SUMMER BALL 2007 - Seren - Bangor University

8 Seren - End of Year Issue 2007Traveltravel@seren.bangor.ac.ukBackpackers Guide to the WorldAs much as I love the summer, I canstart to suffer from cabin fever.Living in a small town and workingnearly everyday can start to take its toll onmy natural inclination to wander, so eachsummer I like to see where I can go andrekindle my exploring desire.Personally I think backpacking is by farthe best way to travel if you want a flexible,affordable holiday. It allows you to immerseyourself in the culture of a country, you cango wherever you want, you don’t have tobe tied into holiday company days out orhotel day trips. Backpacking is synonymouswith students; this is mainly because it isaffordable and can be done with minimaleffort in planning or commitment once youare at your destination. It allows you to getto remote places that other tourists will notsee. The simple act of wandering from placeto place with everything you need slung onyour back is a very liberating experience,but it can turn into a nightmare for theunprepared and the naive. A few simple dosand don’ts can make the difference betweena memorable trip and an unforgettable trip.Don’t travel alone. There is a greatallure to travelling alone and meeting newpeople and going with the flow, but beingon your own makes you an obvious targetfor criminals. Plus you will rarely be able toleave your stuff and have the peace of mindthat it is safe. This should be taken moreseriously by females wishing to travel. A lonewoman is a much more attractive targetthan a lone man. In some cultures womenare not equal to men and female travellerscan become objects of leering or banter asmany cultures perceive western women aseasy. A simple ring worn on your weddingfinger will discourage men from pesteringyou, and women should not go out intotowns alone or unaccompanied by a male.Respect the local culture. Western idealsabout how we dress can come into conflictwith other cultures. If it is the custom forwomen to cover up then it is consideredgood manners to follow these customs.This also goes for behaviour. While in Indiaa guy I was travelling with put a few nosesout of joint by standing in front of a loadof Buddhist monks, drunk as a sailor, tellingthem how much of a f*****g great time hewas having.Preparation is key. Research of yourdestination is one of the most importantthings you can do before you go offgallivanting. Finding out everything abouta place before you leave can give you amassive head start. History, currency,political situation, economic problems,national holidays and events; all of thesegive you a greater insight into the cultureof the place you’re visiting. For instance, Idid some research before I went to Indiaand found out the Taj Mahal is best at fivein the morningas soon as itopens as thereare no people inthe back of yourphotos. Howyou pack yourbag can make adifference to thecomfort of a trip.Weight shouldbe packed closeto the bottomof the bag andup against yourback; anythingthat is bulkycan then beput around theheavy itemsand towards thetop. Travelling light is what backpackingis all about. Things such as toiletries neednot be taken from the UK either as nearlyeverything you would want can be boughtin most countries, and generally for cheaper.Sharing things can also reduce your bulk.Shower gel, shaving cream, shampoo, suncream, etc can be shared between a fewpeople to stop you carrying useless weight.Joining the international youth hostellingmovement means that you can get discountat all youth hostels world wide. The cardcan also gets you into historic or culturalsites for a discount. www.hostelworld.com,w w w . h o s t e l b o o k e r s . c o m ,www.hosteltraveller.com, are all good siteswhen researching a hostel. Some hostelswon’t have the luxury of separate roomsand you can find yourself sharing with otherpeople. Some places will provide lockers foryour belongings but they normally comewithout a lock, so a small padlock is anadvised purchase for peace of mind.Getting sick can be part of travelling.A well stocked travel first aid kit will makeyou more comfortable. Some countries willrequire vaccinations before you travel sowhile you’re there ask the nurse about whatdrugs and things to take with you. Drugs tostop diarrhoea should be stocked piled! Evenjust the heavy mineral contents of water offoreign countries can cause stomach upsets.Water purification tablets are another handyaddition to your medical kit. Iodine basedpurification tablets are the best but shouldnot be taken for more than a month due tothe risk of poisoning; they also taste horrid.Travel wash is handy for when you arenot in civilization and you get fed up withsmelling like a farm. Some people prefer tohave one set of clothes to travel in which willnot be washed and have their other clothesfor best once they’ve arrived and freshenedup. Be careful not to wash in a river thatmight have a village up stream, and don’twash in stagnate water as it will make yourclothes even more dirty. Laundry servicescan usually be found everywhere though.Safety. Travellers’ cheques are essentialif you need to carry large amounts of cashwith you, but be careful as some placescharge commission to change them. Banksare normally safe bets when changingmoney. Don’t take credit or debit cards,as if stolen they will be hard to cancel fromabroad and you’ll be stranded withoutmoney. A money belt should be takenwith you, and in it you should carry allyour lifeline valuables: passport, travellers’cheques, large amounts of money, andmedical papers. Your money belt should gounder your trousers on your front, not wornas a bum bag as I’ve seen people do before.It should never, ever be accessed in the viewof people, if you need to then you shouldgo into a shop changing room or toiletsomewhere. You should carry all the moneyyou will need for each day in your pockets insmall notes spread around your person. Anold wallet with a small amount of money inand a few old plastic cards should be in onepocket as a mugging wallet. If cornered givethe mugger this without hesitation as youknow there is hardly any money in it and nocards or documents of importance.When you arrive at your destination youshould go to the British embassy and reportyourself to them telling them how long youwill be in the country for and what you willbe doing there. You should give them copiesof your passport, travellers’ cheques, medicalforms, and