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exceedinghappiness · 5 years ago

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This past weekend (Thursday-Sunday) I took my very first solo trip across the country to the beautiful San Diego, California! It wasn’t just my first trip to California ever, but it was also my first flight ever! I’m from Michigan and I've lived here my whole life. I just turned 23 (Aug 21) and I’ve only ever made it to very little states near me... (Ohio, Kentucky, Chicago). All my life, all I’ve ever wanted to do was travel and visit new places and see and experience new things. My family in general are not much big travelers, so they didn’t know much about it, or have any desire to push me past the things that scared me. Well, California has always been a dream state for me to visit. I’ve always wanted to see the beautiful ocean, the palm trees, the perfect weather all year round, etc! Well after talking about “I will make it there one day” to my family about 100x a day, about two months ago, I finally decided that as a 23rd birthday gift to myself- kinda as a new start to a new year in my life, I decided to plan that trip! I don’t have many close friends in general- let alone one that would travel to Cali with me in a short amount of time. I also don’t have family who would do the same! The one fear of mine was flying there. I had never been on a plane before, and all my life that and heights have always been my biggest fear. But I thought about the fact that as the years had went on, my fear of heights weren’t as bad, and I’ve done many things that I enjoyed that I didn’t think I’d ever do. I first booked my flight and started doing LOTS of research about the best way to plan this, considering I’ll be all alone, in a new state I’ve never seen before. I knew no one there, and only had some places and things listed that I knew I wanted to see. I do have a friend who lived in San Diego for two years, before moving back to Michigan. I asked her some of her favorite places and what not to see. I managed to find a cheap hotel in the middle of The Gaslamp District, which personally was an excellent location for me to stay. It was in the perfect location to walk to many restaurants, shops, Balboa Park, Petco Park, etc. It was only a 15 minute ride to Sunset Cliffs and Ocean Beach, and the airport! I ended up Lyfting to the beach and airport each time, since it was a little more difficult to walk, but it only cost about $10-$15 each way if you chose shared ride, which personally made me feel a little more safe and comfortable. Plus if you left to one of the locations in the morning, and planned to spend the day there and come back at night, then it was cheaper than taking a few trips there and back each day. I then spent all the rest of my time walking everywhere using google maps, and yelping places nearby! Let me tell ya, after figuring all those details out, it was all so smooth and wonderful! I had an amazing time just taking as much or as little bit of time the places I wanted to go, and things I wanted to see. I made the choices for everything and didn’t have to worry about feeling like I missed out on things because someone I was with didn’t want to “go there” or “see that.” I felt like I gained an extra bit of independence and learned a whole lot. The one thing that was probably the hardest about traveling alone, was when you’d want to get a Instagram worthy picture in front of somewhere, and you had no one to take it. I learned if you look around you and look for a friendly face. Usually I’d go for young teenage like girls who are most likely very into social media, or young mom’s who are already taking the time to stop and take millions of pictures of their children. They are usually sooo nice and will say yes to taking 1 or 100 photos for you (I did so happen to find a young photographer at Ocean Beach who took over 100 pictures of me, with different angles- so that was cool: see first photo).

Now on my last full day in Cali (I had a 9am flight Sunday morning) I didn’t have a whole lot of money left so didn’t want to spend it all getting a lyft to and from the beach again, as much as I wanted to. I just wanted to see something new! Well, Friday afternoon- I was walking back from Balboa Park to my hotel in Gaslamp which was about 45 minute walk. There came a point where I ran across a street before the light turned green and then got stopped at the next crosswalk. Suddenly there was a young, attractive gentleman stopping at the crosswalk as well. He had a paramedic uniform on and a very friendly smile on his face. He then turned and asked me what I was running from. I was pretty confused by his question, where he then proceeded to explain I must not be from around there because no one runs across the street unless they’re running from something. I then explained everything. Obviously not telling too much detail or anything because I’m by myself, in a different state, and with some guy I’ve never met before. He was super nice though, and explained how he accidently got on the wrong trolley home from work (which he’s never done before) and was walking to the trolley station, just a couple blocks before Gaslamp. Then he seen me running across the street, was concerned and also knew we’d be walking awkwardly at the same pace a few blocks so thought it’d be less awkward to introduce himself instead of complete silence. We then talked for a bit. He’s very open and very funny! He was very easy to talk to, which is unusual for me who is super introverted. He then asked if he could walk with me until he gets to his destination, because it would be safer than just by ourselves. We ended up walking the 30 minutes to Gaslamp. We were so into our conversations that we both forgot about his street and we didn’t even mind it. He then asked for my Instagram and told me how happy he was he took the wrong trolley that day. I walked the rest of the way to my hotel and he left to go back to the trolley station. Now... Saturday comes and I’m standing in line at Dunkin’ Donuts, it’s not even noon yet and he messages me on Instagram, asking my plans for the day. I didn’t have any so I just told him id probably just walk around and see where it takes me. he knew that was my last day there and told me it was his only day off that week. He asked if I’d want to hangout for a bit. I was a little unsure considering I didn’t actually know him, and all my family told me not to talk or go with strangers. I decided to take the chance but still be safe with it. He ended up meeting me at the Starbucks just a four minute walk from my hotel. He met me there at 1, but was actually early. He was dressed very nice and had a huge smile when I walked up to him. He told me he had a whole day planned for us and some back-up plans if I didn’t like some of his ideas. His first was to take a trolley ride to Old Town San Diego, which I had yet to see plus I had never been on a Trolley before. I loved that Idea and we then ventured off and talked about sooo much along the way, He showed me a bunch of his favorite music, and told me about his life growing up, etc. I enjoyed every single moment of it- even the overly crowded trolley. We then arrived to Old Town, which was totally awesome! He knows so many facts about so many things, and made the history of things so entertaining! He was so comfortable to joke around with and be myself around, it was so wonderful. He also took a few pictures of me in certain spots because he knew i’d want it for Instagram later. I didn’t even have to ask him. I do regret not getting a single picture of him or with him the whole time, only because in the beginning I felt a little weird to ask him because I wasn’t sure how he felt about pictures. He bought me my very first Churro, which was delicious! We just had an amazing time together. Then around 7, we planned to go to one of his Rugby teammates party, but we chilled in the parking lot outside of Old Town to wait for the details of this party. We then had a moment of silence after laughing about something we were talking about, and kinda just stared at eachother smiling. He then kissed me, and it was almost like a “too good to be true” kinda kiss. Eventually we decided to go to his home town and the town he lives called Chula Vista. We took a couple trolleys there and made it there at 7. We walked around his city, talking about the different places and the memories he’s had there growing up. I met his best friend’s mom, who was a total sweetheart and loved me, and told me she better be seeing me again soon. I met his cousin and their roommates, and some of his dad’s co-workers at the fire station. We then made our way to downtown Chula Vista which had a bunch of taco trucks, bars, and shops. It was so cute and everyone was so nice. We stopped in his favorite bar, and he bought us both a Corona then we headed out back to the outside. We spent the last couple hours out there just talking, laughing, showing eachother music, etc. It was then midnight and I had to get back to the hotel to get ready to go to sleep for my early flight in the morning. We ended up stopping at his and his roommates house just a couple blocks down (I know that doesn’t sound safe, but I sent my aunt the address just in case) We all ended up playing video games, eating some homemade tortillas his cousin made, and just listening to music and goofing around. I honestly didn't check my phone or anything just about the whole day, because the whole day was just too amazing and fun. He then drove me back to Gaslamp around 2am (I still didn’t feel comfortable telling him my hotel so I just walked two blocks to my hotel after) but we sat in his car for a bit and just talked about how this whole meeting eachother has felt like a movie. We laughed about it, then explained how terribly sad we are to have to say goodbye already. We both teared up a little and just enjoyed our last few moments together (hopefully not for long though). I then left and so did he. We texted all night til I fell asleep. Now here I am now, writing this Monday night. I’m home now and still felling extremely sad to have left. I’m so happy I went and had the most amazing experience I’ve ever had. We have both been texting and Snapchatting all day, since. I miss him a lot, and it’s crazy saying that considering I’ve only known him a day. But there’s definitely something special about him and I definitely believe there’s something special about the way we met. I believe everything happens for a reason, and his taking the wrong trolley and getting off on that stop that day, and me running across that same street and catching his attention, was all meant to happen. That’s why I believe there’s a special reason he was put into my life, whether or not it ends up romantically, He definitely gave me the most amazing memory I’ll ever have so far. I appreciate him and his kindness, and for just being there. I find new parts of me, I never knew existed. I’ve learned new things. I know so much I want to do now. I’ve made a new friend. Plus sooo much more. California will always hold a very special place in my heart. I definitely plan to visit San Diego again very very soon! Until then... Time to save money and just reminisce through photos and memories in my head.

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eminperu · 7 years ago

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Dreams Money Can Buy: The economics of a pay-as-you-go vagabond lifestyle

Since my last Facebook post about another jaunt across the world, several people have reached out to me asking the same question: how do I “fund my lifestyle” (copyright Emma). It dawned on me that A) lots of folks are looking to travel the world but B) are not sure how to do that realistically and responsibly. As an additional obstacle, people—even the vagabonds—often get weird and cagey when asked about their finances. Luckily, I’m 100% comfortable letting you know that I’m pretty poor and I’m still living what Cardi B and Chance might classify as close to—if not my best—life. I’m happy to share my strategies for the nomad life as someone who has never considered planning a strong suit and whose butt gets all itchy at the sound of the word “budget.” This is definitely not a how-to, but a how-I-do guide that hopefully can offer one perspective to those who, like me, dream of being homeless and financially insecure—I mean, wanderlusters. Naturally, each point is organized by subcategory titles borrowed from legendary and timeless songwriter Aubrey Graham. Started from the Bottom (now we’re still near the bottom)

Okay, not exactly the bottom, but not far off. I did have some savings before I started traveling, and I think that cushion was pretty important for my peace of mind/not dying famished in the streets. I set a (admittedly pretty arbitrary) bottom line that I would be comfortable—not thrilled, but not fully catatonic—to have when I returned to a more “traditional lifestyle.” I put that amount in a do-not-touch savings account. Luckily, I haven’t really had to dip into this kitty very many times. Though, again, I’m admittedly no financial wizard, I would estimate over the course of the last year I’ve netted about -$2,000. To me, this year, the amount of time I spent not working, and the amazing experiences I have had were worth significantly more than that figure.

God’s Plan/Controlla

You can plan your travels in advance to varying degrees, but it’s crucial to be honest with yourself about how much uncertainty you can stomach without anxiety sucking all the joy out of the cool stuff you’re doing. I’ve had people tell me, “Oh, it’s so crazy how you can just hop on a plane and not know where you’re going next. You’re flying by the seat of your pants!” Two things: 1) I hate pants. 2) More often than not, I do plan at least my immediate next move in advance. This isn’t so much a due my discomfort with uncertainty, but rather how frustrated I get when I’m forced to spend substantially more money on a ticket/room because I couldn’t commit in time. As a general rule, I plan international travel at least a month in advance and try to get things settled for big within-country trips a week before I leave. I make sure to search airline sites directly, especially for within country travel, and I don’t hesitate to call booking sites instead of reserving online to see if if they can cut me a deal—they’re out here looking for that commission. That being said, the best practice is to seek advice from people who have visited or, better yet, live in your destination. Not only can they steer you towards the right locations/companies/etc., they can also advise you when it might be more economical to book real time in-person as opposed to beforehand online (this happens quite a bit, especially in less-developed countries. Trip Advisor is not always your friend, yo.). Plan as much in advance as you need to in order to feel comfortable and excited, not overwhelmed and anxious, for your trip.

Hold On, We’re Going Home

Building off my last point, for me, having a space to unpack my borderline-hoarder amount of clothes and plug in my electric toothbrush is crucial to my mental health. Who doesn’t love a nest? Though a lot of people move intermittently between destinations, I was pretty settled in Lima. Before flying in, we booked a month in an Airbnb. I easily found a three month room to rent on Facebook/Craigslist, and used the same method to find two of my jobs (oh, sidebar—look for and join ALL online Expat groups as soon as you get to a country. Go to a language exchange and ignore the creepy older dudes who try to get you to “teach them English” and look for other expats who are probably new to the area, too). I also knew I was setting up base camp somewhere with an incredibly low cost of living, and that was intentional (Meygan’s intention, not mine, but still).

Mob Ties

This will be a small section, as it deviates from the financial focus of this piece, but I think it’s important: be proactive ASAP in making friends. It’s so, so easy in any city with a large expat population (again, join the Facebook groups). Expats are prone to be quite outgoing, likely share your interests, and probably have lower friend standards than you’re used to! Living abroad is like college, and all the other expats are your new floormates. There will definitely be some weridos, but you’ll sift through them and find the gems. Plus, traveling with friends makes things cheaper, so this section is totally relevant. (Nailed it.)

Hotline Bling

This one is straightforward: Make sure your phone is internationally unlocked and get a prepaid SIM card immediately in each country you go to. I’ve never needed to pay more than $20 a month for talk/text/data (you’ll only really need data) and it is PLENTY (how many of you are looking at your Verizon bill and fuming right now?). International plans don’t make sense in the long run and scrambling from Starbucks to random hostels for WiFi is not a good look.

Nice for What

One of the benefits of living abroad is that as soon as I moved, people started hitting me up to visit and/or meet them places. I’ve had the opportunity to visit magnificent destinations with magnificent friends, some of whom I hadn’t seen in years. If, like me, you’re overwhelming popular and well-liked, you have to be realistic and honest about where you can and cannot travel. Whilst on a budget and trying to function in day-to-day life, sometimes merging plans with friends looking to vacation is just not feasible. Compromising is great; it’s also valuable to let the homies know that this isn’t just a trip for you, it’s your lifestyle (did you just throw up a little bit as you read that? Me too. Sorry). I got super lucky and my friends who came and visited me in my more permanent location—Peru—didn’t force me to go to Machu Picchu 96 times! Every country has a bunch of cool stuff to do, and they were more than happy to meet in Colombia, hop on a jungle excursion, or otherwise with plan something that was in my budget/I hadn’t already done.

In addition to being realistic with my budget and with other people, I had to be realistic with myself, which involved some reprioritizing. I haven’t really bought clothes in the last year. I didn’t make my usual music festival rounds. I wasn’t planning to see my family for Christmas. My shoes, which have amassed an innumerable amount of miles, are essentially all falling apart. Time and time again, I chose experiences over things and I couldn’t be happier with that decision.

Nonstop

Having a job, regardless of the wage, always makes me feel better about spending money. You can make money in a variety of ways, but here’s a hot tip: TEACH ENGLISH ONLINE. I AM NOT KIDDING YOU I WOULD NOT HAVE DONE WHAT I DID THIS LAST YEAR WITHOUT IT. There are a myriad of companies (I’m with VIPKID—lemme talk to you about it and get some $$ for helping you apply) that allow you to set your own schedule and teach online from anywhere with a strong WiFi connection. I taught every weekday in Peru from 6:30 am to 9:00am (and an occasional weekend evening) and was done with my workday by 9:15 in the morning. I was also able to teach when I came back to Kansas, when I was home in California, and when I was traveling, Plus, I get money for referring you desperate plebs.

Let me tell you why VIPKID is infinitely better than getting an in-person job (even teaching English) abroad:

The hours and location are 100% flexible. I can open my schedule weeks in advance or the night before, and I can teach fifteen classes in a row or one single class.

There is no lesson planning. Prepping for teaching is an evil succubus that lures you in and steals your time and also several parts of your soul. The VIPKID platform offers ready-to-use lessons that have a universal structure. I don’t even glance at them before I start teaching. It’s the most low-maintenance, easiest form of instruction I’ve ever been involved with.

You don’t need to worry about getting a work visa. For all the work I did in Peru, I was paid cash under the table, as getting a carnet de extranjera (similar to a green card) is time-consuming, expensive, and difficult. I'm not 100% sure, but I feel like this is the case in most countries.

Yes, I make $20-$25 an hour, which can make you feel no ways (real Drake fans will catch that Easter egg), especially if you’ve been making a steady salary in a a place like New York or SF (let’s not get into it here, but all the more reason to advocate for not paying/treating our teachers like trash). However, it’s consistent money, I can do it anywhere, and $20 goes real far in most places outside the U.S.

The Catch Up

That being said, the side-hustle is EVERYTHING. Proofreading, translating, tutoring, working remotely, waitressing, bartending—anything that doesn’t require a lengthy application process and set hours is ideal. While I was back in the States, I very quickly and easily got a temp job working in my mom’s radiologic imaging office; I got to experience an entirely different line of work and gossip and eat donuts with the girls in the front. I absolutely loved it.

Apps like Grabr or housesitting apps are also excellent ways to make money doing stuff you’re already planning to do. Grabr allows travelers to sign up to bring things to people in their destination country that take too long or are too expensive to ship from their country of origin. This utilized two of my strongest skills—ordering items from Amazon and packing a checked bag weighing exactly fifty pounds. On my trip from the U.S. to Peru, I made over $300. Did I bring a kitchen scale and finely ground white electrolyte powders through South American customs? Yes! Did I assume I’d be going to Peruvian jail? Maybe! Honestly, I was more concerned about the giant car part leaking oil that I brought through TSA in Kansas City (thought about leaving a “This is not a bomb note”—decided against it). The point is: it might have taken a little time, some research, and a bit of aplomb to find opportunities like this, but luckily I had all those things in spades. Disclaimer: Use your judgment. Don’t do weird stuff.

Also, in all honesty, got a pretty cute tax refund this year, seeing as I made a significantly larger sum of money in the half of the year when I was full-time employee in California than when I was a part-time degenerate in Peru.

All Me

As resourceful and savvy as I’m feeling after writing this, I have to come clean. This might be a bit of a bummer for those fiercely independent amongst you: I did not even come close to doing this without a ton of help from my ridiculous circle of incredibly generous family and friends (HAHA GOTCHA, IT WAS NOT ALL ME. SEE? SEE WHAT I DID?) My list of people to thank would surely earn me the wrap-it-up music at the Oscars, but I’ll try anyway: My parents helped my broke ass get home so I wouldn’t be alone for Christmas. My friends from all across the world and all phases of life let me crash with them for weeks at a time (and gave me cute clothes that “looked a little weird on them,” made me banana flaxseed pancakes, and did my laundry). My brother and his smokeshow wife bought me flights and let me move into their giant British mansion to be their nanny (they don’t have kids). My saint of a mother literally gave up her bed and shared her tiny apartment with me, advocated for me to get a job that meant her doubling her workload, and let me eat all her food while standing at the refrigerator like a teenage boy. People have given me advice, contacts, hotel points, and miles. Gratitude will forever be the brush with which the memory of this year was painted.

All in all, I’ve had an overwhelmingly positive, life-changing experience with the joys far outweighing the stresses. It’s not hard to do, and I hope this very Emily-specific example can be of some help to you. Remember, you too can shirk all your responsibilities and run away to a foreign country! Even if you’re 25 sitting on 25… cents.

P.S. If you liked this post, please send me shoes.

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travelteatv · 7 years ago

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In April of this year, my friend Hamilton and I went on a road trip around Latvia and Estonia (well one place in Latvia and a bunch of places in Estonia). I’ve done individual posts on each day of the trip but figured it might be helpful to do an overview of the entire route.

