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Seeking the (Northern) light: a pilgrimage

Randy — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 10:34:45 +0000

Photo by US. Air Force Senior Airman Joshua Strang | Flickr Creative Commons

Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Polly Vaughan.

Ever read a gripping book and decided, there and then, you have to go and see where it was set, or go on a pilgrimage to find out more? After a two-month journey through South America this winter, I needed a contrast: so I curled up by the fire with Northern Lights by Lucy Jago which tells the tale of the work of Kristian Birkeland, the Norwegian physicist who camped out in the Arctic to resolve the conundrum of the mysterious aurora borealis. Now I have to go and see the Lights, one of nature’s most spectacular natural phenomena, for myself.

The aurora borealis have been believed to be spiritual manifestations, ghosts, ominous warnings of imminent misfortune and demonstrations of the anger of the deities – but whatever your beliefs and superstitions, they’re said to be intensely evocative and compelling. Often fast-moving, glowing and in colours including white, green, red, blue and violet, these ‘dancing’ aurorae are caused by charged electrons blown from the sun towards the magnetic North Pole, colliding with air particles. (There is a Southern Hemisphere version: the aurora australis, or Southern Lights). They are around 60 miles high in the sky, and can be seen from a variety of northerly destinations.

The Northern Lights can be seen all year round, but the dark nights of winter are the best bet, as you won’t see much on a light summer’s evening. The lights aren’t guaranteed every night, of course: it’ll very much depend on climactic conditions, and the sky will need to be clear. The best times for a good show are said to be September, October, February and March. The lights are also at their brightest during the most active times of the 11-year solar cycle – and are peaking 2010-2013, so are potentially at their best for the decade this year and next.

Photo by Nick_Russill | Flickr Creative Commons

So where to go? You’ll need to be somewhere northerly with no light pollution, and while you don’t have to leave the UK (aurora borealis can be seen from less-populated parts of Scotland, the Highlands and islands), this could be a great excuse for a winter activity holiday or even a cruise – up the Norwegian coast to Tromso or Trondheim, perhaps, or taking in some whale-watching along the way.

The Nordic countries are an obvious choice; airfares are competitive to many destinations, which are well-served by the budget airlines. And you could combine some sky-scanning with a city break – Reykjavik or Helsinki, perhaps, as stopovers between transfers further north and into the Arctic Circle – or winter sports activities. Dog- or reindeer-sledding, cross-country skiing, ice-driving and more are all possibilities in Lapland, as is a visit to ‘Santa Claus’ around Christmas-time.

Cross the Atlantic and you could stay in a cosy log cabin in Canada (Manitoba, Alberta, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories are suitably remote but well-served by tourist facilities), or head up to Alaska, where Fairbanks is the epicentre for aurora tourism and research.

Greenland is increasingly accessible – there are flights via Copenhagen and Reykjavik, for example – and offers lots of adventure-sports options for the intrepid. Are you up for some igloo-building? Specialist tour companies can help you put together your perfect icy holiday package.

I’ll be packing plenty of warm clothing and suitable footwear, but most importantly, a great camera to capture some memorable images. And of course, don’t forget that you’ll need suitable travel insurance. You may also wish to order your foreign money in advance, especially if you’re going to remote regions, where finding an ATM or bank may not be easy.

And what about when I get back? I’ll have to decide on my next pilgrimage: watch this space.

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*Please remember all photos on this website, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted and property of Beers and Beans Travel Website, Nariko’ s Nest Weddings & Bethany Salvon. Please do not use them without my permission. If you do want to use one of them please contact me first because I do love to share and I would be flattered. Thanks!

Toronto to ______(insert tropical island): This Weeks 5 Best Deals

Randy — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 23:08:45 +0000

Spring is a great time to look for last minute vacations to the Caribbean, because many of the top island destinations are offering up superb deals to entice travelers.

