Robyn's Wanderings

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” – Mark Twain 

Girl in Peru herding sheep when she should be in school!

I am sorry to start this week at the end, but this is my last column in The Royal Gazette. 

Why? I am told it is costs, so now your Bermudian wanderer will be found on her website www.robynswanderings.com.

For my last column, I thought I would leave you with some lessons I have learned from my endless traveling that began before I could walk.

I recently had the chance to completely embarrass two of my cousins at their school with a presentation on this very topic and how it relates to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which are eleven goals the UN declared the world should be working towards.

These are good, vague goals such as empowering women and ending child mortality, however, the problem with many of these goals, is that they are based on very Western notions of “right” and fail to consider a family’s financial and cultural position.

So I introduced the 200 bored students to a six or seven-year-old girl I met while biking through the Peruvian countryside. She should be in school, but instead her family needs her herding sheep through the fields to survive. Luckily me and these sleeping students have gone to or are going to school so, we have choices.

Which is ironic when we come to my first lesson for you today and to these students: never let studying get in the way of learning! I have lived in New York, Florence, Rome, Arcachon, Istanbul, Prague and London. I traveled around India and Sri Lanka for three months in 2003 and in 2009 I took my longest expedition yet: 23 countries in 12 months.

And during these years, I also finished college with a double major, completed a masters in International Relations and a Journalist degree from the National Council for the Training of Journalists in Newcastle, England.

My studying was never sacrificed for my travels…..it became part of it. Florence was a semester abroad, London was too and New York was the base for my Masters degree.

Study in London? why not!

Travel, unfortunately, is too often seen as separate from “real” life or an escape from it, superfluous and indulgent. But travel, living or studying abroad should be seen as a requirement and valued because how can you feel compassionate about eradicating poverty if you have never actually seen poverty? How can you understand the complexity surround the MDG that states we should ensure primary education for children, if you haven’t seen my little sheep herder? Travel makes these situations a reality.

Travel will also teach you strength! There are really two types of strength: an inner strength that I learned while I was sitting with my head in a toilet in Egypt thanks to a salad!

Recovered from food poisoning and ready to take-on the world!

As I wished that I could die, or at the very least go back home to my mom, something inside me changed and I decided that I had to keep going. Two days later I visited the Pyramids and I got through the food poisoning.The second type of strength? Seriously,…do you know how heavy a 20 kilo backpack can get? I didn’t think so. Do you know how those 20 kilos feel when you have to walk a mile to leave a Greek ferry terminal and find your hotel?

For my third lesson, I draw directly from the MDG’s: the promotion of gender equality and empowering women. Sure, in Bermuda we have some work toward empowering women, but as I found myself traveling solo around the world, I also started recognizing how much being a woman truly mattered.

I began my travels with a travel buddy, but we separated in India so I found myself traveling solo throughout Southeast Asia and South America. At first I was scared and then I realized the world was not as scary for a single woman as I thought; it was easier for a single woman to find friends to travel with than a single man. Women are less scary.

But I also realized how much my safety was up in the air when I was on the back of a motorbike to go to a boxing lesson in Thailand and the driver went a separate way from the friend I was going with. I made him stop, I got off and I walked back to my hostel.

You learn that women in certain areas of the world have to be dressed from head to foot and if you are a woman in these countries, men will not speak directly to you. Empowering women is given a global perspective when you travel.

My lesson four came with some difficulty for me. I am a runner. It’s my stress release and conditioning, but when I began traveling I wasn’t able to run, so I had to find other ways to exercise, like hiking for five days through Patagonia, Chile!

Hiking through Patagonia (notice the famous towers behind me!)

Where am I going with this? Well I am telling you that travel will teach you in many ways, that you have to roll with what you have. Sure, initially I got annoyed at the lack of running, but then I found ways to supplement it by riding a bike through Vietnam or boxing in Thailand and walking….everywhere. I also realized that only foreigners were the ones working-out. The locals were like the teenagers in Battambong, Cambodia waiting opposite the restaurant I was eating in for scraps and it started to put some things in perspective.

Which brings me to lesson five and appearances. The more you travel the less you care and I don’t mean, not keeping yourself clean.

Well, unless you’re in the middle of the woods in Patagonia and the closest warm shower is not the glacier you sleep next to! Believe me, five days of dirt is better than an ice shower!

What I mean is that it does not matter is if you are wearing “Seven” jeans or Miu Miu dress or carrying a Louis Vuitton bag. Instead, you start to look at people as people. You start to understand how little other countries have and how that $1,000 bag is a year’s work for some families.

Sleeping next to a glacier? Probably not going to shower there!

And you start to learn my lesson number six: trust. Like I trusted a Laotian man who walked onto our overnight bus and told me and my Californian travel buddy that he knew we were going to the 4,000 islands and we were to follow him. We did and we had the easiest commute to these Laos-Cambodia border islands of any travelers we met.

Before you trust everyone, however, my lesson seven is as you travel you learn there is a balance to trusting and trusting your instincts.

Like the time I was in Varanasi, India and my travel buddy decided we should take the offer of guidance from an Indian boy to a hotel.

Varanasi sits on the holiest river perhaps anywhere, the Ganges. It is also an auspicious town where you are forever blessed if you die there because your body will be cremated on the ghats and sent back to its maker in the Ganges.

Beautiful Varanasi!

With this background, we were led, to my reluctance, by my travel buddy’s trust into a tiny hole in the wall where we were shown scarves and drugs, not a hotel.

I was out of the hole in the wall in a shot, marching far away from a situation that I knew would only go badly for us.

It’s a fine line, trust, that becomes trickier when you travel and you are trying to understand a new culture without insulting everyone you meet by running away.

Which brings me to lesson eight: do not fear different cultures. For this lesson I have to warn you against my kind, journalists, as well as, politicians (though I am definitely not the later). Often, minor conflicts in countries or strikes become national tragedies with a stroke of a pen.

