Field trip to Pushkar

For our last day of volunteer work with the Bal Prakash Children's Centre, we decided to have a smaller group of the children meet us in Pushkar for an exursion. The children rarely leave the school, so it was a fun way to explore the sites, treat them to lunch (plus chocolate and ice cream!) and bid them farewell.

Hopefully, I will see their sweet faces again some day.

Voluntour: Bal Prakash

When I discovered I was set to lose my job at the end of last summer, I used the months leading up to the end to loosely plan a dream trip. I wanted to use my time off wisely. I had worked hard for the past 15 years but had only recently become committed to a life travel and adventure, and I had never taken off for any extended amount of time. Although I wanted to leave some time for random adventures along the way, certain trips do require some planning and entry Visa’s so I formulated a loose plan of where I’d like to be, and when. But…it all changed when I came across one particular tour of India - G Adventures' "Voluntour in Rajasthan" - that included a volunteer component, and it became the one trip that everything else was built around.

The Bal Prakash Children’s Centre in Ajmer, India is home to 80 or so underprivileged children who study and live on premise. Not only are they educated here, they are also taught life skills as they contribute to the daily maintenance and upkeep of their home and the property – cleaning, caring for the plants and gardens, and making their daily bread (chapatti). The school, founded by Mrs. Paliwal, is funded privately through donations and the support of local community members who often stop by with medical expertise, food or even simple services like providing haircuts for the children.

The facility itself is a simple but functional structure, with each room serving multi-purposes. The larger sized rooms where the children sleep and do their homework also serve as their school room. Each day starts with a very strict schedule – tea then chores, school then lunch, school then play, school then chores, dinner then homework, then bed. All the children are divided into teams to tackle their chores and it’s hard not to notice that they approach each task with the same vigour that they have for their play time. Each plant is lovingly watered, floors swept tidy, and school desks carried away; all with a smile. Even the bigger children seem to help out the smaller ones without being asked. They have great pride in their home and are extremely grateful to be given the chance to learn.

It did not take long for us to fall in love with the children…and the children to fall in love with us. Though there were some language barriers, it soon became easy to communicate. We spent some time playing with the children –  cricket and badminton, learning some clapping songs, teaching them the limbo (a big hit), making jewellery, dancing and singing. We also helped with some of the chores – picking cotton from their small crop and making chapatti (though I wasn’t very good at it). In addition, we joined in some of their classroom activities and made a presentation about our home countries, which the children loved. Each day the children were waiting for us to arrive, and each day they followed our van out waving as we left.

My days visiting at Bal Prakash Children’s Centre were truly special – an experience that would be difficult to describe within this little blog. I strongly encourage anyone considering a tour in India to visit the school first-hand (or send your support through Planeterra). And, feel free to contact me via the comments section of this post should you have any questions about my experience or how you can get involved.

Push car...in Pushkar.

Yep...I do enjoy a good play on words.
When we came across a car that needed a push on the dark streets of Pushkar, the boys pitched in. Pushing a car in Pushkar. Still makes me giggle.

Pushkar Lake

It wouldn't be right to talk about my time in Pushkar and not show a photo of the lake. Pushkar Lake, sacred to the Hindu people, is surrounded by over 50 ghats (steps for bathing) as the lake is said to have healing powers. I didn't bathe...but I did take this pretty photo...

Pushkar

5 AM comes early no matter which side of the globe you happen to be on. Our train left very, very early from the station in Delhi but we did get to see the sun rise on the way. The station was packed with people – families, beggars and businessmen. We boarded our rail car, which was surprisingly comfortable, and readied ourselves for the six hour ride. Tea and breakfast (a tasty Indian-style vegetable cutlet) were served and we spent our time relaxing or taking photos out the open rail car door, which was especially wonderful as we reached each new station along our route.

When we finally arrived at our destination – Ajmer – we were met by our drivers and a luxury coach (actually…more of a “short bus”) in which we would be touring around for the next two weeks. We drove for about an hour through Ajmer and over a mountain to reach our hotel in the Holy city of Pushkar, which would be our home base for the next five days.

As I mentioned, Pushkar is a Holy city – which means no meat and no alcohol. Fortunately, that didn’t also mean no fun. We were able to pack in a lot in between our days Volunteering in Ajmer (which I will cover in a separate post). Lots of shopping, great eating (I recommend “Little Italy” for thin crust pizza, espresso and “special” drinks served in tin-foil), sightseeing, photography and, of course, some truly random adventures.

A few of us crashed a “Gypsy Dance Party”  on our first night and were warmly welcomed with food, live music and spectacular dancing under the moonlight.

