backpacking – editaroundtheworld

Amazing Philippines

April 28, 2023 by editaroundtheworld, posted in Backpacking, Travel

I landed in Manila after an 8 hours flight from Sydney on Cebu Pacific, an airline that I definitely don’t recommend. No entertainment or pillows and blankets on the flight, very limited food that you need to pay for, however that was the cheapest option to fly and even so it wasn’t so cheap.

Anyway, after the flight as I arrived to Manila airport the first thing I did was buying a local SIM card for 1500 pesos, which turned out to be a scam, in 7 Eleven it’s much cheaper.

I took a taxi from the airport to my Airbnb in Makati, the best area of the town to stay at and hang out.

My Airbnb at least was very nice and I felt comfortable and ready to have a good night sleep.

The next day I went out to explore the city, which is just another ordinary big city with lots of traffic.

These are the places that I think are worth visiting:

Manila cathedral

A beautiful cathedral surrounded with many other historical buildings in the area called Intramurous. I explored the area by myself but there are many your options as well. A lot of Asian people in that area, assuming there were locals, wanted to take pictures with me, I guess because I look different, but still strange for a place that gets many tourists.

SEDA hotel rooftop bar: Straight up

This was my favorite place to hang out in Manila and drink amazing mocktails while watching the sunset. They have delicious food as well and you can easily spend a few hours there, above all the craziness of the city.

The rest of my time in Manila I spent swimming at the pool of the building where my Airbnb was, just chilling and looking forward to my next destination.

Puerto Princesa

Excited to be leaving Manila, I headed to the airport to take a domestic flight to Puerto Princesa.

In Puerto Princesa a kind local that I connected with on couchsurfing offered to show me around and soon after I landed we would be riding on his motorbike towards a beautiful beach located one hour away from Puerto.

But first we stopped at the PP sign and took some pictures.

On the way to Nagtabon beach we stopped at a beautiful look out and we made it just in time to the beach for the sunset. I also enjoyed a coconut whole relaxing and watching how the sun goes down.

We ended the day with a delicious dinner at a local eatery in Puerto, where mainly locals eat and the menu is many pots right in front of you, so you just lift the lid and look what’s inside. A very economical way of having dinner but I definitely enjoyed it.

The next day I was picked up at 7 am and headed to the world’s longest underground river. The van ride took around 2 hours and I was a bit sleepy, but in the same time excited to see something different. I don’t remember ever being at an underground river and especially not the longest one in the world. It’s 8,2 km long and the water is such a beautiful color. I made some Nepalese friend on the tour, who were kind enough to take some nice pictures of me.

We had to wait a bit when we arrived and soon we all sat on a boat entering the caves . It was dark inside, of course, but the tour guide had a torch and we could see thousands of bats hanging from the ceiling.

After the tour, which took around 30 minutes , we all went for lunch , which was included in our tour and it was buffet lunch, very delicious, with lots of options to choose from.

I think we reached Puerto Princesa around 4 or 5 pm.

The following day I took a van to El Nido.

El Nido

El Nido is simply beautiful. I spent 4 days in the town and I loved it. It has a good mix of nice restaurants, vibrant night life, good beaches and in addition to all this I met very nice people there.

I took tour A to visit some islands and do snorkeling. I did kayaking at the Big Lagoon, saw turtles and fishes while snorkeling and enjoyed some beach time. I highly recommend tour A. Snorkels and shoes are not included, but you can rent before boarding the boat.

Las Cabañas Beach

This beach is often referred to as Maremegmeg beach and it’s perfect to watch the sunset.

Maremegmeg Beach Bar is amazing for dinner and happy hour drinks, when you buy one cocktail and get the second for free.

The beach is beautiful and the water was warm and pleasant.

Nacpan beach

Another amazing beach just a short trycicle ride from El Nido, Nacpan beach is very nice to spend the day at.

Canopy Walk

While in El Nido a must thing to do is the canopy walk, which includes a short hike and it rewards you with magnificent views.

My favorite restaurants in El Nido

Maa’s Grill

This was hands down my favorite restaurant not only in El Nido, but in the whole Philippines. Local food with fresh ingredients and with amazing service, I ate two times at this restaurant during my four days in El Nido. That’s where I had for the first time sisig, a local dish that became my favorite food. There’s pork sisig, beef sisig and I even had the las gambas aka prawn sisig. I loved them all.

Altrove

This restaurant is amazing if you’re craving pizza like I did one of the evenings. The pizza here is really delicious and prices are decent.

And of course while in El Nido, you have to try the crepes from the vendors on the streets, delicious.

From El Nido to Coron

From El Nido I took a ferry to Coron, which took five hours and it didn’t depart at the time it was supposed to, but one hour later. I found out that that’s normal for the Philippines, ferries depart usually at least with one hour delay.

In Coron I ate twice at Levine’s restaurant, where I had my beloved sisig once again.

My stay in Coron was too short unfortunately, just one full day to do a tour and I opted for the Super Ultimate tour, which I really enjoyed , despite the weather: on and off raining the whole day.

