I have recently had the pleasure of practicing Pranam Hatha Yoga with master Joseph Konnoth. Each morning the class starts at 8:30am and is held in a peaceful, quiet and clean spot above the Feelin Hotel on Varkala cliff road. Classes cost 300 rupees which is equal to about $6NZ. There are also evening classes but as I am a morning yogi I love to practice first thing and start my day with a good stretch. There are over 20 yoga schools and classes in the Varkala cliff area that I had planned to attend but after only one class with Joseph I came back day after day until the end of my visit to Varkala. About Joseph: Joseph started practicing Hatha Yoga, the original Yoga practice as suggested by the Yoga sutras (the worlds oldest books), in 1984. In 1988 he began teaching his self practice to students and has now acquired followers from all over the world. Joseph is a master of advanced Yoga asana and this is evident in his self practice and the way he teaches his students with hands on adjustments and encouragement to believe you can achieve any asana. When I arrived at my first class Joseph told me that I had been practicing too many forward bends and instantly got to work on helping me improve my backward bends by showing me stretches for the spine to do at home as well as his hands on help and foot massages for the lower back helping to release my spine. He told me I had a fear of backbends which I soon realized was true and I started instantly to try and shift my mind frame and release the fear I was holding on to of falling backward. Within 5 days I have seen huge improvement in my spine flexibility with Josephs supportive help and encouragement; “you can do it” he would repeat to me multiple times each session. About classes: The first Yoga class I attended with Joseph was unlike any Yoga class I had ever been to. I love to experience new styles of Yoga as I think there is something I can incorporate into my self practice and teaching style from each and every teacher and practice. The class is started with a strong focus on relaxation and breathing. Chanting in Sanskrit to begin followed by Kapalbhati, breath holding and Nadi Shodan Pranayama. A warm up is followed to open up the joints and warm up the body’s muscles before performing strength building and deep stretch asana. As this is a Hatha practice each asana is held for around 15-20 seconds with Joseph taking time to adjust each student into the correct posture. Each class I attended really had a casual, friendly atmosphere where we would take turns to watch each other and cheer each other on when new accomplishments were reached. The next part of class would consist of building core strength in head stands and when each student was comfortable we would take turns to practice scorpion with the hands on support of Joseph. From arm balances and head stands we would move on to back bends which would generally be practiced for around 30-45 minutes. Joseph would help to adjust each person into deeper backbends as well as support each student from standing all the way into wheel pose and then into scorpion before Childs pose. I have never had a teacher do this for me and as these are the postures that I love to practice I really appreciated how safe and supported I felt throughout the whole process. Joseph would come and stand on the lower part of my back during backbends to help release the spine and muscles allowing me to go deeper into lower backbends. Classes are usually 2 hours before Savasana and final chanting in Sanskrit. If anyone is looking for a yoga teacher in Varkala Beach I would highly recommend Joseph Konneth. There are no levels in his class and he teaches what he knows equally to each and every student. Joseph's hands on approach to improve each students technique and practice. A final 'see you next time' after a 2 hour sweaty session.
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Travel saving tips: 1. Don’t have a life until you have reached your goal amount. But really. Stay home and read books and watch documentaries about the places you want to see. It will keep you inspired and will help you gain knowledge of the people and land that you are about to visit. Rhys and I stopped partying for one year and we saved $30,000 NZD after paying off $15,000 of debt and paying for all of our travel equipment/vaccinations/visa to Thailand/flights to Thailand and Vietnam. 2. Don’t treat yourself (too often) and really consider each particular purchase carefully – travelling will be the best treat of your lifetime! An added bonus: you can buy anything (and I really want to emphasise ANYTHING here) in SE Asia for half the price you would pay at home. 3. Vegan cheesy but works for me: create a vision board covered in pictures of the places you want to go and the things you want to see and put it in a spot where you will see it and look at it every day. Seeing the board I created helped me to stay motivated. 