Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest occurs annually in September (nope, not October) in Munich and lasts for around 2 weeks. The event is famously known as a beer festival, where festival goers dress up in Lederhosen and Dirndl and drink beer from 1 litre mugs. I was surprised to know that there was actually a family friendly side to the event, with rides, food stalls and everything else that you would find at any festival or fair. 

This was another one of my 'bucket list' trips. It is something I have known about for years and years, experiencing many of the other versions that take place trying to recreate this awesome festival. We decided to make our trip straddle a weekend and weekdays, since we read that the tents can fill up early on weekends and we wanted to make sure we had a couple of good days.

We landed early in the morning and our friend Paul was joining us the next day, so we decided to get the Munich sightseeing out of the way on our first day. We went to the town centre to see the Michaelskirche church (the final resting place of King Ludwig II, the Mad King), the glockenspiel (clock with characters that come out like a carousel) and the Frauenkirche church. 

 

After passing by the Residenzplatz (palace) and rubbing the noses of the four bronze lion statues (for wealth and good luck), we stopped off at the famous Hofbrauhaus, where we cozied up next to some strangers at shared benches and ordered litres of beer and sausages.

We continued exploring, heading to the Englischer Garten which is one of Europe's largest city parks (bigger than Hyde Park in London or NYC's Central Park). 

We wandered through the pathways and found Munich's oldest beer garden, along with its Chinesischer Turm which was built in the 18th century. We stayed into the evening, eating another dinner of sausages (and pretzels!) from the cafeteria.

As it started getting dark, we caught an Uber (they're everywhere!) to the festival grounds, hoping that a later entry would land us a table. We were in luck! We got a table on the balcony where we could look out at all of the crazy dancing and partying. The atmosphere was so energetic, with a live band playing a mix of international ballads and traditional German anthems. People were making friends with other tables and dancing on tables. Great end to the first day!

The next 3 days were a blur of tent-hopping, dancing on tables, making friends and shouting out songs while drinking litres of beer. We met mostly Germans, but I was surprised at the number of Americans he met (or at least heard). Given the close proximity, I would have expected more Brits to be at the festival, but I actually believe there were more North Americans!

 

If I could do it all again, the only thing I would change is wearing a Dirndl. They were too expensive to buy once you got there, so I would have bought one in advance that I liked (or maybe 2 or 3 to alternate!). I definitely felt more out of place in casual clothes than I would have in traditional dress, not something I was expecting at all! Plus, the pictures would have been just that much better.

Pre-30's Bucket List - IBIZA!

It may be that Fahad's 30th birthday last December made me start to think about my own impending 30th birthday (ok, 2.5 years is still a way to go), but Ibiza was on my pre-30's bucket list of things to do so it made the itinerary for the summer. While Ibiza is often known for it's gorgeous, white sand beaches, fine dining and luxury resorts, when most people think of it they think of mega-clubs, all-night raves, and superstar DJ's. Needless to say, I wasn't sure if my nearly-30 body could handle so much fun, so we booked a four-night trip over the August Bank Holiday weekend, maximising holiday time. This meant leaving work Thursday evening and hitting the town as soon as we landed in Ibiza.

We opened with a big bang, heading to the 5,000 person capacity super-club, Amnesia, to see Calvin Harris, the world's highest-paid DJ. We arrived with a bit of time to explore the club, buy a fairly priced €18 rum and coke (each!), and then settle in to our awesome spot for the show.

 

Although there are some of these clubs in London, like Fabric, I have never been to any and sort of expected a normal dance floor atmosphere. It was a mixture of a club and concert, with lots of special effects through in such as lights, lasers, fog and confetti. 

  

After an amazing show and a 6am finish, we headed back to out at Playa D'en Bossa for some much deserved rest! The next morning we rolled out of bed to explore the hotel and surrounding town in the daylight, having arrived at around midnight the night before. Our hotel was right on the beach in the heart of a lot of the action. 

The hotel itself, Ushuaia, plays host to daytime parties every day, starting from around 5pm and ending at midnight. One of the reasons we selected in particular is that by staying there you gain free access to the events (which can cost up to €60 per person). We were lucky enough that our hotel room actually looked out over onto the Ushuaia club, offering great day and night views. 

