My new blog!

Hi everyone..long time no see! I started a  new blog, about fun,non-touristy things to do in Newcastle Upon Tyne:

http://thingstodoinnewcastle.wordpress.com/.

Check it out an show it some love! 🙂 My first post if for all tea lovers, as I go on discovering  the perfect place to enjoy a  tasty cuppa. Here’s a little sneak peek:

Tea Sutra Teahouse, 1st Floor 2 Leazes Park Rd

I’m really excited about this place because I “discovered” it only a few days ago and I fell in love! Here’s why…

Tea Sutra  is the ultimate tea heaven – with an ‘Oriental’ twist! It’s a tea house, so expect an amazing choice of tea –  they serve over 100 teas and infusions (plus a selection of vegeterian, gluten-free snacks to go with it)! Interestingly, Tea Sutra also offers wellness therapies such as acupuncture, hot and cold stone massage and reiki, so it’s a bit like a spa and tea house in one!

Even though Tea Sutra is in a central location, I felt like I left the everyday hustle and bustle behind the moment I walked through their door. Everything about this place is relaxing and soothing – the light, specious, Japan-inspired decor; the subtle music, comfortable cushions…and the amazing smell of tea filling up the entire floor! It might sound like a weird comparison, but the peaceful, almost meditative atmosphere remained me  a bit of a yoga studio.

It took me a while to decide, but I eventually ordered Persian tea (£2.70) – which is black tea with flowers and spices.  Tea Sutra has a nice selections of books and magazines, so I was sipping my tea while reading haiku – how relaxing!

All Saints Day in Warsaw

In Poland, it’s a tradition to visit the graves and ligth candles as a symbol of remembering the dead on All Soul’s Day,which falls on 1st November. You may think it’s creepy, but I think there’s something beautiful and mystical about wandering around the cemetery as the soft candle lights are glistering in the night 🙂

I took the photos at Powązki Cemetery, Warsaw’s most famous, and probably oldest, cemetery.

“What is life? Oh, it’s just a moment.”

Rediscovering Newcastle

Here are some snaps I took today – I bought a new Nikon D3100 so I had to try it out! 🙂

Newcastle  is famous (or infamous, depending how you look at it!) for wild nights out involving a flurry of fake tan,  skimpy outfits and cheap drinks, and it’s pretty much considered the drinking capital of the UK. To be honest, I don’t think many people outside of the North East  realise that the city has much more to offer than bargain booze and fancy dress nights out. One of my favourite things about it is the architecture – Newcastle, especially the city centre and the Quayside (riverside), is a lovely mixture of 15th-19th century houses, crooked  Medieval-style streets and modern  buildings.  PERFECT for taking photos! :

Quayside [click photo to enlarge]

Quayside in colour 🙂

Grainger Town, Newcastle City Centre

Just a few photo-memories..

Being back in England has its good points- I’ve missed Sunday lunches in Durham, going to the seaside for fish & chips, and it’s nice to be surrounded by people who appreciate the difference between Lady Grey and Earl Grey 😉 .

What I definitely haven’t missed is the cold, rain and the dreary gloominess outside (the price I have to pay for living up North!). On days like this, I really miss travelling and can’t wait to hit the road again. I’ve been browsing through photos I took just a couple of months back…They really inspire me to plan more trips! Here are a few of them: (I noticed photos look a bit blurry when I post them on here – if you want to see them in the original size, just click image to enlarge:)

KL, Malaysia

KL, Malaysia

Vientiane , Laos

Vieng Xai, Laos

more Laos…

Sri Lanka, on the train to Colombo

Coconuts sold outside Mahalakshmi Temple in Mysore

South Goa paradise 🙂

India dreaming..

It’s been a while since my last post…I left NYC over a month ago and I’m now back in England which has been my home for nearly 5 years. This past year has had a great influence on how I  see my life and my place in it. As cliche as it sounds, travelling really opens your mind to new possibilities and helps you learn a lot about yourself. Now that I think about it, my travels around Asia and America have quite possibly taught me more about myself than about the places I visited! New experiences that come with traveling are like a prism through which you get to see your life from an entirely different perspective. Thanks to them,  you get to know your limits and then break them; your learn to be patient when you’re in a situation you’d normally dread to even think about; they give you the freedom to be carefree and joyful while helping you realise what’s lacking in your life.

Travelling around India has been such a prism to me. It was an amazing experience and I will never forget it… Sitting on the rooftop overlooking Taj Mahal, sipping masala chai as the sun was about the set and the Call to Prayer was echoing through the city…Midnight swims in the Arabian Sea, glistering in the moonlight… Camping in the middle of Thar Desert, falling asleep as the Milky Way was shining bright..Endless hours spent on the train, talking to strangers who, within one journey, would become my friends…It almost seems like a dream! I realise how much it changed me and the way I see my life especially now, when I’m back home (although, knowing myself, I won’t be back for long;).  I thought I would share a few photos from my journey across India – they are mainly portraits because I’ve always believed that the best way to learn about a culture is though people  – after all, it’s them who create it!

Shop keeper, Varkala, South India

Local fishermen in Varkala. I took this photo early in the morning, after a sunrise boat ride.

Another photo from Varkala..I love the colours and the composition.

On the way to Jodhpur fort..This man was really friendly and asked me to take photos of his son!:)

One thing that always struck me about Indian women was how incredibly graceful and feminine  they are. I think this photo managed to capture that. It was taken in Hampi, one of my favourite Indian cities -it’s absolutely magical.

Temple in Hampi. I couldn’t get over the amazing detailing and the vibrant colours!

On the Ooty toy train. Taking this train was such a fantastic experience – the views were breathtaking!

Lady in orange.

This was taken on my first day in India,right in the middle of Paharganj, Delhi. I must say, out of all the cities I’ve visited in India, Delhi’s definitely my least favourite. The dirt and pollution was just too much!

Street vednor in Kanyakumari, South India. The city’s on India’s southernmost tip, it’s also where 3 seas meet.

Manhattan in Summer Rain