Example? The Iraq War. I could have listened to George W. Bush when he lampooned almost every Muslim country in the world and launched an attack on Iraq, but I didn’t.

I moved to Istanbul, Turkey at the beginning of the war and was met my some of the kindest people I have ever met. The sky is pierced by minarets where the call to prayer echoes five times a day and the people on the ground will stop you on the street just to speak to you out of interest.

I am proud to be a Bermudian, too, but I also learned from travel not to be too proud to appreciate and try to learn from other cultures. These are sometimes frustrating differences, but they make life interesting!

Rome is not Rome until you live there

And the best way to understand is lesson nine: living in another country. Rome is not Rome until you try and run errands on your lunch hour. While the tourist areas of the city will remain open all day, where I worked was traditional and a siesta in the afternoon was the norm. So, study abroad (and my column on how to do that is on my website www.robynswanderings.com) and/or get your TEFL certificate and teach English and make money while you live abroad! What could be better?

And finally, let’s be honest: travel teaches you how truly beautiful the world really is. From the lush green tea plantations in Sri Lanka, to the highest capital in the world where women wrestle, La Paz, Bolivia, or the best steak you will ever eat in Buenos Aires, Argentina, a bone church outside of Prague in the Czech Republic or floating in the dead sea in Jordan, the world is a weird and wonderful place that you should not squander.

Tango in Buenos Aires!

We are really lucky we can travel to see all of this beauty. Many people will never be allowed to leave their countries. So, do not waste your time on this lovely planet, working or reading this column – get traveling! I will be on www.robynswanderings.com from now on.

Thing One & Thing Two sitting in a tree, p-l-a-y-i-n-g.

Ok well not actually Oklahoma. Well sort of. What am I trying to say? This week our wanderer Nicola hits on a topic that I have experienced too: the friend who travels.

I had a good friend in high school and we would do everything together. After graduation, though, rather than mundane we managed to see each other around the world. From Denver, Colorado to Aix-en-Provence! Where is Nicola going this week? Well read and see: 

Oklahoma. OKC. OK. Have you ever been? I have, twice. And hopefully again.

In fact, it was one of the most exciting holiday destinations of my life!

Does that strike you as odd?
Where the heck IS that state?
Let me explain.

If you are familiar with Dr. Seuss children’s book, it all begins with the mischievous yet lovable Thing One & Thing Two…

Things One & Thing Two met in kindergarten in Bermuda. They became not just friends, but BFF’s. Thing One & Thing Two earned their nicknames because they were just as naughty as the duo in Dr. Seuss: sneaky, giggly and artfully troublesome. One sideways smirk at the other, and both would collapse in a fit of laughter. They had sleepovers,  watched Indiana Jones, went rollerskating, annoyed their older sisters, laughed at the “green man” in Beauty & the Beast, frolicked in the waves on play-dates at the beach, and burnt grass outside Thing One’s house – just to see what would happen!

Playful in the school playground

It gets better. Thing One lived on the American Base in Bermuda, which was a highly controlled area. Thing Two was ecstatic that her best friend lived on on exclusive part of the island, as she was granted permission to visit her friend. On the Base, there were all sorts of cool American things: instead of Cadbury’s chocolates, the Thing One ate Hershey’s chocolates like Almond Joy and Mounds. There was a McDonald’s fast-food restaurant, and down the street there was an all-American baseball field! There were even private beaches for the Base residents.

Two classic stories come from those beaches!

First was the bathroom breakout, when Thing One & Thing Two were in the bathroom on a (rather deserted) beach. They were stuck inside and the door would not open. Thing One and Thing Two were worried they ere stuck forever, in a toilet.

So, Thing Two wrapped toilet paper around her hand and smashed the glass window panes out of the high window. The girls jumped out of the window and landed in a thorny bush, but lived to tell the tale.

Second, was Thing One’s birthday abandonment. A handful of friends were invited for a beach bash, and back to the house afterwards for cake & ice cream. On the short car ride from the beach to the house, Thing One’s mother realized that they had left the birthday girl at the beach by mistake!! Which is scary when you are 8yrs old, and even WORSE when it’s your birthday…

Years later, they are STILL laughing about the bathroom breakout...

Then, everything changed. The summer before Grade 4, the American Base closed and Thing One’s family relocated to Oklahoma, USA. Where? Why? NOOOO… Who would Thing Two play with at school? How would they keep in touch? How can you survive without your best friend? Initially, they wrote letter, cards and notes on a monthly basis. They both had childhood dogs, so they mailed each other their dog’s fur in Ziploc bags. Thing One had a pool at her house in Oklahoma, and she sent Thing Two pool water in a small container (who kept it in her freezer for years!).

For Thing Two’s birthday in October, she received a cereal box. How disappointing! But, digging inside, she received a great surprise: two airplane tickets for her and her dad to Oklahoma for November break. Life was good, friendships were rekindled! The following summer during school holidays, Thing Two went on a family vacation to New Mexico, Texas… and Oklahoma! Both families played catch-up, with Thing One’s family showing the visitors the wild & wonderful Oklahoma: Braum’s ice cream, Sonic drive-in food, Men in Black at the drive-in movies, Frontier City amusement park, the musical Oklahoma! at an outdoor theater, and the National Cowboy Museum. Not to mentioned kayaking on the river and collecting Beanie Babies…

Playing the part of cowgirls at Oklahoma's cowboy hall of fame

Then… the inevitable happened. The girls grew apart, middle school consumed their lives. They found new friends, and their memories were just that – memories. High school brought along computers, and they slowly & hesitantly began to email each other and use AOL instant messenger. In fact, Thing One taught Thing Two how to do the sideways smiley face )

They saw each other once, as teenagers, when Thing One visited Bermuda with her mother. Add in the glasses & braces – and it was enjoyable yet awkward.

