ShoestringExploring the world - on a budget

Issue #5 | FreeAugust 2011

Australian Outback Trip # Wwoofing # Malawi # Turkey & Iran

Fun in the desertBurning Man Festival in Nevada

Save the turtles!Conservation project in Costa Rica

On the Northern TrailOverland from L.A. to NYC

Kendal CallingThe beginnings of a festival

Cheap thrillsThe Low-down on Londontown

Plus:

Summer, sunshine, and most importantly

freedom - summer is the perfect time for

roadtrips, festivals and self-discovery.

Shoestring spoke to the organiser of Kendal

Calling, a festival in rural England that is going

from strength to strength, to find out how it all

came about.

Sonja gave up home comforts for a week in the

Nevada desert, and celebrated the Burning

Man with everything the festival has to offer.

Our intrepid travel-writer Erik is back on the road, and has crossed from

Europe into Asia to discover the culture and heritage of Persia. Gio is

continuing his kickstarted musical journey through the United States, while

I have gone on two very different roadtrips in two very different countries

to find out what Australia and America are like beyond the big smoke.

Shoestring is a voluntary project, and all the experiences and advice pu-

blished on its pages is genuine, from backpackers, for backpackers.

Happy Travels!

2 Shoestring

Issue #5

Editor-in-chiEf: Cornelia Kaufmann

PicturE Editor: Cornelia Kaufmann

dEsign & Layout: Cornelia Kaufmann

contributors: Cathy Fenton, Sonja Kaufmann,

Erik Jelinek, Malin Nyberg, Ayman Abdel Jaber,

Gio Andollo

PhotograPhErs: Cornelia Kaufmann (CoKa),

Sonja Kaufmann (SoKa), Gio Andollo (GiAn), Erik

Jelinek (ErJe), Cathy Fenton (CaFe), David Lude

(DaLu), Zechariah Nichols (ZeNi), Madleine Rhosius

(MaRh), Nico Alba (NiAl), Henriette Fischer (HeFi),

Ayman Abdel Jaber (AyJa), Pooneh Ghana (PoGh),

Tom Martin (ToMa)

contact: editor@shoestring-magazine.com

WEbsitE: www.shoestring-magazine.com

G’ Day!

CorneliaIn this issue:

Exploring Australia’s

red Heart

P. 5

The beginnings of a

small festival

P. 8

Malawi for Expats and

their families

P. 10

Burning Man Festival in

Nevada’s desert

P. 14

Erik on the road from

Turkey to Iran

P. 18

On the Northern Trail

through the USA

p. 21

Organising music gigs wit-

hout soending money

P. 24

Wildlife conservation

project in Costa Rica

P. 26

And much more inside!

Shoestring 3

Travel News & Deals

Learn a language online Online language learningcommunity Babbel.com haslaunched new apps that will helpyou learn even more languages.They have just added Dutch,Indonesian and Turkish totheir list of available apps.Check them out atwww.babbel.com

Australians love LaplandIt seems that the cold reaches ofnorthern Finland and Sweden are apreferred travel destination.Activities Abroad noticed anincrease of travellers heading past

Father Christmas and exploringmore rural Lapland to see theAurora Borealis.www.activitiesabroad.com

Jetstar JapanThe Qantas Group, JapanAirlines and MitsubishiCorporation announced today

the launch of Jetstar Japan -a new domestic airline that willbring more low airfares tocustomers in Japan.

New tiger for Safari Park

West Midland Safari Park has

introduced Sumatran Tiger to

their extensive collection of

rare and endangered species.

The five-year old female

tiger arrived at the Park

from Arnhem in Holland and

is now in quarantine. She is

called 'Hujan' meaning rain

in one of the dialects spoken

in her native Indonesia.

www.wmsp.co.uk

8th Iroquois Art BiennialOn August 27, the 8th IroquoisContemporary Art Biennial opens at theFenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown,New York. he exhibition will feature thework of four young women from theHaudenosaunee, Lauren Jimerson(Seneca); Awenheeyoh Powless(Onondaga); Leah Shenandoah(Oneida); and Natasha Smoke Santiago(Mohawk).

Check out previous issues of

Shoestring on

www.shoestring-magazine.com

Sign in Parac

hilne, South A

ustralia,

announcing th

e Coal Train

A catamaran in the

Caribbean Sea

off the shore of C

uba

Famous Notre Dame cathedral onÎle de la Cité, Paris

Mosque added to UNESCO

list

The Selimiye Mosque in Ed

irne,

Turkey, has been added t

o the

UNESCO World Heritage List.

Built in the late 16th cen

tury,

the magnificent mosque takes

pride of place at the cent

re of

a complex which comprises a

medrese, libraries, hospita

ls,

baths and a cemetery..

Situated some 235km we

st of

Istanbul, the two-and-a-half-

hour drive is easily manag

eable

by day trip. Edinburgh

Castle at the to

p of

the hill, seen from

Georges Street

4 Shoestring

Shoestring is a travel magazine aimed at students, backpackers and gap year

travellers who are looking for inspiration and advice when it comes to planning the next

big adventure. It lives on voluntary contributions from

Preparing for a trip can be hard work, especially when there are many options to choose

from. This is why Shoestring is looking for experience reports, introducing projects and

how to travel on the cheap.

If you want to introduce a city that you know well, get in touch! I'm also always looking

for simple (and I mean fool-proof), tasty recipes from around the world.

Shoestring should also feature outdoor stories, active stories, including extreme sports -

but on a travelling angle. This could for example include travelling to New Zealand to

bungee jump from the bridge where the sport was invented or crossing China on a

pushbike. There are no real limits, as long as it has to do with travelling and is of interest

to the target readership. Stories exploring different cultures are also welcome!

Have you recently read a really good (factual) travel book? Seen a great

documentary? Want to explain why David Attenborough / Michael Palin / Ray Mears (delete

as appropriate) is your travel hero? Tried a new travel app on your phone? If so, I'm

looking for short reviews.

Your story should have a clear angle and be written in British English. Please don’t send

an email saying „I can write about India“ - let me know what experience in India you have

in mind. Also, please don’t elongate words for emphasis or add smilies, this makes it

harder to edit your story.

Please send your stories to editor@shoestring-magazine.com. The full contribution

guidelines can be found on the website www.shoestring-magazine.com

Calling all

Travel WritersFancy yourself a travel writer? Do you have an amazing gap year or backpackingexperience you would like to share with the world? Have you taken photographs thatare too good to be hidden away in a drawer somewhere? Then Shoestring wouldlike to hear from you!

Shoestring 5

Into Australia’s Red Centre

One of the first things youlearn when you ventureinto the Australian

outback is that there is dust. Alot of the stuff, and it’s brightred. Next to that there are fewother things you’ll have toworry about, except for thefact that all those other littlethings can kill you.

Our overland tour withAdventure Tours Australiastarted early. 6am, packed andready in front of a backpackers

in Adelaide. The early startsare another thing to get used towhile travelling. The peopleDown Under seem to have thissense that there are too fewhours in the day and that youcould get punished in somehorrible way if you stay in bedpast sunrise.

