Where Is Bowdo?

Travel that moves you: Auschwitz Concentration Camp, Poland

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 08:11:00 +0000

by Nicholas Bowditch

Daylight broke on an appropriately dismal day in Krakow, Poland. Against the backdrop of baroque style churches, vast plazas littered with an equal mix of cafes and pigeons, soft cool rain fell impossibly from an overcast yet cloudless sky.

It was as if the sun didn't want to get up today either. Today I was visiting Auschwitz.

"I just don't know if i should be going out there", I had explained to the pretty Polish girl at the reception of my hostel, "I'm not Jewish and I don't even really know anyone who is."

She looked up and silently urged me to protest further. "I'm worried I might seem a bit ghoulish or like I'm trivialising all that suffering by wandering around taking photos like some war tourist."

She shook her head deliberately. "You are the type of person that we want to go out there", she said slowly and in carefully selected English. "People from Australia or New Zealand or Asia - you cannot properly understand what happened in Europe all that time ago because you are too removed from it."

I had to agree with that. When I had visited Pearl Harbor, the whole experience was a lot more profound to me because it was the Japanese and not the Nazis who had presented such a threat to my country in World War II.

"Besides", she said, "the holocaust is too big to brush away or to just try to forget. We want the whole world to never forget what happened there."

________________________________________

"The air around the entrance to the camp
was thick with both dew and an almost
palpable sense of sadness."
________________________________________

So I went. With a strange mix of curiosity and impending sadness I got on the local bus and headed slowly out of the city and into the fertile Polish countryside.

If it wasn't the site of a concentration camp where up to 4,000,000 people had been killed in less than four years, it would be a pretty spot. Very green and very quiet. The air around the entrance to the camp was thick with both dew and an almost palpable sense of sadness.

I was hit with a real foreboding as I passed through the gates and I again wondered if the girl was wrong and I had no place being there.

Once inside, I was surprised how small the camp seemed. Even when the second camp, Birkenau (just down the rail tracks) is added to it, the sheer numbers of those who were killed here is unfathomable.

Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, transients were all transported here in box trains from all over Europe. In the beginning, they were processed, deloused, photographed and interned here for in some cases years, but at the height of the ethnic cleansing its believed that thousands were simply shipped in and exterminated.

Many of the buildings previously used as dormitories and infirmaries now house displays that attempt to give visitors a real insight into just how brutal this place was.

There are rooms literally filled to the ceiling with spectacles, shoes, even human hair that was unceremoniously taken from the corpses of the prisoners.

Rows and rows and rows of prisoners' photos, taken when they first arrived at the camp, all look desperately back at you as you walk solemnly through the corridors. There are hundreds of them - old women and men, young adults and most sadly small children, all having posed for the last photo of their short and tragic lives.

This was the venue of Dr. Josef Mengele's sadistic "medical and scientific experiments" on many of the prisoners including sets of twins as young as five years old. The twins were usually murdered after the experiment, if they survived it and their bodies were dissected.

I walked back into the compound and follow a large group of people shuffling through the rain towards the northern part of the camp where the shower blocks are, much like the prisoners would have naively done, I think to myself.

Standing outside the first of the rudimentary gas chambers I was frozen and suddenly sure I was not going inside. An old lady with a kind face and grand-motherly manner put her hand gently on my back.

"Is O.K." she says in English, which judging by her inflection was not her first language. I just nodded to her and, somehow reassured from the empathy of this stranger, I walked inside.

There were about forty people in a room that is about the size of a small motel room. There are six pipes in the roof that the prisoners believed were going to deliver them cleansing hot water as the guards had promised them.

Most of them believed this to be nothing more sinister than a communal shower block. When one group entered, the next group waited behind a row of idling trucks which the guards revved to drown out the noise of the group inside, screaming and dying.

The guide explained that there would have been at least twice as many people crammed into the room just before the Zyklon B gas fell from the roof, mixed with the ambient oxygen and surely killed them all.

