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.

“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.

London, ....England?

“But I’m from England, NOT BRITAIN!”

“All right. All right. I give up” and I slowly backed away.

Usually I have the fight the other way around. You know…..I’m Welsh, but I’m not British. Or the more staunchly anti-England…the Scots.

“We’re Scottish NOT English.”

But there I was in a bar in Pai, Thailand (a northern town filled with hippies and overgrown with green-filled hills) trying to speak sense to an English man.

Well there are many reasons why that was never going to work. For one: I was in a bar. For two: I was speaking to a man. Sorry, but it’s true.

The thing is the United Kingdom, Britain, & England can all be quite confusing affairs. Even for those who are born in one of them, apparently.

Mind the Gap (between what England and United Kingdom is)!

I am the first to admit my mistakes. So maybe in my recent Rock Fever column I should have said Bermuda has a parliamentary government like the United Kingdom and not like England, but it was an honest mistake.

And technically I wasn’t wrong. I just could have been more correct…right?

Well and this is why it gets so confusing. The United Kingdom of Great Britain (aka United Kingdom or UK) is small and nit picks even smaller pieces of land.

Do you know what it’s made-up of? Ok well to start the United Kingdom is a sovereign state is made of England, Scotland, England and Wales and….a Northeastern chunk of Ireland.

The United Kingdom is governed by a parliamentary government in London.

But this is the confusing part: there are three devolved national administrations with varying powers in Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh (capitals of Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland).

So when we hear about Scotland releasing the Lockerbie bomber it’s confusing. What did London have to say? How much responsibility does Scotland get?

It looks like they’re still trying to figure that out! Even here in this video the BBC refers to the London Government….so who is that?

But then again, perhaps being from an island that remains one of United Kingdom’s Overseas Territories, I shouldn’t be confused.

How often do I have to explain what Bermuda’s role is to the world? i.e. little and a territory for the UK which means some of our responsibilities are governed by the them.

And even the Queen is our head! And we’re not alone. So the Government’s aside we haven’t even tackled the monarchy.

Bermuda is an overseas territory!

Queen Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch for 16 independent sovereign states which are the Commonwealth the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica,Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Kitts and Nevis.

That doesn’t even touch the 14 Overseas Territories, which she is the Head of State, but are not included in the United Kingdom package. These are: Bermuda (my home), Anguilla, British Antarctic Territory, the Falklands, British Indian Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia (Cyprus), and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

And that doesn’t even include the three Crown Dependencies: Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man!

So needless to say there are just a few things you might not have know about the United Kingdom!

Leaving the Island? Don't forget your cheat sheet.

“You’re from Bermuda? You mean, like, the Bermuda Triangle? So have you ever gotten lost? I mean how’d you get out?”

Ha ha, so funny. I’ve never heard that one before.

I’ve traveled 50,000 miles, I’ve made it through 24 countries and I had spent one year navigating around the world (beyond every other trip I have been on) and the number of Bermuda Triangle questions?

Countless.

And I bet if you’re Bermudian or adopted this Island as your home (for any length of time) you know what I mean.

The inevitable conversation ender (well for anyone you’re with). We’ve all been there.

“Hey cool, nice to meet you Robyn.”

Wait for it.

Wait for it.

“So where are you from?”

There it is. “Bermuda”

And the dance begins. Any travel buddies you have from America, England, well basically anywhere, but Bermuda will be forgotten and before you know it you’re playing 20 questions about our isolated land.

Beautiful Bermuda sunrise

Which brings me to this week’s Rock Fever column: Bermuda’s Travel Cheat Sheet.

It’s easy when you get bombarded by the questions to lose your patience. The statistical problem? There are only about 65,000 of us on a good day (maybe the census will change that?). The rest of the world? A lot bigger.

That means every Bermudian (or Bermuda adoptee) who meets another person on their travels is the Island’s

travel agent. You didn’t realize that when you got your birth certificate or signed that contract did you?

But it’s true. We have to make an impression. A good one preferably. That isn’t always easy as long bus rides wear you out and 48 hours of flying can leave you barely remembering your name (i.e. my commute from Bali to Santiago, Chile).

That’s when it dawned on me: “You know what I need? A cheat sheet to give everyone who asks me where I’m from.” Is it silly? Probably, but I bet you can relate….yes? Tell me your own experiences in the comment section below.

You want a cheat sheet too? Well here’s mine sourced from questions of fellow travelers:

Wow you’re from Bermuda. I’ve never met anyone from there before.

You probably haven’t. There are only about 65,000 of us living on a 21-square-mile island.

