What $1 Can Do

A survey done by Lonely Planet through Facebook asked people from different countries what $1 can buy in their country. They comments are very interesting. In some countries, $1 can buy you a nice foot massage but in others it can do nothing!

Chester, England: US$1 (63 pence) gets me half a loaf of bread. As for Philippines, one of the best things you can get with $1 is a big bag of sweets to keep in your backpack, to hand out to kids. – James

Vienna: a dollar would buy you a freshly baked Kornspitz (a kind of bread roll), but wouldn’t be enough for a salty pickle from a street market or a short-distance public transport ticket. However, with the change from that Kornspitz, you can visit the museum of applied art (MAK) on a Saturday since it’s free of charge. – Dilyan

Tenerife, Canary Islands: it will get you a good cup of coffee in the capital, Santa Cruz, but in the tourist areas of the South you will be lucky if it gets you half a cup. – Linda

South India: it will give a unlimited servings of rice with rasam, sambhar, curd, papad, 1 piece sweet on a banana leaf. – Tarun

Cebu, Philippines: $1 can get 30-45 minutes of a glorious foot massage – Dexter

Nepal: you can get momo (ten units of dumpling) and a 250ml of coke. – Niraj

Croatia:  a big scoop of ice-cream. – Morana

The UK: 60 pence buys you about 3/4 litre of milk, half a litre of petrol/diesel for your car, 2 cigarettes (that’s two single ones, not a packet), 3 apples, 2 days supply of the Sun tabloid newspaper, a small portion of fries from Maccy D’s or a can of coke from my office vending machine. – Alex

Denmark: you can get a litre of milk, a ciabatta bun in the Godthaabsvej Bakery, a stamp for a postcard/letter with receiver in Denmark, a cucumber or maybe a chocolate bar. 1 dollar = 5,5 danish kroner – Sandra

Budapest: 1 scoop of ice cream/4 small apples/1 plain hamburger at McDonald’s/1 postcard/1 daily newspaper/30 minutes parking in the downtown area – Csaba

Canada: Nothing! Haha. Blame it on Canadian taxes – Ashley

Faroe Islands: a pack of chewing gum, 2 apples at the supermarket, some candy probably, hardly anything – Bjarki

Vietnam: you can buy either 1 hat, 1 or 2 magazine(s), 1 DVD, 3 pairs of flip sandals, 5 instant noodle packages or snacks, 1 meal in some cheap food courts. ALOT, rite? – Lynn

In middle Italy: a litre of cheap wine or 1kg Spaghetti or 6 bottles of mineral water and just about one tablet of Ibruprofen which you might need if you drank the cheap vino!!! – Robert

Chiang Mai: The question is, what can’t you get in Chiang Mai for US$1? Street food doesn’t usually cost more than that. I even get a cooked to order vegetarian lunch delivered to my office everyday for that price. – Sheila

Bogota, Colombia: A cup of coffee and 2 fresh baked cookies. Or an arepa with some spicy home made aji salsa! – Andrew

Seoul: one subway or bus ticket and a mask pack for your skin. – Yun

Egypt: you could buy a koshary plate which is an Egyptian dish which basically includes spaghetti, rice, lentil and fried onions on the top. Another choice would be about ten Fool (beans) sandwiches maybe even some falafel or in other parts of Cairo just a donut. – Aly

India:  ‎1USD = around 50 Indian Rupees which can get you a hearty meal of boiled rice, dal, vegetables, pickles, chutney and papads in a Kolkata ‘basa’ …and it’s usually eat as much as you want! – Priyanka

Costa Rica: you can buy one papaya, one watermelon, one pineapple… and perhaps a cup of coffee of decent quality. – Luis

Los Angeles: one hour of street parking – Christina

Paris: about 40% of an espresso at Starbucks. – Michael

Dubai: a dollar will get you a ‘Jabal Al Noor’ shawarma. – Ineke

Portugal: 1 espresso coffee. Except if you are in the airport. – Nuno

Australia: a scratchy (lottery ticket) with the chance of getting enough cash together for your next trip – Kin

If you have limited budget, your best choice is Indonesia, Thailand, and India!

A Space-saving Packing Method

I believe many of you have the same feeling with me that there are so many stuff to pack for traveling, even if it's just a weekend long. This packing method that I saw online will be super useful to travelers like me. It's called the Bundled Wrapping method. The tension invoked by this method not only saves space, but reduces the chance that your clothes will wrinkle. 

By Tom Ayzenberg

Thanks to Tom for uploading this great demo video. Hope it was a useful packing tip for travelers. 

