Australia on a budget

Posted by Freyja Oddsdóttir - 05/03/10 at 11:03:07 am

As far as most backpackers are concerned, Australia sprang into being about five years ago, a continent full of good food and drink, with great transport links and accommodation facilities, and populated by friendly, helpful English-speaking locals.

Visitor numbers have increased rapidly, so much so that backpackers are now a vital part of the Australian economy. The government has started to recognise how important they are but they used to think that they didn’t spend much money. Now it’s recognised that they leave more cash behind than normal visitors, because they’re here for much longer and also because they tend to fork out more on excursions and trips, and activities such as bungee jumping and scuba diving.

So after my budget Australia adventure, I decided it was time to leave some tips on how to spend as little as possible in this relatively expensive country.

Sightseeing costs are an expense that you must be wary of.  In Sydney, instead of paying $19.80 to ascend the AMP Centrepoint Tower or $117 to traverse the span of the Harbour Bridge, canny backpackers head up the Harbour Bridge’s south-east pillar, accessible via the stairs in Cumberland Street for $5! Similarly, in Melbourne, backpackers avoid the Rialto Towers Observation Deck with its $9 entrance fee and head for the Cafe La on the 35th floor of the Sofitel Tower. Some visitors restrict their visit to the men’s room where a glass wall yields a panorama extending to the Dandenong Range to the east and the Macedon Ranges to the north!

Back on the ground, instead of taking a Sydney Harbour cruise, budgeteers hop on commuter ferries (Manly is popular) for further savings. Over in Melbourne they board trams which traverse much of the city at much less expense.

Now, most of those travelling to Australia would be quite keen to see a kangaroo. However, you would be surprised to hear how expensive it is to lay your eyes on this signature animal of Australia unless you’re lucky enough to stumble upon one in the bush. Entrance to the zoos range from AUD$50 and up, making it difficult to see a kangaroo on a budget. However, there is a cheaper alternative to experiencing a kangaroo… you can simply go to a supermarket and you’ll find that kangaroo meat is not only easy to find and generally healthy, it’s also the cheapest meat you’ll find! I recommend a kangaroo steak marinaded in herbs and garlic to pop on the barbie… it’s delicious.

Many people don’t realize that Australia is actually larger than the mainland of Europe, which makes driving around quite time consuming and expensive. Flying between the large cities  is probably your best option, but if you are still keen to try driving you may wanna consider buying a car, especially if you’re staying for a while. Then, you simply sell it before you leave the country… and if you plan smartly, you can even sell it with profit! If you’re not staying for such a long time, you can look for those people who have bought a car as they’re usually looking for travel companions to share costs. Check noticeboards at hostels or anywhere that’s frequented by travellers.

If you’re serious about budget travelling, check out Dohop’s guide to Big Cities for less below!

South Africa-Part VI: An afternoon in Ixopo (e-copo)

Posted by Júlíana Björnsdóttir - 22/02/10 at 08:02:32 am

After a sunny Sunday, another week begins with a sky clad in heavy clouds.  Yesterday was spent lizarding by the pool while overlooking the magnificent valley beneath, in between dips.

Today, on our third day at the Suntide Lodge we wake up to a chill in the air, along with drops of rain.  Having to buy supplies for growling bellies, we decided to have lunch at Auntie Dawn’s café, known for its chicken and beef schwarma.

The café is located off the main road of Ixopo.  My preconceptions of the café were made through the connotation of the name.  I was expecting a quaint English café serving tea, cakes and biscuits.  Instead we found a lovely local café, using simple garden furniture and rose wallpaper.  The menu was quite diverse, serving breakfast and lunch.  We found ourselves seated in the corner of the café instead of being in a secluded garden.  Nonetheless the service was great, my chicken schwarma was divine, and the filter coffee was delish.

After lunch my mother-in-law went to get a new dress for the help, and along the way we found a sportswear shop, called Lanza´s Fashion.  My husband did not find the Kaiser Chiefs t-shirt, but I found the cutest dress to wear with leggings, both for myself, and my younger sister, for R50 each.

Ixopo itself is a farming town.  We got a pretty good taste of local life as today was the first day of the New Year, and locals queued up along the pavements to pick up their salary.

In Ixopo there is a Spar-supermarket stocked in accordance to the local clientele. Large bags of rice, brown sugar, wheat, and maize weighing up to 25kg each sat on the shelves as we entered.  The meat selection is quite out of the ordinary for city people; you got chicken feet and chicken heads, often referred to as walkie-talkies by South Africans. Also I came across ox intestines (tribe) and lungs.