After my recent trip to St. Kitts, all I can think about now is getting back to a tropical island, especially after New England’s early April Fool’s Joke of summertime weather a week ago. Each night, I spend some time searching the internet for good bargains to tropical locales, here are five that I found on Air Canada Vacations last night for travelers with access to Toronto’s International Airport.

Destination: Toronto to Montego Bay, Jamaica
Date: Apr. 8, 2012
Duration: 4 nights
Perks: All inclusive
Hotel: Hedonism II
Cost: $753.52 (includes taxes, fees and airfare)

Destination: Toronto to Samana, Dominican Republic
Departure: Apr. 7, 2012
Duration: 7 nights
Perks: All inclusive
Hotel: Grand Paradise Samana
Cost: $679.40 (includes taxes, fees and airfare)

Destination: Toronto to Varadero, Cuba
Departure: Apr. 8, 2012
Duration: 7 nights
Perks: All inclusive
Hotel: Allegro Varadero
Cost: $672.64 (includes taxes, fees and airfare)

Destination: Toronto to Antigua
Departure: Apr. 8, 2012
Duration: 7 nights
Perks: All inclusive
Hotel: Jolly Beach Resort & Spa
Cost: 1,216.99 (includes taxes, fees and airfare)

Destination: Toronto to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Departure: Apr. 20, 2012
Duration: 7 nights
Perks: All inclusive
Hotel: Occidental Grand Punta Cana
Cost: 919.77 (includes taxes, fees and airfare)

Now, if these getaways are a little too last minute for you, then you may want to check out some of Air Canada Vacations’ travel packages. In addition to free night stays in Hawaii and a variety of other fantastic upgrades, Air Canada Vacations offers a number of special offers that can help you save big on your next vacation.

And while this post highlights last minute deals from Toronto, Air Canada Vacations also features travel deals and vacations packages that depart from other popular Canadian destinations, like Vancouver and Montreal, which our updated regularly.

If you could pick any of the aforementioned destinations, which would you choose?

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Cruising the Bosphorus River | Istanbul, Turkey (Photo Essay)

Bethany — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 10:26:56 +0000

When Beth and Brooke, of Brooke vs. the World, decided they wanted to take the Bosphorus River Cruise offered by Get Your Guide, I said, “sure, let’s do it” and then went back to the tedious task of cleaning out my email inbox.

At one point, I think Beth read aloud the details of the tour, but, apparently, I wasn’t listening.

So, I was a bit surprised (in a good way) when I found out at the start of our four hour adventure that the tour was actually broken into two parts: a trip to the famed spice market and then the river cruise. However, since we took took the tour on Turkey’s Republic Day–October 29–and the spice market was closed, we got the alternate tour, a guided bus journey through Istanbul before embarking on the two hour river cruise.

Because we had already visited the spice market the day before, I was okay with our alternative tour. (If you are booking any Istanbul tour that involves the spice market, keep in mind that it is closed on Sunday and holidays.) As we traversed Old Istanbul around the Gold Horn Bay in our modern bus, we received a lot of information about the city, including historical details and fun facts.

For instance, do you know how many people cross between Istanbul Asia into Istanbul Europe on a daily basis?

Three million!

Apparently, the Asian side is more residential, “cleaner and greener,” while the European area contains much of Istanbul’s historic attractions and is where a lot of commerce takes place.

Istanbul is also the only city built on two continents, and guess what divides the continents?

If you said the Bosphorus Strait, you would be 100 percent right! It stretches 20 miles from the Sea of Marmara to the Black Sea cutting Istanbul in half.

* * *

Motoring up the Bosphorus revealed a side of Istanbul that I didn’t notice on land: it’s pretty dang hilly. In fact, according to our tour guide, there are seven major hills in Istanbul, each one playing its own role in the cityscape.

On board, we bounced freely from the upper open-air deck to the much warmer lower enclosed deck taking photos and gawking at the scenery. Turkish flags, tiny to huge, were hung throughout the city to commemorate the holiday, adding splashes of red and white to an already colorful backdrop.

