fbpx
Jaillan Yehia

Author Archive


The New Napa: Vancouver Island’s Cowichan Valley

Written by Jaillan Yehia

Vancouver Island is the largest Pacific Island west of New Zealand, larger than Sicily and a shade smaller than Taiwan – but while British Naval officer George Vancouver may have given his name to both his city and island discoveries, the name is where the similarity between Vancouver city and Vancouver island, ends. ‘The Island’ as […]

A Taste Of Victoria – Where To Eat In British Columbia’s Capital

Written by Jaillan Yehia

Touted as the most British place in all of Canada and named after the Queen who made the country a colony, the city of Victoria reflects the values of the lady herself; rather modest, genteel and pleasantly old fashioned but with a power that belies its appearance – this is the capital of British Columbia, […]

Regal Eagles – Or Why bird watching isn’t just for grandmas

Written by Jaillan Yehia

It’s interesting how age and experience changes what we want from our travels. But whether you’re 18 or 80 surely the point of travel is to try something new, and revel in the revelations it brings. If you’d asked me just a few years ago if bird watching was on my must do list I’d […]

Best Places To Eat In Brandon Manitoba

Written by Jaillan Yehia

I discover two of the top places to eat in Brandon Manitoba  – from Canadian-themed grill Joe Beeverz to sophisticated dining at lounge-bar Blu Kitchen…

Snow, Sculptures & Sunshine At Winnipeg’s Festival du Voyageur

Written by Jaillan Yehia

‘Winnipegans just get on with it!’ I’m told this undeniable fact as I travel with a group of fellow writers in temperatures of -20 to Winnipeg’s famous February alfresco shindig, Festival du Voyageur. And it’s practically a heat wave for the Manitoban winter. Looking out of the window of the minivan at the bright blue […]

Breaking The Ice – My Day Skating On Winnipeg’s Frozen River

Written by Jaillan Yehia

My historical ice skating prowess had previously extended to a couple of childhood trips to an ice rink in London’s Queensway. My main memory of those outings involves a teacher proclaiming that we must be very careful where we put our hands while lacing up our own skates, lest we lose a finger to another’s […]

Why I Love Turin – Italy’s Underdog Artistic City

Written by Jaillan Yehia

One thing that pulls me back to Italy time and time again is its underdog cities – yes I love Rome and Florence, but give me unsung urban heroes like Genoa and Turin and I’m truly happy….

Discovering The Vancouver Flea Market

Written by Jaillan Yehia

One of my favourite things to do in a new city is poke around at a flea market for nik-naks to bring home, especially in places where the cost of living is high; in Asia and Africa shopping is cheap and souvenirs are easy to pick up anywhere. Here in Vancouver and in European cities […]

Sneak Peek: Inside The Costume Closet At The Royal Winnipeg Ballet

Written by Jaillan Yehia

It’s every little girl’s dream to play among the piles of colourful tutus and pink satin dance shoes hidden inside a ballet company’s closet – and this big girl’s dream finally came true when I went on a behind the scenes tour of  the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. There were two books I owned as a […]

In Photos (& Video) – Road Trippin USA

Written by Jaillan Yehia

I love a road trip. I love the feeling of excitement at the beginning when you have a map, a plan, a clean car and an anticipatory sense of adventure; I love the feeling at the end when you have a map with coffee spilled all over it, a filthy car that looks like a […]

Savoir There World Food Awards 2013

Written by Jaillan Yehia

As the year drew to a close I found myself writing a post recapping my favourite travel memories of 2013 and I learned a couple of things about myself in the process – firstly that many of my favourite moments of the year involve nature and animals, and secondly that when I’m not looking for […]

A Weekend In Whistler Sans Skiing…

Written by Jaillan Yehia

I have a confession to make: I can’t ski. So when I was invited to the famed ski resort of Whistler I was a bit apprehensive about what a London girl like me would do while everyone else made plans to zoom down a mountain. It turned out that I was still able to zoom […]

My 8 Essential Travel Memories of 2013 – And What They’ve Taught Me For 2014

Written by Jaillan Yehia

It’s been quite a year for me and my travels; I wrote about the best bits of the financial year in an earlier post: How To Do An End Of Year Tax Assessment Travel Blogger Style – so I decided to round up my top travel memories from the rest of 2013. They are…

