Travel-Beautiful Bali

Everyone has a different travel preference, or a favourite aspect of travelling. Some travel for love of beautiful scenery, many desire a little r&r, some are sun worshippers in need of warm weather and breathtaking beaches,  and others crave the adrenaline that only an extreme sport in a new place can bring. I love finding travel gems that combine all of these aspects which creates a unique and fun atmosphere with plenty to satisfy even the most discerning traveller. Bali, is without a doubt one of these destinations. Whether you are an amateur/pro surfer or yoga master, have a love of old ruins, etc. you will be sure to find something to love and enjoy in Bali.

Where to Stay:

The Bamboo Inn was one of the highlights of my trip. Those of you that have been to Bali can likely attest to the overcrowded and    rowdy nature of Kuta (the primary party destination of the island). If you still want to stay near the action, but actually want to get a decent night sleep…The Bamboo Inn provides a welcome calm relief. Located about a 10 minute walk away from the main party area, The Bamboo Inn contains a beautiful Balinese garden, clean rooms with double beds and a shower, anddddd it only costs 15$! Whats more, this price includes a delicious and hearty breakfast made by the kind and welcoming owner. This is a steal for the budget traveller!

Jalan SINGOSARI/BAKUNGSARI, Gang Kresek No.1, Indonesia
+62 361 751935

Amateur Surfing:

(I must admit it took an embarrassingly long amount of time to catch this shot!)

There are many beautiful beaches around Bali for the more experienced surfer but if you’re a rookie, like me, Kuta Beach can
definitely satisfy your “inner” surfer. There are many surf schools around Kuta Beach….don’t bother with them. They are overpriced andyou don’t get enough individual instruction in the group lessons. There are many knowledgeable Indonesions guys on the beach who have surf boards to rent and are willing to give you a one on one lesson for a fair price. I went surfing for the first time ever in Bali…I met this super friendly guy Andy, who gave me a two hour surf lesson and was with me in the water the entire time for about 20$ Canadian (including the surf board rental). I had
such a stellar time I went back every other day on my trip…and dragged my friends along with me! 🙂

My surf instructor Andy and I 🙂

What To Do/See:

-Take a Day Trip to Ubud: Ubud is an artists city in the centre of Bali which has beautiful Balinese architecture and gardens. You can either rent a scooter, hire a car, or take a preplanned tour. We took a preplanned tour for the day and I don’t recommend this as thetours have agreements with specific shops and take you there and try to “encourage” you to buy things.
-Monkey Forest- BEWARE monkeys are beautiful, but vicious…I almost got attacked by a Monkey while trying to take its picture!

  Not sure if you can tell by the picture…but I was screaming in this shot as the monkey bared its teeth at me while angrily grabbing the bananas! 😐

-Hiking Mount Batur- Mount Batur is a beautiful inactive volcano that you can spend a day hiking or trekking around. Unfortunately I didn’t make it for a hike, but it is really beautiful and is worth visiting even just to look at.      

-Rice Paddies: Bali has many beautiful rich green rice fields to explore.                                                                                                          -Beach Hopping: Kuta Beach, which is the main tourist beach, is somewhat dirty and nothing overly impressive. With that being said, if you are willing to travel around the island a bit, there are beautiful beaches a short scooter ride away which are pristine and more secluded.                                                                                             -Traditional Balinese Dance: If you can, catch a Balinese Dance performance, the combination of skilful dancing and visual storytelling and bright and beautiful costumes is sure to keep you entertained.

Shopping:

Bali has many beautiful things perfect for gifts and keepsakes. Some things I purchased were:

-Batik Paintings
-Silver Jewlery
-Wood Carvings

The average salary for an average Balinese person is about 75 USD a month. If you can, please be kind
and buy a few items to support these lovely people and their economy.

