jectas top 10 cities to blow the mind...

Kyoto, Japan

Someone wise once said to me 'you can't love a city until it loves you' as in it takes time to create the memories, the stories and shared moments before one feels a sense of belonging there. I feel very fortunate to have enjoyed a good amount of time in some great cities and wish I could do more for others.

I love city dynamics, the movement, the energies flowing in all different directions and unique expressions; the arts, the nightlife, the anonymity and ability to walk out your door donning a pair of scruffy tracky b's, pair of shades and a beanie to get a coffee in the small hours without worrying about who might recognise you (having grown up in small villages - where everyone knows everyone - I also know that feeling).

It is really hard for me to write a list of only 10 but I thought I'd give it a go. Here are my top 10 most mind blowing cities from around the world. Not in any particular order.

1. Florence, Italy. Birthplace of the Italian language thanks to Dante, a beautiful river with old fashioned bridges, delicious Italian food and the old market square really made Florence a special place to visit. Nearly a third of the world's art treasures reside in the Tuscan capital of Florence. It's terribly romantic but has such a timeless essence to it that I just love. I would love to sit outside at a cafe and drink an espresso watching the world go by while learning Italian or eating homemade pasta.
2. Vienna, Austria. I wasn't so interested in Austria until recently. Over the last few years I've visited a couple of times and been fortunate enough to pass through Vienna. A land where time stood still and horses and carriages still trundle through the cities beautifully paved streets. Known as the “city of dreams” a term coined by Sigmund Freud’s influence on the city as the world’s first psycho-analyst born there. The baroque architecture is so regal, perfect and pristine white that it just glows in the sunshine and the city is such a fantastic place to wonder around feeling safe and philosophical...
3. Kyoto, Japan. Ah I loved my time in Kyoto. Like Japan, this city has a beautiful blend of old and new. From the old narrow streets where one might glimpse Geisha's amongst the temples to the new modern neon lit buildings, Kyoto has something quite unique about it. Sat in a valley, while the weather is humid in summer and rainy in winter, it has a wonderful river passing through it and beautiful walks alongside temples and gardens. It is great for a hot saki and sushi street snacks and gatherings, it is also very bike friendly. The main challenge I found was the language but a great way to sharpen your skills in 'communicating by stomach' and recognising when a friendly Japanese has no idea but doesn't want to say that word they don't like to say ('No'). I did a day trip to Mount Kurama where there's an old temple and the ancient energy healing technique 'Reiki' was born from. Very spooky spiritual place.
4. New York, USA. Start spreading the news! This is a city where you very much feel a part of it. Wow. I'm buzzing just thinking about it. I've not had my socks blown off quite like it as I did when I was in the Big Apple. Never have I found a metro underground system so grimy yet entertaining. I got lost countless times while living in New York and would love finding a random band jamming on the platform, kids pulling out epic dance moves swinging from the bars in the carriages and the fascinating conversations to be had with people from all walks of life. My British accent went down a treat in New York and it was a city that even during winter, had fun activities and a Christmassy cheer to it. I still get a sense of nostalgia thinking about that city. Ridiculously competitive, loud mouthed and happy to kick you in the balls if you've got some, I got kissed a few times by this city in a way that was totally forgivable but challenged me oh it did.
5. Buenos Aires, Argentina. Everyone in this city is beautiful and having therapy. Which is probably a good thing. I have always said you can tell a city by its pigeons and Buenos Aires is the only city where I've seen pigeons eating beef scraps. The pavements are broken and littered with dog poop and the architecture is spectacular while the sky a dream. A recipe for disaster if you're someone who likes to look up in admiration, especially if you're in heals. Nevertheless, I just love this latin city. It was one of the most heart breaking cities I've visited but in a way that has left a mark forever. The football, the theatre, the ice cream and the sky. I loved living in BA. People challenged so many of my Britishisms and the city pushed all my buttons and yet I kept loving it out, loving it out and still love this mind-blowing chaotic latin city fiercely. This is a city for poets and artists preferably on a foreign income...
6. London, UK. An organised, prestigious, diverse and interesting city. London is the only city I've been to where I've seen a man with jewels embedded in his head as a mohawk sat next to a man in a pin stripped business suit on the underground. I love London and I love my London crew. I play in the East when I want to dress like a teenager, make grimy look cool and dance to some of the world's best electronic music. I settle in the West if I want to visit some fancy art galleries or my favourite building, the History Museum, while drinking tea and going for a city stroll. It is a city of many faces and many stories. If they could make the sky higher, rain less frequent and people less busy and stressed, I'd be tempted to live there again...
7. Sydney, Australia. I lived in Sydney for 4 years - so I knew it pretty well. Life by the beach, coming home to sunshine, having access to some amazing restaurants and asian cuisine is such a dream. With the Blue Mountains and the Hunter Valley close by and an abundance of fun outdoor things to do, such as surfing, trekking, cocktails on rooftops, yogging, picnic, BBQs and festivals etc. this cosmopolitan city will always have a special place in my heart. It's miles away from the rest of the world but sometimes I wonder, perhaps that'd not a bad thing after all. 
8. Kathmandu, Nepal. One of the most hectic, crazy, cows in the road, monkeys on the highway city I've been to. Waking up to the sound of all the temple bells and the morning puja's is a beautiful experience. Going to one of the many UNESCO Heritage sights such as Boudhanath Stupa and doing the auspicious walk around the prayer flagged stupa is a very unique experience. As is visiting the burning ghats. Not for the faint of heart but certainly a place to have the eyes opened wide and feel a million miles away from one's comfort zone (old post on Nepali trip here).
9. Jaisalmer, India. The Golden City of the Rajasthan desert (old post on Rajasthan here), this place is just magnificent. My friend and I slept under the stars in the desert one night on a camel safari, watched camel racing and walked around the lake feeling totally mesmerised. This city is a place of pure wonder, deliciously spicy curry and days easily spent admiring the fantastically etched buildings of the Raj. It is the kind of place where one could live for a few months and write a novel.
10. Siem Reap, Cambodia. This country is actually incredibly sad. Its one of the saddest places I've ever been to and the wounds of the Khmer Rouge are still fresh in the hearts and bones of many generations that survived the horrific killings that took place in the 70's. The Angkor Wat temples near Siem Reap however are absolutely astounding and walking round imagining the ancient civilisations that lived among these old grand relics embedded in the jungle is just amazing. Siem Reap is a great city to give to by donating blood, supporting the anti land-mine efforts or getting a massage by the blind community. I would never choose to live there but for a mind blowing experience, it's pretty impressive.

