Zucchini Blossoms à la Provençale
The secret to having the best summer experience in Provence or the Luberon is to wake up early. Not only do you treat yourself to one of the best sunrises in Europe, you also get to sip your hot coffee and tear apart your warm croissant while it is still almost chilly outside. We sneak […]
The Fish Mongers of Mandalay
First you feel it in your toes. A slime of seawater, molten ice, soil and fish guts invade your flip-flops turning them a dull murky grey. Then it hits your nose, raw and metallic, the oxidising flesh of fish simmering in the sun’s heat. We have arrived at the wholesale fish market of Mandalay. Along […]
Set Our Hearts Alight in KyaingTong
Another border, a new country. From Mae Sae into Tachileik, from Thailand into Myanmar. I remember the bead of sweat trickling down my spine, further plastering my t-shirt to my backpack. Our excitement at crossing the bridge. Stories of a region which had just opened, previously banned to the outside world. And we were going […]
Along the Tea Horse Trade Route in Shaxi 沙溪
“冬日暖阳 – winter days with warm sun.” – Chinese saying The white sun burns my skin against the brisk air. It is early morning in Shaxi. All is quiet save for the sound of a set of old wooden wheels rolling over lose stones. It smells clean in that winter weather kind of way. I […]
Enchanting Khiva
The barb-wired gate clanged shut as it bounced into its lock and we breathed a sigh of relief. Turning back to look at Turkmenistan one last time we squealed quietly not wanting to draw more attention from the guards, “Yeaaaay we made it out of Turkmenistan in one piece!”. Thank you, thank you and off […]
Early Summer Green Rice from Tehran
“Tehran is the third most beautiful capital in the world!” promised our friend Muhammed. Mmm I think that is slightly debatable…with its mad traffic and consequentially high air pollution, this congested city has not managed to squeeze its way into my top three places in Iran, but our stay there definitely rated highly due to […]
Gorging on Gaziantep’s Goodies
“People from Istanbul think that Gaziantep cuisine consists of several kinds of kebabs, bulgur wheat, baklava and pistachio nuts. What a pity! What ignorance! These are the tips of the iceberg…Gaziantep, the meeting point of cultures since ancient times, is the richest and most developed city of the region in terms of food culture. An […]
Sweet Sweet Safranbolu
What do you do when you have a week of visa-waiting in Ankara? Why you go to Safranbolu, of course! Only a three hour bus-ride from Ankara, the UNESCO World Heritage site of Safranbolu makes a perfect little escapade from the city streets of the Turkish capital. Sometimes referred to as one of Turkey’s prettiest […]
Refuelling at Fethiye’s Markets
The lure of Turkey’s turquoise coast attracts over a million tourists a year with a high percentage of the country’s best beaches located only a couple of hours from the town of Fethiye. Coming from the sleepy and peaceful Greek islands of Amorgos and Astypalea, we were initially skeptical; excited to be moving onto Turkey, […]
La Dolce Vita
The beginning of our journey starts on familiar territory, a country we both love and know well – Italy. Cruising into the Santa Lucia train station in Venice just as the sun rises over the lagoon, does make the 12 hour train journey from Paris worth it. Still sweaty and sleepy from time spent in […]