I still did some kayaking and snorkeling and enjoyed the delicious food we had included.

Cebu city

From Coron I took a domestic flight to Cebu city, which was an adventure because my backpack ended up coming six hours later with the next flight. At least they delivered it to my accommodation so in the end it was all good.

I spent two days in Cebu city, visited the San Pedro fort, the cathedral , the Taoist temple and a few other attractions.

Overall Cebu didn’t impress me much but I liked it more than Manila and I definitely liked my massage at Cheeva Spa.

Bohol

From Cebu I took a ferry to Bohol, where I spent two amazing days with Phoebe, the English girl I met in Cebu and she was adventurous enough to drive us around the whole island on a motorbike.

Phoebe and me about to go on an adventure

We rented a motorbike for 350 pesos a day, filled up full tank for 200 pesos and we hit the road.

We went to Busai Dreamfalls and enjoyed a coconut there, we drove through the Manmade forest, visited the cute tarsiers at the Bohol Tarsier Conservation Area and we had a look on the Chocolate Hills while being soaking wet because the rain caught us.

It was a full day of adventure and good laughs.

We stayed in Panglao area and we hit the beach as well, which was very nice and relaxing.

Siquijor

After Bohol I took a ferry to Siquijor island, my last destination and probably the best one. Not very touristy, but gorgeous and enjoyable, Siquijor was the place where I saw the most beautiful sunsets while in the Philippines.

The sunsets at Paliton beach will stay for a while in my memories.

I also visited the 400 years old balete tree and treated myself to a foot spa, where the fish bombarded my feet.

Siquijor has lots of beautiful waterfalls, probably the most famous being Cambugahay Falls, which opens at 8 am and there’s a small fee to pay before you enter.

Lugnason Falls is another beautiful waterfall that the locals recommended us and it was indeed beautiful.

But my favorite Siquijor attraction remains Sambulawan underground river which was very different to the Puerto Princes one. Here the caves are small so you have to swim through the river. It was a unique experience that I highly recommend.

My favorite restaurants in Siquijor:

Bucafe

Picturesque little brekky place with delicious ice latte with the perfect view.

Aroi Mak Mak Thai Station

Absolutely delicious Thai food and drinks.

Marco Polo

Amazing pizza place. Go for the sunset.

Luca Loko

I just ate some potatoes here, but the detox drink based on carrots and ginger was very refreshing and delicious.

After Siquijor I returned for one more day to Manila, but I was so tired by then that I spent the whole day just chilling at my Airbnb.

Favorites from the supermarket

I like going to the supermarket in different countries and I did that also in the Philippines and I discovered a few products that I really liked. I attach a picture of them, maybe you will like them too.

And if you decide to visit the Philippines I hope you’ll have an amazing time, just like I did! Thank you for reading!

My ten days Queenstown holiday

December 20, 2022 by editaroundtheworld, posted in Backpacking, Travel

Day 1

I landed at around 7:30 pm, so after checking in at my accommodation the only thing left to do for the day was dinner. I read everywhere that I must try the famous Fergburger so that’s exactly what I did. And it was just as amazing as everybody claimed it would be .

Day 2

I had an early start of the day, woke up around 7 am and went to the lake and admired its beauty.

After that I met up with a fellow traveler and we headed to Queenstown gardens, then hiked Queenstown Hill, two of the main attractions in the city. We saw beautiful sights and a few wild goats as well. The view is magnificent and the hike is not too hard.

For late lunch I decided to get another Fergburger and eat it by the lake, where the too friendly ducks surrounded me eager to get a bite from my burger.

On Saturdays there’s a market by the lake with local produce and hand made jewelry.

Day 3

On my third day I ventured out of the city and went to Wanaka, which is aprox 1 h drive from Queenstown and it’s a calm little town with friendly people and good vibes. The aim of the trip was hiking Roy’s Peak, a quite serious hike that took us 6 hours to complete. When we started it was a bit raining but once we reached the summit it all cleared up and we had the beautiful view that was worth it all the hard hike and the early wake up.

We saw many sheep along the way and a lot of hikers already returning because they went up for the sunrise which must have been amazing.

After the hike we spent some time by Lake Wanaka, saw the famous Wanaka tree and grabbed some lunch from one of the many cafes in town.

On the way back to Queenstown we made a short stop at the Wanaka Lavender Farm, where apart from the amazing lavender products you can purchase, there’s also lavender ice cream which tastes amazing.

Day 4

Day 4 was my birthday, so I decided to take a tour to Milford Sound, a must visit location if you’re in Queenstown. It’s however aprox 4 hours drive from Queenstown, but we made some stops along the way. The first stop was in the town called Te Anau, a cute little town with a lake and a few cafes, where I got myself a coffee and enjoyed it while walking along the lake.

The next stop we made was at Mirror Lakes, which I wasn’t very impressed by, but was still nice.

The following stop on the other hand was very nice, Monkey Creek, where you could see the mountains covered in snow.

At some point we even saw a kea bird, which is apparently a very clever bird, with the intelligence level of a 2 year old toddler.

