South East Asia .... a bucket lister's paradise

Travelling continues to be one of my greatest passions. It's true what they say that its the one thing you can spend money on that makes you richer.

I just got back from just over three weeks in South East Asia: Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia and I fell in love with the people and the places. Its definitely an area I want to explore more ... and I'm already planning a trip back to Siem Reap to volunteer at a school that I visited as I want to truly immerse myself in the culture and give something back. Aside from being an incredible trip, it was also a great place to cross some things off the list. 

Here's a rundown of some of the things I crossed off and others which should have been there. This blog will also turn into a travel blog for a bit as each place I visited is worthy of its own post for anyone wishing to go there, but for now lets go back to the list.

#22 - Fly on a zipwire through the jungle

I had the opportunity to do this in Chiang Mai Thailand. It wasn't on the original trip  itinerary but its always appealed to me and a local guide recommended using 'Jungle Flight', as some of the places really rip you off. Its something I've always wanted to do ... I love a bit of action and adventure, but don't really have the balls for bungee jumping so this will suffice for now. It was so much fun! There are about 30 platforms and you zip  across from one to the other on zip wires ... feeling relatively safe which is more than I can say for most of the activities I tried out there. Loved the 300m zip line through the jungle with nothing but the trees below and scenic mountain landscapes all around. The scariest bit was actually the freefall/abseil required to get down from some of the 40m platforms, but after closing my eyes when my stomach came to my throat on the first jump I enjoyed those too. A great day out in the jungle (and an opportunity for some extreme selfies)!

  

- Difficulty: 2/10 (All you need is a bit of time, some balls and around 2000 bhat)

- Thrill factor: 9/10 (flying through trees and then jumping off them was exhilirating)

- Sense of acheivement/fulfilment: 6/10 (lived up to my expectations, but not life changing)

- Recommend to a friend: 10/10 (one of the funnest things I did on my trip)

 

#34 - Ride an Elephant 

This something I've always seen photos of people doing on their Asia trips or seen on travel documentaries and thought would be fun so when we had the opportunity to do it in Luang Prabang, Laos I jumped at the chance. Just to set the scene a little, we were due to do this after our lunch by the Mekong River, travelling through the local village to the sandy banks of the river and then showering/bathing with the elephants. Sounded great, right? So we trooped up to the elephant centre and the majestic animals were beckoned from their lunch in the jungle for riding. If you've never been up close and personal with an elephant the sheer size of them will take you by surprise. They are massive!!! Huge!! Gigantic!!! (you get the idea) They eat between 300-350kg a day and have unsatiable appetities (I think I may have been an elephant in a previous life - genuinely relate to the constant hunger). It really struck me how small I felt next to these giant beasts. Then came mounting the elephant. We rode on a seat so had to climb up some stairs to mount it. The seat didnt feel safe or secure at all and I was worried about putting my feet on the poor elephant so wasn't the comfiest of rides as we swayed through the village atop the elephant, with no leash or stick or commands, accompanied by a 15 year old boy who seemed to be in no control of the elephant and was more focused on taking photos of the wild pigs and other village life for us on the cameras we'd handed to him. As I mentioned earlier the elephants were taken from feeding time for us to ride and therefore our elephant appeared to be starving, constantly stopping to eat a tree and even eyeing up a few chickens despite being vegetarian. It was also about 40 degrees so he was pretty flustered. So i spent most of the journey worried about the poor hot and hungry elephant and the rest trying not to fall out of my seat as it went down slopes and over hills. Once we got down to the beach by the river I started to enjoy it as the ride felt safer, the elephant was fed and therefore seemed happier and the location was amazingly scenic. When it got to the showering with them part I chickened out ... it had been a long day, the river's waters looked murky and i didnt fancy the hour long drive back to the city feeling wet and filthy. I did however enjoy feeding bananas to the elephants and petting them. Throughly more enjoyable for me than the initial ride through the  village, and substantially more enjoyable for the elephants. Now that its crossed off the list I'm not in any hurry to repeat the experience but loved meeting the beautiful creatures. 

