Saturday 31 August 2013

How to Have Adventures at Home-Chasing Happy

Can I just say how much I adore blogs out there that scream positivity and encourage others to do the same? And can we agree that we can all use a little pick me up...oh I don't know, just about every day? One of my favorites is written by Kenzie of Chasing Happy. This girls screams positivity, and you can't help but feel instantly brighter when reading her sweet words of encouragement, looking at what she has created next or when she gives great, relatable advice on how to pretty much live your life better; or some of my favorites, how to blog better. That's why I'm so excited about the piece that she's written for you all today. I know you're going to love her as much as I do!

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Hello there, beautiful people! I'm Kenzie from Chasing Happy, a blog about creativity, happiness, and real life. I'm so glad that Chelsea is having me on her blog today--I love meeting new people in blogland! Hi, hi, hi! The thing I love about Chelsea's blog is how much it feeds my wanderlust. I don't know about you, but I'd sell all my stuff to travel the world in a heartbeat, if I could. My husband might have an issue with that, though, so for now I content myself with taking vacations and stalking reading blogs like Chelsea's. But what's a girl to do on a long weekend (like this one!) when it seems like everyone has exciting travel plans? If you're stuck at home like me, here are a few ideas on how to scratch your adventure itch in your own city.

Visit a local tourist attraction

Head to a museum, snap photos of a public sculpture, explore an historic building, or sip coffee at a popular coffee shop. As a local, these little gems might have escaped your notice--but now's your chance to experience them with new eyes. Explore your city with the perspective of a visitor: what's unique about these attractions? What stories would you tell about them "back home?"

Go out for an exotic dinner

One of my favorite parts of any new place is the food. But most cities have exotic food of their own. Here in Nebraska, we've got Indian, Korean, Sudanese, authentic Mexican, Brazilian, Spanish, French... it's a huge variety. And this is Nebraska. If we have it, you have it, too. Probably even more. Treat your taste buds to something new!

Watch a foreign or inspiring movie

Even if you can't go anywhere, you can pretend you did by watching a carefully selected movie. Pick a foreign film to feel like you're in a different country, or rent a travel flick to live vicariously through someone else's adventures.

Start planning

Page through a travel guide and plan your next trip, even if you don't have a date in mind just yet. Anticipation can give you a huge happiness boost, and planning a vacation is a great way to create that excitement.

Have a spa day

Try recreating the typical vacation experiences, like a day at the beach (or pool, locally) or an afternoon of spa treatments (or even just a mani/pedi). The actual activity is probably pretty similar from place to place, so just close your eyes and pretend you're in Mexico.

Book a hotel stay

If all else fails, get out of the house. Reserve a hotel room and fake it. Ask the concierge for recommendations on things to do, lounge in bed and watch TV, order room service... do whatever it is you would if you were really out of town. With a little creativity, even a long weekend at home can feel like an adventure--you just need an open mind and a free spirit. Test out some of these ideas this weekend, and be sure to stop by Chasing Happy and tell me about your adventures!

Thursday 29 August 2013

Why Passionfruit is the Bomb Dot Com (Plus 5 Membership Giveaways!)

I've been told by legitimate sources that the phrase in the title is still cool to say...so I'm sticking with it. Unless you've been hiding under a rock lately, you've heard all about Passionfruit, the website that actually makes sponsoring fun. I started using Passionfruit back in November and I haven't looked back since. So what first drew me to start using it? Guys, I've tried the whole coding thing. It's not as fun as it looks.
Now I understand that $9 can seem like a lot. Especially when you're first starting out and it feels like all you do is shell out money for this and that to just get your blog up and running. But if you sign up now, you can get a whole year for just $50. That's only $4 a month. That's just a cup of coffee guys! Or, to be fair, in the States, that's actually two cups of coffee (dang you Korean coffee prices). Regardless, I am more than willing to skimp on my coffee intake in order to let someone else handle my nightmare coding problems for me.