The cruise starts just south of the Bosphorus Bridge (First Bosphorus Bridge) and takes a u-turn under the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge (Second Bosphorus Bridge). Motoring under the magnificent suspension bridges is a treat within itself, but the city really out did itself by hanging gigantic Turkish flags from each bridge.

Just like the bus tour, the river cruise is also narrated by your tour guide. The first part of the tour takes place along Istanbul Europe, while the second part (after the aforementioned u-turn) travels along the Asian side.

Know Before You Go

* Wind got you down? Wait until after the u-turn at the second bridge to avoid windy conditions in the open areas of the boat, because the boat starts heading downwind on its way back to port.

* Sticker shock? You can buy drinks and snacks on board, but you will pay a higher price. Coffee was about $2.50 and a beer was $5.

* Sea Sick? We didn’t have any issues with getting sea sick, and the river was pretty rough, but if you are prone to motion sickness you may want to take precautions.

A Note From Beth:

I loved this cruise. It was really relaxing and easy going and a nice way to learn about the city and see it from a different perspective. There’s just something nice about being on a boat that makes you slow down and enjoy life. Then there’s the photos – shooting on the boat was awesome. There were so many flags and other boats going by – it was definitely a romantic tour in that sense. It wasn’t just me feeling the vibe either – several couples cuddled and kissed on deck. If you like the look of these photos I want to point out I shot them with my new Lensbaby lens! I really fell in love with this lens in Turkey and the pictures always remind me of far off memories. I was actually given an entire kit from the good folks at Lensbaby and I’ll be giving a full review of it in an upcoming post and then I will also post a photo essay of Lensbaby shots around Europe so be sure to stay tuned.

We want to also be sure to thank GetYourGuide.com for providing us with this awesome tour. If you’re headed to a new place be sure to check out what they have on offer for tours. We’ll be taking a few more with them in the upcoming days and will give a full report.

Hope you like the photos!

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Hanging Out with @HostelBookers in Europe

Randy — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 11:33:36 +0000

Playing with Mirrors at Wombats Hostel in Vienna.

We are about five weeks into the Hazy Shade of Autumn Tour and we are excited to announce we picked up HostelBookers as a sponsor for some of our accommodation stays for the remainder of our journey!!

As budget travelers, Beth and I have always been fans of HostelBookers. Not only are they generally cheaper than other hostel booking sites, but HostelBookers also doesn’t charge any booking fees, which gives us more money for drinks and street food. Plus, HostelBookers is really involved in the travel community and is always building bridges and trying to make travel easier for those on a budget – that’s one thing we have always really liked about them. One example is the Backpackers Recipe Guide they’ve been putting together for hungry and weary road warriors.

We were also impressed to see HostelBookers step up and get behind Michael Hodson’s Ultimate Train Challenge in September, in which he and two other travel bloggers—Jeannie Mark & Nora Dunn — traveled by rail from Lisbon to Saigon in 30 days racking up more than 44,000 miles of cold steel-rail travel, while raising thousands of dollars for their partner Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation (VVAF) to help children in Da Nang, Vietnam, who are suffering from disabilities caused by Agent Orange.

During the next month or so, we will be sharing our experiences with you about the hostels we stay in and giving full reviews of each one. HostelBookers.com is already has a lot of property reviews and we hope to add to its resource by featuring stories on our site that will give you a deeper look into each property.

If you’re traveling in Europe and plan to stay in hostels stay tuned because we will have a ton of hostel reviews for you to check out!

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A healthy recipe for the road – A submission to Hostel Bookers recipe guide!

Bethany — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:48:14 +0000

Food & travel go together and Hostelbookers has got a pretty cool thing going on involving both!

