Couchsurfing in Colombia

    

     In the fall of 2010, as I was planning my very first VolunTourism in 2011, my sister's friend Krystle suggested that I couchsurf in Europe to save money. I was immediately very resistant and said "No, thank you but I saved up enough money to pay for cheap hostels in Europe". But one night in October 2010, I decided and now I have been couchsurfing for 4 years. 

            I would like to share my couchsurfing in Colombia in January 2014. I was hosted by German Garzon, a Colombian peditrician and very active couchsurfer. He is a very nice host - he picked me up at the airport at 2 AM even with my flight being delayed and he also had to work in a few hours. That's when I know that this host is one of the most hospitable that have ever hosted me.

                                                             

 First Impression 

            I have heard the reputation of Colombia and most of those were negative. However, as we drove down the streets at 2 am in the morning, I saw that the streets are clean, no homeless sleeping on the streets and the streets are empty - very few cars around and no people walking. 

Transportation 

               There are taxis at the airport. I did not take any taxi during my stay but my host, German, said that taxis are relatively cheap and you can even use an app called Tappsi (the taxis on this app are safe and registered). I get to use Transmilleno bus system. This transportation system is like a subway but instead they use buses. There are 2 lanes assigned specifically for the buses. You get to transfer to different lines to get from north to south, east to west. And even get you to and from the airport to your host's or hotel. You need to have a Transmilleno metro card which you can get for free but you need to put in money in the card. It cost about 1,700 Colombian peso ($0.88) each way. This was really easy to follow. If you are not sure where to go there are uniformed metro staff in each stop and you can ask for directions.  

Food 

          My couchsurfer host, German, is a foodie so he knows Colombian food. These are the unique foods that I had in Colombia that I have not had in any other country. 

1. Tamal / Tamales. Colombian tamales are different from the Mexican tamales. Inside is rice and chicken or pork or some kind of meat. It is a whole chicken leg with the bones and rice wrapped in banana leaves. While the mexican tamales is usually with a corn "masa" / flour with shredded piece or meat, or cheese with spicy salsa. 

2. Toston - a pizza like with cheese on top but instead of flour as dough , the dough is plantain (banana). It was really yummy and we ate this at Andres D.C. 

3. Crema Vena - dessert with a circle shaped thin cracker and they put different fillings like dulce de leche , cheese, fruit jam with different flavors, dried coconut then cover it with another cracker on top. Very delicious sweet dessert. 

4. Lulu juice - lulu is a typical fruit in Colombia with seeds that are also sour then they add lime and water to create this Colombian drink. 

Places Visited 

        During my visit during the first week of January, it was still their holiday so it not crowded and German also had the time off to show me around. 

1. Museo del Oro - thr museum of gold is beautiful. You get to see different sculptures, jewels, stones, statues, paintings made of gold. The entrance fee is 3,000 Colombian Peso ($1.56) but on Sundays admission is free. 

 2. Catedral de Sal de Zipaquira - The Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira. The admission fee is 23,000 Colombian Pesos ($11.94). The cathedral is under a huge cave. You can see Jesus Christ stations of the cross and the cathedal with a enormous luminated cross. This place is about 30 km from Bogota.  

3. Cerro de Monserrate - this is a church on top of the Monserrate mountain. This is a very famous tourist spot when visiting Colombia. The admission fee is 15,800 Colombian Pesos ($8.20) for roundtrip ticket of cable car to get you to /from top of mountain. It is a little cheaper on Sundays 14,500 Colombian Pesos ($7.54). The view of Bogota is beautiful from the top. But it is also beautiful to look Monserrate church from below especially during the christmas holiday because the entire church is decorated with gorgeous lights.

