Off-Track Backpacking » beach

Zanzibar- Beaches, Spices and Culture!

Tanya C — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 03:00:22 +0000

Source: http://www.top-things-to-do.com/africa/zanzibar.jpg

As I prepare myself physically and mentally for my Kilimanjaro hike, part of me is really excited to get that out-of-the-way so I can then enjoy 4 days in Zanzibar, also known as the Spice Island due to the abundant spice plantations on the island. Besides the fact that Zanzibar is a beautiful island with unspoiled beaches near the coast of Tanzania, I didn’t know much about it until I started reading about it more and more.

Conveniently located on the East coast of Africa, Zanzibar was once the main port for sailors coming from Asia and the Middle East trying to get to Europe. In its early years, Zanzibar was known to export spices, slaves and ivory, something not to mention when visiting the island as it may end your conversation with locals abruptly. On a more optimistic note, Zanzibar then began to export silk, gold, diamonds in addition to spices.

Zanzibar inhabitants speak Swahili, a language born from the intermarriage between the Persians and Africans. You’ll quickly notice the influence of Arab, Indian and British settlers when walking in Stone Town, Zanzibar’s old town. One recommendation for travelers is to dress somewhat conservatively (i.e avoid swimwear or provocative clothes) when walking around in Stone Town due to the high presence of Muslims on the Island.

Known as one of the best places in the world for diving, some tourists spend more time below water than over it! The most pristine, white sandy beaches are on the northern tip of the island. Finding accommodation is relatively easy and not too expensive. I noticed that most places cater to solo travelers which I appreciate!

This is what I know about Zanzibar for now! I’ll definitely provide more information once I come back from the island. I’m really looking forward to it!

Highlights of San Diego

Nara — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 01:14:47 +0000

In 2006 I spent the summer in San Diego, California. It was an adventure that I would never have imagined myself doing years before. Only because I was once a person who wanted to plan out my summers, but ever since that summer I decided winging it was truly the best way to experience an adventure. It was a summer that any twenty years old would have dreamed of; filled with traveling, fun, parties, love, and beaches. But as a backpacker, traveling all over San Diego was nothing that I had imagined. I thought it was just another L.A city, with lots of people, boring building, and crowded beaches, but I was very wrong. San Diego has many highlights and not just the amazing beaches but much more.
There are many little townships within the district of San Diego. There is La Jolla, which is the closest area to L.A. This area is the upper class of San Diego – very wealthy, although it’s also the perfect area to watch sea lions, surf and catch some amazing waves. Once you get closer to the Mexican border, this area is known to be Chula Vista. Chula Vista is one of the largest growing residental areas of San Diego. It is filled with many different sights that are worth catching when you are there.

Here is a list of beaches that are must see!!

• My favorite beach is Coronado beach. It is located in front of the main city center ( but on another strip of land), but it’s only accessible by bridge from the town core, or by a 20-minute drive from Imperial Beach. I would recommend taking the bridge, since the view is pretty amazing.
• Imperial beach is located just further down from Coronado Beach and is usually not as popular, due to the sand and waves. The sand at this beach isn’t as soft and golden compared to Coronado beach, but it is a perfect beach to wind surf!
• Silver Strand beach is right in between Coronado beach and Imperial, but this beach is private and there is a fee to visit. Many campers hit this beach during the summer. So for those backpackers who love to camp, this would be a great beach to hit up.
• Mission bay/ Beach is part of San Diego’s boat park. What I mean by that is if you are planning to take a sea-doo out, or go wakeboarding this is the place to do it. Plus you can always rent out a boat and try all the water sports for the day.
• Pacific Beach is now a beach you can do it all. There is an entertainment park with rides; there is a boardwalk to go rollerblading, and many little cute restaurants surrounding the area.

