Bali Blessings

COMING SOON

Just you and me and the Gili Air

COMING SOON

Rain Only Adds to the Cameron Highlands

North east of KL lies the Cameron Highlands, a rural wonder in Malaysia. I figured if would be a good complement to a trip to the busy city of KL. Saturday morning I set off from the hostel to catch my bus to Cameron Highlands. The main bus terminal in KL is a bit outside of the city, so I grabbed the train to get there. After arriving at the train station and referring to my google maps instructions, I realized that the 15 minute wait time for the next train wouldn't allow me to reach my bus on time. So I manically rushed to grab a taxi to take me to the bus station. 

Upon reaching the bus station, I was overwhelmed by the crowds of people everywhere! You could hardly move a few steps without bumping into someone. I finally arrived at the information desk who told me I had to queue in the line to get my boarding pass. The line was easily 40 people deep, as I looked at my watch with 15 minutes until my bus departed. As I waited patiently, I attempted to ask others who looked as though they worked there if there was anything else I could do to make my 9:30 bus, only to be told to wait in the queue. 

It was 10:00 by the time I reached the front of the line, only to be told my bus had left and there was nothing they could do for me, I had to purchase another ticket. At this point I almost gave up on the next leg of my journey, but I had a friend from school planning to meet me in the Highlands, so I carried on. So to the ticket line I went, and got a ticket on the next available bus, which left at 1:45. 

Killing time is never fun, especially on the floor of a bus terminal, but some how I made it to board the bus at 1:45. The ride to Cameron Highlands was almost as painstakingly bad, with traffic and rain making a usual 4 hour journey just over 7 hours. On top of that on the ride up I got a message from the friend that was supposed to meet me saying tickets to the highlands were sold out for the day. 

Off of the main highway, the road up to the highlands is a winding one, with tress, forests and cliffs surrounding you on every side. After two hours climbing the hill out of the abis comes a town (Tanah Rata) that looks like it could have been plucked out of any Malaysian suburb. It was a welcome sight to my sore eyes after the painstakingly long journey. My first stop after stepping off the bus was food, considering I hadn't eaten barely anything since departing the hostel at 8:30am. A local roadside food stand did just the trick. The rain and cool air, made a cup of tea a welcome addition to the meal. After my meal it was on the way to find my accommodation. Walking along the main strip, I also wanted to coordinate a tour for the following day to make sure I saw the most of the highlands. 

I stopped at the first tour operator I saw to enquirer or availability, considering it was one of the busiest weekends of the year. After some initial conversation, two guys also approached the counter to enquire about a tour. We all decided to go ahead with booking and when asked where the pickup location would be, we all uttered the same hostel name. Queue hallelujah bells going off in my head, as I had met some new friends on this otherwise long lonely journey! After getting to know each other over some drinks, we headed to our rather unique hostel. 

The hostel was located down a remote road which lead into what felt like the middle of the jungle. The laid back atmosphere meant for a warm welcome to the hostel as guests and workers were gathered around a fire drinking and talking. After the long journey, all I wanted most was to go to bed but when they told me there were no more beds left (despite my booking 2 for myself and my friend) and saying they were going to set 2 beds up in the lobby I was anything less than pleased. They said they would see what they could do, and eventually set me up with a bed in the dormitory. 

Between the creaky beds and mosquitoes buzzing around my head, I didn't have a very good sleep, but somehow managed to pull myself out of bed around 7:15 to get ready for my tour. The little town of Tanah Rata had of all things a Starbucks in it! Now I've become used to seeing "American" fast food chains across my travels, but to think there would be one in the middle of rural Malaysia was quite astonishing. Guiltily I did indulge in Starbucks for breakfast, purely out of convenience and having to grab something to eat before my bus for the tour came. 

At 8:45 I was picked up in the tour van by Joe our driver and 8 other tourists ready to depart on today's adventure. Our first stop of the day were the tea fields of the Cameron Highlands. The Highlands are known for their tea growing prosperity but to the climate that the area offers. Looking our over the tea fields was amazing! 

After observing tea at its roots, we headed to the BOH tea plantation to observe the tea in processing and to taste the end product. BOH tea is distributed domestically and internationally, so check for it at your local store! 

