Blog Crawl Monday: Part 6

My apologies for not posting Blog Crawl Monday last week. There are weeks when work becomes so involved, that blogging suffers a little. However I’m back this week!

When I first started my blog crawling, I would crawl most of the day and list around 10 sites. However as the weeks have progressed I’ve discovered that the world of travel blogging is a very small one, and finding/stumbling new content is more challenging. For this reason I’ve decided to cut down the number of blogs I stumble to 5.

This week I decided to started with She’s In Love With the World – I’ve followed this blog for a little while now and thoroughly enjoy reading it. Be sure to follow Sarah and her friend Andrea as they travel through Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Europe!

Fox Nomad – We’ve heard about working smarter, not harder. FoXnoMad is geared towards traveling smarter and who doesn’t want to travel smarter? If you have a few minutes take some time to read “Are Poor Places Any More Real Than Rich Ones?” (Also, he has a wonderfully long links page and totally saved this weeks Blog Crawl!! haha )

Runaway Jane–  Jane is a fellow #rtwsoon traveler and therefore a kindred spirit. She has a wonderful eye for photography and I love the idea of posting pages from her sketchbook. I really enjoyed her post- “My Top Travel Films”.

New Adventures in Backpacking– A great blog with recent posts on travel in Asia. I like the idea of posts on the actual costs of travel in various cities/countires. There’s a lot of great content on this blog, so be sure to set aside some time on a comfy chair.

Gap Year Escape– I love Amar’s blog. He’s another traveler pursuing sustainable travel. His videos are entertaining and his posts are even better! I was so excited when I managed to crawl to this blog today. Truth be told, I had stumbled on it a month (or more) ago and liked what I read, but soon forgot the name!! Sorry Amar! However it’s firmly embedded in my brain and soon to be on my Links page as well. haha

**I know, there is a sudden theme to the blogs I’m crawling- I swear its not on purpose! If you have a blog you’d like to have included on a Blog Crawl, comment below with a link.

Travel Photo: Rainy day in Chengdu

How to Find a Neighbourhood Pub

Rose & Crown on 4th St & 17th Ave SW

Everyone loves to find a place “Where Everybody Knows Your Name”. It gives you warm fuzzies when you walk in the door and the staff greets you by name with a friendly smile. It’s like coming home after a long trip.  However finding said bar/pub can be hard, very, very hard. Believe me, I know! It’s been a couple years since I left Niagara and my favourite bar of all time, The Wild Mushroom. I’ve looked for a new place here in Calgary and it’s taken me a year to find one.

• Atmosphere.  I love the feel of pubs, the dark wood, and the warm and cozy feel, all of it. I think it’s partially due to the fact that I love anything worn and old. However “the crowd” that frequents the pub also makes a difference.  As I get older, I know that my neighbourhood pub needs to have a laid back feel to it. For example, I’ve gone to The Joyce on 4^th– a great pub. But there is a very young, loud crowd that frequents the pub and after awhile it gets on my nerves. I want to come to the pub to relax, not party and hook-up- that’s what clubbing is for.
• Staff– The staff can also make a big difference. I’ve been to pubs where the waitress’ are friendly enough when taking your order, but that’s about it. I’ve also been to pubs where the staff gets to know your name and use it in a way that makes you feel at home. There is nothing better than walking into your own personal Cheers and having a Norm!! Moment.
• Food– As I mentioned above, a pub is a place to kick back, relax and enjoy. So it’s imperative that they offer yummy food. I love sipping a pint and munching on some nachos or relishing in the fried goodness that is beer-battered fish with homemade chips. However finding a pub with a unique menu (especially in Calgary) can be a challenge. I’ve been to Limerick’s, The Joyce on 4^th and Kilkenny and although they had a pretty good Irish pub atmosphere, their menus are the same. I want a pub that stands on its own merits and food.
• Music– If I’m at an Irish or Scottish Pub, then I want to listen to Irish or Scottish music while I’m there. It adds to the atmosphere. I love pubs that feature local singers. I spent St. Patrick’s Day at the Rose & Crown this year and had a great time, but what made the whole experience for me was the music. They had a singer- Brent Tyler performing Irish tunes (He’s actually a Swed, but he was good!). It was the icing on the cupcake for me.  At The Wild Mushroom in Niagara Falls we listened to great rock tunes, it suited to the bar and added to the patrons experience.