Standing there, on the spot where so many people had died in such a gruesome fashion, I felt many emotions without being able to isolate just one. Fear, sadness, hopelessness, all mixed with nausea in a way that upset me like I don't think I had ever been upset before.

When I looked around the room, the mix of faces all said the same thing back to me, "How could they had done this?"

After leaving the gas chambers, the tour that I was on then moved on down the tracks to Birkenau where many more were killed. Our guide warned us that it became more graphic and more sad down there and suggested anyone who didn't want to go on should wait here in the pretty green parklands outside for the rest of the group to return.

I took him up on his invitation.

When they returned, the group recounted to me stories of even more horror with a sense of growing disbelief. One young German backpacker said to me, "How could they have done this?"

I am glad that I went. I am equally sure that I will never go back, nor will I ever go to another of the many camps spread all over eastern Europe.

Auschwitz is a solemn, reverent place. It is also a gruesome, disgusting place, but a place that I hope will always be visited by people like me, so that its unspeakable legacy will never be forgotten.

Nicholas has spent years away from his beloved Australia in a quest
to find the world's most deserted beach, best dive site and cheapest
beer. He is still on the lookout. He is an Independent Travel
Broker and editor of independent travel news resource,
Aussie Escape and has his own blog Where Is Bowdo?

How to see the best of Sydney without spending a cent

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 09:08:00 +0000

Sydney can be a very expensive city. You can easily spend $100 a day or more as a visitor. But it doesn't have to be that way.

I am about to give you loads of great things to do in this vibrant city that will fill your days but not empty your pockets. I have put together a list of Sydney's top 15 attractions that won't cost you anything to experience them.

15. Wander around The Rocks

The Rocks is the oldest part of Sydney and also the most visited. This is where the 10 square rigged sailing ships of the First Fleet landed in 1788 with their cargo of 1400 men, women and children - more than half of them convicts.

The Rocks is an easy, 10 minute stroll from the CBD. The main entry point is George St., which was also the first street in Australia.

This part of Sydney features the oldest remaining European structure in Sydney (Dawes Point Battery built in 1791, as well as great little pubs, open air markets on weekends and some of the best restaurants and cafes in Sydney.

14. Walk across the Sydney Harbour Bridge

While a private company charges a small fortune to walk over the top of the arch of this iconic bridge, you can still get breath-taking and beautiful views from the road level while walking across the pedestrian walkway on the eastern side.

With views of Circular Quay, The Opera House, Fort Denison, Middle Harbour and North Sydney everywhere you look, this stroll should take about 30 minutes depending on how many times you stop to take that fantastic photo.

You can access the pedestrian walkway on the bridge from Milsons Point in the north or from The Rocks on the southern side.

13. Take in the Art Gallery of New South Wales in The Domain

Open from 10am to 5pm every day except Good Friday and Christmas Day (and until 9pm on Wednesdays) this is the premier museum and collection of art in Sydney. With over 40 formal exhibitions every year, artworks started to be purchased for this gallery back in 1874.

The gallery is situated in The Domain which is adjacent to the Royal Botanic Gardens, an easy 5 minute walk from Macquarie St. or Hyde Park.

12. Wander around Darling Harbour

One of the newer precincts in the inner city, Darling Harbour really came into its own during the Olympics that were held in Sydney in 2000.

Now one of the major tourist attractions on its own, Darling Harbour features hundreds of shops, bars, restaurants, cafes and Tumbalong Park with its ampitheatre and free music and events held most weekends.

11. Museum of Contemporary Art, The Rocks

This museum is the sole gatherer of contemporary art from across the country and also from around the world in the whole of Australia. While some pieces might have you scratching your head, others are beautiful, powerful and creative.

The Museum is situated at Circular Quay West in The Rocks and offers guided tours Monday to Friday at 11am and 1pm and on the weekends at 12 noon and 130pm.

10. Parliament House

Members of the public can sit and watch the leaders of the state squabble, bicker, scream at and berate each other during sitting sessions of the parliament.

