Sri Lush Lanka

Ayubowan! (Good Morning!)

Sri Lanka you were nothing but incredible and I’m proud to now say I did it, one of my favourite countries ever.

Having just spent 2 months travelling Asia with multiple people, various schedules and plenty of shared rooms, I was keen for some luxury. By luxury, I mean an £8 room per night, but by myself. I basically couldn’t be arsed to make any more friends and wanted to have some personal space back in my life so chose to book double rooms for one instead of hostels, and embrace Sri Lanka solo. It was the best choice.

Because I rarely met an English speaking soul, (I visited in the off-season and avoided hostels where possible), I genuinely navigated my way around the country by travel manuals, TripAdvisor and approaching the locals with a massive smile on my face and lots of hand gestures. It was awesome. I travelled by public bus mainly, but used the local trains too - Sitting on a rickety, very loud train for 7 hours, driving through the mountains, and clouds, being the focus of major excitement and entertainment to school children on a passing train, and plenty of heart warming conversations with locals. Sri Lanka just seemed to get better by the day.

My favourite place by far has to be Unawatuna, along the coast just west of Mirissa (a more popular beach resort with whale watching options), and slightly east of Galle (a beautiful, historical old town). This area was pure bliss after a not so great stay in Tissamaharama… Avoid it like the plague. I can only describe Unawatuna by telling you how it made me feel; I felt content. I would wake up, swing in a hammock on the balcony whilst reading, have a breakfast of Queens, wonder down to the beach, more relaxation and selfish me-time, pop up to my favourite beach bar for afternoon refreshments, mooch around the incredible shops speaking with some beautiful people, inside and out, then have dinner where and whenever I wanted. I learnt so much throughout Sri Lanka; about their culture and way of life, but also about myself. It was as if the prior weeks of travelling had been leading up to this, if you’re considering travelling by yourself, do it. It may be daunting at first but it’s the best thing you’ll ever do.

When travelling with others it’s great to have that sense of comfort, someone to bounce ideas off and share the experience with, but when you’re solo you get an injection of confidence. You’re proud to have taken the plunge and want to make the most of it. You’ll do all of the activities you want to do, see all the sights on your list and take your time to take it all in. With no-one else to accommodate, there are no compromises, your trip is yours and yours alone. 

What to expect:

• Incredible people: The people I met throughout Sri Lanka were simply the best; so kind, generous, genuine and extremely humble. The conversations I had and moments I experienced with local Sri Lankans were some I will always treasure
• Variety - every place has something different to offer
• Public transport like no other

Must sees/dos:

Sigiriya Rock

It was very busy when I went but still awesome. There was even elephants on my walk to it.

Galle

An idyllic old town, both coastal and cultural

Ella

A gorgeously green bubble of great walks, breathtaking hikes (Adam's Peak for example) and waterfalls. I stayed here for 4 days, staying in a lovely homestay, hiking a different trail each day and fully embracing the incredible food cooked by my host.

Public bus! 

Do it. Seriously. Not only is it ridiculously cheap, it’s so entertaining. You jump on, (literally, they don’t stop) pay 30p for a trip you have no idea how long will take, have numerous conversations with Sri Lankan children amazed by your western status, then get told to jump off at your stop (throw your backpack else you will topple upon landing…). 

Avoid:

Kandy, Negombo and Tissamaharama

From my experience, which I admit was limited, these places weren’t anything to write home about. Too busy, not pretty, nothing I enjoyed. In fact these were the places I felt harassed and the least safe, some of which I admit could have been avoided if I were more careful. However, being off-season, and travelling alone, I was quite vulnerable. 

I’d love to head back to Sri Lanka one day, (with more money) and a specific plan. I’d feature more hikes, more beaches and definitely look into specific sights and activities instead of wondering. Aimlessly stumbling across things has its place when travelling, absolutely, but I do wish I’d had more of a plan of action. Coming home, I’ve found so many sights I missed. This could be said for any country I visit actually…  

Hmm where next???

Bohoma Istuti (Thank you) and Ayubowan! (Goodbye!)

#SriLanka #LiveLaughLearnTravel

Philippine Fiasco...

Musta! (Hello!)

Idyllic beaches, tranquil lagoons, snorkelling of dreams, island life at its best… Yeah 100%, just make sure you plan at least your transport in between each island okay? Laura and I did not. Meeting at the airport, a fresh Philippine travel manual in hand, with high hopes and endless excitement gradually descended into utter chaos. It’s surprising we’re still friends to be honest!

