Home Articles Posted by Izy Berry (Page 121)
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The Problem is you Think You Have Time
The problem is you think you have time – Buddha [Tweet this]
I read this quote yesterday and it’s spent the last twenty four hours resonating within me. We all think we have time. We can go on that trip next year, we can tell that person we love them tomorrow, or maybe we can quit our jobs we don’t love and start doing what we do love… some day. We’ve got time, there’s no rush.
If you’ve been dreaming of Ha Long Bay, or visiting the Plitvice Lakes, or seeing the best of Bangkok, then you need to start working towards it. For most people, especially those that read this blog, travel is a priority – but often there’s something getting in the way, something holding you back.
I meet so many people who tell me I am so lucky to have traveled and how much they wish they could do it too. The truth is, luck had nothing to do with it – long term travel is cheap and if you come from a first world country then there are barely any barriers preventing you from exploring the world, except for the trickiest barrier of all: you.
How would you be spending your days if you knew you were running out of time? Would that change anything for you?
If my clock was up, I’d have a few travel regrets, but most of all I’d be sad I hadn’t seen more of my own country. People travel to the end of the earth to see New Zealand, and I’m embarrassed there are big gaps in where I’ve been. Part of the reason I haven’t spent more time exploring New Zealand is because it’s, quite simply, more expensive than most other places I could visit. The other reason is because I feel like I have forever to do it, there’s no rush, I’ll get around to it someday.
But the truth is, time isn’t promised to you. There’s no guarantees, no number of years allotted to you.
I’m taking New Zealand off the backburner, and my goal is to explore my own country through the eyes of a tourist.
So, the problem is you think you have time – what would you do if today was your last day?
And where should I go first?
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What’s it like to Au Pair?
I was an au pair in two countries – Spain and the Czech Republic. There were a number of reasons why I decided to au pair, but one of the main reasons (if I’m honest) is that I was running out of money but didn’t want to stop traveling.
I had two completely different experiences in the countries and although I can’t see myself being an au pair again I loved both experiences because I learned a lot and got to do a great deal of travel.
Being an au pair in the Czech Republic:
I ended up choosing a small town called Pocatky which was about 1.5 hours away from Prague. I always wanted to go to Prague – I remember I once saw a photo of Charles’ Bridge and immediately fell in love and decided that one day I would visit Prague. I was set to be teaching English in Seoul, South Korea and when my contract finally came through I freaked out and decided that I wanted to see more of Europe. I joined an au pair website and started searching for families in Prague. I ended up finding a few families that I was interested in, but ended up skyping with the host mother of the family I ended up choosing.
As I later learned when I was an au pair in Spain, it’s much more important that you choose a family you like (and host “parents”) because that will make your time much more enjoyable. My family in the Czech republic were great; I’ve visited them since, still keep in touch regularly and miss them immensely. I had a lot of fun, got to explore a lot of the Czech Republic and surrounding European countries.
I ended up in a really casual arrangement with my family – the boys I looked after were home schooled in the mornings and would spend most of the afternoons with me. I could take long weekends when I wanted to travel (amazing) and took on teaching some of the host mother’s English classes which was a great way to earn a little extra cash and gain some great experience. I was originally supposed to be with this family for three months, but had such a great time I extended it to six.
Being an au pair in Spain:
After living so far away from a city when I was in Pocatky, I had decided I wanted more of a central experience in Spain so chose to be close to Madrid. This was only a summer position and I was with the girls in the mornings and had the afternoons free. The host family gave me a monthly metro pass as well as an allowance and it was a great base to explore Spain – a highlight of which was the Alhambra – and to learn a little more Spanish.
This experience was slightly more challenging as only one of the two girls really spoke much English, so there was a bit of a language barrier. However, it was also really cool to see how much of an impact I had on their English and to see the younger girl experimenting a little more with the language.
Spanish families are quite different to those in New Zealand – just because you have kids doesn’t mean you slow down – it was not uncommon to see parents towing around small children to ice cream parlors at 11pm at night. I also managed to find a great group of girls who were au pairs here and we had a pretty awesome social life together – it was heaps of fun.
Why be an Au Pair?
I probably wouldn’t au pair again, just because I’m a bit older and like the idea of being slightly more independent in my travels. However, it’s a very easy way to get set up in a new country and can be incredible social, too. Depending on your family you will get to see a new side to a culture that would otherwise be difficult to be invited into. It’s pretty cool knowing you can move somewhere, have a room, have food, have some money and the opportunity to easily explore another part of the world. Depending on your language goals, being an au pair can be a great way to get extra exposure to the language you want to learn.