There are conducted tours (booking essential) which run for 60-90 minutes and give a very details history of the building and the different governments over the years.

Parliament House is on Macquarie St. and is open from 9am to 5pm every weekday.

9. Sydney's Beaches

With more than 30 world class beaches to choose from, beachlovers are spoilt for choice in Sydney - and they are all cost absolutely nothing!

The beaches are basically split into three geographic sections: the Northern Beaches including Manly and Avalon where the soap opera Home and Away is filmed, the Eastern Suburbs Beaches including the famous Bondi Beach, and the Southern Beaches like Wanda and Cronulla.

8. Government House

Built between 1837 and 1845, the Gothic Revival architecture of Government House makes the building appear even more stately than it already is. Built to house the Governor of NSW and also used for visiting royalty and heads of state, the mansion is filled with beautiful furnishings from the 19th and 20th centuries.

Sometimes the house is closed when the Governor hosts Vice-Regal functions but otherwise it is open Friday to Sunday from 1030am to 3pm for guided tours only. The spectacular grounds (perhaps the best part of the site) are open daily from 10am to 4pm.

7. Queen Victoria Building

Known by Sydney-siders as simply the QVB, this magnificent example of Romanesque architecture was completed in 1898. The building was erected on the site of the former markets and was dedicated to the long-reigning English monarch.

It started its life as a concert hall and has since had many different incarnations: warehouses, display rooms, offices and most recently it has been remodelled to house many boutique retail stores. It is worth a look inside for the elegant vibe and beautiful ornate interior.

6. Centennial Park

This huge park very close to the centre of Sydney was opened in 1888 and was the site where the Federation of Australia was first declared in 1901. Once inside the vast and peaceful parklands, it is easy to see why it attracts more than five million visits every year.

Regularly the venue for concerts and other large displays, the original traffic of horse and carriages has been replaced by the legion of joggers, cyclists, horse riders and wanderers that visit the park each day.

5. St. Mary's Cathedral

The largest Catholic Cathedral in the country is also one of the most spectacular and peaceful. The foundation stone was laid by Governor Macquarie in 1821, and construction of the present-day building was completed in 1928.

The cathedral is open every day and guided tours are conducted for free every Sunday after 1030am.

4. Australian National Maritime Museum

The Australian National Maritime Museum is located in Darling Harbour.

The Museum Ticket costs nothing and includes access to all the galleries and the special exhibitions, the Maritime Heritage Centre and Wharf 7, the North Whard and Marina where the small fleet of historic vessels are moored and the relocated Cape Bowling Green Lighthouse. The Museum is open from 930 to 5pm every day except Christmas Day.

3. Sydney Opera House

Probably the most recognisable landmark in Sydney for the last 30 years, the Opera House contains several concert and opera halls and has daily performances by some of the most acclaimed performers in the world.

Guided tours have a small fee but you can wander around most of the interior and all of the exterior for nothing any day of the week.

2. Bondi to Coogee Walk

This popular walk is probably the best way to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the beach life as well as take in spectacular views and get some sun at the some time!

The walk begins at Bondi Beach and head south around the headland to Tamarama Beach, then Bronte Beach, past Waverley Cemetery with its dramatic cliff-side location, Clovelly Beach and then to Coogee.

The walk isn't physically difficult and there are plenty of places along the way to have a swim and cool off.

1. The Royal Botanic Gardens

In my opinion, the single most underrated tourist attraction in Sydney also has no charge.

The Royal Botanic Gardens are open every day of the year. They have a strange serenity and silence about them despite being literally in the middle of this bustling city.

Guided walks with no cost take place at 1030am every day and go for about 90 minutes.

The Gardens encourage visitors to "Please walk on the grass! We also invite you to smell the roses, hug the trees, talk to the birds and picnic on the lawns" and I would encourage you to also. Every time I wander through the Gardens I am amazed at how beautiful (and empty of visitors) the place is. Check them out - you won't be disappointed.

