Travel Archives - Soul Full of Detours.

April 18, 2019April 18, 2019

Turkey (Part 1) – Istanbul: Centre Of The Earth!

Turkey was a bucket list country for me. Having always wanting to visit, I jumped on the cheapest deal I could find to Istanbul. The $60 USD for the visa did hurt my Canadian bank account a little but I would say worth it as it gives you 3 months in the country. During my 10 day visit to the country, I visited Istanbul and Cappadocia, and both of them didn’t disappoint.

Istanbul – Gem of Europe and Asia!

If you are visiting Turkey, you can’t miss this city. The infamous city of Turkey is a must see for everyone. I truly enjoyed being here as there is a lot to do, see and eat. A highly walkable city, you will always discover something new every day. I stayed in Istanbul for almost 2 weeks and I still don’t think I have done justice to the city.

Being a poor backpacker, I focused mostly on the food especially the sweets. Having born in the middle east (UAE), I have a special love for Arabic food, and Turkish food is similar to it; do not call the Turks, Arabs – I accidentally put them in the same sentence once and this Turkish girl wasn’t impressed – OOPS! Back to food, you go anywhere in Istanbul, you will come across many food vendors offering similar food in varying price tags. Some expensive, some cheap, but I assure you, you will find the best food that fits your budget.

What to do in Istanbul:

I honestly can’t summarize what to do in Istanbul, so I am just going to touch on the basics to-dos:

Key Attractions

Since there are so many attractions in Turkey, here are the key touristy ones to visit:

Hagia Sophia – One of the most well-known attractions in Istanbul, it is worth the visit just to look at it from the outside. I, unfortunately, couldn’t go inside because I was impatient to wait in the line for the tickets, and the line after that to get in. The tickets are around 35 lira I believe. However, try to go on a weekday as the museum gets busy. I was there during the off-season and it was still busy.

Blue Mosque – Equally as beautiful as the Hagia Sophia, the blue mosque is one of the most iconic structures in Istanbul. Free to enter, you just have to respect the prayer times; non-muslim tourists have a separate entrance. I can’t describe much about the inside as I skipped it, due to the same reason as Hagia Sophia – BIG LINE! But from what I have heard, it is magnificent.

Grand Bazaar – Shop your heart away in this colorful marketplace. Anything you want, you can get it here. From Turkish delights to spices and carpets and then some, you want it, you got it. It is quite touristy (duh) and the market place can be intense with literally no room to walk during busy days. Most items are fairly priced, but you can most likely get everything in the bazaar cheaper, outside of it.

Taksim Square – If you thought New York never slept, just visit Taksim square! From sweets, food and all your other shopping needs, Taksim Square got you cover. Taksim Square is also one of the main neighborhood of Istanbul.

Istanbul (Asia) – If you didn’t know this already, Istanbul is a city with its feet in both Asia and Europe. Much of the tourist attractions are on the European side but the Asian side is still worth the visit. To be honest, I didn’t do much here, because I didn’t spend as much time on this side.

Bridge Connecting Istanbul Europe & Istanbul Asia – Photo by Burak Karaduman from Pexels

Lot more to do and see, but if I were to list them, this blog is going to turn into a novel haha. If you are in Istanbul, especially for a short visit, these are the must-dos in my opinion. You can also walk around the city and I can 100% guarantee you will run into some kind of beautiful architecture, museum or scenic views.

EAT!

I would say this is (one) of the best thing you can do in Istanbul. With food starting at around 4 Lira ($1Cad), you can eat your heart out. Here is some food you should try:

Doner – The obvious choice and go-to cheap food for locals and tourist alike (4 – 20 lira)

Shawarma – I am still uncertain whether this is an Arabic food or Turkish food, but both ethnicities offer them, and they are equally good (and cheap) (10 – 25 lira)

Borek – Pastry with stuffed cheese, meat or spinach. You can get them anywhere along the Mediterranean and Balkan countries but so far I would say Turkey has the best Borek (8 – 10 lira)

Turkish Breakfast – A trip to Turkey is not complete without having a Turkish breakfast at least once. Bread, olives, Eggs, honey and cream spreading (Mhmm) and much more and some Cay (Chai) to wash them down (17 – 30 lira).