Friday night was headlined by Kylie Minogue, who I wasn't as anxious to see up close, but we watched the evening unfold from our balcony while getting ready to go out later. The venue didn't seem to fill up until after sunset. In addition to listening to and watching the DJ, we had a regular stream of airplanes coming in overhead. 

While we did notice them all throughout the day, they definitely seem to pick up in the evening. When we were booking flights we definitely noticed that flights were skewed toward the later end of the day, perhaps because of the budget airlines. The flights were never a noise problem for sleeping or for the show, and made for a pretty cool photo!

The next morning we were up bright and early, thanks to our 'power nap' which turned into an early evening in bed. We headed straight to the beach beds to try to catch a good spot and found a pretty wide selection. We finally settled on an area with our own umbrella (much needed!) and a pretty decent view of the water.

 The area really started to fill up around 1pm and we got a good feel for the types of people and groups staying at our hotel. I was really surprised to find so many couples and an 'older' crowd. You can definitely come to Ibiza after 30! Although, I wasn't sure that everyone was out clubbing every night, the people staying at our hotel must have had a small interest in music and dancing because of the club's nightly show offering. There was beach staff which served food and drinks, so we had some lunch and sangria, sampling both white and red versions. Conclusion: I like champagne/prosescco version the best (which we had had at lunch the day before)!

Post-2pm, the vibe in the beach area picked up. People had had a bit more to drink and the music changed from nice and relaxing tunes to loud dance tunes. The main act at Ushuaia Saturday night was Ants, with opening acts starting around 3/4pm. We weren't as interestd in seeing Ants, so stayed at the beach until around 5pm and then went into the nearby area to find dinner. The big show for the night was Martin Solveig, who was playing at Pacha. 

I had heard really good things about Pacha - that it is a lot of people's favourite club and that it has a lot of interesting rooms. We got there to watch an opening act, an American (very surprising!). Martin came on much later than expected, but he won me over and ended up being my favourite DJ, or at least tied with Calvin. We were super close to the booth and could look him in the eyes, and the entire dance area felt pretty intimate.

The next day we woke up and decided to visit the village because I couldn't handle another day of full on sun. Despite being hidden under an umbrella for all of the previous day and regularly applying sun cream, I burned my shins and chest which were both constantly directed at the ocean for nearly 7 hours. Whoops! It was good for us to soak up some culture though.

We took a bus into Ibiza town, found a cute plaza and sat down for an alfresco lunch. i was surprised at how many tourists also ventured away from the partying and the beach to explore the city. We actually sat next to two American girls (another surprise there!) who sounded like they were studying abroad.

 After lunch and regaining energy, we walked up to the fortress for a look around. Inside there were more cafes to eat at and cobbled streets leading throughout the fortress. 

We headed back to rest on the balcony and get ready for the next evening out - Avicii from the balcony followed by Space Sundays (another club / night which was recommended to me). As we were relaxing on the balcony reading books, Fahad got a text message from British Airways saying that we could check in for our flight. Normally you get this kind of notice 24 hours in advance, strange as we weren't supposed to leave until Tuesday. Fahad logged in and frantically asked me what day our flight was. 'Tuesday', I confidently responded. He asked me to check the reservation email as he was getting a notice that it was tomorrow. And sure enough... he and British Airways were right. How did this happen? It is still a mystery. We tried to change our flight. No availability. We even looked into booking an additional one-way ticket through another providers. All airlines were sold out for all of Tuesday. We just had to buckle down and enjoy our last night. 

After shaking off the bad feelings, we decided to go down to the main performance area to see Avicii up close and to enjoy the atmosphere. We walked in just as he was starting and it was the most crowded venue I had been in yet. It was difficult to see, so we manoeuvred our way in as best as we could and settled in. Five minutes later, Fahad had a feeling that somebody was in his pocket and sure enough, his wallet was missing. We went up to the room to cancel the cards and stayed the to watch the rest of the show. Great day so far!

Space was conveniently across the road from our hotel, so we went after the Avicii show ended. There wasn't any headlining DJ that we had heard of before, so we spent time exploring the rooms looking for music that we liked. It was more relaxed since we did not have to rush off to see any particular act. All in all, we ended with a bang but were definitely left wanting more. Here's to planning Ibiza 2015!

