-determination, that although hurried in […]
Is this my last day of being pregnant?
Who knows? But I’m close to it. My official due date is tomorrow – October 10th. And if it doesn’t happen tomorrow – statistically only 4% of babies actually come on their due date – it’s going to happen very soon. As this might be my last opportunity to write about the pregnancy before the […]