Kumpier – Baked potato with cheese, stuffed whatever you like (veggies, meat, etc) (20lira).

Turkish Delights – You can’t go to Turkey and not try some. Depending upon how much you get and from where it can be pricey especially the special ones (35 – 90 lira/ KG). Luckily a lot of the shops have free samples. I recommend walking around the Grand Bazaar and going into the different shops to “try before you buy;” my favorite thing to do 😀 #brokepeopleproblems.

Baklava – Again I have always thought these as Arabic sweets but the Turkish specializes in them as well. Baklava being my favorite sweets, you best believe I ate as much as possible (both samples and paid). In fact after doners, I spend the most money on Baklava. Again prices depends upon where you shop (70 – 100 lira).

Dondurma – The infamous sticky ice-cream, is your trip to Turkey even complete without trying one? I can range from 3 -15 Lira depending upon where you buy them. If you want to skip the fun antics by the ice-cream vendor, you can get it cheap. However, part of the charm is with the antics.

*I have limited pictures of the food because I was never patient enough to take a picture of the food before I consumed it!

Needless to say, I have barely scratched the surface of this city and I can assure you, I will be back! Istanbul is one of those cities that kind of pulls you back.

One of my favorite country up to date and I have barely explored this beautiful country. Delicious food, beautiful cities and friendly people – What more do you want? I recommend visiting this country at least once in your life. The Ottoman Empire doesn’t disappoint.

Maiden’s Tower – Sunset From Istanbul Asia.

March 27, 2019March 27, 2019

Singapore – Get Rich Or Die Eating!

Poor Man’s View Of The Infamous Hotel – Marina Bay Sands Hotel, Singapore.

Anything and everything I am about to say is not going to be surprising to anyone. Anyone, whether you have visited the city-country or not, you know it is expensive. Basically, everything you saw on “Crazy Rich Asians,” is true about this country.

As said earlier, Singapore is an expensive country – A rich men/women’s playground. If you have the money, there is so much to do, shop and eat. But the funny thing is, even if you don’t, you can still enjoy the country.

My Journey

As most of my readers know, I am a poor backpacker with a rich personality :D. Nonetheless, my amazing charms weren’t good enough to escape from the curse of opening up my wallet and swiping my credit card(s). But hear me out, I literally spent all my money on food. Hostels are pretty cheap (if you stay a little away from the city), but the food is absolutely cheap if you don’t mind skipping out on the fancy restaurants. One of the key things or attraction that Singapore is known for, other than their infamous hotel, are the hawker stalls. At the hawker stalls, you can get food pretty cheap and it will fill you up. For example, you can get a pretty decent meal for around $5 (CAD and SGD are on par). With food starting from $1, you really can’t go wrong with it.

Chinatown

The Singaporean China town is pretty well known, well for the usuals – cheap food and cheap souvenirs. This is also one of the key neighborhood with some infamous hawkers with our 200 stalls. In my opinion, nothing exciting to see here if you have been to most of SE Asia, but it is still a cool walk with so much amazing food.

Little India

On the other side is Little India. Again similar vibe to China town but the Indian version. The stalls here have mostly Indian/Pakistani food and they are quite cheap and delicious. Similar to China town, attraction wise, it is pretty limited especially if you have been to the temples and mosques in other parts of Asia.

Where should you be?

*It’ a lion, it’s a fish, its FION? LISH? – Merlion, Singapore*

In all fairness, Singapore was pretty reasonable if you want to stay within the budget. As mentioned earlier, you just have to avoid the expensive parts