       I get to meet another couchsurfer Carolina, as well as another Colombian guy, Tony. The four of us had dinner and went dancing at Andres D.C. On that Sunday night, Carolina and I became honorary Colombians and they gave us a crown and sash. That was a really fun night. We partied until 2 AM - lots of stories, laughters, dancing and yummy foods. What I found very interesting in this restaurant is that the free appetizer they serve in each table is a plate full of fruits - mangoes, grapes, coconuts, and other Colombian fruits. A very healthy and unique appetizer compared to what they serve in other countries. 

       On our last night at German's house, Carolina and I cooked a meal for German, Tony and Senor Garzon (German's father). Carolina made Chilean empanadas and I cooked pansit (Filipino noodle dish) and jello dessert. Tony brought passion fruit cake and also made Lulu juice. It was a great "despedida" (bon voyage) as well as a "gracias" dinner to our amazing couchsurfing host, German. At dinner, we talked and shared our opinions. We may be from different countries, different genders, different age groups but our hearts felt the same love and connection with each other. 

        These are my 5 days of couchsurfing in Bogota, Colombia. A fun, happy and memorable experience.         Muchas Gracias!!!

Volunteering at Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata, India

A year after my first visit to India, I found myself back in this country again with it's unique culture, vibe and energy that was very palpable and it was beyond words can describe because India will be different for everybody who visits this country depending on what he or she is focusing on. I can simply put it as "Incredible India" as it is most often described.

    I was back in India because I wanted to see and explore the south part of India since I just got to visit the north part last year. However, like most of my most recent travels, I do not only sightsee but also volunteer in the places I visit. It is what I call my "VolunTourism Trips". So, on this trip I decided to volunteer at Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity. Mother Teresa founded this organization in 1950 to work and serve the poorest of the poor. She is truly an inspiration of Love and Service.

    This was how my journey to Kolkata started.  When I boarded the AirAsia plane from Bangkok to Kolkata, I did not know how to get to Missionaries of Charity Headquarters. All I had was the address and the time of orientation. I did pray to God to please send me an angel a.k.a. meet another volunteer in the plane or at the airport that can help me find my way to Missionaries of Charity. And as always, God answered my prayer. As i sat on my assigned seat in the plane, The girl beside me, Queenie Li from China was also heading to volunteer at Missionaries of Charity. TYG !!!

  We took an airconditioned bus for 50 Rupees from airport to an area close to Missionaries of Charity. It took us almost 1 hour to walk from the bus stop to Missionaries of Charity at 78 AJC Road. We got there at 3:15 PM, we were 15 minutes late but did not miss much since everyone was just filling out the registration forms.

   The orientation was about logistics on the start and end times of volunteer days, reminders about safety as we walk from our hostels in Sudder street to Mother House (this is the popular name for the Missionaries of Charity Headquarters) which was to make sure we do not walk alone, reminders that we are not allowed to take pictures at the Mother House or any of the 6 centers that we maybe assigned to because these were not "tourist spots" but we were there to serve, reminders about how to dress and reminders on how to interact with the locals like not giving them  money, not to touch the children on the street even if they are cute because this may encourage inappropriate behaviors. After that, each volunteer was called one at  a time to talk to Sister Maria Mercy. She is in charge of giving each volunteer their assignment. I was assigned to ShiShu Bhavan Dispensary a.k.a. The Clinic. This is where patients come and Sister Doctor Andrea checks the patients and the volunteers give medications and do wound care.

   After the orientation was done and  we headed to our hostel, The Paragon Hotel near Sudder street area. The distance is about 2 km from Mother House. The street is narrow, dirty, filled with trash and poop everywhere. The street was filled with many people, motorbikes, bicycles, carriages carried by a person, tuk-tuks ( aka tricycles in the Philippines) cows,  and dogs. They also like honking so it was loud and noisy, constantly beep-beep-beep-beep. I was wondering if I may lose my hearing after 10 days in Kolkata. There are many stores and shops on both sides on this narrow street selling all kinds of food, meat, fruits and vegetables. The people urinate on the sides of the street and people also take showers on the street and other people washed their faces , plates, clothes using the same water used by the people taking the shower.  Seeing this type of environment was beyond what I have ever witnessed before in my life. I had to hold my tears as I walked on this street, I was in shock and disbelief that there are people living this way. It is true when Mother Teresa chose this area - this is the poorest of the poor. I even told other volunteers that the word "poor" is not an accurate word to describe this type of lifestyle. It was a humbling moment for me.

