(Wild)Life in India

It feels like I'm living in an exhibit at the zoo here, I am surrounded by wildlife. A family of peacocks live in my garden, and i can hear them calling to each other. There are dogs wandering between houses, and lizards both inside and outside. (I can hear the geckos clicking at night, which means they're somewhere in my room but I don't know where. It takes some time before you trust that you're not going to wake up to one crawling on you.) We also have our share of less pleasant creatures, including spiders, scorpions, rats and ants (both of which I've had the pleasure of having inside my house already) and of course, monkeys. It really is a treat to walk through and have peacocks fanning their tails out every day. It almost feels normal at this point because it happens so much, but we all know this is not the case. In fact, I wanted to go look at the full moon on my roof last night (roofs here are flat so you can walk on them), and I went up the steps only to find a brood of peacocks sleeping there already! I wasn't about to disturb them--not yet sure how vicious they are compared to the monkeys.

Don't believe whatever Disney or Aladdin told you; monkeys in India are not cute. They're vicious, full of diseases, and will attack you. I walk everywhere with a slingshot so I can shoot them if need be. Seriously! You get a group of them blocking your way (like i did on my way down the mountain this week-I thought I was going to either die of rabies or be stranded up there) and you have to back away and hope they move along, unless you shoot them. Not to kill, but just to scare them off so they'll get out of your way.

It takes some getting used to, opening your curtains in the morning and seeing a face staring back at you through the screen, but monkeys are not shy.

Something that takes some real getting used to is the ants. They are everywhere. And they can smell food from a mile away, literally. So you have to keep all your food either in the fridge, in sealed glass containers (they'll chew through plastic) or in a dish with water underneath, since they can't swim--yet.

We left one grain of rice on the counter after dinner the first night, and there were THOUSANDS of ants the next morning. They made a steady stream through the kitchen counter and out the front door. 

We had to return some groceries that our delivery man brought that we hadn't ordered, so we left them in a burlap bag on the porch. The next morning, the ants had bitten a hole through the bag, through the packaging on the cookies, and there were only crumbs left. They just swarmed the entire area. It is so disgusting, I really have to try to not lose it when this happens. I hate the way they move! 

It happened again today when I left a bag of cashews in my backpack. I went to retrieve them for a snack and pulled out an ant-infested bag instead. My backpack is currently in the freezer until I can be sure they're all dead. At least they haven't come in the bedroom yet. Then I really wouldn't be able to sleep at night. I already have nightmares every time I come here of waking up to my entire body covered in ants...ahhhh I get the creeps just thinking about it! 

Luckily my obsessive compulsive cleaning habits are paying off, and we've managed to minimize the infestations. It is a content battle, though, and it makes you paranoid--every time I have an itch somewhere my mind instantly assumes it's an ant and it's so much worse.

That's another thing about India-everything is bigger here. The bumblebees, the butterflies, and the insect bites (exhibit A):

I have no idea what bit me but I'm still alive so it can't be that bad, right?

Drinking in Vegas: A Few Pro Tips

Drinking in Vegas is pretty much a given, otherwise you've chosen one of the worst places on the planet to vacation. Leave immediately.

Because it's a tourist hotspot, however, prices tend to be outrageous. (I'm looking at you, Mirage Pool)

Pro tip: there are ways to do this on the cheap.

Option A: Buy your own booze at the drug store. Alcohol at stores in the USA isn't like in Canada. Because it isn't controlled by the government, there are reasonable prices attached. Downside? As I mentioned in my last post, most resorts are savvy to this and have weight-measured fridges. So you can't move anything and put your own stuff to cool down instead. Solution: ice bucket, and/or the tub, depending on how crazy of a night you're planning on having.

Option B: Visit Casino Royale. $1 beers, $2 mixed drinks. Need I say more? Oh and the best part - in Vegas, you can carry alcohol in public out onto the street. So you can buy and fly (ok that was lame). It's in the middle of the Strip, so you can access and go anywhere before/after/between reloads.

Option C: Play the casino. Servers will come around the floor, and as long as you're playing a game, be it slots or a table game, drinks are FREE. that's right, free. Downsides: it can take a bit of time for them to notice you at first; drinks are free, but if you expect them to come back with any speed/if at all, you should tip them. A buck or two should do the trick. So they're not quite free. But this works in every casino.

DO NOT: Buy bottle service at a club. It is the most overpriced rip off I have ever encountered (seriously--would you pay $5000 for the privilege of sitting on a couch in a room that's too loud to talk to the person beside you, and you might end up getting 1/5 of the bottle? That's like $1000 drinks!) and strangers nearby will probably steal most of it anyway. If you're into that/have money to light on fire, go nuts. Otherwise, #notworthit. If you're a girl, ignore this--you will never have to buy and you will almost always get in for free. Yay Vegas! Sorry, boys.

-BPK

Vegas Day 1 Observations.

I just have to start off by saying there are two EXTREMELY important things to know about Vegas: 1. Vegas is ridiculously hot.

I've been to India in the summer. Vegas was a thousand times worse. Granted, we did go in August, but man. That dry desert heat is something else. Prepare yourselves, people. It is so hot, the air HURTS to inhale. It is so hot you sweat out of every orifice in your body. It is so hot, you'll break out in a rash as soon as you set foot outside (just me? alrighty then).

