Alexandra’s Travel Profile

South Africa (2016)

Cape Town, The Mother Land, and the city I fell in love with. I first situated myself in a penthouse suite on Long Street with a panoramic view of the whole city and Table Mountain. Having lost a bag of clothes and my trainers in Australia, I begrudgingly chose to take the cable cart up the mountain, although this turned out to be a great experience as the cable cart spun to give a 360-degree view of Cape Town. I spent 3 weeks in Cape Town got to see some incredible things. My favourites were Boulders Beach where around 1000 African penguins were taking cover on the sand, my trip to Cape Point (the most south-western point of the African continent), Camps Bay beach, one of the biggest and most incredible beaches I’ve ever seen, and the beautiful V&A Waterfront where I spotted wild sea lions. I went to some amazing organic food markets, visited (and stayed in) the multicoloured homes of Bo-Kaap, bought handmade souvenirs and paintings from local markets and watched amazing street performances from local children. I stayed in Sea Point where they had 4 neighboring beaches, one for the rich and good looking, one for the nudists, one for families and one for the gay community. I also visited Langa Township where I learnt all about apartheid and experienced the extreme poverty in South Africa. On Valentines day I took a safari trip to Aquila where I stayed over night, went on 2 game drives as well as a quad bike drive through the nature reserve where I got surrounded by zebras. I ate dinner and breakfast on a table next to Desmond Tutu which I will never forget. The whole safari experience was beyond words. My last few days I rented a car and drove through the mountains surrounding Cape Town and settled in the famous wine lands of Stellenbosch with a local family who had a fridge full of wine and no milk for a cup of tea.

Maldives (2016)

I spent a day in Hulhumale, the man-made island where the airport is situated to get my bearings and plan my full week in the Maldives. I was so surprised as to how beautiful this beach was having not yet seen any of the famous island beaches yet. The next day I took the public ferry to a local island called Rasdhoo where I spent my time in a newly built guesthouse getting to know the local people, of which there were 850, and everyone knew each other by name. I chose this island because of the closeness to Hulhumale. It was only around 3 hours by public ferry, 1 hour by speedboat so it was good not to waste a whole day travelling with so little time in the Maldives. I also went there because of the option of bikini beach where I could sunbathe with no worries about having to cover up. I took day trips to

Picnic Island (around a 5-10 minute speedboat away from Rasdhoo), as well as the sandbanks. These were small, uninhabited islands of which I had all to myself the whole day. It was absolute paradise. I went snorkeling with sharks and turtles on one of the days, which I found easy to arrange with any of the guesthouses on Rasdhoo. On my last day I caught a boat over to the nearest resort island to experience the ‘beach hut life’ where a couple on their honeymoon showed me around their amazing stilted hut before I took my place on the private beach and sunbathed the day away. After the most relaxed week of my life, on the way back to the airport, my boat was accompanied by over 20 dolphins (an experience that apparently happens nearly every day).

Australia (2016)

I travelled all down the East Coast of Australia, flying into Brisbane and meeting up with family friends to take me around all the sights. I then posted on a forum online to catch a lift up to Hervey Bay where I had been booked to be collected for a trip to Fraser Island. I spent 3 days on Fraser Island driving a 4x4, floating down natural rivers, swimming in lagoons, and meeting an incredible group of people who I have since met up with back home. I then caught the Greyhound bus to Byron Bay where I spent a week mainly shopping, lazing on the beach and indulging in healthy foods (much needed)! I continued South catching a lift with new friends and stopping overnight in a beautiful little town called Port Macquarie before arriving in Sydney where I stayed at a friends house on Bondi Junction. I stayed in Sydney for 2 weeks, visiting Taronga Zoo, climbing Sydney Harbour Bridge and celebrating Australia day on Bondi beach, which was incredible.

