Japanese Glass Balls and the Art of Travel
In winter, the west coast of Canada is battered by high tides and storms powerful enough to wash up two-tonne trees. Flotsam and jetsam scatter the shore, making for a beachcombers paradise. Prized treasure amongst the rubble is the Japanese glass floating ball. Used by fisherman most frequently during the seventies and eighties, floats become … Continue reading Japanese Glass Balls and the Art of Travel
My Mountain
My mountain is Ben Nevis, my river is the water of Leith, my town is Edinburgh, my father is Christopher, my mother is Fiona, I am Joshua. I was volunteering at Awhi Farm, a Maori owned, part Maori run vegetable patch on the North Island of New Zealand. As well as growing food, the farm … Continue reading My Mountain
Time to Let Go
‘Forgotten dreams’ is the theme to this years Kiwiburn, New Zealand’s own version of Nevada’s infamous Burning Man festival. At the entrance, we pass through the dream gate. “Let go of any notion of who you are, your attachments, surrender and just be,” we are urged. What does it mean to surrender? The notion can … Continue reading Time to Let Go
Aboriginal Culture For Sale
The town of Alice Springs is a depressing sight for those with any concern for the social and cultural well being of the aboriginal people of Australia. There exist few signs here of a dignified people who for forty thousand years survived in the harsh desert. These days you are more likely to see drunkenness … Continue reading Aboriginal Culture For Sale
The Precious Stones of Coober Pedy
I first came to Coober Pedy in 2006. Having traveled down the east coast, I wanted to experience some of the part of Australia that makes it unique; the outback, the inhospitable inland that draws a certain kind of person to make their home. I still remember the journey through the night to get there, … Continue reading The Precious Stones of Coober Pedy
The Philosophy of Hitchhiking
One day in April of 2013, I first raised my thumb in the hopes of catching a free ride. I hadn’t previously contemplated hitchhiking as a means of travel. I’d never seen anyone trying to do it in the UK and the idea of it made me feel uncomfortable, vulnerable even. But it seemed pretty … Continue reading The Philosophy of Hitchhiking
Ain’t Nothing But a Tramp
tramp: to walk, especially long distances or with heavy steps. Do you have any backcountry experience in New Zealand? erm, not in New Zealand no (Looking at my flimsy rainshell) Is that the most substantial raincoat you have? erm, yeah Do you know it rains a lot in New Zealand and you can get really … Continue reading Ain’t Nothing But a Tramp
Final Thoughts on the Vaigai Express
Cross-legged and ‘packed’ tightly above the seats in the luggage compartment of an unreserved carriage on the Vaigai Express to Chennai; it wasn’t how I’d envisioned my last train journey in India. I was thinking of something more akin to Wes Anderson’s The Darjeeling Limited. But if there’s one thing I learnt about India: it … Continue reading Final Thoughts on the Vaigai Express
May All Beings Be Happy!
With just two weeks left of my time in India, and more than half a subcontinent to see, I decided to instead do nothing, sort of literally. I was enrolled on a 10 day Vipassana meditation course at the Dhamma Satu Centre, Chennai. It would involve a strict regime of 4am starts, ten hours of … Continue reading May All Beings Be Happy!
JoshuaLangtonTravels 