Fast forward to university: In the January-April 2007 semester, both girls were going on exchanges to Europe – Thing One to Rome and Thing Two to Paris. The universe was conspiring to bring them together again! What were the odds they’d be in capital cities in Europe, same semesters? They planned to visit each other in Rome and Paris. Sadly, Thing Two attempted her first solo, weekend getaway a month into her Parisian adventure, and it was a fiasco – inclement weather, cancelled flight, hysterical call home to her parents at 5am their time… needless to say, Rome was axed. Luckily, Thing One had better luck arriving in Paris in March 2007. Despite being a gloomy, rainy weekend, the girls had an absolute ball: nipping in to the Louvre for free on Friday, taking in the view from the Eiffel Tower, and feasting on crepes and espresso in between downpours. The only thing better than an American exploring Paris is an American exploring Paris with her Bermudian best friend!

The mischief continued at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris

Since Europe, Thing One and Thing Two have reunited. With the help of technology, the long-distance relationship is not quite so long. With the click of a button, they can do what they do best: share their wild & crazy stories and prepare for their next adventures! And they have been adventuring in Bermuda. Thing Two came to visit for a week in summer 2008, where the girls were up to their old tricks once again. Just mention Limoncello or 445 boys, and Thing One & Thing Two will burst into laughter. A wonderful Christmas visit to the island in 2009 led to Thing Two dragging Thing One to a school reunion to see her long-lost classmates. Most recently, on Thing One’s family cruise from New York to Bermuda in summer 2010, both families were reunited after a whole decade.

Beach bums by day, terrible twosome by night!

Why write this now? Well, it was Thing One’s golden birthday recently, 25 years old on November 25th.

Happy Birthday, Thing One! Love, Roadkill ) 

The end of the harvest. It must be time for.....Thanksgiving!

“What do you do for Thanksgiving?”

“Well, I’m from Bermuda.”

“Oh, so what do you do in Bermuda for Thanksgiving?”

I gave up.

Tomorrow, Americans will be sitting around their living rooms eating turkey and talking about what they are thankful for.

It’s a yearly tradition for the United States that comes complete with the Macy’s Day parade in New York City and pumpkin pie.

But what I have found, is that many Americans forget is that not everyone celebrates Thanksgiving, hence the intro question, or that not everyone celebrates the holiday at the end of November.

For those who are not American…do you know where it started? According to the History Channel, the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast. In 1863, the celebration became the first national holiday thanks to President Abraham Lincoln and was to be held each November.

Now, it is celebrated with sweet corn, turkey, sweet potatoes, apple pie and gravy (not all in that order!) and even the largest parade, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade completed with balloon animals.

America’s Northern neighbour? Canadians? Well, their Thanksgiving happens on the second Monday of October and recognizes the end of the harvest season.

Like the Americans, Canadians also enjoy turkey and all of the Fall vegetables they can find with their families. This has been carrying-on since 1957 when Canadian Parliament declared: “A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed – to be observed on the 2nd Monday in October.”

One of the best know celebrations in Canada during this time of year? The Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest is an annual nine-day festival that is based on the German Oktoberfest. It starts the Monday before Canadian Thanksgiving and runs until the Saturday in the twin cities of Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

There are an estimated 750,000 to 1,000,000 people every year! And a few even stay to see the largest Thanksgiving parade in Canada in the same place!

Bermuda? Well, we do not really have a thanksgiving per se. I suppose the closest we have to one time of the year where everyone comes together is Cup Match.

According to CURE’s publication, “Emancipation Day – A Day for Reconciliation & Reflection”, Cup Match was born from friendly cricket matches and celebrations to mark emancipation from slavery. In 1902, the cricket celebrations became even more official when the east and west ends of the island raised funds for a trophy to award at the end of the matches.

Take a swim in Bermuda over Cup Match

In 1947, Cup Match transformed again with the Thursday and Friday closest to August 1 officially named Emancipation day and Somers Day respectively. Emancipation Day to mark the end of slavery in Bermuda and Somers Day to remember Admiral Sir George Somers who colonized Bermuda in 1609. Now, Cup Match is filled with commemoration ceremonies, cricket, but also boating, beaches and definitely parties! Thankful? I think so, but let me know if you agree in the comments section below.

Sure we Bermudians, Americans and Canadians have held our traditions for a while, but there are other countries that have created their own type of Thanksgiving.

In Grenada, for example, a day of Thanksgiving is observed on October 25 and marks the anniversary of the 1983 Operation Urgent Fury, a US led military invasion of the Caribbean island. Grenada consists of about 100,000 people and sits about 100 miles above Venezuela. It also became independent from Britain in 1974, however, in 1979 the Leftist New Jewel Movement seized power and in 1983 an internal struggle ended with the revolutionary Prime Minister Maurice Bishop being deposed and murdered.

The invasion on October 25th, 1983 also had troops from Jamaica and the Regional Security System to help! The government was then headed by Governor-General Paul Scoon until elections were held.

Is that thanksgiving? Well, perhaps not like the Americans envision it, but in Grenada ceremonies are held during this time to give thanks, so I think it fits.

Dan pobjede i domovinske zahvalnosti i dan hrvatskih branitelja or Victor and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and the Day of Croatian Defenders, if you must know in English. Yes, Croatia has its own Thanksgiving too.

It is a public holiday and is held as a memorial to the War of Independence. It is also held on August 5, annually.

Why?

Well, on that date in 1995, the Croatian Army secured the city of Knin, which essentially ended the Republic of Serbian Krajina, a self-proclaimed Serb entity in Croatia.

Because of the reason for the day, it only makes sense that most of the celebrations are centred in Knin where there are festivities from Mass and wreaths laid in honor of those who died in the war as well as, parades and concerts.

