Sure enough, I did not arrive back at Kathmandu until almost 17:00, maybe later, which translated into a very long day. I debated whether I should have flown, even though that would have been more expensive, but I do not know if it would have been any safer. I walked away from the bus stop and navigated directly to the Laughing Buddha, where I put down my bags, bought some water, and went out looking for food. After visiting a supermarket, I had dinner and a beer at MoMo Star, dodged a few more scooters, and finally settled back into bed.

I awoke just before 6:00 a.m. and started walking. The streets were quieter than normal, but still active. It was dark enough that I used my flashlight, although the locals managed to navigate without any assistance. After walking down Thamel Road, past the Garden of Dreams, and across the street, I found a long row of “tourist buses.” There are three ways to get to Pokhara, my next destination: a local bus, a tourist bus, and a minibus. The local bus is inexpensive but apparently takes a long time because it stops in every town. The tourist bus takes much less time but is more expensive; it is basically like a Greyhound bus. Then there is the minibus, which takes about as long as the tourist bus …

My image of Kathmandu was something like a Swiss winter wonderland, but in Asia. The second the plane dropped below the clouds, I realised how wrong I was: the entire city was dotted with four- and five-storey buildings and surrounded by a dark haze of pollution. The airport was simple. I had already prepared my visa application, the required $25, and two photos, so I moved quickly through the line. Outside the airport, taxis were everywhere. The prepaid counter quoted 650 RS, which gave me a baseline. Of course, that may have been the point.

The maximum speed of the KLIA Ekspres appeared to be 160 km/h, and it was touted as the fastest train in Southeast Asia. The train had free Wi-Fi over a 4G network, so we were able to send photos home and chat on Gtalk. We also tested a Gtalk video call with each other while sitting on the same train, and it worked. I wished more people back home had Android devices so I could talk with them.

Every time I travel, I discover something I could have done better. I now follow many of those lessons, such as bringing only electronics that charge via USB, but still forget others, such as packing a stuff sack for dirty clothing. This trip to Bali began with a lesson I will not forget: before leaving the airport, confirm that the taxi driver understands the destination. My delayed flight arrived after midnight, but the taxi desk was still open. I organised a prepaid taxi for 135,000 rupiah, or about US$13. Prepaying reduced the need to haggle and removed any concern about a longer route increasing the fare. My previous taxi ride in Bali had been straightforward, but this time the driver and I had no language …

Photos from a brief transit in Vancouver.

For the previous month, I had been hearing hints about a surprise birthday holiday to an unknown destination. That weekend, I finally learned that I would be travelling to Cairns in Queensland, a gateway to some of Australia’s greatest natural wonders. I left Sydney early on Friday and arrived at Cairns Airport by 9:00am. Although activities were booked for days two and three, the first day was open. After considering my options, I decided to take the Skyrail over Barron Gorge National Park and return to Cairns on the historic railway.

Now that my Europe trip has ended, I need to leave a note of things I wish I had done better, both travel-wise, and the stuff I brought along. I like to travel light, and find it a little comical when I see people struggling with giant 70L backpacks; I always do carry-on, no matter for a two week trip, or two months. (This means my packs have to weigh less than 7KG). Even in winter it is possible to pack light. The trick seems to be only packing what one will use regularly, with no duplicates, of appropriate size, and hopefully reusable for other purposes. Don’t pack anything you would be gutted if it broke.

This is going to be a very short post, as there is not much to tell. This was my first time setting foot in the Middle East. My plane stopped in Abu Dhabi on the way back from Europe. One memory that will last a lifetime is stepping off the plane and walking to the bus that would take us to the terminal. After winter in Europe, the desert heat hit me like a wall.

After weeks of travel across Europe and thousands of kilometres, I concluded my big 2012 trip with a long stay in Istanbul. I knew there would be a lot to see, although I hadn’t planned far ahead. Even though I arrived rather late at night, I still went out to explore. Istanbul is a foodie’s paradise, perhaps not quite like Singapore, but with delightful sweets on every corner. Day 0 - I ate.