Travel plans..

In all honesty, I have no immediate travel plans. Which leaves me the question of what I should do with my blog?

Originally, the purpose of DamiWanders was to allow me to plan and successfully execute my dream to travel around South East Asia. I also used it as a way to help others who may need some tips regarding their travels. Now that I’m back in England and I have another goal (career-related), travel is currently the last thing on my mind. Mind you, I find myself longing to explore more of the world when I look through my pictures and videos. Sometimes, I realise that I’m either going through information about backpacking through South America, looking for internships in China or applying for AuPair positions in New Jersey. Actually, I do miss the spontaneity, freedom and interesting people that travel brings…

So, ok, its not the last thing on my mind. It’s at the forefront especially when applying for graduate positions. My interest is peaked when I find a role that may include some travel. In some cases, its all I need to read before I enthusiastically apply for the position.

So what’s next? I don’t know, we will see. One thing I am definitely sure about is I will continue with this blog and that travelling is the only cure available in keeping the travel bug I’ve caught at bay :).

Flights booked!

Happy new year!

Hope the forthcoming year brings happiness to you guys!

A few days ago, I took the plunge and finally booked my return flight ticket for my backpacking trip! I was putting it off for a while  because I was having second thoughts..

Every single excuse that I could think off kept propping up in my head especially the fact that I’ll be a solo traveller but reading back through this blog gave me the confidence and encouragement  to carry on and overcome that particular fear.

So in Mid-May, straight after my last exam EVER at university,  I’ll be jetting off half way round the world to south east Asia (Bangkok specifically) for two months! The flights include  4 day stopovers in Dubai and Hong-Kong at the end of my trip which I got at a reasonable price. I do wish it was longer like originally planned but I’d rather be back for my graduation…

I don’t know what to do next though, I’m not the most organised person when it comes to travelling. People keep asking me what my plans are and I just reply “I’ll see how it goes“. I’ll probably pre-book the first two days of accommodation to get me settled in then wing it afterwards.

What do you guys think? What should be my next course of action?

Holiday Romance

My first holiday romance..

Fell in love with each other in Tunisia but we didn’t even get each other’s name..

So I call him Jay-Z.

Life is unpredictable…

This past month has been so turbulent! Not only did I meet Mario* and the half burnt guy from Batman, unfortunate circumstances has been encasing my life like an.. iphone case suffocating an iphone (Don’t ask, I know that makes no sense.)

I broke my laptop and moved house due to my previous one being completely inhabitable (It was like living in a sewer, it was horrid) so had to go into my travel savings to fund those which caused more unnecessary added stress! I also have my dissertation and other university work  looming over me like a dark cloud.. EEK!!

BUT – what is helping with this stress is the fact that I am getting ever closer to my graduation and in turn my travel date!! I have not chosen a date yet.. I am waiting to find out when my last exam is so I can book a ticket to Bangkok. Since I have unfortunately almost drained all my travel savings, I won’t be able to spend as much time there as I would like to and go to as many places as I planned..

I’ll probably have to go for 2 months which sucks but there is going to be other times. BUT I WANT TO GO NEXT YEAR 😦  (Sorry, minor tantrum). Positively, I’m also considering volunteering abroad for 10 weeks in Latin America – it would be sick (described as “cool” and “wonderful” by UrbanDictionary) to experience that part of the world and help where the need is greater.

Anyway, now I have a new laptop, I’ll definitely be updating this more regularly.

YOU HAVE MY WORD.

Over the next few days, I’ll post some pictures of my trip to Poland as I’ve actually been meaning to. In fact, here’s a dessert I had in Wroclaw.

Yummy.

*That is my friend with Mario, not me.

Have you had any setbacks when it came to planning your travels? What were they? How did you overcome them?

Auswisch camps

I refuse to neglect this blog!

