we arrived in Luang Prabang in the late afternoon and headed over to our hostel. It was a really nice one right in the centre of town so it was perfect for us. Once wed checked in we headed over to 7-11 to grab some water and a snack. The town was great and felt a lot like Thailand . We went to the market for dinner as its know to be one of the best in general. It was super good i got 5 bao buns for the equivalent of 80p and grace had crispy pork with rice. Both were really good. We were both tired so we decided to just go to bed after that. 

We were going to nong khiw the next day so this was basically our only full day in Luang Prabang as nong khiaw was going to take up a lot of time. So we went to the famous waterfalls which are about 10 miles out of the town. However the road quality in Laos lead this to be a hour long journey on the bus. It was actually ok though as it was very air conditioned. To fit extra people on they put some plastic stools in the aisle which was funny. The people on those were lining around the whole journey im glad i got a seat.

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I can’t remember where I left off from pai, but basically the journey on the way back took much longer than planned due to traffic and Chiang mai being much busier than we expected as it is graduation week.

Once we made it back we headed to a night market near thapae gate where I had a khao soy with beef and a well deserved Chiang. It was cool to be in a new part of the city and see things we didn’t last time. So once we’d had a look around at the market we headed back to the hostel as we were really tired due to the long journey.

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This was our last place we went to in Thailand (although we would revisit Chiang mai for 2 days before we flew to Laos . Pai is a small town north of Chiang mai that is a big backpacker spot and known for its chill hippy vibe. We embraced this and stayed at the most hippy spot called atlas valley. It’s a super social hostel and has a lot of activities so I was quite excited but also a bit scared as it was a different vibe. It turned out to be great tho.

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it turns out while backpacking its kinda difficult to find time to update this. So im probably going to start to lump place together to make it a bit more manageable for myself. I believe I finished off last time on the train to Chiang mai.

I think so far Chiang mai is my favourite place we’ve visited. (Currently in vang vieng) when writing. I was a huge huge fan. There was a great selection of coffee shops, activities, markets and wonderful people. When we arrived we checked into our hostel and all that jazz before heading into the old city. The old city is inside a square of water which i such a cool idea. Chiang mai is very hipster so i really enjoyed our first look around to get out barings. After we had, had lunch we put a little message out on hostel world to see if there was anyone who wanted to meet up for the night market. That was so fun and we met some great people, some we would see again a little later down the line which is great. Unfortunately the day after this i felt terrible and was not very well at all. This was the day we were meant to be doing our cooking course. As i couldn’t go I basically stayed in bed the whole day before hitting up 7-11 for a light snack and  going to bed. But grace had a great time at the cooking course and said it was really good. We also decided we would do another one in Hanoi which is good. 

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I had basically finished this post but then something must have gone wrong with my saving the draft as i was unable to find it again at all, which is really annoying but oh well ill have to start again which is fine. 

We were staying in Bangkok for a week before moving up to Chiang mai where we are now. This post will cover everything we did from the second day as the first day is all done in my other post !!

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We landed at BKK on the 11th at about 7pm. However, we didn’t actually get out of the airport till about 8:15 due to the immigration being so busy!! We then took the airport train into the city which was really cool and allowed us to get our first glimpses of the cities lights. Once wed arrived at our hostel, we then headed to seven eleven to grab some food. It was however getting quite late at this point so we decided to head to bed so we could have a jam packed first day. 

We spent the morning of the first day exploring the temple area of Bangkok. Visiting wat Arun and wat pho. These were awesome, the architecture was incredible. Here are a couple photos!

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Hello!! It’s been a while since i’ve been on here, not really for any reason just life being boring and work being busy with Christmas. I thought id do a bit of an update on what’s been going on and then do a bit of a yearly recap with some photos.

Recently, it’s mostly just been planning for travelling, it’s coming up quick now so we’ve really had to get it together and make sure all the important stuff is ticked off. At time of writing it’s less than 2 weeks away. When we’re out there i aim to do one recap blog post a week, and then do other smaller posts about things i find interesting. The biggest issue i might have is getting on the internet to post so there may be bigger dumps of prewritten stuff sometimes. It’s really exciting and I’m so ready to go now. Especially with how busy work has been due to the Christmas rush. However i only have one shift left so it’s all good.

