A Few New York Snaps

Late last year I finally went to America! I go to New York for five days!

And it was AWESOME. I didn't expect to love it as much as I did.

The buildings! The avenues! The sheer enormousness of it all.

The pizza slices. Oh my, the pizza slices.

The yellow cabs.

The music. Frank Sinatra got it ALL RIGHT GUYS. He speaks the truth!

The suits on Wall Street. Hello! I'm a tourist! Am I in your way? I'm so sorry. Do you know the way to Tiffany's?

We took a super cheap Jet2.com flight from Leeds Bradford direct to New York and within seven hours of leaving Leeds we were in Manhattan sitting in a yellow cab *sigh* I love living in an era where we can do this kind of travel. We are so lucky, kids.

Anyway, what with Christmas and everything, I've only just gotten around to moving the photos to here. Enjoy!

Tips for walking the Three Yorkshire Peaks Challenge

It's been one week since completing the Three Yorkshire Peaks Challenge, and boy was it a challenge. 

It was easily the hardest but most rewarding challenge I've ever done; made harder by the fact that we decided to do it in November, one of the months for the shortest daylight hours... GREAT IDEA GUYS!

The average duration for the walk is 12 hours, and we really hoped to complete it in this time but we made it back within 12.5 hours, just 30 minutes over the average time. We decided to go the standard route of anti-clockwise and started in the dark at 5.30am and finished in the dark after a horrific climb down Ingleborough. Battered by gales and hailstorms at the top of Whernside (peak #2 and my personal nemesis) we were exhausted by the time we finished... but we did it! We did it!

We stayed in a lovely B&B in Ingleton (Seed Hill in case you're interested) and drove to Horton-In-Ribblesdale in the morning, you feel like it's a long drive in the car and you know you'll be walking that way in the next ten hours, which is psychologically not a great start to the walk...

Buuuuuut with the benefit of hindsight there are a few things I would have done differently that I'd love to pass along to you. Some are just plain old common sense that just didn't occur to me (thanks brain) but some are just having done it once, listen to Auntie Baxter on this:

* Get a good night's sleep the night before. Your body is full of adrenaline to get started and I only ended up getting three hours sleep despite going to bed at 9.30pm. I just kept thinking 'Don't forget your walking pole' and other annoying thoughts. Don't underestimate how much adrenaline you'll have.

* Take change for the car park (or find somewhere free to park). Funnily enough it didn't occur to us to bring change and so we wasted time moving the cars (in the dark) to somewhere free. We parked by the school which worked out fine, or you can pay £5 for all day parking.

* Take a thermos but only fill it with water at The Station pub. You'll be ready for a tea at the top of Whernside (#2) so just ask the nice folk to fill it up rather than carrying it around for the first 13 miles.

* Have a pint at The Station at your peril. It's pretty hard to drag yourself out of the pub (especially if it's raining like it was for us). It's a good morale booster to stop there but don't stay long!

* Take the gear seriously. Spend the money on your walking boots/waterproofs/clothes and your body will thank you. Waterproof socks are worth their weight in gold when you walk through the boggy fields and your boots get submerged.

* You WILL struggle with Ingleborough - the last peak. By that time you'll have been walking for around 8/9 hours and you come face to face with a mountain of stairs. I hate stairs. Then there's a scramble to the top which turns

* Bearing in mind we took the challenge in November, the path down from Ingleborough to Horton back to the car was in bad condition and tough to navigate in the dark. Pretty sure it'll be better in the summer, but don't underestimate how long it'll take you to complete the final stretch. It's still a good five mile walk from the top of Ingleborough - a long time after your final high five and photo at the top!

The time factor is annoying and I don't like that there's this pressure to get round in 12 hours (you got a certificate dontcha know?) because it's such a stunning walk and you don't get the time to appreciate it when you're head down just digging deep to climb all three peaks. We didn't get the time to stop and take in the view (mainly because it was foggy!) and you don't want to stop for too long in case your legs decide they just don't want to go any further.

Overall it goes without saying that this is a huge challenge. Expect it to be hard, expect the worst and you should even be pleasantly surprised by yourself and the walk. The views are stunning and you'll be very proud of yourself for completing it.

I'm rather fond of Edinburgh... here's why in photos

These are photos from a visit in 2012, but I've all of a sudden got a craving to be back in Edinburgh... it's funny when that happens isn't it? You don't think about a place in aaaages and then BAM! you get an urge to get on a train and walk around in the blustery winds all wrapped up in a warm coat and stopping off for a wee dram somewhere.

