Blog

 If there is a festival not to be missed in Sri Lanka – this is it. The Kandy Perahera Festival is a splash of colour and blur of activity, held in Kandy city amongst the hills of tropical plantations. 

The Kerala Government is welcoming volunteers for The Nilambur School Project. The programme is aimed at developing students aged 12-13 and 16-17, with an emphasis on protection of child rights and equality. With the help of volunteers, the students will learn to communicate effectively and effortlessly in English.

Visiting India was a wonderful experience especially as I have never travelled outside Europe before. Exploring new cultures, incredible nature and learning about people and their traditions is something I’m passionate about.

“You will have two big life changes; one of them will be marriage.”“Thank god for that” I remember thinking - I would get my own happily ever after. Even though I have plenty of time for this, and am hardly ‘on the shelf’, I expect to start gathering dust like an ancient ornament. I must have read far too many fairytales when younger, and often feel imaginary pressure to slip on high heeled shoes and float down the aisle in a cream cloud.

I awoke from a deep sleep to the sound of the telephone ringing. 'Good morning sir, this is your wakeup call'. It was 4.30am and we were waking up at this very early hour in order to catch our Air Bagan flight from Yangon to Heho, the nearest airport to Inle Lake. After a comfortable flight via Mandalay we disembarked the plane and were soon met by our guide and on our way.

In the year of Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee I am transported back to a very special occasion when I experienced the style and opulence befitting the Queen of England first-hand. The highlight was an unexpected invitation to stay in the Royal Suite at the Shiv Nivas Palace, a room commissioned for the Queen’s first visit to India after her coronation. 

Good afternoon to everyone back in London! As promised, here's a brief account of what Hari and I have been up to so far in Nepal on our research trip.

Charisma, creativity and a kaleidoscope of colour. Sand, folk tales, and buzzing bazaars. Cuisine with spices that will tickle your taste buds.  Accommodation in a heritage property, full of character.

As a keen cyclist, perhaps I’m biased towards the pleasures of holidaying on two wheels. The benefits are endless;  you can travel at a pace of your choosing and stop wherever you like to catch breath, take photographs or to shake hands with the locals. It’s also very easy to get off the beaten track and see the charms of rural life in an unobtrusive fashion. Not forgetting the calories you burn in preparation for making the most of the local food that evening and of course the benefits to the environment.

Beaming faces that were flickered with excitement and anticipation surrounded me. One question was burning on their lips, and hovering in the air above my head like dragonflies. “Marriage? Marriage? Marriage?” The faces fell slightly with a gentle mixture of disappointment and sadness when I replied “No.” The mehndi artists kept glancing up at these faces, before continuing their work, creating a tapestry of patterns onto my skin.