Travel

Have you heard of Skylodge? I remember the first time I heard of it. Actually, I saw a picture before I heard of it. I was on Instagram and came across this picture that had me saying, “OMG! What is that? Where is this place? I need to go there!” This was travel bucket list worthy.

I immediately clicked on the location pin to see where this place was. I was captivated by what I saw and knew that I had to put this on my bucket list of travel destinations. Have you ever had one of these moments?

Am I really about to do this?

Fast forward to about a year later, when I found myself at the side of a mountain in Peru, wearing climbing gear and looking high up into the sky. What I saw were four glass pods, perched at the side of the mountain. Was I really about to climb up this mountain to get up there, with ZERO climbing experience?

The answer was YES! And I didn’t need climbing experience either. This was about to be an experience of a lifetime! How often can one say that they climbed up a mountain to sleep overnight in a glass pod, perched 1,300 ft high on the side of a mountain?

So let’s start from the beginning of this adventure.

I was staying in Cusco, and the guides from Skylodge came and picked me up from my hotel. The drive to Sacred Valley, where Skylodge is located, wasn’t too bad. It’s only about an hour. It allowed me to enjoy the scenery and get a deeper look into how locals lived outside the touristy areas.

Upon arrival, I saw that there were a total of 5 guests, myself included. None of us had climbing experience or had done anything like this before, but we were all excited. Well, maybe all but one. A tourist from Lebanon got squeamish about the height. Let’s just say he was grateful to be able to change his mind before our climb.

We had three guides with us, and they thoroughly went through all safety measures, equipment, and climbing instructions. The guides were friendly and spoke English very well, so I was comfortable in feeling that I had a solid understanding of how to do the climb safely.

It started to rain a little, but that didn’t dampen our spirits. I put on a blue poncho provided by Skylodge to keep me from getting wet. Luckily it was a light rain that didn’t last long, and we were able to climb.

Let the climb begin!

The views during the climb were way better than I ever imagined. There was a thrill of seeing “tiny” cars on the road far below my feet. The Urubamba River running through Sacred Valley seemed to get bigger and appeared more robust than it did at ground level. In a nutshell, it was exhilarating! Then came “the bridge“!

This part of the climb was not up the mountain but across an uneven section of it. Instead of having the mountain right beside us, we shimmied across a cable bridge to get to another part of the mountain. It was a bit shaky, but what an adrenaline rush!

The climb took us a little over an hour to get to the pods. The first stop was the dining room pod, where we all got to relax, eat, drink, and chat. Our guides prepared our dinner, and it wasn’t too bad. Due to limited accessibility and safety reasons, don’t expect a five star, super delicious meal here. If that’s the case, this adventure isn’t for you. They do offer you a glass of wine though!

When dinner was over, it was dark, and we were all escorted to our pods one by one. We had a little bit of climbing to do to get to our individual pods, but we had flashlights on our helmets plus a guide to help lead the way.

What’s it like inside the glass pod? How do you…

Once inside my pod, I was given a tour and shown how to use its features like the toilet. You’ve been wondering about this part, right? Well, the toilet does have a seat, but no running water. I know what you’re saying… “Huh?” Well, the bottom of the toilet has a chute. So basically, you do what you need to do into a garbage bag that fits underneath the toilet seat. When you are finished, you tie the garbage bag up and throw it down the chute. Think of camping styles, but just high up in the air!

There are four pods in total; 3 are for guests, and the 4th pod is the dining room. This 4th pod is also were the guides sleep. Each guest pod sleeps four people, but I was traveling solo, so I had one to myself. There’s no need to worry about privacy, as the pod has drapes to cover all of the glass walls, including the ceiling. I personally didn’t want to cover everything up, as I wanted to see the night views as well as wake up to the sunrise. Funny enough, I also enjoyed watching the trains come into the small Pachar train station below us.

As a side note, if you’re staying in Cusco and traveling to Machu Picchu by train, you will stop at this very train station, so look up!

The moment I had been waiting for; my travel bucket list checkmark!

When I woke up in the morning, it was a bit chilly and overcast, but I was not disappointed whatsoever. I actually woke up with a big smile on my face, and at that very moment, I placed a checkmark on my travel bucket list, right beside Skylodge Adventure Suites.

There’s nothing quite like checking off an item on your bucket list of travel destinations. On any bucket list, really! Whether its a place you want to visit, a challenge to conquer, or a goal to reach. No matter how long it takes, or the journey to get there, that smile and feeling you get once you tick that box off with a checkmark is priceless.

Wondering how we got down from the pods later that day? Zipline baby!

What are the things I can’t travel or live without?

I’ve been traveling, mostly solo, for quite a few years now, and I always seem to find more and more things to add to my travel essentials list. There are just some things that I can no longer travel without! Side note: I’m not a carry-on only traveler. When it comes to packing, I am not a minimalist. I hate the feeling of not having the one thing that would have been perfect at that moment. There’s no shame in my over packed luggage game!

Ok, back to my travel essentials list. The truth is, regardless if I am traveling or not, I’m often asked the same questions in regards to the products and things I use. Questions such as, “What do you use to take your own pictures?” or “What products do you use in your hair?” Finding myself giving out the same answers over and over again, I thought it would be a good idea to share this list of things I cannot travel or live without!

Read more

Feeling stuck or need something new in life? It’s never too late to start living a passionate life. Get past your fear and start living right now!

At the beginning of the year, I would have laughed if you told me that I’d be writing a travel blog. Yet here I am, laughing louder than I ever have as I write my very first post. What in the world have I gotten myself into? Let me tell you how I decided to start living a passionate life. Read more

Trust me, sometimes vaccines are needed, and sometimes they are mandatory!