Once we reached Milford Sound, we boarded the boat and cruised for aprox 2 hours. I let the pictures talk for themselves.

Even though it was cloudy, the views were spectacular. I really enjoyed the cruise and met some nice people.

The drive back to Queenstown seemed much longer but the day was not over yet.

Once we got back to Queenstown I was determined to have a nice dinner and a glass of wine for my birthday. A local recommended me the restaurant Public, just by the lake, so that’s where I went with my new friends. Had a lovely dinner and a glass of wine and happily ended the day with a big smile on my face.

Day 5

Another day, another hike. This time it was Ben Lomond hike, which included the Tiki Trail – this one you can skip if you take the gondola , but I’d recommend hiking it, it’s not very hard.

This hike took me 9 hours to complete but with long stops at the summit and shorter ones along the way. The weather was amazing and the views breathtaking. I really enjoyed this hike.

In the evening I went to one of the Ice Bars in town – there’s three of them in total – for a delicious cocktail served in -7 degrees. Needless to say that after that one cocktail I returned quickly to the warm and left the cold behind for good.

Day 6

My favorite breakfast place was Fergbaker, they make amazing coffee and it’s the perfect place to start your day.

On the agenda this day was a daytrip to Glenorchy. Glenorchy is aprox 45 min drive from Queenstown and it’s another cute little town with a lake and beautiful surroundings.

Not only Glenorchy, but also the whole way to there is beautiful, a really nice drive.

For dinner I’ve chosen Caribe Latin Kitchen, where I also found my favorite Brazilian soft drink: Guarana.

Their nachos were very delicious too.

Day 7

It was time to take it easy and just relax, so I went walking along the lake all the way to Sunshine Bay, which took me around 50 min walk. It was the perfect sunny weather for it, some people were even swimming in the lake, which I considered quite brave because the water was still very cold.

For lunch I went again for a fergburger and I promised myself it’s gonna be the last one. For dessert I had a giant ice cream from Patagonia, which is another must try place, their ice cream is fabulous, it costed me $10.

I also went to Kiwi Park, which in my opinion it was a bit disappointing and too expensive, $49. Although the ticket is valid for three days, I wasn’t going to return, so I just gifted it to a random person on the street. I saw some native birds and some kiwi birds too, but overall I wasn’t really impressed.

Day 8

My second tour was to Mount Cook, which is aprox 4 h drive from Queenstown. Absolutely beautiful stops along the way, such as a bungy jumping spot and Lake Pukaki. The tour was very intimate, just a minivan, so no large groups, we all ended up becoming friends and on the return to Queenstown went for dinner together to Pub on Wharf, where I had a delicious salmon with spinach and veggies. Really good!

Day 9

It was going to be another rest day, so I walked again to Sunshine bay, had a nice meal at Blue Kanu restaurant and went for some drinks at Habana Boutique Rum Bar, then even ended up going dancing at The Bunker. It was a fun day.

Day 10

I started the day at 9 am when I checked out of my accommodation and headed to the airport to fly back to Sydney.

Looking back at my trip, all I can say is that I really enjoyed it and I’d go back to Queenstown in a heartbeat anytime. It’s a fun place where I could easily meet people and there’s a good variety of restaurants and bars, so perfect for everyone.

Four days in São Paulo

April 5, 2022 by editaroundtheworld, posted in Backpacking, Travel

I’ve been warned about São Paulo as being dangerous and especially intimidating city considering it’s size, however to me it didn’t seem so intimidating. Dangerous, yes, in some places I didn’t feel exactly safe, but quickly ubered myself out of such places. Actually there was only one sketchy place where I felt a bit out of place.

Day 1

My friends and I went to the rooftop of Unique hotel, Skye bar for amazing cocktails and beautiful views of the city. Very enjoyable place that if I ever go again to Sao Paolo I’ll revisit.

We arrived just in time for the sunset, which was not necessarily impressive but the views were still quite spectacular.

After a bit of warm up at Skye bar, my friend Vanessa and me headed to a bar, can’t recall the name, where we ended up singing karaoke after a couple of cocktails. It was a fun night, we met a very nice local couple, they even ended up giving me a lift to my accommodation.

Day 2

The day started with meeting up with Vanessa, who’s a professional photographer that came with her camera ready to capture some nice shots of me exploring her city. We went to Beco do Batman, which was just a few minutes walk from my accommodation in Vila Madalena. The murals we found were beautiful and the atmosphere very laid back. Vila Madalena neighborhood was the perfect base for me, being full of nice little restaurants and cafes, I checked out a few.

After Beco do Batman we went to the famous Avenida Paulista, walked around and had nice conversations along the way.

On Avenida Paulista it’s a must to go up to the Sesc Building for amazing views.

Day 3

This is the part where I felt a little bit strange… I went to Mercado Municipal to try the famous mortadella sandwich, which was delicious, however the area is full of homeless people and it’s just not the place where you’d like to hang out. Straight from the Uber I walked into the market, where it’s completely fine, but outside it’s just a weird vibe. The market itself is quite impressive, the vendors give you many types of exotic fruits to try with the hope that you buy some of their produce. I ended up trying at least 6 fruits that all tasted delicious.