On that day, the Croatian flag is also lifted on the Knin fortress (just in case anyone is confused as to who that day is about)!

Celebrating around the world!

Other countries tend to also have a “Thanksgiving” around the end of their harvest seasons. In China? This is called the August Moon Festival and is held on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. But instead of Apple Pie, there are mooncakes, which are made with sweet bean-paste filling and golden brown flaky skin.

In the South of India, they celebrate the Pongal harvest festival, which is named after a sweet rice dish and takes places on January 14th and lasts for three days. The celebrations vary by days and regions, but neighbours generally come together to feast and give thanks to a hearty harvest.

As you travel the world, these thanking festivals can be seen in their variations, but generally focus on food and recognizing family, friends and gratefulness.

Is Cup Match our version? You tell me on my website www.robynswanderings.com and return for next week’s column: being thankful I could travel and learn ten very important lessons.

Until next week I say: Do videnja.

“To myself I am only a child playing on the beach, while vast oceans of truth lie undiscovered before me.” – Isaac Newton

Red Beach on the Greek island of Santorini is worth a visit.

It’s Monday morning and for those who might be sitting at their desks or trying to stay warm against the snow that sit outside, Nicola Arnold is here to make you jealous.

Our Bermudian wanderer is missing home, so this week she takes us around the world to visit beaches! So warm yourself with these images and plan your next holiday:

Has it really taken me almost a year of blogging to write about beaches? I come from Bermuda, for goodness sake, home of the pink sand and turquoise waters. You can illegally snatch some sand in a bottle if you visit a Bermuda beach (or inadvertently take some home in your shoes, swimsuit, suitcase… it gets eeeverywhere!).

What better time to think about beaches than when the weather in Canada takes a drastic turn towards the 0°C (32°F) mark? [Sorry, Bermudian/American friends, as I have converted to Celcius-ism given my years of living in Canada and Europe... there's no going back now!] I was actually happy there will be a high of 12°C on Sunday… until I saw that the current temperatures in Bermuda are around 22°C.

So, beaches. Let’s think warm, breezy thoughts…

In Croatia, reserve your spot on the pebbly beach early.

I’m lucky – I grew up on a 21sq. mile island, surrounded by ocean. It’s not a big mystery as to why we often had visitors in the summer months! I know that proximity to an ocean beach is not the norm. So when we don’t live in the tropics with a beach down the road, and we’re not sitting in a hammock under the palm trees, where do we go?

In Toronto we have The Beaches, bordering Lake Ontario. The islands and coastline in southern Croatia, known as the Dalmatian Coast, lead out to the Adriatic Sea (across from the boot of Italy). You could also find a beach in an enclosed area, like a bay or a harbour. What about when you make a special trip to Scotland to see the Scottish Highlands and the Loch Ness Monster? You may find yourself on a beach on a loch – whether you brave a quick dip or not!

Walks along a beach at Loch Lomond, Scotland - breezy but not warm.

Do beaches automatically bring up images of the Caribbean, Hawaii or Fiji in your mind? Perhaps you start dreaming of that trip you once did along the Great Ocean Road in southeastern Australia? Somewhere warm, tropical and sunny, right? For the most part, we think of bright summer days, cooling off at the beach. Summer holidays, a weekend vacation to the coast, or a much-needed winter getaway. Would you ever think about the beaches along the South African coastline? Probably not… but South Africa offers more than safaris and game reserves!

Welcome to the beach in Durban, South Africa.

And let’s not forget types of beaches. I grew up with sandy beaches, and even with sand there is variety – pink, white, grainy, fine…etc. On beaches elsewhere, the sand is red, white, black, grey, or some other rainbow mix. Further still, some beaches have no sand at all. Think pebbles, rocks, or stone stabs.

Winter vs. summer beach visit - boots just do not cut it!

Story time! Once upon a time…

Okay, okay: In 2005, I met a fellow foreigner while studying abroad at high school in France. We were in the same exchange program, and we became good friends. I was excited that she was a Canadian, from Ontario, as I was headed to university in Ontario in the fall of 2005. During our spring break, we joined 45 other exchange students on a bus trip through Spain, France, Italy and Austria. In the south of France, she and I dipped our feet in the ocean as it was a sunny day in the French Riviera. I joked that I had been landlocked in northern France for 7 months (my longest time away from Bermuda at that point), and she vowed to come and visit me in my sub-tropical island of paradise.

Cheers! From France to Bermuda, we are beach buddies... where next?!

Fast forward 3 years: In May 2008, my friend and I reconnect at the airport in Toronto to fly to Bermuda… she was my first friend from Canada to visit!! My family and I made sure to show her the best of Bermuda summers – the rum cake company (free samples!), the ducking stool (she was chosen as a victim to be dunked), taste testing rum swizzles at Friday happy hour, cross-island ferry rides, swimming in the crystal caves, and, of course, THE BEACH.

**While putting this post together, I realized that there was too much to cover all at once… Bermuda will be Part II of the beach blog**

“The Buddha whimsically pointed out that seeking happiness in one’s material desires is as absurd as “suffering because a banana tree will not bear mangoes.” – Rolf Potts in Vagabonding, An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel. 

Chilling in Thailand......in an economical way

You enjoying that coffee? Do you know what that $2 you used to buy it means?

To me, at least?

Probably not.

Well, let me explain. That $2 coffee means a night in Thailand! Yes, Thailand and I did not mistype.

Am I crazy? Maybe, actually. But that’s not the point of this column and I’m not crazy for thinking a cup of coffee equals a stay in Thailand.

That cup of coffee I gave-up before my 2009 trip around the world bought me a view of the river Kwai ( you know, the one with the famous bridge over it?) while sitting in a hammock and trapped in a green garden. Yep, all of that and my own room for just $2!

