Wira built his first guesthouse in the middle of the Bali rice terraces. The floor-to-ceiling windows are stacked up against the sky; the thatched straw roof blending seamlessly into the greens and browns of long grass on the terrace steps. Wira’s family has owned this land for generations, using these fields for growing rice and cultivating chilli plants. Now there’s another business plan in the works: using the natural beauty of their surroundings to harness the tourist market. Wira already…
I’m about to meet the founders of Ethnotek. We’re approaching the entrance a little cafe just outside central Ubud when I see a distinctive backpack attached to a woman on a scooter. That’s how I know it’s Cori. She turns, spots the matching backpack slung over my shoulder, and breaks into a wide smile. “Flora! Hi!!” Like a magician, Cori pulls four more Ethnotek bags from the trunk of her scooter and leads us upstairs. Her husband Jake arrives moments…
In front of me stood four huge masked figures. They towered upward, larger than life, their impassive faces staring down at me with vacantly fixed smiles. The tiles creaked beneath my feet as I gazed at folds of bright crepe and silk material; the way trinkets hung motionless on belt buckles; flower petal headdresses lined with a thin layer of dust. Nobody else was around me – and yet I could still feel dozens of pairs of empty eyes boring…
“Single-use plastics are the devil!” I stood in the pharmacy aisle, staring at the dental floss picks in disbelief. Twenty different brands, all with plastic handles wrapped in cellophane, all of them destined to be used once then thrown away. I’d just come from a visit to the dental hygienist who’d told me to I needed to floss. She’d even recommended these picks because they’re easier to use than regular floss – but I couldn’t bear the idea of wilfully…
Confession: I am not an ethical traveller. I say this because when I think back over my travels, there have been many situations I probably should have questioned more than I did at the time. Nowadays, ethical travel is a big topic of conversation. From using bamboo straws and reusable water bottles to avoiding elephant rides and photo opportunities with drugged tiger cubs, there’s a conscious effort to be the most responsible and ethical travellers we can be. But what…
It’s been almost a year since my dad died. I’m writing this in the living room at my boyfriend’s flat in Glasgow. His dog is snoring on the sofa with his paws resting on my knee; there’s half-empty boxes of Indian takeaway on the glass coffee table; YouTube videos of Andy Kaufman are playing on the big TV. I took most of the summer away from the internet. I had very little inclination to post on social media and didn’t…
This is the house I was born in. It’s the only family home I’ve ever known. This is where my parents brought me as a baby in March 1988; to a house they’d decided to put a mortgage on when they realised they were about to become a family. They’d only been together for six weeks when she discovered she was pregnant. My parents first met ten years earlier. He’d directed her in a play in 1977 (she was his…
You’re backpacking Cuba for a month. Where do you go? It’s a fantastic destination, but travelling solo in Cuba can be daunting. Here’s everything I learned about backpacking Cuba during my four weeks there. My visit to Cuba was something of a spontaneous decision. I’d been working as a journalist in Medellin, Colombia when the idea of a month travelling around this intriguing island sprung up – so in true Flora fashion, I did barely any research before I arrived.…
One morning, I am staring upside down at the Mediterranean sea. This is sailing in Mallorca. The calm voice of our yoga instructor tells us to step out of Downward Dog and into the next pose. As my body rights itself on the slowly rocking deck of the boat, I have to concentrate hard to ground myself in the practice. It’s understandably difficult when you bear in mind where I am. Standing on the prow of a small yacht in…
“Shall I take a photo of you?” It’s a sun-soaked day in early June, and I’m walking through Shoreditch with a group of bloggers I’ve never met. In my hands I’m clutching the newest Huawei P20 phone; we’ve each been lent a handset for the day so we can practice our phone-photography skills. I know full well that impromptu portraits are on the horizon, so I’ve been expecting a question like this. In fact, I’d already prepped that morning: clean hair,…