5 Ways to Travel on a budget by Daniel

5 Ways to Travel on a budget by Daniel

Sep 19

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  1. Air fares
         Airline tickets – Plan your journey in advance and avail the discounts that you may find on different websites. Though these sites charge you $5 service fee but it is worth it as these websites combine different flight segments from different airlines to give you a great deal.
         Round trip tickets – try looking for return tickets as usually one-way tickets are more expensive. Its kind a weird but if you don’t feel like don’t use the return ticket.

  2.  Eating
         Plan your meal – Eat before you go out as one never knows where he or she will be. This is beneficial for two reasons, one for your wallet second for your stomach as u might not find economical restaurants which tastes great.
         Cook for yourself – many people think that cooking for oneself is a hectic job, but in my opinion in the process of travel one should at least try to cook for themselves as this is economical, hygienic and quite a experience to judge what kind of cook you can do.
          Eat more in lunch then in dinner – fancy lunches are inexpensive then fancy dinners. If you take big breakfast and lunch followed by light dinner, it’s okay, this is also healthier.

    Photo credit: madlyaddictive.com

    Photo credit: madlyaddictive.com

  3.  Car rentals
           Car rental coverage – Some insurance companies and credit card merchants have rental coverage deals in order to take advantage of those who rent a car. One has to just for a rental car via credit card that might cover you. You can also check RideShareApps for Lyft driver promotions for September 2015 – Get your bonus now.
          Size matters – try to get smallest car as possible as, in a case where bigger car is not required, as the little car rent is cheap but also you save on paying for extra on gas that a bigger car needs.
          Driving is not bad – Want to take a 1 hour flight? I think driving would be preferable and convenient as, one can save his energy, which is drained when travelling via flight due to the luggage boarding then walking towards the terminals and then those congested seats to be shared with a fellow passenger. You can even take you bag where ever you want with easily while you drive.
  4.  Currency
           Watch that currency – If one does not consider of where he wants to go then just consider the exchange rate when you travel. This sometimes makes the biggest difference.
           Currency local websites – As the currency rates change rapidly, try using the local website to book your currency, this will be cheaper.

  5.  Shopping
          Duty free shops – Duty free shops are the best, many airports have these shops. One might not get a good deal from these shops but saving tax is itself an achievement and buying becomes a little less expensive.
          Tax refunds – Tax refunds are basically, money which you could claim back from the airport. As one make purchases during his stay in the country he pays the local taxes which could be claimed back at the airport by filling some forms and showing proofs. Little taxes might not bring you much but bigger taxes for huge purchases could save you some extra before leaving the country. Few countries provide these facilities for example U.K.

Summary: This article explains tips how to stay in your budget

  • How one could save money through booking advance air tickets
  • How currency exchange rates save you some amount
  • Duty free shops are the best place to make tax free purchases
  • How one could claim tax before leaving the country.

    **Guest Post by Daniel**

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Understanding the Journey of a Medical Tourist by Dan Mitroi

Understanding the Journey of a Medical Tourist by Dan Mitroi

Aug 16

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******Guest Blog Post: This post is written by Dan Mitroi******

You’re thinking about getting treatment abroad. You heard about it on your TV, on the internet, from your friends, relatives or acquaintances. Medical tourism is a highly debated topic nowadays and you can find information available everywhere. But how do you know which are the steps to be followed, how does this journey take place and which are the things to keep in mind?

Photo Credit: hitconsultant.net

Photo Credit: hitconsultant.net

Deciding to go for medical treatment abroad is a big decision for anyone. It involves the patient’s health, money, time and other types of resources. It’s important to know key aspects about the journey you are thinking to make.

First, the international patient starts a detailed research online. A lot of hospitals, medical hubs, clinics, a lot of treatment options, plenty of doctors and many testimonials from other people. Prices are also ranging depending on the destination and the treatment offered. Numerous packages that include accommodation, transportation and other facilities. Which one is the best for you? – you may be asking.

First things first: as a responsible adult, the medical tourist want to be safe during the entire trip. Wants to have plenty of options to choose from. Wants to receive advice from people with experience in this field. And that’s why the patient starts searching for a medical tourism company that offers the services needed by anyone planning this kind of journey. Companies like PlacidWay are able to help people choose among renowned hospitals, treatment options and doctors. They offer packages that include all the facilities that will make this trip facile and comfortable. Of course, the packages can be customized for each and every patient.

Photo Credit: viamed.am

Photo Credit: viamed.am

After choosing a trustworthy medical tourism company, the patient knows that there is someone there to help during the entire process. After analyzing multiple destinations, clinics, doctors, treatment options, packages and prices, together with the medical tourism consultants, the patient is able to pick the option that best fits his needs. The package that gathers everything, from transportation, accommodation, medical care, consultations, tests to after care and some days extra to visit the new place he’s never been before.

The big day has come. The patient steps into the plane, starting the real part of the journey to a healthier life and to knowing a new, exciting place. The plane is leaving and shortly, the patient arrives at the destination. The transportation to the hotel or hospital is waiting. After checking in, the medical tourist goes for his first evaluation and first lab tests. After the results, he’s ready to go. The procedure or the treatment will start the next day. The patient meets the doctor and the staff, asks questions, and makes sure everything will happen according to the plan.