4. Pay yourself first! Every single pay check I would have a certain amount that would be directly transferred into my savings account and then I would live off the rest of the money that was in my account. It became a good habit and I would get so excited to see my savings account increasing weekly, it fuelled my motivation. Avoiding theft and injury: 1. Don’t keep all of your cash in one spot. When you are walking the streets try to keep flashy jewellery to a minimum. If you do end up getting mugged or robbed you will be happy to have cash stored away in another safe spot but when leaving it in a room try to keep it well hidden if not in a safe box. 2. Keep all valuables in your ‘day’ bag when flying/bussing/training. Every flight that we have caught my check in bag has been opened and fiddled with. Every single flight! 3. (Mostly with Thai people) never raise your voice even if you are truly pissed. Stay cool, calm and collected and smile. Sabai sabai. If you point out where someone has gone wrong or tried to rip you off locals will usually pretend they don’t understand what you are saying. It is good to stand your ground. You can walk away from any situation but do not get angry and loud – this will not go down well. Locals here are very big on ‘saving face’. Apps and planning/moving around: 4. Use the sky scanner app for booking flights. The app has an ‘everywhere’ option to show you where the cheapest flights are near you. This app will also show you which day of the month is cheapest to fly to or from your desired destination. 5. In my personal experience it is easier and cheaper to organize things like over night buses face to face with a travel agent or at the bus station rather than online. Have a plan of the things you would like to see but it is super easy to plan movement when you are in the country. An added bonus is having the freedom to go and see things when locals or fellow travellers point you in the direction of a quiet, undiscovered slice of nature. 6. Do some research on where it is you want to go and discuss and agree on a price with the driver before they take you. Tuk tuks are a fun and cheap way to get around in Cambodia and Thailand if you discuss the price first. Meter taxis in Thailand will get you the best bang for buck (if you can convince them to run the meter, try asking in Thai) but in Vietnam a lot of the meters are rigged to jump from one price to a higher price very quickly (the only exception being Vina Sun company). 7. Travel like a local. Taking overnight buses will mean you can save on accommodation for a night while moving and waking up to a new town to adventure. All of the buses we have taken have aircon so take some warm clothes on-board with you. The overnight buses in Thailand are good bang for buck especially Nakhongchai Air – a bus line designed for people who don’t like airplane travel with (nearly) all the comforts of a business class flight. Plenty of leg room, a comfortable seat that folds back , blankets, bottled drinking water and a tv to watch movies or play games before you drift off. Shopping and bargaining: 8. When bartering only ask the price of an item if you actually want to buy it. Give a price that you think is fair and if they say ‘no’ walk away, you will usually get called back. On this note: don’t be a rude traveller trying to get the best price on everything. Really pay what you think is a fair price – some of these shop keepers won’t make more than a couple of dollars each day and some days they will not make any money so please be considerate of the local people. 9. Learn the basics of the language. Hi, goodbye, thank you, how much?, too expensive, vegan specifics (for foodies) etc. In my experience if you speak even a little of the local language shop owners will generally give you a discount off the bat (this does not include food, don’t bargain with food stall holders). Crossing borders: 10. If you are crossing borders by bus then make sure you have researched the company that you want to purchase a ticket with. I have heard some horror stories (from expat locals) about cheap transport across borders. It’s definitely worth it to pay a bit more and have a good company take you to where you want to go instead of getting to the border and feeling like you have been left in the dust, literally. If you are going via Thailand to Cambodia or the other way around I highly recommend Nattakan transport company who helped Rhys and I cross with ease. 11. Make sure you have thoroughly researched the visa requirements to enter a country before you are about to catch a flight to avoid any last minute emergency visa applications that will end up costing a lot of money. Unfortunately we learnt the hard way before our flight into Vietnam – you will need to apply for the visa about a week in advance online so that you can get your visa on arrival. You can not simply get a visa on arrival like we first originally thought. An emergency 4 hour visa cost us $150 USD for 2 people. Food and dining out (VEGAN ❤): 12. Rhys and I have found it incredibly easy to find delicious, flavour filled, vegetable packed food for a good price in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. Read my blog ‘Vegan in Vietnam’ for a more specific spread on Vietnamese cuisine. 13. Things to look out for: Fish sauce and egg noodles. 