RIGA -> TARTU -> TALLINN -> PARNU -> RIGA

We flew in with Ryanair and returned on Air Baltic, both are obviously basic airlines but its only a 2 hour 40 flight so didn’t really matter to us. We only booked about 6 weeks ahead of time and could still get affordable flights.

Please note that we did this over only 6 days simply because that’s all the time we had, you could definitely do it over a longer period and visit more places/stay in some for more time.

We used Sixt car hire and got a nice little Seat Leon, which did the job. I didn’t drive this time because it was cheaper not to and there wasn’t too much driving, but I can tell you it was enjoyable to sit in. Hamilton also seemed to enjoy driving it. The drives in between each place were never that long and generally the roads were incredibly empty, so if you’ve never driven on the right hand side of the road, Estonia is a good place to start.

We had a really good time away and planned it all quite loosely before hand – we prebooked the accommodation, flights, car etc but didn’t choose precisely what we were going to do at any point. I did look up how much different things roughly cost so we we had an idea before we got there (museums, art galleries etc) but I’ll be honest and say I expected food and drink to be less. They were of course cheaper than in London but I wouldn’t say much less money than when I’ve been away to say France/Germany. We were spoiled by how little we spent on our Croatian road trip, I think (link to our Croatian itinerary here). I have a few recommendations of places to eat/drink here and there but often we ate on the road to save time/money.

(Click on the days for a link to the individual blog posts)

DAY 1 – RIGA

I absolutely loved Riga – its cool and trendy yet has so much history and stunning architecture. One minute you’re walking through fairytale streets and the next you’re in a modern bar. You’re spoilt for choice with food and drink options and there’s plenty to do for a few days stay.

Accommodation: We stayed at the Wellness Centrum Hotel and Spa, which cost £64 (between us). It did everything we needed plus that bit more with spa access, breakfast included and a great location for exploring the old town. The rooms weren’t huge but that didn’t bother us.

Things we did:

Explore the Old Town: Its really nice just to wander round and soak in all of the cobbled streets, churches, gates and squares around the city. Plus its free!

St Peter’s Church Tower: Costs €9 for entrance to the church and to go to the top of the tower for good views of the city. When we went there was lots of art on display around the church but I’m unsure if that is always there.

National Museum of Art: This costs €6.50 and I really recommend going. There is so much Latvian Art to see and its beautifully laid out. There’s also a really nice (and quite upmarket feeling) cafe/restaurant. The only negative thing I have to say about it is that the art gallery staff have no issue really intently watching you look at the art to the point where it becomes slightly unnerving. This may be because the place was almost empty on a Tuesday afternoon though, I can’t be sure.

Art Nouveau architecture: There are a few streets close to the national museum of art that are full of insane buildings. Whether or not you’re an architecture fan, its worth a look. Again, also free!

. .

DAY 2 – RIGA/TARTU

Tartu wasn’t as large as we had expected – personally just over a day there was long enough for us. It’s pretty but not in the same way as Riga.

The Leaning Art Museum

Accommodation: In Tartu we stayed at the Alexander Apartments which cost us £40 for the night between us. It had on street parking out front and looked like an adorable dolls house inside. The owner was really sweet and couldn’t have been more helpful.

Things we did:

Cathedral/University museum: The remains of the cathedral are free to walk around and quite cool to see. In summer the towers are open but you have to pay a fee for access. Right next to here is the University museum, which we went into in all honesty thinking it was the art museum (damn google maps). Its only €5 to go in but depends what your interests are as to whether you’ll want to go; its mostly a history of the museum. If the special exhibit about crime scenes/detective work is on – it has real tapes/stories of crimes that happened in Estonia and information about them that is really, really interesting. And it’s all in English.

Old Town: Not as large as Riga’s old town in comparison but still has some lovely parts that are worth a look in. It was getting dark by the time we got there so we didn’t get so see that much of it.

National Museum of Estonia: 100%, definitely go here. Its one of THE best museums I have ever been to. It costs €14 to get in which is a little pricey but worth it. For one thing its huge but also it has so many different objects, displayed in really well thought out ways. Top tip though: get one of the key cards that translates displays into English (or your home language) when you go in. We didn’t get given one when we went in and were super confused most of the time we were in there.

Upside Down House: This is just a bit of fun really. Well, really fun. We went right at the end of the day and had the place to ourselves. Its right next to the National Museum and its literally a house built upside down, with furniture stuck to the ceiling. It does make you feel a little motion sick but thats part of the fun.

DAY 3 – TARTU/TALLINN

We really enjoyed our time in Tallinn – it was after a day of walking around Estonia’s parks (Lahemaa and Lake Endla) so we were quite tired but Tallinn was worth the effort to walk around. It was a shame that the temperature dropped a little but it only rained once we had gone inside for dinner at Kompressor (a great pancake place). We did things in Tallinn in the evening once we had arrived and the next morning – you could definitely spend a lot more time here than we did.

Accommodation: It cost us £56 between us to stay at Roosikranti apartment near the old town and it worked out well for us. It had underground parking and was quite close to everything we needed.

Things we did:

Parks – Lahemaa, Lake Endla and Jagala. I’ve given a proper run down of the three amazing places in the longer, dedicated blog post but in short, they are all on the way to Tallinn from Tartu, so if you have a car its easy to stop at all three. Lahemaa and Lake Endla have boardwalks through the bogs which are magical. Best of all, they’re all free!

Old Town Tallinn – a million and one buildings, churches and streets to see. We arrived too late to go inside any of them but still really enjoyed what we did manage to get a glimpse of.

Kerhwieder Kohvicum cafe – this isn’t a huge tourist destination, its a cafe that serves hot drinks as well as alcohol, with a really nice interior and good atmosphere that is worth stopping by.

DAY 4 – TALLINN/PARNU

The places we visited on the second morning were slightly out of the city, so we drove there before continuing on to Parnu. Parnu is a summer beach resort and we weren’t there in quite the right weather for that (it was literally snowing) but we didn’t mind that because we had booked ourselves into one of Parnu’s many spa hotels.

Accommodation: The Estonia Resort Hotel and Spa cost £78 between us for one night, which may seem like a lot more than we had been spending previously (I mean, it was) but remember this included breakfast and spa access. Its a well put together place with a good breakfast and free parking. The hotel is quite large – there are two sides to the hotel, we had to walk across the internal bridge to get to the spa but this was no issue.

Things we did:

KUMU – an amazing art gallery within the most incredible building. Its only 10 euros for a ticket and well worth it (they do also do one euro days and free days but I didn’t attend one of them – the list of those days is here). We went first thing in the morning and it was practically empty, which, for such a large building was a bit eerie at times. Imagine being in an empty Tate Modern.

Kadriorg Art Museum/Palace – Its €6.50 entry to this former palace, now art museum. As well as a collection of art, it has beautiful rooms and gardens. The gardens were a bit dilapidated when we were there but it was quite cold, I imagine its better in summer.

Spa – I’ve been to a few spas in my life but not loads. This was Hamilton’s first experience aside from the small hotel spa at the first hotel in Riga. It has a swimming pool, indoor and outdoor jacuzzis, saunas of varying heats and different types of steam rooms. It has a relaxed atmosphere and isn’t too uptight/serious. Its also very kid friendly, which may or may not be what you’re looking for.

DAY 5 – PARNU/RIGA

Accommodation: You may have noticed we upped the price for our last hotel, well we decided to go all out for our final night and I’m so glad we did. We stayed at the five star Grand Poet by Semarah which cost us £89 for the night (between us). This meant it cost £45 each to stay in a five star hotel in a European city on a saturday night. It had amazing breakfast and a really nice swimming pool/spa area. Could not recommend this place more.

Things we did:

House of the Blackheads – Riga’s eiffel tower. You can get a tour and go inside but we were impressed enough by the outside not to be upset that we were there too late for one. Of course, free to look at!

Rooftop Bar – the original rooftop bar we wanted to go to was closed but the Radisson Blu still has a really nice one that’s worth a visit. Free to go inside!

DAY 6 – RIGA

This was the day we flew home, so I had a wander round the city (which was very pleasant) and got some souvenirs – knitwear and black balsam, to be precise! Then went to the airport (bus/taxi are the easiest options. A bus is €2 and a taxi is around €15.)

OVERVIEW | BALTIC ROAD TRIP In April of this year, my friend Hamilton and I went on a road trip around Latvia and Estonia (well one place in Latvia and a bunch of places in Estonia).

#Baltic Road Trip #estonia #estonia road trip #latvia #latvia road trip #National Park #parnu #riga #Road trip #tallinn #tartu #Travel

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themrswanderlust · 5 years ago

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Saving Money for Travel

Money That Flies for You

This page may contain affiliate links Every time I scroll through my social media accounts, I always see people asking for tips about saving money up for travel or asking how people afford to travel. I usually keep scrolling, not sure of a great answer. I am someone who also has to save up to travel, but it has been a routine for me that I don't even think about it. However, after some serious thought, I pulled together a few things that I do to help bring in extra money for travel expenses. I hope you find these resources both helpful and useful. Let's Start Saving! Stock Market

This could be you if you save correctly! I wanted to highlight something that often scares people, and I don't blame them. The only thing I knew about stocks, was that it was a gamble and that I had some in my name. As an adult, I have taken the time to get to know what stocks are and how I can use the market to help benefit me! That's really the more important thing. I actually have stocks through a broker, but my mom still heavily controls that. My husband and I both created accounts with Robinhood, a mobile-friendly app that is linked to public stocks. Upon the first sign up, you instantly get a free stock. There is "day trading," which is great if you have time to closely monitor your stocks during the day. I am more into the long game. I'll buy a stock, some for pennies some more costly, that I know is likely going to do well and then sell when I've gained money. That extra money I put aside for my travels, while I keep investing. Credit Cards Do you have a credit card? Do you have more than one? Do you have none? While credit cards seem scary, think of them as a friend. Do you have a debit card? How often do you use it? I use mine as if it were cash. I rarely ever have cash on hand anymore. I'm always swiping somewhere to pay. But guess what, credit cards can do that for you too, you just have to be aware.

Do not let credit cards scare you from traveling to your dreams! Different credit cards serve different purposes. I am actually in the process of re-evaluating the cards I have to make sure they work for us. We are a family that loves to cruise, and I personally love Carnival Cruise Lines. As a result, I got the Carnival master card. This is just one example. We have redeemed points to pay for excursions, specialty dining, drink packages, and more. This, of course, is our card for cruising; however Capital One and American Express are two credit card companies that we have used to help with flight miles for booking flights. So we know that credit cards can work for us, but why shouldn't we be scared again? When looking at different credit cards, be practical. View how points or miles are acquired. Do you shop at those stores often enough? Does one offer points even for grocery shopping? We all need to eat. Use that card to buy groceries. Then use your money to pay off the card. Keep track and don't spend more than you make. If it's easier, as soon as you make a purchase, go online and pay it off. Loyalty Memberships Loyalty memberships can be tricky. Some places require a first-time stay, or whatever, before you can even join, but not all. Hilton is one of many hotel chains that allow guests to become loyal members. Guests earn points for the number of stays and the points can be redeemed for discounted or full nights off. This is one of my favorites because you can earn and save points with some of the international hotel chains, which can lead to cheaper international rates when planning that overseas trip. Affordable Times to Travel

Niagara Falls is even prettier in the Fall and Winter So, I heard a rumor that certain days of the week are cheaper to travel than others, and I found that to be...TRUE! Sundays and Tuesdays and Thursdays are the three days I found to have more of the affordable flights due to less "traffic-flow," or whatever. I do not really care the reason, as long as it is a great deal! While the days of the week are great, we also need to consider the time of the year and months. Holidays are obviously going to be pricier, but don't forget to see what holidays are being celebrated in the destinations you want to visit. Do you have to go when you know everyone and their mom is also going to be there? Try to look at the low, or near low, seasons of destinations. Often times, hotels and flights are cheaper due to less tourism. When traveling, while deals are great, grab those deals and optimize your experience by considering time! Cut Back Are you a spender? Do you know if you're a spender? Now is the time to find out. Do you really need that, or do you just want that? Sometimes it's good to cut back, especially if its to do something fun and amazing!

Cut back so you and you're loved ones can travel anywhere! Do you go out to eat or order out more than 1 night a week? Try saving money by grocery shopping and preparing meals. You can eat all you want on a cruise or some all-inclusive resort! It's okay to use coupons, girl save your money any way you can! Look for those sales and find the store brandIs there a better transportation plan that saves you money? Maybe a monthly or yearly passes or carpooling?Do all gifts need to be over $xx, and does everyone really need a gift? It's not about the gift, it's about the thought. Be creative and make something! Evaluate Paycheck Now, I get it, sometimes it is hard. Bills add up. Then we have kids. Plus the regular necessities. And oh yea, rent or a mortgage. But, if you can, try to save some of your check. If you get paid weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, try not to spend all of your check at once. Of course pay for bills and take care of those essential needs, but if you can, even if it's a single $1, put it aside. You do that and you will be able to take a trip. And remember, travel is what you define it as: same neighborhood, same city, same state, same region, same country, etc... Payment Plans & Travel Deals

Plan accordingly so you can escape to your luxury destination! Many cruises and other travel companies are now giving travelers the opportunity to pay for their travels over a period of time. Check these deals out. Pay a deposit or $0 down and for 12 to 24 months make monthly payments so that you can enjoy that trip you've always dreamt of! Deals are everywhere! I have so many favorite sites for finding great deals, but one of my favorites for affordable luxury is Luxury Escapes, "only in a dream" destinations and rates! Okay, so strange times have fallen upon us, you know with the Corona pandemic growing rapidly by the day. Instead of worrying about when I can travel again, here are some more tips to help plan and save on future travels. Unemployment & Stimulus Checks

You can go anywhere! Trust and believe, I know these are hard times. I had to file for unemployment due to this pandemic putting me out of work. While I am collecting my regular unemployment and using that to assist with the bills and household expenses, I am also putting a little bit aside to save. In addition, due to the pandemic, the government has issued an additional $600 to be granted and is sending out stimulus checks. That extra $600 goes toward any extra expenses and then the rest goes right into our savings. Whenever the stimulus check arrives that will be saved as well. Saving this money will come a long way in your travel savings! Cheap Deals If you love to travel, you haven't stopped looking at those flight drops and hotel sales!😭I am dying just to go! But guess what?! You can! See these cheap flight deals and room rates? Book them! That's right, I said it. Airlines are giving refunds and flight redemption. Book your dream trip now and travel later! Why miss out on these deals? We know they won't last long. Book for the Fall or next year. If you can't go, you know you're protected. Read the full article

#MoneySaving #TravelMoney #TravelForMoney #wanderlust #doyoutravel #travelmore #lovetotravel #ilovetravel #travelbloggers #travelblog

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novikartika · 7 years ago

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Barcelona in Spain or Catalonia? This just my trip story

This time for Barcelona! When i was getting this place, it was part of Spain though lately it’s been known controversially as independent country called Catalonia. This city has different style of building among European countries. Unfortunately, we had no many times to be here like only 1 and half day. After heading out from Paris, we arrived at late night. We just directly heading to our hotel by bus from airport and continued by public transportation. Not far from bus stop, we were heading to hostel by walk. We gotta get up early because the next day some of us had visitation on Camp Noe stadium. For me due to the lack of knowledge and not interested at football issue, me and some pals decided to not join my other friends to get touring the stadium. Camp Noe is a big stadium, well known for football lovers and home stadium of FC Barcelona. If you are very football you must know this club right?! While we were waiting for our friends of having tour, we waited in front of the stadium and as usual just took many picts. The ticket of that touring around 20-25 euros. Inside, you can see the football field, stadium seats, and also museum that filled by trophies. Well, I’m not expert of it and I even never get in to stadium for sure yet I never realize I came over the stadium that is very very well renowned. Ah ya, Camp noe has their official store and sell many merchandises and souvenirs with their theme Barcelona FC. Funny story, i was told by my friend who was joining the tour. They were offered by stadium’s staff many souvenir which could be bought. The funny one is that my friend was offered a transparent ball filled by grass, and the staff told her “This is a precious grass which is poured by Messi’s sweat when he’s playing football”. unfortunately i don’t know the price. I just wonder how precious it is (?).

in front of Camp Nou

Well, actually for this trip which took so short time around 1 and half, i don’t really remember of which place i visit in order. What i quite remember is that we visited the big church that is actually famous and completely different style from western Europe. It’s called Sagrada Familia though we decided to not get in to this church since we only had short time and saving money is the main reason haha. What i know about this Basilica is designed by Antonio Gaudi). I just knew the name of Gaudi from visiting this city. unfortunately I never knew this artist before. Besides, it takes very very long time to build this church due to its funding and resources. It has delayed for years and It was still under construction when i was there. This church’s construction relies on donations because that time, the government could not afford to build it by themselves.

This is a church that is still under construction

Besides there is a museum called Casa Batllo by Antonio Gaudi, and again i did not get in to this place. That was one of masterpieces of Gaudi in Barcelona. It has unique architecture and some says it has unique interior as well.

On our walk, we met a field that has lots of birds. Just dreaming when our country has this scenery where many birds can fly like in nature and fly like their home. Well, we can do this! we can do this! just actually change of our perspective first and upgrade our education or might polish up our human resource as well! still long to go! i know :( yet it doesn’t mean impossible. ok moving on! we were going to La Ramblas then. It is different district which provides lots of street performers, bars, restaurants, or even sex museum and leading right down towards the port and beaches. We just looked around that place and got lost in the market which was cool btw. They offered lots of snacks and fresh sea food. It’s killing me! Afterwards we got to mosque that was taken place in center as well. lil bit astonishing, because the mosque is in the corner unfortunately it’s near to prostitution activities. Yeah, that’s pretty making me shocked. After finishing the pray, we continued our walk. We stayed in this center quite long, and had the most luxurious lunch ever! (sorry lil bit dramatic) . We ate Paella that is origin from Spain. Around 12 euros we spent and we ordered 4 portions. This evening just for ladies. I didn’t even expect this happened. To be honest, Paella has smt in my heart, the shrimps tho the shells tho! waw! The taste is like nasi goreng but different hmm, like with more soy sauce but different ugh i don’t even know how to describe it. Taste it one more time i will tell you then haha.

Having Paella with these lovely ladies. The pict perfectly describe how 100% happy we were.

