#LIKEACHALLENGE 

I kicked off 2019 with the ballet 'Cinderella' and it's my first time at the Dutch National Opera and Ballet before. It was a bit of a last minute decision to book the tickets as I only decided a couple of weeks before NYE to spend it in Amsterdam and what a damn good decision it was: honestly, one of the best ever ballet productions I've seen. Fantastic sets throughout, but above all, the dancing was impeccable. Great chemistry between Daniel Camargo and Igone de Jongh.

Where do you start. Is it possible to be happy and unhappy all at the same time? Yes. That's exactly how I felt at the top of Ben Nevis. We did it together with my friend Flam (ironically, we met on a A Place in the Sun where it's always sunny and plus 25'C …). I'll be honest, we hated the whole experience UNTIL later on that evening when we ate everything of the menu at the local pub and realised what we’ve actually managed to achieve. We felt happy again. And very proud o

Just some long overdue highlights from the epic Monte Carlo or Bust rally, when me and my dad managed to clock up nearly 5000km around Europe and raise nearly £500 for the Help for Heros charity. We went from Warsaw to St Quentin in France then down to Monte Carlo (via Switzerland and Italy) and back to Warsaw. All in my grandad's 1991 Toyota Corolla, which is still going strong. Enjoy!

Throwback to November last year. It was the first big challenge-roadtrip I did when I created this site. I was also talking with my good friend Gosia the other day about doing a weekend in Marrakesh, so it motivated me to finally write what I was meaning to write a long while ago. A few ‘how to drive in Morocco’ pointers and what NOT to do when hiring a car down that neck of the woods (desert). Even though it’s been a year, I still remember all the routes very well and each

Find out how me and my dad are getting on with the prep for the Monte Carlo or bust rally. We've been testing our car in rather extreme weather conditions... and do enjoy my dad's beautiful English accent ;)

London offers a fine selection of xmas ice rinks every year. Whether you’re a skilled figure skater or a complete beginner, the atmosphere of the capital’s ice-rinks is enchanting. Here’s a round-up of my top 5 places to twirl around. On the practical side: they all cost between £14 and £17 for an hour of skating. From what I remember, Somerset House was the most expensive at £17,50 and Hampton Court the cheapest at £14. All prices include a pair of ice skates. I booked my t

It’s one of the most popular banger car rallies in the world and I’m taking part in in the 2018 edition! It takes 3 days and the route starts in St.Quentin in France (just north-east of Paris) and goes via Switzerland and Italy, finishing in dazzling Monte Carlo famous for those F1 races (and 0% tax). No Ferraris on this occasion though: in order to be eligible, my car has to be worth less than £500. Source: Flicker, Here Lawford There will be a lot of driving and burning

As promised, here’s a closer look at what it takes to reach the highest peak of the Atlas. It was my first major climb and I knew it wouldn’t be easy - 4167m is not a walk in the park. Toubkal is a really tough hike, rather than a technical climb, but nonetheless serious business. I prepped what I could beforehand: sorted out my attire including thermals, coat, gloves, hat, trekking trousers (I actually wore three layers altogether, putting them on or off depending on the ch

My Moroccan breakfasts were quite a sweet affair, with the addition of eggs, goat's cheese, olives and the dozen types of bread that tie everything together. You can see the French and Spanish influence with ubiquitous amounts of pastries and orange juice. Then there's the famous Moroccan mint tea (which I drink without sugar, as the original version is way sweeter than Coca Cola) and for those in need of a stronger kick, you can always have a coffee. This was my breakfast

Tangier was the final destination. The very last 3,5 hours driving back from Casablanca to where it all started. I was very sad that my Moroccan adventure was coming to an end now, but busy planning in my head: what's next? For the first time I properly had a chance to look through all the photos and thought how much I've achieved within the space of just 10 days. I've enjoyed every second of Morocco, learnt a about off-road driving and climbed the highest peak in the Atlas.

