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5 Travel Must-Haves for India

Filed under India, India tips & stays by Christine Ka'aloa on July 23, 2011 at 4:30 am {7 comments}

india flag pic
Reflecting on my recent 3 month trip to India, you might want to know what items were my travel gems and saviors. There certainly were things I thanked the heavens for either, having brought on my trip or having found in Indian stores, as they either made life easier or gave me much peace of mind.

5 Travel Must-Haves for a long-term trip to India:

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1. Water filters, sterilizers and hot water heating wands

Does India have safe and drinkable H2O? No (Read my post: here). Having battled waterborne bugs for having brushed my teeth with the water, I’d (more…)

Where to lay your head in budget India?

Filed under India, India tips & stays by Christine Ka'aloa on May 29, 2011 at 5:09 pm {13 comments}

places to stay in gokarna

I’ll be honest– finding a place to crash is one of my ugh parts of traveling solo in India. It’s literally draining.

Budget cradles here spell the need for an open-mind, with a crowbar of willpower and let’s face it– India is not as cheap as it was and your room doesn’t always match the higher rupee you’re paying!

I’m not saying that there’s no decent cribs in India; but as a solo female backpacker on extended travel, I’m hunting for a way to make my rupee stretch, without compromising decent, safe and clean (forget chic!). If I’m too cheap, I might find myself in the gut of a basement afraid to touch anything in my room; something a little pricier might be better, but I’m still not in my skin. Why? Obviously, the rules of the game and standards of house-keeping are different here.

Here’s two examples:

Blankets

Do you really think the blankets and throws on the bed get a wash each time a person leaves? (I don’t even use the throws on (more…)

Taking Photos in Developing Countries & Mailing Them

Filed under GRRR Inspirations, India by Christine Ka'aloa on May 12, 2011 at 7:33 am {3 comments}

What photos have the most meaning for you and does having your picture taken, have meaning for you?

I was wandering through the town when a moustached Indian gent recognized the camera strapped around my neck. He wanted me to take a picture of him in front of the town’s central bathing ghat, so I did.

He wasn’t a local resident of this town but made a special pilgrimage to visit and pay his devotion to the temple.

“Very handsome. You have very strong eyes.” I said, showing him his picture, watching his stern face transform into a smile. Seeing people’s’ faces light up, when they see their faces on the camera viewfinder gives me such a kick!

“Strong”, he repeated with pride.
He called the rest of his tribe to get their photos taken too. Before I knew it, I had become the family portrait photographer. (more…)

Surviving the overnight seater train to Laos

Filed under Laos, Laos tips & stays by Christine Ka'aloa on March 28, 2011 at 5:37 am {12 comments}

Taking the overland train from Bangkok to Nong Khai (to Laos)

Sometimes life throws you a condition that isn’t satisfactory or even palatable. Let’s say you’re crossing overland from Thailand to Laos (via Nong Khai), you got the last seat on an overnight train and it’s a seater! Should you be worried?…

Well, you show up as scheduled to find your train isn’t a luxury Thai sleeper train but is god-awful noisy, seats munchkin-sized passengers, it’s an 11 hour ride and the AC is sending you into hypothermia. This is the worst ride of your life! What do you do?

… Whatever you can.

I thought I could learn to live with temporarily uncomfortable situations– I thought wrong.

We all go through moments of personal horrors stories. Not every travel condition is ideal…

When I boarded my car, my jaw nearly fell. I flashed back to the moment when the station guy at the ticket counter told me I was getting the last seat on the train.

Did I buy third class seats?!

No AC but a fan blowing warm air and narrow, miniature bench seats. For a full car, I didn’t know how my bags would fit.

The “princess” in me panicked.

Third class. Iffy.

(more…)

7 Ways to See Bangkok (and love it!)

Filed under Bangkok, Thailand tips & stays by Christine Ka'aloa on March 19, 2011 at 5:15 pm {6 comments}

Motorbike taxis are popular with locals as a cheap and quick way to zig-zag in and out of traffic. Watch the Thai as they ride side-saddle; they’re real pros at this!

One of the biggest things I love about Bangkok? It’s never boring. Each day in this Thai capital presents a stunning visual array of sights and activities to keep cameras clicking and wallets opening for budget vacation splurges. From proudly historical to dilapidated, devoutly traditional to contemporary, the city’s changing urban faces can appear confused as to the direction it leans. That doesn’t matter. Hop a flight to Bangkok and watch your tourist itinerary grow into “101 Things to See“!

Here’s 7 Top things to do and see in Bangkok:

(more…)

Written by Christine Ka'aloa * Korea tips & stays

Top 7 Things to Do in Seoul

For a weekend traveler living in Korea, Seoul makes my blood race. Sometimes there’s an ongoing list of things of events taking place or sometimes, I just have to create my own ways of having fun.

March 9, 2011 12

Written by Christine Ka'aloa Glam Around the World

Getting my hair done at the Korean beauty salon

Koreans are the best dressed and groomed people in the world. Without a doubt.

A high maintenance looks-oriented society, you’ll find the men, women, teens and toddlers are all stylish, made up, manicured… not a hair out of place. Here, plastic surgery is as common as going to the dentist. Clothes shopping is a popular pasttime for men and women, alike. Guys are tailored to look like like K-pop stars, as women wear short skirts and balance on stilted toothpicks. Toddlers get perms and manicures and children are dressed as if they came out of fashion pages.

January 21, 2011 33

Written by Christine Ka'aloa Jeju Island

Solo Jeju: Riding a Scooter around Udo Island

Udo Island is exactly what I thought Jeju should be– a small island swaying with a warm and tranquil vibe, the crisp mixed scent of island farming and seaweed, black rock beaches and gentle livestock grazing alongside small country roads. Best of all, it could be done solo and by scooter! But did I know this beforehand? No.

After a 3 hour bus ride, I arrived at Udo Island via ferry at around 4:10P…the last ferry leaving Udo Island was at 5:30P. Call me foolhardy but if I spend hours on a bus just to get to a location, I’ll be damned if I leave without seeing it! So there I was with a little over an hour to explore the island.

November 20, 2010 11

Written by Christine Ka'aloa Korea

Top 10 Tips for Driving in Korea

Driving on the Korean highways isn’t an Evil Knievel feat. While I hear driving in Seoul can be pretty crazy and that Korean drivers can occasionally be a bit speed crazy, compared to countries I’ve been to recently, driving on the Korean highway is nowhere nearly as daunting. Drivers aren’t overtaking each other by hopping into oncoming traffic lanes nor do Korean highways accommodate bicycles, pedicabs or cows! In fact, if you’ve ever driven in New York City, this should be a relative breeze. However, there are things about the Korean roads (and gps devices) that you may want to know about…

On a recent weekend road trip from Daegu to Seoraksan (a 5-6 hour drive), these are some things I learned.