And our last trip before heading out this country is that we going to port and beach. hmm quite good, no garbage, clean, but the birds’s poop tho. That’s the negative side. Their poop are inevitable and ubiquitous. you cant avoid it. you havta careful then. Well after getting exhausted and almost night, we were heading out to airport i guess. Yeayy, due to winter or spring (?), the night is after 9/10. so that like you don’t feel like its night already yet you’re wrong dude. Finally we getting to the airport. I think we have experienced in 2 airports of Reus and Girona, the farthest one and pretty close one (if i’m not mistaken). Ah ya, its fortunate having no mess in this city even though we were really really exhausted due to short trip yet we made it! at least we ever been in Catalonia thought Madrid which has expensive plane ticket made us change our destination. Can you imagine from France to Spain/Catalonia this day (Barcelona) only took 10 euros with having direction form west to north? even cheaper than Flix bus. Well fyi, Ryan air always being first option because their price just insane! yet you gotta double check ok!

because the airport always taking place on far away from city. For example from Paris city to airport in Paris which is a departure area for Ryan air taking less more 2 hours. and should pay around 10 euros or more (i forget sorry). The price almost same with plane’s ticket price. Well we always have trip in budget, try hard to save our money and minimize our expenditure. because we are still students and limit on money (sad face). Yet so blessed we sometimes get some discounts or even free for getting in some museums and attractions (like on Louvre Museum in Paris) and others. at least it could cutting in our expenditure. Keep in budget yet keep dreaming on traveling. Seeing the world and meeting strangers are nice experiences since you can take advantage on your every trip by learning smt new, being more organized, being more open minded, having stranger friends etc. I have got some hilarious and interesting conversation in my trip rather than having it in my uni. well it depends tho. depends on your destiny. just make your own journey wherever! this is just my lucky trip with aids by my parents, family and of course God. thanks to everyone who always supports me! Ok i think that’s all what i wanna write. Hope you get inspired to travel around and i apologize you lil bit bothered by my venting. haha. Enjoy!

#tripadvisor #tripphoto #spain #barcelona

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rosarkahamill · 7 years ago

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***TRAVELTIPS*** I've had a ridiculously busy year of travelling, and on my various trips I've had a lot of different experiences. I'm currently in the last leg of planning my biggest adventure yet: a 12 day solo-trip to Cuba, happening in 6 weeks time! As a part of this I figured I could share some tips I've gathered through my trips and experiences. Hopefully at least some of them will be useful for others, and maybe even get someone to take a trip they otherwise wouldn't have dared to go on? Who knows! 1: GOOGLE IS YOUR FRIEND You can save yourself from a lot of hazzle with some basic searches on google. "Best area to stay in [name of place]" for instance will often lead you to reviews, travelblogs, yahoo answers etc. These are great for travel to places you haven't visited before, because you'll get a much bigger and more honest overview of a place than just reading reviews (which should be your next step, but more specified to hotels/accommodation in the area you found from using this tip). Often people who actually live in the area will tell answer these type posts and give honest feedback on where to stay and which places to avoid. When I was in Lithuania last year, a guy who lived parts of the year in Vilnius told me on the bus to town that the hotel I had picked was in the worst area of the city because of drugs and prostitution. I wasn't rattled though, and even though I stayed out late at night I was perfectly fine, but, I could probably have gotten a hotel in a nicer area for a similar price if I'd done my research first. Speaking of which… 2: RESEARCH AND READ REVIEWS So the "R" word might sound boring, but, it's one of the most essential tips I can give you. Also, if you go about it with the right attitude, researching for a trip can actually be a lot of fun! When you're looking for a place to stay, whether it's a hotel or private accommodation, take your time to read reviews. Specifically, I look at a few of the reviews that give top marks, and more of the ones that give bottom marks. Most places will have a bit of both, and some of the bottom reviews are completely unreasonable. Generally, you want to weed out the places that have many bottom reviews with similar complaints. This would've saved me from a hotel in Brussels, Belgium, where several people had written about rude/unhelpful staff, poor cleaning/maintenance, and theft from the rooms. Unfortunately, I only thought to check the worst reviews when I signed in to tripadvisor to leave my own 1* review… 3: PRIORITIZE Another "boring word", but a great tip for your wallet. Think about what you want from the trip, and what you're willing to sacrifice. If you plan on spending a lot of time shopping, at museums, exploring the city, lounging on the beach etc, then you're probably not gonna do much other than sleep at your hotel. So does the hotel need to be 4*? Not really. Get a cheaper hotel and spend the money saved on shopping instead. Or is your aim to just relax and get a good nights rest, reading a book with a cuppa and use whatever luxury is available at the hotel? Then yes, a good hotel will be worth your while. When in New Orleans with my mum, we stayed at an old historic hotel in the French Quarter. The room was tiny, smelled of damp, and to use my mums words: "the balcony was so slanted it was like a shipwreck". BUT, we pretty much only used the room for sleep, showers, and a few beers in the sun on the sinking balcony. The hotel was in walking distance from everything we wanted to check out, and because we got a cheaper deal we had more cash for beers, shopping, and excursions. (AN: despite the less luxurious feel of the place I'd actually recommend it, just for the location and customer service alone!) 4: STOCK UP ON TRAVEL APPS Do yourself a huge favour and download the travel apps you need before you go. Apps like Tripadvisor can be a major help in finding places to go out for a meal, pubs, sights etc. Downloading these off WiFi at hotels in eastern Europe can be… a major pain. You'll save yourself from a lot of "rage" by just having them ready before you go. Also, when you find something, take screenshots! You never know when the app might glitch, and suddenly that nice pub with local food and a name consisting solely of consonants (I'm looking at you Poland) is long gone. Same goes for maps and directions. Because I'm from Norway I can only really recommend the apps that I myself have used, but I don't know if these will apply/be as useful for everyone. My main recommendations, for what it's worth, are: Tripadvisor, Momondo, Hotels, ETaksi (specifically for use in Lithuania. It's pretty much the same as Uber, and is used by everyone. Unless you're a millionaire or fluent in Lithuanian I think this one is a must-have. Some of the local taxis charge extortionate prices, and the level of English varies a lot), AirBnB, Uber. 5: CHAT IT UP This one might seem a bit scary, but it's so rewarding once you give it a go! If you're in a shop having a browse or buying something, chances are the person at the till is somewhat local. Try out a little smalltalk first. It doesn't have to be good enough to win you a date with Tom Hiddleston, just everyday pleasantries is enough. This is just to get a feel of the person, if they speak English and if they seem like the friendly and helpful type. If they do, this is a perfect opportunity to find some hidden gems. When I was in Israel I discovered a bar I would NEVER have found otherwise. This was just from asking a lovely lady working at a bookshop (!) for tips, and she gave us the name and address. The place is enough to fill a Tumblr post in itself but that's a story for another time. But asking the locals can really give you some unique experiences. 6: USE YOUR HANDLUGGAGE WISELY So you've arrived in Oslo, but your luggage hasn't. You're wearing skinny jeans, a tee, and a thin jumper. It's -11 degrees Celsius outside, and you have to scrape the ice off the windows of your car that's been left in freezing temperatures for two weeks, while shivering like a penguin and swearing like a sailor. That was me and my mum when we returned from New Orleans and were told that one of our bags got left behind at Atlanta, with all our winter clothes in it… A good story now, not so much at the time. After this frosty mishap, I learned to make better use of my handluggage than just magazines and empty space. Now I always pack the following in my handluggage (I use a mini suitcase that is cabin approved): - Toiletries (just the bare essentials, i.e toothbrush, mini toothpaste, mouthwash tabs from Lush, wetwipes, hairties and of course tampons etc) - Underwear and socks (if I'm going to a "summer destination" I also put a swimsuit in my handluggage) - 2 sets of clean clothes that can be combined (for instance two tanktops, a pair of jeans, and a skirt. This is in case I get stuck with no luggage for more than 1 day and I don't have time to "waste" on needless shopping or I don't want to. I'll then have something nice for everyday and something "dressy" for evening or at worst just a clean set of clothes in case I spill something etc). - A pair of shoes that can be worn with anything (worn for everyday or dressed up) - Chargers for my phone (with adapters!) - Printed receipts of plane tickets, payment for accommodation, and addresses 7: USE LOCAL TOUR OPERATORS Using the tour operator you know from home can seem convenient and easy, but in my experience you can make some really big misfires with this tactic. When I was younger we always used a big tour operator in Norway to book our little daytrips on holiday. Some were decent, others were either wilfully misadvertised or just plain bad. We booked a day trip to see Knossos (ancient city ruins) in Greece once, with the promise of a Norwegian guide to show us around the site and the museum. The "guide" was a "yolo-girl" in her late teens/early twenties who read robotically off a sheet she had printed off Wikipedia, and subsequently couldn't answer any questions we had other than questions about the schedule. Unfortunately, this is often how the big tour operators work. They can rest on their laurels because of their big brand name, and don't need to care about good service. Also, the teens that they use as "guides" are often extremely overworked and get zero training. I'd advise you to give the locals a go instead. They can take a bit more effort to seek out, but in my experience and opinion they're worth the work. They are more dependent on quality and positive word of mouth to survive, and weed out the tours that offer experiences like the one I had above. 8: AVOID THE SAFE This tip might seem a bit weird, but as someone who meets crooks at work pretty much every day of the week, take my advice on this one. Most people and travelblogs will tell you to use the hotel safe. This is just a candybox for "unfaithful servants" at your hotel. For emergencies/mishaps they'll have a spare universal key. So, when you leave your passport and mastercard there and the maid "takes you to the cleaners", you'll have no defense. There's no log anywhere of what you actually put in your safe, so when you complain the shady a** hotel you booked by accident will just give a standard apology and tell you that they'll "look into it". What I normally do is to hide my passport folder in my suitcase among my laundry/undies or under the suitcase lining (under the undies). I also spread my valuables so that they're not all in the exact same place. Chances are even if you get unlucky and they get to your valuables, they'll stop and take what they have found and not keep on ransacking you for the rest. 9: STAY COOL No, I don't mean in the #fashionista sense, I mean more in the "keep calm" way. Even if you feel a little nervous, try to give off the vibe that you're a local who knows your way around. Don't look like my mum at the London Tube, clutching her handbag for dear life and glancing nervously from side to side like a startled guineapig. If there ever is a look that screams "lost tourist with cash", it's that look. I walked down the streets of both Vilnius, Lithuania and Riga, Latvia, by myself, at night, in a mini skirt, and never did I feel unsafe. I dressed "like the locals", walked at a normal, calm pace, and carried my handbag normally. You'll draw a lot less unnecessary attention to yourself, and avoid making yourself an obvious target. 10: USE COMMON SENSE Common sense isn't as common as you'd think, and we all do things that later make us go "what the ¤#&£ was I thinking?" and sometimes even "I'm lucky that didn't turn dangerous for me". If something seems iffy and too good to be true, there's usually a reason for it. Check your governments general advice for the particular country you're travelling to. Avoid getting drunk as a lord (especially if you travel alone). Check the news and stay alert. If there's a mass demonstration about to happen, LEAVE. Don't take insane risks and generally, think of what advice you'd give your best friend. Would you tell them to get in that unmarked cab with a driver with a thirsty eye? I hope not, so don't do that yourself! 11: GO OUT THERE AND HAVE FUN! :)

#travel tips #solotravel #stay safe #ssdgm #globetrotter #international #traveler #travel #solo female #explore #goexplore #journey

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rachelisnotatwork · 5 years ago

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Sweltering round the Fatherland

I did not leave Berlin willingly. In fact I complained constantly throughout the one final brunch I demanded. And on our way to the car rental place. And most of the drive down to Dresden. After nearly 5 weeks in our glorious Airbnb I felt like we probably had at least some light squatters’ rights.

It didn’t help that our apartment in Dresden was in what I’m sure an estate agent would describe as an “up and coming” area, i.e. a bit of a shit hole. It also managed, no matter what we did, to be hotter than the outside world and our host- clearly dubious about the continence of the guests, had covered the bed with extremely noisy plastic undersheets that heated the bedroom to essentially the equivalent of sleeping in a Finnish sauna. That plus a disappointing evening meal did nothing to discourage my belief that leaving Berlin was a mistake.

We had two days in Dresden and it’s surrounds. Because some of the museums are closed on Monday, we decided to use our Monday to go visit “Saxon Switzerland”. The name Saxon Switzerland sets the bar high and naturally it then disappoints because it’s more hilly than Alp-y. I would blame an over-zealous tourist board committee but apparently it was some homesick 18th century Swiss artists.

First off we visited a place called the Bastei bridge, which is a bridge built between giant rock formations. It is pretty beautiful although I feel someone without crushing vertigo could probably appreciate it more, especially since the top was also frequented by a man with an extremely badly behaved Alsatian, thus combining my fear of heights and dogs in one terrifying location.

Our next stop was more pleasant. We walked through the woods and then took a boat ride along the Obere Schleuse, which is a shallow river in a gorge between Germany and the Czech Republic. The boat was gondoliered by a guy who gave a little tour as he punted us slowly down the river. He had what I strongly suspect was a very thick local accent but Marcel thought there might be a chance he’d had a stroke. Either way it was fairly impenetrable to me, expect bizarrely a few minutes where he talked about lichen growth. So I guess that month at language school was really worth it?

The only downside of the trip was that the walk to the boat had been entirely down into the gorge and thus the walk home was entirely uphill. It was fairly steep and exhausting, and what wasn’t particularly reassuring was to find a gravestone half way up one of the steep climbs with a gravestone from the 19th century with a very specific time of death for a forester from something called a “Blutschlage” (literal translation: blood blow). So I guess I should be pleased we got out with just a few insect bites.

The next day we’d booked onto an English-language tour of Dresden. Almost everyone else was north of 75, which made us feel super young. And had also reached the complaining years. The ticket could be torn off to leave a free postcard of Dresden. One Australian woman then complained to the guide that it didn’t include a stamp and wouldn’t let it go.

The tour was pretty good though. The centre of Dresden is stunning as was mostly built by August the Strong, who really liked to party. My favourite fact from the tour was that he’d weigh guests before and after parties and those who hadn’t gained enough weight weren’t invited again because they were clearly no fun. He built a huge complex called the Zwinger for summer parties in addition to a huge palace for one of his mistresses (he had a lot) so he didn’t have to go far for the night.

The downside of touring Dresden is the crushing guilt you get to feel if you are British (or American) for brutally firebombing it. They have pretty much completed the reconstructions now but when you look at the before photos… well, it was no big surprise that both groups were some of the biggest contributors to the fund to rebuild the cathedral (the blacker stones are the only original ones).

After the tour finished we went up the cathedral for the view.

Then we went into the Mathematisch-Physikalischer Salon. This is largely a collection of clocks and super creepy automatons from the 18th century, so right up my street. Afterwards we had coffee and cake on a cafe on the roof and I went on what felt like an epic trip in the boiling sun to find a toilet somewhere I could use (doesn’t seem to be a legal requirement for cafes to have one here) and ended up begging a cleaning lady to use a museum one. Think Marcel thought I was pretty much dead by then, I was gone so long.

The next day we headed up North. Whilst our final destination was the island of Ruegen, we had a planned stop for the day at a place called Godnasee. This is a lake in the middle of nowhere, where we had a delightful afternoon swimming, sunbathing and reading. The nice thing about East Germany is it is full of lakes and is rapidly depopulating, so it is very easy to find an empty swimming spot.

We got to Ruegen in the evening, just in time for a quick walk before dinner. There were two national parks we wanted to visit in our two days and because the weather was due to be better at the one further away, we went to the Nationalpark Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft the next day. The spot we picked to go to was a lighthouse on a beach that was a 5km walk/cycle ride/horse and carriage ride away from the nearest car park. We decided to walk because of my lack of cycling aptitude and because legs are a lot cheaper than horse-drawn carriages (thanks to the endless slow tragedy of UK politics, the Euro to pound ratio could be best described as...sub-optimal for us).

This turned out to be a mistake. Apparently Marcel had showered in mosquito pheromones that morning or something so after a few minutes he was besieged by such a huge crowd of them that, whilst he was the main attraction, some of them by dint of sheer numbers bumped into me. This lead to less of a “walk” through the woods than a mad charge frantically waving our arms until we eventually reached the lighthouse. The beach there is quite pretty and in typical fashion, once you walk a short distance from the lighthouse, quite empty.

We took a route back through some wetlands to stay in the sunshine and hopefully avoid the mosquito plague- a successful plan. It also brought us across a cafe that served the only accommodation in the park (a caravan park) so stopped to eat the traditional hot sunny day beach food of...struedel.

On our way back we stopped in the city of Stralsund. It is a pretty little city that used to be a Hansa city (so lots of nice brick architecture), spent a long time being part of Sweden and is now the political seat of Angela Merkel. We had a nice wander around and came across a Simson pharmacy, so I felt quite at home.

The next day we headed out to explore Ruegen itself. Our first stop was a wander along the chalk cliffs there. Sort of surprised we found them and that they were decently high as driving around the island it had seemed as flat as a pancake.

The previous day I had been messaging my friend Karo and mentioned I felt like I was the only British person for about a hundred miles and she directed me towards a place called Woody’s Little Britain, which is a British “emporium” featuring scones and cream tea in the middle of nowhere. Naturally we went. It was pretty boiling, which felt pretty unBritish and the cream was whipped not clotted (Debrett’s would be horrified) but the scones were pretty good.

Afterwards we headed to the beach. Ruegen has some huge long beaches, so we parked up and wandered through the woods to about 10km of pretty empty beach. Marcel went for a swim. I declined because the ocean was full of seaweed and also after Australia, I’m pretty convinced the sea is out to murder me. So I remained on the beach, which in the fashion of East German beaches was full of naked people and noted with amusement that the extremely elderly naked woman sitting a few metres down from us had cracked out a pair of binoculars to look down the beach. I initially just thought she was a shameless pervert, but apparently she was looking to see if her elderly nude swimming companion was coming down the beach (or at least I assumed that was what she was doing, because he did eventually turn up. We didn’t cover the vocab for that in language school).

The following day we headed West. Our first stop was the town of Wismar. Or more precisely a cafe within because we’d left without breakfast and then got stuck in traffic so were both hungry, overly-hot and grumpy on arrival. We then wandered around the town. It is again, a pretty Hansa city, although this one we bombed a bit. We went up a rebuilt cathedral, which I did point out to Marcel that thanks to our bombing could be reconstructed with a lift right up to the tower in (you’re welcome guys!). It is still a port city which apparently brings logs from everywhere to turn into sawdust, or so the giant piles of logs and delicious smell of sawdust that wafts through the town suggests.

After that we went to Schwerin, which is also lovely and historic. It also has a famous castle which looks a bit gauche if you ask me, but Marcel just says looks German.

We had a late lunch and then accidentally discovered some weird mooning monument with no explanation. A rather lengthily googling seems to suggest it is a scene from the life of the founder of this town, who got mooned by the folk of his home town when returning home for a visit because he’d directed all the trade that used to go to their town to Schwerin. I would have thought this was the kind of thing that merited a plaque as far lesser things have generated one, but apparently not.

We ended up having a subpar dinner in town and disappointed, both of us developed a craving for ice cream. This is apparently not something you can get in Schwerin after 9pm so we ended up driving to an out of town McDonald’s for late-night McFlurry’s and then I got all indignant that the lids weren’t hedgehog-friendly like we have in the UK, confirming to all the national stereotypes of weird British eccentrics who are overly sentimental about animals.