 

After the tea, we headed into the Mossy Forest which is a natural environment that grows only at the highest elevations of Cameron Highlands and other mountain ranges across Malaysia. At such heights, low-level clouds in the sky driven by winds, blanket the forests with constant mist and moisture (or rain on this day) - creating an ideal biotope for moss, ferns, lichen and orchids. 

 

After enduring the rain of the Mossy Forest we drove back down to the main elevation to experience a Malaysian strawberry farm. I was a little surprised to see that the strawberry farm didn`t look much like the strawberry farms we have at home. The strawberry farms here are not in the ground, but instead planted on wooden platforms above the ground. Let me tell you though, this didn`t impact the taste! There was a range of strawberry products being sold at the local store, of which they let us taste some of the strawberry jam. It was verrrry good! 

After the last stop at the strawberry farm, I was in a rush to catch my 3:00 bus back to KL. The tour had run almost two hours over time which had me a bit worried about getting to the bus on time. Joe, our driver, promised me that we would get there on time, but with the traffic we were encountering I wasn`t so sure.

With many fingers crossed in the tour bus, we pulled up to the bus station at 3:02. As I jumped out of the tour bus and ran into the station I was told I was at the wrong place and had to go to the storefront not the station. Joe was nice enough to drive me up the road to the storefront, where I once again jumped out with a panicked look on my face to try and catch this bus. Upon arrival at the storefront, they issued me my ticket and told me that the bus was delayed. At that point my face finally turned from panic to relief, after almost an hour of worrying about trying to catch this bus.

About 20 minutes later, the bus pulled up in front of the storefront where I finally boarded and was headed on the way back to Kuala Lumpur. Although Cameron Highlands was a whirlwind journey, the sheer natural beauty is something not to be missed!

STEPH'S SUMMARY OF CAMERON HIGHLANDS

Who's the place for: Nature lovers 

Where to stay: Anywhere but DeNative Guesthouse. I would recommend staying within walking distance to Tanah Rata, as transport to get around is not very easy. 

Don't miss: Mossy Forest, full of unique nature to this part of the world 

Can skip: Strawberry Farm, as cool as it was to taste some of the products it wasn`t anything that unique. Most tour packages include this as a stop. 

My memorable moment: The view of the tea fields from all different angles 

My biggest tip: It`s chilly, so make sure you bring a rain jacket and some warmer clothing 

A Day in the Malaysian Capital

As I've mentioned before, one of the best things about studying in Singapore is being so close too many parts of South East Asia. You can get around to other countries by boat, bus or plane. This weekend was a long one, with Monday and Tuesday off, thanks to Chinese New Year. Late Sunday night I headed out of Singapore on a bus bound for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The bus left Singapore at midnight and after a brief stop to cross the border we arrived in KL at 5am. There isn't much worthwhile going on in a city at 5am, so our hostel was nice enough to let us crash on the couch in the lobby for a few hours before starting our trek around the city. 

The Friday stop of the day was heading to the Batu Caves just outside of the city. We took the commuter train which stops directly at the caves. This was the cheapest and was a really easy way to get there, despite a number of tour operators who may tell you otherwise. When we first reached the western edge of the caves we were greeted by a plethora of monkeys who were snacking on bread and fruit that had been left out for them. Ever since the "monkey incident" back in Penang, I've been a little leary about getting to close to monkeys, and this was no exception. After a bit of watching from a distance we entered the Raman cave. Upon entering we were astonished by some type of monkey parade happening, as a family of about 100 monkeys made there way down from the hilltop, across the top of the cave and scurried into the metropolis of the car park. After that experience, we entered the cave filled with statues depicting the battle of Raman. We walked around trying to interpret the story to not much avail. 

After our initial exploration we headed to the main cave, which is often on the postcards of KL. 

We hiked up the multiple flights of stairs, which were littered with monkeys left, right and centre. These monkeys aren't afraid of humans, thanks to the countless idiots who think it's good to feed the wild monkeys, so I found myself using my selfie stick as a type of defence mechanism at multiple points. 

