Robyn's Wanderings

“I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within.” – Lillian Smith

Bermuda's Halloween with a pumpkin!

There were going to be no carved pumpkins, no candy corns and definitely no costumes. Why?

Because I was in Chile for October 31 and while I might be used to Halloween traditions like trick or treating, South America had a different way of greeting me during my trip around the world: Days of the Dead.

Perhaps holidays are not something you consider when traveling, but it’s amazing how sentimental I could get while on the road. Never one for Halloween (yeah, ok as a kid when candy was the game!), when I arrived in Chile I started pondering how I would spend it.

Well, the first thing to learn is that not everyone celebrates Halloween as Bermudians, American and Canadians traditionally know it. Originating from the ancient Celtic festival of the dead, Samhain, the tradition was/is celebrated as the time when strict boundaries between the worlds of the living and dead became thin. Ghosts of the dead could, therefore return to earth.

When the Romans conquered much of the Celts land in France and England, the Roman day of the dead at the end of October became incorporated. With the spread of Christianity, there was an attempt to subsume this into All Saints Day on November 1 and the festival the night before was Alls-Hallows. Anyone see where this is going?

Well, for the country where these traditions all started, Ireland, parties, bonfires and fireworks spread through the country on October 31; while, Dublin hosts its annual Halloween Festival and parade.

The UK? Well Halloween has taken to the mainstream throughout the UK too. Yep children are asking for candy and adults get lost in outfits and parties. But what is definitely a highlight is the London Zombie Walk where hundreds moan and groan through the capital while visiting twelve pubs.

Head North to the Scandinavian countries of Norway and Sweden and you will find that Halloween is relatively new holiday and there will be a few parties and themed events around the countries.

Let them eat candy for Halloween or.....Julebukk

What they do, do in Norway that is similar to our Bermudian Halloween is run around the neighbourhood between Christmas and New Years to ask for sweets. It’s called Julebukk and it hails back to the Viking era. No dressing-up is really required….well beyond the layers of warm clothes required! I can attest to this having taken part when I visited family friends when I was 13-years-old.

Moving further East to Russia and the rise of Halloween is not welcomed by all. In 2008, in fact, lawmakers here sent a bill to their lower house to consider banning not just Halloween, but also Valentine’s Day. Why? They are worried about protecting their “conservative ways”. So in place of Valentine’s Day, Russians would be able to celebrate the Day of the Family, Love and Fidelity. No word on what Halloween would be called.

While Russia might be turning away from Halloween, other countries have never celebrated Halloween, but have ceremonies that draw from the idea that spirits of their ancestors abound. The Malagasy people of Madagascar have one of the most unique ways to honour their dead. Though Halloween (as we might know it) is little celebrated on this East Coast of African island, they do honour their dead by ‘turning the bones’. This ritual, ancient it is, requires the opening of the tombs of the dead dressing the bones in fresh clothes and passing them around to dance with friends and relatives.

Um….I think I’ll head to Cambodia now, which is my favourite South East Asia country. Here, the whole concept of Halloween does not really exist! Instead the country focuses on the lunar calendar and the tenth month which usually falls in September. During this time the Cambodian Buddhists celebrate the Pak Ben, 14 days during which they wake every morning before dawn to prepare offerings of food and other gifts to monks living in the local pagoda and to their ancestors.

On day 15, Cambodians visit the Pagoda with sweet sticky rice (the best food in the world) and bean treats wrapped in banana leaves and other special foods to mark the P’chum Ben or festival of the dead. P’chum Ben also marks the close of Pak ben.

Do you see how it all comes around? Sweet rice or candy corn? Ok it’s a stretch, but this is why I love traveling: different countries have draw on the same ideas, but it translates for cultural understanding.

Let’s stay in Asia and head to Japan! If we go now, however, we would have completely missed their equivalent to Halloween, the Obon Festival. That’s because Japan does not celebrate Halloween, but they do have this mid-August Festival to honour the deceased and often ends with candle lit paper lanterns floating down a river which symbolize the departure of their ancestors.