The following day we weren’t due in Luebeck, our next stop, until the evening and beautiful weather was forecast. So Marcel found us an amazing canoeing place to go. This was on the river Warnow and was a 15km trip down river through a nature reserve. The initial part of our trip was a little more exercise than I’d have liked as we happened to set off at the same time as a large school trip of teenagers. Not wanting to enjoy the beauty and solitude of a nature reserve with 30 shrieking teenagers, we decided to use our superior canoeing skills to put some distance between us and them. Annoyingly though either we are shitter at canoeing than we thought or they were perhaps a school canoe team as we had to paddle REALLY hard to keep any distance between us and them. And when we did create some distance, we managed to catch up with a family that had decided to enhance their trip to this protected nature reserve by mounting a boombox onto their canoe in order to play some incredibly loud techno. Thankfully they decided to pull over for a break before I could ram them and knock their stupid boombox into the water, and shortly after that Marcel wanted to take a side stream so we could “have a picnic at a castle”. This involved some very hard paddling upstream through a shady, stinky mosquito swamp that didn’t actually end in a castle but just in a village with the German word for castle in. Thankfully there was a field we could eat our picnic lunch in, and that placated my bad mood somewhat.

The advantage of this stop was that by the time we rejoined the river, pretty much no one was on it. We still had about 8km to go and this was the wilder, less-maintained stretch with lots of weaving around trees to be done. German prep for these sort of trips is also a lot more casual than English prep so a good few times we were left wondering where to go and which part of a rocky course was better to navigate. But it was beautiful, sunny, thousands of electric blue damselflies constantly flitted around us and there was a spot for a gorgeous (albeit cold) swim.

We finally got into Lubeck and our ancient house in the evening. We then had a great dinner at a place called Schlumacher’s, so that was a great day out. We fell into bed pretty exhausted, and then I nearly fell out again, because that is the problem with elderly houses with subsidence.

The next day we decided to go on a tour of Lubeck. Lubeck clearly doesn’t get a lot of English-speaking tourists as it only has a once-weekly tour in English and that did not happen to coincide with our stays. Completely disregarding my previous experience of near total incomprehension with a german tour, I merrily signed us up for one again. This went slightly better initially as our tour guide was old so spoke slowly and bellowed loudly, but it was boiling hot, I rapidly fatigued and the tour was two incredibly hot hours and by the end I was desperate for him to stop talking as by this stage I wasn’t really getting any of it and everyone kept laughing at jokes I couldn’t get. I ate a huge ice cream to recover from the experience.

Lubeck is an ancient Hansa city that is pretty much entirely a UNESCO world-heritage site for ancient buildings. However the original city was built on swampy ground with some eccentric choices (like a fortified gate that had 3m thick walls on one-side and 1m thick on the other, leading the heavier side sinking a lot faster). The whole town is full of extremely wonky buildings, which you are fairly surprised are still standing. On the outside you can see essentially ornamental pole ends that support the floors and hold the two sides of the buildings together.

In the afternoon, hot and having toured most of Luebeck (as it prides itself on being “the city of short distances”), we decided to retire to the swimming lake opposite our front door. There we wiled away an enjoyable afternoon swimming, sunbathing and eating hot chips with mayonnaise. Glorious.

My grandfather was born in Kiel and the next day we had a plan to drop in there on the way to our next airbnb in the countryside. We had briefly considered staying in Kiel before we discovered it was Kieler Woche, which is some sort of sailing festival shebang. So we decided to limit it to a day trip.

It was exceedingly hot and our trip to Kiel brought forth the following observations 1) sailing festivals are pretty dull if you are on shore and thus are mostly a series of kiosks 2) Kiel was apparently bombed to the ground in WW2 but unlike areas that went for a painstaking reconstruction, they went for the construction of multiple ugly shopping malls 3) I know it sounds like it is impossible but apparently the town has absolutely no shade in it and I had forgotten to put suncream on and get extremely grumpy when I’m too hot.

So all in all, I would not recommend Kiel and our trip there was brief. By the end of a hot sweaty couple of hours there we were both dying for somewhere to cool down and so googled the nearest beaches. We found a nearby beach called Heidkate and headed straight for there.

How nice the beaches are around there appears to be a pretty well-kept secret (perhaps real Germans know. Imitation Germans like Marcel do not). Miles and miles of white sand, grassy dunes and the clean, calm Baltic sea. We found a quiet spot, quickly changed into our swimwear and raced into the...well, Baltic water. It was cold, but in a lovely cold way, especially when you are hot. And lead to the strange dichotomy of having a boiling hot upper half that was sweltering in the sun, and a frosty cold lower half. The sea was so calm between the groynes (and shallow) that even with my sea-phobia I swam again and again, in between coming up to lie on the beach and warm up thoroughly.

It was really tough to drag ourselves away...and we ended up leaving rather late (it stays very bright for a deceptively long time here so what we thought was about 5pm was actually 7pm) so we didn’t end up getting to our airbnb in the North Friesland (apparently Marcel says it is a byword for German hicks) until 9.30pm. It was still light though, so we hung out on our terrace and watched a huge number of bumblebees flitting between the wildflowers.

The next day we decided to visit both “seas”. First we headed to the North Sea. There are huge “sands” here called the Wattenmeer. Or at least that’s what I thought they were. What they actually are is enormous windswept mudflats. This is exactly as appealing as it sounds. It was also 7c colder than where we’d come from, so we hastily turned around and headed over to the Baltic side again.

We found ourselves a lovely stretch of sand near Flensburg from which you could pretty much spit on Denmark (should you so want; I quite like the Danes so didn’t). The sea was incredibly shallow and warm as we waded out over the white sandy sea bed. And then noticed we weren’t the only things who liked the warm and shallow water. There were hundreds and hundreds of moon jellyfish. These can’t sting people, but sharing the water with a huge number of dinner plate-sized jellyfish is just a bit...off-putting. I decided this would more be a reading on the beach afternoon than a swimming day.

The next morning we packed up and set off for Hamburg. Since our last couple of days were city days, we took the car to Hamburg airport, dropped it off in the lengthily car rental queue and took the S-Bahn into town. We checked into our hotel and went for lunch. Whilst waiting for our food, we got a call from Enterprise who were wondering where our car was. Because apparently we are sometimes great planners and book to drop our car off in the downtown area right by our hotel. It turns out though we are not great rememberers and were both convinced we had to drop it off at the airport. Somewhat mortifying. They did find the car eventually though.

Many, many years ago when I was at undergraduate, my friend had sent me a trailer for a place in Hamburg called Miniatur Wunderland as a piss-take. It showed a tiny model train world with dead prostitutes, red light districts and car accidents. I immediately was desperate to go. It took a long time to finally get there, but finally, finally it was time! Now you know when you hype something up massively, and then you go and it is actually a big disappointment? This was emphatically not one of those times! It was even better than I thought it was going to be. We spent three hours there and I could have easily spent longer watching tiny fire engines driving around putting out tiny fires and pressing buttons (there are so many buttons you can press to activate things- pro tip, visit in the late afternoon when all those 4 year olds that would normally be hogging them are having dinner). It was amazing. And also huge. I mean tiny, but huge in that it covers nearly two floors of a big warehouse.

The following morning we went on a free walking tour of the city. One of the things Miniatur Wunderland has is a tiny version of Hamburg. Having seen all of the sights in miniature the day before, this lead to a rather disorientating case of Alice in Wonderland Syndrome, where I started to doubt what size they were, or I was. It is quite a pretty city though (on one side, on the other is about a million shipping containers and container ships).

It has always been a big shipping centre so there are lots of historic shipping offices in there. Our guide took us inside one, nominally to see the interior décor but actually so we could ride in a Paternoster lift. These are the endlessly moving doorless lifts that are super dangerous, so everyone else got rid of them. Germans however are weirdly protective over them and refuse to let them decommission them. And whilst I appreciate they are super dangerous for kids, the elderly, anyone moving slowly etc, they are pretty cool to ride. Marcel and I agreed it was pretty much the highlight of our day (nerds4eva).

After that we climbed a tower for the views, then had some lunch. Marcel decided he wanted to do a boat tour of the canals. There weren’t any English language ones but I decided it would probably be okay with German (having again, learnt nothing from prior experience). This time though I was completely screwed because we got on the boat last of all and so were sitting at the back. Where the speakers were broken. So I couldn’t even hear him properly. Anyway, Marcel said he had terrible and monotonous delivery, so I probably didn’t miss much. And it was a nice sunny day to be pottering about on a boat.

After that we decided to go through the Elbe tunnel. This is a 108 year old beautifully tiled tunnel under the Elbe. It has a few additional bonuses in addition to that. 1) you can ride down in giant freight lifts for the occasional cars they let through and 2) It is really nice and cool down there. During a heatwave in a city with no air-con, it was quite hard to feign interest in getting out on the other side to see the view.

A couple of years ago Hamburg completed their new concert hall, the Elbphilharmonie. It was supposed to cost about 200 million euros and take 3 years to build. It overran by 7 years and the final cost was about 800 million euros. Had to admit to a slight schadenfreude in discovering we aren’t the only country that can’t organise a piss-up in a brewery when it comes to accurately and speedily building new projects. The concerts now sell out months in advance but you can get a free ticket to go inside it. So we did. Marcel was very excited as he discovered they have the world’s largest curved escalator. I was too because I imagined it might be curved in the way of a grand curved staircase in some Antebellum mansion. Actually it was just an hump-backed escalator. Underwhelming.

In the evening we decided to take full advantage of the fact our hotel was creepily empty despite being very nice (Marcel being blunt ended up asking why we were pretty much the only guests. They said it was because they’d newly opened, so I recommend getting in there for a stay before they fill up. Fraser Suites Hamburg) to use the sauna. I love saunas. However I normally only think of visiting them when it is cold out. It turns out if you’ve spent all day in a heatwave, it isn’t half as nice. Does mean if you wash your hair though it dries super fast, so less effort than a hair dryer.

Marcel knows me well so had booked a chocolate tour at Chocoversum for our final morning (softening the blow of leaving). I was keen because tours always involve free chocolate. But this was actually a really educational tour. You learnt all about the history of the plant, how to transport it in a cargo ship, how to roast and extract it, what all the machines are called and how they work, plus you get to make your own chocolate bar. So now if the apocalypse comes, I’m extremely prepared to restart civilisation/aka chocolate production.

After that Marcel wanted to walk around the Alster Lakes before our flight. It was pretty hot for walking but Marcel had picked a scenic restaurant quite far away. We got to there and it was a beautiful spot, on a pier so pretty much all of the tables had a lake view. To find it only took cash. And we were nowhere near an ATM and deliberately hadn’t got any more cash out because German ATMs charge you 5.99 to get cash out. So we turned back and found somewhere that would have been perfectly nice if we hadn’t just seen a better one.

And then, alas it was time to leave the Fatherland for the Motherland. It had been an amazing trip and we were pretty depressed to leave. But hey, London in summer is also full of endless sunny days...right?

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microsstinatir-blog · 6 years ago

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Hiking the Greenstone Caples Track – a great alternative for the Routeburn Track

Welcome to this article about the Greenstone & Caples Track. If you have come to this article to read more about this amazing hike, you’ve come to the right place. I’ve written a complete hiking guide of the Greenstone Caples Track for you below and hope you’ll find it useful. I’ve hiked this trail in 2018 and a few weeks later I hiked The Routeburn Track for the second time in my life. Even though I have to admit that the Routeburn Track is stunning, the Greenstone Caples Track proved to be a worthy alternative for the Routeburn Track. It’s almost as scenic, much cheaper, way less crowded and well worth your time. So sit down, relax and enjoy my article below.

How I got to know about the Greenstone Caples Track

Ever since my first visit to New Zealand back in 2002 I knew I’d come back in the future. It took a while, but I returned in 2011 and again in 2018. The latter two trips were mostly dedicated to hiking New Zealand’s famous trails. In 2011 I mostly hiked The New Zealand Great Walks but on my most recent trip, I decided to get off the beaten path a bit more and explore some lesser known trails. I had already hiked The Routeburn Track and The Kepler Track back in 2011 and was now looking for some alternatives that would be less crowded but as scenic. A few years ago, a New Zealand friend of mine, who actually lives nearby my hometown in The Netherlands, pointed out to me that the Greenstone Caples Track is a great alternative to the famous Routeburn Track but less the crowds. I immediately wrote that down in my notebook with ‘hikes I want to make one day’ and knew that during my next trip to New Zealand, this one would be on the top of my hiking list, together with the Angelus Hut hike in Nelson Lakes National Park. This is how I found out about the Greenstone & Caples Tracks (which can in fact also be hiked separately) and when spending three months in New Zealand in 2018 I knew this was going to be my number 1 bucket list item. Planning a trip to New Zealand? Make sure to also read my complete travel guide for New Zealand here!

About the Greenstone Caples Track

If you wish to hike the full round, the Greenstone Caples Track is 4 days in length. Department of Conservation classifies it as an easier tramping track, meaning that it’s a generally well formed tack for comfortable overnight tramping/hiking trips. You cannot book the huts beforehand and need to purchase a Backcountry Hut Pass or Backcountry Hut Tickets beforehand, which you can do for example at the DOC Office in Queenstown. The DOC Huts on this track are serviced in summer months, have mattresses and running water. You’ll need to bring your own food, cooking material, sleeping bag and anything else you may need on this trip. As opposed to the Great Walks, stoves are not provided so you’ll need to carry those as well. The Greenstone Caples Track will take you through two valleys and is a loop walk, so you’ll eventually get back to the trailhead, unless you decide to combine this trail with the Routeburn Track. The trailhead is at Greenstone Road End, 86 kilometers from Queenstown. As I wanted to get an early start I decided to stay overnight in nearby Glenorchy which is about an hour from the Greenstone Road End. The trail is generally well marked and not too difficult. I solo-hiked it and found it rather easy compared to other mult-day hikes in New Zealand. There were some minor unbridged stream crossings along the way as well as some knee-deep mud sections, but nothing major to worry about.

How to get to the Greenstone Track

Before I’ll give you a detailed day to day description as well as alternative hikes, I’ll tell you more about how to get to the Greenstone and Caples Track. Most trampers will start this hike from the Greenstone Road End, along the shores of Lake Wakatipu. You can also start from the Howden Hut on the Routeburn Track, but more on that later at the alternative routes section. If you are driving, then it’s 86 kilometers from Queenstown or 35 kilometers from Glenorchy. From Queenstown it’s about a two hours drive, from Glenorchy one hour. The majority of the road past Glenorchy is on a gravel road and past Kinloch there will be various rivers to ford. If you have a rental vehicle, make sure to check whether you are insured for river crossings, most likely you won’t be though. While I drove it on the way over to the Greenstone Road End the crossings were okay, however on the way back it got a bit more trickier as it had been raining and the fords got wider and deeper. In case of heavy rain, the fords may become impassable. If you don’t have your own vehicle, you can use the service of a track transport operation service such as Info & Track who have organized transport all around Queenstown. I have not personally used them so cannot recommend them from my own experience, however they are advertised on the Greenstone Caples Track brochure by DOC.

In which direction should you hike the Greenstone & Caples Tracks?

Since the main track is a loop track, you can hike it either way. However, I ran into a guy who had hiked it before and he advised me to hike it anti-clockwise, so starting with the Caples Valley. This is the narrower one whereas the Greenstone Valley is wider. As I wanted to take advantage of the good weather I had, I decided to stick to his suggestion. The track is also described by DOC this way, however there is no need to walk it anti clock-wise. Below you will find a detailed day-to-day description of my hike!

Day 1: Greenstone Road end to Mid Caples Hut (2-3 hrs, 9 km)

Day one of the Greenstone Caples Track leads you along the Caples River. In this part of the valley you’ll find a lot of stock so don’t feel worried if you feel something is looking at you. After you’ve passed the confluence of the Greenstone and Caples Rivers, follow the Caples Track to your right. The trail will stick to the bush edge most of the time but in some parts, you’ll walk along with the cows in the grassy parts. Tip: do not forget to look behind you every now and then. The views of the mountains behind you are truly stunning and turned out to be some of the best views of the whole track. The walk to Mid-Caples Hut is relatively short (it took me about 3 hours, the mentioned 2 hours are rather fast I’d say) plus time for pictures. After the first two hours it became cloudy but luckily I had already enjoyed some amazing views. Just before you get to the hut, you’ll cross an incredibly scenic gorge with bright blue water. I decided to first drop my gear at the hut and head back to the gorge for pictures later, as I wanted to make sure I’d had a bed for the night. It actually turned out to be pretty quiet at the hut, there eventually were less than 10 people for the evening. Note: the location of the hut is incredibly scenic, however the sandflies are a pain. If you decide to head out after your arrival, cover your arms and legs and be prepared for a sandfly attack!

Day 2: Mid Caples to McKellar Hut (6-7 hrs, 22 km)

The only (somewhat) alpine section of the Greenstone Caples Track awaits you on day two, when you cross McKellar Saddle into the next valley. I started my day early as this is generally a rule when I hike solo without cell phone connection (read more here about tips for safe solo hiking as a female). The first section of today’s hike will take you through the forest and you’ll gradually climb up to McKellar Saddle. From here the views are stunning, I had overcast but I can imagine it’s even more beautiful on a clear day. As the saddle pretty much marks the half way point of day 2, I decided to grab lunch here. The majority of the walk on the saddle is on boardwalks in order to protect the fragile nature. The highest point is at 945 mts and after the saddle you’ll gradually walk down to the Greenstone Valley floor. Just before McKellar Lake you’ll get to a junction, from here you can hike to the Howden Hut on the Routeburn Track (more on that below) or McKellar Hut, the final destination for today. DOC describes the McKellar Hut as one hour away from the track junction, however it took me a little longer. Once again the views are amazing and the location of the hut is awesome.

Day 3: McKellar Hut to Greenstone Hut (6 – 7 hrs, 18 km)

You’ve now reached the Greenstone Valley which is much wider than the Caples Valley. The hike from McKellar Hut to Greenstone Hut is across the bottom of the valley and stunning all the way. There’s a few minor rivers to be crossed as well as an old landslide you’ll walk across. The Greenstone Hut is a 10 minute walk away from the track and is quite a but busier than the huts for the previous nights, since people who hike the Te Araroa Track (New Zealand’s long distance tramp) can also overnight here. I arrived at the Greenstone Hut mid afternoon and spent an awesome few hours enjoying the sunshine and overlooking the amazing views in the distance. Note that the hut was full well by the middle of the afternoon so arriving early is wise.

Day 4: Geenstone Hut to Greenstone Road end (3-5 hrs, 12 km)

I woke up after a rainy night and decided to quickly pack my bags and hike the final section of the Greenstone Caples Track. The first part of the hike was quite dry and led me through the forest most of the time. Slip Flat is a large open area and according to the track brochure, there should be an emergency bridge to cross the creek. The creek indeed turned out to be rather large so I decided to find the emergency bridge upstream. It seemed like there was a trail afterwards, but somehow I lost it and I got a bit confused. If you decide to go for the emergency bridge, my suggestion for you is to follow the creek back to the original track rather than trying to find your own way. There were many ‘sort of trails’ which I thought were right but eventually it took me quite a while to find the main trail back. I later realized they may have been stock tracks which confused me. The final part was rainy and wet and I decided to hike quickly back to my car, as I wanted to make sure to get out in case the rivers on the Greenstone Road would become impassable (I was a bit worried as I didn’t have vehicle with high clearance and there’s no cell phone connection in the area). If the weather would have been good, I’d have done the additional walk to Lake Rere but given the downpour, I figured it wouldn’t be worth it in the end. After I got back to my car I changed into a dry outfit and decided to hit the road in order to get the crossings over and done with. Two of them had become rather deep and I was glad I got through them okay.