What to expect:

• Limited Wifi/Back to basics
• B-E-A-UTY

A word of advice, if you’re going to do the Philippines, do it properly: plan your order of travel, book your transport and accommodation, have enough cash on you and you’re all set! 

For us, it was one pickle after the other, from having no wifi to book hotels or flights, to getting robbed at the ATM (not violently just no money being physically withdrawn but the account virtually emptied - all the fun), consequently having to stay extra nights in probably the most boring area of Palawan and lose precious time in the pretty Philippine areas we were longing for. With only 13/14 days in the Philippines in total we really could have utilised our time much more efficiently, jam-packing it with fun, paradise and ‘The Philippine Dream’. 

Having said all of that whiney crap, our time there was memorable, beautiful for the most part, and an awesome/now funny, learning curve. Laura and I definitely laughed our way through it, I don’t believe either of us cried, and we bonded our friendship deep in the roots of despair. 

The Philippines was actually quite a momentous period throughout my trip, with personal bullsh*t happening back home for both os us, and no wifi, all we could do was lounge on a beach towel, hammock or tree swing (we weren’t fussy), read our books, vent to each other and commit to not giving a sh*t. We successfully tuned what could have been disaster 101 into mental training and selfish us-time. 

Enough of the drama, Philippines ‘do it or don’t bother’

Accommodation

We were on a budget as you may have guessed, so cheap presided over luxury each and every time; it served its purpose, we were safe (we think), and it was fine for us and our trip. However, if you’re going to go to the Philippines, you will probably have been saving/planning for a while so it’s worth the extra cost per night to stay somewhere wonderful. It’s not difficult to be close to the beach, but the standard of accommodation can quite easily change your mood from ‘not a care in the world’ to ‘oh bloody hell this is rank’. TripAdvisor is great for honest reviews from previous travellers; they get zero benefits from leaving positive reviews so they will be genuine. There’s no need to go overboard on cost though, you can get a much better quality stay from a few extra pounds/pesos. 

Wifi

Either forget it or buy a sim. I would personally suggest being organised in the first place so there’s no need for wifi bar the odd check-in back home. That would have been the sensible thing to do… Enjoy the Philippines for what it is: simple, beautiful, taking it back to basics. Everything your home life perhaps isn’t. 

Must Sees:

Panglao Island 

There are thousands of islands within the Philippines so blatantly a bunch we didn’t get to visit, but our favourite was Panglao, just off of the more well known Bohol. Quiet, calm, stunning, dreamy.

El Nido

One of the most famous Philippine islands, known for its snorkelling and lagoons. We did both these things, seeing some of the most incredible scenes whilst snorkelling in the Big Lagoon, freaking out swimming over the abyss, walking into the Secret Lagoon and kayaking in between them all. It’ll probably go down as one of the best days of my life. For Laura however, being stung by fish, cut by coral and nursing a motorbike burn was not necessarily as picture perfect… Her spirit never died though!

I’d love to attempt the Philippines again, attacking it with a more organised, sensible, perhaps mature attitude. Book everything in advance, know your route, work out how you want to spend your time and make it happen. Lessons have been learned!

Paálam! (Goodbye!)

#Philippines #LiveLaughLearnTravel

Top Tips and Making The Most Of It!

Usually my blogs are, I like to think, conversational and make for light reading. This entry however, will be more punchy and to the point, and that's because it is my top tips for backpacking and how to make the most of it! There are so many, so I want it to be as accessible and informative as possible, here goes!

To Tour or Not To Tour
Tours are brilliant, especially for solo travellers. Yes they are more expensive than doing everything off your own back, but it's money well invested in my opinion. Some of the added bonuses are: 

Transfers: - included to and from EVERYWHERE
Safety advice
The best tour guides: - to take you around and explain attractions i.e at the killing fields and S21 prison in Cambodia we had a private guide instead of a headset, and at the Cu Chi tunnels in Vietnam our guide was a veteran soldier!
The history: - the country is explained to you in a non-biased/misleading way
Good accommodation: - well appreciated after grotty hostels and many toilets
Local knowledge: - ATM's, exchange places, visa info, mini markets, attractions, politics, currency, the expected price of things
Friends: - around the places for further information or good nights out
Expectations: - busy areas, begging, cultural greetings

I chose to do my tour as soon as I arrived in Asia and I'm so glad I did. I met some awesome people, some of which I travelled with throughout parts of the rest of the trip, and I got to see the country with all it has to offer in a stress free, jam packed, pick-of-the-best kind of way. It's a yes from me.

