www.mundayjourneys.uk
Saturday, 5 September 2015
I am living in a local world and I am a local girl.
So much time has passed since any new writing has appeared on here I see. And what's with the lack of exotic destinations? Well the, dare I say it, 'real world' came knocking and keeping up a travel blog became rather impractical once training and working at a newspaper began.
So a traveller who doesn't travel? I clearly can't claim to be a backpacker any more. Especially as the last few trips have seen me take either a small suitcase or a very large snowboard bag. It's called press trips baby! Press trips and getting mullered in the mountains along with perhaps a seventh round of whiplash in my young 29 years.
My radius of movement has shrunk quite drastically since February.
First there was the last trip to Les Deux Alpes in France, and can I just say, I don't think it's possible to tire of that resort. All it needed was global warming to turn on it's head and have a really good dump of snow. We shall persevere for the future and keep hoping. We hope?
Thankfully the Alps are under two hours away by plane, or if you're wary of the carbon footprint, many a mountain train will take you up there. Euro star does a ski train to the mountains that could be warranted a party in itself, either way most of Europe is cheap enough to get to now and holiday deals can be found any where, including ski pass, that unless you actually don't like riding (and if so my god why!) then there's no excuse not to go.
Unless you have no friends, in which case you have my sympathies, let's form a group or use the new tinder style ski dating app, Snowflake.
It certainly is that time of year again. Where the snow-crack addicts amongst us start dreaming up where we would like to spend the next six months while the sun has it's long holiday to where it seems naturally more at home- on the other side of the planet and no where near England. And then some of us remember that we now have jobs and cars and rent to pay and wonder where the hell it all went wrong? How did being an adult creep up on us and get in the way of the fun?
Or is that just me and am I just really Peter Pan?
Any way, I was here and there and everywhere and now I'm just here, enjoying the stillness with a glass of red wine that doesn't have to be kept in the fridge to stop it 'maturing' in to vinegar for all the heat.
Then there was the trip to Tignes Val Claret, a place you can definitely get tired of unless you venture to other parts of the mountain. Despite that, when the time comes to leave you still don't want to, no matter how tired you might be of the same runs. Would anyone be up for a long mountainous road trip one day when we're all millionaires?
Tignes is a great resort, especially if you like the purpose built concrete look, which I oddly do. It's easy to ski in and out, good access to a pile of other resorts like Val D'Isere, Tignes' Le Lac and Les Brevieres in the Espace Killy ski area, which has two, count em two, glaciers! It's also in the Savoie region of France, best known for yummy mountain food like tartiflette.
Bit of local trivia or mountain myth for you, but one of the villages was flooded,Tignes' Lac Du Chevril when the dam was constructed. So the story goes, some villagers refused to move to where the authorities were rehousing them and stayed with their homes even when the village was sunk. Supposedly you can see the village when they drain the dam every couple of years. It's become such seasonaire urban myth that a tv show was made about it called Les Revenants - The Returned.
Other than that the international travel has paused apart from the press trips to Deauville and Munich. Go by the way, go for the food, for the French riviera style glam even if it is on the North of France and not the south. Go to see the architecture and resilience of post war France at Le Havre, and to eat lovely crepes. Go to sample all the cider in the region and all the horses. Deauville is Normandy and, by the by, France's biggest cider producing and stud farm region. It must be the apples.
And might I add the light. Northern France is much less polluted and more forested than most of England. After three days there I felt like my lungs had been cleared of all smog, everything was so crisp and fresh, but also warm in the sparkling sunlight.
As you can also guess Munich was a great city break and I was never far from a beer or three. Their biergartens are pristine and with the weather not dipping below 30 degrees it was a no brainer to spend half the time walking around the city learning history so we could write, and the other half quenching thirsts in a sculpted biergarten. Or cycling around on a Dutchie down to the river to cool off in melted mountain ice that trickled its' way down to Munich. Or watching men's calves saunter around in lederhosen.
Men would, and still do, wear lederhosen because it was practical while working in the fields. Not only that it showed off their legs to nearby maidens who were looking for a strong farm boy to look after them. That's a historic fact about Bavaria there and I took my lead from that fact. There really were so many men and women walking around in their national dress. You wouldn't get that at home.
Have we lost out there?
That's the short extent of my non-exotic travels in 2015. An abismal lack when put against 2014! As I said, my radius of movement has drastically shortened down to something like 3 miles a day. Being static doesn't suit me and I frequently find myself looking for an escape button before reminding myself that sometimes you have to put down the bag and actually work to find some new experience that might lead you somewhere unexpected. Like in to a van across Europe, and with any luck with some company.
