Nara Park, Japan

I love seeing animals but I’m also not a huge fan of zoos, so places like this where animals roam free but also peacefully coexist and even interact with humans is my idea of heaven.

My favourite city in Japan, and the one place I recommend to anyone who tells me they’re visiting the area. I love animals, all animals, and I’m also not a huge fan of zoos, so places like this where animals roam free but also peacefully coexist and even interact with humans is my idea of heaven. There’s just a few important things to bear in mind before you go.

The deer can be a little aggressive

These animals are very comfortable and very used to the presence of humans, and they’re also very smart. They know how to get what they want and what they want is food. You can buy crackers in the park which are ideal to feed them, but if you have food or anything that resembles food in your pockets or bag, they’ll probably try to steal that too. I had one deer steal a map right out of my pocket, and another try to ram me out of the way to try to get it’s (hands?) on my backpack. They warn you to protect small children because being rammed by a deer is not a rare occurrence. Around 164 people a year are injured by these deer so as much as you may want to get a close as possible to them, remember that they’re still wild animals and their instinct will be to defend and protect themselves.

Bow to the deer

You’ll notice people bowing to the deer, and strangely you’ll also see the deer bowing back (bowing is a common social action in Japan, people often bow slightly when they meet each other). This is a sign of respect and mutual understanding. For many years the Sika deer here are considered sacred messengers of the gods and they’re very important to the Japanese people so it is only natural that they will want to treat them well (there’s instances of people being jailed for killing the deer here). The deer have learned that by bowing when they meet someone, the person will often give them food. So bowing three times to the deer, and having them bow back before you give them something to eat is a way to help keep this very sweet tradition going.

Obviously, be respectful the animals and the park

Don’t leave litter or anything else lying around. As I said. the deer are thieves and will try to steal things, this includes trash, and if they eat something they’re not supposed to it can really make them ill. In Japan , dropping litter it’s not acceptable in general, the people really take care to keep their streets clean and tidy, so it’s not only disrespectful to the animals and other wildlife, its also disrespectful to the people and the country as a whole - I’m not kidding, they take it very seriously.

It can be very crowded in some areas and perfectly idyllic in others

When you first arrive at the main entrance, depending on the time of day, it’s going to feel like a pure tourist trap, and that can be a put off for a lot of people, but remember that Nara Park is a huge 1200 acre piece of land, with lots of space to explore. So if you’ve got the time, I recommend taking a walk of the grounds, away from the crowded area, where you’re more likely to have a peaceful one on one interaction with the deer, and get some photos without worrying about the other people getting in the way. The park itself is very beautiful, so you’re not missing out by seeing more of it.

While you’re there, visit the temple

Now this place is crowded and the only way to avoid the crowds is to go very early in the morning. However, if you like temples and traditional Japanese culture then its worth it. Todaiji temple is one of Nara’s other biggest tourist attractions, home to the Big Buddha Hall , the world’s largest wooden building, and inside you’ll find one of Japan’s largest bronze Buddha statues. at 15 metres tall. Buddhist people visit this temple to pray so although you’ll see many tourists going around it’s important to still show respect to the people by being quiet and non disruptive, as it is ultimately a place of worship.

 

Xochimilco, Mexico

When I first arrived in Mexico City, this was one of the most frequently recommended places to visit. “It’s kind of like Mexico’s version of Venice” somebody told me.

After a quick image search I saw that it was lots of colourful boats floating down a river, so that’s what I imagined: a calm, quiet, lazy-river-style experience. It’s not. It’s so much more than that. First of all, it’s not just one river, but a labyrinth of connecting rivers and islands on a lake. And it’s not quiet and calm, oh no. Each boat fits 15 or so people, and a speaker, so you can play music from your phone, and dance. It’s a boat party more than anything else, and it’s amazing. Smaller boats come by selling food and decorations. There’s even Mariachi boats who’ll come and serenade anyone who asks. Other people’s boats pass and greet you and often join in the singing and dancing.

Boats bump into each other which makes everyone laugh, and it’s just a great, lively atmosphere overall. And it’s not just tourists, most of the boats in fact are filled with other Mexican people, often celebrating birthdays or out for a fun family experience. There’s toilet stops along the way, where you can also top up on drinks and snacks.

The islands are occupied by people, sometimes houses, sometimes small allotments and greenhouses. (I should note that there are an enormous number of stray dogs, but they are all generally well fed, either by the residents or the passing visitors.) Depending on how far you go on the boat there is “The Island of Dolls”, an island off the river where a man has put hundreds of toy dolls (now mostly deteriorating and rather creepy) in honour of a girl he found drowned in the lake. Some say it’s haunted and are scared to go near it, others find it really intriguing.

