I was browsing the net the other day on travel-related stories and materials for my next big trip, and I found this interesting site on an e-book on how to get great cheap deals with airlines from an ex-travel agent. I’ve been trying to always second-guess when I can get cheap fares, but I don’t always quite get it well. There are times that I really get great deals, and times that I always wonder why I can’t find a cheap flight! I was curious on what this guy has to offer, and so I decided to purchase his e-book.

The e-book is called “Save On Airfare Secrets“ by Tony Morrison, and it has more than what I expected of the book. It covered the basics on when the best time and scenario to get a cheap flight, the type of flights you can look at to avail of discounted tickets, all the way to some travel tips and finding airline loopholes which you can legally use to your advantage and save on costs! I can see some of the tips here are common knowledge (and I’ve also known for some time), but there are a lot more in here that people have taken for granted and are worth looking into to save on your airfare. This e-book covers not only economy class tickets but even for the discerning traveller who wants to travel first class or business class but want to save!

His stuff works for all countries, as airline systems are pretty much the same, and people’s spending habit and patterns are the same (which definitely affects how airline price their tickets). He has even updated it this month and will be updating it more frequently for the latest stuff in the airline and travel industry. Save On Airfare Secrets is a great read, especially when planning for your next holiday, and thoroughly recommend it! Check out this link here.

I hope you will find success in your quest to get great deals for your fabulous journeys!

What in the world is in Lima?

Peru is one of the most fascinating countries in South America, and its main tourist drawcard is the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu. Most travellers, when Peru is mentioned, tend to instantly think of the great ancient citadel, the Inca trail, and not much else. While I was planning my trip to South America, I was the same. Machu Picchu was definitely in my plans (it is in fact in my bucket list), as well as the city of Cusco. However, in order for us to get there, we have to fly via the capital Lima, and then take a domestic flight to Cusco. I’ve been told by a few people that Lima is such a dangerous and filthy place, that there is totally no point in going there. They say it’s the most unattractive place in peru, and we shouldn’t waste our time in South America there. Taking their advice, I didn’t plan to go and stay in Lima, apart from a quick 1-day visit on our way out to Brazil.

The Unplanned Detour to Lima

When my friend and I flew from Sydney across the Pacific to Santiago, Chile, we were so excited, as it was our first trip to South America, and Santiago was going to be our first city in our itinerary. We were already reading the guidebooks and those materials we researched on the internet on places to see in Santiago and nearby places like Valparaiso and Isla Negra.. It was going to be a wonderful trip in Santiago.

We got off the plane, and queued up at the immigration counters separately. I managed to get through very easily with my New Zealand passport. My friend, who was holding a Philippine passport, got held up. I was waiting for her on the other end, and kept on wondering what took her so long! The immigration official attending to her then called me and asked in broken English, “How come you go ok?”. I showed him my passport and said, “What seems to be the problem here?” Then he said, “Your friend, no visa! Cannot go in Chile!” We then had to argue with him in broken Spanish that the Chilean embassy in Melbourne told her that she doesn’t need a visa to get in with her Philippine passport, as long as she is not staying more than 90 days in Chile. Anyway, to cut the story short, there was no way they could issue her a visa (even a temporary or transit one) to get into Chile. I didn’t want to leave my friend behind, so we had to discuss what to do.

We definitely didn’t want to go back to Australia after planning to visit Rio, Buenos Aires, Machu Picchu. Our next stop after Chile was Peru, and so we decided that since we were not initially planning to spend time in Lima, we might as well turn this lemon into lemonade and explore the Peruvian capital. After all, we confirmed that we both don’t need a visa to get into the country anyway. We then found flights leaving for Lima that night from Santiago, so there goes our unplanned detour to Lima. (Note: be careful of the Chilean embassy in other countries especiallyin  Australia, they might just give you the wrong information on visas and ruin your trip!)