Greenstone Caples Track Map and Brochure

You can pick up a copy of the Greenstone Caples Track Map and Brochure at the Queenstown DOC office. They will also be able to provide you will all necessary information regarding the track as well as potential closures etc. You don’t really need a topographical map as the track is well marked with orange poles and signs in some places. Other than losing the track for a moment after the emergency bridge, I found it rather easy to find. With the Routeburn Track becoming more and more popular, I heard this is becoming a more hiked alternative for the Routeburn Track as it doesn’t require advance reservations and staying at the huts is cheaper than the Great Walk Huts.

Routeburn Greenstone Track

It’s possible to combine the Greenstone track with a section of the Routeburn Track. If you wish to do so from the Greenstone Valley, my suggested itinerary would be: Day 1: Greenstone Road End – Greenstone Hut Day 2: Greenstone Hut – McKellar Hut Day 3. McKellar Hut – Howden Hut or onwards to The Divide Day 4: Howden Hut – Lake Mackenzie Hut (you can also combine day 3+4 into one long day) Day 5: Lake Mackenzie Hut – Routeburn Falls Hut Day 6: Routeburn Falls Hut – Routeburn Shelter Note that reservations for all huts on the Routeburn Track are required and need to be made well in advance. I hiked it in March 2018 and booked it in November 2018 and most of the spots were already booked up.

Lake Mackenzie on the Routeburn Track

Routeburn Caples Track

You may also combine the Routeburn Track with the Caples Track. In this case, my recommended route would be:

Day 1: Greenstone Road End – Mid Caples Hut Day 2: Mid Caples Hut – Howden Hut Day 3: Howden Hut – Mackenzie Hut Day 4: Mackenzie Hut – Routeburn Falls Hut Day 5: Routeburn Falls Hut – Routeburn Shelter If you wish to end at The Divide, you can overnight in Howden Hut and from there hike to The Divide. From here, you can catch a bus back to Queenstown or combine it with an excursion to Milford Sound like me and my friend did when we hiked the Routeburn Track.

Things to consider when hiking the Greenstone & Caples Track

As I mentioned, it’s a generally easy multi-day tramp if you are an experienced hiker and are physically fit. Do not forget to pack all I mentioned above as well as raingear, since you are hiking in one of the wettest parts of New Zealand. As it’s way less busy than The Great Walks, you may find yourself alone most of the time. At least, I did. If you’d like to hike in solitude, your best bet is to get up early before everyone else does. I only ran into a handful of people each day (maybe not even) and would just see other people at night in the huts. If you want to camp on the Greenstone Caples Track, you can do so at along the bush edge and 50 meters from the track. More information and rules for campers can be found on the track brochure.

What’s the weather on the Greenstone Caples Track

This part of New Zealand is among the wettest in the country, meaning that you will most likely get wet. Parts of it lead you through Fiordland National Park, which is known for it’s insane rainfall. During this same trip I also did the Routeburn Track and the Hump Ridge Track, both located in Fiordland National Park and I got soaked to the bone most of the time. I don’t want to discourage you, moreover be realistic. I had two days of sunshine, one day of overcast and one day of rain on the Greenstone Caples Track. Not a bad score if you ask me!

Conclusion and disclaimer

Looking back on this hike, I found it one of the highlights of my most recent trip to New Zealand. The track was incredible scenic, quiet and not too difficult. Yes, the Routeburn may be more famous, but looking back on it, I’d rather to this one again. Note that this blog contains affiliate links and that I may earn a small commission if you decide to buy or book anything through one of these links. This is of course at no extra cost to you.

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theexploringegg · 7 years ago

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Day 36: Penang Makan.

Today I mentally prepared myself for a full day of food. Penang is famed for it's street food and was Lonely Planet's food destination of 2014- it's not hard to understand why. Getting dressed, I met the fam downstairs for one of Nick's mum's super healthy breakfasts. I hadn't had salad since I got to Asia more than one month ago! We enjoyed cherry tomatoes, dressed rocket & leaves, smoked cheese, salami, scrambled egg and toasted wholemeal bread. Auntie also prepared coffee (from M&S no less)- even foaming the milk for us. All set and ready to go, Nick's parents dropped us off in the centre of Georgetown. I intended on exploring the streets of Georgeotwn for a few weeks while Nick spent the day working his shift at Chinahouse. I slung my camera around my neck and meandered the ancient streets, enjoying the murals and several exhibits of photography as part of Georgetown festival. At 12pm I walked to my favourite cafe in Georgetown: Passion Heart. This place I had been before, really connected with the owner and had great inspirational chats and advice. It was there I had met another girl my age, sitting with a cuppa tea and cake and became great friends. Now, 3 years later, I was about to do the same again. I recognised Nely's son at the till and asked for her- he told me to go on into the kitchen to see her. I entered the back and she caught sight of me. I watched her face change from surprise, to recognition to a beaming smile. We hugged and I told her all about my trip, plans and ideas. Her passiom for her work and advice filled me up. Going back out to the stop, in walked my friend Orange who I hadn't seen since our last encounter. We were so excited to meet again. Ordering our cakes (cempedeh and Hummingbird), we sat down to catch up. Nely came out to join us and the three of us spent some time together. The rain was pouring so we make a break and hopped into Orange's little car (same one) and drive to our first stop for her favourite assam laksa. In an unfamiliar area of Penang, I wouldn't have known about it if it weren't for her. I love this girl's excitement for food- I really have met my match in her! She ordered us a small bowl to share (since there would be plenty to come). Big chunks of makeral, a soft fish balls, shreds of pineapple, fragrant herbs, tangy and sweet broth. It was incredible!! (Double exclamation marks necessary). My friend chef Norman Musa was coming over from the mainland Butterworth so we picked him up at the ferry. We could spot him a long way off in his Penang trilby, looking more like a tourist than Penangite. Norman moved to the UK when he was 19, and is a pioneer in the Malaysian food scene. Appointed KL food ambassador in 2015, he is well-respected both in Malaysia and in the UK. With 3 restaurants and cookery books (I'm the proud owner of his Amazing Malaysia one), he knows his stuff! I was humbled that he would take the time to hang out for the day. Norman hopped in the back and we made our introductions. He gave us directions to the first food stop- a small stall selling Passembor rojak near the Clan Jetty. I hadn't seen this kind of food before. Norman chose for us items such as fried squid, tofu, potato and veggies which were coated in a spicy, tangy, rice sauce. I really enjoyed it. We shared one massive dish, ensuring me didn't get too full. I was able to learn more about Norman's journey to becoming a celebrity chef as we ate. Next stop (following Norman's device), was for some prawn fritters, a drink with rose syrup, coconut flesh & basil seeds and cendol. Norman bought some freshly roasted chestnuts on the way too. We talked about the hawker stalls- these businesses have been here since Norman was young and he was complaining that the government were moving some of then off the streets to make it look 'cleaner'. Really, he said, they just needed a better, more hygienic environment on the street with a fresh water supply and to just let them be. The cendol line was ridicously massive and Nick was finishing work, so we picked him up to head to a new place Norman wanted to visit showcasing Johoran food: Kesum Art Restaurant. We were taken in as guests (the owner was overwhelmed to have Norman come say hi) and sat down to sample her delicious food and local coffee. We sampled the laksa, satay & fish wrapped in leaves which was served wirh rice and black sauce. The flavour she had created using so many herbs and leaves was incredible. Her father is a talented artist, and so the upstairs of the cafe was full of his work, and had a beautiful private dining area which we viewed together. Final stop on our food tour was to go back to Passion Heart, where I introduced Norman to Nely. We tried her still-warm cempedak crumble and nutmeg juice (famous in Penang), chatting to get again aboit her business and love for her work. She asked Norman not to promote her as she didn't want any fuss, saying if it got popular she wouldn't be able to keep up the quality which she strives for. Norman was returning to the mainland, so we left him to the ferry and the 3 of us went in search of a secret bar, Magazine 63. It looked like we were entering an abandoned garage, but inside was an elaborate, hipster bar with electronic music and well-dressed professionals. The drinks were incredibly expensive and we were seated in a quiet back room so decided we would be better off finding a low-key cosier setting. After wandering the hostel backpacker area we found Junk Cafe- an eclectic establishment with good music and much cheaper drinks. We nabbed a squishy sofa and spent the evening there, enjoying a cocktail and giggling like teenagers. Orange even found me a Raleigh Nottingham sign which was sitting on the wall next to us. We had to say goodbye to Orange as she left for home- Nick and I getting a Grab back to his place. The security guard eventually let us through and we sneaked quietly into the house for the night.

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understandingchaoss · 8 years ago

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Im confused how youre able to afford to travel so much? I would love to but I cant afford it. Do you have any tips ?

Hi anon! I actually have a list full of pointers!!

First of all, in the long run, I think the fact that I’m able to travel like I do, comes down to the fact that my motivation is Europe. I HAVE to go. There’s something inside of me that can’t stay here and keep seeing the same stuff over and over again. Europe looks NOTHING like the states, and the culture is what I absolutely love. So I think I just have an insane amount of motivation. As a result of that motivation, I feel as if I’ve made some fairly smart choices in order to continue saving like I do.

Second of all, there are two ways to go about being able to afford traveling. There are ways to save in order to be able to travel, and there are ways to save while you’re traveling.

In terms of what to do to prepare, here’s what I have done:

Join a credit union. Not only do they give you insanely low interest rates when your credit might not be the best, but they give you great deals on houses (when the time comes), cars, and personal loans. I joined mine when I was 18 and will be a lifetime member.

Build your credit. If you have a vehicle that you don’t make payments on, but know the one you have is going to take a dump soon, this is super important. I built my credit for about 8 months before I purchased my car. I got a credit card through my credit union and just put all of my purchases on that instead of using my debit card or cash. However, do not do so if you think that having a credit card means you can spend whatever you want. That money has to get paid off somehow, and as long as you’re smart about it, you can pay it off every month and never pay any interest, thus, building your credit.

Don’t buy a brand new car. This is a terrible idea altogether. The car loses value the second you drive it off the lot. Most people will sign the papers in a heartbeat, except they just signed for a $28,000 car with a 20% interest rate. If you’re smart about it and purchase a good vehicle for a good price, your monthly payments could be as low as $100 a month.

Try to find a job that’s willing to pay you above minimum wage, even if it’s only 25 cents more; or find a job that will eventually give you raise, such as an annual. My job is basically the reason I am able to afford what I do. I serve tables in California, which is not one of the states that is allowed to pay servers as low as $2.00 an hour. California requires tipped positions to be paid at least minimum wage. So I make $10.50 an hour plus my tips, which averages me out to about $18.00-$19.00 an hour. My job also does annual raises and Christmas bonuses, which help a lot. As much as serving tables kind of sucks sometimes, the money is fantastic, and I highly suggest it for anyone in college trying to save money to travel.

Don’t have your savings account linked to your checking account. Banks couldn’t have made things any easier to not save money. Having the two linked if you’re not the best with money, is an awful idea. When I made the decision to travel, I wanted to spend as little as possible, but it was hard when all I had to do was transfer something from my savings to my checking when I needed more money. I opened up a savings account with a completely different bank. The only way I can take money out, is to go in and take it out, and then I would have to drive another 15 minutes to my other bank just to put it in. You’re more likely to save money when you make things difficult for yourself to actually spend money.

Have an emergency savings account. Life happens, and sometimes you’re short on money, but your car breaks down. Even if you have to only put $5.00 away every month, it all adds up. Make it a completely separate account from everything else, and pretend the money doesn’t exist.

Get yourself a flyer miles credit card. I only suggest doing this once you’ve had a normal rewards credit card and are comfortable opening another credit account. But boy, does it come in handy! I now use my credit card from my credit union as my emergency card. I hardly use it anymore. I put any and all purchases I make on my miles card. If you’re planning on traveling all over, I suggest a Discover It miles card, or a Capital One Venture card. Discover gives you a mile and a half for each dollar you spend, and Capital One gives you two miles for each dollar you spend. Neither limit you to just one airline, like an Alaskan miles card would, as an example. I will be using my miles to buy my ticket to Alaska this summer, and won’t pay hardly anything out of pocket. I racked up the miles with my every day purchases like groceries, eating out here and there, and gas.

Try to put away a set amount into savings each month, or every pay period. This is not something I particularly do, just because living off of tips isn’t always predictable. I pretty much just look at what I made for the week, divide everything up according to which bills need to be paid, and put the rest in savings. But for some people, doing a set amount can help a lot. Most employers that do direct deposit, will do it for several accounts, so you can even have a set amount from each paycheck go straight into your savings.

In terms of how to save while you travel, here’s what I have found:

Find a cheap airline. Sometimes I feel like this is just a given, but some people will legitimately spend thousands of dollars on an international ticket. I have found that the cheapest airline flying to Europe during most times of the year, is Norwegian Air. Every now and then you can find a cheaper ticket through Virgin Airways. Here’s why I would still pay a little extra for Norwegian. These planes are absolutely enormous because the flights are so long. The sucker is called the Dream Liner for a reason. I have so much leg room, I feel like I’m in first class. Their meals are actual meals served hot, whereas most airlines serve sandwiches, or hot food that looks more like plastic. For not much extra, you can get a ticket one step up that includes meals, choosing your seats, and includes your bags. I like Norwegian because they fly straight from California to Europe. The curvature of the earth matters, and each time you touch down and take off, you add more flight time. I always fly to Poland as my destination, so I stop in Norway, and then go to Poland. It’s a LONG flight if you go from the west coast, but it’s worth it.

Fly during the fall and winter, and avoid holidays. Sometimes this is inevitable. But if your schedule is pretty open, fly during the ‘off’ season. Prices tend to go down in price to most places around the end of September, shoot up for Thanksgiving week, then go back down until the week of Christmas. During Christmas, they shoot back up, but as soon as New Year’s is over, they go back down. Prices don’t usually go back up in price until about May. Summer is when everyone wants to do their traveling, thus tickets are most expensive so airlines can make money. But for example, I flew to Iceland round trip from California in the middle of January for less than $400. No one wants to go to Iceland in the dead of winter, so prices are cheaper. You could pay around $1,000 just to go to the same place, but during the summer. Prices to the rest of Europe work the same way.

Use public transportation. I always travel with my best friend, Emily. We both refuse to use taxi’s because that’s how men figure out where you’re staying, and that’s like, asking to get abducted. Emily is fantastic with directions and public transportation, so she’s always in charge of that. Just about any city you go to will have public transportation, because Europe thinks about the important things. Tickets to use the buses, trams, or trains are almost always super cheap. All of the major cities I’ve been to - Prague, Budapest, London, Salzburg, Zagreb - all have great systems and good prices. Sometimes you can buy a bulk amount of tickets all at once, instead of buying individual tickets each time you go from one place to the next. It’s cheaper to buy in bulk, so if they offer it, use it.

Stay in Airbnb’s, not hostels or hotels. Hotels are pointless because you can’t cook. Wasted money eating out all three meals right there. Hostels are pointless unless you plan to travel with a large group, otherwise you usually have to share amenities, and not all of them have kitchens. Airbnb’s are super cheap for just about any city or town. They are fully furnished apartments or houses, so you can cook. Not to mention, some of them are so cute and I want to cry when I sometimes find the cutest one for a good price.

If you’re planning on traveling within several countries close to each other geographically, don’t fly. Once you’re in Europe, flying from place to place is super cheap. But if you’re visiting small countries that are all close to each other, look into a rail pass. Emily and I bought two first class passes for just under $1,000. They got us from Czech to Austria, to Hungary, then to Croatia. We bought them through Eurail and it was a great deal. We could hop on any train in each country as long as it was within the countries on our itinerary, and got us from one country to the next when it was time to move on. It ended up being cheaper to do it by train than to fly from place to place. Plus, you get to see the backcountry of everything, and it’s so worth it.

Make friends as you go. Meet people. Get to know the culture. Make friends. Most European cultures are all super welcoming. The more people you meet and stay in contact with during your time at home, the more likely you are to have either a cheap, or free place to stay the next time you go back. I could basically go anywhere in Poland at this point and not have to pay for a place to stay anywhere.

Avoid using cash. Economies are constantly changing. Currencies gain and lose value overnight. Take cash with you, and exchange a little just so that you can come back with some of it. I love to collect all the different currencies. But for the most part, avoid exchanging cash. It loses value, because places gain commission off of it, even if their windows say 0% commission. Research exchange rates of each place you’re going to just in case you need to exchange. All exchanges places have different rates, find the best one. If you plan to use cash for everything, withdraw it from an ATM. Try to stick to ones that are inside of banks, because you’re much less likely to use one that has a scanner in order to steal your information. But all in all, use a credit card. Debit cards aren’t safe to use internationally. If for some reason your information gets stolen, the second the money is used by someone else from your account, your bank likely won’t be able to get the money back. Credit cards are great because if your information gets stolen, the company or credit union is almost always able to fix the problem and you won’t owe the money someone else spent.

This is all I can think of as of right now, and I think I pretty much included everything. Feel free to ask more questions if you need to, and I can give you answers if I have them! Traveling is actually so cheap if you go about it in the right ways. Good luck!!

#im ready to go back now

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positive-infinity · 8 years ago

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Let me just say this out loud: SOUTH KOREA IS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As a person who watches Korean drama a lot, this was really a dream come true for me. My friends planned this trip last March 2016. I remember getting excited about this when we booked our flights. I remember cramming my visa requirements. I remember finally making the itinerary once I knew my visa was approved. I remember my pre-travel panics and overthinking episodes. But after all that, the trip finally happened. So if you want to read more about my trip, please click the link below! :)

(Read More)

Planning the trip was challenging, taking into account that November and December were busy months last year. We only booked our accommodation and submitted our visa requirements a month before the trip. We started to actually plan and make our itinerary later than that.

Now, whenever I get to plan a trip, I always make a very detailed itinerary. While planning our Hong Kong trip last 2015, I remember spending a whole day researching about the country and made a 100-slide power point with my friends. I did the same for this South Korea trip. It really helps a lot if you get to know the country beforehand - its transportation system, basic language, etiquette, and of course, the places to be visited.

Anyway, here is an overview of our itinerary for the trip.

DAY 1 - Arrival & Myeongdong DAY 2 - Gyeongbokgung Palace, Changdeokgung Palace, and Insadong Market DAY 3 - Bukchon Hanok Village, Samcheong-dong, Cheonggyecheon Stream, Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Namsan Tower DAY 4 - Nami Island, Petite France, The Garden of Morning Calm DAY 5 - (Shopping Day) Lotte Department Store, Yongsan Electronics Market, Namdaemun Market DAY 6 - Departure

We stayed at a lodging place called 88 Guesthouse in Myeongdong. The location was excellent because we only had to cross the street to go to the shopping area where they sell a lot of Korean makeup and streetfood. The owner was very nice (and cute), too. They also had EXCELLENT transportation system. The subway stations were very tourist-friendly and you could easily find your way if you learn how to read the signs. We had no trouble getting to places.