And so there it is. Some of the cities that have made some deep impressions and I've had some incredible experiences in. Hopefully more to come!

the (lady) vagabonds kit list

It’s coming to my second year on the road. It has been one hell of an adventure and I’m just doing the proverbial exhale after some seriously deep inhalations.

Suffice to say I’ve learned a lot and had the time of my life. It isn’t always easy but I feel very much alive and on purpose.

The story of stuff.

In my second month in India, I left my big rucksack with my favourite travel gear in Pushkar (with the intention of returning to collect it in a week) and headed off to the mountains with a simple backpack of warm clothes.

I suppose The Universe didn’t want me to get too attached to the stuff, before I knew it, I was running a clean up campaign in the Himalayas and extending my visa so I could continue the good work while realising that I’d rather give away the contents of the abandoned stuff in order to continue the work I was doing. I had purpose!

In Japan I paid for my snowboard to be shipped to Tokyo, went on a mission to collect it but instead of hitting the mountains, I ended up volunteering at the post-tsunami wastelands and giving my snowboard to Natsumi one of the first soul sisters I met couch surfing.

In order to get my hands on some gear for volunteering I used the couchsurfing message board and put a call out to anyone who could lend me wellies and waterproofs - remarkably I got a response. Couchsurfing is a great place for clothes swapping / lending / purging etc.

Of course leaving stuff anywhere takes a degree of commitment and responsibility but my biggest lesson with stuff is to allow yourself to give away the things you no longer need and travel light.