So once we all got on ourbus, we did not loose any timeto make our way north. We hadsix days and a total of over2700 km including detours to

cover in order to get fromAdelaide all the way to AliceSprings.

On of our first stops was 60km to the north, at Freeling.The small town was used assome of the set for popularAustralian drama “McLeod’sDaughters”, and the town’sRailway Hotel on the corner ofGray and Stephenson has beenrepainted as the “GungellanHotel”. After snapping a fewpictures on set and bumpinginto one of the main characterspreparing for a scene, we setoff again for Melrose.

There, surrounded by some

very odd-looking motor-homes(trucks with an actual housebuilt on them) and one of theoldest licensed hotels - proudlyfirst tapped in 1854 – we set offon our first little hike. Ourdestination was MountRemarkable and its AlligatorGorge. It was just a short strollthrough the gorge, and mostlyshady but still good to get outof the bus and stretch our legsa bit.

It also gave all of us achance to get to know eachother a bit better. Crowdingback into our bus, we still had awhile to drive to reach our firstover-night stop in Parachilna.

Driving through the sleepytown of Quorn, we all got thissensation of being on anotherfilm set. And as we were stilltrying to figure it out, our guidecracked a joke about WolfCreek.

Further down the road, westopped at a few old crumblingruins. These turned out to bethe former KanyakaHomestead, an abandonedcattle and sheep station at thefoot of the Flinders Ranges.Founded in 1852, this stationwas once one of the largest in

How much is there to see along a straight road through barren land? Quite a lot, asShoestring editor Cornelia Kaufmann discovers while travelling into the Outback

>>

Background:Uluru during the

sunrise base walk. Left:

Signpost in the middle of the

Outback. Right: Feral Meal

advertised in Parachilna (CoKa)

6 Shoestring

the district, before it was leftto fall to pieces after severedroughts in the area.

Although this part ofAustralia is fairly dry, theFlinders Ranges are stillconsidered “bush” instead of“outback”.

Nobody knows exactlywhere the bush ends and theoutback starts in the Australianbacklands – the edges havebeen somewhat blurred – butthe general assumption is thatthe outback starts when thesoil turns red and thevegetation becomes scarceexcept for some scrubs andgum trees.

From Kanyaka, we pushedon to the Yourambulla CavesHistoric Reserve, an aboriginalsite. This was the first timesince I got to Australia, that Iactually experienced parts ofthe indigenous culture. Thereare cave paintings atYourambulla, and a sign offersan interpretation, but whetherthis explanation of thedrawings is accurate is anyone’sguess.

When we reached our firstnight’s destination Parachilna,our guide went to the troubleof giving us a driving tour pastall the sights. BecauseParachilna is a town with onlyfive permanent inhabitants andone street, the tour of thetown was pretty quick.

It was a “blink and you’llmiss it” affair. The police

station and school buildinghave been converted intohomes. Parachilna’s mainbuilding is the Prairie Hotel,which offers a feral meal for itsvisitors. So that night, we dinedon camel, emu and kangaroo,all of which were new andexciting flavours for me.

The highlight of the night atParachilna, is the passing of thePort Augusta – Leigh Creek coaltrain. This colossal train has180 trucks and is almost 3 kmlong. Because the land is soflat, you can see its lightscoming for miles. It takes awhile for the train to reach thesettlement, so we all put smallcoins on the tracks, grabbed acool beer and then sat besidethe railway waiting for it topass.

Personally, I am not amorning person most days, butin Australia, I definitelybecame one. The sunrises arejust too spectacular to miss.After a hearty breakfast, wemade tracks into the FlindersRanges and to a geographicfeature called the WilpenaPound.

We spent the whole dayhiking through gorges andenjoying the vistas of endlessland stretching before us andkangaroos hopping by. Whilesome chose to climb up to therim, I opted for a walk into thePound itself and around the oldhomestead. Not only was thisan easier hike, but it also keptme out of the hot midday sun.

Australia is the first countryI bought sun cream in a 1-litre-bottle and used it all within aweek. One of my wisestinvestments was the cowgirlhat I had bought weeks before.

That night at Rawnsley ParkStation, the boys in the group

decided to sleep out under thestars. First, we all got a lectureabout Aussie creepers, most ofwhich can seriously harm you.The redback spider, brownsnake, huntsman spiders,funnel-web spiders and white-tailed spiders are the ones tolook out for.

Sleeping in swags looked likefun but I waited to see whatthe boys had to say about theexperience. Needless to saythey all loved it, so my mindwas set on getting my own swagout and watch the night sky forshooting stars at the next stop.

Another early start and weheaded south again, back ontothe main road to make our waynorth on the Stuart Highway.

We called at Woomera, amilitary town forreplenishments and thenstopped at the wide whiteexpanse of Lake Hart, a saltlake that looks massive but isdwarfed by some of the othersalt plains in the area like LakeGairdner just across the road.

Pushing on to Glendambo,we only passed a few cars allday. Giving that this isAustralia’s major North-SouthHighway, I had expected more.At the roadhouse inGlendambo, we did comeacross a road-train though.With its five trailers, it did takea while to get around thecorners.

Even at Glendambo, our day

on the bus was still not over.We still had 250 km of straightroad through dry and barrenland ahead of us until we wouldreach Coober Pedy.

The sky got bluer, the airhotter and the ground redder.Somewhere along the way, wehad entered the outbackwithout even noticing. CooberPedy is world-famous fordugout homes because it issimply too hot to live aboveground. Not for the faint-hearted or claustrophobic, thehostel rooms are allunderground caves, nowindows, just thin air shaftsand solid rock as walls.

We explored an opal mineand had pizza above groundbefore retreating into ourdugout accommodation for thenight. My swag experiencewould have to wait.

The next morning we got upbefore sunrise and drove out toa very Australian feature: Thedog fence. Running fromJimbour to the Nullarbor Plain,it is 5,614 km long and wasdesigned to keep dingoes out ofthe good pastures in thesouth-east of the country.

We had breakfast at theBreakaways, and saw one ofthe most amazing sunrises Ihave ever witnessed. After thesun had risen high enough forus to continue our journey intothe outback, we set off to theplace all of us longed to see:Uluru.

We had driven through all ofSouth Australia, and passed intothe Northern Territory. PastGhan, we turned off the StuartHighway and onto the LasseterHighway at ErldundaRoadhouse. While we enjoyedour last chance to stretch ourlegs, we did encounter a few

‘The sunrises in

Australia are just

too spectacular

to be missed’

‘I was set on

getting my swag

out and watching

the night sky for

shooting stars’

Left: Lorikeets in Australia.

Right: Sunrise over the

Breakaways (CoKa)

Shoestring 7

emus on the side of the roadroaming free.

Stocked up on water supplyand beef jerky, we started tokeep our eyes on thelandscape, scanning it formassive monoliths.

Hundreds of long and dustymiles and several hours later,we were finally within reach ofthe red rock we all came tosee, and our guide lost no time.

Arriving just as the sunstarted to set, we were allsurprised to see busloads ofpeople flocking around thesunset viewing area. We all“uhh-ed” and “ahh-ed” as therock started to change coloursfrom vibrant red-orange topurple. Returning to the campat Yulara, I made my decisionto go waltzing Matilda andsleep in the swag under thestars.

