When I got Henna’d against my will … Marrakech, Morocco

So I’m writing my second post from the roof terrace of a fabulous Riad in the centre of the Medina in Marrakech! We’re basking in the afternoon sun and I can hear the hustle and bustle of the markets below; its the perfect place to reflect on a very busy week.

On Wednesday I visited Jenny, my lovely agent at STA Travel in Cambridge. I’ve been getting increasingly nervous about doing a solo tour in Myanmar in February, especially when it’s so close to the beginning of my trip, and I was keen to get an alternative option sorted with my departure date looming ever closer. It took us a couple of hours and some creative thinking but we came up with a great alternative. After my couple of days in Goa I will now be doing a 2 week tour of the highlights of southern India including The beaches and backwaters of Kerala but also spice plantations, the temples of Tamilnadu and tigers in the wild!

After that I’m going to be flying to Singapore for a couple of days and then on to Hong Kong for a week or so before I start the Chinese leg of my trip. I’m so excited about the new plan (which I will update on the itinerary page shortly) and much more comfortable. If you’re looking to plan a trip or even a slightly adventurous holiday I highly recommend STA. Not only are they super helpful but really affordable too.

On Thursday I was in London to see Dr Choy at the Nightingale Allergy clinic on Wimpole St. What started out as hay fever has, over the last few years, progressed into major allergies and turned me into a year round snotty, sneezing mess. It’s got to the point where I dread being caught without a tissue so when I got a recommendation to go and see Dr Choy I had nothing to lose. Kinesiology is quite bizarre. When I was holding several test tubes, with what looked like drops of water in them but labelled potato and dust, and arm wrestling with a small, elderly Asian man I felt a little sceptical to say the least! Dr Choy identified dust and dust mites as my enemies and sent me packing with some drops and additional vitamins and three days later I’m already feeling a lot better so fingers crossed the magic worked!

Yesterday I arrived in Morroco for a weeks holiday with Mum and my friend Lara. We’re staying in Riad Azoulay, which is a gorgeous Italian owned boutique hotel very close to the souks and tourist attractions of the old town. I wasn’t prepared for the intensity of the city and of its people; it’s vivid, colourful, smelly madness! Yesterday when we were walking through the square i thought I’d been really good and not been coaxed into buying any trinkets when I had my hand grabbed by a very insistent lady who whipped out her henna pen and faster than you can say couscous I was daubed in the stuff and she was asking for a gift!! I am far too soft and it wasn’t bad but I’ve decided that this week is going to be a great training trip!