There's gonna be good times

So this year has been a roller coaster ride from hell then up to heaven with a couple of stints in purgatory. There has been tragedy, frustration, loss and despair amongst travelling to places I could only dream of going to.

As if going back to university after travelling so far wasn't depressing enough, I took on extra hours at work (God knows why) and studied and worked until my soul was charcoal - the past couple of weeks I haven't felt anything but tired and empty, I haven't had a moment to myself to think and my creative energy got sucked into a vacuum and left me completely in the dark. Glasgow gave me the space and air that I needed after the blur that has been the past few weeks.

So the short trip has somewhat rejuvenated me, I felt it as soon as I disembarked the train in Glasgow Central, that bracing and fresh northern air that stings your cheeks and stimulates your senses, my creative energy was eagerly waiting to greet me there on the platform and so I was reunited with myself. 

How I had missed the high-ceilings, stripped wooden floors and modern quirk of Kai's uncles' flat - a man with a very important job that doesn't take himself seriously considering - and how I had missed crisp, cold Scotland that made the winter season bearable with its blue skies and cobbled streets lined with trees the colour of pumpkin orange and cherry red.

Kai's uncle took us on a tour of the BBC buildings where he works as a producer and allowed us to take a trip into the filming studio, where many programmes and game shows are recorded, and what amazed me was just how much man power is needed to put together one show on one channel that all of us flick through at our discretion as we laze about on the sofa. Also whilst touring the modern airy offices of BBC Scotland, was the ardent desire in my heart to be working in a job I love in a bustling, vibrant city instead of despairing at the UK legal system in a private university with no idea how or why I'm doing it to myself.

Whilst up, we had arranged to see Jamie XX of The XX. We firstly went out for drinks in the Hillhead area, to the book club which is the ultimate hipster den with a ping pong table, upstairs bar behind a curtain and an entrance into the kitchen through a wardrobe. Here I drank the salted caramel White Russian (amazing) and listened to a live DJ showcase his knowledge of hip hop records. Jamie was on at 11 and so we got the subway across my favourite city over to the O2 academy, ready to be immersed into the music. 

The concert itself was incredible - for any of you that are fans of The XX or Jamie XX himself, you will know that they manage to take you through a journey of haunting electronic melodies and feel good mixes with bass that vibrates in your very bones. (I am no music terminology whiz so I hope that makes sense) Before the end of the show, Jamie played his track 'Good times' and reality gave me one of it's slaps round the face, I realised my current situation wasn't as bad as I was telling myself: I only have 7 months of university left, I have a boyfriend and family that would do anything for me, and I have my health, and so I let myself be taken in by the music once more with the resounding lyrics of 'I know, there's gonna be good times' ringing in my ears. After the concert Kai and I hung around by Jamie's tour bus and managed to have a quick chat and photo with the man himself, who looked absolutely knackered - making me even more grateful that he actually stopped to talk to us. 

Our last day on our quick trip was spent eating 'breakfast' at about 1pm in TriBeCa - The Lebowski milkshake is a must try if you visit - and then taking a wander around the Kelvingrove Museum which was free entry and had some pretty cool exhibitions going on inside, one being a load of facial expression casts suspended from the ceiling giving the effect that there was a cloud of floating heads above us, almost like wandering into a scene from Harry Potter.

 During the journey home, nestled into a seat by a panoramic window on the train, I watched the concrete of the city disintegrate into grassy peaks and dips, where cottages lay - small windows of warm inviting light glowing from them, resembling some faint memory of happiness around a warm fire. Fields bathed in the sunset soon turned into black silhouettes of trees and grey clouds, closing in on a final line of amber, the last expanse of golden sun before the night came. I finally felt as though all the bad events of the year had come to pass, and the winter season was closing in, giving way to a new, happier year. With darkness, comes silence, and with silence comes peace. Waves of melancholy and joy washed over me and my juxtaposed disposition, my reflection staring blankly back at myself in the black of the train window. My favourite season was over and I knew that, but so was the pain of 2015, and I knew that I could make it through the next few months and find freedom in the summer - the battle is almost over, the sea almost calm.

Italian Food in Budapest

"What strange phenomena we find in a great city, all we need to do is stroll about with our eyes open. Life swarms with innocent monsters." 
- Charles Baudelaire


Budapest, by sight, is a serene fairytale world, it's magnificent buildings shrouded in dusky pink, the great chain bridge over the Danube allowing lovers, friends and family to cross, taking it all in in awe. However, this city, like every other, holds another personality in the back streets, where ruin pubs and street food await to be discovered.

