“What West Bengal thought today, India thought tomorrow”– this perfect proverb indicates the rich cultural heritage and intellectual legacy of West Bengal. Kolkata is the capital of West Bengal. It was formerly known as Calcutta before 2001. The city remained the capital of British India for more than a century,…
Living in another country can be an exciting, overwhelming and at times intimidating prospect. While there is the thrill of adventure and new experiences, it can be difficult to adjust to entirely new set of societal and cultural norms. Living in Japan is an amazing and life-changing experience for many,…
Are you wondering where to stay in Istanbul – Taksim or Sultanahmet? These are two very different neighbourhoods of Turkey’s largest city, both worthy of staying at. Sitting on opposite sides of the Golden Horn, Taksim and Sultanahmet are the two most popular places to stay at in Istanbul. In…
This blog post contains affiliate links. When you use these links, I get a small commission, with no extra cost to you. This is one of the ways I can keep producing free content! Don’t wait until summer to explore Turkey. While Istanbul and Turkey in general are gorgeous during…
Beautiful Cappadocia is one of the best destinations to visit in Turkey, famed for its epic landscapes, fascinating history, and hot air balloons. It attracts travellers, young and old, from all over the world. It’s a relatively easy journey from Istanbul or Ankara and is also quite close to the…
Turkey is one of my favourite countries. It’s famed for its dreamy beach destinations on the Mediterranean coast and the fascinating metropolis of Istanbul; but honestly, Turkey is so much more. There are so many places in Turkey that you could spend years visiting them. The balloons of Cappadocia, the…
“Do you have anything that is banned?” said an Uzbek security guard, poking his head around my train cabin’s door as I sat waiting, one of the only people on the train who was travelling all the way to Tashkent. “Nothing banned” I said. He gave my case a cursory…
Malaysia is a really special place. It’s got a wealth of culture – due to its strategic position between east and west, and north and south, it has influences and many people from India, China and Britain. It also has some older influence from Portugal and the Netherlands. While this…
An archipelago of over 7,000 islands, sitting to the east of South East Asia, tourism to the Philippines is increasing. But it still doesn’t get quite the same amount of tourist attention as Thailand, Indonesia or Vietnam. This is going to change though. People are starting to realise how wonderful…
The archipelago of the Philippines is a corner of South East Asia that’s strikingly different from anywhere else on the continent. The unique fusion of Spanish, Chinese, American and Native cultures make it really a place of its own. Despite travelling around a lot of South East Asia over the…