Upon reaching the top, there wasn't quite as much to see as I had anticipated. You have to pay to go in exploring the caves, so on a restricted budget we decided against that and just observed the temple and natural beauty of the caves. After some final monkey observation we headed back down the stairs.

Once back in the city we looked around the Central market, Chinatown (Petaling Street) and some of the old buildings before landing in the Botanical Gardens. The gardens are a tranquil oasis from the busyness of the city. My favourite part was the orchid garden, which aside from the beautiful flowers also offered a picturesque view of the KL skyline. 

 After some quiet time in the garden we headed to the business centre of the city where Menara tower sits. At the tower we climbed 276 meters to get a view of all of KL. The Menara tower is the tallest in Southeast Asia! I also was given a little taste of home at the top (CN tower is the 3rd tallest in the world in case you didn't know!).

After getting a view of the Petronas Tower from our skyline view, we walked over to the gardens that sit behind the Petronas Tower to get the best view. The Petronas Tower was once the tallest dual tower in the world!  

After a very long and packed day, another meander through Chinatown capped off the day. 

STEPH'S SUMMARY OF KUALA LUMPUR

Who's the place for: City lovers 

Where to stay: In the KL city centre, around Chinatown. Explorer Guesthouse was very good for budget accommodation 

Don't miss: Batu Caves! 

Can skip: Menora Tower: quite expensive for what it is. 

My memorable moment: All the monkey`s at the Batu caves 

My biggest tip: You don`t need more than a day or two to see the city, so you can keep your time here minimal if in a crunch. 

Bus, Train, Plane, Car, Boat, Tricycle, Boat, Tricycle, Jepney, Car, Plane - Welcome to the Philippines

Late Wednesday after class, I grabbed the last bus and then train to the airport. I checked in promptly 3 hours before my 3AM flight and grabbed some Starbucks to keep me going through the long haul. After a couple hours of wandering around the Singapore Changi Airport. I boarded the 3.5 hour flight to Cebu, Philippines. 

Upon arriving in Cebu, we hopped in a cab and headed directly to the Port to catch a ferry to Bohol. The short drive to the ferry was long enough to observe the craziness of Cebu city. The ferry terminal was not a lot better, with people everywhere and semi-organized chaos. Despite all that we caught the 8AM ferry and were on our way to Bohol. We arrived 3 hours later to the sunny paradise of Bohol. We weren`t staying in Bohol, so it was time to experience our first tricycle ride to Pangloa Island. Driving in the Philippines is quite manic. Honking is how you notify other cars of your passing. Riding in a motorcycle with a jimmy rigged side car on it was quite the adventure. 

We finally arrived safe and sound to our hotel Hidden Dreams Resort. After checking out the resort and grabbing some lunch at a local cafe, we took the 5 minute walk to the beach (Alona Beach). The gorgeous beach full of soft white sand and boats scattered along the shore line was the perfect place to spend the afternoon soaking in the sun and bathing in the ocean. 

A stroll along the beach found a plethora of masseuses eager to provide their services. As the sun was setting over the beach I enjoyed the wonders of Mary`s massage skills. 

After cleaning up after the afternoon oceanside, we headed back out to the oceanside to where restaurants had setup their daily catches and along the beach as well as tables and chairs to enjoy the plethora. Since seafood isn`t really my thing, I enjoyed a delicious grilled pork and vegetable kebab, all while listening to the sounds of the ocean and an acoustic set being played at the bar.  

The next morning we were picked up early by a driver to take us on a day of sightseeing. Our first stop was to pick up two fellow classmates at the ferry terminal. From there we were into Bohol to see some species that are only found in the Philippines: Tarsiers! These cute little Primates are nocturnal, but despite that we were able to see about 10 of them in the sanctuary. Tarsiers are officially an endangered species, so it was a treat to be able to get a glimpse of these little guys. 

After admiring the cuteness of the Tarsiers it was onto the Loboc River to cruise around on a . Once on the boat we were treated to a pontoon style boat. As we drifted along the river, we enjoyed lunch and took in the views of the clear blue water and foliage lining the river.