14. Download Happy Cow app (free version or paid version for adding reviews and new restaurants). This app has been a god send for us on our travels and constantly leads us to find delicious places to eat however sometimes the restaurant is not exactly where it says it is on Happy Cow. We have had a little trouble finding a couple of places from the apps directions but over all has really been incredibly helpful. The app will tell you how many $$$ the food is selling for and just how far away it is (supposedly) from your current location. 15. Be specific! Even better if you can ask in the local language. In Thai: Shan kin jair – I eat vegetarian, mai sai khai – no eat egg, mai kin nom – no eat milk, mai kin cheese – no eat cheese, aroy mak – it was delicious! Practice with locals who can speak English and then when you meet people who can’t you will be well prepared for the conversation ahead. 16. If you order a fruit smoothie always ask for no milk even if it isn’t listed with the ingredients. Same when you are ordering vegetable pizza always request no cheese even if it isn’t listed on the menu. Money and budgeting: Budgeting is not really something that we have been able to stick to with so many surprise costs popping up eg. visiting the hospital, application for an emergency visa, catching a flight out of a place you just aren’t feeling, being stuck with more expensive than usual accommodation for a night or two or going on an adventure that you hadn’t originally planned. Rhys and I have been travelling for over four and a half months and we have spent a total of $11,250 USD or $16,000 NZD – this is a lot of money but we have been on many cool adventures and done a lot of shopping for our future home (one day when we have one, somewhere, wherever that may be). We have averaged about $1400 USD each per month which is around $46 USD each per day. This covers our 2-3 meals, drinks, transport, accommodation, shopping, adventuring, donations and whatever else has popped up. We have had a lot of surprise costs come through which has meant spending more than we originally wanted to. We had budgeted to spend less than this by now but we have also paid for flights to Canada and India, 4 visas to enter countries, 4 surprise flights, three hospital visits and a whole lot of medicine, two 10kg packages sent home (around $75 each), travel adventures and tours around beautiful Islands and in hidden mountain villages, a ride on the Mekong River, an ounce of skunk, and a whole lot of cool stuff to decorate our future home (wherever, whenever that may be). Not to mention the countless bus rides we have taken cross country even though these don’t cost too much at all. Health and Medical: After being ill and visiting hospitals in all three countries we have visited I think I am well accustomed to talk about this. After suffering food poisoning for five days with a drip in my arm at the hospital in Thailand, an endoscopy which resulted in a gastritis diagnosis at an extremely busy local hospital in Vietnam and a parasite eating the tissue of my intestines in Cambodia with constant diarrhoea, vomiting and even some hallucinations my best advice is if you are feeling unwell for more than 24 hours see a dr. I will generally try to fight illness of on my own before resorting to a dr or hospital appointment. You can explain your symptoms to any pharmacist and get medicine over the counter (for very cheap). Like I said if 24 hours has passed and you are still feeling like rubbish go and see a local dr after researching the closest international or western friendly clinic near you. Food borne illness is no joke in the tropics and should be treated seriously. Stick to eating bananas and rice and drink plenty of water and electrolyte packed drinks to keep hydrated in the intense heat and avoid any foods that are spicy or fried. Be careful to avoid ice in drinks from street vendors, unpeeled fruits and salads that may be washed in unclean water. Try to eat foods that are well cooked with plenty of vegetables. If you want to eat fruit (which you definitely will in the heat) try to purchase fruits that are unpeeled and have the skin on which you can peel and wash yourself with bottled water. Make sure to brush your teeth and wash your toothbrush with bottled water. Try to always clean your hands before you eat or carry around a small bottle of hand sanitizer to use before meals. I hope these tips help at least someone who is planning to travel in SE Asia. The most important tip is to HAVE THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE, enjoy the incredible scenery and the energy of the local, bustling people who fill the cities and towns with life and take care. If you have any other questions please contact me and I will do my very best to help. You can find my email address and various other socail medias on the 'connect' page. Alana xx Cambodia is an enchanting country from Angkor Wat in Siem Reap to the gorgeous beaches and Islands located in the south. The locals are friendly and helpful and can be very cheeky when making cash deals especially the tuk tuk drivers. We arrived in Cambodia later than we had expected and everything was closed. We got off the bus in the middle of the Phnom Penh with motorbikes and tuk tuks continually swooshing past as we argued about weather to take shelter in a temple or wait up