Travel stories made for sharing

I run a travel website for road cyclists and write guides to some of the world’s most amazing road cycling destinations. This means I have quite a lot of experience of planning rides in new destinations and am usually pretty spot on with estimating how long it will take to complete a ride.

However it all went very wrong on a recent trip to Tenerife!

It was the first day of our visit and we were riding a loop of the stunning Masca mountains in the north of the island. We’d set out on a 100 km ride later than we’d hoped and, in our rush, had failed to have time to charge our phones or buy enough food.

“It’ll be fine” we thought. “We’ll pick up something on the way.”

What we hadn’t realised is that the roads are unrelentingly steep, there are very few shops (it’s mostly restaurants where you need to stop for a three course meal) and darkness falls suddenly and much earlier than you’d expect.

So at 6pm, in the growing gloom of nightfall, we found ourselves about 40 km from home with a 20km, 1000m climb ahead of us. We had almost no phone battery, no food, just a couple of euros and a few Spanish words between us.

It was one of those, “help, what do we do now” situations!

Thankfully on 1% battery we managed to get a call to our hotel who arranged us a taxi. But it really brought home the importance of proper planning!

Our tip: if you’re thinking of cycling in Tenerife, use our detailed guide to avoid finding yourself in a similar situation! Looking for somewhere else to cycle? From the Italian Alps to the Cote d’Azur and Mallorca, our website has heaps of guides to amazing cycling destinations around the world, and they’re all free. We’ve also got active communities on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter - come and join the party!

Whenever you visit Southeast Asia, chances are you will meet people with a motorbike. Riding a scooter or motorbike all the way down Vietnam for example has always been a rite of passage for first-time visitors.

Getting a bike is one of the best ways to explore SEA with a genuine taste of freedom. It easy to just get one and go on an adventure, BUT remember that you are in a foreign country and need to take a few precautions.

Even though you will meet many travellers boasting about having no travel insurance, this shouldn’t encourage you to do the same. A lot of travel insurance companies don’t cover motorbike accidents because they can be dangerous but if you end up in an accident, medical care will be expensive. Find a good company and get insured.

The most common and popular bikes you can get in SEA are 100-125cc scooters, especially the Honda Win and Honda Dream. These bad boys are reliable, easy to use and last for a long time.
The Honda Win however is more popular in Vietnam and Cambodia and has a full manual transmission and taller suspension.

Keep in mind that in Vietnam, if your engine is over 175cc, you'll need a special permit that may take a while to get BUT you can opt for a 3 month visa. It’s usually better to get a motorbike with a smaller engine size as it’s a lot harder to use a big bike to its maximum capacity on the traffic-filled roads of SE-Asia.

Automatic bikes are expensive to fix, use more fuel and are less trustworthy. It's better to choose manual or semi-automatic, especially since you can change gears when going up or down difficult hills or roads.

Sometimes you might need a bit of paperwork but if it's only for a few months then get a second-hand bike. Just ensure the previous owner gives you all the registration papers beforehand.

If you are planning to cross borders, it’s advised to get a motorbike that is Vietnamese-plated as these can enter Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia with great ease.

My husband and I just got married in Greece last month, and we took our honeymoon in Vienna, Budapest, London, Moscow and Vancouver. Budapest was one of our favorite cities! We found no shortage of great food, both traditional Hungarian and fusion from other countries in close proximity. We found the Jewish Quarter to have the best food in the city, as well as the best Thai massage we've ever had! Would you ever think that you would find good Thai...well, anything in Budapest? Surprisingly, Thai food restaurants and massage parlours were on nearly every corner in Budapest!

In my blog post, I detail 13 things that will make you fall madly in love with Budapest, as well as a separate article on a foodie's guide to Budapest including some of our favorite and not-so-favorite foods in Hungary. Another fun highlight from our Budapest trip was waking up early to take sunrise photos in our wedding attire (which we lugged around through 6 countries!) at Fisherman's Bastion. I felt like a princess in a castle! Link is below:

https://culturalfoodies.com/2018/10/24/13-things-to-make-you-fall-madly-in-love-with-budapest-hungary/

Bianca Rodrigues shares:

Santiago is one of the more cosmopolitan capitals in South America. It's an advanced and modern city with an efficient metro system, leafy, tree-lined streets and an emphasis on stability and order. But with that modernity comes a certain lack of character for the casual traveler just stopping in for a short period of time.