For some of the places we visited, here is a brief description of each of them based on experience:

Myeongdong

It’s paradise for all the makeup lovers out there. Salespeople will lure you to the stores with their freebies. Almost all of the stores were redundant, however. For example, if you encounter an Etude House store when you enter, you will likely encounter it again if you walk a few more blocks. Also, different kinds of streetfood were being sold outside the stores. It was in our bucketlist to taste everything, so we tried and got almost all of them. They were a bit expensive though compared to Philippine streetfood (~3,000 KRW = 120 PHP for each) so we only bought one of each and shared. If you’re here, go visit the Myeongdong Cathedral also, because they they have a lot of lighted flowers great for taking pictures.

Gyeongbokgung Palace

This was the main palace during the Joseon Dynasty. We witnessed the “Changing of the Guards” ceremony which happens every hour. The place was very beautiful and it really captured the traditional side of Korea. We got to appreciate the place more by joining the guided tour which was for free. We really learned a lot - about palace rules, roles of the royalties back then, where they live and even trivial information like how they heated their floors during winter and the symbolism about the designs we got to see.

Changdeokgung Palace

This became a temporary palace during the Joseon Dynasty when the Gyeongbokgung Palace was destroyed. According to articles, the structures in this palace were closer to the actual ones in History. In Gyeongbokgung palace, since it was destroyed in history, only 10% of the buildings were preserved and the rest were restorations. In Changdeokgung, we availed The Secret Garden tour which provided us beautiful sceneries of nature. We also joined the free guided tour for the rest of the palace and we enjoyed that, also.

Insadong Market

Favorite market so far! Insadong street was lined with shops with unique gift items and souvenirs. There was a point where we literally stopped at a shop whenever we spot a cute item, only to walk away later on because we were afraid to run out of money. The prices were reasonable, we just didn’t want to spend a lot because it was only our second day.

Bukchon Hanok Village

In this area you can find the Korean traditional houses (”Hanok”). I’ve encountered these houses only in K-dramas so it was really amazing to finally see one in real life. It’s a great place to take pictures and just walk around. However, this tourist spot is also a residential village so it’s important to minimize your noise. We went there early in the morning so there were less tourists around and we got to take lots of pictures.

Samcheongdong

This area is very near Bukchon Hanok Village. I decided to include this in the itinerary because it was home to different coffee shops and dessert cafes. We tried a Churros cafe and another hipster-like coffee shop here. It was a great place to rest since we walked/hiked a lot in Bukchon Hanok Village.

Cheonggyecheon Stream

Another tourist spot to visit as suggested by different travel blogs. It’s a natural stream between two highways. It perfectly contrasted the modern cityscape and nature. This place is perfect for an afternoon stroll. We observed different people doing different activities. We enjoyed watching several children trying to catch a water bottle that was flowing though the stream.

Dongdaemun Design Plaza

This was not part of our original itinerary but we decided to insert it in our schedule because we had a lot of time to waste before we went to Namsan tower. This was mostly for appreciation for architecture and sculptures. We also got to see the inside but we didn’t enter the museum or the like.

Namsan Tower

Another iconic place if you’re fond of Korean dramas!!! We took a cablecar to the place. There were a lot of tourists then so we had to line up for a long time. The place was very cold at night since we were on a mountain. I remember wishing I put more than three layers of clothes and my fingers were going numb. This is also the place where you find the “lovelocks” where couples write their names on padlocks and lock them on bars as a symbol of commitment. We also went to the observatory deck at the top of the tower to see the Seoul skyline.

Nami Island

FAVORITE PLACE EVER! I DON’T KNOW HOW TO DESCRIBE THIS PLACE WITH WORDS. This place gave me the most nature-y feeling. Walking on lanes with tall trees beside you or walking beside the river was just so refreshing! One of my highlights was riding a bike freely on the island. It gave me the feeling that I could go anywhere in the world with that just bike. I really treasured my experience in Nami Island and hoped to visit that place with my future significant other if I get to have one hahaha.

Petite France

I first knew of this place as a shooting location in the K-drama “My Love from the Stars”. Petite France felt like a theme park with French-style buildings and decorations. We mostly spent our time eating food and resting here. My friends and I agreed that we would have enjoyed that place if we were a lot younger hahaha.

The Garden of Morning Calm

I did not expect this place to wonderful. I just thought it was a simple place where trees and plants were decorated with Christmas lights. But I was wrong, this place was WONDERFUL. There were a lot of surprises and there was one point where we didn’t know where to go next because the lights have different designs per area and all of them were beautiful. This became our favorite place for photoshoots because it was both fun and challenging to find the perfect lighting for the photos.

Our fifth day was actually supposed to be a buffer day wherein we decide on the spot where to go. We spent that day shopping for pasalubong. One notable store was the Alpha store in Namdaemun market for all the stationery and office-supplies lover. They have five floors, I think. We spent more than an hour in that place.

For the anon who asked me about the budget, here was our estimated budget before the trip:

Our estimated budget didn’t include the plane tickets, food, and pocket money. Our plane tickets cost 10k each for roundtrip (it’s relatively cheaper since we booked almost 9 months before the trip). We could’ve cut cost in accommodation also but we booked only weeks before the trip. I really recommend Airbnb if you’re looking for cheaper alternatives :) Pocket wifi is also optional since wifi in Korea is almost EVERYWHERE. Hehe hope this helps! :)

Anyway, again, the trip to Korea was really memorable for me. I was so thankful for this opportunity. I’m thankful for my travel buddies (Justine and Reg) for being great companies and for being patient with me whenever I push them to model for the photos HAHA. I’m thankful for my parents who agreed to this and even encouraged me by asking where my next destination was and urged me to save up for it again. All in all, I am really thankful that amidst the busy and demanding life of a med student, I get to see the world outside to remind me that there is more to life than by just letting it pass. I really hope that someday I will still have the chance to travel the world, take beautiful photos to capture moments, and fall in love with every place I go to :)

#words #travel #south korea #travelblog #personal #life

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table-talker-blog · 8 years ago

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Drinking and Not Eating in Adelaide: The Crisis of the Outshone City

I’m a hospitality guy. I am in love with my job and my industry. Being able to have fun while I work and share my passion for great booze with strangers is what I live for. Working at Biggies at Bertram has been the great experience of my life so far. I’ve met new and interesting people, some who I now call some of my dearest friends, all from working behind the bar. And after spending this past year travelling the country, enjoying amazing food and booze, partying with fresh faces, I can’t help but notice this gaping hole in Adelaide’s dining/nightlife culture.

First off the bat: this is not a skewering of Adelaide; I adore this town. Is there fantastic places to go eat and drink? Absolutely, some of the finest bars and restaurants in the country are on our doorstep (and of course it doesn’t hurt that if you call yourself an “Adelaidian”, you’re about 20 minutes from some of the best wine and produce in the world). Hains & Co., Pink Moon Saloon, The Wheatsheaf and NOLA are some of the great watering holes in Australia. Without a doubt eating at Africola on my father’s birthday was the best dining experience i’ve had in recent memory. There are plenty of great little pubs around town to sit back and sink pint after pint of Coopers Pale. Billy Bob’s BBQ jam at The Grace Emily is the best thing you can do on a Monday night, one of the best things you can do all week even. Wednesday night beers at the beloved Crown & Anchor (long live the Cranka) is a time honoured tradition. I’ve had too many (a.k.a not enough) knock-offs turned club nights at The Exeter Hotel. And my own haunt Biggies is the best place in town you can have a pretentious free boogie whilst enjoying some of South Australia’s best beer and wine. There is certainly no lack in the quality of our bar and restaurant scene. Quantity is another thing entirely.

It’s amazing in Melbourne and Sydney how easy it is to find a phenomenal place to drink or eat without even trying. You can walk down a street in St. Kilda on a Monday night and drink have cocktails until 1am, on a public holiday even! After a recent trip to Melbourne with some friends, walking down Chapel St. on the New Years Day public holiday, we were able to enjoy some amazing craft beer at The Local Taphouse, and then stumbled on Holy Grail, a fantastic little cocktail haunt, and were able to drink until it struck 1am and had to close up shop (shout outs to the bartender who let us close up with him and hang around to 3:30am though). In Adelaide, the streets would be completely empty, and for us hospo folk, the venues that stay open (pokies rooms and casino’s excluded) are look upon like Gods. Even food! Whilst at Holy Grail, we asked where we could get some food at that hour, and the barman just pointed out the door to a great pizza spot. The same thing happened 2 nights later at The Rook’s Return, great pizza just across the road (okay, we like pizza when we’re drinking, sue us). In Adelaide, it’s a scavenger hunt to find great pizza. You know your nearest pizza spot sucks. We’ve got very few and far between great local watering holes if you live outside the CBD, only pubs and pokies rooms with all your favourite lagers on tap. Again, nothing wrong with a pub and a pokies room, i’ll sit and drink beers in a pokies room bar till the day I die, but you can’t deny Melbourne has got us beat in the outer suburbs. Not a TKO, a full first round knock-out loss. As far as our restaurants go, Sydney wipes the floor with us just the same. To every really great restaurant in Adelaide, there is probably 10 of the same caliber in Sydney. From the upper echelon of places like Quay and Sepia, to the fringe, casual but experimental joints like ACME and 10 William St, there is just an enormous bag of brilliant places to go eat. You look at the most recent Top 100 Australian Restaurants list, it is littered with Victorian and New South Wales restaurants, South Australia’s first placing is at 47 (Africola) with only 5 in total (Orana 48, Peel St. 95, Hentley Farm 96, and Fino 98 rounding us off). And it’s not like Adelaide’s population is too small, it’s about 1.2 million at the moment, and I can’t stress this enough, our produce is incredible! It’s all in our basket, but more often than not, we don’t take the opportunity.

What I really think it stems down to, is that for the most part, the general population are extremely unwilling to go out and spend their money on a great meal, they’d rather stash their pennies and travel. And again, there is nothing wrong with that at all, it’s a fantastic thing to do with your hard earned cash, I do the same thing myself. But when we go and travel, we go out and we eat fantastic food, we drink amazing beer, wine and spirits, and we come home and tell everybody how amazing the food is in such and such is, we document it all on Instagram, and we miss out on the brilliant things going on just around the corner. In contrast, in Melbourne I like to ask the local single 20-somethings how often they go out for a drink or some food. The general response is about 3-4 times a week. For us Adelaide folk, it’s generally once, twice on a good week, only on weekends. There is very little of a midweek night out if you work the traditional 9-5 hours, the city generally teems with hospo folk. Maybe the binge drinking culture is a bit more prevalent in Adelaide. There has always been the culture of rocking up to a venue and asking “what’s the cheapest drink?” so you can smash back as many as you can. There’s a time and a place for that, and for us Adelaide heads, that means Saturday, when we don’t have to go to work the next day. Having a few glasses of wine with an amazing meal is an underrated experience in this town. Adelaidians are very unwilling to part with their cash if they’re not drunk by the end of it.

What I think contributes to this is the lack of understanding of why it costs to go out, and an under appreciation of hospitality workers. When you ask why it costs $20 for your breakfast and a coffee, you’re forgetting about the cook who made it, and the barista who enables your caffeine addiction. The food and drink in front of you is the cheapest part of the transaction, everything else costs far more than some smashed avocado and eggs on toast, you’re paying for someone to make it for you, and better. What i’ve noticed more in Melbourne and Sydney, is a higher amount of respect and admiration for a hospitality professional. There is an understanding that they are good at what they do and make a mighty fine cocktail. They know they put up with a lot of slack. They know without them, they would have a far less vibrant and fun city. They know they are the people that make their lives better. Of course there are people in Adelaide that understand this plight, but the next time you complain it being $9 for a pint of beer, you can go to the bottle shop down the road, buy a carton cheaper, go home, hang out with the same group of friends you’ve known since high school, get pissed, make yourself steak and veg for dinner and complain about being bored, then you might understand what you’re paying for.

I’m now at the age where a large portion of my friends are now moving to Melbourne, and i’d be lying if i haven’t had the same fantasy. Every time I visit I say I will move. But then I get back home and I see the potential of this city, and all I want to do is be a part of the collective of people who could make this city into a new tourist destination. But every year, I see more and more cool and interesting people with fresh ideas and a brilliant work ethic move to Melbourne. There’s far more opportunities available and there is more money for them, it’s a no brainer. This town has this old white liberal air about it. The State government will quickly spend tax payer money on infrastructure preparing for population development, rather than create ways to increase tourism and coerce people to make the move to South Australia. And look, i get that, infrastructure is an important aspect of how cities progress and makes day to day living more comfortable and easy (side note: Melbourne is again far superior in this aspect. But we’ve got Sydney covered no worries). But comfortable and easy is not on the radar of an under 30 year old, career opportunities and things to do are their priorities, and that demographic, the young people with bright minds are how Adelaide as a city is going to move forward, rather than making the people who are moving towards retirement more comfortable. It’s why people make fun of this city, using phrases like “Great place to raise your kids” and follow it up with “I went to Adelaide once. It was closed”. But then I look at Duncan Welgemoed. He’s a chef from South Africa who has worked at The Fat Duck under Heston Blumenthal and at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. But he’s made Adelaide his home, winning Chef of the Year at Bistro Dom in 2013, and opening the oft mentioned in this piece Africola. He’s been one of these people who has made this town more vibrant and exciting, but he also moved here with his wife to start a family. But he opened an amazing restaurant, using the phenomenal produce that is around us, and has been reaping the rewards ever since. Unfortunately the youth of this town aren’t doing the same kind of thing.

In saying all this, I have to concede that we are getting better. I remember the days when Peel Street was a dank alleyway of our infamous nightclub strip Hindley Street. Now it is occupied by brilliant bars like Clever Little Tailor and Maybe Mae, and fantastic restaurants like Gondola Gondola and Peel St. It’s teeming with the kind of people that need to stick around. And I can’t stress this point enough: Mad March in Adelaide, with the Fringe and the Adelaide Festival going on, during that time of year, Adelaide is the greatest city in this country hands down. But around the country, there are cities that can keep that kind of vibrance pumping all year round. Being a part of Biggies of Bertram, I feel like one of those people who have added something to the city, and I think there are better days for Adelaide yet. There is a wealth of under utilised opportunities. But i’m holding on to the hope that this will happen before all my friends and people I admire ex-communicate to Melbourne. So for those of you playing at home in Adelaide: go out and eat, it’s only money. Drink less and drink better. Respect your hospitality workers, it’s not advisable to piss off the people making your coffee/food/drink. Make this city as fun as it could be. Give back and send forth positivity.

But at least we can get a beer at 2am. Sorry Sydney.

#adelaide #melbourne #sydney #food #booze #alcohol #wine #thinkpiece #dining

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galloping-the-globe · 6 years ago

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My Trip to Japan

My partner had wanted to go to Japan for quite some time. He has long been interested in food and history, as well as things like origami. He listed it as one of his dream trips - we both thought it would be out of our budget for some time.

We were thinking about where we wanted to travel to for our “big” yearly vacation. We get 3 weeks off and we use 2 weeks and a long weekend to maximize our time for this trip. One of our options fell through and I got a huge tax return, so I said - let’s look into it and see how expensive it is. Turns out that it wasn’t too much! The flight wasn’t really much more than anywhere else (it was cheaper than many popular destinations for our city, actually) and I figured we could save money a few ways. So, we went for it!

The Flight

The flight was long but nothing too crazy - after our 36 hour adventure from Thailand, everything feels manageable now. The plane was fine, although basic as we flew an economy airline in economy. I made sure to get in touch with the airline to confirm a vegetarian meal as I didn’t want a repeat of last time.

We weren’t super flexible on dates as we had to maximize our time and work around work things, so the flight cost was probably higher than it could’ve been. Return trip, it was around $1100 with taxes and such (each). My friend flew to Tokyo for $600-$700... but she had complete flexibility and was able to travel when it was cheaper.

The Timing

We chose October as it worked best for us schedule-wise. We don’t travel in summer because it’s the one time of year it’s freaking amazing here. We also didn’t really want to be there in the summer heat/humidity. We also wanted to catch some changing leaves.

We were a bit early for true “autumn” but there were glimpses of the incredible fall foliage. We also learnt autumn is a popular tourist season, too, but we were ahead of the curve which was nice. It was quieter, which we appreciated, especially at the more popular tourist sites.

The weather was also helped by our timing. We had a couple of hot days and a couple of cooler, rainier days, but most were perfect.

Destinations

Tokyo (3 nights)

Kanazawa (2 nights)

Takayama (2nights)

Hiroshima (3 nights)

Miyajima (stop)

Himeji (stop)

Kyoto (3 nights)

Osaka (4 nights)

We kind of followed along some of the tour company journies. We wanted a mix of the cities and smaller towns. I insisted on Hiroshima because I’ve studied a lot of WWII and thought it necessary to see. My partner really wanted Himeji so we made sure to stop there, as well.

All in all, I’m glad we went to all of these places. I would’ve dedicated more time to Tokyo than Osaka - we had originally planned to do a day trip or two, but we were just tired by the end of the trip.

I’ll make an individual post for each of the stops.

Transportation

We bought Suica cards for Tokyo once we arrived. We used this card in all the cities (isn’t that amazing? that was one of my favourite things about Japan).

We pre-purchased a 7 day rail card as well, activated when we left Tokyo. It was worth it for us as we used the bullet train quite a bit and had a wide range of destinations on the main island. It ran out when we arrived in Kyoto.

We had to reload our Suica card once, I think. We put about $50-100 CAD on it? It’s been a while, so I can’t remember. It’s super easy to use (in my opinion) and there are always people to help you at every train station.

A lot of people complain about the confusing train stations, but we didn’t find it too hard. As I said, there were lots of people to help as well as maps. We got turned around a few times in Tokyo, but we managed to figure it out on our own. We also used the JR website and HyperDia to help figure out our trips.

The only real hiccup we hit in our travels was getting from Kanazawa to Takayama. The rail line had been damaged by a landslide. We knew we had to take a certain train and change, but it turned out certain trains weren’t running at all. We tried asking for help, but we struggled to communicate. We figured it out eventually, but it cost us a few hours of wait time in the train station. Luckily it was pouring outside and the station was pretty interesting.

We ended up getting on the right train and then getting on a bus for a few hours. I actually really enjoyed the ride.

We didn’t end up taking any taxis or Ubers. To and from the airport we took the bus/trains.

Accommodation

We stayed in hostels for the entire trip. The hostels in Japan are wonderful. Some are older and less modern, but every single one was exceptionally clean and the staff were all lovely. We got a private room which was between $80-$120CAD a night ($50-$60 each).

I would’ve opted for the more modern ones (I switched between modern/new and more traditional). The traditional ones were nice but not quite as nice as the newer ones. Plus they varied in mattress quality - we slept in one room with an inch thick mat for two nights and both of us were very sore (both have back issues). Another traditional hostel was very cold, though they did provide us with thick blankets.

Activities

We wanted to eat a lot of food - and we did.

We did a couple tip-based/free walking tours in the bigger cities as well.

Visited temples, of course, many of which cost money (especially in Kyoto...). Also went to a couple museums and explored many shops and markets.

Finally, we also rented bikes in a few places.

Mostly, we stuck to free or cheaper activities.

Packing

We brought our backpacks and a day bag. We travel carry-on (at least on the way there). It was autumn, so that meant a big mix of clothing for both hot and cool, wet and dry weather. We each brought 3 pairs of shoes - flip flops, walking shoes, and a nicer pair for evenings/dinners. I brought a pair of shorts, a skirt, a dress, a pair of jeans, and a pair of leggings and an assortment of tops. I brought a light cardigan but I wish I’d brought a heavier one. My jacket was a lined rain jacket. We brought all out toiletries and such as well.

