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Solo female travel in Potosí, Bolivia

November 28, 2011 in Bolivia

After spending two days in Sucre, it was on to Potosí, the infamous silver mining town of Bolivia. This time, the overland journey was a bearable two hours. From warm and sunny Sucre, the change in weather and environment in Potosí was vast, probably due to its elevation at over 4000m. The air cold and thin, the town not much more than a cluster of low-rise buildings beneath the shadow of the mountains. Dust lingered everywhere.

Note #1: As a solo female traveller to Potosí, I recommend joining a group tour, which you can book from Sucre or La Paz. There are not many choices of accommodation there, and a travel company will be able to organise a decent hotel for you.

One of the top tourist attractions in Potosí is, of course, the silver mines. Being claustrophobic, I hesitated. However, after watching The Devil’s Miner in Sucre the night before, my curiosity got the better of me and I signed up for the tour. A small van showed up at the hotel and whisked a few of us away to the mines. We were instructed to put on protective gear and to buy supplies as a ‘gift’ to the miners before entering. These ‘gifts’ can be anything from dynamite (yes, they sell this to tourists!) to potent alcoholic beverages (96% alcohol, I am not kidding).

Dynamite in Potosí BoliviaThe entrance to the mines was dark and foreboding. My heart told me not to go in but I followed the leader since I already paid for the tour. At first the air was quite cool and fresh, so I thought I would be fine. But as we went deeper, the air turned heavy and humid, so after about 15 minutes, my claustrophobia got the better of me. I bailed out and waited for the others outside. I surveyed the view and felt incredibly fortunate not to be part of the slums around me. It was an eye-opening but unpleasant experience.

Note #2: If you haven’t felt the altitude so far, you may feel it in Potosí, the highest town in the world. I made the mistake of being overconfident with little altitude sickness in the previous cities, and didn’t take any medication until it was too late. I felt quite ill here. I also wished someone had told me how cold it was going to be. Whichever hotel you choose, make sure you ask them whether the showers are hot. The place I stayed in only had a trickle of hot water which lasted a miserable two minutes.

Another interesting place to visit in Potosí is the Tarapaya Lagoon. At this surreal spot lies the crater of a dormant volcano, now filled to the brim with natural hot spring water. It was cold, but once you immerse your body into the warm water, you will forget all about the low temperatures and the altitude. I swam with the group for an hour or so, but if I could choose again I would spend the entire afternoon there just chilling by the crater with its resident ducks.

Potosí Bolivia

Later that day, the news broke that the government protests which started in La Paz would be spreading to Potosí. The protestors were planning to form blockades around all major roads in and out of big cities. I got pretty worried. Other than being sick, I was getting really fed up of the cold and boredom. (Girls, think twice about shopping here as it is almost non-existent).

Note #3: Apparently protests against the government are fairly common in Bolivia. If you are there and find yourself in the middle of one, you may find it hard to get in and out of any main cities. Try to hire a private taxi if you get stuck as they may know secondary roads out of the city. Sure, you will pay more, but trust me, you really don’t want to spend an unknown number of days in a place like Potosí. It gets slightly depressing after two days.

Luckily the road to Uyuni, the next destination, was open, as it wasn’t considered a major city. I felt relieved. Escape at last — salt flats, here I come!

This article was originally published on Art of Solo Travel.

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Solo female travel in Sucre, Bolivia

October 31, 2011 in Bolivia

After La Paz, the next destination on my South American trip was Sucre, a 12-hour overnight bus ride from La Paz — which I wasn’t looking forward to. From the bus trip I learnt a few unpleasant things about Bolivian public transport:

The bus was only scheduled to stop once on that 12-hour ride, and the buses were not the kind of long-haul buses that are equipped with toilets. I was advised to stop drinking water a few hours before departure and not to have any during the trip, as the bus drivers normally turn a deaf ear to anyone’s requests to stop.

When it did stop that one time, it was at a dodgy roadside ‘restaurant’ whose toilets were slightly more tolerable than a hole in the ground. Tip: take hand sanitiser with you everywhere, and avoid buying food from the places where the bus stops.

Plus, I thought it was pretty unsafe for the driver to keep driving for six hours straight without resting.

