“She doesn’t know”, “I don’t know”, “She really doesn’t know?”. My friends were shocked, on arrival in Porto, to find that I, their reliably prepared friend, had no idea what to do that weekend. I am that person – the one who finds the flights, fusses over hotels, and researches what to do. I’m the … Read more
Sandboarding in San Pedro de Atacama is one of the most popular activities in Chile’s oasis in the desert. I wasn’t keen – my co-ordination is abysmal and I’ve never done anything like it before, but when the lady in the tour shop asked “why don’t you want to do it? It’s fun,” I had … Read more
We spent about six weeks in Salta, Argentina and fell in love with its laid-back charm, cobbled streets and terracotta roofs. Practically the whole town closes from 1-5pm – even the surgeons go home to spend time with their families – giving a taste of the pace of life and values of the city. These … Read more
Coming to the Travel Bloggers Unite conference in Porto was a tricky decision. I had to make the journey from Peru so it wasn’t a simple case of catching a budget flight from Europe. I agonised over it. Could I justify the cost? This was an obvious consideration – but more than that it was … Read more
I’m a complete geek when it comes to finding good places to stay. Cosy, handmade, individual, homely, bohemian and eco-friendly are all words that grab my attention. Add to that a view, a hot tub, privacy, and a good price and I’m definitely sold. People are always asking me for recommendations and tips on how … Read more
I have a confession. When I went to the Grand Canyon on the tail end of my gap year, aged 19, I was such a brat that on the way there, I moodily declared: “So what, it’s just a big hole”. Cringe. This was mainly to annoy the very keen group of German girls on … Read more
After a slightly treacherous but splendid time in Mendoza, we were intrigued to hear about Cafayate – a smaller wine region in Argentina, most famous for its Torrontes white wine. As a bigger fan of white than red, this peaked my interest even further and we decided to take a look. What greeted us was … Read more
Teenagers are obnoxious, right? Rude, selfish, little creatures that think they know everything better than everyone. This is what the British right-wing papers would certainly have you believe. While I can’t vouch for UK teenagers (although they seem pretty harmless on the whole to me), I can say that the Argentinian teenagers we met blew … Read more
Salta is famous for its peñas, venues where musicians come together to play traditional folk music. Most of these have been turned into touristy nightmares with an organised sit-down dinner and staged show. We avoided these but were luckily told about one that retains its authenticity – La Casona del Molino. The casona is a … Read more
During my four months in Argentina, I have been to the dentist a total of 12 times, had two root canals, two crowns and one standard filling. For about 15 minutes of that time, I had no more than a small metal tooth in place of my molar, and my inadequate Spanish left me convinced … Read more