If I ever have children of my own I know that I’ll have an au pair, because it’s a great experience for them too – I noticed that children who had au pairs were a lot more confident, their language skills were better than average and it’s just a great way for them to gain an “older sibling”.
Has anyone else been an au pair? If so, what were your experiences like?
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Chinese Lantern Festival
I’m chilling out in my hometown for a while. It’s easy to take home for granted, after all I spent the first 22 years of my life here before venturing off to bigger and better places. But the truth is, Chrstchurch is one of the best basis to plant yourself in if you want to explore more of New Zealand – which is exactly what I’m planning to do. Tomorrow I head up to Auckland and then I’m off to Mount Maunganui to enjoy some sun, surf and sand before summer fades into the distance.
This Sunday I bundled up warm and headed to the Chinese Lantern Festival. I still have a child-like fondness for anything that glows or sparkles. This was also the perfect excuse to get back into using my camera, because since it was stolen I’ve lost my groove.
Where have you seen the best lanterns before? I thought these were pretty awesome!
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Best of Bangkok
I’ve been to Bangkok at least 10 times, often just when passing through as a port to somewhere else. It’s one of the transport hubs in Asia and a great place to find cheap flights in and out of. While there’s a novelty to Khao San Road and the Chatuchak markets are incredible, my favourite place in all of Bangkok is the Bangkok Art and Culture Center.
Here you’ll see exhibitions from new and established artists, predominantly from Thailand. It’s a great snippet into the world of modern Asian art, but the building itself is absolutely incredible. Best of all? It’s completely free and often has interactive exhibitions. In the past I’ve participated in a free pottery making class and jumped in a room filled of string – it’s pretty great.
Definitely worth checking out the next time you’re in Bangkok. Where’s your favourite place in Bangkok?
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It’s Just Not Fiji
When you travel you are exposed to a great variety of people all experiencing entirely different trips. Some people go away for short breaks, some for longer adventures and some people seem to have traveled forever. It’s always interesting talking to people about where they’ve been, their favourite places and where they are heading next.
For my 25th birthday a group of volunteers from New Futures Organization and I piled into a mini van and headed south towards Kep. Two years earlier I’d spent a weekend on this little island and had a great time, so it seemed like the perfect weekend escape from Takeo, in rural Cambodia.
It’s a very basic island, with a few huts, bucket showers and bucket toilets. I warned everyone that it would be really simple and that there wasn’t much development on this island. There are a handful of restaurants on the beach serving simple but delicious seafood. In all honesty there’s not a lot to do there, but that’s part of the fun. Our days were spent alternating between laying on the beach, getting massages, enjoying the local seafood, lounging in a hammock and swimming with the glowing plankton. To say it was relaxing was a complete understatement.
The island is beautiful, but the sand isn’t white – it’s more of a browny golden colour. In true Cambodian fashion there’s a little bit of rubbish lying around, but I wouldn’t call it dirty. The main strip of sand is maybe a twenty-minute walk, so it’s small. There’s only electricity for three hours a day.
Of the 10 of us who went to Rabbit Island for the weekend, two people were unhappy. One was a slightly older lady who simply wanted her creature comforts, which was understandable. But the other girl was my age and was absolutely miserable on this island.
Sorely disappointed with this island, she exclaimed, “It’s just not Fiji” and then proceeded to hold her hand high and say “Fiji’s here” before lowering her hand dramatically and gesturing “Rabbit Island’s here”.
Somehow she’d managed to let slip the fact that we were here, on Rabbit Island.
It wasn’t Fiji, and really that was part of the charm of this island. It was only a two-hour drive and 20-minute boat ride away from rural Cambodia where we had been volunteering. Meals were cheap: ranging from $1 up to $7. Accommodation was a whopping $2.50 a night.
In the past I’ve been to numerous beaches that I’d rate more highly than Rabbit Island, including my top five favorite beaches, but my favoritism of these other beaches didn’t impair my ability to enjoy a weekend away on an island with friends. I arrived with a clean slate, open mind and was excited about what the weekend would hold.
This girl, on the other hand, arrived directly comparing it to a beach literally half a world away. Because Rabbit Island fell short of her expectations and her experiences, she couldn’t let herself enjoy it and instead was mopey. The two women who didn’t like Rabbit Island promptly left and went to Kep, before leaving early and returning to Takeo.
Those of us who stayed had an incredible weekend and it really felt like I was on holiday after volunteering for a month in Cambodia.
I’ve met a lot of people on the road who get so focused around finding the best beach, or the most beautiful temple that they cannot enjoy the beauty of the place they’re in. I’ve written about how important it is to live in the now and to really focus on what you have around you. Sometimes people who travel too much become spoiled and jaded.