2. Vegas is bigger than you think.

When Adam, who has been to Vegas 4 times already, suggested that we do one side of the Strip one day, and the other side the next, I thought he was insane. It's a road! A single road. How much time can it take to see it?! Well. I had not taken into consideration either of the two very important things above. Each resort, is like 5 city blocks. It took almost 15 minutes to walk past Caesar's Palace! That's ONE resort. And there are 33 resorts on the strip (I looked it up). Do the math. Adam was right. Combine that with the sweltering heat and I was more than happy to hang out at the pool for the majority of the morning.

The Mirage Pool

This pool is GORGEOUS. It's one of the nicer ones on the Strip (says Adam--I have zero things to compare it to). It's in a funky shape, with lots of palm trees, and it's pretty quiet--perfect for relaxing. The drinks there are exorbitantly expensive ($33 USD for ONE cup) but it's like a litre of booze and you get to keep the cup as a souvenir, so it's worth getting at least one. You will not realize how strong they are until you try to get out of the pool and proceed to fall on your face.

After relaxing (and getting day drunk, let's be real) we decided we needed food, and we knew we wanted to take advantage of Las Vegas' amazing restaurant scene while we were here. Made sense to see some of the Strip then at the same time. We explored and saw: The Bellagio, Caesars Palace, The Cromwell, and the Cosmopolitan, where we decided on Chinese-Mexican fusion restaurant, China Poblano. (It's exactly what you think it is, and it's damn good).

It doesn't sound like much, but walking/exploring the strip took up most of the day. We also wandered into each casino, and I got hooked on the wonderful world of slot machines. Sex & The City and 'The Hangover' games were my favourite; I have never seen a way to spend money faster. Be warned! It's a lot of fun though.

Losing my Vegas Virginity

When we arrived in Vegas in the early evening (after flying over the Grand Canyon, which was epic), we got a cab, where I immediately proceeded to drop my iPhone on the sidewalk and shatter the screen. Standard Kat.

We were booked into the Mirage for the first part of the trip, and our final night at Monte Carlo, because if you are a rewards member anywhere, you can do things like this and save a ton of money (more on that later).

Anyway, the Mirage was cool--modern rooms, although the fridge was weight-controlled, meaning we couldn't remove anything to put our own, much cheaper booze from the drug store in there to cool. Boo!

We headed out to the Strip to grab a bite to eat and see some sights. Adam (my partner in crime, who you'll be seeing frequently on this blog) is a huge fan of Guy Fieri, so naturally the first place we tried had to be his new burger bar. I ordered some tuna tacos, and he had a heart attack  a burger. The food was pretty good, and the cocktails were especially delicious.

After that, we headed over to the Linq, which is basically an outdoor shopping promenade with lots of cool shops. It reminded me a lot of the Santa Monica Pier, but more Vegas-y. You can also catch a ride on the Highroller from here, Vegas' answer to the London Eye. We didn't do it because it was $35 per person but it's probably a pretty cool view.

That's all for Night 1! Stay tuned for more on the Strip and other fun Vegas activities coming up.

Flight Hacking Las Vegas

After trying and failing to organize a trip here for my 25th birthday, I was convinced it was a sign that I wasn't meant to visit Sin City. But I knew it was one of the few places you can travel from Toronto for a) a short period of time, and b) for a reasonable price. (North America is huge, y'all.) Running short on vacation days through work, I have to be very selective with where I choose to go in a calendar year.

With the August long weekend coming up, I figured I'd check out last-minute deals and see if something popped. I checked Expedia, Travelocity, and Air Canada for last-minute packages, but everything seemed a bit too pricey for a 3 day long weekend trip ($700 approx.)

Out of curiosity I looked at flights alone and while it was more reasonable at about $400-450 round trip, then I'd have to add hotel on top of that, and I'd end up around the same price as the packages. No bueno. About to give up on my long weekend vacation dreams, I had an idea: I have credit card points! Would they work? Here's how it broke down:

I checked my RBC Avion Travel Visa Rewards and I had 55,706 points (I'll do a credit card reward comparison post at a later date--but I've been pretty happy with this one so far). The redemption schedule is normally as follows:

However. Since I wanted to book less than 14 days in advance, the rate was 100 points/$1.00.  (Note to self: definitely book ahead if I want to use points in the future--points will go much further that way!) I found an excellent flight (albeit not direct) on Cheapoair.ca for $436 return, stopping in Philly on the way there and Newark on the way home. I made note of the flight numbers and searched for them in RBC's travel reward booking system (you have to use their site to book air travel with points). I found the flights, although they were slightly more expensive through this booking system, and I'm still not sure why. The itinerary looked like this:

After selecting this itinerary, I used all my points to decrease the price as much as possible. My points paid for an entire ticket, leaving a balance of less than half the full price. Breakdown is here:

We (you didn't think I went to Vegas alone, did ya?!) ended up splitting the cost of the remaining balance, meaning I flew to Las Vegas from Toronto for a total of $248.11 -- NOW we're talking a reasonable amount for a long weekend trip!

Stay tuned for more Vegas adventures detailing more travel hacking, including how I stayed on the strip for $37/night, and what I saw and did while there (spoiler alert: there are Lamborghinis involved.)

