I arrived by train from Venice at 9:30pm. I hadn't had any supper so once I found my hostel and checked in and dropped my bags, I went next door to the Thai Restaurant and got some good ol' pad thai. There was enough for me to take home and have for the next night. I went right to bed so that I could get up early and start my adventures.
I woke up at 8 and had some breakfast and then started off. I ducked into a store and asked the girl working there if she had any ideas of where I could go walking distance in Interlaken that had nice scenery. She explained a couple places right in town where there were nice bridges and rivers. After that, she told me to head to the lake. She told me it was a 45 minute walk, but I thought that was doable. I started off, walking in sync to my music but nobody ever knew! It was such a pretty walk. Tractors were cutting and bailing hay, para-gliders were high up in the air and I even got to see one landing and got a great photo. Once I got to the lake I just sat and enjoyed the view. Once I got bored I went to the information desk and asked them for their opinion of what I should do that didn't involve the mountains because I knew I was going there the next day. they told me to take the train and so I stopped at the capital Bern, and then to Thun and then finally to Spiez. They were all very different and cute spots. Bern was more busy as it is the capital city and Spiez was a cute town on the water. I got back and heated up my left overs and headed up to bed as I was exhausted from walking all day.
When I got up to bed I had 2 new roommates, Jamie and Amber from Arizona. We got along right from the get go and boy was I excited to talk to someone haha. We chatted for awhile and made plans to meet up the following day after our day adventures. I got up around 8, had breakfast and then headed to the bus station. I had to take a free bus to a station and then had to pay $63 to take a train up to the highest points in Europe which is Jungfrau. Unfortunately it only took me to the stop before Jungfrau and it was another $150 or more to get up to that point. I decided that it was just as good from the spot I was at. I took my packed lunch, climbed up a hill and took in all of the scenery. It was possibly the most beautiful scenery. I then took the train back down to a place before I got on the bus and went for a hike to see some more waterfalls. These ones were less impressive. It was however pretty cool that I was walking through a mountain and that the waterfalls were inside of the mountain, but other than that I was not very impressed and wouldn't likely go again but the walk there was amazing so I got something good out of it :) I spent some time in that town and then went back down. I got back to the hostel around 6pm and met up with Amber and Jamie who went canyoning. I met 2 couples that they had met on their day and we all became great friends over beers and stories. They just loved hearing my travelling stories and told me that I should do a comedy show that outlines my travels or write a book but they preferred seeing me tell the stories haha. We went to another part of the hostel where more people were having drinks and got back around midnight. The next morning was cool and a bit rainy so we all hung out until I had to leave around 1pm. We said our sad goodbyes, I felt like I was leaving my best friends for years. They really were amazing people and I really hope to see them all again someday soon!! Jamie and Amber I will actually, I am staying with them while I am in Paris so we are all super pumped especially me to know I am going to have friends for 3 days in a row in such an amazing place!!
I spent the afternoon in Zurich which is the second most expensive city in Switzerland. It was a really nice city but I was tired so didn't do too much walking around. That evening at 9pm I boarded a train to travel all night to Amsterdam.
Until then folks!! My travels are coming to an end :(
Thursday, 15 August 2013
Monday, 12 August 2013
Venice
So if you did not see my facebook post, I was not in Slovenia... I was actually in Austria. Beautiful place by the way, would love to go back there sometime. Once I got on my bus it was a few hours to get to Venice. Once off of the bus I was required to take a boat to the actual city. I did not have any directions to my hostel so I asked a boat taxi if he knew where it was. He got the phone number and called and got some directions for me. After 10 minutes and clearly lost, I wandered into a Best Western. They told me to head in the opposite direction of where the first man had told me. Off I went. Another 10 minutes later, lost again! These damn streets are narrow and when they tell you to go straight and there is no place to go but diagnoal left or right, you are forced to pick which one you think they want you to go. So one more person asked, she called for me again and we got it sorted out. I finally made it, half a litre of sweat later!!
I dropped my bags off and was given a map and the must sees of Venice. I changed my shoes and ventured. It was already 5pm and I only had until noon the following day. I was told to get a 24hr boat pass which would take me to all of the places that I needed to see. It was soo beautiful. I couldn't have been in a better mood! Well I am sure if Nick was with me it definately could have been better but you get my point, I was just loving it! At 8:30 I decided I should have something to eat. I found a place that served pasta for 10 euro. Spagetti Carbonera please and thank you!
Once my belly was all filled, I headed back to the hostel. I was told earlier that at night they turn on the air conditioner so I was really excited to get back to a refreshing room. I get back and no AC. I go downstairs to the office which had the AC just boomin and asked if he could come turn ours on. He hesitated and up he came. He plugged the AC in and put the fan towards my bed. Something was up! He left and then I realized....the AC was supposed to be hooked up to a window because all of the hot air was blowing back into the room. Off I turned that and had a cold shower instead. I finally got to sleep at around 11 and was up at 7 to start more touring. I went to San Paulo's Square and took a ride up the Bell Tower to get a great view of Venice. I was also told to go to Burano Island where all of the houses are brightly colored along the water. I was informed it should take about 30mins to get there. I was misinformed yet again. It took me 2 hours to get there and by the time I got there I had to get right back onto the boat to head back because I had to get back to the hostel, grab my bags, get on the boat to bring me back to the train. I was not impressed but since I know I will be dragging Nick back there someday, I will go back then :) I can just see his face now if he is reading this haha.
Off to Switzerland I went !
I dropped my bags off and was given a map and the must sees of Venice. I changed my shoes and ventured. It was already 5pm and I only had until noon the following day. I was told to get a 24hr boat pass which would take me to all of the places that I needed to see. It was soo beautiful. I couldn't have been in a better mood! Well I am sure if Nick was with me it definately could have been better but you get my point, I was just loving it! At 8:30 I decided I should have something to eat. I found a place that served pasta for 10 euro. Spagetti Carbonera please and thank you!
Once my belly was all filled, I headed back to the hostel. I was told earlier that at night they turn on the air conditioner so I was really excited to get back to a refreshing room. I get back and no AC. I go downstairs to the office which had the AC just boomin and asked if he could come turn ours on. He hesitated and up he came. He plugged the AC in and put the fan towards my bed. Something was up! He left and then I realized....the AC was supposed to be hooked up to a window because all of the hot air was blowing back into the room. Off I turned that and had a cold shower instead. I finally got to sleep at around 11 and was up at 7 to start more touring. I went to San Paulo's Square and took a ride up the Bell Tower to get a great view of Venice. I was also told to go to Burano Island where all of the houses are brightly colored along the water. I was informed it should take about 30mins to get there. I was misinformed yet again. It took me 2 hours to get there and by the time I got there I had to get right back onto the boat to head back because I had to get back to the hostel, grab my bags, get on the boat to bring me back to the train. I was not impressed but since I know I will be dragging Nick back there someday, I will go back then :) I can just see his face now if he is reading this haha.
Off to Switzerland I went !
Friday, 9 August 2013
Croatia
SPLIT- I arrived in Split at 8am after taking the overnight ferry from Italy. I did not know the address of my hostel so I asked a taxi if he knew where it was, his response "no". I went to a cafe to get Internet and then found the address and went to the bus window to ask which bus would go there. They told me to go to information. I walk to the information centre to be told he can't tell me because they are affiliated with another hostel. I said well if the bus company won't tell me, and you won't tell me, how do you expect me to find out where to go? Frustrated he said FINE ill tell you then! So he says its 20mins on foot and after my injury and with my bags I preferred a bus so I said well is there a bus? He tells "yes but when you get off you won't know where to go!!" So I stopped listening and took a taxi. Once I arrived I dropped my bags and went to walk around. I ended up reading under a tree in a park because it was just too hot! That night back at the hostel I met a couple of girls from Canada and invited them to come to the KRKA national park the following day. We woke up and headed for the bus station. We got on a bus at 11 for 2 hours in which a man puked on the bus due to the heat and the brake happy bus driver! I was already nauseous so it took a lot of deep breathes to calm my stomach. We are then told we need to wait 2 hours for the next bus but it would only take half an hour to get to the park. As we are waiting, a pigeon flies into the window, and dies! If that's not bad enough, a lady with shit stains on her white skirt bends down and picks up the pigeon by the neck and flails it around! Unsure what the hell she was checking for. Both her and the pigeon disappeared! We finally get onto the bus and its sooo worth it!! We spend a couple of hours at the falls and then back onto the bus we go! After all of that we spent the next day lazing on the beach!
DUBROVNIK- I took a bus at 7 and arrived around 1 in the afternoon. I decided to venture down to the old town and take some photos. After some ice cream and walking I went back to the air conditioned hostel and figured out the rest of my accommodations and trains. The next 2 days I rested my still sore and swollen foot. I read a book and a half and loved every minute of my alone time, although this whole alone thing is getting old haha.
ZAGREB- I took an overnight bus from Dubrovnik to Zagreb and slept very little. I arrived and immediately booked a bus to the Plitvice Lake National Park. I dropped my bags off at the hostel and set back for the bus station. I spent the day hiking and taking in the views of the crystal clear lakes. The only downfalls being 43 degree heat and not being allowed to swim. It wasn't too bad when paired with cold water and an ice cream :) I got back to my hostel at 9:30pm, showered and went to bed.
I was up at 5 to catch a train to Venice. You ask, where am I now? Just at a cafe in Vallegh, Slovenia... I had 4 minute to get off one train and find the next, and well dammit I failed ok?! So now I'm about to get onto a bus to head to Venice and will be forced awake at 6am tomorrow so that I can get all the sights in that I wanted. Currently tho, so happy as I just put on a cardigan cause its a bit chilly! Oh what a wonderful feeling!!
After Venice I will be off to Switzerland and then Amsterdam. I will update when possible :)
If your reading, I want to wish Kyle Ferron and Steph Lutz an amazing wedding day tomorrow!!!
DUBROVNIK- I took a bus at 7 and arrived around 1 in the afternoon. I decided to venture down to the old town and take some photos. After some ice cream and walking I went back to the air conditioned hostel and figured out the rest of my accommodations and trains. The next 2 days I rested my still sore and swollen foot. I read a book and a half and loved every minute of my alone time, although this whole alone thing is getting old haha.
ZAGREB- I took an overnight bus from Dubrovnik to Zagreb and slept very little. I arrived and immediately booked a bus to the Plitvice Lake National Park. I dropped my bags off at the hostel and set back for the bus station. I spent the day hiking and taking in the views of the crystal clear lakes. The only downfalls being 43 degree heat and not being allowed to swim. It wasn't too bad when paired with cold water and an ice cream :) I got back to my hostel at 9:30pm, showered and went to bed.