The first thing that reallystruck me when I rolled out theswag was the sheer endlessnessof the Outback night sky. I hadnever seen so many starsbefore! Eventually, I evenfound the Southern Cross andlearned which two pointer starsto look out for in order to findit again amongst the millions oftiny dots.

The swag was surprisinglycomfy and warm, notnecessarily what I hadexpected. But if a hybridbetween sleeping bag and tentcan make it to Aussie iconstatus, it has to be good.

The next morning, we gotwoken up at 4am – well beforesunrise – by Robin Williams’voice shouting “Good morningVietnam” through the camp.The aim for the day was to hikearound Uluru, but we wouldhave to start walking by sunriseor the heat would get toounbearable halfway around.

Up close and personal, therock is much more ragged thanit looks. The base walk alone is10 km long. Apparently there isa water tank at the halfwaypoint where you can fill up yourwater bottle, but I somehowmanaged to walk right past it.

We did the shorter Mala

Walk as well before retreatinginto the Cultural Centre to getout of the heat.

Later that day, we continuedon to our last over-nightdestination, at a camp nearKings Canyon. Rolling out theswags again – this time all of us– we watched the sky getdarker and darker around us.

In the middle of the night,we were surprised by rainhowever, and hurried to grabour gear. Luckily, there werestationary tents in thecampsite, so we threw ourthings into the next-best tentand claimed one of the bunkbeds. My inflatable pillow wasblown away by the wind andnow serves as a new toy forsome lonely dingo out there.

Kings Canyon was a fabuloushike. Steep at the start to getup onto the rim, it is a 6 km flatwalk from there on in.Eucalypts are growing in thegorge below and the view isjust astonishing, just as thefact that for the movie Priscilla– Queen of the desert HugoWeaving had to scramble up tothe rim in high heels.

When we finally arrived inAlice Springs, it was raining. Itwas a torrent, which causedthe river Todd to swell. Evenlocals don’t say that they arefrom Alice until they have seenthe Todd flow at least threetimes.

The trek came to an endthere, but with half a day leftin Alice before my flight left forSydney, I took one lastopportunity to learn aboutAustralia by going on a bushtucker trip, where I learnedfrom an Aboriginal communitywhich fruits and insects aresafe to eat. Granted, somelooked gross, but I gave it all atry.

No trip into the outbackshould be complete withoutsleeping in a swag and tryingbush tucker at least once.

My six days on route into theOutback opened my eyes and Ifell in love with rural Australia,its people, landscape andculture, as well as the sense offreedom I gained.

‘To hike round

Uluru, we had to

start walking at

sunrise to avoid

the unbearable

midday heat’

WEbsitEs

adventure tours australia

www.adventuretours.com.au

contiki australia

www.contiki.co.uk/australia

aussie adventures

www.intrepidtravel.com

ozXposure

www.letstrekaustralia.com

sWags

swags are a mixture of

sleeping bag and bedroll, and

the more luxurier versions

even convert into a very cosy

tent. they are a waterproof

canvas bag with a thin

mattress inside and ideal for

sleeping outside. a swag is

quite expensive and weighs

around 7 kg, but if you plan

on camping in australia a lot

then a swag might be a

great investment. Top: Desert golf course in Coober Pedy. Above:

Emu at the roadside. Kings Canyon from the

Rim Walk. Below: Ruins of Kanyaka Homestead.

Bottom right: Prairie Hotel in Parachilna.

Bottom left: Eucalypt near Kata Tjut. (CoKa)

8 Shoestring

From a little-known musical gathering on a Lake District farm, Kendal Calling has

prospered into one of Britain’s favourite summer festivals. Malin Nyberg met up

with organiser Ben Robinson and asked him how it came all about.

If someone had told me a fewyears ago that I’d be bookinggig with bands I really

admire, speaking to BBCproducers and partying withthe Arctic Monkeys, I’d neverhave believed them.”

This is what Ben Robinson,owner of music festival KendalCalling, says when looking backon his achievements.

Growing up in the smallvillage of Brough, the 29-year-old spent most of his time in hisroom, listening to the Smithsand Oasis, wishing he was apart of the music industry.

“Music was my world backthen and it always has been. Idreamed of being in a big rockband.” As a teenager he wentto school in Kirkby Stephen andbecame friends with peoplevery similar to himself.

“We’d stay up late at night,analysing lyrics and smokingweed, complaining about howwe had grown up in the wrong

place, that there wasabsolutely nothing here.”

In 1999 Ben moved toMiddlesbrough to start a degreein computer animation but itturned out it was not for him.“I failed absolutelyeverything,” he says. “It was allabout getting high at thattime.”

Three years later he movedback to Brough, saying he feltlike complete failure. “I had letmy family down and feltincredibly embarrassed. All Iwanted was to work and earnsome money.” Spending hisdays glazing windows hespotted a job ad for BarclaysBank.

“I could never see myself in

that sort of environment butdad said it would be good forme so I applied and got it.”

Ben says the job at the bankwas like theatre. “I remembersitting in my room, looking atthe suit hanging on my door. Itwas such a contrast from who Iactually was.” He was howevera good actor and went fromcashier to general managerwithin three years.

“I started to earn loads ofmoney but hated every secondof it. I lived for the weekendsand often used to arrange gigsin local venues aroundCumbria.

It was however all falling atmy feet with weak turnouts andband cancelling in the very lastsecond. So I decided not to doit unless someone was helpingme. It was simply too stressfulto do it all by myself.”

“Then something happened.A man called Andy Hasleywalked into the bank where

Ben worked. “He was acustomer and when I looked,his ID read Music Links and Istarted to ask questions.”

It appeared Halsey wasworking for a charity projectinvolving local bands inCumbria and he invited Ben fortheir next meeting. “That wasthe door in for me, thecoincidence of meetingHalsey,” Ben says, adding “If itwasn’t for him I would neverhave met Andy Smith.”

Smith, originally fromKendal, had just like Ben a bigpassion for music. “I met Smithat the meetings we had withMusic Links and he was veryproductive, arranging gigs inthe local area too.”

Smith was interested in thetwo of them arrangingsomething together. “I couldtell he wasn’t a talker and thathe wanted to get things going.”

“Their first event was agreat success. “We arranged a

‘I arranged gigs

in local venues

around Cumbria’

band British Sea Power. We setit up in Tan Hill Inn, the highestpub in England. When I got arequest from the ArcticMonkeys to come and join us.

I couldn’t believe it! I wasgoing to party with the ArcticMonkeys!” Being a man fromthe country is nothing Ben seesas a bad thing anymore.

“These days I take pride inbeing from Brough. People atmusic conferences are oftenimpressed by our passion andfind it refreshing as thebusiness is very much aboutpeople in suits and moneythese days.We are there for adifferent reason. We are therebecause we love music.”

www.kendalcalling.co.uk

Shoestring 9

two night music festival on acricket pitch in Kirkby Stephencalled Nine Standards. 400people showed up each night,it was packed! That’s when Irealised it was really worthdoing it, and all the hard workwas finally paying off.”

