HITS AND MISSES: MA CAYLA CHAPMAN

HIT I am lucky enough to have just returned from a two-week holiday in one of the most amazing places on Earth — Tulum, Mexico. For me this is the absolute ideal destination in which to relax, unwind and become inspired. Tulum is like a tiny bubble: it is an eco area within a natural park where there is limited electricity and everything is on quite a spiritual level. We indulged in yoga, walks on the beach, a lot of bike riding — cruiser-style with a little basket up front — too much food and even more cocktails. Two incredible boutique resorts absolutely blew my mind. Every detail, every smell, every view had been so well thought-out and was so breathtakingly beautiful that I could not take enough photos. And even though the images I took are beautiful, they really do not do them justice. If you get the chance, I would recommend Azulik Hotel Tulum & Mayan Spa and Coqui Coqui Residence Coba, even if you just go for lunch.

MISS One of my more “heart racing” moments while travelling was in Bolivia in 2004. My husband and I were attempting to cross the border into Peru through an area that was going through a period of civil unrest. We were forced off our bus at the town perimeter and led through the back streets where we were pelted with stones by angry locals, then had to run through tear gas away from the sounds of gunfire. We were refused passage over the only remaining bridge in the town crossing a river (5000m above sea level) and had to wade through the icy water up to our waist with our bags above our heads. At this point, thinking we were through the thick of it, more gunfire from close by set us off running with our backpacks once more. We laughed about it when we got to our next town, but we couldn’t help but think we had dodged a bullet — literally!