A taste of rural South Africa is well worth a few hours of driving in the heat.  For visitors of Kwazulu-Natal, a stay at an Inn/country hotel/chalet in the Drakensberg area is an ideal choice to get a taste of not only spectacular landscape, but to be exposed to the richness of farmlands, and farm communities such as Ixopo.

In my next blog I will write about Durban!

Drink your way around the globe

Posted by Freyja Oddsdóttir - 29/01/10 at 04:01:46 pm

For those of you that didn’t make a New Year’s resolution to drink less, sampling local beverages is a great excuse for a trip around the world… or at least a few spots that have exceptionally good signature drinks. For some travellers, it’s simply an excuse to ditch the sightseeing and head to the pub but for others, it’s very much a part of the cultural experience – just think of the Singapore Sling, Scotch whisky or French champagne! This is Dohop’s contribution to your inspiration for next vacation.

Most encounters with tequila involve a lick, sip, suck and the most screwed-up facial expression possible in humans. It takes a trip to Mexico to appreciate the true spirit of its native firewater. The incoming street to the town Tequila is lined with shops stocked with bottles and barrels filled with the town’s namesake drink. From there, you can self-drive around the distilleries dotted across spiky fields of blue agave, the plant used to make tequila. The so-called Tequila Route (Highway 15) cuts through valleys and villages, with various stops to taste the local version. In the capital, El Estribo (The Stirrup) is an upscale lounge bar serving more than 300 varieties of tequila – the largest selection in the world and in Cancun, you can visit a cucina serving 150 types of tequila; the other half is a tequila museum. Theory and practice!

New York City is so synonymous with cocktails that three of them are named after its boroughs: the Manhattan (whiskey, sweet vermouth and bitters), the Bronx (martini and orange juice) and the Brooklyn (bourbon, dry vermouth and maraschino liqueur). But thanks to a certain television series, it’s the Cosmopolitan that has become the most famous – a sweet blend of vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice and fresh lime. The Sex and the City tour includes a stop where coach loads of women can have a Cosmo at Onieals, also known as Scout, the bar owned in the show by Aidan and Steve. However, unless you’re a diehard fan, there are better cocktail bars in town. For truly skilled mixologists, head to Death & Company where a Cosmo is so 1999 that it’s not even on the menu here. The clientele would never dare ask for one out loud but if you don’t care about your street credit, go for it and remember to leave a tip: a few dollars for each cocktail will ensure that your next round is a little stronger.

You would think a simple beer was the same the world over but, when it comes to Guinness, its fans are as bad as the wine snobs. The consensus is that Guinness tastes better in Ireland… in Dublin, where it’s brewed, to be exact. Served at room temperature, “the black stuff” has to be poured in a specific way – the glass is tilted at a 45-degree angle until three-quarters full, then after the stout has been allowed to settle, it’s topped up to create the creamy head. The process takes a good five minutes and a true fan is willing to wait. Distinguished by its black and white colours and almost-burnt barley flavour, Guinness is an acquired taste for some but a religion for others.

Try a vodka in Russia, sake in Japan, and beer in Belgium or Germany… make it your excuse for a trip around the world!

Living landmarks and Local Characters

Posted by Freyja Oddsdóttir - 09/12/09 at 09:12:55 am

There are only so many museums and monuments before you start to long for a travel experience that has a bit more of a personality. Luckily enough, there’s more to sightseeing than buildings and beaches! In most cities there’s always that one person that everyone knows; perhaps they embody the spirit of that area, or maybe they’re just funny, but they’re always interesting.

The Naked Cowboy (New York) is possibly the world’s most famous living landmark. In the middle of Times Square, Robert John Burck plays his guitar wearing nothing but underwear, a cowboy hat and boots… when I saw him in the month of February I was quite concerned about him getting cold, but amazingly enough I realized that his skin was steaming hot when I leaned against him to have my picture taken! Don’t worry if you won’t be in Manhattan soon—the Naked Cowboy occasionally takes his kitschy act on the road!

Blanket Man (Wellington, New Zealand) is a homeless man who resides on the sidewalk in the precincts of Courteny Place which has 24 hour activity.
He claims that wearing as few clothes as are legally allowable is an act of religious observance and is tempted from time to time to remove all his clothing with the consequent attendance of Police Officers. His name refers to his usual mode of dress which is either a loin cloth or briefs and a single blanket, whatever the weather.