itinerary. If any of these are lostthen you need not fear. A European HealthInsurance Card, www.ehicard.org, give youfree or reduced medical costs in Europe.Pick-pocketing is a real problem fortravellers, especially around tourist sitesor street theatres. Have your eyes peeled atall time and make sure you not only watchyour own stuff but all your companionstoo. Another way is to have your hand inyour pocket at all times but this can be a bitimpractical. Stay on the look out for groupof homeless children, they slash the bottomsof bags and pockets, also don’t let anyonepush your or crowd you as they maybetrying to pick your pocket. Common senseshould prevail when stopping a pickpocket.Backpacking is the best way of gettingout into the wilderness and seeing things offthe beaten trail. You need to be on your toesthough, more so than when on a normalholiday as you will have to be self-sufficientin your trip. Preparation is a big part of yourtrip and vital if you want a smooth trip. Thebeauty of backpacking is that it can be doneat the last minute and need not be a tripacross the Amazon or Gobi desert, it can bea trip to one of Britain’s national parks, orinter-railing around Europe.Whatever your plans or goals, I wish youluck and safe travels.Luke WilsherTravel EditorFrom Bangor toBangorWell this is my last installmentfrom the now gloriously sunnyMaine. Last week the Universitycelebrated ‘Maine Day’. We were given theday off lectures in the hope that studentswould turn out at 8am…..yes 8am, to docommunity service. Although surprisinglynot too many students are up at 8am andeager to go on a Wednesday morningwhen they have no classes; but do notfear - a handy parade, comprising of amarching band, and bizarrely, tractors anda fire engine, swooped round campus towake everyone up! The University put ona free BBQ at midday, which was fantastic.It was accompanied by live bands andoutdoor games: ‘ooozeball’, paintballingand tug of war over jelly. ‘Ooozeball’ isbasically mud volleyball, a foot deep pitchis dug out and filled with mud- well I’m abig kid at heart and I just couldn’t resist, itwas absolutely freezing but so much fun.After our unsuccessful and extremely messygame (when coated in mud it is an effort tokeep your shorts pulled up at a respectablelevel let alone hit the volleyball), a few of usjumped into the river next to the pitch towash off…not one of the wisest ideas I’veever had as it had only recently thawed fromwinter but it cleaned us up a bit!If anyone is planning on going abroadnext year and especially to Maine here aresome tips: Do not forget your thermals,do not underestimate how cold it will get.Bring as much chocolate and British snacksas you can carry…trust me you will neverlike Hershey Bars. Do not panic when youdiscover the delights of the Bat Bus….makefriends with a car owner and if you have totake the bus at least find the origami dudewho gives you free stuff. Girls, don’t bringgorgeous shoes. I brought a truckload andI have ditched them for snow boots or flipflops as the weather requires…… Mainerswill wear flip flops in -24 and 3ft of snow!Make sure you have a good contact in yourdepartment as the International Office athome seem to be rather busy and oftenvery late at communication. Do not expectany quick solutions from them if any at all.Remember you will probably never see mostof these people again so try all the crazystuff they have to offer and get involved. Theinternational community here is fantasticand as long as you go to ‘Oronoka’ you willbe fine!If you want any questions answered aboutgoing on exchange feel freeto send me an email atelu267@bangor.ac.ukGood luck with finals,have a brilliant summerand I’ll see you inWales………..Lucy x xAdventures fromacross the PondSadly this is my last article from theGood ‘Ole US of A (yeehaw!) as Iam now starting my final monthhere at Oregon State. Spring fever has nowofficially gripped the campus, which bringsboth rampant stupidity (drunken midnightrugby with glowsticks anyone?) and theexcessive consumption of beer.With long, hot weekends stretchingbefore me, sightseeing is one of my toppriorities. With the end in sight, I want to seeeverything Oregon has to offer. So, a bravegroup of British students and I decided toventure on a trip to Oregon’s premier themepark, the Enchanted Forest.Unfortunately no one told the EnchantedForest that they were a theme park. ‘Shabfest’was the most effective description we couldcome up with. There were three main rideson offer. One was the thrilling ‘Mountainof Mordor’ which involves sitting in a slowmoving kart, with a gun, shooting at bluelights. The highlight was the tinfoil cave,which looked like someone had been leftalone with a large role a tin foil and staplesand had made the best of a bad job. I thoughtI had stepped into a bad Sci-Fi movie.The log flume was surprisingly decent,with a fair drop and some scream inducingparts. However, all four of us piled into onelog, and almost sank it on the first drop. Ithen spent the rest of the ride sitting in agood six inches of brown water, praying Ididn’t get dysentery.The winner though, for both theshoddy construction and potential deathtrap award, had to be the ‘Ice MountainRollercoaster’. We were sat in somethingthat can only be described as a Perspexcoffin, before being hurtled around a trackthat looked like something a class of fiveyear olds had put together out of Lego. Thecorners were brutal, with the kart lurchinghorrifically, and I think I gave myself a mildconcussion when my head slammed againstthe coffin lid.Upon exit of this ride I felt the urge torun to the nearest church and say a few HailMaries to repent for whatever sins I haddone to deserve that horror. Thankfully Iwill soon be back in Bangor, where the mostexciting ride is the walk down Bitch Hill.Bring it on!Amy Garrett15 Peak Challenge for CharityAlong with three friends from Bangor University, I am going to attempt to walk allfifteen mountains over 3000ft in Snowdonia National Park in one day. We will bewalking for approximately 14 hours over a distance of 52km, and 3635m of incline.By doing this walk we hope to raise money for North West Cancer Research Fund. The NorthWest Cancer Research fund provides grants for cancer research, and has a research unit atBangor University. If you would like to sponsor us and help raise money for this worthwhilecharity then go to http://www.justgiving.com/welsh15peaks, to donate.Paul Seymour