Here is a list of the top three San Diego attractions

• Balboa Park: This park is American’s largest urban cultural park. It is filled with 90 year old fig trees, many plants, flowers and during the summer it is filled with a variety of events and exhibitions. This park is also the home of 18 museums, 15 gardens, 10 restaurants and one of the world’s famous natural-habitat zoos.
• Old Town San Diego: This is one place where all tourists need to go to once you visit San Diego. This is where you will find many notable Victorian homes, two certified haunted houses, the first church, first school, and the Heritage park. It is the birthplace of the first Spanish settlement in 1769.
• San Diego Gaslamp Quarter: Party central! This area has a collection of historic buildings, but also the best restaurants, nightclubs, and shops that are all restored Victorian-era buildings. This is the place to party!!

So for all you backpackers who plan to visit this great city, let me know!

CUBA, The Catamaran Excursion

Nara — Thu, 06 May 2010 01:40:40 +0000

After a busy two weeks, I finally made it back in time for my flight to Cuba. Once I was at the airport everybody was shocked that I made it on time and were all pretty happy. Not mention that I was so jet leg and exhausted from a 13 hours flight. Although my vacation was starting, I couldn’t be in better company then my close friends.

Club Night

Once we arrived in Varadero, Cuba it was already midnight, but that didn’t stop me from having fun. Yes, with only a max of 3 hours of sleep I seemed to make it out to a local nightclub just off the beach with a few Miami Vices in my hand. Also not to forget taking a quick swim in the sea when its pitch dark, is very exciting. So for a first night on my vacation it was already starting to look pretty good.
For the rest of the week we as a group of 46 people planned a lot of excursions. But a few of them we did on your own or as a small group. I did a lot of excursions, considering how much I love the beach, but I seemed to keep pretty busy with doing a few adventures. The excursions I did were the catermaran, swimming with dolphins, sightseeing the city of Havana, talking the moped out for spin around the local towns, feeding baby alligators, and seadooing.

The Catamaran

The Catamaran was the party boat. With almost the entire wedding party on board and another 30 people too, it was the perfect day to drink all day and be merry. Starting from 9am in the morning on the boat until 5pm, it was the perfect hot day to enjoy the sea breeze. Our first stop on the boat was snorkeling in the middle of sea with no one in sight. There were thousands of fish, from bright small blue ones to huge big bright yellow ones. It was amazing just to stare into another world and see so many different creatures at once. Considering this wasn’t my first time snorkeling it did have to be one of the best spots I have snorkeled before. After an hour of snorkeling, the boat took us to see dolphins. Now I have seen dolphins before, but I have never swim with them. It was so much fun, they swim along side with you and do crazy flips, kisses, and pull you around. Gotta say, it was one of my favorite moments during the trip. The third stop the boat made was a small private island with bright white sand and amazing seafood. We have a huge lunch on this island that was filled with fresh seafood. It was very yummy. After lunch a few of us went swimming. It was great because the sand was so soft and white that it felt like clay but it wasn’t. So a friend and I had a little fun with putting sand on our faces and taking a quick natural facial. Must say, by the time we were laughing so hard about it, we had half the beach copying us. Plus I think it was one of the best facials I have ever had, since the next day my skin felt like silk.

Facial

We spent the rest of the day at the beach, but my the time it was home time, the crew of the boat had as dancing to crazy Spanish music and drinking lots of rum. So over all this excursion was one of the highlights of the trip.
Keep reading more posts to hear more of my Cuba trip.

Cuba, very soon!!

Nara — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 01:21:35 +0000

Less than 30 days to go I will be in the hot tropical sun enjoying the beach and many other wonders!! Yes I am going away again, yay! I am off to Cuba for a friend’s wedding, lots of beach, sun and alcohol. But never the less, the adventure tickle is going to still be with me. Since I have been to Cuba almost a dozen times, I think its time for me to see the city of Havana. I know, its crazy I have been to Cuba many of times and have traveled the entire country but still have never seen the capital. So this time I am going to see Havana. I am very much excited. So I have decided to pick a few places that are a must in Havana. My first stop will be the Monument of Jose Marti. This is a memorial as well as museum of the work and life of the renowned revolutionary writer. The museum consists of many personal belongings, documents, and history of Marti. Another historic site is the Cathedral of Havana. It’s 18th century architecture of full columns, baroque embellishments, and paintings of Rubens and Murillo on the altar is one Cathedral I don’t want to miss. It is said that some of Columbus remains were kept here between 1796 and 1898. Other site I will be visiting is the Castle of the three kings of Morro. This Castle was built between 1589 and 1630 and the main objective was to ward off pirates and enemy fleets. Over all what I am really excited to see is the Central Park. Surrounding this park are majestic looking 19th century buildings and a few of Havana’s oldest ad finest restaurants and hotels. Perfect to grab lunch or a drink and relax. The park in known to have exotic trees, royal palms with the gardens and a few amazing fountains. Plus around this park is the square of Arms. This square is located in the city centre and very close to the sea. It is filled with marble benches, plant life, and tones of second-hand booksellers. Well these are only a few of the places I want to see in Havana, but over all I just want to get lost in time and surround myself with tones of culture.