Where To Get A Soya Latte in Whistler – Fix Cafe At Nita Lake Lodge

Written by Jaillan Yehia

As a location independent girl who likes her soya lattes I’m constantly looking for the perfect cosy cafe to hole up in and squeeze in an hours’ work on my laptop (ok, and hang out on Facebook and Twitter). In some destinations this is easy and you can’t swing a cat without hitting five cool […]

Tuscan Cookery School – How To Make The Perfect Tiramisu

Written by Jaillan Yehia

Tiramisu is the legend of Italian deserts – everyone’s heard of it and almost everyone knows it means ‘pick me up’. So it’s surprising to learn that the dish didn’t even exist until at least the late 1960’s. As one of my favourite puddings I seek it out all over the world and I’ve had […]

Tuscan Cookery School – Making Field To Table Passata Under The Tuscan Sun

Written by Jaillan Yehia

This is a true slice of rural back-to-basics Italian cookery; walking through the plentiful land surrounding a quintessential Tuscan villa, down steep verdant hills and into the flourishing vegetable garden I crouch down to hand-pick huge succulent tomatoes. Together with my friends we collect the fruit in baskets and the folds of our aprons, then, glass of wine […]

Tuscan Cookery School – The Jam Plan

Written by Jaillan Yehia

Everyone who know me knows what a sweet tooth I have. So when I signed up for a residential cookery course at a secluded villa in the heart of the Tuscan countryside, plum jam making was one session I was never going to miss. It turns out that making your own jam – with a […]

5 Stylish Places To Visit In Vancouver

Written by Jaillan Yehia

Here’s a list of my favourite 5 places to visit in Vancouver  – as tricky as it was to narrow it down to just 5, these are some of my favourite stylish places in the city…

Things Are Looking Up: 4 Places I’ve Truly Seen The Stars

Written by Jaillan Yehia

If ever there was a time to call to mind a Hamlet soliloquy, I’d say mid-stargaze is that time. Which of us doesn’t seek out beautiful night skies on our trips? Man by nature is in love with ‘this most excellent canopy the air…this brave over hanging firmament, this majestical roof fretted with golden fire…this congregation […]

Halen Môn – A Real Salty Sea Blog

Written by Jaillan Yehia

I like my food, but I’m no scientist. So when I’m invited to learn how the UK’s most famous sea salt is hand-made on the Straits of Menai I’m intrigued, but wonder if I’ll actually understand the process behind it all. It turns out I’ve got nothing to worry about, as Halen Môn co-founder Alison Lea-Wilson […]

3 Amazing Places To Eat In Anglesey

Written by Jaillan Yehia

The island of Anglesey is most famous for its previous royal residents Prince William and Kate Middleton, but as this list of my favourite 3 places to eat in Anglesey shows, Ynys Môn really deserves to make a few headlines of its own. There’s plenty of locally-sourced seafood and the island is home to award-winning Halen Môn sea salt – […]

The Cheesiest Blog Post I’ve Ever Written – My Parmesan Factory Tour

Written by Jaillan Yehia

Remember the bad old days when our idea of Parmesan was that powdery substance we’d sprinkle on spaghetti through tiny holes in the top of a cardboard shaker? Little did I know that decades later this condiment would make way for the real deal when something called a rocket and parmesan salad would become de […]

How To Be A Free Range Human – Meet Marianne Cantwell

Written by Jaillan Yehia

‘I never imagined I could travel the world as a lifestyle – I just thought I wanted longer holidays.’ This is the first thing career change guru Marianne Cantwell says to me as I interview her at a leafy London café. From here we cover life, travel, work, relationships and the perfect pair of portable […]

A 10 Second Guide To Doing It ‘Dampa Style’ In The Philipines

Written by Jaillan Yehia

Welcome to the best thing I discovered during my time in The Philippines –  doing it ‘dampa style’. Do it once and you’ll just want to do it all over again the next night. And the next. Be warned the pictures are just blurry iphone images because when you’re doing it dampa style you don’t […]

The Bologna Bicycle Diaries

Written by Jaillan Yehia

I always seek out cycling opportunities wherever I go, but rarely have I found a city as cycle-friendly and indeed as cycle-photo-friendly as Bologna. Beautiful bikes became synonymous with my time in Emilia Romagna’s university city – here are my favourite Bologna photos which showcase the beauty of the bike… 

