Visiting Bali

First time to Bali, first holiday of the year - a good start of many firsts! Bali seemed to run on island time, which was great to start with - until I realized how short the days were. It was nice to chill and wake up to our gorgeous villa and have people actually make us breakfast, which really made me realize how much of a difference it made to my mental state to wake up surrounded by such lush beauty.

It may have rained most days we were there, but we made most of the mornings to visit the local spots like the Monkey Forest and the local temples.We wandered around the rice terraces of Ubud, saw some amazing views and got our dose of local culture visiting the temples and the kecak dance.

The sun even came out in the end for our final beach day! Finally had a day of amazing weather - just perfect for the day we had planned for the beach! Karma Kandara has a reputation as the most beautiful beach in Bali (because it's a private beach), and you actually had to access the beach by cable car! We may or may not have gotten a little sunburnt, but it was such a lovely day!

Bali, you've been amazing - looking forward to the next visit! 

Bali 2018 from Aida Zabidi on Vimeo.

MarocRendezvous

I had such an amazing time in Morocco.

It really was an easy country to love, and such a beautiful one - filled with rugged landscapes and colour, and so much unexplored territory. The locals were so friendly, and we had good food everywhere.

We went from the desert to the mountains to the seaside, explored the bustling souks and haggled until we couldn't haggle anymore. We conversed to locals with sign language and broken English, and enjoyed the beautiful riads in the different parts of the country. We took photos in the Blue City, and the colourful markets.

Go in the months which are not quite as hot, and travel with locals. We chose to go with Mustafa from Morocco Cheap Travels and were very happy with their services, they were professional, friendly and very flexible.

You can walk most places, and transport in both Marrakech and Fez were reasonable, especially if travelling in a group of three. 

For photos, check out the hashtag #MarocRendezvouz on Instagram!

Moroccan Rendezvouz from Aida Zabidi on Vimeo.

Quotes: Travel Makes One Modest

 

"Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world." -Gustave Flaubert

I'm having travel withdrawals.

I think I've left a part of myself in the desert.

Travel: A Night in the Desert

We decided to spend a night in the desert during our trip to Morocco, and it was breathtaking.

When I initially booked the trip and saw the option of camel trekking, I thought it would be an easy short camel ride (you know, those 'tourist rides') to the campsite. Little did I realize it was an actual trek, and we were on those camels for a good 90 minutes with our Berber guide, surrounded by nothing but sand.

Being on a camel isn't easy. They look cute, and they definitely look pretty graceful as they're gliding across the sand, but sitting on the saddle on one hump definitely isn't the most comfortable place to be. Add that to ascending and descending sand dunes and you have a pretty bumpy ride. That said, it was just part of the experience - and it really made me think about the nomads in the olden days who had to spend months trying to cross the desert. 

Meet my baby camel!

There's something primal about the desert.

Perhaps it's the aloneness, and the vastness of the place, and how deserted it seems. We were on our camels for a good hour between the hotel and our campsite, with no view of any other people. If our guide had a heart attack and died, we would have been stranded with no idea where to go. It also seems like the guides have a strange sense of humour, making jokes about the possibility of getting lost and ending up on the Algerian border (apparently Morocco and Algeria have some political disputes going on). 

But lose yourself in the ride, and experience the silence of the desert. Experience the amazing sunset across the red sands, and watch how the colours of the sands grow deeper the further in you go. While we all started the ride chatting to each other, we spent the latter half in silence, just absorbing the scenery.

Once we arrived to our campsite, we were greeted with the unfortunate news that the generators were down. To be honest, it wasn't too much of a big deal.

We still got fed, and the Berbers still got out their drums and played some rhythms for us, and we ended up dancing underneath the stars.

And the stars!

What can I say?

I've never seen so many stars in my life.

Our guide grabbed a blanket and brought us further away from camp for some stargazing, He made us a Berber pillow, essentially where they shape the sand like a pillow to lie on, and we just watched the Milky Way in all its glory, and perhaps, even saw a shooting star.

Would I recommend the trip?

It's an unmissable experience - a must do, even if it's just once in your life. There's something about the desert that's entirely captivating, that feeds your soul in a way I cannot explain with words. 

Don't take my word for it. Experience it for yourself.