In 2006 Ben and Smithdecided to do the same thingthey had done with NineStandards but in Kendal town,which is what came to be thebeginning of the music festivalKendal Calling.

“It was really scary. Werisked a few thousand poundseach and took a chance.Luckily, we sold out!” Earlierthat year, Ben’s dad had died.“It put a whole newperspective to things and Istarted questioning what I wasdoing at the bank.”

When the first KendalCalling was over Ben and Andycounted the money in the pot.

“Suddenly, I saw a career inthis.” The duo decided to doanother Kendal Calling and tomake it even bigger.

In 2007 they upped thestakes and moved to GrateFarm. Suddenly life becamevery hectic. “I remember Smithsaying ‘There’s no way we canarrange this festival and workfull time’. So, I sat down oneday and worked out the figures,realizing exactly how muchmoney we could make.”

Kendal Calling 2007 was asuccess and Ben could hand inhis notice to the bank. “I wentstraight to Solfest festival afterthat. I remember standing inthe audience listening to TheLevellers singing:

“There is only one way oflife and it’s your own, yourown, your own,’ feeling soincredibly happy.”

Today Ben lives in Leedswith his band Deathretro andhas started a productioncompany called CallingProductions with Smitharranging gigs and events allover the country. Kendal Callinghas also moved up in the worldand is now taking place atLowther Deer Park.

“My best memory is whenwe were arranging a gig for the

‘At the beginningof Kendal Calling,we took achance. Luckilywe sold out’

Above: Revellers at

Kendal Calling 2011

(PoGh). Big names

coming to Lowther

Deer Park (ToMa)

10 Shoestring

SHOWINg THE FAMIly

AROUND MAlAWIScottish Shoestring contributor Cathy Fenton decided to up sticks and moveout to Malawi. Now the family is coming to visit for a cheap African adventure.

Of course I researchedMalawi before I accepteda job here.

Yet nothing I could findonline really gave me aconcrete image of the country.

Any mention of idyllicbeaches in the (scant)literature was overturned in mymind by my own hazyperceptions of Sub-SaharanAfrica.

Pictures of kayaking to littleislands or descriptions ofhoneymoon chalets wereeclipsed by learning the factthat it is the third poorestcountry in the world. I worriedabout my decision to movehere and wondered if I mightend up leaving early.

As it turned out, as soon as Iarrived I was overwhelmed bythe reality of Malawi- the lushgreen mountains, vivid redroads and perfect beaches.

And, six months in, I felt Ihad grasped enough of thecountry to invite out mymother and brother for atravelling holiday here;confident that I could showthem my beautiful new homeon their low-ish budget.

I wanted them to see forthemselves the beauty and thepotential of this little-knowncountry.

We met in the capitalLilongwe, an emotional reunionas I hadn’t been in the samecountry as my brother for

almost two years. Lilongwe isastonishingly developed incomparison to the North (mybase), however I expect thatsophisticated westerners willbe less impressed by the icecream and the giantsupermarkets than I currentlyam.

We stayed at Mabuyacamp - a friendly, lively hostelwith good meals (they passedmy high lasagne standards),and the only one with aswimming pool. My onlyquibble?

After a night out dancing Iwoke up covered in ants andhad to evacuate my tent tosqueeze in with my poor,slumbering brother.

Although I wanted to showmy family around Malawi, mymother is an avid safari goer,and so we first hit Zambia forsome Big Five action.

We travelled to SouthLuangwa National Park withLand and Lake, who picked usstraight up from our hostel anddrove us in a comfortablemini-bus through the Zambianborder to the park. Our lodge(Croc Valley Camp) was rightbeside the beautiful river -which was teeming with hungry

looking crocs and half -submerged hippos.

The lodge bar, lounge andrestaurant were made up ofseveral arching Africanbuildings which were stylishlydecorated and perfectlyfurnished, clustered around asmall swimming pool.

My family like to eat and wewere all very happy with themeals- a small breakfast beforeour early game drive, thenwhen we returned a varied,filling brunch.

After several hours loungingin camp we’d then be servedafternoon tea with cake, andhead out excitedly for oursecond drive of the day. On ourreturn - a delicious threecourse meal.

The park itself is beautiful,some open savannah, somebush, and the beautiful riverwhere we’d stop for oursundowners. We saw elephants,

lions, giraffe, an aardvark,buffalo, all sorts of antelopeand, to top it all off, twoleopards up a tree making shortwork of an impala. For themoney we paid (approx £300each for a four day trip inc.driving there and back), thewhole family felt the safari wasastoundingly good value.

After a short return to thecapital, and my frenziedshopping for supplies, webussed up to Nkhata Bay. Ihadn’t looked forwards to along journey on an African buswith my mother but waspleasantly surprised this time(this was partly luck): the buswas large, comfortable andrelatively fast, and my motherwas tough and uncomplainingabout minor discomforts.

We acquired some brunettegirls going to the same place asus, which quickly became apattern on our trip, andprovided a buffer from theintensity of three weekstravelling with family (oh howquickly your 16 year old selftries to resurface in thesesituations).

Our motley crew arrived atMzuzu in the dark andbargained with a taxi driver to

‘Open savannah,

some bush, some

beautiful river,

for sundowners’

Left: Sunset at Kande Beach on Lake Malawi

(CoKa). View of Lake Malawi, which is nick-

named Calendar Lake for being 365km long

and 52 km wide (CaFe).

Shoestring 11

take us the final stretch. Hehad to stop for fuel on the way(This is Malawi, my friend,where no one ever has anybloody fuel) but we to thelakeshore after an hour or so.

Travelling here is hit ormiss - you can be squished in arusty mini bus or stretched outon a big coach - but with a bitof tolerance and patience youalways get there.

In Nkhata Bay I always stayat Mayoka Village, which Iconsider an exceptional hostel,for setting, atmosphere,service and food. My motheropted for Butterfly Lodge nextdoor - which is far quieter andmore laid back, and whichoffers many volunteeringopportunities.

However they were alwayssneaking over for the deliciousmeals at Mayoka - the bestbeing the famous Friday nightbarbecue which offers anamazing selection of vegetableas well as beef skewers andmarinated chicken.

The downside of Mayoka? Ifyou stay in the main dorm -chances are you’ll be fallingasleep to pumping Zambiantunes, or Rhianna...

On to an excellent scubadive taster session at AquaAfrica - where for about £30

you get taught the basic theory,get comfortable with thepractise in shallow water andthen go for a fifty minute divewith friendly, professionalinstructors.

I was blown away by my firstever dive and was giggly andhigh for hours afterwards,apparently that’s partly due toNitrogen build up in your blood.

The rest of the time wespent Nkhata Bay style:sunbathing, snorkelling,relaxing, and then socialising inthe evenings.

I skipped out on the localmeal that my family opted forone evening (and greatlyenjoyed); you can also getNsema and fish for a tiny sumat a shack on the shore. Nkhatais a strange mix - part fishingvillage, part tourist hot spot,with all sorts hanging aroundthere- but it is undoubtedly

beautiful and friendly.