Photo Credit: insurancequotes.org

Photo Credit: insurancequotes.org

After undergoing the treatment or the procedure, the patient spends some time at the after-care and, at the end enjoys some extra days visiting a new, exciting place. Healthier, happier and more accomplished.

After getting the doctor’s last recommendations, the patient is ready for departure. He steps in the plane, waiting to get home and talk about this experience he is happy about. The medical tourist lands home. He keeps in touch both with the medical tourism company and the doctor from the hospital abroad, for further updates and recommendations.

Photo Credit: medtravellr.com

Photo Credit: medtravellr.com

The entire time, the international patient keeps in touch with the medical tourism company. The role or organizations like PlacidWay is to assist the patient before, during and after the journey and make sure everything is fine.

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My Travel Must Have Items

My Travel Must Have Items

Jul 20

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As a kid, when we traveled as a family, my mother did all the packing. We would pack everything and anything. My mother’s motto was to pack for all situations. So each person ended up with two luggage and a carry on. Fast forward to 2008, when I took my first solo trip. I went to Guatemala for two months and I had a large suitcase, carry on and backpack. Guess what, I didn’t even wear more than half of what I packed. I also learned that over packing made traveling inconvenient. Since then, I have improved on my packing skills (still not an expert). For instance, when I backpacked across Colombia and Central America for a year, I had only a 60 litre backpack. Since then, I only travel with an 18inches carry on and a small backpack.

With Sarong at Tarkwa Bay beach, Lagos Nigeria 2013

With Sarong at Tarkwa Bay beach, Lagos Nigeria 2013

So you might wonder, how do I decide what to pack? Mostly, the weather of my destination decides this. I mostly pack a pair of skinny jeans, leggings, a nice dress, one or two dressy tops and a few casual tops and my medications (I have allergies and sensitive tummy). I also pack along a party shoe, scandal, flip flop, good walking shoes, a good book (I exchange it when done for another one), contact lenses and essential toiletries. A pair of sunglasses always come in handy especially when you have contact lenses on. Prescription sunglasses are other alternative for those that prefer not to use contact lenses. However the two things that I ALWAYS pack with me are a sarong and my phone.

Sarong

Sarong is vital especially for the budget traveler. The differences uses of Sarong:

  • I use it as a towel – traveling with a towel takes up space so I opt for a Sarong.
  • At the beach – since I don’t travel with a towel, my sarong serves the same purpose at the beach
  • As a scarf
  • As a covering sheet for chilly nights – I get cold real easy so sometimes when I stay in hostels, I’ve had to use my sarong at night because I was cold.
  • Recently, I had to wrap my sarong around myself in order to enter a scared site in Uganda

The best part about the sarong is it weighs nothing hence can fit in your bag. Also when used as a towel, it dries quickly since it is made of light fabric.

Sarong in San Blas Island, Panama May 2010

Sarong in San Blas Island, Panama May 2010

Cell Phone

My phone (this includes the charger, universal converter and power bank). Typically, I am not a phone person but when traveling, it makes my life easier. How I use my phone abroad:

  • I have an unlocked phone so I can get a sim card when I arrive at most countries for equivalent of USD$2. This makes it easier to coordinate with my local contacts and friends.
  • I don’t have a camera so my phone serves as my camera.
  • My favorite part is the apps (Google Map, AirBnB, Couchsurfing, Currency Converter & WalkLogger).
  1. Google Map: I struggle with directions so my phone comes to my aid. During my travel in Nairobi, Kenya this July, locals I asked for directions were unable to give me exact directions so I turned to Google Map and Voila, I get directions to where I’m going. I remembered the time a taxi driver in Istanbul tried to take a longer route to get more money off me, Google Map saved the day. I simply turned on the map and politely asked why he wasn’t taking that route. The expression on his face was priceless.

    With Sarong wrapped around in Uganda 2015

    With Sarong wrapped around in Uganda 2015

  2. I recently started using AirBnB on my two months summer trip. I would send a request for a place in Mombasa, Kenya while I was traveling in Zanzibar, Tanzania a while before my trip to Kenya. The app made this possible.
  3. Currency converter app made it very convenient for me. This summer, I planned to visit 11 countries with varying currencies and exchange rates. It also helped when exchanging money (making sure I wasn’t getting cheated) or when buying something.

Note: using my phone while traveling is convenient for me, first because I use T-Mobile and with its global coverage, I have access to free unlimited texts and data in about 100 countries. For the countries not included in T-Mobile global coverage, I use the data package for the local sim card I purchased. 

What are your two must have items when traveling?

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The Exotic Layover

The Exotic Layover

Jul 9

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Desert Camp - Dubai

Desert Camp – Dubai

I’ve been great at making the most of my layover. When I found out I had layovers in both Abu Dhabi and Seychelles I excitedly email the airline to extend my layover from the original 4 hours to a few days. I extended Abu Dhabi to 48hours and Seychelles to 4 days. They extended it at no charge :).

Abu Dhabi/Dubai

I landed in Abu Dhabi around 1am, went through the smiley immigration lady and took the free Etihad bus to Dubai. Arrived at the hotel 3 hours later and went straight to bed after booking desert safari tour for later in the day (last minute planning). Woke up a few hours later to admire my hotel – I had a one bedroom apartment to myself :).

