You never imagine it can happen this close to home – or let’s say home.

Although I live fulltime in New Zealand, Belgium is still my home. Belgium is the place where all my friends and family live. Luckily none of them got hurt during the explosions on 22nd of March, but 32 other people were less lucky and died.  And I didn’t start yet about the hundreds who got wounded.

It is horrible. After all these attacks I hear more and more people talking about cancelling their trips to Europe, or to Turkey or Egypt (it’s a long list). And that’s horrible too.

Should we let terrorists dictate our life?

No.

To all the scared parents out there who aren’t happy to see their kids travelling to ‘dangerous’ countries: Instead of being afraid, be proud of the strong individuals they’ve become. Individuals who aren’t afraid of being out there, of facing the world.

I know, we all know, it happens, terrorist attacks. We hear horrible stories in the media, people being killed, families ripped apart, but always remember: the vast majority of the people have a good heart and are more than happy to welcome you into their country.

Countries where there have been attacks see a big decline in tourism, while it is mostly those countries who needs tourists the most. So don’t cancel your trips.

Don’t let the terrorists win. Don’t let them decide what you do. Where you go or don’t go. That moment we let fear control our decisions is the moment that the terrorists win in destroying what little hope remains in our world.

Some numbers might help

If you aren’t convinced yet, let me talk to your rational side. The chance to die in a terrorist attack is negligible. You don’t have to believe me, but believe the numbers.

Drowning in a Bathtub: 1 in 685,000
Dying from a Heart Disease: 1 in 5
Being Murdered: 1 in 18,000
Dying from a Car Accident: 1 in 18,585
Dying from Choking on Food: 1 in 370,035
Being Struck by Lightning: 1 in 576,000
Dying from a Cancer: 1 in 7
Dying from a terrorist attack: 1 in 9,300,000

You are 14 times more likely to die in your bathtub than in a terrorist attack! Does that mean you should stop taking baths? In my case it is probably even higher, because I dare to fall asleep while bathing. But I still love taking baths! And I still love to travel, although the world ‘gets more and more dangerous’.

In two months I will be flying to Belgium. And I can’t wait to go. Not a single cell in my body is afraid. I want to be there to be with my friends and family and I will visit Brussels to see, feel and support my country.

Kia kaha, kia toa

In the Maori language Te Reo they have a beautiful expression for difficult times: Kia kaha, kia toa. Stand tall, stand strong. We need to remember to stay strong, even after such a horrible event. We need to stay ourselves, be strong and especially can’t allow those terrorists to get to us.

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Whenever I take a big trip and I have a stop in Singapore I do a little happy dance. It makes travelling, which is exhausting, a bit nicer.  Singapore Airport is thé spot for me to rest and refuel for the rest of my trip.

So that’s what I did last time. I arrived at 6 in the morning and was flying out that evening. Although I love the airport, I wasn’t keen to spending an entire day inside. Perfect moment to scout Singapore city. But the energy that was left in me, was not enough to conquer Singapore. After 2 hours of necessary napping I enjoyed the leg massage chairs and then I was ready for Singapore!

My first reaction when leaving the airport: it is SO CLEAN!

Because I only had an afternoon and I didn’t want to risk missing my ongoing flight, I only visited one area in the city: Marina Bay and Gardens by the Bay. A quite famous spot and easy accessible from the airport. You jump on a train and a bit later you’re there.

Gardens by the Bay are in line with the view of the government. They want to make Singapore a garden city. They want the people to have a feeling of living in a city in a garden. I like that! The more green the better! And with these gardens they show they aren’t shy to go all the way. Gardens by the Bay is a park of 101 hectare big. It’s great to have a walk around, rest and read a book on a bench or have a lunch in the big fancy mall next door. The complex has huge super-trees-structures, nice paths and plants from around the world. You can get lost for hours.

I can also recommend a coffee, lunch or walk at Marina Bay Sands, it is a high end mall close to the Gardens by the Bay. After all the heath I welcomed the airconditioning with a smile on my face.

The mall is a bit fancy, with nice shops (think Louis Vuitton) and even gondolas on the water… Yep, there is a little ‘river’ floating at the bottom of the mall. Very interesting as I said!

Unfortunately I was only one day in Singapore, but I found the city so interesting. The little bit I saw triggered me enough to come back. Next time I’ll have to plan a couple of days in the city in stead of a stopover!

Can you recommend me some nice spots in Singapore? Do you like Singapore? And what about the airport?

