2011: A Year of Making Impossibles, Possible

Penang Beach, Malaysia.

Penang Beach, Malaysia.

“Sometimes, I believe in as many as six impossible things before breakfast…” – Alice in Wonderland

I recently came back to Toronto for Christmas after 13 months of traveling around the world.

I’m still digesting my experience. While I was away, traveling long-term seemed like it was no big deal. Everyone I met was hopping across countries and continents. Now that I’m back and catching up with friends, I’m starting to realize that this past year was actually an incredible achievement.

I traveled around the world by myself for a year.

I’ve been reflecting on my experiences, looking through the 17,200 photos I took, organizing ticket stubs from World Wonders I visited, and reminiscing about spontaneous moments shared with other travellers.

But what stands out the most, is that this year I accomplished a lot of things that seemed impossible – things I didn’t initially know how to do or things I didn’t know could be done at all.

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The 5 World Wonders I Saw in 2011

Taj Mahal, World Wonder

The Taj Mahal, completed in the 1600's, a World Wonder.

The first World Wonder I ever saw was Machu Picchu in Peru, in September 2007.

I was curious about the site because friends had sent me Machu Picchu postcards but I wasn’t expecting to be impressed. On the postcards the site just looked like a tropical hill with ruins and rocks. However, once I set entered the archeological site, I knew I was wrong about Machu Picchu. Exploring the grounds and the in-tact remains of temples was a special adventure and education. After that visit, I knew I had to experience more of the World Wonders.

Here are five World Wonders I visited during the past 13 months of travel, plus two other sites I saw that I think should be recognized as well. See Wikipedia for a detailed list of World Wonders).

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Is Jordan Safe to Visit?

Bedouin boy at Petra, Jordan

Bedouin boy at Petra, Jordan.

I expected to feel uncomfortable traveling in Jordan as a solo female traveler.

Probably from a combination of seeing mostly negative press about the Middle East in the North American media and not being very familiar with the culture and religions of this area.

For whatever reason, I expected my visit to Jordan would be comparable to my travels in India. I thought I’d see animals (camels, donkey, elephants) on the road, male vendors aggressively trying to sell me trinkets, and women and kids following me to beg for money.

To my relief and surprise, my 8 day visit in Jordan turned out to feel much safer, relaxed and comfortable. While I spent half the time as a guest of the Jordan Tourism Board, I spent the other days walking around and organizing visits to other cities alone.

My opinion of traveling in Jordan is now this: If you’re not scared of going to India, Europe, Central America or South America, you shouldn’t be scared of visiting Jordan.

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What Happens in Petra When It Rains?

Petra-at-Night experience that only happens when it rains.

The special Petra-at-Night experience that only happens when it rains.

Sometimes, the best travel experiences have the worse photos. My Petra at night experience was one of these occasions.

On my third day in Jordan, I was looking forward to seeing Petra by candlelight and enjoying a traditional Bedouin music performance. After admiring the Petra night photos from a number of fellow travelers like Ayngelina Brogan and Abigail King, I was looking forward to taking a few of my own.

Up to this point I hadn’t read anything about rain during anyone’s visit to Petra. Rain at the desert is rare, and I later found out that historically Petra only sees 9.3 days of rain per year and only 0.7 days of rain in the month of November.

Well, it turned out the Petra by Night experience is completely different in the unlikely event that it rains… I got to go inside the Treasury.
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The 55 Greatest Quotes on Travel Ever

Inspiring quotes about travel

Inspiring quotes about travel. Photo by Lily.

Whether you’re starting to plan a trip of a lifetime or you’re already on the road, quotes are a great way to get a dose of inspiration when the travel process gets frustrating.

Some milestones I had before starting my current year-long trip included figuring out how much it’d cost to travel, how to letting go of my belongings and trying to break free of a status quo mentality.

Along my travel journey, I’ve been at the crossroad between returning home or continuing to travel (I chose to travel longer). I’ve had my mental resilience and on a few rare moments I wondered why I left the comfort of my home in Toronto in the first place.

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Top 8 Highlights from 8 Days in #Jordan

What to see in Jordan.

