Month: March 2016

Pai – Thailand’s Best Kept Secret

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Let me first start by saying Pai is a f*cking magical place and you should all go, like now. It’s also the place I honed my hula hoop skills and the place in which I was welcomed to my hut by a man bearing *literal* crystals (when I asked what the different coloured gems were for he relied “healing”, “what all of them?”, “probably”.). Yes it’s a hippie commune by all intents and purposes, yes you may laugh at the impossibly zen staff there who float by with coloured dreads and tanned skin, but it’s so much more than that. Despite my bohemian tendencies, a hippie I am not, career hippies bore me, it’s kinda passé and they listen to the most boring music. Pai welcomes all; from the dreadlocked stoner to the bucket-hatted shuffler and all have a bloody great time. My fondest memory is being high in the pool listening to Rihanna ‘Wok’ and watching an american girl practice her interpretive dance skills for an hour – no judgement,, that’s not very Pai. …

Living in a Bikini When You Don’t Have a ‘Bikini Body’

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One of my biggest trepidations about going travelling, especially to Thailand where I am now, was my body. I’ve spoken previously on the blog about rejecting the media’s portrayal of the perfect female form, and I do stand by that. It’s just hard to wash away 20 years of body neuroses in an instant. I went travelling right after Xmas. With the Christmas weight of a girl who knew she wouldn’t be home for a long time. I honestly thought I’d lose weight in India due to Delhi belly but sadly/gladly the food was so tremendous I gained weight! Even a bad case of food poisoning didn’t make a dent in my behind. And so the time came to shed the layers and get into beach life in Thailand. Honestly the first time I put in a bikini I had a nervy spasm. You know when you look at your body and think ‘who even is that?’. Inevitably when you’re in a tropical paradise there will be beautiful lithe women who make you feel inferior, …

Backpacker Fashion: The Headscarf

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Main photo credit: Giambatista Valli copyright Vogue Runway If you take one item backpacking with you… make it your passport. LOL. But do take a fashionable scarf. It can be used as , well, a scarf, to tie around a bag. as a neckerchief, bracelet, bandeau and as a headscarf or hairband. This will protect your hair from the sun and hide cray cray hair from strangers too. Plus it looks super cool when teamed with some big sunglasses and you don’t need a stitch of hair or makeup either! Check out this tutorial on how to tie a headscarf:   ASOS has a fab range of scarves HERE

Chiang Mai, Thailand – What to Do & See

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Chiang Mai in the North of Thailand is a definite must-do on your Thai backpacking trip or holiday. Plus it’s a pit-stop on the way to wonderful Pai (more on that later). To get there from Bangkok you can fly but there’s an a/c overnight train for just £18 which is very comfortable. Chiang Mai is a super cool, chilled town and full of backpackers and ex-pats read on to see what’s the sitch up in CM. BARS & CLUBS Because we all need a Chang now and again, right? One note, all the clubs and bars in CM close at midnight but they’re all a short walk from each other. Zoe’s Zoe’s is a sprawling indoor/outdoor complex of several bars to suit all but the most niche music tastes. Great for chilling out in the evening and catching up with friends. Zoe’s in Yellow, Rajvithi Road, เชียงใหม่ 50200 Spicy This club opens a little later most nights so you can dance away to floor fillers until 2am. Lots of talent here too. Chang Moi, …

Sustainable Fashion – What Does It Mean & How Can You Help?

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  Main photo: A clothes factory in Burma Ph. Steve McCurry  The older I get, the more my conscience niggles me about things that would have never crossed my mind in my early twenties. Our generation is the first that grew up with fast fashion; we were, and are,able to get our mitts on designer-influenced duds at rock-bottom prices. And if you’re anything like me, you took advantage of this. I used to definitely subscribe to the quantity over quality mode of buying, treating myself to new clothes on a weekly basis. The bulk of which would be worn once, never to be seen again – sound familiar? Now I’d rather buy less, maybe spend a bit more, but certainly I think about clothing that will have longevity. Now I’m not saying we all become eco-warriors, start boycotting Topshop and only wear hemp BUT I think we could all be more considered when buying and caring for our clothes. No person needs 50 dresses, why not buy fewer that you really, really like? We’ve lost the …

What To Do in Bangkok

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Let me start by saying I wasn’t immediately sold on Bangkok, and I’m still a little unsure – it’s busy, hot and sprawling and did I mention relentlessly hot? Seriously, it’s the only place I’ve visited that somehow manages to get hotter at night. Anyway, I gave it a fair crack and here’s what I suggest you do with 2 or 3 days in BKK. Don’t stay any longer or you’ll go cray. STAY AT NAPPARK If you’re backpacking in Thailand you’ll probably start off in BKK and you’ll most probably wanna stay around the backpacking mecca that is Koh San Road, however it is very mental there. So stay just round the corner at Nappark Hostel which is a luxe alternative to really scuzzy traveller digs. It has great bathroom and shower facilities, which you’ll need and is under £10 a night. Nappark Hostel, 5 Tani, Talat Yot, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10110 JJ GREEN VINTAGE NIGHT MARKET This was far and away my favourite thing in BKK, a huge, sprawling night market much like Streetfeast …

Backpacker Fashion: The Crochet Crop Top

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There are certain items of clothing that you just can’t get away with wearing in ‘real life’, one of those is crochet anything. It’s just not aprops if it’s not on the beach. However when backpacking, anything goes, so make sure you’re not left out and nab yourself a crochet crop top. You can get them for as little as £3 and they’re so cute. Be sure to do a few abdominal crunches before you rock one! She Made Me do amazing crochet clothing  

The Dreaded Delhi Belly and How it Nearly Broke Me…

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Call it hubris, cockiness or just plain stupidity but I *honestly* thought I would avoid Delhi belly while travelling. I’ve never been ill because of food, I’m the person who eats with a group who all get food poisoning and remain unscathed, my stomach is legendarily strong.   That’s not to say I wasn’t careful, I didn’t eat meat for a month while in India, avoided tap water and religiously sanitised my hands – seriously, what more can you do? And I thought I was safe, I lasted one month feeling fantastic, so on the second to last night (in an expensive western restaurant, it’s never the street food) I indulged in some chicken. On the afternoon before my flight to Bangkok I began to feel *really* sick, I was sweating, nauseous and confused and just had to go to bed. Then the vomiting started. Now, before that, the last time I vomited was 2 years ago after the Hotbox London launch party where I drank 435 free cocktails and ate a whole cow, and …

En Route To… Thailand

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I am currently at New Delhi Airport, ready to fly to Bangkok. I’m super excited to get to some beaches, meet my old housemate Sinead (who will be flying from the UK to Bangkok in a few days) and go to the Full Moon Party! India was amazing, read all my India travel posts here and I’ll see you in Thailand.