The GRRR | GRRRL TRAVELER

Is being a female solo traveler easy? …Not!

Filed under Inspiration, SOLO TRAVEL by Christine Ka'aloa on May 14, 2012 at 8:00 am {19 comments}

: Is going Solo easy for women? (Ladakh, India)

You are very brave. I could never do what you do– traveling on your own…

[ HAhhh, here we go again… ]

How do you do it?

[ Well, you think this is a vacation? ]

No, I need to go with my husband. He always arranges and schedules things. I wouldn’t know what to do if I had to travel on my own…

[ Honey, you'd be surprised what you can do on your own if you had to or really wanted to. ]

If I didn’t have my husband, I wouldn’t go anywhere.

[ ...or, you could choose that option too. ]

Shweta was an intelligent and forward Indian wife and university professor in her 30′s, vacationing with her husband in Ladakh, India. We were sharing a truck through the icy slopes of Nubra Valley and I was being bombarded with the questions that many females ask about solo travel, when they’re standing on the opposite side of it. As Shweta listened to my answers, her eyes drew a hallowed (more…)

Are you a street-smart traveler or just travel-jaded?

Filed under Cambodia, I Survived! by Christine Ka'aloa on April 30, 2012 at 6:04 am {26 comments}

: Streetwise or travel-jaded?

Street wise.

Been-there and done-that.

Old hat.

After traveling in Asia over the course of a year, there were two things I felt I had become proficient at: haggling and avoiding scams.

If I sensed a scam, my windows rolled up and my auto pilot kicked into a prickly cold shoulder with a ‘Don’t fuck with me‘ attitude. In a negotiating situation, I’d never trust the first price up front. Assuming the dealer was trying to score a few extra bucks, due to the “tourist” sign blazing on my head, I’d shoot for lower or walk away… and keep walking.

Did I forget how to have fun at these times? Maybe so. But as a solo female traveler looking out for my own back, I’d learned to cultivate street smarts.

Then again, maybe you’d call me …travel- jaded. (more…)

Why should you be a ‘Yes’ Wo/man?

Filed under Features Slide, Inspiration by Christine Ka'aloa on March 4, 2012 at 7:43 pm {19 comments}

: Jim Carrey’s film Yes Man

It’s scary when life imitates art.

… Even scarier when you find yourself copying something off of a Jim Carrey film and it actually works!

The Yes Man was a film with a simple concept. Take an average guy with a dull life and have him promise to spice up his lifestyle. The catch? He must say “Yes” to every opportunity, invitation, request,… Everything.

As far as films go, I’ll be honest- it limps along. But as a proverb to live by, it’s genius!

Almost three years ago, I thought that my work life in the entertainment industry was so exciting, that I didn’t need a social life. But then my work slowed and when it did, my social life took the hit, just as hard as if I had tied a noose around it. It was sad and just plain… pathetic.

So I secretly took up a quest to be a Yes Wo/man.

(more…)

Surviving a university job interview in Korea

Filed under Daegu, GAP YEAR TRAVEL by Christine Ka'aloa on February 6, 2012 at 1:46 am {24 comments}

: Working at a Korean university?

A few of weeks ago, when I tweeted I was undergoing a job interview in Korea, I got a response from Dave of The Longest Way Home about doing a post on ‘Surviving a job interview in Korea’.

At first, I laughed at the idea and then later, I thought…well, why not?

“K******** University wants you to contact them ASAP about a job position. Please call them; they are a very good university.”

That was the message I got from Eun-Hyung, my Korean co-teacher, last April in India. It was a university job I had applied for long before I left Korea. The position started March 1st and it was for a full-time lecturer in the Media Arts department, teaching Video and Animation. At (more…)

Fear and Diving: Overcoming Age and Solo Birthdays on the road.

Filed under Great Outdoors, I Survived! by Christine Ka'aloa on January 13, 2012 at 12:07 pm {13 comments}

The water was flooding panic into my goggles and stinging my eyes. I blew out sharply to clear my mask.

We were pulling ourselves down by the anchor rope, descending to the ocean floor. I was at the head of the group and the second in line. Going back up was not an option.

Was there a leak in my mask?

(more…)

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.

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Long-term solo travel and three mistakes I wish I avoided

Filed under Features Slide, Interviews by Christine Ka'aloa on November 16, 2011 at 1:40 am {27 comments}

Long-term solo travel. I wouldn’t call it easy. Being homeless and living on the road is hard work!

By my sixth month, my travel enthusiasm began fluctuating. I was still thrilled by the unending travel adventure I was living; but also, starting to feel run down from shouldering the constant responsibility of it.

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Atrocities of Tourism: 6 annoying habits of tourists

Filed under Interesting People, Volunteering & Social Impact by Christine Ka'aloa on November 9, 2011 at 6:04 am {24 comments}

No matter how much you’d like to selfishly keep good places from changing, development in the name of progress is inevitable. With growth and the popularizing of travel comes the stampede of crowded tourist buses, over-worn backpacker routes, souvenir shops clamoring for the sell and then comes the irritating habits of tourists…

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Love Letters #16-25: Where have I been in the past 7 months?

Filed under Cambodia, India by Christine Ka'aloa on September 29, 2011 at 12:04 am {3 comments}

I’ve cheated you, my dear readers. I haven’t been good at taking you with me on my travels. Sorry. So here’s an update on my travels: Where have I been after India? Without giving away all my stories just yet, here’s a summary of highlights and places I’ve been to.