    Our day started at 6 AM, we attended mass (this was optional) with the sisters and other volunteers who woke up early. At 7 AM, we had Free breakfast with other volunteers. This was an Eat-All-You-Can Chai, Bread and Banana breakfast daily. This was also a time to talk to other volunteers and get to know them. Since I like meeting new people, I often approach a volunteer that is standing or sitting alone in a corner and I would start casual conversations. I met so many volunteers from all over the world like from Italy, Chile, South Korea,  Japan,  Germany, Portugal, Canada, China, France,  USA but during my 10 day stay there I did not meet any other Filipino volunteer.

    The volunteer activities that I got involved in: At ShiShu Bhavan, I got to fed, changed diapers, did range of motion exercises on physically and mentally disabled abandoned children diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy between the ages of 4-12 years old. Most of these children are girls, it just showed the type of culture in the Indian society that boys are valued more. I also got to do laundry of these 33 children since they use a lot of clothes and cloth diapers. At ShiShu Bhavan Dispensary Center, this is also known as the Clinic. There were different types of clinic for each day - cardiology, neurology, oncology, pediatrics, OB, Women's Health etc.  Sister Dr. Andrea from Germany is the doctor in charge and Sister Nurse Margaret from India is the nurse in charge. I dispensed medications and also did wound care. But my favorite of all my days in the clinic was our Obstetrics/ Women's health clinic day. Sister Andrea and Sister Margaret allowed me to do check-ups, prescribe medications and I worked with Miho ( a nurse from Japan) who dispensed the medications. The most unforgettable patient I saw that day  was Mrs. Bibi, she was 7 months pregnant and I noticed she lost 3 kgs from her visit last month. I asked her question with the help of the novice sister to translate for me, I asked " Mrs. Bibi you lost 3 kgs from last month. Are you vomiting? Are you not keeping your food down? Why did you lose so much weight?" She replied "We are so poor. I have 2 other children and my husband is a tuktuk driver. We do not have money to buy food so I eat only once a day." Her answer stunned me. I was not expecting this response.  I felt embarrassed for asking the wrong question. It did not even occur to me that the reason she lost weight was because she does not have any food to eat. I wanted to cry that very moment. When there are so much food in countrues like Australia, USA, Canada, UK,  how can there be places where people do not have the money to buy any food to eat.

At Nibo Jibon Center, every Sunday the volunteers have the opportunity to give a bath and feed the street children. So together with 25 other volunteers, I head to this center on a Sunday. It took us 2 bus rides to get to this place. There were about 70 street children waiting for us. They were a happy bunch of kids. We started giving them bath.  I was assigned to towel dry them. The most touching moment for me was, after I have towel dried them and put powder on their skin and oil on the hair of these beautiful girls. They had to put back on their dirty, smelly, with holes clothes. But, as they wear their clothes they wear them with pride and confidence.  I cried because I just remembered the times when I have said " I do not have anything to wear, while looking at my closet full of clothes". But, these kids literally do not have any other clothes to wear. I also helped serve them lunch. We served them rice, dal and curry. They all sat on the ground used rice sacks as their mats. They sat holding their aluminum plates and waited for the food to be served. When everyone got their food, they were all so happy and ate their food like it was the best food ever. These moments that I have witnessed have truly transformed me and reminded me of what matters most.

      As my volunteer ended, I have come to realize how blessed I am and because of this I am committed to make a difference and be a blessing to others. I also know that what I have contributed to Missionaries of Charity is a small drop in the ocean, but I am hoping that the ripples will create huge waves.

