I’ve rolled the dice and the lucky winner of a free t-shirt from hosteldog.com is… Karen Wiss Clark! She’s receiving a $25 gift certificate and gets to choose the t-shirt design of her choice.

I’d like to thank everyone who’s joined my Facebook Fan Page — if you haven’t, please give it a look. I post photos and anecdotes there that never make it to this site and will be featuring future contests for cool loot I find on the road. Congratulations to Karen and thanks to everyone for playing along. Not that you really had to do anything, slackers ;)

You might also enjoy these related posts:

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• Contest! Guess the Weight of My Backpack and Win a Magic Amulet

On the day that the US Congress finally passed health care changes (it’s yet to be seen if actual “reform” will be achieved), we were in Puerto Veracruz (aka Veracruz City) in Mexico in search of the third and final inoculation needed to protect us against hepatitis B.

We’d had our first of a series of three hep B injections at a travelers’ clinic in Austin, Texas where we each paid $80. We got our second hep B injection in a slick hospital in a fancy neighborhood in Mexico City at a cost of $40 each.

We were due for our third and final vaccination and after asking around in Veracruz  City we were told to go to the Centro de Salud (health center) where we were informed that they had hep B vaccines and (ready?) they were free. We’d arrived on the first day of a government-sponsored health and wellness push which included free vaccinations for tetanus, flu, rubela, some disease we couldn’t translate from Spanish and hepatitis B.

Of course we explained that we are not Mexican (a fact made patently obvious by our butchery of the  Spanish language and the look of sheer astonishment on our faces at the notion of accessible, free basic preventative health care). Nationality, we were informed by the attending doctor who spoke perfect English, was not an issue. Less than a minute later we’d both been inoculated FOR FREE.

We’re just saying.

Tip to travelers: check for local health fairs like this where you are. They happen with great regularity throughout Latin America and they often include shots you need. It’s a great way to more deeply appreciate the culture you’re traveling in and save money on what can be pricey vaccines.

Also, the fact that it’s free does actually make the shot less painful.

Next thing we knew, we are making plans to meet up for Christmas to find a turkey dinner and spend a night together playing games. As we all know, Christmas is better spent with others. Only question was where in the South of Thailand was going to have a turkey dinner?

Welcome to Gypsy Wednesday!  Every Wednesday, I strive to highlight all the juicy morsels related to travel and beyond. When I conceived of this wacky idea I never imagined meeting a woman of Carol Perehudoff’s caliber.  Carol is a Toronto-based freelance travel writer and blogger.   She writes a travel column at the Toronto Star, [...] Related posts:

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Venice by Zhao

Ahh to be swaying in a gondola on the Venetian waters again. For those of us who cannot make this a real moment, we present to you this photo that will allow you to imagine yourself in this fascinating Italian city.

Do more with your photos with photo printing! Preserve your travel memories with our high-quality & classically styles photo products from EZPrints.com available at the Sosauce Store.

We love sharing personal stories of those who have taken the leap and made their traveling career break dreams come true. Hearing others experiences as they navigated the world of leaving their jobs, packing up their homes, and hitting the road for months on end serve as great motivation and inspiration. And more importantly, it [...] Related posts:

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Wandering off while travelling is something I can’t wait to do, just me and my day pack, exploring the area I find myself in. Seasoned backpackers reel off amazing stories from moments about when they got lost or just went for a walk. I too want those same adventures and stories but knew I must wait my turn.

Then the other week I found my first story, and all I did was wander off for a walk on a nice sunny day. No I wasn’t in some fancy place overseas, I just headed off for a walk in my local town. Not 10 minutes into this walk I happened across this.

Yep that’s gold panning. It was the 16th Annual Australasian Gold Panning Championships, how freaking awesome is that? For some reason I grabbed my camera when I left the house (had to be fate) so I rushed back to my ute to get it. It was just meant to be I think, as I spent a good 45 minutes watching and clicking away with my camera.

Beyond excited to have discovered something so cool in my own backyard I hung around right till the end and gave up on my walk, this was just too interesting. They had custom t-shirts, trophy’s and the winner won a trip to the Czech Republic for the World Championships. I almost picked up a pan to try and win me a trip, that was until I saw just how quick these guys find their gold.

The winner got through a bucket of dirt in less than 3 minutes and found 10 specs of gold. It was fascinating to see them work their magic and pick out the ever so tiny specs of gold from such a huge bucket of dirt.

For all of you who have never attended such an event here is a little video just for you, enjoy.

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I know to check these days. If we’re taking a bus journey that’s longer than a couple of hours there has to be a toilet on board. It doesn’t always remove the problem. After all, even if the bus is equipped with a loo, it may well be broken or locked. But I have to try.

It’s been a source of discomfort and occasional agony for me since my teenage years. As a student I would often take the bus between Nottingham and Bradford. It was very rare back in the 1980s for buses to come with a loo on board. I remember one journey where, by the time I’d reached Sheffield I was crossing my legs and whistling to keep myself distracted, such was the desperate urge to go. As someone who hates making a fuss I didn’t want to disturb the driver and ask for him to make the other passengers wait while I found the station toilets. By the time I had endured another 40 minutes to Leeds however, tears were streaming down my cheeks and I asked him to wait while I ran into the station building. “Ok” he said, “but why don’t you use the one at the back of the bus?” I could have screamed! I’d suffered for nothing. The memory still haunts me over 20 years on.

