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QUICK GUIDE: A BUDGET VISIT TO VENICE
I know what your thinking – here we go again, someone babbling about their ‘romantic’ get away with their other half to the beautiful city of Venice. Well, it was beautiful but in fact, it was a stop over for myself and best mate Ellie on our journey to Outlook festival in Pula, Croatia in the summer of 2014 – keep your eyes peeled, that festivals blog post is coming soon!
It turns out its roughly four hundred pounds cheaper to travel via plane to Venice and a coach to Pula then to travel direct, and you get a couple of days to browse one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and trust me, it REALLY is beautiful. I loved everything about it – visually it was an arts students dream, especially one interested in design, archaeology, history and is dying to live in Italy one day! But, heres the bad bit – money. If your rich and have that cash to flash then seriously, go for it. Go for all the cheesy gestures, the flashy gondola tour (at roughly 40 - 60 euros each) and the candle lit dinner, but if your two twenty something’s still in student debt with about enough money for a packet of crisps, then Venice is perhaps a little out of your league. Thats not to say it’s an entirely impossible trip; obviously as we did manage it and got back alive. So if you intend to travel to Venice on a budget or just generally anytime soon, here is my guide on how not to mess it up – speaking from experience of well, getting it a bit wrong!
1. Accommodation – so first off the only good thing that came out of our accommodation situation is a funny story to share with you. On our arrival around 5 or 6pm at the bus station in Venice (oh learn or write down some basic Italian so you know how to relocate this) we spent the following 6 hours or so attempting, and failing miserably to find our hostel. By midnight we realised sleeping in the bus station was not a reasonable option and after some additional help from a McDonalds worker, providing us with a wifi code and googling stuff for us in Italian, we managed to locate a hotel with a room spare – amen to kind and helpful foreigners! It was pricier than we had hoped, but it was a bed each. I’ve said before, always book hostels not hotels as they are so much cheaper on a student budget, on our return journey we booked another and found this one with ease because we were prepared this time! Being prepared means by the way, planning your route, having a picture of what the outside of the hostel looks like and screenshots of your google maps in addition to a paper map – before you arrive in Venice! If worse comes to worse you can do what we did and ask the locals, but when half of Venice looks almost identical and your Italian is not exactly ship shape, its unlikely to be of much help.
2. Food – is SO expensive! With only 100 euros to spend I spent over 20% of my entire Venice stop over fund on one standard margarita pizza, and that was in one of the cheapest restaurants we found. A lovely, small, locally run and friendly place but having spent around 18 euros for my tiny pizza, that was without sides or even a drink I was a little disappointed. Most places are abominably priced and a total tourist trap, so either hunt down the cheaper, smaller places (although your unlikely to get served quickly) or buy food locally on the market and cook/eat it back at your accommodation as most hostels have a kitchen – our ham sandwiches were life savers – quite literally. Admittedly this does seem to fob off the Italian traditional culture and its stupendous food dishes so if you want to experience them, then perhaps budget for one, maybe even two classy meals out in the evening.. but perhaps don’t buy a bottle of wine, leading me to my next point…
3. Drinks – so if the food was pricy, the drinks are entirely extortionate. Bottled water amounted to €1,75, a can of coke at least €3,50 and anything alcoholic was well beyond my budget. This was not just the case in restaurants but even in the local stores too, so with the glorious sunshine and toasted, tanning skin you might want to take a bottle and refill it from your hostels water supply in the morning, dehydration isn’t really a fun option.
4. The Tourist Trap – just don’t fall for it, do NOT pay over €60 each for a gondola ride, it is possible to barter for a better price, as long as your not rude about it. The same applies to souvenirs and market stall holders.
5. Take A Camera – obviously, as I said it is a beautiful place rich in history, culture, architecture, design and interesting individuals.
6. See St Marks Square – I know, I know, its so obvious and its on all the ‘what to do in Venice’ articles, but thats precisely why you can’t miss it, you can’t exactly say ‘I went to Venice, but hey I skipped St Marks square’ now can you? Additionally, the walk there takes you through the city, over the bridge and following the river, allowing you to see the whole of Venice for all its worth. Oh, and maybe don’t feed the pigeons – and look out for bird poo!