I think it’s such a shame to let your adoration of somewhere else impair your ability to enjoy a perfectly wonderful place in the moment.
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My Top 5 Beaches
I love the beach! Last weekend I spent my 25th birthday on Rabbit island, a small island off the coast of Cambodia. It’s certainly not my favourite beach in the world, but nothing really compares to the way in which a beach can unwind you. Our days were spent alternating between sunbathing, eating delicious, fresh seafood, taking massages on the beach and swimming with the glowing plankton at night – all in all it was a wonderful way to ring in my new age.
As I’m heading home, I’m longing for some of my favourite beaches around the world so thought I’d share some of my favourites with you.
Gili T, Indonesia
My idea of paradise, this small island is easily walkable within an hour or two. This island is coated in bright white sand, crystal clear water and has a really slow island pace. Although there’s not a lot to do here except sunbathing, snorkeling and diving, it seems to be enough to fill a solid week of beach action. You can take day trips to the smaller two Gili islands, or stay overnight if you’re looking for even more serenity. Gili Trawangan is affordable paradise and somewhere I’d love to revisit… as soon as possible.
Majorca, Spain
This small island just off the East coast of Spain is the perfect place for relaxing family vacation or romantic getaway. The golden sand and year long sunshine make this an irresistible place to visit. You can choose to visit independently or choose to organize cheap holidays in Majorca, allowing you to focus on soaking up the sunshine instead of spending your time planning. While the beaches of Majorca are a real highlight to visiting this island, there’s a number of great activities to do for people of all ages to break up your holiday. From water sports to a marine life center, you’ll be easily able to keep family members of all ages entertained. Snap up great holiday offers quickly so that you can secure your summer escape!
Cathedral Cove, New Zealand
Yes, New Zealand is gorgeous and as my home country it’s often left of my list of favourite places because to me it’s just the “default country”. I love the beaches around Hahei and Cathedral Cove, because they’re beautiful, serene and relatively quiet. That’s the great thing about New Zealand, is that it’s so easy to take some space out from other people and actually enjoy a place to yourself in solitude. Cathedral Cove is very famous because of the sandstone arch that separates the two beaches here, it is quite a striking natural formation.
Koh Phi Phi, Thailand
Yes, it’s touristy, really touristy. But sometimes I think things are touristy for good reason. Koh Phi Phi is the first place I really fell in love with on my first solo adventure and I was so happy to finally return two years later. This time around I did a booze cruise (don’t judge me) to some of the smaller islands, including Maya Bay and the whole area is just stunning; it’s the epitome of paradise. Koh Phi Phi is overly commercial, filled with a number of drunken tourists, but the view point at the top of the island make all of that worthwhile – it’s simply stunning.
Manly, Sydney, Australia
This was the first beach I ever visited outside of New Zealand and while it isn’t the most striking beach I’ve ever seen, it’s a gorgeous ferry ride away from Central Sydney. Manly itself has a very laid back small town feel to it, and is the perfect place to relax and detox from the chaos that is Sydney. No trip to Sydney is complete without at least a day trip to Manly and an obligatory meal of fish and chips on the beach.
Beaches are one of the highlights of any trip for me. Where has your favourite beach been so far? I need some more inspiration for holiday planning!
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Volunteering in Cambodia
I’ve written before about volunteering in Cambodia, but I wanted to talk a little more about what exactly I’m doing on this trip here. I’m based at New Futures Organization in Takeo, Cambodia and am currently volunteering as a teacher with a class of about 20 students.
The school is called Little Po and is located in a really rural village that is hovering around the poverty level. This village school was originally established four years ago to give the children a starting point in the English language and to also to give them a little break from their challenging lives. There is one class of 200 students, with one teacher called Team who is nothing short of amazing. He is constantly bursting with energy and has mastered some pretty impressive tricks to keep the children in line, despite being heavily out numbered.
My class are beyond charming – whenever I go away from a break mid way through the afternoon, I’ll return to sweet messages on the back of the whiteboard. The school was set up to offer English classes to children who would otherwise go without education and instead be working all day in the fields. Volunteers come by to supplement Team’s teaching and to take the more advanced students away so they can get authentic exposure to the English language.
The bike ride out to Little Po is incredible – fiery red roads, bright green rice paddy fields and stray cows and pigs wandering the streets. As you enter the town children run out to the road to give you high fives as you cycle past and while shouting “hello” sometimes even the adults get involved and enthusiastically welcome you to their village. Often my students bring their younger siblings along to class because there’s simply no one else available to look after them.