Desert Camp - Dubai

Desert Camp – Dubai

Around 4pm, I got picked up for the evening desert safari. We started out slow, visiting a store where they try to sell you everything under the sun. Lol. I bought a scarf and the full caftan dress. Then the fun started, the drive to the desert was scary as hell. I managed not to be scared, maybe because of the really annoying girl who screamed the whole time. Anyways, got to the camp in the desert. Rode a camel for the first time ever! Met a girl from Ukraine, had henna done and enjoyed a yummy dinner at sunset. Great way to spend my first 24 hours in UAE :).

Dubai

Dubai

Next day, I was to do a city tour but it was cancelled so I took a taxi to Emirate mall to do the hop off hop on city bus tour. Expensive. $65 for the cheapest rate. Anyways got to see a lot in Dubai like this. At 3pm, took a shared taxi back to Abu Dhabi for $4. Went straight to the airport to check in my bags and left again to see the Grand Mosque. Sadly, by the time I got there, the mosque was closed to tourists as it was time for breaking fast. Went back to the airport and waited for my flight to Seychelles.

This was some expensive layover. In 48hours, I spend close to USD$500 hotel included. However, intriguing experience it was. I want to revisit after Ramadan fasting is over.

Desert Camp - Dubai

Desert Camp – Dubai

Seychelles

This country is great at catering to luxury travelers. The cheapest available place I could find was 88 Euros a night (the most I’ve ever paid for accommodation)! And this is for a basic standard place. Thank God, it was just for one night. I stayed with a couchsurfer for the remaining three nights.

This was also the second time on my summer trip that I would have a sh**y experience at immigration. I was bombarded with several questions. They called my guesthouse to confirm my reservation and escorted me to an ATM to check how much money I had. I think I handled it well (with a slight attitude off course) especially when I was asked why am I traveling alone. My response (in my very Nigerian attitude)–‘because I can plus I have the money to’!

Victoria, Mahe

Victoria, Mahe

Left the airport to my guesthouse which was about 20mins away uphill. The view at the guesthouse was amazing. The lady in charge gave me a ride to town where I did a bit of sightseeing in Victoria – the capital of Seychelles. I took the bus back – that was the easier part. The painful part was walking up a very steep hill to the guesthouse. Never again!

The next day, I hired the same taxi driver for a tour of Mahe Island for USD$106 (1500 Rupees). Money well spent. The island is amazing, every town has an amazing beach. The most popular are Anse Major, Anse Lilot, Sunset and Beau Vallon beaches. We stopped at the tea factory and a few non-beach attractions. Mahe (the biggest island in Seychelles) is absolutely beautiful. Later in the day, I met up with the couchsurfer I was going to stay with at Beau Vallon. There was a street fair – lots of food, drink and performance.

View from my guesthouse (Day)

View from my guesthouse (Day)

Following day which was a Thursday, I went to a smaller island – La Digue. I was torn between that and another island Praslin but locals recommended La Digue since I had just a full day to explore. There was no direct boat to La Digue so took the ferry first to Praslin before taking another to La Digue. One special thing about La Digue is that you can ride your bicycle or walk around the island. Since I don’t ride bikes, I walked. I didn’t walk the whole island, only walked half of it (10miles long). I went to the number 1 beach in world (Anse Source d’Argent). I cannot do justice to this beach by describing it. You walk through rocks to get there. Once there, there are lovely rocks at various location making the beach look divine! Oh, before getting to the beach, you pass by a tortoise pen when you see massive tortoise.

20150625_102424

After exploring and chilling at the beach, I passed by two other equally beautiful beaches (Anse La Reunion & Anse La Passe) before getting to Anse Severe beach.  Concluded my day in La Digue with delicious late lunch at Fish trap restaurant – close to the jetty (ferry back to Praslin-Mahe). You can choose to sit outside on the beach or inside where you still have a beach view. At 4.30, took the ferry back to Praslin then another to Mahe.

Mahe tour

Mahe tour

My last day in Seychelles, I went to work with my host. She teaches at a Montessori school and I was curious on how things worked at Montessori schools. The kids loved me :), they thought I was their new teacher. Left at noon and pretty much relaxed at Sunset beach until early evening. That night, we partied. First at Eden Island (a manmade island for the rich that is connected to Mahe by a bridge) and ended up at a club in Beau Vallon. We got back home at around 4.30am and I had to wake up at 6.30 for the airport. So no sleep for me.

Note: I was able to experience these two countries only because I made good use of my layover.

My trip continues on to other countries in East Africa. Seychelles was a brilliant introduction to East Africa.

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Sneak Peek: The Western Europe Trip

Sneak Peek: The Western Europe Trip

Jul 4

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Iceland

Iceland

I just completed my first trip across four countries in Europe. See, Europe has not been on my radar hence the delay in visiting. A deal came up on WOW airline to Reykjavik, Iceland from Baltimore, Maryland for only USD$156. No way was I going to pass off the deal. Another deal caught my eye – USD$600 roundtrip ticket from London to Tanzania. That’s two Western European countries booked. I figured I might as well add two more.

