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ArthurIdyllicVoyages : Travel Diaries for Budget Travellers

Looking to travel on a budget, these tips, tricks and traveller's adventures and stories will help you to get on your way.

Everyone wants to know the best options for having the best trip on a low budget that won't break the bank and although we all have a different idea of how far our budget can stretch and how much money we should be spending, we all know that...
"The rich don't stay rich by spending foolishly".

a passport and camera on the map of the worldTherefore, we must all invest wisely when we take a trip and believe it or not, a lot of thought should go towards thinking of an ideal destination rather than what you will do when you get there. We all want to take photos in front of monuments or stand in awe looking at a beautiful landscape or revel in a different cultural practice or be capture a moment that stands out to you. That is the basis of travelling. Exploration and Discovery! And if you are not prepared to travel it's best that you stay at home.

However, if you plan to travel whether now or later, you may want to start planning a few months to a year in advance. Some of us are spontaneous travellers so we literally always have a bag packed. Yes, I am guilty of that but for the average traveller, you think of a place that you want to visit in advance so planning ahead should also be an important part of the process if you want to get the most out of your money and your stay.

Here are some steps to get you in the right direction even before you arrive at your destination.

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Dear Travel Diary, 

Arriving at the Toronto Pearson International Airport in late August by plane, the hustle and bustle at the airport felt exhilarating in an odd way. I was extremely excited because this was the first time I had ever travelled outside of my home country... IN MY LIFE! 

Truthfully, I was a bit afraid when there was turbulence on the plane.. Ha ha… silly me...I survived it.

I think all of you can understand the panic when the captain announces that you should stay in your seats because it’s just a “little” turbulence. Have you ever watched any movies with passengers on a plane? There is always a little turbulence that we don’t have to worry about before the plane does an infamous nosedive into... well... anything that kills most or all of the passengers.

You really shouldn’t watch films about planes before taking one.

Anyways, my time on the plane was pretty smooth after the initial shock that had my heart stunned and frightened when the seat-belt sign came on… no worries.. I am brave. (I am on land, so yes guys, bravery is now my superpower…)

Upon arrival to Canada, I was greeted with warm weather and a somewhat chilly breeze. It would soon be wintertime and I realised much later that I liked the winter season the most of them all.

Canadian winters really aren’t that bad but what do I know? Ha ha... I was cuddled up in bed sleeping the winter away. “Hibernating” I believe that’s what it’s called. (Just kidding...)

I didn’t feel the jet-lag either so that was great for me as I quickly got busy making myself feel “at home”.

Now this is the part where I tell you what I liked and disliked most about Ottawa and Canada as a whole. Buckle up guys, we are about to experience some more turbulence. What do you want to hear first? The good points or the “bad” ones?

Hmm… I think I will tell you the good ones first. (Cabin crew… ready for take-off)...

Tim Horton’s extra large French vanilla coffee, with a shot of caramel definitely tops the list. Yummy! I would say that second place goes to meeting other international students at St. Lawrence College where I studied Hospitality and Tourism Management. Next there is the learning of French, having the opportunity to speak with locals in French and travelling around Canada where I got to sample different dishes.

Ceramic cup of coffee
On the other hand, experiencing “racism” was certainly something to remember. Culture clashes were also a part of the experience and assistance as an international student was not a priority for the persons in authority who were supposed to be there to assist you. I must say that I was highly disappointed.

Was this treatment because of the colour of my skin? Even more, I did not feel “accepted” or “welcomed” by some locals but hey, this was just my experience so when you visit, yours may be different. Plus, these particular locals were a small minority.

Fast-forwarding now to better things once more…

The food in Canada was great, well… more like awesome and I tried a variety of dishes from cities like Kingston, Toronto, Montréal and Ottawa. I must say that my favorite place to visit was Montréal, hands down. The locals were extremely friendly in my opinion and the guys were definitely cute. Bisous,😍love you guys. I was able to practise my French there too. If you haven’t guessed by now… I love languages and I’m proud to say that I am a recipient of an Associate Degree in Italian and Spanish for Business and Tourism. Cool, right? Maybe my next trip will be to Italy.