7. Walk – the map looks frightful but Venice really isn’t all that big, everything is in walking distance, with spectacular views and old cobbled streets along the way. Obviously you have to take a boat or the water bus at some point, the water is a key aspect of Venice but what I’m saying is theres not a total need to rely on it, if you can walk, do and save your pennies in the process.
8. Night – I personally think Venice is twice as nice at nighttime, it’s a whole different experience, and one not to miss – so don’t stay tucked up in that hotel or hostel room with a bottle of wine!
Happy travelling!
Emma
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BACKPACKING ASIA, FINAL DESTINATION: PAK CHONG
So after what could be called a disastrous journey back from Camboia to Surin City, we continued our journey with a day long train ride, arriving in Pak Chong, Northeastern Thailand. Now, this was SUPPOSED to be a fun couple of adventure packed days with a jungle trek and a visit to a national park, however, let’s just say it didn’t quite go to plan.
I knew something was wrong when my appetite dispersed and I quite literally (sorry for being so gross) felt like I was going to poo my pants all the way to Pak Chong. And boy, if you saw the train ‘toilets’; (if you can even call a hole between the carriages toilets) then you wouldn’t have wanted to have been me right then either. Luckily for me, my bowels clung to my dignity and I arrived (just about) okay to our hotel, but all I can say for what I endured in the following twenty four hours is that no travelling or delicious market food deserves that much spewing, vomiting, sweating and well you get the picture… So, there was no jungle trek for me and once I finally stomached a meal 48 hours later I was able to enjoy what was left of our time in Pak Chong.
Whilst I had been stuck on my sick bed my fellow travellers befriended a local taxi driver- another tip for anyone travelling, make friends with and listen to the locals- they will know more than any tourist or guide you will ever meet! Anyhow, thanks to this wonderful man, I was able to experience two of the most beautiful places and events from my entire time in Thailand. He kindly informed us of (and drove us to) a beautiful lake that the local people use to swim and relax in, and I honestly can’t describe how stunning the place was or how incredible it was swimming and diving in – it was just one of those things where you feel so peaceful and happy, a totally blessed environment!
Following a few hours recovering in these refreshing waters, we were then driven to watch a daily event there in pack Chong, but a unique and once in a lifetime experience for me- watching 300 million bats flying out of their cave for the night, and to be so close, observing their simultaneous flight and listening to the unusually gentle sound that accompanies their scattering, all whilst the sun set in the background- it was truly extraordinary, that’s all I can say! It was simply, the most amazing end to our trip!
Now for the not so amazing part of this post, after such an awe inspiring final day in Pak Chong we returned via coach to Bangkok and it seems whatever my illness was, it might have been slightly contagious, for Lauren spent the remainder of our time there shivering, with frequent vomiting and toilet trips! (So sorry Lauren) As I felt it was partly my fault, I spent some time acting nurse, hunting down a pharmacy on Khao San Road and regularly checking up on her! In all honesty, I would love to give a load of advice on being ill whilst travelling but sometimes it’s just inevitable, ours was most probably food poisoning, but just try and drink as much water as you can, preferably gallons of it, and bottled water only! Make sure you always pack paracetamol etc and as I said before – when travelling with lots of people, I can guarantee, one pack of Imodium is not, and never will be enough!
Now for the most hilariously, ridiculous and rememberable experience of the entire trip – the flight home. I apologise in advance for publicly embarrassing my best friend here, but Ellie, I cannot complete this blog without telling this story – it’s one for the grandkids! So guys, here’s how not to miss your flight, how not to be 600 pounds out of pocket, how not to panic your friends and family and well generally, how not to get stranded in Bangkok airport.
