Tuesday, 27 January 2015

Too much make up for a muddy field

This weekend A wanted to test out his new photography lights. So I spent an hour or so on my make up; donned tights, shorts and thermals under my coat; and followed him across a muddy field to sit in a tree.

He does take a good photo...

Wednesday, 21 January 2015

Exploring the world: The List

I've always liked visiting new places, but I wouldn't really describe myself as a stereotypical traveller: I didn't take a gap year before (or after) uni to backpack across Asia or work my way across Australia. But now I find myself enjoying the adventure of new countries more and more.

I like how each city has it's own unique architecture and landmarks. Wherever you go in KL, the Petronas Towers help you orientate yourself. In Paris it's the Eiffel Tower and Hong Kong has the iconic island shore skyline.


I like figuring out the public transport system. This was particularly fun in Japan where some stations only had maps labelled with kanji symbols. We ended up playing "match the symbols" to figure out how many stops we were travelling and therefore which ticket to buy.


Although we never rode in one, the Filipino jeepnies were a huge fascination. Each one is decorated in its own unique way, and their willingness to stop literally anywhere to let customers off is legendary!


I (usually) like trying to get food too. Menus are a source of wonder and confusion to me. I love my food and trying local cuisine, but do prefer to know what I've ordered! I'm sure some would say that takes some of the fun out of it, however I'm a nervous creature at heart. I have eaten sea urchin and abalone, but I will admit to avoiding chicken gizzards and octopus. 


I like people-watching and figuring out local customs. This is probably why I am so fascinated with South East Asia. Each place has it's own way of doing things. The people dress differently, the method of paying for your purchases changes, the time that people have dinner varies. I love trying (and probably failing) to fit in.

So, where to next? The list is growing rapidly, partly through my own curiosity and partly through other people's recommendations. Currently, it looks like this:
- Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam
- Singapore and Thailand
- Korea (a total of 12 hours in Seoul airport has whet my appetite)
- Machu Picchu (Peru)
- Argentina
- Maldives
- New Zealand
- Prague
- Italy (specifically Rome, but also exploring)
- Japan (again - there are so many parts that we didn't visit last time)
- The Rockies and Vancouver Island (Canada)

Where would you recommend?

Saturday, 17 January 2015

New year, new places

I started 2015 by boarding a plane, bound for the Philippines. As ways of starting the year go, this has to be one of the best.

Unusually for us, we were staying in a holiday resort. For five days I spent my time: sat by the pool, sat by the sea, swimming in one or the other, reading books and magazines, and drinking smoothies and cocktails in a bar overlooking the sea. The most active thing we tried was 30mins of kayaking (which was wonderful fun!).

The reason for our trip was a wedding which we were very excited for. Over the week before the big day we were blessed  with spending lots of time with the happy couple, as well as meeting their families and friends who, like us, had travelled from every corner of the Earth for the big event.

The wedding itself was beautiful. A day to remember.

I sincerely hope that the rest of 2015 is equally full of friends, sunshine and travel opportunities.