Excuse my ignorance, but where is Bermuda? Is it off of Florida?

Funny you ask that. No, we’re not. If you look at a map and find North Carolina and head right into the Atlantic we’re right out there as a dot in the ocean.

For those without a map (or knowledge of American geography), we’re only an hour and a half flight from New York and about two from Boston. In fact, to get to Florida or the Caribbean takes a lot longer than to get to Toronto!

Leave your print in our pink sand!

Do you guys get to the mainland often?

I’m sorry? Mainland? If you are referring to the United States, Bermuda is not part of America. We are a self-governing British Overseas Territory (or at least that is the politically correct title they’ve given their colonies now). We can have British passports and we do have a Governor who is appointed by the Queen (our official Head of State). Well that is after she confers with the British Government and in consultation with Bermuda’s Premier. Yes, we have a Premier not a Prime Minister, though, like the United Kingdom (UK) we have a parliamentary style of Government. Every five years (the maximum time between elections) Bermudians choose which political party we would like to run us and in turn the Premier. I could go on, but we’re not really talking politics, are we?

I thought everyone in Bermuda was a native?

I’m sorry, but I’m not sure what you’re asking. Let’s just say that before the British shipwrecked on Bermuda (or the Isle of the Devils as it was affectionately known) only hogs were staking a claim to the land. We put them on a penny and the British decided to stay. I was born in Bermuda, my parents too and I could go back in my family to the 1700’s. Everyone in Bermuda has a different story, though. Native? Let’s use a different word. Something more 21st century?

So do you guys really wear the shorts?

Yes, though the Gap store clearly stole our name and completely changed the way these shorts are worn. And then again our businessmen have changed the original look, and use, of these shorts too. Originally these shorts were created by the British Military to give their men clothes that could handle tropical heat. When the Military showed-up in Bermuda, we decided to take-on the look.

Surfing in Bermuda's turquoise water!

Really businessmen wear them? Don’t they look silly?

Besides our businessmen so do our Police officers and even school children. And no, they don’t look silly. Actually if you ask me (and I know you want to, but keep reading the cheat sheet to the end), I think they look very smart! They just have to be worn correctly.

First there has to be a blazer with the shorts. Second there has to be knee socks. The socks are key. Third the colours have to coordinate (it’s tricky so ask at a shop before you buy). Oh and if you’re wearing yellow shorts,

well, let’s just say they can be translucent. Just keep that in mind.

Isn’t that the Bermuda Triangle? It must have been hard to get out of there!

You’re so funny and the first person who has ever asked me that). And you’re right. My mom went to Atlanta and was never seen again (ok joking).

To be honest, there is nothing to the myth. We gave the triangle, which runs from Bermuda down to the Florida Keys and out near Puerto Rico, its name, but really there are no people missing from the island because of the triangle. Well at least none I have heard of.

What’s it like to live there?

It’s great. It’s beautiful. We have pink sand and turquoise water and it never snows. But it’s also small, which is why we travel so much!

So you’re from the Bahamas? Barbados…no wait…Barbuda?

Ugh…Bermuda! (Smile).

Prague at Christmas! I play along with the Angels

I had to stay. I had just completed my Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) course in Prague, Czech Republic. My apartment was new and so was the job at Berlitz language school.

I was not going to be flying back to Bermuda for Christmas. It was the first time I had spent the holiday away and I was slightly worried about how I would handle it in this landlocked country.

Where would I find a beach? What crazy Canadians would I watch swimming on Christmas Day? And then I saw the kiddie pool on my Prague corner. Huh?

The temperatures had descended below freezing and mittens upon mittens captured my hands, and the Czechs had pulled out bath tubs onto their streets.

What could possess them to do such a thing?

Well I wasn’t sure either when I spent a Christmas in Prague seven years ago. So as I walked home one day, trying to keep my toes from falling off in temperatures more suitable to snowmen, I watched as a crazy Czech dove his arm into a pool of water. Seconds later his arm and a massive fish (carp) came out.

I had to ask my Czech friends. This can’t be right. Is he really doing this? Why would he be doing this? Why wouldn’t they just go to a butcher counter in a warm supermarket? All of that seemed sane to me.

Unfortunately, for the butcher that is, warm and Christmas Eve dinner do not go hand in hand in Prague. Instead carp, which is the Czech’s Christmas Eve dinner, is supposed to be kept alive as long as possible before chow-time. That means tubs on the side of the road until they are butchered. Some Czech’s even forgo the butchering and take their carp home alive to sit in their bathtubs until Christmas Eve! Forget the goldfish pet!