- Difficulty 6/10 (Provided you can find an elephant centre which is easy enough in Asia and dont freak out by the lack of safety its doable)

- Thrill factor: 5/10 (More scary at times than thrilling, largely due to the size of the elephants and lack of control from our guide)

- Sense of acheivement/fulfilment: 4/10 (i did it, elephants are beautiful creatures, but enjoyed the feeding more than the ride)

- Recommend to a friend: 5/10 (some people love the experience, i spent most of the time feeling sorry for the elephant or fearing it would stampede into the jungle or that i'd fall off and get trampled)

 

#70 - Ride a tuk tuk

 

There are many types of tuk tuk in South East Asia but the premise is largely the same - some kind of motorcycle attached to some kind of carriage. They are cheap and relatively comfortable and so they are the most popular mode of travel in most cities in that part of the world. I rode a ton of tuk tuks and actually miss them now I'm back. I had some great tuk tuk drivers, like the awesome Mr Smiley in Phnom Penh, and some less good ones like my driver in Bangkok who gave me a 90min tour of the city's sites for $2 but spoke no English other than 'photo' 'buddha' and 'up to me, up to you' ... still not exactly sure where he took me so might have to do some googling to label my photos from that day. Beware though, there are lots of tuk tuks who overcharge tourists or insist on taking you to shops and outlets where they get comission for taking customers. Agree on the destination and price before you ride them. Also avoid tuk tuks with red flags on the top in Thailand - apparently those are run by the mafia! A fact I didnt find out til my last day in Thailand.

 

 

- Difficulty 1/10 (Relatively comfortable. Wish we had them at home)

- Thrill factor: 5/10 (Some scary moments e.g. when facing the chaotic traffic in Vietnam or being thrown about in the carriage on a bumpy dirt path in Siem Reap but generally felt safe)

- Sense of acheivement/fulfilment: 2/10 (not life changing, quite fun)

- Recommend to a friend: 8/10 (best way to travel in Asia)

 

#114  - Eat an insect

 

Food closely follows travel as one of my greatest passions. I love trying the local delicacy in each place I visit. In a lot of places in Asia these can be weird and wonderful - insects included. I guess this item appeared on my list out of a childlike curiosity as to what bugs tasted like. There are all sorts of creepy crawlies readily available for tasting in most markets ... crickets, grasshoppers, silk worms, spiders, beetles etc. I opted for trying grasshoppers in Chiang Mai as apparently the worms squirt and ooze in your mouth (eugh). The woman at the stall wouldn't let me buy just one so I ended up with a 100g bag of around 30 grasshoppers and sat down in a bar armed with a glass of wine and my newly purchased snack. Its a bit weird at first as you need to pull of the legs before eating it (wouldn't wanna get grasshopper stuck in your teeth would you) but then, as they've been fried and marinated, its essentially just a crunchy, savoury snack. I actually ended up eating about 10. Probably wouldn't eat them if the novelty factor wasn't there but largely tolerable. I also tried some crickets in Phnom Penh which were similar in taste and texture and an assortment of weird fruits and vegetables and even some really tasty frogs. I drew the line at the worms, quali foetus and gross looking fermented eggs that were offered to me though .... those just made my stomach turn.

- Difficulty 7/10 (Once you get over the mental block that its a bug its fine)

- Thrill factor: 2/10 (Not exciting just satisfying the curiosity).

- Sense of acheivement/fulfilment: 1/10

- Recommend to a friend: 5/10 (if you are a curious foodie like me its worth doing as i couldn't really compare the taste to anything else)

 

Things that weren't on my list but should have been:

 

 

• Travel solo. So many people freak out when I say I went on my own but I loved it. You don't have to compromise as to what you want to do and you get to enjoy just 'being' somewhere. So many peaceful moments were enjoyed and I totally switched off. As long as you're not stupid its perfectly safe and you meet a ton of interesting people along the way.
• Take cooking lessons. I did cooking school sessions in Thailand and Cambodia and a cooking demo in Vietnam. My passion is food and learning about ingredients and techniques from the various countries was both fun and interesting. I've come back armed with knives, bowls, spices and recipes and can't wait to recreate the dishes at home. If cooking isn't your thing then try whatever else your passion is in a different country ... it adds a new perspective.
• Visit Kuang Si falls, Halong Bay and Angkor Wat. I took about 400 photos in each of these and they didn't do justice to the natural beauty of these places. A must see for any one travelling to South East Asia.

 

There's so much other stuff too ... but those will be covered in my travel blog posts which are coming soon! Watch this space!

#15 - Eat at a Michelin starred restaurant

Anyone who knows me even a little bit will know that I have two passions - travel and food! A lot of the time the two go very well together. In both cases there's the thrill of trying something new that you've never experienced before - whether its a new landscape, a new culture or a new flavour combination.

Let's back track a little. I was the world's PICKIEST eater growing up, surviving on a diet of chicken, meat and potatoes in their various forms and not much else ... I didn't like pizza, pasta, fish, seafood, vegetables and the list goes on. I'm surprised my parents put up with it as long as they did. Now I kick myself for all those years I missed out! Being a picky eater is stupid! All I did was make a conscious decision whilst at university one day that going to a restaurant and being limited to two choices as you didn't like anything else and neglecting entire food groups was beyond ridiculous, and that slowly I was going to like everything. That's all it took. It took me a while with some foods - had to eat smoked salmon, cucumber and broccoli a lot of times before I actually enjoyed them but now they feature in some of my favourite dishes. As a result I find it hard to tolerate adults who are picky ... especially those who refuse to try anything new. Now I consider myself to be an adventurous eater - always ordering the weirdest thing on the menu to see what it will be like and travelling to take my taste buds out of their comfort zone. You can get so much enjoyment out of food when you open up your mind to new flavours.