They’re making a pocket Backpacker’s Recipe Guide!! It will be full of easy, yummy recipes you can make in a hostel kitchen that will not only keep you healthy but keep your costs down and help you make new friends at the same time. I can truly attest to the fact that having a good recipe or five in your back pocket is an asset when traveling. There have been many times when I have been in situations where I needed to cook for a bunch of new friends and I’m always afraid of making something that tastes horrible. I’m not gifted in the kitchen and I can’t just throw a bunch of ingredients together the way some people can. This is one of my go to recipes – it tastes great, it’s inexpensive to prepare and everyone loves it! Because it’s easy and delicious I’m submitting it for their book!

I call it……

The Holy Beanacado Super Yum

This easy to make recipe is a cross between dip, guacamole & salsa. It’s chunky, colorful, healthy and very refreshing. It goes excellent with tortilla chips, you can use it as a spread or you can just sit and eat it out of the bowl like i do. The black beans make it filling and full of protein so it will fill you up. It’s made of all fresh ingredients and aside from the 30 second warming of the beans it’s raw. That means even more vitamins for your travel weary body!

If you put this out at a hostel I guarantee it will not be around for long.

Ingredients:

2 ripe Avocados

1 15 oz. can of Black Beans

10 (or so) Cherry Tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped Onions (depending on your taste)

1/2 of a Lime

Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder – Seasoned to taste

(optional ingredients: Hot Sauce, a Jalapeno Pepper, Cilantro)

Preparation:

The first thing you want to do is heat the beans, just a wee bit – this is the key element of this recipe. My recommendation is to drain almost all of the bean juice from the can, rinse the beans and then microwave them for about 30 seconds or so. You don’t want to heat them fully, you just want to take the earthy edge off them and make them a bit softer.

Cut your avocados in half and then pull the pits out. After that, remove the skin and dice the avocado into chunks. Remember this is a chunky dip, so you want to keep the avocado pieces bite sized so they will fit nicely on a chip but not so small that they will turn into guacamole as you mix it up.

Dice about 10 cherry tomatoes. You can use any kind of tomato but I prefer cherry since they pack a lot of flavor in a little bite.

Then grab your onion and dice up maybe about 1/4 cup or so. Some people will like more and some will like less so it is really up to your taste buds here.

Toss these ingredients together in a large bowl making sure to mix it thoroughly.

Don’t forget the lime! Cut your lime in 4 sections and squeeze 2 of them over the top and mix again. The lime is an important ingredient in this dish and will give it a great taste!

Add salt, pepper & garlic powder to taste and mix again.

The nice thing about this dish is that you can season it and add or subtract other ingredients depending on your taste. If you want to spice it up you can dice (a very small) jalapeno or other hot pepper and throw it in. You could also add a few drops of hot sauce if you want or spice it up with cilantro. It’s very good, very filling and very, very healthy. Plus it’s super easy to make -only takes about 5 minutes.

You’ll be a popular hostel mate in no time flat! If you’re interested in participating in the recipe contest head over to Hostelbookers to Hostel Kitchen Approved post to read more and submit your own to the backpacker recipe guide.

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Volunteering On The Road | We’re the new WWOOF ambassadors to SERBIA!!

Bethany — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 08:33:11 +0000

I have some good news! Randy and I are planning the next leg of our journey. We’ve been putting together tentative itineraries and it looks like we’ll be headed back to Europe!

We were planning on going directly to Thailand but a couple of really cool projects popped up in Europe that we simple can’t ignore. We are still in the planning phases but as soon as they are finalized (hopefully in the next week or so) we’ll have some pretty major and exciting updates for everyone! We’ll still be headed to Southeast Asia but at this point we haven’t decided if we will head there directly after a month or so in Europe or if we’ll just wait for the new year.

The Tractor on the Farm in Tuscany.

Given our love for volunteering abroad, I can tell you one thing we are doing for sure is WWOOF’ing. In fact, we have one big announcement regarding our WWOOF adventures:

We’ve been asked to be the official WWOOF Ambassadors to Serbia!