   Thank you Dear God for guiding, protecting and leading me always. Amen.

 
  

Exploring Hong Kong for Less Than US$80 for 3 Days & 2 Nights

Most people think that traveling cost a lot of money. For me, I have discovered from traveling for long periods of time these past 4 years that it depends on your travel style.

My travel style is so simple. I even refer to my travel style as "localista" - travel & explore a country like a local.

My most recent travel to HongKong from Jan 5 - 7, 2013 for 3 days & 2 nites cost me HK$600 (less than US$80) for accommodation, food & sightseeing. Let me tell you how I did it.

Transportation
I took the A21 CityBus from airport to Tsim Sha Tsui area where Chung King Mansion, the guest house I stayed at. The cost is HK$33 (US$4.25) each way to and from airport.
To get around the city I bought the Tourist Day Pass that allowed me to take the subway / MTR unlimited trips for 24 hours. The cost HK$55 (US$7).

Accommodation
I stayed at Yan Yan Guest house at Chung King Mansion building. The address is D2,D4,D7, 9/F, Block D, 36-44 Nathan Road, Chung King Mansion, Tsim Sha Tsui, HK. Email: newchinaguesthouse@qq.com.
It cost me HK$260 (US$34) for 2 nights for a single room with bathroom, TV, aircondition, Free Wi-Fi.

Food
I usually eat local foods, street foods that cost about HK$20 - $30 (US$2.50-$4) per meal.
However, I treated myself and went to Tim Ho Wan in Mong Kok and had dimsum at this Michelin star restaurant. I had the BBQ Pork Bun, Chicken Feet + Spareribs with rice, Vermacelli Noddle with beef , Sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves & tea for HK$79 (US$10.20). I waited for 1.5 hours to be seated because it is a very popular place. It was worth it. I liked the Baked BBQ pork bun a lot.

Sightseeing
When I explore a city, I check on the website the recommended places to visit.
I visited places that are Free like : The Clock by the harbour, Avenue of the Stars & Temple Night Market.
The only place I paid for is my visit to Tan Tian Buddha (The Big Buddha) & Po Lin Monastery at Lantau Island. The Bus 23 ticket from MRT station Tung Chung to Big Buddha area is HK$27 (US$3.50) each way.

Now, you know how I do my cost effective travel in Hong Kong !!! TYG :)

The Unexpected Travel Lessons

Traveling is one of my favorite things to do in my life. I enjoy exploring new countries, meeting and getting to know locals and fellow travelers, eating traditional food, and immersing myself into their culture especially when I volunteer in that area.


I plan my trip way ahead of time. I buy may tickets 4 to 6 months in advance to get the best airfare deals and also make accommodation arrangements through couchsurfing or staying in a hostel 1 to 2 months in advance. I often have a very detailed itinerary on what I am going to do each day.
On Jan 3, 2013 for my VolunTourism and Love Project, something that I was not expecting happened - I was not allowed to check-in to get to my final destination due to a lack of visa.


At LAX airport as I was checking in, the airline staff asked for my visa for Vietnam. I told her I did not know I needed one for Vietnam and she said that a visa is required to enter Vietnam. She said that I will not be allowed to take the flight. I was in shock when she told me this but at the same time I was laughing because I am in disbelief that something like this can happen to me just 90 minutes before my flight. I was determined to get to Asia no matter what so I told her to get me to the flight to Seoul, Korea because this is where I have my layover before supposedly heading to Hanoi,Vietnam. Thankfully, they did allow me to go to Seoul. And now, I rebooked my flight to Hong Kong instead of going to Hanoi. I have no definite place to stay in Hong Kong yet.

I still do not know the reason why my trip to Hanoi  is not going yo happen. All I know, I trust that God has a plan and everything happens for a reason.  Every setback is just the beginning of great adventures. This unexpected change in my travel plans has taught me about Surrender, Going with the Flow, Trust and Being in the Present Moment. TYG !