Marina Bay Sands – This is the iconic hotel with the absolutely amazing infinity pool. Being a broke individual, I didn’t go inside but rather just enjoyed its beauty from outside. Talking to different people, I have heard that you will need to stay at the hotel to enjoy the infinity pool. However, another traveler told me that you just have to purchase a drink and you can head up there. Heads up! The cheapest drink is $30!
Garden By The Bay – Situated right next to the Hotel, this is another attraction worth checking out. The Garden itself is free, at least to explore most of it. However, to get into special spots/attractions of the Garden, you have to pay. There is also a light show every evening, unfortunately, I slept through it and missed it.
Merlion – I mean how often do you get to see a lion in a fish’s body (or a fish with a lion’s head?). Nonetheless, the half lion, half fish statue was a sight to see. However, when I was there, the fountain wasn’t working and they were renovating the stature. Heads up! SO MANY TOURISTS! Good luck getting that perfect selfie!
Singapore Botanic Gardens – I truly enjoyed walking in this FREE garden! Honestly, the garden being free was definitely a steal as it was a beautiful piece of greenery to enjoy in a city of beautiful skyscrapers.
Orchard Road – For all the shopping enthusiasts, head over to Orchard road! This is where you go if your bank account can handle it. From Gucci to Prada and everything in-between, you can find along this road. There are also multiple malls around here, with stores fit for the middle-class budgets as well.
Clarke Quay – Head over there for all your drinking and party needs. Filled with amazing (mostly expensive) restaurants, head to Clarke Quay during happy hour to make the best of your budget. Clarke Quay also boasts one of the top clubs in the world.

Final Verdict

Cool Sculpture In Singapore Botanical Garden.

It is a cool country to visit and obviously much better if you have a heavy purse. Nonetheless, head over to Singapore to enjoy the little things and to EAT. You don’t have to spend more than 3 days to fully explore the small country. There are a lot of things to do here, but a lot of them comes with a price tag. The trains and buses in Singapore are absolutely amazing and is well connected. Little expensive but better than the taxi.

One thing I didn’t like about the country was that I thought the people were mostly rude. I might have just been unlucky as I constantly ran into people that were rude to me. Except for my sister in law, she was just sassy lol.

Infinity Poor Where Ya At? – Marina Bay Sands Hotel

March 20, 2019March 20, 2019

Australia (Part 1) – Is it really expensive?

Is it really expensive? – Photo by rawpixel.com from Pexels

The answer to that question is a flat YES! Okay end of blog – BYE

In all seriousness, yes visiting Australia is an expensive feat and you can easily see the money slip through your wallets, simply because there is so much to see, do and eat. In regards to if Australia is [more] expensive – I don’t think so to be honest, but hear me out.

Minimum Wage

More Money? Better Freedom! – Rottnest Island

While I was planning to visit Australia, one of the key terms I kept hearing was “expensive;” everyone I talked to said it is an expensive country to visit. But after visiting the country I thought everything was fairly priced. You have to understand, the prices were created with the good ol’ Aussies in mind, and in that regards the prices were fair. This is one of the most well-payed countries in the world, with the minimum wage starting at around $20/hour; the prices make sense. I thought $15/hour in Alberta, Canada was awesome, but the entire country just beat Canada (one of the better-paying countries) in the minimum wage. So naturally, the cost of living is going to be expensive. Even then, comparing it to Canada, for the most part, it was similar or maybe a dollar or two more.

For example, a meal in a middle-class restaurant will cost you between $14 to $20, depending on what you get. You go to similar restaurants in Canada, it is about the same as well but add in the tax and tips, it is sometimes more than what you will end up paying in Australia. Of course, it is different from cities to cities and states/provinces to states/provinces. But having visited most of the major cities in Canada and Australia, and having lived in Toronto for a year, I can say that the prices are similar in Australia.

Comparison – Sydney, Toronto & Melbourne

To put things into perspective, I used the website www.numbeo.com to compare prices between Sydney and Toronto, two of the most expensive cities in the world. After the comparison, the results were that Sydney was slightly more expensive than Toronto! However, the minimum wage in Toronto is $14/hour and minimum wage in Sydney is $20 per hour, and the Australian dollar is only 5 cents weaker compared to the Canadian dollar. If I was comparing Melbourne instead of Sydney, it is much cheaper than Toronto, and Melbourne charts top 5 cities for quality of life every year, and it is one of the expensive cities in Australia.

Talking to some friends in Australia, I realized that during my time being employed, I was getting paid far less compared to the Aussies for a similar role. Even as a senior analyst at a marketing firm in Edmonton, I was making less or was on par compared to some of the ‘low paying’ jobs in Australia.

Parting Thoughts

Although I hope, as a nation Canada increases its minimum wage and follow its cousin, Canada is one of the best places to live in the world. The comparison between the two countries was simply because of my residence in Canada and due to having lived in one of the most expensive cities (Toronto) in the country and the world. The whole point of this article is to simply say that Australia is not as expensive as people make it out to be. It is on par with visiting any developed countries. Hostels, food, and adventures all have similar price tags.