Yes, Serbia! How cool is that??!! Serbia is just entering the WWOOF’ing world and the organizers are very passionate about organics, permaculture and establishing a great WWOOF program in their country.

I have to say we are REALLY excited about this and we were flattered and honored that they asked us to be their WWOOF Ambassadors! As soon as we nail down our itinerary we’ll be headed over there for a couple weeks where we’ll be staying at different farms, learning plenty of new things (one thing it looks like we’ll be doing is making jam – fun!), working our butts off for the local farm owners and then writing & taking photos. We’re both very excited about heading to Serbia and we can’t wait to tell all of our readers what Serbia is like, what to expect wwoofing there and hopefully how awesome the nightlife is in Belgrade!

Trying to understand instruction in a foreign language can be pretty funny!

We plan on being connected the entire time and we’ll be doing live updates with plenty of tweets, FB updates and Instagram photos of us busting our butts in Serbia! I’m hoping I can do more WWOOF portraits in Serbia as well of the farmers and other people we meet. On top of the live updates we’ll have plenty of articles about it on the blog as well. I’m really intrigued about Serbia and can’t wait to explore the country and the WWOOF farms!

As we continue our travels I’m sure we’ll be looking for even more volunteering opportunities abroad. We had such a great time in Tuscany and we have great expectations for Serbia as well. I’m hoping we can WWOOF in Asia and maybe even do some volunteering in Africa in the next year or so.

On another note, our articles about WWOOF’ing at the Cerreto Libri vineyard in Italy have inspired several other people to volunteer there, including Ayngelina from Bacon Is Magic. She’s headed there in a few weeks to help with the grape harvest and we both really wish we were going with her!

If you’re on a budget, be sure to consider volunteering on the road to extend your travels. Not only can it help you save money but you also get to help out the local community on a grassroots level while getting a great dose of local culture.

Dinner on the WWOOF farm in Tuscany.

If you’re interested in volunteering, be sure to check out more of our stories and photos from our time WWOOF’ing in Italy for more information and inspiration.

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Getting Out Of Auto Gets Put To The Test and 3 Other Cool Photo Updates!

Bethany — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 10:33:25 +0000

So last week I decided to put my money where my mouth is and have some fellow bloggers test drive my Getting Out Of Auto photo ebook.

First off, I have to say thank you to Michael, Jason, Leigh, Matt & Charu for testing out the book! It was on short notice and they all still were able to read through the book and pick a technique out they wanted to improve on. Thanks!!

The good news is that everyone loved the book! Everyone said it was easy to understand, full of great information and to top it off – inspiring. Success! A few other people have commented and emailed me to tell me how much they like the book as well but really don’t take it from me – take it from other people who took used the book!

Check out the ‘in use’ reviews on these great blogs and read about their experiences taking better photos with Getting Out Of Auto.

Go, See, Write – Getting Auto Of Auto: The ebook Review (had an amazing 78 retweets!)

2 Backpackers – How To Take Good Pictures

Hike Bike Travel – Beers, Beans & Better Photos

Land Lopers – Mastering Night Photography – A Review of New Ebook, Getting Out Of Auto

Butterfly Diary – A Review of Getting Out of Auto E-book by Beers & Beans

The In Use Review week was such a success that a few other people contacted me about reviewing the book so in mid-September we’ve got another great line up of in-use reviews coming up!

If you’re ready to purchase now you can do that by clicking the ADD TO CART button below.

In other fun photo news we have a couple more announcements:

1. LENSBABY!!!!!

Lensbaby generously gifted us a Creative Effects System Kit! I’m excited – like souped up, over the top, crazy excited about this!! Expect a review on the upcoming How I Shoot Series about this kit and then another photo essay review after I get back on the road and start traveling with it. I’ve wanted a Lensbaby for a while now because of all the creative & unique images you can take. I mean you can bend the lenses and insert tons of cool optics & filters into them – how cool is that??!!