So there you go. You CAN have fun and see lots of great things in Sydney without paying huge admission fees everywhere. So but your walking shoes on, take your camera and get amongst it!

The Ten Best Beaches in Australia

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 07:10:00 +0000

If you asked one hundred different Australians what the ten best beaches in their country was, you could potentially get 1000 different answers.

Australia has a coastline of almost 40,000kms (about 25,000 miles) – that’s a lot of beaches.

Sure there are famous beaches that everyone knows about including Sydney’s Bondi Beach and Bells Beach in Victoria, but frankly most Australians couldn’t tell you why they ARE so famous.

Bondi is ridiculously over-crowded and just a little too close to an ocean sewage outlet, and a warm day at Bells sees the temperature of the water get up to a still pretty chilly 18 or 19 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit).

Neither of them have made my list. I have tried to strike a balance between well known areas of the coastline and more remote beaches – without enraging surfers, fishermen and other beach-goers by revealing to the world their ‘Spot X’.

For the record, my ‘Spot X’ didn’t make the list either. I don’t have any delusions of grandeur about the size of my readership but just the same, I don’t want it over-run with blogging enthusiasts a year from now.

There is one sure fire way to get an Aussie annoyed and that is to either say his or her beach (and we do see it as our property) is rubbish, or even worse, leave it off a list this!

So bravely I declare - here it is, the undisputed, definitive list of the ten best beaches in Australia.

10. Cottesloe Beach, Western Australia

Cottesloe, or ‘Cotts’, is one of Perth’s best kept secrets. Just fifteen minutes drive from the centre of the city, Cottesloe maintains a funky, cruisy vibe while still boasting a regular swell for surfers and even some nice snorkelling at the rocky outcrops. The esplanade is packed with great places to eat and drink, as well as some very good accommodation ranging from backpackers to five star. My pick for accommodation here is the Ocean Beach Backpackers, with beds starting at just $22 (€13, $US19) per night.

9. Wooyung Beach, near Brunswick Heads, New South Wales

Despite being only twenty minutes from both the glitzy Gold Coast and iconic Byron Bay, when you are sitting on the beach at Wooyung you could believe you were in the middle of nowhere. Boasting about 10km (6 miles) of usually deserted beach, this place is a fishermen’s and bird watcher’s dream. Home to the Wooyung Beach Motel and Caravan Park and not much else, Wooyung is the first of the ‘off the beaten track’ entries on the list.

8. Cape Leveque, Kimberley Region, Western Australia

Speaking of off the beaten track, Cape Leveque, at the tip of the Dampier Peninsula, is accessed only by a 4WD drive from Broome, or by air. This amazingly beautiful and remote area of the country is one of the final non-touristy frontiers. The Kooljaman at Cape Leveque is an award-winning wilderness camp on Aboriginal-owned land and has safari tents which start at $45 (€26, $US38) per person per night.

7. Jan Juc, Victoria

When people tell you about their trip to the rugged and beautiful coastline of Victoria, they will tell you about the Great Ocean Road, Torquay and probably Bells Beach. What they should have checked out, but probably didn’t, was Jan Juc. The beach is surrounded on all sides by high, inhospitable cliffs and the frigid surf pounds in direct from Tasmania and before that, Antarctica. It all contributes to Jan Juc having an impressive, end-of-the-earth kind of feel to it. At nearby Aireys Overboard Seaside Cottage, set back in the bushland, the sea-breeze and sound of the waves nearby are almost drowned out by the trickling stream that passes by the timber verandahs.

6. Scotts Head, NSW

Scotts might register as a few people’s ‘Spot X’, and my apologies if it does, but this place deserves to get more credit than it’s relatively close neighbours, Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie. Part of a stretch of national park beaches that would be envied in any other country, Scotts is understated, peaceful and cheap. The Scotts Head Caravan Park, like a lot of government owned caravan parks in Australia has the best bit of real estate for miles and is nestled right on the sand of this beautiful beach. It has accommodation from just $20 (€11, $US17) per night.