But my favorite part?....

You're not alone.

It's not some faceless corporate company with hundreds of employees buzzing around a large office company. It's a family guy that is passionate about what he does and truly sincerely cares for the bloggers that support his company. When you email, text or call with a question; you don't get put on hold and have to listen to crappy instrumentals of the 80's greatest hits only to be connected to a different person than the last 10 times you've called or tried to contact. You don't get auto response emails from a computer, or only a F&Q section to figure out a glitch or question. You get a real live person, the same person that you've talked with before. And might I say, a speedy person at that.

Other awesome features:

  • The marketplace, where you can find other awesome bloggers and hang out on their sidebar.
  • Payment processing, weekly paychecks, delivered right to your Paypal account. There's nothing easier than that!
  • Image hosting, no more fuss, no more muss over putting in ads yourself, keeping track of how long they should be up there, and swapping them out when their ad time is over. That frees up my time for more important things like writing and building relationships. 
  • Easy HTML, we all know this is my favorite. 
  • Automatic reminders, for all those forgetful people out there, myself included. They let you know when someone's ad is about to expire so you can go bug them about renewing, or when you own ad is about to expire.


And here's the best part. They're letting me give away FIVE one year memberships! Because we all know that free is always the best option. And here's the really cool part. If you're already signed up? They will reimburse you! What a deal, what a deal.




Rules
  • You need to have the Passionfruit Widget installed on your blog by the 1st of September in order to be eligible, so if you haven't already, go upgrade now!
  • If you are already a paid member and win, you get your money back!
  • The giveaway will end at 12am on September 1st!
  • Five winners will each receive one annual membership valued at $50.
  • The winners will officially be announced on September 1st as well.
Good luck!

Wednesday 28 August 2013

Treasures from Cambodia for Sale!

SOLD OUT

I can't tell you how excited I am for this! When I saw these elephant wallets for sale in a market in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, I just knew that I had to bring some back. I bought some for gifts, one for myself and I gave one away last week. If anyone searched my bag at the airport they probably thought I was crazy for having so many wallets tucked away in my bag. But then ask me if I care and you'll get a big fat nope.

Well here's the great news guys, if you entered the giveaway last week but didn't win, you can still get your hands on one! I have six of these bad boys to sell, in two different designs and you can buy them through my sponsor page. These wallets are well made from recycled concrete bags in Cambodia (how cool is that?!). So if you want your own souvenir from Cambodia, be sure to head over to my sponsor page and snag one up for yourself!



Tuesday 27 August 2013

Swimming With the Whale Sharks VIDEO!

This has to be my favorite videos that Jeremy has made (well besides our wedding video obviously). Swimming with whale sharks was one of the most unique and exciting travel experiences I have ever had and the fact that we have it all on video makes it even better (even if I do make weird expressions when I'm under water). If you want to read more about it, click here.

Oh and I've received several questions through comments and emails about what equipment we use for our underwater shots and what was used for our rappelling video. We use a Go Pro Hero 2 (which has now been replaced by the Go Pro Hero 3 on their website) which is a great addition to any travel equipment and we have loved using it on our trips. We mostly use it for video but it has great photo capabilities as well. We also have a few add ons to it which enhance our capabilities even further. We use a dive housing which allows us to take it under water to depths of 60 meters. We also use the head strap mount and the Xshot camera extender which is an extending pole for wide angle shots or self portraits. I hope this helps and that you'll give it a shot! You won't regret it!

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And now onto one of my lovely sponsors this month. Be sure to check her out and say hi!

About Belinda: Greetings lovely little jelly beans! My name is Belinda and I am the girl behind the blog Found Love, Now What?, where I write about love and life and following your heart all while fueled with lots and lots of coffee.  Oh, and did I mention that I live in Wales? Moving there to be with my new British husband after being in a long distance relationship of 5,000 miles? {Sometimes I blog about that too!} I hope you can hop on over, grab a cup of coffee and introduce yourself. I'd love to meet you!