Now calculate your coffees for a week and that’s about $10 or a night in Santiago, Chile (or 5 in Thailand) and the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in.

But this column is more than comparing expenditure on coffee and the equivalent bedding you could find in a foreign country.

And in this column, I am not going to argue I am a some kind of personal finance guru. I can’t tell you about stocks, bonds, mutual funds and other boring financial instruments.

What I do know is we are in an economic crisis and people are struggling to stay afloat I always hear:

“How do you have any money left?”

“Ummm…uhh…”

I hate money questions, especially when they are about mine, but I can understand where this question comes from.

Visiting the bridge over the river Kwai!

Why? Well, I had just spent one year traveling around the world where the only income I had was from my somewhat weekly column to this paper.

Even with the year of travel expenditure, however, I had returned home with money in the bank.

Actually enough money to try my hand at my own business and even go out for dinner, which is where I sustained this very question.

Why am I writing about this now? Almost two years since I have returned from that mammoth trip?

Well it has everything to do with what travel can teach you about your economy and I don’t mean the mess of Bermuda’s (though maybe there could be a few lessons in here too!) And the real lesson I have to teach you is most succinctly phrased by the author of this week’s quote, Rolf Potts. His tip: Keep it Simple.

Before I traveled the world for a year, I kept it simple.

New clothes? Nope (or rarely). These were only bought for weddings or if the jeans were finally wearing out.

A house? No, there too. I shared an apartment with three girls and then rented an apartment on my own (which was a splurge,but I didn’t have a choice!). I still do not have a house, but that will be the next reason I keep it simple.

I brought lunch to work, gave-up purchasing coffee and rarely went out for dinner.

My biggest splurge was sun glasses and if I live on an Island then I need to protect my eyes!

These economic woes that the US felt first and now Bermuda is experiencing are down to one thing: excess. For some reason there is constantly an urge to have more than you need in material things and compete with those around you.

My attitude: who cares?! Why compete for the large mansion? Why not live within your means or invest in personal growth (schooling?)? Why invest in a big car rather than your own personal improvement?

And travel (i.e. not immersing yourself in a resort in any country, but actually visiting different countries) is all about personal investment. Want a story for the next dinner party that does not hinder around purchasing shoes or a new car? Take that shoe money and run to South America!

Which brings me to the second lesson I learned about keeping it simple: do it for travel too.  I never understand tourists who fly around the world to host themselves in a Hilton, Marriott or some other chain hotel.

Why? Because that is exactly what they are: chain, no identity hotels. They are not owned by the people who actually live in the country and they will never possess the ability to immerse you in the culture of Thailand, Chile or Mexico.

niagara falls!

Me? I prefer to stay in local joints. In Laos I stayed in a family-run affair and in Niagara-on-the-Lake I stayed in a Bed and Breakfast run by a local. At the B&B, the local, Joe, not only gave me tips on how to visit the area, but was also able to offer us local (not concierge) tips on where to eat.

I have never spent more than $200 on a hotel room and I can’t imagine why I ever would. The point of travel is personal growth. How will a resort that mimics your home country do that?

So….to wrap this up, perhaps we all need to take a tip from travel and learn to keep it simple and focus on personal investment, not superficial material investment.

Until next week…I hope you start to focus on improving you (and stop buying the $2 coffee for crying out loud, if you need to save money!!!)

Living near the CN Tower in Toronto

What do you know about your fellow traveler? Well for most of us we have been following our weekly blogger Nicola Arnold so we know a bit. But you others?

Well here you go. Her very own, “About Me” page. Where has she been? You just have to read and find out:

Last weekend, I met up with some university friends for dinner in downtown Toronto. That’s the great thing about being based in Toronto, now, – having attended a university one hour west of here, a lot of former school friends and housemates live in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area).

We work, study or live in/near the city, so it’s great to catch up on news & relive the good old days! One of the girls was my roommate from our first year of school. According to her, when I moved in to our dorm room I asked her which countries she had been to, to which she awkwardly replied, “Well, I haven’t travelled much… but I’ve been to Florida!”

Starting university, my travel experience was a little bit different (although I had been to Florida too!). I was fresh off a European travel whirlwind from my Rotary Youth Exchange year in France, where I had spent 10 months exploring not only northeastern France but also Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg which were all bordering the region of France where I was: Lorraine.

Say hello to Köln (Cologne), Germany

The “where have you travelled” question popped up again recently in my Toronto wanderings. I found myself talking to a representative at the Adventure Travel Company in downtown, where I was looking into several products they offer.

At his desk, the guy had an “About Me” page relating to his travels. It was a neat way to learn more about him, where he had travelled and where he hoped to go next!

So, I decided to mirror the “About Me” with my own travel experiences for this week’s post!

I’ve seen a lot so far, luckily… but there is so much more to conquer in the world.

Here it goes:

Title: Adventurer/Wanderer

Location: Toronto

Country count: 27 Countries visited: USA, Canada, Bermuda, England, Wales, Scotland, Sweden, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Spain, Italy, Greece, Austria, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Vatican City, Monaco, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Netherlands, Zimbabwe, South Africa, India, Japan

Favourite country: hmmm… France. 

Next trip in my dreams? The Maldives. Realistically? New York City

The Maldives.The Maldives in my dreams... one day!

I don’t travel without… a Swiss Army knife, a spork, a water bottle and toilet paper (hey, you never know).

I travel because… Bermuda is a rock in the ocean, there is so much more to explore in the world!

My favourite travel moments are… the spontaneous adventures with travel buddies, especially when the unexpected happens and you have much to laugh about.

Beware of dodgy people along your journeys (like her?! Nicola...for anyone who has not followed her posts!)

As an aside: If you find yourselves in the Canadian cities of Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver or Victoria… hunt down an Adventure Travel Company for more interesting travels, tours, and adventures!

