Alternative blogs about travel, culture and coffee
I’ve had a busy couple of days dealing with various forms of abuse on Twitter as a result of a meme I made. Referencing a Cillit Bang advert, the meme was made to reflect on my belief that Joanna Cherry, MP for Edinburgh South West, is a trans exclusionary radical feminist – as well as … Continue reading Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminist Is Not A Slur
I hate listicles, but there reaches a point where you haven’t written anything for yourself (at least not online) for a while and you just want to put something out there. I don’t get asked enough about my travel favourites, so I’m just going to thrust them out into a world that doesn’t care. Be the … Continue reading Ian’s Travel Favourites: The Listicle Nobody Asked For (January 2019)
Let me set the scene. It’s a warm September evening. You are sat by the Danube gazing over Budapest and enjoying a local beer. Next to you is a random new friend you’ve made from Couchsurfing or the free tour you went on or a dating app (we’ve all been there). You’re having a good … Continue reading It’s None Of Your Damn Business: Politics, Travel And Making Friends
I’m currently planning a trip to Italy and something in the Wikitravel article for Florence caught my eye. The Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze is a popular art gallery in the city with tourists because it is where you can see the Statue of David. Entry costs vary depending on if there’s an exhibition on and … Continue reading David’s Toe: How Authentic Does Your Holiday Need To Be?
“Tô tão sozinho, Sozinho mesmo, Meu único amigo, É um cachorro de pelucia Moro em Lisboa, Mas não gosto de Lisboa, Quero uma nova vida No Peru, na Indonésia ou na Grécia – ‘Um Fado’ de Ian R Close Above is a fado I created to describe loneliness and dreams of where I would like … Continue reading Falando Português: Does Moving Abroad Make Language Acquisition Easier?
I love coffee, and having worked as a barista in a couple of those pretentious, hipstery specialty shops I can also make a pretty good cup too. Sadly my delightful sarcasm and cutting banter was just too much for management and, indeed, customers and my relationship with well-crafted bean water had to come to an … Continue reading Latte Art: It’s All Just A Pretty Lie
Oh hey! So you’re moving to a new city because it’s cheap and you want some money that isn’t going to a landlord or cereal café? Nice. You are one of thousands of young people making the, admittedly sensible, decision to abandon overpriced cities for life as the Monarch of Ubud. Sadly, I have some … Continue reading Gentrification and you: how to be a great addition to your new community