Life is different here; and that’s part of the reason I’ve fallen in love with this provence within Cambodia. Their happiness is not bound to the latest smartphone, a new car or buying new clothes – in fact, many kids only have one outfit. Sometimes kids will just wear their pajamas as clothes because it’s simply all they have. Their priorities are different; focused around family and simply having enough to get by.
The surprising thing though, is whatever the kids have they’re more than happy to share with you. They’ll muster together their pocket money and buy volunteers small candies or stickers as a token of their affection. These kids who really have nothing, give all they can and it’s beyond humbling.
This is the place I come to reset myself, to align myself. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the every day rat race or working towards buying something or getting somewhere, so that you can finally be happy. These children in Takeo have taught me, and continue to reteach me, that I already have absolutely everything I need to be happy – I have my health, my family and my friends.
Each day the children sing a number of songs to welcome us volunteer teachers – before and after each break they sing us a “Thank You” song to show their gratitude. I’m not really sure how I can thank them for all they’ve taught me, but I guess coming back time and time again says enough.
I’m home in just over two weeks – time is coming around fast, but in between I’ll be visiting Rabbit Island, Phnom Penh and heading back to Singapore. I know it’s going to fly by, so I’m trying to savor every day and every moment here.
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Where I Want To Go
Despite traveling for the past two years and visiting amazing places, there a number of places that are still on my list of places I’d love to visit. There are still big pockets of the world I haven’t explored – such as South America, Central America and most of Africa. While there are a lot of special places hard on the tourist trail I’d love to visit, here are five “off the beaten places” I’d love to explore.
Connemara, Ireland: Widely regarded as one of the most beautiful places in the world, Connemara offers picturesque landscapes that resemble something out of a fairy tale. Located in West Ireland, here you’ll find pristine lakes and gorgeous mountains, making it the best place in all of Ireland to hike. The next time I’m in England I’d love to take a ferry to Ireland and spend a little time exploring this enchanting region.
(Photo by Kamil P L)
Northern Norway: For the longest time I’ve been near desperate to see the Northern Lights, but unfortunately budget and cold temperatures have kept me away from anywhere close enough to enjoy them. Every photo I’ve seen of Aurora Borealis has been breathtaking, seeming to be more from a dream than anywhere on this planet. One of the downsides of trying to chase the Northern Lights is that you can spend a week there, and if weather conditions aren’t right you wont see anything.
(Photo by Moyan Brenn)
Thingvellir National Park, Iceland: Whenever I meet someone who’s been to Iceland, there’s a little part of me that’s jealous. Iceland’s natural beauty is both striking and unique and the photos I’ve seen of Iceland really look a world away from New Zealand. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Thingvellir National Park offers the largest natural lake in Iceland as well as the oldest Parliament in the country.
(Photo by Global Ranger)
Palawan, The Philippines: I love a good beach and now that I’ve completely worn out my enthusiasm for Thailand, I’m hunting for a new beach. Palawan is a small island that stretches from Mindoro to Borneo and has emerald green water and bright white sand. It looks like my version of paradise, so is high on my list of beaches to visit as soon as possible.
(Photo by Sehmaschine)
Zona Cafetera, Colombia: I like coffee so naturally I need to visit Zona Cafetera, the coffee production capital of Colombia. Here the lanscape is beautiful and untouched, with giant palm trees breaking through the steamy mist. I’d love to take a coffee class to learn more about the process, the roasting and to see how it’s actually grown.
(Photo by Archdejanon)
Where are the lesser known gems you’d love to explore? Have you been to any of these places?
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25 Things About Me
It’s almost my 25th birthday which is kind of exciting and a little bit terrifying. It’s funny, because I can remember being five or six and thinking the kids who were 11 or 12 were so old! I was never really fussed about turning 18 or 21, but for some reason 25 feels like a real benchmark; a turning point. It is, after all, a quarter of a century, which is a pretty impressive feat. To celebrate my upcoming change of age I decided to write 25 random facts about me…
1) I can’t swim. I can make movement in the water but it’s horribly inefficient. I am, however, an excellent floater.
2) If I’m really drunk I pick up a fake English accent.
3) I can tolerate spiders but am terrified of rats.
4) The taste of cucumber used to always make me gag, until last year – now I quite like it.
5) I’m not ticklish.
6) I have a heart shaped freckle.
7) I was vegetarian for four years throughout my teenage years, but bacon made me quit.
8 ) Every time I find a song I like I will listen to it on repeat for days or weeks until I’m sick of it and can’t listen to it for a few months.
9) When I was small I wanted to be an airhostess or pilot, now I don’t know what I want to be.
10) I once licked a spider for $50, but I was worried I didn’t actually lick it, so licked it again.