We left the Bay, towinghangovers, carvings and a newbrunette friend, on theSteamer; a ferry thatcircumnavigates almost thewhole lake shore every week.

We only travelled on it for aday but this section of the tripis rumoured to be the mostbeautiful - ten hours of unspoiltmountain scenery and tinyvillages on perfect golden sand.The ferry is no luxury cruise -but if you splash out for ‘FirstClass’ you can sit on the topdeck, beer in hand, and watchthe world go by.

The sunsets can bespectacular, and more thanmake up for the tinyinconveniences of an Africanferry. I have met people whospent a whole week on theSteamer, which I wouldn’trecommend, as you get littlechance to explore any of thepretty port towns, and surelyone day of sitting on a slightlydirty ferry is enough foranyone?

Late that night we pulledinto my home village,Chilumba, where my familystayed in my house with me.There is only one real lodge inthis area, Sangilo Sanctuary(run by an acquaintance ofmine) which is less budgetconscious than everywhere elseI stay but has lovely rooms andgood food.

Here my family had to dealwith the reality of being rich

‘I was blown

away by my first

dive and was

giggly for hours’

‘Ten hours of

unspoilt mountain

scenery and tiny

villages’

>>Top: Nkhata bays dogout

boats. Below: Leopard in

Zambia (CaFe)

12 Shoestring

Mzungo (white person) in asubsistence economy - asituation which requiresconstant consideration, and,sometimes, compromise.

However here they alsoexperienced the best ofMalawian hospitality - everyonefrom my life here welcomedthem with open arms andensured that they had afantastic time.

Malawians have a reputationfor being friendly, and althoughthis can sometimes mean alittle unwanted conversation, italso means that you always geta joke and a bit of banter,wherever you are.

After a week showing mymother and brother around myarea we caught an extremelyover-loaded pickup (sorryagain, Mum) down to ChitimbaBeach Campsite - a well -planned, large campsite withreasonably priced dorms and astunning stretch of lake shore.

There we tried to arrange

lifts to Livingstonia; with littleluck until one of my friendsdrove past and told us (myfamily and interchangeablebrown haired chick) to hop in.Last time my friend and I triedto hitch a lift up we ended updoing the whole five hour hike;if you’re a little lessadventurous then make sureyou arrange a lift at Chitimbainstead of setting off andcrossing your fingers.

Livingstonia is the bigmission centre of theNorth - where Robert Lawssettled in the late 19th century.As such, it’s an odd town,curiously clean and organisedand full of different aid people.

Laying aside that whole aidargument, there are a coupleof interesting things to see -the Stone House museum andthe Church, but you only reallyneed to spend a couple of hoursin the town itself. The realdraw here is the view - whichstretches all down the lakeshore and is breathtaking.

I have stayed at theMushroom Farm before, whichis well-marketed and well - runby a real character, but myheart lies at the lesser knownLukwe Lodge.

Built by a Belgian whostill runs it, the veranda /bar area looks out over lush

green valley dotted with occa-sionally with tiny huts. You canspend hours there admiring theview and chatting, a perfectway to catch up with lovedones.

From there to Mzuzu, thebig Northern town in Malawi,which has some goodrestaurants and plenty of shopsto stock up in. Then it was timeto wave off my mother andbrother on the bus, and toreflect on a long, tiring andlovely holiday. They’d stuck toa decent budget, as a bed in ahostel here costs about £4,ditto a nice evening meal, andof course we hadn’t hired a car,which can make quite a dent inone’s purse.

I do like to think that ourvaried experiences on publictransport added to theiroverall adventure, especially asI hear that there was anexciting arrest on their busback to Lilongwe.

So Malawi might not havethe big animals of somecountries, and you might notknow much about it yet: butit’s a spectacular place toholiday, honeymoon; or for the

lucky, to live.

‘Malawians have

a reputation for

being friendly -

you always get a

joke and banter’

Top: Malawian flag on a boat.

Below: On a walking safari in

Namibia. (CaFe). Right:

Sundown over Lake Malawi

(CoKa).

Shoestring 13

London can be ratherexpensive, and forsomeone on a budget it’s

either having fun or surviving.Some choose to attend

those plays, musicals, andshows that cost up to 50 poundsper ticket.

But frankly, it isn’t a veryfeasible amount... especially ifyou choose to spend everyweekend lounging aroundLeicester Square.

Every now and then, it feelsgood to put on your fanciestoutfit and attend one of thoseshows. But for a casualweekend, what can one do inLondon?

Last Saturday, I took theliberty of hopping on theDistrict Line and discoveringthe city by tube. I spent thecombined total of 3 hours and40 minutes, forking up the totalamount of approximately 20pounds. And, surprisingly, I hada great time!

Here’s my suggestion to allof you poor-student-budget-souls, like myself:

1.) Take the underground trainto the Covent Garden tubestation, exit to James Street,and make your way to the endof the street until you see theCovent Garden’s Market.

You will definitely spot astreet performance takingplace in front of the market;my suggestion: pause, watch,and enjoy. The shows vary incontent; some provide visualtricks, others incredible humanability.

The performers areindeed charming, presenting amixture of humour,entertainment, and teeth-clenching danger. Get involvedas you scream with the crowd,cheering the performer on andlaughing.

Summary: 45 minutes + GBP 0

2.) Enter the market area andmake your way to the JubileeMarket. There are a lot ofthings to see when roamingaround the displays;interesting-looking figurines(quite funny actually),incredible hand-made crafts,and an array of accessories -you can always pick up a giftfrom there for your loved ones.

Summary: 25 minutes + GBP 0

(Unless you buy something)

3.) Hop on the West-boundPiccadilly line to the GreenPark tube station. Exit to themain street and carry onforward. You will see yourdestination: Hard Rock Cafe.

On a typical Saturday, ataround 6 pm, the averagewaiting time is an hour and ahalf for a table. Change ofplans? I think not. Simply, putyour name on the waiting listand find a way to kill time.

The Vault, a former bank, islocated in the basement, and Isuggest you take this tour (it’sfree!).

It showcases legendaryinstruments that havecontributed to the making ofmusical history. From JimmyHendrix’ guitar, to ElvisPresley’s coat... The Vault isfilled with Rock & Rollmemorabilia.

You can have your picturetaken while holding (andpretending) to play one of thefour legendary guitars; Oasis’,Gene Simmons’, The Who’s,and Slash’s.

Your table is finally ready,take a seat and look throughthe menu. The cafe offers anarray of selections: burgers,ribs, steaks...etc.

And since you barely spentany money to enjoy your time,I suggest you treat yourself to anice dinner.

Summary: (90+60 minutes) +

GBP 15 - 20

Writer Profile

Name: Ayman Abdel JaberFinance student at RichmondThe American Intrenationaluniversity in London,freelance writer in Dubai andcofounder of the Richmond Stag

LondonCaLLing

The British capital can be an expensive place to visit. But witha day ticket for the underground and no fixewd itinerary, Londoncan be a surprisingly cheap destination to explore.

Top: Lounge chairs in Hyde Park

(CoKa; Above: Matthew Kleyla and

Ayman Abdel Jaber playing the

guitars in the Vault (AyJa); Below:

Covent Garden tube station.