EXCEPT for McDonald’s! McDonald’s is expensive in Australia, and I can’t wrap my head around it! 😀

February 13, 2019February 13, 2019

Bali (Part 2) – Island of The Gods, Nay, Tourists.

Okay, little harsh but that’s the feeling I got from visiting Bali. Does it mean that Bali doesn’t deserve a visit? Absolutely not! Personally, I prefer cities and countries with a good balance of tourists and locals. With Bali, I felt like the province is overrun with tourists with barely any locals in sight. From restaurants to night clubs, seems like a foreigner owns everything.

The Journey….

From Snow Storms To Tropical Green Fields – Edmonton to Bali

After leaving Edmonton, Canada on December 29, 2018, I met up with my friend on December 31, 2018, in Taipei – yes, we skipped an entire day. After the quick hugs and catch up, we went to our terminal excitedly awaiting our boarding call. We boarded the hello kitty flight (I am not kidding) and flew to Denpasar.

Around 5:30pm local time, we arrived at the Denpasar Airport, excited to get to our hostel to change and head out for the New Year’s Eve festivities. After a hard fought battle with many taxi drivers, we found one who was willing to take us to our hostel. Google said 20 minutes (without traffic), but it only took us 2 hours to get to our hostel, super quick! Finally, we arrived, got changed, went out to get some food (lets not talk about that nightmare). So with no food in our system, we rang in the New Years at Finn’s Night Club with Martin Solveig and couple of shots of tequila (seriously, who is counting).

New Year, New Me!

Woke up bright and early on January 1, 2019, at roughly 10:30 am (come on, we did good). Head to a vegan café – got to get that summer bod – and ordered some yummy goodness. Walked around a bit, explored the city, the beach and head back to the hostel for day 2 of the music festival – KHALID!!!!

Day 3 – two inexperienced people rent a scooter and goes on a road trip.

Yes, you read that right, we decided to go on a Road trip from Canggu to Ubud because according to Maps.me it was 20 minutes, it wasn’t….

Ended up in Ubud after an hour on the road, roamed around the city, visited a beautiful waterfall, and headed to back to our hostel; WE DIDN’T DIE! We weaved through the crazy Ubud traffic, narrow roads and survived.

Cities

Canggu:

I spend a majority of the time here, riding scooters, volunteering, eating some Mie Goreng and staying away from the sun (My Canadian body is used to -25). Canggu is a beautiful city. Overrun by tourists, but still little bit of everything for everyone. Beaches, night clubs, restaurants, this place was a great adventure. I recommend hitting up Finn’s Beach Club for really nice vibe – but watch out for the prices. The Tanah lot temple is 20 minutes away on a scooter (if you are brave), from Canggu city center.

Ubud:

Because heading to Ubud once wasn’t enough, my friend and I went there the second time but this time with two big backpacks because the first time wasn’t risky enough. Ubud was a lot calmer than Canggu, with lot of monkeys. The sacred monkey forest is a must if you visit Ubud, but be careful as although we got out with no scratches, I have heard horror stories from people regarding monkey bites. Goa Gajah temple was alright (one of the recommended tourist attraction) but definitely visit the Tegenungan Waterfall, and the Tegallalang Rice Terrace. Visit the rice terrace at sunrise, you won’t be disappointed.

Nusa Islands

Favourite part about my trip to Bali, was heading to these islands. They were beautiful and the people were amazing. Read more about the island here: https://soulfullofdetours.com/nusa-islands-lembongan-ceningan-penida/

Final thoughts:

Personally, I think the true feelings for Bali depends on each individual. I wasn’t a fan because of the huge sea of tourist and expensive prices (for a 3rd world country). Read more about the Bali expenses and tips here:
https://soulfullofdetours.com/bali-part-1-expensesandtips/

I think being one of the biggest tourist destination, it is worth a visit to check out the hype – the province does have its charms. But talking to some locals, they all recommended heading further east to the other provinces, where the lands are still more natural with less tourist exposure.

Happy traveling! Cheers 🙂

February 5, 2019February 6, 2019

Bali (Part 1) – Is It Really Cheap?

