Talking Travel – Barbados Feat Solo Ventures With Vicky

Hello and welcome to Talking Travel, your weekly show for travel tips, inspiration and fascinating guests with myself, Kay Holland on women's radio station. Now, on today's show, we're making a beeline for Barbados, one of the Caribbean's top treats. It might be hot in Britain right now, but in Barbados, it's always scorching, not sweltering. Sunstroke hot, you understand, but blue skies, smattering of clouds top up the tan. Hot, even better. Barbados doesn't require a string of injections to get there and you're guaranteed sun and spoken English. But don't just take my word for it. On today's show, we'll be getting some insider tips about the Caribbean's most exciting island from the people who really know those that live there. But first up, let's hear a song. It's got to be a Bajan local. Rihanna. Disturbia. Sam, What's wrong with me? Why do I feel like this? I come crazy now no more gas in the red can't even get started Nothing, nerd, nothing there can't even speak about it all my life on my head don't wanna think about it Feels like I'm going insane yeah It's a thief in the night to come and grab you it can creep up inside you and consume you A disease of the mind it can't control you Is too close for comfort. It's too close to comfort oh, it's so safe in the night to come and grab you it can creep up inside you and consume you A disease of the mind it can't control you I feel like a monster. Release me from this girl I'm in Trying to maintain that I'm struggling. That was Barbados most famous export, Rihanna there with the fabulous song Disturbia. Next up, we'll be talking to Karen Rowlands, a local girl in Barbados. But before we speak to Karen, don't forget that if you have a question for talking travel, why not tweet us? Womensradio stn. Welcome to women's radio station, the voice of women worldwide. So I do glitter for a living. Coming up next on women's radio station wrs. Women's radio station. Hey, this is Jessie and I'm a life architect. So what has made you say effort in rage or effort in joy this week? I love listening to women's radio whilst driving in my car, my sport and me. Listen online on your smartphone and on your computer. If you wanted to find out a little bit more, do go to our website, womensradiostation.com Mirae B Ltd. We are a virtual PA consultancy. We provide remote administrative services. Our offering is diverse. We manage your calendar, we update your client database, we take care of your property in France and in London. We also offer bookkeeping and translation services. Would you like to know more? Please call 077-8684-8998 for further information. Mirayb Ltd. Making the life of the Business Owner Successful hi, I'm Vivian Arts, President of Women in Banking and Finance. Are you a woman working in the financial services sector in the uk? If you are not already a member then you are missing out on a fantastic network which has been inspiring women for we are a not for profit organization empowering women to network, learn and inspire each other at every stage of their career. Through our highly sought after events, we aim to improve diversity by working closely with government leaders and firms through our UK branches. Find out more at www.wibf.org uk and join a network to transform your career. Do you dream of a wedding on the beach or maybe in the middle of a vineyard? Imagine your wedding in Italy, the land of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Getting married in Italy in a venue that is magical and has natural beauty. Amoretti weddings create unforgettable moments. What you had to do is just relax and watch us make your wedding a real fairy tale. Contact us now for a free consultation. Www.amoretti.co.uk hi, I'm Valentina Barbacci and I'm the Executive Director of Media Matters for Women. We're a registered charity operating in Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo and we produce and share podcasts via Bluetooth on mobile phones focusing specifically on women and girls excluded from information due to extreme poverty. We empower those living in rural areas with media that transforms how they access, own and share information. To find out more and be part of this movement, come check out our website at media mattersforwomen.org at New Square Tutors, we believe that matching a student with the right tutor is half the battle. We help students from preschool to adult to gain confidence and a love of learning. Whether it's working towards an exam or hoping to build confidence, we're here to help. Our tutors cover a range of subjects as well as all major school exams and university entry. Lessons are tailored to the students individual needs to ensure the best learning experience. For more information visit www.newsquaretutors.com or check out the Women's Radio Station website. Hi, I'm Isabelle Manevy, an executive coach. Do you want to change a negative into a positive. We can do this by coaching you to rewire your brain using simple visualization techniques. In 20 years of practice, I seen this transform lives. For more information, look on Women's radio website call me on open 079-844-22171. I'm listening at Distinctively Me we are passionate about making clothes that complement any body shape through our made to measure tailored pieces. Distinctively Me smart and elegant clothes are made in our London studio from the highest quality fabrics and will create the perfect outfit for