Our hotel, Continental Hotel Zara, situated in the midst of the madness was absolutely flawless. Located in the Pest side on Dohany Street in the Jewish Ghetto area (or the 7th district), it is the ultimate hidden gem of hotels. Its location was perfect for several reasons, including being in close proximity to the main shopping street Vaci Ucta which runs parallel to the Danube, but also because it was amongst the ruin pubs, spoiling us for choice.

Upon arrival, we were both eager to explore, having forgotten my map this time around (I know, schoolboy error) we really were left to our own sense of direction, using only our feet and eyes, letting Budapest take us in. We wandered out of our hotel, turning right to find Kazinscy Ucta only a couple of minutes walk away, this is the street home to Szimpla Kert, the king of ruin pubs, and 'Karavan' a street food court which was right next door. This consisting of burgers, italian food, vegan food, thai food and more - open from 11.30 daily until 2am. We ate at the italian and the burger counters (cultural, I know) which were both amazing and totally cheap, it worked out about £3 (approx $5) for half a margarita pizza which was huge and delicious. We then walked to the main shopping street to grab some souvenirs and gifts and were enticed in by the ice bar staff - which was empty when we went in with very strong cocktails but worth a visit if you're in Budapest and have never been to an ice bar.

Later that night, we ventured into szimpla kert for drinks, and I'm not quite sure I have the writing prowess to do it the justice it deserves.The exterior is relatively nondescript apart from lingering groups of people and overflowing hanging baskets giving the worn brick facade a tumbling tangled green fringe. Once inside there are three bars, several rooms inside and a big outdoor area under a canopy with a BBQ grill (that does REALLY good burgers and chicken) and another bar right at the back. I was instantly struck by the 'computer den' which is essentially a small room visible through a gap in the bricks, where the walls are lined by tangled lights, hairdryers and old fashioned boxy computer screens all showing patterns enough to make your eyes feel intoxicated. Under the canopy in the outside area is the place to be in szimpla, people gather around tables of different shapes and sizes, on recycled garden chairs, stools and chairs made out of skis. (And some lucky people are able to sit in the old fashioned car which has been split and put back together again to accomodate a table inside it)  Some are drinking and laughing, some are mysterious and quiet surrounded by smoke from thier shishas but above all, nobody is hostile, and that's what I liked most about szimpla - it may be a quirky and hipster place to be but the people are like the furniture - from all over the world, different ages and walks of life, but all just happy and relaxed.

The next day we wanted to make our way over to the shopping mall 'WestEnd city centre' to get me some comfortable shoes in order to walk the city (map and comfortable shoes won't be forgotten next time) However, amongst the strolling, we came across St.Stephan's Basillica , the third largest church in Hungary, which was completed in 1905 and named after St.Stephen of Hungary - the first King of Hungary. We paced up the magnificent steps to take a look inside and once in there, over washed that peaceful, serene feeling of being in a large sacred building, - this feeling is well known to me, thanks to my parents for dragging me and my reluctant sister around churches and cathedrals in France throughout our childhood.The architecture and design inside was stunning - however it didn't stop there. When leaving the church, there were steps and a ticket office up to the 'panorama' and I couldn't resist - 302 sweaty and breathless steps later - in flip flops - we were taking in the rooftops of Budapest, it really was worth it. From above, it was easy to see just how much history is packed into the city, magnificent buildings and scattered terracotta roofs surrounded us for miles, until in the horizon distant hills met the grey blue sky in the smog. - The feeling was similar to that you get on top of a mountain, the reward for the hard climb is always the view from the top. After our experience at St.Stephens, we found the shopping mall, got some shoes and finished off our trek around the city with some hungarian lager at 'Koleves' beer garden which essentially is a mashup of a children's playground and a gypsy camp with a very relaxed, summer vibe.

The following night we wanted to see some other ruin pubs and the evening took a bizarrre turn straight away - (stop reading now if you're a disney fan) - In Fogashaz ruin pub, an old man who I can only describe as looking like the one from 'UP' offered Kai money for a minute with me, this completely freaked me out and so onwards we went to 'Instant'. Instant has been hailed as 'The enchanted forest of ruin pubs' but this also led to a weird experience as not long after we settled at a table under a load of plastic rabbits and an owl with cat ears, boobs and horse legs, we found ourselves in the middle of a hungarian 'quiz night' and made a beeline for the exit, with Kai grabbing a hot dog on the way out. We returned to Szimpla for more drinks and got talking to two American students studying in Prague, more drinks led to more drinks and we ended the night feeling very intoxicated after taking some pictures at the photo booth in szimpla with our friends from over the pond. Once back at the hotel, Kai's 'happy drunk' turned into 'vomiting blood and passing out hitting head on the way down' and so we spent the night in Budapest hospital, which ended the bizarre evening nicely. 6 hours, blood tests and an MRI scan later, at 7am, we were free to go and Kai was fine, with nothing suspicious showing up in his bloods - so my advice for any travellers going to Budapest is don't drink spirits or eat any food from Instant!

