After the 5-hour, nerve-racking motorcycle ride out of the Kathmandu congestion and into the outlying mountain ranges, I planned on doing a whole lot of nothing in Pokhara.
And that’s exactly what I did. see more »
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We’ve already covered what to ask when looking for good local eats, right? But there’s a good chance they’re still going to send you somewhere safe - someplace where the menu isn’t laminated.
Which means you gotta dig - and here’s a trick I learned during my 5 years in China:
Find a construction site around mid-day and wait for the whistle to blow*.
Then follow the workers.
See - we’re talking about big boys who don’t get paid big money but need to eat. And they always seem to know where this predicament can be taken care of.
So, while in the less-than-thrifty Honolulu, I did just that. I followed a few yardworkers to a serious place.
Helena’s.
Now - I’ll go ahead and tell you I was quite pleased with myself but would soon find out that this is a rather well-known local dive that tourists occasionally get taken to. But even with a few haole sitting in - it was exactly what you’d want in a hidden haunt.
Now - you’ve learned the main lesson of who to follow.
And when it comes to dining, here’s another.
Order one of each from the appetizer menu.
Sure, it might cost you a few dollars more, but there’s no better way to sample what the kitchen can do.
I ordered this - and still don’t know exactly what it was:
I mean, I know the fish is called ‘poke’, but the eyeball thingy I’m not sure about. It’s a mussel of sorts and is really salty.
But that’s just it - I experienced something that wasn’t that great and am still not sure what it is but am better for it.
Which is exactly what travel should be all about.
*Entirely based on The Flinstones, I’ve never had a callus on these hands, so am not sure what it sounds like.
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Waking up blows. And no doubt, this is the last thing you want to do when you’re on holiday.
But, as we’ve talked about before - vacations are all about making us cool, yes? If you don’t come back with stories of drinking with the locals, boring tidbits on food preparation and a few sets of unfortunate coasters, then you haven’t really done your job, have you?
Oh yes - and pictures. In this day in age of social networking, if you’re not ‘tagging’ your own feet with the beach in the background, then your vacation credentials should be taken away all together.
Which brings me to my original point of waking up early…once.
For a sunrise, of course:
Now - a few things you need to do to prepare for said ‘rise’.
It’s cold. No matter where you are. See, the sun keeps things warm. So if it’s not visible, then you won’t be warm. So bring warm clothes. You roll your eyes and wonder if I’m just trying to meet word count (totally possible), but I’ve climbed* 2 volcanoes in the past year and have witnessed too many strangers cuddling (which, if you’re into, I can recommend a few bars in Berlin) out of poor preparation.
So bring a blanket or something.
And then charge the camera.
Get a coffee.
And have one day when you see both a rise and set.
‘Cause that’s the kind of thing friends back home love to hear about.
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Enter Talking Heads lyrics here.
This is what I saw. Not as zoomed in as you see now, but you get what I’m saying.
See, there’s this inherent curiosity in guys that always gets the better of us. Which is why we refuse maps, challenge ‘the man’ and smell everything.
So when I saw a point, I told myself ‘I’d like to see that point’. And I did - but that’s not what this is about. To be honest, the point looked a lot like the rest of the island and I’m not sure exactly what I had hoped to find.
But, as the old adage goes, ‘the journey’ is the reward.
Wherever you go, rent a car. Or a scooter. Or a bike. Tuck an emergency quarter* into your sock for a phone call and head out.
It’s what I did.
I drove on roads like this:
I accidentally found churches like this:
I got lost. On the only road on the island.
Met a few locals.
Drank their coffee.
Picked up a hitchhiker.
Etc.
See, there’s something about the hotels in Hawaii that don’t want you to go anywhere. Which makes you wonder ‘why’?
Could be that they want your money.
Could be that they’re worried about your safety.
Or it could just be that they create this adult-Disneyland for you…
So they can have the good stuff all to themselves.
*This cost was entirely based on my years of 7-13 years of age. Prices may vary
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Where the lava meets the water.
I’m sure there are people out there who hate camping…
But I don’t want to meet them.
