Robyn's Wanderings

Hello Kitty Bouquet!

There is nothing quite like traveling to enhance the difference between men and women! Men traveling on their own? No problem.

Women? Oh my gosh you must have been so scared. Weren’t you worried about your safety?

And that’s not even the biggest difference, as Emily Ross our faithful Hong Kong Wanderer finds out this week:

Ah yes, a Hello Kitty bouquet. No wedding would be complete without it.

Yes, this week I found a treasure trove of bridal boutiques. I think I’ve found the source of all glitter.

A good week of classes but I sensed the distracted energy of students about to head home for the holidays. I don’t blame them. A group of us are off to the Philippines midweek since as of Wednesday we’ve got a week off for Chinese New Year/the Lunar New Year (is one more politically correct than the other? I should check this out).

I’ve been undeniably grumpy all week thanks to my bikini diet…which I ditched on the weekend as soon as we saw the forecast was for ‘showers, chance of thunderstorms.’ Bring on the wine, nuts and carbs! And I brought. However this morning I’ve awakened to a message from my friend currently in the Philippines (where the weather’s supposed to be a-raging) to say ‘don’t worry! The forecasters were wrong! All is sunny! Don’t forget the tanning lotion!’

A different view from Hong Kong?

Poor dear. Nobody could have prepared him for my reaction.

A note on attitudes towards women round these parts. I’ve noticed some subtle patriarchy slipping in here and there. Certainly more than I expected in a university environment – enough to fill me with feminist indignation at least once a day. Take for example, one of my lecturers describing the different social strata of China.

‘At the top are the civil servants. These are who all the little girls want to marry.’

‘Next come managerial staff of big corporations. The little girls want to marry them too!’

And what if the little girls want to BE civil servants? Or BE managerial staff of big corporations? Hmm?

A similar slip happened in another lecture.

‘Sustainable development is important. We must consider the happiness of our sons and grandsons.’

I understand it’s just a slip of the tongue, and that none of the local female students in the lecture seemed to notice…but does that not show the deeply ingrained patriarchy in this society?

Family in Hong Kong

Another lecturer discussed the difficulties facing women in reaching higher education as the family found it difficult to justify ‘investing in someone who someday would no longer be a member of the family.’

I suppose as a modern (militantly feminist) gal, I never considered marriage to be akin to leaving the family, but the philosophy behind and duties associated with marriage are so different here.

If I criticise the lecturers for their machismo slips I come under criticism for being intolerant! ‘It’s a different culture,’ people say, ‘you just have to be respectful and accept it.’

I’m all for experiencing new cultures. I’m all for respecting people whose customs differ from my own. But there’s a line between respecting tradition and hampering progression. In my opinion, just because it’s a traditional value doesn’t make it right, and doesn’t mean it’s some taboo subject that can’t be questioned.  So what does that make me? A self-righteous westerner barging in? Or is it a fair point? Where do you stop being respectful and start asking questions?

Well, now it’s time to shower and head off to lecturers. Best of luck to the poor men who landed me in their classes.

Nicola and her sister Katie spent an afternoon amusing themselves in the Botanical Gardens... this was Nicola's post-India pose

It’s time to say good-bye to one of Robyn’s Wanderers! No worries, Nicola Arnold, who blogs for us every Saturday, is not going to leave the blog.

Nope she’s just leaving her home (Bermuda) for a little while. Where’s she headed? Well for anyone who did not read her blog post from last week, she’ headed to Canada.

Is she crazy!? Leaving her semi-tropical home to take-up some snow gear? Maybe….no, just kidding. Nicola’s heading to the Great White North for a job.

And for that we are happy for her.

But before she can go she must give us her slideshow of her home (uh…Bermuda of course) and the images she’s most definitely going to miss (and those she’s soon going to see every day). Click here if you cannot see the slideshow.

[slideshow]

Nicola and her sister Katie spent an afternoon amusing themselves in the Botanical Gardens... this was Nicola's post-India pose

It’s time to say good-bye to one of Robyn’s Wanderers! No worries, Nicola Arnold, who blogs for us every Saturday, is not going to leave the blog.