The ATC offers many tours and excursions that are a great way to see the world. With slogans like “Epic Destinations. Epic Activities. Epic Hosts” and “It’s your life. It’s your adventure. What are you waiting for?” they seem to be experts in their field.]

In the words of Julius Caesar: Veni, Vidi, Vici!

Sir is that a monkey serving my hot towel.

Why yes, yes it is.

Of course, that will only be the case if you head to Japan! Yes, these cute little monkeys are helping in the restaurant of their owners.

And their tips? Soy beans!

I can already see employers’ minds already spinning!

So here’s your fun Thursday video to lead you into this three-day holiday weekend in Bermuda. Enjoy!

“All travel has its advantages. If the passenger visits better countries, he may learn to improve his own. And if fortune carries him to worse, he may learn to enjoy it.” – Samuel Johnson

The Bellavista neighbourhood in Santiago, Chile!

I don’t normally do this.

Honestly, I have tried to stay away.

But when I saw Lonely Planet’s list of 2012‘s top ten cities they published this week, well….I couldn’t resist.

So for this week’s Rock Fever, we are going to break my self-imposed ban on Lonely Planet and examine their choices.

Why, you ask, have I banned guidebooks from this world-renowned publisher? Well, because I was scarred one too many time by prices wildly mis-reported and a focus on guzzling alcohol rather than actually traveling.

So instead of Lonely Planet, when I travel I find my hand lingering over the pages of Rough Guides for Europe and Footprints for South America. By the time I finished my round-the-world trip, I ditched travel guides completely for the wise words of fellow travelers and locals!

Ok, I will now step off my soap box and explain why I have suddenly returned to the Lonely Planet suggestions: because they’re not half bad!

Reason two? More than any travel guide, what you will need to plan interesting travel is variation and a list/friend/guide who can give you those new suggestions.

So here is your ten travel suggestions for next year (with my own comments, thanks to my very own travels in most of the cities).

London for the Olympics this year!

Lonely Planet’s top city? London, England of course. Seemed like a no-brainer, really. What with the capital city hosting the Olympic Games next year. I hear what Lonely Planet is saying: it will be multi-cultural, the red carpet will be rolled-out and the East-End will be featured, but….I worry. I’m not a crowd person and London is not the kind of city where public transportation is reliable on any given weekend let alone during the Olympics. My suggestion? If you have not been, make London a stop in 2012, but don’t bother for the Olympics. London will always provide culture and diversity, so you will also never be let down!

Number two: Muscat, Oman. Huh? My thoughts exactly. The capital of Oman, Muscat has a population of a little more than a million people, it also lies on the Arabian Sea and along the Gulf of Oman with the Western Al Hajar mountains dominating the landscape. Now we have geography, but why visit? According to Lonely Planet, Muscat is revamping with trendy, designer outlets, Old Town souks and “wacky water sports” enlivening the coastline. Apparently the Muscatis are also genuinely interested in visitors! When are you booking your flights?

Next, we head to Asia and Bengaluru (Bangalore) in India, which Lonely Planet calls the Elvis of South Asian megacities. The site of much of India’s information technology development and the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka, Bangalore is also known as the garden city. Accordingly, a lively music and art scene, as well as, a state of the art metro have grown to entertain and save the population from growing traffic, respectively. So why not add a little spice to your itinerary in 2012?

Of course if Europe is closer for you, number four is Cadiz, Spain. A lovely little city in the south of Spain, complete with cobblestoned streets leading to cafe-lined squares, Cadiz is also a destination for surfers! But all of these delights, which I experienced while awaiting to board a tall ship in 2001, are not why Lonely Planet picked it. Nope, instead in February Cadiz transforms to host a 10-day “bender” of drinking, singing and dancing otherwise called carnival. The locals? Well they will be donning lipstick and neon wigs to perform satirical skits! Even better? Unlike Seville or Cordoba (Cadiz’s neighbours), Cadiz is more budget friendly while also offering a “true” Andalucian living!

Take a boat ride in Stockholm, Sweden!

Number five is one of my favourites too: Stockholm. What a stunning city that should attract every Bermudian! An archipelago, Stockholm offers islands to lose yourself and sailing for days! But when you are not water logged, you will have to dodge the perfectly coiffed, beautiful Swedes (it’s not a joke or rumour, they really are all beautiful!) to visit the designer shops, bohemian bars and the extensive parks that dominate this beautiful city. My only addition would be to visit outside of Stockholm! While I was there I went to see Sigtuna, which is the oldest town in Sweden. Read about it on my website: www.robynswanderings.com!

Six takes us to Guimaraes, Portugal. A northern city in Portugal, Guimaraes has a place on the UNESCO World Heritage list, yet receives very few visitors. Odd. According to Lonely Planet (LP) we should go because the city is a filled with red-roofed, colonnaded buildings, punctuated by mansions and palaces that centre onto a spiky, crenellated castle. For 2012, this city was also anointed the European Capital of Culture!

Overlooking Santiago, Chile

I’m sorry to see my city was only listed at number seven: Santiago, Chile. Yes, my city. I loved Santiago when I visited in 2009. It is one of the most under-appreciated cities in South America and is often overshadowed by Buenos Aires. But you should give this city a chance! It is surrounded by the Andes, giving you a glimpse of these white peaks anywhere in the city. Fancy some wine? Well the vineyards of Concha y Toro are only a hop-skip away from the city and if skiing is also your thing, you will also be in luck! Many tours offer one or two day trips from the city for some of the best skiing. Fancy staying in the city and you will love the bohemian Bellavista neighbourhood which features outdoor bars, gallons of tiny restaurants and a mountain to climb afterwards with stunning views of the city and the Andes. Honestly, I don’t know why you wouldn’t spend a week here!

