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chasingadventuress · 6 years

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My Solo trip to Zanzibar, Tanzania

Jambo (a Swahili greeting when translated to English means) Hello!

It’s been well over a couple of days since I arrived home from my trip in Zanzibar. I’ve finally managed to pen down my experience and I hope it gets to help many of you, who have been asking me about it, carefully plan yours as well.

I embarked on my journey to Zanzibar on Christmas day, many would ask why but having lived in Malaysia, a Muslim country for the past four years, Christmas had become just another day that I had gotten accustomed to not celebrating. However Christmas greetings and hugs with my family were shared before I had to board my plane at 06h45.

Thank you South African Airways and Precision Air my connecting flights to and from Windhoek to Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar and vice versa which were nothing short of amazing. Although I had concerns about Precision Air with regards to flight delays and loss of luggage due to a few bad reviews that I had read on TripAdvisor prior to my trip.

So if you ever are flying from Dar es Salaam, or from any other domestic places within Tanzania such as Arusha perhaps you can try and source for another airline such as ZanAir or Coastal Aviation but I would still advise you read up various reviews on those airlines as well just to be sure.

Why Zanzibar you may ask?

Well, from pictures, videos and a great conversation between a Tanzanian friend and I whom I had met during university I just knew that it was one of those places on my bucket list that I wanted to tick off.

To be honest when I kick started of planning my trip over a year ago, I had initially planned to go to London but then I remembered how horrible the weather was in December the last time I was there, so I opted to go somewhere warmer because you don’t get to explore much when it’s cold.

Mauritius was another island I had considered but taking into consideration all the admin work that needed to be done and recalling the not so great one night stay experience I had in the country two years ago, I decided that I was not going to put myself through that kind of stress again.

So Zanzibar it was, plus being a Namibian citizen meant that I did not need a visa to enter Tanzania as Namibian’s are exempted for about 90days.Tanzania and Zanzibar make use of the same visa so you don’t have to worry about being stopped by immigration at both Julius Nyerere International Airport and Abeid Amani Karume International Airport.

For any of you who do not hold a passport that offers visa exemption to Tanzania do make sure with your individual country visa requirements as to what procedures you should follow to obtain one.

So what and where is Zanzibar?

Zanzibar is a city located east of Africa and is found about 70 kilometres from the mainland of Tanzania. It is split into parts where one can find Stone Town which is UNESCO World Heritage. This part of Zanzibar is also where one would mostly find a lot of people conducting various businesses either through selling hand made goods, excursions or even operating hotels, stores etc.

Then there’s the island side of Zanzibar which I believe we have all seen through the media. There are a number of islands with two main big ones namely Unguja and Pemba Island. Do make sure too visit and stay in Stone Town for a few days before heading down to any island of your choice.

NB take note of:

Currency used in Zanzibar is US Dollars or Tanzanian Shillings, they accept both but also note that they do not accept any USD made before the year 2007.

Departure tax, sometimes if this is not paid for in your flight ticket you will have to pay USD 50 when leaving Zanzibar airport.

Zanzibar has a large population of Muslims, remember to dress decently as it is very important to respect other people’s way of life, when in Stone Town try and cover up as much as you can. However on the islands being in your swimsuits and trunks is not frowned upon.

Get a Yellow Fever injection from your doctor one month before you embark on your journey.

Your passport should have a six months validity.

Zanzibar has fairly humid weather, pack wisely.

Don’t forget to pack yourself mosquito repellent as you will need it.

Main languages spoken in Zanzibar are Swahili, Arabic and English

How I planned?

Whenever I travel I always draft up an itinerary as this helps me a lot with calculations and anything that I might miss if not written down.

Savings - I made it a goal in the beginning of last year (2018) that each month I would save about N$ 3500 (USD 244) for my trip. These savings were to make sure I could purchase my flight ticket, buy a few items, pay for accommodation, food, activities and still have extra money just in case of any emergencies because with traveling one can never be too sure.

Flight – I had an agent from Blueberry Travel Namibia book my ticket for me. Other agents I had also considered were Trip Travel, Rennies Travel and Welwitschia Travel, but I opted to go with Blueberry because they were efficient and also gave me two flight options varying in price difference of about N$ 1800 (USD 125).

In addition depending on which agent you choose to go for please do make sure you request that your agent also provides you with travel insurance because this can save you a lot. I paid about N$ 350 (USD 26) for mine.

Accommodation – I made use of booking.com which is a worldwide site that helps one find accommodation depending on the price you want. The good thing about booking.com is that it comes with reviews, information on services that the place of accommodation offers, pictures of what it looks like, nearby tourist attractions as well as options that allow one to reserve a room and only pay on arrival. So if you change your mind on where you want to stay you won’t lose out on anything and you can easily cancel your reservation.

As I am not big on staying in 5 star hotels because I am more of an experience life on the edge kind of person in most cases I’d either stay at a guest house or a female dormitory backpacker’s hostel while taking safety and cleanliness into consideration. These types of accommodations are great if you’re looking to interact with people, I sometimes feel that it should be a goal as a solo traveller to want to meet and talk to people and this is a great way to do it.

While in Stone Town I stayed at Ten to Ten Hostel for three days. I had paid N$ 750 (USD 54) with city tax included. In Jambiani which is the island I went to for another three days,I stayed at Vanilla House run by a Polish and Maasai couple. I paid N$ 630 (USD 45) city tax included as well and had slept in a mixed dorm room.

Do make sure that when booking your accommodation through any website that city tax has been included into the price to prevent any surprises of having to pay more than you had budgeted for when you arrive.

Food – I had a budget of about N$ 270 (USD 20). This was only for lunch, dinner and snacking food items in between as my breakfast was included in both my accommodation packages. Food is relatively affordable in Zanzibar, one would normally spend about USD 10 per meal. And there is an array of food choices.

Transport on the ground – Stone town is very small you can go anywhere within the area by foot as everything is close by. However you will have to pay for transport if you plan on going to any of the Zanzibar islands as they are quite far depending on where you go.

My accommodation provided shared transport to various islands. The total cost of the transfers are usually around USD 40 if you go by yourself but if you choose the sharing van option depending on the number of people in the van you might end up paying a quarter of the full price. I only paid USD 10 as opposed to USD 40 for the shared transfer I was in. Spesho the driver of the van was a ball of fun to drive with I highly recommend him you can WhatsApp him on +255715297037.

There is also another mode of transport called Dala dala, the cheapest mode of transport for about USD 3 you can take one towards the island of your choice but note that it takes much longer to reach ones destination.

Activities – I did not spend much on this because exploring is basically free unless you opt to go for city tours. There a many local people who will approach you for tours but politely decline if you do not want one.

The only activity I paid for was a village tour as I am very into interacting with communities. This tour was offered by @colorsofzanzibar on Instagram for about USD 50 which included a tour to a sea weed village, local school, a woman who taught me how to make rope out of coconut fibre, a local traditional meal of choice, a visit to the local hospital and a tour around the village and its local homes which are called Kibandas.

My Trip

Starting off from Stone Town

If I could describe Zanzibar to someone it would be that it is not like what I have seen on TV or in magazines, it was is so much more than I expected it to be. Every little detail in Stone Town was beautiful. The name Stone Town says it all, it gets its name from the ornate houses built with local stone by Arab traders and slavers during the 19th Century.

When I travel I always look to see if a place is able to make me feel at home and that’s exactly how I felt when I arrived. From the moment I landed people were very welcoming, everyone smiles and greets you with a jolly Karibu which means welcome and I knew then and there that I was going to have a great time.

The airport is rather very small so don’t be surprised, just adapt. There are also various airport transfers that can take you to your destination. I made use of Bennito who came highly recommended on all the research sites when I was planning my trip. Noting that I had arrived in the evening I wanted to make use of a reliable and safe transfer so Bennito it was, you can find him on Instagram @zanzibardestination or WhatsApp him on +255 743 072 597 and he charges USD 12 to Stone Town which is a 40 minute drive from the airport.

Just a heads up, there are no traffic lights or stops in Zanzibar so people drive like maniacs however don’t worry too much about the driving because they know their roads so trust that you will be okay.

When I arrived at my hostel, I noticed how filled the streets of Stone Town were with many tourists from all corners of the world as well as its residents walking around and socialising. As I mentioned earlier I stayed at Ten to Ten hostel which was very welcoming. Since it is somewhat of a newly built accommodation everything was really clean which I liked and it was centred basically in an area that was safe, surrounded by a number of places to eat and attractions.

My Highlights of Stone town.

I explored Stone Town by myself and whenever I got lost people were always willing to direct me the right way. I visited the Secret Garden at Emerson spice tea house where I had lunch and I was taken on a free tour of the hotel itself. It’s always good to ask if this can been done because you never know what you can score for free.

I also took a walk to Forodhani Garden which was a minute away from my accommodation. Basically this is a food market near a waterfront and every day just before sunset young teenage boys gather at the water front and jump off into the water to cool themselves.

I then also went to Darajani Market and the local fish market which was a free activity as welll. Along the way I stumbled upon Jaws corner, which is a corner where men usually meet every day to drink a cup of spice tea while discussing various life topics.

In addition I also went to a traditional spa called Mrembo Spa, where I chose a head, neck and back massage. This spa also helps Swahili females who are in the process of getting married prepare their bodies by clearing their skin to make it smoother before the big day. It also offers workshops where one can learn how to make incense sticks among other things. Mrembo spa can be found on Instagram @mrembospa or visit their website at www.mrembospa.com for their contact details.

Another discovery I came across was the House of Spices, which is a restaurant that till this day maintains its Arabic atmosphere and touring around the space was free.

All these places that I had gone too were located really near my hostel. It would take me about 7 minutes to get to each which was very convenient. And then off I was to the island of Jambiani.

Ending off in Jambiani

About sixty kilometres, southwest of Stone Town was where my island of choice Jambiani was situated. Why Jambiani, well I wanted to truly experience and live the Tanzania local life that is away from all the touristy stuff.

Jambiani is a very big village, it’s so big that it has been split into two parts and has two local chiefs that run each side of the village. The village is home to Muslims, Christians and Buddhists

Since it is a seaweed village local fisher men are usually seen in the early hours of the morning pushing out their boats for fishing as most of the residents from the village survive on sea food. They also make their income from this. In addition local women from the village assisted by their children also make a living from seaweed farming which is very common.

Arriving at my accommodation, Vanilla House I was welcomed with smiles and a fresh glass of mango juice before they had taken me to where I would sleep. On the very same day I found myself amidst a small intimate beach wedding that my place of accommodation was hosting where a polish couple eloped. This was amazing because it was my first time experiencing a beach wedding and now I am definitely left wanting to someday have a beach wedding of my own.

On the very same day which was a Friday, I also got the chance to attend another wedding but this one was much bigger. It was a local Muslim wedding and I had been informed Muslims usually celebrate their weddings on Fridays. Most of the people from the community gathered around in a circle and had a joyous dance off. Jambiani was truly just amazing.

During my time there I also awoke to the most beautiful sunrise I had ever seen while overlooking the soothing sound of the oceans waves.

Throughout the three days I spent on Jambiani I explored the beach this too was a free activity. I also took a bike ride that was offered by my accommodation for US 5 along the beach.

I as well had the opportunity to get on the local boats of Zanzibar called Dhow boats with a young man called Harry and is father. Although language was somewhat of a barrier Harry and I communicated pretty well as he knew a little bit of English.

All the meals I had throughout my stay were freshly prepared depending on whatever I wanted to eat and many restaurant on the beach were affordable as well.

There is so much I can say about both Stone Town and Jambiani but I would want you to experience it for yourself to see exactly what I mean by it is nothing short of amazing. I hope that this write up will help you plan your trip or any other trip in general that you might want to take.

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kyloswarstars · 7 years

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Mamma Mia!

Star Wars, Request AU

Request: can I request a modern!kylo ren x reader based on mamma mia!(Sophie’s plot) thankkk youuu

Pairing: Kylo Ren Organa x Reader

Warning: none (but swearing as always)

Words: 6.2K

A/N: First I was like „okay, who could be reader’s parents“, but then I was like „nah, I should do Sophie’s plot with Kylo of course…“ (idk if the request was meant that way in the first place anyways 🙈) Honestly, this was the hardest request yet (or story in general), but it was also super fun to write. I hope you can enjoy it! 😊 @buried-in-books thanks a lot for the amazing beta work 🤩💐 Any similarities to other writers’ work are not intended. All ideas used in a fanfiction I post are made up in my brain (as long as it is not a request).

∞ Tag: @lokey-bucky-stevey

/////

No matter how exhausting the last days of college for this semester had been, it couldn’t kill your positive vibes. It felt like your body was constantly producing a high amount of endorphins. It felt like this for nearly over a year now, ever since you had met Kylo on that rainy day where your dad’s jeep broke down on your drive around the island.

The jeep got repaired, though. Since you moved to O’ahu, your dad gave up on getting it back ever again and left it to you. It had been to his benefit: he could finally buy that new truck he always wanted and didn’t have to feel too guilty about it.

The drive from the city, directly to Kylo’s place, was too long today – even with your good mood; or was it because of your good mood? You had just finished the last exam, which meant it was officially summer break for you. It also meant there were only two days left until your wedding. Then the dork of a surfer dude would be your husband. You couldn’t wait for it anymore.

May was nearly over, still, there came in some good waves if you were patient enough to wait for them. Kylo was. He wasn’t a patient guy at all – the best example was the proposal at Christmas after roughly five months of knowing each other – but when it came to surfing, he was the personified patience. You pulled into the hostel parking lot, parked the jeep and walked around the building. Nine out of ten times he would be in the water when you arrived, whether it was surfing for fun or teaching it to some backpackers.

You couldn’t stand sand in your shoes, so you took them off and carried them along the beach. It was warm enough to wear shorts and a top, it was actually pretty warm – the summer started early this year. Wind blew over the beach, and it ruffled up your hair but that was okay. The wind brought a wave that revealed Kylo on his surfboard. He surfed it right to the beachside – that could only mean he had spotted you on the beach once again. Kylo had eyes like a hawk: he always noticed you approaching the water.

When your bare feet met the wet sand Kylo grabbed the surfboard under his arm and took the last few steps out of the water – with a huge, bright grin on his lips. The water must have a decent temperature for him to surf without a wetsuit. He dropped the board to the sand and slammed his arms around you. You’re clothes got soaked by his wet body. Kylo loved to do this every time you appeared on the beach when he was in the water. He swayed with you, tightly in his arms, from one to the other side.

„I missed you,“ Kylo whispered into your ear. The water in his hair dripped into yours.

„It’s only been like six hours.“

He broke the hug to look down at you. Kylo was so madly in love with you that even six hours were too long. He couldn’t remember anymore how he survived the three and a half months after your summer break until you finally moved to O’ahu. To be honest: he didn’t even want to think about it because he planned on never being so long apart from you ever again.

Kylo placed a kiss on your lips and another one on your forehead, then returned to staring at your face. Before you, he never knew that he could admire cheekbones and a jawline so much, or dark circles from weeklong studying for exams and simultaneously working at the gas station.

Your face was the only thing he wanted to look at for the rest of his life. Kylo would be alright if he couldn’t see the ocean anymore, or the sunset and the sunrise, as long as he was able to look at you. He didn’t want to miss a day where he could see your soul shine through your eyes right at him. You never did that with someone else, only with him, and that made it even more mesmerizing.

„Oi, Y/N!“ Behind Kylo appeared two guys you hadn't noticed before because your eyes had only been on him.

Poe and Finn stepped out of the water, in wetsuits. You knew them from several wedding preparation Skype calls. Kylo had told you he would get them from the airport while you were writing the last exam today.

„You’re here.“ Your clothes were wet already so you hugged them both at the same time, without even asking. „So nice to meet you in person.“ They agreed simultaneously with a ‚same‘ and instantly gave you an update on their flight. Poe mostly mentioned airplane stuff because he was currently studying to become a pilot himself one day; Finn talked about the toddler in front of them and how he made grimaces for her because she had cried a lot.

The three boys had a lot to catch up on, and it was cute to see Kylo with his two best friends. He missed them since they left the island for college, you knew that. He always talked about when they were kids and learned how to surf. When you didn’t study for college, didn’t work at the gas station, or didn’t spend time out on the water or with Kylo in general, you helped out at the hostel.

Leia, Kylo’s mother, has ran it for over fifteen years now. She founded it to create a welcoming and familiar space for backpackers and travellers with a low budget. Technically, it was a big family house where everyone integrated pretty fast to the community. Leia’s plan had been resistance. She didn’t agree with the huge hotels that demanded horrifying prices for one night. She believed that traveling was about an adventurous experience that took your breath away when you remembered it, not about worrying over a budget.

Most of the visitors stayed longer than they originally had planned because this hostel wasn’t only a hostel – it was home. When new travellers came in and there was barely space for them, Leia always figured something out. She had a talent for improvisation.

There were two young backpackers from Sweden, Vera and Sven, twins that explored the world together. You loved the fact that they, as siblings, went out into the world together. They had lived in the hostel for nearly four weeks now.

You headed over to the kitchen, leaving Kylo alone with his mates, to check and see if you could do something. Vera and her brother were washing some dishes, you helped them, and made sure they wouldn’t go out on a hike on Saturday. They assured you, again, they wouldn’t. You loved being at the hostel because you had made so many friends from all over the world. You loved even more that everyone that had checked in at the moment would be attending the wedding. One big family to celebrate with – it couldn’t get any better.

/////

Kylo lit the fireplace at the beach every night. It belonged to the hostel and was the evening hot spot for all the visitors, and for some neighbours too. Benches were made out of old palm trees – they weren’t as uncomfortable as you first imagined they would be.

„I need to tell you something.“ Kylo first looked at you. He felt guilty because he didn’t mention it to you before. Usually, it would’ve been something he would have discussed with you at the very beginning, but he had hesitated. And then the ‚right time‘ had passed and he felt like he couldn’t bring it up anymore. He looked to Poe and Finn. „I invited my father to the wedding.“

„You what?“ You looked at him in surprise, but it was probably more like shock.

Poe placed his beer in the sand so he wouldn’t drop it. „Dude, I thought you don’t know who your dad is.“

„Well, I still don’t know it.“

„Who did you invite then?“ Finn wore the most confused face.

Kylo got up and grabbed some new wood to put on the bonfire. „Three possible fathers?“

„What the fuck?“ He looked at you. Kylo loved your cursing, it was part of your humour, and he loved even more how you broke into laughter. Suddenly he didn’t know why he didn’t tell you right away, seeing your reaction. „How?“

„When I was clearing out the one room for renovation, I found an old box with photos. Mom used to do a lot of photography before I was born; she labeled every photo.“

„Let me guess,“ Poe stood up, „you found three photos of men that were labeled with the time she must have gotten pregnant with you?“

„Yo.“ He fished the photos out of his pocket, he carried them since he posted off the letters. They looked at the men and read the labels.

„And you decided to just invite all three of them?“ Finn’s voice was really high, he didn’t try to hide his confusion.

„Yeah. I didn’t know which of them would be my father… with all three of them I’m not doing anything wrong, right?“

Poe looked at Finn, Finn looked at you, the three of you looked at Kylo. He shrugged and sat down next to you again.

You turned him to you. „Why did you keep it a secret from me?“ It bugged you, but not too much.

„I don’t know. It won’t happen again.“

„Yeah, it won’t because we’re over if you’re doing this again, Organa.“

„Y/N!“ Kylo snapped hysterically.

„Only a joke, babe.“ You placed a hand on his thigh. Whenever you touched him or he touched you, all the people around you got unimportant. „You can keep as many secrets as you want. You’ll tell me when it’s time.“ His face lit up again in the bonfire’s shine. „But what did you think? What is supposed to happen?“

Kylo shrugged again – he liked to do that – and offered some thoughts on how he wanted this thing with the father to go. He didn’t have a real plan. He just sent them the invitation to the wedding and didn’t think about anything else. That was a typical Kylo move.

/////

On the days you didn’t have college, you always tried to eat lunch with your dad. Kylo joined the two of you sometimes, but today you drove off alone. He helped out in the hostel because his mother already made preparations for tomorrow. She wouldn’t let him do it as she insisted on doing it herself. Kylo couldn’t do anything about it; his mom was even more stubborn than he was.

„Excuse me?“ Kylo had done some paper work at the reception and looked up to see three men with luggage standing in the small entrance of the hostel.

„Hello there! Nice to see you, how can I help you?“ He stood up and walked around the reception. It was always a pleasure for him to welcome some business men, still in their suits. They would come to the hostel from time to time to relive some good old times. When he eyed them with full attention something felt odd. Those faces looked familiar. Kylo had seen them before. He had seen younger versions of them…

Fuck. The photo men.

Kylo stared at them for a solid minute. He tried to remember the photographs and compare them to the men in front of him. The one in the middle, who had ‚excused himself‘, must be Lando. Seeing him now, he wondered if he, being Kylo’s father, was even a real possibility. Lando’s photograph had been a black and white one, without much lightness; it didn’t show clearly how he had looked twenty-five years ago.

The man to Lando’s right was dressed in a suit as well. He wore a lot of pomade to keep the wild hair under control – this must be Wedge. He didn’t care about his hair back in the photograph, it had been a mess; just like Kylo’s was, he realised.

The third man stood in the doorframe, finishing his cigar and wearing the most funky Hawaiian shirt Kylo had ever seen. He instantly recognised this man: Han Solo.

„We are invited to a wedding tomorrow. Are we at the right place? Is this Leia Organa’s hostel?“ Wedge unbuttoned his jacket and took it off. It was pretty hot for the end of May. Kylo wondered how he had managed to wear it that long without melting. „It’s actually funny, we met at the airport and shared a taxi because we randomly found out we all have been invited to the same wedding.“

„Are you choking on your own spit, kid?“ Han flicked the remains of his cigar away and came closer. Kylo didn’t speak for three minutes now. He hadn’t thought about what would happen when the men would stand in front of him. Again he hadn’t thought. He always just did things, never thinking about the consequences.

„Sorry.“ He cleared his throat to win some more seconds, in which he could think about what he would do with them now. „You’re absolutely at the right place! Please follow me.“

„Shouldn’t we check in first?“ Lando called after Kylo, but he had already went down the hallway.

„Oh no, wedding guests don’t pay.“ The three followed him to the end of the hallway to the one big room that was still under construction. Later it would be a ten-bed room, but for now Kylo needed to find some old folding beds he could offer them. „By the way, I am Kylo and it’s my wedding you’re invited to.“

„Yes, right! You’re Leia’s son, right? It’s a nice gesture to invite us to her son’s wedding.“

Oh right. Kylo sent the invitations in Leia’s name because he feared they wouldn’t come if it wasn’t for her.

„Yes, I’m Leia’s son.“ Maybe yours too, Lando.

It took him a few seconds to nod his head at Kylo’s confirmation. They followed him to the room, but hesitated to really enter. It was a construction area, Kylo understood why they didn’t want to get in completely. „I’m sorry, we’re a little short on space.“

„That’s alright, kid. It looks cozy.“ The Hawaiian shirt walked past him and dropped his bag to the floor. Lando and Wedge didn’t look as comfortable with the situation like Han, but they didn’t say anything against it.

Shoving them into a room was enough, right? „Yo, see you then.“

„Wait!“ Wedge stopped Kylo from disappearing to a corner, where he could hide and curse over his own stupidity and the non-existing plan of how to handle the situation. He should’ve told you from the beginning; you were good with plans. Or common sense. „What are we supposed to do?“

„Stay in there?“

„No way, kid.“ Han grinned mischievously and, again, walked passed Kylo, but this time out of the room, instead of in. Lando didn’t wait long and followed him, just like Wedge. When Kylo realised, they were in the hostel, in his mother’s hostel, he rushed after them. He only told you and his best mates yesterday. His mother for sure didn’t know a single thing about those three man that were here.