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1. To be amazed by the endless green tea plantations

2. You befriend monkeys

3. and oh yeah, elephants

4. To find the most photogenic people on the flower market in Calcutta

5. To finally get your hands covered with Henna

6. To feel like in a Wes Anderson movie on the Darjeeling Mail

7. To travel on an old school Royal Enfield

8. To feel really really popular

9. To admire the mountains

10. and lakes

11. and ride lost roads

12. To meet other cultures

13. and participate in those cultures

14. To realise traffic at home isn’t that bad at all

15. To see more colours than you’ve ever seen

16. To cruise on a houseboat with a pool

17. and wake up to dreamy sunrises

and of course the FOOD! So there’s only one thing left to do: book those plane tickets and go!

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At least that’s what I thought.

Yes, the luxury resorts have horrendous prices, but you’re not obliged to go there. The Maldives can be done on a budget.

Six years ago guesthouses started popping up, due to a change in regulations. For the first time tourists were allowed to stay among the local population, rather than just on privately owned resort islands. But many budget travellers still don’t know this is possible.

How can I save money?

1. Cheap accommodation: cheap is relative in this case. You won’t find rooms or dorms for 10 dollars. Guesthouses range from 30 to 60 dollars for a double room, which is still way cheaper than the over-expensive resorts. We found good deals on Agoda and booking.com. Try to book in advance, you’ll be surprised by the online discounts (they can go up to 50%). Another option is AirBnb. Unfortunately camping is not allowed.

2. Food: the food is good and cheap. On the more touristy islands (like Maafushi) you have a larger offer, with prices from 5 to 10 dollars. Try for sure Mas Huni, it is the typical Maldivian breakfast. Delicious!

3. Ferries: going from one island to another? Choose the ferry. It is cheap (2-5 dollars) and an experience. It is very basic, you won’t find comfy chairs or many tourists on them. It is slow (we spent 6 hours on it one time), but it is still way cheaper than the speed boats. Those will cost you more than 60 dollars a head for a 20 minute ride. So take your book out, relax and you’ll be fine!

4. Activities: activities can be expensive. Especially if you like diving – the Maldives are a perfect spot. One dive is 50 to 80 dollars. But there are possibilities. I was lucky to have friends who know the art of negotiating. We managed to make a deal on Maafushi for 20 dollars a dive. We guaranteed him we would do at least 10 dives and we were with a group of 5. He wanted customers, so he accepted. It all happened in a friendly manner. Don’t be afraid to negotiate! It will pay off.

Also check with your guesthouse for excursions. They know the island the best and can recommend stuff. Compare the prices of some guesthouses and then choose the one you prefer. It’s perfectly fine to do an excursion with another guesthouse. Most guesthouses have as well fins and goggles, so you can always snorkel by yourself on the island.

There are 1,190 island in the Maldives. 192 are inhabited. Those islands are very small, you can cover them in 20 minutes. None of the streets are paved (which is charming) and there are no ATM’s. Make sure you withdraw enough money on arrival in the country. If you plan to go island hopping and don’t want go back to Malé, make a good estimation of the money you’ll spend. We also had a problem with our credit card. Our VisaCard was not accepted, MasterCard was though.

Muslim country

The Maldives are a great holiday destination, but it still is a muslim country. Meaning there are some rules you have to obey. On arrival in the country you sign a paper that you won’t bring pork, porn, religious symbols or alcohol into the country. Alcohol is forbidden on the local islands. You’ll only find it in resorts or on ‘Safari Boats’. The latter is a boat close to a local island, where you can have a drink. They are rare, but if you’re lucky you can jump on a boat to go to the Safari Boat. Quite some effort for a beer, but you get nice views on the sunset as well.

The no-alcohol-policy made it an interesting New Years Eve. A NYE without alcohol? No way. Not even a bottle of bubbles? The day before NYE a waiter approached us secretive and asked if we would like to buy some alcohol. A friend of him would bring it with a boat. Our eyes lit up and we had a fun NYE ahead. The day itself the waiter was nowhere to be found. After a couple of hours he shows up with guilty eyes. In his poor English he said: “My friend drink it all…”. So that was it. No alcohol for us. Well, we sucked it up, put on our party shoes and had fun. My first NYE without a sip of alcohol. A great memory.