We slept until about 12, and I was determined to rectify the previous nights situation and so we headed for Vaci Ucta, to an Italian Restaurant rated the number 1 restaurant in Budapest. Called 'Comme Chez Soi' and located on Aranykez Ucta, literally just off the main shopping street by the Mercure hotel. My experience at this restaurant is the best I've ever had yet, it is only a small restuarant with about 8 tables but a very impressive interior and even better food. The host, Roberto, saw to our needs instantly, we were very lucky to get a table and were brought a plate of antipasti for the wait for our starters of bruschetta. The antipasti consisted of parma ham and half of a tomato with olive oil and mozzarella - I was instantly in love with the first bite. Our bruschetta came and the bread was beautifully warm and packed with garlic with the cold, fresh and juicy tomatoes on top overflowing - this was soon gone. Kai ordered a lemonade to drink which was in fact homemade and delicious and then our mains were before us, mine spaghetti bolognaise and Kai's a carbonara. We both conceeded it was the best we had ever tasted and we were both fit to burst with my dish eventually defeating me. These were whipped away and replaced by a lemon sorbet and sweet hungarian wine. Upon leaving, Roberto was over to help with our coats and with some chocolates for me to take away because "the lady did not order dessert" - The guy obviously knows his females very well. I cannot recommend this restaurant enough if you ever visit Budapest, both the food and the hospitality for me were unprecedented and the price all together only came to about £20 - needless to say we left a good tip.

We spent the remainder of the day on the Buda side of Budapest, taking the vernacular railway up to the castle and enjoying yet another panoramic of the city. We wandered around the grounds for a while and made our way alongside the river towards Gellert hill and back over the 'Szabadsag' bridge to the hotel. That evening neither of us were in the mood to drink after the previous night so we made the most of the rooftop swimming pool at the hotel, taking in the distant glittering sights.

On our last full day we took a trip to the Szechenyi baths which are definitely a must-do in Budapest - turquoise pools heated to 37 degrees and surrounded by mustard yellow buildings, it was the ultimate site of relaxation. To get here we took a tram just down from the hotel which we managed to hop on and off both ways without paying - I'm not recommending this in the slightest but they were super easy to use and quite frankly we were getting pretty tired of walking. We saved our last reserves of energy for a trip to the river that night in order to see the castle and the chain bridge lit up. - This was after grabbing some (more) Italian food from 'A Presto' by the operahouse on the way. (More amazing pizza.)

Overall, despite the hospital trip and the dodgy old man claiming he wanted to "help young people", Budapest was an amazing experience for me. It really showed me the two sides of the city and the personalities that come with those two sides. The trip has reinforced the importance of discovering cities both by day and by night, both on the sunny marble steps and down the backstreets cloaked by night, after all, how can you say you've been to a city if you haven't really experienced it all?

A Ferry to Phi Phi

Despite months of planning, weeks of excitement and days of waiting, throughout the whole process of packing my case and driving to the airport, it didn't quite hit me that I was about to embark on a 14 hour flight that would take me over 6000 miles away. Travelling is my one desire, an integral part of my being - and travelling to (near enough) the other side of the world really does make you appreciate just how big our humble little sphere is, however, events that unfolded on the ferry to Phi Phi (of which I will tell you in due course) really do make it a scarily small world.

So the two flights out - one to Dubai, then from Dubai to Singapore - actually went pretty quick, this was a result of our connecting flight being late, leading to a sprint across the airport (interrupted briefly by Jess needing a cigarette = us spending a tense few minutes in the most bizarre smoking lounge which was full of men, leading to my paranoia that we had breached some sexist Dubai law) the journey was not helped however by the kind man in front of me who proceeded to recline his seat all the way and then thrash about as if he was enduring an exorcism. I don't know what it is about me on planes but I always get THE most oblivious seat-reclining, frequent-farting person in front of me.