VolunTourism 2011 Part 1

Exactly 2 months ago from today, I have been back from my 3 months of VolunTourism abroad. An experience I will forever treasure and will always take with me wherever I go.

The Idea

During the Summer of 2010, after listening to the audiobook of Eat, Pray, Love for the 10^th time and watching Julia Robert in the movie playing Elizabeth Gilbert. I told myself I want to do that too. Of course, I know that it is not financially responsible for me to take one year off like the character in the book. However, I said, three months! Yes, I can do 3 months. I can save up enough money to travel for 3 months and still pay my mortgage.

The next step was to take the semester off from teaching at the university. So that’s what I did, talked to my department head of pediatrics and asked her if I can be given the Spring 2011 off. She told me that “yes’, I can have the semester off because of the budget cuts in California, our university CSULB was also affected. Wow! After hearing that from her, I just knew that it was meant for me to take this trip. It felt like the Universe was conspiring to support me to make my dream come true.

Now that I had been given the time off, I had an idea – VolunTourism, combining my 3 month trip with visiting the beautiful places in Europe and Asia , at the same time do some volunteering. This idea was something that resonates with me. I did not want to just travel and see these places, I wanted to make a difference.

Here we go !! Operation: VolunTourism with me, myself and I !!! J

The Planning

I decided that February will be a good time to start my trip. My first trip was Los Angeles to Madrid to Paris to Venice to Rome then back to Los Angeles. Total airfare price for my trip to Europe was $965.50. I know that it was going be cold during that time in Europe but I did not care, I was just grateful that I can visit 4 cities for less than $1000.

I decided to come back to California for 2 weeks after a month in Europe to repack from winter clothes to spring/summer. It was also my sister Kim’s birthday around that time so it worked out perfect.

For my second and third months, it was going to be Los Angeles to Tokyo to Seoul to Jeju Island to Manila to Bali then back to Los Angeles. Total airfare for this part of my trip was $ 1481.50. Wow! So happy to get this great deal. Thanks to my “sale genie”!!!

The next part of the planning was accommodation. I knew that for me to have enough money to last me for 3 months, that I may need to stay in hostels in Europe. I had mixed emotions about staying at a hostel. I was not that comfortable sharing a room with total strangers but not wiling to pay $100 per night to stay in a hotel. Then a very strange idea was suggested by my sister’s friend, Krystle – Couchsurf. When I heard her say it, I thought she was out of her mind. What?! You want me to stay in a stranger’s home and sleep in their couch for free. That is one crazy idea. And told her, thanks for the suggestion but I am not going to that.

I was just about 3 months away from my trip to Europe and still without any place to stay. So that night, I decided to check out Krystle’s out of my box idea and signed up for couchsurfing.org. I was very cautious with my first requests, and were mostly to women and to married couples. Also, thanks to Facebook because after my requests were accepted, we used Facebook as our way to check that neither one of us was crazy psychopath killers. So during my 3 month trip, I couchsurfed 75% of the time. I couchsurfed in Madrid, Paris, Tokyo, Seoul and Bali. As a side note, I highly recommend couchsurfing to everyone especially to those traveling alone.

To make this VolunTourism happen, I had to contact many non-profit organizations that will be willing to let me volunteer for 2 weeks in the countries I planned to visit. After several rejection emails, I was so happy to get accepted to volunteer at Fundacion Tomillo in Madrid. Muchas Gracias Ana Artacho. And still continued to write emails for places to volunteer in Seoul and Bali but still with no luck, then it was time for me to leave for Madrid.

The Journey

Month 1 : Madrid, Paris, Venice and Rome February 1 to March 1, 2011

The day that I was waiting for was finally here. Today is the beginning of a whole new adventure of traveling alone. My bag was packed with about 25 pieces of clothing, and basic essentials like flashlight, swiss knife, vitamins, charger, adapter and snacks.