any woman. Our trousers, skirts and jackets are modern yet timeless and can be worn season after season. Visit us@distinctivelyme.com to be amazed at our service and prices. Distinctively Me Discover the pleasure of me to measure. Hi, I'm Michelle Bartlett, the founder of Live Laugh Love Ladies Club. We're looking for ladies to link arms across the globe. This is a new vibrant brand connecting women socially. Our club members enjoy great food, fun and inspiring speakers whilst making friends in a room of all generations. If you're a social butterfly in the community, this fast growing franchise could be for you. If you would like to know more about stepping into our pink shoes then look at the business opportunity page on our website. Live laughloveloveladies club. Also@womensradiostation.com Women's radio station is a not for profit community interest company. Supporting women is our passion. We're currently welcoming donations to help towards our running costs to keep this in important initiative alive. To donate simply head to our website. Every little will help. Welcome back to Talking Travel with myself, Kay Holland on Women's radio Station. Now today we're off to Barbados and we're talking to Karen Rowlands, a journalist living and working on the Caribbean island. Welcome Karen to Talking Travel. Thank you Kay. And first question, are you a local girl? Then I know you've been out based in Barbados for a while. Yeah, I wouldn't describe myself as a local just yet. No. You can probably tell from the accent that I'm very much a Londoner. But you know, I've been coming to Barbados since I was a child, so I think I know the island quite well and I guess you can perhaps enlighten us. What's it like to live in Barbados? Paradise. Or I wouldn't say paradise. I personally don't think paradise exists. But you know, it's what you make it. It's a beautiful island, it's got fabulous weather, fabulous beaches. I always think to myself I live where people come to vacation, so it must be be Pretty amazing. The fact that people want to come and spend a few weeks here just to have a taste of what we can offer is something that is I try not to take for granted because, you know, it is a really nice lifestyle. It's extremely expensive, especially at the moment because the economy is not doing very well. But yeah, the great thing is that even when you're having a bad day, the sun pretty much all the time is always shining. So you can't help but have a smile on your face, I guess. Exactly. It definitely helps when it's warm and you know, you've got the beach there and the sea and the palm trees and everything that you'd expect from a beautiful island. Just like a postcard. Yeah, exactly. So what would you say is your favorite thing about Barbados? Is it, as you mentioned, the weather? Is that the big attraction or what's the big draw? It was. Sorry, sorry, Karen, what was, what's the big draw for Barbados then? It. The weather or. It was the weather for me, yeah. In terms of just wanting to be somewhere where I could just feel a bit freer. I could enjoy being outside. I didn't feel like in London that I could do a lot of the things that I wanted to do because obviously for seven, eight months of the year it's cold, it's dark, it's wet, stamp. So in Barbados you've got pretty much, I would say year round sunshine. Obviously we have our hurricane season which is from about June to the end of November. But you're in the middle of it now then. Yeah, we are. And thank the Lord we've only had one mini storm. But yeah, I mean, pretty much every year we get miraculously swerved by hurricanes, which is, you know, something again we shouldn't take for granted. But yeah, we are very blessed considering what some of the other islands have gone through. That's true. So yeah, for me it was the weather, you know, it's just, it's just nice to get up and it's warm. You can just throw on a summer dress, just a thin top and shorts and like I said, just go to the beach or meet some friends at a bar on the beach or go for a hike, a run, anything you want want to do, as long as it's outdoors and you're making the most of it. Well, I can imagine we're having a heat wave here in London right now, so I can only imagine what it would be like to have that 365 days of the year. So listeners, don't forget that if you do want to get in touch with us talking Travel and have any questions for Karen, email us@presentersomensradiostation.com But Karen, for all our listeners, you've obviously sold us on the weather and the beaches. Why else should we visit Barbados? I think Barbados has so much going for it. It has tons of attractions. You can do something every single day. Beyond the beach, obviously, you've got things like Harrison's Caves, which are unique and they're a cave system that is in St. Thomas. They've been created by natural limestone and water and you take a little tram through the, through the caves and it really is spectacular attraction. Also, we've got lots of different hikes and gullies that you can go up to. There's a new attraction called Coco Forest, which I've. I recently went and had a look around. It's about a two to three hour hike and the guide takes you through and it's an amazing place. It's just really peaceful and beautiful and there's obviously stunning views from so many different vistas. And do you think, do you need a guide or something you could do on your own as well, or. Or you lose out a little bit at the