Note #1: Cheap as it was, Bolivian public transport was very insecure and uncomfortable, and I won’t recommend it to anyone. Next time I would rather pay slightly more for a private car to share with other travellers, if the opportunity arises.

Sucre BoliviaHowever, once I got to Sucre, I forgot about the bus ride from hell. It was morning on arrival, and breakfast was on my mind. If you are a solo female traveller, you may find yourself enjoying the following, as I did.

1. Have a local breakfast

The Bolivian tour guide I had met in La Paz recommended a place to eat a local breakfast – salteñas, which is similar to a juicy curry puff, filled with chicken or beef. These are widely available around Sucre, but you need to get there early as they sell out by about 10am.

2. Eat and sleep in a charming hotel

Not far from the hostel I stayed in, I stumbled onto the excellent La Postada, a quaint hotel with a lovely restaurant on the ground floor. Here for around USD$10 or less, you can have a delicious three-course meal, plus enjoy it in their cheerful courtyard and soak up the sunshine. If I had known about it earlier I would definitely have chosen to stay there instead.

3. Wander around the quaint cobbled streets

As a Unesco-listed heritage site, Sucre has many beautiful streets and lanes to wander around and get lost in. As Sucre is at a lower elevation than La Paz, the altitude of 2750m should not bother you. Be prepared to walk up many steep paths, but at the top you will be rewarded with wonderful vantage points from which to view the city or stop to admire the many local crafts sold at the street markets. Known as the ‘white city of Bolivia,’ Sucre is also home to stunning colonial architecture.

Note #2: If you plan to shop, Sucre is the only city other than La Paz that has a large variety of Bolivian products to choose from. For the solo female traveller, the silver jewellery is exquisite and cheap. The other main cities, like Potosí and Uyuni, don’t compare in terms of price or selection.

Sucre market

4. Go adventuring in the countryside

Right in the city centre is the Joy Ride travel centre and café/bar. Here you will find an activity or two to suit the solo female traveller, depending on how adventurous you are. When I visited the centre, I was greeted by a friendly customer service representative who recommended either paragliding or horse-riding. After that torturous bus ride, I chose the more peaceful activity. The four-hour horseride, led by a Bolivian ‘cowboy’ clip-clopped amongst the most breathtaking landscapes I have ever seen. Despite the stray pigs everywhere amongst the slums (unfortunately the route took us through them in the first half-hour), and the fact that I ended up with a sore bum, this turned out to be one of my most memorable experiences in Bolivia. After the ride, you can enjoy a comfy drink back at the travel centre, which also doubles up as a cafe/bar with a private cinema upstairs.

Overall, I really liked Sucre with its good mix of warm weather, good food, character, and things to see, do, and buy. Next stop, Potosí, the mining town.

This article was originally published on Art of Solo Travel.

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Solo female travel in La Paz, Bolivia

October 4, 2011 in Bolivia

The next destination on my South American journey was La Paz, Bolivia. I did some research on La Paz before I got there, since it’s situated in one of the highest altitudes in the world and many travellers there have been known to suffer from altitude sickness. Therefore, my plan was to check straight into a hotel and stay there for two days to acclimatize in case I got sick. I also took precautionary medication (Diamox was prescribed to me in Australia before I left) 24 hours before I arrived there, just in case.

On the journey from the airport to the hotel in the city, I was blown away by the surreal geography of La Paz. Because the entire city was built in a deep canyon, it suffers from two extremes. On one hand the views are captivating all around, but because it is essentially a hole in the ground, it is extremely polluted. Smog is everywhere and it’s hard to avoid breathing it in.

Some words of advice for other solo female travellers:

1. Be prepared for the altitude

La Paz street view

La Paz street view

Altitude sickness can affect anyone, regardless of gender, size, or fitness level; it’s always better to be prepared. The symptoms range from mild headaches, to nosebleeds, to nausea. I’m quite petite (5’4”), weigh about 48kgs, with an average level of fitness. After taking the Diamox (side effects include tingly fingers), the only thing I noticed was my heart beating very fast and a slight shortness of breath. Other than that, I was able to function normally.

Note #1: There is a local tea called mate de coca, a refreshing brew made from the local coca leaves. It gives you an adrenalin boost to help with the effects of the altitude, and has a great nutty flavour.