As we were admiring the surroundings, the boat stopped and pulled up at what looked to be a tribal village. As we were paraded off the boat and looked closer, we realized that the whole setup was a fake! It had all been built out of cement and the people were just dressed up in "tribal" wear soliciting money. This really isn`t the type of experience I look for when traveling, some fake culture setup to attract the tourists. Needless to say we were back on the boat pretty quickly, as to not to partake in the non-sense. 

After making our way back to the dock we were onto the biggest wonder in Bohol, the Chocolate Hills. There are at least 1200 hills for as far as the eye can see, which are covered with grass that turns brown during dry season giving them the name the chocolate hills. They were certainly quite the wonder to see! 

From there we made 2 more stops that day. The first at Baclayon Church, the oldest church in Bohol. Second, at Hinagdanan Caves, filled with a lagoon and stalactites coming down from the ceiling. 

With all the sightseeing done for the day, it was back to our hotel, where we quickly picked up and headed to the beach for another sunset massage. We followed that with another beachside BBQ dinner and some drinks before heading to bed, as we had to be up early the next day.  

On Saturday, we were up bright and early and headed down to the beach to catch a boat to Oslob. I am not one who does well with boats, due to my persistent sea sickness. So when we showed up and saw a catamaran made out of wood I was less than thrilled. The whole 2 hour ride I just stayed focused on the excitement ahead and somehow I managed to make it to Oslob without anything "coming up". 

The reason we were headed to Oslob was to swim with whale sharks! The shallow bay in Oslob has become famous for attracting whale sharks to feed. Instead of explaining the amazing experience, here is a video of our experience with the Oslob whale sharks. 

After swimming with the sharks the 5 of us piled into a tuktuk (the motorcycle with the jimmy rigged side car) and headed to our hotel. The hotel was situated right on the water with amazing views of the ocean. 

After a little relaxation from the already exhausting day, we then hopped back into a tuktuk to our next sightseeing destination - Tumalog Falls. When we had asked at the hotel reception about getting to the falls, they said that the tuktuk will drop us off at the bottom of a hill and we could either walk to the falls from there or hire a motorbike to take us to the falls. When the tuktuk dropped us off, we started the talk with the motorbike drivers yelling after us that it would be a long walk. We laughed at their tactic to try and get us to hire them and proceeded with our walk. 

After the first hill came another and we continued trekking up hill for about another 15 minutes before one of us pulled out our phone to see how much further it would. According to the map we weren`t even a quarter of the way there. Despite my legs screaming to turn back, we continued to push uphill for another close to 40 minutes, before we reached the falls parking lot. From there is was another 10 minutes downhill until we heard the falls. Let me tell you the falls was worth the trek up. Because it was almost closing time, we had the entire place to ourselves to take in the magnificent view. 

The trek down was a lot less gruelling as it was downhill and we had a little rest stop along the way. Along the path down there we stumbled upon a village, where the locals were out drinking and enjoying some music. So we stopped along the way to enjoy some drinks and get to know the locals. 

After our trekking adventure to the falls we enjoyed some food in Oslob (which is a very small town) and some drinks oceanside at our hotel. 

The next day started super early, as I got up to watch the sunrise from the balcony of our hotel. 

Despite the early wakeup I caught up with sleep in the lounge chair at our hotel before we had to leave to head back to Cebu City.

Cebu City is typically about a 4-5 hour bus ride from Oslob, so we aimed to leave the hotel at about noon to allow some time for sightseeing in Cebu before catching our late evening flight. The hotel staff had informed us that we could catch the bus back to Cebu from our hotel simply by flagging one down out front. After trying for about 1.5 to flag down a bus, with them all being full, we thought it was time to reevaluate our plan on how to get back to Cebu. With the help of our hotel we found a driver that would take us back to Cebu. 

The ride was going smoothly for about the first 3 hours until we hit traffic. From there the ride stopped in its tracks. As we crawled closer into the city, now into the darkness, we were greeted by fireworks, road closers and mobs of people. There was some sort of celebration on that was the cause of our extended traffic delay. 

After 8 hours in the car, we finally reached the airport without any sightseeing stops on the way. We were okay with that and just grateful to get there in time to make our flight. 

