There’s nothing better than taking the path less travelled. Our intrepid hearts strive for niche experiences that stray from the cliché, and yank us right out of our cosy comfort zones. We push boundaries and cross borders - both literal and metaphorical.
But what about when those borders are dangerous?
A high school friend of…
You were the first real relationship I ever had. You were fun, a talker, full of ideas. I sometimes wish we had spent more time together when we had the chance. It was while you were around I had my first kiss, graduated high school, went to formal and first tried alcohol. I shared my…
Hundreds of hot air balloons rise with the sun as Bagan, in central Myanmar, wakes to the steady drone of electric motorcycles. Thousands of tourists travel upon them, making the dusty journey to towering temples far from the centre of town. Many Australians are within the tribe of Westerners ascending the narrow brick steps of…
On Echo Beach in Canggu, an Australian graffiti artist finishes a geometric mural on the back of a warung, a traditional Indonesian restaurant. Down under, he will often be commissioned thousands of dollars for his murals, but here in Bali, he’s painting this wall for free. He finishes as the sun sets, packs up his…
The coffee is slightly too sweet, the windows hang heavy with legs of cured meat, the central streets are choked with sunburnt tourists, and I have to watch out for pickpockets on my way to work. Barcelona’s cobblestones bring back a childish imagining of European cities: there is a richness to every step, like my…
I recently booked a return flight to South America. I’m flying in and out of Peru, but the country I am most anticipating is Colombia - and no, not for the reasons you’re assuming. I want to trek through the Amazon jungle in the same country as I can lie on a sugary-white Caribbean beach.…
“14-hour work week, why would I ever want to leave this glorious life? *crying laughing emoji*”
I met this guy on Tinder, and this is how he described his job as an English teacher in Shanghai. Because, spoiler alert: basically every white guy living in China is teaching English in some capacity.
Know why? The…
“Terima kasih. Terima kasih,” I repeat over and over, till my throat goes dry and the Indonesian words of gratitude become a meaningless, Australian-flavoured gibberish.
I wince. And fiddle with the label of the plastic water bottle that Ketut pressed gently into my hands. Made chucks me a toothy grin and tells me to breathe…
"You can’t be into surfing because you’re Asian."
Oh yes, you got me. Everything I do must actually fit your racist stereotype of what an Asian girl must do. It doesn’t matter that you don’t know me at all. That I am allowed to be, and am, into surfing. No, I’m just Asian.
Growing up…
You’ve just arrived back from the trip of a lifetime – your skin is bronzed, your legs are hairy and your head is whirling with new ideas (and maybe a bit of residual coke from your time in Central America).
Jetlagged but still buzzing, you arrive at a party back home and all your friends…
“Just relax. Spread your legs further.”
Above me, fluorescent lights flickered, an epileptic nightmare. I felt sick. The smell of disinfectant clouded my thoughts and I could feel a lump forming in the back of my throat. I was lying on my back. Tears made tracks sideways across my temples as I bled into the…
For some, Waitangi Day will be defined by beach barbeques, family picnics, a day off work or time-and-a-half pay. Kiwis will enjoy long-weekend road trips, crates of draught beer and fish and chips in the sun. It’s a chance to reconnect with family and friends and celebrating what is means to live in New Zealand.…