At least it seems on the surface.

I've found that Latin American charm is alive and well here, especially in the produce markets sprinkled throughout the city. They still possess a gritty character, marked by its chaotic (and seemingly endless) rows of vendors hawking their products for sale. From the powerhouse of La Vega, to the fishmongers in Mercado Central, there is something to be found for every kind of traveler.

So, don't turn up your nose at Santiago just yet - you'll be surprised at what you'll find just around the corner.

I was walking down the street when I was accosted by a particularly dirty and shabby-looking homeless man who asked me for a couple of dollars for dinner.

I took out my wallet, extracted ten dollars and asked,"If I give you this money, will you buy some beer with it instead of dinner?"

"No, I had to stop drinking years ago," the homeless man replied.

"Will you use it to go fishing instead of buying food?" I asked.

"No, I don't waste time fishing," the homeless man said.."I need to spend all my time trying to stay alive."

"Will you spend this on hunting equipment?" I asked.

"Are you NUTS!" replied the homeless man. "I haven't gone hunting in 20 years!"

"Well," I said, "I'm not going to give you money. Instead, I'm going to take you home for a shower and a terrific dinner cooked by my wife."

The homeless man was astounded. "Won't your wife be furious with you for doing that?

I replied, "Don't worry about that. It's important for her to see what a man looks like after he has given up drinking, fishing and hunting."

A few years ago, my family and I drove down to the state of Georgia to spend a week away from the hustle and bustle of life. We chose an out of the way destination, so that we didn't need to worry about crowds and other tourists.

We weren't that far from the quaint town of Helen, so we decided to drive over there one day to check it out. I had read that it was designed to be like a Bavarian Village, and while I didn't think it was possible, it ended up being true!

From the second we drove into town, I felt like we had been transported to another time and place. There were horses and carriages in the streets, taking people on adventures, and other visitors could be seen walking from one place to another. The streets were empty of vehicles, with the exception of those just arriving.

The town is quite small, but it contains a wealth of stores and restaurants! I was thrilled to be able to go shopping and much to the dismay of my family, I could have spent hours watching them create art in the glassblowing shop. I may have also spent a little extra time in the Christmas store...hey, it happens to be my favorite holiday! :)

We ate lunch at a pub that overlooked the river, and as we enjoyed our food, we watched people go past on inner tubes. Once we had explored every inch of town, we made our way back to our hotel. However, we made two stops along the way. The first was at the Romeo and Juliet attraction, which has an amazing legend about two Indian lovers and how they met their death.

The second stop was at Mark of the Potter, which sold amazing pottery. My kids were more interested in the pond with the fish while we were there, but that gave me more time to do some shopping!

This is quite the beautiful area, and I recommend that you stop there if you happen to be nearby. And if not, add it to your list of must-see destinations in the future!

At the Croatia-Bosnia borders...

Officer: “You’re from Iraq! Are you a terrorist?”

Me: “Umm, no”

Officer: “You drove here from Iraq?”

Me: “No, I drove from Slovenia”

Officer: “You’re Slovenian? You live there?”

Me: “No I just ren...”

Officer: “So where do you live?”

Me: “Umm well I’m based in the US for my job”

Officer: “So you live in the US? But here I see you have Permanent Residency in Canada”

Me: “That’s correct”

Officer: “I’m confused. So you’re from Iraq, driving a Slovenian car, coming from Croatia and going to Bosnia, and you work in the US but you have residency in Canada?”

Me: “That’s right”

The officer asks me to hand him the keys and leave the car. He takes me to a room where three Croatian officers search through my bags and ask me to explain every item.

Officer: “Why do you have a Russian flag and police badge?”

Me: “Ahh it’s a long story, I was in Russia for the World Cup and...”

Officer: “They give football fans police pins? We ran a search on this badge and it belongs to an old secret Russian police”

Me: “Uhh yah I didn’t know that. An officer on the street gave it to me”

The officer looked increasingly suspicious as I desperately tried explaining this story. In a hopeless attempt to convince him (and his supervisor) I wasn’t just making it up, I pulled out my phone and showed him a Facebook post I’d written about my time in Russia. He read it carefully, then he smiled and said “those crazy Russians”.

He eventually handed my stuff and the car keys back.