I was up at 5 to catch a train to Venice. You ask, where am I now? Just at a cafe in Vallegh, Slovenia... I had 4 minute to get off one train and find the next, and well dammit I failed ok?! So now I'm about to get onto a bus to head to Venice and will be forced awake at 6am tomorrow so that I can get all the sights in that I wanted. Currently tho, so happy as I just put on a cardigan cause its a bit chilly! Oh what a wonderful feeling!!
After Venice I will be off to Switzerland and then Amsterdam. I will update when possible :)
If your reading, I want to wish Kyle Ferron and Steph Lutz an amazing wedding day tomorrow!!!
Friday, 2 August 2013
Florence, Pisa, Cinque Terre
Firstly, i would like to wish my best friend Mary-Beth a happy birthday and her sister a wonderful wedding day!!!
I left Rome at 5:30am to catch the train to Florence. I arrived around 8:30 so I wasn't able to check in to my hostel yet because it was too early. I decided to head into town to start to see the sights as there were many and I only had one day. The receptionist at my hostel was great, she gave me a map and circled all of the sights that were worth seeing so I went by that. I loved it there. The buildings were all in such great condition. In Rome, it seemed that the inside of the churches were beautiful but in Florence it was the outside that impressed me. It started to down pour in the afternoon which was quite refreshing. I preferred the rain to the 40 degree heat that's for sure. After touring around all day I was back at the hostel by 9pm for a shower and to bed. I was so pumped to be staying somewhere with Air conditioning and then the stupid guys staying in my room turned it off at midnight when they got back to the room, so yet another day waking up soaked in sweat.
That morning I left at 6:30am to venture to Pisa to see the leaning tower. When I arrived I got a bus ticket for 1.40 euro which was good for 70 minutes so I literally went there, took some pictures, met a lady and we took pictures for each other although she wasn't a seasoned picture taker so mine didn't turn out very well haha, and then headed back to the train station to go to Cinque Terre.
Cinque Terre has 5 towns on the water. Each town is a bit different but all have only 2-3 restaurants and then souvenir shops. I had already used a day of my euro rail pass so I just continued on that day and trained to each of the towns. I was staying in the first one, had dinner at the second one, and layed on the beach of the fifth one. My feet needed a break from all the walking I did in Rome and Florence but unfortunately something happened to my foot and its swollen and hurts to put pressure on it so I've just been hobbling around walking quite slowly. If the swelling doesn't go down I will have to get it checked. My time in Cinque Terre was nice in the way of scenery but it was very boring because I didn't end up meeting anyone. I just arrived by 12 hour ferry to Split, Croatia and had to get some wifi because I have no clue where my hostel is. I found the address now so I'm going to go to the info desk and sort myself out.
It's been a pretty quiet time since Rome so not much to report on.
Talk soon!
I left Rome at 5:30am to catch the train to Florence. I arrived around 8:30 so I wasn't able to check in to my hostel yet because it was too early. I decided to head into town to start to see the sights as there were many and I only had one day. The receptionist at my hostel was great, she gave me a map and circled all of the sights that were worth seeing so I went by that. I loved it there. The buildings were all in such great condition. In Rome, it seemed that the inside of the churches were beautiful but in Florence it was the outside that impressed me. It started to down pour in the afternoon which was quite refreshing. I preferred the rain to the 40 degree heat that's for sure. After touring around all day I was back at the hostel by 9pm for a shower and to bed. I was so pumped to be staying somewhere with Air conditioning and then the stupid guys staying in my room turned it off at midnight when they got back to the room, so yet another day waking up soaked in sweat.
That morning I left at 6:30am to venture to Pisa to see the leaning tower. When I arrived I got a bus ticket for 1.40 euro which was good for 70 minutes so I literally went there, took some pictures, met a lady and we took pictures for each other although she wasn't a seasoned picture taker so mine didn't turn out very well haha, and then headed back to the train station to go to Cinque Terre.
Cinque Terre has 5 towns on the water. Each town is a bit different but all have only 2-3 restaurants and then souvenir shops. I had already used a day of my euro rail pass so I just continued on that day and trained to each of the towns. I was staying in the first one, had dinner at the second one, and layed on the beach of the fifth one. My feet needed a break from all the walking I did in Rome and Florence but unfortunately something happened to my foot and its swollen and hurts to put pressure on it so I've just been hobbling around walking quite slowly. If the swelling doesn't go down I will have to get it checked. My time in Cinque Terre was nice in the way of scenery but it was very boring because I didn't end up meeting anyone. I just arrived by 12 hour ferry to Split, Croatia and had to get some wifi because I have no clue where my hostel is. I found the address now so I'm going to go to the info desk and sort myself out.
It's been a pretty quiet time since Rome so not much to report on.
Talk soon!
Sunday, 28 July 2013
When in Rome
Arriving at my hostel in Rome to a familiar face was sooo nice!! Although I LOVE meeting new people, sometimes you just don't want to do the whole "where u from, how long have you been traveling, where have you been before here etc." We got our stuff together and decided that lunch was a must so we stopped to see a few sites on the way to finding a place to eat. Our lunch ended up being the worst food thus far on my trip from a restaurant. It was a deal for pasta and beer, and well they just dished out the crap stuff to the cheap tourists haha. We finished with some ice cream as we were soaked with sweat. It was 40+ and walking all day was just not enjoyable. There were drinking fountains to fill my water bottle while walking and I drank 4 bottles without having to use the washroom due to the water coming out of my skin. My newly washed clothing are no longer clean haha.
That night we went to an authentic pizza place and met a lady and her 13 yr old son. She had a friend who lived in Rome and typed out restaurants that were good and so since she was leaving she gave it to us. After pizza, which was amazing!! We went back to the hostel with a good buzz on due to beers lol, but then got lost on the way home and lost that buzz and had to start over. I opted for waters at about 1 because I couldn't keep my eyes open because I had been up at 5 that morning. We stuck around the hostel bar and decided we would go out on the town the following day. That night I met up with two girls from Toronto that I had met in Mykonos and then met up with them in Santorini and then spent 2 days with them in Rome!
We woke up and ventured again to some more sites. The entire city is just amazing. For you who know me well, shoulda saw me snapping pictures...I couldn't walk 3 ft without seeing something beautiful. We had lunch at one of the spots on our new list and let me tell you, it was the BEST place for salads I have ever seen. Upwards of 30 salads to choose from. It was so refreshing with again, all the sweat being produced. After walking a few more hours and stopping into the Vatican, we decided to try another spot for dinner but it wasn't open until 8 so we popped into another spot close by for our authentic Italian pasta feast. We started with a bottle of red wine (yes girls, I'm starting onto the red lol) and bread with oil and vinegar. I had fettuccine with meat sauce. The sauce was quite plain, they don't tend to use many spices but the noodles were the best I've ever had. They were so fresh and delicious. The Vatican by the way was amazing! We could not get over the artchitecture. We still have no clue how they did any of it, just stunning. After dinner, we went back to the hostel to meet up with the girls. We went out for some dancing and then back to the hostel for sleep!
We were a little late getting out of bed so we headed straight for lunch. We then started for the Basilica. The lines were long and it was the hottest day yet, but it could of been the effects of the wine but they were quickly diminished again due to all the sweating haha. Up 320+ stairs we made it to the top of the dome for some pictures overlooking the city. Saying a prayer at St. Peter's Basilica is now checked off my list- what a building!
We had a slow moving day but ended it by the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps. I had such a great time and so many laughs with Kristina, Veronica and Lisa. We said our goodbyes and I jumped in for an ice cold shower and off to bed.
I am currently on a train on my way to Florence which was a very last minute decision.
Until next time!
Santorini
Santorini- there is nothing but amazing things to say about this place. As I was on the bus from Mykonos I met a girl from Australia and we realized we were on the same ferry and stuck together. She told me where she was staying and I remembered seeing it on the drive to my hostel which was called "Anny's Studios". We had forgotten to exchange info so I decided I would be a creep and walk to her hostel in the hopes that she would be around the social area. When I got there I could not find her so I explained to reception I met a girl named Georgia and that she was staying here but we forgot to exchange info... And just like that they gave me her room number. It was a little unnerving so know they give that info out so freely although it could be my innocent face??... Right?? Haha
Anyways, we decided to meet up the following day with her roommate Shelby from the US, and we would rent quad bikes and go see the island. What a fun and tiring day! We literally went ALL over the island. Checking out the red and black sand beaches but neglected the white sand beach as we assumed it would be like every other beach. We were gone for 8 hours and decided we should go to the "beach party". I say it in quotations because when we arrived with some other friends Shelby had met at a previous island, the party was by the beach but not on it, it was just at a bar BY the beach haha.
After some dancing and sleep, we all met up for breakfast and went to the beach and pool for the afternoon. That night we went to Santo Wines which was suggested by my friends that were there last year. We couldn't stop saying "can you believe we are here right now? This is just amazing". The wine was great, the views were stunning and we were all solo travelers brought together. Everyone we met thought we had arrived together and were friends because it seems when you meet other travelers, if you click, your instantly the best of friends and its like you've known each other for years. The downfall to this is that you are constantly saying bye to people you really get along with and will likely never see again.
Enough sap, after dodging cars on our walk back to the hostel from the wine tasting we all went to bed and met up the next day to have a full day of sun by the pool. My hostel had free laundry so we did laundry and got our tan on. That night we went to a town called Oia which is famous for its sunsets but to be honest, they were amazing all over the island. We had a few drinks and ended the night with some dinner. We met for breakfast the next morning to say our goodbyes. Georgia and I are going to try to meet up in Croatia but Shelby was headed in a completely different direction. I really hope to see them again sometime, they were such refreshing and funny people, it really was such a great time in Santorini.
Next is Rome where I will meet one of my best friends. She went to University with me and lived in Ottawa with me :)
I would like to give a shout out to my mother in-law - Happy belated birthday!
Anyways, we decided to meet up the following day with her roommate Shelby from the US, and we would rent quad bikes and go see the island. What a fun and tiring day! We literally went ALL over the island. Checking out the red and black sand beaches but neglected the white sand beach as we assumed it would be like every other beach. We were gone for 8 hours and decided we should go to the "beach party". I say it in quotations because when we arrived with some other friends Shelby had met at a previous island, the party was by the beach but not on it, it was just at a bar BY the beach haha.