2. Hire a private taxi

Right at the entrance of the airport you will find a taxi rank with a fleet of cars waiting for your business. Unlike what I had expected (shameless touting), I was pleasantly surprised to meet a polite Bolivian driver who drove me to my hotel and offered me a business card with his license and contact details. His taxi was available for private hire at 50 bolivianos (around USD$7) an hour. I agreed. It was the best decision I could have made as Jose was not only well-versed in English but also extremely knowledgeable.

In many places you need to pay a lot extra for an English guide, but for a fraction of the price, I paid for Jose to join me in visiting some local sites (Bolivians pay only a small percentage of what tourists pay in entrance fees), and he became not only my driver, but my personal tour guide, enthusiastic photographer (for once I was going to appear in more of my own photos!), and also a trusty food companion (he introduced me to local food like chicarrón and fricassee. Yum!)

Note #2: If you decide to hail a taxi from the streets, choose only “radio taxis” with a number on the side of their cabs as those are the ‘official’ ones.

La Paz street and mountain

The views of La Paz

3. Drink bottled water

Tap water is not recommended for drinking. For around 70 cents for a two-litre bottle, there’s no excuse not to drink bottled water, which is available on every corner.

4. Beware of fake police

A local tour guide warned me that there are people who dress up in a police uniform and approach tourists to ‘check’ their passports. While that is happening an accomplice uses the distraction to steal money and other valuables. Personally I didn’t encounter any, but I thought I would relate this story anyway in case anybody did.

5. Take toilet paper with you

Girls, Bolivian public toilets are not that pretty. Not only do many lack toilet seats, toilet paper is usually not provided. So practice your hovering skills and stuff a pack of tissues in your bag.

Witches Market La Paz Bolivia

The witches' market


6. Don’t forget your credit card

Most of South America works on a cash-only basis, so locating ATMs is an important task. Machines are plentiful but not all of them may work with your card. For my Bolivian travels I used a Visa Debit card which worked in every machine, but I also met others at the hotel I stayed in who reported their cards being eaten, or had Travelex cards that didn’t work.

A word of caution as well – unlike most western countries, the machine only spits the card out AFTER you take the money, not the other way around. This means there is a large possibility you will take the cash and forget your card (I did this once but remembered a few seconds later so luckily my card was still there).

Note # 3: I learnt my lesson after that incident but in hindsight I should probably have taken a backup card with me.

Other interesting things about La Paz include the awesome Witches Market, scary traffic and zebras. But I don’t want to take all the mystery out, so go and check it out for yourselves!

This article was originally published on Art of Solo Travel.

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Three day-trips from Sydney

September 22, 2011 in Australia

There’s a lot to do in Sydney city itself, but it also offers some great options for day-trips — head to the Blue Mountains, Berry, or the Hunter Valley.

Blue Mountains – west of Sydney

If you are only in Sydney for a short period of time and want to do a day-trip, the Blue Mountains is a good choice. Only an hour and a half west of the city, it is easily accessible by train to Katoomba station, or by car. Driving’s a lot more convenient, so get three or four people together to share the costs — this also means you’ll have company for the many activities you can do there.

The forest is the Blue Mountain’s major attraction, with well-established paths offering good views of the Aussie bush; don’t miss the Three Sisters, a rock formation located very close to the town centre of Katoomba. If bushwalking is not your cup of tea, there are also plenty of adventurous activities operated by a few established companies in Katoomba. A short stroll from the train station will take you to several tour operators who offer abseiling and canyoning at reasonable prices.

While Katoomba is the main town in the Blue Mountains, Blackheath is a prettier location, only 10-15 minutes further away, and overall a much more pleasant and less-touristy environment. If you decide to stay longer than just one day, a great accommodation option is the Glenn Murcutt-designed Westhill and Wood Duck Cabin, where you can choose either to stay in the main house (if you’re part of a big group of people), or the smaller two-person cabin located a few metres away.

Blackheath NSW

Berry post office

The property lies amongst beautiful gardens lovingly maintained by its owners, complete with resident ducks and native birds chirping in the trees. It is also within private bushland, so you can take a quite leisurely stroll at your own pace.