Iceland

I arrived at the airport pretty early. They weigh your bags and make you pay for extra pounds/kilos. Boarded the flight from Baltimore airport. Flight was delayed two hours. The airline is real low cost because they don’t even serve you water! You thirsty, you pay 2 Euros for a bottle water. Arrived safely in Iceland and we booked a bus ticket to town. The bus was supposed to drop us off first since our Airbnb place was not too far from the airport. However, they put us on the wrong bus, dropped off everybody at their hotel, take us back to the main bus terminal before putting us on the right bus. Already getting pissed because we had booked an 11am tour of blue lagoon, so with all, we were wasting time.

Iceland

Iceland

We drop off at the spot the Airbnb host told us but we didn’t know what directions – all he gave was the address, no detailed directions. We walked in the wrong direction (in the cold with no gloves), asked someone for directions and started back on the right track. Finally we got to the place, dropped our bags and hurried to a nearby hotel where our 11am tour was leaving from. They never came to pick us or we missed them. Either ways, we had to pay for one way transport to the blue lagoon. We get there and they can’t find our reservation. Thankfully, I had an email confirmation showing prove of payment. Clearly, nothing has happened as planned since our arrival in Iceland. We mentioned this to the lagoon attendant and he gave us a free towel rental & free drink voucher (15 Euros value). That put a smile on our angry & frustrated faces.

Reykjavik, Iceland

Reykjavik, Iceland

Sightseeing in Iceland

Blue Lagoon is great because of its color and temperature. We also did the saunas and little pool inside. We stayed about 2.5hours before leaving. Now, people have asked me if the Blue Lagoon is worth it. I don’t have an answer for that. True it is pricey and much overpriced but it can be an experience of a lifetime.

The next two days, we went on three overpriced tours. The experience was amazing but the price drained my wallet. We did the golden circle, south coast, city and sunlight at midnight tour. I wasn’t adventurous with the food as I refused to try shark and whale. I tried the Lamb stew which was delicious. My favorite was the south coast tour mostly because of waterfalls.

Iceland

Iceland

Two highlight from my Iceland trip are 1) the sun never setting: I’ve never experienced this before so it was fascinating to look outside just before going to bed at 1am and it’s not dark.  2) My travel buddy: I carefully select who I travel with because I can’t do drama. So many things did not go as planned on this trip and I love how we both handled the situation.

Iceland was the most expensive country I visited in Western Europe. I spent about $160 a day and I was pretty cheap. For example, I got grocery that way I wouldn’t need to eat out for breakfast and some lunch. We also stayed at an Airbnb on the outskirt of town because it was way cheaper.

Paris

Paris

Paris

Next stop was to the city of love. I was fortunate to stay with a friend I met at a hostel in Cartagena, Colombia way back in 2009. I actually liked Paris. The people were kind to me and helped with directions even though I didn’t speak French. I visited Versailles – this palace is impressive! I walked 9 miles exploring the palace and I skipped several places in the palace.  Off course, I went to the Eiffel Tower. I took the elevator (too lazy to climb the stairs) to the top of the tower. Amazing view.

My host took me to a lounge in Chateau Eleysee area. The crowd is mostly North African. It was great seeing North Africans jamming to Nigerian music J. I also got to see them dancing to North African (mostly Algerian) music. The girls’ moves are similar to belly dancing and the guys move mostly upper body and hands. A famous Algerian musician performed as well.

I tried going to Louvre museum. First time going, it closed a few minutes before I got there and second time, the line was way tooooo long. Next time, maybe.

Paris

Paris

I got the chance to hang out with a friend from Guadaloupe. We met at a conference in Costa Rica in 2011 and stayed in contact. She cooked a typical food from Guadaloupe – Colombo chicken. Yummy. I also got to hang out briefly in a couchsurfer friend from Paris that I met in Lagos over two years ago. Had dinner with him and another couchsurfer. I tried goat cheese for the first time and I think I love it. If you know me, you will know I dislike cheese but goat cheese might change that, who knows.

I had just 3 days in Paris, not enough if you ask me. This is one city I’ll definitely revisit with pleasure.

London

London

London

London, I finally made it to London lol. So a lot of Nigerians have been unimpressed with my travels because I had not visited London. London to some Nigerians represent paradise. I call it colonial mentality. Britain colonized Nigeria until Oct 1st, 1960. Pretty recent.

I stayed with a friend. I met this friend in Guatemala in 2008, we met at a park, went for drinks and parted ways without exchanging contact info. Fast forward to 2012 in Lima, Peru at an event celebrating Afro-Peruvian heritage at the National museum, we meet again J. Small world. This time, we stayed in touch and voila, she hosts me in London.

London

London

We went to a film screening – interesting film and conversation.  I tried a typical food – the Sunday Roast. Yummy. Forget fish & chips, Sunday Roast is dope. I met up with three other friends. Two of which I met for the first time. We belong to the same travel group. The third, I met in Lagos where we worked on a summer camp project together.

I was a touristJ. I went to London bridge (I had to) – growing up, the song -London bridge is falling down- was a staple lol. Went to Buckingham Palace, London Eye, Big Ben and some more. Given that I had just 4 days in London, I did a lot of sightseeing.

London is expensive!