Amma (Kerala, India) is as big a draw as any conventional tourist attraction. Amma, who has been called “the hugging saint,” embraces as many as 50,000 people daily at her ashram in southern India. Her hugs have been said to cure diseases and change lives. Amma travels extensively as a humanitarian, so check her schedule before you go and be prepared to wait in line for such a sought after snuggle.

The Rat-Cat-Dog Guy (San Francisco, USA) usually hangs out on one of the city’s bustling streets. Why would you wanna see him? Well, he takes a rat, and puts it on a cat. Then he puts that cat on a dog. Perhaps he’s making a statement. Maybe he just likes stacking things. Either way, it’s pretty cool!

The flip-flop Man (West-Central, Florida) can be seen running or walking thousands of miles every year, always in flip-flops. He covers 25 to 50 miles a day, rain or shine. He quit drinking in 1989 and turned to running as a substitute and wears flip-flops because they are close to going barefoot…  even marathon runners have a hard time keeping up with the 63-year-old!

Sometimes just being seen is enough to make someone a local character. The blog Find He-Man chronicles the sightings of a muscular but unnamed man spotted in Manhattan. There are plenty of pictures and reader contributions, but also flights of fancy which make it hard to discern what’s real and what’s fictional about the site. Still, there are those pictures… and an occasional video.

Off the beaten track – Malekula, Vanuatu

Posted by Freyja Oddsdóttir - 27/11/09 at 09:11:35 am

When I hear Vanuatu, I first think of the reality tv show Survivor. In fact, that’s about as far as my knowledge of Vanuatu goes! That’s exactly why I decided that it was the perfect destination to have a trip into the unknown.

After having bought my tickets, I couldn’t resist picking up Lonely Planet on the South Pacific and read a bit about my destination. Apparently missionaries started making their way to Vanuatu decades ago but most of them were eaten as soon as they stepped foot on the ground. Vanuatu consists of nearly 100 islands and the one that I’m going to is called Malekula. The name is derived from the french, mal á cul or literally, pain in the ass. The name is inspired by cannibals, volcanic activity and other unpleasant features at the time of the island’s discovery. Nowadays the islanders have taken up christianity and more civilized habits although luxuries such as running water and electricity haven’t been brought to them.

I was told by someone who lived there for a while that the people of Malukula haven’t eaten their guests since the 1950s. Actually, at that time they had already given up cannibalism but there was this western guy who thought that the island people should change their eating habits back. The story goes that he lived in the bushes in Malekula and popped up every now and then to annoy the islanders, until they got fed up with him and ate him.

Either way, Vanuatu is a great place for getting of the beaten track as well as enjoying a holiday in prestigious resorts. You can have a cocktail at the pool or stay in a village with the locals and enjoy basic life without the luxuries of the western world. It’s up to you!

World’s weirdest hotels

Posted by Freyja Oddsdóttir - 06/11/09 at 11:11:04 am

Have you ever wanted to live with giraffes or sleep with the fish in the sea? Or do you simply wanna try something weird like sleeping in an open sewer or an escape pod? Now you can, because Dohop has found you the weirdest hotels in the world!

Giraffe Manor in Langata, Kenya, is arranged so that roaming giraffes can poke their heads into any open window or doorway and lather guests with their sticky, prehensile tongues. Talk about a friendly wake up call! Your guesthouse is their guesthouse, so the silly creatures pop up everywhere, including over the breakfast table, in the lobby, and through the curtains.

Jules’ Undersea Lodge in Florida, USA, is a former marine lab, 21 feet underwater, close to the bottom of the mangrove-filled Emerald Lagoon, in Key Largo. Guests will have to scuba dive to reach their room, and if you don’t have the mandatory certification you must take a course at the hotel. Once in your room, you’ll see angelfish, anemones, barracuda, oysters, and other creatures through your 42-inch window.

Das Park Hotel in Linz, Austria consists of three unadorned, 10-ton segments of drainage pipe, each 6.5 feet in diameter and barely long enough to accommodate a double bed. Artist and designer Andreas Strauss punched the pipes with skylights, added doors with electronic locks, and placed it by the Danube River. Amenities are skimpy, as you might expect: You get a lamp, a mattress, and a few sleeping bags. On the bright side, the hotel has no fixed rates. You leave whatever amount you think is fair.

Dog Bark Park Inn in Cottonwood, Idaho USA, is a two-story, beagle-shaped B&B. Guests enter the structure from the deck that lines one side of the pup’s rib cage. The main quarters are in the belly of the beast; the sleeping loft is in the pooch’s head. And, yes, pets are allowed.