Kylo caught up on them when they reached the beach behind the building. „Do you want to go out on the water?“ Please do. Far out, Leia wouldn’t notice them too quick. In the meantime Kylo could call you for help.

„That’s why we’re here, kid.“ Hawaiian-shirt-Han took off his sunglasses for the first time and used them to point at Kylo. „Do you have some boards?“

„Yeah.“ Kylo gestured to his left side. „I’m running a small surf school that belongs to the hostel.“ To his luck, they followed him to the shed where all the surf stuff was stored. They spoke about some summer on O’ahu: how the water had been their best friend, how life had turned out since then. They probably spoke about the summer Leia got pregnant with him, still they didn’t figure out that all of them were talking about nearly the same thing. They all mentioned a woman, but not even then did they get it.

When they treaded off to the water, Kylo pulled out his phone and dialled you. He gave you a rap about what had happened. You laughed at him, but assured you would come over right after lunch.

Kylo returned to the reception, but also kept an eye on the ocean. He should be out there, it was irresponsible to let them surf without him observing them. But he couldn’t tell his mother she needed to take over the reception, Leia would get suspicious.

Somehow he was able to get them back into the room after their surf session. Kylo promised them some lunch if they stayed in the room. They agreed.

He used all the cooking knowledge he had, which resulted into pasta with tomato sauce. You were a far better cook than him; you always worked some magic and cooked the most delicious meals. Kylo was only good with cutting the veggies and preparing all the stuff – onions were his speciality because nothing could make him cry besides you.

/////

Her knucklehead had vandalised the hostel kitchen. Leia hadn’t thought about searching for him there because when Kylo was hungry, he went to the family apartment’s kitchen. This mess could only be made by her son, and it was typical for him to leave a chaos behind when he cooked. She couldn’t truly understand why you had agreed to marry him because he had so much of Leia in him, but she was happy you did. Maybe he would finally move out after getting married to you and give her peace when she wanted to watch ‚Friends‘.

„Mom?“ Kylo returned with three empty plates to the kitchen. He was surprised to find his mother there, even though he shouldn’t have been because it already had been a wonder that she didn’t cross his path since the three possible dads had arrived.

„Son?“ She looked at him with her unapologetic stare. When she noticed the three plates, her eyes squeezed and she came closer. „What is going on?“

„Nothing.“ He walked around her and put the plates in the dishwasher.

„Kid? Could we get some water?“ No. NO. Kylo couldn’t react as fast as he wanted to to prevent the catastrophe. Han appeared in the doorframe. „Mamma Mia!“

„Han?“

„Leia!“

Both of them stared at each other. Leia in shock, maybe with an escape plan to leave the island, even if she needed to swim; Han in complete fascination.

„Fuck.“ Kylo didn’t know what he should do. Why didn’t you arrive yet? You were far better with delicate stuff like this.

„What’s going on here?“ Leia put her hands on her hips and stared at her son. The last time she gave him that look, he had lit up the old shed in his uncle’s backyard by accident.

As if the situation wasn’t bad enough, two low voices got closer to the kitchen. Soon, Lando and Wedge arrived behind Han.

„Leia!“

„Why are you here?“

The three men, hit by realisation, got into a discussion until Lando cut it. „We’re here because you obviously invited all three of us. To Kylo’s wedding.“

Leia scoffed. „Why should I invite someone to my son’s wedding? We’re living in the twenty-first century, the boy can invite people himself.“ She covered her face with her hands for a moment; she did that to regain control over her thoughts. „And if I invited someone, it for sure wouldn’t have been you.“ Leia turned to her son. „What did you do? You’ll be the cause for my heart attack one day!“

Kylo somehow managed to overcome his shock and asked the possible dads to return to their room. He would come and explain everything, but he first needed to talk to his mother. They unexpectedly followed his request and left.

„Son, what did you do?“

„Trying to get everyone together. The family.“

Kylo could see how the anger left her face instantly. The wrinkles around her eyes got deeper, the sorrow on her forehead made clear that she had aged in the past years. „You know what we think about this.“ Leia took his hands in hers and looked into his eyes. She felt a little guilty.

„Yes.“ She had raised him with the knowledge that she didn’t know who his father was, and that the two of them were ‚enough‘. They had been their own little family. „But I also want to find out who is responsible for the other part of me.“ She didn’t respond so Kylo went on. „I found those old photos and I just invited them. This wedding will be a huge one, with a lot of people that are not related by blood, but by heart with – I just want my father to be there, too.“

„Was it wrong, that I never showed you the photos?“ Kylo had never seen his mother so emotional about that topic. She was a tough woman that always proved herself. When it came to her son, she could get really sensitive.

„No, mom. It’s alright.“

„I’m sorry, Kylo.“ She kissed one of his hands.

„I didn’t know how I should tell you, but I want you to understand it, so you don’t feel like I don’t appreciate our family.“ He kissed one of her hands. That was a thing they did since he had been little. „The wedding, the marriage, Y/N – it will be a new step in my life. I want to evolve and become the man that is worthy of her. I want to know where my roots are. Especially since I know her, because one day I’ll hopefully be the father to her children, and I want to know how it feels to have a dad.“

She nodded her head. Leia was aware that the ideals she had been raising him after, couldn’t automatically be his. It was natural for a child to want to know where it came from.

„So you don’t know who my father is…“

„No.“ She released his hands and started to clean up his mess. „It could be anyone of them, actually.“

„Really?“ It had only been Kylo’s assumption until now. Though at the same time he didn’t think she was lying to him. He didn’t think she only told him that she didn’t know when, in fact, she knew. She wasn’t one for lying.

„Don’t look at me like that! Your mom had a lot of fun when she was young.“ She chuckled.

„We don’t doubt that.“ Kylo turned around and nearly dropped the pot with the pasta. Finally. He wasn’t one for love declarations in public, but after all the trouble this morning, he couldn’t resist. He bowed down to you, still the pot in his hands, and kissed you. Long and intensely.

Leia and Kylo alternated with each other to give the different views of what had happened. You managed to talk Leia into leaving for the reception and finished cleaning up the mess with Kylo.

In the meantime, the three possible dads had found out they all had a thing going on with Leia that summer. Still, they didn’t come to the final conclusion when Kylo and you arrived in their room. In fact, they all fumbled at their luggage and mumbled something about the airport.

„What are you doing?“ You could hear in Kylo’s voice that he didn’t want them to leave. Before you had interrupted him and his mom, you had heard what he had told her. You didn’t really want to listen in on them, but it had been too tempting.

„We came to the conclusion that Leia probably doesn’t want us here. We’re leaving.“ They would actually make a good boy band, you thought. Lando as the frontman, because he seemed to speak for all three of them, Wedge on the drums, and Han would be the crazy guitarist that shreds his guitar on stage every now and then, or all the time. He seemed like the type of guy that did only crazy stuff. Or at least that’s what his funky Hawaiian shirt said.

„But I want you there.“

„Kid, we thought we were here because Leia wanted us here. Sorry.“

„My name is Kylo, not kid, and I’m your son. Yours too, Lando. Wedge, same applies to you. As far as I know one of you is my father, so I want you all to attend our wedding as part of my family.“

The three possible dads, now aware of it, sat back on their folding beds. They needed a few minutes to overcome the shock. It surprised you that this fact seemed to bring them closer together. They discussed about it like they had been friends for more than half of a day.

„You know, I want the whole experience. I never had a father, so I’m okay with all three of you. If you’re okay too?“

Again, they talked about it like Kylo and you wouldn’t stand right in front of them.

„Alright.“

It took them a hour to adjust to the news. They didn’t flip, they were just highly confused about becoming fathers so suddenly. But becoming a parent was obviously funnier when the child was allowed to drink alcohol with you. Over some beers, they shared a lot of theories about how Kylo had Wedge’s hair and Lando’s eyes.

You excused yourself after some time to get out on the waves. Kylo wanted you to stay but he also didn’t want you to miss out on your daily surf dose.

He enjoyed talking to the men. They were actually the coolest dudes and he loved that they were here and were staying for his wedding.

Finn and Poe joined the boys in the afternoon. The evening quickly turned into Kylo’s stag night. A lot of beer, a lot of jokes, a lot of getting to know each other better.

You had spent hours out on the water, when you came back, you didn’t want to interrupt the stag night thing they had going on, so you stole a kiss from Kylo and said goodbye until tomorrow. He didn’t want to let you go so easily. It was the last day were you would be his girlfriend – technically his fiancée. Kylo stole some more kisses until he released you, so you could head to your car.

It felt wrong to open the car door and leave and not sleep over at Kylo’s place. Fuck the ritual of not sleeping in the same bed the night before the wedding; nothing or no one could hold you back from tugging yourself into Kylo’s sheets.

/////

Han opted out at some point. He had a mission. No plan, but he wanted to talk to Leia. He snuck around the hostel, searching for her. She crouched over a lot of papers at the reception.

„You raised a good man.“

Leia looked up. His voice could still give her shivers. „Did you expect something else?,“ she pursed her lips.

„I didn’t expect you to have a child at all.“

She crossed her arms as an answer and got up to stand in front of him.

„So I wasn’t the only one that summer, huh?“ His eyes beamed at her. He wasn’t mad, he was just fascinated to see her again. Over all those years, she had lingered in the back of his mind.

„Han, you still think you’re the only star in the sky?“ Leia had loved his stubborn head, and even his ridiculous self-confidence.

„I for sure know you are mine,“ he smirked. How could that man still work his magic the way he did twenty-five years ago?

Kylo turned away when he saw his mother kiss Han. He hadn’t expected to become a witness of such a scene on the way to the family apartment. In hope they wouldn’t notice that he had heard their conversation, he sneaked passed them and hurried to his bedroom. He found the sweetest surprise when he entered it: you, curled up in his blanket.

Kylo had hoped you would change your mind and stay over. It made him incredibly happy to be able to wrap his arms around you now.

You recognised his presence and pulled him closer, pressing against his chest. God, he couldn’t wait for tomorrow when you said ‚I do‘ and this here would be available for him the rest of his life.

/////

When he slept, Kylo’s facial mimic was completely relaxed. It was the most beautiful view you had ever seen. Most times you tried to count his freckles the Hawaiian sun had given him. You had stared at him for a long time already. You woke up when it was still dark outside; now the sun started to shine through the curtains.

„We’re gonna get married today,“ you smiled when he opened his eyes. Kylo wasn’t a morning person at all. Usually it took him a hour to process information with a tired brain, but today it worked faster. He nodded and managed the most sleepy, but happiest grin. You scooted closer to him, so you could kiss his adorable face.

A billion kisses and a coffee later, you drove back to your place. Your dad was already running in circles when you arrived. He was definitely more nervous than you.

„Do you want me to do your hair?“

You were a bad bride for not even thinking about your wedding hair until this very moment. „Sure.“

Your dad had obviously thought about it. He seated you in front of the bathroom mirror and rushed out to come back with a small bowl of freshly picked flowers. „I thought about putting them into your hair.“ You could only smile at how cute he was.

When your parents still had been together, your father always used to do your hair. He thought a dad should be able to do it – the ‚it isn’t manly excuse‘ never worked for him. You didn’t only move over to Hawaii for Kylo, but also for your dad. Living together with your mom had been alright, but living with your dad was far more funnier.

He was actually better at braiding than you were. He transformed two strands of hair, one from each side, into a crown. With the flowers, he placed in the crown, you felt like a fairy.

You’d been left alone to change into your wedding dress. Never had you dreamt about to marrying at twenty-two, but Kylo and you, that was far more than you ever thought could be possible. It’s not that you didn’t believe in true love, you just never expected it to be possible to fall so hard for someone.

The wedding dress felt odd. It fluttered around your ankles when you walked out of your room. You had expected to find your father right in front of your door, but he wasn’t waiting for you. Instead the front door was opened. When you went outside, you were greeted by cheers.

Your mom was here. And she had brought Rey and Rose with her, your two best friends from Florida. Those traitors had told you they couldn’t make it!

„Did you really think we would miss this day?,“ they screamed and rushed up the steps to engulf you in a group hug. Your dad recorded the scene with his phone.

„That’s not cool,“ you laughed. Actually, it was awesome.

Your mom had placed her hand over her heart and looked at you with that motherly pride in her eyes. She kissed you and then laid a white lei around your neck. „Are you ready?“

/////

You weren’t ready. Not even the slightest. The drive over to the hostel took ages, but at the same time it had been over too fast. Your heart nearly jumped out of your chest when you got out of your jeep. Your dad wanted to drive you in his truck, but that way you would have had even more time to think about what you were going to do. Driving yourself, you had at least had control over that, when you didn’t have it over your heart.

Three hours ago you hadn’t been nervous at all, and now you were about to vomit because of what was ahead. You couldn’t understand it. Since his proposal on Christmas you had been excited for this day. Now, that it was here, it scared you.

„Take a deep breath.“ Your dad, who was by your side, took your arm and linked it with his. „That’s normal.“

„Are you sure?“

„Yes.“ He kissed your forehead and dragged you through the hostel to the beachside.

They had rolled over the old palm trees as benches and left space in the middle for an aisle. On each side of that aisle, a lot of people stood up to turn around and look at you, as your dad led you down the aisle.

There he was, at the end of the aisle. He looked so good in his shorts and the short-sleeved shirt. You didn’t know he would wear white too. The sight of him, and his smile, calmed you again. It was Kylo, get your shit together.

Your dad handed you over to Kylo when you arrived in front of him.

Holy shit, you looked so mesmerizing. Beautiful was an understatement. He tried to ignore the knot in his stomach. He tried so hard to enjoy this moment, to just see how fascinating you, and everything around, was. Still it didn’t feel right.

Kylo noticed you were shaking when he grabbed your hands in his. He had expected you to smile but you didn’t. Your eyes gave away that something wasn’t right for you either.

„Kylo,“ you leaned over to him and whispered into his ear, „I really want to marry you. Just not today.“

„Yes!“ He shouldn’t, for the sake of you, be so happy about your words. „Oh yes, thank you for saying this! It feels strange, right babe?“ Kylo wrapped his arms around you. He couldn’t believe, that what he wanted for so long wasn’t the thing he still wanted. Not now.

„Can we just wait a little? Like a year? Or ten?“

„Absolutely.“ He peppered you with kisses. Over and over again his lips crushed into yours. Until the crowd got too loud with shouts that demanded an explanation on what was going on.

Kylo looked into your eyes to make sure of your agreement before he turned to them. „No wedding today, folks.“

The guests, your parents and Leia, your friends, even the three dads erupted into loud questions. After the initial shock, some started to laugh and gave remarks about how it should have been obvious something like that would happen with the two of you.

Kylo and you walked down the aisle, together, but not married like you thought you would do it when you woke up today. You felt relieved. You loved that dork so much, but for a marriage, it was a little too early.

„Maybe you’re wrong, kid.“ Kylo stopped in his tracks, you too. Han took the place where Kylo had stood just moments ago. Everyone got quiet. „Come on, Leia.“ He called it over the whole beach.

Kylo could make out his mother in the first row. She gasped and hid her face in her hands again.

„The only reason I came to this island is you.“ Han’s grin was so bright, it actually outdid the sun. He looked at Kylo. „Sorry, kid.“

Everyone noticed the tension. Everyone knew this wasn’t a joke or completely absurd because otherwise Leia would have already protested.

/////

„I can’t believe we didn’t marry.“ Kylo drove your jeep. You had planned to go on a little honey moon with your tent around the island. Not saying ‚I do‘ wasn’t a reason on why you shouldn’t make a little trip anyways.

„I can’t believe your mother did.“

It had been the strangest day ever. Kylo got three new dads, Leia got a husband, and you the reassurance that Kylo loved you even without a wedding certificate.

„Kylo?“

„Yeah?“ Even with his sunglasses on, you could see him smiling with his whole face.

„Pull over.“ You unbuckled your seatbelt before the car came to a complete stop. „I need to kiss you.“ It went on like this for the next few days. You couldn’t get enough of him and never would. There would come the day when it would be right to marry him. Until then, you would gladly be ‚only‘ his girlfriend.

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orbemnews · 4 years

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Without Backpackers to Pick Them, Crops Rot by the Ton in Australia SHEPPARTON, Australia — Peter Hall ran a hand over the Gala apples sitting in a wooden crate on his orchard in southeastern Australia, lamenting the yellow tinge of fruit that would ideally be crisp red and green. With the borders closed to the backpackers who do much of the country’s farm labor, Mr. Hall was short 15 workers. That had left him racing against the clock. Just a couple of extra days on the tree, and apples can be relegated to low-profit juice. “We’ve never faced a worker shortage like this in my 40 years,” Mr. Hall said. “I suspect for each lot of crop, we’ll just not get there in time.” “It’s extraordinarily frustrating,” he added. The pandemic has disrupted the rhythms of labor and migration worldwide. In Western Europe, for example, borders were tightened early last year, keeping out seasonal workers from Eastern Europe. But in isolated Australia, the pandemic has delivered a particularly sharp blow, exposing the unstable foundation of its agriculture industry, a growing $54 billion-a-year goliath that for years has been underpinned by the work of young, transient foreigners. Measures to keep the coronavirus out of the country have left Australia with a deficit of 26,000 farmworkers, according to the nation’s top agriculture association. As a result, tens of millions of dollars in crops have gone to waste from coast to coast. In the state of Victoria, rows of baby spinach and rocket, also known as arugula, have been plowed back into the earth, and peaches have been sent to the shredder. In Queensland, citrus growers have bulldozed acres of trees and left blueberries to rot. And in Western Australia, watermelons have been slashed and dug under. This enormous destruction has fueled rising calls for Australia to rethink how it secures farm labor, with many pushing for an immigration overhaul that would give agricultural workers a pathway to permanent residency. The current system was never intended to be a permanent solution to farmers’ decades-long labor struggles. But as the industry expanded and fewer Australians were willing to pick crops, the so-called backpacker program offered a lifeline. Since 2005, the government has steered young travelers to farms by offering extensions of working holiday visas from one year to two for those who have completed three months of work in agriculture. Backpackers can earn extensions by working in other industries like construction or mining, but 90 percent do so through farm work. In a normal year, more than 200,000 backpackers would come to Australia, making up 80 percent of the country’s harvest work force, according to industry groups. Now, there are just 45,000 in the country, according to government data. Attempts to fill the labor shortage with unemployed Australians have been largely unsuccessful. Only 350 applicants signed up for a federal government program that offers subsidies of 6,000 Australian dollars, or about $4,600, to work in rural areas. A last-ditch proposal by one state government to use prison labor was shelved after an uproar by farmers. So the federal government has flown in workers from nearby Pacific islands, which have largely avoided the pandemic. It’s part of an existing program that is one of Australia’s main sources of aid to the Pacific. With border restrictions in place, the arrangements have sometimes been convoluted. In January, after months of urging from the federal government and industry groups, Victoria agreed to take 1,500 Pacific island workers. They must first quarantine for two weeks on the island of Tasmania before being flown to Victoria. In exchange, 330 Tasmanians stranded overseas will be able to return through Victoria’s quarantine hotels. Nationwide, only about 2,400 workers have been flown into the country since the borders were shut, according to the National Farmers’ Federation. Updated March 2, 2021, 10:15 p.m. ET For years, industry groups have been pushing for a dedicated agriculture visa, but the idea has repeatedly run into obstacles. The last time it was seriously raised, in 2018, it caused alarm in Pacific island nations that said it could divert money away from their workers. Some academics said such a move could diminish Australia’s influence in the region, allowing China to make greater inroads. The idea was quietly shelved. A dedicated, stable work force would benefit not just farmers. It could also reduce abuses that have become rampant under the temporary labor system, according to researchers and unions. “The work force was easily exploitable, and there were no protections,” Joanna Howe, an expert on temporary labor migration at the University of Adelaide, said of the working holiday visa. “It pulled down wages and conditions in the industry. Noncompliance became the norm, and as a result, locals left the industry.” The abuses, exposed in a string of media reports in recent years, have run the gamut. “We’ve seen cases of sexual abuse, physical violence, passports taken against people’s wills,” said Dan Walton, secretary of the Australian Workers’ Union. “We’ve seen every form of dodgy labor practice, from ripping off wages, withholding pay, false deductions taken out of people’s pay.” Kiah Fowler, 23, a backpacker from Pennsylvania, arrived in Bundaberg, Queensland, in March 2020 to pick strawberries after having lost her hospitality job elsewhere in Queensland. “There are some wonderful farmers, but I happened to land myself in a region that’s known for some backpacker exploitation,” she said. “I was desperate for money, and thought it couldn’t be as bad as people said it was. It was.” The contractor she worked for paid her 19 Australian dollars an hour, or $14.75 — below the minimum casual wage of 24 Australian dollars — and offered only two to four hours of work a day, she said. The same contractor charged her 210 Australian dollars a week to stay in a cramped house with nine other backpackers. She and the other backpackers, she said, were aware that they were being taken advantage of, “but during Covid, a lot of us were like, ‘What choice do we have?’” Eventually, she left the job. Ben Rogers, the general manager for workplace relations and legal affairs at the National Farmers’ Federation, acknowledged that the industry’s reputation for underpayment and mistreatment of workers was not completely unearned. But he added that the organization was doing what it could through quality assurance programs and calls for new hiring regulations. There are hopes that addressing these problems could help bring some Australians back into the industry. Farmers talk about changing how the industry is viewed, starting in school, and about technological advancements that would make it less labor intensive. The Australian Workers’ Union has lodged a challenge with the Fair Work Commission to mandate an industry minimum wage. It believes that a wage floor would reduce the likelihood of underpayment and encourage a more local work force. But these potential solutions, as well as changes in immigration rules, are years off, if they ever happen. Right now, farmers are contending with national borders that were closed in March 2020 and are unlikely to reopen until 2022. The area around Shepparton, a city two hours north of Melbourne, where Mr. Hall was rushing to harvest his apples, is one of the worst hit by the labor shortage. Usually, backpackers would be flocking to Victoria Park Lake, in the middle of town, to use its free barbecue facilities and set up tents and park vans. This year, though, it’s quiet and still. Hostels, too, are mostly empty. One Australian, Brett Jones, 38, said he would return to a construction job soon. “With construction, at the end you feel like you’ve accomplished something, rather than just filled a bin of pears for someone,” he said. Besides, he admitted, “I’m not very good at fruit picking.” “My mind keeps wandering,” he said. “I keep thinking there has to be an easier way to make money.” Source link Orbem News #Australia #Backpackers #crops #Pick #Rot #ton

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didiletyouknooow · 7 years

Text

59. Around The World

Hey,

I hope you had a great week! My week was a bit busy because I have so much stuff to do for university. But I tried to finish the new chapter. And since the last week was my birthday week I wrote a VERY LONG new chapter!

It took me some time to find the right spots for Eileen’s journey and the pictures. I really hope you like it because I do. And I wish I could do such a journey as well some day.

Now I hope you like the new chapter!

________

April 15th

Hello readers! I finally arrived in Bangkok! It was a hell of a flight and after landing I was so done with everything here. I didn’t even visit the city and was done – at least for day 1. After leaving the airport I took a cab to my hotel and fell into my bed. For my stay here in Bangkok I booked a hotel room but during my roadtrip I will sleep in hostels I guess.

On day 2 I did a typical sightseeing tour through Bangkok. What a big city! And I’m already done with the smog although I know smog from LA. So after asking the people in the hotel I decided to visit the Grand Palace in Bangkok, The Wat Phra Kaeo, the house of Buddha. Afterwards I went to the temple of the Reclining Buddha. I’m still totally overwhelmed by it. Something I’ve never seen before. The culture here in Thailand is so different to our American culture. Btw, surely I also visited the Temple of the Golden Buddha. I took two days to visit all of the great Buddha temple. Then I decided to visit the National Museum and the Wang Na Palace. Can you believe that until the 1970s this was Thailand’s only museum? I was so surprised to hear that! I did a guided tour in English and learned a lot about the history of the country.

