As I mention in the ‘About’ section of this website, I am actually a translator by profession and have been doing translation as a career since 2006. While I translate in a variety of fields, one of my favourite areas of specialisation is travel and tourism (of course!). Unfortunately, I don’t get to translate those … More A travel book translated by me: The Great Himalaya Trail
Things always seem to spin just that little bit faster in the last quarter of the year, and 2022 has been no different. Suddenly we’re two days out from Christmas. High time to soak up some of the festive vibe in the city! This year, the City of Perth, with sponsorship from Rio Tinto and … More Perth Christmas Lights Trail 2022
Perth is no stranger to having sculpture exhibitions on its many beaches. I have posted about some of them here, and there will be more such posts to come. Castaways Rockingham was a new one for me, even though it has been running for 14 years. I confess I had actually never heard of it … More Castaways Rockingham 2022
Azerbaijan is known as the ‘Land of Fire’; indeed its ancient Persian name of Aturpatakan roughly translates to ‘a place where the sacred fire is preserved’. It lies in an oil-rich part of the world with intense geothermal activity that includes mud volcanoes and natural-gas fires that blaze continuously on hillsides. The region was also … More Hotel review: Fairmont Baku Flame Towers
If you’ve read my Baku post, you’ll know I found the city pretty mind-blowing. It is super unique and off the main tourist trail – and is worth several days of exploring in its own right. But if you can spare the time, Azerbaijan also boasts a number of varied experiences beyond the capital. Some … More Travel memories: 6 fascinating day trips from Baku
Kicking off the ‘Perth Street Art’ section of the website, I thought I would jump straight in at one of the most arty areas of Perth – the suburb of Mt Lawley. Cutting straight through its heart is the popular thoroughfare of Beaufort Street, lined with trendy cafés, quirky shops and the historic Astor Theatre. … More Where to see cool Perth street art: Mt Lawley edition
Recommended read for your next plane or train journey – or even if you’re simply looking to curl up with a good book at home. I’m partial to a bit of historical fiction, particularly set in WWII Europe. But I know that genre is positively OVERFLOWING with books, some of which are certainly pretty ordinary. … More ‘The Things We Cannot Say’ by Kelly Rimmer
Mindfulness and meditation seem to have become buzz words that many people view with scepticism, believing them to just be another fad. The reality is, however, these concepts have been around for thousands of years. They are nothing new or revolutionary. And their power lies in their simplicity. But this simplicity can be deceptive. Meditation … More 3 helpful meditation apps to try
I’m a bit of a bookworm, and am open to reading many different genres. I’m also a pretty regular lurker of Goodreads, constantly looking for new authors and titles to add to my ‘To read’ shelf. As the first post in the ‘Books’ section of my website, I thought I’d just collate several of my … More 16 favourite books I’ve read in recent years
When the pandemic hit in 2020 and we were all forced to channel our inner homebody (admittedly not a big problem for us introverts), people turned to all kinds of domesticated activities – from binge-watching the whole of Netflix to walking the distance of an Everest climb in their own house or backyard. For me, … More 7 Instagrammers who inspired me to start baking!
