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Thursday, September 13, 2012

NZ: Why A.S likes doing Help Exchange




Are you traveling long term?
Do you want to stay in a place for at least one week to better known the place and the people?
Do you think that you’ve simply spent too much on your travels that you’d like to keep your spending to a minimum for at least a week?
Do you also concur that traveling presents opportunities to learn new skills and satisfy the inquisitive mind?

If you answered YES to all the questions above, WWOOF-ing and HelpX-ing are the answers for you.
Basically, these 2 offer help exchange opportunities, which means a budget traveller can  work in exchange for accommodation and food.




Back to the post title,


Why A.S likes doing Help Exchange



  1. Opportunity to experience the place at a minimal cost
The idea of helping in exchange for accommodation and food definitely saves cost while a traveller stays put at a place a little longer. To A.S, it is not just mere accommodation. It’s an overall experience. So far, she got to taste local homecooked food, lived the life of the locals in their homes, biked around the neighbourhood and whenever she was lucky, she had the opportunity to use the car too.



  1. Working and living in an international environment
It’s amazing how people who just got to know each other lived in the same house, shared work time, cooked together, did the dishes together, played games together, explored the place together and celebrated a festival together. Even though it could be as short as 1 week, A.S always left with fond memories.



  1. Opportunities to come close with animals
Dealing with animals may not be A.S’s favourite kind of job but it was a new experience feeding the chickens and ducks. It was also a good opportunity to watch the dogs herd the sheep as well as observing the antics of the birds, cattle, sheep and rabbits.



  1. Learn new skills
She learnt that sheep actually have long tails, on how to drive a wagon, build a mulch garden, set up the irrigation system for a new garden, prepare local food and practise the local language/slang. In fact, earlier, A.S wrote about her experience helping at a vineyard.



  1. Eat healthy organic produce
These hosts are normally self sufficient when it comes to food. They rear their own chickens for eggs and plant their own veggies and herbs for daily use. Thus, it is organically and nutritiously assured. What A.S likes most are the fresh herbs and the abundance of mouthwatering fruits.



  1. Live simple life and marvel at the beauty of mother nature
A daily life started with doing 3 or 4 hours of outdoor work followed by the rest of the day free. Most hosts allow usage of bikes to explore the place. A.S personally feels that when she’s deprived of techies or other commitments, she tends to notice how wonderful mother nature is. Simple things like swimming in the lake, picnicking at the park, feeling the breeze blowing on her face as she cycles and gazing at the millions of stars at the otherwise dark sky easily complements the day.




  1. Can forget about packing and unpacking for a week or two
Hosts in these WWOOF or HelpX sites normally look for someone who can stay and help for at least 1 week. To A.S, this one week presents a good opportunity to rest the tired feet as well as taking a break from constant planning. Moreover, leaving the packing and unpacking aside for this one week is definitely a bonus.





        Phew!! Finally,this is up and going! Enjoy!






*A.S's current location*
Day/ Date: Fri/ Sept 14th, 2012

-A.S has been back in KL, Malaysia since Aug 16th, 2012 from a total of 3 months in Spain and then, Austria. Burdened with lots of thoughts, plans and to-dos, she'll still try her very best to keep this blog alive. Thank you so much for keeping up with her delays.

A.S appreciates you as an audience to her blog. It keeps her contented knowing she's not writing for herself. She welcomes you to drop in more often, share your thoughts and interact with her here at cyberspace. The posts may be a little behind but she promises to close the gap as much as she can, as she gets limited internet access and the time to update.


Be a fan today to get instant updates the soonest the next post is published!

It's EASY. At the right-most column of this page, you may either choose to:-

1. Receive blog updates by mail

2. Read her up-to-date posts at your MyYahoo, Google, etc. homepage by subscribing thru the links.

3. Read her up-to-date posts on your Facebook wall by 'Like'-ing the fan page A.S created specially for this blog (Scroll down page to search right-most column)

4. If you are a fellow blogger, link to her blog with the HTML code provided.


Thank you very much and A.S hopes you enjoy your stay here. ;)





Sunday, September 2, 2012

NZ: A.S's Top 5 Free Things To Do in Turangi




When one speaks of The Great Walks in NZ, among the popular ones definitely has to be The Tongariro Alpine Crossing in Turangi, North Island. Many are here for this hike and stay for just a night in this small town, but if you are here longer, like A.S, you may want to try these free activities out to better know this place.



1. Tongariro Alpine Crossing
Feel free to check an earlier post out about this great walk. In fact, it is not a mere walk but rather a hike.


2. Tongariro National Park
It seems that Tongariro was the first national park to be established in New Zealand and the fourth in the world. Amazing! This stunning wilderness is a dual World Heritage area, one for its association with Maori culture and the other, for its amazing natural attributes. Again, the video in an earlier post, though only covers the area of the walk/ hike, is enough to take just anyone’s breath away.


3. The Tongariro National Trout Centre
Four kilometres south of Turangi on State Highway 1, there is a trout centre run by the Department of Conservation(DoC). The objective is to raise awareness of the importance of the Taupo trout fishery and freshwater conservation in NZ. Picnicking and wandering through the DOC is free.  However, a minimal fee of NZD 10 for an adult is charged for the entrance which includes the Visitor Centre Museum, Genesis Energy Fresh Water Aquarium, Hatchery, Underwater Viewing Chamber, Children's Pond, River and Bush Walk. Visit the official website for more information.


4. Walking
Popular walks in the area include the Tongariro River Loop Track (1hr), the Te Ponanga Saddle (15mins return), Lake Rotopounamu (2hrs) which is famous for its birdlife, and the Tongariro River Walkway (3hrs return). Walks information can be obtained from the Turangi I-Site. The tracks along the walks are in fact, well marked too.


5. Fishing
Tongariro River is a popular spot for anglers. The best months for brown trout are February to March, while June to September is good for rainbow trout. All anglers require a fishing license. If you have no idea how to fish, like A.S, and just want to tag along and take a look, feel free to go to the river and look out for anglers to tag along with. They may be happy to have you following and watching them but watch your steps too. At some points, they may walk into and stand in the water.



Alas, A.S and friend  didn't stay long enough to cheer for the catch. 

Post publishing addition
"Opps, the video title should read Tongariro River Walk instead."







*A.S's current location*
Day/ Date: Sun/ Sept 2 nd, 2012

-A.S has been back in KL, Malaysia since Aug 16th, 2012 from a total of 3 months in Spain and then, Austria. Burdened with lots of thoughts, plans and to-dos, she'll still try her very best to keep this blog alive. Thank you so much for keeping up with her delays.

A.S appreciates you as an audience to her blog. It keeps her contented knowing she's not writing for herself. She welcomes you to drop in more often, share your thoughts and interact with her here at cyberspace. The posts may be a little behind but she promises to close the gap as much as she can, as she gets limited internet access and the time to update.


Be a fan today to get instant updates the soonest the next post is published!

It's EASY. At the right-most column of this page, you may either choose to:-

1. Receive blog updates by mail

2. Read her up-to-date posts at your MyYahoo, Google, etc. homepage by subscribing thru the links.

3. Read her up-to-date posts on your Facebook wall by 'Like'-ing the fan page A.S created specially for this blog (Scroll down page to search right-most column)

4. If you are a fellow blogger, link to her blog with the HTML code provided.


Thank you very much and A.S hopes you enjoy your stay here. ;)





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