What else to tell you about Bangkok? It’s a big city….okay I already mentioned it before. It’s so crowded. I definitely DON’T want to drive a car here. I think I wouldn’t survive. There are definitely places you shouldn’t go alone. I didn’t try any food on the street markets because I was afraid that my stomach wouldn’t like it. But Miranda, whom I met at the guided tour at the National Museum, did and she told me it was very tasty. Miranda is from Chicago and since she’s travelling also on her own, we decided to do some sightseeing activities in Bangkok together. We both liked the Lumpini Park with all its green oasis. When I was sitting there reading a book I didn’t think that I was in Bangkok. All the traffic, all the busy people were far away from me. I definitely want to go back to the Lumpini Park but since I only have three days left in Bangkok I have to make a logistic time schedule, haha.

So, this was my first blog post about my journey! I decided to start this blog so that my friends and family will always know where I am and can read what I experienced, saw and whom I met. Some family members may feel reassured when they can read what I’m doing here (hello mom!).

Thanks for reading!

I think I will do the next blog post when I have Wifi in a hostel somewhere in Thailand….well I hope there will be Wifi on an island.

ByeBye Eileen

April 28th

I just wanted to let you know: I’m still alive! In the last two weeks I traveled through Thailand together with Miranda. We make a great travel duo since we both have the same destinations. I don’t know where to start but Thailand is such a wonderful country. I like the nature. We flew to Ko Phi Phi, did a canoe trip, went to the beach, did a snorkeling trip. Afterwards we traveled to Phang Nga Bay and of course Phuket. Later on we wanted to visit the Smilian Islands but didn’t have time.

So we only did two more beach days and on our last day we visited a rescue center for elephants. Here are people who take care of elephants who had to work at a circus or in shows only to entertain people (mostly tourists). The animal tamer took their honor. It was really heartbreaking to visit this center because many of the elephants are very sick and weak. Anyway….I have some news for you: I changed my plans!

Miranda and I will fly to Tokyo in two days! After five weeks in Thailand I have to leave this wonderful country but I’m so looking forward to my next destinations!

I will keep you updated!

ByeBye Eileen

May 6th

Puuuuuhhhhhhh……Tokyo is confusing but the people here are so nice! Every time you are checking out where to go someone asks if you need help. Okay maybe we both looked totally confused by all these skyscrapers and crowded places and streets. I mean, I’m from LA and I know crowded places, crowded high ways and smog but Tokyo is a huuuuuuge difference. If you want to pass a crossroads you are doing it together with 200 other people. Honestly! But I really like the city. I love the food! I mean, for the first time in my life I had real sushi from Japan!

Miranda and I did all our trips together – just to avoid to get lost haha. She already visited Tokyo a few years ago so she knew some places but it was still very confusing. I mean, everything is so big!

Whatever….we went to the Roppongi Hills Tower and had a great view at the skyline of Tokyo. Although I’m totally afraid of heights I tried to enjoy it because it was really a beautiful view.

So after one week in Tokyo I’m finally on my way to Australia! I’m sooooo excited! I’m flying to Sydney and three days later my lovely brother Marc will join me!

But at the same time this is also a goodbye. Miranda and I have to part our ways. She has to fly back to Chicago because her journey is ending here in Tokyo. She already traveled through Canada, South America, Hawaii, Europe and Thailand. In nine months. That’s a long journey, isn’t it? I take my hat off to her because she did the whole journey on her own! I was the first person she met on her way and wanted to travel with. Honestly, I’m feeling a bit honored. Thank you for showing me around in Thailand and Tokyo, Miranda! I will miss you! Have a safe flight back home. We will definitely meet when I’m back in the States!

But now I have to leave to get to the airport. Little Eileen completely alone in the whole wide world!

ByeBye Eileen

_____

After landing in Sydney I needed a break. I was so sick and tired after arriving in Sydney. The flight did its best. I hated it. Did I ever mention that I’m afraid to fly? Why the hell did I even decide to travel the world?

I took a cab to the airbnb that I booked here. I was so happy that I didn’t book any hostel because I needed time for myself. I needed time to take care of myself. I needed time to rest. So after arriving at this beautiful airnbnb near the Bondi Beach I bought a pizza at the pizzeria near my apartment and went back to the apartment. After eating it I fell into an eleven hour lasting sleep. I needed it. The next day was very relaxing. I breakfasted at the balcony and read a whole book in the following five hours. Afterwards I needed a nap. I was so tired and jet lagged. But I was looking forward to tomorrow when my brother would arrive. Originally it was planned that I would stay on my own for ten days here in Sydney and maybe travel through the country for a few days but I changed my plans when Miranda asked me to come to Tokyo with her. I mean, what a crazy conversation it was:

Miranda: “I think it won’t be easy travelling solo after these two weeks with you here in Thailand” Me: “You’re going to Tokyo, right?” Miranda: “Yes”

She looked at me and suddenly said these words I was already expecting.

Miranda: “Um, what about joining me?” Me: “Well, I’ve already booked my flights for Sydney” Miranda: “Yeah but you can change them. I know some tricks” Me: “Really? And it isn’t too expensive?” Miranda: “No….”

So two hours later it was safe.

Me: “Wow, now I’m going to Tokyo with you” Miranda: “Life can be so easy when you’re spontaneous”

And she was right. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made! Going to Japan was great! What an experience. I was totally culture shocked but I love this city! I definitely want to go back some day.

It was a bit sad leaving Miranda behind. But Tokyo was her last destination. I mean, she already traveled the whole world I guess. It wasn’t her first world trip. She already traveled the world after leaving school. But this was fifteen years ago. For her nine months lasting trip she started last year she saved some money but she also makes money while being on the road. She’s a blogger and an IT expert and is working as a free lancer. I still don’t how the hell she is working as an IT free lancer but she had so many interesting stories to tell! I think it’s obvious that she was the one who created my blog. I mean, I don’t have any knowledge in IT.

In the evening I went to the beach and watched some surfers. I felt so old because these people here looked all so very young! But maybe it was only because of the fresh air and the sun? I had the feeling the people here didn’t have to go to work because they were surfing during the day and partying at night. I think my flat was in a typical party street because I saw a lot of party people on my way back home that night.

The next day was THE day. Marc’s flight finally landed. I counted the hours until I could hug my brother. I squeezed him so much that he almost couldn’t breathe. Sorry, brother! But I was so happy to see someone familiar. Although travelling with Miranda was a great experience and I also liked being on my own for a few days, I have to admit that I missed my family. And I missed my friends. I missed LA so much.

So when I put my arms around Marc it was like coming home for a few seconds. I closed my eyes and imagined to be at LAX. I always hugged my brother this way when either he or I arrived at LAX. “How was your flight?” I asked him. “The worst” he said and took his backpack. Marc was the perfect Australian backpack tourist. He just looked like a real surfer boy with his blonde hair. Okay, he even lived here for a few years and everything started as a backpacking trip so maybe it wasn’t that surprising that he looked like a real Aussie.

Back in our apartment we relaxed for a while and went to a restaurant afterwards. Marc looked tired but he kept me entertained. He always had a good story to tell. Surely he told me everything about his kids who grew up so fast during the last three years that I was living in Berlin. Oh my gosh, it was such a long time! “I can’t believe that Noel is already going to school!” “He is! And his favorite subject is Math!” “Whaaat? Are you really his dad?” I laughed out loud. “No one in the Puritz family likes Math. Never!” Marc and I shared a laugh and enjoyed our beer on our first night together in Sydney.

Our real journey started the next day with a trip through the city. We visited the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, Darling Harbour and Royal Botanic Gardens. Since Marc was some kind of native here he showed me around and little Eileen was totally impressed by everything she saw this day.

Since it wasn’t that hot yet we went to the beach in the following days. While I was sunbathing Marc was reading or buying ice cream. He was such a good travel buddy! We both took a bath in the ocean and I even got a surf lesson. Sometimes it can be good to have a brother who was working here as a surf teacher for a few years. Marc was a real drill instructor! And I felt like the worst student ever. I just couldn’t do it. I was afraid to surf. But Marc did his best to teach me the basics during this week.

While we were on our way to the Great Barrier Reef I was typing my next blog post.

May 20th

Greetings from Down Under! Marc and I are having the time of our lives here – okay maybe only I’m having the time of my life since I’ve never been here before and Marc even lived here for two years. He’s not that impressed by Sydney anymore, like I am. But he’s happy to be back. Back where everything started. If he wouldn’t have traveled to Australia a few years ago, he wouldn’t have met his wife. Oh my, I’m getting emotional….I have to stop it!

So what did we do here? Of course Marc showed me around in Sydney. I love this city! It kind of reminds me of LA sometimes but then I’m hearing this British-Australian accent and I know I’m not in LA haha. We spent a lot of time at the Bondi Beach and I didn’t get any sunburn! See mom, I’m definitely an adult now.

Now we’re on our way to the Great Bareer Cliff. We’re doing a boat trip and we will stay in the area for a few days until our way leads us to the Uluru. I’m so excited to be in the outback already!

We’re already here for two weeks and we will stay another four weeks! Then we’ll travel to Hawaii. Marc wanted to go there. I wasn’t really planning to visit Hawaii but now I’m excited too (after googling the top spots haha). Then our journey will lead us to Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela and Mexico. Marc will travel with me to Argentina and Brazil but then I’m solo again. But who cares. It’s an exciting journey no matter if you’re with someone or totally on your own!

I will write again when we’re back in Sydney in one week!

ByeBye Eileen

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“Wow what a long car trip” I said exhausted and fell to the bed. We were finally back in Sydney after a trip through the outback for eight days. Marc rent a jeep and so we started our way through the “pampa” as Lara would call it. The great Australian outback. I really liked the outback. The nature was so impressive. We even visited a national park and yes, I saw some kangaroos. Such cute animals.

But I was happy to be back in the city again. It was very hot here in Sydney so I didn’t want to go outside the next day. More than 40 degrees. Urgh.

I stayed at home while Marc got up very early to go surfing early in the morning when it wasn’t that hot yet. I preferred staying in bed the whole day. Okay not the whole day. Maybe it was the first day during my whole journey that I didn’t want to do anything. Just relaxing. I noticed while travelling that I’m not a typical chilling-traveller. Just lying in bed all day, reading, relaxing or maybe some Netflix was fine but I could do that at home as well, right? So I got up every day to get out of the house, to do something. I wanted to see something, watch people, eat delicious food, talk to people, take a walk, enjoy the culture and explore new places. I think I was a very annoying travel buddy because I needed action all the time.

But today I didn’t want to. I just laid here in my bed and got up at 11am to take a shower. Suddenly I heard the door knocking. Okay, um, who did want to visit us? I didn’t know anyone here except of Marc and he definitely took his keys with him this morning because they weren’t on the key board. But what if he lost it?

I left the shower and went to the door half naked – just a towel covered the most important parts of my body – because I thought that it was Marc who knocked. But I was wrong. There was a guy standing in front of me. Um, well….fuck. “Hey Eileen” he said. Okay, the guy knew my name. That was creepy! He looked at me and I searched in my brain for any information about this guy. Maybe I knew him as well but didn’t remember him?

Suddenly I realized who he was. “Ben!” I said surprised. “You needed some time to remember my name, right?” he laughed. “Um, yes, sorry” “Not about that” I grinned. “Um, is Marc here?” he asked. Okay, Ben knew that Marc was here. But he obviously didn’t know that Marc was out for surfing – or Marc forgot that he invited Ben? Why was Ben even here? He was from Germany! “Marc is surfing at the beach” I told Ben. “Oh okay” Ben said. “I thought he’s here. He told me the address where you two would stay so I thought I’m coming over” “But I bet he’s back in two hours.” I told him. Ben didn’t really answer me so I asked him why he was here in Down Under. “I’m travelling. I needed a break” “Oh just like me” I laughed. “Well, do you want to come in?” “Sure” he said and followed me insides. I felt so stupid in my towel that was so short he could almost see my butt... “Um, take a seat, I’m just….I’m looking for some clothes” I told him. “Do it” he grinned and went into the kitchen.

I ran into the bathroom and almost fell down while taking on my jeans. It was too tight. I hated it. I hated my thighs and these skinny jeans. Who created this trend? And why did I even like these pants????

Back in the kitchen I saw that Ben was looking at my computer. My blogdomain was opened because I was writing a little bit before showering. “Sorry, I didn’t do anything here. I just read a bit” he said. “It’s okay” I said. Okay, it was a bit weird that I caught him reading at my computer. But I think he felt more embarrassed and caught that I felt when I opened the door half naked. “So, how are you?” I wondered. “We haven’t seen each other in years” The last time I saw him was seven years ago.

“Great” he grinned and started telling me about his past years when he was still working on music. He recorded a few records and released them and even toured through Germany but that’s it “And I heard you dated Sebastian” he suddenly said. “Um, yes I did. We were dating for three years” “Such a long time. And you survived it that the band became famous in such a short time” “Well, I get used to it” I joked. “I already knew the feeling of being the girlfriend of a guitar player” “Oh right, Marc told me….this Red Hot Chili Peppers guy, right?” “Yep” “How did that end?” “Well, first he broke up, we got back together and then I broke up. That’s it” “Doesn’t sound that romantic” “It was….but…..he was so busy, I didn’t want to live this lifestyle anymore. A lot happened during that time” “Hm….” ”What about you? Your girlfriend?” “She cheated on me” “What?” “Yes…” ”I’m sorry about that….” I said. “It’s okay” “So that’s the reason why you needed a break?” Ben nodded.

We sat down at the balcony and proceeded chatting. Ben was such a cool and funny guy. But he was also very emotional and thoughtful. Although I didn’t really like the music he did I like talking to him. I could understand that Marc like him so much. They even shared an apartment when Marc was living in Berlin for a while almost ten years ago. “So Marc is a father of two now….wow” Ben said when I was showing him photos of my niece and my nephew” “He is” I smiled happy. “And he met the girl here in Australia?” “Yes….she’s American but she visited his surf curs and well….they met afterwards” I laughed. “Funny story” Ben agreed.

Speaking of Marc. He just came home. I heard the door opening.

“What the fuck maaaaan” was the first thing he said when he saw Ben. The two shared a typical buddy hug – and it lasted very long! While Marc and Ben couldn’t stop talking I decided to write a little bit more for my next blog post but couldn’t find a mood to write. “Hey sis, do you want to eat something? We want to go to the best burger restaurant at Bondi Beach?” Marc asked me. “Sure, why not”

After having the best burger in Sydney we enjoyed our beer at the beach. Sometimes my brother had the best ideas ever. “Life can be so easy” I said. “Just go to the beach with a bottle of beer and watch the sunset” I said. “It is” Ben smiled at me. Suddenly a group of guys approached us. It turned out that Marc knew these guys from the surfing club. He started talking to them and later they asked him if he wants to join them to go partying. He didn’t know if he should agree but I could see in his eyes that he wanted to go partying so bad. “Go!” I told him and laughed. “Sure? Can I let you two alone here?” “We’re old enough” I rolled my eyes. Marc looked at Ben. “I take care of her” he assured him.

So Marc left together with the surfing guys and let me alone with Ben at the beach. The sun was already going down. Honestly, it was a really beautiful moment but it felt a bit weird to share it with someone I barely knew. “Doesn’t it look beautiful?” Ben asked into the silence and pointed at the sky. “It does!” “Hey, what about a walk at the beach?” “Sure!” So we walked at the beach. It wasn’t as awkward as I thought it would be. Ben wasn’t flirty or weird at all. Maybe I was the one who questioned the whole situation because I found myself looking at Ben wondering how cute he was. Wtf? Did I just say that I thought my brother’s mate was cute? Oh well….

Ben brought me back home safety. “Hey um, what are you doing tomorrow?” “Probably packing my backs because we have to catch the flight to Hawaii in two days” “Wow….what a great explanation” Ben laughed. “I never asked a woman what she’s going to do the next day and she answers ‘I’m packing my bags for Hawaii’” “See, now it happened” I grinned. “But what about visiting a theme park tomorrow?” “Um” I was a bit overwhelmed by his question. “A theme park?” “Yes….unless you’re not really into roller coasters” “Depends” I laughed. “So…do you want to go?” “Sure….when?” “I will pick you up at 9am” “Okay, cool” I smiled. “Cool” Ben smiled, hugged me goodbye and turned around. Okay, why was I grinning after closing the door?

The next day started very early because I really had to pack my bag before heading to the theme park with Ben. I was afraid that I couldn’t have time for it tonight because Marc and I wanted to go out for dinner one last time here in Australia. Ben took me to a vintage theme park where many of the roller coasters were from the 60s. I liked the atmosphere here. We could even walk to the ocean because the theme park was directly placed at the ocean. I liked this place so much. I liked Australia so much. And I liked this day. Ben and I laughed a lot and we never went out of topics to talk about. He was very talkactive lately and so was I.

He didn’t force me to drive a roller coaster I didn’t want to. When he wanted to drive one I didn’t want to I just waited for him outside. Afterwards he bought us ice cream. Oh well, I felt like a teenager. I was grinning and laughing and totally forgot about the time. Suddenly Ben took my hand while we were walking through the park. Okay, what happened here? But although I was questioning it I didn’t stop it. I let him hold my hand because I….liked it? Did I really like it? When we were doing a short break on a bench from where you we had a great view at the ocean he looked at me. He was so close. I felt very nervous because I didn’t know what was happening here. I didn’t want to date any guy – this was my mantra for my journey! “No guys!” – Not for a date, not for a kiss, not for holding hands and not for anything more.

But now that I was sitting here with Ben I totally forgot about my philosophy.

When I was looking into these blue eyes I forgot everything. I looked at his tattooed arms and suddenly he turned my head so I looked back into his eyes and then he kissed me.

“What are we doing here?” I asked after many kisses we shared. “Um, kissing?” “Yes but why?” “Because I wanted to….I hope you wanted it too?” “I did!” I smiled and kissed him again. “But” I kept talking. “Why the hell did I have to kiss a friend of my brother in Down Under?” “That’s just life” Ben grinned. “Well….” My phone was ringing. I didn’t want to take it but Ben told me to take it because it could be Marc. And he was right. “Eileen, where are you? I’m waiting at the restaurant outside”

OH FUCK!

“I really have to go now” I told Ben in a hurry. “I totally forgot that Marc and I wanted to have dinner tonight” “Should I drive you?” Ben asked. “I don’t know….I don’t want him to know that….” ”We spent the day together?” Ben laughed. I nodded. “Don’t worry about that” he told me and we got into the car.

When Ben and I arrived at the restaurant Marc was looking at us with a weird and questioning face. “Where were you?” “Um, we were just in this theme park and Ben drove me here….sorry I forgot that…” ”Whatever, let’s get in. And please mate, join us” Marc told us and clapped his buddy on the shoulder.

I noticed that Marc was watching Ben and me and I guess it was obvious that we both behaved a bit weird. One hour ago we were still sitting at this bench kissing and now we pretended that nothing happened. “How’s your steak?” Marc asked me. “Excellent!” I answered him. He didn’t look convinced. “So tomorrow we have to leave the airbnb at 10am to get to the airport. We’ll arrive in Hawaii at night.” “Oh okay….and you booked another airbnb right?” I asked Marc. He was looking at Ben who seemed very nervous in front of Marc. It was quite funny to watch – if I wouldn’t feel the same because it was so obvious that something happened between Ben and me. But Marc didn’t say anything. “Yes” he answered to my question. “We have an airbnb in Honolulu” he said without stopping to look at Ben. “Does anyone want to have a desert?” my brother asked. Ben and I shook our heads. “Good, I’m going home now because I’m very tired. Eileen, do you want to come with me or do you stay here with Ben?” Wow, why did my brother always ask the most embarrassing and difficult questions? I didn’t know how to answer because I didn’t know if it was a rhetorical question or not. Maybe he already realized what happened between Ben and me and he wanted to see my reaction to his question? But Marc’s phone rang and he left. “Whatever, I’m leaving, Ben you take her home safety, okay?” my brother told his mate.

“Wow, that was super weird” I said to Ben when Marc has left. “It was” he agreed with me. We paid the bill and went to the beach. I wanted to spent my last night here in Australia at the beach. Ben and I were very chill about the whole situation now. We both agreed that it was just a nice day and a few kisses that happened – nothing more. “Wow, I can’t believe that I will sit at another beach in 24 hours but then in Hawaii” “I can’t believe it either” Ben said. We were sitting in the sand that got colder in the evening. “Why do you have to leave?” He asked me. “Because that’s my trip. I planned it” “Why don’t you stay for a little while? We can do a trip in the outback” he suggested. “Well, I already did it with my brother last week” “I know” he seemed a bit sad. But suddenly he started tickling me. “Oh no Ben, please stop” I laughed. “No” he grinned. He kept doing it until I laid down in the sand. When Ben was laying on top of me we looked into each others eyes. It felt like an eternity for while. Like no one else was here. Maybe there weren’t any people here at the beach at night but….

We kissed again but this time it was more passionate and even a bit wild. When I rolled on top I realized how annoying the sand was. “Can we please go to a place without sand?” I asked laughing and knocked off the sand from my clothes. “We can” Ben grinned and we went to his car.

Back in his car we kept kissing before he started driving it to his apartment. We couldn’t keep our hands off each other. I didn’t know why but I wanted this. I wanted it so badly. When we were finally in his apartment everything happened very fast. We kept kissing and took off our clothes on our way to his bedroom.

I felt his kisses everywhere and I just wanted to move on. I always kept in my mind that I had to get up early to catch the flight. Seemed like Ben noticed my worries. “Stop thinking, okay?” he told me and then kissed me very emotional. Wow, I never experienced such an emotional kiss. And I wasn’t even in love! It didn’t feel like making love but it definitely felt good. Ben wasn’t a stranger I just met. He was a friend from Marc and I already knew him before. I think I still didn’t want to hook up with strangers again after this night in New Orleans a few years ago. “I can’t believe I slept with my friend’s sister” Ben started to laugh when we were lying in his bed. “Don’t say it out loud” I warned him. “Sorry….but it’s just a weird story. I mean, I came here to forget my ex. And now I ended up in bed with you….crazy story” “That’s right….” I said. “But I really liked it….I hope you did enjoy it too!” “Oh I did” “I heard it” he grinned. “Sorry” “It’s okay….I’m a stranger here. My neighbors don’t know me” “Good” “But….you don’t tell Marc, do you?” “I wont” I promised. “It would be very weird” “Oh yes it would” “I don’t want to sleep now” I told him. “Why?” “Because then I can’t look into these perfect blue eyes” “Oh stop being so flattering” he grinned. “Sorry, just the truth!” I let him know. “I can be very flattering and cheesy too” “Really?” “Yes!” “Tell me!” “I once wrote a song that started with ‘They’re making babies, we’re making love’. What do you say now?” “Okay….that sounds VERY cheesy” I laughed. “Did you write it for your ex?” “Yes…when we were still dating” “Hm….” I didn’t know what to say. “Are you over it?” “Not yet….please don’t think I just used you to forget her. I didn’t. I really like you and thought you’re cute….I liked this night we have but…” ”Everything stays in Down Under, I understand” I responded. “I think the same. It was a great night but I have to sleep now because I have to catch a flight to Hawaii tomorrow” “Please don’t mention Hawaii that often” Ben rolled his eyes. I boxed him into his stomach and laughed. “I have to sleep now so goodnight German dude” “Nightynight” he grinned and kissed me one last time.