Reflection Of Money Leaving My Wallet – Accommodation, Food & Transportation

Bali being a province of one of the 3rd world countries, I expected it to be inexpensive. Bali was more expensive than I thought, especially comparing it to other 3rd world countries I have visited. In all fairness, food and accommodation were decently priced depending upon where you chose to stay and eat. However, transportation is the real culprit in this country. Hell, Australia is much cheaper (not really), but I felt that way.

Accommodations:

I would say the cheapest expense, for value, in Bali is probably the accommodations. With hostels starting from $6 CAD/ night, you can’t go wrong. If you have a little bigger budget, you can get a private Vila starting from $60 CAD/ night in Bali.

Food:

Probably the most inconsistent expense depending upon where you choose to eat. Food is one of those factors, no matter where you go, the pricing is going to be inconsistent. Average food cost in middle to medium-high restaurants are between $5 – $10 Canadian depending upon what you get; also add in the 10% tax and 5% service charge (could be higher at different places). These restaurants are likely owned by foreigners.

Your best bet for cheap food is to go to a Warung – local, tax-free, Indonesian family run restaurants. The food here cost between $1.50 to $5 depending upon where you go and what you eat. But watch out for some medium to high end restaurants advertising their restaurants as “Warung” too but the prices will be more expensive along with taxes compared to the actual Warungs!

A+ Pop Culture Reference – Didn’t Actually Eat Here.

Transportation:

Not Bali, But A True Reflection Of The Traffic – Photo From Pexels Stock Images, Shot By Suzukii Xingfu

Definitely the most expensive part of Bali! All the drivers are greedy here. Is it fair for me to judge them trying to out smart a foreigner, absolutely not, but as a backpacker on a budget, I am going to be that person. From the Denpasar airport to Canggu, based on the Go-Jek and Grab prices, it should have been around 75K IDR ($7.50), however, my friend and I had to spent around 250K IDR ($25) to get to our hostel in Canggu, and this was after negotiations.

Oh and public transportation is nonexistent in Bali!

Speaking of which, Go-Jek and Grab will be your friend in Bali; they are equal to Uber in Bali. Taxis can be tricky and expensive. Go-Jek is an Indonesian company, but Grab is an international company. But… WATCH OUT! Some drivers on these apps will contact you separately on WhatsApp or the ride share app’s messaging tool to ask for more money. For example, for one incident, the Go-Jek app quoted me 50K IDR ($5) for a trip, but the driver contacted me separately asking for 400K IDR ($40).

Boat/ferry trips are also expensive. To go to the islands, expect to spend about $50 CAD round trip for a 30-minute ferry ride. A 15-minute boat ride is around $6 CAD.

Tips To Survive Bali:

Best way to get around Bali is via a scooter. Scooter rentals are anywhere between $5-$7 per day and about $2 for a full tank of gas (unless you get lucky). Mind you, this can be dangerous as you weave through the hectic Bali traffic and narrow roads if you have no experience.

For Go-Jek, sign up with an Indonesian sim card ($7) and instead of paying cash, add some money to the app. Get a local or tourist with Indonesian bank account to add money to the account. I noticed that when you are paying through the app with an Indonesian cell number, the drivers automatically assume you are a local and don’t pester you for more money. If the drivers message you in Balinese, use Google translate and reply; trust me it helps with the expensive trips. Also, by using the app to pay, you save money as they discount the trips.

Bring currency from home and exchange it in Bali. US and Australian dollars are the most preferred currency followed by Pounds and Euros, but there are exchange centers that take all currencies as well. It is much cheaper than pulling out money from the ATM and paying the fees. The exchange rates are pretty good too except in the islands.

Pay hostels and restaurant with cash because they charge you extra transaction fees if you were to use your credit cards.

Bali Belly! Luckily I didn’t get one even after eating most of my meals from Warungs. Just be careful of the restaurants you decide to eat at. And DO NOT drink tap water.

Get travel insurance (I should be listening to this advice as well). Although I have been lucky enough to leave Bali without any issues, I have heard horror stories from fellow travelers. Consultation fee in one of the Balinese clinics is about $35.

Personally, I thought Bali is cheap if you are going down for a quick vacation. But if you are planning to head to Bali as a backpacker, it might not be the best place to start your backpacking trip. *Learn from my experience* 😀