World Traveler

 

London can be an amazing place to shop, if you know where to go and there are loads of fantastic markets with a great ambiance. Oxford Street is London’s main shopping Mecca and it will keep you busy for a good few ours as the street stretches from Marble Arch all the way to Tottenhamcourt Road and has high street shops, budget shops, designer wear and loads of department shops. Its packed everyday of the week so it can be quite stressful! Regent Street near by is good for designer brands and upmarket high street shops, plus there is Hamley’s toy shop which is huge and definitely the place for toys (adults will love it too
though!)

You can’t miss Portobello Market with its buzzing vibe, funky music blaring out and general funkiness. The market continues for about a mile and you can buy antiques, retro and second hand wear, up-and-coming
designer wear, the coolest clothes and some brilliant music. The main days are Friday and Saturday and there are loads of cafes and bars so you can make a day of it. Look out for the crazy man that caries an
8-foot wooden cross on his back - I always see him around everywhere and I have no idea why he does it!

Camden Market is another cool place to hang out, there are loads of different markets all in the same place, plus shopping on the main street, though nearly all the shops are shoe shops, crazy I know but great if you are looking for shoes! Camden is a very different area, you will see what I mean if you go there! Loads of punks and goths and generally people who look and dress very different, I love it as no one
has to “fit in” its more about fitting out! Camden is also a great place to go out with cafes, restaurants on the lock, bars and clubs.

Other markets include Spital Fields Market with is mostly hand made items like bags, clothes and jewellery. Covent Garden is good for some of the latest trends and Kilburn is good for bargain hunters.

Read more about London……

 

I travelled around as much as I could of the Philippines for three weeks and it seems that not much can be done during that time at all. Travelling around just proves to be an annoying, time consuming nightmare! I hardly saw any tourists on my travels, that was until I arrived on the beautiful island of Borocay.

At first I was wow-ed and it felt like paradise but after a look around its so set up for tourists that everything there just seems so fake, even down to the fake sand walkways. With its perfect little beaches, fair rides for kids, water sports and western buildings. Compared to the rest of the Philippines its like a different country and you get no sense of culture what so ever, probably because there is none there. Its ok for a holiday I guess but not if you want to see the world. I found most of the tourists there are male, and older, you get the picture. So if you go out in the evenings and you are female you get treated like a piece of meat and that’s whether you go to restaurants or bars so there isn’t really any getting away from it either. Talking about spoiling my appetite (I didn’t think that was possible!)

I find it strange to see how Borocay became to be in amongst the islands of the Philippines as it shows no resemblance to the rest of the country at all except for the tourists, they certainly show a fair bit of resemblance to the ones in the rest of the country!

Read more about adventures in The Philippines…..

 

From all the hype I hear about Bali and how beautiful it is and how everyone wants to go there, I was actually really disappointed and quite surprised when I arrived. The Island itself is pretty big and if you don’t drive it can be hard to get around, especially if you want to check out the more remote places. I spent two weeks there, half living in luxury with a maid and a driver and half as a backpacker so I got see a variety of places.

The beaches that I saw were filthy and resembled a rubbish dump rather than place of paradise and every time I went in the water I was attacked by plastic bags and other litter, it was really disguising. There is no chance that you can relax on the beach as there are so many hawkers that really do leave you alone, offering massages, fruit, drinks, seafood, braids -you name it. So even if you have earphones in or are reading a book your arm is tugged on average every 30 seconds by someone new who doesn’t take “Noâ€? for an answer.

There are so amazing restaurants and galleries, Ubud is a nice town but very small, there are plenty of monkeys there too that hang around outside Monkey Forest. While I had a driver we went to see temples, rice paddies and volcanoes which was pretty good and a much nicer side of Bali but a lot of the places that I wanted to go were hard to get to so I had to miss out. All in all I still have no idea what all the fuss is about Bali, there are so many places that I would rather be!

Read more about Indonesia…..

 

Who said that Malaysia was supposed to be a third world country? Times Square in Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur shows no sign of being third world at all. Times Square is a huge shopping complex that will keep you busy all day, and more. Talk about shop till you drop!