I woke up at 7am. Ben drove me back to my apartment. We shared one last kiss until I wanted to left his car. But he pulled me back. “Just one selfie okay?” he asked me. “Um, okay why not” “I want to collect my memories from….” ”….from all the one night stands you have here” I joked. “No” he looked at me with a serious face. “I just want to collect memories from my holiday here and you’re one of them” “Oh…..don’t be cheesy” “sorry” So he took the picture and then we shared the very last kiss until I left his car. I waved back at him until I opened the door and disappaeard in the house.

When I opened the door of the apartment – I really tried to be carefully and quiet – Marc was standing in the kitchen looking at me as if I would be an alien. “Don’t tell me you hook up with Ben” were the first words he asked me. Wow. He was super mad at me I guess. “Um, why?” “Because I know you did….you didn’t come home last night. You spent your whole day with him yesterday….Eileen, why?” “Why not? I’m 34 years old. He’s 35 years old. I guess we’re old enough, don’t you think?” “Yes but….he’s my friend!” “Well, you two didn’t see each other in years!” “Yes but…he’s still a friend of mine and I find it weird to know that one of my friends fucked my little sister the whole night” “MARC!” I stopped him. I didn’t want to hear his words. “It’s just the truth. I don’t want to imagine what you two did last night!” “Then just stop caring about it. We just had fun, that’s it” “He’s a hooker” “Marc, honestly stop talking like that about a friend of yours. Ben is a nice guy and he actually traveled to Australia to forget about his ex with whom he even was engaged but who cheated on him. So who’s the hooker, hm?” “Eileen, I just want to take care of you. I don’t want you to get hurt” “Marc, honestly, I’m old enough to know what’s good for me and when I want to have fun with a friend of yours, I’m going to do it, okay? Stop acting like I’m still 18!” I told him in an angry voice. “Then stop messing around with guys like him” “He’s a cool and nice guy okay?” “Whatever” Marc shook his head and went back to his room to pack his bag. I did the same. We didn’t talk with each other until landing in Hawaii.

June 4th

Hello from HAWAII! What a great greeting haha. I always wanted to do it. I never thought I would visit this beautiful US State. I LOVE the landscape, the nature, the beaches, the ocean….I just love Hawaii. I think I never want to leave it. But I have to.

We’re here for one week now and we only have three days left. Since it was a very spontaneous decision to travel to Hawaii and we got very cheap flight tickets we decided to do it. Marc always wanted to go to Hawaii some day. When he was a little kid he always asked our parents when we will go to Hawaii for the holidays. But my parents always had to disappoint him because our family never traveled to Hawaii.

But 38 years later he finally arrived here. Marc surfed and just enjoyed the ocean and the beach while I was sunbathing and eating as many coco nuts as I could. Oh I love it! Hey mom, we’re having the best time of our lives! Hope you’re all fine!

After a being in a bad mood during our flight to Hawaii where Marc and I didn’t talk with each other – I won’t mention the reason, I just tell you that Marc is a little diva sometimes – we finally get along very well again. We visited some vulcanos, many beaches, looked at palm trees, did a boat trip and I watched Marc surfing. We’re still looking for the best burger restaurant in Honolulu – we’re having three days left to find it!

So, stay safe. I will write again when we’re landed in Brazil!

ByeBye Eileen

June 10th

Wow, I’m so tired. I think I’ve never been so tired in my life. After 21 hours of flying we finally landed in Lima, Peru. Originally we wanted to fly to Argentina but the tickets were too expensive. So we decided to fly to Peru. We were staying here for two days until we went to a journey to Machu Picchu. IT WAS THE BEST IDEA I EVER HAD ON THIS JOURNEY! Okay, I think I already mentioned it. But it was definitely the best idea I ever had on this journey. How could I travel to South America but don’t think about visiting Machu Picchu? It was such a great experience. You feel like in a total parallel universe when you arrive there. The nature is just wonderful. I can’t find words to describe it!

It was pure nature and I never felt so free in my life.

We’re about to catch a flight to Rio in a few hours. I don’t want to. I’m still jet lagged from the flight to Peru but well…that’s the negative side of the journey, right?

So I’m writing you again when we’re landed safety in Brazil.

Happy Birthday Mom!!!! Best wishes from Marc and Me!

ByeBye Eileen

June 25th

Today I’m writing directly from the beach. But not any beach, no, I’m actually sitting under a sunshade at the COPACABANA! Yes, you read it right. I’m at the Copacabana right now. Marc and I arrived here a few days ago. We already visited the statue of Christ, the Copacabana and Ipanema, the Nationalpark Tijuca in the rain forest. We also went to Santa Teresa, the sugar leaf (yes I overcame my fear of heights!) and we watched boys playing football in the streets. We even went to the Carragas Islands and I think I never saw such a wonderful ocean.

I had a lot of cocktails – of course Caipirihna! - and ate so much tasty food! I love Brazil! I went to a lot of museums and even drove into places and districts that aren’t that touristic. But Mom, don’t be afraid. I met so many nice people. If you would leave LA then you would notice that the world isn’t a scary and unsafe place. Actually, it is a wonderful place. I think I never felt so good and relaxed than here in Brazil.

We’re already staying here for ten days and we have two days ahead. But then Marc and I have to say goodbye to each other because my brother has to go back to LA. After six weeks of travelling with him I will definitely miss it to see his snoring face every morning and watch him surfing. I will miss his strong will to find the best burger restaurant in every city we’re staying (we already found it here haha). Marc, thank you for joining me and sorry that I can be such a spoiled brat sometimes.

I will miss you!

Sorry readers for getting a little bit emotional here….but I had to.

My next destination will be Venezuela. I will leave Rio in three days and will stay there for ten days. Afterwards I will travel to Mexico and then back to California.

I’m excited and looking forward to another six weeks of travelling. This time I’m totally on my own and it will be the longest time ever that I will be travelling alone. I’m excited!

If you’re in Venezuela or Mexico or so….don’t be afraid to join me haha.

I will update again after arriving in Caracas, Venezuela!

ByeBye Eileen

July 14th

Sorry that I haven’t updated yet but I needed some time offline. I explored so many great places during the past two weeks. I decided to travel through Venezuela for a little bit longer because it’s such a beautiful country!

I visited the National Park Canaima and watched the tallest waterfall in the world! Can you believe it? Wow, I was so impressed by it! I can’t find words to describe it. I hope my pictures can show you how impressing this waterfall is! You should definitely visit it one day. And did you know that it was the inspiration for “Avatar”? I still never watched this movie but I was told that it was the inspiration for it. So obviously even James Cameron visited this beautiful piece of earth.

Do you remember I mentioned that I loved the Copacabana? Well, sorry Brazil….but I think you lost your pole position to Los Roques! It’s an archipelagic Island 170 kilometers away from Caracas. It’s in the middle of the Caribbean sea and I just fell in love with it! Wow….I didn’t know that such beauty exists in the world. I stayed there for a while and just enjoyed it.

Being on my own wasn’t very lame or boring. It was quite the contrary! I was always busy because I noticed that I’m a traveler who needs action. I always want to see something, go to a special place….I think I already mentioned it before. So I was very busy in Venezuela but I also enjoyed the silence here.

After enjoying the silence I needed some action again….so I went to Mérida to drive with the highest and second longest cable car in the world!

Did I ever mention that I’m afraid of heights? Well, I did. But I wanted to visit it so badly. So I just forgot about my fear and just did it. You know, sometimes you should just do it!

So I did and although I was a bit shaking when arriving on top of it, I could enjoy the view. Wow. Thank you for this beauty, mother nature.

My last destination in Venezuela was Caracas. I heard a lot about this city and I really did take care. I went to the Galería de Arte Nacional and found the best burger restaurant again. Marc, honestly, this was the second best burger on my journey!

I’m now in my hotel room packing my bag. I will leave Caracas tomorrow morning. I’m excited and happy. Venezuela was the first country I totally visited on my own. I don’t want to say that travelling on my own was better but I experienced so much and I appreciated everything a little bit more. I’m just happy that I’m able to do this journey.

So, goodbye for now. I will update again when I’m in Mexico.

ByeBye Eileen

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It was 8am in the morning and it was my third day in Mexico. Yesterday I visited the Teotihuacán Pyramid. It was impressing! I made a lot of pictures but it also was the first day on my journey that I didn’t feel like doing anything. I only went to the pyramid because I didn’t want to spent the whole day in my hotel room. I guess for the first time on my journey I felt totally alone and lonely.

After going back to my hotel I went to have dinner in the evening. I didn’t really enjoy it. I didn’t really enjoy anything here.

July 20th

I just want to give you a short update. I’m still alive and I’m in Mexico right now. I didn’t have a good start here. Mexico City isn’t my thing so I decided to check out of my hotel room and took a prior flight to Tulum as planned. I visited the Maya ruins and just enjoyed my day there. The weather was better, the fresh air was way better than in Mexico City and I just felt better here. Of course I went to the beach as well.

But although I did have a good time here I didn’t feel well.

Maybe that’s something everyone is experiencing on a longer joroueny. I don’t know. I just wanted to let you know, that I’m fine. I will do a longer update when I’m in a better mood.

ByeBye Eileen

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After dinner I went back to the beach and just sat down in the sand. I watched the ocean and thought about my whole journey and about my whole life.

Now I was almost 35 and I quit my job. I probably have a doctor’s degree but what does it mean? I have to find a job when I’m back home. Again. My whole life was made of job hunting. For almost ten years now. I was so sick of it. I finally wanted to find a job I could stay in. But maybe that was the problem of my generation. I knew that I wouldn’t stay in my first job my whole life just like my parents did – if they wouldn’t have moved to the States. But even then they found a job and never changed it. Now my both parents were pensioners and they loved it. But what about me? Only three weeks to go and then I would be back home in LA. Of course, I missed my home. I lived in Berlin for three years and only visited LA a couple of times during that time. I missed my parents, my friends, everyone who lived there whom I loved.

And suddenly I thought of Josh. It was the first time during my journey that I was thinking of him. Mostly I was thinking of Sebastian but right now there was Josh on my mind. I wondered what he was doing now. If he was still with Helen and if he was happy with her? I didn’t hear from him in a while. We didn’t really stay in contact. Especially after this confusing situation in New York in February it would feel weird to text or even to call him. I don’t know if I really broke up with Sebastian because I thought about Josh too much. Maybe. I think only my heart knows the answer but it didn’t tell me yet. I had to figure it out. Fact was that I was wondering what he was doing now. Maybe they were on tour again, I didn’t know. Maybe he was on vacation with Helen and her daughter. I still couldn’t believe that he really moved in with them. It was so not Josh. It wasn’t him. He must really love Helen if he moved in with her so early in the relationship. Maybe he found his love? But what about me….did I lost my love? But which of my two big loves? Both?

Suddenly there was a thought in my mind I couldn’t stop thinking about. What if….what if he and Helen were having a baby soon? I mean, she already had a daughter. I bet she was ready to start a family with him. And he was 40 years old….he should be ready. Right? I noticed a weird feeling down in my stomach. It felt totally unreal to think about Josh being a father. A real father. Not just a step father. I imagined how he would hold the newborn baby in his hands and….I had to puke.

I felt a bit embarrassed and checked if someone saw it. I wasn’t alone at the beach. Here were many tourists and especially couples in love who were watching the sunrise. But I guess no one noticed it.’ But why did I react like that while thinking about Josh becoming a father? I didn’t know.

What I knew was that I felt so sad suddenly. I felt like someone pulled out my heart and smashed it into pieces. But why did I felt like this? Why did I feel so alone and lonely? And then I knew.

I missed my baby.

I missed this unborn child who would have turn four in November. The tears were streaming down my face. I cried and cried and even screamed. It was the first time ever that I really realized that I lost my baby. Since the accident happened and the doctors told me, I never really thought about it. I just accepted it. While Josh was suffering so much I was just done with it and moved on. I was totally unemotional about it. But now that I was sitting at a Mexican beach totally on my own I realized what I really lost. I lost my baby. And I had to travel around the world to realize it. I only spent eleven weeks with it. And it wasn’t even born. What a tragedy. Mother nature, why are you so cruel? You can make such beautiful landscapes and wonders but….why are you so cruel to some people in the world? What did we do to you?

I wondered if Josh was over it. It was four years ago….he should be over it. If he ever wondered what our child would have been like? If it would have been a boy or a girl? It would attend the school in two years….I could be a mother of an almost four year old child now. And Josh would be the father. Even if we would have broken up in the meantime we would still be connected through our child. Forever. But now I was sitting here alone in Mexico, wondering about my life while Josh was probably happy with another woman.

The question was….did I even want to share my life again with Josh? Or maybe with Sebastian? I thought about him as well. I loved him. And I missed him throughout my whole journey. I didn’t want to tell myself that I was missing Sebastian so badly but the truth was – I did. I thought about him more than about Josh.

And now there was this question on my mind: Can you really have two loves of your life? And can you really lose both of them?

I had the feeling that I had to do something. I had to change my situation right now. I thought about calling Josh. But I was afraid. What if he was still with Helen? There was no sign that they broke up. Molly didn’t tell me anything because I told her before my journey that she shouldn’t tell me about Josh. I wanted to forget him. Maybe there were news, who knew. But I felt bad for asking her because her mother was sick again and I didn’t want to annoy my friend with such a stupid question. So I thought about calling Josh. I mean, why not? I shouldn’t care, right? I just wanted to know how he was doing. Maybe we would have a nice talk and then I would hang up and go back to my hotel room. And that’s it. I was nervous when I called his number and the seconds until he picked up the phone felt like an eternity. But it wasn’t him that picked up the phone. There was a girl speaking. “Hello?” she was asking. I was shocked. First I thought that it could have been a new girl he hooked up with but it wasn’t. “Hello, here’s Emma. Josh is showering. Should I tell him something? Who is there?” she said.

And I hung up.

Emma was picking up his phone. Emma, the daughter of his girlfriend Helen. So I assumed that he was still living with Helen and Emma. I mean, why should Emma pick up the phone if Josh and Helen would have broken up? It didn’t make sense.

So I called Sebastian.

______

August 12th

WELCOME TO CALIFORNIA!

I can’t believe I did it! I’m back home now! We just arrived in LA! On my last weeks Sebastian joined me and we had the craziest road trip I ever did! We drove from Mexico to California.

First we stopped in San Diego to do a short stop at the Comic Con - you know, Sebastian is a huuuuuge comic fan. While I’m only knowing about this Comic Con because I adored Seth Cohen from The O.C. so much. I’ve never seen so many crazy covered people on the streets. No matter where you go, there is always a Spiderman or Joker. Whatever.

After spending a few days in San Diego we drove Newport Beach! The home of The O.C. The TV show obviously chased us. I love the beaches in Newport Beach! We spent most of the time at the beach, had cocktails and even found another great burger restaurant.

I definitely have to go back to Newport Beach some day! It’s not that far away from LA, right? So after spending a few chilling days at the beach we drove to San Bernardino to drive back home and make a short trip on the Route 66!

Freedom. I just felt free.

So after three weeks of road tripping we finally saw a sign. The LA sign at the streets.

Welcome back home.

I even cried a bit after seeing it.

I’m finally back home. After living in Berlin for three years and travelling the world for four more months.

Hello back California, my old friend <3

Hello again, LA, City of Angels.

THE END OF MY JOURNEY

______

“I can’t believe we’re finally in LA!” Sebastian said after pointing at the big sign in front of us that said “Welcome to the City of Los Angeles”. I felt home. I couldn’t believe it. After almost four years of living abroad and four months of travelling the world afterwards I came finally home. I started to cry. “Such an emotional moment, hm?” Sebastian asked me. I was so glad that he was driving because I wouldn’t be in the mood for it. “Yes” I sobbed.

After I called Sebastian three weeks ago we talked for hours and hours on the phone. We both realized that we missed each other so much. He decided to come to Mexico. I was totally overwhelmed by his decision but I also felt happy to know that I would see him again very soon. Two days later he landed and after one day in Mexico City we rent a car and did a road trip through Mexico and California.

We traveled as friends. Nothing happened. We had many long talks at night, watched the sunrise and the sunset and had breakfast at the beach. We stopped at very lonely places and realized the beauty of these places.

I didn’t know if I was still loving Sebastian. But right now I was happy that he was here with me.

We knocked at my parents house and of course my mom started to cry when she saw me. They didn’t expect me to come because I didn’t tell them. I wanted it to be a surprise. We hugged for such a long time and afterwards my mom cooked her perfect Bolognese and I told them everything about my journey. Of course they were both surprised that I wasn’t alone and that Sebastian was with me because they thought it was over. But I guess they noticed that we were only here as friends.

Later that night – Sebastian already fell asleep in the guest room – my mother and I shared a bottle of wine. “Eileen, I’m so happy that you’re back in LA. I hope that this time you stay.” She said. “I hope so too. I mean, I want to. I figured out on my journey that I don’t want to live that far away anymore. At least not abroad” “Didn’t you say your former boss has a job for you?” “Hm….yes, but I don’t know this is what I want to do.” “Teaching? At university? I thought you love it? You did your PhD!” “I know….I did. But you know, this life as a teacher at university isn’t easy. You have to publish every once in a while because otherwise you lost your job. I don’t know if I can stand the pressure. I don’t want to….to be honest. I’m 34, I just want to have a job and enjoy my life. Without pressure. Maybe I try to find a job as a writer and journalist. I mean, I already worked for newspapers before moving to Berlin a few years ago. I love writing. When I was writing for my blogpost I realized how much I love writing” “Hm….but isn’t this business a shark tank?” “Mom” I rolled my eyes. “It’s a normal business” “But it isn’t easy” “It isn’t easy to be a teacher as well. At least not at a university” “Hm….sweetheart, why do you always choose the difficult way?” “I don’t know….I think I like it” I laughed. “Speaking of life decisions….what about Sebastian? Did you get back together?” “No” I answered directly. “We didn’t. He just accompanied me. He flew to Mexico and we talked for a long time. I told him that I have to figure it out where I want to live but it won’t be Berlin. He won’t move to LA. So it’s a difficult situation” “Hm…but do you still love him?” “I don’t know” I sighed. “Maybe…..” then I said a few words my mom didn’t want to hear. “In the last weeks I even started thinking of Josh” “Oh no honey” my mom responded. “I thought the Josh chapter is closed?” “Yes it is….I just started thinking of him. I mean, he has a girlfriend….” ”Oh no he hasn’t” my mom suddenly said. Wait. What? How did my mother know?

“He hasn’t?” I checked to see that she definitely told me these information and she didn’t make a joke. “Yes, he’s single. Marc told me. He met him last week in Malibu where Marc went surfing.” “What did Josh do in Malibu? He hates surfing” “I think he visited a friend” “Hm….and he told Marc that he’s single? Why do guys talk about it?” “I don’t know….I think Marc just asked if he’s in Malibu with his girlfriend….whats her name? Helena?” “Helen” “Yes, and Josh replied that they broke up and he’s just visiting a friend” “Wow….okay” “You didn’t know it?” my mother was surprised. “You’re the queen of gossip and social media stalking!” “Yes but….I traveled the world during the last months and didn’t have much Wifi. And to be honest, I didn’t want to waste my time with stalking my ex on Facebook” “That’s my girl” my mom laughed. “Oh but I just read an interview with him where he is speaking very openly about the new Dot Hacker record. It was very interesting” “Who is now the stalker?” I laughed. “You know I like his music but I didn’t get along with Josh very well” “Whatever….if he’s single or not. I don’t care anymore….I don’t want to” “He’s a musician. Why not choosing someone you can trust?” “Sebastian is also a musician. And I trusted both of them” “Yes but Sebastian isn’t playing in such a huge band….maybe there aren’t opportunities” “Mom” I laughed. “Do you know how many teenage fans Sebastian’s band has in Germany?” “Okay, okay…..” she sighed. “Why do you always have to fall for musicians?” “Maybe it’s in my genes” I looked at her. I knew that before meeting my father my mom dated a semi famous rockstar from Germany. I don’t know his name but he’s originally from Bulgaria but became very famous with singing romantic songs in German in the 1970s. “Whatever, you’ll find your way” my mother was sure. “And I’m sure that some day I’m going to be a grandma again” “Who knows….” I said.

Later that night when I was lying in my bed I wanted to resist but couldn’t. I opened my notebook and searched for the interview my mom was stalking about. It was from August. So very recent. Just two weeks ago.

Josh is talking to LA radio reporter about the past Chili Peppers tour and his new record he did with Dot Hacker. I wondered when he had time for doing that. But he obviously had. The reporter asked him very detailed about some of the songs and Josh is giving an answer that shocked me in a way.

LA RADIO: So let’s talk about the new Dot Hacker record. There are a few songs on it that are very heavy. Not very typical for Dot Hacker. How did these songs come together? Josh: “Well, I had these riffs in my mind and I played them every time I was jamming on my own in my music room. I wanted to bring them on a record. When I played them for the first time in our rehearsal room the fellows reacted very positive and they really liked the song. So we recorded the first one and the other two followed. I like the idea that we changed our sound a little bit”

LA RADIO: You’re almost screaming a whole song long Josh (laughs): “I know. I hope no one hates me for doing it. But I just had the feeling I had to. There were a couple of things happening in my life and I just wanted to scream it out”

LA RADIO: What happened? Josh: “Let’s say, I did a couple of bad decisions in life. I messed around for a while and I’m not proud of it. But I guess that’s something that comes over you if you’re in the business for too long. I needed a break and I’m honestly very happy that the Chilis are on a break now. I know the fans are a bit mad about it but we all need a break after this tour. We’re not the youngest anymore. Even I’m not. So I’m happy that I can play music with the Dots now….it gives me a fresh mind”

LA RADIO: Is it a very personal album? Josh: “Hm….maybe. I don’t know. I think I often write very cryptic lyrics so no one really knows what I want to say with it but I do. And maybe the other people that I’m singing about”

LA RADIO: So you’re singing about a woman? If I take a deeper look into the lyrics it seems like that…. Josh: “Maybe. I don’t want to talk about every story behind the lyrics but….maybe. I thought about life very often during the making of the record. I thought about my life, about the lives of other people, people I love. I thought about our current situation in the world. Maybe we changed our lyrics because we’re all having family now….at least almost every one in the band. You start to see the world and your life from a different perspective if you have to take care of a child”

LA RADIO: I heard your drummer Eric Gardner wrote a song about his daughter? Josh: “Yes and it’s the cutest thing in the world! I love his lyrics. I want to feel them some day….actually, when we were recording the song Eric showed us a noise his daughter made he had recorded on his phone and we thought that it fitted perfectly into the ending of the song. So we included it. So she’s named in the credits on a record at the age of two (laughs)”

LA RADIO: But there is one song that isn’t that happy at all. You sing about losing a love. Josh: “Not I’m singing….the lyrical Me is singing (laughs)”

LA RADIO: Whatever….this song let me start thinking about love in general. In the song you sing that “All hope is over”. Are you really that negative? Josh: “No….at least I don’t want to. But at a certain age you experienced a lot in life. You learned a lot about love, feelings and all this shit. I don’t want to say that I lost my hope in it. I was just thinking about it. Sometimes you sit in your room and just question your life and yourself and you wonder where you’ve been when you lost the love of your life and why you didn’t fight for it. I think this is what the song is about”

After our interview was done, Josh’s phone was ringing. It was the third time that it was ringing during our interview. But he always rejected the call. Now he picked up. It was his daughter Emma. She asked him if she can go to a Taylor Swift concert. Josh laughed after hanging up the phone. “Girls” he commented smiling. But I’m sure he already bought a ticket for his daughter and him. That’s what fathers do.

Wow. So this was very emotional and disturbing to read. I had so many questions on my mind when I read this. I definitely had to listen to the new Dot Hacker record. But at the same time I was totally afraid of doing it. It would be released in a week so I was definitely looking forward to it. Now I was curious what Josh was talking about.