After some dancing and sleep, we all met up for breakfast and went to the beach and pool for the afternoon. That night we went to Santo Wines which was suggested by my friends that were there last year. We couldn't stop saying "can you believe we are here right now? This is just amazing". The wine was great, the views were stunning and we were all solo travelers brought together. Everyone we met thought we had arrived together and were friends because it seems when you meet other travelers, if you click, your instantly the best of friends and its like you've known each other for years. The downfall to this is that you are constantly saying bye to people you really get along with and will likely never see again.
Enough sap, after dodging cars on our walk back to the hostel from the wine tasting we all went to bed and met up the next day to have a full day of sun by the pool. My hostel had free laundry so we did laundry and got our tan on. That night we went to a town called Oia which is famous for its sunsets but to be honest, they were amazing all over the island. We had a few drinks and ended the night with some dinner. We met for breakfast the next morning to say our goodbyes. Georgia and I are going to try to meet up in Croatia but Shelby was headed in a completely different direction. I really hope to see them again sometime, they were such refreshing and funny people, it really was such a great time in Santorini.
Next is Rome where I will meet one of my best friends. She went to University with me and lived in Ottawa with me :)
I would like to give a shout out to my mother in-law - Happy belated birthday!
Thursday, 25 July 2013
Mykonos
When I got off of the ferry, my hostel had a bus to pick everyone up. I stayed at a place called Paranga Beach Hostel. A sweet girl from NZ sat with me on the bus and we ended up hanging out for the 2 days that we were there. I also met two Canadian girls who were on vacay after teaching for the year. As you walk onto the grounds of the hostel you are immediately greeted with a view of the ocean as we sit on the edge of a cliff. There is a pool overlooking the water and on the right and left of you are beaches. It is high season at the moment so the beaches are JAM packed and not enjoyable for me, so I hangout by the pool. We decided the first night to all have some drinks. We missed the early bird sale of tickets to a big party and we thought 40 euro was too expensive for a party so we just had some drinks at the hostel.
I was unfortunate and had to room with 6 Canadians (19 years of age) and another guy from Alaska. All I cared about was that no one puked in the room. I was in bed at 2 and suddenly woken up at 8 to "HELP ME!! I'm bleeding, I need water!! Jesus guys I'm bleeding someone give me some water!!!" It didn't really phase me cause I knew they were all friends but then there were arguments and yelling but eventually I got back to sleep until 10.
I later came back to the room to find the "bleeding guy" crying to his friend claiming he didn't deserve to be yelled at, they left him at the bar etc. etc. My NZ friend, Bridie, and I ventured into the town and watched the sunset and had dinner and walked around the shops. When we got back I was exhausted and went to my room around 11 to find everyone asleep and the bleeding crying with a bandage on his leg as well as a plastic cast on his leg and crutches, I almost laughed out loud... I know, that's mean.
Anyways, the next day I was off onto another ferry to the beautiful island of Santorini !!!
I was unfortunate and had to room with 6 Canadians (19 years of age) and another guy from Alaska. All I cared about was that no one puked in the room. I was in bed at 2 and suddenly woken up at 8 to "HELP ME!! I'm bleeding, I need water!! Jesus guys I'm bleeding someone give me some water!!!" It didn't really phase me cause I knew they were all friends but then there were arguments and yelling but eventually I got back to sleep until 10.
I later came back to the room to find the "bleeding guy" crying to his friend claiming he didn't deserve to be yelled at, they left him at the bar etc. etc. My NZ friend, Bridie, and I ventured into the town and watched the sunset and had dinner and walked around the shops. When we got back I was exhausted and went to my room around 11 to find everyone asleep and the bleeding crying with a bandage on his leg as well as a plastic cast on his leg and crutches, I almost laughed out loud... I know, that's mean.
Anyways, the next day I was off onto another ferry to the beautiful island of Santorini !!!
Athens
After getting off the plane and gathering my bags, I headed towards the metro station to grab a subway ticket. I met a girl in line who was heading in the same direction that I was. We went down to the platform together to figure out which direction to go and which stop we needed. Turned out we were going to the same stop. As we were figuring it out, a guy asked where we were headed and he was also at the same stop. For the half hour train ride we all got to know each other. The girl had a ferry to catch that evening but the guy and I had the afternoon so decide to stick together and go see the sites.
We dropped off our bags at our different hostels and met up to venture up to Acropolis. What an amazing site! The architecture was stunning and while your up so high you have such a great view of the city. We kept swapping cameras so we could have some pictures and people kept asking us if we wanted a picture together. It became really funny, people thinking we were a couple and yet we had met only an hour prior.
After many pictures, we headed down and decided to grab a couple beer at my hostels roof top bar. I met a few Canadian girls and we all chatte until we went to bed at 10. The guy and I were on the same ferry the next day and had to be up at 5am. We had to go on the subway again and then onto a 4 hour ferry. I layed on the dirty floor and napped for a lot of the ride... Until a huge wave came over the boat and I was no longer able to lay on the floor as there were puddles everywhere.
Next stop was the Greek Island of Mykonos - known for its beaches and party life!
We dropped off our bags at our different hostels and met up to venture up to Acropolis. What an amazing site! The architecture was stunning and while your up so high you have such a great view of the city. We kept swapping cameras so we could have some pictures and people kept asking us if we wanted a picture together. It became really funny, people thinking we were a couple and yet we had met only an hour prior.
After many pictures, we headed down and decided to grab a couple beer at my hostels roof top bar. I met a few Canadian girls and we all chatte until we went to bed at 10. The guy and I were on the same ferry the next day and had to be up at 5am. We had to go on the subway again and then onto a 4 hour ferry. I layed on the dirty floor and napped for a lot of the ride... Until a huge wave came over the boat and I was no longer able to lay on the floor as there were puddles everywhere.
Next stop was the Greek Island of Mykonos - known for its beaches and party life!
Tuesday, 16 July 2013
Egypt
I arrived in Cairo and got a taxi to my hotel. I then ordered some lunch and waited for my tour of the pyramids that afternoon. My guide picked me up and we got to the pyramids around 2:30. I had all intentions of riding a camel but it was just too cheesy and I could see how much of a money grab it was so decided against it. I had previously watched a documentary on the pyramids so alot of what he told me I had already known. The pyramids closed at 3:30 so we were very rushed. They were amazing but if I had to do it again, I would not get a guide and I would go so I had more time to explore. He was talking a mile a minute and just snapping pictures and not really even looking in the view finder haha. Regardless, I still had a good time I just would do it differently next time.
That evening, I wanted to go back and take a photo at sunset. This was quite the adventure. I decided I would walk back cause it's super close to my hotel and get a nice sunset picture. As I started walking men were yelling things at me and it was pissing me off so I hopped in a cab. I held up 3 fingers indicating 3 pounds and said pyramids and he shook his head yes so I jumped in. Once we drove into the gates 4 men jumped right on top of the car and a man jumped in and then was like "no be scared". He explained they were closed but that he worked there and could take me inside. But i said no, I went in today and paid, all i want is a picture. so he said his blurb again at how great the picture would be inside for only 80 pounds so I said again, a little more frustrated this time that no, I JUST want a picture I am not paying again. So he was like ok well you need to go to the other side of the pyramds and I was like yes I know thats why I asked the cab driver to take me there. So then he jumps out and another man jumps in. I was like NO I DONT NEED ANYONE TO COME WITH ME I'M JUST TAKING A PICTURE!! then he starts trying to sell it to me, I interrupt him but he says no no don't interrupt just listen just listen so I listen and then I say no i just want a picture. At this point, I think im almost yelling haha. Then he tries to convince me 3 more freaking times until i'm flailing my arms and yelling hahaha. So he's like ok ok well you can go up on that roof to get a better picture and I was like no i will just take it here, get back in the cab and go the hell home!! and he was like it's free don't worry about it. So up I go. I take a couple pictures WHILE he is trying to tell me how much better the picture would be inside. I ignore him and finish and go downstairs. Before I did that, the cab driver then started yelling cause he said he didn't agree to 3 pounds so I ended up having to give him 8. So I walk down from the roof and the guys like here you can look in the store and buy some perfume, NO I said haha. So then I was like can you grab me a taxi and explain I am only paying 5 pounds please! He was like oh well why don't we walk through the village? I was like because I just want to go home!! He WILL NOT take no for an answer and there are no taxis to be seen cause we are no longer on the main road. So he said he will cut through the village until we get to the main road, I refuse but he doesnt stop walking. So I have to follow cause I don't know where I am. Men are saying things to him and pumping their fists so my initial reaction is... he is taking me to his house to rape the shit out of me... perfect! So I put the scenarios through my head and decide I will just run screaming if anything goes down. So obviously, none of that happened and we made it to the main road where he says "so if you would like, no pressure, you could give me something" so I acted stupid saying, oh like what? and he just repeats himself. I was like are you talking about money? and he was like ya I left my workplace (no you didn't you were sitting on your ass until I came along, your workplace closed at 3:30) to take you around and got you a nice picture and walked you through the village. I was like I did not want any of that yet you insisted so no, i'm not giving you any money. And then shit went dooowwn!! He starts SCREAMING at me! You damn tourists, why you come here! You damn english yada yada yada so I just keep walking, trying not to punch him and cry at the same time and then find my way back to my hotel. I finally get back and vowed that I am never leaving it again haha. So that's my story lol hope it entertained you hahaha. I will now spend the next 2 days pool side working on my tan. I did however finish my last book and really wish I had a kobo so I could just download a new one but that would mean leaving the hotel, negotiating with a cab driver there and back and well... finding where they sold them. So I will likely not do that.
When I went to Siwa, I had planned on staying for 3 nights. When I arrived, I was the only person in the hotel. The best part of travelling alone is meeting people, and well I wasn't going to be meeting anyone. The town was very quiet but came alive at night... when I was trying to sleep haha. Anyways, it was 8:15 and still no sign of anyone to make me supper so someone told me about a restaurant down the road so off I went. I hadn't eaten since 5 that morning but didn't really feel hungry so I just got a bowl of rice. I met a guy from Italy, he was about 55 maybe and then his friend who was from Australia, closer to my age came and met him. We talked for awhile and they decided they would come with me the following day to the desert. I met a couple of local guys at the restaurant who were very nice! The next day we were off to the desert!
