DESTINATIONS | GRRRL TRAVELER

Getting a PADI certification in Thailand

Filed under Great Outdoors, Learn / Certification Abroad by Christine Ka'aloa on January 6, 2012 at 8:55 am {19 comments}

Word on the street is that you’ll get the best scuba diving deals in Southeast Asia.

I spent two hours on Khao San Road in Bangkok, bouncing from agent to agent, searching for a diving package to ring in my first solo birthday on the road . Finally, my four-day PADI open water diving certification program was booked at a jaw-dropping low price . Travel gossip didn’t lie.

I’m not lucky enough to be one of those travel bloggers to score sponsored press trips nor am an ingenue haggler, but I don’t scold myself. I make up for it by being a queen hunter of basement bargains and cheap day tours of reasonably good quality!

What did my package include? Round trip transportation to the island of Ko Tao, a 4-night resort stay and 4 days of licensed training, confined water (more…)

What I learned about Fez and Moroccan culture

Filed under Morocco by Christine Ka'aloa on January 4, 2012 at 1:35 pm {4 comments}

: Coffee or tea?

Just to continue from my last post, I thought I’d share some of the things I learned about Moroccan culture. They’re really random facts I picked up from my guide at the time and it’s helped shape my appreciation for the culture and lifestyle.

9 fun things I learned about Moroccan culture

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Photo Essay: Travel Memoirs & the 10 Great Wonders of Fez

Filed under Morocco, Photo Essays by Christine Ka'aloa on December 31, 2011 at 1:36 am {12 comments}

: Fez‘s Local Markets

In lieu of the New Year, I’m reflecting on the “travel steps” that led me to be the traveler I am today.

Looking back at photos, I was reminiscing about a past trip to Morocco. It was my first “developing country”. Reading Paul Bowles‘ autobiography, this trip incited my thirst and curiosity for adventures, which lay beyond western borders. The thirst kept growing, because…

There’s a secret to Morocco and I’m convinced it speaks through its spices! From scented oils, city-wide prayer calls and intricate Arabic/Berber craft (more…)

World’s Worst Toilet: Trekker’s Homestay Bathroom, Thailand

Filed under Great Outdoors, Photo Essays by Christine Ka'aloa on December 28, 2011 at 2:33 pm {6 comments}

A three-day trek in the mountains of Chiang Mai, Thailand? Loved it. A rugged and intense workout, it made me feel like I really earned those landscape gems of perfect waterfalls, manicured paddy fields and quaint mountain villages.

By now, a porcelain bowl in the ground and a bucket of water to flush isn’t so shocking to me. My odds of hitting my shoe when I squirt are 80 out of 100. Yay! I’m getting pretty professional.

A village home stay with an outhouse isn’t horrible in the light of day. But at night with no light? That’s a different story… (more…)

World’s Worst Toilet: Thai Train

Filed under Thailand, World's Worst Toilets by Christine Ka'aloa on December 25, 2011 at 2:18 pm {13 comments}

: Train from Hat Yai to Bangkok

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I have to admit, I love the Thai train! Compared to India, the bathrooms aren’t nearly as scary. However, I don’t like train bathrooms in general. It’s not about off-putting appearances as it is horrific smells. As clean as the Thai try to be, there’s almost always a tinge of smell or drips of urine lingering from the after effects of sudden jerks, shakes and rattling stops.

Nonetheless, there’s two things I admire Thai trains for… (more…)

10 Fun Ways to Get to Know Bangkok

Filed under Bangkok, Photo Essays by Christine Ka'aloa on December 23, 2011 at 9:19 am {3 comments}

In Bangkok, all roads may not lead to Rome, but you’ll have many ways to get there.

One of my favorite things about Bangkok is its transportation. Skytrain, city bus, taxi, motorbike taxi, ferry boat,… each presents a unique way for getting around the city, while also presenting angles of Bangkok life.

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White Sheets Review: 3 Bangkok boutique hostels to rest your Baht.

Filed under Accommodations, Bangkok by Christine Ka'aloa on December 19, 2011 at 3:43 pm {3 comments}

Does your hotel stay shape your love of a place? Sometimes for me, it does. From bungalows, boutique hotels, guesthouse resorts and overnight trains… in Thailand you can experience a gamut of ways to lay your head or rest on your laurels. Thailand inspires a wealth of wanderlust, affordable tour packages and unique accommodations that budget travelers won’t have to cringe about.

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Two-headed babies? Bangkok’s dark side & its museum of the macabre

Filed under Bangkok, Off-beat, Weird... Reality! by Christine Ka'aloa on December 13, 2011 at 3:04 pm {16 comments}

What does Bangkok inspire for you? For me, it’s generally floating markets, monstrously serene Buddhas, assorted hawker food carts of delectable cuisine and throngs of smiling Thai. I don’t exactly think of two-headed cyclops babies, the corpses of infamous murderers and a display case of unusually, large human testicles.

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My narrow escape from Bangkok’s Ping-pong sex show scams

Filed under Bangkok, Features Slide by Christine Ka'aloa on December 9, 2011 at 11:24 am {37 comments}

200 baht, 200 baht! I give you deal. Buy one drink and you see all the acts! You not get this kind price from anyone else.
The skinny Thai man quoted, whipping out a standard laminated menu: 1. Pussy shoots ping pong,…