The next question was: why the hell did the reporter write that Emma is Josh’s daughter? It’s totally wrong and…..ugh. Why is he even referring to her as his daughter? Whatever. Why did I even care?

I shouldn’t have read this interview. It just confused me. Sebastian was sleeping next to my room. He would probably wake up tomorrow morning, looking forward to a new day in LA with me while I was lying here thinking about my ex. Oh well, being a thirty something was even more complicated than being a twenty something….

________

BTW I wrote something about Josh on my blog....if you want to read it click here: https://order-disorder-blog.tumblr.com/post/165523840686/lets-talk-about-josh-klinghoffer

_________

“We live on a blue planet That circles around a ball of fire Next to a moon that moves the sea And you don’t believe in miracles?”

(Translation of the chorus of Marteria - Welt der Wunder)

youtube

#rhcp #rhcp fanfiction #josh klinghoffer #josh klinghoffer fanfiction #red hot chili peppers #red hot chili pepper fanfiction #fanfiction #dot hacker

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johnandsarah · 5 years

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Honeymoon Day Seven: Grandma Energy, Family History, and Local Limerick

This morning in Galway, we slept in a little later than intended, and we found ourselves packed up and ready to leave at the tail end of the advertised breakfast window at our B&B. Rather than inconvenience our host, whom we only knew as Phil, we decided to quietly slip out the door and find breakfast in town near the train station. In this case, we seriously underestimated Irish hospitality. Phil, it turns out, is an absolutely lovely Irish woman in her seventies with lots of experience running inns who does NOT believe in letting guests leave the house on an empty stomach. She reminded me so much of my late Grandma Betty with her “request” that we sit down, let her make us some toast, and drink the tea she was making, or else. It was absolutely charming.

Also at the breakfast table were two Australian teenage boys midway through their gap year backpacking journey around the world. It was one of their birthdays, so they had treated themselves to a stay at Phil’s place in lieu of their usual hostel; they were both missing their mums, and they said this was quite a nice way to soothe that. We also had a long chat with Phil about her deeply beloved and profoundly spoiled yellow lab, Rosie. The whole idea of being hosted in someone’s home can sometimes feel a bit intrusive or uncomfortable, but people like Phil make it truly worth it.

We hopped on board another train (“Train gang! Train gang!”), this time a much smaller one bound for Limerick that we boarded with much more success this time around. The countryside was also beautiful on this journey, with more frequent stops at small platforms that let me really admire the occasional large tree in a field or sleeping cows in a pasture.

Limerick may seem to be a less obvious choice on our tour of Ireland than some of our other stops, but it was important to me that we visit, for reasons I’ll expand upon in a moment. The funny thing is that several people were pretty skeptical about our coming here, including Phil, who told us this morning in hushed tones about Limerick’s reputation as “Stab City.” As much as we’ve appreciated the advice of friends both before and during this trip, however, I’m glad we ignored this particular caution, because Limerick is a lovely place.

We wandered around the city center until we found a truly excellent spot for lunch, and then we crossed onto King’s Island to tour King John’s Castle. Brief aside from your local museum nerd: this museum has recently rejuvenated their exhibits to incorporate numerous elements of Universal Design including consistent typeface, tons of touchable elements, and hip-height display viewing. I loved how interactive and dynamic this museum was; there were films, humanized narration, and even dress-up bins! I gleefully made a point of crawling through the counter-mining tunnel, since we were there late enough in the day that I didn’t feel like I was taking a turn from a nearby child in doing so.

(OK, so now that I’ve done my due diligence as a museum employee visiting a fellow informal education site, can I call this a professional development trip and ask for reimbursements?)

There were also very cool (though less accessible) paths through the historic castle itself and spectacular views of Limerick and its surrounding countryside from the tower tops.

All right, so the main reason we came to Limerick is that my dad lived here when he was a kid. I’ve always loved stories of his time in Ireland, and I especially wanted to find his childhood home. Now, the thing is that we don’t have a car, and the house was across the river and down the bank about three miles from the castle through a city that does not have a reputation as being particularly scenic or walkable. That might have been a problem...if I hadn’t married an incredibly kind-hearted and supportive person who didn’t hesitate to agree to go on this jaunt with me.

We found the house. I found myself pretty choked up to be standing there, thinking of my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and of course my dad living their lives here more than forty years ago. For the record, it was a really nice walk, and I stand by the fact that Limerick is a hidden gem.

After our walk, we were really hungry, and we had no internet but remembered something about a “copper something or other” on one of the main tourist streets from our earlier googling around. The Copper Room, which we did find without too much trouble, did not have food, but they did have ATMOSPHERE and a lovely bartender by the extremely Irish name of Caoimhe. Any guesses on pronunciation? I got within a stone’s throw of correct, but only if you squint.

Ready? It’s “KWEE-vuh!” Anglicizing languages doesn’t always work out! Still, the Irish language is beautiful, and we had such a nice time chatting with her about her experience her in Limerick and her plans for the future.

On our new friend Caoimhe’s recommendation, we went to the titillatingly named Coq Bull restaurant, which was, just as she’d described, a burger joint with a surprising vegan menu. John tried his first Irish IPA, I ate a mushroom burger, life was good.

Midway through our walk back to our lodgings for the night, we stopped in at a convenience store for some snacks. As Edgar Wright fans, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try a Cornetto.

Tomorrow, we head south to Killarney, where we’ve treated ourselves to an actual hotel and hope to have some scenic adventures in County Kerry!

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lewigm-blog · 5 years

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Newsletter 3: Lima tell you something about Peru’s Capital…

Me trying to imagine and pose for a cute couple’s picture. Cat has to send me a picture of her sitting on some steps so I can photoshop her in. (Also I wonder what was going on with the couple behind me. I’d like to think that I captured a cute moment of them) Published April 16, 2019

Gypsy Music

“God is a gypsy who plays her violin

At the gate of my heart.

Hidden in the high thin notes of her wild music

is her longing for love.

She plays her rhapsody

Until the tears come… longing, longing to be invited in.”

- Sr. Lou Ella Hickman

After spending a short six hours at the Starbucks in Cusco, I finally finished my pre-Lima newsletter in Cusco… That is to say that I am only three newsletters behind now! I am excited to be writing going through my experience and time in Lima with a broader perspective on what the Lima trip has meant for me. The city has much life and is constantly moving with rushed vendors hopping onto moving buses on highways and throughout every street. Interestingly enough, traffic seems to function better than some major U.S. Cities. Everyone here is an aggressive driver, not much like Jersey or Long Island drivers in the ways they can be careless or distracted, but rather they drive with an attentive, but intense approach to driving. Not all conductors can be characterized this way, but I can say this much about the commercially employed and apparently licensed drivers.

Amidst the bustling movement of people and vehicles, I have been able to draw out three “themes” or questions that capture my time in Lima: Traffic, privilege and more traffic, “Why am I here?”, and “Bohemian Rhapsody” While some of the events and moments I describe while in Lima fall clearly into one theme, most others blend and find their place somewhere in between.

Traffic, privilege and more traffic

As my fellow first year community mate and I arrived in Lima, we were met with an overwhelming heat and cloudiness that pervaded each and every breath we took. It was as if Peru was letting us know that although we had come down 3,000 meters of altitude, we weren’t going to make it through the coastal region without some discomfort. In true volunteer fashion, we were provided with a cheap Altel “dumb” phone (which only worked on speaker phone) to communicate with our JVC community back home for anything migrations related. Another adjustment we had to make was navigating the city without access to consistent internet. We found ourselves downloading, screenshotting and even hand drawing walking and bus routes to move around. It became our nuanced approach to being simple living JVs in Lima.

One of the aspects that struck me the most about Lima was the rhythm and pace of the traffic and the Limeñan people. Our entire first day in Lima was spent attempting to understand the bus routes and system. We stayed at the “humble” Inmaculada Colegio located in Santiago del Surco, which was conveniently located near a major highway (Panamerica Sur Highway). The highways have bridges and other points of access so that pedestrians could make their way to bus stops. Bus companies in Peru tend to be privatized and have specific routes which only added to the confusion. The city of Lima had its own public bus company, but we never made it to that point in our time with public transportation. After failing to describe our destination to nearly 20 buses, we decided to hop on a random bus and see where it took us.

Once aboard, we zipped past several districts and areas of the city, both poor and underdeveloped and also drove through areas that were more touristy and gentrified. One region in particular, San Luis, had me disconcerted and would shift my perspective for the rest of my time in the city. As the bus drivers maneuvered through hordes of stagnant traffic, several passengers hopped on and off to get to their destination. One young man, about my age, made his way onto the bus and stood near a woman in a seat in front of my community mate. I initially thought nothing of him as he appeared to be just another passenger who, like most other Peruvians on public transportation, had little regard for personal space. He suddenly bent over and drew closer to this woman putting his arm around her, speaking to her as a close friend would. I couldn’t hear much of anything over the incessant car horns and chants of street vendors attempting to sell their goods, but after he spoke, the woman seemed distressed as she began to shake her head. He crouched down, and it appeared that he was comforting her. She then opened her backpack and he searched through it, taking out some money. He casually called over a bus vendor selling snacks and purchased a soda with her— I suppose now his—money. In a dramatic and cruel fashion, he opened and drank the soda in front of her, gasping in delight after consuming the first sip of his spoils.

If my description of this event so far hasn’t told you much about me, I am quite weary and observant of those around me, especially in unfamiliar territories. Perhaps it was the inner gringo in me or all the news media clips that my mom and other family members would share with me before arriving in Lima, but I feared for my own safety. In that moment, I felt that my decision to wear Chaccos, Touristy white cargo shorts and a Henle Long sleeve shirt was the worst thing I could’ve possibly done (Picture this but with a different shirt). I experienced an intense pressure and anxiety as my Americanness and privilege seemed surged up as if it was beach ball that I was trying to hide underneath water. I felt very out of place and wanted nothing more than to disappear. I had never seen a robbery in action.

What could I have really done? What if he approached my community mate? I only felt the sweat profusely leaving the pores from my hands onto my knees and shorts as these thoughts passed through my mind. Seeing what I believed to be a casual Jason Bourne-esque robbery on the bus, I only wanted to get back to Andahuaylillas. I struggled thinking about how I would travel the rest of my time in Lima. My community mate and I still had a whole 12 days in the city, and I wanted nothing more than to leave after our migrations process was over. I was never quite at ease during the rest of the trip after that moment but had to pull it together for migrations.

The next few days were spent drawing out maps to the tramites and customs office about an hour walk away. What we expected would be a process that would take a few trips and days was over in a matter of three hours. We left the Inmaculada early ordering an Uber from inside the Inmaculada to take us to the interpol and customs office. We thought we had arrived early enough but there was a long line of others waiting to be let through. One thing to note is that Peruvian lines can be complicated and generally disorganized, but we didn’t know that at the time. With a great wave and influx of Venezuelan refugees, things were backed up for everyone who may have just wanted to renew their licenses, ID’s and file any other paperwork. I was growing nervous after seeing other folks in line pulling out the same sheets of paper that looked completely different than ours. I thought that we had forgotten something back in Andahuaylillas and our trip would be for nothing!

When we finally reached the front of the line, an employee asked me where my papers were, and he noticed that my community mate and I had United States passports. He then loudly exclaimed “Oh you’re AMERICANS?! Why didn’t you come up front and say so?!” and then he took us inside. As we walked past several offices and groups of people, we were told that we had waited in the Venezuelan line and we would be tended to shortly. The process afterwards was clear and simple. We were fingerprinted, had our teeth checked and signed a few documents. Within a few hours we were out of the interpol offices and I was to check up on my religious carnet in a few weeks back home in Cusco. It seemed like an easy process for us but there were many Venezuelans still in lines and I wondered how long they would be there.

For those who may not know, Venezuela is going through an economic, political and humanitarian crisis. The “President” Nicolás Maduro has allowed for much corruption to go unchecked for years, leaving many to flee the country so that they can provide for themselves and their families. Many Venezuelans seek refuge in nearby countries such as Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia and Peru. Many of the street and bus vendors in Peru today are Venezuelans hoping to make some money to meet up with family in other countries, or to simply feed themselves for the day. It is both sad and amazing to see the resiliency and positivity of many Venezuelans who are grateful for every sale and donation.

During my trip with the tourist bus company PeruHop, I met a Venezuelan named Luis in Paracas who was working in a hostel we stayed at. He fled the country as things were starting to get violent and desperate and he told me how grateful he was to find employment and a place to stay. Most of Luis’ friends and family weren’t so lucky. Oftentimes, even if they managed to leave Venezuela, they struggled finding consistent employment.

The sentiment and tensions that some of the Limeñans had towards the newly immigrated Venezuelans weren’t helpful during the mass migration. During mass at the Inmaculada, some Catholics grumbled about parables or readings that welcomed the stranger and foreigner. This crisis has been going on since Hugo Chavez’ presidency in 2010. It has been nearly a decade and the issues have yet to be resolved. The distaste and disapproval of their migration seemed ironic to me because just a few decades prior, Venezuela had opened its borders to receive Peruvians. I suppose it surprised me to witness a distaste of migrants and refugees in another country. These issues are present everywhere I suppose.

Why am I here?

This question of “Why am I here?” came up often during my time in Lima. After our migrations experience took only a mere 3 hours to accomplish, I wondered what we were going to be doing for the next 12 days. My community mate and I decided to spend a few days on the safe and touristy bus company called PeruHop. It took us to the beach town of Paracas, near the Ballestas Islands or better known as “The Galapagos of Peru.” We also stayed in Huacachina and the area of Ica, home of the largest desert oasis where spent an afternoon looking at the sunset after sandbuggying. This was definitely an experience that I would normally enjoy but given the reason I had come to Peru in the first place, seemed to contradict the JVC value of simple living and solidarity with the people we served.

This was a difficult discernment process because it wasn’t a decision that affected solely myself, but my other community mate as well. I had not been accustomed to living a life of much travel, vacation and privilege before. As some of you may know, I was raised with my brother by a single mother who had sacrificed much to ensure that we were provided with the necessities. Here and there money would be saved up to take a trip to the free Knoebels family park or on the rare occasion, to Dorney Park. Time off and vacationing wasn’t the norm for me, and it was difficult to discuss with my JV community mate since our upbringings were starkly different. I constantly had to ask myself, “Is this really simple living? Why am I spending more than 3 months’ worth of stipend for a trip that most of the people in the Quispicanchi region will never experience? Am I doing this because I want to or to appease the community?” Questions like these surged constantly and left me feeling uneasy and resentful.

I understand that I have many differences with others, but I struggled to find a balance between our different gustos (tastes) and interests during our time in Lima. It was a particular challenge being just one on one with that person, but I (eventually) realized that I was at odds with my community mate because we are different people. I understood the saying “You learn a lot about yourself and others when you travel with them.” It was certainly an intense way of experiencing this saying as it was two people.

I have found that this whole arranged marriage part of the Jesuit Volunteer experience was difficult because well… it’s arranged! In my life, especially leading up to my departure, I tried spending most of my time and energy with the people I cared for the most. I had no problem leaving an event or kindly declining invitations to spend time with acquaintances. I simply did not have the time to casually be wasting time, or at least that was how I bluntly rationalized that decision. I spent time with the individuals who I would consider true friends, the people that gave me so much life and added value to me as a person. I believe that I may have brought a bit too much of that no-acquaintance attitude into Peru. Naturally, I didn’t realize this completely on my own. I had the help of some Jesuit apartment mates for two weeks at the Inmaculada.

Bohemian Rhapsody

Contrary to my earlier descriptions, not all from my trip was a negative experience. I had a wonderful time within the walls of the Inmaculada. With it being the start of the “summer vacation,” the colegio was empty and quiet. The only sounds came from construction, much like the University of Scranton during the summer. Life was still going on, but at a much slower pace. Any other noises would come from the aforementioned Zoo, but mostly from the bird exhibit. Macaws and Peacocks would constantly shriek and call out throughout the days and late in the evening. I never quite grew accustomed to those sounds because they were always foreign and unexpected in the super city.

The time I would spend in the Inmaculada before and after exploring the city with my community mate was a time to order my life and for calm reflection. This was both good and bad because I would have a lot of time on my hands to think about why I am here, which was a frustrating question to ask. I felt that I was just wasting my time and struggled to understand what this time in Lima really meant. I was at odds with my community mate on how to navigate the city. I struggled with the value of simple living after paying for three months’ worth of stipend for PeruHop. I wanted to start working and although I recognized that I would (eventually) appreciate my time adjusting into Peruvian life, but that didn’t make going through it any easier. Interior conflict and resentment was a brewin’ and what I needed was some spiritual direction.

I found that during those times I would write and converse with the Jesuit brothers and priests who stayed in the Inmaculada to reorient myself. I discovered much life and joy within the Jesuit milieu in the mornings around the dining room. It was a time that I would chat with my new source of inspiration and passion for food, Olga. I would always cook an egg in the kitchen so that I could preview what was to come for lunch and hear about her life in Venezuela. I also noticed the routines and particularities of some of the Jesuits. One Jesuit would always have a fruit, perhaps a granadia or a sliced apple, while reading the paper. Another would always ask Olga for an over easy egg. As she would make his egg, he would toast a slice of bread, spread butter and pour olive oil, made from the Inmaculada’s own olive trees, onto his toast. Quite a unique way to do breakfast, but my community mate learned another way to spread butter!

Everyone had a routine and I realized that it was something that I longed for myself. I began asking them about their lives and roles in Lima. Some Jesuits were simply passing through, while others were more permanent residents working within the schools in the area. I really enjoyed my time with the director of the Inmaculada, Father Oscar. He was the parish priest who originally brought JVC to Andahuaylillas. I also enjoyed speaking with Monsignor Alfredo Vizcarra, the bishop in Jaen. His story was particularly interesting because he was sent to work in Chad, where he founded 17 Fe y Alegria schools. He had no particular desire or interest to go to Chad, but that is where he was sent, and he was able to make a difference there. Monsignor Vizcarra told me that although his mission had many successes, the journey was not without any challenges or failures. In that moment, I related to this because I hadn’t clicked particularly with any of my community mates. Perhaps I wasn’t as open to the experience to learn and grow within the JV community as I had once thought…

“Hidden in the high thin notes of her wild music is her longing for love…”

This was an experience of God; a chord was faintly being played that I recognized, something I could hum along to. The initial feelings that I had when I was called to enter this JV experience resurfaced and I felt renewed to be challenged as a person to grow for and with others. The sound that beckoned me brought with it much excitement and fear. It was a call to be more able to find God in all things. In that conversation with Alfredo, I had also asked him about his motivations for joining the Jesuits. He told me that he was called early on in life, but with a well-maintained prayer life and dialogue with God, he found solace as he left his studies of law for the Jesuits.

As he continued to speak, I questioned and began revisiting my faith life and relationship to God. Was what I had only a technical or academic sense of faith? Do I really believe that I am a Catholic? Can I say confidently that I own my faith, that I have a relationship and prayer life with God? I realized that the answer wasn’t clear just yet. Up until that point I realized that I didn’t have a defined and clear relationship with God. I don’t know if anyone ever does reach a constant state of nirvana, but I felt that perhaps I wasn’t even trying. I merely appreciated what the Catholic faith life had added to my life. Sunday masses helped provide an orientation for my life one week at a time. Ignatian Spirituality appealed to me because of its intellectual approach to faith and life. It was as if I was stuck with only talking about Faith, God and sharing stories and reflections of my life without ever being clear that God was at the center of it all.

“At the gate of my heart…is her longing for love…longing, longing to be invited in…”

I didn’t believe in the faith with all my heart. I saw its goodness and potential, but I was not ready to accept it. This was the challenge for which I felt called to face during my time here in Peru. It was also a call to see God in other people as well. I realized something surprising about myself during this reflective period. I had been used to taking on the responsible, big brother role within my family and I was beginning to show some of that with my community mate at times. I had come into this volunteer experience with expectations and desires for what I wanted a Jesuit volunteer to be. Naturally, when those expectations weren’t met, I was going to be inevitably frustrated. I had not given myself or my community mate the space to discover this new world and chapter in our lives. It wasn’t fair of me to do that, and it is something that I have slowly been improving on.

My conversations with the Jesuits and my brief experiences of prayer after that night gave me something more focused to work on; To be truly open to witnessing and hearing God’s call to not only love others, but to allow myself to accept the ways in which others want to love me. I hope that with time and effort, I can continue to explore and renew the commitment to a healthy and holistic relationship with God. To nurture a relationship with the God that is always there, the God that is always beckoning us to let Him in, even when and where we least expect it.

“Is this the real life? Is this just Fantasy? Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality. Open your eyes, look up to the sky and see...”

Gypsy Music (Or what I call “God’s Bohemian Rhapsody”)

“God is a gypsy who plays her violin

At the gate of my heart.

Hidden in the high thin notes of her wild music

is her longing for love.

She plays her rhapsody

Until the tears come… longing, longing to be invited in.”

- Sr. Lou Ella Hickman

A group of international PeruHop friends after winning Trivia Pictured (Left to Right): Jenz (Our Danish sugar daddy who paid for our drinks) Jary (Holland Native who came for Peru’s international car derby Dakar, Also loves Chipotle more than anyone I know even though he’s only been there once), Jack (An Australian student just traveling and balling on a budget) Me (Inhaling to look decent in the apparently medium sized shirt) Phyllis (My community mate who killed the celebrity part of Trivia) Margerite (German free spirit who was such a kind soul)

The view from the Olive Cerro at the Inmaculada. It was cloudy but a spectacular view nonetheless

Links to Photos:

Lima: https://photos.app.goo.gl/HnVHCALVR6naKB7s6

PeruHop Adventures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/rpkFB8eWsf677aUB8

#JVC Peru IgotroadsinLima

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csproolz · 5 years

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Gold Coast:- Tues 02.07.19 - Fri 19.07.19

Wow I really should’ve written this sooner 😳 basically we got to the Gold Coast on the Tuesday and sat on the beach for a bit, found the flat and that’s when the goon madness started, so the details are a little fuzzy 🤭

The flat was really nice, had everything we needed including a full kitchen and a washing machine: we’d never used a top loading machine before so that took two tries and ate two of my bras 😵 That Weds we met up with my friend Fionn from Riego and her boyfriend Ste (obviously in an Irish bar), played some pool and managed to come second in a pub quiz at Steampunk, then went to a place where I had (shockingly) my first ever margarita. Thursday was my birthday, I had a really nice long phone call with Kriss back home, then cooked an indoor bbq for the four of us cos the weather was a bit rubbish, before going out and getting very drunk, playing pokies and presumably being carried home by Matt cos the end of the night is a bit of a blur - just as all birthdays should go. The next day we lazed about recovering and relishing our last day without loads of other backpackers.

The next day we got to the Down Under by the Beach hostel we’d end up staying at for nearly two weeks. I really liked this place: it was literally 30 seconds from the beach, and had a bottle shop and convenience store over the road, plus ten mins walk from everything in town :) Everyone was so nice, they had stuff going on every day that they’d go around asking everyone to join in with, and one of the guys working there even lent me his own laptop to do my CV when I asked reception about finding a computer. I applied for a RA job in Brisbane (that I still haven’t heard back from), received our TFNs (thanks Holly), and that’s as far as productivity really went in Surfer’s 😂

Mon 8th we went for dinner with Matt’s second cousin Terry and his wife Cathy at a surfers club on Main Beach, who were absolutely lovely and invited us to stay at their house in the hinterland that weekend. Terry came and picked us up that Saturday afternoon and took us to their huge beautiful house in Witheren, were we had an amazing evening with homemade pizza, beers and s’mores by the bonfire. I’ve never liked marshmallows, but have decided Americans have found an excellent way to turn fluffy plastic sugar into a food of the gods. Unfortunately there was a full moon that night so we couldn’t see the Milky Way, but I still managed to geek out a bit over all the stars you could see.