The City of Kings

Lima, surprisingly, is known as “The City of Kings” (Ciudad de los Reyes in Spanish). This was because during the Spanish colonial era, the viceroyalty of Lima was the richest amongst all the Spanish colonies, and a lot of wealthy Spaniards were attracted to living there. Our first impressions of Lima were quite like what our friends told us. The road from the airport to our accommodation in the suburb of Miraflores reminded me of the slums in Manila, and the traffic was terrible, and the driver was also trying to beat Michael Schumacher’s record on the congested roads! After a long flight from Sydney and getting stuck in Santiago airport due to visa issues, it wasn’t what we really wanted. But then again, we were glad to have finally set foot in South America.

The next few days, we went around the Peruvian capital and found some gems in Lima that a lot of people have completely written off. Here are the top reasons why you should consider a detour to this diamond-in-the-rough city called Lima:

1.) Plaza de Armas/Plaza Mayor – This is the old town square of Lima, and is located right in the heart of the city. It’s been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and possesses a lot of historical and architectural significance to Lima. The square is surrounded by the Lima Cathedral, the residence of the Mayor of Lima, The President’s palace and the Archbishop’s palace. Local people like to spend their Sunday afternoons lingering around the square, and tourists come to see the beauty of the old colonial buildings surrounding it. The Lima Cathedral and the Archbishop’s Palace are an attraction on its own. They were built in the 1600s and then rebuilt in the 1700s when an earthquake struck Lima, and the cathedral collapsed. Outside the Presidential palace, there is a changing of the guards ceremony, which happens each morning at around 11AM. It’s worth having a look.

2.) Monasterio de San Francisco de Asis – This is the monastery of the Order of St. Francis of Assisi, and is located a block away from the Plaza Mayor. The Yellow-painted monastery holds a lot of artwork from the 17th and 18th Century Spanish painters and artists from the Cusco school. It also holds the catacombs, which was created in the 18th century when Lima was running out of space to bury their dead. Originally, the catacombs were for the rich and elite, who were given the privilege to be buried under a church. As the shortage of cemetery land worsened in Lima, the normal Joe on the street was then buried in these deep chambers.

3.) If you are into food, another great reason to visit Lima is to check out its Cebicherias. Cebicherias basically serve their national dish called Ceviche, which is raw fish marinated in lemon and coconut sauce, topped with some local herbs and spices. It’s a beautiful dish to try, if you can handle raw fish or sashimi. The ceviche is only one of many varieties of food you’ll find in Lima. Peruvian cuisine is very rich, and is well represented in Lima.

4.) Museo Larco Herrera – This is a museum holding a private collection of Rafael Larco Hoyle, a local wealthy son of a sugar farmer who became interested in archaeology and started collecting pieces of Inca and Pre-Inca artifacts. The collection in this museum is extensive, and definitely worth checking out! There is an interesting display on Erotic Art of the Pre-Incas. It thought it was very fascinating! I do have photos of the artwork and the pottery, but in the interest of making this a G-rated posting, I’ll give the photos a miss this time..

5.) Miraflores – The suburb of Miraflores is by the shorelines of the Pacific Ocean, and is where most of the elite and wealthy in Lima live. It’s a very pleasant seaside suburb to walk around, and I actually based myself in this area. It’s 20 minutes by car or taxi to Downtown Lima. Most people recommend staying in this locality instead of downtown Lima due to the safety issues in the downtown area. I have been warned (even by the locals and the cab drivers) to be mindful of my possessions and where I go in the downtown area. Anyway, Miraflores has a shopping mall overlooking the Ocean called Larco Mar. It has a gold museum and lots of good places to dine and shop.

6.) Jiron de la Union – this pedestrianised street has a lot of shops and interesting old colonial buildings and churches. It starts from the Plaza San Martin and ends all the way to Plaza Mayor/Plaza Armas, and spans a few blocks. You can check out this small ice cream shop that serves Pisco Sour-flavoured ice cream (Pisco Sour is a local Peruvian spirit, a bit like rum or whiskey). The most interesting sight on the strip is the Iglesia de San Agustin (Church of St. Augustine). This old church stands out on the street. I was lucky enough to have been approached by this very friendly devotee of the church who explained to me in Spanish and some broken English (well, I kinda got most of it, I think) the history of the church, and the sacred items within it. There is this sacred cross that they believed would heal all illnesses, and people pray and touch this sacred cross.