Pubs are not Bars. A bar is a place you go all dressed up to party with your peeps or to pick someone up. A pub is a place you go to relax and genuinely get to know the people around you. You can find a bar anywhere and quite easily. Finding a pub takes time, but when you find it you feel like you’ve found the post of gold at the end of the rainbow.

A No Social Life Plan before RTW Trip = FAIL!!

You may remember my post a couple weeks ago entitled Day One of No-Social-Life-In-Order-To-Save-Money-To-Travel-In-August has begun, where I explain my theory about having no social life in order to save money for travel. Until yesterday it’s been going pretty good. I’ve still buckled and bought my lunch occasionally, but that’s okay. I’ve been working or hanging at home, but lately I’ve started to feel a little worn out and tired. In all honesty, I haven’t thought much about it. I’ve chalked it up to eating too much sugar, diet soda and general crap and I’ve sworn to get healthy a.s.a.p.

As I sat on my sofa early yesterday morning I contemplated as to whether I should go out and do something for St. Patrick’s Day or stay home and rest. If you’ve already read my previous post, you know I decided to go out and see what the city of Calgary had to offer, and I had a great time. I didn’t think about money or budgets. I thought about living in the moment, enjoying myself and looking for ways to share my days activities with my blog readers. In fact I wrote yesterdays post with a slight Guinness and Kilkenny induced buzz.

Now, you may be asking yourself what the common denominator might be between the above paragraphs and I don’t blame you. Allow me to explain. Are you ready?? I woke up this morning and didn’t dread the thought of crawling out of bed. I started the day by putting my tights on backwards (it’s been like 3 years since I’ve worn tights, I forgot the rules, okay!), then after a quick correction I headed to work, where I found my head to be clear and my mood cheery. I didn’t feel the midday energy drop and I wasn’t watching the clock to see when I could go home. Simply put, I was happy and relaxed.

I cannot be a hermit. I’ve tried and it makes me miserable and very, very tired! I need to be able to go out every once in awhile and enjoy myself. I’m not talking about spending loads of money, but spending some money to give myself a break is worth it in my books. As it is I now have plans to celebrate a staffs’ birthday on the 24th at the Ship & Anchor and then going to Dicken’s Pub April 17th to watch a co-workers’ cousins’ band (The Rose Alarm- check them out on iTunes).

Be GREEN! Be IRISH!!

Whether you’re Irish or not, St. Patrick’s Day is fun for everyone. Saint Patrick is one of the most recognizable patron saints of Ireland. Although it began as a Catholic holiday, it is now a public holiday celebrated around the world. Saint Patrick’s Day gives us a reason to dress in green, drink copious amounts of alcohol and channel our inner Irishman/ Irishwoman. Whether you’re Irish or not! This morning my plan was simple. I would go to Crave Cupcakes to buy  some of their St. Paddy specials and then start a pub crawl when the pubs opened at 11am. Oh, how my plans changed!

Crave opened at 10am and I was one of the first to walk inside for some yummy St. Paddy Day treats- namely their Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes with Cream Cheese icing and some Cupcakes with Bailey’s icing (along with a few mini vanilla cupcakes with green icing). I know what you’re thinking, my poor teeth!  Normally I would agree, but these cupcakes weren’t for me, they were for complete strangers. My first cupcake went to a homeless woman near the Rose & Crown Pub.

This homeless woman blew me away. I loved seeing her face light up. When I asked to take her photo, I assured her that her face would not be shown.

It was great to see the look on her face when I offered the cupcake. It wasn’t a huge gesture, but it was my way of spreading a little St. Patrick’s Day Cheer.  My plan after that was to start my pub crawl at the Rose & Crown (1503 4th St SW, Calgary), then move on to Local 510, and possibly the Yardhouse and hand out cupcakes as I went along. If you haven’t guessed already, that didn’t happen! The rest of the cupcakes went inside the Rose & Crown Pub and stayed there.

Originally built as a funeral home in the 1920’s, the building (pictured left) was turned into the Rose & Crown Pub in 1986. As you can imagine, being a former funeral home, the Rose & Crown is know to be haunted, with faint images of a little boy showing up in photographs and staff or patrons having slight encounters in various parts of the building.

