A Scuba Diver's Guide to Snowboarding

A Scuba Diver’s Guide to Snowboarding

May 18, 2012

At the start of the year, I was asked to partake in a cultural exchange. My boyfriend, an avid skier bought me lessons for Christmas: sheepishly admitting his present was, at that time, more for his benefit than mine – he loved his ski holidays and wanted to take me with him on the next one. Now, at that point, I fully admit to being a little apprehensive. My only skiing experience to date at age 14 had ended in a disagreement with a fence, and on top of that, aren’t holidays for going diving anyway?? Having had no prior knowledge of exactly what a skiing holiday consisted of, I was a little unsure. However, after realising the potential for a skill swap hiding in this opportunity, I agreed to try out snowboarding … More A Scuba Diver’s Guide to Snowboarding

Donut the kitten, Pulah Weh, Indonesia

Donut: the little kitten who left a big impression

September 17, 2011

I used to think that my ideal job (after owning that little dive shop on the beach in Sipidan) would be to work in an animal sanctuary. Maybe orang-utans, or baby tigers or something cute and endangered and essentially a job where I’d be “doing good”. Now I’m not so sure I could hack it. Case in point: Donut the Kitten. … More Donut: the little kitten who left a big impression

Stranded! How to kill time in Banda Aceh, Indonesia.

September 12, 2011

Banda Aceh, on the north west tip of Indonesia, isn’t really known as a tourist destination. Possibly because it’s quite industrial, or perhaps because it’s the main town in the most conservative Muslim State in Indonesia. Unfortunately, it’s more likely because Banda Aceh is better known for being the epicentre of the Indonesian Earthquake, and the worst hit area in that horrific natural disster of 2004. Banda Aceh lost around 61,000 people in the Boxing Day Tsunami; around a quarter of its population. … More Stranded! How to kill time in Banda Aceh, Indonesia.