Fiji (2015 – 2016)

Bringing in the New Year Fiji style was something I will never forget. When I first arrived in Fiji, I stayed with a local family (mum, dad, 3 children and 4 cousins) in Nadi. I stayed here for 2 days learning how to cook traditional dishes and teaching the children all about

England and what snow feels like. The family was then kind enough to drive me to my next stay at a luxury resort on Bedarra Beach in Sigatoka, where we went fishing off the rocks. Here, I spent 5 days simply lying in the sun on my own private bit of beach and getting through a tonne of books. I then arranged a stay on a Permaculture Farm up in the hills of Fiji run by an American family who were growing their own food to feed the locals for free. I helped baby chickens hatch, make chocolate candy from their cocoa trees for local children, feasted on nothing but home grown organic food, and this is also where I celebrated Christmas, on a hammock by the swimming pool I had helped paint. Having now chilled out for a long time, I chose to stay at a luxury backpackers in Korolevu to bring in the New Year, knowing it would be the best place for a party. Celebrating on the beach, and a few times in the ocean until the sun came up on New Years Day will probably be the best New Years I will ever have. Another homestay with an international Fijian surf instructor was my last stop where I had my first full day surf lesson and a celebratory English breakfast on my birthday (January 4th).

Bali (2015)

I spent an incredible few weeks beach hopping around the most beautifully cultural island of Bali. I was so surprised that I could move around to different places so easily and quickly and how different each place was each time. My first stop was Ubud, not for a beach stop, as it is centrally located, but I was recommended that this be my first stop to really get a feel for the Balinese culture and lifestyle. I stayed in a yoga and meditation retreat right in the heart of Ubud. When I think back to my time spent in this beautiful town, I honestly think I have never been happier than I was when I was there. Not wanting to leave, I booked into a guesthouse run by a local family across the road from where I was staying, which for £10 a night, including breakfast, actually turned out to be one of my favourite places of my entire trip. I climbed Mount Batur (in flip flops because I couldn’t get my trainers back from the launderette in time). The climb started at 3am so that we could make it to the top for sunrise and breakfast, which annoyingly was stolen by monkeys. I relaxed in Toya Devasya hot springs, visited family-run coffee plantations where I tasted the famous Luwak coffee (made by the droppings of a Luwak,) and also attended a funeral of a local man where celebrations took place all day and night in the streets of Ubud. Having made friends with a few local people, I then took their advice to go to a local town on the coast called Amed which is not very well known to tourists. It was here that I experienced the most incredible snorkeling just a few metres off Jemeluk beach, and also a scubadive around the USAT Liberty shipwreck. Next stop was Sanur, which was home to an incredibly long stretch of beautiful beach where you could always find a secluded spot. I then travelled to Nusa Dusa (all of these places accessible by cheap taxi or moped) home to the most luxurious hotels, golf resorts, fine dining and more incredible beaches. My last stop was Uluwatu, the surfer’s

paradise. I hired a moped and visited Uluwatu Temple and a number of beaches including Padang-Padang beach, Thomas beach, Suluban beach and Uluwatu beach which had great bars set high up in the cliffs to watch the surfers.

Borneo (2015)

My orangutan mission! One of the most important items on my bucket list! Something I have always wanted to experience since being a little girl was to see wild orangutans in Borneo. I was the most excited on my flight over to Sarawak. I’d researched a lot into many of the nature reserves that allow you to view the orangutans but was slightly worried after reading that I wasn’t arriving at the right time to have the best chance of seeing them. Unfortunately I did take a trip to Semenggoh Nature Reserve where I stood on a viewing platform waiting an hour to see the orangutans with no luck, and then forced to leave feeling very disappointed. The reason for this was because of fruiting season, so because the orangutans were able to feed in the wild, it wasn’t necessary for them to come and feed at the feeding platform where we were. Never the less, after a day of sightseeing and a visit to Bako National Park where I got to see wild Proboscis monkeys (my time was not wasted), I boarded a plane to Sabah in Borneo where I had heard my chances would be much higher. Sure enough at Shangri-La I met 3 orangutans including 2 babies, and had the most emotional hour of my life watching them play. I then retired to a remote beach and decided that this was the most perfect day so far on my trip.

