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~ travel | spa & wellbeing | responsible luxury | adventure

Amos-phere

Category Archives: Uncategorized

Desert sandscapes and an ice-bucket challenge

06 Monday Oct 2014

Posted by Natalie Amos in Adventure, Amos_phere loves, Responsible Luxury, Reviews, Spa & Wellbeing, Travel, Uncategorized, Writing

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Banyan Tree, desert, escapes, riding, Travel

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Just a couple of hours away from Abu Dhabi, but a million miles away in pace, Banyan Tree Al Wadi is a gorgeous sanctuary hidden away in the vast, dusty Al Wadi Nature Reserve – Ras Al Khaimah’s first managed protected area.

imageArabian Oryx

Camel trekking

Spanning 100 desert hectares across a wooded valley within Wadi Khadeeja, the reserve is home to a herd of endangered Arabian Oryx  often found wandering around the resort, or drinking at the Saffron Watering Hole.

After a magical few days of horse riding, stargazing and a camel caravan across the sandscape exploring the rust coloured sand dunes which seem to drift for miles, my sister and I retreated to the rainforest.  A rainforest in the desert? I hear you ask….

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Key to happiness

26 Wednesday Feb 2014

Posted by Natalie Amos in Amos_phere loves, Uncategorized

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As a child I always remember my mother held onto keys for years. The key to the wardrobe that was always let open. The key to her old house before we children came along. The key to a window that was always left open to the breeze…. She would be pleased to hear about The Giving Keys a company which repurposes old keys and gives them a new lease of life as jewellery. The keys can be engraved with words such as love, breathe, wish and grateful and encourages wearers to share their story via the website. All proceeds go towards helping people out of homelessness in LA.

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Flying colours, Dubai

14 Saturday Dec 2013

Billed as the ‘Happiest 5k on the Planet’, the inaugural Color Run UAE rolled into the Dubai Autodrome on 14 December 2013.  I  took part, along with 8,500 people in what might possibly the world’s happiest and most colourful 5km fun run.  With no winners or official times, and a focus on wellness, individuality, and giving back to the community, the event has exploded in popularity since its launch in 2012, with more than one million entries registered for over 100 international Color Run events in 2013.   I proudly donned my white Color Run t-shirt and tennis skirt and lined up with 8,500 other runners ready to hit the course.  At each kilometre a different colour of powder was thrown in the air ensuring all the runners became constantly evolving artwork.  The morning was topped off by the Finish Festival with coloured powder bursts and a DJ creating a party atmosphere. $1 from every registration was donated to local and international charities through Just Giving, the world’s largest fundraising platform.  I am pleased to say that I ended the  day feeling tired and happy?  So was the inaugural race a success? Well, I can only say the organisers passed with flying colours.

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Posted by Natalie Amos | Filed under Out & about, Spa & Wellbeing, Uncategorized

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Polo, the sport of queens

20 Wednesday Nov 2013

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Abu Dhabi, Emirates Palace, polo, Polo at the Palace, riding

Discover Polo Day

Discover Polo Day with the Dubai Polo Academy & Coutts Polo at the Palace

Perhaps the oldest team sport in history, polo is said to have first been played in Persia more than 2,500 years ago.  Historical references to polo date from the reign of Alexander the Great when it evolved from training manoeuvres for the cavalry.  As Alexander the Great of Macedonia, King Darius of Persia and other rival conquerors swept across Asia, polo was adopted as pastime by kings and conquerors, to while away the hours and plan their tactics.  Fast forward six centuries, and polo was played for the first time in the north-east state of Manipur, India by British tea planters who later introduced the sport to England.  A century and a half later, polo is played from Argentina to the UAE and remains a wonderful way to keep fit, enjoy the great outdoors and spend time in the company of magnificent polo ponies. Now even mere peasants like myself can now saddle up and experience the sport of kings.  On the eve of Coutts Polo at The Palace which takes place at the iconic Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, I joined the Dubai Polo and Equestrian Club Dubai Polo and Equestrian Club  for an afternoon of chukkas in the shadow of Emirates Palace.  After just a few hours of learning the rules and tactics I learned enough to be able to join two chukkas and even hit the ball!  A group polo lesson costs from £99 at the Dubai Polo and Equestrian Club or the Hurlingham Club for details of UK polo clubs.

Posted by Natalie Amos | Filed under Adventure, Out & about, Reviews, Spa & Wellbeing, Travel, Uncategorized

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The Honest Life, by Jessica Alba

20 Wednesday Nov 2013

Posted by Natalie Amos in Reviews, Spa & Wellbeing, Uncategorized

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Jessica Alba

I’ve just downloaded Jessica Alba’s The Honest Life.  It is such a beautiful book / manual / guide to living a better and more honest life.  With video shorts and useful tips throughout, it is a thoroughly gorgeous and inspiring read.  I loved the sections on eating locally and seasonally and it was great to see (and attempt to steal!) Jessica’s make-up tips and recipes for homemade, natural beauty treatments.  A lot of the book is common sense, but here are some interesting suggestions about how to avoid the chemicals found in everyday items and great affordable tips that you can use to live a more authentic, responsible, healthier and generally, better life.  Plus, Jessica had a charming way of presenting her philosophy with her adorable family that you just end up wanting to be her best friend and be invited over for a pizza party!  Honest Company CEO Christopher Gavigan describes Jessica as an extraordinary person, living an ordinary life.  I must say, after reading Jessica’s book, I honestly agree.

The Honest Life

Video

Flying high in Rio, April 2014

17 Wednesday Apr 2013

Posted by Natalie Amos in Adventure, Out & about, Uncategorized

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adventure, Brazil, handgliding, Rio, Travel

I had always wanted to try handgliding. Where better than Rio de Janeiro? An amazing ten minutes, soaring above the clouds with views of Christ of the Redeemer São Conrado beach, favelas and the gorgeous coastline.

Made in Taiwan

10 Thursday Jan 2013

Posted by Natalie Amos in Adventure, Travel, Uncategorized, Writing

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Asia, Taiwan, Travel

Now Magazine

Now Magazine

One of Asia’s best kept secrets, I travelled to Taiwan three times in two years.  I hosted journalists from The Times and The Telegraph and escorted the BBC on an epic eight day trip which resulted in just six minutes of prime time television. During my visits I got to know this tobacco leaf shaped island and the offshore archipelago well. I worked with the tourist board and interesting people I net along the way to engineer  bespoke itineraries designed to veer away from the tourist trail.

Formerly known as Ilha Formosa (beautiful island), Taiwan has a fascinating history which is evidenced throughout the island.   Some of the highlights of my visits included taking a dip in the natural springs of Yangmingshan National Park, marvelling at the marble grottos and waterfalls of Taroko Gorge, seeing sunrise over spring blossom at Alishan National Park and swimming lengths in an infinity pool which seemed to stretch across the horizon at The Lalu, Sun Moon Lake.  I hung out with the surfers on Kenting Beach, sampled dim sum in Taipei, snorkeled the coral reefs of Green Island and gazed on a handful of the 696,000 treasures housed in the National Palace Museum.   What I liked most about Taiwan was the commitment of the private and public sectors to celebrating and preserving cultural heritage.  I met lantern makers who have been creating paper dreams for more than six decades, as well as calligraphers,storytellers and puppeteers who are recognised as masters of their art and ‘living cultural treasures’ by the ministry of tourism and culture.  With centuries of history focused on this  tiny island, it is reassuring to realise that not everything made in Taiwan has a shelf life of a few minutes.

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