Go on a Theme Trip

I always like to give myself a reason to travel, like picking a theme for the journey. Why does it matter? Traveling with a theme makes me want to explore the city more thoroughly. I would pay more attention on things related to my theme. It might be sounding like the procedure of doing a research paper, but I promise you it's not boring as it sounds. Take my experience for example, I wanted to learn more about ancient Chinese history, so last summer I made a trip to Xi'an (capital of many dynasties in Chinese history) and Beijing (capital of China and political center for the past seven centuries). I visited the Banpo archeology site and saw the life style of people in the beginning of civilization.

King of the Qin State

 

After that, I went to the palace of the King of the Qin State and his cemetery. The city and its architectures made me feel like I was back to his time. When I arrived in Beijing, I visited the Forbidden City, palace of kings for the last Dynasty in the Chinese history.

The Forbidden City

 

 

So plan your trip with a theme that you are interested in can really help you understand the city/country more. You will easily remember what you have seen and experienced. So I have came up with another theme that I want to explore, which is cities with best street arts.

 



       Museums and art galleries are often on travelers' top visiting list. Art reflects culture of the city. besides art galleries, street art is also an interesting form of expressing feelings and showing creativities. Looking at still life oil-on-canvases isn't for everyone. But the good news is that some of the coolest art in the world isn't locked away in stuffy art galleries or museums; there are plenty of creative paintings and murals on the sides of buildings, along fences and across public walls. Here are 5 cities with the best street art in the world.

Valparaiso, Chile

  

This city located close to the Chilean capital is famous for the colorful houses and murals, which line its steeply hilled streets. Graffiti took off in this city back in the '70s as a way to protest the Pinochet regime and was initially frowned upon but as the years progressed, the city decided to let the street art flourish. As a visitor to Valparaiso, you cannot only wander the colorful laneways, you can get your hands dirty too. The city runs tours where you can actually hit the streets and create some graffiti with the aid of local artists who help you design your own unique stencils.

 

London, England

 

 

 

London might be home to some of the most celebrated art galleries in the world, but the city is quickly making a name for itself as a street art hub as well. Parts of the city that were once rundown and off the tourist radar have now been regenerated and have become prime places to view colorful murals. East End is one of the off-the-beaten-track neighborhoods where many street artists have flocked.

 

Berlin, Germany

 

 

 Berlin is a street art lover's paradise with both historical graffiti and a thriving present-day art scene to take in. Graffiti really took off here in the '80s with those on the west side of the Berlin Wall expressing their beliefs and frustrations with the aid of spray cans. After the fall of the wall, graffiti spread throughout Berlin, and although large chunks of the wall are now gone, you can still see many murals left over from times past.

 

Melbourne, Australia

 

  

Melbourne has long been Australia's artistic capital and there's as much to see out on the streets as there is in the galleries. Graffiti got its start here in the '70s and '80s and there has always been a heavy focus on what's known as "stencil art."

In more recent years, the street art has evolved to include other techniques, including street installations, wood blocking and reverse graffiti – a method, which involves carving an image out of dirt (like you might do on a car window). Over the past decade, Melbourne has also held a number of stencil festivals where the public can watch live demonstrations, listen to debate about graffiti, take part in workshops and more.

 

Philadelphia, USA

 

Lastly, don't forget the city so close to us, Philly. The Association for Public Art estimates the city has thousands of public artworks; the Smithsonian lists more than 700. Since 1959 nearly 400 works of public art have been created as part of the city's Percent for Art program, the first such program in the U.S. Depending on my financial situation, but if I can't make it to those cities above, I can still drive down to Philly to get the feeling of good street arts!

There are many themes you can chose from, and the best way to do this is to find out what you are interested in. Like I mentioned in another blog post, How to Plan for a Interesting Vacation, it is important to go with what you enjoy doing. I love art and I want to experience different forms of art works and that's why I chose the theme of "Cities with Good Street Arts." But if you have zero interest in art, then go for something else! You can be a fan of opera and visit Italy for the experience of the best opera festival, or you may love Lord of the Rings and go to New Zealand to see the where it was filmed. Any theme can be fun! You just need to do your research before going.

Summer is only few months away, so start planning your trip for the summer now and you will have an amazing experience!

 

 

 





 

My Future Autobiography

Someone gave me this idea of writing an autobiography, but not about the life I've lived but yet to come. I thought that's a great idea! Although life aften goes out of your plans, it is important to know what you want and what your goals are. So I wrote this autobiography on my life 50 years from now. 

