Jo Herrings Adventures

To celebrate my return to health and with 2 months left to knock off some New Years Resolutions I got on Skyscanner and booked 2 weeks in Cuba. Now I am not your classic beach holiday kinda girl. I own a bikini but loath to don it at the best of times - let alone now I have some funky scars. Alas I know no-one in Cuba, so with hopes of experiencing life free of the trappings of Capitalism I rolled up my sleeves and set off on one of the strangest, friendliest, easiest, safest, stunning, peaceful, inspirational, theory destroying journeys. I arrived in Havana late at night on Sunday and after delays in London and Madrid and the long queues at both Havana's customs AND bag collection, I fortuitously blagged a ride to the Hotel Nacional with a tour group of Brits. For anyone planning on going make sure you have a hotel booked and transfers sorted for your first night. I ended up in Hotel Victoria around the corner from The Nacional (Havanas crowning glory of a hotel which deserves ...

Revisiting Shanti Hotel rooftop  Debs and I stayed in 4 years before... In April 2008 on my first visit to India with my good friend Deborah Kelly we made headways for a day at the Wonder of the World and the greatest monument to love in the world. The beautiful Taj Mahal. I could wax lyrically about this day but in truth the security guard wouldn't let me take in tampons and we were to spend all day in there so I had to try and explain what a tampon was to an Indian man....heavens! Alas we langished in the grounds from lunch time till well past sunset. Taking in the changing light on the marble masterpiece. And as we enjoyed photos on "Diana's chair" just four days after arriving in India I promised I would come back. To see the Taj Mahal from the otherside of the river...and the Red Fort down the road which looked pretty stunning in the distance. So here I am four and a half years later standing at the gates of the Taj Mahal - but never to re-enter. I coul...

Hampi – home of Temples After an overnight bus and a half an hour local bus I arrived in the temple town of Hampi. After collecting my thoughts (at 6am a tough ask – those who have bused with me know!) I found a room beside the river in the simple lodgings of Kiran Guest house. Any night spent on a night bus results in me lazing around with little more than a sunset excursion to take in my new environment. As I sat along the Ghats of the Tungabhadra River washing people bathe, and wash their clothes, I met Jo – a Liverpudlian (favourite word EVER!). She literally picked me up and took me to dinner in the beautiful surrounds of the Mango Tree, a terraced restaurant in the groves at the edge of town, overlooking the river and offering sweeping views of the valley. Lakshmi the temple elephant after his morning bath Hampi Township ruins I enjoyed Hampi on foot starting at the river Ghat to see the famed elephant Lakshmi from the Virupaksha temple being bathed by his ke...

Karnataka and Bangaluru is in central southern India. Home to India’s silk capital Mysore, burgeoning Silicon Valley’esque city, Bangalore, and whiling away in the rocky alcoves north the temple filled town of Hampi.  I have broken the post into two so you can see what I got up to over a couple of cups of tea.  Mysore – MySilk I took a taxi with 3 savvy young professionals on Sunday of Easter all heading back to work at HP and Samsung in the countries Tech cities of Hyderabad and Bangalore respectively. I tried to bargain for a room at the Park Royal (simply because I fancied saying I had stayed there!) not a chance! Settling down the road I made a home for myself in Mysore for a couple of days enjoying the cooler climate (I guess about 28C).  Mysore Palace Gate.... I was a bit slow for the Palace shot! I  started at the cities Palace lit with 10,000 lights and as I entered the Palace grounds, large rain drops started to cascade down and as ...

Hampi is the site of many Hindu temples and is a beautiful spot set amongst hot rocks in a valley that makes you sigh with perspiration. It is here and now that the government has issued a 7 day notice to the residents of Hampi Bizaar closest to the famed Virupaksha Temple to vacate their premises. They have offered land some 6km from the township to the villagers on a rock with no running water or fertile land, away from the river that runs alongside Hampi and its famed temples. Its biblical to build on a rock but the proposal to relocate these folks away from the river they currently frolic in doing their daily chores and enjoy relaxing beside seems baffling. If you are going to displace people (rehousing is not an option they are literally told they can move to the rock or make their own arrangements), shouldn’t you offer an equal alternative. Somewhere sewage systems can be made, electricity implemented to all homes, oh and how about some of that precious resource WATER. (I ...

The following are the temples I visited while on my tour of Angkor Wat in the northern Cambodian tourist town of Siem Reap. Angkor Wat Day One - the "Small Tour" Oh Scaffoldious I pray to you Angkor Wat – the main temple with the lake around it. Within the inner Temple you must wear a tee shirt and clothing to below the knees for entrance. The inner temple is stunning and despite being graced with the great God of Scaffoldious (that’s scaffolding to those not familiar with my constant encounters with scaffolding around the world, first named at the Acropolis hence the Godly name) it is a sight to behold. The intricacy of the building including amazing 12 th century patterned “wallpaper” leaves you rather in awe of the craftsmanship. The stairs are a taster of what is to come so if your in a wheel chair or like my Mum would prefer the lift Angkor Wat is not for you! Ta Prohm – One of the Temples over run by trees causing massive des...