It’s been a hectic few weeks due to my move back to uni, getting acquainted with my surroundings, new place and new job that I’ve barely had time for anything! I have been meaning to report about my trip to the Auswisch camps for a while but I honestly cannot find the words to convey what I saw, how I felt etc (I’m not exactly a budding journalist… My English is so bad that people question if its actually my mother language)

So..! I’m just going to paste some pictures I took in here and insert commentary where necessary

Anyhoo, over 2 weeks ago, I had the opportuniity to visit the Auswisch concentration camps museum in Poland.  We Took a local tour from Wroclaw which took about an hour and a half drive to get there. The concentration and extermination camps was built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II. It was the largest of the German concentration camps, consisting of Auschwitz I (the Stammlager or base camp); Auschwitz II–Birkenau (the Vernichtungslager or extermination camp); Auschwitz III–Monowitz, also known as Buna–Monowitz (a labor camp); and 45 satellite camps. The Nazi’s were estimated to have killed around 1.3 million people between 1940 to 1945 with 90% being jewish. (Some of the information was copied from Wiki 🙂 ). It is an extremely popular attraction so expect large crowds and I would also suggest bringing your own headphones.. trust me the headphones they provided for the tour was not sufficient.

Large crowds gather for the tour

This is not the original sign as it was stolen

The train tracks where the poor prisoners would arrive

                                                                           The Barbed wires were electrified to stop the prisoners from escaping

                                                                           Building were administration duties were done by the Nazis

                                             The above two pictures showed where the orchestra stood.. They were also there for propaganda purposes.

One of the many baracks were prisoners of up to 1000 would stay in the first auswiscch camp. Men and women were put in two opposing sides separated by                                                                                                                              a giant wall.

Above showed the many cities that Jews were taken from. They were told that they will be relocated so most brought their valuables. Some even paid for the train to the camps which is atrocious. They basically paid to die. The conditions on the trains were awful as well.                                                                                           This is an array of ashes found after the liberations which was put in an urn to serve as a memorial.

After the prisoners arrived, they were seperated into two groups by an SS guard and doctor simply by appearance. Men who looked healthy to one side – the rest that would be deemed no use to the other side (women, children, babies, the handicapped, elderly etc). These were sent straight to the gas chambers.

This picture shows the separation

That empty cans of the gas (Cyclone B) used to kill.

After they died, anything that were deemed usful was taken off them including their hair which was shaven off, gold tooth extracted, jewellery taken etc.

Belongings of the prisoners.Baby clothes

Thousands of shoes

Uniform worn by the prisoners

After the camp was liberated, the condition the prisoners were in.

The daily meal of the prisoners. Half a cup of tea or coffee for breakfast, Soup with rotten vegetables for dinner and a block of yucky bread for supper. This was all they had to sustin them during 12 hours  of hard work with no breaks

Inside one of the gas chambers.. this freaked me out!!

At the Auswich Birkanau camp – it was an ironically beautiful place.

One of the carriages the prisoners would arrive in. They would fit 70-80 people in there with their luggages.

One of the four gas chambers built in the camp. The Nazis bombed them when  they realised they going to get found out.

A memorial was built a few years after its liberation in commiseration of the dead.

21 of these plagues were made in 21 different languages to symbolise the languages spoken by the prisoners.

The other bombed gas chamber.

Whenever ashes were found, 4 plagues are put up in commiseration.

One of the many buildings the surviving prisoners were kept.

Means “BE QUIET!”

6 people were kept in each of this shelves. They are simply wooden – no comfort to them whatsoever. It can be up to -25 degrees in Poland during the winter so imagine what they went through. There were rats as well

A stove that was only there for propaganda purposes.. it was rarely on.

Prisoners toilets. Many of them suffered from starvation diarrhoea so imagine the state it would have been in. All were required to clean up after themselves and carry their own defecations when they were done (YUCK YUCK YUCK!!!!). they were rarely allowed showers either. Toilet break was twice a day, morning and night. They had to walk naked in all weather conditions to the toilets. Guards did not go in so some used this to exchange information.