I, like everyone else, would recommend visiting Xochimilco (pronounced sochi-mealco, by the way). It’s a great place to take photos and to hang out with a group, and the local residents rely on the tourism economy. The only thing I would say is to go with a trusted tour provider or with a local who knows the place. It’s about 45 mins away from the actually centre of the city and on your way there people will try to sell you passes or lead you to an entrance where they can charge you a higher fee, it’s a classic tourist trap, but if you’re in the know then you can find another entrance where you just pay the normal cost per head for the renting of the boat.

 

Solo travel.. oh, the places you'll go!

I love travelling. More than almost anything else. The one thing that sets my soul on fire, is travelling. However, fortunately or unfortunately, I don’t always have people who share that feeling, who are able or willing to come with me. Don’t get me wrong, lots of people say they wish they could do what I do. Lots of people say “Tell me next time you’re going somewhere and I’ll come along” but the truth is, they don’t. People have job, family and life commitments. People have bills to pay. People like the idea, but not the reality, of what travelling on a budget entails. So I go alone.

I remember the first time I decided to go alone. I was tired of saying to my (then) boyfriend “I’ve found a great trip we can take” and him ultimately saying no. I was tired of spending my holidays and time off doing nothing. I was saving every penny I made so that I could travel, but I was never getting to spend it.

Ultimately, I didn’t want to be alone. At the time I was suffering pretty badly with anxiety and panic attacks, so the thought of even going to the supermarket alone was terrifying to me. (I’m not exaggerating.) But one day my boyfriend broke it to me that he wasn’t to leave the city we we’re in, and move back home. I still had a year of university left so I knew I had to stay. And the reality hit me, I was going to be alone. That was it. That lit the spark inside me that made me think “If I’m going to be alone anyway I may as well be alone somewhere cool”.

I almost immediately applied for an internship in Japan. I had 3 months off before my final year, and I wasn’t going to waste any more time. I had nothing to lose, I couldn’t afford to stay in our flat alone anyway.

I was lucky enough to get the position at Obubu, and I never looked back. It was one of the most terrifying things I’ve ever done. From telling my parents I was going half way across the world alone at 21, to getting on my first long-haul flight (as someone who was scared of flying), to landing in a country where I didn’t know anyone or even speak the language. I had countless panic attacks for the 12 weeks I was there, and do you know what? It was one of the best experiences of my life. I met the most amazing people, I learned so much, tried new food, and had so many memorable experiences. But the best part was that by end of it I realised that I was capable of so much more than my anxiety would have had me believe.

Although I went alone, I wasn’t 100% alone on that trip. I had colleagues and roommates, and I made friends, but it still felt extremely daunting at the time. Since then, I continued to travel, sometimes with other people, and sometimes completely by myself. I’ve stopped letting the worry of “I have no-one to go with” hold me back. The truth is, travelling alone is fun! There’s so much freedom in getting to decide where to you, where to stay, what to do and at what time. Eating where you want to eat, and making all the decisions based on what you want rather than having to compromise. I stay in hostels, so there’s always opportunity to meet other travellers if you get lonely, and you’ll often find that they’re on their own too.

Some people might think it’s strange, or dangerous, and obviously you have to keep your wits about you, but ultimately I’ve decided that I’d rather travel alone and have a few people think it’s crazy, than not get to travel at all. If you’ve never done it, I recommend it to everyone. It’ll show you how strong you are, it’ll push you to challenge yourself, and ultimately it makes you comfortable with your own company and I think everyone can benefit from that. At the end of the day, throughout your whole life, the only person who’s guaranteed to always be there is you.

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Berlin, Germany

A few years ago I took a last minute trip to the German capital because the world seemed gloomy and I needed a break. Luckily, I have friends from the city who were able to give me recommendations and Berlin is such a cool place anyway, we were pretty much guaranteed to have a good time.

Without many plans, and two days to kill, we wandered the streets, turning down any alley that took our fancy. We walked pretty much the full length of city, seeing old and new, east and west, and we loved every minute of it. 

Favorites: architecture, greenery, street art, quirky restaurants and cafes, the fact that people took their dogs into shops and let me pet them.

Least favorites: cold cold cold (-6 to be exact, although we did go in mid November so what can you expect), basically nowhere opens before 11 so don't bother getting up early, and we weren't able to get a direct flight, but I guess that's not Berlin's fault.  

It was the first place we've ever visited that my ex boyfriend agreed he'd actually like to live there. It was so pretty that I got caught up and forgot to take photos. My friend insists that the weather is better in the summer, so hopefully I'll be back to see it again.