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Balsamic Vinegar

Written by Jaillan Yehia

What’s your worst culinary habit? Mine’s pouring copious amounts of balsamic vinegar over anything and everything, so I was interested to find out a bit more about the stuff I’ve been practically drinking out the bottle for most of my adult life. But despite all my conspicuous consumption of aceto balsamico I didn’t know any […]

The Perfect Place To Stay In Lake Louise – The Post

Written by Jaillan Yehia

It’s not often I want to italicise the word perfect, and even less often that a globe wanderer like me wants to return to the same hotel over and over again, but after experiencing The Post, nestled in the Bow River Valley amongst the awe-inspiring scenery of the Canadian Rockies I’m fighting the urge to […]

Pasta Non-Basta – My Day At A Pasta Making Class In Bologna

Written by Jaillan Yehia

‘It’s marvellous this tortellini with ricotta cheese’ exclaims Daniela, whose traditional family pasta shop has been here in Bologna’s Mercato della Erbe for 70 years. It’s where she and sister Monica hand make lasagna, tortellini and tortelloni for the people of  Emilia Romagna, helped by their mother Renata. ‘Is this one your favourite?’ I ask. ‘Everything here is […]

7 Canadian Words I Just Can’t Seem To Kick

Written by Jaillan Yehia

International linguistic differences, eh? Just how much fun are they? Lately I’ve been chatting to some Canucks on patios around Vancouver with a cold beer, discussing just how many Canadian words seem humorous to a foreigner like me. These have gotta be the top 7, right? 1. Right? A certain breed of Londoner might say ‘innit’ a […]

3 Perfect Places To Stay in Vancouver

Written by Jaillan Yehia

Looking for the perfect place to stay in Vancouver? Look no further than these 3 properties that work for luxury seekers, budget travellers and trendy young things in Canada’s West Coast capital.

How I Ate & Drank My Way Around Western Canada (And You Should Too)

Written by Jaillan Yehia

When I made a mental checklist of all the things I was looking forward to about visiting Canada, stunning scenery was up there, epic train rides too – and exploring cool cities. I just didn’t realise that the food in Vancouver and the surrounding area was to be one of the ultimate highlights of my time […]

How To Watch A Football Match In Vancouver (Hint: It’s not like England)

Written by Jaillan Yehia

In a nation obsessed with hockey, it pays to be a football fan: here are the 5 phenomenally easy stages to finding yourself cheering on Vancouver’s home soccer team…

Rocky Mountaineer Reflections

Written by Jaillan Yehia

I’m on the Rocky Mountaineer Train – the rail journey of  a lifetime through the Canadian stretch of the Rockies – and as four days of jaw dropping views rhythmically float past me, I become obsessed with capturing the immense skies and screen-saver scenery as reflected with the glint of the sun in the side of […]

This Could Be Rotterdam – Via Instagram: 5 Things To Do in Rotterdam

Written by Jaillan Yehia

In which I use my favourite arty little Instagrams as a guide to the lesser-known unsung Dutch ‘Dam – I’m talking of course about the port city of Rotterdam. Here are 5 Things to do in Rotterdam…

The Top 10 Stylish Places To Stay In Siem Reap

Written by Jaillan Yehia

From budget boutique bolt-holes to blow-the-budget palaces Siem Reap has it all – in fact it’s hard to imagine a single town in the world with a better selection of stylish places to stay. Here are my top 10 Siem Reap hotels for style on every budget…

In Photos – A Portrait of The Gambia

Written by Jaillan Yehia

Of all the places in which I’ve travelled no destination has made me wish harder for the invention of the eyeball-implanted camera as The Gambia. Nearly every street scene, vendor, vehicle, market stall and school child has you reaching excitedly for your lens. Here are a selection of my favourite portraits of the Gambian people I encountered […]

How I Became A Forest Chump

Written by Jaillan Yehia

I’m at Mandina Lodges, an exclusive forest retreat nestled in the tranquil riverside mangrove reserves which run the length of this riverine nation, and my friend and I rock up to find we’re the only female guests amongst a large party of British tree surgeons, here to scope out the surrounding forest as a potential […]

