Wanderlust Wednesday - A Well in Venice

I was puzzled when I saw this in Venice on Christmas Eve. Was it a tap? A drain for when it floods? No, it's actually a well.


In the past these wells were used by Venetians as their only source of fresh water. The wells were actually cisterns that collected rainwater channelled from rooftops which was then sand-filtered. Almost every courtyard and piazza had its own well. These wells provided water until 1886 when an aqueduct brought water in from nearby mountains.


Venice is still full of these old, weathered wells.

 Christmas in Venice is beautiful

High Tea at Peninsula Tea Gardens, Tranby House

High tea is a fine art. A perfect balance of sweet, savoury and of course tea. In Perth high tea has become a popular weekend activity offered in select hotels and restaurants. 


The Peninsula Tea Gardens offers a relaxed, natural and rather historical setting for high tea. The tea rooms are set on the tranquil grounds of the historic Tranby House and Farm which was built in 1839. Tucked away in Maylands, the tea rooms are situated opposite Tranby House and overlook the Swan River.

We visited on a crisp winter's afternoon and opted for an outdoor table to soak in the sunshine. We ordered the Sweet Tea set, with Stockholm tea and the Peninsula Tea set, with Lovers Leap tea. Each came on a three-tiered stand with fresh, fluffy scones with jam and cream. The Sweet Tea had fruit as well as cakes and the Peninsula set had finger sandwiches instead of fruit. 

It's difficult to find cakes in Perth that aren't of the "cake box" variety. The cakes on the Sweet Tea set were dusted with icing sugar and very light with the right amount of sweetness. The cupcake was delightfully light made of a buttercake base and the little petit four when sliced had spongecake inside.


The total only came up to $33. Considering some places charge over $50 for one high tea set, this was incredible value for money. This was the best high tea experience in Perth I've ever had. 


One day, hopefully sometime soon, I'm aiming to do high tea at the Langham Hotel in London...

Wanderlust Wednesday - Deep Fried Sushi in Manila

Deep fried beef sushi with egg drizzled in roe and mayonnaise. 


Julie introduced me to this dish at Haiku Japanese restaurant at Greenbelt 3 in Makati. The tender beef was offset by the crunchiness of the battered seaweed. Very tasty and moorish, even better when accompanied by a mango daiquiri for only 185 php.


This is a very Filipino take on Japanese as I've never encountered deep fried sushi in Japan (or back home for that matter)! Nevertheless it was the stand out dish out of all the food I tasted in the Philippines.

Exploring Intramutros, Manila

Still on the search for a real piece of Manila, on my very last day in the Philippines I visited Intramutros. Intramutros translates to "within the walls" -  the oldest part of Manila is enclosed by the walls of the original fortress built by the Spanish in the 16th Century.


Before we even entered the gates though we were swarmed by hawkers selling hats and sunglasses. Two straw woven hats and one pair of sunnies later, we embarked on a horse drawn carriage tour of the historical area.


For some reason I originally thought Intramutros was a small town, like a park you could stroll around. There's a reason why we took the carriage ride! Intramutros is actually the fifth district of Manila, over half a square kilometre and features many schools and universities.


The original political, military and religious hub of the city, Intramutros is a well-preserved area thanks to the restoration after WWII. There's no Jollibee or Starbucks visible in sight. Buildings in the area have a distinctive Spanish influence. Some of the walls of the fortified compound contain bulletholes. 

The tour takes you to the oldest churches in the city. San Agustin Church was built in 1571. The Church has massive wooden doors featuring intricate carvings. Hawkers of a different kind ran up to our carriage selling rosaries and bracelets. I bought three beautiful blessed bracelets for 100 php.


Manila Cathedral is the largest church in the city. Inside Catholics celebrated mass, reading prayers that echoed down the church. A statue of La Pieta, one of the 11 authorized replicas in the world, features inside the cathedral.

My friends were most impressed by the tour guide who knew almost everything about Manila's past. Our guide spoke rather passionately about General Douglas McArthur and the American influence which saw the original moats outside Intramutros transformed into a golf course.

Intramutros offers a different side to Manila, outside of the shopping malls. Just a warning though to watch your belongings in Intramutros. Be street smart and hold onto your bags and cameras.

