Luang Prabang - the jewel of Laos

I had high expectation from Luang Prabang. Abosolutely everyone likes it except a handful of haters but it is a french civilised beauty - with a mix crowd of tourists. Older people enjoy the cuisine and the younger enjoy the adventure (elephants/waterfalls/caves). As I'm in between I enjoy it most. 

The best thing about Asia though is the feeling one can enjoy most luxuries one is prevented in general life because of the high cost with so little money. Taxis (tuk tuk) cost nothing e.i a taxi for the whole day u$s 20. Elephant ride u$s 15. High quality dining u$15. Cocktails U$s 4. Divide that by 2 given we've got pounds and we are bloody millionaires. 

I am highly enjoying this. 

Specially liked the Waterfalls at Tad Sei and the boat to get there plus the trekking across the other waterfalls. Did not enjoy loosing one flip flop but well... Shit happens.

Bars and hangouts: Opera was open till late (ehmmm 11:30ish) on the main road. Utopia was the backpacker hangout and really chilled - so good for writing, reading during the day and they even had Yoga

Dinner: Rosella and Tamarin - oh my God! The best food ever and cheap. Don't go to a place called Kitchen on the main road as it's expensive and shit food.

Tourist traps: Why the f#%^ do they keep on talking about the morning ritual with the buddist monks? It's such a tourist trap it's unbelievable. So you wake up at 5 am to go see the procession thinking there might be something really spiritual going on but then you see all the tourist sitting in rows - and I'm talking about ALL chinese and european - who have cautiously prepared themselves for the ultimate religious experience... But I did not feel anything of the sort. I felt they were being absolutely conned. I like Buddists - don't get me wrong - but not too sure if this tradition has now become a bit ridiculous. Some monks were holding 5 bags with food, toiletries and stuff and they had almost seven more blocks to walk. It all felt a bit pathetic.

Sunset: Yes. You can climb up the hill to the Temple up there ( can't remember the name) - but so will all the rest of the tourists, so be prepared for a crowded sunset. And please don't spoiling by taking dozens of pictures. You can use the one below. 

Vang Vieng - the town that got stuck in time

From Vientiane we took a mini bus to Vang Vieng - 8 hours or so - where we met another Argentinean girl travelling by herself. She'd been travelling for ten months and had had all her valuables stolen the first month - so she had continued her travels almost penniless and with help of fellow travelers. It was a sad story in a way. She'd put all her saved money (in cash) and both passports, phone, camera in her bag before boarding a train, and suddenly it was gone. Just like that, all her hopes, security, savings, anything important she needed was taken away. Her home away from home. The man who stole all her money ( aprox u$s 6000 in cash) is probably now counting he's good fortune, without knowing the harm he's caused. Yep, we might want to write the script, as we thought it could become a great film.

We invited her to stay on our bungalows for free given that we were 'millionaires' (joke but a bit true considering we earned in English sterling) plus we'd rented already, by coincidence, a three bed bungalow. The Champa Lao bungalows, such a chilled place to stay in such a touristy town. A bit on the far side of town ( 10 mins walk instead of 5mins) but perfect in it's own way, as it was stuck across a bridge of the Mekong in the jungle.

Eating: We tried one of the restaurants showing 'Friends' which we thought was chilling - by that time, as we'd just arrived, we had no realised absolutely every bar has been showing 'Friends' episodes for the last 10 years - and we had the worst experience as a cooked cockroach appeared in Chema's half eaten curry. We had good food in a place called Oh LaLa but nothing special.

Activities

Tubing: If you are under thirty and in the mood for drinking your ass of while you bump over the rocks of the mekong then this is the right activity for you. Always after 3 pm as the uncontrollable drinking begins then. There is a place that rents the tubes. Ask around. And you get the tuk tuk to the drop off place with all the other drinking gringos. However start coming down the river 30 minutes before sunset if not, I've heard terrifying reports of people not realising they would be coming down the river at night with no lights and no one to show them the way back. Beware.

Kayaking: Exciting... Specially as the scenery is quite beautiful.

Blue Lagoon: Overrated. If you are looking for a place to take a dip with no Chinese crowding the waters with life-vests go the the fake blue lagoon on the right turn before. It was empty - no people - so it was just us on our own swimming in it. And it was blue as well....