Me: "Man, thanks for understanding. I'm always nervous about entering a country that may hate a country I previously visited"

Officer: "Don't worry. Here in Balkans, we like Russia and Putin, just like your new president in America"

Me: "Ahh well I'm not Am.."

Officer: "Anyways, enjoy your time. We have wild parties and beautiful women here."

He forgot to mention the breathtaking views of the region, like this pristine Albanian coast that goes on for hundreds of miles:

You know that feeling when you’ve been researching a place for weeks and staring at all the instagram photos taken there and then suddenly, you’re slap bang in the middle of it all and feelings of happiness, excitement and joy just seeps out of your pores. I had this experience in Sapa in Vietnam. The lush rolling green hills, the small adorable family huts, tribal people walking around wearing their traditional dress… this place was like something out of a fairytale. The culture here was so free and open. Especially the children. We had 5 of them taking us around the valleys and we stopped at a waterfall. While I’m clinging on for dear life while we climb rocks to get there, I had 8 years old bouncing from rock to rock around me and bodyslam themselves into the pool below the waterfall. I stood there dazed and realised these children have no fear. The work ethic here amongst the adults and children is inspiring. They work relentlessly day and night to provide for their family meaning that the children also help out with younger siblings and work around the house. However, this magical place is becoming a target for tourism and with tourism comes the big fancy hotels, the pollution and the constant badgering from people selling their products and services. The roads are all dug up and really treacherous and the town itself is currently a building site. I felt like Sapa’s days of natural beauty and peace are numbered. I tried to shut out the constant drilling and enjoy the place for what it is and thank my lucky stars that I got to experience this place before tourism really takes over…

I lay on the floor in a stranger’s house dripping in sweat with mosquitos buzzing around my head. I was in a small poor village in the South of Thailand and I was the new English teacher for the only primary school in the village. I had just met all of my 1000 students, hundred of confused eyes staring at me while I nervously introduced myself as clearly as possible had Thai people speaking to me in a language that sounded like baby noises while staring into my eyes and picking at my skin. I was given this soup for dinner with chicken feet and spices that made my eyes swell up and explode with tears and all my fellow teacher burst out laughing at me. Before bed, I bathed in a bucket full of cold water already used by the other 3 teachers staying in the one house before putting on clothes that the teacher gave me that covered every patch of skin as my pyjamas exposed my knees and elbows which was deemed as too ‘revealing’. I lie here wide awake listening to the gecko lizards slithering around the house and wonder what the hell did I get myself into?! I started to shake. I started to cry. I tried to calm myself down and reassure myself that what I was experiencing was culture shock as everything I went through today was normal life for these people. Immersing yourself in a completely new culture can be overwhelming and frightening and takes time to get used to. It also opens brand new doors for you and gives you experiences you will never get back home…

Last year, I lived in the FYROM for 6 months. I was there teaching English in a medium sized town. One of my favourite things about being in the Balkans is that there are a lot of countries tightly packed together, and it is easy to visit other countries when you're there.

On one particular jaunt, I visited the coastal town of Thessaloniki in neighbouring Greece. Earlier in the year, I had lived in Athens for a month, and now I was eager to see the country's second biggest city.

Now.. living in FYROM, it had become second nature to me to refer to the country as 'Macedonia'. In the world in which I lived, it was the acceptable thing to do.

In Greece - particularly in the north of Greece - things are very different.

One evening, while walking back to my AirBnB, I started a conversation with a friendly bar owner who was closing up for the evening.

He asked me why I was visiting Thessaloniki, and before I had checked myself, I replied: 'I live and work in Macedonia....'.

The world around me stopped and everything went quiet.

The bar owner was okay.

However, an old man seated nearby was NOT.

He leapt to his feet in a storm of indignation and began shouting and cursing at me. I smiled and just agreed with him, but this made him even madder. I was certain that he would have ripped his shirt in two, if he had thought of it at the time. Instead, he grabbed a chair and hoisted it up into the air, threatening to hit me with it.

Thankfully, nothing became of it. I knew when it was time to walk on. Leaving a cloud of obscenities in the air behind me.

I learned my lesson that evening. The next day, I just used the term 'a bordering country'.

Folks. When in northern Greece, don't refer to FYROM as Macedonia!

To me this guy was way too sensitive, and this issue between the two countries has been blown out of all proportion. But who am I to say?

Read the full story here: https://megliovivere.com/2018/06/19/macedonia-name-change/