Even crazier? Carp is supposed to be (I was never brave to try it) salty and boney, but it’s tradition. Don’t believe me? Don’t think the Czech’s are up for the cold? Check out this video:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnT5rDwhGp0]

Llama in Peru also on the menu?

Go figure. Christmas traditions around the world can strike the odd chord. Of course we have our own in Bermuda and sometimes they make sense (cassava pie) and sometimes they don’t (Elbow Beach boozing), which is why I’m writing about them this week for my Rock Fever Column in The Royal Gazette.

But last year I was not in Prague or Bermuda. This time last year rather than trying to decide which slippers I’m going to give my mom (ooops there goes the surprise) I was navigating Peru.

Well Peru and then Bolivia! These would be my last stops on my trip around the world. I would not, however, be spending Christmas in either place. Nope.

After 12 months on the road, I was ready to go home.

So I missed the celebration. But this year as I sit comfortably at home I was curious. What are the traditions in South America? What do Peruvians eat/do for the holiday? Well good thing my friend and soon-to-be travel buddy is from Peru.

According to my STB travel buddy, Christmas in Peru? It’s Turkey. Yeah, not very exciting or different from home (Bermuda).

I mean this is a country that eats guinea pig on a regular basis. No, I am not kidding. They eat what we call pets. Maybe they’re good? I wouldn’t know. Unfortunately all the menus I saw in Peru made the guinea pig look completely revolting.

However, according to my STB travel buddy: “People in different regions will vary their Christmas menu so some people may actually eat the little gerbil creatures, but for the majority, it’s turkey with various side dishes (often including tamales) and champagne. Panetón and hot chocolate are very popular too.”

Mmmmm….tamales. They were with a massive hit with me when I was in Peru! How can they not be? Wrapped in banana leaves, completed with corn flour and filled with meat there is literally nothing I can think of that would stop me from not loving them!

Want to learn how to make them? Yeah me too so I found this somewhat long-ish film on youtube for our enjoyment: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uFmQYpWuPs]

All this food is eaten at a get-together, party or dinner on Christmas eve which culminates at midnight and everyone wishes everyone else Merry Christmas!

Of course this is the hottest time of the year (we are talking the Southern Hemisphere here) so in Bolivia Christmas food generally focuses on picana.

Pic…what? Picana. It’s a soup made of a soup made of chicken, beef, corn and spices and is eaten usually on Christmas. Well it could be the Eve or the Day, but that just depends on the Bolivian family.

Accompanying the soup? Salads, roast pork or roast beef, and an abundance of tropical fruit and for a sweet it will be eat taffy-filled wafer cookies called “turrón“.

Unfortunately I never indulged in this amazing feast because I was whisked away by American Airlines.

As I touched my toes to Bermuda soil I was, in what can only be described as ironic, directed to arrive in London, England. My family was spending Christmas abroad.

With four days in Bermuda I packed a new bag and was set for London. Of course in England they have their own traditions for Christmas: It’s Crackers! Which of course we have in Bermuda.

Cross your arms for Crackers!

But not ones you can eat. Well I suppose you could and then you’d probably be quite sick. In any case, the Cracker tradition is not one I have ever seen in the United States.

It requires using one of these (pictured to the right) of bundles between two people and pulling them apart. Out pops a toy, a joke and a hat!

The history of it?

Of course this tradition started with who else? A Brit. Thomas Smith in 1846 to be precise. Why? Well because he had been in Paris and seen bon-bons wrapped in tissue paper. He took the idea back to England, wrapped poems in them and eventually transformed the entire idea with a banger (chemically impregnated paper that explodes when pulled).

His sons took over the business and in the 1900′s and in the 1930′s love poems turned to jokes. Ahhh the Christmas traditions explained.

Cassava Pie!

Unlike Americans, however, the British are not happy with one day-off and instead have two! Boxing Day (like us of course!), which is December 26th or Boxing Day. Want to know where our day-off comes from? Well that was a day when boys used to go round collecting money in clay boxes. When the boxes were full, they broke them open.

This year, however, I will take a break from traveling. Yes, I will be in Bermuda and will only have to travel as far as one parish to another to indulge in Turkey, ham, beans, carrots and the traditional Cassava pie!

You don’t know what cassava pie is?! Sacrilege! It is of course based on cassava, which is a starch-filled root that grows in poor soil. Hence why the early settlers, dating back to 1612, made it into everything they could.

