2016: Some of my Top 3’s

We’re now a few days into 2017 and to be honest Christmas, New Year’s Eve and 2016 itself feels so long ago! Such an impact does four days back into the swing of work have, that it has the power to almost completely eradicate the couple of weeks of “mellow” socialising that preceded it.

Although many moan about some things that 2016 brought to the world (myself included!.. Brexit.. Deaths… Trump.. Terror..) there were indeed some highlights. I recently took over the @Bristol52 Twitter account, an account where a different person from Bristol, UK tweets their way through the week. Once of the highlights of my week on @Bristol52 was feeding a discussion about the good things that happened in 2016, rather focusing on the looming negatives. I wanted to and share the top 3 things that people said were good about their year:

1. A lady helped her dyslexic son to find a passion for reading
2. 50 million trees were planted by volunteers in India in just 24 hours!
3. People got married, had children, laughed, cried. They lived and that’s a great thing that happens every year

Now, time for some of my personal top 3’s of 2016.

Split – too much to see, too little time

It’s my own fault, I know. Every time I plan on visiting a new destination I try and cram in as many places to see as possible. In my first week in Croatia I had fitted in Dubronik, Hvar and daytrips to Mostar and Kotor. The second week was not to be any lighter on desitnations: Split, Zadar, Plitvice Lakes and Zagreb. But Split was by far the most rushed portion of my trip. Just one and a half days at the seaside resort was not enough, particularly when I spent one of them on a trip to swim in waterfalls… More on that later though.

I planned on leaving Hvar on the early catamaran to make the most of my first day in Split, but when I went to buy the ticket I found it fully booked. Instead I had to get the second one of the day which got me to Split in the lunchtime heat. Armed with my map I was headed to my hostel which was deemed to be the best hostel in Croatia – Split Guesthouse & Hostel. It did not disappoint! The host, Josko, is one of the most welcoming people I have ever met. It really felt like a home from home staying at his guesthouse, everything from G’ma’s Nutella pancakes in the morning, to Josko arriving with massive pizzas for the guests to share before we headed out on a pub crawl. Honestly, the people staying there were so much fun, but Josko really makes this the ideal place to stay if you are travelling through Split. His recommendations are out of this world, no wonder the entire place is decorated with notes from his past guests singing his praises!

Hvar, more than just a party island

I knew when I went to Croatia that I wanted to go island hopping. On board a yacht or self guided via ferry, I did not mind how. However I also knew I had just two weeks in this magical country and there were so many other places I wanted to visit. I had to compromise (with myself!) and decided to make Hvar the only island I would spend significant time on, so it really needed to sparkle to help me satiate my island dreams.

I arrived fresh off of the catamaran from Dubrovnik. I was lucky enough to get a seat at the bow, looking out of the wide glass door, admiring and longing for Dubrovnik as it disappeared into the horizon. The three hour journey time flew by as we stopped at various islands on the way to Hvar as the sun set in our wake. It was with was with excitement, and some hunger pangs, that I stepped off of the boat onto the harbour and was immediately enchanted.

“Those who are looking for paradise on Earth should come and see Dubrovnik”

Hell. Yes. George Bernard Shaw was spot on when he described Dubrovnik as heaven on Earth. What a truly, truly stunning place.

When I was flying to Dubrovnik, in between sleeping as I’d barely slept in my overnight traipse from Bristol to London Gatwick via public transport, I wondered if Dubrovnik would live up to my expectations. In planning my trip I’d spent an age reading blogs, looking at Pinterest boards, lusting over my Lonely Planet guide. I had this beautiful vision of what Dubrovnik would look like in my head, could the real thing live up to the idyllic coastal town I was envisioning?

It’s almost time!

In sixteen days’ time I shall be off on my summer holiday trip to Croatia! I CANNOT WAIT! Two weeks of sunny relaxed bliss, exploring ancient towns, turquoise waters, vibrant cities and alluring lakes. It sounds like heaven!

I first went to the region in 2014 when I took myself off to Slovenia to celebrate my birthday. I completely fell in love with everything about the country. I am hoping that Croatia, being Slovenia’s neighbour, treats me just as well and that I come back with that grandiose feeling you get when you’ve been somewhere totally awesome!

Now, I generally try to be quite spontaneous, but fitting in everything that I want to do can be a struggle. In real life, not just on my travels I hasten to add! There’s just so much to do, and so little time!

So I’ve got my main itinerary planned for this trip too: I’ve read the relevant section of my Lonely Planet guide, I’ve read countless blog posts and spoken with numerous friends who have already visited Croatia. I’m ready, I know what the bare minimum I want to see/do is, and I’ve still got enough time to be flexible and do those spur of the moment things that hopefully I’ll never forget!

My route is shown on this map. I’m flying to Dubrovnik, and out of Zagreb and have two whole weeks to explore my chosen destinations. From Dubrovnik I will be making two day trips, one self guided to Kotor in Montenegro and one on an organised tour to Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. From Dubrovnik I head to Hvar, Split, Zadar, Plitvice lakes and Zagreb before flying home.

I’m really looking forward to exploring another new destination, getting three countries closer to my challenge of visiting 30 before I’m 30 and to spending 2 weeks in my own company. It’s been a manic few months at work and a proper break is exactly what I need. Although, judging by how many destinations I plan on fitting in, it may not exactly be a relaxing break!

If you’ve been to any of the places I’m visiting, please feel free to share your tips!

Look up, look around you, take in the beauty that surrounds you

My trip to Budapest in November 2016 was one that I will cherish, and has propelled the city into my top 5 mini-break locations. It was a solo trip; I flew over alone with no plan other than to befriend people in my hostel and the locals where I can. Travelling alone can be a really wonderful thing; there’s no compromise for starters. You want to go to the baths? Sure, go now. You want to lie in and recover from that hangover? Yep, do that too. I find that solo travel enabless me to meet new people from many walks of life, but usually with a shared passion for life, and that has to be one of my favourite parts of the way I travel.