What to see in Jordan, highlights of my 1 week visit.

After my leaving Dahab, my final stop in Egypt, I had the joy of spending a week in Jordan.

Despite the short stay in Jordan, I was pleasantly surprised by the range of activities and sights I had the opportunity to experience. Turns out the west side of Jordan is only 500 km from top to bottom and the transportation time between major cities and must-sees were at most only a few hours.

During this week in Jordan, I did everything from walk on ancient Roman ruins, take a safari through peach-coloured deserts, touch world wonders (Petra and the Dead Sea), walk through rose-colored canyons, ride a camel into the desert sunset, and even stand on the mountain that Moses stood on when he saw the “promised” land.

Here are the top highlights from my trip to Jordan.

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@Hostelbookers.com – Not Just for Hostels

Hostelbookers - hotels, hostels, bed & breakfast

Hostelbookers - they also have hotels and charming bed & breakfasts

After a year of traveling and constantly making reservations for accommodations, I’ve come across some pleasant surprises while using booking websites.

Like, finding a 3 star resort hotel by the Black Sea for $28/night on Expedia.ca, or realizing that Expedia also books nice dorms in the more expensive cities of western Europe.

Similarly, I’ve also learned that Hostelbookers.com, which I thought only booked dorms, actually provides hotel and bed & breakfasts listings as well (and some really comfortable ones too!)
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Dahab, Egypt – How 5 Days Turned Into 9

H2O Divers Dahab, Red Sea, Egypt

H2O Divers Dahab, Red Sea, Egypt

In my year of travelling around the world, I’ve only encountered a handful of places that have enticed me to stay longer than planned: Chiang Mai, Thailand; Koh Tao, Thailand; and Novi Sad, Serbia (Facebook photos).

All these places are laid-back, safe, have lots of cafes, warm weather, abundant WiFi and offer good value for your money. Dahab, Egypt turned out to be one of these places too. See my Dahab Facebook album for more photos.

But first, the ordeal of getting to Dahab…

After two weeks of travelling comfortably with private transfers through GetYourGuide, I decided to be adventurous and take the bus alone from Sharm el Sheikh to Dahab.

It was a 100km and 1.5 hour ride and the owners of the Sharm el Sheikh guesthouse I stayed at were kind enough to drop me off at the bus station and even show me how to buy my bus ticket.

Sounds so simple. What could go wrong?
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Things to do in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt

Snorkelling day trip to Ras Mohamed National Park, Red Sea, Egypt

Snorkelling clear water filled with marine life at Ras Mohamad National Park, Sinai, Egypt.

Sharm el Sheikh is one of six places I visited during 23 days of travelling alone in Egypt. Other highlights were Cairo (the Pyramids), the White Desert, Aswan, Luxor and Dahab.

Lonely Planet describes the resort town of Sharm el Sheikh as a “sterile enclave… sanitised for Western consumption, having all the charisma of a shopping mall”. Expats I’ve met in Egypt have called the town “Sharm el $hit”.

Unfortunately, I didn’t know this before I arrived, because this is usually the type of place I try to avoid staying in for a long time in unless I’m taking a vacation from travel.

Luckily, my snorkelling and hiking trips with Egypt Excursions Online rescued me from the tourists hoards. Thanks to Hostelbookers, I even stayed at a charming bed and breakfast at a Bedouin village 5km away from the city.
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Ancient Egypt Temples in Luxor

Queen Hatshepsut Temple, Luxor, Egypt

Queen Hatshepsut Temple 2nd floor, Luxor, Egypt.

I thought the Pyramids would the main ancient Egypt attraction during my two three week trip.

Thanks to a day trip with an Egyptologist, I learned that there’s actually more important ancient Egypt tombs and temples to be explored in Luxor.

We had a well-paced day visiting four highlights, Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut Temple, Luxor Temple and Karnak Temple and I even heard some interesting stories. For example, Queen/Pharaoh Hatshepsut’s main architect might have also been her lover, and that Alexander the Great was actually a pharaoh in Egypt at one point.
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