The Rose & Crown Pub has a warm, cozy feel to it; with its yellow walls and dark wood. There are 3 floors to choose from, with comfortable seats and attentive staff, and the best part of all? They offer FREE parking to their patrons!

When the doors opened at 11am, I was a little shy about being the first patron. You know, the loser who shows up early to the party. However within minutes of sitting down at the bar my nervousness was quickly squashed by the fun and friendly staff. As I sat there sipping my 1st pint of Guinness, watching the bartenders (Sam and Annie) gear up for a busy day, I decided that the Rose & Crown would become my new neighbourhood bar in Calgary.

Within a couple hours the bar was starting to hop with patrons. Beer was flowing from the taps, I was enjoying some nachos and Sam and Annie had scored some yummy cupcakes.  Although the pub wasn’t as busy as last year, there was still a great vibe. The place was a buzz with tons of people talking at once, Brent Tyler singing Irish tunes and staff walking around occasionally to offer free shots, t-shirts and silly Guinness hats.

My plan to go on a pub crawl was shot. I was in love with the Rose & Crown and I wasn’t moving from my chair (except to pee)! I sat there for 5 hours. I drank 4 pints of beer, ate some nachos, met some great people and found a place to hang out when I’m in the mood for a drink or some great pub food.

I may only be 1/4 Irish (Northern Irish at that!), but I can still channel my ancestors and celebrate. For me it’s a small connection to my family’s heritage- like boxing, oh how I love boxing… Plus we Irish (I know it’s horrible grammar, deal with it) know how to have a good time. We may get completely drunk, but we’ll have fun doing it! In fact, I think we’re the friendliest drunks around!

Facebook Fan Page Contest WINNERS!

It’s no secret that I love “crawling” through blogs, discovering new content and stumbling posts. Last month I thought it would be fun to have bloggers recommend their favourite blog posts on the Spunky Girl Monologues Facebook Fan Page. Once their links were posted I clicked, read their posts, and stumbled them. At the end of the contest period I would select the top 3 posts (and to steal my new favourite phrase from Garrett of Hosteldog) sicky sicky pow pow thems be the winners of either a Lonley Planet Guidebook, Flickr Pro Acct. or $25 Starbucks Giftcard.

Choosing 3 winners was not easy! There were some fantastic posts, and I loved reading them. But at the end of the day I had to choose 3, so here they are in no particular order.

Brasil Day 5 (Part 2) by Andi Perullo- I loved Andi’s post about the favellas in Brasil, and how the media can be so very wrong about a place.  Yes, it’s important to be aware of your surroundings, especially if you’re a solo female traveler, but don’t let the media hype keep you from cool, amazing experiences! If you’re on Twitter, be sure to follow @AndiPerullo.

The Saints of Travel Drive Three- Wheeled Carts by Suzy Guese- As a traveler we all have those lost, or frustrated moments when we desperately need or want a local to reach out and give us a hand. I really enjoyed reading Suzy’s post and her experiences with the kindness of complete strangers. It’s a great reminder of the magic and compassion of travel and of people. If you’re not already following @suzyguese on Twitter, do so!

Life in a Thai Town by Alessandra Giampaolo- A great post on living an expat life in small town Thailand, from the constant stares to annoying local habits. Wonderfully honest post on community life. If you’re thinking of leaving your life behind and becoming an expat, this post is a must read. You can follow Alessandra on Twitter @travelindreamer.

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Although I only selected 3 winner, I’d like to thank everyone who participated. If you have some time (in other words, make some time) sit down and read the rest of blog post entries below.

Vienna by Jason Rodley of On the Way to Somewhere

Climbing out of Poverty by Monica Wong of A Pair of Panties & Boxers

Put Your Head on a Stick by Brandy Bell of Livevicuriously

My 3 Best Kept Travel Secrets by Tomas Mcloughlin of Backpacking Travel Destinations

Lone Star Cafe on San Antonio Riverwalk Provides Superbowl Home by Julie Sturgeon

8 Things I’ve Learned from Working Retail by Maria Schembari

The Smallest House in Great Britain Has a Great Location by Liz Wright of Travelogged

The No List Blogger: Falling Below the ABC’s by Cornelius Aesop of Monkey Brewster

I’ve Always Relied on the Kindness of Strangers by Diana Edelman of The Adventures of D

I’m always amazed at the great content that can be found on the net. Whether you’re a traveler or a foodie, you could stay awake for days, weeks even- just reading new content. I would have loved to give all of the entries a prize, as I really enjoyed their posts and I think you will as well.