Berry – south of Sydney

If you are in the mood for something a little more lazy and relaxing, Berry, located in the Shoalhaven region just over two hours south of Sydney, is an ideal day-trip. It is a picturesque country town filled with cute little shops and restaurants with an old-world charm to them. You will feel like you’ve stumbled into a different era.

Leaving Sydney late morning would bring you there just in time for a scrumptious lunch at one of Berry’s many local eateries. After lunch you can go shopping and look for hidden treasures at the homeware and art stores around the main city centre.

When you tire of that, take a drive down to the wineries a short distance away, and spend the rest of the afternoon and evening sampling local wines before heading back to Sydney.

Hunter Valley nsw Australia

The Hunter Valley

Hunter Valley – north of Sydney

Wine buffs will love the Hunter Valley, around two hours’ drive north of Sydney. Once you arrive, there are just so many wineries to choose from, the only dilemma will be which one to visit first. Pokolbin is a good place to start, with a group of wineries all within walking distance of each other. Based on personal experience, an excellent one to begin with is the wonderful Scarborough Wine Co., where your tasting will be accompanied by complimentary cheese and crackers, with a friendly sommelier on hand to answer any questions.

Other than wineries, there is also the Bluetongue Beer Brewery located in at the Hunter Resort in Pokolbin, where you can have a light meal as well as sample boutique Australian beer.

Of course there are also other interesting activities such as horse-riding, or hot-air ballooning, if you have got more time and money to spare. If not, aim for four or five wineries in Pokolbin, enjoy them at a reasonable pace, before heading back to Sydney.

For more on Australia, check out our Australia country page.

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Solo female travel in Santiago, Chile

September 6, 2011 in Chile

When I first decided to venture to South America, I was nervous about travelling alone despite having been to so many other countries solo. This is due to an abundance of stories and information online on how unsafe South America is, and plenty of precautionary advice on how to avoid being targeted by thieves and unsavoury characters. As I had never been there before, I was quite put off by what I had found, and spent more time stressing on little things like where to hide money when going out. Someone even told me to stash money in my shoes!

Once I arrived there however, suddenly the city seemed like any other, and I felt that it was no more dangerous than any other city I had been to alone. As a solo female traveller visiting South America for the first time, Santiago, Chile is a very good place to start. I found it to be accessible and modern, and did not feel threatened during my stay there. Taxis are cheap and plentiful, drivers courteous and professional, and I never felt unsafe. If you are taking one from the airport, take TransVIP, a shared taxi service which only cost around US$12 to take you downtown.

Note #1: Similar safety and security measures should be applied regardless of where you go, whether it’s South America or anywhere else. However, try not to over-worry at the expense of enjoying your trip. Trusting your instincts and plain common sense usually does the trick.

Santiago plaza de armas

The Plaza de Armas

Although I was couchsurfing with Seb, he had a full-time job so most of the time I went out to the city by myself. Walking through downtown Santiago as a solo female, I discovered the following:

  • Despite the extremely hot weather, people here dress conservatively in long pants and long-sleeved tops, including women. If you’re a solo female getting ready to spend the day walking around in shorts, a tank top, and flip-flops, be prepared to be the only person wearing that. If you don’t want to stand out too much, dress like the locals, but sweat in your pants, literally.
  • Take the metro as it is fast, efficient, and cheap. Signs and directions are clearly marked, with maps in every station to help you navigate your way.
  • Other than people who work in the tourist areas, most locals don’t speak any other language other than Spanish. If you are alone and lost and don’t speak any Spanish, your best option is to know the name of a landmark, (for example Plaza de Armas) and try to get there somehow to find a local tourist information centre where you will find someone to help you.

I did not have to use the money belt after all as I found it cumbersome, uncomfortable, and too ‘touristy’. In the end I just brought my daypack, which was a great one as it had a zipped compartment at the rear where my valuables were kept against my back at all times. It was secure and worked for me.

Note #2: If you have more time to plan for your South American trip, learning some Spanish beforehand will be extremely useful. Also bring a phrasebook to help you along.