Heading further East (from Japan of course) to Mexico and you’re also celebrating the Day of the Dead on November 1 and 2nd. Well, that is now. When it was celebrated during the Aztec years, the festival would last two months! With the introduction of Catholicism, however, the celebrations were whittled down to two days! During these days, it is believed here that lost ones return to the earth to celebrate with their families and friends. Visits to grave sites ensue where offerings of food, photographs and drinks are offered to the dead.

Moving to the South of this world and we hit Peru, which celebrates more than 3000 festivals a year and also finds time to recognize their Day of the Dead on November 1 and All Saints Day on November 2. These are days for Peruvians to honour their dead with Mass, bringing flowers to the cemetery and sharing food with the dead. It’s a tradition that stems back pre-Hispanic years!

All dressed-up to tackle Patagonia for Halloween!

And finally what did I do in Chile? Well let’s just say I looked like one of the scary masks in the Phoenix as I tried to hike for five days through the Torres del Paines National Park without a shower. However, with the natural beauty of glaciers, bright blue lakes and avalanches, I did not miss Halloween one bit.

Which brings me to one last point: yes, our holidays are fun, but use these holidays with days-off from work (yes, even Cup Match) as a chance to see what other places do. You’d be surprised how little you miss home as you become inspired by a new culture. Ok, enough for this week, ciao ciao!

always be prepared!

Poor wanderer Emily Ross! Some chicken far from home, has left her sick: never a fun combination.

But if it’s going to happen to you, don’t you want to know what to do? Well luckily Emily is here (I promise I didn’t make her!) from her sickbed to tell you what to do if you’re sick and traveling:

Apologies for the lateness, blogoverse. I’ve been bedridden with the plague. Some may refer to it as the common cold. They clearly have never truly suffered.

Upon falling ill, one tends to get philosophical. I reflected upon my past experiences of being ill abroad. Salmonella poisoning in Peru, for example (the hospital food was delicious but opinion may have only been based upon low blood sugar).

Post Full Moon Party food poisoning in Thailand (I still stand firmly by my assertion that my illness was due to a poor drunken decision to eat street food noodles rather than a hangover). Recently, going to the City University Health Centre for muscular pain in my foot and receiving pain medication…’for stomach’ (for once it wasn’t actually a stomach problem! Oh, irony).

So! What to do if you’re ill abroad?

1)      If you’re travelling with a friend, this eases the burden significantly. They are now your slave. You can rely upon them to deliver you to the doctor/go out and buy you food so you can stay in bed. If they complain: tough. It’s the invisible contract you sign when you agree to travel together.

2)      If you’re in a foreign country and are less than proficient in the local language, come prepared. Guidebooks tend to have handy ‘in case of medical emergency’ phrases in the language sections (if your guidebook doesn’t have a language section, get a new one. I’m fiercely loyal to Lonely Planet) and you can buy picture flashcards to illustrate what you’re trying to say if your pronunciation is less than stellar.

When words just don't do it justice

3)      GET TRAVEL INSURANCE. The general rule is, if you spend money on the insurance…you don’t fall ill and end up cursing the fact that you spent the money. If you don’t bother getting it however…You. Will. Get. Sick. That is the way the universe works.  Ask Murphy about it. After you get insurance.

4)      If you have any pre-existing medical conditions always carry a card explaining them in multiple languages.

5)      Write down what vaccinations you’ve had. You’ll probably forget when you need to know. Also, when getting your vaccinations, cover all your bases. Another area covered by Murphy’s Law.

6)      If your illness affects your air travel, contact your airline and sort out the necessary logistics.

Salmonella-ella-ella-eh-eh-eh in peru

7)      Dealing with doctors in foreign countries can be intimidating. Don’t feel pressured to consent to treatment you normally wouldn’t back at home.  Different countries have different medical systems – sometimes, this means you get better treatment. Sometimes, this means that the doctors and hospital just get more money the more unnecessary drugs and procedures they prescribe. Be sensible. Don’t be overly paranoid, but blind trust is never advisable, particularly if you’re travelling in a country known for corruption. Research the health policies so you have that ‘just-in-case’ back up knowledge.

8)      If you have major heath complications, seriously consider returning home.

Oh, and just as a preventative measure…

When in doubt, don’t eat the chicken.