Nope she’s just leaving her home (Bermuda) for a little while. Where’s she headed? Well for anyone who did not read her blog post from last week, she’ headed to Canada.

Is she crazy!? Leaving her semi-tropical home to take-up some snow gear? Maybe….no, just kidding. Nicola’s heading to the Great White North for a job.

And for that we are happy for her.

But before she can go she must give us her slideshow of her home (uh…Bermuda of course) and the images she’s most definitely going to miss (and those she’s soon going to see every day).

Click here if you cannot see the slideshow.

[slideshow]

Queen Victoria

You could! How cool would that be? Don’t worry about a plane….don’t worry about liquids in your carry-on…don’t worry about how heavy your bags are!

All those worries can disappear as you step onto the Cunard’s Queen Victoria Ports of Call cruise line leaving from Bermuda on April 30.

Where are you going to go? Start by sailing to Ponta Delgada in the Azores before heading to Lisbon, Portugal and the Cork, Ireland, Le Havre, France and finally Southampton, England.

The entire voyage is 12 days and you’ll be left in England to decide what you want to do! Head home? Sure you could. Or you could continue exploring the continent!

You’re choice and since the cruise only cost you $2,990 per person (the starting rate) you may have some pennies to play with!

Though I remember one of the best ways I have ever returned to Bermuda. It was by boat.

Not any old boat, either. It was on the Italian naval vessel, The Amerigo Vespucci. This stunning vessel was sailing around the Atlantic Ocean and I was lucky enough to join them on the portion that took us from Cadiz, Spain to….home, Bermuda!

Reefs crept around us, the blue water welcomed us and the island snuck over the horizon….it was so good to be home.

And now you could have a similar chance on the Celebrity Summit cruise. Ok, so it’s not a tall ship, but it’s still a beautiful boat that will pick you up in San Juan, Puerto Rico take you to St. Maarten before St. Thomas and then Tortola before finally arriving in….BERMUDA!

Even better? the rates start at $830 per person for this seven day cruise. Of course you’d have to get to San Juan which is why if you book this through CTravel you can get a great deal on your cruise and the flight!

Board a plane!

Of course flights are all the rage if you need a weekend away and there are plenty of flight deals going on now. So maybe you don’t want to go to NYC with the snow they’ve got, but what about visiting Orlando, Florida for just $278?!

Or go to Canada? Well, ok, so it might not be particularly warm there, but at least there’s skiing, right?

Of course CTravel has the agent to help you with that…..Brenda Warwick!

Fly to Toronto for $296 or to Montreal for just $304! An hour from Montreal and you’re into the mountains and on the slopes.

Just remember to either visit CTravel’s website quickertix.com or their main website CTravel!

Visas for Turkey

“There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

“Where have you been?”

Where haven’t I been, I felt like saying. Sarcastic, however, is the last thing I would dream of being to an immigration officer.

“I’ve been around the world.”

“Bring back anything interesting?”

I couldn’t hold back, “Interesting? I mean I got a blue, silk dress from Vietnam if that is what you meant.”

I was waved into the back room. It was freezing.

Welcome to Miami.
The problem? Besides the sub-arctic temperatures? Well it wasn’t my sarcasm, I was happy to find out. I was, however, unhappy to hear the problem was my American visa. Or my denial of one.

I had been warned three months before Miami and in Dallas that I need to sign-up online for the incorrectly named American Visa Waiver Program (how are you waiving a visa when you make me pay for entrance to your country? That is a visa, no?).

Anyway, I wasn’t going to argue and I did sign-up here.

Computers are great until they’re not. The problem? Six years before Miami, America decided to enter in their computers that I was denied my student visa for my Master’s program.

“That’s funny because I have the student visa right here and I have a Master’s.” I am a pack rat, luckily and produced the document from my passport holder.

The customs officer didn’t apologise, but did let me transit to Bermuda and suggested I invite him on my next trip around the world. Right.

OK enough of the sarcasm, though, because visas are important things and the only way you’re going to get into countries.