Still in Rio but Leaving for Bahia Tomorrow

Tanya C — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 21:47:48 +0000

Wow, I don’t even know where to begin. So much has happened since I last wrote. When I first got to Rio, I was a little scared and lonely- but so much has changed in the last few days! I met lots of people at the hostel and we spent an awesome New Year’s Eve together! After visiting the main touristic places at the beginning of the week, I spent the remainder of it exploring it my way! On my third day in Rio, I rented a bike and biked along Leme, Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon beaches as well as around the lake. The funny part of the day was when a tv host approched us and asked us to be on live tv. I didn’t want to because I cannot speak Portuguese for the life of me but ended up doing it anyway. I made such a fool of myself. Thank god I don’t know many people in Rio! On Thursday Dec 30th, I was scheduled to go hang-gliding but it rained all day. Blah! The hostel planned a boat party so most of us backpackers ended up there. I guess it was one of the best ways to pass time on a rainy day!

Anyhow, all this to say that finally, Dec 31st came along. It was still raining in the morning so most of us were disapointed. But luckily, it cleared up by the end of the day. We all wore white clothing and headed to the beach. It will be an unforgetable night! I’ll post the video once I get back home. We were easily 2.5 million people on the beach. I’m so fortunate to have been surrounded by great people! The fireworks at midnight and the synergy on the beach were beyond spectacular. I cannot even write what I felt! To my surprise, I was woken up at 10am this morning to go hang-gliding. Considering that I am leaving tomorrow, I couldn’t pass the opportunity. So tired as I was, I spent the day with a few other people and the guide waiting my turn to go hang-gliding. WOW is all I have to say. The view was unbelievable. I’d really like to post some pics but the Internet here is way to slow. I’ll do so when I have high-speed Internet at my next hostel. Happy New Year to all!

Discovering Turkey

Nara — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 04:05:26 +0000

There are many cities to see, therefore I want to explore as many as possible. I would start in Istanbul to see the old city from where Byzantine and Ottoman Empires ruled. Visit the stunning blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, and the underground Cistern. Once the three days are over in Istanbul I will be taking a bus to Gallipoli. Gallipoli is noted for it’s ANZAC Cove and it’s WWI battlefields. Since it is very close to Troy, the next morning I will head to Troy to go back in time and explore the Roman ruins. So far this trip is go, go, go, but there is always time for swimming in the fine Mediterranean Sea and laying on white sandy beaches. From the beach then comes the hot dip in the thermal springs in Kusadasi, which sounds pretty good to me. Yet, to see the most beautiful beaches in Turkey is to stroll over to the city of Fethiye. Once in Fethiye I would take many day trips to famous ancient cities such as Telmessus, Tlos, and Pinara. After a little sea, I am going to head in land to Cappadocia, the region’s most central area. Around this area, the are series of underground cities to discover. Plus a glimpse of where the star wars movie was filmed would be exciting site to see too. Also, I think I should include a hiking trip to the Goreme Valley and the Ihlara Valley to get me prepared for the busy capital city of Ankara.

This is what I have in mind so far. What do you think? As for getting around to see each of these cities, I found out that busing it around is my best option. As for lodging, hostels are always my route to go. I searched already for some amazing hostels; found a few on the beach, one in the valley that includes some extreme sports to play and a few in small famous villages. There it is, my search is done, yet my decision now needs your help. Egypt, Croatia, or Turkey, what one should I check off my travel list first?