Her best traveling advice: I think my best tip for traveling would have to be to step away from the throngs of tourists.  Sure when you are in Paris you want to see the Louvre or the Seine, but walk off the beaten path a bit and experience the city as locals do.  Sit in a a cafe.  People watch.  Eat crepes with Nutella {yum!}.  Enjoy just being present, not always scrambling for a map or a metro or a museum pass, just be there.

Where to start exploring
Where to follow along



Monday 26 August 2013

Travel Tuesdays-Nepal

Just a little something to cure your wanderlust for the week.
travel tuesdays nepal
via

“Tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travelers don’t know where they’re going.” – Paul Theroux


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And now onto some of my lovely sponsors this month. Be sure to check them out and say hi!

About Lindsey: A Broad's World frolics around my life abroad and on the go! From spending 2 years in Thailand, to preparing to move to Australia to all of the wonderful and easily accessible adventures in between. I write about anything else that comes up in my daily life which usually has to do with embarking in a new adventure, savoring the culture of where I am/have been, or providing "travel inspired" food fixes and recipes. 

What she can't travel without: My running shoes for fun and random adventures. Plus I always seem to think I'm going to workout on vacation and will say to myself "this trip is different!" but exercising never ends up happening.


About Robyn: I started my blog to keep in touch with friends and family when I was living in Uganda. After 3 years in East Africa I moved to Kuwait (where I am teaching now), hence the 'and beyond...' on my blog title. Come say 'hello' and read about my misadventures and experiences! 

What she can't travel without:  My first thought was 'my trainers', but actually I would say my credit card. I always double check that I have my card, then anything else that I forget is not so important!
About Melissa: Hi I'm Melissa! A midwest mama married to her best friend. We're always on the go and I love every minute of it. I have a passion for photography, cooking, laughing, and spending time with my family. If you think my hands are full, you should see my heart!

What she can't travel without: My PHONE! I love to take pictures and document everything. Not only that, but I like to be able to keep in touch with my family. If I'm not traveling with my little, my husband finds a way to video chat with me so I can see her and talk to her and at the very least, tell her goodnight and I love you!. These precious moments mean the world to me and wouldn't be possible without my phone.


Sunday 25 August 2013

Cross Country on Two Wheels-Roadtrip Across Cambodia

On the last few trips it's become a sort of unintentional tradition to rent a motorbike and take a road trip (you can check out our one in the Philippines and Thailand). We love it because not only it is a cheaper method of transportation versus taxis or tuk tuks since it's less than $10 a day for a rental, but I feel like we are also able to see parts of the country that would have whizzed by the bus window.
road trip across cambodia
In total we rode over 900 km (that's 560 miles for you USers), or the width of Cambodia and almost back again and I have the bruises on my butt to prove it. We went through cities and back country roads where the farmers were steering their ox through the rice paddies. We drove through the blazing heat, dusty roads and pouring down rain. We met farmers, school children, business owners and our guardian angel; a stranger who drove slowly in front of us with their hazards on so we could see the road through the downpour of rain. But no matter where we traveled, we were always met with smiling faces and inquisitive looks. Even though it was a long ride, I wouldn't have done it any other way.

Here are some little tid bits from our 13+ hours on the open road:

Our first pit stop was to get gas at a small family owned service station. The girls in the top picture were selling mango and salt (an interesting combination for sure) while the boys helped their father with the station. The man sitting below had worked for ten years at a hotel in Phnom Penh in order to buy this gas station. And you'll notice that on the gas pump they have a handle they have to crank in order to get the gas from the barrel, up into the glass container, then through the house and into the vehicle.
gas station cambodia
Some of the other gorgeous views along the way.
cambodian countryside
cambodian rice fields
This is another one of our many pit stops where we found children swimming through lily pads and collecting lotus pods to sell and eat.
cambodian children
motor bike cambodia
We often had 'road blocks'. Luckily this was only one cow but there were times when we had to sit and wait for a group of them to get up and move out of the way before we could keep going.
cambodian cow
On one of our last stops we went by an area where all of the houses and buildings were up on stilts. Certain areas can actually flood so much during rainy season that the water actually reaches the bottom of these buildings.
house on stilts cambodia
Along the same route we found a hammock restaurant on stilts and decided to take a break and enjoy the view. Plus, who can say no to hammocks and a cold drink?
hammock restaurant cambodia
I just couldn't resist putting some pictures of cows in Cambodia because they may just be my new favorite animal.
cambodian cow
cambodian cow
On our way back from Siem Reap to Phnom Pehn, we left at 4:30 in the morning (definitely not my idea) in order to beat some of the city traffic and also the scorching heat that sets in late morning. Thankfully the views made it well worth it.
sunset in cambodia
bike ride across cambodia
Even though the trip was a blast and I would recommend it to anyone traveling to Southeast Asia, there are some things that made it a whole lot easier on us, and some things that we wish we would have known:

-It goes without saying that you need a lot of cushion. On the way back I was tempted to go try and find those butt inserts to make the ride a little better. Instead we folded some of our clothes in bags and sat on those instead.
-Cover up! Even though it may not feel hot when you're riding and you can feel the wind, you're getting a lot more sun that you think you are.
-Have a water proof option. We rode during the rainy season and thankfully only got caught in the rain once. We covered all of our bags in trash bags to protect them from getting wet.
-Get an international license. We've never been asked to show ours in the countries that we have rented but it doesn't hurt to have this extra precaution.
-We bought kramas (traditional Cambodian scarves) before we hit the road. A lot of the roads we went on weren't paved so there was a lot of dirt and dust that we would have been breathing in if we didn't have these scarves. Anytime we stopped, we got funny looks because of how dirty our faces were in the areas the scarf didn't cover.

Have you ever done a road trip in another country? What was your saving grace or what was something you wish you would have known beforehand?

Saturday 24 August 2013

10 Things I Wish I'd Known Before Travelling the Silk Road-Guest Post

I have a very special treat for your guys today. Delia's blog, World in Words is a new find for me and I could not be more smitten by her creatively articulated travel stories. She left her job as a politics correspondent in the UK to travel the Silk Road from Turkey to China. I mean seriously, how awesome is that?! After you read her post below on things she wished she knew before leaving for her travels, you seriously need to head over to her page because she has some of the most unique travel experiences I've ever read! Here are some of my favorites to get you started: Walking in the Pamirs, How to Survive a Sleeper Train and Darvaza Gas Craters. Oh and Horse Riding in Kyrgyzstan; because those photos are beautiful!

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I've not confessed this to many people... but at the bottom of my rucksack, underneath my medical kit, trainers and other essential items, is a Lada car window handle. And no, since setting off to travel the Silk Road across Central Asia more than three months ago, I've not needed it once. Not once. Truth be told, with it being a road less travelled, I just wasn't sure what to expect. Yes, I hoped for amazing blue tiled mosques in Uzbekistan, a bizarre dictatorship in Turkmenistan and horses on green hills in Kyrgyzstan but that's sort of where my expectations ended. Despite doing quite a bit of research online (and having a guidebook) I failed to really comprehend what I would need to take with me and just what lay in store.
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The street of mausoleums, Shah-I-Zinda in Samarkand, Uzbekistan

So, without further ado I would like to dispel a few myths to help others who may be interested in travelling Central Asia:

1) You do not need to take your own car window handle (we read online that this was a MUST pack item due to old knackered cars having no window handles). Most cars have electric windows, and while many of them will not work - your Lada window wrench will sadly be no use whatsoever (it won't even open cans of tuna. Fact.) You will be better served taking a portable fan - perhaps one of those fancy pants battery operated ones that sprays water.
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Matty (boyfriend and partner in travel crime) brandishing the single most useless item to travel with.
2) The taxi drivers in this corner of the world play TERRIBLE music at high volume for hours on end. The only solution to this is to bring along an aux cable so you can plug in your iPod or music of choice and take control of the party. Oh, and there's not a lot of public transport in Tajikistan, Kyrgzstan and even parts of Uzbekistan so this really is a serious concern. Otherwise you could be listening to Uzbek dance trash for hours on end like this:
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Our 'shared taxi' in Uzbekistan, heading to the Tajikistan border
Or this:
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Another day, another journey: My travel buddies Donagh (left) and Matty (middle) on a 12 hour journey to the Pamirs in Tajikistan
3) The toilet paper here (which doesn't actually look like loo roll, more like a bandage - the very reason I went a day without using it at all when we first got here) is incredibly scratchy. It's been christened (by us) as the Chuck Norris paper - because it doesn't take sh*t off anyone... To be honest you're unlikely to bring away enough toilet paper for your entire trip so this is just a warning - get yourself mentally prepared.
20130820-135612.jpg
4) But while we're on the subject - the bog roll is the least of your worries. The Central Asian 'toilets' are perhaps some of the worst in the world. Of course when I say toilets I mean holes - many of which have a metal wire across them to reinforce the hole, with the unfortunate consequence of catching everything that falls their way... If you get my drift. You will find holes side by side and the locals will think nothing of sidling up besides you - or watching you and asking you where you are from while you are busy squatting. Other holes will just leave you in fear of losing a leg down them, I mean look at this: 
  20130820-140151.jpg
5) Wi-fi: There is wi-fi in Central Asia! And it is quite widely available we had it everywhere from the capitals to the more rural towns like Karakol in Kyrgzstan - although it is almost always painfully slow. If you need a reliable wi-fi connection on the Silk Road the best thing you can do is buy local 3G SIM cards (for about $2) and then buy a 3G package (about $10 for 1GB) which is much faster than wi-fi. We caught on to this in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and our 3G package still had loads of Internet left when we left the countries about two weeks later, despite going on the Internet a lot and uploading picture-heavy blog posts like this :)
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Left to right: Me, Matty and Donagh in a remote homestay in the Pamirs, Tajikistan. I admit we had signal of no kind here.
6) What to pack: Central Asia is not as conservative as you may think. Personally, I thought I would need to be covered from ankle to wrist in many countries but it's just not the case. A long skirt and t-shirt is ideal but knee-length skirts and vest tops are also fine in many places - for more details on what to pack and a brief dress code for each country click here. 
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Me sporting the most conservative outfit I took on the trip... at Kah Kaag fort in Tajikistan as the sun said its goodbyes for the day
7) Need your hair done on the Slik Road? Fret not. I braved getting my highlights done in Dushanbe, Tajikistan and admittedly I went uber-Barbie-blonde but it gave my roots the lift they needed. If you're wondering what sort of refreshments might be on offer at the salon, forget tea and coffee but think more corn on the cob. Nice touch indeed. Plus it only cost about $30. Bargain.
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8) The food. Oh, the food. Believe everything that it is said about Central Asian food - and expect worse. It just ain't that great and is certainly not the reason for visiting this stunning corner of the world. Expect kebabs (great), lots of fatty meat, bland sauces and more fatty meat (not so great). Until you hit Kyrgyzstan and China that is, when the food suddenly takes a turn for the better. If you're vegetarian expect a diet of rice, cucumbers, tomatoes and bread. 
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Matty tucks into another kebab....
9) The booze. Praise the booze. Expect to be offered vodka at 10am in the morning - this is ok. In fact just get used to drinking vodka at all hours and forget any hopes of having it with a mixer. Vodka in Central Asia is drunk neat, but make sure you have something to hand to follow it with - tomatoes work brilliantly but sprite is still my number one chaser. There is also plenty of beer in these countries - just keep an eye on the alcohol percentage as many are a tad on low side (about 3%). But the best tip I can give you is - when you get to Uzbekistan make sure this is your beer of choice, delicious:
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10) Getting visas on the Silk Road may lead you straight to the vodka bottle. This is ok and normal. The single biggest headache on this journey will be picking up visas. The key is meticulous research - one of the best sites we found was Carivanistan - which is constantly updated with travellers most recent experiences. The situation changes every few weeks - we were denied visas to Afghanistan because the 'rules changed' in Tashkent and we had troubles getting our Turkmenistan visas in Armenia because they're not talking to Azerbaijan which was our exit port. To see where and how we picked ours up along the road click here. But fret not, you're never more than a few metres away from a shot of vodka.
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But perhaps the best advice I can give you if you are planning to travel Central Asia is that you are in for a trip of a lifetime. From the incredible high altitude world of the Pamir Mountain range in Tajikistan to the evocative cities of Bukhara, Khiva and Samarkand in Uzbekistan that conjur up images of ancient Silk Road traders; you will be enthralled almost every step of the way. It's a journey like no other. Just don't take a car window handle.
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Staring into a burning gas crater in the Turkmenistan desert
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Where sleeping dogs lie... A high altitude cafe at 4,300 metres on the Pamir Highway