Travel: Morocco

Traveling to Morocco was like being transported to an era many years ago.

We had dropped into the city of Fez, and the very first day we dove straight into the myriad tunnels of the Medina, moving along with the evening crowd into tunnels that seemed to get smaller and smaller as we went, with many different entry points and exits, and we walked until we were no longer certain where we were, surrounded by the bustle of people, donkeys and the scent of spices - and perhaps that was the charm of the Morocco.

It definitely wasn't for the claustrophic.

That said, there was a certain charm about it. 

Call it the books of adventure I used to read as a child, about exotic lands far away, but I loved hearing the mixture of French and Arabic being thrown about, loved the energy of the people and the place. 

There was so much colour, and so much personality.

Definitely a must visit, and a photographer's heaven. For photos, check out the hashtag #MarocRendezvouz on Instagram!

Video: Turkey in Two Weeks

It's been almost a year since we travelled to Turkey, and I've been asking Syaril to finish the video we took of our trip - only because he was forever filming while we were there, and I've been dying to see the finished product. 

I think he's also been putting it off because there was so much footage, because he ended up just filming random things as he had an idea in his head of how he wanted things to turn out, and as most holidays go, you just have to have an element of flexibility to give you room to move ahead.

Turkey was amazing, and I can't believe how much we did in two weeks; watching the video definitely makes me want to travel all over again with this man. 

In fact, I'm so inspired I'm actually going to find the energy to do a couple of write ups about the trip. I did manage to write a little bit about going on the hot air balloon here but I feel that this place just deserves a lot more mentions now! 

<3 br="">

 
Türkiye '16 from Syaril Ezzuddeen on Vimeo.

Travel: Chasing the Northern Lights

We came to Iceland with a five day forecast of rain, and I had already heard reports of fading auroras and throngs of tourists.

You can choose to either find the Northern Lights yourself or take a tour - we opted for a small personalized tour with Discover Iceland as neither mum and I were very confident about driving on icy roads in winter, and we would rather leave it to the professionals!

When we looked at the aurora forecast, it suggested we would be unlikely to see much - but our guide Victory John was optimistic. 

Discover Iceland picked us up in a super jeep and we ended up driving about thirty minutes just outside Reykjavik to a nearby hill. It was almost complete darkness, and almost a bit scary as we off-roaded up the hill, bouncing through some very steep areas, but eventually we stopped at the top and John whipped out his SLR.

So chasing the lights usually involves the guide using a DSLR and taking photos of the surrounding sky, because sometimes the camera is able to pick up the waves that we aren't able to with the naked eye. Once he managed to pick up some green, we drove up towards the direction of the activity.

We were freezing in subsero weather, and we initially had to move spots as John caught a glimpse of green. We waited for about half an hour, and we were just going back into the jeep to find another spot, but then John caught a glimpse of something and told us to get back out.

Not much later, we were lucky to be treated fo a spectacular display of green hues and rhe dancing Aurora, and the dancing lights went on for a good twenty minutes! It was amazing, something really magical - to see the lights dance is truly a wonder of nature, and one that really is indescribable.

We were super lucky, and I'm super thankful we managed to catch a display - like anything else to do with nature, it really is a matter of luck whether you'll be able to see one or not!

Thanks Victory John, and Discover Iceland - great tour, and fantastic service! Would definitely recommend them for smaller, more personalized tours. :)

Travel: Kayaking in Ao Thalane Krabi

Krabi is a bit of an in-between town for a holiday, and is sometimes considered to be a stopover to other islands like Koh Phi Phi, but nevertheless, it does have a charm of its own and its own share of activities to offer.

One of the things I would definitely recommend is doing a kayaking trip through the mangroves! 

I had booked the tour online through TripStoreKrabi after reading a few reviews, and decided to take the half day kayaking trip. Mind you, the website mostly liases with several local vendors, but we were linked up to Sea Kayak Krabi for this particular trip.

A shuttle picked us up from our hotel about 9ish, and it was a leisurely thirty minute drive to the kayaking site. We were the only people in our shuttle at the time, having made the trip during low season, but there were several other groups who were pushing off at the same location at different times.

We were introduced to our guide, ‘A’, and we were extremely lucky to be the only four people who had booked the tour, and ended up having a private tour of our own!