The Day My Flight Karma Turned Chameleon On Me

Written by Jaillan Yehia

As a frequent traveller I do come and go a lot (you could say I’m a member of a cultured club). But I usually don’t miss a flight, even when I’m so laid back about getting to their airport that I probably deserve to. Let’s just say I usually have good flight karma. But there have been […]

The Perfect Place To Stay in Brighton – Vine Street Studios

Written by Jaillan Yehia

I often evangelise about the saving grace of apartment rental as opposed to hotel stays for a certain type of trip. Usually I’m preaching to the converted but some people would need a miracle of water-to-wine proportions before they’d give up 24-hour room service, the breakfast buffet and a decent concierge (though perhaps not the in-room […]

Where To Have (And To Hold) Tarantulas In Phnom Penh – Romdeng Restaurant

Written by Jaillan Yehia

I arrive at Romdeng restaurant ten minutes late as is my wont, but on this occasion I can’t blame the Northern Line. Rushing through the streets of Phnom Penh on foot has left me a lot more sweaty than my usual subterranean dashes to London restaurants and I’ve never found my dining companion to have taken the liberty of […]

How To Do A 10 Point End Of Tax Year Assessment – Travel Blogger Style

Written by Jaillan Yehia

This week a brand new tax year started, and those in traditional jobs have been running year-end assessments and shuffling spreadsheets left, right and centre. So I thought I’d do some rather taxing assessments of my own and calculate the 10 best things I’ve done this financial year, and their real value – monetarily and of course in […]

Would You Take Your Shoes Off At Pol Pot’s House?

Written by Jaillan Yehia

Like everyone else, I take my shoes off and leave them in the pile before entering the last place Pol Pot ever lived, out here in the Northern Cambodian district of Anlong Veng, nestled against the Thai border. But this small and typically Asian behavioral detail, usually meant as a form of respect, is going against every fibre […]

Antwerp Photography: A Visual Essay On Belgium’s Capital of Cool

Written by Jaillan Yehia

I make no secret of my somewhat controversial love affair with Belgium. Where others see Belgium as an ugly sister to France’s more deserving glass-slippered mademoiselle I see the destination as the unsung heroine; rather cute and easy-on-the-eye but distinctly self-aware and modest to a fault. But outside the classic fairytale looks of Ghent, Bruges and any […]

The Travel Tipping Point: Burma

Written by Jaillan Yehia

Recently, while travelling without a set plan around Asia, one destination kept coming up time and time again – if there is such a thing as a tipping point, then for me, Burma has just tipped. Everyone I talked to who’d been couldn’t say enough positive things about it and I began to formulate a plan in […]

A Hong Kong Photo Tour

Written by Jaillan Yehia

East meets West, British order overlaid on Chinese culture, perpetually expanding upwards into the sky and outwards into the ocean. Grab an eyeful of the confluence of capitalism, colonialism and communism on this photo tour to one of the most densely populated corners of the planet, the Cantonese for ‘fragrant harbour’ – Hong Kong… There may be no […]

Top Ten Things To Do In Belfast

Written by Jaillan Yehia

I’d call Belfast Ireland’s underdog city. But let’s not forget that it’s not about the size of the dog in the fight, rather the size of the fight in the dog. And while Belfast’s history is all about that fight, it’s the city’s present on which I’d rather shine a light – with this list of […]

The Perfect Place To Stay in Hong Kong – The Cosmopolitan & The Cosmo Hotel Hong Kong

Written by Jaillan Yehia

I say The Cosmo is the perfect place to stay in Hong Kong but frankly my dears I’ve never actually stayed anywhere else. Once I found The Cosmo with its boutique concept, ice-cream sundae colour-pop rooms, super-efficient shuttle service about town, and 24 hour check-in policy I simply never bothered to look elsewhere.

Where To Get a Soya Latte In Berlin – The Michelberger Hotel

Written by Jaillan Yehia

If you want a cosy cafe-bar in a super-cool hotel whose complete hipsterness shouts ‘we stock soya’, this is your place. And if you want to take some nice photos over coffee like I did while I was there, it’s even more perfect.