In muslim countries it is also not allowed to show too much skin. This is the same on the Maldives. In the resorts you can do whatever you want, but on the local islands you have to wear respectful clothes. Meaning, you can’t run around in your bikini. Even on the beach. On the popular islands (like Maafushi) there are bikini beaches. You are sheltered from the locals and they are sheltered from your ‘nudity’.

Because independent and budget travel to the Maldives is still new, there isn’t an overload of information online. I did a lot of research and figured the rest out on the spot. For those who are going to the Maldives, I hope I was able to give some tips. For those who thought the Maldives were too fancy to end up on their travel list: Think again!

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When planning where to go in the world, I mostly let my gut feeling decide. If I hear mind blowing stories about a country, it will probably end up on my list. To be honest, India was not on my list. So many countries where I wanted to go and India wasn’t one of them.

But then came that email, an invitation of my high school girlfriend. She announced that she’s marrying her Indian boyfriend, first in Belgium and then in India. I smiled when I got the invitation, I knew immediately what was going to happen. I’m going to INDIA. At that moment I was in Australia and India was not in my ‘schedule’, I had to figure some stuff out, but when you have an opportunity like that, you grab it with both hands.

Trying to get as much out of my India trip as possible, my boyfriend and I planned an unforgettable motorbike trip before the wedding (more about that here: Monkey, elephants and a Royal Enfield). But we couldn’t get the wedding out of our heads.

Feeling like a movie star

The wedding was intense, two days of celebration, usually three, but the stars weren’t in the right position. So we had to be happy with two – which we were of course. It was an incredible, unforgettable and exhausting experience. Amazing, but so different than any European wedding.

First of all: everyone talks. The whole time. In Belgium we sit still and listen polite to what’s happening in front of the room/church, all the eyes on the bride and groom. In India it is the total opposite. A wedding is a perfect chance to reconnect with family and friends they haven’t seen in a while. And they don’t wait to catch up until after the (long) ceremony. So when someone is doing a ritual in Sanskrit in the front, they eat, walk in and out and talk. The dad of the groom even the loudest.

I also loved the rituals during the ceremony. It looks like one big, impressive play. The groom arrives at the house and has to ‘buy’ his wife-to-be from her sister – which was a funny situation, because the groom wasn’t prepared for this and had a mix of dollars, rupees and euros worth only 35 dollars in his pocket. Not enough for the sis of course Then he walks inside, with all the guests in his footsteps. Halfway during the ceremony the bride arrives in the room with leafs in front of her eyes, she has to walk a couple of times around her husband-to-be and can only then reveal her eyes.

From the beginning ’til end there are 2 video cameras and 3 photographers recording everything. I felt like on the set of a movie. Being with only 10 European people, we caught some attention too. For example: when we did the first steps on the dance floor, a second later the 2 camera’s and photographers were shooting it.

Related to that I had an awkward, funny moment during the ceremony. The groom and the dad of the bride were sitting in front with the priest and saying ritual verses to each other. Suddenly one of the photographers says to me: “you, you, go there, between them!” I had to go into the spotlights, crawl awkwardly behind them, sit on my knees and smile. Definitely my weirdest photo-bomb ever.

The traditional clothing, the fresh flowers, the colors, the henna and the sweet people made sure this wedding left quite an impression. I enjoyed it so much. Because it was so different than anything I’ve seen before, because I had a unique glimpse in an interesting and warm culture and because I saw the intense happiness on my friends’ face.

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I can’t believe how fast time flies. One year and a half ago I quit my job to travel. Bye vtm– newsroom, bye family and friends and bye good life. I’m ready for an even better life. Looking back on all those things I’ve done I get a warm fuzzy feeling inside. I challenged myself to go travelling alone, I met great people, did crazy stuff and saw beautiful things. Of course there are lonely and sad moments, but after a while you’re not afraid of those anymore and they only make you stronger.

One year and a half equals Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, France, Italy, India, Maldives and Singapore.

TOP 7 MOMENTS
I want to share the best moments of this last year and a half. Those moments where everything feels right. But when I start making a list I end up with 23 moments. These seven made the list:

1. Bumping into wild elephants

Sitting on the motorbike in India, driving through beautiful nature, holding my boyfriend tight and seeing a wild elephant crossing the road. On top of that we see a few minutes later some other elephants chilling along the road. I realized that moment that life was spoiling us.

2. Being part of an Indian wedding

My high school friend Heleen married her Indian fiancé in Calcutta. What an experience! The colors, the people, the atmosphere! A blogpost about that wedding is coming soon!