The next day, we had a bit of a lie in (probably because it was the first proper bed we’d been treated to in a while), saw a few wallabies hopping about their ~garden (if you can call 4 acres of bush a garden), and went off to O’Reilly’s Canungra Valley Vineyards. Cathy took me in her MX-5 so that was already my day made, then they treated us to an amazing picnic spread complete with bottle of pink bubbles down down by the creek. If anyone ever gets the chance to go there then I’d definitely encourage it, the whole place is absolutely beautiful, and there are even turtles in the brook sometimes! Alas we couldn’t see any when we were here, but I did see my first eel, so that’s something; and afterwards Terry dropped us back in Surfer’s. They really are both the nicest people, and allowed us to go out and see some proper countryside, so I’m really hoping we can meet up again once they’ve moved and settled into their new flat in Gold Coast in a few months :)

During that week, on Weds 10th we also finally managed to go whale watching, something we’d tried to book for my birthday but couldn’t due to strong swells. We hurried (hungover) to get the marina in time, and hopped on this fancy-ass yacht to take us out to sea. To get there you have to go through the broadwater, and before that I didn’t really understand just how much water and coastline there is in Gold Coast. Basically, the city is full of waterways and islands and little beaches - including Budd’s Beach, which we never got to visit but will have to go next time we’re there for obvious reasons. Anyway, so we went out on this awesome cruise, and a surprisingly short distance from shore (about 3 miles?) we saw the first signs of humpback whales with the clouds of vapour coming from their blowholes. There are rules about how close the boats are allowed to get, so we didn’t get to see as much as I’d have liked, but we did see a few pods together doing their fin slaps on the surface, and once one even swam right under the back of the boat, so you could see the mottled skin and blowhole just underneath the water. I’ve always wanted to see whales so that was pretty cool, and that with the sea air and the sun cleared up the hangover nicely 😊

The rest of our time in Surfer’s was pretty relaxed, we went down to the beach a fair few times, saw some beautiful skies and went in the sea a few times. Those waves look really pretty crashing on the beach but I promise are a bit more powerful when you’re in them! I’m not a strong swimmer (and had contacts in with no goggles on) so didn’t go out quite as far or as often as Matt, but it was kinda amazing to be stood waist deep in water, have a wave crash over your head, then have the water go out so far you’re stood on dry(ish) sand again 😳 At one point Matt made me the bacon and potato flowers I’d tagged him in hinting at a birthday present, to interesting but surprisingly tasty results; and one day we played three rounds at King Tutt’s Putt Putt, one of which I actually managed to win for once! We also met a couple of people at the hostel (mostly called Matt) and started to be more social. One night we were out with a few people by the pool and Matt ended up going for an unwanted swim that he wasn’t stoked about, so obviously afterwards he pushed me in too and took himself back in at the same time for revenge. In my defence, I did make sure he didn’t have anything important in his pockets first 🤷🏼‍♀️

I was quite sad to leave the hostel, but we figured our little few-day trip to Gold Coast stretching to 2.5 weeks was probably enough, so I placed my first Dylan sticker in view of the sea and we headed back to the city. It wasn’t until we’d literally just arrived at our new hostel in Brisbane that I realised I’d lost my passport, because one night we’d been out with Fionn and Ste I’d been ~sensible enough to put it in her bag, and forgot all about it when I left 🙄 crisis adverted, and the beaut that she is, Fionn’s stuck it in the post so I’ll have that back soon 👍🏼 It was really awesome to hang out with her again on the other side of the world, and to meet Ste who’s super lovely, so I’m hoping to get to see them again before they head off again in a few months!

We’ve been back in Bris just over a week now, but it’s already taken me over an hour to write this and it makes sense to keep things together by place, so I’ll post more again soon!

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suitairbus3-blog · 5 years

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Cassie.net

Based on numerous requests from you (my loyal followers!) I’ve put together a recap of my 2 weeks in Maui. This is basically a (super thorough!) review of everything: from where I stayed and what I did, to places I ate, what I liked, didn’t like...and more.

Before we head to the island:

This trip was unique and special to me for a few reasons. I booked this trip just 5 days before I left because I hit a wall. So, you’ll notice that this quickly-planned excursion runs the full gamut of Hawaiian experiences—for example, I stayed in both a hostel and a high-end resort while I was there. It’s all about balance, right?

Quick backstory on WHY I booked this trip: I was completely burned out, I’d never been to Hawaii and always wanted to go, and I had a decade’s worth of credit card points to use before they expired (that would cover this trip in its entirety).

Quick backstory on HOW I booked this trip: When I was in Utah the prior weekend, I made a new friend named Beth. She and her family were going to be in Maui, and my friend Jeff chimed into our conversation saying that he’d be there the weekend after. It made sense to bookend my trip with the plan to meet up with each of them, and fill in the time in between. That’s why I stayed in Lahaina (to coincide with Beth’s trip) and Wailea (at the same resort as Jeff). Also, the original plan was to do this trip solo, but to my (joyful!) surprise, my friend Maddy decided to join me for 4 nights, which was a blast, and we packed a lot of adventures into those 4 nights, which I’ll share with you.

The BEST resource throughout my trip was Maui Revealed: The Ultimate Guidebook. My friend Roger gifted me with this gem and it made all the difference! Highly recommend it.

Lastly, this is not a sponsored post. No one has paid me to mention or review any product or locations. I simply wanted to give my honest review to help you plan your amazing (and healthy!) trip to Maui, whenever the mood strikes YOU!

Okay, onto the fun stuff!

Where I stayed (The Lodging):

Over my 14-night vacation, I bounced around 5 different hotels, hostels, and resorts. Phew! That was a lot (too much) unpacking, repacking, and repeat. But the good news is that you get the inside scoop about multiple lodging options instead of just one!

1) Hakuna Matata Hostel: I realize the hostel life isn’t for everyone, but if it’s your thing, then I highly recommend this place! They have everything you need from free parking to excellent wifi to breakfast. I also love that they have a beautiful backyard with hammocks and free rentals of bikes and I think even surfboards.

I stayed here my first couple of nights in hopes of making some friends at the beginning of my solo trip. It’s a nice community feel... and only a block from the ocean!

I remember crashing at hostels the month I backpacked across Europe back in 2011. Even though I really enjoyed my stay here, I realized that I might just be “over” the hostel experience. I don’t know, maybe it’s just the fact that I’m older and highly value my personal space (2 bathrooms for 24 people is ...well, an experience), but I doubt I’d stay here again. If you’re in your twenties or just love rocking out the close community feel, then this is your joint!

2) Puunoa Beach Estates: From the hostel I landed here. Talk about a night and day comparison! The condo is incredible. I even felt a little guilty about how much space I had! I stayed here 4 nights and had the entire place all to myself— with a full kitchen, outdoor patios, separate wing with extra bedroom and bathroom (which didn’t even get used). I think this place is perfect for families. This was at the beginning of my trip, so I was still taking work calls on the patio near the beach (however, the wifi was a bit spotty.) If you’re looking for more of a secluded experience, then you might consider this place. It has a beautiful beachfront property and a lovely hot tub that I almost always had to myself. Just be warned that there is a lot of coral at this beach. While I was jumping waves and swimming in the ocean here, I got into a battle with some coral reef, and hurt my leg. A week later I almost went into urgent care since it was still throbbing and didn’t look to be healing very well, but that same day I was introduced to 2 wound nurses staying at the same hotel. Love how life works!

3) Royal Lahaina Resort: I am a sucker for the ocean, and while I enjoyed Baby Beach at the Puunoa Beach estates (until the coral got me), I’m glad I stayed there first, because once going to Kaanapali, it’d be tough to go back! It’s crazy how this beach—located in technically the same city as the other 2 places I stayed—felt completely different and so much nicer.

By this time, my friend Maddy had joined me. The one night we stayed here we took advantage of everything, including a great dinner (food was good, service was better), yummy drinks, beach time, hot tub time, and a jog around the golf course on the path. The ocean was cleaner, bluer… I witnessed dolphins come out of nowhere and start swimming with people on the beach! I watched whales jumping from the comfort of the hot tub which overlooked the ocean. The only downfall is that the bungalow room was super tiny—the smallest room of all of the places I stayed, and the hot tub was small too. That said, the grounds were incredible, and I wish I’d had more than a night here!

4) Kohea Kai Resort Maui: I don’t really have too much to say about this hotel, other than it was very average. Perhaps I was spoiled after staying at the Royal Lahaina Resort, but I think even with an unbiased set of eyes, I wasn’t impressed. It wasn’t nearly as nice as I thought it’d be, and for the price (credit card points), it felt like a pretty big letdown. I did appreciate that they had a hot breakfast in the morning. I’d get scrambled eggs and also grab some hard boiled ones for snacks later, fruit, peanut butter and they even had gluten free bread. This resort is just across the street from the ocean, but the beach wasn’t nearly as nice as the previous and next resort. There also weren’t as many people around, but maybe for some people that would be a positive. The hot tub was small, but there was never anyone else around, so that was nice.

5) Fairmont Kea Lani, Maui: Hands down my favorite place to stay—by far. The service was exceptional, room was enormous (all rooms are suites), had a balcony (I think all rooms do), they have a nice hot tub and several pools. The grounds are gorgeous and the ocean views and sunsets are to-die for. I think a lot of people come to the island, check in and never leave the resort- which is totally cool if that’s your type of vacay. Part of me can see why that’s so appealing, because after checking in here, it was hard to leave. I had many activities planned over the time I was there, and would have loved to just chill and have a couple legit “beach days” there with the sole purpose of reading and relaxing. That’s my one regret: not being able to enjoy this resort more! But I’m so glad I ended my my Hawaiian vacation here. The perfect grand finale. I’d start my day with yoga near the beach, and end it watching the sunset from somewhere on the beautiful grounds —or one night I ended it with the (free) lavender body mud mask in their spa! While paradise is a word that could be used to describe the whole island, this resort fully embraced it in every way.

What I did (The Adventures):

Nearly every activity I did was based on a verbal recommendation, a suggestion from an Instagram follower (thanks for all those!), or something I read about in the Maui Revealed Guidebook.

Surfing: One of the main highlights of my trip! I’d never surfed, and honestly never really had a huge interest in it, but after the first minute or two, I pretty much considered myself hooked.

I love the ocean, I love being active and I love a challenge. This was an epic combo of all of these things. I especially love how present and mindful you need to be when surfing, and I learned a really important lesson that I shared in this short post.

I did a group lesson through Maui Surfer girls, which was a great experience. They ended up rescheduling my lesson twice (once because they didn’t have enough people signed up, and once due to windy conditions). But thankfully I was able to still make it work. There were 4 of us in my group lesson, and the instructor was great. They had a portrait package option with the lesson, which was totally worth it to get footage of my first time surfing.

After my lesson, I felt comfortable going out by myself, so I spent a couple more days surfing, and am seriously considering moving near the ocean to get to make this part of my lifestyle.

Whale Watching: My hairdresser in Minneapolis recommended I do this, and do it through the Pacific Whale Foundation. It’s a non-profit, so the proceeds go back to the whales. He said to make sure to do the raft—not the big boat. I’m so glad I followed his advice! This was INCREDIBLE. Like, WAY cooler than I’d ever imagined! Obviously your experience would be different if you didn’t see any whales, but I did! In 2 hours, we must have seen 40 whales, several which came almost too close to our raft for my comfort! The guides leading the excursion were super knowledgeable and passionate. I learned a lot. I highly recommend doing this.

The Grand Luau at Honua'ula: I was told that in Hawaii, the one thing I MUST do is attend a Luau! After chatting with both locals and visitors and doing my own research online, the consensus is that the top 2 luaus on the island are Old Lahaina Inn and The Grand Luau at Honua'ula. Both are booked quite far in advance due to high demand, but thankfully The Grand Luau at Honua'ula had tickets available, and happened to be within walking distance of the Fairmont. It was a great outing to do as a group—me, Maddy, my friend Jeff and our new friend Jason all went together. And while I’m glad we went, I don’t feel the need to do it again. It was entertaining and a neat experience, but $108 for so-so food and drinks, I’d probably pass and go for a nice dinner. Also, I’ve been asked on social media if it was family friendly: absolutely.

Nakalele Blowhole: This was recommended by a young couple I met, and I’m sooooo glad we took the time to do this. The Blowhole was spectacular, and the drive up to the north end of Maui to get there was crazy. I’ve never been standing in a windier place in my entire life. As I attempted to take photos and videos, my phone practically blew out of my hand! I’m glad I waited for Maddy to do this, because I wouldn’t have hiked down as far without someone else with me. It’s a bit of a sketchy hike to get very close to blowhole, but I recommend it if you can. Protip: be sure to not wear flip flops!

So, what is the blowhole? “A blowhole is a hole in the ground that connects to an underground, partially submerged ocean cave. The cave and opening are shaped in such a way that when the ocean rises or waves crash into it, a jet of water and air is violently forced out through the hole,” according to MauiGuidebook.com. The guys from Maui Revealed Guidebook said once they were there when it wasn’t blowing a thing, and four hours later they returned and found it viciously shooting 70 feet into the air every few seconds. There are signs all over saying that you are risking death if you get too close… and while we were the most adventurous out of anyone else that was there at the same time as us, we kept our distance. The wind was so crazy that it made it hard to communicate (and even hard to think)! After about a half hour of hiking down, hanging out, attempting to get some pics and videos, I was definitely ready to head out! So the other nice thing about this excursion is that this does not require a lot of time (just depends on how far you need to drive). We saw one couple get out of their car, take a peek, have her dress blown up to her neck, and leave...hehe.

Haleakala National Park Sunrise Tour + Cycle Downhill:

The sunrise was majestic... but it ended up being my least favorite excursion. Allow me to explain...

The sunrise at Halekala, the 10,023 foot summit, is the most beautiful sunrise I’ve ever seen… You’re watching the sun rise above the clouds from the rim of the crater, and you can feel the temperature warm up as the sun rises. Incredible. But you have to work for it. First of all, it’s VERY cold and windy up there. And even with my Minnesota blood, I didn’t bring enough warm clothes to make this comfortable—even with hats and gloves! We froze. Secondly, in order to get all the way up the mountain in time to see the sunset, you need to get up EARLY (or just don’t ever go to bed… like we did…). Commit to leaving extra early because we saw cars pull up just after the sun had risen. That would be such a bummer to have not been there in time!

The tour we booked drove us up there in a bus. On the way back, they dropped us off part way down the volcano, where there were bikes and motorcycle helmets (you read that right!) waiting for us on the side of the road. We then cycled 23 miles down the mountain. As cool as this sounds (you know I love to bike!!), I did not enjoy it. The road is one single lane and it wraps around the mountain, which is not the safest to begin with. Plus, you’re biking down as cars try to pass you. Unfortunately, if you’re looking for a workout in any way, this isn’t it; you have to pump your brakes the entire way down! My experience was staring at the biker in front of me and trying to gracefully brake without hitting them or braking too hard and flying off my bike… for 23 miles. I was going very cautiously at first, until the tour guide told us we had to speed up—it’s too dangerous to go too slow. I did not like trying to go down this mountain in the first place, and with speed—no thanks! The bikes were already old and rickety, and to me, it was more dangerous and tedious than it was worth… and that’s coming from someone who loves to skydive, cliff jump, rock climb and do plenty of other risky things. Plus, it was cold.

Overall, this excursion was talked up more than it was worth, and also waaaay longer than we anticipated: by the time all was said and done, we were dropped off at our hotel 10 ½ hours after we were picked up. This whole sunrise/bike tour lasted that long! There was waaaaay too much downtime and waiting before, after and between the activities. Okay, this Negative Nancy is done.

Crossfit: Exercise is a priority for me—even on vacation. I enjoy moving my body. I never feel like I “have to” workout. It makes me feel good. Beach runs along the shoreline were amazing. Also, one of my favorite parts of traveling is trying new gyms and meeting new people. During my time in Hawaii, the Crossfit open was happening. It’s an annual worldwide competition that practically everyone in the crossfit community participates in. There are 5 workouts to be done over the course of 5 weeks. You have to do them in a certain time frame and be scored by a qualified judge to submit your score. So, I attended 2 different gyms based on the location of where I was staying, and had awesome experiences at both! It was such a great way to connect with other active people with similar interests—many of which were local. And from my experience, Crossfit gyms always cultivate a warm, welcoming community (more on that in this post). I enjoyed visiting Lahaina Crossfit and Makena Crossfit in Kihei.

Photoshoots: I regularly do photoshoots for our brand, and the look and feel we aim to achieve with our photography is freedom, confidence and beauty...and what better place to accomplish this than the island of Hawaii!? The very first thing I did after booking my plane ticket was start researching photographers on the island (and there are a LOT). I also had to decide what type of photoshoot I wanted. An amazing thing about photography on the island is the endless range of scenery available. Sunrise shoot on the beach? Sunset photos in the rainforest? Lava rocks? Sea turtles? Waterfalls? Black sand? Red sand? How to decide!?

I narrowed it down to doing a sunrise shoot, and a jungle shoot, and I couldn’t decide between 2 different photographers, so I decided to book one shoot with each. I’m so glad I did because the experiences ended up being so different—in both style and scenery!

Both of these shoots were absolute highlights of my trip. Both photographers took me to places off the beaten path that I would have never known about or experienced on my own, and helped me see Hawaii through their unique lens (pun intended!)—as transplants who moved to the island and are now residents.

Love + Water Sunrise Shoot: Rated one of the top wedding photographers on the island, I knew I couldn't go wrong. They lived up to the hype! Adam made a 6:15am land + sea photoshoot not just tolerable, but actually super fun! He made me laugh, came up with really creative pose ideas, and we just had a great time. He also took me to a secluded location with lava rocks that I wouldn't have known about, had me splashing and swimming in the water, and the photos turned out gorgeous.

Amy Jayne Photography Jungle shoot: Amy was amazing—not only did she offer to drive to the location for this jungle shoot, but she even went out of her way to show me some other spots in the area after we were done with the shoot. This shoot was much more strenuous than the other one: I climbed rocks and trekked through mud, swam through streams, splashed through waterfalls and really got the full jungle experience. We hiked back so far through the mud into the jungle that there wasn’t another soul to be seen. It was a really spiritual experience. Amy was so patient with me as I changed my outfits behind bamboo stalks, and took my time carefully climbing to the boulders she wanted me to pose on. It was a hardcore workout, which got pretty intense, even on the edge of dangerous at times—between the slippery rocks, rain and mud—which is right up my alley, but I will warn you: this type of photoshoot is not for the light hearted. I love adventure so I was all for it!

Colie Lennox: For hair and makeup, I can’t recommend this sweet human more! I would hire her again and again. She did both my hair and makeup for both shoots, she came to ME where I was staying (in 2 different cities both times), both at the crack of dawn (4:30 & 5am!), and was much more reasonable than anyone else I’d contacted. Plus, she was such a joy to work with. Not only is her work great, but so is her personality. I’ve stayed in touch with her since leaving, and would seriously come back to the island even just to work with her again! (I can actually say that about not just Colie, but both photographers, too: I’d come back to Hawaii just to work with all of them again!)

Where I ate (The Food):

I love food, but I love food more when it’s with good company. So, the first leg of my trip (when I was by myself the most), I didn’t eat out much (I bought groceries since I had a full kitchen in the condo). I did experience some restaurants, so I’ll share my feedback on these with you. Despite what I’d heard and the expectations I had, I found it to be rather easy to eat healthy. There are so many options!

Choice Health Bar: This was a recommendation from someone on Instagram, and it was a great one! I had lunch here once—a delicious “plate meal”— I can’t even remember what all it contained, but it was all delicious, along with a really yummy iced coffee. Everything looked fresh and healthy, there were SO many options, and I only wish I’d found out about it sooner.

Kimo’s Maui: I met up with Beth for a delicious fish dinner at Kimo’s. We loved the food, and the environment (outdoor seating is always my fave!). Afterwards, we stopped at Dirty Monkey with the intention of having a drink and doing a little dancing, but we ended up not staying very long. The vibe felt a little… dark(?) for our liking, and we just weren’t feeling it.

Cool Cat Cafe: This rooftop cafe is on Front Street In Lahaina, and the atmosphere was fun! It had a diner vibe and was a little noisy, but it was a fun place to go after surfing, and my hunger was satisfied with some fish tacos.

Coconuts Kitchen: This place was recommended by Colie, who said the food was amazing and the owner, Brian, is super nice. Maddy and I both had the fish tacos, which were tasty, but after having a taste of Jason’s macadamia-nut crusted mahi mahi, I swore I’d be back. (I didn’t make it here a second time on this trip, but perhaps later this year. :)) We also had the pleasure of meeting Brian, who was just as friendly as expected, and I love supporting places run by good people!

Mama’s Fish House: “If you only eat at one restaurant, eat here” was the advice I was given by many! I called to make a reservation and in my entire two weeks on the island, they had one available for two people on a Friday for lunch, so that made the itinerary! It was an awesome experience—from walking the beautiful grounds to a few surprise tastings and special touches. Overall, the food was decent, but nothing I’d rave about… although I would go back for the experience.

Paia Fish Market: This place was on our to-do list because of the raving reviews, and it lived up to the hype. Fish tacos seemed to be my thing on the island, and they were as yummy as I’d hoped. It was also quick and reasonable. There are a couple locations, and the one I went to and liked is in Ono/Kihei.

MonkeyPod: This place was highly recommended, and it was only okay. I wouldn’t go back unless it was for Happy Hour (we weren’t there for this, but that may have been the main reason it was recommended), but I will say the outdoor seating is lovely.

Four Seasons Spago: My nicest dinner on the island was here, at Chef Wolfgang Puck's Hawaiian restaurant, with the company of my friend, Jeff (thanks, Jeff!). We ordered the Chef’s Tasting menu, a 1989 bottle of wine, all accompanied by sunset views. We got to try everything from sushi to risotto to 4 different kinds of desserts. It was an amazing experience, and I’d definitely go back.

Food trucks: There were a few food trucks that I had a bite at, and while I can’t remember which ones, they were all great. I’m still surprised at how some of the best food seemed to be from the food trucks, and was excited to enjoy a couple great meals from ones that popped up when I was hungry.

Coffee:

You know I love my cup o’joe, and just like my love for checking out new gyms when I travel, I love checking out new coffee shops—especially on foot! So, coffee gets its own section.

To my surprise, cute yummy coffee shops are something this island is absolutely lacking. Thankfully, I did find a couple awesome spots, but not until the end of my trip.

Now, full disclosure is that I’m a little picky when it comes to coffee: they need to have either heavy cream (first choice), coconut milk (second choice), or oat milk or hemp milk (or I won’t order).

I tried several different coffee spots, and instead of reviewing them all, I’ll just tell you my top three picks! My favorite coffee drink ended up being at the cafe at the Fairmont (which was convenient and unexpected)! The other place I found and visited a couple of times was Hawaiian Moons Natural food, a pretty awesome health foods store. This was also a great spot to pick up some groceries: they have an awesome salad bar, all sorts of fun snacks, and kombucha on tap (love!) And when I was in Lahaina, my favorite spot was Cafe Cafe Maui, which was the best place to hang out—either outside or inside, and use wi-fi and chat with the baristas. I ordered breakfast here a few times, too—options are limited, but it was nice that they had eggs, smoothies and a few other items.

On my list for next time (things I didn't get to do):

There’s so much I didn’t get to do that my next trip could be a completely different experience! From snorkeling to ziplining to the Road to Hana.. I can’t wait to go back!