Malaysia (2015)

I took an unplanned trip to Kuala Lumpur because I had a spare few days and was really glad I did. I visited the world famous Aquarium, went to the top of the Petronas Towers, ate some of the most amazing street food, including stingray, and in the lead up to Christmas enjoyed visiting some huge shopping malls covered in Christmas decorations. I also went to the cinema when I saw that tickets were a ridiculous £2.30.

Cambodia (2015)

Cambodia was a very heartbreaking place for me. In Phnom Penh, my first day took me straight to the Genocide Museum where I learnt all about what it was like living under the power of the Khmer Rouge, even meeting one of the survivors. Day two, I visited the killing fields and took a walk around the city where I saw some very poverty-ridden areas. Day 3 I wanted to visit as many places that had been set up to help the people of Cambodia and managed to see a handful of these such as the Daughters of Cambodia and the Friends Restaurant which helped victims of the sex industry and street children. I then took a 7-hour public bus to Siem Reap so that I could get there in time to celebrate the Water Festival (to mark the end of the rainy season). It was incredible to see the celebrations here, especially along the river. I took guided tours to Angkor Wat, and Ta Promh Temple (where Lara Croft was set). I also ate silk worms and crickets at a bug’s café, which I plan on never doing again.

Laos (2015)

I arrived in the capital city Vientiane where I planned to stay for just a few days. It was so laid back in comparison to every other city I had visited, and I really enjoyed seeing some of the famous sights including Pha That Luang, Patuxai (the smaller scale version of the Arc De Triumph), and the morning markets where I would buy bags of iced coffee. I caught a cheap, but very bumpy 4-hour bus ride to Vang Vieng. Here I stayed in the most romantic bungalow for a couple of nights with not much surrounding me but cows that constantly blocked the road out front. I hired a bike and rode around for hours every day just admiring the amazing mountain views and visiting the famous blue lagoon. Another 5-hour bus journey took me to Luang Prabang where I kept extending my stay because I loved it so much. Here I watched sunsets along the Mekong River, visited numerous night markets, Kung Si Falls (the most beautiful waterfall I’ve ever seen), ate Laos fondue and visited the

moon bears at the Kung Si rescue centre. I had a flight back out of Vientiane so I took the same journey back stopping 1 more night in Vang Vieng to break up the long journey.

Vietnam (2015)

Along with South Africa and Bali, Vietnam was one of my favourite places to visit, and it has given me the most unforgettable memories. My trip didn’t get off to a great start as I was so overwhelmed by the city of Saigon (Ho Chi Minh) and how busy it was. It didn’t take long for me to learn to love dodging traffic and eating on the side of busy roads however, and the trips I organized took me to places where I could get away from this whenever I needed to. I took private boats down the Mekong River, learnt how to make rice paper, coconut candy, and visited bee farms where I sampled honey tea and bought a huge supply of royal bee jelly (great for the skin, and VERY expensive in England.) I learnt all about the Vietnam War, worked on a farm with a couple that were over a hundred years old and still farming. I took cooking classes and visited Marble Mountain. I then stayed in Da Nang and spent a few days on the largest beach in Vietnam (also described as one of the worlds best) My Khe beach. The next few weeks were to be the most amazing. It started in Hoi An ancient town, one of the most beautiful towns I have ever seen. It was a huge contrast to Saigon, enough so that I got around on a bicycle the whole time and felt more than safe on the empty roads. Next was my 3-day trip to Sapa. I spent 2 days hiking in the most postcard-perfect mountains and rice paddies with local women, some carrying week old babies on their back. I visited local villages, and stayed in a beautiful boutique hotel with the best views I’m sure I will ever experience. I then went straight onto a 2-night luxury cruise to Halong Bay, the World Heritage Site, for good reason. I went pearl farming, shrimp fishing, kayaking around floating villages, and lay on the top deck at night watching numerous shooting stars (which I had never seen up until now). My last stop was the capital city, Hanoi, where I have a lasting memory of enjoying a famous egg coffee (so delicious) at the very first cafe and reminiscing on my time in Vietnam.