moment? Yeah. Because they've just started up, so I think they kind of want to make sure you get the most out of it. So. And it definitely helps to have the guy because obviously he can tell you a lot about the different trees and the different animals that are there and also just generally what they're trying to do there, which is basically an agroforest project. So a lot of what they're growing there is being used in a local apartment in their restaurant. So it's a farm to table operation. So it's really something that's very special and different. Yeah. And then you've got Peg Farm Nature Reserve, which again, is just a really beautiful place to go and just spend some time, relax. It's right in the countryside and it's really, really beautiful. And then of course, you've got the, what we call the rough side of the island, where you've got Bathsheba. In terms of rough, I mean the, the sea, not in terms of rock. Yeah. So you've got the Caribbean side where the sea is really calm and beautiful, which is probably what most people know Barbados for. But then you've got the other side of the island, which is like Bathsheba, where the sea is really rough. Is that where the surfers go? Where the surfers are, yeah. So it's a massive Surfing attraction. And it's just beautiful again to just sit there and watch the waves and. And hear them crashing against the coastline. And it's a real contrast to the other side of the island where it's what's known as the Platinum Coast. Is that the one where Simon Cowell and co will go on the holidays? Yeah, that's like Sandy Lane area, St. James. That's the one we see in the sidebar of shame, I think. Yeah, exactly. That's where all the tourists come down and visit. I'm sure they go over to the other side too. Well, they sounds like they definitely should do venture beyond the Platinum Coast. Yeah, definitely. I would recommend anybody to hire a car. It's really easy to drive here. The road network is great and, yeah, everybody's so accommodating in terms of, you know, they know the tourists come, they love the tourists and they know they need the tourists. And for the tourists, then, for those of us perhaps are planning on visiting Barbados, how long, you know, do we ideally need? Obviously, if you could stay infinitely, that would be fantastic. But, you know, could you do it in a week or do you need a bit longer? I would recommend more than a week. Just so that you're not rushing, really. I guess, getting into the Caribbean. Right. Getting into the Caribbean vibe. Taking your time. Exactly, exactly. So, yeah, I would Recommend at least 10 days. If you can stay for 2 weeks, that would really be ideal. Fantastic. We've talked a bit about the sights and the attractions. What about the food? We hear so much about the Caribbean food scene. What are Barbados best bites? The food, I would say our national dishes. Cuckoo and flying fish. Cuckoo is a sort of version of mashed potato. That's the best way to describe it, but it's made with cornmeal. It's not to everybody's taste. It's not to mine. Oh, you don't like it? No, I don't like it. But, you know, the locals swear by it. The locals love it. Flying fish is beautiful. Flying fish is really nice. Whether you fry it or steam it or. Yeah, any way you like it, really. It's a dish you would have, you know, on most days or a special occasion or a Sunday or any time of day. I would say people have it most days. Yeah. And macaroni pie. For some reason, everybody here is in love with macaroni pie. Sounds good to me. Potato pie. Yeah, it's. That sounds like comfort food. Different cuisines. Yes, it is definitely comfort food. Yeah. It's Stodge. Can't beat A bit of Stodge. And what about the shopping scene, Karen? Yeah, there's tons of shopping from high end to budget. Yeah. On the main street is called Broad Street. That's in the town which is called Bridgetown. Is that the capital, I believe. Right? Yes, it is, yeah. Broad street has lots of different shops for the tourists. Obviously, it's all tax free, which is a good bonus. Cave shepherd is the major department store. You can find everything you want in Cave Shepherd. It's got about three floors and you can eat. They've recently renovated the food court as well, so you can get loads of different food in there and. Yeah. And then on the other side of Broad street is called Swan street, which is where you'll find all the locals getting all their bargains and, yes, a lot cheaper on that side. And then up in St. James is lime Grove, the Lime Grove Lifestyle Centre, which again, is quite high end, I would say. That's where people like Serena Williams have been seen shopping and obviously Rihanna, who's our Barbadian star. Ah, so where the celebs hang out. Exactly. But there's nice places there to just have a coffee and. Yeah, you get a lot of different choices, especially of healthy food up there. Okay, so something for all budgets, then? Yeah, definitely. And then, of course, there's tons of different street, you know, street bars and places on the beach. And you can have anything from fish cutters, what we call cutters here, which are basically the Beijing word for sandwiches. And. Yeah, you can get anything and everything here in terms of food. Fantastic. But if we were coming, where should we stay? You mentioned briefly where Simon Cowell on the Celebrity Stay, Sandy Lane. Where would you personally recommend if someone wants an authentic Barbados experience they should look to check into? I