Zipline: did not go down the line but it seemed pretty exciting as some of them are quite longish.

Caves: We did some tubing inside of a cave. I felt a bit scared as to be honest, the whole ass in the water inside of a cave where you can barely see what's around or beneath you is not very tempting. "Pirañas" my friend kept on joking. I honestly was so afraid something would end up poking up my butt that did not enjoy it. But nothing happened of course.  Cave was huge and interesting to see, but well - it was a cave. I'm loosing interest in those things nowadays. You see one, you've seem them all.

Drugs: Was quite surprised that on bars they would offer you an alternative menu with their drug list. Check below. Insane.

Vientane - first stop Laos

I can't say much about Vientane as I only arrived there to spend the night.

My flight arrived at 2 pm so I was in the hotel - nothing special - by 3 pm. And I had the afternoon by myself since Chema would be arriving at night. So I did a bit of walking, eat something, and met a random guy who looked and sounded australian but ended up being Pakistani (Chema still thinks he is probably some kind of royalty there because his FB was so unreveiling).

We went to some random bar at night called the Wild West or something of the sort and it was Halloween night so we really had a laugh - laotians were going wild.

What drove me insane was that Laotians don't speak a wird of english - not on hotels, not on tourist agencies. No where. It's mental. So be prepared! I thinks Laos is a bit intimidating to do alone given this. So was really happy I was travelling with Chema. And then afterwards joined by another Argy - Andrea. 

Tips: pre-book hotel and stay in town. Met some people that had stayed out of town and as they were unable to communicate with their hostess could not find a way to explain drivers how to pick them up.

Four days in Mykonos - party for people over thirty

The well known party island for the gay crowd became posh and popular suddenly and a fun place to go hang out on a bank holiday weekend.  I know... Who would have thought so. I always thought Mykonos was trashy. However, in summer 2014 and 2015 it's all about Mykonos. Not St Tropez, not Ibiza...

And no, I don't recommend going by yourself to Mykonos as not too sure you would be getting the joys of it. It's just a good place to go with friends. So gather a crowd and go there over summer.

The beaches are not spectacular. Formentera by far still ranks first on the top of my list. But the sea is beautiful green-blue. Seby convinced me to go anyway, and spend a small fortune. Seby - my know it all friend, who loves to travel and is always convincing people to party around the world.

Most people rent a villa over the weekend which tends to be cheaper, but my recommendation, specially if you are coming for a short weekend is to stay in town. Its beautiful shops, art galleries and white, mediterranean architecture is worth the stay, plus the nightlife - it’s all there.

Top tip: rent a motorcycle and explore beaches.

Beaches

• solymar - south, beautiful beach, relaxed, family, couples, friends relaxing
• alemagu - north, quiet, rustico boho posh, hidden
• nammos - party, cramped, wild on, peolple looking, dancing on tables after 6

This are the ones I went to however there are new beaches every year. Seby returned in 2015 to find 2 new amazing places.

Tel Aviv - the city that never sleeps.

I felt a rush of adrenaline, when the plane landed, not just out of sheer excitement, but mainly i must confess because i was a bit scared. A friend who had recently been there had thrown me a bomb of negativity about Israel: "Don't go alone, it's expensive, men look at you in a weird way, it's ridiculously expensive, don't go alone. You are crazy."


The fact is I did not give a fuck. I was going. Not because I had always wanted to go to Israel, as this was not true. I never had any particular interest. However there was something tremendously exotic about Israel, that was now stuck in my imaginary, and I felt compelled to go, specially since I would be there for Easter - a religious date.


Middle East, here I come. Shalom.


I had two weeks ahead in Israel. And I was not planning too much ahead except the hostel upon arrival.

Just the smell of Tel Aviv, reminded me of home. Flowers and flowers. An amazing smell.

I stayed at the Florentine, a hostel full of pretentious hippies in their twenties. Too cool for school most of them. I hated it it, although the terrace was pretty amazing. The rooms had white lights!! white lights!!! The area was a bit dodgy - a bit Dalstonian and Shoreditch type of area. Graffitis, cool bars, and scary dogs. The bars around were too shabby cool. And repeated this hostel! Twice. Because I couldn't find anything better. There is no list of hostel for thirty year olds. What a mistake.