We’re American. We camp. That and make everything 33% more!/faster!/stronger!.
What you’re looking at wasn’t there 100 years ago. And in another 100, this picture won’t be possible. Reason is that it’s growing. It’s lava. Lava that comes down from the active volcano on The Big Island in Hawaii and meets the ocean.
It’s cool, trust me. An apocalyptic cool, if you will. Think Cormac McCarthy’s ‘The Road’ meets a Jack Johnson video. Sort of.
Even cooler? Our heavily-tattooed guide Warren informed me that you can camp in this area, as long as you’re a mile away from the road. It’s in a national park, see, which means you have to pay $10 a car and that’s it. Bring a tent for 2 of you, some wine, food (if you must) and spend a few days exploring the lava tubes and forests, peer into the moon-like features of the craters (just not directly over it - can’t believe they have to tell you this) and wake up to some ridiculous sights.
I don’t want to give them away, as it should be for the person(s) who actually experience it - but to think that for in a place where expenses add up, you can spend a few days hiking the 330,000 acres and visit a beach like none other, well…let’s just say it beats what you just spent $50 on yesterday.
And you know what I’m talking about.
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Grammy-nominated Makana plays...loudly. (Hint, hint)
Fact: Coming home from a vacation and talking about the local live music makes you cool. Seriously. And you can work it into more dinner-party conversations than you can that unbelievably boring wine tour you keep convincing yourself is interesting (wine-tours recaps are the slide-shows of the 21st century).
Anyway.
Music. Yes. Hawaiian music, to be precise. Award-winning, Grammy-nominated organic local music to be very, very precise. The famed ‘Makana‘ to be just amazingly anal about the details of this entire paragraph.
He’s good. Very good. People smarter than you and I who know music say so. Like, Esquire, for example, who called him the “greatest living player” of Hawaiian slack key guitar
Now, you can go about getting this one of two ways.
The first, being the obvious, make your way to the Sheraton Waikiki’s Rum Fire on Oahu anytime around 8pm, pay good money for beautiful drinks surrounded by sunburnt Brits with loud shirts. Wait, I take all that back. Said hotel threw us a great welcoming party and I’m going to try and score a few more free pints off of their publicist before this trip is over.
In fact, here’s part of his show he did when we were there, filmed by my friend Christine.
Let’s try that again:
Now, you can go about getting this one of two ways.
The first, being the obvious, treat yourself to one of the nicest hotels in Honolulu, grab an adult beverage and make your way to the table that sits not 4 feet in front of him on the deck.
Or…
You can slum it.
See, this hotel is so nice, it’s on the main strip that divides the stage from the crashing waves of the oceanfront Diamond Head Point.
Did I mention he plays loud? Famous people tend to do that.
You getting me here?
Fine, I’ll spell it out, but if this costs me my pints I’m sending you my PayPal info, okay?
Sit on the public lawn and listen. You don’t get to see him straight-on, but saving $50 on drinks might make that okay.
But buy a CD from the guy, he’s an absolute sweetheart.
Plus, let’s be honest - listening to a dreadlocked hippie from Michigan strum ‘Redemption Song’ on a cheap ukulele under a banyan tree isn’t exactly immersion…
And you’re better than that.
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A shot like this will cost ya - but it can be worth it...
There are 1001 cliches to justify a big expense, go ahead and pick the one that best suits you.
Got it?
Excellent.
Now, say it a few times to make yourself believe it.
Nice.
Okay, I’m supposed to tell you how to do it on the cheap here in Hawaii and I’m doing pretty well (see: using locals, stealing music), but there are a few things you need to do and there’s no other way of getting them done than just biting the proverbial bullet.
This rings true for a cruise down the Napali Coast on a catamaran.
Trust me when I say there’s no way to do this cheaper than the $100 range. You just can’t.
I mean, you can, as our captain suggested ‘get a job with one of the boats’, but that might cut into your generous two-week allowance us Americans are all so proud of.
But pay it.
It’s worth it.