This is our veteran guide for the Cu Chi Tunnels <3

Attitude
Throw yourself in to as much as you can: - make yourself do things you wouldn't necessarily do otherwise, talk and engage with people, try new foods, new experiences, bucket list activities, educate yourself on people/history/places
Commit your surroundings to memory: - or otherwise take as many photos as possible. It's sad how much you forget, how quickly you acclimatise to your surroundings and stop noticing, you stop being in awe. So, write down as much as you can to look back on and match up with photos. When travelling long distances look out of the window and observe
If you see something you like, get it (within reason): - know the value of the item, but also what it's worth to you. For instance, for art work, silver, items you can't get elsewhere or at home make the investment
Ignore your parents: - DO speak to strangers, speak to loads of them! The more you approach and engage the more you learn. The more you learn the more your confidence grows. Competence is Confidence. Don't hold back on being forward, hook up on facebook and get their number, everyone wants to talk about their plan so work out whether you could be in the same place at the same time again. 
Mix things up, don't stick to your people/person: - when they then leave for another country, or home, you will panic so make sure you spread your wings. Speak to everyone in your tour/group/hostel, learn about them and their plans
Speak the language where you can: - nothing crazy, just the essentials (hello, thank you, please, bye). 
Don't be rude or disrespectful: - they want to speak to you so be kind, no matter how harassed you may feel, they are doing their best to earn money, and your Vietnamese is way worse than their English so don't be ignorant
Adopt their culture: - greetings, bowing, language, foods

I liked to write my journal whilst gazing out of the window on journeys

Practicalities
Accommodation: - book 1 or 2 nights upon arrival, so you have somewhere to direct the taxi driver and put your mind at ease, but not too long in case you don't like it there or want to move on. Book hostels not hotels so you meet people quickly, then you can move somewhere nicer with your new friends if you want to
Do your research: - I did zero, so where others were excited to see particular things and wanted to incorporate foods, day trips, shows etc. into the trip, I was simply shocked to know they existed. Your tastes are not necessarily similar to someone else's, so what may float your boat may drift theirs away. It's your trip and your experience too, tailor it to you. 
TripAdvisor: - super handy for finding decent places to eat; when there are hundreds to chose from and they all look the same it's difficult to know which ones are good. TripAdvisor will tell you the recommended places by other travellers, therefore they will be good value too. The only thing that could make it better is a distance'o'metre "623m away" with consequent directions. Lonely Planet and Travel a Fish are also good.
Valuables - Take minimal: - a) you don't need them b) you'll be less on edge. I took my passport, 1 x debit card, 1 x credit card + driving license (all 3 of which are in a little card holder), a coin purse, my phone and my iPad. So, on journeys to and from places, in my tiny over-the-shoulder bag, I have 4 things to count and my iPad in my day pack. Once stationed, my passport, iPad and card holder stay in a security box in the hotel room so all I have to worry about is my coin purse (just the cash you need for each day) and my phone for photos
Wash clothes as you go: - clean knickers, bikinis, small, regularly used items as much as possible. Every shower I took I would wash my latest underwear and bikini, initially in the shower with me, then in the sink too, then I hang them out to dry. Keeping on top of it prevents your bag from smelling. If you're staying in a place for a while i.e 2+ days, unpack your bag and let everything air (you'll also find the clothes you forgot about = new outfit score).
Keep your itinerary's/tickets: - my memory's poor so I would use these as reference to memories and photos
Take a bit of money for each country: - £20ish, so when you arrive there's no need to rush to an overpriced ATM in the airport

I started planning my trip for hotspots, activities and must-sees once I hit Indonesia

Silly stuff
Sun worshipper: - on long journey days, take every opportunity to get in the sunshine i.e. happy place (toilet) stops, food breaks. Get tanned quick otherwise you stick out to the locals and other travellers
When visiting iconic places/day trips/tourist attractions where good outfits: - because you will take lots of photos! You don't want to look back and hate your outfit/look fat and then dislike the photo. For Temples/respectful clothing trips chose decent longer items + cover ups.
Bring nice hair accessories: - or buy them out there i.e head scarfs, clips. My hair did not touch my shoulders so it was nice to have a different style every now and again 
Games: - You'll no doubt be going on long journeys so make the most of them. Take a look around, suggest games i.e Top 5 or Heads up, get to know the people you're with and make memories.

