Author / Ryan Cawood

First impressions matter. I know this from once interviewing a man for a job as a scientist who appeared to have porridge down his jumper. He didn’t get the position. My first impressions of Nepal, a country I expected to adore, were unfortunately quite mixed. I found it polluted, busy and loud, three things I…

Unsurprisingly, for a small country at the junction of India and China high up in the Himalayan mountains, the country of Bhutan has a complex history. It’s often been revered by the outside world, impenetrable to all but the most adventurous. As a result, over the years it’s had many captivating names; the land of…

If I was under any illusions of calm monks wandering the streets of a serene Shangri-La-like Kathmandu, those illusions are rapidly shattered. It’s a bustling city of narrow streets filled with mopeds, cars, tourists and locals. The exhaust fumes fill your nostrils as you’re regularly beeped out of the way as you wander the sidewalk-less…

The plane touches down in New Delhi at 2am on an October morning and there’s a visible haze outside. My wife, Jess, and I wonder if it’s condensation on the plane windows, but once we disembark it’s clear the answer is smog. At this time of year, October, the cooler weather makes the pollution hang…