I enjoyed hanging out at the market, but the highlight was definitely the mortadella sandwich, which basically is a giant sandwich with at least 10 layers of ham. We were three people and we shared one and all of us was full after eating a portion.

After such a treat we headed to Ibirapuera Park, a big park where people go for their work out, to ride a bike, like we did, or just to chill on the grass.

Day 4

On my last day in São Paulo I checked out the Japanese neighborhood of Liberdade. It’s a beautiful neighborhood where there are lots of cafes and restaurants. I ate a delicious crepe at Hachi Crepe&academy.

Although people say that São Paulo it’s like a jungle, to me it didn’t seem that chaotic at all. It’s busy and vibrant, so after four days I was ready to leave it and search for the sun and the beach, but it wasn’t overwhelming for me.

Grenada – the place that transformed me entirely

March 13, 2020 by editaroundtheworld, posted in Backpacking, carribean, grenada, island life, travel, Travel

Grenada was my first contact with the Carribean and although I had some ideas about it before, the culture shock has been inevitable. I knew I’ll love it before going there because in general the island lifestyle is cool everywhere, but here it’s in particular special.

I suppose I need more time in general to adjust than I thought. I was getting slightly annoyed about many things that function differently than in other countries. Such as when the taxi driver showed up whenever he could and everything was happening in slow motion a bit for my rhythm. With all these, there’s something special about this place and it’s people.

I got there just a day after Independence Day , but luckily I still managed to participate at some local news events.

My stay was initially supposed to be just one week, but sadly due to health issues I ended up being stuck for a month… Looking back at it I’m grateful for the experience because it put me face to face with myself and made me realise how ignorant I’ve been and taught me numerous life lessons.

What impressed me the most was how strong the community is over there. It felt like I’m visiting a little village, where everyone is connected and the mutual support is the main characteristic. I received so much love and support in the most unpleasant of circumstances that it was overwhelming and even suspicious at the time and I was unable to appreciate it right then, looking back at it I certainly do appreciate.

I didn’t do so much as I’d normally do, but there’s a few places I visited and liked, such as:

1. Esther’s bar and Grand Anse Beach

Grand Anse Beach has been named the best beach in the world for a good reason, it’s really beautiful. Along the beach there are several hotels and my favourite bar, where I spent a lot of time with a fellow traveler. For delicious, but strong cocktails I highly recommend.

2. Grand Etang National Park

Grand Etang National Park is great for hiking, meeting monkeys and admiring Grand Etang Lake. The lush green scenery is very calming and comforting.

3. Welcome Rock

In my opinion the best viewing point on the island. The hike is easy and the view is absolutely incredible.

4. Horse riding

At Bonanza Stables apart from the horses you get to see also a donkey, some cats and dogs and duck. It’s like a mini animal shelter, the cutest being the Rottweiler puppies.

5. Belmont Estate

To learn about chocolate making and taste the best ever chocolate, this place stays in my memories. It’s a shame to say that I’ve been living for years in Switzerland and never visited a chocolate factory, just to find out that even Switzerland is getting the coco from Grenada.

Oh, and apart from learning about the chocolate making process, which involves much more work than I imagined, you get the chance of meeting some cute animals too and if I recall correctly, Rainbow, the talking parrot.

6. Saint George’s

The capital city of St George’s is colourful and small, easy to get around just by walking. Fort George and The Carenage area are worth for a visit.

6. BBC beach

Much smaller than Grand Anse, BBC beach is way less crowded than other beaches, a good opportunity to hang out where mainly locals hang out.

7. La Sagesse beach

Another nice beach, especially great at sunset.

8. Waterfalls

Every Grenadian I met recommended me to check out some waterfalls. They are really nice and the hikes there will get you muddy, so a splash in the water will be quite refreshing .

Munduk and around – Bali travel tips

December 20, 2018 by editaroundtheworld, posted in Backpacking, Travel

I’ve never heard of the little village of Munduk before my travel to Bali, but people that have been there described it as peaceful, mountainous and pretty. I thought it does worth a try, so spontaneously hopped on a shuttle bus in Ubud, direction Munduk. The ticket cost me a modest 150K IDR and the journey took three hours. The drive to Munduk is in particular scenic, passing next to rice fields, lake and the mountains. The road is almost the whole way very curvy, I’ve been warned by a fellow traveler that I may get sick, but that didn’t happen, I was just enjoying the panorama.
When the driver suddenly pulled over and claimed we’ve reached central Munduk, I was looking with disbelief though because that didn’t look like a center at all, unless the center consist just of a restaurant on the side of the road. It was just me and another traveler, the rest of the passengers continuing their way further north. We got off and looked around, nodding towards each other that it’s impossible to be right in the center of Munduk and there’s nothing around. Luckily her internet reception was working, cause mine refused loading, this way we figured we’ve got more than 1 km to walk to actually reach the village and our accomodations. With our backpacks on ( cherishing the fact that I travel light ) and a few bad words told, we started rolling ( not literally ) downhill for the next few minutes until eventually reached the actual center of Munduk. According to the locals the shuttle bus normally drops people on the top of the hill, which is still bizarre because it’d really take just some extra minutes drive to the village itself.
However, the mountainous setting is gorgeous and very peaceful, gives you the feeling that you’ve just traveled back in time.
In any direction you look there’s the stunning Mother Nature smiling back at you.

