NomadGirl Travels

I travelled by myself to England in October 2009. I had a great time travelling to London, Bath, and Oxford. After a week of travelling through England, on Sunday, October 18th it was time to go to Scotland for a tour of the highlands. I had booked all of my travel arrangements prior to leaving Canada. That morning my bus from Oxford to Edinburgh left at 9:30 am. Or so I thought. I checked out of my hostel at about 8:55 am. Then I walked to the Oxford Bus Station. I spent the next 25 minutes waiting for my bus to arrive. At 9:30 am the bus to Bristol pulled in. This was not my bus. I pulled out my ticket to look at it. The time on my ticket - 9:05 am. Okay, I missed my bus. Apparently it was time for Plan B. Except…I had no Plan B. So I went to the National Express office to see if I could get on another bus. The man at the counter was not very helpful, even scornful at times. He even told me that it would have been a good idea to check my ticket before leaving for

Peggy's Cove in Nova Scotia is one of Canada's most famous tourist attractions. So, I was really excited to be able to go there and see the iconic lighthouse! In front of Peggy's Cove Lighthouse The famous lighthouse at Peggy's Cove had just undergone a major renovation prior to my visit. It shone bright with a fresh coat of paint and was very clean. Peggy's Cove was very busy too. At least eight tour buses pulled up at the same time as my group. I wandered around near the lighthouse taking photos and taking in the scene.  The famous coastline with the lighthouse After that I wandered around the little village. There were boats and lobster traps at a little marina. Lots of little shops sold souvenirs and ice cream. The main building offers everything from sea shells, clothing, and Christmas ornaments to magnets of the famous Peggy's Cove Lighthouse. You can even mail postcards from Peggy's Cove that have a special lighthouse stamp on them

About a two hour drive north of Chiang Mai, Thailand is where the three day trek began for my visit to the Northern Villages of Thailand began. The first leg of the trek was about two hours to the village where we were going to spend the night. It was a bit more difficult than I had anticipated. I didn't really think about the physical aspect of the trek much, it is a lot like hiking in the Rocky Mountains, except that at home, I don't go for overnight hikes that last for days. Perhaps I should have given this a bit more thought! I had difficultly with the downhill parts and fell on my butt a lot. We finally arrived in the tribal village where we were going to spend the night. Dogs and chickens and other farm animals were everywhere! We put our stuff in the guest house (a shack with beds for fifteen people, right in the middle of the yard with all the animals. Then our trekking guide, Sammy, took us on a tour of the village. The first house we visited had chicken and pig bo

Orlando Bloom lied. On the “Behind the Scenes” disc of the extended DVD set for the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, he told his co-star Dominic Monaghan that bungee jumping would cure his fear of heights. They were in New Zealand where A.J. Hackett created the extreme sport of bungee jumping.  I went to New Zealand on a working holiday visa and was really excited to see the filming locations for the Lord of the Rings movies. When I first arrived in Auckland - because I am afraid of heights - I was quite positive that I would not be bungee jumping, despite the fact that I was in the country where it all began.  Everyone who suffers from acrophobia has a different experience with heights. I have trouble getting down from chairs, bunk beds, ladders etc. However, I have been in a hot air balloon, on ski lifts, gondolas, the London Eye, and to the top of the Eiffel Tower. No problem with those because I was either strapped in or it didn’t seem like I was really hi

What can you do if you have only one day to see Toronto? A harbour cruise and the CN Tower! I started my day walking to the waterfront to get on the first cruise to the harbour islands. There are a few options to cruise the Toronto Harbour...I chose Harbour Tours Toronto as this tour runs every hour and takes you to the islands, it also gives great views of the Toronto skyline. This tour was reasonably priced and the guide was great. She was entertaining and had lots of information about Toronto. The islands include a yacht club, where competitions are held annually. They were used as locations in a few movies including one of the Police Academy movies. One island is an animal sanctuary and no one is allowed to go on it. More information can be found at:  http://www.harbourtourstoronto.ca/ View of the Toronto Skyline     Cruising around the Harbour Islands - one of the locals In the afternoon I went to see the CN Tower (Canadian National Tower). It was really im

The Cave and Basin, in Banff, Alberta, Canada is the birthplace of Canada's National Parks. In the Autumn of 1883, three railway workers, working on the Canadian Pacific Railway, discovered a cave and thermal pool in the Canadian Rockies. The three men saw an opportunity to make some money and set out to find out how to get rights to develop the area. Over the next two years, surveyors came to have a look and eventually the Federal Government bought the land. The Rocky Mountain National Park was founded and people started coming west to visit the thermal spas. The Rocky Mountain National Park, later known as the Banff National Park, is the first and oldest National Park in Canada; the third in the world after Yellowstone National Park in the USA, and the Royal National Park in Australia. The cave and thermal pool that was discovered in the Canadian Rockies eventually became known as the Cave and Basin. It is located within walking distance of Banff town centre or the Banff Spri