Ireland

Ireland

Dublin

My last city in Western Europe. Happens to be my favorite city thus far on the European travel. I stayed in great hostel on O’Conell street – close to everything you need in the city center. I stayed in their 6 bed female dorm for 19 Euros. This included breakfast which was quite good – yogurt, boiled eggs, bread, cereal, fruits and juice.

Ireland

Ireland

I did the hop on hop off city tour bus from where I explored the Guinness Store house, Kilmainham Goal jail house and others sites. The view on the 7th floor of the Guinness storehouse is amazing. I enjoyed the Kilmainham Goal jail house the best. I love Ireland’s history so for me, it was informative. I also did the tour of Glendalough and Powerscourt Gardens. I enjoyed Glendalough best, the small lake is amazing, sad I wan’t able to see the bigger lake. The tour did not give sufficient time in my opinion.

I met up with a friend that I met while traveling in Quito, Ecuador in 2011. He showed me around Dublin every day after work. I would be coming back to Ireland for sure. But this time around, I want to visit Belfast and other cities. Although I had a sh**y experience with the Irish immigration officer, I’m glad I didn’t let that affect my experience in the city.

 

This trip was an introduction to Europe for me. I reconnect with amazing folks I met while traveling in Latin America (my favorite region thus far J). See, traveling open doors

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Posted in France, Iceland, Ireland, UK

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For the love of Jamaica

For the love of Jamaica

Jun 9

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20150601_143726I just concluded my third visit to Jamaica :). I try to explore something new each time I visit. I didn’t visit a new city or do any of the activities I intended to do :(. However, I explored Kingston :). My first time is Kingston was in April 2014 for a conference. I didn’t get to see the city though, we went from the hotel to the university. I snuck/sneaked out during the conference to see the Bob Marley’s museum and Devon’s house. Anyways, let me tell you all about Kingston (my new favorite city in Jamaica).

I got into Montego Bay at 2pm and surprisingly made the 3pm bus to Kingston since I failed to make reservation. Got into Kingston around 7.30pm and took a taxi to Reggae Hostel. Again, didn’t make a reservation but luckily there was a dorm bed available :). It’s been a habit of late for me not make have any plans for my travel. I went straight to bed since I didn’t sleep the night before the trip because off course I waited to the last minute to pack and finish up some things.20150601_14014620150601_183750

Sunday, I met up with a couchsurfer and we went for ice cream at Devon’s House & later for a stroll at the Emancipation Park. Oh my, the line at Devon’s house was tres long! We waited about 20-25 minutes in line to get ice cream but I guess it was all worth it :). Finally, I got to walk in the Emancipation Park. See, this park is right in front of the hotel I stayed at for the conference. Didn’t get to walk in this because we left the hotel very early and returned very late. Every morning, the statue stared at me or rather I stared at it. So imagine the joy in my heart or is it soul when I got to see the statue and walk in the park. Y’all already know walking is my therapy.

20150603_115337Sunday night, I went to something called Dub Club. It is not your ordinary club, as a manner of fact, I no longer enjoy the typical club scene. It stresses me out. The Dub club is like alternative church. A spiritual uprising. The music played is what you call social consciousness music. Music to uplift folks. Peace Music. Reggae Music. The ambience is dope. No judging zone. You dance anyhow your soul leads you. To top this up, the view is amazing. Since Dub Club is on the hill, you get to see the city of Kingston. What more can you ask for?  I felt peace. I embraced the peace I felt.

Monday, I went back to the Bob Marley’s museum with two French girls I met at the hostel. We also went to other tours – Tuff Gong & Trent Town. Tuff Gong is the recording studio Bob Marley recorded most of the hit album. We met an older Malaysian man who worked with Bob Marley in the studio as a technician and some sort of engineer. He told us stories of his experience working with Bob Marley. He has also visited Nigeria –specifically to Fela Kuti’s shrine. We ended the tour at Trent town, where Bob became his music career. 20150601_153410

Later in the day, I met up with a friend and enjoyed fresh coconut. At night, we went to another dub club – Inner City Dub. Same vibe as Mondays but different area. This Dub was located in Downtown Kingston on the street. Live performance, great ambiance & music as well. I recommend you attend both Dub sessions. Ask Reggae hostel for details or check out the Facebook page for Dub Club & Inner City Dub.

After Kingston, I spent two night in Ochi Rios. I went to the Dums River, met up with local friends and had a great time.

No, I didn’t do most of the activities I planned. Zip lining, encounter with the dolphins & visiting a maroon village. The cost was way out of my travel budget :(. One day.

Jamaica was the first leg of my multi-country trip. I’m in Iceland now. Going to France, UK, Ireland, UAE, Seychelles, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda & Rwanda in the coming weeks. Follow me on Instagram and Facebook for real time pictures.

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River Walk and Cool Bridge

River Walk and Cool Bridge

Apr 19

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San Antonio had been on my list of top places to visit way back when I lived in Houston. It is only a two hours drive but somehow I never made it there in my 5 years of living in Houston :(. Anyways, I finally made it San Antonio in February. It was everything I imagined it to be. 20150403_203545

So how did I end up in San Antonio? Well, a friend was coming in for a conference and invited me. Glad I accepted the invite and summoned the courage to drive 4 hours from the valley. I drove there on a Friday right after work. We dined at a restaurant in downtown San Antonio and caught up on each other’s life.

