Author: James Rice

In the footsteps of Gabriel García Márquez: a tour of Colombia

Following in the footsteps of legendary author Gabriel García Márquez, James Rice takes us on a literary tour of Colombia. Gabriel García Márquez, the acclaimed Colombian novelist who died in April 2014, never considered his stories as magical as others supposed. Amused that he was always praised for his inventiveness, he once said: “The truth…

The ultimate guide to visiting Panama’s San Blas Islands

Let’s clear one thing up straight away: getting to the San Blas Islands is not easy, wherever you’re coming from. And that’s quite deliberate. Introduction to the San Blas Islands Panama The 360 or so tropical islands off Panama’s northern coast are home to the Guna people. Since a revolution against the Panamanian government in 1925 they have maintained political…

Cooking classes in Marrakesh

“I urge you to travel – as far and as widely as possible. Sleep on floors if you have to. Find out how other people live and eat and cook.”  Anthony Bourdain To get under the skin of a country, try getting busy in the kitchen when you’re there. Local food can teach you much…

The best luxury hammams in Marrakesh

Marrakesh is bewitching, but boy can it wear you out: the sun is unforgiving, it’s noisy and dusty, you’ll get lost in the medina more times than you can count, and everyone seems to have something to sell you. Stepping out from the tranquillity of your riad into the heat of the street can feel…