personally would stay more down the south side. Yeah. In St. Philip or St. John or St. Joseph. They're the really, like, rural side of Barbados, just away from the crowds a bit more and with the locals. Exactly, exactly. You'll have to do a bit of driving because St. Philip, for instance, is about 40 minutes from Bridgetown. But I mean, you know, you're on holiday, so driving is. It's a. Not a chore. No. And I think for most Caribbean islands, it's. It's pretty essential that you hire a car. Yeah, exactly. So, yeah, I would say definitely, definitely check out St. Philip. There's some nice little apartments. There's Airbnb here now, so if you want to do that or a. You can do it. Or if you've got a lot of money you can stay in the crane, which is the one of the high end resorts on the island. It looks absolutely gorgeous. Yeah, the crane is stunning. Okay, so there are a couple of options and as you said, recommend hiring a car. Although I have to just tell you something there. When I came out to Barbados, I wasn't brave enough to hire a car and I actually got the local bus and it was such a great experience, mainly because they were playing Beijing hits at like full volume on the bus and the bus kept stopping to pick up. The bus driver kept stopping to pick up all his friends. It was, it was quite an experience. Yeah. And I guess. Coming, coming. I know the time is coming to the end, but any insider tips for our readers? Anything else you wanted to add, Karen? No, I don't think. I mean, everything you could possibly want to find out about the island is obviously online. There's, there's loads of different websites you can go and check out. I would just put together an itinerary and just make sure that you see as many of the attractions as you can and make the most of it while you're here and, you know, go beyond, like I say, just the beaches and the sea, which is beautiful. But yeah, the island has a lot more going for it than just that. Fantastic. Well, thank you so much for taking the time, Karen, to talk to us about Barbados. I think you've. I'm looking at Natalie, our producer, who's got a big smile on her face, reaching for her passport as we speak. So I think we'll see you in Barbados. So thanks again. That would be great. The more the merrier. Fantastic. Thanks, Karen. That was Karen Rollins there with some insider tips about Barbados, easily the Caribbean's most exciting island. You've been listening to Talking Travel on Women's Radio Station. If you wanted to listen again or catch up on our previous programs, you can head to the presenters page on womensradiostation.com coming up after the break, we've got some special travel interviews with solo ventures, so stay tuned. Thank you for listening today and we'll see you next week when we're off to Lisbon. Bye. Welcome to women's radio Station, the voice of women worldwide. Hungry? An average woman eats about 2 to 3 kilos of lipstick in her lifetime. 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Join us on Instagram and Twitter womensradio, stn or Facebook Women's radio station to keep up to date with all our exciting news. You're listening to Women's radio station. It's Vicki from Solo Ventures with Vicki and I'm incredibly excited to be on Kay's a talking travel show in the Travel Hour. I'm at the Royal Geographical Society in Kensington right now and I'm incredibly excited to talk to some legendary kick ass women who are traveling and exploring around the world. With over 35 presenters, we have something for everyone on women's radio station. Great. I'm here with Rosemary Brown. How are you? I'm great, thanks. I'm very excited about today. Yeah, me too. I mean, fantastic travelers, explorers, adventurers just like yourself, really. Thank you. So you're a journalist and you pen basically all those women, fantastic women and their travels as well. And. And you also followed Nellie Bly around the world. Was it 22,000 miles you did yourself? And 26,000 miles she did. What was that like? Well, that was amazing. So Nellie Bly was an American adventurer and journalist and she broke all convention. She had the idea to go traveling around the world to beat the fictitious record of Phileas Fogg in Around the world in 80 days. She said to her editor that she would like to do this and he said, oh, Nellie, that's a great idea, but I have to send a man. I have to send a man because you will need a chaperone and you'll have so many trunks they'll get in the way. And Nellie said, fine, send a man. I'm going to the competing newspaper and let's just see who wins this race. Well, of course, the editor knew who was going to win the race, and he said, okay, Nellie, you're on. But even just being a female newspaper reporter was amazing then. She is considered to be the first woman proper newspaper reporter, not just doing social and fashion and all of that. And she also. I'd like to get this point across because although she made this amazing journey, and it's the journey that I followed, the most astonishing thing she ever did was to convince the local authorities in New York that she was crazy. Crazy enough to be admitted into a women's lunatic asylum on Blackwell island in New York. She went there to uncover the atrocities that she heard were happening in there. And she lived in there and she experienced the atrocities firsthand. And she also spoke to the other women there. And. And in the end, she said, if you weren't crazy when you went in, you would be when