Kash Bhattacharya

Wherever I go on holiday it’s always nice to meet and talk to the local people. They always let you into some magical secret that you feel is known only to you and a few privileged people.

 I was born in England, spent my schooldays in Calcutta and have lived in Scotland for the last 10 years. I don’t feel I belong anywhere in particular. Travel is not only a form of escapism but therapy for my confused sense of where I belong.

 After obsessively visiting exotic far flung destinations, in my maturing years, I have realised that I don’t have to go far to discover a new perspective of life. I love travelling locally in Scotland. The train station is just a 5 minute walk away from my flat. I jump on a train at Edinburgh Waverley and watch the world go by. In a matter of hours I can reach somewhere which is a world away from my sense of reality.

 Food is a big part of the holiday experience. I am lucky that Scotland has such a great natural larder. On a recent trip to the Isle of Arran, I sampled everything from smokey garlic and chilli cheese to the finest, flavourful tender lamb I have ever tasted to something altogether new: the local peat water and trying to figure how it adds different flavours to the local whisky.

 Besides pursuing a career as a freelance travel writer, I also run Ethical Venture: a platform for ‘little green’ ideas that are aimed at helping people in Edinburgh discover new ideas of becoming greener in their lifestyle . We’ve published the first ever green map of Edinburgh (www.littlegreenmap.com ) and also launched a green guide & website for women in Edinburgh called ‘Little Green Women.’ (www.littlegreenwomen.co.uk)