Experience the world from your sofa | Part 10

Like many of us, the ongoing travel restrictions have meant we’ve had to hit the pause button on our travel plans. But this doesn’t mean we’ve stopped thinking about our favourite places we’ve visited, and all the places we hope to get to soon. With the uncertainty surrounding travel, we’d like to remind you that when the world feels out of touch, you don’t necessarily have to go far away to feel far away. With this in mind, we bring you the last instalment of our “Experience The World From Your Sofa” series, which we hope will keep you inspired and a little bit more connected with the rest of the world.

The best travel programmes, films, music, books, recipes, games and more

Activity

Bring Cuba to life with this 1,000 piece puzzle

Spend some time putting together this 1,000 piece puzzle of Cuba’s bustling streets. We’ll be surprised if the colourful buildings and streets filled with life doesn’t make you want to see it for yourself when travelling is back to normal. It might even have you on a shopping spree for more puzzles to complete!

Buy this puzzle here. 

Film

Lost In Translation 

Lost in Translation explores the unlikely companionship between two lonely Americans in Tokyo (played by Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson), which is captured beautifully by Sofia Coppola. The portrayal of Tokyo is spot on, from the high-rise lavish hotels and bars, all the way down to the neon-filled streets and karaoke bars, giving you a taste of the city’s vibrancy. Switch from laugh-out-loud comedy, to tender romance in this delicate film.

Watch Lost In Translation on Netflix. 

Wanna Walk Travel Videos

Walking Tours of Popular Destinations

Bored of walking around the same places every day? At least with some of the restrictions lifted we have a bit more freedom of where we can go on a day to day basis, but with these walking tour youtube videos, you can explore anywhere right from your sofa. Take a look at the therapeutic and relaxing videos which will transport you far away.

We recommend starting with Buenos Aires, Argentina. This walking tour really makes you feel amongst the beautiful city, experiencing all it has to offer as if you were really there. Better yet, once travelling is back you could reenact the walking tour for yourself!

Watch the Buenos Aires walking tour here.

Music

Radio Garden Project

Whether you like to listen to music while you work, while you cook or while sunbathing in the garden, the Radio Garden Project has got you covered. This project allows you to start streaming a random radio station from somewhere far away, anywhere in the world. Choose from upbeat popular tunes from Spain, funky beats from Africa or smooth jazz from the U.S. There’s something for everyone!

Listen to the radio stations here.

Recipe

Homemade Pizza

A firm favourite in every household, this week’s recipe suggested by Hannah, our brand content manager, is something fun the whole family can try together.  

“Making pizzas at home is much easier than you think! I love that you can add any toppings of your choice. It’s the perfect alternative to a takeaway.”

Homemade Pizza

Ingredients

For the dough

800 g strong white bread flour

200 g fine ground semolina flour or strong white bread flour

1 level teaspoon fine sea salt

2 x 7 g sachets of dried yeast

1 tablespoon golden caster sugar

For the tomato sauce

1 clove of garlic

1 bunch of fresh basil

olive oil

1 x 400 g tin of quality plum tomatoes

For the toppings

85 g mozzarella cheese

Anything else you like!

Method

For the dough

• Pile the flours and 1 level teaspoon of sea salt onto a clean surface and make a well in the centre. Add the yeast and sugar to 650ml lukewarm water, mix together and leave for a few minutes, then pour into the well.
• Slowly bring in the flour from the inner edge of the well and mix into the water. Continue to mix, bringing in all the flour – when the dough comes together and becomes too hard to mix with your fork, flour your hands and begin to pat it into a ball.
• Knead the dough by rolling it backwards and forwards, using your hands to stretch, pull and push the dough. Keep kneading for 10 minutes, or until you have a smooth, springy, soft dough.
• Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave in a warm place to to prove for 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.

For the sauce

• For the sauce, peel and finely slice the garlic, then pick the basil leaves and finely chop the stalks.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan on a medium-low heat, add the garlic and basil stalks, then cook gently for a couple of minutes, or until the garlic is lightly golden, then add most of the basil leaves, the tomatoes, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
• Leave the sauce to tick away for around 20 minutes, or until smooth, breaking up the tomatoes up with a wooden spoon. When the time’s up, taste, and season to perfection.

For the pizza

• When you’re ready to cook them, preheat the oven to 250°C/500°F/gas 9.
• To assemble the pizzas, divide the dough in half. Wrap one half in clingfilm and freeze for another day. With the remaining half, divide the dough into 4 equal balls.
• Dust a clean surface and the dough with a little flour or semolina, and roll it out into a rough circle, about ½cm thick.
• At this stage you can apply your topping: spread the tomato sauce over the base, spreading it out to the edges. Tear over the mozzarella and scatter with the remaining basil leaves. Drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Then add on anything more you enjoy! Here are some of our favourite toppings at Rickshaw:

Emily – “Four cheese”

Miles – “Diavola”

Caroline – “Florentine”

David – “Anything meaty!”

Rob – “Margarita”

• Cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the pizzas are golden and crispy.

View the full recipe here.