you went out. She wrote a book called Ten Days in a Madhouse, which brought about huge, sweeping reforms in the way mentally ill and non mentally ill people were treated. So that was her most astonishing achievement, in my opinion. And because of that, she is known as the pioneer of investigative reporting, the kinder reporting where they reveal atrocities or even just corruption, and also they give vulnerable people a voice. So she's my heroine. Crikey, yes. Wow. She's not only uncovering geographical and adventure spheres, but also on wider society as well. She's incredible. Oh, and she was a humanitarian as well. So she was a new newspaper reporter, an adventurer, a humanitarian. And she is very connected with this event in a way, because one of the reason we're celebrating this event this year is because it's the hundredth anniversary of women's suffrage, and she was an American. And as a newspaper reporter, she wasn't a suffragist or a suffragette, but she interviewed all the key people. And in my opinion, since we're self celebrating that hundred years of voting here, it's important to think of people like her that actually paved the way for women's independence through their own courage, their sense of adventure, their ability to bust through conventions and to make moves and to make waves in a pretty totally male world. I mean, it's tough now in this age, but I can't imagine what it was like there. And she was still pushing those boundaries. That's incredible. How important is it to have female heroines like her for younger generations and all generations really to look up to? I think it's really important Because I see her as such an inspirational person to think about and the fact that she's a woman and that against all odds, really, she was able to achieve what she achieved in a time when women had their place and their place was usually at home, but her place was on the front page of newspapers. So I think it's really important that we know that what she did and all the women we're talking about today, which many from history, but we have contemporary adventures here today, like Felicity Aston, who we'll hear from later. I think it's essential to have them as inspiring female role models and they can inspire men, too, and they can help to improve women's independence. And what inspires you to keep pushing these challenges and exploring new places? I love life and I think Nellie Bly did too. And there's this whole world out there that we can explore. And as Shane Windsor said, only since 16% of plants and animals have been discovered, there's a lot more to discover. I also, like you, love traveling and it's my lifeblood in a way. And learning lessons and meeting people. And what advice would you give to someone who is afraid of traveling on their own? Well, my favorite saying is leap. The net will arrive. Just go for it. And Nellie Bly said, if you put the right energy into something, you can achieve it. So basically, go for it. Life is not a rehearsal. This is it. Do it now. And if you want some encouragement, come to some meetings like this, join the Women's Adventure Expo coming and see what other people are doing. And you'll find, if you're afraid, you'll find that every single woman that has achieved things, that they set some of their goals, they were afraid too. Yes, of course. And there are tough times, but when you surmount them, then you're there. Thank you so much, Rosemary. A pleasure. I want to hear about your travels too. Thank you. Welcome to women's radio station, the voice of women worldwide. So I do glitter for a living. Coming up next on women's radio station wrs, women's radio station. Hey, this is Jessie and I'm a life architect. So what has made you say effort in rage or effort? Enjoy this week. I love listening to women's radio whilst driving in my car. My sport and me listen online on your smartphone and on your computer. If you wanted to find out a little bit more, do go to our website, womensradiostation.com Mirae B Ltd. We are a virtual PA consultancy. We provide remote administrative services. Our offering is diverse. We manage your calendar we update your client database. We take care of your property in France and in London. We also offer bookkeeping and translation services. Would you like to know more? Please call 077-8684-8998 for further information. Mirae B Limited making the life of the Business Owner Successful hi, I'm Vivian Arts, President of Women in Banking and Finance. Are you a woman working in the financial services sector in the uk? If you are not already a member then you are missing out on a fantastic network which has been inspiring women for 40 years. We are a not for profit organization empowering women to network, learn and inspire inspire each other at every stage of their career. Through our highly sought after events, we aim to improve diversity by working closely with government leaders and firms through our UK branches. Find out more at www.wibf.org uk and join a network to transform your career. Do you dream of a wedding on the beach or maybe in the middle of a vineyard? Imagine your wedding in Italy, the land of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Getting married in Italy in a venue that is magical and has natural beauty. Amoretti Weddings creates unforgettable moments. What you had to do is just relax and watch us make your wedding a real fairy tale. Contact us now for a free consultation. Www.amoretti.co.uk hi, I'm