2. Upcoming Photography Seminar on the Art of Travel Blogging

There’s a good chance many of you are already familiar with the fantastic website The Art Of Backpacking but did you also know that Michael runs The Art Of Travel Blogging site as well? He’s asked me to come back for a second photo seminar and this one will be all about composition. So head on over, sign up and get ready to put your creative photo cap on. I’m just starting to work on this seminar now and it’s going to be a step by step tutorial on what good composition actually is and how you can use simple techniques to create more impact with your photos. It doesn’t matter what type of camera you have – SLR, dSLR, P&S or Iphone – because good (or bad) composition doesn’t discriminate – it’s all about training the eyes.

It will also cover how you can use composition to control how your image is viewed so that you can make sure the viewer sees what you want them to see. Go check out the Art Of Travel Blogging and register for the seminar which will be held on the evening of September 21, 2011.

3. I’m A Photo Judge for GetYourGuide Travel Photo Contest!

I’m very excited about this one too. GetYourGuide.com is hosting an awesome photo contest and they have asked me to be one of the their judges. One of the coolest things about this contest is that they actually have a weekly contest as well which is another way to win some cool travel prizes. And speaking of prizes check these out:

Best Photo Category: 5 day trip to Miami that includes flights, hotels and tours

Best Photographer Category: 5 day trip to NYC that includes flights, hotels & tours

This is a great photo contest and it’s free to enter! It runs until Sept. 30, 2011 so go and upload your photos for a chance to win! You also retain the rights to your photo (but keep in mind you grant them rights to use it in the future). Here’s the link to learn more: GetYourGuide Photo Contest

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Getting Out Of Auto Ebook Opening To Stellar Reviews!

Bethany — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 10:33:02 +0000

As some of you know my photo ebook – Getting Out Of Auto – launched last week and so far it is opening up to some great reviews! Honestly I am extremely flattered and humbled that so many people have enjoyed the book and are already using it!

If you’re thinking about purchasing it you might want to check out what some other people are saying:

“Beth has created what might be the best introduction to photography guide I’ve read: Getting Out of Auto. If you have a camera, especially an SLR, and you are shooting in automatic mode (aka “P” for programmed), then this is the book for you.

It is a better reference than anything I’ve found browsing at Barnes & Noble and at $9.99 it is also cheaper than any other introductory book you can find. I keep a copy of the ebook on my iPad just so I can show others.”

- Gary Arndt of Time Magazine’s 2010 Best Blog, Everything-Everywhere.com

“This is the book I wish I had read when I first got serious about photography.”

– Wes Nations of JohnnyVagabond.com

“My favorite section would be two where Bethany gives the low-down on all the composition and artistic techniques she uses to make some of those unforgettable images pasted on her blog. With this ebook, you can actually be armed with the knowledge of how someone would take a normal shot and turn it into art.”

– Brooke Schoenman of Brookevstheworld.com

“I just got a copy of your ebook and I must thank you for putting this together. It is just what a ‘constantly in auto mode’ person like me needs to get a handle on creative photography and making the most of my camera.”

- Mark Granelli – A new photographer who recently purchased the book.

“I loved your ebook. It was amazeballs, super informative, and very well put together.”

- Matt Kepnes of NomadicMatt.com

“Every now and then I have trouble writing a review. Getting Out Of Auto by Bethany Salvon has been giving me trouble for a couple of days now.

It’s not because I don’t like it. It’s because I’ve fallen in love with it.

There are plenty of books, blog posts, manuals and videos out there that will walk you through the basics of photography (and I should know, I’ve read enough of them.) This one takes you by the hand, lights some candles, whispers in your ear and seduces you into the world of photography.”

- Abi King of InsideTheTravelLab.com

“Now is your chance to make the jump into more professional pictures. Bethany of Beers & Beans has made the basics of photography readily available and super easy to read via her new book, Getting Out of Auto. She provides fantastic examples using easy to understand picture sequences to show what different settings can produce.

