Travel
It's been over four months since I last wrote a blog post so I thought it was about time I came back online and said a quick hello. Quite a lot has happened in those four months, the biggest being my move to Hong Kong.
If you didn't already know from my here's to new adventures post I'm currently living in Hong Kong and will be for the foreseeable future which is both exciting and a little scary.
14/03/2018 / myanmar , Travel
Thingyan Water Festival Myanmar: what you need to know
Myanmar (Burma)
You may have heard about the Songkran water festival in Thailand, but have you heard of the one in Myanmar. I suspect you haven’t unless you’ve been and experienced it for yourself. I didn’t even know it existed until we were a week into our trip and glanced at a calendar in the hotel reception. I didn’t even consider that it might be similar to the one in Thailand and completely forgot about it until it actually began.
One positive of the Thingyan festival being a lot less famous than the one in Thailand is that if you choose to involve yourself in the festival it is nowhere near as touristy or hectic as the Songkran festival. I’d still very much like to experience this one and was a bit disappointed that our route meant we were missing it but I’m so glad we still got the experience in Myanmar.
Obviously, the festival will vary depending on which areas of Myanmar you are in during the festival period. We met people who had been in Mandalay and they told us that it had been quite intense, the streets had been flooded with water and you couldn’t go anywhere without being soaked.
We experienced it in a quieter area of Myanmar; Bagan. Still very much a big part of the tourist path in Myanmar but a much smaller town Bagan seemed like the perfect place to experience the festival. Not that we’d chosen it, it just so happened to be the next stop on our route.
Now I’ve experienced it for myself and knew very little if anything before my trip I thought it would be useful to others to put together a post about the key things you should know about the festival and what you should expect.
If you keep up to date with my posts you may remember that, long ago, I mentioned wanting to teach in Vietnam. This was soon forgotten both on the blog and in real life. Then I came home from travelling and started to hint in my monthly summary posts about sorting out my plans for 2018.
Basically, I needed to get my shit together. But that took quite a while. However, I did start to do this and even hinted about making progress with project sort out my life. I was very vague and totally one of those people who say they have exciting news but don't tell you what it is. Except I didn't actually say I had exciting news so maybe I'm not that bad.
Travel itineraries are very subjective. Each person has their own personal preferences. Those who like hiking will make sure their itinerary includes the best hikes in the area they visit. Beach lovers will choose to prioritise beach days.
Having said this I, personally, love reading other peoples itineraries, especially before I head off on a trip to the same destination. It's a great starting point for creating your own itinerary or for picking out the key sights to see.
Having said this I, personally, love reading other peoples itineraries, especially before I head off on a trip to the same destination. It's a great starting point for creating your own itinerary or for picking out the key sights to see.
In today's post, I thought I'd share my Interrail itinerary with you. Hopefully, it will inspire some of you to go and explore Europe or help you if you're already trying to plan one. I visited both Eastern and Central Europe, we tried to see some more off the radar places, ones that we wouldn't necessarily visit for a weekend away and decided we'd sacrifice places such as Rome and Berlin as these are good options for weekend trips. My trip lasted around 5 and a half weeks and I'm surprised at how much we managed to fit in. Sometimes we were moving to a new place every other day or so but I didn't feel too rushed or tired out and I like to have lots of rest time!
Of course, my itinerary isn't perfect. I don't think any itinerary is. Because of this, I've also included changes I would make at the end of this post including where I felt we needed more time. Again, this is subjective but may be useful if you're trying to finalise your own route.
Of course, my itinerary isn't perfect. I don't think any itinerary is. Because of this, I've also included changes I would make at the end of this post including where I felt we needed more time. Again, this is subjective but may be useful if you're trying to finalise your own route.
THE ITINERARY
Split: 3 nights
I had plans to leave the country at least once more before the end of 2017. At one point I even thought I'd be leaving twice. I was planning a birthday weekend away and a weekend to Vienna to visit a university friend. The birthday weekend was postponed, somebody already had that weekend off work. No big deal. I'd go another weekend.
This post is a little late going up but I still wanted to post it to document my 2017 travels more for myself than anything else.
Part of me feels like I didn't do a lot of travelling, especially when I compare it to 2016 where I went on four separate trips, three of these being backpacking trips.
However, I've actually done a lot more travelling this year than I realise.
I mean I spent four months this year backpacking Asia. That's a third of the year I spent travelling. So when I look at it this way I think it's safe to say that 2017 was a good travel year!
However, I've actually done a lot more travelling this year than I realise.
I mean I spent four months this year backpacking Asia. That's a third of the year I spent travelling. So when I look at it this way I think it's safe to say that 2017 was a good travel year!
I visited seven countries in 2017. Three new countries and four revisits.