Canada, huh?

Yes, Inca Cola. What are you talking about Robyn? Well as anyone who has spent some time in Peru will know, they like their Inca references. So it was only a matter of time that I was going to stumble across a soda named after the pioneers.

Where did I find it? In Cusco, Peru of course, where everything is Inca as visitors prepare to scale Machu Picchu.

What does it taste like? Well if you were to liquify bubble gum…..you’d be on the right track.

Why am I talking about this today? No, I’m not in Peru (I wish!) Nope. Instead I recently visited Toronto and a shop selling South American food. Of course what is there sitting next to some quinoa and dried potatoes (Peruvian favourites)Inca Cola….which I will offer is a favourite of my Peruvian Travel Buddy who was with me.

He couldn’t get enough! I tried to pry the soda away, but to no avail. We went home with two litres of the sugary, yellow liquid and a smaller hand-held soda for the ride home. Ugh.

Never heard of it? Have no fear, neither had I until I went to Peru last year. This soda, which has yet to reach the echelons of Coke (though most Peruvians swear it’s only a matter of time) was created in 1935 by a British-Peru import, José Robinson Lindley.

Using lemon verbena he created what can only be described as a neon drink. For those who are unaware….it’s scary.

Of course it remains a Peru-held drink, in Peru (Lindley’s family holds the rights). Outside? Well outside of Peru of course the Coca Cola family have inducted it into their hall of sodas.

And now? Well now you can find Diet Inca Cola!!!!

Diet Inca Cola

I am absolutely positive this has everything to do with Coca Cola and nothing to do with Peru! Is Diet Inca Cola real?

I would guess probably not! In any case I have yet to find it in Bermuda, but maybe that’s a good thing. For those in Canada….enjoy your yellow drink!

Coffee in Buenos Aires

Do you know who imports more than 900 million pounds of coffee a year?

No it’s not France. No, not even the obsessed Argentines. Not even my favourite Vietnam.

It’s Japan.

Yes, it’s true. Apparently Japan imports more than 930 million pounds of it each year, which is more than France and less than Italy.

What does this have to do with travel? Well, sure you could ask, but that would mean you haven’t been to Turkey for their sticky and thick coffee that lines the cup.

Or to Vietnam when they fill the bottom of the cup, which turns out to be enough to keep you up through the night.

Coffee in Cairo

How about sipping in Cairo (when they’re not protesting) at one of the oldest cafes in Egypt? One where the Nobel Prize winning authors sit.

It’s a drink that keeps the world ticking and one that you will never be far from where ever you are. Sure there is tea, but coffee is my poison.

Tea in Turkey!

Of course, I am sad to say that my favourite is Starbucks. Yes, I have been around the world. I have tried coffee in lots of places, but my favourite coffee stop is Starbucks.

Plenty of caffeine in their regular coffee and the quality is guaranteed to some degree everywhere you go. Of course that can’t guarantee the Inca Bucks in Peru!

Inca or Star?

Fireworks over the Charles' Bridge in Prague!

Kielbasa? Check. Champagne? Check? A bridge that was not destroyed in WWII? Check. Thousands of people from Italy, France, China, and the USA? Check? Fireworks? At midnight.

I was knee-deep in freezing temperatures, but that’s ok. I could work with the frost. It was nothing a couple of glasses of gluwein and a lot of jumping, couldn’t fix.

As I found myself at the beginning of my trip around the world celebrating in Prague the welcoming of 2009, I realized I was glad I chose this spot. With the Christmas Market still doling out the famous sausage dish (kielbasa) and hot wine, coupled with the thousands of tourists in the Czech Capital there was a sense of unity among nations.

Well, unity until we all tried to head for the Charles’ Bridge. This structure survived WWII and just about survives the onslaught of tourists and Czech’s alike every New Years; it’s the best place to watch the fireworks. On the way everyone jumps into the shops on the corner to grab their champagne, absinthe, or the Czech liquor, Fernet.

Then the count-down begins. Five, Cinque, Cinq….Four, Quatro, Quatre…..three, tre, tre, Two, duo, due….One, uno, une!