I spent Saturday exploring the river walk, the Alamo and downtown area. River Walk seem like something out of the movie. Lots of restaurants, hotels and stores ar20150404_171229e located on both sides of the river. You can even take a boat cruise on the river. I loved the energy there.

Alamo: Okay, it didn’t meet up to my expectation. I had imagined something extravagant in my head. But it was still a great place. Plus lots of museums around.

Two weeks ago, I was in Dallas. See, Dallas is not one of my favorite cities in Texas but I got friends there and we had a three day weekend so Dallas we went. I was able to experience another part of Dallas. Maybe Dallas will warm up to me gradually.

20150404_170629We arrived Friday evening after an 8hours drive from the valley. Bar hopped Friday night J. Saturday, we attended the Deep Ellum Art festival. Yummy food, beautiful overpriced arts, great ambience and cool alternative music. The funnel cake was my favorite. We ended Saturday night at a dope movie theater. We watched Fast & Furious.

Best part of the trips was that I drove. Drove solo to San Antonio and alternated driving with a friend to Dallas. Driving is not my thing so I’m glad I’m not letting it stop me from exploring Texas 🙂

I want to do more of this. I plan on exploring various cities in Texas before I leave…………So Roma, El Paso, Corpus, Laredo, Austin, San Benito, Falfurrias get ready :).

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On Caracas………

On Caracas………

Jan 7

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IMG00076-20141231-1456Prior to my trip, I experienced a mixture of excitement and anxiety. Excitement in terms of finally being able to visit a country on my bucket list and anxiety in terms, would it be as dangerous as people/mainstream media portrays it.

I did my research. I contacted folks on couchsurfing, asked my Airbnb host a lot of questions and asked friends to connect me with people they know in Venezuela. The result was awesome.

Day 1: Arrived at the airport, hassle free immigration process. Waited for my host to pick me up. No one harassed me. We arrived at host’s house and the neighborhood is pretty. Host’s house is beautiful as well in a secured building. Host shows me around neighborhood, apartment building is connected to a mall, two Metro stations are within walking distance. Several restaurants, bakery, Plaza and park are also nearby. Great!

Day 2: Host showed me how to use the Metro. Tickets are sooooo cheap 4Bolivares for one way (40cents). We went to a travel agent to see if I can book a trip to Los Roques. Sadly no availability:(. Host returned to work and I explored the area – Sabana Grande. The pedestrian only street was lined with shops, restaurants, bakery, and banks. I window shopped, people watched and explored the area before going to a plaza close to where I live to meet up with a couchsurfer.DSC01777

Couchsurfer intended to show me around the area close to where I lived. However the park and art place in Altamira area were closed. So we went to the historical center. We walked around a lot – parque Bolivar and other historical places. We stopped at this cool café – Café Bolivar for Sugar Cane juice and chocolate cake. The sugar cane juice was really good. Once we were done, we got back on the Metro to meet up with a friend of the couchsurfer. We ran into another couchsurfer from the US and chatted all the way back. We mostly talked about how Venezuela is portrayed in the news and people’s reaction when you tell them you are going to Venezuela.

Later in the evening, we drove up to El Hatillo, a colonial town 30 minutes away from Caracas. The drive was beautiful (scenery I mean). We first went to this souvenir store that the couchsufer and her friend promised will blow my mind. This store is pretty big and almost like a museum. Yes, I was very impressed. We explored for a while before going to grab something to eat.

We arrived back in Caracas late.

Day 3: I woke up pretty early (well like 9am) because I would be meeting up with the brother of a friend (well, I am yet to meet this friend, we were connected by a mutual friend. She was going to be out of the country so she asked her brother to show me around). The brother came with a Venezuelan friend of his and we headed to the historic center. We had planned to see the National Pantheon (where Simon Bolivar was buried) and other museums. Sadly 😦 it was not opened due to the forthcoming holiday. So we headed to Simon Bolivar’s house and museum. The house and museum are two separate building. The house is massive and lot of space. The museum is equally impressive 🙂

The Souvenir store in El Hatillo

The Souvenir store in El Hatillo

After we were done at the downtown area, we went to El Avila via the metro cable (teleferico). The ride up there was enjoyable. Because it was rainy, we couldn’t see the view of Caracas from Avila. We stopped for the best hot chocolate I’ve tasted thus far :). We took a jeep to a place called Galipan. We could see the view way better from down there. We took our time appreciating nature before going back up to Avila.

There was an interesting puppet show at Avila when we returned so we stayed for the show. My Spanish must be great because I understood all the jokes told :).

To end the lovely day, we went to the best bar in Caracas – 360. 360 is awesome, it is a three story building with an open roof top terrace. The first floor is indoor, you can still see the view of Caracas, and it has a mini swimming pool and several hammocks. The décor is just beautiful. Second and third floor (especially third floor) gives you an amazing view of Caracas. The drinks are great especially the mojito.

Day 4: New Year’s Eve. I did some shopping because stuffs were ridiculously cheap (for tourists). I bought two sandals, an ankle boot, a purse and four items of clothing for equivalent of US$35.