Which brings me to the Rock Fever Column in The Royal Gazette this week: Visas. Awww fun, Robyn. Real fun. Yeah, well it might

Visas for Vietnam

not be fun now, but it will be worse when you don’t plan ahead. Which brings us to tip one: before you visit any country, check with the consulate for up-to-date visa information. Example? Bermudian passport holders are still allowed to enter the United States without a formal visa process (well besides the automatic tourist one for 180 days). But those Bermudians who hold UK passports (like myself) need to go online every two years to apply for the tourist visa (this only changed two years ago).

And make sure you check tip two: which passport are you using? Ok so I am probably not writing this to the spies out there, but Bermudians will usually have a couple of passports. At the very least a Bermudian passport and a British one (I could even have a third, Canadian, if I wanted to). So before you fly figure out which one would give you the greatest immigration clearance ease.

Which leads to three and if you are flying to the United States, Bermudians, you probably want to use a Bermudian passport. It saves you from the online visa application and worrying about when that might run out. Of course if you find yourself on the stop-list (i.e. you did something that landed you in court) then you will have to plan ahead regardless of your passport. Make sure you visit the U.S. Consulate to begin the lengthy process of applying for a U.S. Visa (another reason you don’t want a conviction!)

However tip four: if you have a passport that requires an American Visa (check here to see if your country is listed) then, obviously, apply! It will take you about ten minutes and cost you about $15 for a two year visa. Hardly difficult compared to some countries’ processes.

And tip five is for those who may not be computer literate or comfortable, have no fear because travel agencies will be able to help apply for the United States visa online. Of course it would help if you also buy your plane ticket from them.

Which leads to Tip six and should a Bermudian passport want to travel to Europe, the tables turn. The passport (well and by extension, you, obviously!) will need a Schengen visa, which can cost at least $80 processing fee (depending on which country in the Schengen countries you apply to), additional fees to send it abroad and could take weeks to process. And as Pat Adderley from CTravel warns: “Most of the Schengen require a personal appearance. They don’t want a third party involved. They don’t want to hear from us (the travel agency). They want to meet you in person.” So why wouldn’t you get a UK passport? If you are Bermudian you have the right so use it!

Of course no Bermuda or UK passport will get you off the hook when it comes to India. Visiting the largest democracy in the world will require a visa, but this visa is not about just visiting a website.

Nope, which is why Tip Seven is about planning ahead for any trip because visas can take a while to get (I’m just using India as an example). For Bermudians to get their India visa for your Bermudian or UK passport it will have to be fed ex’d (for security) to Washington, D.C. and could take as many as two weeks to process. The tricky thing is once you have the visa the time starts ticking.

Vietnam's Border Patrol

While you might receive a six month visa to visit India, that does not mean from the time you enter the country. Nope, it means from the day they issue the visa, which leads to Tip Eight: pay attention to details. India is not the only country that operates on time. Vietnam is similar. Once you tell them a date you are entering the country, it is set in….paper and will last for a month minimum. Silly me let that one run out before I had enough time in the country.

Which leads to Tip Nine: DO NOT let visa applications stop you from traveling. They are just a way for a country to know who is entering (and make money as far as I’m concerned). So if you are intimidated by visa applications, then visit a travel agency in Bermuda for guidance. Do NOT apply though an agency online – only the direct embassies of the country. I have heard some horror stories.

And finally Tip Ten: for those who are planning a trip around the world: only apply for the first visa you need. Every other visa can be done abroad. In Cambodia I could get a Vietnam visa in three days (one if I had wanted to pay more). If I had gotten it at home, it would have just been headache, fed ex (so lots of money) and a waste (I didn’t get to Vietnam when I thought I would).

Oh and just because I’m feeling generous you’ve got ten plus one this week Tip 11: When crossing borders make sure you have plenty of American cash on you for those visas that are only available for purchase (i.e. Turkey) and open for negotiation! I was almost in a pinch when crossing into Cambodia and all the “processing” fees. Thank goodness for American travel buddies.

There are lots of visa tips out there and I could continue but that would be boring! So email me at skinnerrobyn@gmail.com for more and of course stay tuned for next week and travel quirks! Until next Wednesday, Adios!