Woman looking at Santiago Chile

Check out the view from Cerro San Cristobál

Other things you can enjoy doing as a solo female traveller

  • Climb the hill of Cerro San Cristóbal. There you can find a good sunny spot on the lawns, and spend the entire day admiring the Andes while reading a good book. Plenty of locals go there during the weekend.
  • Join a local tour out of the city. I always join local day tours outside the main city as it’s a good opportunity to interact with other travellers in a small private setting. At a local tourist agency I booked myself a day tour to Portillo and Viña San Esteban. It was quite expensive, at around US$120, but at the end of the day, I was convinced it was worth the money as it included all transfers, the tour guide spoke excellent English and was very knowledgeable, plus the destinations were absolutely stunning.
  • If you will be couchsurfing like I did, get taken to local parties!

Other than slightly bland food, my verdict on Santiago, Chile is that it is perfectly fine for a solo female traveller. Happy solo travels!

This article was originally published on Art of Solo Travel.

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Solo female travel in South America: Preparing to go

August 16, 2011 in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile

As something a little different from my 48-hour series, I thought I would share with everyone my preparations for my trip to some parts of South America. It is the only continent I had never been to, and I decided impulsively to go to Chile, Bolivia, Argentina, and stop at Mexico and LA/San Francisco on the way back to Sydney. I guess you could call it a whirlwind trip. Let me tell you now, preparation was pretty stressful, due to a few factors as below.

1. Time

First of all, I made a last-minute decision to go there, so I purchased tickets to travel three short weeks away from a travel agent. I quickly realized that going to South America is not as straightforward as some other countries. Not only are tickets ridiculously expensive, there are very few direct flights from Australia, with stop-overs in many various cities. It is very time-consuming to try to mix-and-match different locations, so giving yourself enough time to plan ahead is helpful. I planned my flights in a very short time, though I would not recommend it unless you can be very organised. Because I don’t work a nine-to-five job, I had pockets of time to run errands relating to my travel.

2. Visas

Passports and visasAlthough I had quizzed the travel agent who sold me the tickets (to Brazil) about visa requirements, the mistake I made was assuming what they told me was correct. Always do your own research regarding visas. After paying for flights which were due to depart two weeks away, I soon found out that I needed a visa to enter Brazil (one of the original countries I had wanted to go to), which takes the local embassy a minimum of one month to process. Therefore if I had not realized this, I would potentially have landed in Brazil only be denied entry. Fortunately early realization meant that flights could be changed, and the travel agent redirected me to Chile instead of Brazil (which would have to wait for another trip).

3. Vaccinations

This is extremely important if travelling to South America. As I recently discovered, there are a plethora of vaccinations required for travel to South America, some of which are compulsory should you wish to re-enter your home country, such as yellow fever. Depending on where you may travel to, one might also need vaccinations for typhoid, Hepatitis A and B, Cholera, and Malaria. After three frustrating visits to doctors, all of them imparting different information, I have discovered that not every clinic is eligible to administer these vaccinations. Your best bet is to visit the Travel Doctor to receive all you need in one visit.

Vaccination shot

4. Medication

Common advice for going to South America is that one should be careful with what you eat, and to only drink bottled water. Feeling slightly paranoid already, I decided to take paracetamol (for general use), Imodium (for stomach trouble), and Diamox (for possible altitude sickness).

One more thing I have been told is to bring a money belt, which is something I NEVER travel with. I will test this theory on whether they are safer, though I will feel more clumsy with it I think. More to come regarding solo female travel once I arrive there!

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48 hours with a Solo Female Traveller: The Swiss Alps

July 19, 2011 in Switzerland

When I was a kid, my mum showed me some photos from the 70s of her and my dad in the Swiss Alps. I remember being captivated by the picturesque snowy mountains and promised myself I would one day plant my footprints in the snow over there.

Coincidentally, I had a friend who recently moved back to his hometown of Wangs, a small village right at the foot of the Swiss Alps, just over an hour out of Zurich. Of course I had to pay Christoph a visit. On a train I went, from Geneva to Zurich, where Chris was waiting for me in the wintery cold with a giant bear hug. I was glad to see him after couchsurfing for months.

It was very cold, and as Chris led me to the car, I fought off giant balls of ice pelting painfully at my face.

Snowboarding in SwitzerlandNote #1: It’s a very good idea to bring a woolly hat and gloves if you plan to go somewhere in winter. They don’t take up much space and can be squished into the dead corners of your backpack. When you are done with them, donate them to another traveller if you’re sure you won’t be needing them anymore.