My passion for food grew after that point. I'd always been a keen cook but now there was a whole new range of ingredients to experiment with and I thoroughly enjoy the creative process that goes into creating a new dish. Now I regularly invite people over to dinner to try new inventions and even featured on a local TV cooking show, as the third place semi-finalist on RockChef... an experience which made me appreciate the effort that goes into creating amazing dishes, to order, in a high pressure kitchen environment.

With my growing passion for food I also gained an appreciation for cooking skill and the highly technical and inventive dishes that transform food from a meal to an experience. That's why eating at a Michelin star restaurant was high on the bucket list. I've eaten a lot of good food at a lot of good places but eating at a place that was awarded such a high benchmark is the ultimate foodie experience.

A few months back, when work was pretty hectic, I decided to book a few days in London to visit one of my best friends and splurge on a Michelin dining experience for both of us with the hotel money I'd be saving. I did a search for  Michelin recognised restaurants in London and decided to stay away from the celebrity chef-owned establishments and go for the one that promised the most interesting dining experience. 

I ended up choosing Texture, on Portman Street, as it was new and trendy and offered an awesome five course tasting menu. I booked a couple of months in advance as is normally required for fine dining and counted the days to the amazing meal.

The menu featured:

• New season English beetroots, goat's cheese, snow and pistachios
• Anjou pigeon with shallots, ox tongue, bacon popcorn, red wine essence
• Icelandic cod, poached, with wasabi sauce and sea vegetables 
• US grain fed prime rib eye beef, chargrilled with ox cheek, horseradish and olive oil bearnaise
• Trio of coconut desserts

The dining concept at Texture is exactly as it says on the tin. Each dish attempts to deliver different textures with every bite. So you get something hot, cold, spicy, sweet, crunchy, crispy, creamy etc on each plate. 

I highly recommend the place!!! The service was impecable (though a bit much for me as I'm not used to it). We had our own somelier who provided a 40 page wine list (again a bit much for me but to be fair the wine I picked at random was awesome) and a genius waiter who explained each dish to us. There was also a mini taster dish between each dish meaning that we had 10 plates!! So before anyone comments that the portions look tiny, with that intensity of flavour and after 10 of those plates we could barely move - and my appetite is massive. Each dish was better than the next! The beef dish (seriously best piece of meat I've ever tasted), wasabi cod and coconut dessert being the highlights .. but I couldn't fault any of them. There was so much thought in each dish ... from goats cheese and cauliflower 'snow' to a plant pot of dessert bites to finish off the meal. Even the beetroot dish was amazing with three different colours of beetroot, each cooked differently and surrounded by amazing accompaniments. Between dishes we were genuinely excited as to what surprise we'd get in the next dish ... food orgasms all round!!

The meal wasn't cheap - including service, a bottle of wine and some sherry it came to £245 for two people ... but considering I regularly pay about £40-50 a head for far far inferior food and service it was worth every penny! Now I have the fine dining bug and am already trying to schedule my next Michelin star dining experience.

#15 - ACHIEVED

  

- Difficulty: 4/10 (Not hard, you just need to love food enough to spend some money on it and book well in advance)

- Thrill factor: 8/10 (Excitement levels on par with a child in a candy shop. They pulled out all the stops)

- Sense of acheivement/fulfilment: 7/10 (I can see why these stars are so hard to get now)

- Recommend to a friend: 10/10 (The plan is to go to at least one of these a year)

Do something amazing today!

Ive had this blog for a while and haven't updated it as often as I would like to.... Things get in the way - work (been doing a lot of that lately), studying, seeing friends and family,  travelling and other things.  Spare time has been a little bit of a luxury lately... But at least I'm making use of it :) Its always better to be busy than bored.

As the new year approaches I got thinking about new years resolutions.  These sound cliché and I'm sure most resolutions don't make it past mid January, but is planning improvements to your life really such a bad idea?? Most lists end up with the same old things ... quit smoking (not an issue as I've never smoked nor do I intend to start), get fit and eat healthy (ok we could all do more of that), drink less (ditto), work hard. But what if we all set out to do something amazing? Something that either changed us, or our outlook on life or made an impact somewhere in the world. The world would definitely be a better place!