The wash basins next  to the toilets.  There was no clean running water… just dirty diseased water already in the basin that prisoners used to wash their hands. Terrible.

I can definitely say it was a harrowing but interesting and informative experience.. I mean what those prisoners went through was unimaginable- the tour guide we got contributed positively to the experience as she explained concisely with the right degree of apathy the horrors that occurred there.. It reluctantly opened my eyes to the dark side of humanity I blissfully try and ignore.. I would definitely recommend the trip to the museum but don’t expect a “fun” day out.

Have you been to the Auswisch camps before? How did you feel whilst you were there? Would you recommend it to anybody?

Saving is going to be torture…

Travelling is something I enjoy doing and after deciding to take the plunge into extended travel, I realise that I would have to save, budget and cut out some things that I deem important in my life…

It is not as easy as it sounds.

I was doing so well over the past two months since I started saving (Taking more overtime at work to reduce socialising was a huge contributor as well as giving my cards to my mum lol) but over the past week, I have been making BIG unnecessary splurges that may have caused a minor setback. Before I made this huge commitment, (Well, I see it that way anyways) I never thought I would be one of those people who would be able to travel the world extensively as I only thought it was something “rich people do” but after much research I found that it is all about EXTENSIVE planning, saving and major sacrifices!

I am the most disorganised person in the world as well as a constant consumerist and with these negative traits combined, I have no clue as to how I’m going to handle this! However I do understand the need to save so… 😦

Hi This coming week, I will be going back into university for my final year and I am ready to make some major cuts in my life including:

• Clubbing – I won’t stop completely but I will make it a mission to pre-drink before I embark into partying oblivion to cut costs drastically (or stop drinking,.. which I won’t do because I like my Rose too much sorry) *I’m not an alcoholic
• Eating out and getting takeaways– I miss you already The Double Whopper 😥

Hmmm

• Clothing and shoes – Tell me why I have American Apparel Disco Pants in almost every single colour?!
• Hair care and weaves  😦 – This was the most painful sacrifice believe it or not, I spend 100’s on my hair per year so this will be a huge contribution.
• Independence – I’ll be moving in with my dear aunty… We will see how this goes lol (Wait does this count as independence?)
• Freedom – I’ll be trying to use my remaining time to work as many hours as my education can allow.
• Sell unwanted items – Not now though, nearer to the date I set off.
• Taxi’s – I have a habit of taking these everywhere and it eventually adds up..

I’ll have this and thousands more at my disposal when I’m done 😀 (hopefully)

I still plan to have some fun, I’m definitely not going to become a total hermit however FRIENDS AND FAMILY after reading this post,  I hope you understand why I have been saying NO to your offers of socialising than is deemed normal (That and maybe I was catching up on the latest Bleach manga/One Piece anime lol).

It will be hard and sometimes I know I will slip up but I will put a picture of Halong Bay as my screensaver so it would serve as a gentle reminder as to why I am torturing myself.

P.S My book (South-east Asia on a shoestring) arrived in the post a few days ago and it’s almost thicker than my bible! I don’t know where to start.. I feel so overwhelmed!! Any suggestions?

P.P.S As I was writing this I ordered some Dominoes pizza.. It will be the last time for a while I promise!

What other things would you suggest to help me save? What would you cut from your life if you were in my shoes?

Introduction and travel plans :)

I’m starting this blog to primarily let out any thoughts on my travelling plans as well as document my adventures! I have wanted to do this for a while so finally glad I had the courage to do so.

Few facts about me

My name is Dami (Damilola on my birth certificate), I’m in my early 20’s and currently in my final year in Manchester, England studying Adverting and PR.

Born in London, lived mainly in Birmingham and Lagos Nigeria.

I’m taller than your average female (5’11 and ¾ if you want specific measurements)

I love reading! One of the recent books I have read  is “Room” by Emma Donoghue which I highly recommend.