After a year of traveling in the South Pacific, in April 2011, I was ready to come home. I had just over a week of travel still ahead of me when I left for the airport in Auckland, New Zealand on April 1, 2011. The fun was just about to begin... I had rebooked my trip home back in January, changing my dates with Air Pacific over the phone. They sent an email with an itinerary showing the dates and flights of my trip. I thought I was good to go. I arrived at the Auckland International Airport at around 11:45AM. I got in line to check in and the wait began. Finally I got up to the ticket counter. The girl was checking my piece of paper and a puzzled frown formed on her forehead. She called her supervisor over. She too looked puzzled. Finally the supervisor said to me that I just had an itinerary, not a ticket number. I needed a ticket number in order to get on every flight on my journey home! My itinerary was: Auckland, New Zealand to Nadi, Fiji that day. Then after eight days, Nadi,

I traveled by myself to the South Pacific - specifically New Zealand. I went to Los Angeles, then spent one month in Australia, then backpacked throughout New Zealand for ten-and-a-half months, finally going to Fiji for one week on my way home. I was gone for exactly one year. I also lived out of a suitcase for one year. I had a smaller suitcase so I had to be selective about my packing. I had one pair of dress pants, two pairs of jeans, one pair of capris, three t-shirts, one hoodie, one sweater, one dress, one skirt, and dress shoes, plus pyjamas. I bought two more sweaters in New Zealand for work. I packed flip-flops to use in the common showers, one book (you can exchange books at hostels as you go), my limited toiletries (no hairspray, or any extras like hair gel), and two towels. I learned to be creative and mix-and-match my clothing so that I could have work clothes for a full week. I learned a lot about money management while I was traveling. Before I left Canada, I added

There are two types of pleasure travellers: those who go to sit and relax on a beach somewhere, and those who go to experience a place. I fall into the latter category. I travel because I have read about a place and want to experience that place for myself. Or because I have watched a movie and am inspired to see where it was filmed. History is one of my motivators for travel. I want to see places, buildings, cities that I have read about in books or seen in films. Some places I have visited because I was inspired by books or movies are: Prince Edward Island, Canada - Inspired by Anne of Green Gables United Kingdom - inspired by various books by authors including Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, JRR Tolkien and JK Rowling. Also by historical figures like Elizabeth I, Robert the Bruce and Jack the Ripper, and by historical events like the beheading of Anne Boleyn, the marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana, and the death of Princess Diana. Also the Harry Potter films, and S

On my second trip to London, I made a point of going to see Abbey Road Studios. I wanted to see where the Beatles recorded their music. The studios are a bit off the beaten track (for tourists), and it takes some maneuvering to get there, but it was well worth the trip! Abbey Road Studios are located in the City of Westminster, an area of London that is accessible by bus not far from Baker Street and the Baker Street tube station. It took me about half an hour to find the correct bus stop as it was a few blocks over from Baker Street. The Road Sign on a building across from Abbey Road Studios I wasn't sure which  bus stop to get off on Abbey Road, so I got off at the first one I came to. Fortunately, this dropped me right in front of Abbey Road Studios! The building is behind a wrought iron fence. Over the years Beatles fans have written messages on the fence posts - some good, some not so good. One person wrote: "The Beatles Music Sucks!" Abbey Road Studios is a

There are a lot of Buddha statues around Bangkok, Thailand. Two of the most famous are: The Reclining Buddha and The Emerald Buddha. The Reclining Buddha The Reclining Buddha is the most famous Buddha statue in Thailand. He can be found at Wat Pho, in Bangkok. This temple is one of the largest and oldest in Thailand. The Reclining Buddha The Reclining Buddha is 15m high and 43m long. It is very difficult to fit the whole statue in one photograph. He reclines in his right arm. His feet are inlaid with mother of pearl designs displaying images of flowers, elephants, and tigers. The Emerald Buddha The second most famous of Bangkok's Buddha statues is the Emerald Buddha. He is found on the grounds of the Grand Palace, in Wat Phra Keaw.  The Emerald Buddha The Emerald Buddha got his name from his colour - he is green like an emerald. He is not made from emerald; he is made from green Nephrite, and he is dressed in gold. He has been housed in the Wat Phra

