In a year where there has been little travel and many health issues I am challenged where best to post and how to write this blog! For most of us it has been a year of great uncertainties and lows, with a few highs. On the whole we don’t share our lows as we maintain our oh-so-very-British stiff upper lip. So here goes – my year in review. Continue reading
View of the Atlas with Branson’s’ Kasbah silhouetted
Any visit to Marrakech longer than 3 days necessitates a day trip to the Atlas Mountains. If you’re there for a week I would recommend an overnighter so you can enjoy some trekking in this magnificent scenery. May is a good month, before it gets too hot and while there is still snow on the peaks, rendering the views spectacular. Continue reading
Tommy pouring champagne to celebrate the new kitchen
Sitting at Heathrow airport after a couple of months back in London. What should have been a joyous time of moving back into our old house, happily renovated and divided into two flats, has been a nightmare of gruelling proportion, admittedly interspersed with some high spots. Best of all was spending so much time with beloved Tommy. Continue reading
The girls at Two Brydges
Back in London! I wish I could say that this has been a joyous time, full of the excitement of moving back into our recently renovated house, but in truth the last 10 days have been a nightmare, albeit with one or two highs interspersed with what I call the nadir of the pits.
We have a charming leaving ceremony at the Mantra Retreat: after being smeared with vermilion ash on our foreheads, a fragrant flame is wafted around and some coconuts smashed. We now understand why the geese and ducks have been waddling around expectantly all morning as they dive for the succulent flesh with cackles of delight. Continue reading
My two boys are away heli-skiing in Canada, something the poor old hip won’t allow me to do at the moment, so what better plan than to have a girls’ jaunt round Tamil Nadu with my India-loving friend Hilary? As she lives in Abu Dhabi it’s only a short hop for the both of us. Continue reading
Luang lives up to its reputation, though we are overwhelmed by the number of tourists, ranging from dreadlocked backpackers to chic French groups, via the hordes of Koreans, Japanese and Chinese, that descend en masse upon this sleepy town. Continue reading
Kuching at sunset
Nicholas meets us at the airport. He is our Iban guide, descended from the legendary headhunters and heavily tattooed in traditional fashion. He will be looking after us for our few days in Mulu, in the heart of Borneo, bordering Brunei. Continue reading
‘Funny, vivacious’ Louise Cattell, pictured before going to hula-hoop at the Lovebox festival in 2010, died aged 21 when she drowned in the bath after taking the club drug ketamine
Now we are in Ubud for the weekend, staying in the Komaneka Tanggayuda. I have booked a villa with an infinity pool as a birthday present to us both, and it is divine. The outdoor granite bath is something else!
vickygoestravelling 