I was very fortunate that Chris was not only a fantastic friend, but also an accomplished snowboarder and instructor. After a good night’s rest, the next day we got down to business. From one of his many snowboarding friends, I managed to borrow a snowboard, pants, jacket, and even shoes, which was great as gear is very expensive to buy/rent.

We made the ten-minute walk to the foot of Pizol Mountain, paid for our passes, and took the lift up to the top. I must admit I was more excited about the views than the actual snowboarding. Everywhere I turned the mountains were stunning. I was also distracting myself, as I was a very nervous first-time snowboarder.

Being a petite person, I was surprised at how heavy all the gear was after I put them on. After a few fumbled attempts and falls, I managed to move the board around without any assistance. It was very fun and falling down wasn’t that bad as the snow was quite soft.
Snow in the Swiss Alps

Note #2: A car is essential if you want to explore the surroundings more intimately. There are so many spots to stop and admire the countless vistas and breathtaking views. If you have skates you can even go skating on the frozen lakes! (Check for safety first though!).

After a fulfilling day of learning how to snowboard, the next day Chris took me sight-seeing around the villages. Words cannot properly describe the sights I saw, I was amazed by the beauty in this magnificent place.

This article was originally published on Art of Solo Travel.

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48 hours with a Solo Female Traveller: Evora

June 21, 2011 in Portugal

I’d been in Lisbon for a few days couchsurfing with Rita and her cat Mia. The thin sleeping bag on the cold hard floor was harsh, and the extra warmth generated by Mia’s tendency to curl up at my feet during the night was welcome and appreciated.

Rita had gone to the countryside for two days, and left me in charge of Mia and the keys to her flat. With most of Lisbon already explored and some time left before my next destination, I decided to take a bus to Evora, just over an hour away. Even the name sounds too exotic to miss. A few years ago I had read about a chapel there which was built out of human bones, and sparked by curiosity, I took the first bus out towards my gruesome target.

Note #1: When in a capital city such as Lisbon, taking the bus to nearby towns an hour or two away is an excellent way to see the countryside on the road and explore less-touristy places. There are so many breathtaking sights to see along the way.

Evora Portugal station

The main station

As the bus made its way into the town centre, the sun weaved its magic over the well-preserved buildings. It was a beautiful day, and as I stepped off the bus, I felt like I had been transported into a different world. Evora had a medieval feel about it, and it was as if the inhabitants were from an alternative era. I even found a little shop selling old cassette tapes!

The town centre is quite small, and I found the Church of St Francis (Igreja de Sao Francisco) quite easily. The Chapel of Bones (Capela dos Ossos) was meant to be next to it, and I was eager to see it. Unfortunately it only opened at 1pm, and as I was early, I took the opportunity to explore the old cobbled streets.

It was an extremely quiet day, with not many people out and about. As an obvious foreigner, I felt slightly conspicuous, but I busied myself taking photos. The buildings and squares were exquisite, and I fell in love with all of them.

Note #2: As a solo female traveller in a new interesting town, it was easy to dispel the feeling of self-consciousness with a camera in hand. Everything just had to be photographed! When I got tired, I sat in a café/restaurant to review the sights I had captured. The experience was great fun.

Inside the bone chapel, Evora Portugal

Inside the Chapel of Bones

The time had come to see the Chapel. As I waited patiently for the doors to open, I noticed that there was only one other tourist there. It must not be a top tourist destinations like I’d presumed. I was quite happy with this as it would have been hard to take any photos with swarms of people in the way. My fellow traveller and I walked warily through the gates, and with an eerie green light emanating from within, I felt as if I was walking into certain doom.There was an inscription at the front, which translates to ‘We bones, lying here bare, are awaiting yours’.

Why did I sign up for this again?

Having prepared myself for a grim experience, once I was inside it was not too bad. The Chapel was smaller than I had imagined. In fact it was like being in a large room. Flanked by columns covered in skulls, I marvelled at the carefully arranged bones in the wall, put in their place forever by cement. There was a poem on one side of the Chapel, which I thought profoundly appropriate for my journey.