We were briefed on how to use our kayaks and then A showed us the map and explained the route we would be taking. The routes depend on the tides – when the tide is lower they won’t be able to kayak the whole circuit.

Surrounding limestone cliffs

Initially you kayak out through the open sea before heading into the mangrove swamps.

For me, entering the mangrove estuary was almost magical. 

Heading into the ancient limestone karsts

 Imagine kayaking through what feels like an ancient forest, with majestic limestone cliffs looming over on either side. I honestly felt like I was going through a scene that wouldn’t be amiss in Jurassic Park. Depending on the parts of the estuary you kayak through, the waters can be a bit murky or very clear, but very very green. There’s rich birdlife, and our guide was forever pointing out the little mudcrabs at the side, or the birds that were darting in and out.

He ever brought us to a part of the estuary where the James Bond movie, Man with the Golden Gun was filmed, and told us how exciting it was as a child to actually see the jetskis brought in for the movie scenes. 

Through the estuary, there are several caves – once again, being able to go into these caves depend on the tides – if the tides are too low, you won’t be able to visit. We visited the Crocodile Cave, which was full of stalactites and stalagmites, named such because of a crocodile that used to reside in it – we were assured that it no longer did!

You do need to be a little bit fit for this activity – the tides can be strong at times, and it can get tiring. Those short breaks in between the paddling really were great for photo stops and a bit of a rest, and I would definitely recommend the half day tour for those who aren’t up for as much physical activity!

 

We paid about 600 Baht per person for the half day tour, which seemed very reasonable. I saw a few other vendors offering tours between 500-600 baht, but considering we had done a small group tour and had such a fantastic personalized experience with our guide, I wouldn’t have asked for more.

A second kayak trip!

Travel: Turkey Chronicles - Hot Air Ballooning in Cappadocia

Cappadocia has been one of the most magical places I’ve visited in my life.

We started off after a massive 40-odd hours of travel, door to door from KL to Istanbul, then hopping on another flight to get us to Kayseri airport almost at midnight because of a plane delay, and having to wake up about 3 hours later in order to get on our balloon ride.

To be honest, I’ve always been afraid of heights, and the thought of going up on a balloon at over 2000 feet was intimidating, but I’d heard so much about how the landscape would look like from the air so I decided it was something that we absolutely had to do.

And it was absolutely worth that AM wakeup. 

We drove out while it was still dark to the office of Kapadokya Balloons for the standard breakfast that they offer to all participants of the balloon ride while their pilots figure out how the weather will be on the day. Our pilot Murat walked through table to table updating us on the progress as they figured out how safe it would be, and eventually we set off in our minivans.

As we drove to the balloon site, we were greeted by the sight of dozens of balloons in various stages of fueling; from those still on the ground to the ones which were fully inflated and were floating above ground. Even watching the balloons being fueled at dawn at close range was kind of magical, to see the flickering fire slowly breathing life into the balloons.

The balloons held from 16-20 people and you had to climb up into the basket where there were different compartments – about 4 people to one compartment. They had harnesses for us, although we weren’t told whether it was mandatory or not to actually put them on. 

Despite my fear of heights, it was a very smooth takeoff and the actual balloon wasn't as shaky as I thought it would be. We glided up so smoothly as the skies slowly brightened as the sun started to rise and streak the sky with its golden rays, painting the sky in red and gold.

I had a moment of momentary panic when I realized how far up we were (3000 feet at one point!!), especially when I looked down and realized how far off we were! Our balloon was a bit bigger so we probably could go up a bit further than some of the smaller balloons – so it was especially nervewrecking to be one of the few balloons out of dozens to be floating up this crazy height, but then I eventually got used to the height. 

The view was AMAZING. I got blown away by how stunning everything was despite the partially cloudy weather, especially since the Cappadocian landscape in itself is such a strange and magical view. It wasn't just about the height, but the amazing Cappadocian scenery was quite the experience- dipping in between valleys and going up high in the sky. 

Nervous smiles as we got used to the height!

We would fly near enough for Murat to point out the details in the cave residences, and glide up a slope the next moment. He seemed to take particular pride in how smoothly he was able to navigate the balloon, and it was fantastic to have an aerial view, something that you might not always get.