It was the most amazing thing I think I have ever seen. Huge sand dunes for miles and miles! We took a 4 x 4 jeep and I felt like I was on a rollercoaster. We would flyyyy up the very steep dune and then you would have to give enough gas to get over the hump but not too much that you would flip right over on the other side because it was a 80-90 degree drop. I still don't know how we didn't flip! I definately should have taken some Gravol before going haha. We then stopped to do some sand surfing which was really fun! And then we went to a fresh water lake in the middle of the desert and spent a couple of hours swimming there. We then went to a hot water spring and back to town. We were there for about 5 hours. I had already booked my ticket out of that town but then when I got back and after I met that girl I had wished I would have stayed for another night, just at a different hotel. We met up at the restaurant and the local guys invited us to eat with them. One of them had just moved back from Calgary so we all talked about Canada for awhile and how cold it is haha. I had a great last day there.
I will definately be back to Egypt, with at least one other person to talk to haha and then I will do all the things I had originally planned to do. I havent been able to do them due to the protests because most things are downtown and I don't feel comfortable going alone incase I stumble across the wrong street or something. It is quite cool tho seeing all of the military and their guns and tanks on the streets when I was on the bus but it's one thing to see them and then be in on the action, so for now, the hotel is my home haha.
Hope all is well back home, miss you all !! Next, I am off to Greece on July 18th!
That evening, I wanted to go back and take a photo at sunset. This was quite the adventure. I decided I would walk back cause it's super close to my hotel and get a nice sunset picture. As I started walking men were yelling things at me and it was pissing me off so I hopped in a cab. I held up 3 fingers indicating 3 pounds and said pyramids and he shook his head yes so I jumped in. Once we drove into the gates 4 men jumped right on top of the car and a man jumped in and then was like "no be scared". He explained they were closed but that he worked there and could take me inside. But i said no, I went in today and paid, all i want is a picture. so he said his blurb again at how great the picture would be inside for only 80 pounds so I said again, a little more frustrated this time that no, I JUST want a picture I am not paying again. So he was like ok well you need to go to the other side of the pyramds and I was like yes I know thats why I asked the cab driver to take me there. So then he jumps out and another man jumps in. I was like NO I DONT NEED ANYONE TO COME WITH ME I'M JUST TAKING A PICTURE!! then he starts trying to sell it to me, I interrupt him but he says no no don't interrupt just listen just listen so I listen and then I say no i just want a picture. At this point, I think im almost yelling haha. Then he tries to convince me 3 more freaking times until i'm flailing my arms and yelling hahaha. So he's like ok ok well you can go up on that roof to get a better picture and I was like no i will just take it here, get back in the cab and go the hell home!! and he was like it's free don't worry about it. So up I go. I take a couple pictures WHILE he is trying to tell me how much better the picture would be inside. I ignore him and finish and go downstairs. Before I did that, the cab driver then started yelling cause he said he didn't agree to 3 pounds so I ended up having to give him 8. So I walk down from the roof and the guys like here you can look in the store and buy some perfume, NO I said haha. So then I was like can you grab me a taxi and explain I am only paying 5 pounds please! He was like oh well why don't we walk through the village? I was like because I just want to go home!! He WILL NOT take no for an answer and there are no taxis to be seen cause we are no longer on the main road. So he said he will cut through the village until we get to the main road, I refuse but he doesnt stop walking. So I have to follow cause I don't know where I am. Men are saying things to him and pumping their fists so my initial reaction is... he is taking me to his house to rape the shit out of me... perfect! So I put the scenarios through my head and decide I will just run screaming if anything goes down. So obviously, none of that happened and we made it to the main road where he says "so if you would like, no pressure, you could give me something" so I acted stupid saying, oh like what? and he just repeats himself. I was like are you talking about money? and he was like ya I left my workplace (no you didn't you were sitting on your ass until I came along, your workplace closed at 3:30) to take you around and got you a nice picture and walked you through the village. I was like I did not want any of that yet you insisted so no, i'm not giving you any money. And then shit went dooowwn!! He starts SCREAMING at me! You damn tourists, why you come here! You damn english yada yada yada so I just keep walking, trying not to punch him and cry at the same time and then find my way back to my hotel. I finally get back and vowed that I am never leaving it again haha. So that's my story lol hope it entertained you hahaha. I will now spend the next 2 days pool side working on my tan. I did however finish my last book and really wish I had a kobo so I could just download a new one but that would mean leaving the hotel, negotiating with a cab driver there and back and well... finding where they sold them. So I will likely not do that.
When I went to Siwa, I had planned on staying for 3 nights. When I arrived, I was the only person in the hotel. The best part of travelling alone is meeting people, and well I wasn't going to be meeting anyone. The town was very quiet but came alive at night... when I was trying to sleep haha. Anyways, it was 8:15 and still no sign of anyone to make me supper so someone told me about a restaurant down the road so off I went. I hadn't eaten since 5 that morning but didn't really feel hungry so I just got a bowl of rice. I met a guy from Italy, he was about 55 maybe and then his friend who was from Australia, closer to my age came and met him. We talked for awhile and they decided they would come with me the following day to the desert. I met a couple of local guys at the restaurant who were very nice! The next day we were off to the desert!
It was the most amazing thing I think I have ever seen. Huge sand dunes for miles and miles! We took a 4 x 4 jeep and I felt like I was on a rollercoaster. We would flyyyy up the very steep dune and then you would have to give enough gas to get over the hump but not too much that you would flip right over on the other side because it was a 80-90 degree drop. I still don't know how we didn't flip! I definately should have taken some Gravol before going haha. We then stopped to do some sand surfing which was really fun! And then we went to a fresh water lake in the middle of the desert and spent a couple of hours swimming there. We then went to a hot water spring and back to town. We were there for about 5 hours. I had already booked my ticket out of that town but then when I got back and after I met that girl I had wished I would have stayed for another night, just at a different hotel. We met up at the restaurant and the local guys invited us to eat with them. One of them had just moved back from Calgary so we all talked about Canada for awhile and how cold it is haha. I had a great last day there.
I will definately be back to Egypt, with at least one other person to talk to haha and then I will do all the things I had originally planned to do. I havent been able to do them due to the protests because most things are downtown and I don't feel comfortable going alone incase I stumble across the wrong street or something. It is quite cool tho seeing all of the military and their guns and tanks on the streets when I was on the bus but it's one thing to see them and then be in on the action, so for now, the hotel is my home haha.
Hope all is well back home, miss you all !! Next, I am off to Greece on July 18th!
Nairobi AKA Nairobbery
Ma and Pa, I can tell yas this know cause i'm gone but Nairobi should have been the place you were worried about me... not Egypt. Luckily for Steven and I, we had a great time and nothing happened :)
We arrived on Saturday and went to the mall cause all of Steven's clothes were dirty, and I mean visibly filthy from all the dust from the safari. So he got a new shirt and we grabbed some beer and decided we needed a night out on the town. We asked everyone we met to get an idea of where the best place to go would be. We ended up at a place called Gypsy bar. There were half locals, half white people. They played the top 40 so we had a blast. At 1:15 I was like, lets try another bar since I will likely never be here again. So off we went to another bar called Black Diamond. It was only just down the street, but you do not risk walking for even a minute at night, so into a taxi we went. We got there and boys of boys, I soon realized why so many women were pregnant. We were the only 2 white people, which was fine but it was the dancing that we felt so out of place with. It was a whole lot of booty shakin. That is the only way that I can explain it. If you have ever seen the YouTube video "Walley Walmart" well this is what was happening in the bar. We ended up only staying for 10 minutes. Steven was high fived by a couple of guys for "dating" me, a blond girl haha, we didn't tell them otherwise. So back to Gypsy bar we went until we hopped back in a cab at 3:45. Our hotel was on a one way 3 lane street and the way that the taxi came, we were about 100 metres from our hotel and he would have had to go up the one way. We were like its ok, we will sprint like hell to the hotel and theres a security guard at the gates.. and he thought it was so dangerous that he just went up the one way instead haha.
When you get into a vehicle, you lock the doors. At night, noone uses the street lights or street signs because if you stop you could get high jacked, so it is safer to just make up your own rules while driving.
We did some souvenir shopping (more me than Steven haha) and walked around the city. I took a tour to a place called Kibera which is the largest slum in Nairobi. It is the home to 1/3 the population of Nairobi. The guide took us to a school where I wanted to take home all of the children who were all orphans. We went to a women's group who were all HIV positive and trying to learn and teach their daughters how to provide for themselves instead of relying on the men. We visited a home which was one room, likely the size of an average living room in Canada. It had a bed, a couch, a coffee table, small TV and small kitchen. The toilet and showers were communal for the whole village. The issue is that to live outside of Kibera to say a small one bedroom apartment, the cost is substantially larger. So you see some people coming out of their homes very well dressed with brief cases. It was a great experience for the day but like anything else, told us alot about the charity and how much money they need.
We finished our time in Nairobi by visiting the museum where many of the first human fossils are stored as many of them were found in Africa. There was also a snake park at the museum which was pretty cool.
Steven's flight was at 11:30pm and mine not until 4:30am so I went to the airport anyways and slept on the floor for a couple of hours until my flight to Egypt.
Up next, my adventures in Egypt!
Miss yas!!
We arrived on Saturday and went to the mall cause all of Steven's clothes were dirty, and I mean visibly filthy from all the dust from the safari. So he got a new shirt and we grabbed some beer and decided we needed a night out on the town. We asked everyone we met to get an idea of where the best place to go would be. We ended up at a place called Gypsy bar. There were half locals, half white people. They played the top 40 so we had a blast. At 1:15 I was like, lets try another bar since I will likely never be here again. So off we went to another bar called Black Diamond. It was only just down the street, but you do not risk walking for even a minute at night, so into a taxi we went. We got there and boys of boys, I soon realized why so many women were pregnant. We were the only 2 white people, which was fine but it was the dancing that we felt so out of place with. It was a whole lot of booty shakin. That is the only way that I can explain it. If you have ever seen the YouTube video "Walley Walmart" well this is what was happening in the bar. We ended up only staying for 10 minutes. Steven was high fived by a couple of guys for "dating" me, a blond girl haha, we didn't tell them otherwise. So back to Gypsy bar we went until we hopped back in a cab at 3:45. Our hotel was on a one way 3 lane street and the way that the taxi came, we were about 100 metres from our hotel and he would have had to go up the one way. We were like its ok, we will sprint like hell to the hotel and theres a security guard at the gates.. and he thought it was so dangerous that he just went up the one way instead haha.
When you get into a vehicle, you lock the doors. At night, noone uses the street lights or street signs because if you stop you could get high jacked, so it is safer to just make up your own rules while driving.