But just because it grew-up in poor soil doesn’t mean it tastes poorly. Never! And the best part is that it is totally safe for celiacs! Well, that is, once it is cleaned properly. Cleaned improperly and you have some serious cyanide poisoning.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1R7hRbFdMM]

Bermudians, me, traditionally, now, buy it frozen, drain it, fill it with eggs and plenty of butter, chicken and even sometimes pork.

It’s a weird tradition because though everyone eats it on Christmas Day, not everyone makes it the same way. Some make it sweet, some make it savory. It’s all about your taste buds.

Which has made me hungry! It’s time to enjoy and indulge wherever you are so have a Happy Holiday, visit the Bermuda National Museum for more traditions, and of course visit here tomorrow for all your vacation needs!

Through London's Eye

“Here’s your bill. No rush, though.”

My friend rushed, certain that the total for four eating and drinking would exorbitant.

“How is it 60 pounds? Aren’t we in London?”

“Are you sure they got everything?”

There on the waiter’s income paper was: six beers, a bottle of wine, four appetizers, four entrees, two coffees and the total.

Yes, yes the waiter had recorded everything and still our dinner only cost 60 British Pounds and yes, me and my friends are in London. But we were not eating from a street stall or even on the outskirts of England’s capital.

Instead we, well I, had planned ahead. I was determined to go out for a nice dinner, but not spend more than $100.

Why? Because I am on a mission to try and find ten trips from, and in, London for under $100 for my Rock Fever Column in The Royal Gazette newspaper. So far I have been to Stockholm and Sigtuna in Sweden; Sachsenhausen and Berlin in Germany; Hampstead, Dover, Brighton and Bath in England and now I am in London.

London's Parks

My first trip to London for under $100? That was the flight I bought with my frequent flier miles on American Airlines, transferred them to British Airways and flew to London for $65 one-way.

But now it was time to try and discover this capital city for less than $100. My first attempt was to eat-out in a nice restaurant for less than $100. Not to be done, you say, in London. Especially if there is alcohol involved?

Well you would be wrong. The four of us managed it in a restaurant near Convent Gardens (i.e. central, central London). How did we do it?

Well that is the trick of a handy website: toptable.com

Earlier that day I visited the website, chose a type of food I wanted (Mexican), picked a location convenient for everyone and the website then found an offer for 50 percent-off the food at Navajo Joe’s! Perfect.

Even better? The website made the reservation for me. I was hooked! I used their service over and over again in London to find better and better deals. Their customer service is incredible too! When a place I had reserved cancelled at the last minute they emailed me multiple times and even called me to offer to book another restaurant for me.

And toptable.com does not just book in London. Going to Glasgow? Edinburgh? Birmingham, Manchester, New York or Paris? This cheap-eats at gourmet restaurants website is there for you!

But London is not all about eating (though that’s a very large part!). I also wanted to go and see places, people and things, right? Well I could have taken a taxi. One ride, however, would probably destroy my $100 budget.

Instead, what I needed was an Oyster.

“But Robyn, you said it wasn’t about eating.”

It’s not. Oyster, for some reason, is the name of a card that I use for the London Underground. It’s refillable providing convenience, but it gives me discounts on my journey. Using the Oyster ensures that I never pay more than the Day Travel card price for any trips I took in London! The card was £3 pounds to purchase, but I could get that money back when I left London. I held on to it. The card and any of my money on it does not expire. Where do you hear that anymore?

I always, however, prefer to walk around London if I can. After escaping Bermuda where sidewalks are almost non-existent, walking through a chaotic city can inspire. Plus it’s also great exercise! Besides sidewalks there are plenty of parks to enjoy the fall/winter/spring in. So I like to check-out another website: www.walkit.com for advice. The site can give me the most direct route, distances and even walking tips.

There are, however, very few places that I enjoy walking-into more than a coffee shop. One of my favourite (sadly, perhaps) things to do is sit in Starbucks reading or writing while I am abroad. Ok, perhaps they do not have the best coffee in the world, but they do have an endless time-limit on their tables!

For £2.50 pounds I could sit all afternoon with a book! And that’s exactly what I did. Well until I had to write a column for The Royal Gazette. Then I needed the internet. Good thing Starbucks has that too for….FREE! Yes, free. All I had to do was sign-up for a Starbucks card (which is FREE) at the store and register it. Once registered I could use the internet at any Starbucks in the UK (that has it of course).

Without an internet connection of my own this was a godsend for keeping in touch, writing my blog (www.robynswanderings.com) and sending my column all for the cost of a cup (or vat) of coffee – £2.50!