Myanmar
Myanmar was the first country I ever visited in Asia and also the first country I ever backpacked. I went back there during my trip to Asia because the friend I was travelling with had not been and also because I didn't feel like I'd seen enough of the country the first time around.
I'm so glad I returned as I was able to see things I didn't the first time like the temples of Bagan. We also got to experience the Thingyan water festival which is similar to the Songkran festival in Thailand.
27/11/2017 / Kuala Lumpur , Travel
How to stay in luxury accommodation for less in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
We all need a treat from time to time right? After many nights in hostel rooms or very run down guesthouses I was excited to get to Kuala Lumpur. Why? Because we had an apartment booked for our visit. And obviously because I was ready to explore the city!
Accommodation costs can add up A LOT. Especially when you're on a multi destination trip that spans a few months. I used to hate staying in hostels. I no longer hate it. Hostels have their pros and cons but I'm more than happy to share a room with strangers to save some money.
But like I said everyone likes a treat. I had a bucket list containing various places and things I wanted to do while I was in Asia but I also had a different bucket list. An accommodation one.
Most places I chose cheap and cheerful. However, Kuala Lumpur was one of the places I knew I wanted to have a treat. Plus the hostel I wanted to stay in was nearly as much as the apartment so it would of been rude not to make the most of more luxurious accommodation for less.
Most places I chose cheap and cheerful. However, Kuala Lumpur was one of the places I knew I wanted to have a treat. Plus the hostel I wanted to stay in was nearly as much as the apartment so it would of been rude not to make the most of more luxurious accommodation for less.
FLASH PACKING IN KUALA LUMPUR
18/11/2017 / SE Asia , Thailand , Travel
Into the Wild Elephant Sanctuary | Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai, Thailand
It seems visiting an elephant sanctuary whilst in Thailand, or Asia for that matter, is the thing to do. And it’s easy to see why. Who wouldn’t want to spend the day surrounded by elephants?
I knew before I’d even stepped on a plane that an elephant sanctuary was something I wanted to do on my trip to Asia. However, this wouldn’t be my first experience of elephants. I saw them in the wild while on safari in Sri Lanka and in India where I’d had to opportunity to ride them. I’d decided against this. While I really wanted to see an elephant up close I didn’t want it to be done in this way. I decided to wait until I could do it ethically. Because, honestly, the cruelty greatly outweighs my want to see an elephant up close and always will.
INTO THE WILD ELEPHANT SANCTUARY
16/10/2017 / Asia , myanmar , Travel
A guide to Inle Lake | Myanmar
I remember my first glimpse of Inle Lake. The narrow strip of water suddenly opened up revealing a great expanse of water. The whole lake seemed alive. We had just entered Inle Lake and it was truly stunning.
Inle Lake is one of the 'must sees' of Myanmar. Cambodia has Angor Wat, Vietnam has Halong Bay, India the Taj Mahal. Myanmar has Inle Lake.
Certainly not as famous as the other sights mentioned but what it lacks in status it makes up in with stunning landscape and friendly locals.
09/10/2017 / SE Asia , Travel
In retrospect: SE Asia bucket list
Back in March I made a SE Asia Bucket list before I headed off on my trip in April. It seems so long ago since I was doing all my planning and preparation! I thought I might as well do a follow up post to tell you whether I managed to tick everything off my bucket list. I decided not to make the bucket list too long or ambitious, I didn't want to feel like I had to try and get it all done so instead I chose 10 things to try and achieve.
1. VISIT ANGKOR WAT
I actually ended up spending three days at the temple complex. We saw the famous Angkor Wat on our first day exploring, however, we never made it to a sunrise which I do regret but it was still amazing to see it in person.
02/10/2017 / Bangkok , SE Asia , Thailand , Travel
Maeklong Railway Market and Damnoen Saduak Floating Market: A day trip from Bangkok
Bangkok, Thailand
Today's post is all about my day trip to the Maeklong Railway Market and Damnoen Saduak Floating Market while I was in Bangkok. There are so many options for day trips from Bangkok. So much so that it's hard to know where to start when looking at them! We were initially planning on taking two, this one and one to the Bridge over River Kwai. Unfortunately that one never worked out.
Vienna was my last stop in Austria before heading to Bratislava . I spent three nights in there and managed to see a lot. I found the city quite big and never quite knew where I was in comparison to other places. I have to say out of the three places I visited in Austria (the others being Salzburg and Hallstatt) Vienna was my least favourite. That's not to say it didn't have it's good points. There was definitely plenty of places to explore and we had good weather during our visit.
Arriving in Vienna
We got the train from Hallstatt into Vienna and arrived in the afternoon. We then got the metro to our hostel (Wombats Hostel) which was on the outskirts of the city. Part of me wishes we'd chosen somewhere more central but the hostels in Vienna were pretty pricy.