Next on LP’s list is Hong Kong! Technically part of China, Hong Kong is constantly struggling for further democratization and this year should see rallies infused with theatrics, songs, dance and poetry! With 11,000 restaurants, I cannot believe I haven’t been to Hong Kong! Offering everything from shopping to gallery and bars in Soho, there are also walled villages and hiking easily accessible! Read about some of a fellow wanderer’s travels in Hong Kong, Emily Ross, on www.robynswanderings.com.

LP’s next pick is in the US: Orlando. This choice struck me as odd, but ok, let’s hear it LP. Their first explanation is on February 25 and 26, the city will be hosting the 61st NBA all-star weekend, which “brings much of the basketball and music worlds together.” Of course there are the theme parks (which, honestly I thought of), but apparently Orlando is also getting hip. The boho ‘Milk District’ is a neighbourhood on the rise and is filled with a “motley crew” of eateries, soaked in microbrews and tattoo parlours (perhaps in that order!)

Finally LP visits “down under” for their last pick: Darwin, Australia. According to them this frontier town has a great nightlife filled with markets and restaurants, with a world-class wilderness area nearby. The waterfront precinct even has wave pools, bars and eateries and on the East Coast there are galleries filled with Indigenous art.

Ok, well I think I have found my next stops! Have you? Which city(ies) would you add to the list?

Until next week, stay warm, dry and visit www.robynswanderings.com.

Rolling around in the Thar desert

What do we have from our wanderer Nicola this week? Well last week we were taken around the world in sunsets and this week….. dogs!

Man’s best friend comes in all shapes and size, levels of domesticity, can be housesat or even beggars on the street and Nicola takes us from France to India and……..

Who let the dogs out? Does the dog in the desert in your little corner of India believe he will be fed if he hangs around on the camel safari? Can we be won over so easily by his cute tricks and the rolling around in the sand? Should we touch him or is there a risk of rabies, fleas or aggression? Should we call him Sandy or is that name too simplistic?

Amongst other animals at the Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve was this wild canine

Who let the dogs out? When you are in South Africa, big cats are the main attraction – but do wild dogs also feature in your “must see” animals at a game reserve or on safari? Do you joke that your sweet & lovable domestic dog comes from an ancestry line of African wild dogs? Can you pretend you are in a special edition version of the Lion King movie and start singing Hakuna Matata in the your dusty jeep?

Jonah? Nice to meet you

Who let the dogs out? When your friends are away on holidays and ask you to house-sit, are you allowed to let the dog sneak into the living room? Can you resist those adorable puppy eyes, or should you be stern and leave him outside the sliding glass doors to watch you watching TV? Do you make references to Jonah and the Whale? Should you pronounce his name Joe-nah or John-ah? Does it even matter – isn’t it just your love and attention that he is after, after all?

Just another day at the French markets...

Who let the dogs out? How do you react when a child sitting next to you in a cafe exclaims, in great jubilation, “Maman, maman – c’est un SAINT BERNARD!!” [Mom, mom, it's a Saint Bernard!!]. Does your mind automatically think of Beethoven circa 1992? Do you then start to think about other dog movies, such as All Dogs Go to Heaven, or  Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey? Have you ever even seen a Saint Bernard before? Is it tonnes cooler knowing you will always say “Saint Bernard” in a French accent… San Bernar? Do you ever wonder if the dog has any relation to the real saint, Bernard? Does the scruffy man who you occasionally see in your French town know what an awesome pet he has?

The attack of the puppies

Who let the dogs out? Do you melt when you see a puppy, even if you are a cat person or not so fond of bigger dogs? Does it make you really wish you had your own dog, or give you great flashbacks of your own childhood four-legged friend? Why does the puppy that has his leash tied to a chair in a restaurant look like a fuzzy bear furball?

Before the big purple dinosaur, there was Barney the dog

Who let the dogs out? Do you look back at photos of your family trips to the US and see not just your outdated clothing and hairstyles, but also your lovable childhood pets? Do you laugh like crazy thinking about the time when your friend (who just moved to America with her family, including her curly-haired dog) sent you some dog fur in a zip-lock bag when she wrote you a letter? Do you remember when both you and your best friend had dogs and you used to pretend they were brothers/sisters, or cousins, or related by forces stronger than you knew (just like you and your friend)?

Feta cheese, olives and (hot) dogs.

Who let the dogs out? What crosses your mind when you think of hot dogs – would it bring up images of dogs in Greece, lying around in 35°C (95°F) heat? While you are exploring Athens (with Grease Lightning on repeat in your head), do you come across dogs sprawled all over the steps of the Acropolis or the front stoop of bank buildings? When you rest from the afternoon heat wave, sipping iced tea and eating baklava, does a scrappy dog sniff around for leftover food like a gold-digger? Do you witness one dog lobbing bricks off a cliff at another one in a dog fight? Do you wonder why there is a dog on the Athenian roof, when you were under the impression that it was roosters that adorned rooftop?

Your childhood best friend

Who let the dogs out? Do you proudly tell people that your dog’s name was unique – Chipo, a name of Zimbabwean origin, meaning “gift”? Can you remember when your dog ran right through the screen dog in your living room and left a huge hole behind? Do you laugh knowing that even though your dog was what you lovingly call a sidewalk specialty from the SPCA, he would tear the ligaments in both hind legs as an overexuberant puppy and have to wear plaster casts for a month? Did you take him for walks to the beaches in Bermuda and watch him run away from the waves like a scaredy-cat… I mean, dog?

Prague never lets you go… this dear little mother has sharp claws –Franz Kafka

Prague's Old Square

The witch wardrobe and the pumpkins have returned to their patches, so it’s time to turn to…….Christmas.

Stores have already started stocking their holiday decorations (far too early for my liking, but I’m not a retailer!) so maybe it’s time to start sorting your holiday plans!