It was quite the whirlwind journey around the Philippines, but what a great experience it was! 

STEPH'S SUMMARY OF PHILIPPINES (CEBU, BOHOL, PANGLAU, OSLOB)

Who's the place for: Beach and nature lovers 

Where to stay: Depends on the type of experience you are looking for, but Down South 118 in Oslob has the most spectacular view of the ocean. 

Don't miss: Swimming with the Whale Sharks in Oslob 

Can skip: Lombok River Cruise, not very good food and not a whole lot of culture 

My memorable moment: Swimming with the Whale Sharks  

My biggest tip: You don`t need more than a day or couple hours to see the main sights of Cebu, so spend most of your time seeing the beautiful nature and beaches surrounding the city. 

Travel Blunders

As per my previous posts, my plan was to travel from London to India then onwards to Singapore. So as I prepared myself for a warmer climate and a new culture that I had never seen before, I headed to Heathrow airport to check-in for my 9 hour flight to India. I arrived 4 hours before my departure time, just to ensure there was no chance of missing my flight. This even gave me a chance to call home before I took off. The check-in desk opened 3 hours before the flight time and up I trotted to the lady at the desk. I had a slight worry about my bag being overweight, but no problem there, off I watched it go down the conveyer. The lady handing me my boarding pass and said "you have a visa, right?" At that moment I really don`t know what my face conveyed to the lady, but all that could come out was, "I need a visa"?

To make a long story short, in the busyness of the last month I had managed to overlook the step of ensuring I had a visa for India. The lady at the check-in called over one of the supervisors who, thanks to his reassurance, saved me from having a complete panic attack. There was no way to get a visa in such a short timeframe. They recommended that the best course of action would be to fly straight through to Singapore and only make Mumbai a stopover so I wouldn`t need a visa. I complied, thinking more about just getting somewhere, versus the experience I`d miss out on. They re-booked my flight to leave the next morning with a 9 hour flight to Mumbai, a brief 1 hour layover and then onto a 4 hour flight to Singapore.

The next morning, I re-approached the same check-in line and repeated the same process. When the lady asked me about my visa, I was quick to reply "I`m not staying in India, just transiting through". Off I went and onto the flight!

Typically I`m an okay flyer. As much as I hate the long haul flights, I manage to pre-occupy myself enough to make them okay. It must have been something about the combination of the stressful events from the night before and the lack of sleep, but when I got on the flight I nausea started on strong. I had taken some medication prior to the flight, but clearly it wasn`t working. What followed was some 9 hours of hell on the flight. I strongly declined the two meals and snacks they served over the flight duration, as I knew anything that went in, probably wasn`t going to stay. Instead, I requested cups of ice to chew on, which along with focusing on a movie, helped marginally. When we landed in Mumbai, I knew the 9 hours of hell was over, but that was only about 75% of the journey...

When my flight was re-booked, they told me I would have a very short timeframe to get to the other flight. I arrived in Mumbai at 12:30, and the flight to Singapore started boarding at 12:45 and departed at 1:30. The line getting off the flight barely moved for 5, 10, 15 minutes, as I looked in my watch in a panic. Finally at 12:45 I made it off the plane, preparing for a sprint to my other flight, when I was faced with a bus... It was one of those airports, where they bus you from the plane to the terminal. I knew this was not going to help my cause of making this next flight on time. As we pulled up to the terminal I stopped looking at my watch and just ran as fast as I could with my carryon bag in hand. I followed the signs to the transfer gate, where I finally reached the transfer desk. The lady at the desk must have seen the exhaustion and panic in my eyes, as she offered me water when I approached the desk. I said I was alright and just wanted to make the flight. She re-assured me that they would hold the flight for me, but I would need to move quickly through the security checkpoint. After trying to remain calm through security, I started my jog again to reach the loading gate. Of course it was no easy feat once again, as I moved swiftly up and down multiple escalators to different floors of the airport and then finally reached the gate I needed to be at. The sign on above the door was flashing "last call" as I handed the attendant my boarding my pass and approached yet another bus to take me to the plane.