We did some souvenir shopping (more me than Steven haha) and walked around the city. I took a tour to a place called Kibera which is the largest slum in Nairobi. It is the home to 1/3 the population of Nairobi. The guide took us to a school where I wanted to take home all of the children who were all orphans. We went to a women's group who were all HIV positive and trying to learn and teach their daughters how to provide for themselves instead of relying on the men. We visited a home which was one room, likely the size of an average living room in Canada. It had a bed, a couch, a coffee table, small TV and small kitchen. The toilet and showers were communal for the whole village. The issue is that to live outside of Kibera to say a small one bedroom apartment, the cost is substantially larger. So you see some people coming out of their homes very well dressed with brief cases. It was a great experience for the day but like anything else, told us alot about the charity and how much money they need.
We finished our time in Nairobi by visiting the museum where many of the first human fossils are stored as many of them were found in Africa. There was also a snake park at the museum which was pretty cool.
Steven's flight was at 11:30pm and mine not until 4:30am so I went to the airport anyways and slept on the floor for a couple of hours until my flight to Egypt.
Up next, my adventures in Egypt!
Miss yas!!
Sunday, 7 July 2013
Safari
I left the tropical island of Zanzibar, Tanzania June 29th by myself while Steven stayed back and decided that he would fly to Arusha instead. I booked the ferry to Dar Es Salaam and got a taxi to the same hostel I stayed at when previously in Dar. I decided to venture out to find some peanut butter, bread, bananas and apples. I remembered I had seen a supermarket but when I got onto the street I could not remember where it was. I saw a man with a Canada t-shirt on and asked where the closest one was and he gave me directions. The supermarket didn't sell produce so I asked the cashier who I learned did not speak English but someone over heard me and lead me to the market. I got back to the hostel and made my supper sandwich and went to bed early because the bus I booked for the following day left at 5am. One of the cleaners walked me to the bus station the next morning because remember, walking when it is dark is dangerous.
The man who sat with me on the bus spoke very good English and taught me about some of the culture of Tanzania. After 10 hours together on the bus from Dar to Arusha, we became great friends and he made sure I had a reliable can driver who was not going to over charge me. I was dropped off at a hostel I read about in my lonely planet book. I arrived on Sunday around 4 and found out that all the restaurants were closed because it was Sunday. I was stuck again with my PB sandwiches.
The next day, I got up early to go shop around for a safari. After dozens of emails the previous week and six stops at offices I booked a safari. The company was great to deal with as I hammered them with questions that were advised by lonely planet. I asked to see the vehicle we would be traveling in and checked that out. After leaving a small deposit they drove me back to my hostel. It was only noon so I had all day to adventure. I went for lunch at the best Indian restaurant I have ever been to. It was so good that when we got back from our safari, I went again! So after walking around and getting lost a couple of times, meeting some local people and finding a new book, I headed back to the hostel. Steven arrived at 9:30 that night and we were to leave the next day at 8:30am.
We were picked up on time and dilly dallied for a couple hours until we actually left at 11. We had 3 others with us, two guys from England and one 70 year old man from China who knew very very little english. His favorite word was "ohhhhhh". He made the entire trip interesting thats for sure. We had to drive a few hours until we got to our first park, the Tarengerie Park. Within the first 5 minutes, we ended up being so close to elephants that we could have reached out and touched them. Our guide told us to be quiet and Mr. Miyagi was just saying "Ohhhhhh". The elephant was looking right at us with its trunk up. Later our guide said sometimes they smell food and will put their trunk into the jeep until it gets the food haha. Other things we saw at this park were zebras, gizelles, antelope, ostridges (which were far less frightening when I was safely in a vehicle), wildebeest, many birds and a giraffe. We camped at a campsite and were to be up early the next day to drive to the Serengeti national park.
The following day we drove 4 hours to the Serengeti. The first thing we saw as we entered the park were two brother lions!! After 4 hours of driving we saw many lions, 7 leopards, 4 cheetahs, many elephants, zebras, antelope, a jackal, birds and buffalo. We went back to our campsite which was in the middle of the Serengeti which was not fenced off. I woke up multiple times to sounds of elephants, hyenas, buffalo and lions. I woke at 4 needing to use the washroom but there was no way I was going out there haha.
We are to be up at 6am the next morning to do a sunrise drive. As we are driving out of the campsite, not even have driven 30 seconds.... We see 4 lions laying in the grass!! So then I knew one of the noises I heard was a lion! Luckily when they eat, they stay full for up to a week and they would much more prefer a zebra then human. We later see 3 more lions and they are so close I could have reached my arm out (likely had it bitten off) and touched them. We returne for brunch, packed up the tents and truck and headed to Ngorogoro crater where we would sleep on the rim and decend down in the morning. At this point Myagi had taken ten times more photos than I and continued to be astonished using only his favorite phrase. When his camera died it was like he was no longer interested and stopped even looking at the animals. We have supper and go to bed and have to be up again at 6am.
We are sitting at breakfast and Myagi comes to us sooo excited and says "this morning, I went to toilet" and we were like oh very good. "And it was dark" again, we're like ya it was dark this morning. And then he says "AND I SAW AN ELLIE FANT!!! I run away and workers tell me not to stand cause Ellie fant walk there!!" We were dyyyyying!! Of course it would be him who almost gets trampled by an elephant haha. The whole 4 days the workers all joked about him because he had no clue what was even goin on so they thought it was just hilarious that he almost ran right into an elephant!
After breakfast we packed up and went down into the Crater. This was our only chance to see a rhino but we had no such luck. The majority of things in the crater are wildebeest and zebras and into numbers of the thousands. After a 3 hour drive and a picnic lunch, we drove 5 hours back to Arusha.
We stayed at the same hostel and decided to head to Nairobi, Kenya the following morning!
Hope everyone had a great Canada day! When I return in September I will upload my camera safari pictures which are 100 times better than those taken with my iPhone that I posted on Facebook.
Also, I have been organizing my trip to Egypt all day and will update when it is all figured out. I will not be going to Cairo and stayed well away. I am also visiting the embassy in Nairobi tomorrow for additional information so there is nothing to be worried about. I decided to just spend more money and hire a driver for everywhere I go to avoid any public transit. I will be staying in Giza, Siwa and Marsa Metruah if you want to look it up.
Miss everyone!!
Monday, 1 July 2013
First Solo Experience
After 7 days in Zanzibar I had to start my trek to Arusha in order to find a safari. Steven decided that he would stay where it was warm for a couple days longer and fly to Arusha instead.
I took the shuttle to the ferry dock and purchased a ticket for the fast ferry. As I was boarding I could only see locals and thought, did they trick me into buying the cheaper and less reliable ferry but I was wrong. All of the white people ended up in VIP with me, which I did not pay for by the way haha. I just read my book for the 2 hours. Once I arrived I took a taxi to the place that I stayed last time I was in Dar Es Salaam. I had to go to the bus station to get a ticket for the next day. There were only 2 seats left and we were leaving at 5am. I got my ticket and then went and got some bread and apples for the bus ride. I had a PB and banana sandwich for supper and read the remainder of my book. I woke up at 4:15 and one of the cleaners walked me to the bus station as it is not safe to walk alone when it is dark.
The man sitting with me on the bus was very good at english and we talked for awhile and he explained some cultural things to me. He then helped me when we arrived in Arusha 10 hours later to get a taxi that would not rip me off. I got to my hostel and was starving! PB sandwiches were becoming sickening at this point haha. The bad thing was that it was Sunday and EVERYTHING is closed, so PB sandwiches it was. I was able to get a 7up. I was so tired so I showered and watched some TV and was asleep at 8:30.
This morning I started early at 8 to start my search for a good safari. The issue here is that there are over 200 "safari" companies. Some people will trick you and say they have a safari and then just take your money so I had to be very careful. After checking with half a dozen companies and taking a trip to the Travel Information Centre, I was informed that the company I wanted to go to was reputable and recommended. I then booked with them for a 3 night 4 day safari and apparenly 2 other Canadians are coming with us. I hope that is all works out, we leave tomorrow at 8:30.
One thing I have noticed while traveling solo is a lot more locals talk to me, especially the men and all I can do is laugh because all the men love the white women, and all the women hate the white women. Right now I am heading to try to track down some more books and then meet Steven when he arrives. Next post will be all about my safari :)
I want to wish Melissa and Cheryl a happy birthday and I apologize that I am late.
Talk soon!!
xo
I took the shuttle to the ferry dock and purchased a ticket for the fast ferry. As I was boarding I could only see locals and thought, did they trick me into buying the cheaper and less reliable ferry but I was wrong. All of the white people ended up in VIP with me, which I did not pay for by the way haha. I just read my book for the 2 hours. Once I arrived I took a taxi to the place that I stayed last time I was in Dar Es Salaam. I had to go to the bus station to get a ticket for the next day. There were only 2 seats left and we were leaving at 5am. I got my ticket and then went and got some bread and apples for the bus ride. I had a PB and banana sandwich for supper and read the remainder of my book. I woke up at 4:15 and one of the cleaners walked me to the bus station as it is not safe to walk alone when it is dark.
The man sitting with me on the bus was very good at english and we talked for awhile and he explained some cultural things to me. He then helped me when we arrived in Arusha 10 hours later to get a taxi that would not rip me off. I got to my hostel and was starving! PB sandwiches were becoming sickening at this point haha. The bad thing was that it was Sunday and EVERYTHING is closed, so PB sandwiches it was. I was able to get a 7up. I was so tired so I showered and watched some TV and was asleep at 8:30.
This morning I started early at 8 to start my search for a good safari. The issue here is that there are over 200 "safari" companies. Some people will trick you and say they have a safari and then just take your money so I had to be very careful. After checking with half a dozen companies and taking a trip to the Travel Information Centre, I was informed that the company I wanted to go to was reputable and recommended. I then booked with them for a 3 night 4 day safari and apparenly 2 other Canadians are coming with us. I hope that is all works out, we leave tomorrow at 8:30.
One thing I have noticed while traveling solo is a lot more locals talk to me, especially the men and all I can do is laugh because all the men love the white women, and all the women hate the white women. Right now I am heading to try to track down some more books and then meet Steven when he arrives. Next post will be all about my safari :)
I want to wish Melissa and Cheryl a happy birthday and I apologize that I am late.