But not everyone enjoys their New Years on a bridge. Of course I have never been in New York for New Year’s Eve but, as everyone knows, they drop a ball…in Times’ Square of course!

Sure the New Yorkers drop a ball, but that’s nothing compared to our onion in St. George’s, right?

Neither of those, I’m afraid, touch on the interesting New Years tradition in Peru, however. In this South American country, they dress-up a doll (yes I know machismo is gone for a night) in old clothes and then burn it.

Talk about cleaning your closet! To ensure there are replacements, markets spring-up catering to everything you need. New clothes not an option? Then at least new underwear is!

But, of course, yellow underwear is the only colour you want if you need happiness and luck (good thing that’s my favourite colour!) or red if you want love or green for, of course, money.

Red, green and….white? Well those colours will have you wishing: “Buon Capodanno!” That’s what I heard in Florence as I celebrated a New Year before starting my semester of studying in these Renaissance-lined streets. Of course the greeting came with the crescendo of bottles crashing onto these streets (perhaps a hangover from the Southern tradition of throwing your old things out of the window showing that you were ready for the new).

We didn’t dodge the bottles until after a massive fiesta! La Festa di San Silvestro to be exact. For my experience it was based on sea food and fish.

Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy!

Perhaps that was because I was up North and the Italians I was celebrating with were from the coast (sailors actually). In other parts of Italy the feast is based on lentils and pork! Of course once you indulge in these feasts only the Italians know how to work it off. That requires cracking a spumante or prosecco and finding a club to dance and then waiting for the new born sun.

A ray of light is exactly what you might think you see if you celebrate the new year in India. Parties have themes – colour codes or unique dress codes – filled with food and even the lighting of bonfires and the burning of crackers. Of course if you visit the tourist and hippie mecca of Goa (a province on India’s West coast) then raves are all the…rave!

Heading back for Silvester, or the feast of St. Silverster is the name of New Year’s Eve in Germany. Who was Silvester? Well, he was a pope who lived in the fourth century and apparently healed leprosy and baptized the Roman Emporer, Constantine the Great among other things. Fair enough. I guess he should get a celebration. In Berlin, however, the world-famous bash Brandenburger Tor is held and at midnight everyone wishes everyone else “Gutes Nue Jahr”. The next day, there is, of course, the need to know what is coming in the next year so the Germans enjoy Bleigiessen. A tradition, it requires dropping molten lead into cold water. Shaped like a heart or a ring? A wedding is in your future.

While we, in the West, might be celebrating New Years’ Eve in a couple of days, in Cambodia New Year or Chaul Chnam Thmey is not until April 13th or 14th and it is celebrated for three days! Yes, three days. That’s because it represents the end of the harvesting season. Makes sense, no? To celebrate means visiting temples to get blessing from monks and priests while building a sand hill on the temple grounds and decorating it with five religious flags – it represents the Buddha’s five disciples. Each of the three days also have their own significance.

Harvesting is what it’s all about in Korea, China and Vietnam! Only their’s is celebrated at sunset on the day of the second new moon after the winter solstice (that was on December, 21 this year). It’s a three-day celebration too! Heck they know how to party out there. Almost all Koreans, apparently, head back to their hometowns to celebrate. On the eve, or Sut dal kum mum, people clean their homes and light them with colourful halogens. You think our New Years Eve is long? The Koreans don’t sleep! The belief is everyone needs to stay-up to see the new year coming in or….else.

The next day it’s all about eating and spending time with family even including the ancestors. Known as Chesa, a clean room, a table altar is places with food items and on a special paper their names are written. On a special paper called Chi Bang, the names of the ancestors are written. With the rituals done, it’s time to have fun with games and hanging-out.

The only tradition for their friends south, Australia, is a party of course! Beaches, pubs and clubs are all filled with crazy cappers and as soon as church bells ring at midnight loud noises also ring-out! Recovering from this fun, the New Year Day is a public holiday and people spend it with their family and friends. To get an idea of how much fun it is more than 3,00,000 tourists celebrate their New Year in Australia. I suppose that’s a party.

The Matterhorn can provide the background for New Year's Eve!