Rocking up to the airport, bags all packed, on a massive high diss cussing all the best parts of our trip but also ready to sleep the entire way home, myself and Lauren checked ourselves in and handed over our bags. Next up – Ellie, and Never before have I physically seen someone’s heart drop to their stomach but we pretty much all froze when the guy simply said ‘excuse me miss, but your flight was this time yesterday, you’ve missed it and well, we can’t check you in’. When I think about it now I pretty much cry laughing (again, sorry Ellie) but at the time for Ellie, who was travelling with an uncharged phone, no bank card, no online banking and no money left – she was pretty much stuffed! After a period of frantic phoning to airlines, chatting with the airport staff, and eventually, a slightly reluctant phone call to Ellie’s mum explaining the situation she was all booked onto the same flight the following day, and returned to Khoa San Road for 24 hours with my bank card- just incase! Let’s just state that my phone bill was a little higher than it should have been, Ellie’s bank account is A LOT lighter than she would like it to be and we all learnt a few lessons, but on a serious note- fortunately Ellie could afford to book herself on another flight but this is not the case for everyone, things could have been much, much worse- SO check your flight, check your times, check your dates and check them all AGAIN, please!
Two days later we were all back in boring old England- a bit more tanned, a lot more experienced and feeling significantly blessed for an incredible and exceptionally memorable four weeks! It was impossible to squeeze all the stories and experiences of My time in asia into this blog – joy riding the surin village bike, hit hiking rides on motorcycles and lapping up the sun in the waterpark to name a few – but perhaps I will tell you about these anther time, for now I hope you’ve enjoyed the read and well…
Happy travelling!
Emma
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BACKPACKING ASIA, DESTINATION THREE : CAMBODIA
The following days of the trip to Cambodia panned out in a similar manner, followed by a day in Phnom Kulen National Park; this has to be one of my favourite places on the entire trip. There are two main waterfalls in Phnom Kulen and we were lucky enough to spend an afternoon swimming under the fresh mountain water of a 15-20meter tall and 10-15 meter wide waterfall – the sight and the swim were both truly amazing. If you are not a confident swimmer however I would advise against attempting to reach the rocks directly under the waterfall – as a life guard I was surprised to find it was a struggle even for a competitive swimmer like myself – the current is incredibly strong and the speed at which the water hits down on you is refreshing, much like a freezing power shower but it is impossible to see anything! One other thing – if you go here and take off all your clothes, shoes and accessories, don’t leave anything lying about – you can lock them in boxes for 20 thai baht; otherwise your shoes get stolen and you have to trek the rest of the rainforest bare foot! (I had to buy new flip-flops in the end from a local stall).Prior to leaving Surin we spent a few days there swimming in the hotel pool, exploring the local market, – spending way too much money and chilling in the cutest restaurant I have ever stumbled across, called Prim Café, with both unique and stupendously tasty dishes as well as free wifi, my last note on Surin is, if your ever in the area, definitely pop in there!
After another week volunteering with super cute children in the local nursery and orphanage, our group (in an attempt to tick off as many countries and get as many stamps in our passports as possible) hopped to Cambodia for a casual weekend of sightseeing, hiking and partying – and I for one, think we learnt more about travelling than we bargained for (just keep reading – Gabriel!).
Following a smooth journey via both mini bus and taxi, we passed through the Cambodian border to eventually reach Siam Reap; where we checked into the One Stop hostel – a brand of hostel that is cheap, bookable on walk in and is greatly located in various cities and countries around the world – one to remember for future trips for sure! After checking out the hostels roof top view (yep – it had a roof top view AND was only three dollars a night!) we found we were ideally situated in the centre of the tourist area and directly opposite Pub Street – great stuff! On top of indulging in a few glasses of wine and more than enough local delicacies we spent our first evening watching the Cambodian Circus and as an ex gymnast, at $15 a ticket I was wanting to be impressed! However even with my gymnastics background I was in fact pleasantly surprised – admittedly they were no Cirque Solei but nonetheless they were thoroughly entertaining and comedic; and it was additionally great to see an arts scheme help aid local kids to success whilst their performances were enjoyed equally by travellers and holiday makers from all over the world.
