It is quite sad that many people only think of Christchurch as the earthquake city, and are somewhat reluctant to visit because of news that it's still recovering from the events which forever changed it, coupled with the fear of experiencing a strong quake while there. It's a pity, because, not only is Christchurch now the safest tremor city in New Zealand (all structurally unsound buildings have been demolished or sealed off, and new buildings have to adhere to strict guidelines), but it's also very much ready to welcome visitors and is full of fun, quirky, adrenaline-pumping and memorable things to ...
When disaster strikes somewhere, we all struggle to find a reason to return. In recent years it has happened with Bali and its terrorist attacks, and Japan with its nuclear crisis. And then there is Christchurch. On the 4th of September 2012, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck the city, and although no one was killed, the city's buildings were heavily damaged, so that when the 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit on the 22nd of February 2011, buildings weakened by the previous shake came tumbling down, and 185 people died. An area which was from then on referred to as the red zone, was ...
When it comes to taking steps to change my life when I am unhappy, it has always been a no-brainer to me. Life is too short to do what other people expect you to, or to settle for a comfortable and familiar routine when that same routine is killing you slowly inside. So at the beginning of this year, I went from freezing my ass off in Switzerland... ...to quiting my three jobs and catapulting myself in the beautiful and wonderful countries which are Vietnam and Singapore... ...to relocating my whole life and starting from square one in Melbourne, Australia. And I have never ...
Though I was never ever comfortable doing the stay-in-a-dorm-full-of-strangers business, there was a time when I thought that the less money I spent on accommodation while travelling the better, because, after all, what am I going to do in that room but sleep? But as the years passed, and I became a frequent, seasoned traveller who was ofter on the road for longer than just a week or so, and I realised that in fact, I was doing much more than just sleeping in my accommodation, and the accommodation I chose was going much more than just giving me a ...
There are times during our travels when, if we are open-minded enough, we get to see things which truly change our lives and our way of thinking. I am not speaking of a pretty temple, or an ancient palace, nor a memorable meal in a local restaurant. I am speaking about something which is so different from our own lives that we cannot but be hit by it like a slap in the face. This happens when we travel to see the dynamics of different people, living very different lives in corners of the world which seem a million lights years ...
Mar 28, 2011 8 Comments
An article on the Independent Traveler once defined the term ‘Slow Travel’ as ‘a grassroots movement that has quietly emerged as a solution to tourist burnout’, and stresses that is ‘not so much a particular mode of transportation as it is a mindset.’ It proceeded to comment on the tendency nowadays to come back from [...]
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