Of course the best I’ve seen/experienced was in Zermatt, Switzerland! I had the luck of having a friend with a house there. But that’s not where we stayed….well for New Year’s Eve anyway. Instead the party was taken to a five-story restaurant/bar/club in the middle of this traffic-free, mountain ensconced town. The Swiss know how to party.

Of course the next day the party the night before was nothing a little skiing with the backdrop of the Matterhorn mountain couldn’t take care of. Let’s hope I have the same luck this year in Vermont! So wherever you are and whatever you are doing this year, enjoy it! And come back next week for my next Rock Fever column for The Royal Gazette on traveling by book! (those following the blog will have seen it before:)

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!

Visa for America

“Have you got anything interesting?

“I’m sorry. Interesting? Well I have a blue, silk dress from Vietnam if that’s what you mean by interesting? I think it’s interesting.”

The American Customs’ Officer was clearly not amused. Neither was I. It was 8 in the morning and I had just arrived in Miami from Lima, Peru. I wanted to find a coffee and just wait for my evening flight home (Bermuda).

He would not relent.

“You went traveling for a year? How did you pay for it?”

Yes, man, because I am an economic immigrant from Bermuda!!!! Why, in anyone’s name, would I want to stay in Miami where the wage is definitely not what I could make at home? And last I checked Bermudians are not generally on the sneak-in list.

I controlled my thoughts and said: “Well I saved-up and then I wrote a column while I was on the road that helped.”

Nothing mattered. I was sent into the arms of some very cheery idiot who decided regaling me about his colleagues working in Bermuda, would ease the pain of the customs’ back room. It didn’t.

Two hours later, frozen and listening to the infant next to me balling its eyes out, I finally approached yet another customs officer.

“You’ve been denied a visa to the United States before?”

“No”

“But it says here that you were denied a visa for your Masters in….”

“Well that’s funny because I have a piece of paper here that says I wasn’t and I actually attained a Masters in International Relations.”

It was my first experience with America’s amazing, new system for screening foreigners: the ESTA online visa form! and it wouldn’t be my last.

Or yours, for that matter, if you’re a Bermudian with a British passport! Ahhh the joys of trying to enter another country. Visas.

That’s why today, CTravel’s knowledgable and helpful staff, Pat Adderley, is offering this Q&A to help those lost among the confusion of travel visas.

So Pat, since when have British travelers had to go online for an American Visa? Didn’t we just fill out a form at the airport?

She said: “A Bermudian passport holder going to the U.S. are given a free entry and there’s nothing they have to do. If you have a passport from the Waiver Countries from the EU you are visa free, however you now have to go online and fill-out the ESTA form. It’s like the green form we used to have to fill out at the airport.

“In June this year it cost $14 and it lasts for 2 years. That’s just takes down who you are and your passport details.”

But Pat, what about older people or those without computers? Surely this system leaves a particular segment of the population out of the ability to acquire a visa?

She said: “For people who don’t have computers or older people we will fill out the forms.”

There is often the confusion in Bermuda about whether or not to attain a British passport, which as an overseas territory we are allowed to have. What would you suggest?

She said: “What we recommend is that Bermudians get themselves a UK passport as we are entitled to it. Yes it’s expensive, but if you have to get visas for the Schengen countries it’s expensive too and some require a personal appearance.

“You will have to go to Washington or New York to go for the interview. They don’t want a third party involved. They don’t want to hear from use. they want to meet you in person.

“What we are finding, now, is that most of the European countries in the Schengen visa allow that once you have one for Portugal then you are able to travel to other countries i.e. Spain, France, etc….

“Sometimes they do a six month visa, sometimes a year sometimes longer. Each of these countries have qualifiers of their own.”

Sounds like it’s best for a Bermudian to get a British Passport. But Bermuda has a lot of workers from various countries that will need to visas. What is your biggest problem with attaining visas for them?

Trying to get back home to India

She said: “The biggest visa and what we deal with on a daily basis are the UK and US visas because of the Ethnic groups we have in Bermuda and who are trying to get home (i.e. fly through the UK to get to Sri Lanka). Most who get it there the UK some without much problem. And sometimes after they have spent $400 on a Canadian visa to get home they get denied.

