After spending pretty much the whole of 2024 living in Timor-Leste I had the opportunity to explore more widely this year, visiting ten countries, though only two were new to me. There is a different sort of pleasure in returning to places, a familiarity and ability to explore at a slower pace.

Indonesia, December & January

After living next to Indonesia for ten months I finally visited Timor-Leste’s huge neighbour over Christmas and New Year. I spent a fortnight on Java and Bali staying in Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, and Ubud.

Timor-Leste, Oé-Cusse and Baucau, January & February

In my last six weeks in the country I made return trips to two of my favourite places, the remote enclave of Oé-Cusse, and Baucau, the second largest city. Both looked quite different visiting in the wet season compared with the dry season.

South Australia, February

A welcome holiday between the intensity of Timor-Leste and home life of Wellington. I’d been to Adelaide before but the contrast in wealth from Timor-Leste was almost overwhelming. Kangaroo Island was a welcome place of wilderness and calm.

Samoa, May

I spent the best part of a month exploring this beautiful Pacific island, mostly on bicycle. After a week in the capital Apia, and circumnavigating the three largest islands of Savai’i, Upolu, and Manono I got to know the place pretty well.

New Zealand, March to July

A year away from home gave a fresh perspective, and it was a pleasure to return to some of my favourite places, and find a few new ones. I spent a month on the road around the South Island, and a couple of weeks on the North Island.

Surrey & Norfolk, United Kingdom, July

First trip to visit family in two years, spending time at home in Surrey and a family holiday to North Norfolk. As usual I visited many National Trust, English Heritage, and other heritage properties.

Delhi & Ladakh, India, August

The focus was a three week hiking trip through Ladakh, in the Indian Himalaya, but I had time to revisit Delhi and Leh for the first time since 2019, finding a few new sights to explore.

Fiji, September to December

I moved to Suva, the capital of Fiji, to volunteer. There isn’t much to recommend Suva as a travel destination but it was great to take advantage of some long weekends to explore the rest of Viti Levu (the largest island), Taveuni Island (the third largest), and the smaller Ovalau and Moturiki Islands.

Singapore, November

On my way to and from Nepal I had a couple of days in Singapore, a wonderful stopover destination. I enjoyed exploring the Civic District, Little India and Kampong Glam (Muslim quarter) on foot, and the island of Pulau Ubin on a bike.

Nepal, November

I was there to hike the 16 day Manaslu Circuit & Tsum Valley, but had a couple of days in Kathmandu to revisit Patan & Boudhanath and explore Kirtipur. The long drive back from finishing the trek was broken up with a stay in the pleasant Bandipur.