This post is partly inspired by Tristan Cano, a man in his early thirties who tragically passed away this week after battling a brain tumour for a while but who's zest for life truly inspired anyone who knew him. He made it a point to travel the world and not put off anything that made him happy but which most of us put off till tomorrow. Something we can all learn from and which has given me alot to think about in the past 24 hours. A sad loss but he was a truly inspirational human being!

So back to the outlook for 2014 ... Well I still have a hundred or so things on that list of mine to tackle and things don't happen unless you make them happen! Life's too short to sit around. Turns out a fluffy management course about visualising what you want actually worked and inspired me to make the most of the somewhat limited time we have to make a mark on this place.

Looking back at 2013, it's been a pretty amazing year what with 12 countries visited (Oktoberfest and my Eastern Europe adventure were a highlight), charity treks completed,  my Masters nearly done,  a small stint as a TV  cooking show contestant,  a promotion to a role that has been challenging but I've loved,  catching up with old friends and making tons of new ones, and some rewarding moments which I've truly treasured (most of these just one on one conversations and shared moments but those are the things that matter). There have been highs and lows and times when my life has been an emotional rollercoaster but I definitely can't complain and there's a lot to be said for getting off your backside! 

So what's in store for 2014?

Well I haven't finished making that list yet. Midnight at new years doesn't need to be a deadline. 

Here's a preview though :)

I'm trying to decide between trips to: Morocco,  New York, Scandinavia,  Turkey,  Australia,  Central America,  South East Asia or South Africa. Unfortunately I only have 5 weeks of annual leave to play with but the world is a beautiful place and deciding is taking longer than I thought.  Front runners are currently South East Asia and Turkey. Thanks for all the recommendations guys!
I also think there's a lot to be said for giving something back. I'm trying to incorporate a bit of volunteering into my trips as it always makes them just that little bit more special.  Also gonna try and pick a new charity each month to support and mix it up a bit.
Then there's all the stuff on my list ... I want to continue to explore my passion for food,  try some extreme sports, explore a business start up idea with a friend, graduate from my masters...  maybe even jump out of a plane - why not?  Who knew making new years plans could be so exciting!!

 

And with a shamelessley stolen and incredibly cheesy copyright internet photo I'm gonna end this post with a challenge. Are you gonna settle for an ordinary life?  Or are you gonna plan to do something amazing today, like Tristan urged us all to do .... because if you don't make things happen then you're the one missing out! People always find excuses like they don't have time, money,  energy ... but if you set out looking for excuses you'll find them and if you really want something then there's always a way to get it. So stop worrying about stressful jobs,  failed relationships, bills, the bickering and bitching and the mundaneness of daily life and get excited about doing something amazing, however big or small.

For all of you who shared 2013 with me thanks for making it what it was!

Happy 2014 people.  Let's hope it's a good one filled with plenty of adventures!  Xxx

#78 - Drink beer at Oktoberfest

Ok this is a bit of a weird one to have on the list as I'm not really much of a beer fan. Actually I can just about drink a Corona on a hot day at home and although refreshing I can never bring myself to have that second one as I feel super bloated and it tastes bitter after a while. However Oktoberfest has always appealed to me. Getting immersed in Bavarian culture whilst having one big party with millions of people from around the world - whats not to like (apart from the copious amounts of beer you're required to drink to get truly involved).

Although this has always been something I wanted to do there are SOOOOOOOO many destinations on my travel list that Germany really wasn't ranking very highly in comparison to the likes of Central America and South East Asia. But then I went on a Busabout tour of Eastern Europe and a few people on our bus had been and kept raving about how amazing it was and Busabout happened to have an Oktoberfest offer going at the time so it was literally get home from Croatia, request annual leave and book Oktoberfest!! I'm really impulsive when it comes to booking travel! 

I was so excited about the trip but it amazed me how many people hadn't heard of Oktoberfest!! Its something that I've always known about and thought this was the norm. The basic history behind it (in a nutshell) is that a royal couple in Germany in the 1800s decided to get their country on board by celebrating their wedding in Munich and hosting a big festival and event with beer, horse races etc so that everyone felt part of the celebrations. The people loved it so much that they begged to celebrate the anniversary every year and although the horse races and other stuff got lost along the way its still celebrated today and is one of the biggest festivals on the planet and a tribute to all things Bavarian. Thankyou King Ludwig I and Therese for throwing such an awesome party!

