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Un party poquito: Ecuadorian style
As travellers can all too easily stick to the well-trodden backpacker trail, I considered myself fortunate to be invited to a gathering at a local’s house in Quito. The hostess – a fab, expressive...
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Ancient modern Ecuador: four facts
There are three tribes remaining in Ecuador, two of which are nomadic and don’t want any communication with the rest of us. The third, the matriarchal Wuaorani tribe, allow contact. I wonder whether...
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Bye bye Baños
My stay in Baños, Ecuador was scattered with the regular sound of marching bands and deafening fireworks; 6:00 am wake-ups from drums and trumpets, heart stopping bangs. The town was celebrating the...
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Because everyone likes talking on a dinosaur phone
Sucre might be a Unesco site full of colonial architecture and little pockets of beautiful surprises, but it is also known as the home of the ’world’s largest collection of dinosaur footprints‘ in the...
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Conversational confidence (and a splash of Spanglish)
I am on a flight to the island of Santa Cruz on the Galapagos archipelago, and somehow I’ve landed a seat wedged in amongst a lively group of school kids at the back of the plane. Their teacher throws...
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Can’t I just get drunk and dance (or should I really find out what Australia...
So it’s my second Australia Day in… erm… Australia. And guess what? It’s raining and blowing the start of a storm. Again. Mid-summer? Pah! ‘So what exactly are you celebrating on Australia Day?’ I...
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And the heat and beat build
There was something about Kurunda that caught my attention that was less about the cute, independent coffee bars and tourist shops of the compact town centre and more about everything else. Like the...
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Travel, belonging and reflections on home
A moment for reflection (courtesy of travel writer Pico Iyer) before the Travelola travelogues move Melbourne way. Related articles Pico Iyer (wikipedia.org) Pico Iyer (Official Website)...
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A snapshot of St Kilda, Melbourne
I nearly applied for a job in St Kilda, back at the end of 2011. It was a job that would have merged my experience in media, education and writing, but the timing wasn’t right. I’d only just taken...
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Show me some Melbourne street art
I first became aware of street art tours when a fellow blogger posted photos of a trip that they’d been on in Buenos Aires. Street art seems to be growing in popularity and gaining acceptance; it’s...
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8 ways to get settled in Australia
In May 2012 I saw a Facebook update from a friend in Melbourne that stated ‘…over 40 resumes and nothing… I continue the travels…’, and so I decided to skip the call of the city and head straight to...
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Going green in Gloucestershire
Sun blazing down on us, a bitey breeze keeping things cool, it was one of those perfect British days where you drink in the freshness of the air and turn your face up to a lightly white streaked sky....
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Is cheese chasing just good British fun or something more serious?
The hill, if you look closely Dangerous, stupid or just a bit of English fun? It’s definitely one of the more bizarre British customs that I’ve come across. Bad press surrounding the cheese rolling...
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On the Banksy trail in some random little art town in the Netherlands
It’s early Saturday afternoon and I’m in Laren, an old, affluent arty town some 30km southeast of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. I’m here to attend a Banksy exhibition, something that I find a little...
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Back in England and still on the Banksy trail, this time in Bristol
Back in England, the pursuit of Banksy continued. Whilst London appeared to be a bit too much of a widespread maze in which to get lost, Bristol – Banksy’s hometown – seemed the better option to seek...
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5 benefits of family holidays
I consider myself extremely lucky. I love spending time with my family, particularly when I can steal them away for at least a few days so that it’s just us, where work and day-to-day distractions are...
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