Times Square spreads itself over about 20 floors and is not only filled to the brim with shops and a food court but its also packed with plenty of restaurants, a gym complete with swimming pool, a hotel, a science centre, a cinema and an Imax cinema but also a theme park! Yes a theme park, inside a shopping centre. There are some excellent rides for adults and children and if you pop in to Times Square for a bit of shopping you can also go on a few rides to break up the day. Rides cater for children as well as adults and you get a pass for the day for about $10 so its perfect for a mid-week cheer-me-up and its almost always empty so you have the whole place to yourself.

Honestly, I could spend a week in Times Square and still not see and do everything. There are loads of shopping complexes like Times Square, Kulala Lumpur’s Twin Towers are another example. Complete with a viewing platform between the two towers and an Aquarium in the basement. How can this possibly be in a third world country, I have never heard of anything like this in the UK, Las Vegas maybe.

Read more about Malaysia…..

 

I arrived in Melbourne and immediately wanted to have a look around and find out what there was to see and do, so when I realized that there was a Penguin Parade I got really exited and had to go see them! About an hour out of Melbourne, on Philip Island you can go and see Fairy Penguins, which are the smallest penguins ever about 30cm high, and they are adorable!

Each evening, just as it starts to get dark, the penguins emerge from the water in groups (should that be packs? flocks?) and try to make the way up the beach in order to get to their nests. I saw and waited patiently for them to show themselves and soon enough the first penguin group came out of the sea looking very scared and quickly waddled up the beach, hiding behind rocks on their way. Half way up the beach, for no reason, they got scared and ran all the way back to the sea. They did this same routine about four times and I just wanted to help them to get home (obviously I didn’t interfere). The other groups did the same, it was so cute but I really felt for them.

Eventually some made it to the back of the beach and started singing (honestly, it really does sound like singing!) but loads of penguins were still in the water, I even saw one get confused, it came from its home and headed back to the water then realized whet it was doing and ran home again!

You aren’t allowed to take photos as it scares the penguin’s, and watching platforms have been set up so you can see them so unfortunately its quite set up for tourists but at least it keeps the penguins safe and protected.

Read about more animals……

 

I was in the Philippines and as I am from the UK I only get 21 days on my visa, not realizing that it takes two days to get several boats and buses, coaches etc to get to the next destination I decided to forget my plan and just go to the nearest place, that’s how I ended up in Bantayan!
 
As soon as I stepped off the boat I was met by about thirty tricycle drivers, all shouting for my attention. First I tried the “No thank you� technique, to which is always ignored, so decided to try and ignore them. So they followed me for 45 minutes, all of them, still shouting for my attention and it started to become really annoying. I found a hostel, unpacked and went for a wonder, and surprise surprise, there they were outside my door. I headed straight for the beach (their wheels don’t work on sand – ha ha ha!) and finally found a safe haven!
 
The beach was beautiful, pure white sand, clear water and almost deserted and I saw a starfish as big as a football! The town was really small and consisted of a bakery shop, a couple of bars and a couple of places to eat. Some places I walked in I wasn’t sure if I was walking into a café or into someone’s home, even when was in there t was hard to tell! Nightlife consisted of karaoke or pool, no other choices but I enjoyed myself all the same. It’s a very peaceful place and there are hardly any tourists there, great for a few days relaxing.

Read more about the Philippines…..

 

Tioman is a fabulous little find of the East Coast of peninsula Malaysia. The island has about four or five towns that you can stay at, all very small but still each one has different things to see and do. My favourite has to be ABC; its lined with quite bars and restaurants and a beach, which is a bit pebbly but you can snorkel and see turtles and loads of cool fishes and you don’t have to go very far. There is also a walk that you can do through the woods, passing loads of wildlife on the way, to a secluded little beach. The island is very peaceful and beautiful and there is nature all over, at night there are Flying Foxes, Mouse Deer, Porcupines and during the day there are huge Monitor Lizards. My Mum wasn’t aware of the Monitor Lizards even though I did warn her, she got a bit of a shock when she saw one and thought it was a crocodile, luckily some local kids “saved� her but she was convinced she was going to die, and no matter how much I tried to reassure her that they weren’t dangerous, she couldn’t wait to leave the island!
 