With only a few days to squeeze in as much exploring as possible we had to be quick off the mark with booking tours and days out and having accumulated a group of now 15 travellers together in Cambodia it was getting ever more difficult to make a decision as to what we were going to do, how we were going to get there and who was going to pay for what – so my tip to you guys is never, and I mean never, ever travel with a group larger than around eight people. Yes, I can’t deny its rewarding in the friends you make, the cultural backgrounds you share and the bits of languages you learn BUT – it just makes most things impossibly difficult. Despite this, we eventually agreed upon a day long trip around some of the most important archaeological sites in South East Asia – The Temple of Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and The Bayon Temple, beginning our trip at sunrise (that meant 5am, so no crazy drinking the night before!) and ending at sunset. Angkor Wat at sunrise is no doubt a photographers dream with stunning reflections and silhouettes but don’t spend all your time with your eye behind a lens – sometimes you’ve got to put the camera down and simply enjoy what’s in front of you, take in the scenery, the rich history and the immense beauty of this Seventh Wonder of the World. If your going to cover the temples on your travels – which if you ever visit Cambodia you pretty much have to – then definitely book it as a bundle deal, we got our tickets, bus journey to and from our hostel and around every location as well as breakfast and lunch in two snazzy restaurants all for $12 each – so sometimes having a big group helps I guess! I’ll be honest the days not exciting or adrenaline thrilled, in fact its long and very tiring but if you really listen to everything your tour guide is telling you (and trust me they know a lot!) and take in what’s around you, its historical background and what as a temple it embodies for the local culture it truly is fascinating! And even if you have no interest for the cultural history at least you can say – I’ve been to one of the Seven Wonders of the World, seen the biggest Hindu temple in South East Asia and stood in the ancient ruins that feature in Lara croft – Tomb Raider!
The following days of the trip to Cambodia panned out in a similar manner, followed by a day in Phnom Kulen National Park; this has to be one of my favourite places on the entire trip. There are two main waterfalls in Phnom Kulen and we were lucky enough to spend an afternoon swimming under the fresh mountain water of a 15-20meter tall and 10-15 meter wide waterfall – the sight and the swim were both truly amazing. If you are not a confident swimmer however I would advise against attempting to reach the rocks directly under the waterfall – as a life guard I was surprised to find it was a struggle even for a competitive swimmer like myself – the current is incredibly strong and the speed at which the water hits down on you is refreshing, much like a freezing power shower but it is impossible to see anything! One other thing – if you go here and take off all your clothes, shoes and accessories, don’t leave anything lying about – you can lock them in boxes for 20 thai baht; otherwise your shoes get stolen and you have to trek the rest of the rainforest bare foot! (I had to buy new flip-flops in the end from a local stall).
Now my final and most vital point of this post is : check your visas – no matter where your going or how long for, check the number of entries they allow you, how many days you can stay and the dates their validity expires. Otherwise, you end up stranded on your own in the middle of Cambodia at the wrong border, with not enough money to wait around there for three days for a new visa application to be approved – it’s not nice – am I right, Gabriel?! Oh – and watch out for scams – after a long verbal row with a barely English speaking crooked official I managed to convince Gabriel not to hand over his passport and allow a man who’s name we didn’t know and who we would probably never be able to find again to go and get his visa for him. These kind of scams are so very common at the borders, just have a quick read online and make yourself aware of what you need to look out for before you begin your travels. Finally, check which border your supposed to be at before getting into a taxi, our already lengthy journey of 6 hours ended up taking a total of 12 hours, but that’s travelling and at least we learnt something!
Happy travelling!
Emma
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BACKPACKING ASIA, DESTINATION TWO : SURIN ELEPHANT VILLAGE
The journey from Bangkok to Surin was an eight hour train journey and I wish I could give you some advice on riding the Thai railways but I literally slept the ENTIRE way there! (A sleepless night on Khoa San Road before helps.) However, Looking back over the various other train journeys I took in Thailand what I will say is : where something warm, it may be hot outside but those carriages are cooled to the max!
And although this is once gain a rather obvious point, make either a really good playlist on your iPod – preferably one that sends you to sleep or bring a decent book – this is also a handy way to make friends, I packed one book but read four after trading with various other backpackers along the way. Finally – pack light, this tip is applicable to any lengthy trip around Asia but the trains in particular do not have a lot of room.
Once we arrived we took a rather jam packed truck drive to the Surin Elephant village and this is another thing I came to love about Asia – riding on the back of trucks is something you really can’t do on the roads of England and not only is it crazily fun, there is also no freer feeling (excuse the cheesiness of this statement) than the wind blowing in your face, watching the beautiful scenes of Thailand pass you by whilst genuinely thinking ‘I am having the time of my life.’