5. Four Mile Beach, Port Douglas, Queensland

It took until number 5 for a beach from the ‘Sunshine State’ to make an appearance and this one is one of the most spectacular in the country. Port Douglas started its life as a modest fishing village but its proximity to the World Heritage Daintree Rainforest and just 70km (40 miles) from Cairns saw it become one of the most exclusive, and expensive, parts of the Queensland coastline. Five star accommodation dominates in this part of the world but the Port Douglas Retreat is a value for money oasis among them, with studio apartments starting at $92 (€52, $US78) per night.

4. Cable Beach, Broome, Western Australia

Broome used to be one of the busiest and most prolific pearling ports in the world. It hasn’t been until recently that the rest of the country has discovered this gem for more than just its precious bounty. Pushed against the sea by the rugged Kimberley Ranges, Broome and its most famous beach, Cable Beach are now forging a reputation for classy accommodation, great restaurants, and serene sunsets. For a bit of an indulgent splurge, The Cable Beach Club Resort has everything from bungalows up to suites that go for $1388 (€787, $US1180) per night.

3. Green’s Pool, Denmark, Western Australia

The coastline around Denmark, in the state’s south west, consists of seemingly one beautiful beach after another. Just when you think there couldn’t be a prettier spot, you round the headland and there it is – that is, until you reach Green’s Pool. The fifth Western Australian beach (the Queenslanders won’t be happy) is also the state’s best. It is more like the sheltered rock pool like beaches of Krabi and southern Thailand – beautiful emerald water, perfect for snorkelling, diving, or just lazing on the golden sand. Green’s Pool Retreat is a secluded cottage for one person or a couple and is the ideal compliment to the beautiful surroundings and starts at $120 (€68, $US102) per night.

2. The Basin, Rottnest Island, Western Australia

Rottnest Island is 19km (12 miles) off the coast of Western Australia, accessed by a short ferry ride from Fremantle. Rottnest is famous for the unique ‘quokkas’, furry little marsupials which scurry around the place, and for bicycles being the only mode of transport on the white sandy island. The Basin is probably the most popular snorkelling spots on the island and with almost the entire coastline looking like a postcard, that is saying something! Formerly the stately mansion that was the summer home of the Governors of Western Australia, the Quokka Arms Hotel has rooms starting at just $120 (€68, $US102).

1. Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Island, Queensland

If you’ve ever seen a QANTAS commercial, or if anyone has ever brought you home a postcard from Australia that featured an expansive white silica sand beach with impossibly blue water, it was probably taken at Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsundays chain of islands. 7km (4 miles) long and situated on the northern tip of Whitsunday Island, the breathtaking beauty of this place is something most people will never forget. It is accessed by many sailing vessels, ferries and helicopters that set out from Airlie Beach. There is no accommodation on Whitsunday Island and let’s hope it stays that way for a long time to come.

In a country roughly the size of Europe, and considering I have only featured four of the eight states and territories, I am sure that I have missed hundreds of superior beaches. At least I managed to keep my ‘Spot X’ secret…

The Secret to Surfing Uncrowded Central America

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 23:05:00 +0000

by Nicholas Bowditch

OK well not always uncrowded but certainly less people in the line-up than most equivalent breaks in Australia, USA or Asia.

Central America has been growing steadily as a surfing destination for some time now and the reasons are pretty simple: exotic locations, warm water, great food and perhaps most importantly, the relatively low cost of living for visiting Gringos.

Having travelled from Mexico to Panama (with and without surfboards) I have seen a lot of surf breaks - some great and some rubbish. However, the one thing that struck me wherever I went was the lack of both surfing infrastructure (surf shops, rentals, boat trips) and surfers!

When you get away from the well-worn surfing destinations (mostly in Costa Rica) you can find miles of beaches where you could literally surf for a week without lining up with another soul.