I arrived in MADRID, Spain on a Wednesday morning, called the wonderful couple I was going to couchsurf with – Karla and Chema. Took the metro train to their place from the airport for 1 Euro. When I got to their apartment, it was so nice to feel so welcome. Contrary to the word couchsurfing, I did not stay in a couch but instead stayed in my own room with a bed. They even gave me my own set of keys so I can leave and come as I please. I stayed with them for 16 days.

I enjoyed my stay in Madrid where it was sunny during most of my time there but was very cold, it helped that some of the Tagalog/Filipino words were similar to Spanish, and that I had black hair and almost similar skin color as the Spaniards so I just blended in. I got to meet a few couchsurfers especially Danielle and Esteban, we went Salsa dancing and watched Real Madrid futbol. Most of the days, I went around the city alone and actually liked it. I got to visit museums, plazas, theater and even went on a date with myself on Valentine’s day to watch Flamenco dance. I also went and took the train and did a day trip to Toledo.

While I was in Madrid, three days a week, I get to volunteer at Fundacion Tomillo, whose mission is to work for the development of the person and the social integration of the individuals and the most vulnerable groups. It was a great experience to teach English to students from ages 10 to 27. These were the days that I look forward to because I get to be with these students and honestly, I think I was learning more Spanish from them than they were learning English from me.

Things I will always remember about Madrid: museums, plazas, Jamon de Serrano , Churros con Chocolate, Cocido Madrileno, metro train and Wi-Fi in their buses. Muchas Gracias Madrid.

I was a little nervous to go to my next destination: PARIS, France. Mainly for the reason that I do not speak or understand French and the only French I know is French fries. Even if I had my French pocket book with me, I seem to have a difficult time pronouncing French – there were so many silent letters that confuses me. I was very tense when I got into the metro train. I kept looking at the map and paid a lot of attention to the name of every train stop because I could not understand what was being said on the overhead speaker. I just did not want to miss my stop.

I would describe Paris as romantic, very classy, elegant, and of course expensive. Since I was just there for 5 days, I did touristy activities: visited the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Moulin Rouge, Basilica of Sacred Heart , Notre Dame, and Latin Quarter. I also couchsurfed while I was there - 2 nights with Vicki who lives close to the famous Champs Elysees and one night with Vi-Georges.

Things I will always remember about Paris – Eiffel Tower at night, seeing the real Mona Lisa painting by Leonardo da Vinci, the delicious and pretty macaroons. Au Revoir Paris !!!

The next destination is VENICE, Italy. This place is full of tourist everywhere and the streets were so narrow that I felt like I was in a maze. During my stay here I stayed in a hostel where I met nice and beautiful roommates - Tariana from Brazil, Zoe from Malaysia and Australian. On one afternoon, I also got to meet Daniela, a couchsurfer and I walked around Venice. It was nice to have a local show around Venice, it was like having my own personal tour guide.

I like the beautiful gandolas along the canals, many churches especially Basillica of San Marco, the shops of beautiful clothes, masks, glass, vases. But most especially the delicious , carbo-loaded pizza, pasta and gelato. I had at least 1 new flavor of gelato per day even when the temperature was 4 C / 39 F. Because of all the carbohydrates I had, I ended up needing to get myself a new pair of jeans with garter, not with zipper because I did not want to take chances in case I would gain a few more pounds since I still have to go to Rome and I heard they also have really good pasta, pizza and gelato over there.

The last stop of my first month of VolunTourism was ROME, Italy. Time flew so fast and it was the last 5 days of my trip. I couchsurfed for 1 night with Alessandra and her son. She prepared a 3 course meal - bruschetta, pasta and meat dish. I was so impress and grateful that not only am I staying there for free , she was also feeding me. I am a total stranger to her but welcomed me as a guest. My 3 other nights I stayed in a hostel. This hostel experience was new and different for me because the room I am staying was co-ed. The 2 other times I stayed in the hostels during this month in Europe I stayed in an all-female rooms, but this time with guys. I stayed in the room with 3 other women and 2 men, the experience was good and there was no weird feeling or awkwardness.