It was an interesting experience seeing how they actually land the balloon – the team actually has to chase the balloon with their truck as the pilot then lands the balloon on the back of the truck once they’re near enough. 

We ended the experience with juice and champagne, and even got a certificate out of it!

I survived the balloon ride!

It was absolutely fantastic – if you’re ever in Cappadocia, you should definitely try it out.

We went with Kappadokya Balloons, and we paid about EU150 for an hour flight. It actually seems to be a bit cheaper to book in Cappadocia through your hotel, or directly at the company all through, so I would recommend doing that instead of booking online! You can find them at Kapadokya Balonculuk, TR-50180 Göreme, Nevşehir, Türkiye.

Conversations with the Turkish Locals

We had time to kill after our hike at Pasabag and had wandered over the the side the local bus was supposed to stop at and had popped into his shop to get a cold drink.

He had gestured over at a nearby couch after seeing us stand in the sun for awhile, telling us that we could sit there while waiting, and had eventually sauntered over to have a chat.

"I have two sons," he said. "I want more but I wait long time."

"Surely that's good no? Two sons? Some people have none." 

"Two sons, not good. Three, four children - good." 

It seemed like Turkish people place a lot of importance in large families, but despite the seemingly negative expression, he didn't seem too outwardly bothered by the actual fact that he only had two sons.

"Three is good. Two, they fight all the time," he laughed as he put his fists in the air. "My oldest is Mehmet."

"There are a lot of Mehmets in Turkey, not so many Muhammad's," I interrupted, which I had found immensely interesting for some reason. 

"It is the same meaning, but Muhammad is the Prophet you know? Not everyone can be as good as the Prophet, and if we are just normal people we are bound to do mistakes, bad things. And if you do bad things and your name is Muhammad, people will talk negatively of you, and the name is besmirched. The name, it has honour - but not everyone has honour."

"Ah!" 

Conversations like these are the exact reason why I love traveling.

 

Travel || Flight Review: Royal Jordanian

This was the first time I'd flown Royal Jordanian and I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. I was flying KL-Istanbul and it was a 12 hour flight with a four hour stopover in Jordan. 

I have to admit being a little annoyed when the online check in system was acting up and I was unable to check in prior to my flight as I normally do. Their agent at the KL call centre apologized but breezily informed me that they couldn't really do much as the website problems were from their base in Jordan. Not the greatest introduction really. 

We were on an Airbus 320 on the first leg from KL to Istanbul; an older airline and the seats were a little bit cramped. Definitely not as much leg room as the newer airlines, but it wasn't too bad. Their blankets were strangely small, not really big enough to comfortably wrap around yourself. Thankfully the seat next to mine was empty and I happily nicked the other blanket. The staff were more mature and seemed rather strict - I would probably put down their attitude to the late hour of the flight, but they were polite and fairly efficient. 

Food on the first leg was decent, but I was too tired to eat the 1am meal. The spiced beef smelt good but I was just too tired to appreciate it. Their western breakfast was good, as was the lunch that was served on the Amman-Istanbul leg. I do like the fact that there was cheese served during every meal (we had two different Cheddars and a cream cheese on the different meals), although I do think they could take a leaf from other airlines and provide more water with the meal on their long haul flight. 

Just slightly before sunrise

Arrival in Queen Alia International Airport 

The last time I was in Jordan was when I was 8, and I can only vaguely remember majestic Petra. Our stopover unfortunately was only 5 hours and much too short to nip out for a quick trip. 

The airport itself is newly renovated and not too busy, with plenty of seating. It was mostly glass, with a focus on natural light which was beautiful when we first landed because of the sunrise - but it is desert land, so by 7am the sun was blinding at certain angles. 

 They have a standard amount of food options for a quick bite (most vendors take Jordanian Dinars or USD, but beware the atrocious rates at the airport money changers)! We had breakfast at Starbucks because we wanted to use our credit card. 

There is free wifi with decent speed and they have a charging station at both terminals, which was incredibly convenient (complete with cables)! There's also the Petra Lounge and the Crown Lounge which you can opt to pay for should you want a shower and a bit more comfort. 

That said there wasn't really too much else to do around asides from browsing their duty free shops. 