all night until we could go somewhere with wifi to transfer money to our card so that we could get cash out. We were completely unprepared. Rhys and I eventually found somewhere with wifi and an ANZ ATM which lead to us catching a tuk tuk to a cheap guesthouse on 172 and ordering tofu burgers from the menu. With a cold shower and a comfortable bed to sleep in we went to bed preparing for an emotional day ahead visiting both the killing fields and S-21 prison and genocide museum to learn more about Cambodia’s heart-breaking history. S-21 prison museum and 1 of 300 killing field locations The night we arrived we had made a deal with a tuk tuk driver after searching online how much we should pay to be taken to these places. Making a deal with a driver is a great way to easily get around Phnom Penh and the hectic traffic that takes over the city. We paid $15 to be taken to both locations and he waited outside for us at each place giving us a time frame of 1.5 hours at each stop. Visiting the prison museum and the killing fields is an important although hard trip. I learnt a lot about the history of this country and the past that each family has had to endure. To visit each location will cost you $3 USD each or $6 with an audio tour. I would recommend the audio tour to visit the killing fields to understand more deeply the story of the land however the prison itself is a bit more self explanatory with more photos and descriptions and a lot of reading material. Both locations were eery. It’s so difficult to even begin to imagine what the people here have been through but it is important to empathize especially when visiting the country. It took us just over half a day to visit both locations before we headed back to our guesthouse after convincing the driver that we did not want to shoot an AK47 or throw any hand grenades (around $50 USD). Over years, travelers leave behind friendship bracelets as a symbol of peace and love for all who perished on this land. Victims of the Khmer Rouge were held in S-21 prison, a public school that was turned into one of the most notorious prisons known in Cambodia. Over 14,000 well educated people were killed here after months of unmentionable torture. We also got completely ripped off by a tuk tuk driver in Phnom Penh who had an Australian accent. Rhys and I were meandering along to the Mekong Delta, as you do, and he pulled up next to us to start talking. I should have instantly walked away before creating conversation but it’s not really who I am as a person. He told us we could go out on his boat to watch the sunset and he would give us free beers for the evening for a total of $35. I said no way and got him down to $25 (even though this is still a lot of money) and together we decided it was a good idea. The driver told us he would take us to the boat and drop us back off afterwards. We got to the boat and he told us he would wait for us after the ride was over so it wasn’t actually his boat. We went out and the scenery was really incredible. Watching the sun set over Phnom Penh from the worlds largest river. We drank a couple of beers and when we arrived back to shore he was no where in sight. I paid the boat driver $20 and he insisted I owed him $5. He and I went back and forth about the deal we had made with the driver and I said that I wouldn’t be paying any more money until we were picked up like we had agreed on. He never showed and we ended up walking back to our guesthouse. The best part was that on the walk back we saw boat rides for $5 instead of $10 each! He had driven us the long way so that we wouldn’t have seen any of the $5 advertisements. Watch out for a Cambodian driver with an Australian accent and just try to be generally aware when making deals with tuk tuk drivers. Travelling South The next day we took a five hour long bus ride to Sihanoukville in the South of Cambodia costing around $8 each. We paid $5 (far too much) for a tuk tuk to a cheap hotel costing us $8. The room was basic but suited our needs for one evening and it only took a minutes walk to get to the beach. That night we bought a bag of weed from one of the local people. About half an ounce of skunk for $50. You will get offered everything on a plate as long as you are a westerner and have money. The worst consequence for holding a bag of weed is a bribe payment if the cop cares enough to even deal with you. The police here know they have much bigger issues to deal with. Along the beach you are welcomed to buy ‘happy shakes’ and ‘happy pizzas’ both a specialty in other areas of the country also. Pizzas and fruit shakes garnished with marijuana. From personal experience I prefer the shakes with banana and coconut milk. The bartenders, sun-glass sellers, random people and tuk tuk drivers will all offer to sell you marijuana (among a list of other a-class drugs which have much harsher consequences). Throughout the day and the evening young locals (mostly girls) will walk the beach selling bracelets and hair wraps. Some of the girls look very young however they will lie about their age. Some look as young as about 7 years old. The youngest children (3-6 years) walk around the beach leading the disabled and begging for a donation which