I was raised Catholic so going to Vatican City to see the Pope Benedict was on my “Must – Do” list. On the last Sunday in February, my roommates and I left our hostel at 6 AM and headed to the Vatican City to see the Pope and visit Musei Vaticani, St . Peter Cathedral, Sistene Chapel. Then at 12 noon, I got a glimpse of Pope Benedict as he spoke from his room facing St. Peter Square. This experience of seeing the Pope was a very emotional moment because I remembered my grandmother Esting who was a devoted Catholic and I know she would have loved to see the Pope in Vatican City but never got the chance when she was still alive.

As I entered each church in Italy, I said my 3 wishes because it was a Filipino tradition that each time you enter a church for the very first time you should make a wish and your wish will come true.

The architecture in Rome was amazing. There were so much history in each building, statue that each one seemed like each one was saying a story about either love, happiness, fear, defeat, triumph. I got to see the Colleseum, Fontana De Trevi, Piazza Navona.

As my first month of VolunTourism has come to a close. With all my heart and soul – I am very grateful for the lessons and the safe journey.

Muchas Gracias!!! Merci Beaucoup !!! Grazie Mille !!!

- Kaye

First Day in Bali, Indonesia

The last month of my VolunTourism jouney. My last stop is Bali, Indonesia. This part of my journey is different from my trip to Europe in Feb and my trip to South Korea in March/April because during those months, i had a plan but this time I decided to be spontaneous.

I arrived in Bali today (April 16, 2011) I would say my trip did not start smoothly. There were a few things that have already gone "wrong" since I got since I got here in Bali. First, i did not have US$25 to pay for my 1 month Indonesian tourist visa. All I had were Korean Won and Japanese Yen. Fortunately, a Balinese airport worker holding a paper with my name who was waiting for me at the gate as we de-boarded the plane, loaned me $25. I paid him 300,000 indonesian Rupia, he did not have change so my tourist visa ended up to be $34 ($1 = 8666 rupia today).

Travel Tip #1 = Make sureyou have US$25 to pay your Indonesian tourist visa good only for 1 month. Better yet have US$100 with you at all times when traveling abroad in case you need to pay for something.

I was picked up at the airport by a Indonesian couchsurfer, Donnie. And he drove me to another couchsurfer's, Yvonne C.'s apartment.

Travel Tip#2 : For transportation, it is best to be picked up by someone that lives in the area to avoid getting scammed by some taxi drivers. You can go to couchsurfing.org to get to know local people and if they are available then maybe they can pick you up. If you do not know anyone, you can use the airport taxi but it can cost more than a other taxi. If you want to save some mobey you can waitat the airport arrival curb and stop the light blue taxi (Bali taxi). Be sure that they put down the meter to prevent getting charged more.

Travel Tip #3 : To save money when traveling especially for accomodations, you can stay at a couchsurfer's place. To know more about couchsurfing. Go tocouchsurfing.org.

I walked around the neighborhood and saw that the most common mode of transportation is motorbike or scooter. They are a lot of motorbikes so I had to be careful not to be run over because they are driving so fast and with no regard for pedestrians. I continued to walk around because I needed to buy a SIM card for my cellphone and do some grocery shopping.

Travel Tip #4 - Get SIM card to save money on calls and text messaging. You can get XL or Simpati brand for 6,000 - 7,000 Rupia ($0.69 - $0.80 - it's less than $1)

As I continued to walk around, I found an internet shop. This is good for me because I wanted to make sure to update my family and friends that I am doing well here in Bali. There's no WiFi at Yvonne's place and there's no free WiFi around tge neighborhood except for internet shop.

Travel Tip #5 - To use the internet it cost 5,000 Rupia($0.58) per hour. If you just need WiFi access and you have your own computer device like laptop or Iphone it is cheaper 5,000 Rupia ($0.58$ for 2 hours.