Bottom: Clock face on Big Ben

(CoKa)

14 Shoestring

Writer Profile

Name: Sonja KaufmannAge: 20This German girl used a breakbetween school and universityto travel to North andCentral America

In my last year in school,there was only one questionI was thinking about: what

do I want to study? There was no doubt that I

would study, but I neededsome more time to decide onthe subject. I had severalideas like architecture,geophysics or hospitalitymanagement. Well, this iswhy I took one year offbetween school anduniversity; I needed time to

have a look around - A look atuniversities and the world.

Because my sister’sgodfather lives in Reno,Nevada, USA, I stayedthere from the middle ofAugust 2010 until the endof September 2010.

I even went to theuniversity as a guestauditor in astronomy,geophysics andatmospheric science.

I combined travellingwith finding out ifgeophysics could be mypreferred subject to study -Now I know it is. But this isnot what made my trip toReno unforgettable.

When I came to Reno, I

only knew my sister’s godfatherand his son, who is four yearsyounger than me, anduniversity hadn’t started yet.

Reno can be quite boring ifyou don’t know anyone to hangout with, so I searched forcouchsurfers at my age in Renoand on the next day I met Zach.

He was working in the bestcoffee shop in the world whichI really recommend: The PurpleBean! While I was drinking mycoffee he started talking aboutthis “Burning man festival” hewas going to for the next weekand this was the first time Iheard about it.

Zach asked me if I wouldlike to join him and one weekafter this I found myself on atruck (yes, one of the very bigones), going to Black RockDesert.

„i’m not a virgin

anymorE!“

Everything we needed wason the truck: about 50 gallonsof water, Peanut Butter & JellySandwiches, bikes, tents,sleeping bags, couches, a BBQ,some other things the survival

Burn, baby, burn!During one of the world’s artiest festivals, the Nevada desert comes to life

and everyone is welcome to join in the fun. Black Rock City is what the

revellers at Burning Man call their home and for a week, Sonja Kaufmann

became one of its citizens.

Background: The Lady at Black Rock City. Top: The camps seen

from the top of an Art Tower (next page) (DaLu). Above: Nico Alba

and William Doolittle riding in the truck (ZeNi)

Shoestring 15

Burn, baby, burn!guide recommended and beer.

We were a group of couchsurfers who all stranded atZach’s house in Reno comingfrom Germany, Switzerland,Canada, Nevada andMassachusetts. The nine of usstarted driving Sunday night at9pm, because the gates ofBlack Rock City opened at12pm.

It took us 12 hours to getthere although it was usually athree hour drive. But inthis night, there were 51.000Burners on their way „Home“.

Home, that’s what we, theones who rang the bell at thegate, call Black Rock City.

When you have been thereonce, you got „playafied“, youlost your playa virginity.

The playa is the Black RockDesert, or during the last weekof August it is Black Rock City,the third biggest town inNevada for one week of theyear.

Without a bike, you walkabout one hour from side to theother. The formation of thetown is quite easy because it isbuilt like a watch.

From 2’o clock to 10’o clockare the camps, at 12’o clockthe temple, at 6’o clock iscenter camp with stages andcoffee, in the very middle theMan and everywhere else is art.

If you would give me justone word to describe BurningMan, I would give the word“art” a try, but it is much morethan this.

Art is everywhere on theplaya: People dress up incostumes, art cars are drivingaround and hundreds ofsculptures and artworks arepresented and a lot of them areinteractive.

The Man who gives thefestival the name burns on eachyear on Saturday. The templeburns on Sunday, and takes allworries and orisons which hadbeen written on its walls withit.

The art combines freedomof expression and self-discovery; this containsmeditation, music and dance asmuch as visual art.

The process of individualfulfillment in a selflesscommunity makes Burning Man

>>

‘In the middle ofthe camp is theman, everywhereelse is Art’

Top: View of Centre Camp from

the top of one of the towers

(MaRh). Above: A Butterfly Art

Car (NiAl)

16 Shoestring

unique. There is no selling onthe playa, there is only giving.The only exceptions are coffeeand ice for coolers.

But if you need anythingelse and you forgot to bring it,you have to trust that thecommunity might give it toyou. The best way toparticipate is bringing somethings to give away.

First it sounds weird, but itworks if you just try it. Wedidn’t have a lot to give away,but we had a big game of flunkyball going on and gave beers toeveryone who joined the game,so there were about twentyBurners playing and having agood time.

A good time is always a goodgift. I also got a lot during theweek. A ring made out of a

spoon, some bracelets, a lot offood and drinks.

When the nights start atBurning Man, everyone is goingout of the shades that youreally needduring thedays eitheragainst thedust or thesun.

E v e nduring thenights youmight needgoggles anddust masksbecause of dust storms, butthey are usually in theafternoon. When you leaveyour camp, you can go to theEsplanade, the inner circle withbars and “clubs” like the Nexus

playground or you just hop onan art car which drives you overthe playa. These vehicles canbe everything. A school bus, arickshaw or a yacht on wheels,

I evenh o p p e don a 60fts a i l i n gs h i pd r i v i n garound int h edesert.

T h eCap i tanof this

ship taught me, that if you lovesomeone you should always hughim with your left arm lifted,heart to heart. Every time I hugmy friends, I have to thinkabout these words and it feels

immediately wrong to hug theother way around. Well, that’sjust one little step how BurningMan can change your life.

The music played in the clubcamps can be dubstep, rave,roots, drum and bass or justdifferent from everything elseyou usually dance to.

Most Burners are greatdancers who feel the rhythm,but some of them think it isnecessary to take psychedelicsubstances to have a goodtime. This scene is verycommon on the playa, becauseit is a place where no onejudges, although there are stillpolice patrols.

The biggest party during thisweek in Black Rock City is theMan Burn on Saturday night (ifthere is no dust storm). Ten

‘Just hop onto anart car, whichdrives you overthe playa’

The Man at Black Rock City

(SoKa), Center: Playa Art in the

desert (NiAl). Right: The Man

Burn 2010 (SoKa). Below: Some

of the Art you will encounter at

Burning Man (niAl)

Shoestring 17

thousands of Burners gather uparound the Man in the middleof the city.

Close to the Man are firejugglers, behind them the bigcrowd, around the crowd areall the art cars with musicplaying and people celebratingand behind the art cars areabout 10.000 bikes lying on theground.

When the Man startsburning, everyone goes crazyand celebrates until sunrise oreven longer. The atmosphereduring the temple burn onSunday is totally different.Everyone is sitting down andremaining silent while thetemple burns, some even cry.

Monday is the saddest day,because everybody has to leaveexcept for the volunteers whoclean the playa and abolish thesculptures and so on.

But before we left ourcamp, we were invited by ourneighbours to enjoy anawesome breakfast withpancakes and fresh coffee. Wepacked up our truck, gave someCanadian Burners a ride andleft Black Rock City togetherwith 51.000 others. It took usabout 7 hours to get out of theDesert because of the longqueue waiting to enter thehighway.