Not only nature is beautiful, the locals are in particular nice people. It was enough to walk once from one end of the village to the other and locals were already calling me by my name, but they have never heard of the existence of my country. Once in Munduk don’t forget to:

Indulge in delicious local food

As small of a village that Munduk is, it still offers numerous restaurants with spectacular views.
Warung Classic has been my absolute favorite for the amazing food and the best spot to watch sunset and Warung Dong Paloh for the super delicious breakfast and the signature Balinese black rice porridge .

Take a dip in the gorgeous waterfalls

I could rave about the great food, but it’s not just food that I’ve been so enthusiastic about, it’s also waterfalls. Yes, the Munduk area is probably the best in Bali when it comes to ticking off the list the most spectacular waterfalls. Walkable distance from the village center, there are three of them: The middle falls, Melanting and Red Coral. Each of them require a visiting fee of 10 -20 K IDR. I made it only to Red Coral waterfall and I was more than delighted with the scene, but I’ll let the picture speak for itself.

A short drive from Munduk, followed by a little steep but enjoyable hike, nestled in the lush forest, it’s the spectacular Banyumala Falls or simply Twin Waterfalls if the Indonesian name sounds too complicated. An absolute must visit, Banyumala is gorgeous and so refreshing. The best time to go is early morning, before the crowds invade it. I got there around 8:30 amand no other soul was there, except my two travel buddies for the day, but one hour later, when we were leaving there were already people coming. The entry fee is 30K IDR and it includes a small bottle of water, which comes handy considering the hike. Regardless, carry plenty of water with you wherever you go, it’s hot and humid at any time of the day and night in Bali.

Visit temples and lakes

Lake Bratan, with its famous Beratan Lake Temple is located near the town of Begudul, less than an hour drive from Munduk. It’s the second largest lake in Bali and rated by Huffington Post as one of the 20 most beautiful lakes in the world. Tourists from all over the world visit this place, the temple being the icon of Indonesia. It’s certainly beautiful, but since it’s so extremely touristy it doesn’t represent anymore such a strong cultural and religious meaning.

If most people visit the popular Beratan Lake Temple, the hidden gems hunters go trekking through the jungle and canoe over the lake to find the less famous version of it.
Lake Tambligan Temple is situated beside Buyan Lake and although you can drive there from one side, it’s way more interesting, challenging and satisfying to sign up for a two hours jungle trekking adventure.
The cost of the trekking with an English speaking local guide is 275K IDR and it does worth every penny. First things first, our guide, Gudi ( I’m pretty sure that’s the wrong spelling ) handed each of us a bamboo trekking stick and we started venturing into the rain forest, following carefully his passionate explanation about the trees that we were seeing.

Along the way, in the middle of the jungle we stopped at a little temple, which he educated us about, mentioning that locals trek there on a daily basis to do the traditional offerings ritual. Quite an effort of them to do that daily?!

Gudi told us also about the previous years floodings and many more interesting information that kept us interested while following the trail. Time passed quickly and we weren’t even tired when we reached the lake and have been invited on the canoe, where we didn’t even have to paddle. Crossing the lake in the canoe has been relaxing and filled with beautiful mountain views. The temple is quite unique and the whole trekking and canoeing experience just adds to it.

Get your photo taken at Handara Bali Gates

Heading to the Begudul area it’s impossible to miss the famous picturesque gates that are all over social media. It’s actually the entry to a golf course and resort and in no time became so popular, that now they even charge 30K IDR for a 10 minutes photo session in front of them and the receipt you get is called Selfie ticket. Hahaha! Been there, done that…

Relax in Bali Botanic Garden

It provides a great escape to enjoy the cool temperatures under a tree and get familiar with the rare tropical plants and wildlife in their natural habitat. Ideal for any age, the gardens offer a vast variety of activities and families, including accomodation or treetop adventure park.

Wake up for the sunrise

Munduk is great not only for sunset, but sunrise is spectacular too. The early hours of the day are being announced by the roosters ( which annoyed me most times ), I didn’t need to set an alarm, but after I dragged myself out of the bed I was in fact grateful to the noisy creatures. Needless to say that the hardworking locals were not even close being as sleepy as I was, it looked like they were going full power already at not even 6 am.

I’m sure there’s much more to do in and around Munduk, but I’m afraid my only three days there allowed me to do just the above mentioned ones. It’s been one of my favorite parts of Bali though, lots of memories made, nice people met and beautiful places visited. Sadly, during the hikes I did around there I’ve seen a lot of trash left behind, which seems to be a general issue in Indonesia. On that note, I’d like to add a reminder: while traveling please, please :

Byron Bay vibes

December 22, 2017 by editaroundtheworld, posted in Australia, Backpacking, Travel

Byron Bay is that hippie town on the east coast that everybody goes to once and will fall in love with instantly. On my previous Aussie trips I did parts of the east coast and whenever I met fellow travelers that heard I made it to Surfers Paradise, the next approach was if you liked Surfers, you will love Byron. I was excited and ready to be surprised when I boarded the plane in Sydney with destination Ballina.