If you want something different to do during the day there is a place where you can make your own sarongs. Its easy to find as there is only one road (actually its more of a track) in ABC. Ricky Power owns the place and he organizes everything, gives advice and helps with the hard bits. It doesn’t matter if you’re not creative as all the sarongs turn out great, he was even thinking about introducing clothing that you can paint.
 
The people on Tioman are really friendly and even remembered me from when I was there 8 months previously, it’s a brilliant place, very quiet, but on of my favourite places in the world. Love it!

Read more about Malaysia…..

 

I was in Malaysia, and for anyone who has ever been there, you would know how friendly the local people are; everyone wants to stop and chat or just say Hello. So my sister and I got talking to a local man and his work colleagues and had a ball and he recommended that we go to Redang Island. It was an Island that I had never heard of but I looked it up and it sounded pretty cool and apparently very beautiful. My sister and I didn’t really have time concerns and were generally free to roam where we liked so we took him up on his offer.

We arrived on Redang at his friends hostel which was on a private beach in a tiny little bay, so very quiet as you had to get a boat round to the next bay if you wanted a shop, bar or restaurant). The hostel was full so we had to camp on the beach, which wasn’t a problem, and the hostel made breakfast, lunch and dinner so we didn’t really want for anything – except life!

The place was so quiet, fine during the day as you can snorkel with turtles and amazing fish, relax on the most beautiful beach I have ever been on (honestly, the sand was like cooking flour!) but evenings were so dull. I got a boat round the corner to the main town, it wasn’t huge but there were more beaches, a few shops, restaurants and bars, all still pretty quiet but at least I didn’t feel I was on a deserted island! Redang is very beautiful but unless you are happy doing very little it can also be very boring. I’m glad I went though.

Read more about Malaysia…..

 

I’m always fascinated by sand dunes so when I realised that you can actually surf down them I was so excited, and like I always do, I get excited but don’t really think about what is involved! I was in Australia and the nearest sand dunes to me were in Newcastle in NSW so I headed up there and found a tour company that takes you there are provides all the equipment (its much less hassle for me that way!) First was a 4-wheel drive across the dunes and I’m glad that I wore a seat belt, unfortunately my seat wasn’t attached to the floor so I had to concentrate on not hitting my head on the ceiling or the window, whilst I was being thrown around like a rag doll, fun all the same though. We parked up at the top of one of the highest dunes and I remembered my fear if heights and thought “oh my God, what am I doingâ€? and chickened out.
 
I watched as everyone else had a go and when I realised that you can do it sitting down instead of standing up I managed to muster enough courage to have a go. I waxed down my board, positioned myself and off I went. As I neared the bottom of the sand dune I had built up so much speed that I screamed, at the same time I veered out of control sending a wave of sand over me, most of which went into my open mouth – mouth full of sand, lovely! By this time I was covered in sand and loads was stuck up my nose so yes, I had definitely learned to keep my mouth shut for the next go!
 
Its tiring walking back up the dunes so I only got a few more slides before my legs gave way, but its a great way to have fun and get loads of exercise at the same time – just remember to keep your mouth closed!

Read about more places to go in Australia…….

 

Everywhere you go in Thailand there are fire shows which are amazing and I have even seen 8 year old children doing it. I suppose its actually fire dancing; you either have a long stick with fire at both ends or you can have poi, which are basically two bits of chain with fire at both ends and you hold one in each hand. There are loads of different moves and each person has their own unique style. As they dance and swing their poi in all different directions the fire creates fantastic patterns which look stunning in the dark.
 
I was so wow-ed by fire dancing that I managed to find a place that makes poi and also gives you lessons, obviously whilst learning you don’t set the poi alight, however its still a very painful experience – that’s something I wasn’t aware of beforehand!
 
