2024 Adventure

February - September 2024
  • James Graham
  • Kyri Vassilas
A seven month trip around Asia and Europe. Full blog at twobackpacks.co.uk Read more
  • James Graham
  • Kyri Vassilas

List of countries

  • Denmark Denmark
  • Germany Germany
  • Netherlands Netherlands
  • Vietnam Vietnam
  • Cambodia Cambodia
  • Thailand Thailand
  • Taiwan Taiwan
  • Show all (11)
Categories
Backpacking, Bicycle, Camping, Couple, Hiking, Nature, Wildlife
  • 52.3kkilometers traveled
Means of transport
  • Flight35.4kkilometers
  • Walking-kilometers
  • Hiking-kilometers
  • Bicycle-kilometers
  • Motorbike-kilometers
  • Tuk Tuk-kilometers
  • Car-kilometers
  • Train-kilometers
  • Bus-kilometers
  • Camper-kilometers
  • Caravan-kilometers
  • 4x4-kilometers
  • Swimming-kilometers
  • Paddling/Rowing-kilometers
  • Motorboat-kilometers
  • Sailing-kilometers
  • Houseboat-kilometers
  • Ferry-kilometers
  • Cruise ship-kilometers
  • Horse-kilometers
  • Skiing-kilometers
  • Hitchhiking-kilometers
  • Cable car-kilometers
  • Helicopter-kilometers
  • Barefoot-kilometers
  • 81footprints
  • 220days
  • 901photos
  • 307likes
  • Arrived in Kochi

    February 5, 2024 in India ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Initial sleep deprived thoughts: So green, so many flowers, roads are insane, feeling overwhelmed with joy that we're here. Literally had a little cry on landing and in the taxi. Might also be the lack of sleep is helping add to that. HahaRead more

  • The first 24 hours

    February 6, 2024 in India ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    After getting to our homestay, which is lovely and simple, we napped for a few hours then went to explore Fort Kochi, while trying to get out cash, which is proving challenging for us Mastercard holders. After watching the red sun set and finally getting cash out at on our fourth attempt, we then enjoyed a delicious first meal of fish mango curry and chicken coconut curry with chapattis. And then went to bed at a reasonable time.
    Our jet lag got us up at 4 am. 5 hours later we were eating a delicious omelette, with toast and fresh pineapple sitting on the roof terrace and watching the huge birds of prey swoop around us in the trees.
    After breakfast we strolled along the sea front, sipping from a fresh coconut and then wandered to the main port and got a ferry to Ernakulam, a suburb of Kochi. We killed time in a cafe drinking chia and a delicious spiced milk drink and played cards, waiting for local park to open at 3 pm.
    We then wandered around the municipal park which would put Kew gardens to shame with the amount of exotic trees, hedges and flowers laid out, before heading back to Fork Kochi for a later afternoon rest before dinner. Don't forget we got our first auto-rickshaw ride 😆🫣
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  • Day hike in tea plantation

    February 9, 2024 in India ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We booked to go on a day hike through the trees plantations in Munnar that cover vast swaths of the area. We learnt a lot about the trees spaces and plants in the area from our guide.
    I was told when booking at reception it be easy and I could wear my sandals. Given my ankle was still a little swollen to be wearing hiking shoes I wore my Birkenstock. Worst idea ever. See photo of my feet at the end. The walk was really intense on top of this, in the heat on very narrow paths through fields with just the food our guide bright on his backpack. While us foreigners were dying he was cruising through it with no hat, and no proper walking shoes. My app said I did 24,000 steps over 16km. I now am starting to see what people mean when they say India will chew you up and spit you out.
    The delicious dinner healed most of it though.
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  • More Munnar

    February 10, 2024 in India ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    After our exhausting day yesterday we took it easier today, just did some laundry, drank too much chai masala tea and got buzzed, and visited the local rose gardens. I swear all the plants in this garden were the ones you find in the exotic section of Kew but here just growing casually in some pots. It's mad.

    Side note: worth mentioning we got awoken at 4 am to someone doing a sound check and then moments later an Indian version of Ed Sheeran's Shape Of You playing so loud across the whole town the stage could have been right outside our window. It was worse than the sound from a festival campsite. What the actual fuck.

    Tomorrow and tomorrow night we'll be traveling back to Kochi ( 5 hour bus) to then get an overnight train to Goa, so it's nice to have had the day to rest before the intensity of tomorrow.
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  • 💩 💩 💩

    February 11, 2024 in India ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    I think the emojis here tell you everything you need to know. It happened. And what a day for it to happen, with 24 hours of travel ahead of us without access to a good toilet. The 5 hour bus down to Kochi was about 3 hours of hairpin bends in 30 degree heat on tiny little seats, feeling sick the whole way down. We changed seats and I immediately threw up into a little transparent bag that praise the lord had no holes in. We had nowhere to put it so ended up holding it the whole way back, my first real souvenir of the trip, a goldfish like bag full of sick. Being on that bus was literally top 10 worst moments of my life 😅 Got to Kochi and retreated into a hotel, to recover before we got on the train. Kyri was so good at looking after me ❤️ Feeling slightly better now but basically had 4 small bananas in the last 36 hours. Hopefully get some appetite back tomorrow! Think it was some mango juice I had that had been prepared with ice, as Kyri is fine. We are in good spirits now though as we enjoy our first experience of an overnight train, as we make our way to Goa.Read more

  • Arrived into Panaji, Goa

    February 12, 2024 in India ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C

    After a pretty good sleep on an overnight train (I got the bottom bunk and got to see out the window) we arrived into Goa and got a very plush taxi to our accommodation (see view from room in picture). The whole neighbourhood is an old Portuguese settlement and is gorgeous and makes us feel like we're not in India.
    After roaming the Carnival grounds, which will be going on for the next few days, we decided to watch a Bollywood film and take a stroll beforehand hand. Going into the film we were warned it would be in Hindi but we're super surprised to find it had English subtitles...did they put them on just for us? Surely not...right...
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