Kaua'i - Wedding Finale

The day before the wedding, we set off on one final adventure, a kayak ride down the Wailua River and waterfall hike to Secret Falls a.k.a. Uluwehi Waterfalls. Being the most athletic of the three sisters, I assumed Fahad and I would breeze through the kayak ride, leaving the others behind. Our tour guide warned us in advance, making a joke to the honeymooning couples that a kayak is also known as a divorce boat. 

On the ride out, I realised exactly how true that was (it's a good thing Fahad and I aren't married!). I'm sure it was 99% my fault, and once I just relaxed and stopped trying to compete, we didn't quite bring up the rear of the group...

The hike, on the other hand, was more of a solo experience and best to keep a safe distance from anyone around you. We were warned about knee deep mud, and as we trekked through the trail we came a couple of areas where we actually waded through muddy water up to our knees. We came out with some excellent mud socks.

 The hike was long and slow, with multiple near-fall experiences. When we arrived at the waterfall we were warned to go under it at our own risk and that we could potentially be hit with rocks. I had been under a waterfall before in Thailand, which was a bit more impressive than this one, so I opted out. Although, I didn't waste any time jumping in to rinse off the mud.

After a quick lunch, we headed back a slightly different route, which was also slightly less muddy. It didn't matter too much though as there was an area of water to rinse off in again before we boarded our kayaks. 

The kayak trip on the way back, I thought, was going much better. Fahad and I seemed to be a lot smoother and in-sync. We manoeuvred our way through the narrow waterways of the The tour guide was spending a lot of time with us, and it wasn't until we were nearly back that I realised we were the last ones and she was obligated to wait with us. In our defense, we were the last ones to get in the water based on how the canoes were stacked and were slightly cut off by another group trying to leave at the same time.  

The next day, we scrubbed down and covered up our thousands of mosquito bites in preparation for the wedding. All of the girls headed over to Brandee and Linus's apartment and all of the guys came to our house. 

 I was lucky enough to be the last one with her and to drive her over (I'm not the favourite, I was assured, it's just how the car situation worked out...). The professional photographer was going to meet us at the beach, so I had fun trying out my photography skills while we waited. Pretty pleased with these!

 When we arrived to the location, everyone was set up in place and the photographer had  requested that some swimming locals scoot off  to the side. I went down to join everyone else in my assigned spot and then waited for the ukulele player to start playing 'Better Together' by Jack Johnson. Perfect! 

Brandee came down the small hill up on to the rocky lookout point. They opted for a traditional Hawaiian wedding ceremony, which included Linus getting a special maile lei (an open-ended horseshoe lei made of the spicy scented green maile stems and leaves) and Brandee a more traditional flower lei made with white flowers. 

It always surprises me how quickly weddings are over - all done within 30 minutes. It was especially good in this case since we were out in the peak heat of the day at 3pm with no shade. After the big kiss and a few family photos, Brandee and Linus went with the photographer for photos while the rest of us changed for the luau. 

Brandee and Linus had signed up for the Plantation Owner's Dinner package, which meant that we had a sit down meal inside the restaurant rather than a buffet inside the luau building. It also included bottomless champagne which was disappointing for me since I was driving! The food was great, lots of fresh seafood and Hawaiian dishes with a fine dining twist.

 

After the dinner, we walked across the plantation field to the luau. A second benefit of the package was that we had a front row, reserved table for our entire group. 

This was awesome because we had a pretty big group which would have been difficult to accomodate and we also didn't have to arrive early and sit around. We walked in with just enough time to grab a complementary Mai Tai, snap a few pre-show pictures and then the show started. 

 The show basically told the story of the Hawaiians, how they came by boat from Polynesia to discover the Hawaiian Islands. It was their longest journey yet and brought food and people to settle on the Islands. 

 

  There was lots of traditional dancing, from both guys and girls, and even some fire dancing.

At the end of the show, all of the different characters posed for photos and people could come up to take pictures with their favourites.  Dad and Fahad wanted a photo with the lovely ladies - and they got one! 

 

Kaua'i - Part 2

After a couple of days of beaches, we decided to engage in some more activities, so headed to the Kilohana Plantation. At the plantation, we first stopped at the Koloa Rum Company where we tasted some of their award-winning rum. 