So bookshelves don’t tend to be something you think about when you’re hitting the road.

I never do. That’s said from a person who can’t stand NOT reading a book! If I don’t have my nose in a novel then something is wrong (or I’m insanely busy as I have been for the last few months).

And if anyone has been following this blog then you know what my reading list often consists of – randoms (remember: Eight Travel Books and not one is Eat, Pray, Love?)

But what got me thinking about this blog post today is multi-pronged. One is listening to CBC (the Canadian online radio) about a Canadian (of course) artist who decided to get rid of all of her books! Sacrelege as as far as I’m concerned.

I get why people want to deconstruct their lives, but if there is one thing I will never (ok almost never, which is why I write this blog) are my books!

Which brings me to point two about this post: I have been researching an article about travel items available in Bermuda. I know, I know, not always easy!

So I debated…..do I try and find the Kindle? Do I include the iPad? Everyone seems to be all about reading words on a computer these days. And, really, who am I to complain? I do have a blog by the way.

But the point is books don’t translate. Call me old fashioned! When I read a book I want to be able to scroll through the pages. I want to be able to bend the pages.

And the best part? No matter how tatty or wet they might get….the words will not go. Now tell that to someone who soaks their iPad in the rain!

What has this got to do with travel? I thought you’d never ask. It’s got everything to do with travel because the

more books

Kindle, in particular, was introduced as a compact way to carry around all the reading material you might need on the road.

BAH! Is what I say. The beauty of the road is the loving way that people read their books and then sell them to the tiny second hand shops that spring-up in every backpacker haunt or on the shelves of hostels around the world (yes, from South America to Europe and Asia). In fact many will even give you a book for a book (or two). It’s exchange and commerce!

Even better? Well nothing could be better than having the chance to wander around a book store taking in the titles and deciding what type of adventure you want next. Do you want to go through someone’s life? Perhaps visit your next trip to Thailand?

It’s old school – exchanging books, but it’s more than a chance to recycle books. It’s also a convenient way to expand your own literary adventures.

Do you know how many times I’ve need to lighten my backpack only to be faced with the prospect of titles I have never heard of before? Lots of times. But that’s when you pick-up a book like River of Time written by journalist Jon Swain who lived in Cambodia between 1970 and 1975. The book is his account of these tumultuous years at the beginning of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. It was one I could not put down.

Not only do the old-school manners of exchanging books expand your own personal library it also means that you’re not another backpacker with a cool electronic gadget.

Look I’ll be the first to admit that I travel with an iPod, but when I see the amount of gadgets that some people pull out (i.e. a place tracker for photos) and I look at the poverty that surrounds them (i.e. anywhere in South East Asia) a good, old book is better for the soul!

And because you can exchange them you never have to keep them in your backpack. Well I will admit this, as I finish this post….I couldn’t part with The White Tiger! I just couldn’t do it….so I gave it to my dad when I saw him during my trip around the world.

Does this make me sentimental? I don’t think so. I will never be the Canadian artist able to sell all of her books. Even on the road when I was breaking my back and an exchange loomed ahead I found it hard to part with my papers filled with escapes.

Does that make me a bad traveler? Does that make me too sentimental? Who knows. It does mean when I walk into my room and I’m looking for inspiration, now, I have a library of adventures to choose from.

Hell it’s cheaper than jewelry!

Hong Kong

It’s Monday and Robyn’s Wanderings is broadcasting from Hong Kong. That’s right the blog is expanding.

First it started with Bermudian Nicola Arnold (who will soon be transplanting herself to Canada) and now we’ve added Emily Ross.

Another Bermudian, Emily Ross will be reporting from Hong Kong every Monday. What’s it like there? What’s it like to live in another culture? Tune in every Monday for her latest.

And to start: Who is Emily? Here she tells us:

Everybody said, ‘Oh, Hong Kong, you’ll be tall there.’

LIES.

I am five feet tall. I blend into the crowd round these parts. I’ve been here three weeks and my fellow exchange students have already lost me in the crowd at least a dozen times. Tall! Hmph. I’m not tall, I’m just not short anymore.