If you are seriously looking to push your boundaries as a photographer, or even your personal pictures, I highly suggest checking out Getting Out of Auto to get your mad skills in gear.”

-Erica Kuschel of OverYonderLust.com

Another great thing is that people are already using the book!

Brooke Schoenman has already used it the step by step instructions for improving your food shots in a post she wrote!

Check out Mouth Watering Food Shots to see how she used the lighting and composition guides to make some fab looking food on her lunch break!

Next week I’ve organized for a few people to do more ‘in use’ reviews of the book. Instead of just talking about it, they’re going to put it to the test and in essence, I’ll be putting my money where my mouth is. I feel really great about it and I know people are going to get a lot of this book so I can’t wait to see how those reviews turn out! I’ll be sure to put up links here so you can all check them out.

On another note I have a huge photo essay coming out tomorrow – Venice At Night. I’m editing the last of them now and this is going to be a great one so keep your eyes peeled for some cool shots from what has to be one of the most unique places on earth.

If you want to check out a more thorough write up of Getting Out Of Auto check out the page I have for it:

Getting Out Of Auto Photo Ebook

This page shows several screenshots and talks in detail about what’s included in the book!

If you’re interested in creating better photos today and you want to buy the book now just click on the image below and it’ll bring you right to the order form. Easy as pie!

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5 Things I Did in Bishkek that I Probably Shouldn’t Have

Bethany — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 10:33:28 +0000

Today’s guest post is from one of my favorite all time travel bloggers – Brooke Schoenman from BrookeVsTheWorld.com. Brooke will be returning to Bishkek this November where she will start work on a Bishkek Travel Guide and a Guide to Learning Russian in Kyrgyzstan. Stay tuned!

Maybe four years ago, I got the idea in my head that I wanted to trek over to the middle of nowhere to hang out in a country that doesn’t exist to about 95% of people in America. About 3 years ago, I made the trip happen.

Bishkek Central Plaza - courtesy of Brooke.

My destination was Bishkek, the capital city of Kyrgyzstan, or the lesser known Stan when compared to our now well-known Kazakstan (thanks, Borat). I spent the majority of my time in that country in Bishkek taking Russian language lessons and contemplating when, or if, I would move on. Suddenly, one day, I did move on. It was a delirious, heat-induced decision to fly home for a month, which also resulted in me getting a job teaching English in Ukraine.

So, I haven’t been in Bishkek since late 2008, but now that I have a plane ticket back to my beloved non-existent place this October, I’ve been thinking a lot about the past – both the good and the bad. These are the things I now realize I did in Bishkek that I probably shouldn’t have!

I drank the water.

More specifically, I drank the water straight from the tap. Oh yeah, I’m a no-limits type of traveler like that! Okay, not really. I was drinking bottled water and using a tea kettle for every bit of H20 that entered my body until I signed up for the homestay. It only took one day of drinking juice made with tap water by my host mom to get my body in order for the months that were yet to come.

Actually, I had been told by many people in Bishkek that the water was quite clean since it came down from the mountains that surround the city. With the idea that I would be spending a significant amount of time there, I decided to just go for it.

Lost In Bishkek - Courtesy of Brooke

I got into cars playing taxi.

When you travel, you really want to do as the locals do, and there, the locals that own a car also play taxi. To get around, if you want to bypass the marshrutkas (that’s another blog post altogether), you simply stand on the side of the road and point your hand down to any passing car. When they stop, which most of the time they do, you say where you’re going and negotiate a price.

There’s a reason I didn’t put this post on MY blog; my mom would be freaking out to know that I got into random car taxis. But, it is considered normal there – and I also prefered to do this when someone else was with me. I probably shouldn’t have though, hey?

I danced with Turkish guys.

This one is up to debate I guess. There was a huge difference between Kyrgyz and Turkish men in Bishkek, especially with their straightforward-ness with women. I may have entered the dance floor at the Golden Bull one night and immediately found myself surrounded by a group of Turkish men. Whoa, too much, get me out!