It’s always the way now that I check if there’s a toilet on the bus when I board. If there isn’t one I can guarantee I’ll be asking the driver to stop before any other passenger does so. Yet if I see the reassuring sight of a lavatory on the bus, in my relaxed state I can survive a long journey without the need to go. It really is all in the mind. I even avoid coffee on the morning of travel but it doesn’t prevent me from entering this tortured world of my own making.

Sometimes even the peace of mind of finding a toilet on the bus can be misplaced. On a five hour journey through Patagonia, I was happy to see the bus had a loo and relaxed for a couple of hours, enjoying the bleak landscapes. When I finally decided to go, I was distressed to find that the door wouldn’t open. I pushed and pulled, and it wouldn’t move. In my best Spanish I asked the driver for the key to the toilet and he looked at me as if I was an idiot. “It’s open” he shouted. Finally another burly passenger went to back and rammed the door with his shoulder, and the problem was solved. As if I should have worked that out by myself…

If there’s any country where needing a pee is never an issue it has to be India. On our second day in the country, our driver was heading along the highway on the way to Agra when I asked him to make a stop when it was next convenient. He immediately pulled up at the side of the road. When I asked him where I should go, he looked at me in despair and said “Sir, this is India. You can go wherever you like.”

Travels with a weak bladder: a tale of personal torment is a post from: 501 Places

Many have shared their story on why they quit their 9-5 and pursued a year or more of travel. Here’s my story. Not in words but in pictures.

7:45AM – Commute to work

9:15PM – Work

10:00AM – Work

11:00AM – Work

12:00PM – Work

1:00PM – Work

2:00PM – Work

3PM – Lunch

3:30PM – Work

4:00PM – Work

5:00PM – Work

6:00PM – Work

7:00PM – Work

7:03PM – Work

8:30PM – Dinner

9:00 PM – Shower

9:30 PM – GMAT

11:00 PM – Call JC

12:00 AM – Face hits pillow

And repeat. Enough said.

Did I really just say that? I’m pretty sure the phrase, “I heart…” was meant for pre-teen girls who scribble on the bathroom walls and pass notes in class with a request for ‘Check yes or no’. Err, I guess I mean, I’m absolutely enthralled with Cinque Terre: head over heels, in love, could spend a summer here type of thing. This small collection of five coastal fishing villages was my next stop in Italy. Cinque Terre is located on the northwest coast of Italy, just a couple of hours outside of Florence on the Italian Riviera. It’s been a growing stop on the backpacking circuit for years but is still underrated in guide books. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was made into a national park about 10 years ago. The reasons are quite obvious. With its beautiful panoramics, rocky cliffs, terraced farmland, and lack of cars within the villages, it is quaint, charming, and dramatically beautiful. Fun fact: It’s also in the region where pesto was invented, so make sure to pick some up while you’re here.

Visiting Cinque Terre:
The main hub for train travel to Cinque Terre is through La Spezia- it’s just a 7 minute ride away from the first village of Riomaggiore. Here, you will find the main office for the park (right next to the train station). Even if you don’t stay in Riomaggiore, I would recommend stopping here on your way in. The tourist office is extremely helpful with maps, train timetables, and most importantly, the Cinque Terre pass. The park offers 1, 3, and 7 day passes of varying levels. The basic pass gives you access to the coastal walking trail between the villages, use of the elevators that take you to overlooks, and various museums and sights that I never even made it to. For a 1 day basic pass it’s 5 Euros. You can also get the pass with unlimited train travel for the day from La Spezia to Levanto (which includes all of the villages) for 7.2 Euros. This card is a great option if you want to walk to some villages or take the train to others.I highly recommend the coastal trail. Make sure to validate your ticket, either in the yellow boxes at the train station, or at the start of the trail.



The Villages:

Riomaggiore: The largest of the five villages, it is known for its wine produced from the town’s vineyards. Yes, I indulged, and you should too. It’s great! Like I said before, the main office for the park is here. It’s known for it’s picture perfect view overlooking the harbor.

Manarola: Taking the Via dell’Amore path from Riomaggiore, you will find yourself in Manarola, the oldest village in Cinque Terre. With less than 1000 people, it is also the smallest, and the people here even speak their own dialect.

Corniglia: One of my favorites, this is the third village. Be prepared when visiting: you will walk up 382 steps from the train station to get here. But it’s worth it! There are some great views looking back to Manarola.

Vernazza: The most charming in Cinque Terre, this is also the most touristed, and I can see why. It has a wonderful area by the harbor where everyone gathers for lunch and drinks, relaxation and company.

Monterosso:  The northern-most village, it is the only one with an actual beach. After seeing the other four villages, I could have left this one out of the mix. While it is still a pretty village, there are cars and crowds. Again, not my style, but a lot of tourists really enjoy coming here.

Weather & When to Go:
If you’re coming here to laze on the beach and just relax, summer will obviously be the best time. The only beach however, is in Monterosso so it gets really crowded. I came to Cinque Terre to hike, and I cannot tell you just how perfect it was in March. It was warm enough in the day for short sleeves, but cool enough to do some more intense hiking on the upper trails. Vernazza, the most touristed town, was pretty busy, but the others didn’t feel very crowded at all. I would definitely recommend off-season if you’re going for the hikes.

Now that you have an overview of Cinque Terre, read about my own experiences and more details in upcoming posts!

And here’s one more picture of Cinque Terre to keep you coming back for more :)