-Kat

Fountains, Food, and Fishes

Apparently Dubai likes to combine tourism with shopping, which if you think about it, is a pretty smart thing to do. I'm beginning to understand why they like to put things like ski hills and aquariums in their malls, because people will come for one and stay for the other. Genius! Free marketing for all!

Today, I got to see the Dubai Aquarium, which is at the other big mall called the Dubai Mall (I was at Mall of the Emirates yesterday). The Aquarium is 3 stories tall, the largest in the world (of course, it's Dubai), and costs 30 bucks to go in. Um, no thanks. I took the poor man's admission price and just gandered from behind the velvet rope. Admission only buys you the chance to walk through it. Which is kind of neat, but not necessary. Especially for that price.

It was cool to see, but I have a feeling the one in Toronto is cooler, as seen from all my friends' Instagram feeds (Note to self: I need to go see it myself, because I want some #jellyfishselfies!)

It was therefore no surprise that in the middle of this mall, in addition to the aquarium, there is a skating rink. I immediately thought, "cool! This plus Tim Horton's...if I just stay inside I can hardly tell I'm not in Canada!" Until upon closer inspection, all the arab women were skating around, abayas fluttering in the breeze like it ain't no thang. You definitely wouldn't see much of THAT in Canada.

  

After that I was off to Mango Tree, which had epic, awesome Thai food. But that wasn't even close to the best part. I sat at a table on their balcony, right at the front and centre, while the Burj Khalifa (tallest building in the world) towered above me, and had the best seat in the house for the Dubai Fountains. The whole thing was straight outta the Bachelor playbook. I'm not kidding, that ran across my mind several times. I kept looking around for a rose to appear on the table! I mean, the setting was so magnificent and romantic, I could've been on a date with Juan Pablo and still been fawning over it (for anyone who watches the show, you'll know what I mean...he was the worst.) Exhibit A:

I need to explain about the fountains. I haven't been to Vegas (yet--plans are in the works for my birthday this year!) but I've been told it's similar to the fountains at the Bellagio. All I know is it was the most epic way to have dinner I've ever seen. There was a show every 20 minutes, and each time it was different. Different pattern, different music. It was truly spectacular, and a must-see for anyone who visits. Fellas, you're welcome. I've just found your anniversary/birthday/proposal venue.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/gJY7grCjCNU]

Dubai or Not To Buy

...I'm embarrassed for myself, don't worry. I love a good terrible good pun, what can I say? Today was spent doing Dubai's national pastime: SHOPPING. We all know I squealed in delight when I discovered this fact (and I may or may not have brought an empty suitcase inside another suitcase for this purpose).

I knew the shopping would be good; I didn't know it would be THAT good. They literally have every store that I like back home, and then tons that I've never heard of! Needless to say, I made off with a small fortune in tax-free goodies.

Another neat thing about the mall? There's a SKI HILL inside. No joke. I remember seeing it featured on the Amazing Race a few years back, and was dying to try it out, but due to my recent adventures in acetabular repair, I decided for my hip's sake it was best to take a pass this time around. I promise you I will be back to test it out in the future!

After making off with a small fortune in tax-free purchases, I headed to the Dubai marina at night for some sheesha and food. No booze because if you remember, it's only sold at hotels. It was pretty chilly, but luckily Dubai has an extremely strong patio game, and are fully prepared for "winter" with heat lamps and luscious blankets for all.

(Sorry for the poor photo quality in some of these, but there are times when you just don't feel like lugging your DSLR around with you. Someone invent an iPhone that can take DSLR-quality photos, and I will pay the premium for it!)

I took a stroll after dinner and found the only thing that could make me homesick: Tim Horton's. I can't believe they have one here. AND they know what a double-double is! (That fact won me a bet, and free coffee as well!)

I could get used to this!

K.

Good Morning, Dubai!

I awoke this morning to TWO wonderful and foreign delights: sunshine, and WARMTH!

Anyone who is familiar with global warming will know what a horrifying and never-ending winter we've been having north of The Wall in Canada. So to wake up to blue skies and sunshine?! Sign me up!

Today was a lazy day, getting over any residual jetlag and exploring a bit while also thinking of what I wanted to see during the short time I'll be here. First up? Umm Suqeim Beach.

The weather was actually not warm enough to lie in the sun or anything (and I was nervous about testing the Western boundaries after my airport debaucle) so I donned my summer blue jeans and a cardigan and went to explore. It was windy so the kite surfers were out in full force:

They are in the midst of building a running track, although for now it seemed reserved for groups of Emirati men to gather (and point & whisper "infidel!" as I strolled past, sans abaya).

At the end of the beach was the Burj Al Arab, one of the iconic buildings in the Dubai skyline, and the world's first (? only?) seven-star hotel. You'll notice Dubai is a fan of world records. If it's possible to outdo something, especially another country, they'll do their best. (Most fireworks on NYE record of 445,000 by Kuwait? Dubai smashed it this year. Tallest building in the world used to the the CN Tower in Toronto? Not anymore, thanks to the Burj Khalifa.)

The evening was spent at a place called Madinat Jumeirah, which is this strange, kitschy, yet oddly beautiful complex.

Built to resemble a traditional souq, it's a weird mishmash of touristy tackiness, yet you can't help but admire the architectural beauty that went into it. With the Burj Al Arab as a backdrop, it's quite the place to have dinner.