Travel- It’s Not Just for Vacation Anymore

I blame my passion for travel on the exotic exchange students I met senior year of high school. Trendy and heavily accented, we use to hang out in the back of their American parents’ houses and exchange witty, sometimes unintelligible banter over drinks that they had been drinking for years back home. Legally, of course.

In my early 20s, I made it my mission to leave the continental US whenever possible. Why not see the good ole’ US of A, you ask? Because, as I told myself, I’d one day criss-cross the country in the family van seeing everything from the yarn ball of Iowa to the stone faces of Yosemite.

Once I started working post-college, I’d share my travel passion with folks older and wiser and in response I usually heard melancholy claims of “Do it now before you have real responsibilities” or “Travel while you can”. I never understood those claims, as travel and work never seemed mutually exclusive to me.

So, I continued to travel whenever possible.

What’s that – you have a buddy pass and want to go to Ireland for five days?

I’m in.

Planning on going to Catalonia for spring break?

Sicky sicky pow pow! Let’s see the snow of Andorra.

I truly believed that the time for “easy” travel – the days before wife, children (I’m not there yet!) and adult responsibilities – was within my reach and I intended to take full advantage of it.

And take advantage I did.

I managed to visit 40 countries within a five year span, an effort I’m still proud of today. But after a trip a few years back that took me through Eastern Europe, which found me bunking up with hostelers nearly a decade younger, I realized that my passionate for travel was evolving. I had experienced SO much in my trips to five continents but somehow I found myself less than fulfilled in a Krakow hostel, as I lay awake all night to sounds of youngins screaming as they went in-and-out of the thump-thump club across the alley.

Like a college football coach who lost one too many games and saw the end on the horizon, I knew my best hostelling days were behind me. On top of that, having had the chance to get so much of the travel “bug” out of me, I felt a burning desire to BUILD something enduring. Rather than just experience travel, I wanted to translate that passion and history into something I could show others.

Let me also preface these comments by throwing out a personal disclaimer. If I’m working, I’m a workaholic. If I’m travelling, I have to see EVERYTHING. My first big trip in Europe I managed to circumnavigate nearly the entire continent in 5 weeks. When I’m focused, I have to do it all. When I was in Thailand, I’d run into other people my age that had been on Koh Tao for months at a time. After 3 days on the island, I was bored. That’s just the kind of person I am.

So with this strange realization that I was getting on the north end of acceptable hostel age, I realized that I wanted to build a business that incorporated my passion for travel. My first attempt was a company that created travel posters incorporating all of the details of a great trip – itinerary, photos and maps. A great concept, but ahead of its time (I like to think).

More recently, I took my experience in the apparel world and launched Hostel Dog. Hostel Dog has been the sweet spot for me. With tons of experience in design, digital marketing and web development, I don’t know why it took me so long to start the company. T-shirts aren’t brain surgery, I’ll be the first to admit, and the greatest byproduct of Hostel Dog has been the chance, no the excuse, to talk frequently with you guys, my fellow travelers. Hostel Dog for me was the confluence of all things I am good at, both professionally and personally.

With the launch of Hostel Dog I realized that it really is possible to take your passion for travel and infuse it more into your work life back home. Again, I was reminded of my thoughts years before about them not being mutually exclusive.

Based on my experiences over the years, I’ve come up with five possibly intelligent reasons on how you too can meld your professional and travel world just a bit more.

1. It’s all about framing: travel and work aren’t mutually exclusive. Realize that it’s possible to combine both successfully.

If you’re waiting to travel, figure out how to incorporate work into your upcoming trip. If you’re home after travelling, look for unmet needs for other people that are passionate about travel, like you.

2. Find professional support groups nearby to find others with complementary skills and vision.

Meetup.com is a great place to find a segment of folks interested in the same things you are. Your greatest strength is your knowledge of the travel world. Use Meetup.com to find the complementary skill sets you need to launch your business.