Driving around Laos: Part 1
The local bus takes us to Luang Nam Tha. It is sans air con but boasts sliding windows that have to be pushed back open after every jolt over the dirt road. The bus guide, wearing a yellow Laos football shirt, asks me about my book and tells me he wants to watch football. I wonder if he means on t.v. or in a stadium. I share my sugary fried coconut.
for half an hour in the stifling heat. It launches over potholes and my bum leaves the seat on several occasions, returning with a jolt to my coccyx. I feel that the fresher air, with the smells of wild flowers and mint is even more welcome than usual.
-
“Oh my god is that a snake?!” exclaimed Ciara.
We look in unison at the river a few feet below. An enormous dark green python slithers off the rocks and in to the river.
“That nearly landed on my head”, came the nonchalant ponder.
At the waterfall we are greeted by a small, and dry-season-depleted, green rocky resting point. Water splashes down in to a shallow pool creating a miniature cooling breath and the accompanying view of the golden triangle and it's mountains hold our imaginations. Until I look back to the waterfall and logs for a seat. White plastic food dishes, wrappers, torn chocolate cases and plastic bags litter and mar the scene. My heart sinks and I lose my patience at the rattan sack serving as a bin sits impotently next to the debris. These places will not last if they are not looked after and by the locals too. It doesn't take infrastructure to put rubbish in a bin. Taking matters in to my own hands I set about clearing the rubbish heap while my fellow travellers look on.
Full story on http://mundayjourneys.blogspot.co.uk/
Also from mundayjourneys...
When you leave for Asia: Travel tips
Below are some tips to avoid chaos for a first time traveler. You can click on the links to go to some useful sites, and read some more of my stories.
Travel Insurance
I once injured myself snowboarding in New Zealand and couldn’t work for a couple of weeks. Going to the doctor in any country other than your own can mean a re-mortgage so it’s worth taking this out. Had I not had insurance I would have had to pay for the hospital bills out of my travel savings, potentially cutting short the trip.
You want a plan that includes personal items, money and repatriation (god forbid) among others. A very good directory to use is the British Insurance Broker’s Association. They will help locate the right company for you to tailor any kind of insurance need you could ever want for some really good prices- highly recommended.
Vaccinations
Of course this all depends on where you are headed, how long for, how long ago you had any previous jabs done and how much you hate needles. They are however required pretty much anywhere bar Europe and your bog standard ones are Typhoid and Hep A. Some countries may also require proof of Yellow Fever before you can even get a visa so it’s best to check with the embassy for the country (s) of destination. You will need to book a travel consultation with the nurse at your surgery and bring any previous documentation (usually a little yellow booklet)- though you an usually get a print out of your vaccination history from your doctor. If you are from an EU country going to Europe make sure you have your E-hic card. If you have an incident on the slopes in France, the authorities will refuse to take you to hospital until you pay an expensive premium, unless you have the card.
Baggage
I mainly use a backpack because it’s easy to move about, you don’t create lots of noise heaving a roller suitcase behind you and you avoid looking like the average punter (although it does come attached with the backpacker stigma)- of course it’s up to you and whatever you are most comfortable with. Most camping shops on the high street will sell backpacks that will also be fitted and strapped on you to the right position. Or you can do what I did and buy it online for a bit cheaper. You will need to make sure you buy the right one for your height and they are generally tailored to male and female fit, which is really helpful.
Flights
I find it’s always handy to have one booked before you get to the airport. SkyScanner is a great site and has a very reliable app so you can book flights last minute from your phone or tablet. Nifty! This is particularly helpful when you want to buy a short haul flight in say Asia, and are not sure of local operators.
Visas
My first rule of thumb is: check with the embassy. You can always get advice from travel agents but I am personally skeptical about this- I was once booted out of Australia over an issue with my visa with a well-known high street travel agent. Some places will allow a stamp on arrival, some require prior organisation. If you are going to work abroad, is your company providing help obtaining the visa? Do you know how much it will cost to obtain? Have you handed over relevant documents? Do you have enough money in your bank to prove to the government you won’t be leaching? The answer to that last one is academic; mostly they just want to know that you will leave when your visa expires.
Bitty-bits
Did you get sunscreen? Do you have a waterproof? Do you have a sewing kit? A pare of shorts you don’t mind ruining in muddy treks? Have you got a store of ant-acids and diarrhoea tablets when you chance a salad from a street vendor? Do you have bite cream for your legs, which will inevitably take on the look of a lepers’?
At the Airport
If you’re a lucky person, a loved one may see you off. If not, hooray! You should congratulate yourself on dodging an emotional goodbye. If you ‘re with your best friend/boyfriend/sibling/imaginary friend you might be petrified and excited about what lies ahead, but remember…
"The only real stumbling block is fear of failing"...