Casablanca was the penultimate stop on the rally. I had a very romantic imagine of this city based on the cult Hollywood film under the same name, but the reality is...Casablanca is a giant construction site. It's a mix of modern commercial and apartment buildings, and some old soviet-like blocks...so I was left quite unimpressed. It lacks any architectural or historical landmarks apart from the Hassan II Mosque, which was well worth the drive. It's an imposing structure bu

After spending a whole week driving inland, I couldn't wait to head west towards the ocean. Initially the plan involved a nearly 800km / 10 hour drive south to Tarfaya after Marrakesh, but two days of the rally got eaten up by the Mount Toubkal climb... In hindsight, I should have given myself 12 days altogether (including the climb) to be able to visit Tarfaya... but hey, it's one of the first challenges and I will definitely work on logistics a bit more next time! Essaour

The drive from Aroumd to Marrakesh after climbing Mount Toubkal was the shortest one I had on this rally, but it felt like forever. I was unbelievably tired, desperately in need of a shower (I didn’t wash for 2 nights running) and hungry (a massive KFC bucket sorted that out). Just so you know, the smiling photo above was taken AFTER I had a 12 hour sleep :) Source: Google Maps I spent my only ‘day off’ exploring the dazzling Marrakesh. Wow, what a city! It’s impossible to

A lot of you have been asking about my Mount Toubkal climbing challenge: how hard it was, current weather conditions at the summit, how did I prepare, costs etc I'm still on the road this week and I'll be writing more once I'm back in London, but here's a quick Q&A: How long did it take? Two days which involve walking from Imlil (or in my case from Aroumd) to the refugee at 3200m. It's a 9km walk which took me just under 5 hours (let's say 4 hours if you don't count the teas

Day 4 was a drive from Ouarzazate to Imlil in prep for the Mount Toubkal climb. Just over 240km but the winding mountain tracks (add roadworks to that) made it into a solid 6 hour trek. I never actually feel it takes that long as I'm constantly distracted by the amazing views on route: Nearly looks like LA ;) Ah, the roadworks which stopped the whole traffic for a good hour.. If you look closely there's a digger 'hanging' on the side of the mountain at a 45 degree ang

Day 5 & 6 of the Morocco rally were dedicated to climbing Toubkal, the highest peak in the Atlas Mountains and North Africa. I was in the middle of nowhere for the last two days with no reception whatsoever, so forgive me the slight delay with posting updates to the site. I'll make up for that tomorrow while I'll pamper myself in Marrakesh and do some sightseeing around this amazing city. Firstly, I am soooo knackered. I still can't actually believe I climbed all the way up

Reached Ouarzazate about an hour ago. Here's a few photos from today's drive through the Atlas and the Todgha Gorges: limestone river...

As promised, updated post on day 2. Good night sleep in Fes even though I still have to get used to the singing/praying that starts at dawn… This charming hotel, Riad dar Guennoon, is located in the very centre of the city. Hard to find at first among the maze of alleyways, but one of the local lads helped us out. And of course he wanted to get paid for his kindness, which is essentially one of the ways they make money from tourism! I only got a couple of hours to walk

I’ll write more in the morning as I need to get some sleep, but long story short... We were supposed to get from Fez to Agoudal today, roughly 350km and 7hours drive. Unfortunately, part of the 'road' we took through the Atlas mountains simply doesn’t exist anymore, washed away by the river. So we had to turn around 5 hours into the drive.. which meant 2 hours back up the same road to find a hotel in one of the towns. Anyway, we came across this lovely place, Riad Mimouna ne

I’ve got a bit more wi-fi at my current hotel, even though it’s not the hotel in Agoudal that was planned.. more on that story in the next post. Currently sitting in the reception of hotel Riad Mimouna near Midlet (*update as of 2210: they've now closed the reception so outside :) Coming back to day one as yesterday was a disaster zone for internet connection (mind you, I got a 4G dongle for my laptop today, but don’t think it’s working either round here). Anyway, some prom