Relaxed magazine

Relaxed

Issue 1, March 2016, www.relaxed.com

ideas for quality free time

DO IT YOURSELF: MAKE AN AWESOME PHOTO WALL RECIPE OF THE MONTH: QUICK AND EASY FRUIT CRUMBLE

MEET RAJ HANSRA

“I’ve visited more than 29 countries and my favourites would have to be the United States and Japan” RAJ HANSRA always loved travelling. It all began 17 years ago when he went on his first trip to California coastline. Bruna Tomsic

R

aj’s father is a professor at the University so both of them had long summer breaks at the same time. Because of that, his family always loved travelling and spending their free time together. Every year they went somewhere where they’ve never been before. This Canadian student moved to England in September last year. As we were talking, Raj tried to remember his first trip. It was a trip to California coastline, He was around 7 years old and his parents wanted him to actually remember the trip, that’s why we didn’t travel before.

He can still remember the feeling when he saw the Ocean for the first time.

“I think I didn’t move from the beach and I didn’t want to eat! I love the sea so much and as soon as that happened I kind of made it in my mind that I’m going to live near the Ocean and that there are so many different places in the world that I just have to see and experience.”

That’s the main reason why he chose to study marketing and international tourism at the University of Northampton.

Passion for travelling

I think it’s around 29 countries… Every single continent except Antarctica! I travelled mostly after high school, and I went on 18 month trip around the world.

From United States, Mexico, Brazil, Egypt, Ghana, South Africa, Pakistan, India, Japan, South Korea to Australia.

“I would like to go to India once more and explore my roots, visit safari in Africa and see the white rhinos-there is only

like 14 of them left in the whole world!”

Experience the place

What is funny is the fact that at 20092010 I didn’t even have proper camera or phone that will take high-quality pictures. I wasn’t even bothered with that, I like to experience the place and take my time to memorise it without any technology…and, to be honest, I was really bad at taking photos! Since I came to study here in England I went to Italy, Greece, Spain, Slovenia, Germany and Finland … I’m going to spend my Easter holidays in Portugal, and yes, I travel everywhere alone!

The perks of travelling alone

You get to experience so much more from every single place, you don’t have to rely on other people. Before I started travelling, I was really shy and those experienced helped me overcome it. I met

Rome, 2015

so many people and now I have connections all over the world. It forces you to talk to other people and makes it easier in your future life. Because of that, in Tokyo, I met a girl and we fell in love. I think it was in a coffee shop. I remember asking her for directions because I was lost and one thing led to another.

“We just clicked and we started travelling all over Japan together. I was there for four weeks and then flew to India, but because of her I had to return and I stayed in Japan for a couple of months.

We then travelled less, but stayed in some big cities for a longer period of time, for example in Kyoto for one month. I will always remember those times.”

Favourite places

I have to say the United States. Just because it has so many different cities that I can recognise and it’s like a whole world of itself. Maybe it’s because I have more knowledge of it, know which city is popular, what type of food, attractions and landmarks. New York has an amazing architecture, “concrete jungle” as they call it, Vegas was my favourite party central when I was a 21-year-old kid.

So many unique places and people would not think it is only one country. All those claims that people from the USA don’t like Canadians are blown out of proportions and we have a strong bond.

Some of my best friends are from the USA. “Of course, we like to make jokes from time to time!”

Mexico city, 2010 Trying local dishes

When we speak about food, New Orleans has the best barbeque in the world and the prices are cheap, the smoked ribs are fantastic! Although, I loved the dishes from Japan also. Sushi is not the same when I had it in Vancouver. When Japanese people eat sushi, it’s more like an event, more special and exclusive. It is different from ramen, noodle soup dish, which is more like a street food, you don’t have to spend lots of money on it.

Ramen, japanese noodle soup How to manage finances with travelling

I actually started working right after high school, so around 8 months I was working very hard. It was construction work, very exhausting as well. I would work 2 weeks from 7am-7pm and then have one week off. 34 dollars per hour, close

New York, 2009 to 50 dollars on Sundays. I was sent to different locations in North Canada, where we all slept in camps. It was very cold during the winter and made me really sick of that job. At first, I didn’t have the plan to travel, it came naturally after some period of time- I wanted to change and I wanted to find myself. Now I am happy I did that.

