This winter I was lucky enough to time my visit to Mestia to experience one of Georgia’s most mystical and ancient traditions — Lamproba Festival. Every February, the highland villages of Svaneti come alive with the warm glow of flaming torches, as locals honour their ancestors. Unlike any other festival in Georgia, Lamproba is a rare glimpse into a pre-Christian
The city of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand blooms every February for the Chiang Mai Flower Festival. This three-day festival is a celebration of spring, showcasing the region’s flowers, cultural traditions, and is generally just an excuse for a party.
Updated December 2024 The Lopburi Monkey Festival, or “Monkey Buffet Festival”, is one of Thailand’s most unusual and entertaining annual events. Held in the ancient city of Lopburi, located about 150 kilometres (93 miles) north of Bangkok, this festival honours the local monkey population that has become synonymous with the city. Each year, thousands of macaques are treated to a
Last September, I arrived in Ciudad de Mexico with no real knowledge about Mexican history or culture. However, I just had to look around at the glittering displays of green, white and red to know something was going on and indeed it was – I had stumbled into celebrating Mexico Independence Day in Mexico City! September is particularly fun time
This year I literally saw in the New Year with a bang, as I celebrated New Year’s Eve in the Netherlands visiting a friend in Den Haag. She had warned me about a few odd Dutch traditions for New Year, but I was unprepared for the level of crazy my New Year celebrations in the Netherlands would bring! Here are
After booking a last-minute flight to the Netherlands to spend New Year with a friend living in The Hague, I found myself being roped into the Nieuwjaarsduik Scheveningen. So, while you were nursing your New Year’s Eve hangover, I was taking a plunge into the North Sea as part of Den Haag’s New Year’s Day swim! This is the story
Dear Mum, I have a confession or two. Sometimes when I travel or I relay an anecdote from an adventure somewhere, I may leave out a few choice details. But, especially for Mother’s Day, I thought it was time to share/scare you with a couple of revelations: I have travelled without insurance. Not a lot (I’m usually pretty good with
There is nothing like a dragon boat race. The roar of the paddlers calling time, the drummer, the pounding of paddles pulling through the water, an undulating dragon skimming across the top of the ocean…
Red lanterns are up, the banks are packed and preparations are well underway for Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival. So, here are 10 surprising facts about Chinese New Year that I’ve learnt during my time in HK: Before I started living in Hong Kong, I thought CNY was all firecrackers, dumplings and fun animal horoscopes (and those are