My 13 most memorable moments of 2025
In 2024 I stood at the western-most point while in Senegal, which made me want to visit all the cardinal points of continental Africa. Unfortunately, the eastern-most point is in Somalia, which means I probably won’t make it there. But with a month in Tunisia I made it a point to visit Cape Angela. And as an added bonus got to know the town of Bizerte, which I adored.
I know what you’re thinking: those don’t look like dancing shoes. And indeed they’re not. They’re the boots of someone in Shackleton’s party on his failed attempt to be the first to reach the South Pole. But on the night after I stood in his hut, Emma and I won the dance competition on board Le Soleal. It wasn’t difficult with such a talented partner.
It’s hard to pick one highlight from a series of highlights on my visit to Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park, but perhaps seeing Uluru at sunrise might be the one. The hike and sunset at Kata Tjuṯa is a very close second.
I couldn’t shout out visiting the northern-most point of continental Africa without also mentioning the southern-most. To get there I took a tour, revisiting Hermanus and a few other points along the coast. Unfortunately, I didn’t see the whale crier. But standing at the convergence of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans was pretty awesome.
I had a great time in Oman, visiting the capital and doing a tour of the towns and villages inland, but if I had to pick one thing I enjoyed most, it would be my trip out to Wadi Shab. The hike was hot and dry, but the walk up the river and swim to the waterfall made it all worth it.
6.
Snorkeling in the Maldives.
I never thought I’d make it to the Maldives, but when a cousin said she was planning a trip I asked if I could tag along. I’m so glad she said yes. I spent most nights sleeping outside on a couch (by choice, ha ha) and as much time as I could in the water. The house reef was close to our villa and I’ve never done such amazing snorkeling.
I almost didn’t make it to the DMZ, leaving it to one of my last days in Seoul. Having gone, I can’t imagine missing it. It’s a a fascinating glimpse into a community trapped by circumstances. It’s also amazing for the opportunity it gives to look over the border into North Korea; an auditorium is set up for that express purpose offering a strikingly beautiful image reminiscent of an Andreas Gursky photograph.
Last year I met a couple from the UK at a Buenos Aires dinner who had recently been to Sweden. They couldn’t stop gushing over a trip they did through Do the North offering camping and kayaking with gourmet food (some of which you forage and prepare yourself). I emailed the company that night to book it for this summer. It turned out to be a very small group of us who went (only four). What made it extra special is that my friend Dilini (who I had met on the trip to Antarctica last year) decided to come at the last minute.
Oslo in the summer is amazing. The sun almost never sets, the days are warm without being too hot. And you can go swimming right at the edge of the city in so many spots! I started carrying a swimsuit and towel with me every day on the odd chance I might want to take a dip. It definitely makes Oslo one of the most special cities i’ve visited.
London was another series of highlights, thanks to my friend Dilini’s incredible planning. If I wasn’t necessarily a fan of London before, I certainly was after as she pulled out all the stops to show me all that London has to offer. And while it was a close call between Dua Lipa’s Service95 Book Tasting and the Tamil comedy night, Dua’s staff slightly edged out the Tamil comedians.
Elephants are one of my favorite animals, and I was thrilled to be able to spend so much time so close to them at Kanga Expeditions, a safari lodge on the banks of a waterhole in Mana Pools. They seemed to be literally everywhere, and I had the great fortune of being in the last tent in the complex right next to a path frequented by them. I could sit on my verandah and watch them to my heart’s content.
12.
Thanksgiving dinner with my parents.
In what’s become something of an annual tradition, my dad makes Peking duck on Thanksgiving. Each year he seeks to make the perfect crispy skin, with mixed results. He still hasn’t quite managed to get exactly what he wants but I appreciate the effort (and the meal!). And it’s always great to spend the evening with my parents.
13.
Watching the sun set from atop Mount Isola in Hokkaido, Japan.
