Tag Archives: Budget travel

Adventures of a 'Gypsea', Videos

Waterfalls, Cliff jumping, and the GoPro “Hero”

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Down on the Gold Coast, away from the high-rises of Surfers paridise and off the path of public transportation, is Killarney Glen. The area is winding roads and farmland, and we would have probably missed the trail head if not for the line of cars parked hundreds of meters on either side of the local attraction. A swimming hole, known as the Killarney Glen waterfall, is a heart-shaped pool fed by a 6 meter waterfall, lined with spectators on a warm summer Saturday afternoon.


Spectators gathered as timid individuals gathered courage for their leap, while those who frequent the pools tried their hand at flips, all aiming for the deep water. Just off of the “jumping area” is a small grotto, which accumulated jumpers to spectate from a view they achieved from their jump. Families, twenty-somethings, teens on easter break, lined the top of the cliff faces either to watch, or when waved forward from the other side of the canyon, to jump.

I’m afraid of heights. I’ve never been graceful, and feel that standing on something tall makes me ‘kinetic energy’. In high school I would jump with my friends in Colorado into the Arkansas river. Not high, still terrifying. I would swing from our boat into the water in the Bahamas. It took me about 5 minutes of looking out 2 meters below me before I could make the jump. And to this day, as silly as it feels, I hold my nose.

Fastforward, I am standing in a dried up wash-out that juts out over the ‘deep water’, 4-5 meters below me. GoPro strapped to my wrist, though my hands were flat on the rock on either side of me for stability. The girl behind me, no more than 10 years old, comments on my shaking. Her older sister, about 12, wants to help me out by giving me a count down. At first I didn’t notice, since all I could think was ‘S#!t, this is high.’ I try to get in the zone during the second countdown, but psych myself out somewhere between “…3…” and “…2…”. Seconds later I pull myself together, ask her for one last count, and at “…1”, step off the cliff.

 


(Taken with a Nikon and Sigma Wide-angle lens, uploaded with eye-fi.)

I felt the rush of wind then cold water, then the feel of the strap of my GoPro slide over my small wrist. I surface and accept that the camera may have been claimed by the river gods, and briefly remember a youtube video of a GoPro that fell in a river and was found a couple years later. Oh, well.

I swim to the mermaid grotto, and attempt to slide onto the surrounding rocks, helped by a new friend, and mentioned that the camera went the way of the waterfall. The next jumper, a young blond guy was about to swim past when we asked “is there any chance of finding a GoPro over there where I jumped?” “GoPro?” The kid smiled, turned around, and dove. He surfaced seconds later to applause, with my camera in hand.

I tried to find him after to thank him, and couldn’t. He had one green eye, and one blue eye, and was kind enough to fetch a strangers camera. To you sir, if you are reading, THANK YOU!

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(Screenshot from the GoPro of the good samaritan)

Update: added video March 27. Keep an eye out at ~2:30.

Adventures of a 'Gypsea', Gap Year Ideas, SE Asia Adventure, Uncategorized

SE Asia in a Nutshell: Part 1

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Studying in Australia gives a few unique opportunities. For me, it included the chance to do field school through Vietnam, where we were privileged to work with some amazing people learning how the museum ‘does-what-it-does’.

However, outside of class I wasn’t expecting to see or do much, as my mental preparation had my mind thinking “business trip” rather than “vacation”. Those who know how I travel know that every moment I’m not trying to be a good student is spent exploring. (After all, I use academia as my excuse to go far away for long periods of time.) As South East Asia is in the news frequently for tourists getting in accidents, trafficking, or other not-so-pleasurable happenings, I didn’t think I would go there on my own, no matter how much solo experience I have. Two of my classmates who were also going to Vietnam agreed and the three of us decided to book a tour and continue through Cambodia and Thailand after our studies.

 

Vietnam – Hanoi

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We started our two-week field school in Hanoi. The old quarter burst with life, vendors, pedestrians, and mopeds. Oh-so-many mopeds. The air was thick from humidity and exhaust in the narrow streets. The buildings, with their un-kept paint and traditional wood trimmings, towered multiple stories on either side. The ground floor housed open-front shops and restaurants with smiling and eager staff trying to wave you in for business.

Walking along the streets, also be careful of taking pictures. We dubbed the women with the carrying baskets the “banana ladies” and developed the motto “beware of the banana ladies”. Within an hour of arriving in Hanoi I experienced my first of the photo cons. We were making our way to our hotel when a banana lady saw me taking photos and before I could get away, put her carrying stick on my shoulder and traditional hat on my head and kept pressing for me to take a picture. Me in my travellers hope that she just wanted to share her culture (after all that’s been my experience in most other third worlds) I passed my camera to my mate and had her snap the photo. As soon as the shutter snapped Banana Lady took back her gear and I thanked her and started to walk on now that she was, what I thought was obviously, done with me. That’s when she started yelling at me that I owed her 2 dollars. Ah hah! The next two weeks we had to deal with ladies following us down the street trying to put their carrying sticks on us as we would wiggle out from under them and continue on. Beware of the banana ladies.

