Trekking Malaysia, from jungle to sea May 9, 2022 I stand, deep in the rainforest, and listen. Life is pulsating, filling the hot and humid air. It is pervasive, all encompassing, and almost suffocating. The leaf litter beneath my feet moves a little. It feels primeval. It is primeval: these forests in Malaysia are over 130 million years old. The air is filled with [...]
How the Berlin Wall still influences culture and commerce December 1, 2021 Nature is reclaiming the Death Strip. Pioneer birch trees have self-seeded, creating a winding, shady memorial that cuts through the heart of Berlin. There are cherry blossoms too, a gift from the Japanese government. But it is the slim, silvery trunks of the birches, and the dappled, dancing shadows they cast on the path, that [...]
Treetop spas and temples: An enriching holiday in Bali October 25, 2021 There was a moment, when I was sat in the make-up chair looking at my half painted reflection, that I thought I’d made a big mistake. The white base and lurid yellow, fuschia, and blue eye shadow was rather more Grayson Perry than the elegant Balinese dancer I’d been hoping for. But I kept the [...]
Skiing in Uzbekistan, the cold heart of the Silk Road October 16, 2021 I remembered the loudness of a helicopter, its blades beating the air like an incensed dragon. What I hadn’t realised, though, is that when a helicopter lands on deep snow, the force creates a blast of ice and powder which rips through your clothing and stings any inch of exposed skin. It goes on and [...]
Taking a walk on the wild side of Sardinia October 9, 2021 Flying into Sardinia’s Cagliari, the ancient city spreads out below you, and then gives way to the packed beach resorts of Costa Smeralda. Cagliari’s rich in history and culture, and the resorts’ nightlife is amongst the most vibrant in the Med, but the last thing I wanted was to be surrounded by other holidaymakers. I’d [...]
An amazing green list trip to Portugal on the river Douro May 12, 2021 The lifeblood of Porto is not the deep red wine with which the city shares its name, but rather the Douro River, without which neither the city nor the wine could exist. It rises to the surface at Duruelo de la Sierra in central Spain, then runs northwest for almost 900km, meeting the Atlantic Ocean [...]
Sky-high skiing and Mario Kart sledding in France’s Three Valleys December 10, 2019 I’ve mastered the chair lift, and nine times out of 10 will make it to the top of a drag lift without ending up on my behind in the snow. The suggestion I received over drinks in a bar that I might want to try “skiing on a rope” at 100 km an hour, however, [...]
At Polo Valley, a converted farm house in Sotogrande, you can try your hand at one of the oldest team sports in the world November 4, 2019 The last time I was this near a horse, the beast in question decided uncharitably, if not without logic, that the easiest way to get rid of me was to veer sharply left beneath a low hanging branch. It was with some trepidation, therefore, that I stood before Nevadita (Snowy) during my first polo lesson. [...]
In search of India’s Silk Road, the centuries-old trading route crossing the Himalayas October 31, 2019 Standing on top of Khardung La, I was higher than I’d ever been without flying. An enterprising clutch of soldiers had set up the world’s highest tea shop, and as a brisk wind blew across the Himalayan peaks, I was grateful for the steaming cup of chai in my hand. A group of bikers were [...]
How a tea estate is helping to conserve Rwanda’s rich biodiversity September 27, 2019 There are only two things that most people think about when they hear “Rwanda”: the country’s unfathomable genocide, the 25th anniversary of which is in 2019; and, to a lesser extent, the critically endangered mountain gorilla. But Rwanda is unrecognisable from how it was in the mid 1990s, and although the gorilla population is steadily [...]