The Capsule Hotel consists of bright-orange ’70s-era escape pods for easy visibility and rotates its fleet around the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe. At the moment, two are in the western Dutch town of Vlissingen and another is in The Hague. The pods once hung outside oil rigs, ready to be deployed in case of an evacuation but these are different times and now you can opt to book your pod with a disco ball and all the James Bond movies on DVD.

The Igloo Village can be found at multiple locations in Switzerland. The Swiss have plenty of snow but no igloos, so an enterprising hotelier in Scuol built one. The beds are made of snow and price of a night’s accommodations includes a down-filled sleeping bag rated for North Pole expeditions.

Don’t worry if you budget is tight or if you would like a fancier experience… Das Park Hotel is ideal for backpackers and Harlingen Harbour Crane suits those looking for something extravagant.. this list is just the top of the iceberg!

Wellington in one day…on a budget!

Posted by Freyja Oddsdóttir - 28/10/09 at 10:10:44 am

Should you find yourself with a day to spare in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, you should consider yourself lucky as there is plenty of things to do and see… and the best of all is that most of them are free!

One of the coolest things about Wellington is the national museum, Te Papa. What? You don’t like museums? Not to worry, I don’t really like them either…  but this one is no ordinary museum. It is colourful and interactive and there is a house where you can experience an earthquake as well as see a colossal squid recently caught in the South Pacific. You have nothing to lose but time since entrance is free!

Another must-do is a walk down Cuba Street which is a lively and vibrant street with small boutiques and restaurants from all over the world. Don’t be hesitant to chat with the staff, kiwis are one of the friendliest nations there are! When you’re at the bottom of Cuba Street, you can keep on going by walking past Manners Mall and to the end of Willis street where you’ll find the Old Bank Arcade, an old charming building with shops and boutiques. As soon as you step your foot inside, you’ll immediately feel like you’re 100 years back in time!

From Lambton Quay (where the Old Bank Arcade is located) you can take the cable car up to the Botanical Gardens for a great view over the city centre. If you want a better look of the whole city, the view from top of Mount Victoria will give you just that.

Hungry? Malaysian cuisine in one of the many Malaysian restaurants downtown will fill you up without burning a hole in your wallet (6-8 USD). You can also try Burger Fuel which has the best burger and fries I have ever had. Another thing to indulge in is coffee and cake, since Wellington has the highest number of cafés per capita in the world! Cubita, a small and cozy café on Taranaki street that serves cuban coffee and the most amazing chocolate cheesecake is a safe bet.

These are just to mention a few… so start exploring and don’t be scared to ask the locals for advice, they will be happy to help!

The Coffee-chase!

Posted by Júlíana Björnsdóttir - 27/10/09 at 09:10:29 am

Last Friday morning was rather unusual for me, I found myself roaming around Kringlan, Iceland’s first shopping mall, and actually purchasing a couple of items. Kringlan is an excellent place to do your shopping when visiting Iceland during winter or on a rainy day.  On this particular occasion though, my initial plan, to which I stuck eventually, was to hang out at my favourite cafe, Kaffi Roma.

Ever since my Paris years coffee has not been just coffee.  A good cup of coffee is made with passion by baristas who themselves (with few exceptions) are quite particular about what makes for good coffee.  I always order the same single-shot latte with extra milk;  to me consistency in quality is the exception with most cafes, but Kaffi Roma always gets it right!

Kaffi Roma is located on the second floor of Kringlan; its location is not the quietest but to me that’s not an issue. A second branch is supposedly located on Laugavegur 118 in the centre of Reykjavík (although I am convinced the actual location is Rauðárstígur, across the street from the Kaupthing ATM).  I would most definitely recommend with Kaffi Roma if you are as particular (and passionate) as I myself am where it comes to good coffee. Not to mention that occasionally I even get a chance to refresh my Spanish a bit as the cafe in Kringlan is run, or at least managed, by a native Spanish-speaker!

What I would appreciate is if those of you who read this blog take a minute and let us know what your favourite cafe is where you live, and where it is located.  I for one would find that very useful!

Massaging South East Asia

Posted by Erna Eiríksdóttir - 26/10/09 at 09:10:55 am

When traveling in Asia, long flights, hours on trains, more hours on buses, hours on foot while exploring something new, uncomfortable beds and even an upset belly are bound to follow you. A good massage seems to fix all of the world’s problems – the problem is that there are too many of them. The following is a list of the most common massages to have.