Costa Rica

Costa Rican breaks like the left-handed reef break Pavones or the famous Mal Pais near the little town of Cobano reap the lion's share of surf tourism in this region but they are nowhere near the best (or quietest) locales either in Costa Rica or Central America.

Close to Mal Pais, possibly the most consistent and most suitable for all levels of surfers is Santa Teresa. Unlike Mal Pais, Santa Teresa is accessible without any hiking, 4WD or boat trips and the Santa Teresa Surf Camp has accommodation ranging from sheltered hammocks for $6 per night right up to the Ocean Front Beach House that goes for $250 per night.

The Caribbean Coast also has some quality surf breaks including the potentially frightening Blue Kanka in the north or the "natural footers' dream" Salsa Brava, near Puerto Viejo.

The 'locals only' mentality, however, is alive and well at most of Costa Rica's better known surfing breaks, even if most of the 'locals' causing trouble are actually from California or Florida. The real locals who you will meet in the surf in Costa Rica (or anywhere in Central America) are generally welcoming, engaging and fun, particularly if you at least attempt to speak to them in 'Spanglish'.

Panama

While it's true that there are larger bow-waves from ships in the Panama Canal than at most Panamanian beaches, there are of course some great exceptions, most notably Punta Brava near Santiago. More of an expert spot than a beginner one, 'Punta' has a clean point break that is consistently pumping when everywhere around it is dead.

The Punta Brava Surf Lodge has singles, doubles, and cabinas as well as packages including airport transfers, accommodation, all meals, local surf guides and two boat trips to breaks every day.

Nicaragua

For a long time, Nicaragua has had a reputation as being Costa Rica's poor cousin in terms of surfing and eco-travel - something that couldn't be further from the truth.

With the great majority of American surf tourism heading straight for Costa Rica's crowded breaks, Nicaragua's beaches sit quietly (and empty) just to the north.

The two best breaks are the idyllic Maderas near San Juan del Sur in the south and Manzanillo which can be accessed by boat trips departing Playa Gigante near Rivas. The French-run Momo Surf Camp on Playa Gigante receives mixed reports but has packages that include meals and two boat trips to breaks every day.

El Salvador

A lot of people have known about surfing in El Salvador for a long time but the country's internal strife, perceived high crime rate and civil war has kept it solidly under raps for everyone living outside the American continents.

La Libertad is home to several world class breaks including Playa La Paz and km59. Surf La Libertad is a great website that has several accommodation options from surf camps to much more flash lodging.

Guatemala

Guatemala? Surfing? Seriously??

Well, I am not exactly uncovering yet another 'New Pipeline' but if you want mellow waves in warm water, if you want to live like a king for about $20 per day, and if you want all of this basically to yourself, then look no further than El Paredon near Escuintla. Even better, the El Paredon Surf Camp has accommodation from just $2 per night.

Central America is a collection of stunningly beautiful countries that suffer from an almost universal image problem.

When you think Costa Rica you think eco-travel, rainforests, volcanoes and pristine surfing beaches, however you get a different image when you think of El Salvador (civil war), Nicaragua (Sandanistas and civil war), or Guatemala (well anything but surfing really).

These countries are something of a paradox: they are amazing tourism destinations because there are few tourists.

Many gringos remember when Costa Rica was the same, so get to Central America and chill out at your own break before the rest of the world finds out about it.

How to go from being a traveller to a tourist in 5 easy steps

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 13:05:00 +0000

by Nicholas Bowditch

"Tourists don't know where they've been,
travellers don't know where they're going."

Paul Theroux

A good mate of mine is a travel snob. I don't mean he only flies first class and only stays in five star hotels - quite the opposite. His snobbery is in the fact that he would NEVER do those things.

He looks down his nose (or should that be up) at people who only travel for a week and stay in all-inclusive resorts in Fiji or Mexico. To him, travel must be difficult, dirty, possibly dangerous, but most importantly - cheap.