Enough with the plane glamour, we arrived in Singapore somewhat delirious but totally excited and were greeted by Jess' cousin, Nat, who whipped us into a taxi and made us right at home in her beautiful apartment in Keppel Bay. (which just happened to be one of the nicest places to live in Singapore) We spent the day walking around Singapore which I'll admit is a bit of a blur due to jet lag - that night we were both given a melatonin and slept for a straight 14 hours.

The following night is up there as one of the most bizarre nights of my life. One of Nat's neighbours was celebrating her birthday and invited us along, so we met them at a Mexican bar called Lucha Loco on Duxton Hill, Singapore. After numerous tequila shots and some nachos, the congregation were up in front of us doing the conga out of there - we had no choice but to join the back and wonder what the hell was happening. Getting into a minibus - which turned out to actually be a party bus blasting out Michael Jackson with laser lights that made it look like pyrotechnics were going off - we took a trip through town. We disembarked outside a closed shopping mall. Feeling slightly tipsy and hazy from the jet lag, we followed the party into the empty shopping mall and got into a lift - we then went through a door into the craziest place ever. It held about 60 rooms all of which you could hire out for kareoke.
60 rooms.
Available to hire
For kareoke.

ka-re-oke.

Isn't that the most brilliant idea you have ever heard of?
Needless to say, it was a crazy night fueled by drinking and screaming to the likes of wonderwall and dancing in the moonlight with people I'd met about 4 hours earlier.

The following day, we attended a boozy brunch at the Grand Hyatt hotel which had free flow champagne and selected cocktails as well as a buffet featuring food from all over the world for 3 hours. There we got chatting to a New Zealand businessman and his friends - everyone in Singapore seems to either own, direct, or manage a company. This chat went on to take a spiritual level thanks to the free flow of alcohol and Jess and I somehow found ourselves discussing our supernatural experiences with Bernice, one of the businessmen's beautiful Asian girlfriend - yet again in a bizarre smoking room.

We spent the next day sweating out our hangovers by walking around Singapore and introducing ourselves to the MRT - the Singapore equivalent of the subway or tube. That night Jess and I walked over from Nat's apartment to a bar on the harbour and talked under the lit up sky scrapers that showered the sea in tiny flickering jewels. There was something about Singapore that made me feel completely at home, it is the most lush, tropical city that I have ever experienced and you almost feel like you are a VIP wherever you walk.

The next morning, we were off to Phuket. I had these images embedded in my brain of Thailand, a remote paradise, completely serene and chilled out. Let me tell you all of this was shattered into thousands of pieces upon our arrival in Patong. Scooters and motorbikes - everywhere. Telegraph poles with wires overlapping, dangling all tangled up like a ball of wool gone wrong, letting out the occasional spark as a massive 'SCREW YOU' to the health and safety laws that us Brits are so accustomed to. A friendly Aussie on our minibus told us all about the infamous Bangla Road which is essentially a long strip of bars and clubs with a dash of ladyboys, he also told us that everyone beeps their horn at the top of the hill going into the city in respect of some belief or god. We found our hotel, Patong Heritage, which was suprisingly luxe despite our surroundings and then immediately made our way out for food. All in all Patong is a crazy blur of excessive drinking, heavy warm tropical rain, Thai people trying and trying again to lure you into their shops,bars or taxis, Australians, and finally a smidge of culture, the temple of Wat Chalong.

Then we were off again, in a taxi to Phuket Rassada Pier, to catch the ferry to Phi Phi. And that is where it happened. Jess and I grabbed seats right at the front on the deck, Jess suffered with sickness and I looked out to the horizon, feeling completely content and amazed at life, amazed that I was here, on the other side of the world, on a ferry to paradise. The crossing was slightly bumpy and so we kept getting sprayed which admittedly I quite enjoyed in the intense heat. Someone behind me let out an expletive and I completely stiffened. I knew that voice. It couldn't be. I turned my head slightly and knew. Sitting back down next to Jess, I said as calmly and as casual as could be "Jess, don't freak out, my ex is behind us."
Yes.
My ex-boyfriend.
Who I hadn't seen in 2 years.
After I basically stamped all over his heart by ending the relationship.
You just couldn't write this.

If I wasn't feeling sea sick before I most definitely was now, I asked myself why the hell had this happened? What were the odds? I tried to think of a reason and failed, settling with the resolution that it must be pure coincidence. Jess on the other hand found the entire situation hysterical.