Talk soon!!
xo
Saturday, 22 June 2013
Tanzania
After we climbed the road up a mountain and stayed at the lodge on the edge of the cliff, we headed down the next morning to start our journey to Tanzania. We were on a bus for 14 hours but we had to drive through a park so ingot to see more elephants, giraffes, zebras and some antelope so that was cool. We finished in Dar Es Salaam which is a city of close to 4 million people. This is the first city we would be staying in other than Cape Town because all others we would just jump on a bus and leave. We got a cab because it was night time. We got some food and slept. When we woke we walked around the city all day and explored. It was nice to have a change of pace from the villages. We stayed one more night and then took a ferry to Zanzibar. We docked in Stone Town and Steven decided to splurge and get a nice hotel for the night. It then became my graduation gift haha, it was amazing!!
The next day we got a taxi to a nice part of the beach. It was sunny with clouds when we arrived so we ran right to the beach. That night as I was getting changed for bed, I heard a noise and then saw some droppings on the bed Steven was going to sleep in. My stomach dropped and as I moved the pillow, the face of a rat was starring at me!! I yelped and then ran down the stairs! Steven was sitting with a couple girls we met an I was like OMG Steven there's a rat in the bed!! His response was "oh ... Ok". Not the response I was waiting for. So I talked to the owner who handled it very poorly but we then got the honeymoon suite which was basically the same room we had but a bigger bed and slightly bigger room. Lets just say I wasn't impressed by how they handled the situation.
Then yesterday it poured rain until 2pm and it was still cloudy but we all went to play in the waves. Today we are thinking on moving to a different part of the island just for a change of scenery cause the weather still sucks.
In a couple days we will then start our travels towards Arusha, Tanzania to do safari !! The shitty part is daytime high is only 22 and goes down to like 5 degrees at night so I best bundle up!
Until another day,
Nicole
Wednesday, 19 June 2013
Vwaza Marsh
We left the beautiful Nkhata Bay on Thursday morning. We took a minivan to Mzuzu which took about 2 hours and caught another minibus to Rumphi. Once we arrived in Rumphi, we stocked up on water, snacks and peanut butter and bread which would be our meals for the next 2 days. We then finished our journey riding on a matola (possibly spelt wrong). This is a truck jam packed with people in the back. And by jam packed I mean there is absolutely no space for another foot. I had the "pleasure" of standing which meant standing behind the cab and holding on for dear life. There were two rows of 5 behind the driver standing and I somehow got wedged to the second row so I was holding on by my finger tips while we were shaken around by the terrible roads. I was almost in tears because I obviously don't have very good upper body strength and the man in front of my kept pushing back in my direction and I couldn't go any further back because my feet were stuck in between his legs.... So imagine me, holding on for dear life at a 45 degree angle! Had I slipped and lost my hold, I'd come down on several ladies and children like Godzilla on a small building... It would not go over well. Finally the man got out about an hour into the drive and I was able to get right behind the cab and adjust my feet so then it was quite enjoyable. I got talkin to a man beside me who explained the different crop they grew and how poor Malawi really is. Your probably wondering... Where was Steven?! They sat him in the back with the women and children. Apparently I look quite butch to these people hahaha. As we would go through various villages on the drive, kids and adults were yelling "mzungu" which means white person. The kids would wave so I would wave back and then they would bust a gut laughing and wave again. Adults would just smile at the scene of two white people taking the traditional ride between towns. We finally arrived 2 hours later after only driving 30km, so you can imagine just how slow we were going!! As we got out of the matola, I laughed so hard at how filthy Steven was! I found out on the way back how he managed to become so dirty!
When we arrived I was a bit nervous because of Stevens previous experience at Vwaza Marsh which led him to almost becoming a victim to the foot of an elephant and being left there alone. Our hut was really nice! Two dbl beds with mosquito nets and a porch! The side facing the lake was open except for a screen which doesn't help when the hut is made of bamboo and there are multiple gaps but still very nice place! We arrived at around 4:30 and were told that it was just us and that noone stays in the park with us but that they were just down the road if we needed them. We had a PB sandwich and sat on the patio in hopes to see some wildlife.
The lake was full of hippos so I was already scared/excited. We then saw a group of small antelope down by the lake. Off in a distance we could see a lot of dust in the air- from the elephants! This was excitement enough for me.. Hippos, antelope and now dust haha. I stepped inside while Steven ventured a little closer to the water with my zoom lens to try to get a better photo of the hippos. I come running outside when I hear him yell "THEIR COMING!!!!" I thought he was about to be chomped by a hippo for getting to close to their water but no! He meant the elephants!! He has been looking through the zoom lens so they looked really close and so he panicked a little lol. About 20 elephants came walking by the water right in front of our hut! It was the most amazing moment... Of the day! There was no power so we were in bed reading by 7 and listening to the insane noises of the hippos.
I slept so good and woke around 6. The worker said he would bring us tea at 6:30 and then we would go for a walking safari. It was very very cold in the morning so I put on as many clothes as I could and held the tea for a long time. On our walking safari we learned lots about trees but saw no animals. Had we of waited an hour later we would have been in for a shock! We got back from the walk and some hippos came out of the water to eat, right in the area we had just walked. Them a family of warthogs came to have some water. Then two different types of antelope were spotted and then THE ELEPHANTS AGAIN!! This time they were further away and only went to the lake to drink and bathe and then head back where they had come from. Later that afternoon we watched a lone male elephant bathing himself in the same spot. We sat and watched for animals all day. When it was almost dark and I was tucking myself into bed, I heard something and it was the elephants AGAIN!! All I could see was their silhouette. A few minutes later another herd of elephants came through. These guys were competing with the hippos to see who could be the loudest. It was the most amazing sound to go to bed to.
I slept so well that night. I had to wear pants and then shorts over those and 2 shirts, a sweater and double my comforter to stay warm but it was such a great sleep!
We woke early for tea and then walked to the road to board another matola. This time I wa sitting facing the opposite way that we were driving. I then realized how Steven got so dirty. The dust was flying back at us as we drove. I have never been so dirty in all my life... Even after rolling in the sandbox ! This dust stuck to your body and your clothing!!
Once we got back to Rumphi, we hopped into a minivan on route to our next destination of Chitimba, Malawi.
When we arrived I was a bit nervous because of Stevens previous experience at Vwaza Marsh which led him to almost becoming a victim to the foot of an elephant and being left there alone. Our hut was really nice! Two dbl beds with mosquito nets and a porch! The side facing the lake was open except for a screen which doesn't help when the hut is made of bamboo and there are multiple gaps but still very nice place! We arrived at around 4:30 and were told that it was just us and that noone stays in the park with us but that they were just down the road if we needed them. We had a PB sandwich and sat on the patio in hopes to see some wildlife.
The lake was full of hippos so I was already scared/excited. We then saw a group of small antelope down by the lake. Off in a distance we could see a lot of dust in the air- from the elephants! This was excitement enough for me.. Hippos, antelope and now dust haha. I stepped inside while Steven ventured a little closer to the water with my zoom lens to try to get a better photo of the hippos. I come running outside when I hear him yell "THEIR COMING!!!!" I thought he was about to be chomped by a hippo for getting to close to their water but no! He meant the elephants!! He has been looking through the zoom lens so they looked really close and so he panicked a little lol. About 20 elephants came walking by the water right in front of our hut! It was the most amazing moment... Of the day! There was no power so we were in bed reading by 7 and listening to the insane noises of the hippos.
I slept so good and woke around 6. The worker said he would bring us tea at 6:30 and then we would go for a walking safari. It was very very cold in the morning so I put on as many clothes as I could and held the tea for a long time. On our walking safari we learned lots about trees but saw no animals. Had we of waited an hour later we would have been in for a shock! We got back from the walk and some hippos came out of the water to eat, right in the area we had just walked. Them a family of warthogs came to have some water. Then two different types of antelope were spotted and then THE ELEPHANTS AGAIN!! This time they were further away and only went to the lake to drink and bathe and then head back where they had come from. Later that afternoon we watched a lone male elephant bathing himself in the same spot. We sat and watched for animals all day. When it was almost dark and I was tucking myself into bed, I heard something and it was the elephants AGAIN!! All I could see was their silhouette. A few minutes later another herd of elephants came through. These guys were competing with the hippos to see who could be the loudest. It was the most amazing sound to go to bed to.
I slept so well that night. I had to wear pants and then shorts over those and 2 shirts, a sweater and double my comforter to stay warm but it was such a great sleep!
We woke early for tea and then walked to the road to board another matola. This time I wa sitting facing the opposite way that we were driving. I then realized how Steven got so dirty. The dust was flying back at us as we drove. I have never been so dirty in all my life... Even after rolling in the sandbox ! This dust stuck to your body and your clothing!!
Once we got back to Rumphi, we hopped into a minivan on route to our next destination of Chitimba, Malawi.
Tuesday, 11 June 2013
NKHATA BAY, MALAWI
For those of you who saw the pictures I posted on Facebook Tuesday, that is where I am right now. We got here on Saturday and will be leaving tomorrow morning. We haven't really done very much here except relax and read. I went into town a few times and walked to a place called Aqua Africa which is run by a young European girl. She is super friendly so it's a nice place to sit and have a drink and chat.
I tried snorkeling because the lake has the most species of fish in the world, but I kept taking in water into my nose and thought I might drown haha. I got to see some very bright fish which was neat.
Yesterday we went on a boat ride but it was kind of ruined by a group of Americans that are in the Peace Core who are on holidays but they weren't only loud and drunk, they were very inappropriate. The views were still nice, they were just irritating.
This morning Steven ventured into Mzuzu because our cards wouldn't work in the ATM here so we hope they work there so we can pay our bill here at Mayoka Village.
Tomorrow we will venture to Vwasa Marsh and then onto Livingsonia. Livingsonia may have Internet so if so I'll send an update.
Hope all is well back home! I miss everyone xo
For those of you who saw the pictures I posted on Facebook Tuesday, that is where I am right now. We got here on Saturday and will be leaving tomorrow morning. We haven't really done very much here except relax and read. I went into town a few times and walked to a place called Aqua Africa which is run by a young European girl. She is super friendly so it's a nice place to sit and have a drink and chat.
I tried snorkeling because the lake has the most species of fish in the world, but I kept taking in water into my nose and thought I might drown haha. I got to see some very bright fish which was neat.
Yesterday we went on a boat ride but it was kind of ruined by a group of Americans that are in the Peace Core who are on holidays but they weren't only loud and drunk, they were very inappropriate. The views were still nice, they were just irritating.
This morning Steven ventured into Mzuzu because our cards wouldn't work in the ATM here so we hope they work there so we can pay our bill here at Mayoka Village.
