Mumbai morning

Taken at the Gateway of India, Mumbai, September 2011

Getting my travelling shoes back on

This year has been pretty light on travel for various reasons, but this month I’ll be remedying that with a trip to Sri Lanka. It’s a year since we’ve been on a long haul trip and at this point I’m even excited for the plane trip, although come back to me a few hours into…

Five things I can’t travel without

In the spirit of my upcoming trip to Sri Lanka, I’ve been getting a few bits and pieces together. None of which will actually be packed till the day before, but you know, it’s the thought that counts ;) 1. Moleskine plain reporter notebook. I know a lot of people think Moleskine is pretentious, but…

Top five amazing meals around the world

1. Surubi (a type of catfish) at Bolsi in Asuncion, Paraguay. 2. Tea and cake at Skonis ir Kvapas in Vilnius, Lithuania. A cosy little cellar-like tearoom, it even sells beautiful painted cups that are a million miles from twee Royal Doulton china. Visit in winter and the city takes on a magical quality, the…

Postcards from Porto

Earlier this year we took a trip to Portugal’s second city, Porto. I wasn’t expecting much, but came away charmed by the brightly-tiled buildings and churches, narrow hilly streets and pretty river front.

Delft

You can’t go into a souvenir shop in Holland without falling over dozens of knick-knacks painted in blue and white. The traditional pottery comes from the town of Delft, a gezellig little place halfway between Den Haag and Leiden. So is Delft a tourist trap, or is it worth a visit? Like many southern Dutch…

Gede

Gede – blue monkeys come skittering up the road, greedy for their next meal. Don’t feed the monkeys it says, but no-one talks a bit of notice, least of all the local guide telling the story of the forgotton city. One monkey, aptly named Saddam, eagerly stuffs his face with bananas, his cheeks bulging as…

Palin to take to the road again in Brazil?

Lonely Planet readers in the UK recently voted Michael Palin the person that they’d most like as their travel companion. Who wouldn’t want to travel with someone so amusing and intelligent, who always seems to have a real desire to find out more about the countries he travels through? I’ve been watching Around the World…

Party by the river in the land van Cuijk

Isn’t it often the countries that you think you know the best, where strong visual images of the countryside come easily to mind, that can surprise you the most? Most people think of Holland as canals and windmills, but head south and the landscape changes completely. Just back from another week in Holland, enjoying the…