Julian Child
www.mundayjourneys.blogspot.co.uk
I am living in a local world and I am a local girl.
So much time has passed since any new writing has appeared on here I see. And what's with the lack of exotic destinations? Well the, dare I say it, 'real world' came knocking and keeping up a travel blog became rather impractical once training and working at a newspaper began.
So a traveller who doesn't travel? I clearly can't claim to be a backpacker any more. Especially as the last few trips have seen me take either a small suitcase or a very large snowboard bag. It's called press trips baby! Press trips and getting mullered in the mountains along with perhaps a seventh round of whiplash in my young 29 years.
My radius of movement has shrunk quite drastically since February.
First there was the last trip to Les Deux Alpes in France, and can I just say, I don't think it's possible to tire of that resort. All it needed was global warming to turn on it's head and have a really good dump of snow. We shall persevere for the future and keep hoping. We hope?
Thankfully the Alps are under two hours away by plane, or if you're wary of the carbon footprint, many a mountain train will take you up there. Euro star does a ski train to the mountains that could be warranted a party in itself, either way most of Europe is cheap enough to get to now and holiday deals can be found any where, including ski pass, that unless you actually don't like riding (and if so my god why!) then there's no excuse not to go.
Unless you have no friends, in which case you have my sympathies, let's form a group or use the new tinder style ski dating app, Snowflake.
It certainly is that time of year again. Where the snow-crack addicts amongst us start dreaming up where we would like to spend the next six months while the sun has it's long holiday to where it seems naturally more at home- on the other side of the planet and no where near England. And then some of us remember that we now have jobs and cars and rent to pay and wonder where the hell it all went wrong? How did being an adult creep up on us and get in the way of the fun?
Or is that just me and am I just really Peter Pan?
Any way, I was here and there and everywhere and now I'm just here, enjoying the stillness with a glass of red wine that doesn't have to be kept in the fridge to stop it 'maturing' in to vinegar for all the heat.
Then there was the trip to Tignes Val Claret, a place you can definitely get tired of unless you venture to other parts of the mountain. Despite that, when the time comes to leave you still don't want to, no matter how tired you might be of the same runs. Would anyone be up for a long mountainous road trip one day when we're all millionaires?
Tignes is a great resort, especially if you like the purpose built concrete look, which I oddly do. It's easy to ski in and out, good access to a pile of other resorts like Val D'Isere, Tignes' Le Lac and Les Brevieres in the Espace Killy ski area, which has two, count em two, glaciers! It's also in the Savoie region of France, best known for yummy mountain food like tartiflette.
Bit of local trivia or mountain myth for you, but one of the villages was flooded,Tignes' Lac Du Chevril when the dam was constructed. So the story goes, some villagers refused to move to where the authorities were rehousing them and stayed with their homes even when the village was sunk. Supposedly you can see the village when they drain the dam every couple of years. It's become such seasonaire urban myth that a tv show was made about it called Les Revenants - The Returned.
Other than that the international travel has paused apart from the press trips to Deauville and Munich. Go by the way, go for the food, for the French riviera style glam even if it is on the North of France and not the south. Go to see the architecture and resilience of post war France at Le Havre, and to eat lovely crepes. Go to sample all the cider in the region and all the horses. Deauville is Normandy and, by the by, France's biggest cider producing and stud farm region. It must be the apples.
And might I add the light. Northern France is much less polluted and more forested than most of England. After three days there I felt like my lungs had been cleared of all smog, everything was so crisp and fresh, but also warm in the sparkling sunlight.
As you can also guess Munich was a great city break and I was never far from a beer or three. Their biergartens are pristine and with the weather not dipping below 30 degrees it was a no brainer to spend half the time walking around the city learning history so we could write, and the other half quenching thirsts in a sculpted biergarten. Or cycling around on a Dutchie down to the river to cool off in melted mountain ice that trickled its' way down to Munich. Or watching men's calves saunter around in lederhosen.
Men would, and still do, wear lederhosen because it was practical while working in the fields. Not only that it showed off their legs to nearby maidens who were looking for a strong farm boy to look after them. That's a historic fact about Bavaria there and I took my lead from that fact. There really were so many men and women walking around in their national dress. You wouldn't get that at home.
Have we lost out there?
That's the short extent of my non-exotic travels in 2015. An abismal lack when put against 2014! As I said, my radius of movement has drastically shortened down to something like 3 miles a day. Being static doesn't suit me and I frequently find myself looking for an escape button before reminding myself that sometimes you have to put down the bag and actually work to find some new experience that might lead you somewhere unexpected. Like in to a van across Europe, and with any luck with some company.