My outfit leaves much to be desired... #candid

Items to take:
Passport photos: - depends how many countries you will be visiting, I suggest 2 per country
3 bags/luggage holdals - one main backpack with all your clothes and toiletries (nothing of value), one day bag/backpack for day trips, journeys etc, and one small bag for valuables (never leaves your side)
Water bottle: - there will always be a pocket to slide it into and it makes you drink more which is very necessary. If you struggle with bladder/urine infections like I do if I don't drink enough, plan your intake: loads when you wake up, pee at breakfast, gradually through the journey, pee at each happy place stop
Baby wipes: - for cleaning your feet and sweaty trips to temples etc,  as well as nasty toilet stops
Padlocks: - for your day pack with codes not keys
Steal the aeroplane blanket: - they're lighter, smaller, and not as hot, but great for long journeys with air con, and you won't mind chucking it when you're done #score
Drawstring bag x 2: - for dirty shoes and wet toiletries
Coin purse: - holding just your cash for the day so it's not life threatening if you lose it
Charger socket for multiple items: - you can charge multiple items at once for you and your bunkies

Wish I'd brought:
Camera: - phone memory is crap. Each night I would upload every single photo to a private facebook album, back up my phone to iCloud, then delete all of the photos so I had room for the next day. Pain. In. The. Arse.

Hope this is handy for your future travels! I'm not jealous at all.... :)

#LiveLaughLearnTravel #TravelTips

The Power of People

Throughout my travels I stumbled upon things I'd rather forget and found myself in a few pickles, but what has stuck with me the most is the power, kindness and potential of people. There are far, far more wonderful people out there than there is evil, yet, unfortunately, as our minds our wired toward negativity for survival purposes, we spend considerably more time focusing on the bad than the good.

Millions of people do incredible things every day, change peoples lives, make people's days, or simply put a smile on someone's face but receive no recognition. 

Because of this, I wanted to take the time to thank some of the individuals I owe at least a beer to:

For the first time on my trip, I found myself alone. I was in Bali, LOVING LIFE, when I decided to take my travel book and plan my trip on the beach in Kuta. It wasn't long until a young guy, Nicholas, approached me asking whether I'd like a surf lesson. I declined but he didn't mind, instead he sat with me for two hours and helped plan where I should go, in which order and for how long. With no incentive to help, this gentleman ended up being my friend throughout Bali; taking me to my next destination on his bike (with my massive backpack at his feet the whole way), giving me and my friends tours of the new places including hot spots off the beaten track and arranging further transport for us :)

During my first solo bus journey in Sri Lanka, from Sigiriya to Kandy, I was sat next to a middle-aged man who spoke little English. We exchanged hand signals, smiles and the odd sentence, as well as some sweets. A drunk man then got on the bus, to the annoyance of the driver and his assistant, and sat on the right-hand side of me. He was wobbling around, saying the odd thing but I wasn't particularly bothered, (I've definitely seen worse in my time as a bar maid). My Sri Lankan friend to my left however, was concerned and invited me to swap seats with him so he could protect me. Needless to say I smiled for the rest of the 4 hour journey :)

Well, what can I say about Channy, our CEO of the Cambodia and Vietnam tour? Quite simply he is one of the kindest, and most genuine human beings I've ever met. No problem was too big, nor to much of an issue for him. No matter what you wanted, whether it was an urgent visa, a nightclub, to learn about Buddism or a shoulder to cry on, Channy was there with positivity, kindness and a solution. Chaney 100% made our tour ten times better just from being there and embracing us all like family. People are most definitely his passion, I really hope karma has something wonderful lined up for him :)

Elsewhere in the Philippines (ow Philippines), Laura and I were finding ourselves in one pickle after the next but thanks to a lovely hotel owner by the name of Tomas, we managed to still have a good time and not kill each other! This man did his best to ensure we still had the best time possible, even in a sh**ty situation, organising trips, advising us on the protocol when your money has been stolen from a cashpoint ensuring we got our money back, taking us to reliable ATM's, lent us his phone when wifi was down in order to ring banks, hotels and home, and hailed jimney buses for us whilst translating where we need to go. In general this man looked after us as if we were his daughters, some would say he was a life saver :)

And if they aren't enough to make you smile, just take a look at this beautiful Sri Lankan girl who sat next to me on a bus to practise her English :)

There some hideous and dispicable people in the world, it's true, but there are also some truly wonderful, kind-souled, game changers out there. It gives me the emotional shivers, and tears to my chubby cheeks, thinking about how incredible some people are. Let's hope what goes around really does come around, keep up the good work you legends.

This blog is dedicated to all of those wonderful people, so to you Nicholas, protective Sri Lankan bus passenger friend, Channy, Tomas, and Mr Jimney driver, thank you. It's not much, but I wish you all the love, luck and happiness in the world, you really shaped my trip to be the eye-opening, heart-warming, life-affirming experience I so desperately wanted it to be <3

#LiveLaughLearnTravel

Indonesia Dreaming

Selma Pagi! (Good morning!)