Tomorrow we will venture to Vwasa Marsh and then onto Livingsonia. Livingsonia may have Internet so if so I'll send an update.
Hope all is well back home! I miss everyone xo
Finally some Internet! What an adventure it was getting from Zambia to Malawi.
We left on Thursday morning at 7:30 and loaded onto a bus which was like a Trius bus just with no washroom. I had to only drink water when my mouth was dry because otherwise I would not have made it because we only stopped a couple times on the 7 hour bus drive. The first one went quite quickly. When we were approaching Lusaka (capital of Zambia) where we had to get another bus, Steven warned me that they were aggressive and to make sure to hold onto my bag tight because they would grab it and put it on their bus or in their taxi without you saying that's where you are going. So as I'm approaching the stairs to get out, they spot the white girl "AHHHHHH lady, lady, lady, sista, sista, sista!!!" I just kept my head down and went to get my bag. We got our bags and Steven told me to sit with the bags on a bench and he would go find out the next bus. He returned and we got up and started walkin towards the bus. As we go to give our bags to the bus a man whispers/yells in my ear "don't go with them! It will take you 18 hours!! YOU WILL CRY!!" Right there I wanted to haha but we got on the bus anyways.
This bus was less comfortable but it was still ok. The lady in front of me insisted on having her seat back all the way which was very claustrophobic. We stop to have a bathroom break and so a guy came up to me and led me to the "toilets". A lady followed me in and I was looking around at the closet sized hut we were in with two half stalls and two holes in the ground. I turned to her and said "do I go in there?" And she looked at me like I was the biggest idiot ever and returned "what???" So I asked again and she was like "yeah" as if that was the most stupid question she ever heard. So here I am squatting beside this lady peeing into a hole between my feet! I must say, much more efficient then pee spraying up on my feet haha!!
So as I'm getting back on the bus, I see that the bus driver is stocking his cooler up with beer and my thought it... I'm not arriving at my destination today, today is the day I die. So as I sit there pondering I drift off and am awaken my a bug crawling on my face. I obviously have a freak attack. I try to tell myself it's ok, it was only one bug.... Until I go to set my hand on my leg and set my hand on another one. So now, sleep will not happen. We finally arrive in Chipata at 2:30am and a guy asks where we are going. We say we need a place to stay. We can't see anything and have no idea where a guest house is so we have to trust this guy regardless of how sketchy it was. So we loaded our stuff into his personal car (not a taxi) and he takes us 10 feet and makes us pay him for the ride where we could of just walked. We went to this hole in the wall motel which by the way, our room literally had a hole in the wall and per protection over the mattress.
We slept for 3 hours and headed back to the bus station. We got a taxi to the border and walked through the border. Then a guy who lived near the border but went to school in the next town we needed to get to let us ride with him which was a bit more expensive but it wasn't a bus! That took 2 hours and then we had to get onto another bus which would be 6-7 hours. It would have been ok but we sat in the bus in the parking lot for 4 hours before we left because we needed to wait for the bus to fill up. This was the least comfortable bus. We got into Mzuzu, Malawi around 8 so had to find somewhere to sleep before we could get a minivan to Nkhata Bay. We got up the next morning and loaded 17 people into a 12 passenger van. The drive was really scenic and only an hour and a half so it was tolerable.
Then we arrived at the beautiful Nkhata Bay!
We left on Thursday morning at 7:30 and loaded onto a bus which was like a Trius bus just with no washroom. I had to only drink water when my mouth was dry because otherwise I would not have made it because we only stopped a couple times on the 7 hour bus drive. The first one went quite quickly. When we were approaching Lusaka (capital of Zambia) where we had to get another bus, Steven warned me that they were aggressive and to make sure to hold onto my bag tight because they would grab it and put it on their bus or in their taxi without you saying that's where you are going. So as I'm approaching the stairs to get out, they spot the white girl "AHHHHHH lady, lady, lady, sista, sista, sista!!!" I just kept my head down and went to get my bag. We got our bags and Steven told me to sit with the bags on a bench and he would go find out the next bus. He returned and we got up and started walkin towards the bus. As we go to give our bags to the bus a man whispers/yells in my ear "don't go with them! It will take you 18 hours!! YOU WILL CRY!!" Right there I wanted to haha but we got on the bus anyways.
This bus was less comfortable but it was still ok. The lady in front of me insisted on having her seat back all the way which was very claustrophobic. We stop to have a bathroom break and so a guy came up to me and led me to the "toilets". A lady followed me in and I was looking around at the closet sized hut we were in with two half stalls and two holes in the ground. I turned to her and said "do I go in there?" And she looked at me like I was the biggest idiot ever and returned "what???" So I asked again and she was like "yeah" as if that was the most stupid question she ever heard. So here I am squatting beside this lady peeing into a hole between my feet! I must say, much more efficient then pee spraying up on my feet haha!!
So as I'm getting back on the bus, I see that the bus driver is stocking his cooler up with beer and my thought it... I'm not arriving at my destination today, today is the day I die. So as I sit there pondering I drift off and am awaken my a bug crawling on my face. I obviously have a freak attack. I try to tell myself it's ok, it was only one bug.... Until I go to set my hand on my leg and set my hand on another one. So now, sleep will not happen. We finally arrive in Chipata at 2:30am and a guy asks where we are going. We say we need a place to stay. We can't see anything and have no idea where a guest house is so we have to trust this guy regardless of how sketchy it was. So we loaded our stuff into his personal car (not a taxi) and he takes us 10 feet and makes us pay him for the ride where we could of just walked. We went to this hole in the wall motel which by the way, our room literally had a hole in the wall and per protection over the mattress.
We slept for 3 hours and headed back to the bus station. We got a taxi to the border and walked through the border. Then a guy who lived near the border but went to school in the next town we needed to get to let us ride with him which was a bit more expensive but it wasn't a bus! That took 2 hours and then we had to get onto another bus which would be 6-7 hours. It would have been ok but we sat in the bus in the parking lot for 4 hours before we left because we needed to wait for the bus to fill up. This was the least comfortable bus. We got into Mzuzu, Malawi around 8 so had to find somewhere to sleep before we could get a minivan to Nkhata Bay. We got up the next morning and loaded 17 people into a 12 passenger van. The drive was really scenic and only an hour and a half so it was tolerable.
Then we arrived at the beautiful Nkhata Bay!
Wednesday, 5 June 2013
ZAMBIA
we left Cape Town on Saturday morning which was the best idea to change our flights because it was down pouring when we left. To catch our connecting flight in Johannasburg we had to run through the massive airport.... But we made it! We had previously booked accommodations at Jolly boys backpackers. It's so nice here, there's a pool and always new people coming and going. I met a group (2 guys and a girl) from Toronto so I hung out with them some. When we arrived on Saturday we set our stuff I. Our room and then went to sit and read by the pool. We met a couple girls and decided to go out for authentic African food. I did okay but couldn't finish my plate, the portion was huge. I didn't realize how popular curry was here so we have been eating that almost everyday.
We must have been exhausted on Saturday because we went to bed at 9 and didn't wake up until 9:30 the next morning. We decided to just relax for the day, run to the ATM and grocery store. At 3pm I went to an orphanage with the other Canadians, a French fella and another guy. We played soccer, cards and swung on the swings with the kids. They were all so sweet!
Monday we decided to head to Victoria Falls! What an amazing piece of nature. I thought that Niagara Falls was impressive, these falls are ten times longer and higher. I had to wear my raincoat and we got SOAKED!! The spray back from the falls was very intense. I got some really incredible pictures but I still don't think that they will capture the beauty. We spent a few hours there hiking around and then taxied back to the town of Livingstone Where our hostel is. That evening Steven made dinner and we sat and chatted with a few girls. One Finnish girl blew us away with funny stories that I will have to tell at another time.
Tuesday I signed up to go on the Elephant back safari. It was a great experience but I don't think I would do it again or recommend it. It was quite expensive for only an hour with the elephants and we didn't even get a chance to get a picture of us on them and you guys know how much I like my pictures!! Once I got back I lazed by the pool until it was time for the sunset booze cruise. We saw crocodiles and hippos! Although it was all you can drink I only managed to get 4-5 beer into me as it was only a 2 hr cruise. We met some great people and te girls we met on our first day came as well. Some continued to party back at the hostel but after being up at 6 for the elephants I was ready for bed around 10:30.... Shocking I know haha!! Steven definately did not stop partying there that's for sure.
Today is our last day in Zambia and I am not feeling well. Stomach is acting up and I have the chills and feeling very homesick. We will take an early bus tomorrow morning to the capital of Zambia- Lusaka. It will be about a 7 hour bus and then another 7-10 hours to get to Malawi. Unfortunately in Malawi it isn't very developed so I may not be able to update for 2 weeks. I will try my best tho!
I miss everyone very much especially Nick but I am also loving every minute of this diverse continent. Also, one of the Canadians I met is from Egypt and explained everything I need to know when I go to Egypt and gave me his friends number incase I need anything at all.
Until next time,
Nicole xoxo
we left Cape Town on Saturday morning which was the best idea to change our flights because it was down pouring when we left. To catch our connecting flight in Johannasburg we had to run through the massive airport.... But we made it! We had previously booked accommodations at Jolly boys backpackers. It's so nice here, there's a pool and always new people coming and going. I met a group (2 guys and a girl) from Toronto so I hung out with them some. When we arrived on Saturday we set our stuff I. Our room and then went to sit and read by the pool. We met a couple girls and decided to go out for authentic African food. I did okay but couldn't finish my plate, the portion was huge. I didn't realize how popular curry was here so we have been eating that almost everyday.
We must have been exhausted on Saturday because we went to bed at 9 and didn't wake up until 9:30 the next morning. We decided to just relax for the day, run to the ATM and grocery store. At 3pm I went to an orphanage with the other Canadians, a French fella and another guy. We played soccer, cards and swung on the swings with the kids. They were all so sweet!
Monday we decided to head to Victoria Falls! What an amazing piece of nature. I thought that Niagara Falls was impressive, these falls are ten times longer and higher. I had to wear my raincoat and we got SOAKED!! The spray back from the falls was very intense. I got some really incredible pictures but I still don't think that they will capture the beauty. We spent a few hours there hiking around and then taxied back to the town of Livingstone Where our hostel is. That evening Steven made dinner and we sat and chatted with a few girls. One Finnish girl blew us away with funny stories that I will have to tell at another time.