“Then what? Then they can’t go home?

But how do these workers get to Bermuda in the first place? They must have been screened.

She said: “They come with a visa that is good for 90 days and come through the UK. It has run out and now they need a new one to get home.

” And now it is even worse for Jamaicans, for example. They have a big expense now because they used to not need a visa to get through the US. Now they do. Now they have to go through the U.K. to go to Jamaica!”

What could help?

She said: “What would be helpful is if the Bermuda Government sat down with the U.K., the U.S.  and Canadian representatives and tell them we have guest workers who have been scrutinized and we know they are safe and know they can get their visas.”

And what does CTravel do to help?

She said: “Usually if they come in they (foreign workers) make an appearance with us we fill out an application for them. Then they have to make an appearance with immigration for biometrics. After we make that appointment the officers stamp their applications and we forward it to the consulate.

“It takes three weeks and sometimes longer depending.”

Can CTravel help me if I need a visa for, say, India?

She said: “One of the first things you should do when you book your trip is understand what kind of passport you are traveling with. That determines the rules and restrictions for your passport. Also don’t think because you had a visa in another passport before you are still covered.

“The key to it is plan early. We can do the Indian visa and the Japanese Visa. I have done a Nigerian visa.We usually do it just for our clients, but we will do it for others.”

And what about Bermudians who may be on the stop-list for America? You know, because of a minor drug conviction, etc…?

She said: “We can also help stop list people. We can apply for the waiver for them. But these are people who have done silly things in their youth.

“It’s worth them to try. If they did something in their 20’s and now they are now in their 50’s or 60’s. Now they are on the stop list. Most of the time they can get a visa, but they have to do it early.”

Do you have more visa questions? Well make sure you contact Pat Adderley at CTravel for all of your visa concerns!

And make sure you check back tomorrow as I travel…….to St. George’s. I know crazy far away!

Trying to climb into the hills of Cusco, Peru

Puff. Pant. Puff. Pant. Groan.

“Ha ha you guys are struggling to get up the hill and I’m the one that smokes!”

“Whatever Anthony. I’ve only been here for a day. What’s Daniel’s excuse?”

“Ok Robyn, but don’t you run or something?”

The three of us had met in our dorm room in Cusco, Peru, which is more than 11,000 feet above sea level or 3,400 metres, the night before. Daniel and Anthony, had already been in this gateway city to Machu Picchu for two days and me, one, so I felt justified in still gasping for breath.

The scary part? We were just trying to scale the minor hills behind Cusco, which are littered with ruins, llamas and a Jesus statue. Our puffing and panting had nothing to do, with the infamous Inca Trail (between four ad five days of crazy hiking through mountains).

To be fair my body, I threw it from Lima at 1,600 feet or 500 metres above sea level to more than 11,000 feet or 3,400 metres in an hour via plane. Had I taken my time via bus I may have adjusted. Perhaps this is why they serve oxygen at the airport? I’m not kidding.

But why do we experience altitude sickness? According to Dr. David Barber who is the Travel Clinic physician for the Department of Health in Bermuda, it happens because the amount of oxygen in the air decreases as we rise. This means: “People have to breathe harder to get the same amount of oxygen. People at high altitude also lose more water from their lungs when they expel the air.”

What are the symptoms? Headaches, gasping for breath and losing your appetite (not a bad one for me after binging in Argentina on steak and wine).

What’s my point this week in the Rock Fever Column with The Royal Gazette? Yes I am sure you would like me to get to it and it’s to take care of yourself on the road. When you are far from home things like altitude sickness could occur and if you don’t know what to do you may struggle to find doctors. So what should you do if you have altitude sickness? Drink lots of water and limit your exercise until your body adjusts. Well at least if it’s mild sickness. Oxygen (like at the Cusco airport) can also help while a doctor can prescribe drugs (thought not usually necessary) to help.

Which brings me to tip two in the ‘how-to-stay-healthy-on-the-road’ column this week: bring your drugs with you. Dr. Barber suggests having a good supply of medications you regularly need AND carrying them in your hand luggage. You know….in case the luggage gets lost.

