ShoestringExploring the world - on a budget

Issue #4 | FreeApril / May 2011

Mongolia # Yumthang Valley # Oxford tours # Malaysia

Star ChildrenCaring for autistic youngsters in China

Teaching abroadJobhunting in South Korea

Music KickstartOnline fundraiser for gigs

Baltic to BalkansFrom the sea to the mountains

Benefits of a Gap YearWhy travelling the world is good for you

Plus:

Stay in touch!Tell mum what youre up to

Exactly one year ago, I was finishing my

degree and part of it was to create a

magazine. Thus, Shoestring was born. Now,

on its first anniversary, it has grown into a

32-page travel magazine with worldwide

readership and globetrotting contributors.

And for this, I want to thank every reader and

every contributor from my heart!You are

making Shoestring possible!

In this birthday issue, you will see some new

and some familiar faces. Niamh shares her Malaysian adventure

about being a scam victim. Our intrepid contributor Erik has had a

look around in the Eastern parts of Europe. Alex has been working

with autistic children in China whereas Courtney and Thantcyn were

exploring the remoter regions of Mongolia.

As always, some practical tips concerning your travels are also

included, so Shoestring doesnt just offer experiences and inspiration,

but also safe and sound advice! Lets keep it this way!

Happy Travels,

2 Shoestring

Issue #4

Editor-in-chiEf: Cornelia Kaufmann

PicturE Editor: Cornelia Kaufmann

dEsign & Layout: Cornelia Kaufmann

contributors: Erik Jelinek, Niamh Keoghan,Gio Andollo, Tom Stockwell, Pariket Doshi, Brittany

Kemp, Alex Hofmann, Nicolai Larsen, Lacey Thacker,

Courtney Niday-Nyan, Thantcyn Nyan, Jennifer

Levenbook, Dana Couppoussamy

PhotograPhErs: Cornelia Kaufmann (CoKa),Youth Hostel Association Australia (YHAAU),

Courtney Niday-Nyan (CoNi), Michael Loyd Young

(MiYo), Alex Hofmann (AlHo), Kelly Larbes (KeLa),

Vikash Kumar (ViKu), Pariket Doshi (PaDo), Niamh

Keoghan (NiKe), Pushpak Banerjee (PuBa), SSG Music

(SSG), Gio Andollo (GiAn), Erik Jelinek (ErJe), Simon

Butcher (SiBu), Tom Stockwell (ToSt), Todd Adams

(ToAd)

covEr Photo: Red phone box by Ben Brown

contact: editor@shoestring-magazine.com

WEbsitE: www.shoestring-magazine.com

G Day!

CorneliaIn this issue:

Living in a ger with

Mongolias herders

P. 5

Visit Indias beautiful

Yumthang Valley

P. 9

Teaching English in

South Korea

P. 11

Whats the best way of

keeping in touch?

P. 14

A cautionary tale about

cons in Malaysia

P. 16

Planning a tour with

fundraiser Kickstarter

p. 23

Exploring Eastern Europe

from Baltic to Balkans

P. 26

Meeting up with Mowgli in

Peru

P. 28

And much more inside!

Shoestring 3

Travel News & Deals

Musicians Corner

Musicians Corner, Nashvilles freelawn party featuring music of allforms, will kick off its secondseason on Saturday, May 7th from

3 to 6 p.m. Inspired by LondonsSpeakers Corner, Musicians Cornerbrings musical diversity to a free,outdoor setting in Centennial Park.

Kenya flies to Ivory Coast againKenya Airways flights toAbidjan/Dakar were re routedAccra, Ghana on 1st April due tosecurity reasons. But as a result ofthe improved political and securitysituation in Cote divoire, Abidjanflights have been reinstated. KenyaAirways flies daily to Dakar, 3 timesa week via Abidjan and 4 times aweek via Bamako Mali.

New ride at UK theme park!

2011 sees the arrival of a brand ne

w

ride for thrill lovers, Storm Surge

at Thorpe Park, Surrey. Visitors can

climb aboard a life raft and get in

a

spin on what is set to be the ulti-

mate sky-high spinning water ride. I

t

offers the chance to go round the

twist and lose control on the jaw-

dropping 64ft spiraling descent

whilst trying to stay dry in the

line of water cannon fire!

Check out what festivals theUK has to offer in 2011 atwww.thefestivalcalender.co.uk

Changing the

guard at the

Tower of

London, Unite

d Kingdom

Girls tattoo: Maim

er pour qui je

suis - Love me fo

r who I am

Sunset over Kande Beach, MalawiDo you have a story to tell?Have you had the experience of

a lifetime somewhere off the

beaten track? Discovered some-

thing new to do? Or taken a

spectacular photo thats just

too good to be hidden away?