Think a travel doctor isn’t necessary? Think twice! Don’t let your vacation get ruined because you “didn’t know” or you thought you would be ok.

Just over four years ago, I took my first “real” solo trip, a trip not only overseas, but to the other side of the world. I decided to go to Bali, Indonesia.

It was a last-minute trip, and I booked everything just under two weeks before leaving. I was clearly insane; what else can I say? I barely had enough time to get my visa (to be discussed in another post!), but I did NOT have enough time to get any vaccines before I left. Vaccines usually need to be started with a minimum of 2 weeks before departure. Because I didn’t have that time, I promised myself that I would be diligent, and be careful of where I ate and the water I drank.

How hard can it be, right?

For the first couple of days, I did great! I was staying at the beautiful Anantara Resort in Seminyak, Bali. Located right on the beach with easy access to everything, I walked all around Seminyak exploring, shopping, and getting used to the whole solo travel thing. Now Bali is known for its gorgeous beaches and incredible sunsets over the Indian Ocean. And that’s what got me…

On my third day there, I decided to take a stroll along the beach and ended up at this beach café with an incredible vibe. Good music was playing, and people were drinking, relaxing and dancing on the beach that had a ton of beanbag chairs to chill out on. Completely feeling the vibe of my surroundings, I sat down in my beanbag and ordered a mojito. It was delicious! Allowing myself to get lost in the moment, I ordered a second one, completely forgetting about… the ice in my drinks!

It was the next day when I started to feel discomfort. I was feeling tired and had a loss of appetite, so I decided to skip dinner and just go to bed. I woke up at 4am, drenched in sweat, with a massive headache and running to the washroom to vomit and then sit on the toilet! I called the front desk and requested to see a doctor. When the doctor and nurse came up to my room, I could barely keep my eyes open. I was exhausted just from the vomiting alone. They had to give me an IV right there in my room because I was so weak and dehydrated.

So what was the problem? Yup, you guessed it. I got what is “affectionately” known as Bali Belly; in other words, traveler’s diarrhea. What’s the primary source of traveler’s diarrhea? E-coli bacteria. And don’t be fooled, there’s more to it than just diarrhea!

Here’s a list of symptoms of traveler’s diarrhea:

• Diarrhea
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Dehydration
• Abdominal bloating, cramps and pain
• Fever
• Headache
• Lack of energy
• Loss of appetite

Who wants to spend their vacation time dealing with these symptoms? No one! And I did, while on the other side of the world, by myself, on my very first solo trip!

So what can you do to help prevent this?

After that experience in Bali, anytime I travel to a country that is quite different from where I live in Canada, I go and see a travel doctor about one month before my scheduled departure. A travel doctor will have a list of vaccines required and/or suggested for the area that you will be traveling to. If you want to do some research before going to a travel doctor, you can go on the Government of Canada’s website to look up suggested or required vaccines per country.

Whenever traveling, always be aware of what you eat or drink, and how it’s prepared, packaged, or stored. This also applies to things as simple as buying a bottle of water or soda stored in ice. I get it; unless its mandatory, vaccines are not for everyone.

If you choose not to get a vaccine, here are some things for you to keep in mind while on your trip:

• Only drink bottled water.
• Skip the ice cubes in drinks.
• Eat fruits and vegetables that you can peel yourself.
• Try to avoid eating and drinking from street vendors with unsanitary handling of food and drinks.
• If you do buy a bottled drink from a street vendor, pour it into a cup, or drink it from a straw, or sanitize the opening of the bottle if you are going to drink straight from it. I learned this lesson when I was in Tanzania, where I got sick with E-coli again!

If you’re still not convinced about getting a vaccine, at the very least, visit your doctor and be prepared for what may come. Let your doctor know where you will be going, and get a prescription for an antibiotic that treats bacterial infections, just in case something happens. Preparing for the possibility of different types of infections is something I’ve learned to do, and I won’t travel without proper medications. Besides bringing such items as Polysporin Eye and Ear Drops, and Benadryl for allergic reactions, I always get a prescription for Azithromycin. This antibiotic literally saved my trip from going downhill fast when I visited Tanzania.

What is a Yellow Card?

Speaking of Tanzania, let’s talk about MANDATORY vaccines! On my first trip to Africa, I went to Kenya, Tanzania, and Seychelles. Kenya and Tanzania are areas where there is a potential of exposure to yellow fever, especially Kenya. To be allowed to fly into Tanzania, I had to produce what is called a Yellow Card, which is an international certificate with a list of vaccines that you have received. Issued by the World Health Organization (WHO), a Yellow Card is provided by a travel doctor who administers your vaccine. A Yellow Card is the only proof of vaccination accepted by countries that require vaccines. To be allowed into Tanzania, and later on, Seychelles, I needed to produce this card. Without it, my entry would have been denied.

Trust me; the need to obtain this Yellow Card is not to be taken lightly. When I traveled to Seychelles from Kenya, I witnessed a woman get denied from boarding the plane at the gate, because she did not have her Yellow Card. Her partner that she was traveling with had his Yellow Card, and was allowed to board the plane; however, she was not permitted to no matter how much she argued and complained. The couple had to walk away from their travel plans.

But there wasn’t just one checkpoint for the vaccine!

When my plane arrived in Seychelles, each passenger was again required to produce their Yellow Card to health inspectors. These inspectors viewed our Yellow Cards, watched each passenger closely for possible symptoms, and had a thermal camera on every passenger to make sure that no one displayed signs of yellow fever. Every passenger went through this process before even getting to immigration or customs.

Moral of the story, get informed before you travel! Visit your general physician and ask questions. Depending on the country you are going to, and where you are departing from, you may be required to have specific vaccines administered by a travel doctor. Don’t ruin your trip (and possibly lose money) over something that could have been avoided.

Travel safe, be well, and have fun!