Bringing medications prescribed by a doctor at home, leads to tip three in this healthy travel column: make sure you are in good health when starting to travel: dental problems and infections need to be addressed pre-travel.

A visit to the doctor post-trip may also be necessary. Malaria is particularly prevalent throughout Africa, but is also a problem in India and some other South East Asian countries. The pills to help prevent the disease are by prescription (pre-travel!) but if you return  and you don’t feel well (symptoms include high fevers, shaking chills, and flu-like illness) tip four is: make sure you tell your doctor EXACTLY where you’ve been so they can make a proper diagnosis.

Before you go, you should follow tip five and check with the Center for Disease Control (www.cdc.com) or guidebooks about the country you are going to and how safe their water and food is to consume. A Thai salad was fine. An Egyptian smoothie wasn’t.

Water bottles, drinking with a straw to keep away germs and hand sanitizer (it's there....in the lower right corner)

What does this tell you? How about the street food stall in India? Yeah tip six is that street stall in India is going to have questionable cleaning practices. So bring plenty of hand sanitizer which is compact, cleans hands and cleans cutlery!

And ensure the food you eat is fully cooked or the kind you can peel i.e. bananas, oranges. Why? Well Dr. Barber explained some illness including: Hepatitis A, which causes a liver infection and can cause Jaundice and Hepatitis E which can be dangerous for pregnant women and is similar to A are spread through contaminated food. I can personally attest to the intestinal parasite Giardia which was killed with two rounds of prescriptions. It wasn’t pretty.

Which leads to tip seven and sustenance of life which is: watching the water you consume….and that doesn’t have to be in the form of a glass. Nope. Depending on the CDC’s country diagnosis make sure you use bottled water for both drinking AND cleaning the teeth. Dr. Barber reminded travelers that of course ice is only as good as the water so if you can’t drink the water…..don’t use ice. Boiled water or water sterilizing tablets are alternatives while straws help keep contamination from the soda cans.

But water and food are not the only concerns. Tip eight is watch out for the cheese. This is not a Pink Floyd song with a hidden meaning. It’s seriously dangerous to eat dairy that has not been pasteurized properly.

Of course you shouldn’t stress too much about your trip though….don’t let it lead to alcohol abuse. Missed trains, planes delayed and travel buddies who don’t work can lead to the bottle. But tip nine is to restrain yourself. Dr. Barber explained that accidents, especially road accidents, are common for travelers. These can be attributed to unfamiliar roads, the ‘wrong side’ factor, but also the alcohol!

Coming from Bermuda our trips will also include plane travel. Well unless you’re doing the-soon-to-be ubiquitous term “stay-cation”. That said my final tip from Dr. Barber this week is to travel in comfort. Deep Vein Thrombosis – a blood clot in a deep vein (hence the name) – is a serious concern with prolonged travel in a plane or bus. Dr. Barber’s advice: Get up and move around when you can. Some other advice: Wear comfortable clothes! Nothing too tight.

Finally make sure you don’t pick-up germs from the plane with hand-washing and the antiseptic you don’t use for your cutlery in India.

Do you have any tips for traveling healthy? Leave them here or email at skinnerrobyn@gmail.com or visit my group on Facebook.

Trying to travel light

“Where’s my charger? I can’t find my blue tshirt! I was sure it was in here. Have you seen it? Did it get muddled in your clothes?”

“No, Robyn. I haven’t seen your charger or your shirt. Didn’t you check under the bed?”

“Ugh! I am getting so sick of this!”

I had been traveling for eight months and my backpack was starting to look like the inside of a martini shaker and my travel buddy was getting tired of my constant scavenger hunt. To my defense, moving from hostels was usually early in the morning on little sleep or repacking for climbs into the mountains.

This inevitably meant the shirt I needed or the pants I needed next time were on the bottom. The backpack would get emptied…..again! And then one day in Cusco, Peru I met a man with his act together. I know…shocking. His clothes? Not in a muddled bundle like mine. Nope. He had them all sorted into separate compartments and bags. Brilliant.

Eagle Creeks Cube which can help keep your clothes and shoes organized

Me? I was unpacking my entire bag. It was an exhausting affair that managed to claim more than enough of my shirts (there is a blue one floating around Bali) and converters (there’s one still plugged-in in Selcuk, Turkey). What did this mean? When I got to the next destination I had to re-purchase what I lost.