Purchases

We ended up buying quite a bit - far more than either of us have ever bought while travelling before. There were so many great things and we managed to find things for pretty good prices. Here’s what we brought home:

Japanese whisky x2

Japanese liqueur x2

chopsticks

chopstick rests

different kinds of candy (hard candies, chocolate, mochi)

cat figurines

uniqlo clothes

Most of these were gifts.

I’ll go over each city in the next series of posts!

#trip report #japan

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roccodreamholidayasia-blog · 6 years ago

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Pattaya Travel Guide For Single Men

The Ultimate Men’s Travel Guide To Pattaya

Pattaya is a magical place, truly one of a kind. Sometimes it seems like Pattaya exists in a parallel universe, where none of the rules of the outside world apply.

It’s a city of lust, love and sometimes despair. Whatever you are looking for – love, sex, party time – you will find it here.

I first visited Pattaya in 2008, after hearing all the good things this town has to offer:

Thousands of sexy Thai girls.

Easy going attitude (it’s super easy to get laid).

Cheap holidays.

Super fun nightlife (It’s called also the Disneyland for adults).

It was good back then as is today, the only difference is the quality of information online available today.

In fact, back then I didn’t know the best girlfriendly hotel in Pattaya… Or where to get the naughtiest massage… Or the best way to meet sexy Pattaya girls.

Over the years, things have changed.

How?

I experienced Pattaya on my own skin, year after year, and I discovered a new world rarely spoken on forums.

As a result, for the last ten years, I’ve updated this guide to help single men experiencing Pattaya to an all new level.

“Would you like to know more?”

If yes, then carry on reading…

What Is Pattaya?

Pattaya is the biggest red light town in the world. It’s something that can’t be compared to anything else, making Pattaya truly unique.

If you think Amsterdam is the place to go to experience lust and indulge in sexual activities, then Pattaya will blow you away.

I’ve been to Amsterdam. Let me tell you that the red light district is dirty, unfriendly and the interaction with the girls is nonexistent.

I didn’t find exciting looking at women throw a window without the possibility to have an intimate conversation.

Sad, isn’t it?

Amsterdam is a place for weirdo that enjoy paying for sex. In other words: A Mercenary City.

So, what makes Pattaya so different and unique?

There are 4 reasons:

• The Interaction With The Girls

Look, Pattaya is a brothel walking city with hundreds of bars, nightclubs, massage parlors, Go Go bars (strip clubs) and gentleman clubs.

Did someone say “brothel”? Don’t feel like one.

In fact, wherever you go, there are girls willing to interact with you just because they love to interact with you. Yes, my friend, the playground is open minded while not business eccentric.

Just imagine to sit in a bar, talk to a girl, know her better, have a drink together, feel her (hands-on) and next take her to the bedroom.

I call it “girlfriend experience without commitment“.

• The Atmosphere

Pattaya, like the rest of Thailand, is easy going and girls love to have FUN. Everyone is having a very good time, from the party guys to the older men that prefer chilling on the beach.

Whatever your style of holiday, there is something suitable for you while you’ll never be alone.

• It’s Very Safe

I’ve been countless times in Pattaya, my friends too and never had any problem.

For example, you can walk drunk three in the morning, without fear to be robbed or assaulted. That’s is priceless.

• It’s Cheap

Pattaya is one of the cheapest sex destinations not only in Thailand but in all South East Asia. You can sleep with 10 dollars per night, have a girl for $30 and eat for less than $10.

“Does Pattaya sounds like your destination?”

If yes, consider spending 10 minutes to read this Pattaya guide.

Thanks for the tips! My wife and I are going back home after 10 incredible days in Pattaya.

This city is just crazy. We have been everywhere from Walking Street to Boys-Boys-Boys town. Everyone was so friendly, and sex was just great.

Thanks Rocco for all the great tips and help to plan our trip to Pattaya. – Charlotte & Ken

When To Visit Pattaya?

There are two main seasons in Pattaya: the dry-high season and wet-low season.

– Dry and High Season

From November to April.

During high season Pattaya is crowded and obviously hotel room rates will be higher and to a certain degree, girls rates too.

I would say the selection of girls in high season is much wider then low season and the party atmosphere is at its highest.

If you love the beach, between December to March the weather is at its best with sunny days and a light breeze from the sea.

– Wet and Low Season

From May to October.

If you think the girls are wet during the low season, you got me wrong. By wet, I meant that during this period it rains often.

Pattaya being on sea level, when raining it gets flooded creating discomfort.

The good thing is that everything gets cheaper, from the hotel room to the girl’s price.

So, if you’re on a budget, during low season you might save between 20-30%.

What About Girls And Ladyboys In Pattaya?

Pattaya bar girls in Walking Street having good time. Pattaya atmosphere is truly magical. Hundreds of entertainments, thousand of Thai women are awaiting you to experience the best of Asian nightlife. The atmosphere is relaxed, the women are hot and looking for fun and most importantly the place is safe for tourist.

Thai girls and ladyboys flock to Pattaya in search of love, money and excitement. Most are from Isaan, an impoverished area on East Thailand.

TIP; If you want to meet a Thai girl right away, there are hundreds of girls looking for foreigner men online. It’s easy and busy with HOT girls.

Most of the girls and ladyboys who come to Pattaya are sincere in wanting to find a foreign boyfriend or husband. Others like to play the game of love and lust for as long as possible.

Just like the men who go to Pattaya have different reasons for doing so, so it is with Thai girls and ladyboys who go to Pattaya.

I know many happy foreigner-Thai couples who met in Pattaya, but also many men who had a bitter experience marrying a Pattaya girl.

I’ve seen older men become young again, filled with a strong desire to live life again. Pattaya girls have that quality, to make you feel young and desired.

Girls and ladyboys in Pattaya know how to please, that’s why Pattaya is so popular. If you’re looking for lust and fun, Pattaya is the place for you.

However, if you want to find a good Thai girl to engage or marry, I would recommend Bangkok or Chiang Mai.

Having said that, there are a few good girls and ladyboys with non-hooker jobs in town working in restaurants, banks, and other services.

In this case, the best way is to meet them on a reputable Thai dating site for two specific reasons:

First, this eliminates most seasoned sex workers and boosts your chances of finding a “good girl” who actually likes you.

Second, this gives you instant options the second you arrive in Pattaya. You don’t have to run the streets like a hungry dog.

One more thing. If you’re into ladyboys, Pattaya has the best and widest selection in Thailand.

Every time I visit Pattaya I’m speechless about the number of ladyboys. If you aren’t into ladyboys, well, pay attention because it’s easy to think to be with a girl when instead you’re flirting with a ladyboy

–

I’ve written the Thai’s girl guide packed with useful info to clear some of your thoughts about Thai girls with tips how to pick up and get laid in Thailand.

I’ve visited Thailand multiple times over the years and date beautiful Thai women from the laziest bar girl in Nana Plaza… to the curious university girl and executive office women looking for some extra affair.

There is so much to learn about Thai culture, and these women are easy to approach if you understand their way of thinking and you behave socially.

I never spent more time than necessary to get laid during my trip because there is always the next girl waiting for me.

–Typical Costs in Pattaya

If this is your first time traveling to Pattaya, you might be wondering how much everything costs.

Below is a breakdown summary of what you should expect to pay while in Pattaya, helping you to prepare your vacation budget:

• Pattaya Accommodation’s Prices

You’re going to be spoiled with the choice of hotel’s room in Pattaya. You can get cheap rooms near the red light districts or luxury accommodations by the sea.

The cost of a decent hotel’s room start at 800 baht, the price doesn’t include breakfast.

However, there are plenty of places where you can have a good breakfast for less than 100 baht or quality one for 250 baht.

Whenever I’m in Pattaya, there are two hotels where I usually stay:

If I want to Party hard and change girls every day, I’m going to stay in Aya Boutique Hotel near Walking Street or LK Residence near LK Metro.

If I want to relax while enjoying the vacation with the girlfriend at that moment, I stay in the Private Beach Pool Villa by All Villas.

There are either cheaper or more expensive options, it’s all about who you’re and your travel standards.

However, if you’re serious to bang girls in Pattaya, stay away from the hostels. Do as Rocco do, stay in a girl friendly hotel…

Most accommodations are guest friendly in Pattaya, meaning you don’t get charged extra for bringing back girls or ladyboys to your room.

If you would like to learn more, check out the 17 Best Adult Hotels in Pattaya to Bang Girls.

One more thing; Most hotels don’t like to have customers bring in ladyboys (transgender) being a safety concern. Yes, Pattaya ladyboys like to steal things.

So, if you visit Pattaya because you want to experience ladyboys (transgenders), stay in hotels which are ladyboy friendly. The popular one are Page 10 Hotel and Penthouse Hotel.

• Food and Drinks Prices

You can find exotic fruits on the street for as little as 20 bhat. Thai street food will cost you about 40-80 baht per meal and soft drink or local beer at 60-80baht.

If you prefer to taste local cuisine in a restaurant with aircon and better setting, the price can easily double from the street vendor.

There also plenty of Western eateries either run by expatriate or international chain restaurants.

The prices are similar to the one in your home country. A meal without drinks is about 400 baht which can reach easily 1.000 baht+ for fine dining experiences.

Wine is generally expensive in Thailand, starting at 500 baht per bottle, but cocktails are a better bargain and Thai girls love them…

• Cost of Transportation To/In Pattaya

There are many options for transportation in Pattaya:

From Bangkok Airport

Suvarnabhumi Airport offers a bus shuttle every hour from the basement floor for only 140 baht to Jomtien in Pattaya. It’s comfortable, safe and reliable taking only 1 and 1/2 hour.

If you would like to speed up and reach Pattaya in less then an hour, take a private taxi starting at 1.500 baht up to 4 people.

There is also a VIP service offered by Devils Den consisting of a private van with two girls. You can drink and play while going to Pattaya for 14.000 baht.

From Bangkok City

The common transport is the bus leaving from Bangkok’s Eastern Bus Terminal (Ekamai) every half hour and cost 142 baht.

Similarly priced aircon buses leaving the Northern Bus Terminal (Mochit) between 05:30 and 20:00.

If you would like to go by Van, ask the receptionist at your Bangkok hotel to arrange one for 400 baht.

A private taxi is 1.500 baht.

Inside Pattaya

A songthaew is a popular mode of transport in Thailand and will cost you 10 baht for a ride. They have fixed routes in and around Pattaya.

Use motorbike taxi only if necessary because they are expensive and a pain in the ass to deal with. Their rates are 50-140 baht, and remember to negotiate a price beforehand.

Yellow taxis use meters and are comfortable if traveling in groups of people and outside Pattaya.

• Cost For Entrainment; Bars, Nightclub and Massage Parlors

When going to Pattaya for an unforgettable holiday, you’ll spend most of your time bars, nightclubs and massage places where you can meet girls and indulge in lust.

Below prices to be entertained in those venues…

1. Pattaya Go Go Bars Prices

Go Go bars are one of the most popular nightlife entrainments in Pattaya.

They consist of a center stage where girls dance and show off their sexy bodies and cute faces.

You simply pick the one you want and buy her a drink to start the conversation. Then things might develop quickly…

The cheapest drinks are soft drinks and draft beers usually going for 80 baht. During happy hours, before 10 pm, you can get cheap local beer for as low as 40 baht.

Regular drinks between 140-180 baht. Lady drinks are 150-200 bath.

If you want to take a girl out of a Go Go bar, you must pay a bar fine of 800-1.000 bath.

You can negotiate the short and long time with the girl which is about 2.000 bath and 3.000+ baht respectively.

2. Pattaya Beer Bars Prices

Way cheaper than Go Go bars because the girls don’t dance naked on the stage and there isn’t aircon. Also, the girls are less attractive and older then Go Go dancers, but they fill the void in naughtiness.

Beer bars in Pattaya offer cheap beverage all day along with beer and soft drinks at 40-60 baht.

Imported beers and whiskey is about 100-130 baht.

You can bar fine girls for 500 baht and negotiate a short time for 1.000 baht or 1.500 baht for all night.

3. Pattaya Nightclub Prices

Pattaya nightlife is growing in terms of nightclubs. Every year a new one opens its doors.

They are the place to meet freelancers and sexy Thai girls coming to Pattaya on holiday…

Drinks like beer, whiskey and similar stuff cost about 160 baht. Soft drinks below 100 baht and imported liquors around 200 baht.

It’s common to buy a bottle of whiskey or vodka with mixer If you’re with a few friends, costing between 1700-2500 baht.

Most girls in Pattaya nightclubs are freelancers (working girls) and asking for 1.000 baht for short time and 1.500-2.000 for long time.

Don’t forget to negotiate the price before leaving to avoid drama later.

4. Pattaya Massage Prices With Happy Ending (Boom Boom)

In Pattaya, you can find massage shops that offer extra and soapy body to body massage parlors.

Let’s start with the cheapest one:

Happy” Ending Massage Shops

Most shops are located in Soi Honey and Soi Post Office. However, there are massage parlors that offer extras all over town.

You can easily recognize them because the girls dress casual and not in the traditional Thai massage uniform.

The standard prices for a happy ending massage are:

A handjob starts at 400 baht;

Blowjobs at 700 baht;

Full package costing 1.000-1.500 baht.

Before going for a massage, chat a few minutes with the girls working there and pick the one that sounds eager to please. Agree to a price upfront.

Soapy Body Massage Parlors

These places are more expensive, the rate is fixed and the girls are hotter.

There is a room called fish ball where the girls wait for customers. The girls are divided into groups with different price’s levels ranging from 2.000 baht up to 3.000+ baht.

The price is all-inclusive which offer a bath, body to body massage and sex.

Read More: Best Soapy Massage Parlors in Pattaya

• Pattaya Ladyboy And Girl Prices

Guys travel to Pattaya to meet girls and ladyboys, not to lay on the beach.

On top: Pattaya girls – On the bottom: Pattaya Ladyboys

Below an overview of the general girl and ladyboy’s prices, but remember to bargain as the initial price isn’t always the best price…

1. Pattaya Freelancers Prices

Any girl that you see in Pattaya is ready to go with you for the right price. Most girls are in Pattaya to make money with their p…y, and most guys in Pattaya are there to spend their money on p…y

That is a perfect transaction, in my humble opinion. But how much should you pay a Pattaya freelancer?

The price is influence from many variables because is a personal transaction, not a fix one. In fact, you can pay as little as 800 baht per day as much as 3.000 baht for 2 hours.

If you want to learn more what factors influence Pattaya girls price, read: How Much To Pay For Girls in Pattaya

2. “Regular” Quality Girl’s Prices In Pattaya

When I say regular and quality girls I mean those Thai women that are working in restaurants, shops, banks and other “serious” jobs.

In other words, those Pattaya girls that have sex with you because they like you, not only your money.

The bad news is that they are the minority in Pattaya, but the good news is that they exist and most of them are into foreign men.

So, where to get started?

You can stroll through the malls, visit the temples or eating in restaurants and you can start a conversation with a local girl that would most luckily get on with you.

Also, you can meet Pattaya girls interested in foreign men on dating sites.

Whether you meet them in real life or online, keep in mind that they might speak little or no English at all. So, speak simple English and take your time to communicate with them.

3. Ladyboys Prices In Pattaya

Pattaya is the city with the most beautiful ladyboys in Thailand. If you’re into transgenders, you’ll find paradise on earth here.

There are ladyboys freelancers all around Pattaya which cost the same as freelancer girls. Most of them hang out on the beachfront road, just 500 meters away from Walking Street.

Their asking price is 1.000 baht for short time.

Soi 6 has a few ladyboy’s bars as well, where you can get a BJ for 500 baht and 1.000 baht for full service, plus a 300 baht for the room rental.

To give you a better idea, here the ladyboy pricing list in Pattaya:

• Ladyboys in Beer Bar’s Price: 500 baht bar fine and 1.000 baht for short time. There are a few popular ladyboy’s bars near LK Metro.

• Ladyboys Freelancer’s Price: 1.000 – 2.000 bath. All over town.

• Ladyboys in Massage Shop’s Price: 500 Baht for a handjob and 700-800 Baht for a blow job. The are ladyboys working in massage shops on the end of Soi Honey.

• Ladyboys on Dating Sites: Free if a ladyboy looking for a boyfriend or 1.000 baht if a freelancer ladyboys. Online at Thai Friendly.

Pattaya ladyboy on Thai Friendly

In conclusion, you’re going to spend on average 1,300 baht for accommodation, 400 baht for foods and drinks, 300 baht for transportation and 2,500 baht for entertainment. All these figures add up to 4.500 baht per day.

This is only an average, you can spend much more by upgrading accommodation or much less by meeting with girls met on dating sites for free instead of working girls.

To get a better idea about Thai girl’s price and their value, see the graphic below:

–Safety Tips & Tricks

• Thai ID Cards; Always check that the person you will have sex with is over 18. Check their ID cards by subtracting 543 from the current Thai year.

• Negotiate Price; Always negotiate the price before to avoid drama later.

• Valuables in the safe; When you leave the room and while you are showering. Rarely girls steal belonging but ladyboys are notorious for it.

• Lady drinks; Cut down on them, they are useless to the purpose of good fun.

• Go local – The easiest way to save money in Pattaya and Thailand is to simply live like a local. Take local buses, eat street food, and drink local beer.

The average Thai lives on a less than 8.000 baht per month in Pattaya, even less in the countryside.

• Take advantage of Happy Hour; In Pattaya, there are so many happy hours that you can drink all day long for half the regular price.

• Monitor Your Bills; Make sure that you double check the bills and receipts to ensure that you are only paying for the items you have asked for.

You will sometimes find a rogue bill inserted to your tab when you are out drinking, especially in Go Go bars.

• Wrap Up; This one is very obvious, always use protection. I don’t want to sound like your mother but I don’t want you to get sick too.

–DATE PATTAYA GIRLSPattaya Don’t Have Only Hookers, But Also Girls For Rent Offering Real Girlfriend Experiences

If you are looking for more than just a pop or bang or meeting the right Thai girl to spend your holiday together… I have the right and easy solution for you.

When was the last time you had sex with a woman that truly felt HOT for you?

Just imagine spending your vacation with a young and beautiful local girl by sharing experiences, talking with someone interested in you while feeling her wet panties.

That’s what make Pattaya a special place, where you can feel young again.

In Pattaya, you don’t need to be tall, young or with a six pack to get laid with a beautiful woman. You’re a foreigner, and that’s is enough.

I’m going to share with you step by step how to meet beautiful and love caring Pattaya girls that aren’t interested only in your money.

How to Meet Local Girls in Pattaya

There are basically three options to meet and date Pattaya girls:

• Online Dating

The growing popularity of dating sites offer a pool of attractive women that are easily approachable.

Because the girls don’t have to face foreigners and engage in direct conversation, even the shyest and reserved women take the challenge to meet foreigner men online.

I’ve been very successful with online dating over the years, and it is my number one tool to meet Thai girls. I’m not handsome, tall or fit, but the secret to my success is a well crafted online profile.