Now this is what I recommend with respect to places to have lunch or dinner,

In Kingston, Ontario
  • Tom’s Place at Best Western Hotel: You definitely shouldn’t go to Canada and not try their barbecue spare-ribs. They are unfortunately only available on Saturdays though. The restaurant is quite cosy and the waiting staff is just fabulous. 
  • Sally’s Roti Shop: This place is perfect for my Caribbean family and anyone who wants to have an authentic taste of Trinidadian Cuisine. 
  • Tandoori Sizzle: It’s a great place to have Indian cuisine and the owners are very welcoming and pleasant. (Vegetarian options are also available.) 
  • Cambodiana and Pat’s Restaurant: Two (2) great places to dine for Cambodian food. I know, because I lived with a Cambodian.
In Montréal
  • Schwartz Deli: This deli is famous for their delectable, soft and juicy smoked meat. (For those of you who are not familiar with smoked meat, it’s a meat product made from salting and curing beef briskets with spices). This is served in rye bread with mustard. It is absolutely delicious. 
  • La Banquise: This is definitely the best restaurant in Canada to frequent, for quality poutine, trust me, their poutine will have you coming back for more. Yes, it is worth it. (Poutine is one of the most famous dishes in Canada and it is basically French fries and cheese curds topped with brown gravy).
Montréal has many shops with delicious pastries and breads so feel free to try them ALL when you go… ha ha, I’m only kidding. You wouldn’t want to get fat now, would you?

a collage of shopping images
For those who love shopping sprees, there are many gigantic malls with many clothing, confectionery and food stores available. Some suggestions are:
  • Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto
  • Cataraqui Centre in Kingston, Ontario
Canada is a wonderful destination for persons who are very artistic; there are many theatres, museums, graffiti, and picturesque views for nature lovers to enjoy and during the winter season, you could go skiing there. It's quite popular.
Parliament Hill Building in Ottawa
I must conclude that my trip to Canada was an eye-opener in many ways, hey, I even had my first touch with racism but all in all, the friendships I made and the food I ate … yum… are definitely things to be missed. Hibernating too… Through all the bitter-sweet experiences I hold Canada close to my heart. I’m even feeling nostalgic and I implore you to take a trip there. I wish you the best time ever. If you have been to Canada, I’m sure you love it as much as I do.

Until next time… Au revoir!

Yours truly,

Shamariah


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"Break a leg!" they tell you.

This is the phrase you usually hear when you take to the stage so it is right to assume the same for a group of Barbadians who went to Bloemfontein South Africa where they took part in the PACE+ Dramaturgical Lab and the Vrystaat Kunstefees Arts Festival.

“PACE+ provides talented and diverse artists with the opportunity to present innovative new work to arts professionals on a rare platform for global arts professionals to see high-quality work by African artists.”

The PACE+ Dramaturgical lab requested that each performer create a poem which would be used in a performance during the workshop.

Shihaam Domingo, a PACE delegate, assessed the sub genres of the poets’ work in addition to their ability to operate collectively.

Each poet was interviewed individually so that the delegate could see their range of performance abilities. This activity was themed, ‘pressure cooker’ creativity.

Each person was placed in a situation where they were virtually unprepared and was required to prepare an artistic piece for consumption.

Oh... is that a stomach growling? Not food guys, this wasn’t that type of consumption.

During the workshop, StonedwithCupid, a member of Frenetic Arts (the group of Barbadians) was paired with a Senegalese professional dancer, Abdoulaye and Sizaleke, a South African vocalist and they were given the task of bridging the gap between traditional artistic expression and modern/contemporary expression.

What an interesting concept!

The piece began with South African traditional native song sung by Sizaleke and was accompanied by traditional Senegalese dance movements.

We will now take a brief intermission of 15 minutes before returning to our regular programming. Just kidding...

The sound of modernisation (rapping) then interrupted the native sound and what was once traditional dance became modern hip-hop.

Abdoulaye, the dancer was torn between the old and the new and thus the sounds of tradition and rapping became a new harmony, a symphony.

The dancer no longer had to be torn between two worlds but rather blended two varying dance styles to create a beautiful and successful ‘merger’.

The Dramaturgical lab encouraged artists to be as creative as possible and to expand their view of themselves and others around them.

