Blah Blah Blah

Blah blah blah, I got distracted. Blah blah I work too hard. Blah blah blah apology for neglecting the blog. Blah, with a little bit of whining and a dash of complaining and we'll finish it off with big handful of who cares, no really reads this thing anyway.

Long story short..... I'm back. I know, try to hold in your excitement. Keep it in your pants. 

I moved to Los Angeles, started work in the film industry as a set costumer dressing famous people and getting paid pennies. No time or money for travel, but still a cheap bastard. So the posts might get a little interesting. And by interesting I mean, well I don't know what I mean. Stay tuned. Emo photo of me working on a film set

International Women’s Day

                                      

International Women’s Day takes place every year on 8^th March and to mark the event HostelBookers, the budget accommodation specialist, hand-picks the 10 best hostels around the world to suit women travellers for whom security, a spot of pampering or the feminine touch, really matters.

 

The Miami Hostel, Miami, Florida

Located on South Beach, The Miami Hostel has 8, 10 and 12-bed female dorms available. Guests are supplied with free beach towels and ladies will enjoy cocktails in the hostel bar.

 St Christopher’s Orient Espresso, London, UK

Girls can take their pick of private, 4-bed or 8-bed dorms. Other hostel facilities include a free travel library, complimentary chess in the coffee shop and internet access in the cyber café.

 

Papaya Female Youth Hostel, Rome, Italy

All the rooms and facilities are kept to a high standard and travellers will find the free internet kiosks and Wi-Fi useful for planning their day in the city.

 Cairns Girls Hostel, Cairns, Australia

With car rental facilities nearby, this is a great choice for those hoping to explore the coastline and the Great Barrier Reef. The hostel is located in the central business district close to the main shopping and tourist outlets. It boasts easy access to cinemas, nightclubs, the waterfront and the lagoon.

 Caulaincourt Square Hostel, Paris, France

Located close to Montmartre and Le Sacre Coeur in Paris’s pretty bohemian quarter, the hostel offers free Wi-Fi and free bike rental which is a great way to explore the city.

 Adventurer Hostel, Los Angeles, California

Ranked top 3 for 'Most Popular' in North America in the HostelBookers Awards for Excellence 2010, Adventurer Hostel offers female-only dorms which sleep 4, 8 or 20 people.

 Plus Prague, Prague, Check Republic

Girls will appreciate the homely creature comforts on offer; extra space, cosmetic tables equipped with hairdryers, complimentary toiletries and a goody bag, are all included in their girls-only dorms. The rest of the hostel is mixed and boasts an indoor swimming pool which guests can use for free.

 Lub d Bangkok – Silom, Bangkok, Thailand

The hostel is equipped with plenty of security features such as key card access to the dorms, private rooms and communal areas. There are also individual lockers in each dormitory. (WANDERLUST FAVORITE!)

 BASE St Kilda, Melbourne, Australia

Located in St Kilda – Melbourne’s seaside suburb - BASE offers ladies their own Sanctuary wing. In these female-only dorms girls can enjoy free champagne, hair straightening irons and tea or coffee in bed on weekends.

 Jazz on Amsterdam Ave, New York, USA

It offers ladies 8, 6 or 4-bed dorms many of them en suite, air-conditioned and with nice colourful decor. Staff organise outings and events throughout the week so guests have plenty of opportunities to meet their fellow travellers.

 **Post and photos courtesy of Hostelbookers

Scooters Are From Hell

Hey, remember that time in Bali....when I learned to drive a moped for the first time in Balinese traffic?

It had to be done. I couldn't leave SE Asia or Indonesia, the lands of mopeds, without driving one. I had ridden on the backs of scooters in Koh Pha Ngan, up and down hills of rugged dirt paths. Not too many problems there, but the drivers were experienced. But I was informed the only true way to see Bali was to rent a scooter and explore. So when I met Garth and Mimi, other North American natives staying at my hotel (who by the way should open a bar under their names), suggested we all take a drive south to find a good beach for the day I took a deep breath and resigned myself to my impending doom. It must be done, I thought to myself. I was recalling a quote from Fight Club at the time. How much can you know about yourself if you've never been in a fight? Well how much could I know about myself if I've Mimi and Garthnever risked my life riding a moped in a foreign land?

I tried to explain to Mimi and Garth and their travel buddies Ollie and Maria, all avid scooter riders, that I had never driven any vehicle like this before. I drove ATVs when I was a kid, but that was 10 years ago and those have 4 wheels touching the ground. This required balance and timing and the ability to theoretically pat your head and rub your tummy simultaneously. To stop with a scooter, you pull the brake towards you with one hand and twist away from you to slow down with the other hand. You don't turn the bars, you just lean. And keep all arms and legs inside the perimeter of the vehicle at all times. I unfortunately at this injunction of my life, learned all of these important factors within the first 30 seconds of driving. I also banged my shin on the corner of stall knocking down all their beer coosies within those same 30 seconds. Garth was convinced I didn't need to do some test driving. Garth, my darling boy, you give terrible advice.