So after an amazing summer I set off to meet my friend in Munich for some German beer-drinking shenanigans. Due to flight connections I got to our (freezing cold!) campsite the night before she did and had only been there a few minutes before I was told to grab a beer. They have beer vending machines in Germany!! No jokes!! Who needs Pepsi when you can have a giant can of Lowenbrau I guess! Anyway I took it easy the first night and just had two, which was probably a good call as its not easy to sleep in a tent in a campsite full of drunk people when its freezing cold. Once my friend arrived the next day we went to explore Munich city centre, which included shopping for Lederhosen and Dirndls and having dinner (sausages of course) and drinks (litres of beer) at a traditional beergarden. We tried on about 6 dirndls ... loved most of them (seriously these things are so flattering, they look good on anyone) and ended up spending 80 euros on a traditional Bavarian outfit which I don't think I'll ever pull off other than being a German beer maid at the next few fancy dress parties I'm invited to.

The next day we were up at 7 and queuing outside the beer halls before the doors opened at 9am. By 9.15 I was sitting at a table with a bunch of new friends, all kitted out in the finest Bavarian wear, with a giant 1 litre stein of beer in front of me. For  breakfast. Normally the thought of that would make me sick but the atmosphere was so amazing that the time of day didn't matter (although you can spot the bags under our eyes in all the photos). The outfits were a good call ... all over Munich everyone was sporting them and you would have looked out of place in a beer hall without one. These tents are massive with between two and eight thousand people seated in each tent at any given time and everyone is all dressed up. Germany efficiency is brilliant too ... the toilets remain clean, anyone being a drunken idiot gets kicked out and if you don't have a seat you don't get service. If anything the only disappointing thing was that I expected to see a buxon blonde with massive boobs and braided hair serving my beer in order to live up to the stereotype but most of the woman were practically Amazonian and in their 40s and amazingly strong to be able to carry 10 steins of beer at any given time through a rowdy crowd. After the first one I needed two hands just to hold up one!! We had an awesome first day. The bands add to the atmosphere and everyone dances on the tables and clinks their steins together, whilst drunk people attempt to learn the lyrics to german beer drinking songs and nursery rhymes (the song repetoire is rather limited!). There's also plenty of food on offer which is great cos about 3 standard beers fit in each of those steins and the alcohol percentage is much higher than in the rest of Europe so after two you're already buzzing. Easily solved by eating ridiculous amounts of sausages, schnitzel, roast chickens, pork knuckles and pretzels ... german cuisine really isn't friendly to waistlines. There's also a massive theme park surrounding the tents in case you get bored of beer and dancing (not likely!) and feel you can resist the urge to spew on the rollercoasters.

The best thing about the festival is the atmosphere. Someone I know calls it the happiest place on earth and that sums it up pretty well. Its like Disneyworld for adults but with more alcohol. On the second day we went beer tent hopping. It was later in the day and the tents were largely full so we had to gatecrash tables to get served because of the table service rule. This meant we met a ton of Germans, Austrians, Romanians, Italians etc ... all of whom welcomed us onto their table, clinked their glasses and shared laughs, dances and stories with us. There was one couple who even told us how they'd met at Oktoberfest 7 years ago, got married the following year and go back every year for their anniversary. Cute! All this whilst dancing in dirndls to german folk music on benches drinking beer in the middle of the day. So awesome.

So basically if you can do it go!!!!  I'd love to go again some day. And don't worry if you don't like beer ... German beer tastes different to the stuff on tap at home. Less gassy and much more flavoursome. Loved the Augustiner brewers and the Paulaner Weissbier was immense!

The trip was also an eye opener. Germany is an amazing holiday destination. Munich and Bavaria were gorgeous with its castles and culture and I decided to extend my stay for an extra week and explore Berlin, which I fell in love with. I went on my own (which everyone should try at least once) and met some amazing people in the city and consumed even more beer and sausages. The city is steeped with history and culture - I went to 4 museums in one day and wasn't remotely bored ... A royal castle, a museum on Nazi occupation, world war II history ... all amazingly interesting. Then there's the beautiful buildings and the bohemian atmosphere of East Berlin with its street beggars asking for weed money and graffiti on every corner. Not to mention the nightlife ... we went to a ping pong bar (not the Thai type - one where drunk people play competitive ping pong), a gothic metal bar, a hippy bar, an underground drum n bass club and a commercial house club in the same night - on a Thursday. Its now one of my favourite European cities right up there with Budapest, Barcelona, Krakow and Hvar. What can I say Germany ... I am now a fan!!

#78 - ACHIEVED

  

- Difficulty: 3/10 (Flights are expensive and if you'd rather do hotels than camp then prepare to fork out some cash)

- Thrill factor: 7/10 (Was so excited the entire time and I didn't even try any of the rollercoasters)

- Sense of acheivement/fulfilment: 7/10 (lived up to my expectations 100%)

- Recommend to a friend: 10/10 (If I could go every year I would)

#66 - Go to a music festival

Ok  so this one should have been ticked off a long time ago. I love live music!! Whether its supporting local bands at a tiny club or going to a massive megaconcert I love the atmosphere and the passion that goes into the music. Over the years I've been to several massive concerts from Foo Fighters to Bon Jovi to Biffy Clyro to Backstreet Boys to Chambao to David Bisbal as well as a few dance and electronic music festivals - my music tastes are quite diverse to say the least! I've also been to small one day festivals with great lineups but running from 2pm til midnight or similar. However I always wanted to go to a massive 3 day festival on the lines of Glastonbury or Download. 