I dined on steak & foie gras, a true testament to all that is Dubai: you want it, you can get it here.

I was reminded yet again of where I was when I saw the following sign on many restaurant doors:

Toto, we're not in Toronto anymore.

K.

Arriving in the UAE

When you quit your job, and are lucky enough to have a few days off before your new one starts, the most logical thing to do is obviously book a trip. Halfway around the world. Somewhere you've never been before. Where did that land me? In the land of opportunity, mystique, and SUN: where else, but Dubai!

First things first: whoever said that booking flights last-minute is a good idea was a LIAR. $1956 dollars later...I was on a plane. Connecting through Heathrow to Dubai (no directs available, in part because Emirates holds a monopoly on that route for the time being). Because of the recent ice storm, Emirates was completely booked. Unless I wanted to fly Business class for $7k. I have a job, but it ain't THAT well-paying! Ugh. Someday I will be able to afford a suite on an Emirates Airbus...and then never buy one because that's a waste of money! Think of all the travel you could buy yourself with ONE ticket!

So I get there and have to pass through the visa-on-arrival process. Which took forever, but seems even longer after traveling almost 24 hours and arriving in the middle of the night. Nevertheless, when I finally had my turn, they took my photo as is protocol, and the nice Emirati informed me he would send it to me so I could Instagram it. Am I THAT #obvious already here?

As some of you might know (if you know me in real life), I suffer from chronic migraines. They suck, almost nothing works, but Tylenol 1's seem to do the best job at making me functional when one happens. That being said, T1's are a combination of acetaminophen (Tylenol), caffeine, and codeine, so they're definitely stronger than aspirin. You can buy them over the counter in Canada though, no prescription necessary, no big deal, right? I *may* have had some in my bag for the trip, cannot confirm nor deny..

I passed through the final check, no questions asked. I only found out once in the country that I *may or may not have* just smuggled contraband into the country by accident, and if they had discovered my activities in the airport, it carries a mandatory 4 YEAR jail sentence. Terrifying!!! I was off to a rocky start. So folks, drugs are very bad here. Including ones that are fine in your home country. Be extremely careful!

I was so rattled I didn't take advantage of the duty free, which is a real shame, because the UAE is a Muslim country and you can only purchase alcohol at hotels or if you have a special license. Oh well! Lesson learned on two fronts.

Next up, my first full day in Dubai! Can't wait. Stay tuned...

K.

Pompeii and Herculaneum

Day 6: Tues 4th - Met 4 other aussies staying in the same room as us, and decided to make a big group and go to see Herculaneum and Pompeii together (note: I always thought Pompeii was spelt with two 'i's but in Italy they only use one. Sneaking suspicion they are trying to make the English look stupid.) We bought day passes for the Circumvesuviana (that stupid above-ground train is the only way to get around Sorrento) for 6 Euros and 30 cents--highway robbery--and were on our way. After declining the whole roast pig for 4.50 we saw along the way, we bought tickets at Herculaneum to 5 sites as it was cheaper if we were also going to Pompeii. 20 Euros later (Southern Italy is not cheap!), we were inside the ruins. We tried to buy audioguides but they were sold out (have you ever heard of that? What a scam!) so we invented our own explanations for things--see that? That's a bathtub..in the middle of the square...That looks like a stove, this was definitely a bakery then...etc.

Similiar to Pompeii, Herculaneum was also destroyed by Mt. Vesuvius' eruption in 79 AD. But unlike Pompeii, this town was covered with layers of ash and gas very quickly, so the preservation here is actually better. We saw some buildings that still had multiple stories. It was quite incredible--these buildings survived a volcanic eruption, burial, excavation, and two thousand years of deterioration, and still look like they do. (Maybe Hollywood needs to take some aging tips from ancient cities...)
After we were satisfied with our time at Herculaneum, we headed back to Pompeii. We were more successful with our audioguide search (and even got a deal) and headed inside. The guide was a waste of money, though; it played this cheesy minstrel music before every bit of info--I seriously doubt Pompeiians were running around with lutes in 79 AD. I think they had more important things to worry about. Like getting buried by a volcano.
The ruins at Pompeii were impressive, simply because it's so big. The books are right; it's not as well-preserved as Herculaneum, but the scope is incredible. You got to walk an ancient city and imagine what their society would have been like to live in.

We did the two hour walk-through and got really lost. Stops included a rich person's house, a bakery (for sure this time), a couple temples, and a courthouse. Our favourite part was the Lupenare, or the whore house (betcha didn't see that one coming, did ya? I thought it was a wolf sanctuary...).