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Each street in Hanoi is delegated to different wares – tin, copper, glass, etc – and if there is something in particular you need, you can find shops competing on the same street.

Food alley, while more expensive than the other shops that reside on another street, offers a multitude of options. In the heart of the city, the favourite of the field school was the Lantern Lounge, which could be identified easily at night by the plethora of lanterns that ornamented the face of the building. Once inside, you take of your shoes and sit traditional style at a table that is lit by many more paper lanterns draped across the ceiling. With free wifi and delicious vegetarian options in an English menu, we decided it was worth multiple visits. (When I travel I try to eat more vegetarian friendly because meat is usually harder to come by, and not always guaranteed fresh. So my rule of thumb is if you can’t read the local menu, don’t order anything unless you know what it is. I like to eat seafood in coastal towns, but since seafood can be temperamental I stay away from it if I have travelled more than two hours away from the shore.)

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Another Hanoi specialty I highly recommend is the Egg coffee. It is the superhero of cappuccinos. A thickly whipped, sweet egg white topping layered on a cup coffee. That is a dissert in itself.

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The Adventure to see Uncle Ho

 

While in Hanoi, morbid curiosity came over a few of my fellow classmates and I to visit the man we had learned so much about through our museum visits. After all, most of the museums in Vietnam display Ho Chi Minh as a larger than life demigod rather than the ruler of a country. His mausoleum is in Hanoi, and free to the public. Just remember the standard temple rule, dress modest, don’t lug giant bags in, and add that they don’t like you to take photos. That’s fine with me, I’m not too keen on photographing corpses, but the balmy heatwave in north Vietnam meant that one of my classmates and myself had worn shorts, which would have prevented us from getting past the many guards that were on the lookout for tourists that may be there to disrespect their highly regarded leader.

Once at the back of the 3 block line, we left our fellow classmates to find something to throw on over our shorts. The first shop we came across sold us a scarf to wear as a sarong and a pair of flow-y pants. We re-joined our classmates and continued through the line and past the video screens playing videos and testimony to “Uncle Ho”. When entering the mausoleum, you walk up stairs through small winding passages, designed to keep the climate-controlled room cool. Once in the room the whole experience felt surreal. The man in the open crypt in the middle of the room was stark white – no doubt due to multiple trips to be embalmed – and what interested me more than the marble looking man was the visitors that shuffled their way through with us. One older lady in front of us had streams of tears as she looked at him, and was offered tissues by who I assume was her grown daughter. Another man looked on in awe. I thought it was strange. It was strange to see how someone who has been long dead was displayed for the sake of his memory, and even stranger seeing the reactions to it. It was strange all around, but then, I’m not visiting embalmed leaders of countries every day.

 

Ha Long Bay

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Though we stayed at a hotel for the duration of our field school, the trip I took to Ha Long Bay I booked a side trip through the FlipSIde Hostel. They were very friendly and if I were to do it again, I would stay there rather than our hotel. Options for Ha Long bay tours vary, but there is one for those who are just “passing through” and want a day trip to Ha Long Bay.

We left the hostel at 8 am, taking a small private bus about 4 hours to the bay, with a quick stop at a craft shop where all the craftwork is made by disabled locals. Once at the bay, we boarded a small motorised wooden cruise launch. A lunch spread of fresh seafood from the bay, with other additions, was provided for us to enjoy while leaving the harbour. In the bay, the sea cliffs rise straight out of the water, creating a maze of scenery.

 

Fun fact: James Bond “Tomorrow Never Dies” was filmed here.

 

Fun fact: Ha Long means ‘descending dragon in Vietnamese

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Our boat pulled into a little fishing village where we kayaked in a small bay area that connects to a couple saltwater pools via caves. After half an hour of paddling around, we made our way back to the dock in time to board the big boat again and go around the bay to a cave system that has been altered to hike through. The cave system is dressed with bright coloured lights that were put in to help show the contrast of the many layers of stalagmites and stalactites. One addition included a fountain in an existing pool. It was fun, beautiful, interesting, and no extraneous training was required to visit. But the complaint I heard most was it “looked like Ariels grotto at Disney world”, a bit cartoonish, and not authentic. In my opinion, it was an amazing day trip for less than $50. I would recommend it.

 

Da Nang

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After Hanoi, we travelled to Da Nang. Da Nang has a slower pace than either Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City /Saigon. With a beautiful river walk that exhibits local sculptures in a permanent art display, and the “dragon” bridge that shoots fire out of its mouth on the weekends, Da Nang is an amazing modern city to visit.