Another highlight was a camel safari – riding a few hours into the desert to watch the sunset, eat some delicious Indian food cooked by our guides on an open fire and some live entertainment by some local gypsies. This is a must-see for anyone visiting Pushkar.

Pushkar is also great for shopping. I struggled greatly with what to pack for my trip to India. Knowing that it is important to dress conservatively, with shoulders and knees covered…in the blazing heat of the sun. However, I now would highly recommend bringing a few basics but buying the rest on arrival. The clothes are extremely cheap and there are many cute Western-ish styles that work well. I quickly became addicted to the brightly coloured “ali-baba” style cotton pants which work well with a simple T-shirt and scarf. At only about $3 a pair, it’s a steal. And they are beyond comfortable and great in the heat. Also - you must please fill your backpack with the beautiful and affordable jewellery, colourful pashmina scarves and handmade shoes. I regret that I didn't ship a whole box of Indian jewellery back to Canada before I left. 
Here are some photos from the market in colourful Pushkar...Enjoy!

Incredible India

India will stop you in your tracks... but only for a moment. It is all the things you might expect - it’s beyond hot, chaotic, loud, poor, dirty and, yes, it kinda smells. But it is also so much more. It is the most colourful place you will ever see, with the loveliest children who always have a big smile and a twinkle in their eyes. It is a place with beauty in the details – the tiny flowers carved into a marble cornice, grand architecture imbedded with the smallest mosaics of semi-precious jewels, a garland of carnations around a goat's neck, and in the intricate henna designs on palms and feet. And, it is a spiritual place where centuries of ancient tradition, architecture and culture still exist in a way you can touch and feel, not just look at from behind a glass partition.  But, in spite of your initial observations, at some point, maybe a day or two after you have arrived, you’ll find yourself walking confidently on the traffic-crazed streets, dodging cows and gypsies, oblivious to the persistent honk of horns and enjoying the warm sun on your face. I could talk all day about how much I loved my experience in India and how it surprised me in so many ways but I think I’ll just get on with it and share some of the highlights of my incredible adventure there.

I arrived in Delhi to meet up with my fellow travelers as part of a unique G Adventures tour called “Voluntour in Rajasthan”, a 15 day tour to include some volunteering at a school along with visits to five major cities within the province of Rajasthan. Fortunately it turned out to be a small group with just 5 of us – an Aussie couple (Keith and Sharon), a German girl (Anne) and a Brit-expat Aussie (Eric) along with our awesome (and funny) local tour leader Binu. After a delicious first meal together (Butter chicken, Kashmiri Pulao, Garlic Naan and cold Kingfisher!) I was very certain that I was in for a very special and fun two weeks with this great group of people. And I couldn’t have been more right.

London Calling

By the time I arrived in London, my jet-lag had finally set in and I wasn't in the mood to fight it. After taking a very expensive taxi ride, I arrived at my hotel in Soho just after 10pm. My hotel - Hazlitt's - is a charming historical townhouse in the very heart of Soho on Frith Street. I was shown to my room through a maze of corridors and stairwells and was delighted when I reached my room - Sir William Ross. (They use names not numbers for their rooms.) The room itself was very cute with a huge wooden wardrobe and matching headboard, red velvet drapes, fireplace and claw foot tub. Like something from the set of some period costume drama. The most interesting part was that the floor was not level. And when I say not level, I mean it had about a difference of about 1 foot in height between my headboard and the desk on the opposite wall. I exaggerate, not. It was hard not to feel just a little drunk the entire time I was in the room. During this short visit to London I managed to cover quite a bit of territory - the National Gallery, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, St. James Park - and enjoy quite a few decent (but pricey) meals.

On my last night, I met up with some friends who live in London for some dinner and then went out to see their band - TAT - perform at a rock club called Scala. They are an awesome band to see live. If you haven't heard of them, you must check them out. I stayed out way, way too late which made for a very lazy day before my overnight flight to Delhi. Good thing I caught a few winks on the plane because India was about to shake up my world.

The Blue Lagoon

Yes, this is the place that was featured on The Bachelorette. And, yes, it’s a big tourist spot. But you absolutely cannot leave Iceland without a visit to The Blue Lagoon.