It was getting dark so we scooted over to the amphitheatre before it got too late. We had a ton of fun because it was deserted--the five of us were the only ones there, give or take a few curious tourists poking their heads in. I got to dance on one of the oldest stages in the world!
We wanted to take some group photos of us on stage, but because there was no one around, it was posing a bit of a challenge. In the end, we decided that the four of us would get ready at the bottom of the theatre. Dave would set the self-timer and then book it down the stairs to jump in the picture at the last second. It took a couple tries (and a lot of cardio--those stairs are steep!) but we got the photo.
Band photo inside the ruins of Pompeii...debut album coming soon
Then we decided to take one of us all jumping in the air, from the other side, so the steps would be in the background. This proved to be quite a challenge. After an hour of failed attempts and scraped knees, wipeouts, and lack of coordination, we almost gave up, but then somehow it worked and we got the picture. The struggle was hilarious and now we have the photos to remember it!
This was so worth the blood sweat and tears!
We headed back to the hostel for some more amazing food and a movie--they project onto one of the walls of the hostel in the courtyard, so we watched RED while we were eating. I headed upstairs to pack after that, and managed to condense three bags into two (I have a Ryanair flight tomorrow, so I need to be thrifty). It took a bit of a yard sale--I left four books, a towel, and various other toiletries behind--but I made it. (The other girls in my room were quite happy to take what I was giving away)

It was a fantastic last day in Italy--I got to know some great people, saw some fascinating things, and am almost ready to close the book on this trip!

Group photo inside Pompeii, Mt. Vesuvius in the background. Great day guys!

Not a Morning Person

This morning, we tried to get up early to go to the Vatican museums before our 1:45 train to Naples. However, neither Nez nor I are morning people, as we discovered. After our lovely (and now regular) wakeup from the cleaning lady, we had breakky then went to the station to leave our bags at the luggage place. After a half-hour trek through the depths of the station, we find the longest line ever--apparently it's no longer DIY luggage lockers. Since we were short on time, we were NOT about to wait in that line. We schlepped back to the hostel, and instead, left our bags there. At this point, we only had about an hour and a half, and the museums were not going to be visited. We decided to cut our losses and just relax before our train, so we shopped for a bit, and I fell in love with two Italian men: their names were Dolce and Gabbana.

We picked up our bags, and were a bit late leaving for the station. We literally had to sprint to our train, but we made it. Barely. The conductor blew the whistle as we stepped onto the train--now that's backpacking talent. Just in time!

After we got to Naples, we had to take an hour-long "Circumvesuviana" to get to Sorrento. I figured it was a regional train--slower, but no problem. We got to the station and discovered the 1 hr "regional train" from there to Sorrento is actually an above-ground subway. That my Eurail pass is not valid for. So I had to buy a 4 Euro ticket. (I really think my pass was less and less of a good deal, the more I use it and get told it's either not valid or I have to pay extra for the reservation).

We get on the train (if you can call it that) and are crammed like sardines, with no ventilation. We discover after boarding that we've boarded the wrong train. Of course.

After correcting our mistake and enduring a miserable hour and a half journey down the coast, Nez and I arrived in San Agnello, a small town just outside of Sorrento. The hostel directions sucked so we walked around a bit. We got a great photo of this tiny truck before getting busted by the owner, who turned out to be very proud instead, and offered to take a photo of us on the back--as long as we took one of him after. Got some great gelato then made it to the hostel, which is amazing. Makes the one in Rome look like a halfway house. Met some great people in our room (Aussies, of course) and all had dinner together--did I mention the hostel makes incredible food? A bunch of us are gonna see Pompeii tomorrow. I can't wait!

Church on Sunday

Apparently I'm a bad Catholic. I didn't realize that going to the Vatican on a Sunday means the museums are all closed (Sabbath). Lucky for me, going on a Sunday means you will get blessed by the Pope instead. Repentance! Nez and I stood in St. Peter's square and watched as a tapestry was hung out of a random window in the Vatican. Then, at noon, Jesus appeared! Just kidding. But close! Pope Benedict gave his little wave to the crowd, then said a bunch of stuff in latin that no one understood but pretended to anyways. Lastly, he did a bunch of shout-outs in all the languages he could think of, and the crowd reacted accordingly. Most importantly, we were blessed by the Pope!
Just me and the Pope
After the speech, we went into St. Peter's, which is really impressive inside. I completely understand why it's the headquarters here. It is a little strange, however, having to cover up my legs and shoulders. I expect that when I go to mosques or temples, but in a church? They're just shorts!
Me and my improvised cover-up inside St. Peter's Basilica
Later, Nez and I went for a nice dinner of gnocchi and risotto (and place mats with Whitney Houston on them? Random),

then headed to the Coliseum to take some photos at night. Took about 3 good ones and 300 blurry ones--quite the learning curve with low lighting. Did a handstand and cut my foot on broken glass--not the smartest thing I've done this trip.

I rallied, however, and walked to the Trevi Fountain. There were only about 15 other people there, so it was comparatively empty to daytime (when the tourist hordes are out in full force). Almost fell in while taking photos. Fun fact: about 3000 Euros are thrown into that fountain EVERY DAY. Maybe if Italy started collecting it, they would improve their financial situation a little...I contributed to it, but in true backpacker style, I threw in one cent. A Euro is way over my price ceiling, let's be real here! <brMy near-miss with the water, caught on film So I didn't get to see Sistine Chapel. I know, I know--I went to Rome and didn't see the Sistine Chapel!--But it's really fine: I'm so oversaturated with historical sights in Rome that they're losing a bit of their lustre. I'd rather go back when I have a fresh mind--and now I have a reason to return to Rome!

Me and Nez in front of the Coliseum

Ixnay on the Gladiators

Day 3: Saturday Oct 1 This morning I booked a flight to London for Oct 5th, then walked to the Coliseum to use the 2nd day of the ticket the guys bought. Discovered the ticket is valid for 2 days,but not at the same sites more than once. Embarrassing moment! I did the walk of shame past alllll the people lining up who actually had tickets, back out the way I came. Guess I won't be seeing the Coliseum after all!