This year when the Optimus Alive lineup in Portugal was announced and featured Stereophonics, Greenday, Kings of Leon and Biffy Clyro I jumped at the chance as I actually had enough annual leave to take time off work (a rare commodity these days!) and it had the added bonus of being driving distance from Gibraltar and likely to be decent weather.

I bought my tickets and then almost couldn't go as my friend had to pull out cos of work commitments but thankfully at almost the last minute we got together a group of 8 people, some of whom I didn't know very well, and we took the 7 hour road trip to Lisbon. (Lisbon is a good city to visit btw - its a bit dirty and unkept but still beautiful). 

Optimus Alive was one of the best organised music events I've ever been to. Everything was seamless and hassle free from wristband exchanges, to shuttles to the venue, to decent toilets and no beer/wine queues .... and even more surprisingly all the bands started on time. I definitely recommend attending it and will be going again!! 

One of the best things about festivals with such a massive lineup (running from 5pm til 5am across 3 stages) is that you get the occasional surprise act that you love. My favourite live act were Two Door Cinema Club, who I was familiar with but didn't think I'd love so much, though by the same token I was suprised that GreenDay were disappointing live considering how much I loved them as a teenager. Kings of Leon and Biffy Clyro were awesome, Of Monsters and Men and Vampire Weekend were brilliant and should have had a spot on the main stage and I had the most fun dancing to Jurassic 5's set with my 'team wine' dance buddy Jo. There was also an amazing Mozambique band which we discovered in a tiny stage covered in gold tinsel on the way to the portaloos. It was an exhausting three days but so much fun and was great to party with new friends til the early hours of the morning to the sounds of some amazing bands. There's also the awesome conversations you have with random people from around the world whilst waiting for Two Many DJs to start their set, or queuing in the food court for some Bifanas and Pasteis (love Portuguese food!) which add to the festival experience. Met Kiwis, Germans, Portuguese, Spaniards, Aussies, South Africans, Brits and more. The fact that the festival was in a city that I'd never been to was also an added bonus as we got to do some sightseeing during the day. 

The only negative thing about the weekend was going to work the next day after getting home from Portugal at midnight with no voice and a body abused by excess wine, cider and festival food. The rest was amazing and I can't wait til the next one!! Beats any concert/festival I've been to hands down. In the meantime some great memories were made, as well as some great friends too.

#66 - ACHIEVED

  

- Difficulty: 2/10 (Nothing difficult other than requiring a bit of stamina)

- Thrill factor: 7/10 (Great feelng when your favourite band plays your fave hit)

- Sense of acheivement/fulfilment: 7/10 (music is so much better live)

- Recommend to a friend: 10/10 (if you haven't been to a festival yet - Go!!!)

#131 - Visit Auschwitz

As I mentioned in my last post I just got back from a trip to Eastern Europe ... one of my favourite parts of the world. One of the things that sold us when choosing the itinerary was that, rather uniquely for a tour company aimed at 20-35 year olds, it included a trip to the concentration camps at Auschwitz. I'd always wanted to visit Poland and, with it being such a large part of Europe's recent history, visiting Auschwitz was something I'd always wanted to experience. 

So we got on our bus and drove from Olomouc (Czech Republic) to Auschwitz (Poland). Our bus broke down along the way and we had to hang around at a service station for a couple of hours whilst we waited for a replacement but despite that thanks to our very organised Busabout crew we got to Auschwitz on schedule. Word of advice: I don't recommend you listen to upbeat dance tunes as you drive towards the camp (or phat beats as they were known on the bus). It means that arriving at such a sombre place is a bit of a shock to the system. 

Auschwitz is very humbling but be warned its a fairly depressing place from the word go ... at the end of the day its a Nazi death camp and the horror stories of the stuff that went on there send shivers down your spine. But its in our recent history, it happened and its not something that should be forgotten easily.