It is extremely easy to coordinate a visit. I booked my bus passage to the airport to include a stopover at the Blue Lagoon. My luggage was conveniently stored while I went in for a pre-flight swim. Inside you are given a bracelet with which you can make charges to your account at the spa, restaurant, bar (swim-up!). You are also able to rent towels and robes (I did) and even swimsuits (umm...no thanks). A large sized locker will hold all your things in the large, modern change rooms while you lounge about in the milky blue waters. Unfortunately my underwater camera was not charged up for my swim but I did take a few snaps of the incredible pools – heated naturally to a perfect temperature (warmer than a pool and cooler than a Jacuzzi). I had a cold beer (or, maybe two) at the swim up bar and purchased a lava scrub for my face. And, I met a couple of guys from Seattle who didn’t mind having a beer with a girl with black stuff all over her face. It was a very nice time but after a few relaxing hours it was time to get back on a plane and head for my next destination. I truly loved Iceland….but London was calling so it was time to move along.

Green Iceland

It is said they named Greenland “green” land to encourage people to go there and Iceland “ice” land to keep people away.
Don’t stay away. Iceland is very green. And very, very beautiful. It has some of the most diverse landscapes you can find – volcanoes, glaciers, lava fields, waterfalls, mountains, exploding geysirs and natural geothermally heated pools.

To make sure I saw some of this natural beauty before I left I joined a half day tour (called the Golden Circle Afternoon) that would take me to some of the key sights. After a drive through the rolling green hills, past grazing Icelandic horses and stone farmhouses we reached our first stop, a lookout point with a beautiful view of a river and church. So pretty, like something straight out of The Shire in Lord of the Rings.

Our next stop was Gulfoss – the “golden” waterfall. It would be very hard to explain the scale (and beauty) of this place so I will let my photos do the talking on this one. I climbed all the way to the top and should point out that there are no barriers, only “Icelandic fences” (i.e. ropes) protecting you from the water’s edge.

After feeling the cold spray of the falls, I decided to have a warm bowl of traditional Icelandic stew of vegetables and lamb in the visitors centre café before we headed on to our next destination – Geysir. All geysirs happen to be named after this particular blow hole which is called Geysir. Surrounded by several other smaller blow holes, Geysir is really something to see. Every 5 -7 minutes or so, boiling hot water blows up a good thirty or forty feet in the air. I took a video to explain it properly. I hope you appreciate it because I had to stand perfectly still for 5 – 7 minutes in the cold waiting for the water to spurt…

I would recommend this tour (and any of the day tours in Reykjavik) but be sure to get a window seat to see all the beauty in between the destinations – beautiful horses, Hekla volcano in the distance, and the small painted houses in the lava fields for the fairies (or, as Icelanders call them, The Hidden People).

Welcome to Reykjavik

I flew through the night to Reykjavik via Icelandair. The flight was 5 hours long and fairly smooth with decent service from the flight crew. With it being a night flight, I reserved a window seat so I could sleep and see the rising sun as we landed. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to sleep and it was still pitch dark when I arrived. And although it was 7 AM in Reykjavik, it was still 3 AM in my brain so I prayed that by some miracle my room would be ready despite my early arrival. And it was! The 101 Hotel, located in the city centre, is a stylish little boutique hotel with fluffy, white beds, modern bathrooms and a gorgeous view of the harbour. After checking in there was a little part of me that wanted to forget sleep and get exploring, but that fluffy, white bed had me at hello.

After a short but deep sleep, I ventured out to the Kaffe Solon for a light lunch of salad and pasta with roasted root vegetables and then set out exploring downtown Reykjavik. The best way for me to describe Reykjavik is Amsterdam-meets-Halifax. It's a compact, Euro-style city built on a hill with cobblestone streets, colourful buildings and cute shops. At night, cozy cafes have candles lit in their windows to welcome you in from the cold. It's also an artistic place with lots of colourful graffiti, galleries, sculptures and unique architecture. It's a small city - housing a good portion of Iceland's only 300,000 inhabitants - and it can be conquered on foot in a single day. I started out at the waterfront near the beautiful new Harpa. Later this month, Bjork will be playing a series of shows here in support of her new record. You can check out some unique travel packages for it here if that's your thing. I also visited the Solfar sculpture of a viking ship by Jon Gunnar Arnason at the waterfront and followed that up with a visit to the Hallgrimskirja church. Here I took an elevator to the eight floor for a magnificent, colourful view of the city.
Iceland is extremely organized and it is quite easy to participate in organized tours, so I elected to do a Northern Lights tour that nght. Typically you learn whether the tour is a go by about 6 PM and are picked up at you hotel by coach at 9:30 PM. Once aboard we were warned that the significant cloud coverage over the island might pose a problem in seeing the lights. Still, the tour operator had some excellent intel that there were breaks in the clouds in the countryside. And where did they get this intel? Fancy computers? Satellites? No....they just called some local farmers and asked about clouds.  Unfortunately the Northern lights and I were not meant to be that night. We spent many hours chasing away clouds in the pitch dark, only to arrive back at my hotel at around 1:30 AM without seeing so much as a star. We were advised that we were welcome to join another Northern Lights tour free of charge. Which, to be honest, felt very fair. They aren't in charge of the lights. And, seriously, who could ever be miffed with an Icelander? They are the nicest, most genuine of people. I will see the Northern Lights some day...perhaps I just may have to visit Iceland on my way home in November?