Back at the hostel I met Nez, another Aussie solo traveler staying in my room. We got along great and had a nice dinner together before an early night. FYI, Rome is HOT right now. All that walking is exhausting!

A little Roman History

In front of the Forum (or what's left of it)
Day 2: Fri Sept 30.

Hostel kicks us out at 10 am (til 3 pm) -- and I mean literally, 10:01, the cleaning lady's knocking on the door to make sure we're on our way. Alright, alright, I'm going! Relax! Nonetheless, the girls and I go grab breakfast at cafe down the street before they caught their train. Still can't believe they're doing Europe in 3 weeks...madness!

Hung out for a bit and did some trip planning in the common room--I decided to skip Ireland, going down to Amalfi Coast at the recommendation of another hostel guest--found a GREAT hostel there. This does not work out well with the ticket I already bought to fly from Ireland to England--non-refundable. I decided to cut my losses and just stay in Italy and find a cheap flight from here.
An ancient pillar that has every important battle in Roman history carved into it--bottom line: It's really old
Did a 2 pm walking tour of the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, and the Coliseum, which was really neat. It's so crazy seeing these ancient ruins in the middle of a big city...just imagine driving your BMW past thousands of years of history--this would never happen in Canada! These free tours are great--they take you to the important sights, tell you a bit about the history, and you just tip them at the end if you enjoyed it. Our tour ended at the Coliseum so people could go inside if they wanted, but I decided against it. Funds are running dangerously low and I've heard from a lot of people that it's not THAT exciting to see inside. Maybe next trip.

Note to self: turning the flash on during the day means you will look photoshopped in front of whatever historical monument you are trying to prove you saw

What I did do was walk down to try and get registered in cooking class at this restaurant I found online, but it was full. After that mission and a half over the river and through the Circus Maximus (remember Ben Hur? That place), I met up with 2 guys I met on the walking tour, a producer from LA and a teacher from Wisconsin. They had bought the ticket for the Forum and Coliseum which was good for two days, so they gave me their ticket saying I could use it tomorrow if I wanted. Sweet! Maybe I will go in after all.

We had dinner together and swapped some great stories (note to everyone on sleeper trains: get the top bunk, or a man will continuously walk his feet onto your bunk while sleeping on the one beside you--or so I've been told). We had a lot of fun exploring Rome together!

Newer building (1911) that reminded me of the Hofburg Palace in Vienna

When In Rome

Jen, Vanessa and I in our room before our night out
Day 1: Thurs Sept 29: Arrived at hostel which was really close to the train station, thank goodness. Caught up on the blog, and just relaxed after the travel day. Early evening I met some great girls (jen and vanessa) staying in the same room who were also from Toronto, and were doing a whirlwind trip thru europe. (you think i'm seeing a lot on my trip, try spending each night in a different city. I dont know how they're doing it!) We went for dinner at a place near the hostel. After some delicious pasta and salty broccoli, we attempted to find a pub crawl we had heard about at the Spanish steps but failed. May have been because Rome's subway sucks--there's only two lines to begin with, and one of them stops at 9 pm! Naturally, that was the line we needed. We were forced to wait for the bus, which meant we did not make it there by the 10 o'clock cut-off. I wasn't too upset--I really just wanted the t-shirt. We decided that since we had already come all the way out here, we would just make our own pub crawl. Turns out we picked the worst possible area to do this in, as it was the shopping centre of Rome, and it took a good hour of wandering until we found any type of suitable establishment. Finally near Piazza Navona, some promoters came up to us offering a good deal so we decided to check it out. Open bar until 12:30! Score.

We get there, order our drinks, and then get told that'll be 15 Euros. Each. Turns out there is a cover charge for this "open bar" which we just assumed was free (don't ask me why we didn't think about this). Since it was already midnight, we decided to just pay for the one drink and then go somewhere else. We met two Italians who chatted us up, and as the only other people in the bar, we couldn't exactly make a quick exit. They started doing dream interpretation (explains a lot) and talking about Italy in very broken english. They wanted to go dancing, and anywhere else had to be better than the place we were currently in, so we went along. We ended up in this club called La Maison, which actually reminded me a lot of clubbing in Toronto, but it was fun. Oh yeah, did I mention we partied with DJ Afrojack?

Venice

Had a BEAUTIFUL ride through the Austrian Alps, although I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I didn't want to curl up in a ball and die--Oktoberfest is not for the weak!

The state I was in on the morning after Oktoberfest
So it turns out my hostel isn't actually IN Venice, but in Marghera, which is about 12 minutes away by train. Kind of a sketchy neighborhood, but luckily after Oktoberfest the last thing I wanted to do was go out at night anyways, so it didn't really matter. The directions listed on the website were undecipherable, so I decided to wing it. Luckily, for once that actually paid off, and was one of the more easy hostels to find. I crashed at about 9 pm and prepared myself for the next day of sightseeing on the island.

