Getting Out of the Bubble

Marrakech If Fez is the historical heart of Morocco, then Marrakesh is definitely the beating modern heart of the country. It still has the old Riads tucked into the streets of the buzzing Medina, but it also has the modern new city which is less traditional and popular with the younger generation. Since we were only in Marrakesh for a short period of time we stuck to the old city in our explorations, and there is plenty to keep you amused there for weeks. The Marrakech medina is definitely more touristy than the Fez Medina, and I would say a bit grottier. Don't be surprised if the shop owners are shouting lewd comments as you walk down the street. Some people hate this, but for me it was all part of the fun and the experience. Despite the words that are said (which are never really that bad), everything is in good humour and I never was made to feel uncomfortable - even when one kind shop owner offered to take me up to the back room to make a baby after admiring the ti...

Fes Fes was somewhere that wasn’t necessarily top of my Morocco travel list, and I think it is a little bit forgotten, but I loved it. As with all the places we visited in Morocco, the people are what really made Fes such a great experience but, because this was the first place I experienced in Morocco, the people were especially important. From the lovely staff at Dar Victoria, who immediately made us feel welcome, to our amazing guide for the day, Jamal, we were lucky with the people we met. If it wasn’t for them we probably wouldn’t have eaten that delicious barbecue meat pitta for lunch, or made our way into the depths of the medina with only the aid of a hand drawn map. It’s these little interactions with the people of a country that give any trip another dimension, and made Fes so special. My favourite thing about Fez was how it feels like it’s stayed in some bygone time, looking across the rooftops you can imagine that not a huge amount has changed since Roman times – exc...

Going to Morocco I was pretty unsure what to expect. I’d heard about the amazing architecture and food, but I had also heard about the catcalling and recommendations not to walk around alone as a women. I had spoken to enough friends who loved Morocco, and seen enough photos on Instagram to be excited, but I also had my mum in my ear saying how much my sister had hated the madness of the Medina last summer. Everywhere is going to have it’s good and bad sides, but in the case of Morocco I would say ignore the neigh-sayers and jump in feet first. I went to Morocco with a healthy dose of skepticism and cautiousness, but left with a multitude of good memories and only the most minute negative memories that pale in comparison. Sometimes a place is made by the people that you encounter along the way, and the connections made. This could not be more true in Morocco. The scenery is stunning, the food is delicious, but everything that stands out about my trip, and everything that will sta...

Anyone who has talked to me about China will know that one of my favourite things about living there was the food. As with pretty much everything else in China, I arrived thinking I knew what to expect…and then being completely wrong. I mean, we all know what Chinese food is like right? Chinese is a staple in the takeaway canon – crispy duck and pancakes, sweet and sour chicken, prawn crackers…you can’t go wrong! But this isn’t really Chinese food as I knew it in China. The first thing to say is that the Chinese are serious about food, eating and cooking is a huge part of daily life and most business, family time and social occasions are centred around food. A good example of how integral food is in everyday life, it’s not unusual to be greeted with 你吃了吗 nĭ chī le ma? (Have you eaten?) instead of the traditional hello. As with everything else, the food in incredibly varied within the different areas of China. Each area of China has their own specific cuisine with its own unique styl...

Bucket list's are one of the biggest cliches in life, and yet they are still something that I find myself drawn to. The idea of putting in a list all the cool, interesting and scary things that you want to do - and then ticketing them off - seems to me like a very satisfying venture. And so I made a list. Some of the things on this list I've already done, a few of them I have made plans to do, and the majority are for some point in the future. It's tempting to just list all the many many travel adventures that I want to have, but I have also tried to include other, non-travel related, things too. The list is in no particularly order - although the neurotic in me wanted to categorise and make it neater - and there isn't an order to complete them in either. The thing that I wanted to be aware of was that this is not a "one day" list. It is a list to encourage me to go out and do things that I might not usually do. I want to actively try to tick things of...