Here are 3 things for sure making the list for my next Maui trip:

Snorkel at Seafire Charters-Molokini: I was told that this is like swimming in an aquarium, and that I’ll love snorkeling after this! (I am a bit afraid of the whole breathing while underwater thing)

Road to Hana (maybe): I know people say you HAVE to do this when you’re in Maui… and maybe I did miss out, but I feel like I got a good taste of the drive from my trip to the Blowhole, and the jungle from my photoshoot with Amy. And, while I loved the adventures I had and exploring I did on this trip, I was content with just one day of that road and the jungle, and spending the rest of my time near the beaches, in the ocean and under the sun.

Sunset Dinner Cruise: I really wanted to do one of these, but we just didn’t have enough evenings! You can find some really good deals on these, especially if you’re willing to listen to a little pitch—like you would a timeshare (I think).

A few Personal Takeaways:

1) I’ll be back! I will most definitely be back… perhaps even later this year. I knew Hawaii would be amazing, but it was even better than I’d imagined. From the scenery to the vibes to the good energy and friendly people.. I loved it all.

2) Length of this trip: Everyone said I needed at least 10 days in Hawaii, and they were spot-on right. Two weeks felt waaaaay too long to me at first, especially since I’m not used to taking vacations. But, I realized I needed a solid 5-7 days to get into “vacation mode.” I know it’s a luxury to be able to take a 2-week vacation, but a week wouldn’t have sufficed.

3) Next time: more relaxing. I wish I’d hunkered down a bit more… maybe had 1 or 2 actual beach days. Between all of the excursions we booked and the photo shoots (which took a lot of prep, and half to full days on the actual days), it didn’t leave a whole lot of downtime. I don’t regret doing anything, but next time I’d make sure to tack on a couple days to just chill.

4) I vow to love myself more. Like, *really* love myself to the point of booking a 2 week vacation on an island by myself or even with a friend (or both) to take some time to breathe and reconnect with my inner child and play and laugh and journal and pray and be grateful and learn something new and meet new people and relax and be inspired and refreshed and play some more and pray some more and fall in LOVE with myself.

Sometimes we need to hit the RESET button. I say this when we do our 10-Day Reset program every 4 months. But, it’s not just your body, nutrition and hormones that we need to reset! I’ve come to believe that we need to do this with our pace of life, too —> for our mental, emotional, spiritual, and even physical health. It’s all connected! I was practically 100% burned out in every possible way before arriving in Maui. And to tell the truth… I shouldn’t have let it get that far. I wish I’d allowed myself to hit the reset button earlier, and more often in my daily life. And now, after 2 weeks of hitting that reset button HARD, I’m rejuvenated, refreshed and back into creative mode!!!

I hope you were able to take something from my experience—whether it’s taking note of places you want to visit, getting the epic guidebook, or even just the inspiration to put some self-care on your calendar, whether that’s a 2-week adventure to Maui, a weekend staycation, or a 30-minute massage.

Let’s remember to take time for ourselves, and prioritize rest (and play!), even (*especially!) in the midst of our hectic, fast-paced world. Mahalo!

Source: https://www.cassie.net/feed/

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shannrussell-blog1 · 5 years

Photo

The West Highland Way is one of the world’s most popular long-distance walks and is approximately 154 kilometres (95 miles) long. It starts its journey in the town of Milngavie (Mul-guy) and winds its way north through the countryside, past lochs and over moorlands. Along with old rail-lines and through Scottish villages and past farmlands with the famous Highland cattle.

You will finish your way in the town of Fort William that sits in the shadows of UK’s highest mountain, the famous Ben Nevis. The end of the way isn’t necessarily the end of the walk as from here you can continue your journey north walking the Great Glen Way.

A view of the Buachaille Etive Mòr mountain on our trip.

History of the area

Many of these distance walks throughout the UK and Europe have evolved from pathways used before the time of the motor vehicle when the only way to get from one land to the next was by walking. Much of the West Highland Way (WHW) is made up of such pathways and it is steeped in history that goes right back to the 13th century of the McDougall Clan, as well as the Jacobite rebellion in the 17th and 18th centuries.

This was a time of major uprising and many of the old military roads were built for the British troops to quell the Jacobite rebellion. You will also be travelling along old drover’s roads the local farmers used to herd their livestock to town and there are also the old railway lines and coach roads.

The West Highland Way as a walking route is not so old, although its origins show it first being identified back in the 1930s and 40s. The official pathway did not open until October 1980.

You’ll likely pass herds of Highland cattle grazing along the walk.

Distance to hike the WHW

Walking the WHW takes around 7 days, but this depends on what you want to experience along the way as there are plenty of side trips to be explored. It is common to walk this trail from the south to north staying in the quaint country towns.

Although overall, the route isn’t one that is of any great difficulty, there are some sections of ups and downs and there is the element of weather that can add more of a challenge.

If you walk this route, it should take you around a week.

Our trip

We chose to walk the WHW at the end of our hiking trip in Europe where we had walked 645km (400 miles) of the St. Olav Way in Norway. It was a great way to end our journey especially as we had some dear friends meet and walk with us in Scotland. We chose to take 7 days for this trip as we had very little time left on our holiday, but now in writing this I really wish we had more time to see what Scotland has to offer.

For this journey, we had pre-booked our accommodation before leaving Australia, so we knew that each night we had a place to stay. Though upon arriving, we realised that this wasn’t necessary but still a good idea if you go during peak season.

Us at the start of our Scottish Highland journey.

Maps and guidebooks

These can be easily obtained online or even from any of the tourist centres or outdoor stores once you arrive.

Terrain

The terrain is not technically difficult, but you will be ascending and descending a fair bit in sections. Expect mud, rocky paths, as well as country laneways and valley walks.

You can expect some rocky paths on this walk – so trekking poles are worth taking.

Accommodation

There is a variety of accommodation types you can expect on this route from hotels/Inns, B&B’s to hostels. You can also book a package service with one of the many tour companies who arrange everything for you from the accommodation, luggage transfers and even packed lunches.

Camping

If you want to get the wild camping experience, it is possible, though it’s best to check the ‘bylaws’ throughout the National Park areas. There are also dotted campgrounds along the way. Remember to respect the land you are camping on and leave no trace.

Don’t camp within paddocks and crop fields and stay clear of buildings and historic sites. For more information, check the Scottish outdoor access code site here.

Rowardennan hostel is just one of the places we stayed in.

Choosing one of the many tour companies

There are many companies to choose from to help you with your journey. From organising the whole trip, including accommodation to luggage transfer and meals, to others that are happy just to carry your luggage. Do some research and read reviews about other people’s experiences, and pick one based on what is going to work best for you.

The best time to visit

This is a trail that can be walked at any time of the year, but the best time is during spring or autumn. Do be aware that May is the peak season of the WHW and accommodation can be difficult to get. Another tip to remember is to avoid starting on a Saturday, as this is the favourite day to start and the accommodation could be tight.

If you want to enjoy your time, then walk the WHW in the spring or autumn.

What conditions you can expect

On any hiking journey, you must be prepared for whatever nature throws out and Scotland is no exception. Even though you will not be climbing any great heights, you are at the mercy of the Scottish weather and believe me she can give it all to you. So, whether you are carrying a day bag (and having your luggage transported) or carrying all your gear, be prepared for all weather conditions.

When that wind and rain rips through the moorlands you will feel it, so be sure to have good waterproof and warm clothes like thermals. Always check your guidebook for towns along the way to refuel with food and water, as there will be times you might need to carry a packed lunch and snacks.

You should also carry at least 2 litres of water per day. Be sure to also have your map and guidebook in your day bag rather than left in your luggage – it is no use to you there!

Don’t underestimate how cold it can get in Scotland, even in the warmer season.

Packing for the West Highland Way

To pack for the WHW, just remember it is Scotland and can be wetter and windier, with the average temperature lower than the rest of the UK. May, June and July are their sunniest months with the days being the longest of the year with the lowest rainfall.

In the Highlands, they have an average of 250 days of rain per year. The average maximum temperature during these 3 months is 15-17C (59-63F), remembering wind chill factor is a lot colder. Keep this in mind when packing for this walk and ensure that your clothes are going to be warm enough for the trip.

Also, If you have chosen a company to transport your luggage, then be sure to check with them the maximum weight allowance as well.

Factor in the weather when packing for this trip.

Packing list for the WHW

A backpack to the size you need.

Sturdy boots or shoes you plan to trek in. Don’t forget spare ones for the evenings.

Gaiters as they help keep the mud out of your shoes.

Hiking poles (if preferred)

Water bottles or a hydration pack.

socks

2 quick drying shirts. Remember, Scotland is a wet country so anything that isn’t quick drying will make your life difficult.

2 zip-off hiking pants. Hiking pants are always quick drying and with the bonus of zip-offs, you will also have 2 pairs of shorts, though I don’t think you will need shorts in Scotland.

Rain jacket and rain pants, (highly recommend these items).

A lightweight windproof jacket, great for when it isn’t raining but the wind is blowing.

1 thermal top (this is optional, not necessary).

Sarong or Shemagh. This is my must-have item and it has many uses including – a scarf, a towel and a wrap for after a shower or can be used as a picnic blanket. You can also create many outfits to wear in the evenings like a top, a jacket, a skirt or even a bag, just to name a few.

Something to sleep in.

A windproof jacket, hiking poles and a day pack are just some of the essentials you’ll need.

Extras if camping

A Cooker and fuel for the cooker (just be aware that fuel and matches are not allowed on planes but quite easily purchased when you arrive).

Food utensils

Sleeping bag

Sleeping mat

Headlamp

Where to store your excess luggage

Over the years of travel, I have found that the hotels where you start and end your journey are always more than happy to store your excess luggage. We left gear we did not need for the WHW at our hotel in Glasgow and retrieved it on our return.

Your hostel or hotel will likely be happy to store your excess baggage for you.

The route and towns on the West Highland Way

Milngavie to Dryman – 19km (12 miles)

This day is a relatively easy one and starts in the centre of town at the large granite obelisk, which marks the official start of the Way. As you leave the urban landscape you head into the Lowlands, through farmlands, pass Lochs and enter the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park.

Dryman to Rowardennan – 22.5km (14 miles)

Today you will be walking along the famous Loch Lomond, but not before climbing up over ‘Conic Hill’. Hope for a clear day, as the views looking down over the Loch and its many islands are simply stunning when it is.

If there are clear skies, the views from Conic Hill are incredible.

Rowardennan to Inverarnan – 22.5km (14 miles)

Today you will work for your walk a wee bit harder, you’ll also have a choice of taking the high route or the low route. Hint: The low way is not the easy way but well worth the scrabbling along the stones beside the Loch. To end the day, you might want to stay in the allegedly haunted 310-year-old Drover’s Inn. We experienced no ghosts, but we ate a great meal and stayed in the room named ‘Rob Roy’.

Inverarnan to Tyndrum – 19.5km (12 miles)

Today you will pass by ruins of St. Fillan’s Chapel. This is the battleground of Daligh where Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, was defeated by Clan MacDougalls back in 1306. Tip: the whole way along there is some amazing history worth researching about the West Highland Way.

Look out for the ruins of Fillan’s chapel, the site where Robert the Bruce was defeated in the 1300s.

Tyndrum to Kingshouse – 30.5km (19 miles)

This was our longest walk but my favourite day. Along the way, you will walk through some beautiful moorlands as well as on some old military roads. You are now at the gateway to the Highlands! Tip: Kingshouse is one of the most remote places along the way, so if you’re not staying there, you can bus or cab back to your accommodation.

Kingshouse to Kinlochleven – 14.5km (9 miles)

This one is a short day but there are a few hills, including ‘The Devils Staircase’. The name says it all, taking you up to the highest point on the Way which is 550m above sea level. If the weather treats you well the views you receive on the Glencoe mountains is just outstanding. Tip: Beware of midges in the area.

The view of the walk to Kinlochleven.

Kinlochleven to Fort William – 24km (16 miles)

More steep hills today and very open areas, as well as some protection from the elements in the woodlands of the Nevis Forest before descending into Fort William. This is a historical town that has the mountains surrounding it, including the famous Ben Nevis.

Getting to and from the WHW

To start your way, it is easy enough to get to Milngavie as it is only 13km (8 miles) northwest of the Glasgow city centre. You can quite easily catch a taxi that will take around 15 mins and cost approximately $45 AUD or by train which on weekdays runs every 15 mins and every 20 mins on weekends. This option takes approximately 20 mins and will set you back around $5.50 AUD. There are also buses that travel there and take up to 40 mins travel time.

To return from Fort William there are a few train routes available. The rides will take between 3.5 – 6 hrs, so do check with ScotRail to get the one you want. Prices vary as well. There are buses available which take around 3.5 hrs.

If you are needing to get to Edinburgh from Fort William this is possible by train with the average time taking 5 hrs. There are also bus services too taking around 4.5hrs.

Getting to and from this walk is fairly easy from Glasgow.

Extra activities to do in Scotland

Within the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, there are many things to explore including the ‘Scenic Route Artworks’. This gives you unique artwork structures throughout the park for you to discover and in turn, they give you the most stunning viewpoints to see of the nature around you.

When you arrive in Fort William do try to have a few days exploring as there is so much to see. If you are wanting to keep walking, there is Ben Nevis to climb or just continue walking from here heading northward on the ‘Great Glen Way’ adding another 127km (79 miles) to take you all the way to Inverness.

Perhaps instead of walking, why not catch the ‘Jacobite Steam Train’. This is a great way to experience more of Scotland by very different means. This impressive steam train starts in Fort William and heads out to Loch Nevis before returning. On this 135km (84 miles) round trip, you will see more of the incredible countryside from a different perspective.

While you’re in Scotland, make the most of it by exploring what the nearby cities have to offer.

If you’re flying in and out

In Edinburgh, you must explore the ‘Edinburgh Castle’ and ‘Arthurs Seat’ among other great attractions.

If you have some extra time in Glasgow, then you should perhaps book one of the many walking tours of the city. This is such a great way to discover some of the hidden beauties of a city, just like the ‘Glasgow’s Secret Ghost Station’. This is a hidden station of the Old Victorian Platform under the city.

There are also many day tours you can experience like the Whiskey and Distilleries tours if you’re a fan of Scottish spirits.

Final thoughts on Scotland and the WHW

I feel there might be another journey to experience in those Scottish Highlands for me as there is so much more I can discover than what I did in just the one week.

Is the West Highland Way calling your name? What do you think of hiking in the UK?

The post Exploring Scotland’s West Highland Way Route appeared first on Snowys Blog.

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labloglioteca · 6 years

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Thinking of going to the Philippines?

So I’m back in the land of blighty. All in all I’ve learnt some lessons and met some inspirational people during my time in Aus. One of those being Phil Reynolds. I met him through a friend half way through my year and was taken aback by his willingness to share ideas, lend help with no agenda, but mostly to create farmyard noises so accurately out of his mouth. Growing up on a farm in East Anglia can only have familiarised him with an eclectic range of animals.

Before coming to Australia, Phil spent 4 months being a party rep at the Mad Monkey hostel in El Nido, Philippines. Some people he met during his time there decided to begin the process of setting up their own hostel in Port Barton, something which Phil became part of. Incidentally, I’ve made the four hour van trip between El Nido and Palawan, and was quite impressed with the speed at which the drivers get you between the two spots- well impressed and fearful. I asked Phil some questions on the new hostel, and what it took for him to get to where he is.

SW: You’re obviously drawn to the Philippines. What about it draws you in where another south East Asian country might not?

PR: One of the key reasons for spending so much time in the Philippines would have to be the people, their culture and their values. The Filipinos have a strong influence from the Spanish so they love to dance and party, but they also take a lot of pride in learning to speak English which is their second language. They also have a strong Christian background and belief which means they have some very strong and positive core values which really does show throughout their culture and lifestyle. Of course, the place itself is a big slice of paradise which helps win me over a lot of the time too

SW: You’re thinking of setting up a hostel in Port Barton? Why there?

PR: Yes we've recently opened our doors for the first time and it's been a great success so far. Now if you've ever been to Palawan or plan on going you'll find out that the cheapest way to fly into that area of the Philippines is via Puerto Princesa. Once everyone lands there it won't be long till they'll be making the long journey to El Nido in the north which can take almost 7hours by fan. Port Barton is very close to the centre and almost the half way point, which means a huge influx of people stop off in Port Barton for a few days to break up the journey, but also because of how beautiful the beach and surrounding islands are. With this in mind we saw a huge opportunity to be had when we realised the amount of backpackers coming through but with no backpacker hostels to stay at. So as of February 2019, CocoRico is the first backpacker style party hostel to land itself in Port Barton.

SW: Have you always been entrepreneurial?

PR: I think the turning point for me was starting up as a Personal Trainer back in the U.K. and the problem a lot of personal trainers face is they don't see that they are running their own business, they don't plan or prepare and they have no structure or strategic goals in place. Luckily, I had someone to listen to, a mentor almost who gave me that mindset and drive to think not just like a trainer but also someone building a business. A lot of the qualities a good personal trainer needs to be successful has definitely helped pushed me towards the social lifestyle of opening a backpacker hostel and the mind frame of building a business has definitely helped to guide the process.

SW: Do you think entrepreneurialism is intrinsic in a person or can be learned?

PR: Personally I believe it comes down to what and why for a lot of people, what are we trying to achieve and why are we trying to do that. For me what I want is an amazing lifestyle in a beautiful country surrounded by people and to be adding value to other people's experiences - opening a hostel in paradise is helping me to achieve that. Why? I've always been very social especially after my years of personal training. I loved the challenge of building my own business and making mistakes that forced me to adapt and alter structures to make it successful. All those combined made me happy and see a positive outcome to all my hard work.

If you have a reason for doing something and a positive attitude towards it then there's no reason why it cannot be achieved.

SW: Finally what are your further plans for the hostels? Do you plan to expand further?

PR: The island Palawan is forever changing and evolving with the rate of tourism so there's still a lot of potential for new bars and hostels in select areas. Our aim is to open a second hostel by the end of the year, with the vision of a 3rd or possibly even 4th by the end of 2021. There are many locations just like Port Barton which are ready for the taking and I hope we can be a positive change to not only the backpacker scene there but also to the locals and the culture around us.

I haven’t had the pleasure of visiting CocoRico hostel as of yet, but did visit Port Barton last August, and it is stunning. Having met Phil I can only assume that the hostel will be a great success, and to anyone visiting that part of the world any time soon, make sure you book in to stay for a night of drinking, socialising, and quite possibly cross-dressing. It is the 21st century after all isn’t it?

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organicli · 7 years

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Day 63, Langkawi to Koh Lipe

After my third night on the worst bed in the world, I went out to do some errands but all the shops were shut at 10am. I got some breakfast from a street food stall which was more of a dinner since it was mainly rice and chicken but it had a fried egg too so that was kind of breakfasty. I saw Dj and his friend and we high fived goodbye.

Maria and I went back into town on her bike to look for the things we needed again. I managed to get speakers and toothpaste but no stamps. The procession of bikes from yesterday came roaring past again. It went on for so long, dozens of bikes growling past. I love women in hijabs on motor bikes. You go girl!!!

I hugged Shane goodbye and gave him a peck under the ear. Maria said she liked my music! I’ve been playing it out loud and I don’t usually like the pressure of choosing something for everyone to listen to but it seems to have been received very well!

We got a cab to the pier and sorted out our tickets. In the food court in had something from the Arabic stand. I didn’t realise how much I like middle eastern food.

I hugged Maria goodbye now and told her it was lovely to have met her, that I don’t spend much time with other girls. (Especially strong girls) I think spending time with her was really good for me.

I ventured off alone, with that ‘I’m on my own now’ feeling and got the ferry. I slept most of the way without meaning to, listening to Sampha’s album. When I woke up, the boat was extremely choppy, rocking side to side and I felt queazy. I’d expected it to be freezing like the other ferry but it was really hot.

I stepped off onto the little boat to take us to shore. Koh Lipe looked very pleasant. We went to shore and had to climb out into the water and carry our bags to land. I felt like I was arriving on a castaway show, except that I knew my stay would be very nice and not awful or publicly broadcast.

A young Asian man from the ferry started speaking to me. I thought he was cute. He said his name was Tri and he was from Laos but he was working on Koh Lipe at the dive school and at some bungalows on the beach. He also said he’d grown up in France. I thought that was interesting 😌😏 you know my affinity with anything French. He said he’d lived in England as well and his English was very good. I told him what India was like.

After I went through the quick and relaxed immigration procedure, he took me to the dive school to drop my big backpack off because I said I’d look at the bungalows down the other end of the beach. The beach is lovely and the sand is white. There were lots of dogs around as well. The bungalows were basic and made of bamboo with mosquito nets making canopies over the thick mattresses. There was a hammock on the porch. He was staying in one of them. I said I was interested.

He walked me back to check into my hostel. Koh Lipe is very small and there are no cars. The main road is a strip of blue concrete about two metres wide. He pointed good restaurants out to me as we went along.

I checked into my room and they told me I had to keep both the nights I’d booked or I’d be charged for them so maybe I’ll spend another night or two in the bungalows afterwards. The ferries between the islands seem quite expensive and, well, I want to spend some time with Tri. The 10 bed female dorm I’m in has a narrow walkway past the beds, which do look comfy, and lockers on the other side but it’s a pain to lug my backpack up and down into mine. I’m looking forward to a bungalow.

I met Tri again in 7eleven and then we went to get some smoothies. I liked this boy and I didn’t want to lie to him. After the confidence I got from telling the others in Langkawi my personal info, and seeing how much I liked being able to speak about it, I wanted to tell him as well.

First, we guessed each other’s ages. I thought he was in his late 20s because he looked very youthful but seemed to have had a lot of experience in the world. He said he was 33. (That’s okay with me) He said he thought I was old enough to be travelling alone. He guessed 22 or 23. He looked really surprised when I told him I was 19. I’m smiling as I’m writing this remembering his face during this conversation.

I told him my truth and he looked even more surprised. I didn’t detect any hints of rejection or disgust but he was definitely shocked. I don’t think his eyebrows came down till we parted. His face was so cute. He asked me some questions and I answered them and made sure to emphasise my reasons and how much I love it. I think people respect it for how I love it.

It’s just crazy for me to be telling people this, especially when I first meet them, when so recently it was something I was deeply ashamed of and thought no one must ever know. It feels wonderful to be authentic and to be accepted.

He said he had to get to work and perhaps I could come and find him if I wanted to get some dinner.

I went and got some bits from my room and headed to the beach although the sun was nearly set so it was getting cooler. I released I’d left my towel in Langkawi which is annoying because it was a good towel.

I read on the beach in a quiet bit and some dogs came over and I stroked them and I went in the water. The sky was nice and blue and lilac and I think there was a bride and groom on the beach having a photo shoot.

Afterwards, I bought some bug spray. I get so many bites, it’s not okay. I think I have about 60 right now. Why doesn’t anyone else get loads? I hope I don’t have a skin infection from those crusty cats at the rescue centre.

I hung out at the hostel in my pod for a bit. I decided I’d get dinner alone because I was sure I’d see Tri some time tomorrow. I wandered down and bought a pad thai from a local restaurant. I put the crushed peanuts on it and lime and chilli flakes and it was really really good.

There was a chubby little toddler with pig tails, belonging to the restaurant’s family, being mischievous and she was adorable.

I had an idea to check out this pool party that was going on. I was doubtful that I would actually go but I entertained the idea nonetheless. It did look pretty shit so I didn’t go. I walked along the beach instead towards Tree’s bungalows, hoping that he might see me and come and talk to me.

I walked along and I nearly got to where he was staying but I got too shy to go further so I turned around.

As I was walking back, a thai man with messy, long, curly hair, green silk trousers and a rainbow shawl tied around him introduced himself to me. He had two friends. They invited me to a bar on the beach and I agreed. Joey, Tak and Bang.