Barely making it out of the Poppies alley intact, we merged straight into Balines traffic on Legian St. I apologize to all the pedestrians I nearly ran over.

"Imgonnadie, Imgonnadie, Imgonnadie. I'm going to perish. I'm never going to see America again." Over and over in my head I repeated this over the roaring sound of engines and me pretending to be in painhorns in my ears. My life flashed before my eyes. Me! I've swum with sharks, I have ridden elephants, I have ridden demon possessed horses. And I am petrified to death of riding scooters?? It just seemed silly...but it was tragically true.

*sigh* I, Christina Wanderlust of America, am petrified of scooters. I, conquerer of the blue planet Earth, am afraid of an adorable, colorful, bug eyed machine that 10 year olds can drive. I've said it.

 Please please heed my warning of mopeds and Balinese traffic. These vehicles are dangerous on their own, but combined with these crazy drivers and unstable roads, it is treacherous. So many people die every day in Bali and SE Asia from moped traffic collisions. PLEASE BE CAREFUL!

**Scooters can be rented all along Poppies Line 1 for the price range of around 40,000 R for the day (which is about $4). Sign the accident insurance fine print...

Bali is for Shoppers

Memorial on Legion StI would consider the main road in Kuta to be Legian, which is right off Poppies Line 1 if you're staying in the homestays there. It's kind of a funny switch over from reality. Poppies Line 1 is this almost long alley with cheap shopping stalls, backpackers and bungalows and then you walk out of the alley onto Legian and its back to the real world. Legian is covered in bustling cars and taxis, popular beach shops like Billabong, Quicksilver and Roxy.

Shopping

Oh how I wish I had a large empty suitcase to fill my materialistic needs with. One day I will return to Bali with a slew of empty suitcases and the shopping adventure will begin. Obviously there are lots of beach wraps, swim trunks and bikinis, and flip flops galore. But they have these great cotton eyelet and embroidered cutout sundresses (modeled by my fellow traveler Mimi, left). I bought so many of these, and I could because they cost about $5 USD.

The shops with the household stuff are my favorite though. They apparently mosaic everything in Bali. Which I am completely fine with because mosaics are a favorite of mine. Mosaic-ed bowls, vases, sculptures; everything in every color.

Tea, incense, kites, bed canopies, wood carvings, paintings, woven bracelets and silver cuffs

Shopping Vendors:

You will be harrassed 24/7 by streetside vendors. TRANSPORT? MASSAGE? TATTOOS? HAIR BRAIDING?

These guys have some serious sales talents. They know how to work a customer, but not necessarily in a sleezy way or a conartist way. It's not like Thailand or Cambodia, the Balinese seem to be much more personable about it. They've got pick-up lines...for customers. "You drop something Miss! You drop your smile! Sandals for you! Help you keep your boyfriend!"

And they always want to shake your hand, which I haven't quite figured out yet. If you have some insight I'd love hear your comments about it. I'm not sure if its some sort of bridge building between cultures to make them seem more personable, or what.

And when the kids get out of school they swarm the alleys and cafes for new tourists willing to buy cheap friendship bracelets. These kids get kind of aggressive about it. They tug on your shorts and hold on to your arms while you walk by to try to charm you into stopping.

Bali Surf and Sand

Kuta's beaches aren't as clean as they once were, but still full of surfers and surfing instructors if you're looking to learn. Chances are though that if the sun is out and the waves are rolling in the beach will be covered in surfers. I'm sorry, but I forgot to ask about surfing lessons and prices. I'm going to go ahead and assume that most the major hotels have a tutorial of their own or at least one they can recommend. If not go with the assumption that groups get better discounts, so grab some kids from your bungalow and head over to the beach.

My advice again would be to explore the island and find your own beach. Rent a driver or a jeep for the day and find your own. And if you're lucky enough to find your beach...don't tell anyone. Keep it for yourself. If I were to find my own beach, one without tourists and vendors and civilized life (all hypothetically speaking of course ;) I wouldn't tell anyone about it. Not even to my most devoted readers.

However, according to my resident Bali surf ambassador, Jordan Walters, his favorite swell spots are Sri Lanka, Dreamland, and Uluwatu beaches. 

"Anyone can seek out the main surf attractions, but one we found that was mellow and off the beaten path was a hidden gem called Balian. Tucked up in the Northwest part of the island, there were quality villas to stay in on the cheap - we would wake up and literally walk down the hill with our boards to overhead glassy waves and ride all day. Balian is pure surfing peace."

Thanks for the tips, Jordan!