Ju-jitsu has been great, the community is just growing and growing. It’s exciting to see what’s to come for us. I have received my first stripe  which was really cool and is the first REAL step in the sport. We’re also now planning on visiting some cool jits spots in south east Asia which i think will really help my love of the sport and I’ll get to meet some new people which is always great. Climbing has also been great recently too, we’ve only been a couple  times in the last few months but when i have gone its been great, the climbs at the moment are fun and perfect for my level, not flashing everything and having to think things through. 

Other than that it’s been very chill, just having a nice Christmas period seeing family as well as chilling out and eating good food. We’re hopefully going out tomorrow and i’ll probably see a lot of people who are back from uni which will be nice before we leave. 

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Taith is an awesome small hold roastery in East Sussex. They produce a select few coffees that they have personally sourced. They handle their coffees very transparently and have a great selection of information on their website for each individual coffee. This is something I think is really important and helps connect a buyer to the farmer who produced the coffee. This is the coffee I decided to buy.

Quebraditas 

Varietal- Orange Bourbon 

Flavour profile- Orange zest, nectarine, peach 

Process- Double anaerobic washed 

Country- Columbia 

Thoughts:

This is one of the most impressive coffees I’ve drank in a while. I think the anaerobic process really helped to bring out the intense fruity notes of the orange bourbon. It had a great marmaladey flavour that was really enjoyable. It was very intense when brewed in V60 I think this would help it bridge the gap for people who normally don’t like fruitier coffees as it allows them to experience something darker and intense while still be an intresting and new experience away from a normal chocolatey Columbian.

I’m really glad I was able to try this coffee Edison Argote is a really inspiring farmer who producers some really impressive coffees in his time. I’m really excited to see what he comes up with next. If your intrested in seeing what he’s up to he is on instagram and is fairly active.

We’re pretty much there now. We shall be leaving in January to Thailand and hope to travel round countries near by including Laos, Cambodian, Vietnam, Malaysia and japan. Now all the planning and preparations are done, I’m in full saving mode trying to build up as much money as possible before i have to go!

We’re going to be following the classic banana pancake route so we can try and fit in as much as possible and see as many countries as we can. I think I’m most excited to be heading to Laos. I really hope i can capture the people and vibe of the country on my camera. While we’re away i really hope to connect with the people of the countries we visit and make some meaningful connections through photography. I have been watching a lot of videos by the YouTuber MIKE OKAY i love how he connects with locals and brings a human approach to countries like Afghanistan, china and even North Korea. Even if he doesn’t agree with the ways their countries are run he is still so willing to connect with the people and tell the individuals story. Something that is so important nowadays. 

Once we have finished in South East Asia we are planning to head down to New Zealand to see the selection of family i have down there. It will be really cool to see them and we can stay in New Zealand for 6 months without visa which is really cool. 

That’s kinda it for now !! Im sure ill update you as soon as i have more to say :)

Goose and Badger is the sister shop to Soulshine, and is actually where they get all of their beans from as a roasting house. They produce a great selection of beans for their own shop, Soulshine and ofcourse their website. While i have reviewed their coffee I haven’t ever reviewed or been to their shop, so i thought id do a short piece on the shop itself while I’m here!

Goose and Badger have a lovely shop in the front of the electric palace cinema/ theatre thing? It’s a very open space with glass on all angles of the shop, giving it a lovely  view of the high street and loads of natural light. In shop they have a great selection of coffees and brewing techniques. Both V60, espresso and batch. And like 10 teas. So can’t complain about selection at all. Im having a great time just sitting here on the big communal table working away with different people coming and going next to me, awesome vibesss.

In the evening goose and badger turns into a classy wine bar with another large selection of craft beers and artisan wines. I haven’t yet been but since we lost our local hipster speak easy in Dorchester i will need to come some time soon. 

Anyway this one was just gonna be a little catch up piece so i know i’ve got all the areas covered. I think as my local area  goes, thats all the good spots done. Yay

Easy Street is a BRAND BRAND new spot in Weymouth, they’re just across from tescos express for those who know. I’ve been eagerly awaiting their opening which was on Friday last week. I got Down there on Wednesday!! Their spot is REALLY nice, and they have a good selection of the classics, smoothies and a dope couple of special drinks. 

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Triple point is a shop in Brighton that has become a beloved destination for coffee enthusiasts like myself. They do a selection of coffees from famous brands such as colonna, skylark and pharmacie. However, i have been a couple of times and unfortunately i have not had such a positive experience! I feel as though it is a shop that has majored in hipster culture before understanding how to run an inclusive and interesting coffee shop. As BrewedByJay has said “There are countless cafes with cool interiors. There are very few with an unforgettable hospitality experience. Be the latter” . I don’t want this review to just be me throwing dad shattering dunks ( ill be surprised if anyone gets that reference) at the shop and I’m gonna try and see the positive side of things these guys do too !