This post is the second about my trip to Budapest, if you’d like to read the first then you can find it here. I’m going to pick up the story on the morning of my third day in the city. Well, by morning I mean lunchtime! I had to sleep off my large hangover from the previous nights’ antics in the ruin bars, so I was in no fit state to do anything until 1pm; so unlike me as I don’t like to waste my mornings!

So, due to my self-inflicted pain I only really managed to ramble around the Jewish district again. I took in some of the creative street art that was visible on the side of the buildings, and enjoyed getting lost in the little streets. I heeded some advice from a friend who had told me to “look up”, as this meant I was able to see some of the more intricate stonework in the architecture on the upper levels of buildings. When Hungary was occupied by the Soviet Union they removed much of the “frivolous” architectural features at street level so you really do need to look up in Budapest to appreciate what is there to see. 

“It’s beautiful here. They said that of course, that Budapest is beautiful. But it is in fact almost ludicrously beautiful.”

I stumbled across this quote by Anthony Bourdain when I was researching my trip to Budapest in November 2015. I’d done that thing that my friends know me for; booking flights on a moment’s whim (next whimsical bookings: Croatia and Japan). So I had 5 days in Budapest to plan, and I was so excited about exploring this historical city.

I was lucky enough to be visiting at the start of the festive season, so I enjoyed my first evening in Budapest wandering around the Christmas market that was erected in Vörösmarty Square. It was wonderful; I stopped to enjoy a local band play festive tunes to the gathered families, I ate hearty goulash out of a bread bowl, watched men manipulating hot iron straight out of a furnace, and admired the sparkly lights and row after row of small stalls offering handmade trinkets. I also treated myself to the famous Hungarian Chimney Cake (otherwise known as Kurtoskalaces); thin pastry ribbon wrapped around wood and baked over hot coals, coated in cinnamon sugar that caramelises as it bakes. It was amazing, and I had one a couple of times during my trip! I wandered back to my hostel via the River Danube and stared in wonder at the Buda side of the city. Did you know Buda is the western side and Pest the eastern side of the city, separated by the Danube?

Paradise on Earth at Ha Long Bay

One of the only things Esther and I had booked prior to arriving in Vietnam was our boat trip to Ha Long Bay. We knew we wanted to experience this UNESCO World Heritage site and we had read plenty of reviews online which pointed towards the fact that the quality of tours was mixed to say the least. So, we continued to research and read recommendations about tour companies, boats, tour duration, cost and so on.

The view from the top deck

In the end we actually booked via our hotel in Hanoi. We stayed at the Especen Hotel and they advertised a couple of tours with Galaxy Cruises on their website. I was apprehensive about booking through the hotel initially; everything in my gut told me that this relatively budget hotel would be trying to rip us off and we would end up on some dodgy boat having a slightly awful time in one of the most beautiful places in the world. However, Tripadvisor reviews were positive so we booked a two day, one night tour for $159 each which was a lot of money considering how cheap everything else in Vietnam was! I mean, we were staying in a hotel which would be maybe 3 star in the UK for $8 each per night..

Day one: Hanoi, my first taste of Vietnam

After a 12 hour flight where I had managed only an hour or two’s sleep, we walked down the stairs from the plane and whoosh; the humidity hit. I knew what to expect. I had done my research. I had tracked the weather in Hanoi for weeks prior to the trip and I thought I knew what 29°C and circa 80% humidity at 8am would feel like. I did not! It was kind of like stepping into a bathroom when the person before you has just had a hot shower, but maybe three times as warm! It was quite overwhelming, but a fitting introduction to the climatic conditions that Esther and I would be battling for the majority of our trip.

After minimal sleep and maximum visa scrutiny and luggage wait time, we walked out of the airport to find the bus which would take us into the heart of the old town. This was not straightforward. My Lonely Planet guide advised that for $3 we could get the Vietnam Airlines minibus to take us to their offices in the old town, which would be perfect as it was only a short walk from our hotel. After much gesticulating with a lovely lady at the information desk who did not speak English I managed to locate the correct bus stop. Although the bus driver did not. We waited over an hour for a bus which was supposed to run every 30 minutes before we gave up to source alternative transport. Along with another 3 tired travellers we sourced a minibus from another bus-stop and paid $5 to drop us at each of our hotels, which was a god-send.

Snap back to reality

“Oh there goes gravity…”

Wait, this blog post is detouring already (like my thoughts which are now streams of Eminem lyrics)! But, I am back after two wonderful weeks in Vietnam; country number 17 in my quest to visit 30 before I’m 30. I actually landed 6 days ago, but since then I’ve been recovering from the travel and sadly smashed straight back into work. So much so that it doesn’t feel like just a week ago I was in Saigon enjoying my last evening in Vietnam!

It’s frustrating how quickly “real life” can erode the feelings of relaxation, contentment and peace which come from two weeks of travelling. The usual work stresses return, the climate you are in changes back, and you realise your time is no longer 100% your own.

The good news is, that you get to relive that holiday, once you get past the mountain of washing! You get to wax lyrical about the scenery, the food, the people. You get to share photos and anecdotes. You get to give people a small taste of your journey by sharing the gifts you purchased.

Holidays become nostalgia all too quickly in the fast-paced world we live in. But they are totally worth it.

My mission this weekend (along with catching up on real life admin) is to curate the photos from my camera, and to write the first installment describing my journey through Vietnam. In the meantime, here’s a couple of pictures from my phone to tide you over and summarise my trip. Enjoy!