Bone chapel in Evora, Portugal

Cemented bones

The experience was over. After an obligatory contribution of €2, I walked out feeling quite sombre and enlightened. There was not much else to do but head back to Lisbon to say goodbye to Rita and Mia.

This article was originally published on Art of Solo Travel.

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48 hours with a Solo Female Traveller: Budapest

May 24, 2011 in Hungary

My journey through Budapest is one of my favourite memories, and my only Eastern European destination. I arrived there on a night bus from Vienna, and one thing I had completely forgotten about was that the local Budapest currency turned out to be forints, not euros, and at that late hour, no money-changers were open. I had no cash to take any form of public transport. It was too far to walk, so I decided to take a risk and hopped on anyway, and hoped not to get caught by any conductors. I thought of a possible excuse in the event that happened, but luck was on my side.

Note #1: Always have a small amount of local currency to take with you to your next destination, to avoid landing yourself in similar situation above! At the very least have enough for a small meal and reasonable transport to your place of accommodation.

Rudas baths budapest by Giåm on FlickrAfter a complex series of public transport which involved trams and buses in a city where hardly anyone spoke English, I managed to find Attila Ut, the street which was to be my temporary home for the next few days. I was greeted by C, my host for this trip, who immediately charmed me with her warm pumpkin soup and accordion-playing abilities. We bonded immediately, and she entertained me throughout my stay with her lively chatter, kindness, and multilingual talent.

Though winter was officially over, it was pouring with rain. And where else to go on a rainy day but to the thermal baths! After reading some reviews online, the internet informed me it was ladies’ day at Rudas Baths. At first I thought ladies’ day meant we received some kind of discount, but I soon discovered it was the one day of the week when only women were allowed into the baths. Since it was my first time at a public bath, I was rather naïve and unprepared for what the experience really entailed.

I paid my entrance fee, and was led to the changing cabins. The attendant asked me, as if it was the most normal thing in the world, whether I wanted a loin cloth. The question had caught me by surprise, and on reflex I replied no thanks. The moment I walked into the main bathing area, I understood why the loin cloth might have been necessary for some people.

After changing into my swimming gear with a towel wrapped around me, I walked through the labyrinth of showers and cubicles to arrive at the square-shaped thermal bath room, where I quickly noticed that every single woman was stark naked, young and old alike. I was visually bombarded with so many breasts of all shapes and sizes that I began to feel out of place in my rather discreet two-piece suit. The Hungarian women probably thought I was just a weird tourist, which made me feel better about being the only one who was wearing anything at all. As I sunk myself into one of the amazingly relaxing 42-degree mineral baths, I couldn’t help but be glad I chose to go to this smaller establishment, as the scene of naked women on a larger scale really would have been too much for me.

After getting over my initial shock, I began to appreciate its novelty as part of my solo travelling experience.

Note #2: If like me, it’s your first time at a public bath, pick a small non-touristy one, on a ‘ladies’ day’ as you will feel a lot less self-conscious. On one of the other days I ventured to Gellert Baths (which are separated into men’s and women’s sections, though more sterile and hotel-like if you prefer that kind of atmosphere), which I felt did not have as much character as Rudas. It was also more expensive.
Gellert Baths, Budapest by encontrado.es on Flickr

Besides the usual sights like the Buda Castle, the Chain Bridge, and the Nagyvasar-Csarnok Market, the other fantastic memory I have of Budapest is the amazingly delicious and cheap food and drink. The last six months had seen me mostly foraging in supermarkets for my daily supplements, but in Budapest, the daily budget of €20 I set for myself allowed me to eat in good restaurants.

As a solo female traveller, I often thought about feeling odd eating alone in restaurants. This was not the case at all, as I was usually reading my guidebook, writing in my journal, or flicking through the day’s adventures on my camera. Waiting staff are always chatty and helpful in suggesting local fare, and in Budapest, the drink of choice is of course the palinka. A typical one costs a ridiculous $2.

Note #3: If you could only visit one city in Europe, Budapest provides just the right amount of cultural experience, good food, and things to see/do for the solo female traveller on a small budget.
Budapest by ** Maurice ** on Flickr

This article was originally published on Art of Solo Travel.