I took the train into the city and arrived directly in front of the Grand Canal. Venice is really beautiful--all the old buildings, it really feels like a city from another time (unless you look at the Prada and McDonald's. Just avert your eyes.) I discerned that Piazza San Marco (the real tourist attraction) was on the opposite side of the island, so I headed off on foot. I could've taken a water taxi, but let's be real, those cost precious Euros I need to conserve if I don't want to live in a cardboard box for the last week of my trip.

I also decided to forgo the quintessential Venetian experience of a gondola ride. Although I'm fairly certain I could've convinced a gondolier to give me a discount, I am beyond frugal these days and decided it wasn't worth ANY euros to ride around in a gondola, alone. Save that one for the honeymoon, folks.

The closest I got to a gondola :(
I quickly learned that Lonely Planet makes terrible maps. They might even make the worst maps I've ever seen. Entire blocks have NO labels! And since Venice is already enough of a maze with the canals and streets, this is a huge problem. Luckily I had time on my side, because it took me about 3 hours to make it to the Piazza.
Me in the Piazza San Marco
I looked around, imagined I was Angelina Jolie for about 5 minutes (Italian Job, anyone?) then got really tired of all the tourists, really quick. After posing for some photos with some Asians (seriously, do I look like a celebrity on vacation or something? I don't understand why this keeps happening to me), I began the long trek back to the train station. 3.5 hours later...

I met up with one of my roommates, an Aussie named Pip, who is also on a solo travel mission around the world, for some dinner. She recommended a place around the corner from our hostel, and we checked it out. It was PACKED with locals, which was fantastic--the prices were at least half of what we would've paid if we stayed in Venice for dinner, and it was delicious! She was really fun, and I hope we keep in touch--maybe she'll visit me in Toronto while she's in the US (peer pressure...do it, Pip!)

I'm glad I budgeted only 2 days for Venice, as I definitely saw enough in the time I was there. Any more and it would've been Paris round 2--more of wanting what I can't have. I'll come back on my honeymoon or something--or maybe on a seniors' cruise when I'm 65+--that seemed to be the largest demographic I saw when I was there! It is a beautiful city, although I wouldn't want to live there; doesn't seem like there was a whole lot to do. Now, off to ROME! So excited, there's so much to see here, and so much food to try! Ciao!

Recovery in Munich

WeiBwurst cooking on the stove (Eaten with sweet mustard, they taste a lot better than they look)
Day 3: Sunday 25 - Got up late. Was treated to a traditional Bavarian breakfast with the crew, which consisted of WeiBwurst (a type of sausage I think?), pretzels with 3 cheese dip, aaaand coffee. Lots of it. So necessary.

We looked at the copious amounts of photos taken the day before, then biked around Munich. I did laundry (woohoo!), and bought my ticket to Venice for Tuesday (direct, six and a half hours, easiest train ticket yet!) In the afternoon, we went to the English Gardens, met up with some friends for traditional German food (pork leg, liver, knudeln, mashed potatoes and Radler, then biked home in the freezing cold. Spent half an hour looking for my memory card from my camera (found it) then proceeded to lose it inside the computer. Found it again and watched a movie. A nice complement to the insanity that was yesterday.

München Rockt - Oktoberfest Round 2

Day 4: Monday 26 - Got up late (again). Lazy morning watching Modern Family. Did some trip planning, booked hostels for Venice and Rome, and got ready for Oktoberfest round 2. Had a quick dinner and got going around 5:30 pm. Played some games--got to shoot a rifle--spoiler alert: I didn't hit the target once.
Went to the big beer tents this time and it was PACKED. No free tables anywhere. But the craziest party I've ever seen. Imagine 10,000 people dancing on the tables to oldies and classic rock (summer of 69? how is that Oktoberfest?) straight out of a movie. Totally different from my experience on Saturday, which was really relaxed and casual. This was straight up epic.
Dancing on the tables with ten thousand of my closest friends
We waited at one table for a while but it was clear they weren't leaving anytime soon, so we tried another tent and gradually edged out the other patrons until we had control. We danced and drank the night away (I only fell once, according to photos, so now I know where the bruises on my knee are from).
Alex and I right before the epic fall
Met some cool Brits, some drunk girl that decided it was a great idea to wear heels to oktoberfest (seriously, come on--you're standing on a bench that's like a balance beam! no wonder you're falling every fifteen seconds...just take them off!). We went out after the tents closed, got a kebab, then danced some more--quite hilarious being at a bar in our dirndls and lederhosen, when no one else is dressed up, but we were too (ahem...sober?) to worry about it.
Had quite the surprise when I woke up the next morning and saw we had taken over 150 pictures that night--I have no idea how my camera survived Oktoberfest round 2, but somehow it did, and I had my own Hangover moment going through those photos (Asian ladyboy not included, all fingers intact, so not to worry).

Visiting Chris was fantastic--I haven't seen him in so long, and he was the BEST host (He made me sandwiches to take on the train to Italy, how amazing is that?!), took good care of me, and I can't thank him enough for letting me stay with him! Me and Chris at Oktoberfest 2011 Now I'm jet setting through 3 countries in one day (Germany, Austria, Italy) to arrive in Venice later this afternoon. München Rockt 2011!

Oktoberfest 2011: Die Wiesn!