Thursday 22 August 2013

Letters/65

Dear Laundry, this is one of the times I miss the comforts of the good ol' US of A. Dryers are not common in Korea, and while I'm thankful to actually have one, it's a steam dryer. Which means that it takes roughly 4-5 hours for a load of laundry to completely dry. So we opt for half drying it and then hanging it up to dry. But this is when our little cat, Zeke, thinks that it's play time...or rather nap time, and climbs up on top of the drying rack to walk around on our clothes and take a nap. Dear Decisions, can't you make yourselves? I'm already just about the most indecisive person, and that's just with decisions about what to have for lunch. Dear Jeremy, it's pretty darn cute when you start unknowingly humming 'you are my sunshine'. I don't want kids yet but you're going to make a pretty cute dad one day. Far far off into the future (don't get any ideas mother-in-law). Dear Teaching, I have been told that once you've decided you're done teaching, you.are.done teaching. We have five months left in our contract and I'm hoping it will be my last. But I don't want to say too much too soon because I know all too well that God has one heck of a sense of humor. Dear South Africa, it's official! We bought our tickets to spend a whole month exploring the country this January!
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And now onto one of my lovely sponsors this month. Be sure to check her out and say hi!

About BonnieI am a military kid who was born and grew up on military bases overseas in Europe.  I met the love of my life at University in the Theatre Department.  We got married, had two kids and became a military family.  After six years of living in California and Hawaii we decided to live the Expat life.  In 2011 we moved our family abraod to England where I work as a photographer, and hair & make up artist.  I love traveling and blog about my experiences as and Expat and Third Culture Kid. 

What she can't travel without: A Camera be it on my phone or my Nikon DSLR. 

Wednesday 21 August 2013

August Sponsor Giveaway!

Remember back in May how I said that anytime I traveled out of the country, I would bring back a gift for one lucky reader? It's been awhile huh? Well the day has finally come for another giveaway, and this time, not only have I brought back a little something something for you to win from our trip to Cambodia, but my lovely sponsors have also joined in the on the fun.

True Colours2 months of "London" ad space 
Chasing Happy2 months of "Cheerful Package" ad space
One and Twenty$10 Target gift card 
Found Love, Now What2 Months of Chester Cathedral ad space
A Compass Rose: 1 Month of Featured ad space
Lost in Travels: Cambodian Wallet 
I found this wallet in a market in Phnom Penh and couldn't resist (I may or may not have picked one up for myself...and for souvenirs). It has a unique elephant design and is made from recycled concrete bags in Cambodia. How cool is that? Enter below for your chance to win this, along with gift cards, ad space and jewelry from my lovely sponsors!