I had lunch in a fancy (Caracas standard) place for USD$5. Then I checked out the art place close to where I lived. La Estancia is the name of the place – an impressive indoor and outdoor place to play games and chill. They even had a gym equipment outside to do some exercise. Me like.

My host was having a mini get together so I went to the supermarket to get stuff – Fruits and drinks. Surprisingly, there wasn’t much of a line. My first time at this supermarket, I was in line for an hour! The supermarket is very similar to that of Cuba in that the shelves are not filled with products…they are pretty much almost empty.

DSC01934Back at the house, I helped my host in preparing for the party. Took a power nap before the party started. And spent an amazing New Year’s Eve with people I barely met. I went to bed early (about 2am) but the party continued on.

Day 5: Slept in and later went to the beach with a Venezuelan friend. We wanted to go a private beach – Marina Grande but on getting there we saw that they were closed until Jan 5th. So we went to a public beach nearby – Playa Vasito. Not bad, it was clean but slightly crowded. The water was cold! We spent most of the day at the beach.

We ended the night (my last night in Caracas) in another fancy restaurant – Las Palmas – housed inside the Hotel Altamira Suites. Dinner for two – USD$12!

Day 6: Woke up sort of early since I had to be at the airport by 10am. Again hassle free immigration process.

Overall, I am very glad I took this trip. Very glad I didn’t let people’s opinion discourage me from going. They say Caracas is very dangerous. I say it is comparable to big cities in developing country. The same precaution you use in Bogota is applicable to that in Caracas. Similar to Bogota, Colombia and Lagos, Nigeria, everyone knows someone that has been robbed.

DSC01982I loved Caracas and the people are kind. The say people are desperate in Caracas. I say people have the same level of desperation in Caracas as people from other developing countries with volatile government. In Cuba, people will ask you for clothes, soap, shampoo and other things. Nobody asked me for anything in Caracas.

My two cents, there is nothing extraordinary dangerous about Caracas. It is one of those places that you will only enjoy if someone from there shows you around. Would I go back to Venezuela? Definitely YES!!! There are several places on my list to visit there such as Los Roques, Angel Falls, Merida and Isla Margarita to name a few.

So I say Hasta La Próxima Vez Venezuela!

P.s, school resumed today. I already had a miserable day. A parent cussed me out :(.

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South of the Americas

South of the Americas

Dec 28

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DSC01657To close out the year, I decided on a trip to Colombia. My flight however stops over in San Salvador, El Salvador for 12hours on my way to and from Colombia. What to do with 12 hours layover in San Salvador? Well, I took a taxi to a hostel to nap in a real bed, met up with a couchsufer and went to El Boqueron National Park. The trail is beautiful, I got to see a volcano (first time ever). We later went to a restaurant on our way from the national park. The restaurant is great in that you can see the view of San Salvador. I love it! And the food was great too!

Initially, I wasn’t too happy with the layover in El Salvador. It was one of those countries I vowed never to return. I had a s****y experience way back in 2010. However, I’m now glad I had the opportunity to have a positive experience.DSC01528 - Copy

Now, I am in Colombia. I haven’t visited since August 2012 so it was about time. I decided to visit Cartagena (my first time since 2009). I stayed in Marbella area – directly in front of the beach and about 15mins walk to the walled city. It was my first time using Airbnb and I was pretty impressed. I met up with a guy from my contact who happens to be tour guide. He took me to his hood – they say it is the most dangerous part of Cartagena. Evidence to that, as we arrive, the police were breaking up a fight with tear gas. Anyways, I met his beautiful family and enjoyed great conversation with them. The next day, I met up with him at his organization. He has an organization that teaches children English and mentor them. You should check out the Alex Rocha Youth Center. I saw him nurture the creative side of the kids.
DSC01502 - CopyI visited Palenke de San Basilio – about 1.5hour from Cartagena. The people of Palenke are descendants of enslaved African that escaped to freedom. The colonial government couldn’t fight the people of Palenke so a treaty was signed. Overall, I had a great time in Cartagena that made me wonder why it took me so long to return. I also met up with a couchsurfer for drinks.

Currently, I’m in Bogota. I never loved Bogota until I came for an internship in 2011. But as soon as I left the airport, I question why I am here. It was cold! The thing about the cold in Bogota is that the building do not have a heating system so you are cold indoors as well. The faucet is just cold water so your hands are freezing when brushing your teeth or washing dishes #1stworldproblems. Anyways, I used Airbnb again and I was once again impressed. For USD$19/night, I got a studio to myself with everything I need! What more can a girl ask for? The place is also close to a transmileno station (subway transport).DSC01652

I met up with my BFF Christmas Eve. I don’t celebrate Christmas but she insisted on making a tradition Colombian feast. Plus, I got to see her two months old twins :).

It has been great meeting up with friends here in Bogota. But, Note to self: no need to spend 5 days in Bogota when there are warm places in Colombia to be such as Cali, San Andres or Cartagena.

I’m off on yet another adventure. Spending NYE and New Year in another South American country. Details of this trip coming soon :).

DSC01590Grateful for 2014, I had the opportunity to start 2014 in Ivory Coast and visited Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Republic of Benin, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Cuba, El Salvador and Colombia. Although, 2014 had mostly been visiting countries I have been before (except Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso & Jamaica). It was truly an honor to connect again.

