healths

I've been thinking a lot about writing a post like this for a while, on whether I should write it, and how I should word it, and what exactly I want to say. When I started writing this blog back in late 2015 I wanted it to be about health and holistic living with some honest truths about what I have found out along my own personal health journey. However, because I wanted to keep writing whilst I was away it has gradually evolved into a travel blog. Either way, no matter what I blog about, I always wanted to be honest and write my true feelings about my experiences, which I think is becoming rare in a 'everything is amazing all the time' world of Instagram and social media. Travel IS amazing, but just like any lifestyle that you choose to lead, it isn't amazing every minute of every day, especially when you travel for an extended period of time. It is inevitable that there are going to be aspects of your day-to-day life that you become bored with, or that annoy you. The...

No matter how careful you are in life, accidents are bound to happen. I suppose it's pretty inevitable when riding a scooter regularly that we were going to have some sort of accident at some point, and whilst we were over in Lombok it happened. However - before I jump into the details of the accident (which was pretty minor, we were lucky) I want to talk a bit about the beautiful island of Lombok. Lombok is a short boat ride away from the Gili islands, which are stunning but just as geared up for tourism as Bali is. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but if you're looking for somewhere a little quieter, a little less touristy, and with a totally different vibe, then take the time to head to Lombok. The majority of the island is untouched. The north is home to Mount Rinjani, Indonesia's second biggest volcano, where you can take a 3 day hike to the top ending up right above the clouds. We started off in Kuta, a little surf town in the south of the island which is devel...

After a year of working and saving and waiting and planning I am here in BALI and I'm so excited I need to just remember to R-E-L-A-X and enjoy it. Decided to do the whole 30 days here (which is as much as they will allow on a tourist visa) as there's so much that I want to see and do - as well as take my time doing it so that I don't have to rush around so much. First of all, I actually want to start with the food here which is just a dream. It's so fresh, so healthy, so cheap, and there's a huge western influence here with lots of brunch places, eggs, avocado, etc. I know that when you're in another country it's more cultural to try all the local dishes, but after 4 months backpacking SE Asia I ate enough local cuisine and it got to the point where a mini packet of lurpak butter excited me. Plus, I'm in serious HOLIDAY mode at the moment, so I'm happy to just be a bit of a tourist right now and ease myself into trying new things as the weeks go on....

Oh Melbourne. I've hated this city, accepted this city, enjoyed this city, left it and returned pretty swiftly, but now I have finally, FINALLY, really left after living there for almost an entire year. I've had a very on-again off-again kind of relationship with Melbourne, and whilst there are lots of things I definitely will NOT miss (to name a few: the erratic weather, waiting a MILLION years to cross the road, breaking into a hot sweat and flustered panic when the MYKI inspectors get on the tram ) there are plenty of things that I definitely will miss.  Being surrounded by street art This is something I became so complacent about as time went on, but when I first arrived in Melbourne I was so excited and inspired by all the amazing street art EVERYWHERE. There are places likes Hosier Lane which have become a tourist  for graffiti and urban art, but when you get out of the centre and explore all of Melbourne you notice that every suburb is it's own ever-evolving art sp...

LEGALLY ADDICTIVE At the start of this year, I decided I was going to give up chocolate. I've made this decision on a whim multiple times throughout my life and never managed to succeed more than three days before, but I was serious about it this time. I had come to the realisation that chocolate was present in my diet pretty much every day. There was not one day I could remember where I hadn't had a little bit of chocolate, even if it was Nutella on my toast or a cake for somebody's birthday (or just because, you know, it's a Tuesday) or a packet of chocolate buttons at the end of the day that may or may not have been family sized. The more I thought about it, chocolate wasn't a treat anymore. It wasn't something I enjoyed. It was a habit, almost like an addiction. When I meditated in Cambodia for 10 days, the thing I found the most difficult to give up wasn't my phone or my camera, it was chocolate. I craved it, deeply. I even dreamt about it. Twice. So, I...

What are you doing. You are insane. Why couldn't you just be content and happy where you were. This is ridiculous. Never again. Why are you putting yourself through this?... ...were just a few of the thoughts going over and over in my head on the 14 hour flight from Melbourne, Australia to Hanoi, Vietnam, four weeks ago. I woke up on the morning of the flight with my heart beating so hard I could hear it thudding against the mattress and that horrible but familiar sick feeling washing over me. I dismissed it as nerves. I chose to leave Melbourne, Nobody forced me. After an amazing and challenging 9 months living, working and travelling Australia I decided I wanted a change. I wanted to go back to SE Asia to get an English teaching job, something that I had been wanting to do since me and John first backpacked Asia over a year (!) ago. I really felt that I had done everything I wanted to do in Australia and it was time for me to go and try this, otherwise I would regret it. It was e...

One year ago today I left the UK with two bags and a one-way plane ticket to Bangkok. Travel was my main goal. I wanted to see and experience as much as possible. I quit my job, my apartment in Manchester, my car insurance, my phone bill, everything I had worked for and lusted after for three years was put on hold. Wanderlust had well and truly taken over. Mentally I had prepared myself for being away from home for at least  one year. Now that year has been and gone (and it's flown by very quickly too) what have a learned from it all? Nothing turns out how you expect it Oh life! You are full of surprises. As much as I try to visit new places with an open mind, I can't help but have a picture built up in my head of how I think it will be. Some things have been more amazing than I could have ever imagined. Some things have been more difficult. It's all a part of the experience. I didn't expect to be blown away, time and time again, by how beautiful and amazing and breatht...