Then get published in

Shoestring. Send your stories and pictures

to editor@shoestring-magazine.com

View from the ste

ps of the

Capitolio, Havana, C

uba

4 Shoestring

In need of a summer job?Work at aYouth hostel!Youth hostels and Backpackers are a great place to meet new people, but also a greatplace to earn the money to fund the next trip. Whether abroad or at home, youth hostelsare always looking for friendly staff. If you cant travel, just work where the travellers are.

I met my bestfriend workingat Chester YHA!

Weve probably all doneit before: spent a nightin a youth hostel.

Whether on a school trip orbackpacking tour, YHAs are anall-time favourite place to stay.And working in a YHA is just asmuch fun as being a guestthere, say David Simister andLauren Moore.

While his course matesheaded towards home and thesun for the summer at the endof his first year, journalismgraduate David Simisterdecided to stay in Carlisle.

He had been offered a job atthe Old Brewery, which turnsinto Carlisle YHA every July toSeptember. I worked there forthree summers in a row I justliked it. In fact, he liked thejob so much, that he evenworked at the YHA in Chesterfor a month.

The YHA is a friendlyorganisation. There was a senseof community that mostcompanies dont seem to have.Everybody there had a goodtime; it was always a laugh andgood fun. And the job isbasically the same in everyYHA David explains.

His job included working atthe reception desk, cleaningthe rooms and answering anyquestions the guests had. InCarlisle, I was the specialist forbus routes in Cumbria hejokes. I didnt even have tolook them up. And although hewasnt a local or an expert on

anything in Chester, hemanaged to get by there aswell. The only thing Davidadmits would have helped himon the job was training in aforeign language, ascommunication with foreignguests got tricky sometimes.

Travel journalist LaurenMoore, who worked at ChesterYHA for nine months, agreesthat language was an issue attimes. I tried to check in aFrench family once and I dontspeak any French. It was a bitawkward she admits.

However, both Lauren andDavid think that the goodexperiences of working at aYHA far out-weigh the negativeones. People there seem tohave a different mindset. Youget to talk to guests and someof their experiences and storiesare really inspiring. Its stufflike that, that you wouldnt getworking in a bar which makes itgreat says David and has aspecific example in mind.

There was this retiredcouple from Kent and they hadan old Morris Minor 1000 andtook that car along every mileof the UK coastline that wasjust incredible!

Getting to meet people is

one of the best things aboutthe job, Lauren agrees. Itsnot just the guests; its thestaff as well. We were allroughly the same age between20 and 25, and were on thesame wavelength.

Some of us had beentravelling before; some of uswere planning to go, so it wasa constant exchange. I met mybest friend in Chester! I lovedit!

While the staff in Carlislemostly stayed the same whileDavid was working there, hesays it changed quite a bitwhile he was in Chester. Itbroadened everybodyshorizons, as the staff was notonly from all over the UK, butalso from all over Europe.

The Old Brewery has beenCarlisles YHA for 12 years, andopens for 10 weeks everysummer. According to managerDee Carruthers, its a very busy

time. Weve had 1,700 visitorslast year. Many think we justclose down when the studentsleave, but instead its busierthan ever!

The location is a majorfactor as well. Many of ourvisitors do Hadrians Wall walkand cycle tours. Theres a realdiversity of people staying withus and some are reallyinteresting groups. Some go onCharity treks, others do it forfun. Theres never a dullmoment.

So, if youre still undecidedabout what to do over thesummer, or dont fancy goingfar to meet interesting people,why not apply at a YHA?Accommodation is provided andall bills are included, whichmeans the money you earn isyours to keep. And on your daysoff, why not go around and seewhats going on elsewhere inthe country?

Writer Profile

Name: Cornelia KaufmannAge: 23This globetrotter caught thetravel bug in 2003 and has nointention of ever getting ridof it again

Above: Greeting guests at

the reception.

Left: Entrance to Bellingen

YHA in New South Wales,

Australia. YHAs and

backpackers can be located

anywhere, from rural

settings to big cities, so

choose one youd be happy

to work at. Photos:YHAAU

Shoestring 5

lIvIng WIth mongolIanYak and coW herders

The young herdergirls giggles sailedacross the lengthof vast fields

Writer Profile

Name: Courtney Niday-Nyan& Thantcyn NyanThis couple from Texas ispropelled by a whimsicalwanderlust for action-packedfrolicking around the world.

Experiencing and immersing yourself in other cultures is veryimportant when you are travelling. A Texan couple spent timein gers far away from Ulaan