Food and world travel blog
I am a chef. I’ve been travelling and semi-location independent for over 3 years. During that time my wife, kids and I have visited 5 continents, 40+ countries and spent more time together than any chef family I know. I’ve not missed a Christmas and that’s a big deal. We’ve found a new way of … Read blog
Pembrokeshire street food isn’t in abundance. I found this out the hard way during our month exploring South and West Wales. The continued growth of pizzerias and chain restaurants along with the short supply of good chefs these days has limited the places that now sell decent quality Welsh food made with top notch local … Read blog
A dosa is a thin, flat, fermented gram flour pancake cooked on a griddle, skillet or tawa. This Indian food is common in the South of India but also popular in Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and beyond. You’ll all find various types of dosa at most good (authentic) Indian restaurants. This post is about dosa, … Read blog
Of everything we ate in Sri Lanka, it was the Sri Lankan breakfast food that we looked forward to most. It was refreshing to have something so totally different to what we would eat in the west, cooked with care and considerable effort and featuring all the flavours of this magical country. Hoppers, roti, curries, … Read blog
Discovering the local foods of a region is a huge part of travel for most of us, but it isn’t always so easy. If you stick to the main tourist strip you will more than likely find yourself eating Western favourites and watered-down versions of local classics. Discovering local foods as you travel requires a … Read blog
Gatwick airport in West Sussex is the UK’s second biggest airport behind London’s Heathrow. It is 46 km south of London Victoria, much further out of town than Heathrow (which can be reached by tube). This makes getting to Gatwick from London longer and harder than just jumping on a tube. Options on getting to … Read blog
Stansted airport is 62km north of London near Bishops Stortford. This makes getting to Stansted airport (STN) from London harder and more expensive than Heathrow. The 3rd biggest airport in the London area and 4th biggest in the UK, Stansted isn’t in the same league as Heathrow or Gatwick in the south. A more carbon-neutral … Read blog
Lord Howe Island, Australia, is located 600km east of Port Macquarie, off the NSW coast. Accessible first by boat and now more popularly by aircraft from either Sydney or Brisbane, this crescent-shaped island is an adventurers paradise and one that retains an unspoilt charm that so many islands have lost. Lord Howe Island Things to do … Read blog
How to get to Tikal from Flores? Your choices of transport to Tikal Guatemala. Tikal National Park is quite possible the most famous place in Guatemala and the majority of people depart from Flores to Tikal. The ancient Mayan city is the biggest and most impressive in Central America, spanning over 100 square km of … Read blog
My teeth aren’t bad, 4 fillings, no crowns and no extractions to date. Two fillings are deep, in cavities that started before I was a teenager. I knew they wouldn’t last forever but it was here, in Flores that the pain started. I had to face up to finding a dentist in Guatemala. Not a … Read blog
The journey from Antigua to San Pedro Laguna takes just 3 hours or so by bus ride but San Pedro and Lake Atitlan are a world away from Antigua, Guatemala. The easiest way to get to San Pedro Laguna from Antigua Guatemala is to book a shuttle bus here, alternatively you can see Lake Atitlan … Read blog
Facts about Sri Lankan food – Is Sri Lankan cuisine spicy? What are shorties? Blog about famous traditional Sri Lankan dishes, rice and curry to short eats Sri Lanka is a beautiful island off the southeast coast of India, yet despite the close links, Sri Lankan food is quite different to that found in India … Read blog
The mere mention of birds’ nest soup conjures up images of a really strange concoction. Most have never tried it and a large number of people don’t even know someone that has. Yet the Chinese first started using swallow nests for soup over 1500 years ago. Birds’ nest soup is a delicacy in traditional Chinese … Read blog
After visiting Antigua Guatemala we decided to stay for a month. If you have recently read my post on family travel in Central America you could be thinking I don’t like Antigua. Actually, I really enjoy hanging out and exploring this world heritage listed city. Antigua is beautiful, historic, and culturally fascinating, there’s also some … Read blog
I love wandering around markets and Antigua market, Guatemala certainly doesn’t disappoint. Located on the west side of Antigua it covers a vast outside and undercover area selling fruit and veg and nearly everything you could imagine. After visiting Antigua Guatemala we decided to stay for a month. Local restaurants are a little expensive in … Read blog
I don’t claim to have all the answers to make travel easy and pain-free, after all, isn’t working things out for yourself half the fun? Having travelled around the world more than once, I have a few tips to help you along. Here are our best travel tips for first-time travellers and new travellers, applicable … Read blog
America is known for many things, one is its love affair with junk food. Not the usual junk you would associate with the well-known multinational companies but well done junk food that leaves you wanting more. After years of travel to over 50 countries, investigating and researching the best junk food, I bring you my … Read blog
The Full English Breakfast is an institution in its own right. Served everywhere in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland it should really be called the full British or full UK breakfast, but each country has its own twist on what should be served on the plate. From small “greasy spoon” cafés to London’s top-name hotels, … Read blog
Pina Colada cocktails are one of my favourite drinks and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Rum, coconut, and pineapple are a marriage made in heaven. It has been said that a pina colada is a girls’ drink but I really don’t care, half the world can’t be wrong as they demand pina colada mix, … Read blog
Sri Lanka is known for many things, tea production, elephants, great beaches and of course the wonderful welcoming people who call this little island home. We were here to see as much as possible and we certainly saw our fair share of Sri Lanka’s southern beaches. From Hikkaduwa right around to Tangalle, we stayed on … Read blog
Malacca is located 145 km south of the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur with modern expressways connecting the two cities. It is a further 214 km down on to Johor Bahru on the southernmost tip of mainland Malaysia which borders Singapore on the other side of the causeway. Malaysia has great public transport links that connect … Read blog
Little under a month since my medical emergency in Thailand it was time to resume travel again. This is, of course, what I love about travel, new sights, smells and sounds that repeatedly hit you in a way only Asia can. This was going to be post-op backpacking so I needed to be a little gentle on … Read blog
This post tells of my first-hand experiences of receiving emergency medical care in Thailand. In part 1 I was diagnosed and emergency surgery became inevitable. This is the second installment. In the third post about this medical emergency and care, I talk about continuing to travel in Thailand after emergency medical care. I hope you … Read blog
It started so well, a clear sunny day much like any other here on Koh Phangan. Heading to the night market in Thong Sala by taxi was uneventful until the time came to get out. Then the pain hit me like a sledgehammer. Just walking through the market was painful. Bumping into people pushed daggers … Read blog
As we have travelled we’ve been exposed to numerous new and exciting dishes. In fact, that is one of the main joys of travelling. But the big question I have, is it compulsory to try all new foods on the road? Should we try silkworm larvae, bat on a stick and tarantula and is it … Read blog
Let’s face it we’ve all suffered from terrible restaurant service whether at a top restaurant or local take away. Not all restaurant service sucks, to me though there are 3 different types of bad service. I can normally spot which type pretty quickly. I suffered the lazy server type tonight which led me to refuse … Read blog
Food in Laos is very diverse, you’ll find Laotian food alongside western dishes in Laos. The French influence is clearly more prevalent than anywhere else in Indochina, baguettes abound and suddenly you can get steak, chips, and cheese. The European influence is a bonus as the Laotian foods and other Asian foods are still there. … Read blog
After five relaxing days in Kanchanaburi, the location of the famous bridge over the River Kwai, saw us looking to head out of Thailand as our visas were due to expire. Really there are only 4 options to choose between. Mynamar to our left, Cambodia up and to the right or almost straight up into … Read blog