I won’t give it all away, but it includes the typical ’snorkeling’ perks you’d expect to find - in fact, it’s not so much as to what you do, but where they take you. We’re talking about the coast that’s been in countless films, like, this shot, for example:
Recognize this? Harrison Ford might - he went under that arch as a younger action-star and then climbed up it as an aging pilot.
Trying hard to impress a few of the girls on the cruise with me, I loudly inquired whether one could ‘hike to the coast’ and then ‘camp out’.
They said I could, but it would take a day or so to get there.
Meaning, sure - if you have the time, you could load up a pack and do something ridiculous like exercise during your holiday or you could splurge on a package that includes a lot of ’sailing’ (they call it this, but actually it’s powered), some gorgeous snorkeling, free beer/Mai Tai’s (our group made up for the price in this alone) and an overall productive day.
And really, a hundred bucks or so to walk where Indiana Jones walked…twice?
Not even a question.
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It’s no secret that the economy has people tightening their belts and cutting out extra expenses. Many families are getting rid of luxuries like summer vacations in an effort to save money.
But after long months of school, homework, and extracurricular activities, a summer vacation can be a welcome (and much needed) respite from the day to day grind of real life. Family vacations are about seeing new things and enjoying time with the people you love. A rocky economy doesn’t make that quality time any less important.
With a little creative thinking and some small sacrifices, you may be able to save your summer vacation.
Do you have friends and family that live in another city or state? Now might be the perfect time for a reunion! Offer to pitch in for groceries in exchange for a guest bed or couch and you’ll likely find that your loved ones will gladly open their homes to you for your summer vacation. At the very least, they’ll probably say yes to be nice.
When asking to stay with friends or family for your vacation, assure them that you don’t expect them to take time off work or play tour guide for you. Rent a car if you’re flying to your destination and make it clear you don’t need a chauffeur. Don’t make yourself a nuisance, but do get the inside scoop on local tourist traps to avoid.
If your budget or work schedule won’t allow for a week long vacation, consider taking a long weekend instead. Of course we’d all prefer to be able to spend weeks globe trotting, but there’s no reason you can’t work within your own limitations.
There’s plenty of fun to be had from Friday afternoon to Sunday night. My family rarely gets to enjoy a week of vacation at a time, but we make up for it with a handful of weekend getaways spread out over June, July and August. Taking weekend vacations might also allow you to visit more than one place. If weekend getaways are good enough for girlfriends and romance, they’re good enough for your family!
Often times I hear people lament the fact that they can’t afford to fly to a glamorous location across the country. But every state in the United States offers something for tourists. Take out your map and discover the hidden vacation destinations within driving distance that you’ve overlooked.
You can easily cover hundreds of miles in a few hours by car - much less expensive than air fare for an entire family. Many times you can also save money by visiting lesser known tourist attractions or taking advantage of a state resident discount.
Do you live some place that other people might consider a vacation destination? Offer up your house to other budget conscious travelers in exchange for the right to stay in their house. In some cases, you’ll even be able to use the other family’s vehicle (if you’re willing to offer up yours), saving you the cost of a rental car.
HomeExchange.com is a web site that helps people interested in house swapping connect with each other. It’s only $99.95 for a year membership and that includes unlimited exchanges. Worried that your home isn’t exotic enough? Remember that one person’s “everyday home” is another person’s brand new place to see! Check out the Travel the Home Exchange Way blog for even more tips on house swapping.
Camping is an excellent low cost option for a family vacation. Most state parks have camping areas with reasonable rates and plenty of activities available for the family. You can swim, tube, hike, fish, or just hang out around a campfire. Our biggest expense when we camp is usually food - hot dogs and marshmallows as far as the eye can see!
Last summer, the travel buzzword of the season was “staycation”. Families took advantage of their paid time off and school breaks - and stayed at home. A staycation is still a viable option for a family vacation if you commit to doing more than catching up on your laundry. Make a concerted effort to live like you’re on vacation and play tourist in your own city.
If you’re stumped for ideas, head to a local hotel. You’ll find dozens of pamphlets for nearby attractions, some of which might offer discounts for locals and state residents.
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Bench Marks - Pokhara, Nepal