I think my panic finally settled, when I saw the two pilots boarding the bus with me. The plane couldn`t leave without them, so as long as I wasn`t far behind I`d be okay. I reached my window seat on the plane and once again all the nausea came back as I proceeded to vomit before the plane even took off. At that point I think my body officially just gave up and I fell asleep. I was clearly tired as I slept through the entire 4.5 hour flight to Singapore and only woke up as we were approaching landing.

Yes, I made it Singapore. A little worse for wear in the process, but the goal was just to make it! More about my first impressions to come.

London - Getting Your Walking Shoes On

Day 2 in London began with a sleep in, followed by a trip back to the spot of the wonderous Big Ben and Westminster Abby from yesterday. It was incredibly more busy, in comparison to the day before. You`re lucky not to get trampled if you stop to try and take a picture in the middle of the sidewalk! After taking in the daytime sights of Big Ben and Westminster Abby, I crossed the Westminster Bridge with a view of the London Eye on the way. I then took a long walk along Southbank of the Thames River on my way to the London Bridge. I had read about this walk in some web searching I had done before my trip, but didn`t realize how significantly long it would be. Along the way there were some very cute winter/Christmas markets along with views of some very old buildings along the rivers edge.

One of the other very extraordinary sites I ran into along the walk was the magnificent Globe Theatre, where Shakespeare`s plays have been performed for thousands of years.

My walked ended at the famous London Bridge in all its glory. I knew I would be back here at some point in my final days, so didn`t spend to much time exploring.

 

That night I had booked in to ride the London Eye, which overlooks the whole of London. The new metal structure sticks out like a sore thumb in the old aged city of London. My overall experience with the London Eye was okay, but I wouldn`t say it`s a 'must do' by any means for those visiting the city. It does offer some nice views of the city, but London is a very flat city, so there isn`t much skyline to see from up high.

I strapped the walking shoes on again and headed to see Trafalgar Square. The Square was decorated with a beautiful Christmas tree, which I later learned is a Norwegian fur tree, a yearly gift from Oslo. The pictures don`t really do the enormity of the square justice! 

Another reason that the square was so awesome, was that the Canadian embassy overlooked the square!

After trying to navigate my way back to the hostel, I stumbled upon an area which soon became my favorite part of London - Covent Gardens. Don`t let the name deceive you, it`s not a garden! The centre is an open market concept surrounded by lovely stores. The streets surrounding the area are lined with high end stores, which only exemplify the charm of London. More on Covent Gardens later, as this wasn`t the only visit on my trip! 

London - First Impressions and Second Glances

I arrived in London on the afternoon of December 26^th at Heathrow airport. I was my usual prepared self upon arrival, with my public transit directions printed in hand on how to get to my hostel. I get to the airport express train, to confront a big sign that says closed. Well then… I had passed a sign for the “tube” (subway in Toronto terms), so I headed back to there to try and navigate my way. The first train ride was no problem, then I had to transfer to a different line. As I approached the transfer station, I was confronted with a sign once again: ‘Closed’. To save you the details, after trucking up and down numerous flights of stairs in different stations and trying to navigate one of the busiest London streets with all my bags, I finally reached my hostel.

The hostel is located a few blocks from Oxford Circus, one of the main shopping districts in London. Arriving on boxing day, the streets were flooded with shoppers making their way into all the stores the street has to offer. It was a pretty overwhelming site for a first glimpse of London!

After refreshing in the hostel, I headed out on the streets of London. I had pre-booked tickets to see the musical ‘Wicked’ that night, so I headed towards the theatre to make sure I could find it without to much navigational distress.

I located a dinner spot nearby, a local British pub, where I indulged in a traditional pint and pie before the show. 

With still an hour before the show I took a bit of a walk to see what else I could find. And there I saw it… Big Ben! It started faintly in the distance, but then it grew bigger as I approached. The nighttime light of the figure is stunning and only adds to its beauty. As I got closer there also stood Westminster Abby, right next to Big Ben. It was all coming together in my head, the pictures and videos of the Royal Wedding, and now here I was! After a few initial glances and photos I turned back so that I didn`t miss my show.