Valentina Barbacci and I'm the Executive Director of Media Matters for Women. We're a registered charity operating in Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo and we produce and share podcasts via Bluetooth on mobile phones focusing specifically on women and girls excluded from information due to extreme poverty. We empower those living in rural areas with media that transforms how they access, own and share information. To find out more and be part of this movement, come check out our website at mediamattersforwomen.org at New Square Tutors we believe that matching a student with the right tutor is half the battle. We help students from preschool to adult to gain confidence and a love of learning. Whether it's working towards an exam or hoping to build confidence, we're here to help. Our tutors cover a range of subjects as well as all major school exams and university entry. Lessons are tailored to the students individual needs to ensure the best learning experience. For more information visit www.newsquaretutors.com or check out the Women's Radio Station website. I'm Isabelle Manavy, an executive coach. Do you want to change a negative into a positive? We can do this by encouraging you to rewire your brain using simple visualization techniques in 20 years of practice, I've seen this transform lives. For more information, look on Women's Radio website. Call me on 079-844-22171. I'm listening at Distinctively Me we are passionate about making clothes that complement any body shape through our Made to Measure tailored pieces. Distinctively Me Smart and elegant clothes are made in our London studio from the highest quality fabrics and will create the perfect outfit for any woman. Our trousers, skirts and jackets are modern yet timeless and can be worn season after season. Visit us@distinctivelyme.com to be amazed at our service and prices. Distinctively Me Discover the pleasure of Made to Measure Hi, I'm Michelle Bartlett, the founder of Live Laugh Love Ladies Club. We're looking for ladies to link arms across the globe. This is a new vibrant brand connecting women socially. Our club members enjoy great food, fun and inspiring speakers whilst making friends in a room of all generations. If you're a social butterfly in the community, this fast growing franchise could be for you. If you would like to know more about stepping into our pink shoes then look at the business opportunity page on our website livelaughladies.club. also@womensradiostation.com Women's radio station is a not for profit community interest company. Supporting women is our passion. We're currently welcoming donations to help towards our running costs to keep this important initiative alive. To donate, simply head to our website. Every little will help. So I'm here with Jo Bradshaw. How are you? I'm very well, thank you. I just enjoyed your wonderful lecture about the first woman who climbed Mount Everest. How did you feel following her footsteps? Oh, it was absolutely amazing and I am ashamed to say I didn't know a huge amount about her when I climbed in 2016 and just missed her in 2015. I was on the mountain when the earthquake happened in 2015 and she came out six months later to celebrate 40 years of her summit. So what a phenomenal individual. She was absolutely amazing. So Junko is your role model? He certainly is now. Absolutely. Because there are very. There's only a small handful of women who have actually climbed Everest or are involved in big mountains. So to have somebody so pioneering that you can really identify with. She hasn't given up her life for mountaineering. She has. She's managed to sort of do both. She has two children and a very supportive husband and she had a full time job when she started as well and then made mountaineering her career and made an income out of it from doing talks and from leading. So Very similar to what I do. So it's really humbling to be able to talk about somebody so incredible and to follow in her footsteps because she was the first woman to summit all of the seven summits of this world. So. And I'm trying to do that as well. Obviously not the first woman to do it, but yeah, I've done five out of the seven. So, yeah, just trying to fundraise or raise funds for the next two or the last two. So, yeah, really interesting. So you were talking before and you in your talk about mental health and some of the work that you do actually to raise awareness and funds for mental health charities whilst climbing mountains. And if you're struggling at one point, how do you overcome that? Because I'm sure there's people listening going, how on earth can you do that? Oh, gosh, a couple of ways. So I have two characters that I use for myself and also when I'm leading expeditions and they're called Negative Nelly and Positive Polly. They sit on one of my shoulders. So Negative Nelly is usually on my left and Positive Poly is on my right. And we all know what it's like is that even if the body's willing, the brain can go, actually, no, I'm not really into this. And that's when Nelly starts chuntering away and I just. Sometimes I physically flick her off, which is. I'm doing the sort of motion now, which is great for radio, but I sort of flick her off and then think about all the reasons I've chosen to do this. So a lot of the expeditions are due. All of the expeditions do I have chosen to be there. I've chosen to put myself in that situation. And on Everest in 2016, there was a. It's a very interesting