As Peiran continues in pursuing her Bachelor degree, she concentrated more in Advertising because she realized how influential they are in people’s lives and she aims to be an influential person. She got an internship in her senior year in BBDO, a worldwide advertising agency. There she learnt a lot of practical skills in Advertising industry and also gained more interests for this career. What was even better was that it was a paid internship. She paid off her last year’s tuition with the money she earned. It took her one more year to get a Masters degree because she was in the five-year Communication program. As much as she loved being in college, it was exciting for her to step into the second quarter of her life.

She found an Advertising Assistant job in Los Angeles. She had visited LA two years ago during Christmas break and she enjoyed living there so much, so she didn’t give a second thought for relocating. Working as an Advertising Assistant was fun, everything was pretty much the way she imagined before except for that it was a 9 to 5 office work. She hated office works ever since she had her first job in the International Admissions on campus. She once told her mom that the admissions job does no good besides letting her know that she doesn’t like office work. She left the Advertising Assistant job after one year and started her own company as an entrepreneur.

She had always had this idea about an agency that connects designers, writers, photographers and media people with different projects of companies. The agency provides a platform for them to choose the project that they are interested in doing and signs them a contract with the company. In this way, these creative people can always work on the project that they are interested in. This Media Agency was like a baby to her; she worked hard and took good care of the baby, and the baby grew very fast. After 2 years, she had 150 people signed under her agency and there were international companies that offered projects to her. By the age of 27, she was married to her significant other.

One year after, her business went worldwide and she decided to open a chain company in her home country, China. She moved to Shanghai with her family and spent another 8 years there before they all moved to France. During that time, she son was born and two years after was her daughter. They both went to a primary school in Shanghai. She started supporting missionaries in Southeast Asia because she wanted to be part of this great mission even though she couldn’t be there physically. Their relocation was because of her new company in Paris. This agency was targeting the European market. She picked up French at the age of 35. Her company developed a few more chain agencies but she did not relocate with the company.

A friend of her mom’s introduced her to this movie base in Hawaii and she thought that she would go for a visit and it was a vacation anyways. However after visiting the base, she decided to help this company in publicity. She moved to Kona, Hawaii with her husband when both of her children went to college. She advertised this movie company and its movies using the network she built in the past few decades and made this company well known. She traveled around the world with her husband and the crew for this movie; that was just an incredible way to fulfill her childhood dream!

At the age of 60, her son was mainly in charge of her companies. She and her husband became full time missionaries in India. She told her son that the companies will continue supporting missionaries. She left a notebook with her autobiography to her son and daughter to tell them how short but wonderful life is and that they need to cherish the moment they have in order to be prepared for the time to come. 

Aurora Borealis: Top 10 Viewing Places

On April 13th, it was predicted that New Jersey would had prime seat for Aurora Borealis. Me and my photographer friends got excited and decided to catch this incredible opportunity. I've always wanted to see Aurora Borealis. I've imagined seeing green and purple lights appear in the sky. I translated my imagination onto paper and created this color pencil drawing "Man at the South Pole".

 

 

We drove to Seven Lakes where it's far from the city. It was a pretty chilly night and to my surprise, any photographers were gathered there awaiting for Aurora Borealis. It was reported to be visible at 8 pm but there weren't anything in the sky until 9:30 pm. We had to head back since it was getting late. But I researched on places to see Aurora Borealis because I want to make a trip to there one day.

 

So here are the top 10 places to see it (Information found Fodor's Travel Intelligence):

1. Norway: The northern town of Tromsø teems with Aurora Borealis activity when those extended summer days are long gone. Its location above the Arctic Circle, and within the Northern Lights zone, makes it one of the top places to view shimmering green lights.
2. Sweden: The area around Abisko in Swedish Lapland is scientifically proven to be an ideal viewing spot due to a unique micro-climate. Close to Abisko National Park, the dark winter night is perfect for sky watching.
3. Finland: Head to Luosto in Northern Finland to the Aurora Chalet where, upon arrival, you’ll be handed an "Aurora Alarm" which beeps once Northern Lights appear. In the nearby town of Sodanklya, the Northern Lights Research Center relays your message via the hotel.
4. Iceland: Leave the bustling nightlife of the capital city and head out into the wide open plains of Þingvellir National Park—a UNESCO Heritage Site where the North American and Eurasian continental plates meet to cause a rift valley.
5. Alaska: Alaska’s location within "the zone" means you’re almost guaranteed to see spectacular light displays. Be sure to move further away from city lights of Fairbanks into the region’s vast wilderness areas of Denali and the Yukon Territory.
6. Canada: Areas around pristine Lake Superior in Ontario and Northern Canada’s tundra backcountry are prime viewing spots. Head to the town of Whitehorse within the Yukon Territory to best see the swirling lights.
7. Greenland: Greenland still remains a final frontier for the average traveler and from its interior ice remains optimal location, however more accessible areas south and east of Greenland provide just as good viewing opportunities.
8. Scotland: The British isles are known for stormy, foggy, and cloudy weather—far from ideal conditions for observing the sky, but on those rare occasions when thick cloud covers break momentarily during dark winter months, you’ve got a good chance of witnessing the display in parts of Scotland's north.
9. Russia: In Northern Russia, you’ve got a good chance of seeing Aurora Borealis. The Kola Peninsula’s proximity to the Northern Lights zone also makes it a key area and the town of Murmansk is a popular base . . . if you can handle the below freezing temperatures of a typical Siberian winter.
10. Denmark: North of Scotland between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic, the Faroe Island archipelago is mostly known for puffins and Viking folklore. While its stormy weather mimics that of the British Isles, visitors to this Denmark-owned province could also see the iridescent lights.