Thailand (2015)

My first stop was Bangkok like most travellers. I spent 2 nights in the city, sampling as much street food as possible, admiring many temples and enjoying plenty of Thai massages, before catching the overnight bus and ferry to Koh Tao. It was here that I became a certified Open Water diver and explored some of the most incredible beaches such as Sairee, Sharks Bay and those on the island of Koh Nang Yuan. I then travelled to Krabi, Ao Nang where I spent days exploring more beaches, sometimes up to 4 a day, all accessed by long boat and climbing over rocks and through caves. I took tours to Monkey Bay, Maya Beach (where The Beach with Leonardo Dicaprio was shot), and the Phi Phi Islands. My nest stop was Khao Lak where I visited the Tsunami museum, Khao Lak National Park, climbed waterfalls and lay on many more stunning beaches. A few days shopping in Phuket, and then I settled in Chiang Mai for a few weeks where I visited the long neck tribes, swam in a mud bath with rescued elephants, photographed beautiful temples and met many Buddah statues.

Morocco (2015)

I decided to celebrate my birthday with a long weekend in Marrakech, as it was unlike anywhere I’d been before. We stayed in a beautiful Riad where I gained a huge liking for mint tea and a hatred for cous cous. My birthday was spent at a Moroccan spa having a hammam scrub and a full body massage followed by a romantic meal and a belly dance. I climbed Atlas Mountains, ate lunch on a table in the middle of a river, visited the YSL gardens, rode camels and spent a lot of time shopping in the souks.

Mexico (2015)

An all-inclusive family holiday to Playacar, at the Riu Tequila which was built around a forest home to a few species of monkey that guests could help feed in the mornings. Not content in staying in one place for 2 weeks, we took trips to visit the Cenote Caves, went

snorkeling with turtles in Tulum and diving with whale sharks in Cancun. I also went parasailing and hired a jet ski during days we spent on our own private beach.

Cuba (2012)

My time in Cuba was another all-inclusive family holiday with my mum, dad and brother. We stayed in Varadero at a hotel called Blau, but of course visited and stayed a few nights in the beautiful ‘time-stood-still’ Havana. My highlight being numerous bars selling non-alcoholic Pina Coladas with a bottle of rum on each table so you could add as little or as much as you wanted, as well as Club Tropicana to watch the famous cabaret.

New York (2010)

I was lucky enough to be surprised with a 5-day trip to New York where I spent 3 days shopping (like any woman would), 1 day visiting Central Park, Time Square, The Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building. Then my last day was spent on a film and movie tour before falling asleep for a very long time.

Europe

Spain, France (Paris), Greece, Italy (Rome), Denmark (Copenhagen), Germany (Berlin), Netherlands (Amsterdam), Turkey, Portugal, Czech Republic (Prague), Belgium (Bruges), Cyprus.I have spent a lot of weekends/long weekends away in Europe recently and plan on continuing to do so until I have visited them all.

To Come

March 29th - I am off to the Philippines for just over 2 weeks, which I am in the midst of organizing at the moment. I am working with a charity in Manilla supporting street children for a lot of the time, with scheduled ‘breaks’ to some of the surrounding islands and beaches such as Palawan. I definitely plan on visiting Puerto-Princesa River National Park as I am hugely interested in visiting as many UNESCO World Heritage Sights as possible after visiting such places as Halong Bay and Table Mountain. I also have a few days stop over in China on the way back where I have already booked my Great Wall of China Tour.

I also plan on visiting South America soon as it has always been a dream of mine.