ArthurIdyllicVoyages : Travel Diaries for Budget Travellers

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...

Therefore, 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.

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.

• 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.

• 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).

• Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto
• Cataraqui Centre in Kingston, Ontario

"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 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. 

You all want to know about South Africa, don’t you? What’s the life there like? The food?

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〜

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.