But we had a good timewaiting there. We made aproduction line for PeanutButter and Jelly crackers andgave them to everyone wholiked some and checked outsome more art cars which alsowaited to drive on the highway

- God bless America for that! There is so much more I

could tell you about BurningMan, but there is even more forevery playa virgin to discover inBlack Rock City. This week inthe desert was just incredible.If you have the chance, youshould go to Black Rock City.Go Home.

www.burningman.com

Burning Man 2011:

29th August - 5th September

fLunkybaLL:

you need:

Free, open space, two teams, a ball

(or something else to throw), an

empty bottle and as many beers as

players

getting prepared:

Place the empty bottle in the middle

of the playing ground.

The teams line up about 5 meters

from the bottle (midline) each

facing the other team.

Every player places an open beer

can in front of him.

Play:

Team A has the ball and tries to

make the bottle in the middle fall.

If the bottle falls, all players of Team

A drink their beers until a player of

Team B jumpstarts and puts up the

toppled bottle and shouts “stop”

when he arrives at his team again.

Now it is Team B’s turn.

The team that finishes all the beers

first is the winner.

Top left: Rings made

out of spoons which

were given away by

another Burner (SoKa).

Top Middle: Art Car

(NiAl. Top Right: Nico

and Sonja trying to

escape a dust storm by

bike (NiAl). Left: Art

Tower near Center

Camp from which the

aerial photos were

taken (MaRh).

Sonja, Madleine, Nico and

Zechariah in front of their

truck and camp (ZeNi)

Center Camp at Sunset (NiAl)

18 Shoestring

Follow the

trade route to

PersiaShoestring’s intrepid correspondent Erik Jelinek is on the

road again, this time leaving Europe behind in Istanbul and

crossing into Asia on the ancient trading routes.

The classic hippie trailonce led from Istanbul toKathmandu, via Iran, the

opium dens of Afghanistan, theKhyber Pass and the ashrams ofHaridwar and Rishikesh.

Those halcyon days may belong gone, victims to politicalinstability, autocratic Islam andover-commercialisation.

Nevertheless it is still afascinating route to travel anddiscover very different culturesfor the careful traveller. I will,however, only be covering thefirst half of the route up to(and including) Iran.

The first thing any travellermust do is to leavepreconceptions and media-formed opinions at home. Anyimages you may have of

fanatical Islamists andanti-Western vitriol will beimmediately shattered by thelegendary Middle Easternhospitality.

The Iranians have a saying:meihmun habib-e khoda, whichmeans “the guest is a gift fromGod”, which pretty much sumsup the philosophy of the entireregion. And so even if formalcouchsurfing opportunities areless widespread, you are almostguaranteed to be invited intosomeone’s home.

These are goldenopportunities not only to easeyour budget and try somesuperlative local food (despiteIranian cuisine being one of thebest in the world, you will behard-pressed to find anything

Shoestring 19

other than kebabs, pizzas andsandwiches in Iran’s eateries),but, more importantly, tointeract on a more intimatelevel with locals who mayotherwise be reticent to discussmore sensitive issues in publicspaces.

Be aware, however, thatpeople often make such offerswithout being able to afford to,so it is always polite to refuseany initial offers and wait untilthey are repeated several timesbefore accepting so as to givethem the opportunity to backdown and save face.

Once both Turkey and Iranwere dirt cheap, but over thepast decade that has changeddramatically as the economiesof both countries haveexpanded rapidly. Petrol inTurkey costs as much as inWestern Europe and in Iran thegovernment has recentlyslashed subsidies causing it tojump by 600% in one go, havinga knock-on effect on allconsumer prices throughout thecountry.

Nevertheless both are stillvery much affordabledestinations for the budgettraveller.

Hitching is easy in Turkey,with their truckers beinglegendary within the hitchingcommunity, although singlewomen should exercise extracaution.

In Iran it’s not so common,but still doable, although asmall contribution is generallyappreciated. If you’re takingpaid transport then bothcountries provide 3 options:planes, trains and buses. Thelatter form the backbone of

intercity transport in bothcountries and are of a standardthat generally surpasses bustravel in Europe, being clean,quick and comfortable.

Trains are your cheapestoption but the networks arelimited, especially in Turkey,where if you miss your train toBatman (one of the best namesever for a city, and deserving avisit for the comic photoopportunities alone) then you’llhave to wait a couple of daysfor the next one.

As for planes, well I wouldpersonally never recommendthem for internal connections,but if you are pressed for timethen there are numerousbudget airlines within Turkey(such as Pegasus andAnadolujet), but as for Iran,despite the cheap cost ofinternal flights you are playingRussian roulette there asinternational sanctions havestopped Iran’s airlines frombuying spare parts to servicetheir ageing fleet of air-boundrust-buckets. Iran has the worstdomestic air safety record inthe world. You have beenwarned.

Camping is also morefeasible than you mightimagine. In Turkey you willneed to take the usualprecautions when freecamping, discretion being

important so as not to draw toomuch attention, whereas inIran anything goes.

Iranians love the outdoorsand take any and everyopportunity to head to anypiece of greenery they canfind, pitch a tent and startgrilling kebabs. On the otherhand they also like their littleluxuries and so, instead ofheading to the top of amountain, are more likely tohead to their local park; even asuitably grassy roundabout at amajor intersection will do.

No -one bats an eye to thisas it is one of the fewpermissible pleasures in theIslamic Republic. So just gocrazy: pitch your tent in themiddle of a city park in theafternoon and within half anhour you’ll be the epicentre ofa party with kebabs, shishasand little kids running around.The ideal way to break theIranian stereotype.

Turkey is by no means offthe beaten path when it comesto tourism. Its island-studdedcoast, crystal clear waters,secluded beaches and ancientGreek ruins have been a bigdraw for package tourists fordecades. The resort towns ofMarmaris, Antalya and Bodrumare more than used to tourists,especially of the packagevariety; and Istanbul is, quiterightly, one of the world’s greatcities.

Just be warned that Turkeyhas a sneaky dual-pricing policyfor the majority of itsattractions, and so theentrance fees for the main sitesin Istanbul alone can set youback £30 or more.

‘Iranians love the

out - doors and

will take every

opportunity’‘Leave the coast

to the Club Med

and head east’

The Turks were never muchof a sea-faring nation though,and the true gems lie withinthe Anatolian Plateau. TheSeljuk grandeur of Erzurum andDivrigi, hidden Georgian andArmenian churches in thenortheast around the superbKhatchkar mountains, thehospitality of the Kurds inDiyarbakir, the Assyrianmonasteries of Turabdin (wherethey still speak Aramaic, thelanguage spoken by Jesus), andthe towns of Harran and Urfawhere the prophet Abrahamspent some time are allimbibed with millennia ofhistory.

As a general rule thefurther east you head in Turkey,the more exotic the cultures,the more stunning thelandscapes, the fewer thetourists, and, moreimportantly, the cheapereverything becomes. So leavethe coast to the Club Medmasses and head east whereyou will get a chance toexperience the real, traditionalTurkey that still moves to itsown, particular, beat.