With all the caffeine and some spare time, I also needed to do some shopping. Good thing London was filled

Visiting Camden Market

with markets to keep me busy and entertained on the cheap. Of course there is the Borough Market on the South side of the Thames near Tower Bridge. Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday it fills with cheeses and freshly pressed apple cider. Then there is also Camden Market (up north in Camden of course) with its cheap coats, scarves and all sorts of accessories I most definitely needed.

But perhaps the most mammoth and new of shopping experiences in London is, of course, the Westfield Mall in Shepherd’s Bush. Of course, I wouldn’t normally subscribe to this beast, but I couldn’t resist having a snoop. For £1.80 on my Oyster Card I was in this mall/small town.

Good thing free internet also fits-in this town! Yes, no Starbucks card is needed. Only online registration and I had free internet anywhere in the Westfield Mall. There is also an enormous Sainsbury Grocery Store attached where fresh sushi and all the gluten-free products I might have needed  could be found for a small price and a picnic.

I’m back on food. Fully stuffed, caffeinated and with a book filled with experiences for my ten columns on cheap trips from and in London it was time to depart England. For my last trip for less than $100 it was back to the flat (but check-out www.lastminute.com for good hotel deals) to pack and say adieu to friends before the trek to London Bridge train station.

Sure I could have taken the Gatwick Express train to, uh, Gatwick Airport of course, but that would be expensive. Instead From London Bridge my ticket was about £7.60. The express? £16!

Not only that, but my trip to the airport was fast. Only 20 minutes or so. The express? About the same. My final cheap train and it was time to board the plane. Back to Bermuda on my $65 flight and to green Bermuda. Well greener than London! But that’s all the hype! Stay tuned next week for Traveling Green and for all of your travel tips, tales and random stories daily visit here.

The Bath Abbey

“Can you make some room,” yelled a man from the platform.

“Can we get through? We have seats!” screamed a frazzled traveler trying to bypass the compartment.

Another passenger surrendered and sat in the bathroom. I found a foot of empty space next to the train’s door. With my bag resting on my two feet I prayed we would be moving soon.

Rush hour on London’s commuter trains. I had, clearly, not thought-through my travel plans to Bath, England. It  was only supposed to take only an hour and a half. It – trip number nine out of ten from London for less than $100 – felt like five hours as a I grappled for an inch of space.

Where else have I been for less than $100 for my Rock Fever Column for The Royal Gazette? Good question. It started with a ticket for $65 (one-way) from Bermuda to London with my frequent flier miles. Make sure you get them! Next I hit Stockholm and Sigtuna in Sweden; Sachsenhausen and Berlin in Germany; Hampstead, Dover and Brighton in England.

Now, with number nine, it was time to come clean. I was heading to Bath. Silly me decided to try and go at 7 p.m. on a Friday night.

After extricating myself from the mass of bodies I found myself stranded on the streets of Bath. Luckily it is not a large town and I managed to find my Y.M.C.A. hostel after negotiating very drunk college students in about 20 minutes. The Y.M.C.A. might be easy to find, but it’s not exactly inviting so I plunked down my bag and hit the town.

Roman Baths

Some 2,000 years ago the Romans also arrived here. Rather than the Y.M.C.A.’s pathetic shower they decided to channel Bath’s hot sulfurous waters into elaborate pools. These really took-off in the 18th Century when England’s ladies and gents began coming here for the waters and enjoying the season in terraced houses! These iconic homes that line Bath’s streets were featured in the musings of Jane Austen who lived here briefly in the 1800’s. And of course what else do you do with really old, beautiful buildings? UNESCO makes them a World Heritage Site!

I believe the city more than earned the right; even at night. As I walked through the varied lanes and roads of Bath, the yellow street lights illuminated a city haunted by visions of 18 and 19th Century England from Austen’s books. This includes the 18th Century, Pulteney Bridge which crosses the River Avon and is filled with shops. If you have ever been to Florence and witnessed the Ponte Vecchio, then you’ve seen the inspiration for this gorgeous bridge. Walking along the river’s edge and listening to the falling water was soothing, to say the least, after my horrendous train ride.

Ahhh Bath, I think I could get used to you.

With my train stress washed down the river, it was time to relegate myself to my bed for a full-on assault the next morning. First I would have to try my hand at the breakfast. Ugh. the crumbs of bread and poor attempt at an English Breakfast ensured that next time I go to Bath I will save my pennies for one of the quaint Bed and Breakfasts I continually walked-by.

