I certainly felt very lucky when I arrived on the island of St Barth. Firstly, my propeller plane had landed safely after a near vertical dive over mountainous terrain onto the infamous short runway, the wing tip almost touching the turquoise waters of St Jean Bay. And secondly, I was ticking off a place that had been on my bucket list for a very long time.
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Something for the weekend - Tangier
Even the 5:30am call to prayer by the muezzin at the nearby mosque didn’t ruin the wonderful feeling of waking up in an exotic location a mere 2½ hour flight from the UK. Grabbing a coffee, I climbed to the rooftop and watched the sun rise over Tangier and the Strait of Gibraltar, where the inky Mediterranean Sea and the azure Atlantic Ocean meet.
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The Two Giants of Turkey
Istanbul and Cappadocia. One a buzzing multicultural city, the other hard to pinpoint on a map but, known for its iconic moonlike landscapes. Each amazing in their own right and also great combined into a perfect week’s holiday.
My trip started in Istanbul, which is easily one of my favourite cities in the world. The Bosphorus Strait separates Asia from Europe within the city itself, but this is not a division, it is where East meets West and there are few places on earth where so many cultural contrasts live in such unison.
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Hiking the Himalayas
The scene is hypnotic with rhododendron trees in early bloom, their vibrant red flowers contrasting against the snow-capped Himalayan peaks, whilst neon green terraces dotted with tiny villages cascade down vertigo inducing valleys.
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