Then we arrived at the village and for those not so fond of bugs, this was far from the best time of their lives! Staying at Mr Lees’ home stay in rural Surin we were far far from any luxuries, with one shower between nineteen of us, shutters instead of windows, storms every evening and quite literally hundreds and hundreds of Mosquitos it was an experience to say the least! However I do not have a single complaint, for me this is what I consider back packing and travelling at it’s best; yes my clothes stank of elephant dung and yes I have scarred legs from all the bites BUT I woke up every morning with a baby elephant in my back garden, learnt new thai words on a daily basis, experienced things most people only dream about and met some of the most humble and kindest people I have ever encountered. On top of that I spent the following days feeding and washing elephants, planting and cutting grass, driving trucks, hitch hiking rides on the back of motorcycles, watching the sunset and rise, sleeping in hammocks, drinking on our balcony and generally getting a little sunburnt!
We did so much that it’s impossible to describe everything in this short blog but there are two distinct and fantastic memories from the five days spent at the elephant village that no doubt when I’m old and grey I will be sat on the sofa droning on about to my grandchildren. The first- was bathing in the river with the elephants, which I was lucky enough to take part in on two occasions! They really are incredibly intelligent and beautiful creatures and to share that with them, splashing water about and hugging their trunks was absolutely incredible!
The second memory- which is making me laugh even thinking about it – would be sinking (yep, SINKING) not one but TWO kayaks on the river. Being the active person I am I decided to give my kayak to Stephane and swim down the open water instead, which admittedly was super refreshing however I then realised I would need to get back in a kayak in order to rejoin the group. So, I hopped in alongside Lauren, in her ONE PERSON kayak, and after capsizing well over six times the hysterics began! Let’s just say Ellie was not impressed at having to tow back two boats or at us then flooding the second one she provided us with – I still don’t think she’s forgiven me! Between this and crashing a quad bike (and my face) into a tree in Africa – I think I should not be allowed to control any form of vehicle – ever!
Before I complete this post- I just wanted to leave you with a few tips I picked up along the way for anyone visiting rural areas of Thailand. Firstly, if you go to a small, locally run shop (not a chain company but one owned by the villagers) then always take your shoes off before entering- it’s a sign of respect; ensure you have small change in the correct currency, rather than large notes and definitely don’t bother trying to use your bank card- there’s no ATMs for miles! Also be sure to pack a decent pair of sunnies- not for the sun so much but rather to protect your eyes- the roads are dirt tracks and the dust is blinding. As I learnt rather quickly- don’t approach dogs- stray or not, the majority of them are not afraid to fight each other – or you, apparently they even snap at the locals and you certainly don’t want the risk of rabies now do you! Finally, be ready for the differing culture- this isn’t London or a big city where people don’t bother to acknowledge one other- instead everyone will give you a nod and greet you with Sawadika– meaning good day/hello, and will most likely ask you where you are from- so just generally be nice, a smile goes a long way and is recognisable no matter what language you speak!!
Happy travelling!
Emma
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Backpacking Asia, Destination One : Bangkok
Our first stop was three days staying in Banglumpoo Inn – yep, it really is called that, in Khao San Road, Bangkok. After some mild jet lag we began the first day watching the sunrise and listening to the hustle and bustle of traders come to life. By 10am we had made it down the river to the floating market, having a good giggle at Harry who practically threw us all out of the boat with his drama queen reaction to a spider – and I mean a really tiny spider! Can you imagine his reaction when we later swung scorpions in his face?! After trying various new fruits and hunting endlessly for Fanta in a bag, (all I wanted to do was re-enact The Hangover 2) we headed off to visit three of the major temples in Thailand’s capital city, The Temple of Dawn, The Grand Palace and Wat Pho.