Yes, you can fly to Byron very cheap either to Ballina or Gold Coast airport, Ballina being the closest one, only 20 min drive from the airport to Byron Bay town center.

Touched down in Ballina, took a shuttle and reached Byron Beach Resort, which was going to be my home for the next four nights. The location is great, just opposite Belongil beach, which I prefer over Main Beach, because it’s not crowded and it’s a better match if you just want to relax.

The town is maybe 20 min walk away, but bikes are available for rent or a free shuttle runs often to town and back.

Belongil Beach is perfect for daytime, sunset watching and at night for chilling under millions of stars. But the action , aka party, happens in the town.

Railway bar and Cheeky Monkey are the most popular bars for those that love live music and alternative vibes. The truth is that live music is impossible to avoid in any case in Byron -not that anyone would like to avoid it – because quite talented baskers are all around the town playing guitar and singing to the eager public. They do a good job and they keep the spirit of Byron Bay alive.

The iconic lighthouse is proudly standing on the top of the hill and can be seen from pretty much everywhere in town.

Bush walks, biking and running trails, they all lead to the beautiful lighthouse and just behind it a short trail will lead you to the most easterly point of the Aussie mainland.

For the sunrise I got up at 4:40 am, took the shuttle from Byron Beach Resort – they organize sunrise tours on specific days of the week – and walked to the lighthouse with half closed eyes still to capture the moment when the sun pops out of the Atlantic and rises over it, lighting up the town.

It wasn’t an easy job to get up at that time, considering that the previous night was a bit long, but it was certainly worth it. Surprisingly many people have been up there and we all together stayed speechless when the sunrise started to happen. It was beautiful!

Walking around the lighthouse I discovered that a big number of people choose this place for morning yoga and meditation or dog walking. I don’t blame them. You get stunning views and definitely a good boost to start a great day.

Byron is the place where I could keep on extending and extending my stay thanks to it’s laid back atmosphere, chilled out people, super friendly locals and fellow travelers and in my case also because I met wonderful swiss people that woke up my beautiful memories related to Switzerland.

I didn’t end up extending my stay, after 4 days I went to Brisbane, but in 4 days can’t back to Byron for the night not because Brisbane is not great, but because Byron is just a bit cooler if you’re after relaxed time by the beach.

This time I’ve chosen to stay at Byron Holiday Park, all ready for new adventures, hence I booked a tent instead of a room.

The staff at The Aviary are extremely friendly and my tent was more than comfy. It rained a bit at night and some birds made weird noises cause yea, it’s Australia, but the experience has been awesome. I’m about to check out soon and I know for sure that I’ll return again here and I’ll claim a tent. But by then I’ll tell you about some daytrip options that are easily doable from Byron Bay.

Nimbin

Nimbin could be considered the little sister of Byron, it’s smaller, even more chilled out and even more hippie and colorful.

Not that I’d have any interest, but involuntarily I saw how easily you can get marijuana there, just on the street and without any cover.

Some people walk their white camel as others do their dogs.

I spent around 3-4 hours in Nimbin, which happened to be the meeting point for catching up with a friend from Brisbane, but liked it. Nimbin seemed to be interesting place at daytime, I can imagine how much more interesting it becomes at night.

Crystal Castle

You may go to Crystal Castle if you want a little bit of spiritual experience, to relax and get yourself together. The experts there will introduce you to the world of the crystals, pointing out the healing effects that each type of crystal has and you can also participate in some demo activities that run daily.

However, even if crystals are not your cup of tea, the place is beautiful, more like a botanic garden type of park with nice plants and flowers, bamboo trees and Buddha statues.

Write your wish on a paper and tie it next to thousands others, maybe, maybe it comes true. Get your lunch at the restaurant that offers great nature landscapes. Buy a souvenir at the shop. Believe it or not it’s easy to spend half day there just wandering around and taking in the scenery.

Minyon Falls

If you made it to Crystal Castle, Mynion Falls it’s just a short drive from it and it’s quite nice, I assume even nicer if it rained the day before. If time allowes, hiking all the way to the base of the falls is an option, where a dip in the fresh water is a must.

Broken Head Nature Reserve

Broken Head nature reserve is near Byron Holiday Park and it has a nice and calm beach, a possibility to do a walk along the coast with views over the Three Sisters Rocks.

Relaxing and gorgeous, the surroundings of Byron Bay are just as appealing as the town itself.

Tips for Hong Kong

December 5, 2017 by editaroundtheworld, posted in Backpacking, hong kong, Travel

1 – Hike up to The Peak for the sunset.