Khmer Massage: Your body will be massaged with a body. After changing in to pajamas your tiny masseuse will stretch you in all directions and massage your body with her entire body. For a sore body that needs to be set straight, this massage is terrific. The masseuse frequently puts all her body weight on one spot of your body to help the muscles loosen up. My favorite part of the massage is when the girl sort of kneels on your back and puts her hands under your arms (your hands locked behind your head) and holds your neck. She proceeds to swing you around, slowly at first, until she really cracks it and you think your back is going to break in million pieces. However, you do feel like a million bucks afterwards.

Thai Massage: similar to Khmer massage except you need to participate a bit more. The massage is quite yoga-esque and differs from South to North. In S-Thailand the main focus of the massage is acupressure while in the North stretching is the focal point.

Balinese Massage: a soft aromatherapeutic oil massage from the Indonesian island of Bali. Your muscles are kneaded in a wonderful relaxing with warm, lovely smelling, oil.

Hilot: a therapy from the Philippines. As so many Asian massages it is to relieve sore joints and kneads muscles. But, Hilot is so much more, the technique is often used to reset dislocated shoulders and help with childbirth, amongst others.

Fish Massage: It is exactly what it sounds like. Tiny fishies massage you by eating you, mostly your feet and callus. Tickles a bit and feels a little odd at first, but your freshly eaten and smooth feet will love you for it. You can have fish massage in other parts of the world but this seems to be very popular in the region.

Foot massage: as the name says your feet will be massaged. Sometimes it is infused with reflexology but generally your toes and heels will be very happy campers. Best thing is that most often you get a hand massage, and a short but revitalizing head, neck and back massage too.

Lulur: one of my favorites is this lovely massage and scrub from beautiful Indonesia. Traditionally, brides to be have this treatment for 40 days before their wedding to sweeten and soften their skin. First you are massaged with coconut oil mixed with pandan leaves and cempaka flowers. Followed by a soft scrub made of rice, turmeric, jasmine and sandalwood. To end the treatment is a flower bath filled with aromatic flowers such as frangipani and jasmine along with astringent leaves. During the bath you should drink a liquid remedy called jamu which is made of turmeric, ginger, egg yolk and herbs. After the three steps of Lulur your skin will be rejuvenated and so sweetly scented

A tip for the ladies, they will, most likely, massage your breasts, especially if you have a non-traditional massage and there is no way to stop it in most cases, as the masseuses normally don’t speak English except for a few words.
Unless you go to a spa where the staff knows what they are doing I suggest that you just go with the traditional massage. I’ve had some very interesting massages through out the years in Asia, claiming to be Swedish and whatnot ended up being the same as the traditional but more expensive.

Damascus – a historical wonder

Posted by Júlíana Björnsdóttir - 20/10/09 at 10:10:16 am

When I was 21 years old I had a sense of being invincible! I wanted to experience a proper adventure, and found my solution in an overland trip.  4 months of camping, driving all the way from London to Cairo, and from Nairobi to Cape Town.  The purpose of the trip for me was to get to know the continent I had dreamed of seeing since I was a little five year old, looking at pictures from the dark continent (as Afeica was once called).  I did not want to be staying in hotels away from the nature; I wanted pure exposure to the elements.

Prior to arriving in North Africa, the trip took us through an enchanting part of the world, the Middle East.  Ten days prior to the departure date two planes flew into the World Trade Centre, changing the world as we knew it.  My plan of going to the Middle East certainly concerned my family a great deal, but I was determined to go.  And so I did, along with an equally adventurous friend of mine!

We passed through Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordon, and Egypt.  My favourite city in this part of the world, is without a doubt Damascus.  Damascus is the city in which I felt utterly miserable health-wise but the one city that fascinated me the most.  It is a wonderful city.  Unlike other cities I had visited, the buildings and the narrow streets told a story of a great city; first sign of inhabitation can be dated back as far as 8-10.000 years.

But what I loved the most was the people, the Damascene.  Syrian people are the friendliest I have ever encountered.  Being an olive-skinned brunette I did not feel like an outsider wearing my shawl to cover my hair, a long skirt to cover my legs, and a long-sleeved shirt to cover my arms and middle section.  I remember a conversation I had with a store-owner in the market by the Umayyad Mosque where he asked me why I was not married.  I was not offended in any way, I understood that in their culture that is simply a tradition.  He even offered me tea, and I politely accepted.

But I was not invincible! This city is so remarkable that yours truly, suffering from a nasty case of diarrhea, walked around on a hot day, all covered up, until I had no choice but to go back to the campsite.  Imagine looking for toilet facilities every 15 minutes!  The diarrhea part was my fault, but it was worth it… The street vendors do after all make the best kebab!

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