Tel Aviv is a big city, but it's well distributed and has all the condiments that make a city great, rather than just good: good weather, art, fashion, history, beaches, and what usually makes me happy and what for me is the great line that makes a city either amazing or shit -  Cafes/ restaurants and bars open at all times. This splits cities in either spontaneous/fun vs. those that are predictable/planned dull and boring.

All in all, I ended up staying 5 days, which was completely unnecessary. I wanted to do a bit of beach, but it was not great in the end. It rained non-stop for three days. I was a bit unlucky I must say. And as I said before I hated the hostel I was staying in, but was too lazy to move to another one because of the rain. All in all...if you are travelling and you get stuck like I did I have not much advise. Except, don't travel alone next time. Or don't be lazy, and change hostels asap.


Unmissable
Tel Aviv museum - this is the best museum I've ever been in my life. Loads of contemporary art, and impressionism. Go! I spent 4 hours but it was worth it.

Neighbourhoods worth visiting


Jaffa: Old Jaffa, has is a must on any visit, as it's got it all - history, markets and old style architecture with a very artsy vibe. Plus, galleries and jewellery shops. The old city is beautiful. There is a great flea market outside where they sell from old furniture, vintage clothes, to random items. You can get cool stuff, and bargain endlessly. There is also plenty of good food around. Try the Shewarma and hummus if its your first day in a random shop and it will probably be good.


Recommended by locals:

• A restaurant: The Old Man By the Sea' - it's run by Israeli Arabs...it's right on the beach...and it's like the real middle eastern dining experience where they bring out a giant platter of salads and breads just as part of the service - always packed and good food - and also I like that it's Israeli Jews and Arabs all together - it's a real mix.
• Jaffa Port area: This place is good for clubbing / dancing / eating / and strolling too - it's a great area...go there one night for sure! The Container is famous venue for live music/eating/drinking at night - right on the water front.
• Cafe: A friend recommended Pua, in the market area - it's pretty well-known and popular so ask around.
• Breakfast: Traditional Israeli breakfast! eggs, salad, cheeses, etc - also shakshuka is a traditional dish (fried eggs with spicey red salad mixed together) -- there is a famous place to eat shakshuka called 'Dr Shaksuhuka' under one of the old arches in Jaffa by the way - cool place to go too.


Neve Tzedek: People say this is one of the most expensive gentrified areas in town. Full of low, old shabby chic houses, and a hip vibe, plus during the day lots of trendy boutique shops, and at cool cafes and restaurants. I really liked it. Cycle around it and enjoy the little cafes and restaurants.

Rothschild Boulevard:Probably the most famous street in Tel Aviv and what is defined as the center of the city. Lots of bauhaus architecture. Lots of cafe/bar huts along the boulevard that are open late, where you can sit and chat and watch the world go by.


Recommended:

• Rothschild 12 - Cool bar ( I actually was there and loved it!) on Rothschild boulevard. Often has live music there too in the evenings. Nice vibe. I hear it is also good for brunch too however went to another place which I loved for brunch.
• Benedict - I really enjoyed this 24 hour open place. The brunch was great.



Other recommended places around the city

• Rooftop bar/cafe: The Little Prince: People had recommended this roof top bar/cafe/hangout on Nahalat Binyamin, however on a random part, and the entrance is hard to find, but ask people nearby and they will show you, it's like you are entering an apartment building and you go upstairs. It's meant to be very cool bohemian vibe, with good salads and hot-baked bread, drinks etc, however I didn't find it special. When I got there there were no people, and I'd cycled all the way there in the rain! And it was midday. Maybe it's a place to go at night time.
• Cafe/Breakfast: Landwer's coffee: A very sunny cafe with great food and a breakfast/brunch with full eggs and pancakes. Prices vary from 50 shekels for a breakfast or salad to a bit more on mains. Go there after the Museum.
• Restaurant: Right next to the Landwer's Cafe is the Brasserie. A girl I met at Landwers recommended it for food. Goocha - near Gordon and Dizenghof was also recommended.



Airport transport: 
Landed at 2 am, so took a taxi as did not know if i would be safe. But I did, i felt super safe. I have never felt as safe in a city (ok, a bit of an exaggeration, however felt much safer than Buenos Aires). Obviously there are dodgy parts, but in general a 3 stars in safety. So my recommendation would be to get a Sherut ( a shared taxi) to/from the airport next time. Ask where they can drop you off, and if it's close to your hotel, then you've saved yourself some money.