After the harassment that is taxi drivers at Denpasar airport, Bali could not have been more perfect for what I wanted, needed and expected. This, to date, is my favourite country I have ever been to. The people are cheeky and so kind, the scenes are beautiful, the food is healthy, and the atmosphere takes your breath away in the best way possible. God love you Vietnam, but my Lord did I need Bali.

What to expect

• To fall in love <3 If you don't, there's something wrong with you. Take me back now please.
• To spend a lot of wondering around with a big fat smile on your face

Must see's
Gili T: If you want to party this place is perfect, but if you want to live island life, with beautiful sunsets, delicious food, great shopping and a good mix of relaxation and activities, Gili Trawangan is bang on. We cycled around the island, following the sun, watched awesome sunsets from beach bean bags, went snorkelling and hung out on multiple tree swings. Tick tick boom, a great few days! 

My favourite spot in Bali, Single Fin: This is a surf spot, lookout, beach and a bar/restaurant area. I spent two days here just watching the surfers in the sunshine, with a book and some food; one of my fondest memories as I learned to be alone and take in where I was. There's a beach, loads of cafes and bars, a few shops and a nice acai bowl hut for a healthy spot of lunch.

Turtles: I'm sure there are plenty of places to spot them in Bali, but we saw them on a snorkelling trip from Gili Trawangan. The trip takes you to all three Gili Islands: Trawangan, Meno and Air, and you're pretty much guaranteed to swim with turtles at some point. Snorkelling, for me, has never been much more than a few fish in shallow waters, but this trip was memorable. We saw so many beautiful species, colours, coral reefs and also got to swim into the deep where you can see the sea floor drop into the abyss with sun rays shining behind you.

Must do's

It happened to be my birthday whilst we were in Bali, no age needed, so I wanted to do something I'd remember, something different. Fortunately, the logical travel plan meant that we would be in Ubud where Mount Batur is situated. It's an active volcano, 1,717m high, that you can trek up for sunrise, so we did! It was really something special; beautiful scenes, super early start, a wonderful guide and some great people to learn about on the way. 

The Ubud way of living

As soon as you arrive in Ubud you feel different, in a good way. Even though Bali is a relaxing and beautiful place as a whole, Ubud takes it up a notch. Yoga is everywhere, spas are in every other building, health and well-being is encouraged; it's hard to ignore the not-so-subtle hints that we should look after ourselves, so you don't! We did a yoga class at the Yoga Barn, ate trendy foods, and let ourselves be pampered, it was perfect. I'm definitely going back, 3 days was not enough.

Clock out on Nusa Lemborgan Island 

On our way to the Gili's we wanted to make a pit stop to a tiny island, Nusa Lemborgan. We checked in and didn't move more than 20m from the pool, to the bar, to our beach beanbags for 24 hours. Pure bliss.

What to eat

Nasi Campur: A local dish of rice with 4/5 side accompaniments such as spicy green beans, Tempe/tofu in a tomato sauce, chicken satay and a fried egg
Coconut brittle: Roasted coconut, with sugar used to sprinkle over ice cream or salads
Bintang Radler: A lemon beer, so refreshing and perfect for Bali moments

Tips

• Be savvy with transport: at the airport for instance you will be bombarded by taxi men, my advice is to walk right past, try not to let the harassment p*ss you off too much, go outside and walk a little bit; the taxis are much cheaper. Also, never settle for the first price, haggle once, twice, even three times to get the price you want, they generally at least double the price it should be so there will always be room for a wiggle
• Embrace the locals: sometimes, as Brits, we hate to be approached; love to shop, hate to be sold to. However, in Bali, I can't explain how much stress, aggro and unwarranted spending was taken away from me thanks to the wonderful human that is Nicholas. I was sat alone on Kuta beach when he approached me asking if I wanted a surf lesson. I said no, but he didn't mind, instead he sat with me for 2 hours and helped me plan my trip. I soon realised that Bali doesn't really do buses, but Nicholas offered to take me anywhere on his bike (with my massive backpack). Not only did he drive me wherever I needed to go on multiple days, he also gave me a tour of the new place to familiarise me with the area, as well as taking me to off the beaten track places I would never have known about. He organised all of my transport, including boats, charged me hardly anything, kept me safe and became a friend :) 

Terima kasih (Thank you!)

#Bali #LiveLaughLearnTravel