We tasted three of the different types of rum they had - Coconut, Gold and Spice. The Coconut was amazing, for those who have a sweet tooth like me, but in the end I was swayed by the special offer on the Gold and Spice rum. I also thought that I was more likely to drink them and they would be more adaptable for use in cocktails. 

After the three-shot tasting, we decided that it was a good idea to sober up and take a tour of the plantation. There was an hourly train which travelled around the plantation with a tour guide commenting along the way..

 The tour took us through various plots of fruits, vegetables, flowers and trees, and finally to a pen where we fed wild pigs, sheep and chickens. The chickens run free all over the island, and the back-story is that they they are a cross-bred of farm chickens brought to the Islands by Westerners and the wild jungle chickens which were introduced by the first Polynesians. 

Hurricane 'Iwa and Hurricane 'Iniki struck in 1982 and 1992, respectively, and broken all of the cages which previously held these chickens and added them to the wild where they continued to populate. Due to a lack of any natural predator (mongoose, snake, etc.) and the chickens not being particularly nice to eat, they continue to run all over Kauai'i. It's hilarious to see them everywhere, and the locals make a joke of it, putting chickens on every imaginable tourist item in stores.  

The main activity assigned for the day was actually to travel to Waimea Canyon, nearly on the other side of the island, to the lookout. First we stopped off near Po'ipu for some lunch at Puka Dogs - Hawaiian-style hot dogs with sauces and toppings made from mangos, pineapple, and other tropical fruit. Yummy!

By the time we set off to the canyon, it was in the early afternoon and we decided that it was too hot to drive with the convertible top down. Looking back, we probably should have started the day with the canyon and ended with our leisurely train ride and indoor rum tasting. The drive to the first lookout spot was very steep and curvy, never exceeding more than 15 mph (unless you drive like Brandee). 

At the top of the lookout we found an impressive canyon, which was surprising given the size of this tiny island. 

The canyon is about 10 miles long and 2500 ft deep, with the Waimea River flowing through it. The canyon is covered is red and black striations, which are the evidence of multiple successive volcanic eruptions. We also had a view of Waipo'o Falls in the background. 

After lots of photos and poses, we decided to head back down rather than continue on to the other lookouts. The heat was making it too difficult to stay outside and we were more interested in the next item on the itinerary - shave ice!

 

 We set off back down the canyon road to Jo Jo's, which arguably has the best shave ice on the island. Shave ice, depending on how you order it, is an ice-based desert which may also contain ice cream / condensed milk. Then it's topped off with various flavoured syrup combinations. It's a lot like a Snow Cone, but is Hawaii's own version, made much better (in my opinion) due to the ice cream addition.  We didn't get a picture on the first day, but loved it so much that Fahad and I went back another day for a second helping. 

 The last and final stop was Po'ipu, again, but this time to the beach area. A number of friends had recommended it as a nice place to snorkel and swim. We arrived much later in the day as it was starting to cool down, and found a spot on the grass (sharing with some chickens!).  

 As if we hadn't had enough excitement for one day, we started to spot something swimming up to shore. People around started pointing and suddenly a Hawaiian monk seal beached itself on shore. It had no fear and moved itself further into the sand and rested. The Hawaiians call the seal `Ilio holo I ka uaua, which means, "dog that runs in rough water."

People started gathering around and a local shouted at everyone to stand back, pointing out that the seal was an endangered species. Most seals prefer frigid waters, but the Hawaiian monk seals are quite unique in that they prefer the warmer, tropical waters of Hawaii. There are two other species of warm water monk seals, the Mediterranean and Caribbean monk seals, the Caribbean monk seals are believed to be extinct and there are estimated to be around 300 - 600 Mediterranean monk seals. The Hawaiian monk seals are faring only slightly better, with an estimated number of just over 1,000. The lifeguard sitting near us also jumped up and called the local wildlife conservation centre. We were lucky enough to sneak up at the right angle to catch a photo with it.

Top Tips:

1. Plan your activities bearing in mind the heat, especially on the south-side of the island where it's drier. 
2. The island can seem small when thinking about how many miles it is from north to south; however, the roads are often crowded, narrow, single-lane and at times wet. Careful planning can save a lot of time (and gas!).