Things to Remember:

-Have 20 USD in cash with you when you arrive in Indonesia. You must purchase a visa upon arrival in order to enter the country

-As an experienced solo female traveller, I am always wary of invasion of my personal space, so Bali took a little Balinese people are extremely friendly and touchy feely, which takes a bit of getting used to and can initially come across as a bit aggressive. Though it is important to always be on your guard while travelling, remember that touching is just a part of their culture and is harmless. People will literally grab you by the arm and attempt to pull you into their shops to buy something.

Bali is a lovely place filled with beautiful scenery, friendly people and plenty to keep you occupied. Definitely an awesome vacation destination!

 

Awesome Isle of Wight

Looking for somewhere somewhat off the map to travel? Well try out the Isle of Wight.:) I spent four months when I was 19 working at an international camp for kids on the Isle of Wight. Where might the Isle of Wight be do you ask? Well, it is an island off of the south coast of England, about a 30 min ferry ride from Portsmouth.

The Isle of Wight is a taste of old school England, with its winding roads, picturesque villages and quaint brick homes. It generally misses the rainy weather of the rest of England, and, a fun fact…you know that Beatles song “Ticket to Ride”?? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMxyK9azXR4).

Well…it was actually inspired by the town called “Ryde” on the Isle of Wight! Apparently, Paul McCartney’s brother worked in a pub in Ryde and John Lennon and Paul hitchhiked down there to visit him for a holiday! (http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/hampshire/hi/people_and_places/arts_and_culture/newsid_8574000/8574505.stm)

The Isle of Wight has beautiful beaches with rocky coves, a stellar music festival, awesome pubs with thirst quenching ciders and delicious dishes (my fav is the Crab and Lobster Inn http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/hampshire/hi/people_and_places/arts_and_culture/newsid_8574000/8574505.stm)

The Isle of Wight is also home to a GARLIC farm! And as a foodie and wanna-be chef, garlic is one of my alltime favourite ingredients, and the garlic farm, with its tasty chutneys and dips available to sample and buy, did not disappoint.

The Isle of Wight is generally not a crazy party island (with the exception of the Isle of Wight Music Fest). But there enough pubs to keep you entertained, and if you are looking for remnants of old English feel, beautiful scenery and tasty food and drinks, I would definitely recommend! Its quite easy to get to with several ferry’s leaving Portsmouth every couple of hours.

And as an added bonus…there are plenty of “midnight creepers” around 😉 haha

*If you’d like anymore info about my work on the Isle of Wight feel free to ask..i’m happy to answer any questions you may have! *

Hostel Hell

 

               *The above image is taken from http://www.fearnet.com*

Okay, maybe my use of the above picture is “slightly” dramatic for the following story. One of the classic, I guess you can say, “coming of age” experiences of travellers is his or her first stay in a hostel. Hostels can be quite a fun environment to meet likeminded travellers, however, they can also be filled with surprises. Here is a tale of caution for the solo traveller.

 When I was working in Spain, the family I was staying with told me I had a week off as they were going on holiday. Where to go? What to see? The options were endless.  I excitedly called my friends to commence planning. Sadly, I was disappointed to discover that none of my friends had the time off. What should I do? I was 18 at the time and had never solo travelled before. However, to the chagrin of my parents, the travel bug got the better of me and I booked flights to Dublin and Paris, with plans to meet one of my friends in Barcelona at the end of the week. As I was a “struggling student” so to speak at the time, I decided to stay in hostels. I meticulously planned and researched my hostel choices (or so I thought) and prepared for my trip.

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 Dublin was first on the itinerary. I arrived warily at my hostel, and to my relief, I was met with a kind and welcoming hostel staff, and a room full of fellow female travellers who made me feel at ease from the moment I arrived. My entire stay in the hostel in Dublin was wonderful, and I left for Paris emboldened by my experience.