Frenetic Arts was asked to facilitate their second day at this workshop and two of its members, Cyndi Marshall and StonedwithCupid organised the activity.

The theme was from page to stage and it was approached from the perspective of ‘writing to be read’ vs ‘writing to be heard’.

As the workshop came to an end, a two day seminar was held that focused on publishing and income generation as well as being a writer.

The workshop was truly a creative and enlightening experience that is recommended to all. When you visit South Africa maybe you too could participate in such an activity.
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Festival activities

Travelling for a festival can be fun, a real eye opening, self discerning experience. You find out what you like and don’t like culturally. It’s even better when you travel as a group because you have people around to take those bomb.com photos that make you look like you are on top of the world.


Standing on top of a hill with a gorgeous landscape is not being on top of the world but if you feel that way, we definitely won’t try to stop you.

On ground level however, being a performer or even working at an event however big or small can be enough to make your nerves quit on you.

You step onto the stage as an artist, lights blinding, dead silence, you can hear a pin… a bag of pins drop. Who came up with hearing a pin drop? One random person now coughs, and you are thinking; dude I was about to speak… and then you try to speak but you are choked up like a cat attempting to regurgitate a furball.

Oh well! No one said you couldn't enjoy the festivities too.

Enough with the chit chat,let’s get down to business.


Frenetic Arts Group 

As a collaborative effort, four artists under the umbrella of Frenetic Arts took to the stage in Bloemfontein, South Africa where they had travelled for a festival and a creative workshop. They were invited to participate in the Vrystaat Arts Festival and PACE (Pan African Creative Exchange) Dramaturgical lab in Bloemfontein. (Read more about PACE+ here).

“The Vrystaat Kunstefees • Arts Festival • Tsa-Botjhaba is an Afrikaans language festival that forges creative connections with English and Sotho cultures.”


Artwork on display at the festival

The festival was a nonstop expression of culture and identity from international artists and locals alike. Attendees had the opportunity to visit different stalls and view South African products. In the midst of all the activity and festivity, there were several stages where artists were performing. 
Frenetic Arts was featured at the festival over the course of 2 weeks where they performed in a total of 6 different shows. 


One of the international poetry shows called “ Poetic Justice League” featured poets from places like: Canada, Australia, Barbados and the African Content. The goal was to create an all-star lineup with the best of the best of the best within the genre of poetry for one night of explosive unfiltered artistic expression.

“Poetry Slam 2019”, another show held during the Vrystaat Festival also featured the four Barbadian artists. It was a competition exclusively for poets from Bloemfontein, South Africa. However, guest performances were permitted during ‘intermission’ therefore allowing the 4 artists to perform their acts amongst the other international performers.


The event structure had 3 rounds,a 1 minute performance, a 3-minute round and to end things off, a 5-minute round. They, the 4 poets, performed collectively which received a very favourable response.


The festival was a fresh and inspiring activity that merits even more attention in the Caribbean and across Europe and Asia. 
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You all want to know about South Africa, don’t you? What’s the life there like? The food?

We all know that Africa in general is not portrayed in the best or brightest light apart from their music industry product commonly known on the global markets as ‘Afrobeats’.


Let’s just burst your bubble and say that Africa is not all that is broadcasted over the news networks as generally being associated with poverty. Africa tends to be a very rich land, with many resources and infrastructure to say the least.

Now that you have been introduced to our topic; Africa, more specifically South Africa, we are going to continue our journey with StonedwithCupid who had the pleasure of visiting Bloemfontein, South Africa.

“StonedwithCupid” is a lifestyle!


It is the encapsulation of many ways of life for Akeem, the founder. The “Stoned” represents the indulgence in life's pleasures and “Cupid” deals with the things one loves. (Cupid is a cherub that generally symbolizes infatuation, you know...just in case you didn’t know). Together it means to indulge in things one loves or likes.

The brand is unfortunately mistaken for drug usage because of its name and thus has been perceived to promote drug culture but this is in fact very far from the truth.

Since deciding to be a full time creative, StonedwithCupid has spent most of his time immersed in things he likes either as a consumer or as a creator and when given the opportunity, he jumped on the plane and went to Bloemfontein.

Below you can read about some of the things you probably didn’t know about visiting South Africa. You may want to consider not going during winter...unless you like the cold.