I enjoy doing adventurous outdoorsy stuff

I hate snow and find it such a nuisance

I love reading manga and watching anime

I get really SQUIMISH around bugs to the point that it compels people to hit me so I can snap out of it!

I have 4 small tattoos that I got in my teens

I am ashamedly the biggest consumer of reality TV… From the Real Housewives of New York to Big Brother, I can’t get enough! the shame!

I love trying different kinds of meals although I was briefly put off after an unfortunate incident in Paris when I tried a strange meal which resulted in me almost throwing up! Ugh

I am the biggest music fan! I absolutely love music and currently active in the scene.

Speaking of Music, I have a slight not-so-secret obsession with Michael Jackson.

Only sport I follow is MMA.. I actually can’t get enough :S

There’s many more but you will learn along the way

Travel background, goals and inspirations

I have visited quite a few countries already however I have never done them independently or for such an extended period of time.

So next July after graduation, I have decided to go backpacking on the other side of the world starting from South East Asia or specifically Bangkok. This plan was actually implanted into my head via a suggestion by a dear friend of mine and further fuelled by the extensive information about the continent online. In the past, I considered working in one of the major theme parks in America  for the summer (Applied for Disneyworld and Universal Studios but did not get in because of my SMALL tattoos as they are incredibly strict when it comes to appearance!) and actually got offered a position in another theme park in LA this summer but I had to turn it down because I had resits at my university that I could not run away from and also realised that with the fees I had to pay to work for them as well as living expenses, that it would too expensive for such an experience. Even though, I did turn it down, I was still very disappointed not to have gone travelling this summer (Ok, not entirely true, I went Tunisia with my family so cannot really complain). To make sure I make this trip a reality next year, I have thrown myself into planning this hopefully more than once-in-a-lifetime trip!

 I will most likely be going on my own even though I have had my sister and friends express their interest in accompanying me (My sis read the post and was furious that I was treating this as a solo trip so I guess she’s coming!!) but for now, I will treat this as a solo trip. South East Asia seems like a fantastic option for me as it’s:

1)      Cheap – Being a student in multiple amounts of debt, this is HEAVEN SENT and makes the tedious task of scrimping and saving a lot easier!

2)      Culturally diverse – Looking forward to meeting the locals and getting immersed in their way of life. It will be a culture shock and I will probably cry for the first two weeks but this will help in my character building (I hope)

3)      FOOD!!! – Need I say more?

4)      The sights – From the beautiful beaches in Thailand to Halong Bay in Vietnam, I can’t wait to see what nature has provided us in that part of the world

I’ve decided to travel as a whole because of

5)      Independence and freedom!! I could do whatever I want.. even eat pig’s poo and it is very unlikely it will get back to my parents lol (I will not be doing anything silly like getting arrested though)

6)      Easy to meet new and like-minded people (apparently)

7)      No current responsibilities. I haven’t got a house or a car and my job is easily disposable (after I get my degree of course)

8)      The challenge. I know this trip will certainly not be easy but I look forward to thinking up ways to overcome any obstacles and gain new skills.

I have already planned my route and it will go as follows:-

Northern Thailand – Laos – Vietnam – Cambodia – Southern Thailand – Malaysia – Singapore – Indonesia  – Philippines’  – Hong Kong . I’m hoping to somehow fit in Burma and Sri Lanka in there too. I would absolutely and utterly LOVE to go to Tokyo simply because I am fascinated with and LOVE reading their manga and watching their anime but due to the fact that it is SO DAMN EXPENSIVE, it is more than likely that I will have to skip it

Since I have about 10 months to go and I haven’t booked anything yet, this may change…

Time is of no restraint for now; I am in no rush to get a graduate job.  I have started saving for this trip and I am currently on target in regards to my end budget

Anywhoo, that’s all for now but I will be updating this blog on a regular basis and if anybody has any suggestions for anything that could help, please feel free to mention! Thanks for your time!!!!!

Dami

What is your dream trip or destination?