I argued with my teachers.

My teachers at the Russian language school were awesome, young and educated women, both of Kyrgyz and Russian decent. Still, I found at times that they had some of that old “wisdom” instilled in them, and this led to a bit of frustration on my end. How, I thought, could these educated women still think these old wive’s tales or weird remedies were valid? I may have found myself in several little scuffles as the disbelief overcame me, and I really feel bad about that. We come from two extremely different cultures; I can’t expect them to have the same knowledge and experiences. I blame hours of language lessons a day for my scuffles.

Bishkek At Night - Courtesy of Brooke

I left without seeing everything.

Do you ever arrive somewhere for an extended period and think, “Oh, don’t rush! We’ll get around to it eventually.” That was my exact mindset while in Bishkek, and when push came to shove (when I got a plane ticket home), it turned out that I didn’t get around to doing nearly as much as I had hoped!

I guess this is the same as telling yourself that you’ll take a trip later on in life, or that you’ll start a new project tomorrow. The chances are that time will pass and you will not have done nearly as much as you could have in life.

Obviously, I’m doing what I can to make sure this won’t happen on my upcoming return visit.

Brooke vs. the World is a thrifty traveler and experience collector with a love for language learning, history and cannoli. She is the creator of the female travel focused FTU Newsletter and Her Packing List website. Follow her upcoming adventures to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on her blog, Facebook or Twitter.

*All photos courtesy of Brooke Schoenman

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Three Great Music Festivals in the U.K.

Bethany — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 09:51:23 +0000

In doing a little research on events in the U.K. I came up with three different musical events that you might want to check out if you’re headed across the pond in the next few months.

The Steelhouse Festival

: Photo by Watt_dabney via Flickr.

This new outdoor music festival takes place August 19 – 20, 2011 at the Hafod-y-dafal Farm in southern Wales. It’s a classic rock festival with a multitude of bands playing through the weekend. Additionally there are a host of tribute bands covering a wide variety of bands from Whitesnake to The Red Hot Chili Peppers on Friday night. Although this seems to be more of an adult festival, children are not only welcome but those under 14 yrs old are free. An adult ticket for the entire weekend runs £50. There is a nearby campground where you can camp and you are also allowed to bring your own personal supply of alcohol. The weekend beer slamming camping bender sounds fun but if you want to skip out on what is bound to be an endless amount of classic rock fans funneling beers in their circa 1987 concert t-shirts you might want to check out different accommodation such as cottages in Wales for a little space & privacy.

Solfest

Photo by Delmonti via Flickr.

Solfest is a music and arts festival in Southern Cumbria that attracts a wide variety of people who come to see over 90 bands play on 6 different stages during the three day event. Not only is it a huge music festival but it is also a cultural event that includes amazing amounts of food, shopping, indoor markets, walkabout artists & workshops. The festival takes place August 26-28, 2011 and tickets run £89 for those over 17 years old. Tickets for younger kids run the gamut from free (0-5 yrs old), £25 (6-11 yrs old) & £62 (12-16 yrs old). The event is located at Tarnside Farm in Cumbria and with the cost of tickets I’m guessing this is one heck of a festival. If you’re looking for a place to stay be sure to check out accommodation in Windermere.

Derby Folk Festival

Photo by Alaskan Dude via Flickr.

The fifth annual folk festival is one of the largest events for the Derbyshire folk scene and not only includes a variety of folk musicians but also includes workshops, dances, children’s events and a Real Ale Bar. The festival takes place October 7 – 9th, 2011 and is the biggest social event for the Derbyshire folk scene. Tickets run £6 – £60 depending on the day you want to go and age of the visitor. If you are into folk music or art this could be a great place to check out new & longstanding artists while enjoying the other activities the Peak District has to offer. There are plenty of B&B’s nearby or you can check out the nearby cottages for your Peak District Holidays.

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