The stubbornly politically correct part of me wrestles with penning my observations about my relative height

Skyscrapers in Hong Kong

round these parts. But then again, I had a massive internal battle after watching Mulan on the plane on the way over here. Is that racist? So far everything I know about China I learned from Eddie Murphy.

As I’m trying to catch you up for three weeks worth of roaming, here’s a quick rundown:

-It is cold here. They told me it would be warm. I did not pack for this.

-Everything is out of context in Hong Kong. Start with a skyscraper. Turn the corner and there’s a beach. Turn the corner and there’s a mountain, turn the corner and there’s a village, turn the corner and there’s an island. Everything is extreme and everything is here.

Random scene in Hong Kong

-I’m on an exchange between the University of Bristol in the UK and City University of Hong Kong for one semester (January to May). Before you get too excited, the lectures are in English – so far the only Cantonese that I know is ‘Tsing mat kau gaun tsae mun’ which according to the recorded English translation means ‘Please stand back from the doors.’ The underground or ‘MTR’ is familiar ground to me now.

-I have to say, I expected the lecture environment to be somewhat…well, different. People are talking, they leave early, they answer their phones, they go on Facebook…and the lecturers merely raise their voices to be heard over the din rather than tell them to kindly please SHUT UP. At first I was concerned about the two or three hour lectures I had scheduled (I’m used to 50 minute lectures at Bristol) but then I realised there wasn’t necessarily more content; the lecturers simply speak more slowly. I don’t mind of course, you’ve got to give these kids credit – they’re studying in a second language! Maybe the chatter is them translating what the lecturer is saying. Not sure I can justify the Facebooking though. Sorry, guys.

-They LOVE Hello Kitty here. Seriously.

-They’re preparing for Chinese New Year or the Lunar New Year at the moment. Are you ready for the year of the rabbit? Everything’s decked out in red and gold. Gorgeous!

-Old people take their birds for walks – they sit in the park and bring their bird in its cage with them. Adorable.

-In order to get a space in student housing, you have to show that you actively participate in student life at CityU. So everyone is super enthusiastic – floor gatherings, hall meetings, societies, inspirational posters. My first hall gathering is at the end of the month. Something tells me this will be different from the ‘British experience.’ The words ‘Happy and Free’ are written in giant letters on the side of the hall building. I don’t think that would be taken too seriously in Brizzle.

So there’s a quick summary! Until next week!

Nicola delighted about finding a Lonely Planet guide book in New Delhi, India

It’s Saturday so you know what that means….it’s time for Nicola Arnold’s weekly travel blog.

But first it’s time to congratulate her! Nicola will soon be leaving our 21-square-mile island for Canada. She’s got a job and she’ll be in Canada soon (at least for a while before she figures out how to travel again).

Have no fear, though, we’re not losing our blogger! She’ll continue with all of our important travel information every Saturday. And this week? This week Nicola’s helping us find travel information online:

If you made New Year’s resolutions specifically geared towards travel… what would they be?

Travel more? Stay longer? Revisit favourite places? Dare new destinations? Pack lighter? Leave behind technology?

Since I started writing columns for Robyn’s Wandering blog, I began to realize that I was really interested in fueling the fire of my travel passion.

I began to research fervently for ways to get a daily dose of travel writing, adventures and escapism. I did not

Funny ads at the airport that tell traveling like it is

really want to buy magazines, just to hoard them in my closet.

I did not want to spend all my time searching for websites, just to end up hours later having stumbled upon a string of videos on YouTube and emerging from behind my laptop 3 hours later. We all know how easily that can happen!

The Christmas season is over, although Christmas cards continue to trickle in. It is 2011 and perhaps this year will mean a backpacking adventure, a summer road trip, a family reunion in a faraway place, or just a weekend spent visiting a new city.

As a social network, Facebook helps to bring information together in one convenient place. I decided to use it as a tool to become a ‘fan’ of all sorts of travel pages – including Robyn’s Wanderings!! After browsing through travel pages on Facebook, I soon found out that they are designed to tantalize the tourists and travelers of the world.

And it worked on me.

