There’s only one way to ride the train in Sri Lanka: standing in an open doorway with your hair in the wind while you desperately cling onto an ancient-looking rusty metal bar that looks as if it will peel away …
A Rainy Day At Sigiriya
Sigiriya —the Lion’s fortress—is undoubtedly the highlight of a trip to Sri Lanka, so as soon as we reached Kandy we booked a car and driver to take us to the rock.
It would be an early start: the road …
Could I Live In Colombo, Sri Lanka?
During the planning stages of my recent trip (and by that I mean that I read an article or two) I read that Colombo is merely a city to be passed through on the way to Sri Lanka’s more attractive …
Goa is Gorgeous in the Rain: Here’s Why You Should Visit in Monsoon Season!
Before I left for my recent trip to Goa I envisioned long lazy days of lounging around in the sun, shopping for cute bohemian dresses, eating good food at beach-side shacks, and watching glorious sunsets over the Arabian sea: for …
How to Stay Safe in Thailand
I rarely write posts like this, but in the wake of the brutal murder of British backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller on Koh Tao I feel compelled to write about the topic of safety for young female travellers, particularly …
8 Things that Might Surprise You About Living in Mumbai
All these points are specific to how I feel about Mumbai, where I live and work. I am not an authority on what living in another Indian city is like. Of course, I am also well aware that my …
Slum Tourism: Life Inside the Real Dharavi
The monsoon rains have waned, swelling Mumbai’s air with thick, sticky summer heat. It was in heat like this that I started my tour of Dharavi— the slum that was once considered the largest slum in Asia, and the area …
My Top 5 Wow-Factor Destinations
According to the dictionary, spectacular is an adjective that means ‘beautiful in a dramatic and eye-catching way’; synonyms of which are striking, picturesque, breathtaking, arresting, glorious, and my two favourites, sublime, and awesome. Awesome as in the Romantic poets’ …
Sustainable Tourism in India: Redstone Eco Centre, Mahabaleshwa
India is a country that forces travellers to question their lifestyle choices, which is why so many people come here looking for change; and in many cases sustainable tourism can offer a chance for the changes they require. Some people …
Unwinding in Udaipur
India has blessed us with a number of long weekends recently, thanks to a large number of festivals and celebrations. Most of these holidays I have spent either recovering from busy working weeks, or getting to know Mumbai better—although I …
Pigeon Purge
Before I moved to Mumbai I read many blogs about living in India, and became an avid reader of Rachel, the Hippie-in-Heels. She writes a regular feature called ‘This Is India’ in which she shares amusing anecdotes about what …
Making Myself At Home In Mumbai
It has been a while since I last wrote anything on this blog – over a month in fact – and I can’t quite believe how quickly my first month in India has passed.
When we arrived at Chhatrapati Shivaji …
The Time I Didn’t Make It to Anjuna
[mks_boxquote align=”right” width=”400″ arrow=”0″]These were the days before the technology revolution: we had no laptops, not even a regular phone. We didn’t even have a watch between us. We were two foreign females, alone in the middle of nowhere, …
10 Awesome Movie Locations Around The World
When I travel I don’t deliberately seek out places that have been used as film locations, but every now and then I happen to stumble into one. Here is a round-up of the 10 best movie locations that I have …
Exciting News: I’m Moving to India!
Judging by the response that I have received from various people to this news, you probably fall into one of the following categories: “India?! Are you crazy?” or “Wow! What an amazing experience!”
If I’m totally honest with …
Too Afraid To Seize The Day
This is a post that has been languishing in my drafts folder for four months. I have simply been too afraid to post it, because if I post it I have to commit to the message. I have to Seize …
The Jim Thompson House, Bangkok
When I was a student we used to visit a restaurant called Jim Thompson’s. It was an Asian fusion restaurant that was well known in my university town, not only for good food, but also for its beautifully exotic furnishings; …
Visiting Ephesus: A Taste of History in Southern Turkey
The ruins of Ephesus lie merely 20 kilometres from Kusadasi, the seaside city on Turkey’s sun-drenched south coast where I was relaxing for a few days after a busy week in Istanbul. It is a popular destination, particularly amongst …
Exploring Istanbul’s Biggest Attractions
After a few days in Istanbul that were spent largely lying around a swimming pool and eating lots of kebap, I finally managed to get myself out of Ortoköy—the busy neighbourhood that my friend Alex lives in—to do some exploring.…
Friends With Benefits in Istanbul
The title of the post got your attention, huh?
Yes, I have a friend with benefits in Istanbul, but not the kind of benefits you might be thinking. You see, my friend Alex works in Istanbul, and as Istanbul is …