The Big Trip

The weeks leading up to my "big trip" (as I like to call it) were incredibly busy, emotionally taxing and stressful to say the least. While I had hoped to be my usually organized self, things did not go as planned and I left in a bit of a flurry. It wasn't what I wanted, but perhaps it was a taste of what might come my way eventually. I will no doubt encounter more than a few hiccups over the next six weeks so I might as well get used to winging it now.
In truth one of my biggest obstacles had been solving the problem of how and what to pack. I decided from the on-set not to travel with a back-pack. In my mind I am too old, too sophisticated (hah)...and truthfully, just too lazy to haul everything around on my person. I am the kind of girl who prefers a small purse, or none at all, because even the thought of digging through it to find my keys gives me a massive headache. So, no back-pack for me. But how does one fit six weeks worth of clothing good for two diverse climates into a 20" carry-on size suitcase? For one, it requires some careful wardrobe planning - durable staples that can be layered, a waterproof light-weight but warm jacket and comfortable shoes. It certainly wasn't easy but after a few suitcase edits I still managed to pack five pairs of shoes. It may look like a small suitcase but it's amazing what can fit. Just like Mary Poppins' carpet bag. So after finally yanking the zipper closed, I made my way to YYZ (Thanks Lynds), checked my bag (an amazing 14 kg) and readied myself for the first stop on my adventure - Reykjavik, Iceland.

New York City

This was a great trip but I have not had the chance to write about it yet. Stay tuned.

Orient Beach

After my short but fabulous time in St.Barths, I returned to St.Maarten for a stay in an apartment rental in Orient Beach. The apartment - a 2nd story 1 bedroom plus loft - was cutely decorated and had great amenities including laundry, internet, cable, a balcony and access to a swimming pool. Plus, it was only a 2 minute walk to the beach, restaurants and a small market. My days were all about the beach, and evenings involved either take-away pizza from the market (the most delicious!) or dinner at a local restaurant and a late night swim in the pool. Pure rest and relaxation. Although I did venture out to Baie Rouge on the other side of the island for some beach time, my only real outing was a day trip to the nearby island of Anguilla. Once a British territory, Anguilla is a peaceful, quiet place with high-end hotels and powdery white beaches. After landing at the ferry port, I grabbed a taxi to the beach at Shoal Bay, rented a beach chair and ordered some cocktails. I also grabbed some lunch at a local barbecue stand before heading back to St.Maarten on a high-speed ferry with yet another stamp in my passport.

Only the ocean and me...

Because I had wheels, I was able to explore a few of the the excellent beaches in St.Barths. Most of the ones I did visit, I had almost completely to myself...

Only a one minute walk from my hotel, Anse de Lorient is a surfer's beach with rolling waves and powdery sand. With no beach clubs or chair rentals, the beach seems quiet...but not too quiet. It's also a short walk to a mini-mart and grocery that sells prepared cheese plates, baguette, fruit, sandwiches, and cold beer and wine. There are two small snack-bar style restaurants close by - Bouchon and Jojo Burger.

Anse de Grand Saline is a stunning, pristine, seemingly secluded beach. Reachable by a 10 minute winding path shaded by trees followed by a rocky climb, it's totally worth the walk. I was literally the only person on the long stretch of beach at one point. There is nothing at this beach so it is absolutely necessary to bring some water and snacks. Although, there are a few restaurants (recommended by my guide book) just near the parking area.

Baie de St-Jean is the most famous beach on St.Barths and is where the jet-setting, special people get away from their yachts to play in the sand. This powdery, calm stretch of beach I visited is flanked by the posh Hotel Eden Roc and the Nikki Beach Club - the very famous celebrity party spot.

I could never pick a favourite but Saline does get top marks as I actually visited there twice during my short stay. There are nearly 20 different beaches on this tiny island, all of which are open to the public - which definitely means I will still have a lot to see when I return again someday soon.