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Chapter 5-Political and Social Challenges Impacting Ethiopia’s Coffee Trade

Although Ethiopian coffee is significantly affected by climate change it is not the soul issue that the sector is facing in Ethiopia. Human rights violations have become a lot more prevalent in Ethiopia in the last couple of years and there has also been conflict in the country between government forces and militia. This chapter aims to highlight how these issues can affect the coffee sector in Ethiopia as well as the people who live and work with coffee in Ethiopia.

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Chapter 4-Ethiopias domestic and global economy.

This chapter will be focusing on the economic issues that have been brought about as a result of the environmental issues in Ethiopia. I aim to look at the economic landscape of Africas biggest coffee supplier and explain the struggles it faces not only directly from climate change in the country but also via climate change trade measures that are in place in order to try and limit the effect of climate change. However, these changes are not always good for small holders and have led to Ethiopia being put in a “green squeeze.” I will explain the meaning behind this and show how moving to greener economies can often come at the expense of poorer countries.

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Chapter 3-The impact climate change has on Ethiopia.

Climate change is set to have an absolutely dire effect on Ethiopia’s ability to grow coffee. This is due to the arabica coffee plants grown there have such specific requirements for growth that even the smallest shift would lead to a change in some regions ability to cultivate coffee like it has previously. The effects can even start to be seen now with the price of Ethiopian coffee increasing and a noticeable decrease in quality. Even when brewing myself on an espresso machine, I have noticed that my time spectrum has had to be tighter in order to achieve a shot that does not taste as though it has been brewed incorrectly. If this can be detected when home brewing this really shows the severity of the issue. The key issues plaguing Ethiopia is rising temperatures and changing and often sporadic rainfall patterns which are not well received for the coffee plant and then leads to a declining yield. Furthermore, these changes lead to increased pests as the incubation times surrounding the pests decreases making it easier for them to spread.

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Chapter 2-Ethiopia’s Coffee Culture: Processing, selling and the Economic Impact.

This chapter aims to give important context to how coffee production and selling works in Ethiopia. This is a key step before continuing with the paper as it will help you to grasp the reasons why Ethiopian coffee farmers are so vulnerable to climate change.

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Introduction.

My report will be focusing on Ethiopia’s coffee industry and the ways in which environmental impacts have affected its ability to produce coffee to the same standard It has for many years previously. It is important to highlight the issues surrounding the coffee industry due to climate change. Coffee has been part of countless cultures for centuries, helping to support and fund 25 million farming familiesacross the globe.Not to mention it is the second most consumed drink in America and tied for first in the U.K (alongside tea.) and the most important agricultural commodity in the world. The reason I have chosen Ethiopia as a country to look at is because it is the largest producer of coffee in Africa, the fifth largest in the world, and produces 8.3 million 60kg bags per year. Furthermore, it is universally referred to as “the birthplace of coffee” by James Hoffman who is regarded as one of the most down to earth coffee experts. He has won the world barista championship multiple times his coffee encyclopaedia is a useful source when trying to get an overview of a location and ithas been updated and reprinted into multiple editions making it a valuable source when analysing this topic. However, all of this is under threat due to climate change.Coffee is becoming harder and harder to grow under the conditions that are rapidly changing in Ethiopia and the wider world. This is not only causing the price of coffee to rise but also leading to farmers feeling as though it is no longer a profitable product to grow anymore. As mentioned, coffee is one of the most purchased drinks in the U.K. yet there is little to no news covering the challenges faced by the producers and the countries as a whole. I hope that this report will help to highlight the problems and lead to a brighter future in coffee production all across the globe and specifically Ethiopia.

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Origin is a roastery that is located in Cornwall, they produce a wide range of coffees both, single origin and some blends. This coffee was bought by my dad who is upping his coffee game considerably! He bought “stronghold” which is a Brazilian, Indonesian blend.  Indonesia sparked some intrest for me as they are a group of islands so the lack of elevation could cause some sweetness and taste issues. HOWEVER, i was so wrong and this was actually one of the sweetest coffees i’ve had in a while. 

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Took this on a little walk this morning using the XT-5 with 18mm lens. Still not 100% on this lens but it is good for street photography and have the extra megapixels in the XT-5 defiantly helps to ensure I can crop it down and still have a good finished photo.