Since I was about 16, I`ve been singing the songs of Wicked. Despite it being in Toronto a few years ago, I had never seen it. When I saw that it was playing in London during my stay, I knew I had to go! The show was great! The British accents of the actors, threw me for a bit of a loop at first, but what a great show it was. It was playing at the Apollo Victoria Theatre, which has a lot of charm in and of itself just to be there.

On the way home, I got a glimpse of the beautiful Oxford Street all lit up with its Christmas charm. This sort of picture is exactly why I wanted to come to London around Christmas!  

Leap into the Unknown

I`m not typically one for horoscopes, but the other day as I was sitting for a rare moment of relaxation I stumbled upon my 2016 horoscope, which could not have been more perfectly fitting. "The endorsements of others give me the courage to leap forward into the unknown." 

Today I depart on another once in a lifetime journey across the world. It begins with a four-day stop in London, followed by a four-day stop in Mumbai and then onto Singapore where i`ll spend 4 months studying and then throw in some travelling to other far off lands.  

As I`ve talked to people about my upcoming trip over the last month, I`ve got a lot of comments like "oh your so brave"or "that takes a lot of courage". Yes, it does take a little bit of bravery and courage, but it takes a lot of support from others. Leaving is just as hard, if not more so, on those you leave behind, then being the one leaving. The family, boyfriends and friends that have a hole in their lives from your absence, versus being the one carving a new path in new places. This post is not only a bit of a goodbye as I depart, but it is also a thank you to all those who have got me to this point. To the heartfelt well wishes, the supportive words of encouragements, the gifts that have landed very thoughtfully in my suitcase and the memories of all those back home that I carry with me. You`ll be with me in more ways than you`ll know throughout this journey. 

The practicals

Two weeks today I will be on a plane! With only two weeks to go there seems to be a lot left to do, but when I look at all that has been accomplished so far in preparation for this big adventure, a lot has already been done. All my "stuff" has been moved home to my parents, who are greatly storing it for me during my time away. I have completed all my

Flight Booking 
I booked my flight to Singapore about 4 months in advance of leaving. When I booked my flight nothing had been confirmed from the school, so I took a bit of a gamble booking it so early. I spent hours looking at different flight options, partly because I knew I wanted to stop over places on my way over. I`m flying the "other way" around the world, stopping in London and India (read more about this in Pre-Exchange Travel). Flights vary greatly in price, even just for economy seats. I saw some flights as high as $3000. I paid around $1200 for my flight, with the multiple stopovers. I`ll let you know about my flying experience at this price point, once it has happened...

Pre-Exchange Travel 
As I mentioned I will be stopping over in London, England and Mumbai, India on the way to Singapore. I`ll be spending around 4 days in each city. I booked my accommodation for these cities at the same time I booked my flight. As I am leaving around the Christmas holiday`s accommodation does get a bit more expensive, depending on where you are going. The one thing I didn`t fully consider when booking my pre-exchange travel is the climates I would be going to and from. London and Singapore are both very warm, whereas London will be cold at this time of year. This means I have to back some warm clothing just for my 4 days in London. I`m thinking these my be clothes that I don`t mind leaving behind somewhere, so that I can lighten the load (marginally) after London.

Singapore Accommodation 
Finding accommodation in Singapore has been one of the most difficult parts of preparing. NUS was very clear from the outset that they did not provide housing for graduate students.  I started looking back in September, not knowing how best to go about the process. Starting in September gave me time to learn about the process of renting in Singapore, but it was to early to actually confirm anything. Most rentals are advertised about a month before they are avalible. 

I connected with a girl from Queens university who is completing an exchange in Singapore, and we decided to find a place to rent together. Originally we were looking for a place for just the two of us, but we quickly learned that our combined $3000 wasn't going to get us very far in a central location. Additionally, after connecting with a real estate agent, I learned that the minimum monthly lease that can be signed is 6 months, which doesn't bode well for a 4 month exchange. 

My switch then focused on roomshares, where people were already living but you could rent a room or two. After searching many Facebook groups and websites, I found an apartment owned by 1 man, who was also living there, that had 2 rooms for rent. I found this accommodation through airbnb and contacted the owner about a longer rental and to see if a monthly rate was possible, versus the nightly rate provided on the website. He has been great at facilitating the booking process through Airbnb. 