In my group there were about five of us and the other people seemed to have no problem in learning the moves but I was hopeless! The poi kept getting tangled together and the balls at the end bashed me in the face and legs repeatedly so I was covered in bruises and thought I was going to get a black eye, luckily I didn’t. Its definitely very frustrating and I had to hold myself back from throwing my poi down and launching myself at the teacher for all the pain he was causing, but then I managed to do one of the moves and I got really excited again (lucky for him!)
 
So I persevered and managed to get a few other moves under control. After a few lessons I was much better and I practiced loads but still there is no way I am ever lighting those poi on fire because no matter how much I practice I still go wrong and I know that I will just set myself on fire! So I have come to the conclusion that its better to sit back an watch others fire dancing, much safer too!

Read more about Thailand….

 

I was in the middle of a two year travelling spert and had been thinking about getting another tattoo for ages but hadn’t thought of the exact design I wanted but knew what type of thing I wanted. Anyway, I was in Bukkitinggi which is a small Indonesian town in Sumatra and we came across a tattooist. He is the only person in the town to have tattoo’s as the town considers tattoo’s to be for criminals, therefore he only gets to tattoo tourists.
 
I went in to have a look at his art work and flicked through some of the magazines and happen to have an idea of exactly what I wanted and decided to get it (its a star as big as the palm of a hand with a space scene inside, and an alien – in case you were wondering!)
 
I had a chat with the tattooist and he said he could do it the following day so I went back to get it done and forgot how annoying tattoo pain was! Plus it was on my spine so I had involuntary twitches and was convinced that I was going to go into spasm resulting in loads of squiggly lines instead of straight ones, but it came out good, luckily!
 
The tattooist told me stories about other people he had tattooed, he remembered one girl in particular as she wanted a stickman pushing a lawnmower where the top of her down-there-hair started. The tattooist was so nervous as Indonesian women, especially in Bukketinggi really aren’t like that!

Read more about Indonesia……

 

After 6 months of working a full time job and two part time jobs I was so stressed and depressed , the only thing keeping me going was that I was looking forward to a nice relaxing three week holiday on Australia’s east coast. I planned to stop at a few locations doing activities like canoeing in the Everglades, snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef, visiting Fraser Island which is the largest sand island and then chilling on a yacht for a few days.
 
I arrived in Surfers Paradise first and saw family over Christmas for a few days then headed up to Noosa Heads and began my two week tour, starting with a three day canoeing safari, after day one there were cyclone warnings and dangerous weather so I had to come back, and did so just in time as the storms really kicked in. The next stop was Fraser Island but the cyclones got worse so the whole island had to be evacuated. Who goes to Fraser Island and it gets evacuated in summer? Talk about unlucky.
 
And so the saga continued, the storm was just as bad in the other places I planned to visit so I had to cancel my trip. I headed back down to Brisbane and found out that my work hadn’t paid me, this was on New Years Eve. I also had no where to stay and everywhere was fully booked but had no money to stay anywhere either. Finally I found a hostel that would put me up but was a sleep before midnight so missed the whole of the New Year celebrations.
 
My boyfriend then got hit by a car and broke a few bones and surprise surprise, the cyclones were still following me. Meanwhile back in my home town its sunny and 40 degrees while I’m stuck with torrential rain and cyclones, oh what a joy!
 
In the end I gave up and took a 30 hour train ride (non stop!) as I couldn’t afford to fly and had to survive on peanut butter sandwiches for three days and arrived back in Melbourne a day before I had to go back to work, ending up more stressed and depressed than I was before I left!

Read about more shenanigans…….

Langkawi is another one of Malaysia’s beautiful islands, Langkawi itself is a huge island but it has loads of smaller islands just off the coast to the south east that are protected Marine National Parks. You can’t stay on the islands but you can take day drips across.

I was travelling with my mum, who is scared of a lot of things, snorkelling being one of them and I was attempting to help her through her fears one by one by forcing her into doing things and so far it was working. She agreed to come with me on the snorkelling trip, even though the thought of swimming with a goldfish freaked her out – she was in for a big surprise!