Rules
1. Open internationally. 
2. Winner’s entry validity will be verified by me and if an entry proves to be invalid, you will be disqualified.
3. Giveaway ends on the  28th of August at 12:00 AM EST. Winner will be contacted by email no later than the 30th of August. Winner has 48 hours to respond, if the winner does not respond, a new winner will be picked.
4. Please note that Lost in Travels Blog is not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prizes. I have represented each sponsor with the expectation they will fulfill their prize and in a timely manner. I will contact the sponsor regarding your prize(s).  I will make every effort to assist you in obtaining your prize. If there is an issue with a sponsor, please notify the blog you won a prize from within 30 days for assistance, after that we may be unable to assist you. 

Tuesday 20 August 2013

The 'Venice of China'-Zhujiajiao Shanghai

We spent just enough time in Shanghai to qualify as 'visiting Shanghai'. Actually, even that's questionable. We had a ten hour layover on our way to Cambodia so we decided to try our luck with the rumored 72 hour layover visa. You see, to get into China, we usually have to fill out paper work in advance for a $200 visitor's visa. Ouch. BUT, if you have a connecting flight within 72 hours, you can get in for free. Umm...do you even have to ask? I really thought that it would take more work to get in but all we had to show was a copy of our itinerary. It was so easy, that as I heard the stamp hit our passport, I felt like we were sneaking into the country. 
Zhujiajiao shanghai
We knew that with only 10 hours inside the city, we really wouldn't have as much time as we wanted. So we decided to narrow down what we wanted to do to just the Zhujiajiao region which we were told was just a short hour ride outside of the city. Well it may have taken just an hour if you didn't start from the airport and if you took the right bus (I guess that last part was our mistake. Make sure you grab the bright pink buses for the express!) But since it took us an hour from the airport to the city, then another two hours because we took the wrong bus, it ended up taking a solid three hours to reach our destination. But man, was it worth it. Even though this area is a known tourist attraction for both foreigners and Chinese, it was well worth a visit.
Zhujiajiao shanghai
Called 'The Venice of China' for its sprawling canals and traditional boats floating along it, this area made you feel as though you stepped back in time. We had a blast looking through the souvenir shops and getting lost in the vast network of teensy alley ways. It's a place I really want to visit again because by the time we got there, we only had an hour and a half before we had to head right back to the airport again. It was the closest we've ever been to missing our flight because by the time we got to our gate, it was already boarding! Although I'm glad we made it on our flight to Cambodia, the side trip to Zhujiajiao was well worth the rush. 
Zhujiajiao shanghai
Zhujiajiao shanghai
Zhujiajiao shanghai
Zhujiajiao shanghai
Has anyone ever been to Shanghai? What are some must see spots because I know we'll be back!

Monday 19 August 2013

Travel Tuesdays-Nepal

Just a little something to cure your wanderlust for the week.
via

“I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” – Mark Twain

And be sure to enter for your chance to win gift cards, ad space and more!

August Sponsor Giveaway
Postcards from Rachel: 1 month "Postage Stamp" ad space
Lost in Travels: $10 Starbucks gift card
Treasure Tromp: Ad space
Simply by Serendipity: $25 design credit & ad space
Living in Another Language: Ad space
Northern Belle Diaries: $20 design credit & ad space
Side Street Style: Ad space
Rainstorms & Love Notes: 2 months ad space
Stamp in my Passport: $10 Amazon gift card
La Petite Lulu: Ad space
Girlfriend Jill: $10 Starbucks gift card
Life of A Sports Wife: 3 face scrubbies from Pearls N Stitches
At Home with the Hinkleys: Ad space & $10 Amazon gift card
Something Charming: $25 Etsy gift card
a Rafflecopter giveaway