Kazakhstan: Throat singing, organic vodka & vegan horse sausage — a Kazoutstanding adventure!When not armchair travelling, I am trying to real-life-travel to every country in Europe, which will hopefully at some point include, to…3d ago3d ago
Jordan: A nomadic paradise increasingly short of nomadsDespite its small size, I found it hard to get my bearings in the Hashemite Kingdon of Jordan. I couldn’t decide whether to read about its…Oct 11Oct 11
Japan in Birmingham: My past echoes back through food, film, music and moreAlthough I haven’t been to Japan for 24 years, you’ll still find me banging on about it at any given opportunity. This is partly due to a…Oct 62Oct 62
Jamaica: Vital food and music, tragic literature and dated films, all doused in rumFor an island I’ve never seen, Jamaica has a surprisingly special place in my heart… I guess it’s because the Birmingham/Jamaica link is…Jul 6Jul 6
Italy: Where everything tastes great and nothing ever goes wrong.The world is a peculiar place. Two million young Italians have left their homeland since 2008, some of them moving to Birmingham. But why…Jun 13Jun 13
Israel: A week or two challenging my preconceptions, railing at injustice and dreaming of peaceWith 35,000 Palestinian civilians dead, as well as 100+ Israeli hostages still separated from their families, it would be impossible for me…Apr 27Apr 27
Ireland: In search of the Irish Birmingham of my childhoodBeing raised a Catholic in 1970–80s Birmingham often meant being the only non-Irish-heritage person in the class, the church or the pub. I…Apr 6Apr 6
Iraq: Enthralled by the food and music of a country still recovering from decades of British…I’ve heard it said that Iraq is a purposefully-failed state created when the polyglot, explorer, diplomat and archaeologist Getrude “of…Mar 21Mar 21
A week in Iran revelling in Persian food and diving into a culture of lost hope…I felt a kinship with Iran ever since I found out that my great grandmother lived in Persia back in the 1800s. What she called Persia, the…Feb 24Feb 24
Indonesia: Tempeh tantrums, dissapointing books and confusion reignsMy first trip to Indonesia was in 1995. I mainly spent it on buses and boats plodding through forests that teemed with life, eating tempeh…Feb 11Feb 11