What sort of pages did I add on Facebook to follow? A few examples include:

- Lonely Planet

- National Geographic Traveler

- Frommer’s

- Travel Channel

- Greek Islands (I have a weak spot for Santorini)

- Maldives (one day I hope to visit… and it shall be grand)

A sight in India that you will have to see to believe

These pages send updates on Facebook related to travel and adventures… and many of them are interesting and worth a glance when you have some free time to browse.

If you are interested in 7 Tips for Single Bag Travel (http://www.wisebread.com/vacation-hack-7-tips-for-single-bag-travel) then Wisebread has some hinters. If there is one thing I would still like to perfect this year in travel, it would be to pack lighter. Wise words I try to follow are that once you have laid out what you want to travel with, take half of the clothing and double the money… although it is usually easier said than done!

On Monday it’s someone who doesn’t like what you write. On Tuesday it’s the washing machine that won’t stop leaking. On Wednesday it’s a dryer that has no vent and Thursday… well let’s just move onto Friday.

Which is exactly what it is and for most that means the weekend is coming soon and so is a break. Well, not for me. I’ll be running around tables.

But now I’ve got the chance to show you a photo for Friday: Cholita wresting in Bolivia. La Paz to be exact. Have you ever seen women wrestling?

Ok besides a bar brawl! How about women with their hair braided, in full skirts and men dressed as skeletons? Yeah it’s like a pajama party with outfits. It’s the WWF with women.

Even better? Sitting miles above the highest capital in the world, this wrestling ring is surrounded by both locals and tourists throwing popcorn and heckling the wrestlers!

Apparently the cholita wrestling is a time-honoured tradition in town and it’s the place to be! So make sure you enjoy your Friday and find yourself in Bolivia….La Paz to be exact soon.

Winter escapes

It’s not easy. It’s never easy picking a place to go on vacation and even harder when you’re faced with the winter grit.

And what are you to do if you’re choosing from Bermuda? We have the sun and sea here, but in the winter it rains, the wind pushes us over and it’s basically…..ok well it’s not winter everywhere, but it’s our winter.

It’s not a perfectly sunny day every day.

So should you go somewhere warmer than Bermuda or somewhere colder? Not an easy question.

I vote colder.

Good thing CTravel is there with Brenda Warwick is there to help you with all of your cold, winter vacation plans.

This is a one-woman skiing machine who knows the best resorts from the East Coast to the West Coast and everywhere in between.

Check out this interview we did with her here on Robyn’s Wanderings .

Maybe you can ask her about out little post last week about skiing in Vail, Colorado. There are lift tickets for just $14.21 a day! It’s true.

Yep about the price of lunch. Ok so maybe it’s lunch with a drink and dessert, but it’s not a stretch at Bermuda prices.

For just $199 a week you can ski for a week in Vail during the second snowiest month of the year ….. April! Imagine flying through the powder of the top ski vacation destination for the price of lunch in Bermuda!

Well make sure you book the ski pass through Brenda Warwick who can also help you find the right resort for your ski trip!

Or maybe you’re interested in staying on the East Coast! I can totally understand that. Heck I wrote the column on it yesterday.

What are plane ticket prices like right now? Well have no fear CTravel is here for you too! Book your vacation through CTravel and right now they have  flight specials for just $258 (without tax) to Boston.

Boston is only about two hours from some of the best resorts in Vermont so what are you waiting for?

Even better is if you contact an agent at CTravel you know they’re going to find the best deal for you! And

Learning to Ski

without you having to stress or spend hours negotiating those airline sites (expedia, hotwire, etc…) which have now dropped American Airlines.

Even better? Take a vacation for Valentine’s Day.

Book through quickertix.com and prepare to spoil your loved one for Valentine’s Day with a trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico for as little as $358 (before tax).

Or go to Toronto, Canada for $286 (before tax). Want some ideas of what to do in Canada? Well we have that covered here at Robyn’s Wanderings.

Our new wanderer, Nicola Arnold gave us a complete run down of events in Toronto for all of us to read last Saturday.

Oh you didn’t catch it? Ok well here’s your chance.

Have a happy Thursday!