We walked to our hotel off the ferry, a short walk along the beach, I was trying to take in the pure paradise in front of me but my head was a complete blur, and the past was doing laps in my brain. Mama Beach Residence, our hotel, turned out to be the most awful wi-fi spot on planet earth and so we went for a walk and ended up trekking up to the viewpoint in flip-flops. As expected, the viewpoint was amazing, but it showed me just how small the island was, which caused me once again to question why fate had landed me there with my ex boyfriend. That night I had the opportunity to answer those questions myself. We happened (by chance, right?) to be in the same bar and he luckily had the nerve to tap me on the shoulder and we ended up chatting and making amends, which got a lot off my conscience and allowed me to ask how his family was, something that I had actually wondered for the last 2 years. That night we also met a girl called Anna, originally from Estonia who had been travelling mainly alone for the last 2 and a half years, she immediately inspired me and I also recognized her from our ferry trip over, we partied with her in Loh Dalam Bay on the beach and got slightly too intoxicated which led to me and Jess getting matching traditional bamboo tattoos, a crescent moon on our right ankles. (Looking back at the pictures our tattoo artist looked like a complete psycho and like he had possibly killed a few people.)

While in PhiPhi we went on the Shangri La boat party which I added to my most bizarre experience list. Owned by a man aged approximately 64 called Dennis, who called me Blue Eyes and offered me a job, it was the craziest boat trip off Phi Phi. There was unlimited alcohol and shots flying about and a 'sea jacuzzi' which I imagined to be an actual jacuzzi on board but I was so wrong. The sea jacuzzi was a net suspended from an arm on the side of the boat that you jumped into, supervised by a Swedish guy with the looks of Bradley Cooper called Jimmy who was working his last shift, returning home to his girlfriend much to the disappointment of many girls on board. This news immediately struck me right where it hurt, and I realized how much I missed Kai, and how I knew for definite that he was the one I wanted by my side for the rest of my life, to explore and adventure. Despite this sudden home sickness I was feeling, when we moored up just inside Maya Bay I threw myself into the water, enjoying the feeling of the warm sea and the numbness from the alcohol, we took a longtail over to shore and paid 200 baht each to visit the site of 'The Beach', here we had a sandfight in the shore leading to Jess getting sand in her eyes, don't ask. We ended our short stay on Phi Phi by watching an amazing fireshow at a bar called Carlitos, if you ever visit - that is the fireshow to watch.

Our final stop in Thailand was at a hotel called the Tubkaak Boutique Resort, Krabi. This was a ferry trip away from Phi Phi and then a short taxi drive. It was the real Thailand I had imagined, the hotel was like a retreat, it was in a secluded area with its own private beach and the room had an outdoor shower and sunken bath. It was pure paradise and bliss. We spent our two days here relaxing around the pool or on the beach, looking out to the horizon which was an endless expanse of blue, with the shadow of faraway islands just visible.

Then we returned to the urban jungle (both words applicable) of Singapore, reunited with Nat and her husband and their adorable 18 month year old Freya, Upon our return I think both me and Jess realized how much we were going to miss all of them, not to mention the amazing places we had visited. We ended our stay on a high, with a visit to Universal Studios on the island of Sentosa, and an amazing meal at P.S Cafe in Singapore, followed by a drink at Potato Headed Folk, a quirky bar with four floors, unfortunately we couldn't sit on any roof terraces because of a dangerous PSI reading, meaning the air was too polluted for us to breathe. This was, and is caused every year by private companies in Indonesia burning down parts of rainforest to make way for factories, and also sometimes by farmers so that the crops grow back better. Despite the Singapore government being in uproar and trying to reach an agreement, nothing seems to be able to put a stop to it.

The journey home was met with mixed feelings. I obviously didn't want to leave because of the delights of studying for a law degree waiting for me but I longed to see Kai, my family and his family again. And now, sat at home, having been reunited with everyone and brought back to reality, I miss it so much, despite the sleeping on Dubai airport floor and the seemingly endless travelling, I just want to carry on, to see the next place, which actually, is Budapest on Sunday morning!

Currently, I'm living my own personal dream of travelling from place to place, but I know this is going to come to an abrupt end so that I can finish my last year at university. But this trip has shown me that if you want to go, you just have to get out there, we met so many people that had just been travelling for years, completely alone, and what's more, it is so easy to get a job in paradise, if anyone reading this has plans to go but is too scared, please go, just do it, you will never actually be alone because it is impossible not to get talking to people who are on the same wavelength as you, just trying to break out of the rat race and enjoy being young.


Some of the pictures are on my instagram and i'm planning on uploading a video compilation to youtube. Thanks for reading, stick with me for more travelling and waffle about this little life i'm living.