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Avatar of Stephanie Lee

by Stephanie Lee

48 Hours with a Solo Female Traveller: Porto

April 26, 2011 in Portugal

Destination: Porto

Porto, Portugal, has single-handedly provided me with the most challenging yet amusing experience (in hindsight) yet of solo travel. I recall writing part of this from the red and white cushy lounges of Pestano Porto Hotel, munching on an expensive (but VERY well-deserved) sandwich and fries, and catching up on some world news on the shiny wall-mounted plasma TV. Two whole hours had passed since I got lost on the labyrinth-like streets of Porto, and now that I actually found the place I intended to be, I thought I had earned myself some posh hotel grub.

A short flashback is in order. An hour before boarding my bus from Lisbon to Porto, I made a mad dash into an internet café to get the location details of my couchsurfing host in Porto. There were no printing facilities at the café. However, by this time I thought I had excelled at Google Maps, and foolishly thought I would be able to memorize the image of the meeting location within my 15-minute log-in time limit. A few months of solo travel had made me over-confident, and I relied fully on my amazing mental prowess of imprinting that map in my mind. I happily set off to catch my bus at Sete Rios.

Port by Fr Antunes on FlickrSadly, my mental prowess, which I soon discovered wasn’t so amazing, failed me. I arrived in Porto, a brand-new city for me, at night, with no map, and no clue where I was. I did find a tiny little map in my Lonely Planet guidebook but it didn’t show where I was supposed to go. I ended up walking with my backpack (hooray for convertible wheeled backpacks), across the bridge, asked for directions, back again, wrong directions, down some alleys, up some streets, and ended up in some Portuguese coffee shop with no better idea of where I was. Why didn’t I just call, some of you may ask? I would have if I could, but my phone ran out of credit at the most incredible moment, and no working payphones were to be found. For some reason, I could not be contacted on my phone either. These things just have a way of happening all at once.

Note #1: ALWAYS have some form of paper map! I learnt a big lesson. Even if you have no access to a printer, take a few moments to sketch out a rough plan of where you need to go, highlighting important landmarks/stations or notes for yourself. It really comes in handy when you need to ask for directions in a language you don’t speak.

Interestingly, the city had other plans for me. The old folk at the Portugese coffee shop didn’t speak any English, and I no Portugese, but strangely, if you can comprehend this bizarre stroke of coincidence, an old man spoke French, which I had a very basic command of. So with my bad French, in Portugal, I finally got some decent directions and headed to a hotel to be picked up.

In the nice hotel, I convinced the hotel concierge to feel sorry for me (I really did look rather pitiful by then) and let me use the hotel phone and wait in the hotel lobby. It was very late. Finally, at 1am, after much ado and effort, I was found by P, my couchsurfing host. I was a bit worn around the edges, tired, and a little grumpy (sorry P!), but at the end of the day I kept my wit, humour and a good head on my shoulders. After all, that is the most important thing!

Porto puzzle by Jsome1 on Flickr

There is a happy ending to this tale! The best part about the terribly lost and confused night before was that when I arrived at my new couchsurfing ‘home’, it was like paradise. By now it’s common knowledge that my travel odyssey had almost entirely been supported by the couchsurfing community. So far, within the confines of countless cities, I have slept on a variety of different surfaces which have included bunk beds, day bed, normal single beds, queen beds with silk sheets, the floor with a dog, a small sofa, sleeping bags with a cat, actual fold-out couches, and yes, I have even shared beds. There have been times when I have woken up and not remembered where I was.

The point to this, is that in Porto, unbeknownst to me, P lived in a four-storey mansion with six bathrooms and a movie room. I discovered that I was to sleep in a private suite in a king-sized bed, with my own five-star marble-clad ensuite (with a spa!), and dry myself off with nicely warmed-up fluffy white towels. After a relaxing bath, I could press the magic button, the motorized shutters whirred down to a close, and I almost expected a butler to appear and put a chocolate mint next to my pillow.

Note #2: It doesn’t hurt to allow yourself some rest and relaxation, or just do nothing, after months of vigorous travel! If you ever end up in a similar situation as I did, keep up the good spirit, and see how things just have a way of working themselves out. It’s only a problem if you let it become a problem.

Of course the next day I visited the amazing port houses, bridges, and the city, but none were as fun to share as the above very real experience as a lone traveller! Happy travelling!

This article was originally published on Art of Solo Travel.

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