We arrived at the marine national park and were provided with snorkelling gear, we both entered the water from the beach and even a metre from the beach there were fish galore of all different shaped and sizes and amazing colours. I have been snorkelling in a lot of places but I have never seen such amazing fish, and there were loads of them too.

My mum was doing well and stayed in the water a good ten minutes, that was until a five foot long reef shark swam up to her! She obviously freaked out and made a swifty exit from the water and refused to get back in! Reef sharks generally don’t attack humans and were fairly happy for me to swim with them so I wasn’t scared, that was until I cut my leg on some barnacles under the pier. The barnacles ripped through my leg in four different places and looked like I had been slashed by ‘Freddy Kruger’ and I was surrounded by a cloud of blood. I knew that Reef sharks don’t usually attack but I also know that sharks are attacked by blood so I swam as quickly as I could to shore.

When the other swimmers saw the blood pouring from my leg the water cleared pretty quickly as I guess most of them presumed I had been attacked by a shark (there was enough blood for it!) Despite my gashes it was an amazing day and I am definitely going back for more!

Read about more animal encounters……

Snowboarding never really appealed to me, I always preferred a hot holiday rather than a cold one, probably because I’m from England so I don’t get to see the sun much. I was eventually persuaded to go on a snowboarding holiday in Scotland, in a small town called Avimore, near Inverness and I had the time of my life!

I was pretty scared at first and neither me nor my friend had been before and decided to do it the cheap way and not get an instructor. We hired out the boards and a few other bits, but forgetting the goggles so I spent the whole day squinting to try and get the snow out of my eyelashes, unsuccessfully!

We arrived, fully kitted out in our snow gear (minus the goggles of course!), and the first hurdle came as soon as we got out of the bus – getting up the slope! Instead of chair lifts there were T-bar’s, everyone else made it look easy, just stand, swipe the t-bar between your legs and glide up the mountain. My male friend went first and failed miserably getting dragged face down in the snow, while I stood back trying to conceal that fact that I was wetting myself with laughter he continues, making the same mistake each time. By this time I am finding it hard to breathe as I am laughing so much, luckily I get an offer from one of the instructors to help get me up the slope so I didn’t have to go through the same embarrassing face-in-snow procedure as my friend.

I found snowboarding fairly easy but had no idea how to stop so just threw myself back in the snow, obviously that’s not the proper way of doing things but it seemed to work for me, I also didn’t realise that people zig-zagged to ensure they didn’t go to fast – I’m pretty sure I must have come close to breaking the land speed record and was scared I was going to run someone down! My friend continued with his difficulties and even lost the board from his feet which knocked me off mine! How can you loose the board from your feet?? - Its attached!

All in all I had a great day and I would definitely consider doing it again, but maybe with a lesson or two next time!

Read more about the UK…….

The Blue Mountains are situated about an hour from Sydney but it feels like they are a million miles away from the hectic Australian city. The Blue Mountains provide a blissful getaway and some amazing scenery but make sure you wrap up warm as you would be surprised how cold Australia can get and surprise surprise, they are blue!

There are loads to see and do around the Blue Mountains, a day trip is fine but a long weekend would be better. There is a cable car which provides excellent views but its a fairly short trip, there also there is the steepest railway in the Southern Hemisphere, the ride is less that a minute long but feels more like a rollercoaster than being on a train, a fair few people even screamed as the train flew down the mountain!

There are loads of walks where you can see The Three Sisters, which are basically three bits of rock that jet out, there are waterfalls, old cole mines for your dose of history. There are also wineries (mmmmm, Australian wine!), a maze, loads of fab restaurants, rock climbing…… and so the list goes on.

It’s probably better to have your own transport but there are plenty of tours that operate from Sydney if you don’t, that way you can sit back and relax as you are taken from place to place. Most tours stop at a wildlife Sanctuary on the way, to break up the trip, that way you also get to stroke a koala and see more of Australia’s amazing animals!

Read more about Australia……