Tips and tricks

I learnt how to spend my money wisely while I was travelling, I never went by agencies because they are expensive.

All you have to do is search and try not to eat in tourist zones because they are pricey. I used to walk everywhere, not use public transport-I discovered some beautiful places which I would probably miss if I didn’t walk. Also, I didn’t book a hotel in advance, it is cheaper when you actually go there, usually at night and I would always find a room to stay. The price would be cheaper too. But, always pay attention to your personal belongings and go somewhere safe. Never put everything in one place and always carry a copy of passport with you. I “I was once robbed in Brazil and someone took my passport in Singapore-which was a huge problem for me.”

Las Vegas, 2011 younger than me, who are so much smarter-street smart, book smart, technology smart, but much hungrier than I am. They don’t even have the opportunity for education or have some financial issues. I actually felt bad because I am just wandering around, travelling. Don’t get me wrong, I am still glad I did all this, but it actually made me want to come back and start University. So the main reason why I chose tourism and marketing are the fact that I want to do something good and change how some things work.

“It is unfair that some people still can’t achieve as much as we can, simply because the place where they were born doesn’t have enough resources to help them achieve their goals.”

The strong message

Appreciate every opportunity you have, especially living in a developed country.

I met all kinds of people while travelling and the saddest thing happened when I went to for example South East Asia or Africa. I met people my age and even

Cambodia, 2011

recipe of the month

Fruit crumble like you’ve never tried before The idea came from Jamie Oliver’s apple crumble recipe, but we improved it a little bit... One thing is for sure, your friends and family will ask for a slice more.

H

ypotethical situation: tired from work, but you know that you’re friends are constantly complaining that you don’t have time for them so you didn’t have a choice and had to invite them over. Not only that you have to do all the cleaning and washing so that you pretend like you always had a spotlessly clean flat, but you also know that they will probably be hungry and you want to be the best host. Well, this super easy and quick apple crumble will solve all your problems in less than an hour!

Even if it’s just a movie night or a family dinner, this recipe will leave everyone speech-

Do

less. Jamie Oliver, thank you for the idea. The original recipe can be found his website, but we changed a few things and now it tastes like heaven.

For a start, preheat the oven to 190 degrees. Peel the apples and slice them however you want. Put a little bit of lemon juice over them (so that they don’t get brown and look awful). While you’re doing that, prepare the pan and put a little bit of coconut oil inside. Place the apples, vanilla extract, a bit of water, smashed bran flakes and sugar. Instead of sugar, you can put honey, depends on what you prefer. Leave it for

it yourself

How to create a unique photo wall?

This creative project will take a few hours, but not only does it look great as a decoration- it also keeps all your favourite memories at one place.

We got the inspiration from Jamie Oliver’s crumble: (serves 2 people)

a few minutes, until the apples become golden (approx.

5 mins) and put them in the cake tray (of course, first put baking paper, otherwise they’ll stick). Put cinnamon spice over them. Sprinkle crumble mix (225g) over the fruit and lightly press down with the back of a fork. Bake in the centre of the oven for 25-30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and fruit is tender. If you have more time you can even make your own crumble mix. All you have to do is add the flour, oats and small butter cubes in a bowl and mix with your fingertips. If you’ve just painted your nails then it would be better to use the mixer.

Calories: 440 35 g butter, 35 g wholemeal flour, 35 g oats, 400 g apples, 50 g sugar, 1 tbsp water Our changes/additional ingredients: ½ lemon (juice), 2 tbsp coconut oil, 100 g bran flakes (smash them), 2 spoons of clear honey (instead of sugar), vanilla extract, crumble mix, cinnamon spice, mixed berries (100g)

When it’s all done, you can even add mixed berries and serve with a vanilla ice cream. You’re welcome.

Tell us what you think!

If you try this recipe at home make sure to let us know!

#relaxedrecipes

Seems like we rely so much on our

technology devices that we forgot how the real photo looks like. It’s risky to have all your memories on the phone. Can you imagine if it gets broken?

Be creative and include your whole family in this little project! You’ll only need scissors, some wrapping paper, glue and some fabric. There are plenty of possibilities.

Print out the pictures that you like, or the funny ones. Remember all those beautiful moments!

Don’t forget to send us a picture of your photo wall and send some ideas!Facebook page: Relaxed magazine