I emailed a few coichsurfers in Denpasar, Bali and gave them my cellphone number and told them that I would love to hang out with them while I am here in Bali. An hour later, I got a text inviting me to go watch a movie, The King's Speech, at Bali Galleria with a few couchsurfers - Benny, Dwi, Vika and Han. I am so happy because it's my first night and I am already making friends with the locals. Bali Galleria is about 10 kilometers away and I don't have a car or scooter to get there, so my best option is to call for a motorbike taxi. There are no taxis that yoi can just stop on the street. They will either pick you up usong an airconditioned taxi or just a motorbike.

Travel Tip #6 - Call motorbike taxi to pick you up where you are staying at and brings you to your destination for 20,000 Rupia ($2.30). Make sure to call 1 hour before your planned departure time because it sometimes take that long for them to get to you.

The movie theater's in Bali is not that clean. There were stains on the seats and theater smelled like a mix of sweat and spices. But it is tolerable if you do not expect a theater like the Arclight in Los Angeles. Dwi told me that this is the only theater that shows the most recent foreign films. What she meant by recent is any movie released about 4-5 months ago in the US. That's quite a long time since US films are shown in Philippine theaters as early as 2 weeks after they are released in US especially if they are big films.
The movie ticker cost 30,000 Rupia ($3.46)

After the movie, they took me to a local indonesian restaurant. We had some satay, rice wrapped in banana leaves, water and Jasmine Tea in a "softdrink" bottle. The satay are good but the sauce is not as peanutbuttery as Iam used to having in California. It is medium thick dark colored sauce, a little bit salty and sweet. It cost me only 19,000 Rupia ($2.19).

Travel Tip #7 - Tipping is not mandatory but of course, always appreciated.

This was my first day. Thank you Dear God for guiding me and making me safe :)!!!

- Kaye


Sent from my iPhone

Futbol

I have heard that Europeans love and are passionate about Futbol or more commonly known as Soccer in the States. So I made sure I get to see this in person and watch a live game.

On February 6, Sunday i went with new friends - Danielle, Esteban , Val, .... who I've met through couchsurfing, we went to see a Futbol game - Real Madrid vs Sociedad Madrid at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. This stadium's capacity is more than 84,000 and this was where the 1992 World Cup was held.

As I was at the metro train, there were a lot of people especially guys speaking different languages - French, Italian, Spanish. I may not understand all the things that they were saying but I knew it had something to do with Futbol. As soon as the metro train stopped at Santiago Bernabeu station, these guys rushed out of the train and run up the 3 flights of stairs because the game was about to start in 10 minutes. It was like seeing 5 year old boys going wild after opening his gift on Christmas day. These guys were on a mission and want to be there when the game starts. They are very loyal to their team, since they were young their fathers and grandfathers have already influenced them on the team they should cheer for.

The 7 of us ( 5 from US and 2 from Spain) decided to get the cheapest ticket - €35 / $ 48. The 5 of us from the States just wanted to experience a live game in Madrid. The stadium was almost filled up to full capacity, by the looks of it I think there were about 80,000 people there that night because only a very small part of the "nose-bleed"/ cheapest section had empty seats, everywhere else completely full.

The game was good. I don't know much about Futbol / soccer, all I know the guys kicking the ball around towards the goal. For me, The best part of watching the game was not the teams scoring a goal. It was watching the audience's reactions. From raising their arms up when the team scored or if they disagreed with the play. There were people blowing their horns - it was very loud since I was sitting next to an 8 y/o boy who just liked blowing that horn to cheers his team. Most of the time the whole crowd especially if their team scored will jump off their feet, clap and cheer. During the game they are very serious, all eyes focused on the game. It was definitely a great to see on how much they love Futbol. As the game ended Real Madrid = 4 and Real Sociedad = 1.

GGGOOOOLLLL !!!!!
- Kaye