3. You’ve been to places and see things that most people can only dream of. Find a niche in the travel world and fill it.

Are you a lawyer who plans on travelling? Use your travel experience as a launch pad into a position in the international law field. Or even better, while travelling, set up meetings in law offices around the world and just start a conversation. Conversations never hurt.

4. Learn the basics of the digital marketing world.

When you’re away from home or if you’re building a travel-flavored business from home, communicating via blog, website, Twitter or Facebook is your most realistic means of communication. Learn the basics and don’t be shy about asking for help.

5. Take your professional aspirations on the road: partner with an outdoor apparel or travel business that needs pictures of their products in natural settings.

I spent a summer at Eagle Creek Travel Gear and we offered free gear and cash to a passionate traveler in exchange for photos of gear in subways from around the world. Those photos made their way to the website and in tons of company marketing materials.

Ultimately, I have been successful in bringing my travel passion into my work life because I am constantly looking at ways to incorporate it. Begin to think of your travel experience as a valuable asset and you’ll soon find yourself writing down business ideas left and write.

Good luck!

Garrett
HostelDog.com

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Travel Photo: Niagara-On-The-Lake

Autumn in Niagara-On-The-Lake

Niagara-On-The-Lake is beautiful any time of the year, but my favourite time of the year is Autumn when the leaves on the maple trees turn an amazing shade of red.

Unique Canada: “The Donair”

Guest Post by Cailin O’Neil. Aside from being fabulously Canadian, Cailin is the woman behind Travel Yourself,a television show about just that, traveling yourself. You can follow Cailin’s adventures on her website or on Twitter @travelyourself

Each month Spunky Girl Monologues is planning on doing a post on unique Canadian experiences, places to see and things to do. I chose for my guest post to feature the lovely “Donair”. Not to be confused with a doner, gyro, shawarma,  kebab or a doner kebab,  I’m talking about a DONAIR (pronounced “doh-nair”).

Claimed to originally have been created and brought over from Greece by the owners of King of Donair here in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

K.O.D.’s roots reach back to a small tavern in Greece, where
the donair recipe was conceived and brought to North America. Our Quinpool Road
location in Halifax, Nova Scotia, was the first to introduce this great concept to Canada
in 1973 and that original secret recipe along with fresh, lean ground beef is still used in
all our locations on a daily basis.

The donair is sold all throughout Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada in any typical pizza shop, they pretty much go hand and hand. Actually now that I say that I don’t think I can think of a pizza place around here that doesn’t also sell donair! It  is a mix of beef, spices and other things cooked on a spit and shaved off in slices most commonly wrapped in pita bread with onions, tomato & donair sauce. (The ingredients of the sauce consist of 1 can of evaporated milk,  white sugar, garlic powder and white vinegar.) Hmmmm interested yet?  Let’s just say if you are on a diet this might not be the food for you…

“Halifax donairs are characterized mostly by their distinctive sauce, made from condensed milk, sugar, and vinegar.” www.wikipedia.com

In recent years the way donairs are eaten have been changed and varied upon with people now being able to find donair meat on their pizza, in a sub, egg rolls you name it people will eat it. Also you will find the sauce popping up in different places as well, as a dip for garlic fingers or even poured on top of your pepperoni pizza!

As long as I can remember I’ve always been a big fan of the donair but try to limit myself to only 1 every few months, there is one place I get them from in Halifax where they make my donair just right – laid out on a sub bun with mozzeralla cheese, sauce, tomato and onions then grilled open faced in an oven, omg omg to die for! Goes down great with a can of diet coke! Highly recommended if you ever have a trip to Atlantic Canada.

Travel Tuesday: Faces of Travel

One of my favourite parts of travel are the people.  People are the heart and soul of a country. They’re the gateway to understanding and yes, love.  I have fallen in love with towns, cities and even countries based on my experiences with the people, the locals.

Local men in Morón, Cuba

This lovely man sold dried fruit & nuts at the Great Wall of China.

This little girl was with her Mom and baby boy on the streets of Xi'an

Her smile was electric and made my day!

Outside Waverly Station in Edinburgh

Crowd on Robson- 2010 Winter Olympics