The Peak is possible to reach in several ways. The famous and overcrowded peak tram is the most popular option, which the less fit people choose. Similar to that is the bus, which offers less spectacular views but you still don’t have to do anything else than sit. On the other hand, outdoors lovers will most likely opt for hiking. The route that I took starts from the Hong Kong University metro station and its called Morning Trail. It took me aprox 75 min to reach the top in a regular rhythm, not too fast, not too slow. From the metro stop you first need to make your way up through some stairs until you actually reach the beginning of the trail itself. It’s an easy hike and along the way you’ll meet many Asians being involved in all kind of sporty activities.

If you’re more lucky than I’ve been, you’ll arrange to go on a clear sunny day and watch the sunset and I recommend you to stay a bit longer until it gets dark so that you can admire the lit up skyscrapers of the city.

In this case you’ll catch the panorama at daytime, sunset and night view as well.

There’s plenty to do up there, you won’t even feel how time flies. From shopping to eating or just hanging out, it’s all possible.

If you’re not a night hike fan you can take the bus down and go all the way Central. You’ll see the same skyscrapers but from a different angle.

2 – Check out Lan Kwai Fong

Hong Kong never sleeps. It’s like New York of Asia, at every hour of day and night you find something to do. Lan Kwai Fong district is the place to be for fun and entertainment at any day of the week. As a taster I went just for a walk there to get an idea of the place. Loved the street art and instantly fell in love with the vibe. I knew I’d return the next evening to make the most of it.

3 – Take the boat to Lamma Island for a daytrip

The boats depart from the central pier aprox every half an hour. The ride takes more or less 40 min and although I went on a Saturday the island was peaceful and relaxing. Some organized groups would pop up here and there, but in general it was a quiet place, the kind of spot you’d like to go for a getaway from the busy rest of Hong Kong.

It’s beautiful nature will attract mostly the outdoors lovers as some easy bush walks are possible to do there and the view is stunning.

The beach is clean, so it’s the water. It wasn’t the warmest day but I still took a dip and the water was really nice .

The atmosphere on the island is authentic and a great location to try out the local Hong Kong food selection.

The market is full of food and spices that I don’t even recognize neither after the color or smell. Fish can be found in every form

and size, after all the islanders are experts in fishing.

They are also skilled in driving the tiny vehicles adapted to the roads of Lamma Island, making me smile when I spotted the firefighters truck.

It’s easy to spend a few hours on the island before heading back to the main island.

4 – Ride the Star ferry to Victoria Harbour

Another must see location in Hong Kong is its beautiful Victoria Harbour. You can head there by the world famous Star Ferry, which is in itself an attraction. Victoria Harbour is beautiful both at day and night, offering stunning views of the city and several attractions nearby, such as Hong Kong Museum of Art, Kowloon Park or Tsim Sha Tsui district. The latest is the perfect place for shopping whether you’re after famous brands or random boutiques. I felt that in Hong Kong you can find absolutely anything you’d desire, you just need to search well for it. It’s a very vibrant city and in particular Kowloon and Tsim Sha Tsui are always on the move, being filled with dozens of locals and tourists.

5 – Go on a different kind of bus tour

For experiencing the city in a different way you might look into some special events such as a double decker bus tour with free drinks. Two hours of fun and tour of the city from the top of the bus might turn out greater than you’d think. If the warm up did it’s job it’s always a good idea to move the party to Lan Kwai Fong, where it’s located the best rated shot bar in Hong Kong, called Geronimo. Plenty of other bars and clubs all around and the night is long, usually lasting until early morning hours.

6 – You haven’t been in Hong Kong if you haven’t tried Dim Sum

Hong Kong is a fabulous place to eat food from every corner of the world, but nothing compared to Dim Sum, which happens to be local. It does worth taking a stroll along some side streets to find good Dim Sum restaurants.

7 – Sip on a glass of wine at a rooftop bar

Plenty of skyscrapers with rooftop bars and spectacular views. The hard choice is which is the best? All of them are amazing, this city looks great from every angle.

8 – Visit Man Mo temple

Hong Kong has many other temples which may be more impressive, but Man Mo is nice and easy to reach. Located in Soho, between the busy streets of the city, it’s a place to go to get yourself together for some minutes and just enjoy the silence.

9- Walk and shop at Fashion Walk

The famous Fashion Walk, at Causeway

Bay station is busy and for sure a big

attraction for shopping addicts. All the big names can be found just one after the other.

10 – Do some sport in Victoria Park

Centrally located, Victoria Park is a great place where to let the steam out and jog or join a sport activity class together with the locals.

With all these options don’t forget to dance to the beat of your own drum . of

Bangkok

November 1, 2017 by editaroundtheworld, posted in Backpacking, Travel

Sitting at the airport in Bangkok to board for Chiang Mai… and was thinking : how different it seemed Bangkok in comparison to my first visit one and a half years ago. It’s a city which goes through constant changes in a ridiculously fast rhythm, but the fact that the government restricted drastically the street food vendors it does really make a difference.

Khaosan road during the day became way more quiet than it used to be, but as the dawn sets it comes to life and at night is the same: a lot of street food, music, people and happy vibes. Halloween boosted up even more the whole atmosphere and scary looking, bloody faced monsters were roaming around last night.