3. Diving with sharks in the Maldives. My first time ever I saw sharks while diving. Trust me, you feel very much alive at that moment!

4. Screaming on the highest swing in the world

For the wimps that don’t dare to bungee jump – like me – there is the’Nevis Swing’, the biggest in the world. You are hanging 160 meters above the canyon floor when they suddenly let you go. Be prepared for a free fall of 70 meters and to go 120km/p/h. Go and have a look at the site and see what you think of it.

5. A day scootering around Pai, Thailand

You know those perfect days? Everything goes smooth, you do nice things and you realize how much you are enjoying life. I had one of those days in Pai, Thailand. Some friends and I decided to rent scooters and go away for the day. We went to a huge Buddha-monument, jumped into hidden waterfalls, checked out a canyon and tried to boil eggs above a really hot hot spring. And in between we enjoyed the combination of warm sun and a breeze on the scooter.

6. Stumbling upon a lost place in Italy

During the Italy-motorbike trip with my boyfriend we stumbled upon a restaurant in the middle of nowhere between the mountains. We couldn’t believe our eyes. An old Italian guy cooking some meat skewers above a bbq. That with some good cheese and a beer made the perfect motorbike break!

7. Camping in the van next to Lake Pukaki

Sun, food, good company and Mount Cook proud in the background. And the stars at night aren’t bad either.

What now?

This trip was definitely a good decision for me. I had the urge for so long and I’m happy I did it. I guess I’ll never loose the the love for travel. But now it is time for my next challenge. And that will be in New Zealand (so that’s also still a bit of travelling, right?)

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Well, as you can guess, the city surprised me. Ok, it is busy and so big, but it is also really diverse. No matter what you prefer, there’s something for everyone.

What I loved was the area around College Street, where they sell books, books and books. Me and my friends felt like kids in a toy shop.
When you’ve read enough book covers and bought half of them, go relax in the Indian Coffee House, a place where Indian academics often gather and people like to enjoy a good coffee.

Another must is the flower market. I heard good things about it from a friend that lived for years in Calcutta. He advised us to get up early and wander around.

My first 3 seconds on the flower market I was a bit disappointed. I saw a lot of garbage in an unorganized dodgy-looking area. But then I started to see the flowers popping up. The most colourful flowers I’ve ever seen all gathered together. Walking around and seeing and smelling all those flowers is an incredible feeling. On top, the people are so nice. A couple of men gave me roses, another seller put a flower in my hair and I played a bit around with some kids.

Unfortunately our time in Calcutta was limited, because we were going to the wedding of my high school girlfriend Heleen. But we managed to fit in the Kali temple, the Marble Palace and a rooftop bar as well. The Kali temple is the busiest temple I’ve seen so far. You literally have to push and fight to bring your offerings and pray to the gods. For us it was a bit overwhelming, but for sure an experience to never forget. Be aware, in one of the corners they sacrifice goats.

After seeing those poor goats, you probably need a good cocktail. The place to go: Lindsay hotel. It has a classy and laid back rooftop bar and restaurant. Some cocktails, a shisha, and you’re all relaxed, with a nice view on the city. And if you have some time left in Calcutta, go for a visit to Marble Palace, a white marble big mansion.

I hope some of my activities already appeal to you! If you have the chance, go to Calcutta! Do keep in mind: the traffic is the worst and there is still quite some garbage around.

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It’s been a week and a half since we stopped biking. In the mean time I welcomed two girlfriends to India. One of them Marijs, who shares her stories as well, on her blog Rooftop Antics! We already took two cooking lessons, spent the night on a houseboat in Allepey, did an Ayurveda massage and went to the beach in Kovalam. A nice place with a lovely beach, but a bit too touristy for my taste.

I truly enjoyed the relaxation after our bike trip. As written in my previous post, the trip was unforgettable, but also intense. Especially with that crazy traffic.

I wonder what people learn in driving school. Probably to honk, triple pass and drive on the other lane. Yes, they do it all… and very convincing.

Aside of the scary moments on the road, I definitely recommend renting a motorbike in India. You will see so much more than with the regular way of travelling. But there are some things to keep in mind.

Be confident
Most of the time I’m closing my eyes, trying to get my heartbeat down or shouting: “he’s f*cking crazy!” Luckily my boyfriend has his shit together. To be able to drive in that chaotic environment, you need a dose of confidence. Dare to drive offensive or the traffic will swallow you.