Budget St.Barths

Although I had hoped to travel with a few friends, my latest trip back to the French West Indies was destined to be a solo one. While it would have been more affordable…and fun…for the three of us to travel together, there was no way I was going to cancel my plans to get away, especially given the recent drama in my career.

I decided to again visit my favourite island in the Caribbean, St.Martin, and used two of my favourite online resources Homeaway and VRBO to locate the perfect apartment for my stay on Orient Beach. But, sadly, my perfect apartment was not available for my entire 14 night stay so I decided to consider a visit to nearby St.Barths for the remaining 3 nights that I still needed accommodations for.

I’m sure most of you think the words “budget” and “St.Barths” don’t really belong in the same sentence, unless the word “unlimited” is included.  But, surprisingly, St.Barths is way more affordable than one might suspect. I am always motivated to find a good travel deal so with lots of research on blogs, Tripadvisor and travel web-sites, I managed to find some bargains I am so happy to share. St.Barths is an exceptionally beautiful place and people shouldn’t be so daunted by its pricey reputation; especially when so many Canadians travel to nearby St.Martin, which is only 15 minutes away by air.

I started this trip with a reasonably priced, direct flight to Princess Julianna International airport on the Dutch side of St.Maarten. I arrived too late to catch a flight to St.Barts (the last flight leaves around 5:30 pm) that night so I spent the night in the French capital of Marigot at an inexpensive hotel overlooking the pretty marina. The following morning I caught a taxi to the small L’Aeroport Esperance on the French side for my short flight to St.Barths. I had carefully packed to ensure my bag was well within the set limits for traveling on a small aircraft – no more than 20 kg per person to be checked and no more than 10 kg carry-on. Trust me - this was very difficult for a two week trip and for someone who really, really likes her shoes. The check-in was simple and as it turned out, I was only one of 2 people on my flight. The flight wasn’t exactly cheap (at $190 US return) when compared to taking a Ferry from Marigot ($100 US) but I really wanted to experience an inter-island flight and see St.Barths from the sky. The flight was beautiful and short at only 15 minutes. The descent into St.Barths did make me feel a little nervous because I am afraid of heights but I am definitely glad I did it. I would not, however, recommend it to people who don’t like to fly.

I was greeted at the airport by the lovely Olivier, my representative from Welcome Car Rental who transported me to my hotel so we could take care of my rental car agreement. While I hadn’t planned on renting a car, my hotel recommended Welcome and I was so glad they did. As cabs are few and expensive on this small island, it would have cost me €20 Euros each way to / from the airport. Instead, I paid €25 Euros per day to have a car at my disposal to discover all of the beautiful beaches on the small island. No deposit. No strings. Just €75 (approximately $110 CN) paid upon return – a fantastic deal! My car, a small SUV, had 4-Wheel-Drive, which is necessary with all of the mountain roads and a pre-programmed GPS system to help me easily and safely travel throughout the island. I will say the roads are a bit daunting – mountain roads with steep inclines and descents, fast, impatient French drivers, scooters and lots of construction – but after my first drive around the island I felt very comfortable finding my way. You can contact Welcome through their web-site here.

My hotel – Normandie Hotel - was also perfectly lovely! Not only because it was extremely stylish, affordable and cleaner than any hotel I have ever stayed in – but because the staff of the hotel was so personable, helpful and nice. Eula, Melane and owner, Wendy, made me feel like I was visiting with friends rather than staying in a hotel. While I was given plenty of space to do my own thing – they were always available to recommend a good beach or restaurant. My rate per night – a measly €105 (approximately $160 CN) – included accommodations in a renovated room beside the pool complete with satellite TV, wireless internet and a cool, modern bathroom. It also included a fantastic breakfast (coffee, juice, croissant and baguette) which can be taken beside the pool or inside the lobby area. And, at 5 pm the ladies offer you a nice glass of wine. A hotel with free wine – does it get any better?  Yes. It does. The hotel is a short (1 minute walk) to a fantastic beach (L’Orient) and some markets where you can purchase wine, cheese, baguette etc. I kept my trip affordable by eating from the markets, where they will happily make you a sandwich for €3 and picking up snacks for a picnic at the beach.

I did venture out for dinner in the pretty capital of Gustavia with Wendy, the owner of the hotel. We visited Harbour, a restaurant along the pretty marina and I had a nice glass of rose, a Thai style beef salad and finished it with some amazing coconut ice-cream.

I was actually quite sad to leave St.Barths. I had met some really nice people and felt like I was just getting my bearings for the island. It is a really beautiful place – there is a reason fancy people love it. But now that I know I can visit without breaking the bank, I will have to come back more often.