The hostel was only a short walk from the metro station, we checked in and headed to our room, which we'd soon find out wasn't supposed to be our room at all! We headed to get some dinner and settled for a restaurant nearby for the sake of convenience.
We headed back to the hostel and before heading down to the hostel bar where we got a free drink each. We managed to persuade some other people from the hostel to come out and where meeting our friend who was also travelling at the club. The night out was really good and better than what I was expecting. We didn't get into bed until after 6 am!
The hostel was only a short walk from the metro station, we checked in and headed to our room, which we'd soon find out wasn't supposed to be our room at all! We headed to get some dinner and settled for a restaurant nearby for the sake of convenience.
We headed back to the hostel and before heading down to the hostel bar where we got a free drink each. We managed to persuade some other people from the hostel to come out and where meeting our friend who was also travelling at the club. The night out was really good and better than what I was expecting. We didn't get into bed until after 6 am!
When researching what to do in Mandalay a place was mentioned a lot. I researched it some more and the pictures alone were enough to add the ancient capital (one of four surrounding Mandalay) to my must visit list.
My next point of call was figuring out how to get there, it's outside of the main city along the Ayeyarwaddy river. It took me a while to find all the information I needed. A lot of websites were offering me a tour or a combined tour which was something I didn't want to do. I like to try and do things myself if possible to make the day cheaper. Seeing as I struggled to find information I thought I'd put together a blog post about my day in Mingun including all the information you need to know for your own visit!
I usually make travel posts more informative, I do a 10 things to do or a how to spend three days, however, for Salzburg I decided to make the post a bit more personal and diary like. Partly because I thought I'd switch things up but mostly because I don't feel I explored Salzburg enough to be able to write a 'here's what you should do' type post.
After saying goodbye to the beautiful Lake Bled we hopped on a train to Salzburg. The first of our three stops in Austria.
After saying goodbye to the beautiful Lake Bled we hopped on a train to Salzburg. The first of our three stops in Austria.
We spent three days in Salzburg. From the little research I had done beforehand it seemed like there was a lot to see. Having now visited I think we could of spent less time there but we did skip things like the Sound of Music tour which is probably one of the main attractions!
09/06/2017 / Croatia , Travel
A pocket guide to Zagreb
Zagreb was the fourth stop on my interrail trip. We'd already been to Split but Zagreb is very different. I mean I wasn't expecting any ocean or beach but the architecture of the city is also very different to Split. We only had one full day in Zagreb and it was surprisingly hot! We also decided to have our first night out of the trip in Zagreb. On a Tuesday night. Probably not the best day of the week to see what Zagreb had on offer but all the bars were surprisingly busy. More on that later!02/06/2017 / Sri Lanka , Travel
Hiking to Lipton's Seat, Sri Lanka
There are so many walks and hikes in Sri Lanka from Adam's Peak to the world's end. On my three week trip around Sri Lanka I only managed to do one. Lipton's Seat. We stayed in the town of Haputale for our walk. I wouldn't call it a hike as such, it's not too tough and a lot of it is fairly flat.
19/05/2017 / India , Travel
The highs and lows of travelling India
I only spent three weeks and India and quite frankly you could spend three years there and still not have explored the whole country. Although, I have many countries on my bucket list that I've never visited India is still on it because I barely scratched the surface.
However, while my trip to India was short I still learnt a lot about the country and travelling there. So I thought I'd create this post as a summary to the highs and lows of my time in India.
05/05/2017 / hostels , Travel
The ups and downs of staying in a hostel
Any backpacker knows that hostels are part of the lifestyle. They save money and are great for meeting like minded people. However, they can also be incredibly noisy and a bit run down. Travelling for 12 weeks this summer meant that I stayed in a fair few hostels. I thought I'd write this post to summarise the pros and cons of hostel life and how to make the most of staying in one.
28/04/2017 / Ljubljana , Travel
Ljubljana Graffiti Tour
Ljubljana was one of those places were I didn't really know what to expect. Compared to other places I'd visited I hadn't done that much research for it. So when we got to our hostel the first thing we did was take a look at the leaflets that they had in reception. There was the usual walking tours and day trips to Lake Bled but since we were already going to stay in Lake Bled after Ljubljana we didn't need to plan a day trip. Soph then picked up a leaflet about a graffiti tour which looked really cool and so we decided we'd check it out on our first full day in Ljubljana.
21/04/2017 / Lifestyle , Travel
How to survive a long haul flight
We've all been there. Checking the time thinking that there must only be an hour left of the flight and being horrified to see that you haven't even made it half way through yet. This is especially painful on long haul flights. This summer I took four long haul flights, some of which were better than others! I thought I'd write a blogpost to share my tips and what I learnt from taking these flights.
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)