 

These places are listed in my travel list for the next 10 years. 

 

Message from Julie

I was on the highway to New Jersey. My spring break in Virginia Beach was officially ended the moment I stepped into the car. It's never been easy for me to accept the fact that vacation's over. I don't think that's easy for anyone, as no one has said a word since the beginning of the journey. Half of them are asleep on the backseat.

I didn't want to sleep because my friend who was driving would be bored. To entertain myself, since no one had the intention of starting an interesting conversation, I pulled out my cell phone and went on Facebook. A message from Julie. I just accepted her friend request the night before. I was wondering why she would add me on Facebook a year after she graduated from FDU but I accepted her request anyways. Then why would she message me? I don't even know her personally in school. I checked her message and it said,

Have you been to Virginia Beach lately?

How does she know! Isn't she in Germany now? I remember she was very good friends with Pia and she must have heard from her that we were going to Virginia Beach for spring break. Did she come to Virginia Beach to meet her? Then why not ask Pia! Pia was driving another car in front of me. With all the doubts in my mind, I replied,

No, I just left Virginia Beach two hours ago.

It was almost in two seconds she replied,

What a shame. I found your debit card while walking on the beach yesterday. Would you like me to mail it to you? 

Wait... what? I checked my pocket, I had my student ID and State ID. I opened my purse and my wallet was there but not my debit card. I checked her profile again and realized that she's not the Julie from school. She really looked like her on her profile picture. By this time, my friends in the back seat who were sleeping had woken up by my "What? Wait... Really!" Before I know what to reply, another message from Julie arrived,

I was trying to save you some trouble by giving it back to you. I have no intention of using it.

I was moved by her honesty. I thanked her and told her that it would be easier to just cancel this card. She offered to cut the card and dispose of it properly for me. What's more beautiful than an honest soul I asked myself. After a few minutes, she posted a picture of my card having been cut into tiny pieces on my timeline.

I showed Pia this picture when we stopped for lunch and I gave her credit for everything because she knew Julie from school and that's why I accepted her friend request. After telling her the whole story, she said,

What a great way to know someone! 

I wasn't upset for losing my card, instead I was excited for knowing someone who would go out of their way and do such good deed for a stranger.

 

Good deeds that you can do

This morning I read an interesting news story about an international biker who cooks for local families all over the world. His name is Jay and he is from India. In the beginning he cooked for the family that hosted him for free to show "gratitude for a free stay". Later on he realized that he enjoyed sharing his home food with people from other cultures; food brought people closer to each other. Food is a big part of Indian culture and cooking Indian food is sharing his culture with them. Click here to view this news.

 

Jay's famous dish "Curry Chicken"

 

 

I agree with Jay's attitude towards the place that you travel to and the people there. Many people do not like tourists because tourists cause chaos in the local community. I am from a city that has a huge tourism industry; the city is by the ocean so it's famous for the beautiful beach, sea food and the Beer Festival. Every summer millions of people visit the city. The large amount of tourists is often the reason for prices being raised, traffic and noise violations in the district near the beach. Tourists have brought inconvenience to local people's everyday life.

 

It is important to be aware of the local community and show your respect to people. Jay inspired me to give something back to the community that I travel to; little actions like cooking a meal for them can show our appreciation for their hospitality. Respecting them and their culture can also bring you closer to them. Little good deeds that you do can make people happy, and you will also be more satisfied with your journey!

 

Giving something back to the place I visit is my goal for the next trip.