We had a guided tour and spent an afternoon there. First we went to Auschwitz I, the entrance of which was surrounded by watch towers, halt signs and barbed wire. We then proceeded to walk around the buildings in the camp, most of which have  been turned into museums. Now its hard to explain this, but most of the group felt like Auschwitz wasn't what they expected at this point. I don't know if its because it was around 33 degrees and the trees were in full bloom and it was full of tour groups but in my head I imagined it to be bleak and grey and not red brick buildings surrounded by grass and trees. Once inside the museum buildings it was a different story though and the bleakness came through by the bucketload. Some of the most impacting things that almost brought tears to my eye were the room full of hair that women had to have cut off by Nazi soldiers, room after room of luggage, shoes, combs and other personal possessions, photos of some of the prisoners at the camp with dates of how long they were at the camp before they died, the execution wall, the cramped stable-like beds the prisoners slept in, and most of all the standing cells - a one metre squared prison cell were 3-5 prisoners were locked into standing up and where ultimately most of them died of suffocation or starvation. We then went on to see the gas chambers and moved on to Auschwitz II - the Birkenau camp. 

Birkenau was more what we expected - the camp that appears in all the films and history books with the train platforms and wooden shelters. It was scorching hot as I mentioned before so at this point between the emotional impact of what we had seen/heard and being physically drained by the heat the mood was quiet and sombre and we were all struggling. We got to the Holocaust memorial and all reflected on how something this horrible could have happened in our grandparents' lifetime. Our tour guide was very knowlegable and gave us a lot of history and insight into life (if you could call it that) in Auschwitz. 
It was a humbling experience that puts life into perspective and makes you realise how lucky you are to live in a country that isn't gripped by war and where something this horrible would never be allowed. I can't even begin to imagine the fear the prisoners had when they were living in these conditions, ripped away from their families and possessions, and for many millions of them ultimately died under the Nazi regime. It really is quite shocking stuff and visiting the camps only gives you a small insight into what it would have been like - that alone is a difficult experience and although I didn't cry I was close to it a few times. It really is an emotional experience and worth going to to see for yourself.

There was a particular plaque in one of the museum walls that really summarised the experience for me.  “The one who does not remember history is bound to live through it again.” - George Santayana

#131 - ACHEIVED

  

- Difficulty: 4/10 (Not for the senstive soul - its a really emotional day)

- Thrill factor: 1/10 (Really quite sobering experience)

- Sense of acheivement/fulfilment: 7/10 (experiencing history first hand)

- Recommend to a friend: 7/10 (very sad, not quite what I expected, but we should never forget it happened)

Some things that should have been on the list but weren't ...

So I just got back from an amazing trip around Eastern Europe with Busabout ... 12 days, 5 countries and some amazing people! It was a jam packed trip with everything from pub crawls in Prague to visiting Auschwitz to tobogganing in the Alps and pretty much everything you can imagine in between. Eastern Europe is grossly underrated and I try to go at least once each year (so far been to Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Croatia, Slovenia, Poland and Slovakia and can't wait to explore more).

So here's some things from my trip that probably should have been on my Bucket List but I didn't know how amazing they would be til I actually did them!

#1 - Go on a bus tour!

I've always been against cruises, despite their popularity, because you never seem to spend long enough in each port to really experience the place. Bus tours on the other hand mean you stay overnight in the place so can experience the nightlife and atmosphere and get up early and see the sights the next day. The Busabout Classic Rhapsody Trek itinerary was great - we had culture, history, nature, partying, food, adventure all in the 10 day trip (we added a few days either side and made it a longer holiday). On  top of it you get to make lasting friendships with over thirty like-minded people from across the globe who I can't wait to see again soon! Already looking into other tours such as the Ottoman or Baltic tours they run or even ones in Scotland. Def need to repeat that experience as with all my travelling it ranks in my top 3 holidays ever. Busabout are a great company too! Our guide Stu was awesome and he's helping us to arrange our next Busabout trip to Munich in September for Oktoberfest (that's #78 on the list soon to be completed!) which some of our other Eastern European trekkers will be joining us on ... Cannot wait :D

- Difficulty: 1/10 (Tour companies such as Busabout make it hassle free)

- Thrill factor: 7/10 (Was so excited throughout as the trip was amazing)

- Sense of acheivement/fulfilment: 7/10 (saw so much of Eastern Europe)

- Recommend to a friend: 10/10 (one of my best holidays ever)

#2 - Ride a tank

I've never actually thought about this long enough to put it on a bucket list but when I saw it as an optional extra on the trip itinerary I jumped at the chance. A bargain at €15 and worth every penny. TANKS ARE AWESOME! I got a bit carried away and as we pitstopped in a service station in Slovakia, I ran into a charity shop and got a camouflage print t-shirt for a bargain price of €2,50 which I tore into a makeshift commando costume much to the amusement of the locals and my trip buddies. We then pulled up on the side of the road in the Slovakian countryside to be met by a crazy ex-army Slovakian guy who had bought a tank and kept it in a field to drive the occasional group of tourists around it. The guy was certifiably mental and drove us through mountains, trees and rivers at full speed whilst we held on for dear life (no harnesses, safety equipments, straps etc ... Eastern European health & safety laws are obviously more lax than the rest of the EU and the UK where I'm sure no insurance policy would cover such craziness). I had no voice at this point of the trip from too many pub crawls but still managed to scream my lungs out, which only made him go faster and amusingly turn around to smile at the passengers - which meant he was driving a tank without looking where he was going. One of the funnest things I did this trip and I recommend you do it if you ever have the chance!