I wasted time and money on re-organising my affairs when I could have just visited The Harbourmaster and Sheilagh Robertson for her Travel Tip Tuesdays.

Mobile Lockers for organizing your clothes!

“We all tend to pack too much when we travel. The new 50 lb weight limit on airlines has made it more important to plan more carefully before traveling.

“Eagle Creek “Pack-it” organizers help organize your suitcase more efficiently by enabling you to:

-group and pack coordinating items together,

-fold shirts neatly,

-roll up the socks and underwear,

-and pack toiletries in small containers suitable for carry-on bags.”

Pictured on the left these range in size and prize from $55 to $62.50 at The Harbourmaster on the ground floor of the Washington Mall in Hamilton.

“The organizer cubes come in various sizes, big enough for large sweaters, or small for lingerie. There is even a suit folder that is more compact than the traditional garment bag but ideal for a blazer or single suit.”

Sheilagh added: “By packing your coordinating items together you will find it easier to eliminate the items that don’t mix and match that just add weight to your bag.”

Are you traveling for business? Or need to keep your shirts clean and unwrinkled? The Harbourmaster is at your rescue. These shirt folders (below) offer almost flat cases for folding your shirts in perfect harmony with the inside instruction sheet (second photo below). The cost of looking pulled-together? For an 18 inch folder: $43. For a 14inch: $37.50.

Keeping your shirts pressed and folded

With a handy instruction sheet included

I could definitely have used the cubes for my trip! Remember The Harbourmaster is located on the ground floor of the Washington Mall near the Washington Alley entrance!

Taking a time-out on the streets of Buenos Aires

“Keep your eyes down or you’ll get asked to dance.”

My eyes stayed plastered to the floor and sometimes, just to mix it up, on the table. I was NOT going to Tango and no one was going to catch my eye.

That’s the danger in the local dance halls in Buenos Aires. Like the one my friends Maria and Jennie dragged me to in the capital of Argentina. A sparse dance hall, there were a multitude of tables and chairs that emptied to fill the rectangular dance floor when the band resumed.

It was a freakish and yet amazing site to see hundreds suddenly move en masse. But Tango is not the only draw to Argentina. Nor is South America the only continent you can visit from here.

Nope! What about the frozen continent? What about Antarctica? What about taking it with Tauck World Discovery and do it in luxury?

Route for Antarctica

The best part? From select American cities the airfare to Buenos Aires is only $890 per person and, AND… if you are a repeat customer you get two nights free in a hotel at the beginning or end of the trip. If you are a new customer you get one free night!

And what does the trip include? Good question. Two days in Buenos Aires before flying to the southern tip of Argentina.  A visit to the Terra del Fuego National park? Some Penguins? Some Glaciers? Sign me up.

Or perhaps you want to wander where the Incas did? Well prior to the Spanish decided to enter South America. Tauck also has a 13-day tour for you too. It’s $4,655 per person and includes Peru and Bolivia. But who can forget Machu Picchu? Well Tauck can’t and you won’t.

Peru and Bolivia

Finish you Inca trail with La Paz, which was founded in 1548 by Spaniards. The highest capital city in the world above sea level, La Paz is also home to the highest golf course on Earth; in the thin air, a good tee shot will travel an amazing distance! Venture just outside the city to explore the lunar-like badlands dubbed the Valle De La Luna (Valley of the Moon), a stone landscape of deep gullies and bizarre rock formations, before heading to La Paz’s city center to soak up some local color in the bustling Indian Market.

OR maybe you’re look for something to do with the family? Something for the kids for Christmas? What about visiting the Christmas markets in Europe?

For 8 days and $1,990 per person Tauck’s new Christmas Market river cruise along the Danube from Vienna to Nürnberg aboard ms Swiss Jewel offers a new approach to discovering the magic of the Christmas Markets in Germany and Austria… a 700-year holiday tradition!

And remember Tauck’s Tours can all be booked through CTravel and are subject to the extra night or two hotel stays for free! Contact CTravel for more details.