11) When I first went traveling I didn’t set an alarm or wear shoes for two months; it is one of my proudest life achievements.
12) I am terrified of needles, but try to donate blood whenever I can, especially at the Angkor Children’s hospital in Siem Reap.
13) I love taking photos of others, but hate being in photos.
14) I am a decent driver, but I always prefer to be driven than to drive – even when I had my own car.
15) I am a hopeless romantic, but I don’t want to be.
16) I believe in some kind of fate or destiny: that things happen exactly as they’re supposed to.
17) I’ve wanted to get the same tattoo for the last two years, but have commitment issues.
18) I’ve had my belly button pierced for almost 11 years.
19) I really don’t know if I’ll ever live in New Zealand again long term.
20) I think gifting flowers is stupid; I’d much prefer to receive a plant.
21) I get really anxious before I fly, but love being on a plane.
22) I pronounce “i” as “e” and vice versa. I’ve been teased numerous times for how I say “bed” “head” “leg” “six” and so on.
23) I don’t like people touching my elbows. I will freak out if people try.
24) I commonly get mistaken for being younger than I am. Just the other day a few other volunteers thought that I was 18 (score!).
25) My real name is Christine but I prefer my nickname Izy. Christine seems just far too serious for this stage in my life.
So there are 25 random facts about me!
I know there are a lot of people that lurk on my blog and I’d love for you to introduce yourself so I can learn a little more about my readers 🙂
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Costs in Siem Reap
So I put a post on The Wrong Way Home’s Facebook page about what people would like to hear about more on this blog. I’ve been neglecting it a little bit – trying to find a work/life balance (which I’ll blog about soon) but one of my goals for this year is to be a lot more active on here. One of my awesome readers suggested that I do more frequent posts on what it actually costs to be in the places I am in – which always helps with budgetting and planning. So here’s my first guide to the costs in Siem Reap!
At the moment I’m in Siem Reap, in Cambodia and I would say this prices are fairly standard for Cambodia, although Phnom Penh tends to run a little more expensive for accommodation in my experience. Let me introduce to you my humble abode that costs around $8USD a night. It’s a private room, so if I was traveling with someone my accommodation expenses would be $4 a day or $28 a week. You can find dorms in Siem Reap starting from $1, private basic rooms from $5 and you can pay as much as you want for high-end accommodation. My room rates include a towel, a simple breakfast (fried eggs and toast or noodle soup) and some bottles of water.
Eating out is really inexpensive here and you can enjoy a sit down meal in a restaurant for as little as $2 and local street food can be had for around $1. I am really enjoying Viva Restaurant which is a Mexican place and I ordered these delicious enchiladas for $5.50.Cocktails are a tempting $2.50 in most places, local beers are from $0.50-$1.50 in restaurants and bars, coffees range from $1-2.75 in most places depending on style and a small bottle of water in a restaurant is $0.60.
Considering my breakfast is free I can easily keep my food costs under $10 a day – eating well – assuming there’s no drinking.
I decided to rent a bicycle because I need the exercise and it’s less hassle than dealing with tuk tuks. Siem Reap has changed a lot over the past two years. It seems that Siem Reap is the New York of Cambodia and every second Cambodian has moved here to be a tuk tuk driver. I rented my bicycle out for $1 a day and my guesthouse offers free tuk tuks during the evenings, so my transport costs here have been really low. You can rent a tuk tuk for the entire day for $12 or $15 if you plan to cover substantial distances (like the far between temples). Or single trips around the city are usually $1 on the back of a motorbike, or $1-2 dollars for a tuk tuk depending on distance and number of people.
Other costs in Siem Reap:
I had a punctured tyre, so took it to the local bike repair shop. He worked on my bike for about twenty minutes repairing the inner tube and charged me 1000 reil which is $0.25
$4-6 an hour for a foot or body massage. I think the Cambodians are rougher than the Thais – you’ve been warned.
$1 for a Sim Card and $10 for 5 GB mobile data so I can work wirelessly
Angkor Wat is relatively expensive if you plan to visit $20 for a day and $40 for a three day pass
As my work is location independent, it’s a lot cheaper for me to travel around Asia than it is to live at home. Soon I’ll be heading to Takeo to volunteer where my costs will drop, but I’d say it’s very easy to get by on $20 a day, or $140 a week in Siem Reap assuming you don’t go out drinking all the time. If you stay in the cheapest hostels and eat at the cheapest places you can keep things under $10. This doesn’t factor in the costs for Angkor Wat, as I’ve been three times before.
Please let me know if you found this post helpful and if you think I missed out anything important!
If you’ve been to Siem Reap before I’d love to hear your highlights for this city – I’m here for another few days.