Fully famished, I decided I would have to visit, well where else? The Roman Baths! This complex built by….the Romans (see you’re getting this) are essentially as they left them. In 75 A.D. they channeled the waters into this complex that rivals the baths in rome (and I should know I have been there). Visitors, unfortunately, are no longer allowed to bath in the waters that are 116 degrees Fahrenheit. At least the modern complex has built a terrace for visitors to watch more than 240,000 gallons pump through each day before descending into the underground chambers that offer a historical guide to the baths. With a ticket that cost about £11 I was able to walk around wishing I could jump in, but it also offered me an entrance to the Fashion Museum. Well I mean after you bath you need to dress, right?

Exiting the baths (not Bath, you get it, right?) I was bombarded by the Bath Abbey. This cannot be missed. I

More Abbey

don’t mean go inside, though you should. I mean it is the centre of the town. Established in the 8th Century, the first English King, Edgar in 973 was crowned here. Through the years it has been built and then fallen until Elizabeth I ordered it restored. The Abbey has been the same ever since her meddling.

Around the Abbey and the Roman Baths is a mix of modern shops in old buildings. I thoroughly enjoyed getting lost with in the Upper Borough Walls, Union Streets and Barton Street among others filled with shops and little cafes opening onto the side walks. Bath is, among other things, a town built for luxury! Eat your fill in the famous restaurants that include English Chef Jamie Oliver’s Italian restaurant and then, if you’ve got it, bath in the actual complex for it – the Thermae Bath Spa. It will cost you though! £24 for two hours!

I did not have the cash for this luxury so I enjoyed a free walk up to the Circus. No, not Barnum and Bailey’s. Bath’s Circus is  comprised of three semicircular terraces of Regency houses surround a circular park. It was designed by architect John Wood the Elder, who built much of 18th century Bath. I tried to get my landscape photo and decided to use the rest of my Roman Baths’ ticket and head for some fashion.

Not much to note here. A very small museum, Bath’s Fashion Museum main focus is, of course, a whole spread on Princess Diana’s fashion through the years. At least I did not waste the rest of my £11 ticket!

Before I could wish Bath good-bye, there was one more museum I needed to visit. Jane Austen’s of course.

The Royal Crescent in Bath

This illustrative author was a resident in Bath between 1801 and 1806 and the city features heavily in Persuasion and Northanger Abbey. She ended-up hating Bath when her, her mom and sister fell on hard times here. Perhaps that is why the city devoted the sad little home on Gay Street as a museum to the artist. My guidebook had warned me, but I couldn’t miss one of my favourite writer’s museum! It was dull.

Oh well, I was almost done with my trip to Bath. I wandered through some of the green and stunning parks including the Royal Victoria Park in front of the Royal Crescent and meandered back on the train. Luckily Friday’s rush hour was over and I could comfortably ride back to England’s capital fully refreshed.

Refreshed and ready for next week’s column: finding things to do in London for under $100. It can be done! I promise.

And of course visit www.robynswanderings.com for more all of your daily travel tips!

Brighton's Lanes

Perhaps it was the salty air of Dover’s Cliffs. Maybe it was the email from a friend encouraging me to experience it. Was it the notorious name?

Brighton. I had heard the name so many times and even though it is only about 50 miles or 80 km from London, I had never been to this seaside town. As a Bermudian I never quite understood the point. I’m afraid a beach will never impress. Ok, maybe not never. I was impressed by Sri Lanka’s….but that’s another story.

Back in Britain, my emailing friend assured me Brighton was more than beach. I decided it was time. It was time to add its infamous name to my list of trips under $100 from London. Yes, if you have been following the Rock Fever Column I write for The Royal Gazette for the last few weeks I have been to Stockholm and Sigtuna in Sweden; Sachsenhausen and Berlin in Germany; Hampstead and Dover in England. For photos of these trips and Bright visit my photos page.

I was further encouraged to jump to Brighton because the train-trip was less than an hour from London Bridge Tube Station and it cost less than £10! Just a tad cheaper than the £50,000 the iconic Brighton Royal Pavilion sold for in 1850. The creation of George IV, the Royal Pavilion was originally a farmhouse before he decided to reinvent it. Now the Pavilion is a draw for crowds visiting this seaside town. Well, at least, it was for me!

However, I’ve never been a map reader. Yes, I admit. I am one of those people that has to literally stand in a map before orienting myself. Luckily for directionally challenged people like myself, Brighton has Visitor Information Centres dotted around the city. I found the closest one to the train station hiding in a Toy and Model museum. I gave the models a miss and followed the man’s directions.

They sent me meandering through streets lined with multi-coloured stores, organic cafes and leather markets, that might have looked more comfortable on Middle Road, Bermuda rather than North Laine, Brighton.