Universal Studios, Hollywood...a must see for any movie fan. The "Universal Studios" globe The first stop of the day was the studio tour. This was really cool. I got on the 'train', a bunch of cars all hooked together that provide open air seats, so that you can see everything. There was lots to see... Wisteria Lane from the Desperate Housewives set. The studio where CSI was filmed. Norman Bates carried a body from the "Bates Motel". And the War of the Worlds set, having just been used to film the Tom Cruise version of the classic story. Norman Bates outside the "Bates Motel" The "War of the Worlds" set There was also a set for a simulated earthquake where I got to experience an earthquake for the first time. (This was about five months before I experienced a real earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, but it was a scary experience none-the-less.) After my studio tour finished I wandered around the Universal

Fraser Island - the deadliest place on Earth. The most venomous snakes and spiders in the world are found on Fraser Island, off the Eastern coast of Australia. There are dingos on the island as well. Fraser Island is a World Heritage Site and is made entirely of sand. Despite this, a subtropical rainforest is able to grow and thrive on the island. There are several options for visitors to Fraser Island. You can camp on the island, or day tours are offered from Hervey Bay and Rainbow Beach. I took a day tour that showed visitors who were short on time all there is to see on the island. It was cool because you travel in a 4WD all-terrain vehicle that could go in the ocean as well as on land. I really liked when we got to go down the beach into the ocean. Riding through the water along the beach in the 4WD all-terrain vehicle We walked through the subtropical rainforest. Lots of vegetation to see, which is cool because it is all growing on sand. One girl in my group

When I was in Scotland, I got to visit a couple of faerie glens. Very interesting... The first was at Cloody Wells. This was an interesting experience. Traditionally people leave offerings for faeries so that their wishes are granted. In Cloody Wells, people left all sorts of un-traditional offerings. These included socks (not a pair, just one sock), t-shirts, bandanas, and panties. The "offerings" are hung all over the branches of the trees in the glen. "Offerings" at the Cloody Wells Faerie Glen The second faerie glen was a bit more "normal". It was near the western coast of the Isle of Skye. This one had a faerie castle that visitors can hike up to the top. Also, the "offerings" were more traditional: coins, jewelry, trinkets. Faerie Castle Ewen, Glen Uig, Isle of Skye Traditional "offerings" If you get a chance, it is very interesting to visit Scotland - go see the faerie glens! Make an offering and a wish! ~Angi

Rotorua is one of my favourite cities in New Zealand. It doesn't feel like a city, it is small, and it is loaded with  Māori c ulture - an interesting part of what makes Rotorua so unique compared to the rest of New Zealand. Rotorua is located in the northern central part of the North Island, about two hours north of Taupo. It also serves as the gateway to the Bay of Plenty.  This city is very cool. One of the things that makes it unique is that there is a lot of  Māori culture in the city. I found that when I went to any tourist gift shop anywhere else in New Zealand, standard items would be for sale:  Paua Shells Photographs of famous New Zealand sites, including the Coromandel Tiles with New Zealand icons, including ferns and Kiwi birds Māori   inspired jewelry Hats, T-shirts, Hoodies etc. In Rotorua, it was slightly different. You would find  Māori wood and jade carvings, for example.  Māori masks as well.  Māori  carvings depicting the main figures in the famous l

Fiji time...that is a concept in Fiji where things happen when they happen, if they happen. It's Fiji Time. Whenever.  Fiji time can be frustrating and liberating. You just have to embrace it. However, some things did happen on time - the boat was always on time and meals were always on time. I really liked my short but relaxing trip to the Yasawa Islands. I went to Waya Lailai Ecohaven on Waya Lailai Island, which had good food and hammocks. I went snorkeling there and the coral was just as great as the Great Barrier Reef. The fish were not as good though. The ocean was a royal blue. It was very pretty. I slept a lot, just relaxed and read my books. One morning I got up at 4am to hike up the mountain in order to see the sunrise from the top. The hike was supposed to start at 4:15am. A group of us waited for an hour before the guide showed up to tell us that the hike was cancelled. Fiji time. Since I was up already, I decided to watch the sunrise. Sunrise in Fiji

The Padong Long Neck Women are a "tourist attraction" in Northern Thailand. Their tribe migrated to Northern Thailand from Myanmar (formerly Burma). During my tour of Thailand I visited their village. These women are synonymous with the brass coils that they wear around their necks to "stretch" their necks and make them appear longer. Actually, the coils push their shoulder blades down, giving the appearance of a long neck. A Long Neck woman of the Padong tribe weaving While walking around their village, I was struck by how much the women were like mannequins at a museum. I found the experience to be really creepy and uncomfortable. Here I was walking around gawking at these women, while they sat doing their weaving, making their crafts and having people take photos of them. A Long Neck woman of the Padong tribe and her baby I was actually looking forward to seeing them when I booked my tour. Their tribe was something I had read about Thailand and it wou