Tuesday I signed up to go on the Elephant back safari. It was a great experience but I don't think I would do it again or recommend it. It was quite expensive for only an hour with the elephants and we didn't even get a chance to get a picture of us on them and you guys know how much I like my pictures!! Once I got back I lazed by the pool until it was time for the sunset booze cruise. We saw crocodiles and hippos! Although it was all you can drink I only managed to get 4-5 beer into me as it was only a 2 hr cruise. We met some great people and te girls we met on our first day came as well. Some continued to party back at the hostel but after being up at 6 for the elephants I was ready for bed around 10:30.... Shocking I know haha!! Steven definately did not stop partying there that's for sure.
Today is our last day in Zambia and I am not feeling well. Stomach is acting up and I have the chills and feeling very homesick. We will take an early bus tomorrow morning to the capital of Zambia- Lusaka. It will be about a 7 hour bus and then another 7-10 hours to get to Malawi. Unfortunately in Malawi it isn't very developed so I may not be able to update for 2 weeks. I will try my best tho!
I miss everyone very much especially Nick but I am also loving every minute of this diverse continent. Also, one of the Canadians I met is from Egypt and explained everything I need to know when I go to Egypt and gave me his friends number incase I need anything at all.
Until next time,
Nicole xoxo
Friday, 31 May 2013
Day 3
I woke up this morning feeling very homesick, missing my nick pretty badly. I got up at 7am to go on a tour from Cape town to the Peninsula... best day yet! There were 9 of us in the van and since I get car sick I was able to sit in the front seat, which was awesome! Our first stop was Hout Bay. It was a small fishing town surrounded by mountain range, it was beautiful. We stayed there for about 40 minutes and took pictures and then went on our way to Simon's Town where the African penguins are found. I was a little bit disappointed because just recently they put a boardwalk in with a railing which we were required to stay on instead of being able to be on the beach with the penguins. I still loved seeing them in their natural habitat but I would have liked to be down on the beach with them. We stayed there for about a half of an hour and then hopped on our bikes for a quick downhill 6km to have lunch. After lunch we hopped back on the bikes for a not as pleasant 6km uphill ride, and by uphill I mean up the side of a mountain, so steep steep! We finally got to our destination of the Peninsula. It was gorgeous! I really hope that all of my pictures capture its beauty. As our guide drive around the mountain we decided to hike through it and went to the other side of it which took about 45 minutes, where we were greeted by ostridges!! I was so excited, and then that excitement turned quickly into fear. They were huge and running all over the place. I stopped to think... "Ok, if they charge at me, do I run, fall down or just let them do what they are coming for". I was on one side of the parking lot and my van was on the other side yet the ostridges were in the middle. So when a van came driving through warning people not to get too close because they would be kicked, I decided to crouch behind the van and use it as a shield while we both went in unison to the opposite side of the parking lot. The guide and others were laughing their heads off at me, but I thought I was being very clever!
It took us about 2 hours to drive back into Cape Town and by that time it was around 5pm. We asked to be dropped off at the waterfront for a few additional scenic photos and then met up with Steven for supper. Just to put some things in perspective for you all, my tour was 600 Rand which is equivalent to about $60 and a bottle of water is 12 Rand so about $1.20. It is quite cheap but you have to be on your toes because although things are cheap, they will try to make you pay more.
The next two days are supposed to have 45km winds and 44mm of rain so we decided to change our flights to Victoria Falls and leave tomorrow morning bring and early at 5:30. I wasn't able to do my shark diving because the weather was just the shits. I won't be having internet like I do here so I have no idea when I will be able to update from here on in so I will try my best.
Nicole xo
I woke up this morning feeling very homesick, missing my nick pretty badly. I got up at 7am to go on a tour from Cape town to the Peninsula... best day yet! There were 9 of us in the van and since I get car sick I was able to sit in the front seat, which was awesome! Our first stop was Hout Bay. It was a small fishing town surrounded by mountain range, it was beautiful. We stayed there for about 40 minutes and took pictures and then went on our way to Simon's Town where the African penguins are found. I was a little bit disappointed because just recently they put a boardwalk in with a railing which we were required to stay on instead of being able to be on the beach with the penguins. I still loved seeing them in their natural habitat but I would have liked to be down on the beach with them. We stayed there for about a half of an hour and then hopped on our bikes for a quick downhill 6km to have lunch. After lunch we hopped back on the bikes for a not as pleasant 6km uphill ride, and by uphill I mean up the side of a mountain, so steep steep! We finally got to our destination of the Peninsula. It was gorgeous! I really hope that all of my pictures capture its beauty. As our guide drive around the mountain we decided to hike through it and went to the other side of it which took about 45 minutes, where we were greeted by ostridges!! I was so excited, and then that excitement turned quickly into fear. They were huge and running all over the place. I stopped to think... "Ok, if they charge at me, do I run, fall down or just let them do what they are coming for". I was on one side of the parking lot and my van was on the other side yet the ostridges were in the middle. So when a van came driving through warning people not to get too close because they would be kicked, I decided to crouch behind the van and use it as a shield while we both went in unison to the opposite side of the parking lot. The guide and others were laughing their heads off at me, but I thought I was being very clever!
It took us about 2 hours to drive back into Cape Town and by that time it was around 5pm. We asked to be dropped off at the waterfront for a few additional scenic photos and then met up with Steven for supper. Just to put some things in perspective for you all, my tour was 600 Rand which is equivalent to about $60 and a bottle of water is 12 Rand so about $1.20. It is quite cheap but you have to be on your toes because although things are cheap, they will try to make you pay more.
The next two days are supposed to have 45km winds and 44mm of rain so we decided to change our flights to Victoria Falls and leave tomorrow morning bring and early at 5:30. I wasn't able to do my shark diving because the weather was just the shits. I won't be having internet like I do here so I have no idea when I will be able to update from here on in so I will try my best.
Nicole xo
Thursday, 30 May 2013
Day 2
After skyping with Nick last night until 11:30pm my time, I was zonked. I went to bed and didn't wake up until 9:30am. I had such a great sleep and the beds here are soo comfortable. I am in an all girls room so there are only three of us so it's super quiet.
Once I got up and had some breakfast that is provided by the hostel, we decided that we would go into town. It has been raining for the last day and a half and apparently it is the coldest spring in 50 years so I may have to come back in the summer months to experience Cape Town properly. The thing about this place is that we are situated on one side of a mountain and the main City is on the other side, so yes... we had to walk up the mountain on the way to town and then up on the way back as well. Once we walked into town we went to a market that had so many knick-knacks but I refrained to buy stuff until I get to Kenya because they will likely have the same things. The people at the market were really nice and didn't hassle you at all.
We then walked down Long Street which is where alot of the hostels, restaurants and bars are so we saw some other travelers. We stopped for lunch at a nice spot that had different stations of different food from around the world. Steven had Indian and I stuck with what I know and had a Shawarma. We then decided we would walk down a few blocks to the gardens. It was really nice until I saw two rats and freaked out. Then as Steven was saying "wouldn't it be funny if that squirrel started running at you"...the squirrel did just that! After all that walking I was starting to get tired so we decided to head back up to our hostel.
As we were walking the sun came out so we thought we better take advantage and continued on to the V&A Waterfront. For all of you Islanders reading this, it looked like a large version of Peake's Warf with multiple restaurants and a full size mall that was wayy out of our price range. Once we got there it started to pour rain again so we ducked into a pub and decided to have some beer. We had to leave there around 5:30 in order to get back to the hostel before it got dark because it is unsafe to be out after dark.
We stopped at a grocery store on the walk back and got a pizza and veggies to make at the hostel. Another girl from Canada and I decided we would book a tour of Cape Town tomorrow because apparently it is supposed to be nice out. I will keep my fingers crossed!!
Well I'm off to shower and do some reading before bed ! Good night all xo
Nicole
Wednesday, 29 May 2013
We made it here safely! My flights to London went well. We had a huge layover in London so we decided that we would go in to venture for the day. As we are very glad that we did, we were also sour about all the rain and soaked feet. When we finally made it back to the airport we found a great little spot that had fake grass and a shed with bean bags, so we obviously stayed there for a bit. We didn't have any sleep from our Toronto to London flight so we were both exhausted but didn't want to sleep because we would be flying all night on our way to Cape Town.... so we both stayed awake for two days and it was excruciating. After a slight delay and a lot of sleep on a very uncomfortable plane, we made it!
We took the public bus from the airport to the hostel. The hostel is very nice. Because I didn't know that steven was coming with me, I am in an all girl room and we have our own bathroom which is nice. We are in a nice neighbourhood but away from all the party hostels. there is a BBQ at our hostel tonight so we are going to go and try to meet some people. It's currently 3:20 and we just got back from an amazing day!!
We started out by taking a taxi into Camp's Bay. The beach was soo amazing and there were guys surfing. I was just itching to get into that water and play in the waves but it was pretty chilly here today. I had to wear pants and a long sleeve and was still a bit chilly. The mountain range in Cape Town is beautiful. Where we were today I was able to see Lion's Head, Signal Hill and the twelve Apostles. I really hope that my pictures turn out from today. We walked back instead of taking a cab and walked all along the multiple beaches.
We have heard that tomorrow is going to rain so we are trying to figure out what we can do in the rain tomorrow!
Well that is all that I have for now!!
xoxo
Nicole
We took the public bus from the airport to the hostel. The hostel is very nice. Because I didn't know that steven was coming with me, I am in an all girl room and we have our own bathroom which is nice. We are in a nice neighbourhood but away from all the party hostels. there is a BBQ at our hostel tonight so we are going to go and try to meet some people. It's currently 3:20 and we just got back from an amazing day!!
We started out by taking a taxi into Camp's Bay. The beach was soo amazing and there were guys surfing. I was just itching to get into that water and play in the waves but it was pretty chilly here today. I had to wear pants and a long sleeve and was still a bit chilly. The mountain range in Cape Town is beautiful. Where we were today I was able to see Lion's Head, Signal Hill and the twelve Apostles. I really hope that my pictures turn out from today. We walked back instead of taking a cab and walked all along the multiple beaches.
We have heard that tomorrow is going to rain so we are trying to figure out what we can do in the rain tomorrow!
Well that is all that I have for now!!
xoxo
Nicole
Monday, 27 May 2013
TODAY IS THE DAY!! I am just sitting at my friend Ellen's place after an amazing sleep! We will be heading to the airport shortly where I will head to Toronto to meet Steven. We will then fly overnight to London. It will take us another entire day before we land in the amazing Cape Town. I will try my best to give a quick update once we arrive so mama knows that I arrived safely.
Off we go, wish me luck :)
xo - always thinking of you
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)