Intramutros entry fee 75 php per person

Tour 250 php per person

Wanderlust Wednesday - Miyajima Island, Japan

My shoes crunched the sandy white gravel on Miyajima Island as enthusiastic deer surrounded us, nuzzling our hands for food. Unfortunately, we had nothing to offer though the smells of roasting corn on the cob and sizzling squid tentacles from street vendors suggested otherwise.

Down on the beach, the majestic red torii gate of Itsukushima Shrine stood grandly over us, framed by the clear blue sky. The gate appeared to float in the low-tide. Late afternoon light casted a torii shadow over locals posing for photos. Japanese girls in their stiletto-heeled boots dodged the seaweed as they hold up peace signs for the lens.

As I breathed in the salty sea air, pausing to bask in the remaining autumn sunlight before dusk, I savoured this unique moment of old and new Japan. 


(This is an excerpt from a travel writing exercise I did last year...hope you like it)

Tips for travelling on a budget in Japan...and not going hungry!

View of Tokyo Tower

Japan isn’t known as a budget travel destination. However, it is possible to stretch your yen without going hungry. When I backpacked Japan, I managed to eat more than just ngiri.

My tips for budget travel in Japan:

• Get a Japan Rail Pass – I travelled on the 14 Day pass which now costs about $600AUD. On the pass we travelled extensively throughout Japan on the high speed bullet trains. You can jump on any JR train including the JR Yamamote line in Tokyo.
• Eat at food stalls - the hole in the wall eateries in train stations and off the street. A steaming bowl of udon noodle soup is usually only 120 yen with seaweed and tofu.
• Have a breakfast at a bakery. The self serve Bread Talk-style bakeries are everywhere – in shopping malls and train stations. Stock up on the buns for snacks on a train ride as they're cheaper than buying goods from the singing waitresses on JR trains.
• Drink coffee from a vending machine. It’s out of a can, but coffee is still coffee, right?

• Eat dinner from a vending machine. This perhaps isn't as appealing as drinking coffee from a can.

• Buy a bento box dinner. I admit buying a bento box meal in Japan is like getting a Happy Meal when you're a kid. It's strangely exciting, particularly as you don't quite know what pickled vegetable you're eating and you half expect to find a toy inside the box.
• Take an overnight train. We took a train (with three changeovers) from Sapporo all the way to Kyoto. This was a crazy 13 hour journey but we did save on one night's accommodation and saw some beautiful scenery along the way. 

One of my readers asked about seeing more budget travel posts just as I was drafting this article. I promise I'll be doing a lot more budget travel posts regularly. Follow my tweets and stay tuned!

Pagsanjan Falls - Philippines - One Travel

I'm very excited to have my first guest travel blog post on One Travel for Cheap Flights.

You can read my entire post here.

A photolog of my journey to Pagsanjan Falls is below.

Wanderlust Wednesday - Pieces of Barcelona

When I visited Barcelona I was trying hard to shake off the just-another-European-city feeling. In moments like those, the small things in a city start to surprise you. 


In a Barcelona restaurant, enjoying sangria and paella, a Sri Lankan waiter befriended my group (after catching the eye of my Sri Lankan friend) and generously gave us two rounds of free shots. Moments later we were giggling down Las Ramblas, singing in Tesco and had almost caught the wrong train back to our hotel.


The most important thing the waiter taught us was the correct way to say paella. PAY-YELL-AH! Hand gestures are necessary when ordering as well. 

The Tattoo Artists of Boracay

I confess that sometimes when I'm on holiday I like to do touristy things. This could involve something scandalous like getting a henna tattoo!

Henna tatts are generally safe (though use your best judgement). After its dried, it's best to wash off the henna and the ink will remain on your skin for about 10 days. 


In Boracay, the best and highly skilled tattoo artists draw freehand. Like a butterfly. Or from a photograph on your phone. Impressive, yes?

Wanderlust Wednesday - Himeji, Japan

Himeji castle is a UNESCO site and Japan's most visited castle. The complex was originally built as a fort back in the 14th century. The castle itself was erected in the 17th century and is a classic Edo-era structure. It stands ostentatiously at the top of a hill and is part of a complex consisting of 83 wooden structures. 

Getting to the very top involves climbing extremely steep stairs in your socks, as you have to take your shoes off to preserve the wooden floors. You get a plastic bag to carry your shoes around with you!

According to history, the shogun's wife would sit in the small room on the fifth level wearing her finest kimono waiting praying to the shinto shrine. 

I just couldn't imagine wearing a kimono and climbing the steep narrow stairs!

The view is a little different in the 21st century...