Bloemfontein, No Longer Home


Climate & Scenery


Greeted by the biting cold, kissed by the moist countryside air 
No mosquitoes or other insects to make you swear,
Unsure if the land that I arrived upon was alien, 
Or if I was the alien on the land. 

No longer home, I felt it!


The tropical skies, a distant world
The roads were wider, the buildings taller, 
The cars were newer, the skylines higher, 
the air much thinner.


No longer home, I saw it!


Cuisine & Delicacies


Bloemfontein, a few thousand feet above the sea, 
Bloemfontein, you were no home to me. 
The food was foreign. You offered me meat, 
In the world I know, nothing could compete.


No longer home, I glanced at it!

Kudu, Springbok, Biltong, unknown to me 
They didn’t tell me that biltong was coarse and chewy like beef jerky.
All types of fish, sheep, goat and guinea birds too,
They were all part of the delicacies on the list of things that I didn’t know I had to-do. 


No longer home, I tasted it!


Drinks & Memories


Wash it all down with a really smooth lager, 
South African renowned liquor, wine and Black Label Beer, 
was enough to make any man stagger. 
Next, they told me to try a local cider. 


No longer home, I sipped on it!


Savanna Premium Light, 
It was surely a delight. 
Swallowed it down in two gulps, it was out of sight. 
Refreshed thoroughly, tongue I had to bite.


No longer home, I drank it!


Fast food joints, 
with food seasoned “on point”.
Debonairs, specialising in pizzas with assorted cheeses and meats
Steers, for the typical burger, salad, chicken and chips and any junk food to eat. 


No longer home, I ate it!


They wet my palette with spicy-sweet flavour
Took it all in, call it “savoured”. 
Not even Alzheimer’s can make me forget, 
that taste that needs to be remembered, my needs; met. 


No longer home, I devoured it!


Wildlife & Discoveries


Far from the forests, plains and sanctuaries
Confronted nonetheless with African biodiversity 
A peaceful coexistence, humans and beasts
Kudu, deer, zebras, ostriches, giraffes and wildebeests, a sight to see, to say the least.. 


No longer home, I observed it!


Naval Hill, a protected space with an observatory at its peak, 
Nelson Mandela stood there looking over the hills, seeing farmlands and city blocks, giving his speech
Taking in Bloemfontein in all its hidden glory, 
The perfect marriage of countryside and urbanisation, ends this story.


No longer home, I experienced it!


〜as interpreted by Arthur Idyllic Voyages〜


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You’re probably taking a trip in October and you’re wondering what to pack.

Here’s a tip, pink earrings, a pink cardigan, pink socks, a pink shirt, a pink pair of sunglasses, even a pink suitcase if you have one. Yes, you get the gist of this article. It is indeed Breast Cancer Awareness Month and packing something pink shows your support in the fight against breast cancer, the fight for a cure.

It's autumn and you're probably thinking of visiting Germany, Czech Republic or Spain for the beautiful scenery and activities that they have to offer. Amongst your pre-winter outfits you may also want to add one more item to your list and that is ‘Vans’! Yes the brand!

The brand has recently launched their collection in support of ‘Coppafeel’, a charity founded by Kate who was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer at the tender age of 23.

You could purchase one of the Vans' products available online or you may wish to donate directly to this cause and that is available on their website → https://coppafeel.org  

Whatever you pack in your suitcase is really up to you and your destination. If you are heading to a colder climate you are advised to pack a nice coat, some boots or sneakers, a few pairs of jeans and any shirts of your choice. Don't forget that you may want to take some lip balm and some moisturising products for your hair and skin. The cold weather tends to make you hair and skin more dry.

If you're looking for a more tropical climate, you could pack some swimwear, sundress, flip flops, shorts and definitely some sunglasses and a hat. Remember that sunscreen is an essential especially if you plan to spend long hours at the beach. 

For those of you participating in the annual walks/runs in your cities, or even your target city, pack a pair of pink sneakers or purchase a pair with some pink highlights to accessorise the outfit that you'll be wearing. 

Add something pink to your suitcase even if it's a ring or a watch or your passport cover case. Show your support this and every October. 

So let's pack for the month and walk for the cure! 


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