- Difficulty: 6/10 (its probably quite hard to find a place with a tank you can ride, and be prepared to hold on for dear life)

- Thrill factor: 9/10 (absolute craziness but exhilirating)

- Sense of acheivement/fulfilment: 3/10 (not lifechanging but awesome nonetheless)

- Recommend to a friend: 8/10 (random but so much fun!)

#3 - Visit Plitvice National Park

As with most people (including myself before last year) you may not have heard of Plitvice, but these national parks are a UNESCO site and consists of acres of amazing lakes and forest. What is really astounding is that each lake is a different colour from vibrant teal to bright aqua to a calming brown to a striking emerald green. Complete with waterfalls, wooden footpaths, a lake you can hire a boat and row across and generally jawdroppingly beautiful scenery its one of the most gorgeous places I've ever had the chance to visit and a must-see for anyone visiting Croatia. We spent the night before at a campsite a couple of kilometres away in small bungalows and spent a good 5 hours at the lakes but would have easily spent days there wondering through the park's natural beauty. 

 
- Difficulty: 1/10 (just get yourself to Croatia)

- Thrill factor: 3/10 (not so thrilling but get ready to say 'Oh Wow' alot)

- Sense of acheivement/fulfilment: 3/10 (worth it for the natural beauty)

- Recommend to a friend: 9/10 (one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited)

#4 - Polish vodka tasting

Did you know Vodka is actually Polish and not Russian? The word was first recorded in Poland in 1405 and historians have found that even though it was widely consumed and brewed in Russia in the 9th century, it happened even earlier in Poland in the 8th century (random alcohol history lesson for you there). Polish vodka isn't for the faint hearted at over 40% proof in most cases but they have a wide variety of flavours. In Krakow we tried original vodka as well as bison grass flavour, citrus, cranberry, hazelnut and others. We did vodka tasting before dinner (which preceeded a pub crawl) so not sure how we made it to the end of the night and still felt fine at 8am the next morning for our walking tour. Our theory was that the vodka was purer and better quality resulting in hangover free mornings. My favourite was definitely the hazelnut vodka which, in a shot with a dash of milk, tastes almost exactly like Nutella. Definitely something to try if you're ever in Poland! Incidentally a night out in Krakow is one of the best nights out you'll have in Europe (possibly due to the quality of the vodka haha).

- Difficulty: 6/10 (if you can hold your drink you'll be fine)

- Thrill factor: 6/10 (our prequel to Krakow nightlife which is immense)

- Sense of acheivement/fulfilment: 1/10 (basically just drinking)

- Recommend to a friend: 7/10 (vodka actually tastes nice in Poland!)

#5 - Visit a church decorated with human bones

Ok this sounds creepy, eerie, disgusting ... you name it. But ever since my friend Kate went travelling before university and mentioned it to me I've always wanted to go to the bone church in Kutna Hora. Kutna Hora is a few hours from Prague so you can day trip or just do it en route to some of the awesome Moravian cities in the area like we did. The church looks like a standard church from the outside. There are a lot of these in Europe (Eastern Europe especially) so they all start to look the same. Once you're inside however its a totally different story! The Sedlec Ossuary (commonly known as the Bone Church) is estimated to contain the skeletons of between 40,000 and 70,000 people, whose bones havebeen artistically arranged to form decorations and furnishings for the chapel including a stunning chandelier. Basically a half-blind monk in the 16th century was tasked with exhuming and stacking the bones after a massive war and in the 19th century a woodcarver was tasked with arranging them and he got a bit carried away (another history lesson for you). The outcome is a rather morbid collection of skull alters and coats of arms and chandeliers. Creepy but has to be seen. As one of my fellow travellers put it "you wouldn't wanna get married there, but its cool".

 - Difficulty: 1/10 (worth a day trip if you're ever in Prague)

- Thrill factor: 5/10 (it takes balls to hang around inside such a creepy place)

- Sense of acheivement/fulfilment: 1/10 (more eerie than fulfilling)

- Recommend to a friend: 7/10 (so creepy its hard to describe unless you visit yourself)

So there you have it ... five of the top things I recommend you do from my latest Eastern Europe trip, although I'd happily recommend everything we did! 

Happy travelling!