I would strongly recommend roomshare options, as they are most practical for the short term nature of a exchange. We settled on a location in the central city (near Orchard road), which will require about a 40 minute commute to school. I'll reflect on how this location worked out after the exchange. 

Academic Registration 
My school (NUS) first contacted me late July regarding the nomination Schulich had put forward for me to go. It was then around the end of September that I heard from them again requesting some more information. Course registration did not happen until early November with confirmation coming through regarding course selection, early December. Throughout the whole registration process, I felt like everything was very last minute, considering I was putting money down for plane tickets and accommodation. I`ve heard from others going on exchange to other parts of the world, that this is common. Try to freak out to much, as I learned it all works itself out in the end.

Visa 

Information regarding application for my student study visa, didn`t come through from the school until late November. After the information was received from the school, I had to go online and complete an application and pay an application fee. After this was complete it took them about 2 days to turn around my application. You are then requested to pay an issuance fee, which completes the visa process. The total cost of the visa for the application and issuance fee came to around 90SGD. 

I arrive 1 week before my student visa begins, so I will have to first enter on a Social Visit Pass and then transfer to a student visa when it begins the following week. I will let you know how this process goes throughout. 

Money 
At this time the Singapore dollar is almost of par with the Canadian dollar. I spoke to my bank about withdrawing money, and there first suggestion was to use a credit card whenever possible. When I need to withdraw cash, there will be a fee charged from both my bank and the bank I am using in Singapore. The suggestion from my bank was to try to withdrawal large sums of money at once. My accommodation will need to be paid in cash each month, so I will require several cash withdrawals each month.

Pre-Trip Packing 
There are certain things that I have had to purchase prior to departure. Some of these include a travel backpack, a new suitcase, a water sterilizer (for travelling not Singapore) and some new clothing (very minimal). I've also purchased the essentials that you take on any trip like over the counter medication. 

More on packing once it is complete!

Other Pre-Departure Notes 

There are some other important things to remember to do before you leave. 

Travel doctor: Singapore in itself is a very modern city that you would not require to see a travel Doctor for if you were planning on going their in is isolation. I intend to travel around to neighbouring countries, some of which require travel

Medication like anti-malaria drugs, which had to be obtained from a travel Doctor. I was fortunate that most of the recommended vaccinations I had received from previous trips, so I only required a booster for one. Be prepared, if you require many vaccinations and medications, to pay a pretty penny. 

Register with foreign affairs 

It is highly recommended that you register with Canada foreign affairs, through their website, for the destinations that you will be travelling to. The registration process takes between 5 - 10 minutes, and allows foreign affairs to contact you or your emergency contact in case of emergency. 

Call your credit card company/bank 

Make sure you call your credit card company or bank to let them know you will be travelling overseas. Often times try may block transactions on your card if they see out of the ordinary transactions, like the ones overseas. 

Hopefully that gives you some insight into the pre-exchange preparation! 

The Next Adventure

It has been a while since I have partaken in any long distance travels, but in 18 days I set off on one of my biggest adventures yet.

As some of you may know, since last September (2014) I have been completing my MBA part-time through Schulich School of Business at York University. When I was applying to MBA programs back in the summer of 2014 I knew that I wanted a school with international reach so I could complete an exchange. Last fall (2014) I began applying for an exchange and found out almost a year ago that I had been granted the opportunity to complete an exchange in Singapore in Winter 2016. In 18 days I`ll set off on my adventure to Singapore, where I`ll be completing classes at National University of Singapore from January to May. Since I found out a year ago that I would be going, there has been a lot of preparation both personally and academicly.

Some of my upcoming posts a little mundane, but as a requirement of my exchange you have to submit and summary of your exchange to pass down to other students. My blogging over the next few months will be dual purpose to act as a way to keep people at home informed as to what I`m up to, as a way to keep track of memories for myself and as a guide for future students who are looking to complete an exchange. So read what you wish, but one thing I can promise is that it is going to be a crazy year in 2016!