A Snowy Street Photography Walk In Berlin

Written by Jaillan Yehia

Can you think of a single city as synonymous with über-cool street life as Berlin? On my recent trip to the erstwhile divided capital this coolness extended its grip to the elements, with a sub-zero snow-covering lending an extra dimension to the urban landscape. Shooting in the snow with frozen toes kicking fresh drifts and tingly […]

In Photos – A Day Trip To Brunei

Written by Jaillan Yehia

I’d always wanted to visit The Sultanate of Brunei but somehow it had never happened – until circumstances brought me to the Brunei capital Bendar Seri Begawan on a great value Royal Brunei Airlines flight from Bangkok to London ‘via’ Brunei. Of course it’s hardly on the way, in fact it’s just over two hours in the wrong […]

History & Lessons: Manila’s American Cemetery & Memorial

Written by Jaillan Yehia

If you have only a short time in which to experience Manila you might think that a visit to a cemetery shouldn’t be at the top of your must-do list? But a trip to the sobering and thought-provoking American Cemetery and Memorial in Manila will pull The Philippines’ part in world history sharply into focus and underline how privileged we are to be […]

In Photos: The Chocolate Hills of Bohol, The Philippines

Written by Jaillan Yehia

The Filipino Island of Bohol is best known for two things: tarsiers and what I came to think of as an exaggerated teletubby land known as The Chocolate Hills, a strange landscape of 1,268 eerie and bizarre conical mounds dotted a round the centre of the island…

3 Great Places For Filipino Food In Manila

Written by Jaillan Yehia

The Philippines’ sprawling capital may not be the first place that springs to mind for a gastronomic city break – understandably most tourists who fly to The Philippines are headed for one or more of the 7107 islands and islets to kick back on an idyllic white sand beach. But it’s a big mistake to overlook […]

Midnight Mercato – The Place For Street Food In Manila

Written by Jaillan Yehia

Think Asian street food and you’ll probably think of stalls selling delicious and mysterious local delicacies cooked up by a smiling old lady on a dirty street corner. Street food can make us feel excited about the thrill to our taste buds and apprehensive about the danger to our tummies in equal measure, but they’ve […]

Angkor Not: A Photo Journey To Preah Vihear Temple

Written by Jaillan Yehia

The huge unspoiled Cambodian temple complex at Preah Vihear has long been the scene of animosity and fighting between Thai and Cambodian forces, but happily for those seeking an unspoiled temple experience it’s currently safe to visit. And due to the contentious history of this site there’s just a tiny sprinkling of tourists here even today, […]

I Didn’t Kiss A Girl, But I Still Liked It – My Stay At A Gay Resort

Written by Jaillan Yehia

I don’t mean to pry but are you gay or are you straight? And how would you feel about staying in a gay-friendly resort if you’re the latter? I’m a straight gal, so why have I been feeling completely at home at a self-proclaimed gay hotel? In true Carrie Bradshaw style I got to thinking…

An Honest Review Of Sterna Winery, Kathikas, Cyprus

Written by Jaillan Yehia

Warning: negative post! If being given shot glasses of paint-stripper by a grumpy man then being yelled at and chased away for not buying bottles (of the worst wine you’ve ever tasted) is your idea of a wine tasting then do visit Sterna Winery. If not, I recommend you try one of Cyprus’ many other boutique […]

The Perfect Place To Stay On Mactan Island – The Crimson Resort Cebu

Written by Jaillan Yehia

If you’re looking for the perfect luxury beach resort on Cebu’s Mactan Island, it has to be The Crimson Resort Cebu. With stunning Asian-inspired decor and manicured grounds it makes a great retreat after exploring The Philippines’ bustling second city.

Top 5 Pictures of Random Tourists At Angkor Wat

Written by Jaillan Yehia

I love Cambodia, I love Siem Reap and I love Angkor Wat. But as well as playing the same game as everyone else and trying to get pictures of the famous temples sans tourists, I decided to embrace the scenes created by my armies of fellow snappers. Here are my top 5 photos of random […]

They’re Changing The Guard At Gyeongbokgung Palace

Written by Jaillan Yehia

But Christopher Robin is nowhere to be seen. And instead of bearskins you can witness the guards or Sumungun (meaning gatekeepers) dressed in their own traditional brightly coloured costumes and armour as they perform a ceremonial re-enactment of the changing of the royal guard.