I'm not entirely sure I would fly Royal Jordanian again - I had taken it the other day because it was RM300 cheaper than the next airline option. The planes are probably a bit dated and could probably benefit from refurbishment, but the stopover airport is decent and the staff is rather efficient. 

It would probably come down to a cost effective exercise at the end of the day.

Travel: 24 Hours in Kyoto

On a holiday to Japan, I initially thought long and hard about visiting Kyoto, and eventually decided that I absolutely had to squeeze it into the itinerary. It is a bit of a rush, but it can be done. 

Kyoto is one of the Japan’s prefectures and also one of the best preserved cities in Japan. It was easy enough to get to – we hopped on a bullet train with our JR pass from Ueno, and the whole journey took roughly three hours from Tokyo. As with most of Japan, public transport is amazingly easy - definitely no problems waiting for buses or trains. 

From the train station, our first stop was actually the Fushimi Inari shrine, a Shinto shrine famous for its thousands of vermillion torii gates. These gates split off into multiple paths to Mount Inari, and denote the pathways up the mountain. The torii gates are actually donated by companies and individuals, and you can find the donator’s name and date of donation inscribed behind each gate. Inari is the Shinto god of rice, and foxes are thought to be her messengers. It’s a nice walk up, and it’s free! 

 

The torii gates of Fushimi Inari

The fox masks on the temple grounds

We then took a bus to the Golden Pavilion, a zen temple set within beautiful strolling grounds. We paid about 400Y for the entrance, which allowed access to the grounds. I was a little bit disappointed initially that we weren’t allowed to actually go into the temple, but it was actually a very beautiful serene scene, with the reflection of the golden temple unto the lake, and the stroll throughout the gardens did evoke a sense of peace that made the situation worthwhile. 

Kinkaku Ji, the Golden Pavilion

Our last stop of the day was actually Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, catching a train to Saga-Arashiyama. We ran across a bike rental and decided to rent bicycles to cycle through the bamboo forest and it was amazing; almost magical how the sunlight filtered through the bamboo groves. It was absolutely lovely to leisurely cycle down the path, and right at the end you would end up in the town of Saga-arashiyama itself, with these amazing views of the mountains and the dam.

 

Cycling through the bamboo forests

The river dam and the mountains of Saga-arashiyama. Too bad it was misty!

To be frank I was a bit surprised that we managed to cover so many things in Kyoto in a day – it can be done more leisurely, but because we only had an extra day at our disposal, we tried to fit in the places that we really wanted to see in a day trip, and it was absolutely worth it!

Travel

Travel: The Train Ride to Space Montevarchi

It was the first day of my solo leg of my trip, starting as I sent off my best friend to the airport. It was the first time I was travelling alone, and there’s something daunting about travelling alone in a new country – but a girl’s got to earn her stripes. 

With horrific weather and a few requests from people back home, I headed to the Prada outlet to fulfil a few obligatory requests. The best thing about travelling is the people you meet. 

As I was sitting on the train, the girl opposite me was this gorgeous, impeccably dressed lady who kept looking at herself in the window reflection. As we struck up a conversation, I discovered she was a Croatian who was currently interning at Prada with hopes of becoming a full fledged staff member at the end of the year. As it was, she was on the train on the way for a meeting. It was a dream she had been chasing since she discovered fashion in her teens and I wished her all the best in her pursuit. 

Finally disembarking the stop, I ended up at the sleepy town of Montevarchi and walked down to the taxi stand. I ended up chatting to two British girls who were buyers who would come to Rome for the latest fashions, and bring them back to London to sell or for inspiration for the company that they worked for. We realized we had been waiting for a cab for awhile – and it turned out the whole town was serviced by the one cab, and no one had seen it for awhile. In the end, one of the girls popped into the local pub and managed to talk someone into giving us a ride to the outlet. 

Travelling alone always opens you up to meeting new people, as long as you keep yourself open to the experience – and I find the stories you hear often make up the best part of your trip! 

For those travelling to the outlet, just grab a train from Santa Maria Novella and disembark at Montevarchi. It's a half hour journey, and a ten minute cab ride from the station which should set you back about EU12. Worth it if you like your Prada!

You can find Space at:

Via Levanella Becorpi | Localita Levanella, S.S. 69, Montevarchi, Italy