For a first time thing I’ve finished my dinner with a fried scorpion, which was crunchy and completely tasteless but a funny experience.

For the braver ones there’s also tarantula and snake.

And for drinks with a view there’s the rooftop bar from Sofitel So, facing Lumphini park. Loved it!

Belgium in 6 days

April 27, 2015 by editaroundtheworld, posted in Travel

Belgian beer and chocolate attract for sure many tourists from all around the world. Most of them land in the capital and unfortunately many don’t make their way out of it to the less well know towns. Belgium is not just about Brussels! Just a 20 minutes train ride from the airport and we are in:

Leuven
This cute university town is my first stop in my Belgian backpacking trip. On a Sunday it’s very quiet and relaxed,but I don’t mind as the weather is nice and I can soak up the sun in the Botanical Garden of Leuven next to a Belgian beer.

Leuven is a university town and you can notice this while walking around and seeing at every corner the bars and restaurants advertising their special student menus at low,student prices. Though no student on a Sunday! “The city is empty of students during weekend” – locals say – ” here,in Belgium students still like to go home for the weekend and spend time with their parents.” Nice of them I would say… I have to just imagine how crowded it gets during the week and the now almost empty Oude Markt probably is murmuring.

I can still notice some movement around the city hall: a huge group of elderly tourists posing with the beautiful landmark. Conclusion: Edit come back on a weekday if you want to see the other face of Leuven!

Brugge

Before going to Brugge I watched the movie In Brugge and the town is so small that I didn’t need any direction to find the places presented in the movie. It’s loaded with tourists facing their cameras in every direction, because in every direction there is something pretty. Brugge, although is very touristy, was my second favorite town in Belgium. With it’s canals and those eye catching medieval architecture, Brugge steals your heart in an instant.

Walking around Brugge is more than relaxing, it’s a real cuddle to the soul and also a perfect ambiance to endulge in the delicious variety of Belgian chocolates. You can find any shape and flavor you desire, just at a hand stretch towards the chocolate and of course your wallet.

Ghent

From the second favorite I made my way to the first favorite. Ghent has the perfect vibe, the friendliest Belgians, the funniest Monday night out and I bet that many other – est-s. I didn’t expect so much from this town, I’m sure that also the company made a difference, but man,I really liked this place! You actually have the impression that you are wandering around a big city ’cause it’s active and full of energy. If you ask me to describe Ghent in one word, I’ll just say: alive. Let me add also: divers. It has chill riverside, busy shopping street, medieval castle, artistic grafitti and my super awesome friend, Cindy.

+ 10 for Ghent!

Antwerp

Biking in Belgium is a pretty popular way of getting around and Antwerp is a good place to do so. It’s a rather small town but with fairly enough to offer and a gorgeous train station.

You would think that the pics above are from a cathedral,right? Well, that’s the main station in Antwerp. It’s ranked as the worlds most beautiful train station and no doubts about that.

Not only the train station is beautiful in Antwerp. The city hall and various buildings in the central area worth checking out too.

We are in the country of beer, so let’s pay a bit of attention to this detail and find out that Belgium has more than 375 types of beer. Basically you can treat yourself for a whole year every day with a different kind of beer and that still leaves you for New Year’s Eve with at least another 10 different flavores to try out. Cool, no?

Brussels

Arriving to the capital might sound exciting, but in fact it isn’t. For me Brussels was rather disappointing and from far not the prettiest place in Belgium. Such a pity that many tourists visit Brussels only and miss so much by not checking out the others.

However, Brussels is a city as any other capital, with it’s multicultural mix and the best waffles in the world.

Grand Place is not as grande ( = big) , but not too bad for hanging out , there are many shops, restaurants, bars and waffle vendors closeby.

Mmmm, did I tell you that in Brussels you have the best waffles in the world? Right, I did, but it’s hard to focus when you remember that taste. Don’t – and I mean DON’T – skip that! Waffles are a must!

Ok,getting back to Grand Place – which is still not as exciting as waffles – it’s nice to walk around and make your way to the famous Mannekin Pis.

Of course, Atomium is nice to see, there’s also a cute park next to it with lots of rabbits jumping around freely in the grass.

And you can admire the beautiful flowers all over, but after that rush out of Brussels and discover the real beauty of Belgium. In less than an hour train ride you reach:

Liège

Laidback, small town, perfect for a daytrip from Brussels. Besides the center there’s not much to see or do, but it’s great for a day when the motto is : “take it easy “.

For church lovers there are a few to check out, as I had enough time I walked in a few and were quite nice, all just a few steps from each other.

The Liège Guillemins train station is another masterpiece Belgians are proud of, being also in the top 12 most beautiful train stations in the world.

In order to put an original print on the whole trip I ended it in a Romanian restaurant in Liège. No matter where I am, for me the best food still comes from home, so I’m sorry Belgium, you might have the best beer and waffles and fries, but my yummi ciorba de perisoare doesn’t have any comparison grade. Though it’s not much appreciated by locals, says the restaurant owner.

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