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Tag: eating

Sri Lanka Hill Country – go for the tea, stay for the curries​

Sri Lanka is foodie heaven and a vegan paradise

It’s mid-morning and the train to Nuwara Eliya is climbing through the lush, green countryside on its way to the hills of Sri Lanka’s tea country. Since I boarded at Haputale the scenery has changed completely and I find myself jostling with other passengers, hanging precariously out of the open carriage door as we wind our way through the undulating, rough country risking my life to get the perfect photo. Yes, the tea plantations are impressive and that is why I’m making the journey, but it’s the manicured terraces brimmed to capacity with vegetable plots that are really getting my attention. I had no idea that Sri Lanka produced such an abundance of fresh produce but then I suppose there’s a reason why the national dish is rice and curry and most of those curries are made from vegetables.

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A weekend in Buzios

Buzios is a beautiful fishing town set on an ocean peninsula 105 miles east of Rio de Janeiro. My flat mate had spent a weekend there and recommended that I go check it out and so last Friday afternoon I set off with my overnight bag to Rio’s enormous bus station, Novo Rio, to get the air-conditioned coach for the three hour journey out of the city.

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Top 5 things to do in Rio

When in Rio you will, of course, want to visit the famous attractions such as Sugarloaf, Christ the Redeemer and the Copacabana beach. Once you’ve done all of that, here are my top 5 tips of things you really should do before you leave.

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A little overdressed for the beach

After a bit of a grey week, wall to wall sunshine on a Sunday can mean only one thing: a day at the beach. It’s great how quickly I’ve become a regular at my particular part of the Copacabana. My chair guy waves to me as I stand waiting to cross the road and my lounger is waiting for me by the time the lights turn red. At around £1 for a days rental, plus £1 for my chilled fresh coconut, a day at the beach is very inexpensive. No sooner am I comfortable in my spot, than the beach vendors approach. I am constantly amazed at the selection of items for sale. All of the usual beach paraphernalia – glasses, hats, sarongs, jewellery, swimwear – plus selfie sticks, paintings, whistles, T-shirts, bags and even rugs. Even more amazing is the vast selection of food and drink – pies, pasties, trays of watermelon, crisps, nuts, prawn skewers, beer, cocktails, sandwiches, ice cream, acai  – and even guys dragging around small charcoal BBQs to grill cheese kebabs. Everyone approaches and everyone moves along if you are not interested. It’s very polite and very friendly and that’s because people do buy and the vendors make sales and it all just works without being pushy.

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Who ate all the pies?

Pies and pasties, it seems, are a main stay of Brazilian cuisine. I had no idea! Before arriving here I imagined that I’d find lots of fantastic tropical fruit, which is certainly the case, and plenty of places serving grilled meat in all its forms: also true. But it seems I have landed in pie and pastie heaven with every conceivable variation available morning, noon and night.

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Rio – Cidade Maravilhosa

The last few days have been completely crazy. I have moved from the sanctity of my lovely hotel in the more genteel area of Santa Teresa and into a shared flat situated slap bang in the middle of ‘party central’ in Copacabana. Now I’m beginning to feeling like a true Carioca; one however, who doesn’t speak a word of Portuguese and still finds it hard not to gawp when looking up and seeing Christ the Redeemer  staring back.

I have one last day of being solo and a tourist, before my flat mates arrive and we being our volunteer programme, so I so decide to spend time in the areas of  Jardin Botanico and Leblon. (more…)


A stroll around Santa Teresa

Day 3 in Rio, the sun is out and it’s a wonderful 27 degrees. I’m on my own today and as I’m still at that difficult stage where I’m paying for everything with 100 real notes (£20) and carrying hundreds of reals with me in ‘case of emergency’, I decide to stay local and explore Santa Teresa. This area of Rio reminds me a lot of the villages of the Cote d’Azur in France, such as Menton and St Paul De Vence. Perched on the top of a hill, it’s famous for its winding, cobbled streets which are a favourite spot for artists and tourists, and the fabulous views that can be seen around every corner. (more…)


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