The bar had fake tissue jellyfish hanging outside and bean bags on the sand. Inside was a man, with one of those big rasta hats on with all his hair inside, playing guitar and another man on trombone. The floor was sand and most of the bar was made of wood or bamboo and there was a mural of Jimi Hendrix behind the stage and a tapestry of a weed leaf. I decided I would have a drink. Just one! We sat down and listened to the music; I’m weak for brass. Before long, I was being handed zoots by the dreadlocked bohemian characters of the bar. The guy in the hat finished his set and came over with a hella fat doob hanging out his mouth to greet his friends.

I said, “isn’t it really serious to have this in Thailand?” to Tak next to me. He said there weren’t any police on the island and the owner of the bar blazed as well.

Almost everyone there was Thai and they spoke in Thai a lot of the time, although one man did a lot of actions to his words. There was one white guy sat at the bar and I swear he was just staring at me for ages. I said this to my rainbow friend, Joey, and he said it was just because I was beautiful and I was like 🤔🤔 but dude cmon stop. I thought maybe he was just looking out for me, being a young female tourist in a bar full of foreign men.

I ended up having two beers and a third one was bought for me but I hadn’t seen where it had come from so I thought I’d better not drink it because I was wary of being spiked. Tak had been stroking my arm a bit but I was like, “dude no,” and I think that communicated my point effectively. As soon as I finished my second drink I announced that I was going to go home now. They said “why?” I said, “well, it’s my bed time you see.”

Joey offered to walk me back. I said, “no, you’re gonna stay here and I’m gonna go home.” But he came with me to the front of the bar still and I said maybe we might see each other again (probably not) but he’s leaving the island for two days tomorrow.

I started walking back. I felt that I had been relatively assertive there and I was pleased. I had a good time and now I’m going home, without any trouble. I noticed there was someone walking behind me about 30 ft away. I looked around and wondered if it was someone following me. “Probably not” i told myself. I looked around again. They were closer so I sped up. “Is that that white guy?” I thought. “Shit, maybe he was following me.” He’d caught up now (there were much more people around in this area, fortunately) and I stopped to look out at the sea to see if he’d walk past.

“Hello,” i heard. Oh great, I’ve been followed.

“Hi,” i said, turning around to him.

“I saw you in the bar,” oh did you? I didn’t notice you staring at me for the whole night. He asked me if I was going to the beach party. I said no. He said he wanted to hang out tomorrow. I said I was just going to read on the beach on my own. I quickly brought the conversation to an end and didn’t say goodbye when I walked off. I don’t like him. He has creepy vibes and I hope to spend as little time with him as I’m able to. (Wish me luck)

The walking street on the island is bright and friendly in the day time although it’s quite dark at night, with most shops shut and no street lights. I kept an eye out for anyone following me. I really like it here. I feel content but I also think you definitely need to watch yourself.

“Wuhay!! We’re in bed and we’re still alive!! Again! Well done” I congratulated myself, climbing into my pod.

I like how small this place is except it’s really going to make avoiding people problematic. I thought about how I’d probably have to go to the beach in some sort of disguise tomorrow so that I wouldn’t be disturbed. I decided to go to a different beach on the island tomorrow.

#travels

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themartinsguide · 8 years

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Georgetown, Penang

9 - 12 January 2017

On our first morning in Penang we optimistically set our alarm for 7.30am in order to fit in a big day of sightseeing. However, despite being a very clean, chic, and happening place, The Frame Hotel is not particularly soundproof. With a room that overlooks the main street of central Georgetown, we may as well have been sleeping amongst the traffic (earplugs are one of the best innovations). So at 6.13am we were woken by the call to prayer resonating from the beautiful mosque positioned directly opposite our room. (The mosque is so close we have had to keep the shutters over our windows closed at all times due to James’ fondness of walking around nude. But that’s a different issue altogether, and an argument that Hannah has given up on. You win some you lose some). With time to kill we drank tea in bed and watched the sun rise and the temperature soar.

After receiving an annotated map and brief instructions from a very helpful receptionist, we headed for the Colonial Penang Museum (a Tripadvisor suggestion) which James cheerfully informed Hannah was 2km away. When we arrived at the doors of the Museum (a bit white colonial styled house) almost an hour later we were in agreement that the map was perhaps a “bit out of scale”. Although the walk through obviously one of the more affluent parts of time, where mansions lined streets was interesting, we arrived sweaty and irritable. So when we were told we had to take the guided tour to get access to the museum we acquiesced. Although as two employees on two separate occasions had told Hannah she was “beautiful” (and James was smart enough not to suggest that they said that to every female that turned up as a clever sales tactic) there was no way we weren’t going in. Our hopes were not high but in the spirit of not judging a book by its cover we paid the money and hoped for air conditioning.

Thankfully, our expectations were exceeded. While we didn’t consider it a “museum” in the strictest sense of the word, the house contained an impressive collection of antiques, artworks, and ornaments collected by the owner of the house over a number of years. While we could have done without the spiel about the porcelain doll collection, the Erard Piano Bukit by Francois Linke (circa 1905), of which there was only two ever built, was rather impressive. As were the two reverse paintings by William Morris & Co. But it was the huge tree hut that really did it for James. We agreed that the place would be a real hit with Jacqueline. She would love drinking G&T’s in that tree.

Following our hour (?!) long tour and our return hike (via the mall “just to check it out”) we were in desperate need of water, coffee and food. Victoria had recommended The China House for a good cup of coffee and she was right. The cakes and various baked goods also looked incredible (actually that seems to be a consistent theme all over Penang but we have, for the most part, been relatively restrained). After refuelling we went in search of Fort Cornwallis, just in case we hadn’t had enough history for one day. Unfortunately, for Hannah, this is when her need for a toilet struck quickly and viciously. We can only imagine how we looked as James, with chaffing in areas that caused him to walk in a limp (as our Fitbits told us we had covered 15km already), guided Hannah (cursing James and his ‘relaxed’ hygiene and iron stomach) through the busy, hot streets of Georgetown, making a beeline for our hostel. This wasn’t something Hannah was prepared to use a squat loo for. You get the picture.

Following a nap and a top up of air conditioner exposure, we decided to hit the local gym which Hannah discovered, much to her delight, did Les Mills Pump classes. Don’t roll your eyes. It’s actually quite fun trying out a new gym in a different country and this one had great views over the Penang hill.

In desperate need of a quick beer, and a hot curry to test Hannah’s stomach we headed out (after a shower). The curry was as one would expect - hot, quick, cheap and delicious; satisfied we wandered down Love Lane for a beer, or two. Love Lane is the centre of the backpacker ‘community’ (we jest) but is surprisingly pleasant and free from the Bintang singlet wearing mobs we expect to encounter in Thailand. While enjoying a quiet Carlsberg in Mickes Place, a rake-thin, deeply tanned chap with a Hawaiian shirt made a beeline for James (this is becoming a slightly worrying trend). Aussie Andy had arrived.

In the time it took him to order a beer Andy shared with us his concerns over the size of Malaysian adapters (and kindly offered us the one he was wearing as a necklace) and informed us that he had been waiting two days for his mate Raji to arrive in Penang. Two sips into a beer, and with the staff pleasantly ignoring his pesterings for a cigarette, Andy disappeared to buy a pack, but insisted that we hold his seat. Laughing with the waitress, who later confided in us that she was relieved when she realised we were Kiwis as we were likely to have a higher tolerance for Aussie Andy, we were quite confident that he was gone for the night.

We were wrong. 15 mins later Andy dashes past the entrance to the bar gesturing to two late model Mercedes where to park. Returning triumphantly Andy introduced us to Raji and Raji, one of whom was the owner of the local company that “ran security” for the majority of the bars in Penang and Butterworth. And had one eye. After a cursory round of chit chat One-Eyed Raji bought a round of drinks (which, as per “The Rules”, we accepted), but Andy was rather taken by a young woman and proceeded to decamp to her table. At this stage the chat really could/should have died off (as One-Eyed Raji didn’t speak English and Two-Eyed Raji preferred to stare and scowl), but James persevered, ignorant to Hannah’s slightly nervous fidgeting (luckily one of the staff had already surreptitiously checked to see that Hannah was OK). Preferring not to discuss how they knew Andy, and spying Raji Two Eyes’ interest with the football that was playing on the TV, the table launched into a spirited conversation about Premier League football. And so, a rather odd hour passed with our Malay acquaintances, interspersed with Andy pinching the band’s microphone and singing his original songs “Who’s got my twenty cents?” (Repeated in various melodies for 5-6 minutes) and “1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12” (it’s all in the name), occasional fist pumps and glass clinks with our new buddies, and conversations with two Austrian blokes who had been partying with Andy the night before and were a little surprised to see him alive. After Chelsea beat Peterborough (FA Cup 3rd Round) we graciously declined the Rajis’ offer to hit a club in Butterworth and headed home. Andy, go to bed.

A few too many beverages foiled our plan to wake early on the 10th and head out for a run. Not even the call to prayer could keep us awake and so after a lazy start we decided to hire a scooter (which James later insisted on calling his “Hog”) for the day. Hannah had not comprehended how terrifying this experience was going to be. Aware of James’ tendency to become easily distracted and having observed a serious and systemic lack of concern for road rules over the last few days, she was not impressed with the instructions to “just hold on”. She adopted the technique of just shutting her eyes and we made it to the National Park in one piece and decided to walk over to Turtle Beach (Hannah’s fondness for turtles meant that the alternative route to Monkey Beach didn’t stand a chance). The walk itself was quite steep and challenging, as the trail was irregularly maintained followed frequent washouts, but it was wonderful to get out of the city for a few hours. It was however slightly disappointing to get to Turtle Bay to discover no turtles (but definitely monkeys) and a no swimming sign, due to a savage undertow and venomous jellyfish. Returning back to the scooter (or James’ 'hog’) we set off with James under strict instructions to find food. This advice was taken loosely as he detoured for 30 minutes up a windy mountain road to “check out something”, which fortunately turned out to be a tropical fruit farm selling delicious smoothies and fresh fruit. A gentle cruise home followed, though Hannah would have preferred missing out on comments like “you might want to close your eyes, I think this is going to get a bit hectic”. Fortunately dinner and a cheeky gin was enjoyed without Andy re-appearing.

The 11th dawned bright and early with the call to prayer, and this time we did rise early for a 10km run along the waterfront before the heat got too intense. We had rather underestimated the fatigue from the previous two days walking though, and it turned into a rather quiet slog at a gentle pace. Still not learning our lesson we proceeded to hire bicycles and set off to bike/walk up Penang Hill. Hannah’s jean shorts were a very poor clothing choice though, and after pushing our bikes (which were not very well maintained, to say the least) straight up what seemed like the steepest street on earth for 20 minutes, while being stared at aggressively by monkeys, we called it a day and headed back to the hostel to relax, read, write and prepare to travel to Thailand tomorrow. Let the island-hopping commence!

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ladystylestores · 4 years

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The Ultimate New Zealand Road Trip Itinerary • The Blonde Abroad

Rhea of Rhea’s Travels traveled around the North and South Islands of New Zealand for 9 weeks—hitting all of the best spots, while traveling via camper van. She’s here today to share the ultimate New Zealand road trip itinerary!

New Zealand is a beautiful country located in the South Pacific famous for its varied landscape of breathtaking mountains, lakes, glaciers, and beaches.

I’ve been living in New Zealand for a while and recently spent two months traveling up and down the country. Therefore, I can tell you exactly what makes the ultimate itinerary for a New Zealand road trip.

From what to pack to what to budget, along with an itinerary for both the North Island and the South Island—here’s the ultimate New Zealand road trip itinerary!

The Best Time to Visit

When it comes to New Zealand there isn’t a bad time to visit. If you’re wanting hot, dry weather then December to February is the time to visit. This will give you the longest days in terms of sunlight but be aware this is also the most popular time to visit so things can be more expensive.

A less populous time that still offers good weather is during springtime—between September and November.

The best months to ski at resorts like Cardrona and Coronet Peak is July through to August. Another great time to visit is November to December for lupin season where the lupins decorate areas such as Lake Tekapo and Mount Cook.

What to Pack

New Zealand is known to experience four seasons in a day so packing can be tricky. I’ve experienced all seasons here and these are my packing tips.

First things first, you’ll need an NZeTA electronic visitor visa if you’re visiting for less than 3 months.

I’d recommend buying your toiletries in New Zealand to save room in your suitcase. The cost is similar to the UK/US except for sunscreen, so buy that back home.

Road Trip Essentials:

Electronics (camera, chargers, adaptors)

Reusable water bottle

Day/evening bag

Hiking backpack

Eye mask + earplugs

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Clothing For All Seasons:

When it comes to autumn and winter, you’ll want to pack some additional add-ons, including a warm waterproof coat, gloves, scarf, woolly hat, and layers for top/bottom. Likewise for spring and summer—include pieces in your luggage to accommodate for warmer weather!

Helpful Tip:

Plugs: The plugs in New Zealand are type I. The standard voltage is 230 V, and the standard frequency is 50Hz. I recommend buying a universal adapter (make sure it has surge protection) and using a converter for hairdryers and hot tools.

What to Budget for a New Zealand Road Trip

New Zealand is not a cheap travel destination even on the tightest budget but don’t let this put you off.

The approximate cost on a tight budget is $80NZD per day meaning you’d cook almost all of your meals, travel by cheap transport, stay in hostels and splurge on a few activities.

Here are my tips to save money here:

Cook as much as you can — A meal out can easily cost you $30 so buy groceries at the cheapest store (PAK’nSAVE) and cook at your accommodation. If you do eat out, fast food chains are the cheapest.

Stay in hostels — (use Hostelworld) or private rooms in Airbnbs. Costs for a dorm bed are $20-30NZD a night. If you’re traveling in a pair it can be cheaper to split a private hostel dorm/Airbnb room.

Take advantage of free activities — such as hikes, museums, and botanic gardens.

When it comes to transport — Use public transport such as Intercity to travel around. Travel between the North and South islands using Bluebridge ferries on foot, taking a vehicle across is expensive.

Visit out of peak season — it’s much cheaper, for example, to hire a campervan in winter than it is in summer. If you’re traveling by campervan use the app Rankers Campers NZ which has an offline map and navigator to find nearby facilities/campsites.

The drive to Glenorchy.

Tips for Driving in New Zealand

Driving here is pretty special due to the stunning views but there are a lot of accidents caused by tourists. There are definitely helpful tips to keep in mind when driving in New Zealand.

First off, always drive on the left!

Go slowly where appropriate, there are a lot of tight windy roads so don’t take these too fast or wide. If there are cars behind you pull over safely to let them pass. New Zealand has lots of pull-in points for this reason. Follow the give-way signs where appropriate. The bigger arrow gives priority to that side of the road.

Make sure to take extra care in the winter months due to ice.

Lastly, park your car/camper facing the direction you are traveling. You can be fined for parking your car facing the opposite way.

10-Day North Island Itinerary

Day 1: Auckland

You’ll likely fly into New Zealand’s largest airport in Auckland just a 25-minute drive to the city center. I’d recommend getting an Uber for ease or a shuttle to save money. You can find all the airport transfer details here.

Now the fun begins! I’d recommend spending no more than a day in Auckland, it’s a nice city but there are glaciers, volcanoes and beautiful beaches to explore. Auckland highlights include a visit to the Sky Tower, Albert Park, Domain Wintergardens, and Mount Eden Summit.

Day 2: Paihia & the Bay of Islands

Leave Auckland early and head north to Paihia. Spend a few hours on Paihia Beach and take a boat trip to explore the Bay of Islands. Great Sights offer a great boat tour where you can see dolphins and head through the famous hole in the rock.

Day 3: Cape Reinga

Head north again to the most northern point of New Zealand, Cape Reinga. Here you can see the famous lighthouse and watch the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet.

Take a 20-minute drive south-west to the Giant Sand Dunes and hire toboggans to surf down the dunes.

Day 4: Drive towards Cathedral Cove

It’s an 8-hour drive to Cathedral Cove so stop for rest breaks or stay overnight at the halfway point. Popular spots to stop include 90-Mile Beach, Kai Iwi Lakes, Muriwai Beach, Te Henga Walkway, Bethells Beach, and Piha.

Cathedral Cove

Day 5: Cathedral Cove

Cathedral Cove is one of my favorite beaches in New Zealand, with its soft white sand and clear blue water, the buzz of a few hours here is unbeatable. It’s a popular spot so if you’re hoping to beat the crowds get here for sunrise.

I recommend taking a kayaking tour for a unique way to reach the beach.

Other sights nearby include Shakespeare Cliff Lookout and Hot Water Beach where you can rent a spade and soak in the thermal water.

Day 6: Hobbiton

Begin the 2.5-hour drive to Hobbiton and stop by the breathtaking Owharoa Falls for a rest stop.

Spend the afternoon in Middle-earth enjoying a guided walking tour of Hobbiton. This is a must-do whether you’re a Lord of the Rings fan or not. It’s spectacular to see the detail that went into this set.

Make sure you book ahead as this is one of the most popular tourist activities in New Zealand.

Day 7: Waitomo

Next head to Waitomo, just an hour away, and head to the underground caves where you can see glow worms. I spent 5 hours doing the Black Abyss Tour where you abseil, zipline, climb, and tube through the caves. If confined spaces aren’t your thing, you can take a 45-minute boat ride through the caves to see the glowworms this way.

If you’re looking for a place to stay and relax overnight I highly recommend Waitomo Hilltop Glamping.

Day 8: Rotorua

Two hours east is the popular town of Rotorua. There’s a lot to see here but my top picks are Redwoods Treewalk, Polynesian Spa, Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, and an evening at the Tamaki Maori Village (voted one of the best things to do in New Zealand).

If you want to hike the famous Tongariro Alpine Crossing, I recommend staying nearby the night before at either the National Park Village or Taupo. If you drive through Taupo make a quick stop at Huka Falls.

Day 9: Tongariro Alpine Crossing

Tongariro Alpine Crossing is known as New Zealand’s best day hike and for featuring serving as the location of Modor in The Lord of the Rings—making it a must-do for any hiker.

This 19.4km hike features a volcanic landscape with emerald lakes and takes between 6-8 hours to complete so I recommended you start early to avoid hiking in the dark. You’ll be tired after this hike so take the evening to relax your feet.

Day 10: Wellington

It’s a 4-hour drive to Wellington but I’d recommend stopping to see the capital which is also my favorite city in New Zealand. Wellington has a bit of everything; the beach, harbor, parks and great places to eat. Take the cable car or hike to Mount Victoria Lookout to see views over the city.

Visit Cuba Street to explore shops, restaurants, and cafes (try Midnight Espresso for coffee, 1154 Pastaria for lunch, and Olive for dinner) and take a tour of Weta Workshop to see how the props and costumes from your favorite movies are made.

Christchurch Botanic Gardens

10-Day South Island Itinerary

Day 1: Travel to the South Island

There are two ways to get to the South Island. The pricier option is to fly from Wellington to Christchurch which takes an hour or to save money, take the ferry from Wellington to Picton in 3 hours.

If you’re short on time, I’d recommend flying to Christchurch. Spend the day at Riverside Market, the Botanic Gardens, Punting on the Avon and Quake City to learn about the Christchurch earthquakes.

Day 2: Tekapo

Rent a car/camper and drive to Tekapo stopping at viewpoints around the lake. Enjoy a soak at Tekapo Springs or hike 90 minutes to the Astro Cafe for a delicious meal with stunning views of Lake Tekapo.

Around 10 PM head to the Church of the Good Shepherd to see the incredible night sky.

If there’s one thing you can’t miss—it’s Mount Cook. And the drive there is gorgeous, too!

Day 3: Lake Pukaki

Enjoy the short drive to Lake Pukaki stopping at viewpoints around the lake. Here’s the time to pick up groceries and top up your fuel for the next two days.

Then it’s time to drive to Mount Cook, my favorite place in New Zealand. Places to stay if you’re on a budget include Glentanner Holiday Park and YHA Aoraki Mt Cook Backpacker Accommodation or a more luxury option is Aoraki Court/Mt Cook Village.

Try and get an early night as I’d recommend getting up early to hike the following morning.

Day 4: Mount Cook

There are many hikes to choose from (see here) but my top recommendation is Hooker Valley, an easy 3-hour return hike that offers stunning views throughout. Be aware, if you’re scared of heights and bridges, there are three on this hike.

Day 5: Queenstown

Queenstown, otherwise known as the adventure capital of New Zealand, is full of activities. I’d recommend skydiving with NZone or bungy jumping with Aj Hackett.

If extreme sports aren’t your thing, visit Skyline Queenstown and take a ride on the gondola where you can enjoy luging or a drink whilst you take in the views.

Foodwise, try Bespoke Kitchen for delicious healthy food, Fergburger for an extreme burger, and Cookie Time for the best milkshake of your life.

Other notable activities include a trip to Onsen Hot Pools and hiking the Ben Lomond track.

Drive to Glenorchy.

Day 6: Glenorchy

The road from Queenstown to Glenorchy is one of the most beautiful drives in New Zealand. Take your time and enjoy stopping off at Bob’s Cove and Bennets Bluff Lookout. Grab a coffee at The Trading Post and take a photo of the world-famous shed by Glenorchy Wharf.

I’d recommend spending the night in Queenstown or Te Anau for a trip to Milford Sound the next morning.

Milford Sound

Day 7: Milford Sound

Milford Sound is a breathtaking fiord famous for its waterfalls and Mitre Peak. Being one of the wettest places in the world, make sure you pack waterproofs.

If you’re driving yourself there is a car park at $10 an hour (payable by card only). Otherwise, there are several tour operators (see here) who offer day trips to Milford from Queenstown and Te Anau. Tours often include a boat cruise to explore deeper into the fiord.

Day 8: Wanaka

An hour’s drive from Queenstown, Wanaka is a beautiful town famous for the Wanaka Tree, Lavender Fields, and the infamous Roys Peak day hike.

This hike is not for the faint-hearted, it’s a 6-hour return climb but the views are worth it. Take enough water and snacks and wear the appropriate clothing. You won’t be disappointed!

Day 9: Mount Aspiring National Park

An hour north of Wanaka is the stunning Mount Aspiring National Park. Walk the 1.5-hour return Blue Pools Track and stop at Fantail Falls and Thunder Creek Falls. Head to Franz Josef to stay overnight and make sure you stop at Lake Matheson along the way.

View from the Helicopter!

Day 10: Franz Josef/Fox Glacier

The final day of your New Zealand road trip should be at Franz Josef or Fox Glacier. These West coast towns are famous for their heli hikes and heli landings. Try a Heli Hike with The Helicopter Line or Franz Josef Glacier, and Glacier Helicopters for a heli landing. It won’t be cheap but it’ll be worth it!

If you’re on a budget, head on a hike such as Alex Knob Track (8-hour return) or Roberts Point Track (the 5-hour). Both offer spectacular views of the glaciers but make sure you wrap up warm.

Other Recommendations

North Island:

Mount Taranaki — I was disappointed to miss this stratovolcano; head here for an unforgettable sunrise/sunset

South Island:

Roys Peak

Helpful Tips

Kia Ora means hello in the native Maori language

Hiking is often referred to as tramping

There’s no expectation to tip

There are strict laws about what you can bring in to the country. You can see all of the prohibited items here to avoid a fine at the airport

If you look under 25 you’ll need your passport for ID when purchasing alcohol

iSite’s are in every town/city and are full of information on things to do in the area

Overall

New Zealand is an incredible place to travel and there is so much to see and do. You might spend quite a bit of time driving to see the best bits but it’s worth it. Whatever you do here, I’m sure you’ll have the best time.

You can see more in-depth posts on my blog about where to skydive in New Zealand, visiting Hobbiton, hiking Tongariro Alpine Crossing, glamping in Waitomo, and visiting Onsen Hot Pools.

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