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 I arrived in Paris and set off on the metro to my destination station “Place de la Republique.” When I got off the metro, I was struck by how seedy the area looked. I sarted to feel a bit uneasy as I walked towards my hostel. I reached the hostel, and checked in. I found my room, opened the door, and to my surprise and discomfort, walked into a couple fooling around on the bed! I returned to the hostel front desk, and explained that I was 18, travelling alone, extremely uncomfortable by the thought of staying in a room with a couple alone. Furthermore, I thought I booked a room with ONLY female travellers, to which they responded they ONLY offered co-ed rooms! (Oh Paris…) I adamantly maintained that this would not do and that I only wanted to stay in a room with women, and they suggested that I stay in a room that no one was in yet. They explained that someone might come the following night or the one after, and with relief I replied that would be fine as long as they were women.

I reached my new room, and, to my surprise, there was luggage in the room. I went down to the front desk again, and the hostel staff explained to me that sometimes people check out and then leave their things in the room to go sightseeing for the day, and its not supposed to happen, but it does from time to time. I shrugged my shoulders and returned to my room. Exhausted at this point from travelling all morning, I decided to take a quick shower and change into my PJs and read for a bit. All of a sudden, a grown man walked into the room carrying wine and cheese. His eyes appeared to light up when he saw me as he smiled and asked if I liked wine? I mumbled a reply that I was going for a walk and left the room.

At this point, I was exhausted, scared and feeling alone and insecure in my unfamiliar surroundings.  All I could thing was that I wanted to hear a familiar voice so I called my father collect from a payphone outside. Now my Dad…is a former superintendent for the RCMP (Canadian National Police force) so evidently his job always left him considering worst case scenarios (think Liam Neeson from Taken). When I heard his voice, I started crying, and choked out the words “Dad…theres this guy in my room…” what my poor Dad was thinking at this point I can only imagine. I finally managed to explain my story to which my father replied, “Okay, well you cant stay there, so just get to a hotel and we will pay for it!” (Thank god for supportive families right?)

I went into the hostel and said I couldn’t stay there as I wiped the tears out of my eyes…and they took pity on me and gave me a free private room with private bathroom for no extra charge!

The moral of this story is? Expect the unexpected while travelling. Looking back on this experience as a seasoned traveller, I’m laughing now. Sometimes, no amount of research can prepare you for what takes place, and its so important (especially as a solo traveller) to maintain your composure and use your judgement and intuition, and be true to yourself about any situation you feel uncomfortable about.

 

Working As An Au Pair Q &A

Working as an Au Pair can be a wonderful way to experience a country and culture. I personally had an amazing experience due to a welcoming and supportive family who treated me as essentially a “cultural exchange” student rather than an employee. Here is a bit of info regarding my experience working as an Au Pair for those of you who may be interested:

1. What is your daily schedule like?

Your schedule working as an Au Pair can vary, you generally agree upon your hours with a family prior to meeting them. I personally worked from 8:30-2:30 Monday to Friday and the occasional weekday or weekend evening.

2. What sort of duties do you have as an Au Pair?

Once again, this can vary depending on your family, but personally, my primary duty was to teach the two girls (ages 2 and 4) within my care English. Other duties included getting them breakfast, putting them to bed, reading to them, etc. Generally, we spent our days going to the park, going to the outdoor pool that was in the apartment complex and playing games.

3. What sort of compensation do you receive?

In return for your work as an Au Pair, you receive a weekly stipend of around 70 euros a week plus full room and board.

4. What are some of the highlights of being an Au Pair?

First of all, I loved the family and girls I took care of. As I was 18 at the time and it was my first travel experience, I wish I could go back and do it all over again knowing what I know now as I appreciate the experience all the more looking back on it.

One of the things I loved most about being an Au Pair was the opportunity to learn Spanish. The girls I took care of did not really speak any English, which was initially challenging, but gave me the opportunity to hone my Spanish speaking skills (well…present tense at least!).

I was also lucky enough to have an opportunity to travel with the family I stayed with. We travelled to many towns and villages in the North of Spain, which I am positive I never would have heard of or found, had it not been for the family I was with. One of my favourite places I visited was called Cudilleros, a coastal town in northern Spain with all the coloured houses built like an amphitheatre in a cove. It was seriously one of the most beautiful places I have ever been (though you may not be able to tell by the grey skies below) and had AMAZING seafood :)! 