Now don't get me wrong, pretty much all of the travel I have ever done has been difficult, dirty, dangerous and cheap but now I am getting older (and wiser) and I am starting to wonder if there is merit in the easy, organised, pre-booked kind of travel.

So how easy is it to go from being a traveller (what I think I am) to a tourist (what I think they are)? I have compiled a short 'to do' list to make the transformation easier:

1. Get rid of the backpack.

Yes it's probably just a symbolic gesture but the crappy old backpack that has been around the world with me a few times will have to go. I will miss the scent of clothes that haven't been able to be washed for two weeks but I will get used to it. I will start shopping around for a smart little bag with wheels on it. After all, I'm not going to be climbing up waterfalls in some remote village in Morocco anymore now am I?

2. Find someone to travel with.

My fiance will be very happy with this suggestion but very few 'tourists' do it alone. For a start, the 5 star hotels that I am going to be staying in will charge me twice as much with a single supplement anyway so it just makes sense really. Plus, since I will be travelling to notoriously dangerous cities like Singapore, Vancouver and Cabo San Lucas, there is safety in numbers.

3. Start thinking hotels not hostels.

No more sleeping next to 15 other dirty scabby backpackers farting and snoring their way through a cheap-rum induced sleep in some dorm somewhere - no from now on it has be hotels, double rooms, no sleeping bags, most likely no bed bugs and best of all no Japanese girls rustling plastic shopping bags while they pack at 4am! (What is it about plastic shoping bags inside people's backpacks??? I think they should be banned from all hostels - not that i will care anymore...)

4. Source some extra money.

Since I will no longer be staying at places like the hostel in Chichicastenango that charged me 80 cents (US) for the night, I am going to need more cash - and lots of it. When you add in the private transfers I am going to need to get me from the airport to the hotel, mini-bar costs, tips to private tour guides and so on, it really starts to add up.

5. Stop caring about the world, the environment, or any of the people living outside of my hotel.

I mean, who really needs them anyway? I will be so deliriously happy sitting next to my massive pool in my massive hotel complex sipping ridiculously expensive cocktails served to me by my massively underpaid and exploited waitress, that I won't care what's going on outside the fortified walls will I?

It will never occur to me how fortunate I really am to live in a country where I take things like civil liberties, personal security and the availability of affordable fresh food and clean drinking water for granted.

I won't ever have to get a sense of perspective that comes from discussing with a young Colombian boy how his life was changed forever the day that rebel guerillas slaughtered his whole family so that people in the first world can have cheaper and more pure cocaine.

I won't care about any of that. Big pool, cocktails... remember?

So that's it. Just five easy steps and I will easily transform myself from traveller to tourist. My mate has it all wrong doesn't he? He can have his impromptu dance lessons with local folk in the underground clubs and fantastic street food and learning to speak another language by haggling in markets over hand-woven hackysacks.

I'll take the massive swimming pool anyday.

Wouldn't you?

The Top 10 Hostels in Europe: A Definitive List

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 11:44:00 +0000

by Nicholas Bowditch

“When you get to Brugge, you HAVE to go to this hostel my brother’s flatmate’s girlfriend stayed at…”

“Geez don’t stay at that hostel when you are in Budapest, the night manager was SO RUDE to me when I stayed there in 1993…”

"There’s this hostel kind of near the old town … close to that big statue … there’s no sign on it … you can’t miss it!”

All helpful advice from your friends aside, it’s not hard to find a bed in Europe. There are more than 100 “hostels” in London alone. Some European hostels are like palaces – some actually ARE palaces – and some look (and smell) like a teenage boy’s bedroom.

So here it is – the definitive list of the Top 10 Hostels in Europe – well my ten favourite ones anyway.

10. Foresteria Valdese, Venice, Italy

Boasting 18^th century architecture right down to the Bevilacquan frescos in the ceiling, this place is the old guest lodgings of the Waldensian and Methodist Church in Venice. The Situated very centrally close to all of Venice’s beautiful attractions, it has some of the best value accommodation in this very expensive city with dorm beds starting at 24 Euros including breakfast.

