https://www.scmp.com/rss/512572/feed Shail Desai is a Mumbai-based journalist who writes on a variety of outdoor topics. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The hens huddling in plastic crates on the roof express their displeasure, squawking as our shared taxi comes to a halt in Manebhanjyang, a small town in northern India on the border with Nepal. It’s been a bumpy ride through the predawn hours, the discomfort compounded by an icy wind rushing in through a broken window upfront. As our driver, Shingo dai (“brother” in Nepali), busies himself with the luggage of those alighting here, I step out into the cold for a stretch. It’s been a tight... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3257410/why-small-indian-town-has-so-many-classic-land-rovers-and-how-their-owners-fate-hangs-balance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3257410/why-small-indian-town-has-so-many-classic-land-rovers-and-how-their-owners-fate-hangs-balance?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Apr 2024 03:36:55 +0000 If it wasn’t for desire and gumption, Rency Thomas would have led an ordinary existence. Instead, the 37-year-old has just completed a human-powered expedition the length of the river Ganges. Twenty years ago, doctors asked Rency to adapt to a conservative lifestyle after diagnosing chronic arthritis. He simply stopped visiting them and embraced a life of adventure. It laid the groundwork for his biggest undertaking yet, navigating the Ganges under his own steam. The challenges were... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/hiking/article/3253345/gaumukh-bay-bengal-one-mans-voyage-discovery-takes-him-length-ganges?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/hiking/article/3253345/gaumukh-bay-bengal-one-mans-voyage-discovery-takes-him-length-ganges?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Feb 2024 06:10:51 +0000 On September 20, 2018, Abhilash Tomy was sailing somewhere in the middle of the Indian Ocean. The closest continent to him at that point was Antarctica. He had been out at sea for a little more than two months and was running in third position as part of the Golden Globe Race. The weekly call scheduled with race founder, Don McIntyre, brought news. A storm was brewing above him, “vicious, but short and sweet”, with winds “well over 50 knots”. It was likely to hit him in a few hours, but since it... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3177757/abhilash-tomy-returns-sailing-after-2018-near-death-experience?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3177757/abhilash-tomy-returns-sailing-after-2018-near-death-experience?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 May 2022 04:30:12 +0000