I haven’t joined the cousin ski trip for the last few years, but when it was decided that this year would be in Hokkaido, Japan, I jumped at the chance. On new year’s eve day we skied Rusutsu Resort, and were rewarded with some of the best conditions I’ve experienced. We also managed to ski a lot of the mountain, being some of the last people on various runs and lifts. Towards the end, when we were on one of our last runs, we took a lift to the top of Mt. Isola and caught the sun setting on the last day of 2025. It was an amazing end to an epic ski trip. Happy new year everyone!
My 19 most memorable meals of 2025:
1.
Max Cekot
Riga, Latvia.
Set in a former warehouse across the river from the old town, Max Cekot makes great use of the space as dinner involves a journey from room to room and floor to floor. Great flavors and cooking and the sheer joy in the experience makes this my favorite meal of the year.
Trèsind Studio offers a journey around India in food sourced locally from organic and sustainable farmers in the UAE. It’s an adventure, made all the more fun and interesting when you start at the bar and are introduced to spirits and infusions made by the staff.
For my first meal in Tallinn I chose 180°, located in Port Noblessner on the edge of the city. Incredibly, the meal kept getting better with each course, the smoked eel and pigeon being some of the best dishes I’ve had this year. Combined with a great wine pairing, this meal easily reaches the top spots on this list. Some more photos can be found in my journals.
Chef Juan Luis has added a tasting menu and it’s fantastic. The only word I can think to use for his cooking is clean. Everything is so well executed and bright and well-defined. This was my favorite restaurant in Lima when I first arrived and it remains so. If anything it’s even better than it was when I first dined here.
Kitchen photos in my journal.
At Tala, Chef Henry Onesemo transforms traditional Samoan cuisine, introducing me to a bunch of new dishes and flavors. He’s also a charming individual, and it was as much fun chatting with him as enjoying his food.
I wrote a little more about it in my journal.
Offered only a handful of times a year, this is a four-day kayaking camping culinary adventure where you forage and help prepare the amazing meals, all cooked over the fire. Beautiful surroundings and food, made even better by the amazing group of people I was with.
You can read about the entire weekend in my journal.
A fine-dining restaurant in the foothills of Table Mountain, La Colombe sits amongst the vines in a setting as beautiful as the ways in which the food is presented. I basically went back to Cape Town to eat at places I had missed when I was there earlier in the year.
A family-run restaurant in a residental area of Muscat, Beit Sitti serves Arabic and Jordanian food in a room that feels like you could be visiting your best friend’s grandmother. I lived around the corner and ended up eating there more times I can count. It was also the last place I visited before heading to the airport.
The second vegan restaurant on this list, Plates in London also has the distinction of having great wine pairings. I sat at the bar looking into the kitchen and chatted with the sommalier as she brought over each glass of wine. It was the first place I ate in London, the first place I booked.
12.
Legume
Seoul, South Korea
The third vegan restaurant on this list was my favorite meal in South Korea (the surprisingly good buffet in the DMZ is probably second, followed by a ramen restaurant). Once again I sat at the bar looking into the kitchen listening as Chef Sung Si-woo and his team presented each course.
If there’s one thing that comes to mind when I think back to my meal at Maaemo it’s the beautifully refined sauces, which perfectly accompnied each dish. The cooking was also very fine, with amazing langoustines and quail the standouts. The wine pairing is where the experience lacked; the wines were good, I just felt they didn’t enhance the experience some pairings do. The sitting area before and after the meal is exquisite.
14.
Shoyu
Riga, Latvia
One of the best bowls of ramen I’ve had, I found myself returning to this restaurant again and again during my weeks in Riga. I only wish I had stayed longer so I could have eaten there again.
15.
Forza
Helsinki, Finland
The best pizza I had all year (and one of the best pizzas I’ve had, period), I wanted to make this my first meal in Helsinki (sorry, Finnish food) but arrived too late. Fortunately, I managed to slip in after an afternoon at a sauna.
The great wine pairing is what set this meal off for me. The food was very good, but the wines really picked up what the kitchen was putting down, and the small dining room brought my time in Helsinki to a cozy close.
From the team at the number two listed restaurant, this spot on the ground floor of the building next to Fyn served up my second-favorite bowl of ramen this year. Luckily, I was staying just down the street and managed to make it there twice.