Taxis
Don't take taxis in the street. Bastards! They will all rip you off. It's okay from the airport but otherwise they are a rip off.

Experiencing Jordan, the previous night to the Indiano Jones experience. Jerash and Amman

Booked a tour in Abraham Hostel to do a 3 day tour in Jordan. The price value was good considering Petra is quite expensive and the tour included bus rides, hotels/camping, food, and tickets to the sites. I think I must have paid £320. Can't fully remember now.

We were a group of twenty. And even though we were all from different age groups, between 40 to 19 years old, the group integrated quite well, except for a few odd ones. I quickly mashed with a Canadian girl called Isabella who was also travelling alone, which was quite lucky given that on the first night, after visiting the ruins of Jerash and Amman we ended up sleeping on a Beduin campsite - Seven Wonders camp - and both Isabella and myself had unfortunate incidents.

The Beduin and me and the infamous tea

Bella - that's how she called herself - became scared of a wild beduin who seemed to be following us around the campsite. And yes, he was quite scary and he was staring at us all the time and rambling around our tent in the middle of the night. She begged for me to go sleep - she wanted to get out of sight-, as she wouldn't be on her own in the tent and we could lock ourselves up. I was reluctant to stay too long singing and dancing beduin chants, given that the next day we would have to go to Petra at 7 am, so I didn't mind having an early night. However the combined effect of the Beduin tea I had been given and the blistering sun of the afternoon - and not to be forgotten - the Kunefe I had, cause I still think about it and my stomach goes wild, produced what I like to calle an hecatombe of my poor body. I experienced one of the worst nights of my life. Fortunately, and this really was very fortunate, there was a bin in the room, all nice and shiny with it's black plastic bag, which I appropriate during the night as I woke up almost 7 times to deliver the contents of my stomach in it.

Jerusalem - Part I

From Tel Aviv I went to the central station to get my Sherut (shared taxi that are yello minibuses) to Jerusalem. It only cost 5 shekel mire than the bus, and it left as soon as it was full.

So in 1 hour I was there. It was Good Friday, so a special day to be in Jerusalem. The day Jesus Christ had been killed at that very site. Holy Jesus! (this last bit is a bit of a bad joke).

Accommodation had been an important side of the stress that this trip caused me. It's expensive and shitty. And I wanted a hostel because I wanted to meet people so as not to be alone. "Men there are scary. Especially on the muslim side" had said a friend. "Stay close to Jaffa Gate". "Where??? Jaffa what?" - this is my typical reaction prior going to places...Clueless. Can't figure out what the place will be like, what I will feel, so I am searching and searching with out any idea. Once I arrive, it all makes sense.

Single rooms are scarse in hostels in the Old City, and expensive, and reviews were awful. Some below 50% ratings with no windows and shared bathroom. And me being me, i refused to pay £50 for a room with no window.

The most recommended hostel in hostelworld.com was the Abraham Hostel. It looked massive and impersonal, and young. And it was 20 minutes walk away from Jaffa Gate. So I was reluctant considering I had been warned to be close to it. The options at the old town looked bad, terrible reviews. but I had to settle for one. So I chose the New Swedish Hostel. And no, if you wonder, there is nothing swedish about it. One bedroom. A 15 bedroom dorm. One of the strangest places I've slept overall, but location was amazing. Right on David St, next to Jaffa Gate, on the christian quarter. It was an odd experience being there. But I kind of enjoyed it, and because I stayed 3 nights I could see people arriving and leaving and felt a bit part of the place. Interesting.

The good thing about travelling in Jerusalem is that the amount of strange and different people you will meet - weird religions, most of them studying international relations, and everyone from different backgrounds, makes it a challenging, but of course, exotic destination.

I eventually did stay in the Abraham Hostel in it's impersonal dorms, and the reason I did this was because I eventually saw there was no danger whatsoever to walk from there to Jaffa Gate, and because I wanted to explore that side of Jerusalem. I also booked some of their tours, which were good price, and gave me some piece of mind by being prearranged. I did the Jordan 3 day tour, and the Dead Sea and Masada tour. Really great tours overall.