Most men think that women are attracted to a guy by physical appearance or money, but in reality is the way you interact with women that can make or break your date.

The secret is to create sexual attraction, and with online dating, the attraction starts from your profile description.

I’ve heard stories of unsuccessful men on online dating sites, saying things like; “it is a scam” or “the girls aren’t real.”

I have analyzed what these men did wrong, and I realized the biggest mistakes the first-timers make is a weak personal profile that attracts scammers instead of serious women.

So, focus your energy on making an attractive profile before searching for girls.

If you’re serious about dating a Thai girl, I recommend using these online platforms:

– Thai Cupid – It is the biggest dating site in Thailand with thousands of women looking for romance, relationship and why not, a night stand.

You can chat with girls online anytime. The chat is easy to use, and you can talk with multiple girls at the same time.

This is useful because Thai women write very slow, sometimes they have to check the dictionary for words. Try to maximize your time and effort to create multiple “relationships” at the same time.

By signing up with Thai Cupid, you will access hundreds of Pattaya girls and thousands of Thai women all around the country.

TIPS: You can meet sweet countryside women looking for love, or some slut in the major tourist destinations for one night stand.

Complete your profile with some good picture of you (no naked) and a clear description of what you are looking for, what you can offer them and about yourself briefly.

It will help by attracting the right women. Avoid pretending to be a romantic man when in reality you love to get tied up to the bed and wiped by women in leather’s g-strings. Be yourself!

– Thai Friendly – Not as many women as in Thai Cupid dating website but definitely enough to get you started.

I have found some good girls here. Having said that, watch out for women asking for money. Good girls don’t do that, and only a fool would wire money to a girl never met before.

I hear horror stories all the time from travelers being cheated by women online. I never had an issue with Thai Friendly. They do a good job in keeping their users in check, trying to remove scammers and fake accounts.

You might find useful my personal review about Thai Friendly after years using it.

The second option to meet quality Pattaya women is to…

• Walk Around Pattaya

Once arrived in Pattaya after a long flight journey and settled in the hotel, get out on the street looking for your date.

Cute girls are working in restaurants, hotels, massage shops, malls and they are approachable. You need to have some basic knowledge of flirting, same as goes in western countries.

Just smile, give a compliment and start your conversation speaking slowly and clearly. Pattaya girls can speak some English but they aren’t pro, so make it easy to understand you.

Most girls are shy, and they will try to end the conversation as early as possible because they feel embarrassed about their English skills. When this is the case, and you really like her, come back the next day to ask to go out together.

In my experience, every 3 girls I ask, one accept my invitation.

If all else fails, the next option might be for you…

• Visit Nightclubs and Discos

Meeting girls in entertainment venues is common as in western countries. The only problem with this approach is that you never know what type of girl you are going to meet.

There are three types of women:

– The “curious girl” is usually a teenager with limited English speaking skills looking to discover the western world. She feels attracted to foreigners but also feels scared to interact.

These type of girls are excellent for a local girlfriend experience with someone innocent, love caring and truly interested in you.

The unfortunate part is they are rare. I had the opportunity to meet “curious girls” in clubs by luck over the years, and I can count them on the one hand.

– Freelancers are the majority of the girls in Pattaya clubs, a good 80%. They are young and very outgoing because they love to party.

They are lazy to work in serious establishments having to report on duty in time and every day. So they prefer to hang out in clubs with friends looking for “sexy men” and money.

– Educated Pattaya girls (University degree with good jobs) can be found mostly in Thai discos. These type of women are suitable for foreigners looking for a serious relationship and possible marriage.

Approach one of them in clubs is tough because they hang out in groups but if you are young, dress smart and know how to flirt with Thai women (you need to have a basic of Thai language), this place might work out well for you.

I find easier to approach educated girls on dating sites because I don’t have to deal with the social embarrassment which holds them back in the clubs.

–PATTAYA NIGHTLIFE & TOP VENUES

Pattaya nightlife in one word: wild!

The number of entrainments are infinite with hundreds of beer bars, nightclubs, go go bars, massage parlors and more.

Whatever the places you visit, fun is always guaranteed in Pattaya!

The most known area for nightlife in Pattaya is Walking Street, but there are other areas like LK Metro, Soi 6 and Central Pattaya where you can have fun.

The best part is that Pattaya is relatively small and well organized in terms of transportation so you can move around its nightlife easily.

To save you time and hustle, consider booking a room between the city center and Walking Street where most of the restaurants, bars, nightclubs and sex venues are located.

Best Beer Bars In Pattaya

Pattaya is flooded with beer bars. In fact, you’ll see one in every corner of town.

The beer bars are mostly open-air bars with a handful of ladies serving drink and ready to go with you.

Pros of beer bars:

Cheap drinks;

Open as early as 1 pm and closing as late as 3 am;

Some have a pool table and board games so you can play with the girls;

You can watch sports events on TV.

Cons of beer bars:

Most ladies aren’t attractive and tend to be on their late 20s;

No aircon.

Like I already said, there are beer bars all over Pattaya, but the best areas where the booze is cheap and where you can find sexy girls are:

Walking Street

The most popular night street in Pattaya don’t have only go go bars and nightclubs, but many beer bars too.

Actually, there are two beer bar’s complex with about 20 bars each: Pattaya Beer Garden and Simon Beer Bar Complex.

Pattaya Beer Garden is at the entrance of Walking Street and gets busy after 8 pm. There are many cute bar girls in there with a good attitude, I recommend to pay a visit before visiting the Go Go bars in Walking Street.

Simon Complex is halfway into Walking Street and I’ve found the girls to be less attractive.

However, the first bar on the left has some hot girl and a pool on the counter where the girls dance.

The best beer bars in Walking Street are:

• Frog Bar

Considered the best beer bar in Simon Complex, this bar is difficult to miss because of their beautiful girls.

The girls are friendly, fun and welcoming. That’s the reason Frog Bar is always busy.

If you’re looking for a great place to start your night before hitting the Go Go bars in Walking Street, I recommend starting from Frog Bar.

• Beer Garden Bar

It might sound confusing but at the end of all Pattaya Ber Garden’s bars, there is a huge restaurant overlooking the sea with a massive bar counter called Beer Garden Bar.

Not only you can eat excellent Thai and foreigner food cheaply, but you can meet freelancer girls sitting nearby the bar counter.

Basically, if you like one of the girls, you don’t need to pay any bar fine because the girls aren’t employed by the bar.

Soi 7 & 8

From Walking Street, you can take a songthaew for 10 baht until Soi 7 & 8 where most of the best beer bars in Pattaya are located.

This area doesn’t only offer a great beer and girl experience, but there are also good restaurants and value for money accommodations.

Whenever I stay in Pattaya for a short break, I usually stay in Studio Central Pattaya by iCheck Inn which is at the entrance of the road. By doing so, I can easily bar fine girls in the many beer bars in this street and go back to my hotel room.

The beer bars in Soi 7 & 8 open as early as 2 pm till 3 am, some bar even till sunrise if they’ve got customers.

The interesting thing is these streets change atmosphere as the hours go; Till 8 pm the atmosphere is chilled and relax, after that it gets crazy with sexy girls dancing on the street.

• 69eers Beer Bar

Located in Soi 7, the name of the bar says it all.

They’ve many hot ladies working there who dress in short panties uniform. The good thing is that you can sit outside or stay in the big aircon room drinking beer, playing pool and watching sports events.

The best part is that there are several pool bars for dancing so you can bribe the girls to dance for you.

They have a 10-hour Happy Hour from 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. which is insane. Also, you can rent rooms upstairs

• Shooters Bar

Another great bar always in Soi 7 just next to my favorite accommodation (ICheck Inn) in this area.

This isn’t only a beer bar, but a coyote bar as well as a Go Go bar. Yeah, the concept is unique and probably what makes this place so successful.

The girls are hot, hot, hot! And there are always events and happy hours rotations that make the place entertaining any day of the week.

They’ve also rooms upstairs for 1.000 baht per night if you would like to be one set of stairs away from the action.

Soi 6

The most naughty bar area in Pattaya where you can have sex for a few dollars any time of the day.

The busy hours are between 3 pm and 11 pm, but there are a few girls also in the morning, obviously not the most attractive.

What makes Soi 6 different than other areas in Pattaya is that each bar has his own room upstairs. If you like a bar girl, just pay 300 baht and go upstairs for an hour of pleasure. No need to pay any bar fine.

In fact, this makes Soi 6 the cheapest beer bars area to bang girls. The usual rate is 1.000 baht for short time + 300 baht for the room. That’s all.

• Wicked Bar

Like all bars in Soi 6, Wicked bar has nice girls, free pool, cold beer and it’s fun to sit and watch what’s happening on the street.

If you go early or are a group of people, you can ask to play your favorite music.

What I love the most is the outfit of the girls, someday is “maid play” and some other day is “nurse play”.

• Ruby Club

Ruby is a lively place where you can enjoy the company of a sexy girl while having a drink. The girls and the management aren’t pushy on lady drinks which help to relax and have a good time.

I love their rooms because there is a huge mirror that takes most of the wall. You can imagine how fun is to watch yourself playing with girls.

Soi Buakhao

Less known by tourist, this area is well known by expatriate living in Pattaya and regular guys visiting town.

This area is a little gem offering because besides many beer bars, you can find BJ bars, massage places, go go bars and even ladyboys.

It’s a small naughty town on its own.

• Scooter Bar

If you love Mods, Scooters, Motown, Northern soul and Ska music, then this is the place for you.

The music, the excellent service and the beautiful hostesses make this beer bar one of the most successful in Pattaya. In fact, they’ve opened another bar in Soi 6 too.

Best Go Go Bars In Pattaya

Pattaya is known for the many Go Go bars, however the trend is reversing favoring the nightclubs.

Go Go bars are discrete venues where girls dance on a stage wearing a bikini and sometimes fully naked.

There are a handful of Go Go bars that offer naughty shows and have a bathtub where girls soap themselves.

The only two area where you can find Go Go bars are Walking Street and LK Metro.

Pros of Go Go bars:

Hot and young girls;

Close late at 3 am;

Some girl dance naked;

Cons of Go Go bars:

Expensive drinks and bar fine;

The girls are more mercenary style and less fun to play.

If you would like to know more, consider reading my full review of the best go go bars in Pattaya.

Best Nightclub & Disco In Pattaya

The popularity of nightclubs is growing in Pattaya, attracting a younger International crowd. These new venues are taking away at the expenses of Go Go bars.

In other words, Pattaya is moving from an old tourist crowd used to Go Go bars forward young guys that love clubbing and party girls.

Pros of nightclubs:

Free entrance;

Hundreds of Thai girls looking for foreign men;

Sexy girls as in Go Go bars, but half the price;

Open till 6 am.

Cons of nightclubs:

You need to attract girls because they are free to decide if go with you;

Difficult differentiate between hookers and regular girls;

If you want to bang hot girls, you need to party with them till late;

High younger male competition, especially if you’re over 30s.

The best nightclubs catering to foreigners are located in Walking Street:

Walking Street Nightclubs

• Club Insomnia

The most popular nightclub in Pattaya for the last decade. Every night is party time and packed with freelancers.

Yes, 90%of the girls in Insomnia want to go home with you but they want money.

If you want to get a table in IBar on the ground floor, you better be there before 11 pm. Instead, for a table in the nightclub upstairs, 12 am is a good time to arrive.

1.30 am to 3.30 am is a key time to recruits willing girls.

• Nashaa Club

Nashaa is a Bollywood themed club at near-fag end of Walking Street, which is popular with Indian tourist.

The entry is free to the club, but the drinks are expensive. They’ve got an in-house Indian Dj that play great Indian songs, the only downside is the music is loud and there are weirdo dancers.

I recommend to buy a full bottle with mixers and get a VIP table without extra charge or you would just be pushed around in the crowd.

For those who are looking to score some average girl, there are Thai girls asking 1.500 baht for a pop.

• Lucifers Disco

Always talked about, always popular. I have seen many honeys enter Lucifer.

It’s home of Hip-Hop music where local Thai girls are mostly into black men, but if you’re white, you can still score.

11 pm to 2 am is your best chance to get a sexy girl home before they move to Club Insomnia. Drinks are expensive, especially the bottles.

Most of the night they have a live band performing alongside ain-house DJ.

Most girls are freelancers, but sometimes you can see a group of girls from Bangkok. The only downside of this place is the low light, which makes it difficult to see how sexy is a girl.

Note.. These very late closing places sometimes get raided by police and folks, including foreigners, are tested for drugs, etc”.–NAUGHTY MASSAGE PARLORS

The massage parlors in Thailand are simply the best in South East Asia. If you haven’t visited one, then take my word for it, you are missing out a lot of fun!

I love them so much that I’ve written a full article about how to get the ultimate sensual massage without embarrassment and breaking your bank.

You need to read it if you’re planning to visit one of the numerous happy ending massage shops in Pattaya.

Pattaya is so naughty that has its own streets packed only with “happy” massage parlors. The most known are Soi Honey and Soi Post Office.

Most shops in Soi Honey are massage parlors which offer happy ending massage

Best Happy Ending Massage Shops In Pattaya

Small shops usually run by a older freelancers now become a mamasang. You’ll notice that most of the girls are coming from the same area in Thailand as the mamasang.

Pros of Happy Ending Massage Shops:

The cheapest sexual massage available;

Thai girls working on these places know how to touch you;

The atmosphere is traditional, yet you can hear the neighbor having pleasure;

Many girls are new to this line of work.

It’s intimate;

You can bargain down the price directly with the girls.

Cons of Happy Ending Massage Shops:

If you feel shy, you might get embarrassed to be naked with a masseur;

BJ is expensive compared to full service;

Whenever you want a traditional Thai massage with a happy ending, I recommend to visit:

Soi Honey

There are about 10 naughty massage shops on this street which offer all-inclusive services for 1.000 baht or HJ for 500 baht.

Don’t expect a traditional Thai massage here because the girls want only boom-boom. If you ask me, they are a bit lazy.

There are two massage shops with ladyboys if you want to try something different.

The best massage parlors are:

• Paradise Massage

This massage shop is the first one on the left when walking from Soi Buakhao and LK Metro.

There are many hot girls working there, any time of the day at least 10 sitting outside. They’re forward to business having a sign that clearly states their service with the price.

They have a big room upstairs which is noise (too many men mooning), so ask your girl to go for the quite rooms.

Don’t expect a massage, but a full blow.

• Up To You Massage

next to Paradise Massage is basically the same. I think the owner is the same because the places are similar and the girls look like being trained the same.

Best Soapy Body to Body Massage In Pattaya

Soapy massage is a Thai tradition that is clean and fun!

If you visit Thailand and Pattaya for the first time, you must try out a body to body massage. In my experiences around the world, I’ve never seen a soapy massage shop, but only in Thailand.

Basically, in these places the girls are divided by price: 2.000 baht, 2.500 baht and 3.000+ baht.

Body to body massage girls waiting in the fish bowl for customers

They offer an all-inclusive service offering a bath, body to body massage and boom boom.

Pros of Soapy Body to Body Massage Parlors:

Fix price;

It’s fun to feel the girl’s body massaging you;

Take 90 minutes to complete.

Cons of Soapy Body to Body Massage Parlors:

The atmosphere is mercenary and controlled;

It’s expensive;

The girls are trained to follow instructions resulting in little intimacy between you and her;

Can’t talk to girls before selecting one.

If you would like to learn more, check out the list off best soapy massage parlors in Pattaya.

–BEST PLACES TO MEET LADYBOYS IN PATTAYA

Ladyboys are transgender. They look like women, actually they are more beautiful than women but with a small difference, they have a dick.

Having said that, a few ladyboys went throw out full surgery and have a pussy.

Pattaya has a big ladyboy population and so there are many ways to meet one for fun. You might try just for the experience, or maybe it’s just your thing.

Ladyboys Bars in Pattaya

There are quite a few ladyboys bars in town, the only downside is that they are scattered around Pattaya.

Ladyboy dancing in La Bamba Bar in Soi 13/1 in Pattaya

The best ladyboy’s bars are:

• Katoey’s R Us

The one and only Gogo-Ladyboy-Bar in Pattaya.

Located in Soi Diamond nearby Walking Street, this a Go Go bar has some good looking ladyboys. All in all this a Go Go function like a girl Go Go bar with dancers, shows and bar fine.

The staff is direct and a bit pushy with drink, but after all is a ladyboy bar, right?

• Lita Bar

Discreet ladyboy bar in Soi Post Office.

The bar is small and cozy and offers a discreet environment to relax and enjoy. They look after you, play with you and want to get you to satisfy because they are horny.

If they come to know that you’re there only for a beer, they’re going to leave you alone.

Ladyboys Massage Parlor in Pattaya

By walking around Pattaya it’s almost impossible don’t get offered a massage by a ladyboy.

Many of them work in regular massage shops alongside girls, which make it confusing. However, this type of ladyboy masseurs aren’t the finest one.

The sexiest ladyboy masseurs work in dedicated only ladyboys massage parlors, and the best areas to get a happy ending massage :

Soi Chaloem Phrakiat 25

Just off Soi Buakhao, this small road is packed with only happy ending massage parlors. There are about 15 shops, and in the middle, there is an only ladyboy massage shop.

Those ladyboys are hot and have lovely boobs job, great for a body to body massage.

The good think about this area is that massage services are way cheaper than other touristic busier places.

The typical rates are:

HJ 400 baht;

BJ 800 baht;

Full service 1.000 baht.

Soi 13/1

This lively street not only is home of the famous La Bamba Bar which is a ladyboy bar, but has two massage parlors with ladyboys.

The shops are near Starbucks on the end with beach road.

The prices are 20% more expensive than Soi Chaloem Phrakiat 25.

Soi 6 in South Pattaya

Alongside beach road, there is a small street with a 6 sign. In there, there are 3 busy happy ending massage parlors that offer boom boom service.

The first massage shop has only ladyboy masseurs.

The prices are similar to Soi 13/1, but don’t forget to negotiate before getting the massage.

Ladyboys On Dating Sites

If you would like to have a serious relationship with a ladyboy or just have fun during your holiday, you can meet ladyboys on Thai Friendly.

This dating site has a section dedicated for the search of ladyboys. There are about 60 ladyboys registered in Pattaya ready to meet you.

–THINGS TO DO IN PATTAYA FOR ADULTS (WITH A LOCAL GIRL)

• Alcazar Cabaret – The most famous theater performance in Pattaya where the actors are all ladyboys. Not only is a must to see for you, but your Thai girlfriend is going to love it too because is funny and entertaining.

Finish the show you have the opportunity to take a photo with the beautiful ladyboys while wearing their costumes.

• Elephant Jungle Sanctuary – You’re going to spend a day in the jungle riding an elephant and doing interesting activities like feeding them.

A wonderful experience to have with your loved one and get memorable pictures together.

• Meet Girls Online – While relaxing in your hotel room, seduce Thai girls on Thai Friendly. This is a good habit to pipeline girls on the go.

• Kohlan Island – As you might know, Pattaya beaches are very dirty. So, if you want to swim you must go somewhere else.

Just offshore Pattaya there is an island with clean beaches where you can swim and play with your girlfriend.

Take the boat from the Pier and have a day relaxing on white sand beaches.

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