Learn the language of honking
Honking is a language on its own in this country. Say goodbye to your blinkers or mirrors (many Indians don’t use them) and start pushing that button.
Indians honk:
– when they want to pass you
– to say hi
– before taking a turn (basically in the mountains you almost honk at every turn, so people in the other direction stay in their lane)
– when you’re in the way and you have to move
– as a respond to your honk
Not a lot of peaceful moments as you can imagine.

Smile!
You will meet a lot of friendly people along the road. A big smile makes their day too. I especially loved the children that were waving and smiling. But two cops also left an impression. A police car made us stop to ask where we were from and wish us good luck. I don’t see that happening in Belgium.

Rent a Royal Enfield
I know everyone has their own taste, but a Royal Enfield is the bike to rent in India! You’re riding on a piece of history. A classy piece! The brand is 125 years old and they’re not made in Europe anymore. It is a good and comfortable bike. And don’t worry about the money. We paid 165 euros for 11 days.

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We left with the bike in Fort Kochi – a nice place by the way – to go into the nature. There was a road in particular we were really looking forward to: route 21 from Chalakudy (Kerala) over Valparai (Tamilnadu) to Pollachi (Tamilnadu). We’d read great things about it.

And we were not at all disappointed. You pass the largest waterfall in Kerala, drive into a thick rain forest and meet tons of photogenic monkeys. I was smiling the whole time and feeling so lucky. (Yes, I love monkeys!). The road is unbelievable, but it comes with some restrictions. Beyond Vazachal it is only open from 6am until 6 pm.

After moving further, the forest disappears and coffee and tea plantations takes its place. By then we reached the top of the Annamalai hills and were facing an impressive steep and curvy road down. Again, owned by monkeys. For Nico it was great fun to do all those curvy turns. I just held on and enjoyed the view!

When we arrived in the hilly Coonoor, the scenery and temperature changed. We were back in the middle of the tea plantations. Because we got a little sick – yep the Indian food always gets to you – we stayed for two nights in a fancy hotel. Took it a bit easy and enjoyed the green. It reminded me a of Munnar, another town with tea plantations I wrote about in a previous post.

From Coonoor you have to take the train to Ooty. It is a little blue – Unesco World heritage – train on the side of the mountain. Takes about an hour and is a good way to soak the surroundings in.

On many roads through the parks, forest and nature there were signs for wild animals, like elephants. I was screening the bushes like a maniac, but only found elephant poo. We already gave up hope until we entered the Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary. It suddenly felt like we were in Africa. We were back in the plains, in a dryer area.

And then it happened. “Oh My GOOOD!! An elephant!” Nico thought I was joking, but no, there he was, a big dark male right on the side of the road. So close. We turned the bike around to face it and enjoy the view. He didn’t really like it and tried to intimidate us, but then he nicely crossed the road and disappeared. I still can’t believe I saw a wild elephant crossing the road in front of us. I’ve seen many elephants already, for example in Thailand, but they were all in captivity. To see one in the wild just gave me goosebumps. Of course it all happened too fast, so I couldn’t take a picture. Luckily further in the park (and the day after) we saw some more. If you want to spot elephants, I think that’s the place to go in Tamil Nadu. So remember: it is the road from Ooty to Mudumalai (we slept there) and then from Mudumalai to Bandipur.

Another nice area is that of Meppadi, with many tea plantations. A bit north there are also the Eddakal caves, with old murals in it. Actually almost all the roads we took were nice. We really looked for the small roads, tried to avoid highways and for sure avoid cities.

By then we only had two days left. Two not so smooth days. We wanted to take some roads into parks but weren’t allowed. We also tried a safari in Silent Valley National Park, but inefficiency, bureaucracy and unwillingness of the park officer kind of screwed us, so we could not enter. A bit frustrating, but nothing to do about it.

In the end we had an interesting and pretty damn cool trip on a Royal Enfield to add to our checklist. Some happy travellers here!

By the way: yes Indian drivers are crazy, but I will go into details on that topic in another blog post!

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I tried to find that peace in a botanical garden in India. Well… don’t go to a botanical garden in India. From the second the boyfriend and I sat down in the grass, people came over en masse. “Sir, Madam, Photo please?”

The first time it is funny and we have a laugh; but when they keep coming you start to wonder if you will ever get that rest!

People told me before that Indians like to take pictures with tourists, but I didn’t expect it was this intense.

Anyways, we made a lot of new friends and will be a hit on many Indian Facebook profiles!

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