environment because there's a lot of egos out there and a lot of peacock one upmanship. And I'm not really into all of that. I just want to go and climb the mountain and meet really cool people. And I was just a bit done with the put downs and the people who are insecure about who they are and then put it over onto you. And I was ready to walk off. I'd had enough. And then I thought the short term pain of what I'm going through at the moment is insignificant compared to the long term pain of the disappointment of me walking off. I wasn't. I couldn't give up. I was capable of climbing this mountain, so I just had to get on with it. And then you come away with this sort of feeling of elation and Thinking, oh, my gosh, I did that. And that's. That will last with you for a lifetime. And that those few seconds of the. The white noise going on is just crazy. So I've managed to turn around a lot of my negativities into looking at the positive side of things. So when I'm scared of heights, I think about the good things that are holding me onto the mountain, all the positive things. If somebody is being a little unkind, then I just think it's their insecurities that they're putting onto me. It's not actually about me and just try and sort of work around things like that. So, yeah, it's. I think, you know, we all have mental health as well as physical health. We just don't talk about it enough. And if we do talk about it, sometimes people see it as negative. So I do talk about my own mental health and what I go through on expeditions and my father passed away six months ago and what I'd been through with that and, you know, supporting my mum. So it's been quite a ride. But everybody is out there listening, has probably got ups and downs and it's just trying to deal with it and being open about it and then not feeling like you're a failure or you're weak. It's actually a strength. Do you have any advice for someone who's thinking about climbing a mountain or even traveling solo? Yeah, first of all, just sign on the dotted line, book that ticket and say yes now and work it out later. My dad was a very strong say yes now and we'll sort of figure it out as we go. And he's instilled that into me. And I think, you know, if you advertise the fact you're doing something. So social media is a great thing saying, I am going to go and climb Killy. You kind of have to then go through with it. Everybody will be scared at some point. People worry about altitude or am I fit enough or anything, but just get all the, all the advice you can. There's so many blogs and so many places you can get advice for and then try and filter out what you think is the best. Come to events and talk to people. Contact me if you want. You know, I'm quite happy to answer questions. There's some really great groups out there, so say yes. More tribe love for Wild Tribe Adventure Queens. Gosh, there's tons and tons that you can get involved in which lots of people are thinking, well, I'm not sure I can do this. But then you Know, even if you go solo, you've got all that support around you. So, yeah, talk to people and sign up. And finally, what inspired you in the first place? I thought it was a bike ride in Peru. Yeah, it was. Well, it was a friend of mine who kicked my proverbial backside, quite literally. So I did a parachute jump in 2003 and I was cool, massively scared of heights. And I thought, yeah, this in my early 30s, this is actually going to kick my fear of heights. And it certainly didn't. And I did that for Asking uk, and then they sent me through a flyer for a bike ride in Peru and Caroline, my friend, saw it and she said, brilliant, that's it. And I came up with all sorts of reasons not to do it, one of which, I didn't have the money to pay for the deposit. She said, I'll pay for that. You can. Can pay me back. So I had no excuses then. And so I then went on this incredible journey and finished the bike ride and went to Machu Picchu and got too scared of the heights that had to come off. But it was an amazing adventure and it was a gradual process. So that was in 2004 and it was a gradual process then of, you know, I didn't suddenly think, this is what I need to do with my life. It was a sort of, oh, I wonder what I'm capable of. And I was a business advisor at the time, so suited and booted. And in 2008, I moved down to Salisbury to work for an adventure company who had taken me on this expedition and worked for them for a couple of years, got loads of experience and went freelance in 2010 and still never thought Everest would be on Horizon. Why would you want to do something as crazy as that? So, yeah, it was amazing. And it's just, I think you. Everyone needs champions in their life to give you the kick when you need to, when you need it, and to say you are capable of doing it. And then for you to believe that, people tell you often enough, it has to get in your psyche somewhere. So, yeah, and go and do it. We have one life. Make the most of it. Yep, definitely. I completely agree. We don't realise how strong we are. We don't realize how brave we are until we push ourselves out there. Thank you so much for talking to me. Absolute pleasure. And I hope you enjoy the rest of the event. With over 35 presenters, we have something for everyone on women's radio station. I'm here with Jackie Hill. Murphy, how are you? Oh, I'M fine, thank you. How are you? Good, thank you. Yeah, you just delivered a fantastic talk about following Victorian