 

Hue

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A day trip from Da Nang can land you in Hue (pronounced “way”), a wonderfully small tourist town. If you ever thought about getting something tailor made, this is the place to do it. The town is seaside, so the local specialty is oysters, and the seafood in the area is fresh from the boat.

After Da Nang, the field school was over. It was time to part ways with most of our classmates. My two companions and I went south to Saigon where we started our tour through the south of South East Asia with GAdventures.

 

Adventures of a 'Gypsea', Gap Year Ideas

Backpackers survival guide: An introduction to the hosteling lifestyle and how to survive.

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For your room:

Hostels are notorious for being the cheap and easy way to travel. If you want to spend a few extra bucks, you can have your own room, but if you’re on a budget be prepared to share a room with 3-25 other people. At first it’s a little daunting – sharing a room with a number of complete strangers – but as you backpack, it becomes more of a lifestyle. You meet people from all over the world, with different stories and ways of thinking. You may share a bunk with a kid from another country that offers you a place to stay should you ever be in his hometown, or someone traveling in the same direction as you. (Which, when traveling solo, is a nice change of pace.)

Now comes the part that takes the ‘getting used to’; the noise. If a hostel is known for being party-central and in the hip part of town, the chances of doing your early-to-bed-early-to-rise routine will be more difficult than a hostel that is a few blocks away. Whether it’s the cellphone alarm that goes off for 15 minutes at 5 in the morning, the squeaky bunk bed that groans with every movement, or the ‘frisky’ couple that decide to share a bunk in the multiple bed shared room, you will have noises that you wish didn’t exist. For this I recommend iPods or ear-plugs.

I have only ever had one thing stolen from me in all my experience at hostels; a jean jacket that I hung up to dry – on the “left behind/free” clothes rack in my room. Most of the time you can ask around to backpackers who have been in the hostel a while to see how bad the theft is. For the most part, it’s a good idea to keep your things together, and keep copies of important documents/phone numbers for credit cards in separate bags. If anything is stolen, you will have the important numbers to call into your consulate/bank and have the information to protect yourself from your passport being sold on the black market.

 

SURVIVAL TIP!

When you are staying in a shared dorm, most times people will keep all their stuff together in piles. This helps reduce any confusions about whose stuff is whose and if someone had something that ‘oozed’ over to your pile, its easier to tell it apart.

Also, just remember that when you’re sharing a room, people may not want to see you strutting around in your tighty-whities/teddy. You may want some comfy pajamas that double as lounge clothes.

 

Addition: A lot of hostel rooms have scarce power outlets. Having a power strip that turns one outlet into many will make it possible to charge your phone, computer &/ iPod at the same time.

 

Recommended tool-kit items:

Earplugs/iPod with playlist that you can sleep to.

Comfy pajamas that you don’t mind warring in front of people.

Power strip

 

For the kitchen:

In Hostels, most of the time there is a shared kitchen with your basic kitchen appliances, and a community fridge. The fridge works like that one in your break room at work; lable your food and others know whose it is. For the most part I haven’t had any trouble with food theft until a couple weeks ago, when someone in my big city hostel decided to go on a ‘picking spree’ and in addition to my bread and cracker missing, others had sandwich ham, milk (which is the most common thing ‘stolen’ from community fridges), and a few other things go walk-a-bout from our bags.

This led me to invest in a $5 bag that was created for this environment; a mesh bag with handles and window for labeling, and “o’s” on the zipper to attach a small combination lock that is conveniently attached to the bag. However, there are many styles and sizes you can get these in. If your going to be staying in a large hostel, or in a hostel with food theft problems, I highly recommend these.

Normally though, hostel kitchens are the heart of the backpacking social experience (that is, if the hostel doesn’t have a bar attached.) Here it is common for backpackers to meet up with others and create a community meal, each donating a part of a recipe or volunteering to cook/clean.

 

SURVIVAL TIP!

Do your dishes. Yeah, when you lived at home mum and dad took care of that. So what if your excuse is “I’m not good at it, it’ll take me ages”? Some hostels simply consider it bad karma, while others may keep key deposits. But in a community kitchen, the general rule is ‘if you use it, you wash it’.

 

Recommended Tool-Kit items:

Sharpie

Locking , mesh kitchen storage bag

 

 

For the bathroom:

On the rare occasion you will have ensuite bathrooms, but the majority of the time its large communal bathrooms with a few shower stalls. I would recommend getting a pair of plastic flip-flops/sandals to use as shower shoes, and have a bag that you can dedicate to shower stuff (Soap, shampoo, razors etc.)

 

SURVIVAL TIP!

If you’re at the hostel for a couple days, you can figure out the bathroom traffic, and go for your shower when you don’t have to wait. Usually showering in the morning has less traffic, since most people are either sleeping, or getting ready to check out. Them being busy means you get that favorite stall.

 

Recommended Tool-Kit items:

Canvas bag/reusable shopping bag for ‘shower bag’

Plastic shoes.