In the back room of a small shop in Quito, Ecuador, a petite, elderly Ecuadorian woman rubbed a bundle of stinging nettles over my naked body. As she muttered in Spanish, her hands made quick scrubbing motions from my head to my toes. Within seconds, my body buzzed with a prickly, burning sensation. Welts popped up in angry red streaks. “Your energy is blocked. We must open your energy...
I sat on the veranda of the Hotel Santa Catalina sipping ‘un té británico’ (a British tea) and looking out on the manicured lawns that seemed to stretch down to the sea. Despite the heat in Las Palmas (a tempting 28C), the Brit in me was happy to sip on a good cuppa, even if I did have to ask for it ‘con leche fria aparte’ (with cold milk on the side). My afternoon companion was Angie Cabrera, a...
In a corner of Edinburgh, outside the Palace of Holyroodhouse with its witches’ hat towers and crenellated turrets, 74-year-old tour guide Kenny Hanley can often be found pointing to a little piece of magic atop an ornamental gateway at the residence’s southern approach. The focus of his attention is an almost-forgotten stone emblem of the city and country in which he lives, and yet few realise...
Flowing through the heart of New Zealand’s North Island, the Whanganui River is one of the country’s most important natural resources. The river begins its 290km journey on the snowy north-western side of the Mount Tongariro active volcano, winding between green hills and mountains until it meets the Tasman Sea. Revered for centuries by the Whanganui tribes – who take their name, spirit and...
No matter the time of year, Cornwall is one of the UK’s most popular tourist destinations. With over 300 beaches and plenty of sights to see, the rich history and array of activities are something that just cannot be missed. There’s something for everyone on the Cornish coast, but what’s the best way to visit? In order to make the most out of your staycation, we’ve narrowed down the perfect place...
On any night in Auckland, you can have your pick of world cuisine, whether you’re hankering for hand-pulled biang biang noodles swathed in chilli oil, or a Margherita pizza cooked by someone holding official Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana certification. But what about New Zealand’s traditional cuisine? That’s not quite so easy to find. Māori, the first inhabitants of New...
Orange sand particles twinkled in the sun as a lone motorbike kicked up dust in its wake. It was 09:30 on a bright Monday morning and the temperature was already creeping past 30C. A family of toque macaque monkeys swung from verdant tree branches and rolled playfully in the hot sand in front of us. But we barely took notice; we couldn’t take our eyes off the 200m-high monolith in the...
As a born and bred Hong-Konger, going to yum cha with my family every Sunday is an important tradition that has lasted many generations. Here, stories old and new are recounted over a table full of bamboo baskets that hold a variety of dim sum – small bites that encompass everything from delicately translucent prawn dumplings and silky rice rolls to molten lava custard buns and sweet roasted pork...
Amid the mist-cloaked, forested slopes of the Dyfi Valley, outside the Welsh market town of Machynlleth, is a remarkable sight: a seemingly ramshackle collection of log cabins, old wind turbines, thatched huts, steel tubes and funicular railways, rising from the banks of a former slate quarry. It looks at once incongruous and perfectly at home; both organic and man-made, as if it had grown there...
“I have seen landscapes, notably in the Mourne Mountains and southwards which, under a particular light, made me feel that at any moment a giant might raise his head over the next ridge.” So wrote CS Lewis of this mountainous patch of his homeland. Adventure abounds on this demanding walk, which encompasses three of the highest peaks in the Mournes: Slieve Donard, Commedagh and Bearnagh. The...