I’m looking forward to 2015. Memorable trips are being planned :).

Until next time…..

Happy New Year. Wishing you all the fabulous things the universe is offering………

And thank you for reading my blog 🙂 :).

 

 

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To a New Beginning

DSC01129So much has happened since my last post in May. First, I got a job 🙂 . I moved yet again for the job. I now live in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas. I teach 5th grade ELA (English Language Arts). I love my job sometimes and other times I just don’t know. I am also a Teach For America Corp Member…….In terms of traveling, I went back to Jamaica 🙂 in July, Dallas in September, DMV in October, Mexico, Panama and Cuba in November and I’m now in Colombia. On Jamaica, I couldn’t resist the USD$250 RT flight to Montego Bay. I was super stressed after the six weeks intensive training with Teach For America and I desperately needed a break. I had just 6 days so I took the Knusford Express bus directly to Ocho Rios as soon as the flight landed in Montego Bay. I love Ocho Rios, plus it is close to the things I love such as 9 Miles (Bob Marley’s birth place) and waterfalls. I stayed two nights before decided to try something new. Off to Negril I went. I wasn’t expecting much from Negril but I ended up loving it.

DSC01103I stayed at Judy’s House – pretty cool place surrounded by nature. There I met amazing folks that made my stay memorable. I did most of the touristy things – the beach (very clean), Rick’s café and Just Natural restaurant. I will surely return to Negril :).

P.s – I have updated the Jamaica resource page….. For Thanksgiving, I always travel somewhere. This year, I went back to Cuba. Making it my third time. Cuba has its ways of making me come back. I spent a night in Mexico City on my way there and back. Layover in Panama City where I couldn’t resist going shopping. Because I was very busy prior to this trip, I barely had time to plan it. I tried reserving a Casa Particular that I stayed before but due to slow internet in Cuba, I didn’t get a response. We arrived in Havana at midnight with nowhere to stay. The ladies at the information desk got us a place in Central Havana and changed money for us (the black market rate is way better than the bank’s rate). Since it was a Sunday, we went to Callejon de Hamel when we woke up. Callejon de Hamel is an alternative Sunday service honoring the Orishas of Yoruba religion. It was amazing as usual. We spent the afternoon in Havana Vieja which hasn’t changed much except there are constructions and renovations all over the place (I think China is putting money in the development of Cuba).DSC01139 The next day, we went to Trinidad. The casa we stayed at was very close to the town center. Trinidad was very quiet and probably has the cheapest and most varieties of souvenirs. We stayed only one night and the next day, we went up to Santa Clara to see the Che Mausoleum. We had arranged a car to pick us up from Trinidad, take us to Santa Clara and drop us off in Veradero. All for 120 CUC (about USD$140).  It was special being in the Che’s museum and mausoleum again (I’m a Che fanatic). The museum had all these rare photos for him from childhood to death. His beret, uniform, gun, water bottle……..it had everything CHE! After the visit, we arrived in Veradero late evening. Again changing money on the black market. Black market rate gives us between 90-96CUC for USD$100 while the bank rate is 87CUC for USD$100. Veradero is great for the beach and resort bums. Since we did not fall under that category, we didn’t love Veradero. We left to Vinales. Oh, we got cheated big time for the car ride to Vinales 😦 . The ride was so uncomfortable. Anyways, I have always thought of Vinales as a tourist trap but I ended up loving this tourist trap. It was colder than the rest of Cuba, surrounded by mountains so fresh cool air. We stayed on the main street in a really cool casa. The next day, we went on a horse ride. My first time EVER. I had the horse to myself (scary). The guide showed us how to make it go right, left and faster. I did not use the faster one. The guide was so great because I was ready to give up after the first 30 minutes. This was a four hour ride by the way. We stopped at a cave (also first time in a cave :)), coffee plantation and tobacco plantation. The tobacco plantation was pretty cool – they showed us how to make cigar without the nicotine. DSC01054 - CopyWe later returned to Havana where we rented out an apartment in Havana Vieja. We went on a tour in one of the old cars….me like. We stopped at Plaza de la Revolucion and a park close to Vedado area. For our last night, we went clubbing with the Cubanos. We met four Cuban guys at the internet café. One was a rapper and another a fashion designer. The rapper decided to rap to my friend and I 🙂 . He was pretty good. Anyways, we went out with them and a few of their other friends. It was a great way of ending our stay in Havana. We went straight from the club to the airport (brief stop at the apartment to get our luggage). Eight hours layover in Panama City, we decided to take the free shuttle to Metro Mall. We shopped (rather, I shopped) and met up with a friend for ice cream. The mall had this scale so I decided to check my weight. I lost 6 pounds 🙂 (p.s, I had been on a diet for a month – I eat chicken or fish with mixed vegetables, sweet potatoes and rice once a week and 3miles walk five times a week). Feeling proud:).DSC01248 Returned to work, my students took a mock exam. The average went up 14percent from the benchmark exam they took in September. The majority of them showed improvement so makes me feel that I’m doing a decent job educating themJ. New beginning because this year had me trying stuffs for the first time and challenging me in many ways…..

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