rules, women's explorations, really, and following their trails. Where would you say was the hardest journey for you to undertake? I think traveling the length of the Amazon river was probably the hardest because I didn't factor in the humidity. You can factor in the heat, but you forget the humidity. And when it's too hot to even bend over and pick up your bag, you know, but you have to kind of fight against that because it's tough. You have to keep going, really. But, yeah, that was hard work. Plus, on a survival level, trying to find clean drinking water and keep clean and find food and where to buy these extraordinary tickets to move along the next leg of the river, that was hard, too. So these Victorian explorers are the real inspiration behind your adventures. Really? Yeah, they give me a really good, good purpose to travel because I believe that it's to do with the journey and not the destination. And it's just fantastic to follow in their footsteps and see what is still there that they would have seen. That hasn't changed and how they would have dressed and what they would have taken with them. You know, that's interesting. Yeah. And you talk. You were wearing a Victorian costume and you're up Humongous Mountain. I wasn't wearing a corset, though. Oh, that'd be hell if I came through in a corset. But they did, because, for example, Mary Kingsley in 1895 said, if it wasn't good enough for Oxford street, wasn't good enough for an African mountain. Wow. Oh, my gosh, that's crazy. And so you highlighted as well that, you know, men were always interested in exploring the Nile and locations whilst you're more into understanding cultures. Well, yes, that's what really. That's what I found after the first few journeys, I realized, yeah, these women are really talking to the locals. They're taking themselves as a European to places where they've probably never seen a European. They're experiencing the same ancient ceremonies in a way, like drinking the chicha on the Amazon or butter tea in Northern Ladakh. And I realized that that is something that we don't realize. Exploration hasn't got to do with climbing a mountain or finding a source of a river, has it? It's to do with the culture. And is there a moment of your travels that really sticks out to you and just think, wow, I'm so grateful to have been there. Oh, definitely. Being on the Laguna Rimachi on the Amazon, which is the biggest lake in the Amazon. Very, very few people have ever been there because to get there you have to go down the river Pastaza which is very treacherous, very treacherous. And there's two hostile Indian tribes who would kill you. And on this lake there is pink dolphins and floating islands. It's so extraordinary. And I think, I thought at the time, wow, I'm so lucky to be here and see this. How fortunate. That's incredible. So beautiful. Do you have any advice for any women who are thinking about traveling solo but are afraid this isn't necessarily done solo? Would not travel lengthy Amazon as a solo female? Definitely not. Maybe we could bring up the question of Emma Kelty because she died, didn't she, last year on the Amazon kayaking. One thing that I do is I always listen to local knowledge and if a local said don't do something, I would do it because they know. And unfortunately Emma Kelty went on ahead and she paid the ultimate price with her life. And what's next for you? I mean you have loads of adventures. More coming up. What's next is the end of this year I'm going to Yangonates mountains in the Andes in Ecuador. I'm going back to Ecuador because it's a great place to explore and I'm going to try and find a lost Inca trail with three amazing middle aged ladies, one of whom is Jo Bradshaw, the mountaineer. And we are going to go and follow the trail and see why Isabel Brooks died there within three days in 1930. These are incredible. Like literally I'm here with my mouth open like wow, the best grades. You're just coming up together and it's just fantastic. And I just remembered something in your talk as well. You highlighted that you started in your 50s as well. So I just want to highlight to our listeners that you can travel whatever age at any opportunity. Just look after your health, that's the most important thing. And keep your energy levels up and then watch what you eat, drink lots of water and you can do it. Perfect. Thank you so much for talking to us. Thank you. Thank you. WRS women's radio station, Voice of women worldwide. Welcome to future classical Woman awards with me, Stefania Passamonte on women's radio station. Hello and welcome to Talking travel with myself, Kay on women's radio station. Women speak about 20,000 words a day. That's 13,000 more than the average man. Welcome back to From Sonnet to song. I'm Isabel Schuller. I'm Martha Reid, WRS women's radio station. Hi I'm Valentina Barbacci and I'm the Executive Director of Media Matters for Women. We're a registered charity operating in Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo and we produce and share podcasts via Bluetooth on mobile phones focusing specifically on women and girls excluded from information due to extreme poverty. We empower those living in rural areas with media that transforms how they access, own and share information. To find out more and be part of this movement, come check out our website@mediamattersforwomen.org hi, I'm Sandy Goddard, founder of the Room Upstairs. 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