Also, with the amount of free time whilst working as an Au Pair, I really did have a lot of opportunity to really explore Madrid and other parts of Spain.

5. What are some of the challenges of being an Au Pair?

Of course, it is challenging to be in a country where you are initially unfamiliar with the language. It can be frustrating trying to communicate with people and getting lost and being unable to ask for help for directions IS THE WORST.

I love kids, and the girls I took care of were lovely, but taking care of children can be exhausting and definitely not for everyone. So, your ability to enjoy and connect with children is something to consider prior to deciding to be an Au Pair.

These are just some bits of info that came to mind when thinking about what one may wonder about when considering whether or not to be an Au Pair. I fully recommend this experience for a first time traveller who loves kids would like a real bit of insight into a country and culture. As mentioned in my previous post, the Canadian agency I went through to work as an Au Pair is called Scotia Personnel Ltd. and their website address is http://www.scotia-personnel-ltd.com/. If you have any other questions for me, please feel free to ask!  🙂

How I Got The Travel Bug

Ever since I was little I dreamed of exploring the world. I devoured books filled with tales of pirates, different countries and cultures. So, when I graduated from high school in 2006, I was determined to see the world and everything in it. No, I didn’t want to just hop on a plane for a two week backpacking jaunt around Europe as many do, I wanted to fully immerse myself in a culture and experience it. So, I got it in my head that I wanted to work as an Au Pair.

What might an Au Pair be do you ask? Well it is basically a fancy term for a nanny for a family. A family provides room and board with a small weekly salary in exchange for taking care of their children for a set number of hours a week. Though this might not seem desirable to some, I love kids and the idea of living with a local family and experiencing a culture in this way seemed amazing to me. (And my hunch about this being an awesome experience was correct!:) )

Going back to my childhood reading addiction (that still remains today) I first heard about being an Au Pair from the Sweet Valley High series. Remember those? Well there was a spin off series in which the two American twin protagonists go to work in Europe as Au Pairs. Up until this point, I had never heard of anyone doing anything similar and didn’t even had any idea of how to pursue this idea…so I went to the trusty ol internet and went to work researching. I discovered and emailed countless Au Pair agencies online without much luck. As I was 18 at the time, the thought of me travelling abroad on my own through an online agency seemed sketchy ( at best) to my caring and protective family. I finally stumbled upon a Canadian Agency based out of Nova Scotia called Scotia Personnel.  You can read more about them here http://www.scotia-personnel-ltd.com/. I emailed them requesting info on becoming an Au Pair and they promptly responded and told me they were, coincidentally, interviewing individuals in Ottawa (my hometown) for Au Pair positions, and would I be interested? And of course I enthusiastically agreed.

The interview went well, and the agencies reliability and in depth screening of families, which they place Au Pairs with, alleviated my parent’s worries regarding my security while travelling abroad for the first time alone. ( I should add, I had not only not travelled abroad on my own before, but I had never even been outside of North America at this point.) The next step in the process was choosing where I wanted to work as an Au Pair. The agency places Au Pairs within a variety of countries around Europe and other areas of the world. Initially, I was toying with the ideas of Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. Finally, I decided on Spain. I had heard wonderful things about Spanish food and culture, plus my parents had backpacked around Spain and Portugal for their honeymoon and loved it, so that was it! The process from then on was quite easy, as I would only spending three months in Spain (I would be going the summer following my first year in University) I did not require a visa, and I paid the agency a placement fee and they placed me with a family.  The agencies screening process of Au Pair applicants and potential families is comprehensive, and provides both parties with an opportunity to decide if they will be a good fit with each other. I was able to get in contact with the family and see pictures. The family looked (and were as ill tell you later) lovely. They lived outside of Madrid and I would take care of two little girls ages 2 and   4. I happily agreed to work with them, and all that was left for me to do was book my plane ticket :).