9. Cardiff Backpacker’s Hostel, Cardiff, Wales

To say this is a fun kind of place is a massive understatement. It is the only hostel located in central Cardiff and they offer big discounts for guests to attractions like Cardiff Castle and Millennium Stadium. The whole vibe of this place makes you feel welcome and with a great bar, no curfew on weekends, and beds from 25 Euros, it is easy to see why this one makes the list.

8. Flying Pig Hostel, Amsterdam, Netherlands

There are actually three Flying Pig Hostels in Holland but our pick is The Flying Pig Downtown. Situated in the heart of the red light district and right next to Amsterdam Central Station, it is very central and close to the city’s main attractions including the Royal Palace and the Waterlooplein Markets. They have a comprehensive website complete with forums and dorm beds start at 14 Euros.

7. Kabul Hostel, Barcelona, Spain

In a city where there are maybe 100 places to stay in its heaving main street, Las Ramblas, this hostel manages to retain 100% occupancy for almost every night of the year. With no single or double rooms and dorms with up to 20 beds starting at 17 Euros, Kabul is not for the faint hearted (or those wanting a solid night’s sleep) but let’s face it, that’s not what you go to Barcelona for!

6. 3 Ducks Hostel, Paris, France

With my Mum’s words, “If you’ve got nothing nice to say, say nothing at all” ringing in my ears I am going to say nothing about the most tourist-visited city on Earth. However, if you find yourself in the city and want to find a bed that won’t cost the chemise off your back, then the 3 Ducks is the answer. Dorm beds start at just 19 Euros and its location can’t be beaten.

5. Balmer’s Herberge, Interlaken, Switzerland

This place is amazing. Set amongst the magical scenery of Interlaken, Balmer’s is like an inexpensive oasis in really expensive Switzerland. Reeking of Swiss efficiency, cleanliness and order this hostel and tent village deservedly makes my top 5. Make sure you check out their Biergarten with cheap drink deals and great food. Dorms are priced from 18 Euros.

4. Kismet Dao, Brasov, Romania

The first offering from Eastern Europe is also one of the best. The management is part-Romanian, part-American and part-Korean and all of those influences are reflected in this quirky but very friendly place. Dorms start at 11 Euros and that includes breakfast and laundry service but best of all, FREE BEER! They still would have made the list without the free beer. Really they would…

3. St. Christopher’s Inn, London, United Kingdom

With so many hostels (good and rubbish) in London, it was always going to be hard to choose just one but I believe the St. Christopher’s Inn at The Village, London Bridge is the pick of the whole city. Part of a chain that includes hostels all over the UK, France, Belgium and Germany, The Village basically gives you everything you want from a hostel: cleanliness, fun, friendly staff and cheap (for London) beds which start at 28 Euros.

2. The Pink Palace, Corfu, Greece

OK the self-proclaimed “World Famous Backpackers Paradise” might be a bit of a stretch, and there are certainly better (and quieter) places to stay in the Greek Islands but The Pink Palace is something of an institution. Maybe the only hostel in the world that guarantees to turn nobody away, regardless of whether you have a booking or not! The list of activities and free inclusions is endless and dorms start at just 20 Euros.

1. Friendly Fun Frank’s Hostel, Riga, Latvia

If I was ever going to open a hostel somewhere in the world I would want to make it just like Friendly Fun Frank’s. This place has everything: great location, cheap prices, excellent local knowledge, social tours that drag you from one great nightclub to the next every night, and all in a place that is set into the walls of Old Riga’s medieval castle. Maybe it’s the 9 Euro dorm beds or maybe it’s the fact that Frank (an Australian ex-pat) only seems to employ ex-winners of the Miss Latvia beauty pageant but Frank’s is easily the best hostel in one of the best cities of the world.

So there you have it. Hugely subjective and heavily biased towards free beer and beautiful Latvian girls but my top ten just the same. How many of these would make your top 10?