The things that have continually travelled with me are:

Laptop/iPad 
I did a lot of reading on my iPad and it was awesome being able to download pdfs from the net to read when being in remote places and not wanting the weight of books. Its also a great sales tool when trying to convince local councils to consider recycling and introducing Angry Birds to kids in Nepal. Now I am taking a much needed exhale so I am using a laptop to edit footage, write stories and work on some creative ‘business’ projects and have lent iPad to a mate.

Camera/GoPro

JC is my wonderful camera that I have had for 3 years now. He’s been up mountains, in colour fights, on beaches and on racing boats. He’s also died and been reborn a couple of times. We have a symbiotic relationship and he really gives me purpose. I black taped the Canon branding on him and carry him in a cool shoulder bag to make him more approachable and less like a “tourist”. I recently decided to up my game and now travel with a GoPro as people find my adventures interesting and I get a buzz out of making videos (despite my amateur efforts).
Also consider:

• SD Cards from eBay
• Portable hard drive (great for swapping movies & music)

Journal/diary

Keeping a journal has been incredible. My mum has a bookshelf of them now as I have done a wealth of writing. Poetry. Lovely messages from friends. Experiences. Studies. Inspirations and importantly flight and visa expiry dates (beware: they can creep up on you).

Don’t expect anyone else to be responsible for reminding you to get your flight. They may secretly want you to stay ;)

iPod shuffle & mini speakers

I love having a simple little music kit. I rotate the music on my shuffle so it's a glorious little mash up of differing cultures. My current playlist includes Janis Joplin, Mumford & Son, Caravan Palace & Eckhard Tolle’s Power of Now (nice to have a reminder every now and then). The shuffle is also great for running to when I’m in need of exercise.

Stainless steel water bottle

As is pretty clear I care about the environment. This is a no brainer and really wonderful when in cold places because you can pop a tea bag in, get some hot water and give yourself some yummy coziness.

Mooncup (!)

This is so important. I cannot stress this enough lady. It’s genius. It’s the future. It is a no brainer. Men: you're lucky this does not apply to you.

Additional stuff that is useful.

My bag is getting lighter and lighter and so I am washing my clothes more and more. I’ve learned to enjoy this and make it my zen-like meditation. Even washing my clothes in the shower army style is somewhat amusing.

These are some additional bits & bobs that I like to carry:

• A bar of natural soup
• Tiny compact of eye make up – really not necessary especially in Asia/South America but I am doing ‘business stuff’ now.
• Small compact mirror
• A couple of crystals/incense/essential oil for The Shanti Space work
• Shades with string attached to them
• Baby key ring torch - preferably a wind up one
• Head torch – I like the amazing fader-red-light-disco-strobe ones
• Unblocked mobile phone – Big thanks to my mate Zoe for giving me her old phone, my parents sleep more soundly
• A sarong for sleeping on buses / warm places
• Lightweight sleeping bag
• International adapter
• Comfy sports crop top. I am so over bras. Choose breathing.

You may meet people who need your stuff more than you do. Just give it to them. There are humble communities in the world who are living in much more challenging and uncomfortable conditions and the comforts of the westerner can be life changing for them. Sharing is also wonderful while taking full responsibility for your stuff, whether it gets broken in the hands of a child, is accidentally given away (a nicer way of looking at theft) or does a disappearing act. Surrender. That’s life folks. Thankfully it’s not your everlasting soul.

           

Personally I’ve found trusting that the Universe will always give me what I need, not always what I want, but what I need to be a really powerful mantra as is having a good sense of humour.

The travel community is beautiful and caring. Even when I've been sick there's always been an angel there.

Go with your eyes wide open and as my friend said to me before I started "let it all wash over you".

n.b. Do not treat people how you treat your stuff. Stuff can be seemingly like a toy you can pick up and throw away when it's served its purpose. I've seen how people brought up in a material world liken people to toys and perhaps is symbolic of the times we live in. Tread carefully with people's hearts; we're family.

"A prayer for the wild at heart. Kept in cages." - Tennessee Williams