Day 2: Sat Sept 24 - Die Wiesn! Number one on your list of Oktoberfest Don'ts: Going out drinking the night before. I was hurting a bit this morning, since we woke up at 7:30 am in time to get ready for Oktoberfest--if you want a table you have to be there by 9 am! When we were walking we already saw lines of people outside the tents--they won't be getting in for hours! Silly tourists. Tanya and I got our picture taken by many of these tourists, so we must look legit. That made me feel better about my 65 Euro Dirndl purchase!

We got to the Wiesn, paid 3 euros (vs. the tents which are free but full of tourists and just sloppy--where we were was more traditional) and got some tables outside. Since we got there at about 9 am, we got coffee to start, and unpacked our picnic supplies--they actually let you bring your own food to this part, since they don't start serving food there until much later. It filled up quick, but we held our tables all day long. The weather was incredible--I actually got a sunburn, it was so hot out! Amazing! My shades came in handy and were passed around to just about everyone in attendance. So did my camera--we took more than 750 photos...

About 25 friends from my summers in Switzerland came from all over Germany to be here, which was great. I saw my girls that I lived with this summer in India (Franzi and Izy, my little sisters!), along with some other friends I haven't seen in YEARS. All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better day!

In this area, beer is served in huge stone mugs, which is the traditional way. I had an epiphany after these arrived about bier steins (Stein means 'stone' in German, who'da thought?). Everyone starts off with a Radler, however, which is half beer, half lemonade (sounds gross, but is super refreshing). There were Lederhosen EVERYWHERE--so glad I bought a dirndl, i would've been the only girl without one. It was really funny, from the moment I arrived in Munich, these costumes were everywhere--I mean, it's expected to see them on the Wiesn, but it's somehow hilarious to see some guy just standing on the subway platform in his lederhosen, or in line at the grocery store.
Franzi and I at Die Wiesn (pronounced Dee Veezen for all you Anglophiles) We stayed on the Wiesn from 9 am til 12 midnight--15 hours of Oktoberfest. The toilets were surprisingly good for a public event--kept clean and were a lot nicer than the outhouses I was expecting. (Just thought it's worth mentioning since usually you feel like you've contracted several diseases after using the facilities.)

Oktoberfest is actually a huge carnival--amusement park rides and games everywhere, food stands, etc. It was great fun to walk through all the stalls, see all the traditional food being made (hint: there's a lot of things ending in 'wurst'), and check out the rides. Somehow having everyone dressed up makes everything more fun--it's like Halloween, except everyone is going as the same thing, and every age group is represented--there are six year olds in lederhosen and sixty year olds wearing dirndls.

Such a cool sense of community here--I was saying to my friends, in Canada, because we're so multicultural, we'll have a small Oktoberfest in Kitchener, and a small Chinese New Year, and Caribana, etc. etc. But we never really have huge festivals where EVERYONE in the country is participating. I found that really great to see. It's also the mentality behind the event--the fact that it's a drinking festival--not serving beer in accompaniment to something, but actually as the main activity--that makes it so great.
So part way through our epic outdoor Beer Olympics, our waiter decided to inform us we couldn't bring food in anymore. We suspect this is because he wanted to make more money--if we couldn't bring it in, we'd have to buy it--from him. Our friend Alex, who was the food President of the afternoon, went and talked to the chef, who said it was fine, and relayed this to our waiter. He then begrudgingly allowed our picnic to continue. Shenanigans.

After the tents were closing though, I smoothed things over with Halil (our waiter's name, as it turns out) and even convinced him to join in a few photos. He promised me 4 free beer MaBs if I come back on Monday, so I fully plan on collecting! That's 40 Euros!
Halil (Back row, 2nd from right) as you can tell, is thrilled to be a part of our group
We went on the ferris wheel at the end and what a great way to see the entire Oktoberfest site. Lights twinkling, everybody happy with what a great day we've just had, it was incredible. One of the highlights of my trip for sure.

Welcome to Munich

Day 1: Fri 23rd - Leaving Paris!!!!!!!!! On a 7 am train to Munich (can you tell I can't wait to get outta there?!). My friend Chris picked me up at the station, met our other friends Simon and Lukas (brothers) in the subway, and went to Chris' dorm where we all were staying. He's studying electrical engineering in Munich. I've known all these guys since I was about 3 years old so it's really great to see them all together. First thing we did was go shopping for my Dirndl, which is the traditional outfit all the girls wear to the Oktoberfest. (Note: dirndls are not short--if you buy one that Americans would wear on halloween, you'll look like a slutty tourist! And Germans will look at you with disdain. Good thing I had some local perspective!) I found one in the first shop we went into, how lucky is that? The whole thing cost me a whopping 65 Euros, but considering they normally start at minimum 100, I got a pretty good deal. And I did not come here to stand out (and be a slutty tourist), I came to jump headfirst into the GERMAN Oktoberfest experience! So it was a necessary purchase.

After trying Laberkase (a traditional Bavarian food, but don't ask, you're better off not knowing what's in it) we went to Johannes (Simon and Lukas' brother) and his wife Julia's to celebrate her birthday. We had cake and champagne, then went to a restaurant with a big group of people including Meenakshi, Markus and Tanya, (all of which I also know since childhood) and had some drinks. Okay a lot of drinks. The new hot drink in Germany right now is an Apfelspritz (I think that's what it's called?) which is Apple juice, white wine, and soda I believe. Whatever it is, it's delicious. Tomorrow is the big day...I'm so excited.