Have you made them? No? Good because that’s exactly what we’re doing for this week’s Rock Fever Column.

Now, I have two reasons for the feature this week: it’s the first week of the month (i.e. Rock Fever is bringing back it’s monthly travel plans) and a friend is heading to my featured destination in January.

Where? To Prague, of course. The lovely capital of the Czech Republic is not as cheap as it used to be i.e. prior to the arrival of backpacker airlines and bachelor parties, but it is still worth the effort.

The city, which was nearly untouched throughout WWII and the removal of communist rule during the 1989 “velvet revolution”, has managed to navigate its economy through these pitfalls and its separation from Slovakia (Czechoslovakia) in 1993 to a strong tourism trade.

These changes and the economic empowerment all happened under the leadership of Vaclav Havel, a leading playwright and dissident, until he left office in 2003. A year later, in 2004, the Czech Republic joined the EU!

Even with though this little, landlocked country joined the EU, the Czech republic has managed to maintain its  crown (koruna) is still the currency.

And you better make sure you have plenty of Kournas on hand when you arrive in Prague at this time of the year because you will arrive smack in the middle of markets, Christmas markets that is.

Filling the central and famous squares of Prague, such as the Old Town square and Wenceslas square, these lovely markets are filled with cute, gingerbread shaped stalls selling everything from cookies to knitted mittens and tree decorations. The best part are definitely the food stalls! Kielbasa here I come, not to mention the mulled wine that costs about a dollar and is served on every street corner! Warm wine will definitely help you wander through the chilly, cobblestoned streets of Prague (well, it helped me!)

Which is really my second reason to go to Prague (and probably should have been the first): it is the perfect city to visit when the weather gets cold. The small lanes leading you on adventures, the music spilling from the old wooden doors and eery gargoyles leaning off the buildings are the perfect background for your winter holidays. Cuddle into your jacket and enjoy the wander around.

And my third reason to plan your trip would have to be the Charles Bridge, which spans over Prague’s Vltava river was also the only means for crossing the river until 1841. It also made Prague an important trade route between Eastern and Western Europe, while the 30 baroque-style statues offer a great setting for every New Years Eve here. Without a doubt one of the best ways I have rung-in the new year was standing on the bridge with thousands of people from all over the world, popping champagne and celebrating under the immense fireworks.

Prague's Castle all aglow!

When it is not New Years Eve, however, the bridge is also perfect for reaching my reason number four: the enchanting castle that fills children’s tales and overlooks the city. Yes, Prague has its very own picturesque castle on the top of a hill that offers a stunning view and the chance to visit the largest, coherent castle complex in the world. But, be warned: Do not enter! Sure the outside is beautiful and parts may be able to date back to 870, but inside is a let-down and for the price of $20 it’s not worth it. Instead use your time to wander through the warrens of the castle that include the Golden Lane, which is filled with small shops that ensure you must duck to enter.

While you are on this side of the Vltava river, why not take-in the reason number five for Prague (and really the Czech Republic) the beer! You have hear all of the rumours and I am here to tell you they are true: the beer in the Czech Republic is the amazing. Yes, I am celiac now and therefore unable to drink the beer, but when I lived here in 2002, I had no idea of my allergy to all wheat, rye, oats, barley or malt and thoroughly indulged. While in Prague you can visit the Staropramen brewery (http://www.pivovary-staropramen.cz/), which offers tours and a choice of lovely food to help sustain you through your beer drinking! And be warned: beer really is cheaper than water!

Staggering out of the brewery there is one last stop on the Prague Castle side of the river to visit and that is reason number six: the water’s edge. Walk along here from the bridge with trams crossing-over it (no name to speak of) to Charles bridge and you will find John Lennon’s wall, great restaurants and cute cafes. No, John Lennon never visited, but the youth of the 80’s were inspired by his message of peace and the Beatles and as a form of resistance against communism began decorating the wall. Keep your eyes open along this route and you will also see marks of the floods that rose and sank the houses along the water’s edge in 2002!

Head back over the Charles Bridge to reach reason seven and history, especially that contained in the Jewish Quarter Josev. It contains the remains of Prague’s former Jewish ghetto and the Jewish cemetery, as well as the Jewish museum. The museum, was oddly enough filled by priceless, Jewish artifacts thanks to the Nazis during their occupation in WWII; the Nazis wanted a ‘museum dedicated to the extinct race.’ Disturbing and humbling, this Jewish quarter will help focus your attention on the vast history that this city has lived through.

From the Jewish Quarter head through the Old Town Square, not for the markets, but grab yourself some mulled wine and wait for reason eight. When the hour strikes, it’s time to see what you are here for….the Walk of the Apostles! Noticeably death is also going along for a stroll too! Once you’ve seen the march (and everyone else will be there for it too) wander up the clock tower. You will have a beautiful view of the Christmas Markets, the Old Square and the rest of Prague.

Old Town Square from above!

If you walk from here to Wenceslas Square you will wander into a second historical memorial. It was in this square in 1969 that Jan Palech, a Czech student, committed suicide by self-immolation, which led to massive protests against the soviet occupation. After the ‘velvet revolution’, Jan’s sacrifice was commemorated with a bronze cross in front of the National Museum where he fell. Of course, Wenceslas Square also has the Christmas market, National Opera (a must-see) and a few stores to boot.

Finally, the reason you have to visit Prague this winter is mixture of activities that will please anyone in the family from the young (the National Museum will keep them intrigued) to the teenagers (there are ice-skating rinks randomly distributed in towns or nightlife is great for the older teen. Try the Bombay Bar and Music Club for a little break from beer) or the older generation that can enjoy the markets, National Opera and even the nightly concerts held in random, architecturally beautiful music halls. Prague is romantic, it’s for bachelor parties and it’s for a family a trip! How many places do you know like that?

Until next week, Nashledanou!