Driving around Laos: Part 1
The local bus takes us to Luang Nam Tha. It is sans air con but boasts sliding windows that have to be pushed back open after every jolt over the dirt road. The bus guide, wearing a yellow Laos football shirt, asks me about my book and tells me he wants to watch football. I wonder if he means on t.v. or in a stadium. I share my sugary fried coconut.
for half an hour in the stifling heat. It launches over potholes and my bum leaves the seat on several occasions, returning with a jolt to my coccyx. I feel that the fresher air, with the smells of wild flowers and mint is even more welcome than usual.
-
“Oh my god is that a snake?!” exclaimed Ciara.
We look in unison at the river a few feet below. An enormous dark green python slithers off the rocks and in to the river.
“That nearly landed on my head”, came the nonchalant ponder.
At the waterfall we are greeted by a small, and dry-season-depleted, green rocky resting point. Water splashes down in to a shallow pool creating a miniature cooling breath and the accompanying view of the golden triangle and it's mountains hold our imaginations. Until I look back to the waterfall and logs for a seat. White plastic food dishes, wrappers, torn chocolate cases and plastic bags litter and mar the scene. My heart sinks and I lose my patience at the rattan sack serving as a bin sits impotently next to the debris. These places will not last if they are not looked after and by the locals too. It doesn't take infrastructure to put rubbish in a bin. Taking matters in to my own hands I set about clearing the rubbish heap while my fellow travellers look on.
Full story on http://mundayjourneys.blogspot.co.uk/
Also from mundayjourneys...
When you leave for Asia: Travel tips
Below are some tips to avoid chaos for a first time traveler. You can click on the links to go to some useful sites, and read some more of my stories.
Travel Insurance
I once injured myself snowboarding in New Zealand and couldn’t work for a couple of weeks. Going to the doctor in any country other than your own can mean a re-mortgage so it’s worth taking this out. Had I not had insurance I would have had to pay for the hospital bills out of my travel savings, potentially cutting short the trip.
You want a plan that includes personal items, money and repatriation (god forbid) among others. A very good directory to use is the British Insurance Broker’s Association. They will help locate the right company for you to tailor any kind of insurance need you could ever want for some really good prices- highly recommended.
Vaccinations
Of course this all depends on where you are headed, how long for, how long ago you had any previous jabs done and how much you hate needles. They are however required pretty much anywhere bar Europe and your bog standard ones are Typhoid and Hep A. Some countries may also require proof of Yellow Fever before you can even get a visa so it’s best to check with the embassy for the country (s) of destination. You will need to book a travel consultation with the nurse at your surgery and bring any previous documentation (usually a little yellow booklet)- though you an usually get a print out of your vaccination history from your doctor. If you are from an EU country going to Europe make sure you have your E-hic card. If you have an incident on the slopes in France, the authorities will refuse to take you to hospital until you pay an expensive premium, unless you have the card.
Baggage
I mainly use a backpack because it’s easy to move about, you don’t create lots of noise heaving a roller suitcase behind you and you avoid looking like the average punter (although it does come attached with the backpacker stigma)- of course it’s up to you and whatever you are most comfortable with. Most camping shops on the high street will sell backpacks that will also be fitted and strapped on you to the right position. Or you can do what I did and buy it online for a bit cheaper. You will need to make sure you buy the right one for your height and they are generally tailored to male and female fit, which is really helpful.
Flights
I find it’s always handy to have one booked before you get to the airport. SkyScanner is a great site and has a very reliable app so you can book flights last minute from your phone or tablet. Nifty! This is particularly helpful when you want to buy a short haul flight in say Asia, and are not sure of local operators.
Visas
My first rule of thumb is: check with the embassy. You can always get advice from travel agents but I am personally skeptical about this- I was once booted out of Australia over an issue with my visa with a well-known high street travel agent. Some places will allow a stamp on arrival, some require prior organisation. If you are going to work abroad, is your company providing help obtaining the visa? Do you know how much it will cost to obtain? Have you handed over relevant documents? Do you have enough money in your bank to prove to the government you won’t be leaching? The answer to that last one is academic; mostly they just want to know that you will leave when your visa expires.
Bitty-bits
Did you get sunscreen? Do you have a waterproof? Do you have a sewing kit? A pare of shorts you don’t mind ruining in muddy treks? Have you got a store of ant-acids and diarrhoea tablets when you chance a salad from a street vendor? Do you have bite cream for your legs, which will inevitably take on the look of a lepers’?
At the Airport
If you’re a lucky person, a loved one may see you off. If not, hooray! You should congratulate yourself on dodging an emotional goodbye. If you ‘re with your best friend/boyfriend/sibling/imaginary friend you might be petrified and excited about what lies ahead, but remember…
"The only real stumbling block is fear of failing"...
Julian Child
www.mundayjourneys.blogspot.co.uk