Eventually, I found it! Well, the Pavilion Gardens first and then the Royal Pavilion.

It was a witches’ castle. What am I talking about? You know you’ve made them. Every kid in Bermuda has. You’ve held the wet sand in your hands and made drip castles.

Brighton's Royal Pavilion

What you were making has in fact been sitting on Brighton’s seaside since the1800’s: The Royal Pavilion. And for £9.50 you can experience one of the most ridiculously over-the-top, formerly private, homes in Britain. Originally a farmhouse when George IV the Prince of Wales, rented it in the 1780‘s, it grew along with his lifestyle of drinking, womanising and gambling and Brighton’s! A former fishing town, Brighton also started to transform into a seaside retreat for the rich and famous.

When George was sworn-in as Prince Regent in 1811 because his father George III was incapable of acting as the monarch, the villa grew. John Nash stepped-in. He introduced minarets and domes to the exterior while lathering the interior with enormous dragons and seashell-encrusted ceilings in the red-walled Music Room. No expense was spared, which is all I could think of as I walked through with my complimentary audio guide.

Queen Victoria ended-up inheriting the Palace, but even with all of its grandeur it could barely fit her growing family. Plus she was all about austerity. The opulent palace didn’t quite fit with her vibe so she decided to sell it.
The City of Brighton was quite happy to purchase the former Palace to ensure somewhere for tourists to visit. Hey, I bought a ticket.

Thoroughly impressed by George IV’s ability to spend money, I decided it was time to learn a little more about Brighton in the last couple of years. Sitting right next to the former Palace is the Brighton Museum. Convenient.

Random. Free. Both are reasons to visit this museum that offers some insight to the more-recent history of Brighton. The museum documents the growth of this capital of clubbing in Britain as well as its trend-setters. Of course there is the Fashion and Style section with random outfits provided by everyone from the gothic icons to the grunge mixed with Egyptian antiques. I did say random. Feeling thoroughly acquainted with the history of Brighton I figured it was time to head to the seaside.

Of course the seaside is what Brighton is about! I mean that’s why the rich and powerful people started coming here. The seaside was more than just a beach. It was a health clinic. Yes, a health resort of sorts. In the early 1800‘s Dr. Richard Russell created these ‘dippings’ which included a total immersion into the sea water to cure-all. I can imagine he was paid a pretty penny for these! Heck I can do that. Ok no I can’t. I’m Bermudian. I wasn’t going anywhere near the water.

Brighton's Pier

So luckily for me, the Brighton Pier is still standing and could keep me well above the frigid waters below.

The Pier is the epitome of traditional British seaside. Painted white, filled with an amusement park, rows of junk food and, of course, a candy store, the Pier is somewhere to sit and enjoy the views if you’re lucky and find a nice day. Other than that? It’s not much and the day was too cold for me! I hit the end and headed back to the interior to find a coffee and somewhere warm.

Luckily I could take my pick in the narrow streets in the area called The Lanes i.e.old, bricked buildings creating human-size mazes. Cute stores filled with antiques and clothes called my name. I ignored them and found a tiny coffee place to enjoy watching the fellow lost souls.

The light was fading. It was time. Time to finish my enjoyment of the beachside retreat and head back to London. Which is why Brighton is a great trip from Britain’s capital. It’s an afternoon, it’s a weekend, it can be both. I know, I know, there are supposed to be great clubs in Brighton. I didn’t have the energy. I will have to see them next time.

That’s because I still have to find a few more trips from London that cost under $100! And I did it. Perhaps it was time to come clean. To Bath it is next week and, of course, check back here tomorrow for more suggestions for your own trips!

Entering Dover Castle

The quiet beep awoke me from my Channel daze.

“Welcome to France. You’re phone calls with now cost…..”

What? But I’m not in France. I’m still in England and yet my phone calls and texts have doubled in price?

Cell phones. The bane of my existence while I travel for a month to find ten trips for my Rock Fever column in The Royal Gazette, for under $100 from London. So far I’ve been to Stockholm and Sigtuna in Sweden; Sachsenhausen and Berlin in Germany; and Hampstead in London.

Now this little piece of technology had interrupted my sunny view of my sixth trip or the white cliffs of…. Dover! Perhaps I should not have been surprised that the French had invaded my phone. The neighbour is about 20 miles or so across the Dover Straight from this strategic southern tip of England. Check out my photos here.

