Travel
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Esala Perahera in Sri Lanka: what you need to know
I’ll be honest. I had never even heard of the Esala Perahera before, let alone considered getting in on the action. But, in one of those wonderful strokes of luck, we arrived in Kandy in time for this most magnificent of Asian festivals. The Esala Perahera is linked to the Buddhist Temple of the Tooth in the Sri Lankan hilltop town of Kandy. The temple holds the sacred Buddha’s tooth and, for 10 nights every summer, a grand procession is held to honour this relic. It’s one of Sri Lanka’s – indeed, Asia’s – biggest festivals. So that’s why it helps to be at least a little bit organised if…
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Travel and leaving home: A letter to myself
It’s only a matter of days before you leave London and start your big travel adventure. To say that your emotions are all over the place is an understatement. On one hand, obviously, you’re excited beyond words. On the other, you’re absolutely bloody terrified. Dealing with change is not one of your strong points really, is it. Which is a bit weird because you hate routine as well. How many years have you sat at your desk in work and wished that you were somewhere else? How many times have you got on the tube in the morning and silently cursed the uncomfortable tedium of it? For as long…
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The Big Travel Adventure: 5 stages of OMFG!
I’ve done something very uncharacteristic. Something reckless. Something bloody terrifying! I’m nearly 40 and I’ve given up my job, my home and my life here in London to set off on the travel adventure of my life. WTAF am I doing? Here’s the deal. At the beginning of August I shall vacate my beloved home and get on a plane to Sri Lanka. And that’s about all I know for certain. I don’t know where I’ll travel to after my first few nights. I don’t know how I’m going to spend my time when I arrive. But I do know that my time here in London was – sadly…
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The prettiest streets in west London
The beauty of living in such a big, old city is that there is always something new to discover. London is full of hidden corners, delightful cobbled mews, and secret squares. I love west London and its candy coloured houses, especially in spring when the blossom is out. It really does feel like being on the set of a Richard Curtis film. Here are a few of of my favourite streets. Now, where’s that lottery win so can I move into one of them? Godfrey Street, Chelsea Lennox Garden Mews, Knightsbridge Hillgate Place, Notting Hill Bywater Street, Chelsea Kynance Mews, Kensington St Luke’s Mews, Notting Hill Pond Place, Chelsea…
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5 London travel hacks all tourists should know
After living in London for 12 years I’m now able to navigate this vast city with relative ease. But I still remember how it felt arriving here as a total newbie. London can feel like a pretty intimidating place at times. Working out where to begin, navigating public transport and the sheer volume of people swirling around you at 100mph can be enough to make your head spin. So here are my top 5 travel hacks to help you get the best out of your time here in the Big Smoke. 1. Rush past rush hour I cannot stress this enough. It’s called “rush hour” for a reason and trust me…
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Rum and dancing: Valentine’s Day in Cuba
The best Valentine’s Day I ever had didn’t involve hearts, flowers and chocolates. It didn’t even include a card. The best Valentine’s Day I ever had was spent with one of my closest friends, getting drunk in a rooftop bar in Santiago de Cuba. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city in Cuba and is located in the south-east corner of the island. While Havana is swiftly becoming sanitised, Santiago has all the faded elegance of the capital but feels grittier, grubbier, seedier. It’s sweaty and tropical, closer to Haiti and the Dominican Republic than it is to Havana – both in terms of geography and atmosphere. Reggae mixes…
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Taking A Bite Out Of…..Rye
With cheap flights to Europe seemingly a dime a dozen, it’s easy to overlook the delights of our very own green and pleasant land. For a start, travel in Britain is expensive! So, of course, it’s tempting to forgo a trip to the English countryside in favour of something a little more…well…foreign. That’s a real shame though, because there are some darling destinations right on London’s doorstep. The historic town of Rye, on the border of East Sussex and Kent, rises up out of the endless flats of Romney Marsh as if it wants to flaunt its medieval beauty to the world. And rightly so, because Rye is movie-set stunning. What’s more, it…
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The Best Food and Drink of 2016
Yes, everyone keeps saying that 2016 has been the worst year ever. But when it comes to food and drink, this year has been a cracker. With more new restaurants and more foodie entrepreneurs than ever, there is no excuse to eat badly. Here are the best things that I snaffled into my greedy face this year: Chicken and pistachio shish from Arabica Bar & Kitchen I wanted to eat everything on Arabica Bar & Kitchen’s menu. I’ve eaten a lot of samey mezze over the years, but these guys really know how to sex it up. It’s easy to be bamboozled by choice; however, you should definitely include the…
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Taking A Bite Out Of….Las Vegas
Las Vegas has a certain reputation. Brash. Blingy. Larger than life. And with so many top chefs setting up shop in Sin City you would expect its food scene to be just as epic. But guess what? It really isn’t. Dining out in Vegas is a bit like losing on the slot machines. You get drawn in by the shiny colours and flashing lights, excited by what could happen. But you end up disillusioned and broke. This was my experience after visiting Zefferino, an high-end Italian restaurant in The Venetian. The location is perfect, overlooking the “Grand Canal”. However, the food is no better than what you would find in an average Italian…
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The Best Food and Drink of 2015
Yep, it’s the end of another year so time for yet another list. Here is my round up of the best things went into my mouth over the course of 2015: Chicken Berry Biryani from Dishoom I visited the Kings Cross branch of Dishoom all the way back in January but I still keep raving about their biryani. Tender meat, fluffy rice, a good amount of spice….it ticks all the biryani boxes but has the added bonus of cranberries. Plus the restaurant itself just looks so, so sexy. Spaghetti with Cuttlefish and Ink Sauce from Osteria Alba Nova Good food can be hard to find in tourist-ridden Venice, but venture…