Although both enjoyable and educational this was perhaps one of the sweatiest and most tiresome days out in Thailand, so here’s a few tips on how not to end the day looking like a sweat drowned rat. The most obvious – pack a GIANT bottle of water and although ‘covering up’ is a requirement think carefully about the materials of the clothes your wearing – definitely go for something light; at worst most temples provide you with a rather unflattering gown if you opt for something slightly less conservative. Some useful information that I was told; rather unhelpfully for me AFTER I’d visited the temples is that on one particular day of the week Tuktuk vans offer a very good deal, providing an entire days transportation to all the major attractions for the teeny tiny sum of 100 Thai Baht (which is two English pounds for those of you that don’t know your conversion rates!) in an attempt to encourage the cities profitable tourism – an offer I would not refuse, its cheap, cooler and allows you a ride in a Tuktuk – another thing you CANNOT go to Thailand and not do!
The following days in Bangkok panned out in a similar chilled and touristic way, chatting to monks, hugging statues, and browsing the JJ Market – (the biggest market in Asia) where everything is SO cheap – perfect for a skint and stingy student like myself! For a few of my fellow travellers the JJ market and Khao San Road left a slight dent in their bank accounts but when ATMs are easily accessible on most major bank cards and everything you need is available from food, clothes, manicures, massages and hairdressers at dirt cheap prices, its hard to say no! And that’s another thing Asia will teach you, haggle, barter and haggle some more, as when it comes to the traders you will be harassed endlessly. You have to be firm but fair, remember these people are trying to make a living – so decide upon a price you think is reasonable and affordable and stick to it, don’t give in to rip offs!
Speaking of rip offs, if a fortune teller walks up to you on Khao San Road informing you that he has your reading in the palm of his hand and that he can tell you your future, just say no, please! They will not only waste your time for over half and hour but they will also pretty much force you to hand over money. Harry rather naively got his fortune told (sorry if you’re reading this Harry!).
Before leaving Bangkok we really got stuck in on Khao San Road and it was amazing to see the atmosphere change from the chaotic market in the day to the world famous partying all night, it’s a great way to meet people from all over the world and you’ll certainly have no problem finding a scrub up meal and numerous drinks for under a tenner! In fact if your anything like me and love a bit of live acoustic music to accompany that spirit in your hand then hop up to the Roof Top Bar, with drinks from one English pound and a beautiful view of the cities lights at night its no wonder its constantly packed, a hub of both locals and travellers.
Happy travelling,
Emma
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I Haven’t Been Everywhere, But, It’s On My List
So I thought I would begin with a form of introduction. As a twenty-year-old undergraduate photography student I love to travel and I mean REALLY love it. I know it’s a cliché comment, that is said by so many these days but after practically spending more of my time abroad then at home whilst away from university I think I’m really beginning to understand what it’s all about.
Having never taken a gap year and regretted it ever since, in the summer of 2013 I jetted off, alone to Southern Africa to join a group working with International Student Volunteers. Now that trip is a whole other story but (again apologies for the cliché line) it was honestly, possibly the most incredible couple of months of my life. The culture shock, the friends I made, the places I saw and the experiences I ticked off my bucket list were all unforgettable. Lets just say after stroking a cheetah, scuba diving in the Indian Ocean, swimming with wild dolphins, abseiling Blyde River Canyon and sitting meters from humpback whales I pretty much never wanted to come home, ever!
Since then, unfortunately for all my friends I’ve never stopped banging on about how amazing it was and subsequently have taken every opportunity available to globe trot, from browsing cities such as Paris and Amsterdam or sun tanning in Turkey to backpacking Thailand and a casual weekend re-enacting Lara Croft in Cambodia.
What I’ve learnt is that each and every experience, whether good, bad, unexpected, awkward or simply incredible will allow you to learn something, both about yourself and the world around you. So, I’m no expert but I’m here to share with you the facts, advice and more than a handful of funny stories collected along the way.
Before I begin I have to pre warn you my not all my travels are beautiful sunsets, sandy beaches or adrenaline fuelled adventurous activities, for example when I visited Thailand, it was not your usual island, beach hopping and Bangkok partying. In fact it got a lot nittier-grittier in places, with lots of elephant dung, bugs of various sizes and some serious cases of diarrhoea and vomiting. My first vital tip for anyone travelling Asia, or in fact anywhere, ever, is this: one box of Imodium is not, and never will be enough.
Happy travelling,
Emma
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