Overlooking the Channel

A town, castle and cliff, Dover was little more than an hour train ride from the St. Pancreas train station in London. Do not, however, make the mistake of shelling-out for the fast trains. With a ticket salesperson’s slight of hand, what should have cost me only £15 pounds ended-up costing me close to £30! Even worse? On the fast trains I also had to switch vehicles outside of London. The slow trains, on the other hand, would have been more direct and less costly. In any case, I arrived around 1 p.m. A little late, but luckily the walk to the Castle from town is only about 15 minutes.

This British Border town has been critical for Britain’s safety for more than 2,000 years, which is why Henry II built the Castle in 1180. After he built the Keep, the Castle became known as “the key” because, of course, any enemy that took it would have full access to Britain.

I seized the Castle via the signs that led up the hill. Luck gave me a sunny day and a man in a ticket booth allowed me to enter for £11.80. For those who do not want to or cannot walk there are buses from town into the castle and inside there is a free land train. I crossed the moat with barely a stone thrown at me and was met with a view of the bustling docks below. Large ferries and cargo ships fill with cars and then expel cars in England’s main port to Europe.

I turned from the sights and set mine on the Secret War Tunnels. Henry II might have built the Castle on the hill in 1180 for strategy, but the Napoleonic Wars in the 18th Century demanded more. Tunneling began to hide troops fighting against the French. Then in the 1940’s the tunnels were resurrected as the command centre for Operation Dynamo i.e. Britain’s retreat from France when they could not immediately defeat the German army. In less than a week, Vice Admiral Bertram Ramsay, from his Dover cliff operation centre, had organized the removal of 340,000 men from Dunkirk, France. By 1942 the British War Cabinet realized these tunnels were bomb proof and started expanding to create an underground city of sorts.

Now these tunnels house a slightly Disney-ish tour of the barracks, hospital and officers’ quarters, complete with sound effects. No, I’m not kidding. As the tour wanders along the halls, voices of the war time effort echo above your head. Not as interesting or as informative as, I thought, the museum that is attached to the tunnels.

While the tunnels protected the military, the civilians were left within reach of the German guns based in Calais. The museum takes pains to explains the extent of bombing on Dover during WWII. Between July 1940 and September 1944, these poor souls were subjected to 2,226 shells landing in the town and 686 in nearby areas. More than 3,000 air raid alerts were sounded and more than 10,000 buildings were damaged. Two hundred and sixteen civilians were killed and 344 were severely injured. This British town was on the front lines. It only became safe in September 1944, after which the guns at Calais were captured by the advancing Allies and finally fell silent. It’s too bad this suffering was not better portrayed in the tour, but luckily it was free.

I left the sound effects and continued my assault on the hill and eventually landed in the Keep of Dover Castle.The entire Castle complex is 70 acres with the highest point containing a pharos, or lighthouse, that was originally built by the Romans to guide their ships across the Channel. Those Romans, always ahead. It’s little more than a circular stone tower standing next to a small stone church (St. Mary-in-Castro), but it is striking set within a beautiful green expanse. More interesting to me, however, was walking the former path of its light rays to see the Channel extending in front of me and the infamous white cliffs stretching to the left. No wonder the Romans built here.

Retreating to the Keep, which includes the Great Hall and two stone chapels, I was bombarded with another history lesson. “The 1216 Siege Experience” is a sound and light show that depicts the French attempt to seize the castle. By 1216 the French had, in fact, invaded southeast England, controlled London and the Tower. Dover held strong, rallied the troops and in 1617 ran the French out of town. Dover was “the key” after all.

The Keep now also contains a 12the Century, replica kitchen, a modern restaurant and a shop. I navigated the knighted plates and spoons trying to come home with me, saved my pounds and took the final batteries that looked across lush, green fields and white cliffs. It was time to head for the open air.

Dover Cliffs

If I could find the way. Other tourists jumped into their cars. I had no choice. I backtracked to the guard who let me in, who told me to head left. I have said this more than once, but thank goodness for the Brits and their signs.

A half hour of following these signs brought me to the National Trust-run cafe overlooking the famous cliffs that were painted white by fossilized marine life. These are transcribed with 4 km of paths that lead to the South Foreland Lighthouse.

At this point, however, I had been walking around the 70 acre castle, up the cliffs and I preferred to sit and watch the ferries meander through the channel. The sun was setting. It was getting cooler. The lighthouse would have to be reached another day.

“Your calls will cost…”

Ok. Ok. I get it. I’m going! It was time for the journey back to London and to my next trip for under $100. Forget the war time history. It’s time for some “cultural” inheritance of Britain at where else? Brighton of course.