Lima has its fair share of bad publicity and you do have to be careful about where you go. BUT it is not as dangerous as people say it is. Being Asian and walking alone on its city streets (not being part of a tour bus), people were staring at me as if I was a lost alien, but they were very friendly to me, and nothing untoward has happened to me. I was pleasantly surprised with the great architecture and interesting museums that Lima had to offer. There definitely is a great side to this otherwise bustling capital city, truly a gem to be rediscovered!

Til the next Fabulous Journey!

Tribute to the Victorian bushfire victims

I’ve just been for a weekend seminar in Melbourne last weekend when the huge bushfires struck across various areas in the state of Victoria. I feel really devastated and sorry for the loss of lives and the destruction of several towns and lives that I thought I’d write this blogpost to give tribute to the people affected by and those who volunteered during the fires, and the beauty that the state of Victoria has to offer. Before I press on, I’d like to encourage those of you reading to donate to the Victorian bushfire victims (if you haven’t done so already) through the Red Cross. I certainly did despite not having an income at the moment. I hope my blogpost will encourage people to appreciate what this part of Australia has to offer, and realise that it’s a fragile environment that needs to be protected.

Susan’s Treat

I did a day trip to the Great Ocean Road, despite the fact that there is a risk of those fires happening in the area. I took a tour and we had a lady driver named Susan, who was quite a character. She told us that we are in for a treat today, as she was up late last night to bake us some lamington cakes for morning tea. She said this with absolute seriousness. We stopped a couple of hours later at Bells Beach in Torquay where we finally got to taste her “creations”. She made us some billy tea, which is basically tea made in a tin pail and mixed with gum leaves. And then, she brought out these lamington cakes with a label “Susan Day”… Somehow they didn’t look homemade, but anyway, they tasted great!

The Sights along the Great Ocean Road

Bells Beach was a gorgeous stop. It’s one of the best surfing destinations in Australia. A lot of surfers flock to this beach for competitions and championships and just to enjoy the waves. The town of Torquay (where this beach is situated) is also known for producing surfing gear like RipCurl and Quiksilver.

We then proceeded along the road and saw so many beautiful bays and cliffs. Our tour passed by the towns of Anglesea, Lorne and Otway National Park.

Our next stop briefly at the memorial for the construction of the Great Ocean Road, which was started in the 1920s, and was a very tricky one to build. It was very remote and rugged at that time that it took a long time to finish building. Ex-Australian servicemen who fought in the First World War were hired as labourers, as there were not much jobs for these returning servicemen from the war.

The tour continued and had a stop at Apollo Bay for lunch. Apollo Bay is a tiny town where a lot of people go for holidays. The beach looked nice, but not much in the town itself.

The Twelve Apostles and fabulous rock formations

The highlight of our trip was seeing the Twelve Apostles. They’re the rock formations that used to be part of the mainland and broke off. They stand just a few meters from the shore, and they look stunning! Unfortunately, due to erosion over the years, only 8 of the original 12 remain in the area. Also, due to the gradual erosion along the coastline, there will potentially be new ones that will be created, as the land breaks off to the sea.

Another highlight on the trip was the Loch Ard Gorge. There was a story about a shipwreck that happened in the 1800s, and only 2 survivors managed to get to land on that gorge. The ship was called Loch Ard, hence the gorge was named after it. There is a beautiful beach at the bottom, and a couple of tracks where you can view the scenery of great rock formations and cliffs.

Our last stop was the London Bridge. It’s another rock formation out in the sea with an archway at the bottom. There used to be a land bridge between the archway and the mainland, but it fell into the sea a few years ago. Our tour guide Susan told us a story of a couple who got stranded on the rock when the land bridge collapsed while they were on the rock. At that time, there were no phones and the one of the guys who witnessed it had to drive a couple of hours to get help and rescue them. The media apparently turned up, thinking it was a newlywed that got stuck. It turned out that they were having an affair, and they obviously got busted on national television! Anyway, I thought it was an entertaining story to share. Back to the London Bridge, it’s another gorgeous rock formation and worth a visit.

The Great Ocean Road is a fantastic stretch of coastline road to travel at! I would love to do a drive there myself when I get a chance in the near future, now that I’ve seen what most people have been raving about. I hope you enjoyed this post.

Until the next Fabulous Journey!