The 5 things I always regret packing...

I'm really bad at travelling light ok? I'm really trying to get better at travelling with just hand baggage for three reasons:

1. It costs less if you just travel with hand baggage (yippee!)
2. Waiting at the baggage carousel for checked in luggage is probably where I'm most angry in life
3. I'm TRYING to convince myself that clothes and shoes are just materialistic and as long as you have your passport you will have everything you need... butttt my shoes are SO PRETTY. Whimper.

My top five items I ALWAYS seem to fall into the trap of packing and not needing at all are:

1. Too many clothes

The Barney toy, the whiskey and the cat are ESSENTIALS ok?

This one gets me EVERY time. I guess I'm gripped by panic that I NEED that skirt, that dress, those shorts AND that other dress so I won't run out of clothes. But really why do I need all these things? If I took half of the items, they could be worn in different ways with different combinations or can easily be washed and dry quickly in sunshine, so why is it necessary for me to take two outfits for each day? (true story)

2. Unnecessary toiletries

I worked in travel for five years and repeatedly told customers not to bother taking toiletries with them as there are plenty of shops and supermarkets to stock up on when they arrive... and yet... when it comes to me packing my bag, I can't help but throw in a shampoo... and conditioner (NECESSARY).. and mosquito repellent... and deodorant... and a razor... and before you know it I've clocked up a kilo on toiletries alone, and that's just the miniatures! Calm it down and hit the supermercado.

3. Too much makeup

When will I learn that there is NO POINT putting foundation on in a hot country that a) doesn't match my patchy red sunburnt skin tone and b) slides off my face with the heat anyway when I do put it on? From now on I'm only going to throw in a mascara, eyeliner and THAT IS IT. Oh, maybe an eyeshadow too. And possibly blusher. BUT THAT IS IT.

4. One pair of shoes I tell myself I will wear but never do

You know the pair, slightly glitzy, maybe a heel on them, strappy perhaps. But lo and behold, heat + lots of walking = swollen, unsexy feet that will not appreciate being shoved into a glitzy pair of wedges. I know I prefer plain ol' flip flops anyway, so this one shouldn't be a hard habit to kick. Shouldn't.

5. Too many guidebooks

Too many?

In this day and age with wifi all over the world, there is simply no excuse for carrying this many guidebooks... and yet, I am a bookworm. I love having a book to take with me that contains a full history of a country I'm going to, a basic language section and plenty of other gems. This small Swahili book goes with me on every trip to East Africa and it's so tattered now but I wouldn't be without it. Plus, it's more reliable than the internet. Good old books.

So that's my guilty list, what's on yours? 

It's been one year since my career break*

It's been one year since I packed my suitcase, ready to leave my life as I knew it to go and live in Kenya for three months.

It's been one year since I said the most emotional goodbye to The Boy and a year since he walked out the door and didn't look back for fear of not letting me go.

It's been one year since I was shaking from crying so much and wondering what the hell I was doing leaving my entire life, my marriage, my friends, my job... everything.

It's been one year since I dragged my suitcase over the road to the bus stop, crying the whole time and easily getting my own seat because no one wanted to sit next to the crying lady with all the bags

It's been one year since I stumbled my way through departures at Manchester Airport alone, called all my family and then boarded my first flight on a journey that would take 19 hours and three planes to eventually reach Mombasa, exhausted.

It's been one year since I stepped off the plane, breathed in the hot, dusty and exciting night time scent of Kenya, one year since I was met at the airport by my friend Alice and her daughter, and one year since everything slotted into place.

It's been one year since I knew I'd made the right decision. One year since realising that life was too short not to grab opportunities when they arise. Three months is three months, you have your whole life to be together at home. Mombasa is like a second home to me.

It's been a year since arriving and I still know leaving was the best decision I've ever made, I had the most amazing three consecutive months of my life and spent every day living life, feeling alive and having the most unbelievable zest for life and most importantly, steering me in the right direction.

I don't regret a thing. I don't regret changing my flight twice and paying through the nose for doing so (screw you, Emirates). I don't regret getting a tattoo to mark the significance of everything I risked to go there. I don't regret quitting my job to try something new (sorry i-to-i, it's true!) I don't regret spending everything in my savings account on the trip, because it's just MONEY. You can replace money, I can't replace the experience I had.

Oh, Kenya *sigh* what is this hold you have over me and when can I see you again? Am I being too clingy, Kenya? Are you thinking of me too? Call me.

Until next time... here's shitloads of some photos.

 *Disclaimer - my tenses are all over the place in this post and I don't care.