can be really hard to watch. When the girls become teenagers they will start selling fruit on the beach and as adults they will sell seafood on a small barbecue that they carry around over the shoulder. As elderly the woman will roam the beaches offering pedicures, manicures and massage and the men will more often become tuk tuk drivers or laborers all paying a very minimal wage. The Islands Koh Rong Saloem Our journey among the Islands started at Koh Rong Saloem, a small Island that is a long stretch of perfectly white, squeaky, powder like sand. I could have happily lived out the rest of my days sheltered by coconut palms while napping in the hammock hung between the beams of our beach front bungalow. Reading, writing, eating, practicing yoga, bathing and lazing about while getting some well needed rest from months of moving around quite constantly. The beach is completely picturesque with crystal clear waters that softly lap against the sands descending edge as the tide moves in. Our beach front bungalow cost us $35 per night and we stayed for two. That is by far the most expensive accommodation we have paid for this entire trip but it was completely worth it to spend three days internet-free lapping up the beams of the suns bright energy. We did see others put up tents beside the ocean which would be a fantastic idea if you don’t carry a lot of luggage and you wanted to save money (we have far too much luggage for tent life). We found vegan food at a restaurant near by on the beach however the food on this island can be quite pricey too. One of my favorite things about this island was the minimal amount of people that were actually here. There weren’t many travelers at all and there were no locals selling food/trinkets/anything along the beach so it was a great stop to recollect our thoughts and get some peace of mind. The perfect, crystal clear waters of Koh Rong Sanloem. Waking up and stepping onto squeaky, white sand from our beach front bungalow at 'Cast Away' bungalows. Koh Rong Our next stop after Koh Rong Saloem was to the bigger and more populated, Koh Rong. Koh Rong is a cheaper more backpacker friendly Island to visit. We stayed in ‘Zen Bungalows’ hidden high above the village and away from the main areas. We found Zen Bungalows on agoda.com and it works out to be $15 per night. The bungalows have an amazing view of the sea and another small island where local boats make visits to show tourists the glowing plankton after sunset. It is peaceful and calm here. A fantastic spot for practicing yoga in the mornings on the deck and meditating as the sun rises in front of you. The bungalows are very basic but have mosquito nets and comfortable beds to sleep in. In our room we had two large gecko friends who liked to watch over us in the evenings but were great for getting rid of mosquitoes. They also loved to change from black and orange in the day time to bright clear-sky, blue with fluorescent yellow spots in the evenings. Koh Rong has a higher local Khmer population with lots of gorgeous wee kids running around usually in the nude jumping too and from the refreshing waves of the sea. Most of the restaurants and guesthouses on Tui beach are run by westerners and most places are constantly seeking new staff. There are signs everywhere as you walk along the beach ‘western staff wanted’ so if you are looking for a job on a beautiful chilled out island this is definitely the place to be. Our favourite place to eat (and the cheapest and tastiest that we have found on the Island) is run by a local family. Nice Food 2 have many delicious vegan and vegetarian friendly options to suit a backpackers budget. Noodles, soups, curries, sandwiches wrapped in fresh baguette and many other flavour filled, vegetable packed options to suit any preference. The food and accommodation are cheaper on Koh Rong compared to Koh Rong Saloem. The beach can sometimes be dirty with rubbish washing ashore or people simply leaving their rubbish behind however we found an area that was always spotless. The water is bright aqua blue and crystal clear along the whole beach. The water at this beach, unlike Saloem, is constantly rolling in large waves which can be really fun and refreshing to float on or bathe in. Swimming in the evenings is just as fun when the water still holds a warm temperature. There are other villages on the island however we didn’t make it to any of them – just Tui beach where the boat drops off and picks up at the pier. We had originally planned to stay on Koh Rong for 3 nights but stayed a couple more simply to enjoy the fresh air, the beautiful Island scenery and to rest in the shade eating fresh fruit and bathing in the sea. We got a wee bit stuck enjoying our relaxing days and didn’t do so much adventuring as we usually would. After 3 and a half months of travel and quite constant moving every 2-3 days Rhys and I were keen to lay back and enjoy the clear sky and some down time. Watching the waves roll in on Koh Rong The 9 cats from Happy Cat Bungalows. Two mama cats and the youngest baby is only 1 and a half months old. Enjoying the chill life at Zen bungalows with a great view of the sea. |
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