Iran, by contrast, receivesbut a trickle of tourists, due tothe dual curses of demonisationby the Western media whichscares off most potentialvisitors and an unhelpfulbureaucracy which makesgetting a visa problematic,though far from impossible.

>>

Opposite: Persian mosque and

madrassas. This page left to

right: Bosphorus Bridge and

Ortakoy mosque. The Lut

desert in Iran. Ani, the medieval

capital of Armenia is one of the

world’s most atmospheric

ruins. ErJe

If you get past these twoobstacles then you’ll find oneof the most welcoming andfascinating countries in theworld. In polls of veterantravellers Iran consistently topsthe list for the hospitability ofits people.

The educated, urbanmiddle-class always surprisefirst-time visitors with theirliberal attitudes and opennessto the West - you’re just aslikely to have a conversationabout Desperate Housewives orLady Gaga’s latest single as thecurrent political situation orthe difference between Sunnisand Shi’ites.

But it’s not just Iran’spresent that fascinates, but itspast as well. Iranians are proudto claim to be the oldestcountry in the world, with anunbroken cultural history goingback over 2500 years that,despite repeated invasions andconquests, has remained intactand resilient throughout it all.

Greeks, Arabs, Mongols andTurks have all conquered Iranthroughout the ages, buteventually it was alwaysPersian culture that ended upgaining the upper hand overthe conquerors and seducing

them into becoming Persianthemselves.

From their architecture totheir poets, by way of theirartists and even theircontemporary film makers,Persia has been the dominantcultural force in western andcentral Asia and has the goodsto prove it (for example, theTaj Mahal is, to all intents andpurposes, a Persian building).

Due to its large size and richhistory, Iran cannot bethoroughly experienced in asingle visit, but there arecertain must-sees. Esfahan’smeidan-e imam square, isconsidered by many to be thegreatest ensemble of Islamicbuildings anywhere; theancient ruins of Persepolis,Pasargadae, Firuzabad andBishapur all near Shiraz offer1000 years of history and canrival almost anything in Greeceor Italy; and the desert townsof Yazd and Kashan give you ataste of the world of 1001Nights.

Whilst these three are thetouristic gems in Iran’s crownthere are so many facets to Iranthat every type of traveller willbe satisfied. For adrenalinejunkies you have the best skiingin the Middle East (and perhapsall of Asia outside of Japan) inthe Alborz mountains less thanan hour from Tehran where youwill not believe that you are inthe Islamic Republic as dresscodes and hejab are blithelyignored, not to mentionwhite-water rafting, ice-

climbing and some spectacularmountains for treks, fromsingle-day trips to seriousweek-long expeditions.

For culture vultures thereare ruins aplenty, sublime silkcarpets, mosques withunbelievably intricate tilemosaics, bazaars to spend daysin, and serene Persian gardens;and even amateuranthropologists will have a ballwith the mosaic of differentethnic groups each with theirown distinct traditions,language and culture, as wellas one of the largestpopulations of nomads in theworld with whom, if you arelucky, you can spend sometime. The biggest problemtravellers have when visitingIran is a surprisingly mundaneone. Due to the country’spariah status Iran’s bankingsector is isolated from theinternational banking network,meaning that credit cards, ATMcards and even money transferservices like Western Union areuseless or ineffective.

Cash is king and you need totake all the money that you willneed for your entire visit alongwith you (of course, there are

‘Iran consistently

tops the list for

the hospitality of

its people’

‘Ethnic groupseach with theirown traditions,language andculture’

ways of using credit cards andwiring money should there bean emergency, but theprocesses are convoluted andpotentially expensive).

A final note, for the moreintrepid, or those with a littlemore time to spare; rather thantravelling directly from Turkeyto Iran (or vice versa) you canadd a detour to your trip;either north through theCaucasus, or south throughIraqi Kurdistan.

The former is potentially amajor trip in its own right, butthe latter is surprisinglyhassle-free with a free, 10-dayvisa at the border. Attractionsinclude some gorgeousmountain scenery, friendlypeople, millennia of history inthe capital Arbil, the intriguinglocal Yezidi religion with itsspiritual centre at Lalish, and asobering visit to Halabja, whereSaddam Hussein used chemicalweapons on his own people.

Plus there is the addedkudos of being able to boastthat you have travelled to Iraq.

20 Shoestring

Clockwise from above: Cappadocian

landscape in Göreme. Christian monastery

Dayro d-Mor Gabriel in Turkey. Ishak Pasha

Sarayi, a spectacular palace built in the

shadow of Mount Ararat. Atatürk’s

mausoleum in Ankara. The Kurdish region

of Hawraman in Iran. ErJe

Shoestring 21

Trekking america on

the northern Trail

Writer Profile

Name: Cornelia KaufmannAge: 24This travel writer Turnedinto a proper globetrotterduring her Gap Year and hashad itchy feet ever since

Going cross-country from Los Angeles to New York City through the northern United

States means you get to see big city lights and wide open spaces while feeling the

wind in your hair. A perfect country for a roatdrip.

22 Shoestring

Big and bright city lights,mile-high skyscrapers andover-crowded subways.

That is America. Wide open spaces in a

multitude of National Parks,the Amish driving horse-drawncarriages and cowboys ridinginto the sunset. This is Americaas well.

So when I ventured into theUnited States for the first time,I wanted to see it all.

Early on a July morning, Itherefore found myself outsidea hotel in Los Angeles about toclimb into a Ford van to startthe TrekAmerica Northern Trail,all the way from L.A. to NewYork City.

We started out with a citytour of Los Angeles, walkeddown Hollywood Boulevard.From there, we continued tothe Universal studios andtheme park for a bit of fun.

Then we hit the 101 andheaded north to Buellton for acampfire and to get to knoweach other a bit better. Aftercelebrating Independence Dayat Marina with all the S’moresand fireworks you’d expect, wemade our way to that hippiecity San Francisco.

I don’t know what it isabout San Fran, but Iimmediately fell in love withthe place. Victorian houses,parks, a colourful and vibratingcommunity and so manycultures interacting. I spenthours wandering through thestreets and taking it all in, fromthe Pier to City LightsBookstore to hippie HaightAshbury.

From the Pacific coast, wefinally headed inland toSequoia National Park andYosemite National Park.

Acclimatising ourselves andwearing our walking boots in,we hiked a short loop throughSequoia. The redwoods grow sobig that you can even walk

through some of them. Wecamped in Yosemite NationalPark - for the first time we hadto lock away food and showergels because bears had beenspotted wandering through thecampsite a few days earlier.

We got even further into thewilderness the next day, whenwe hiked parts of the Mist andJohn Muir trails, throughstreams and past waterfalls ofcrystal clear water. Some of theothers went for a swim in theicy water, some fell asleep inthe shade. I for one justenjoyed the sunshine and freshair.

Leaving the wilderness, weheaded for Nevada and crossedthe first stateline at LakeTahoe. While we would have afew days of hiking and otheroutdoor activities, we spentseveral days on the van as well,just to get from one place tothe next.

We grew so fond of our Ford,that we called it „Harrison“ asit soldiered on through thevastness of Nevada and intoIdaho. All the way, the 14 of usplayed various games and keptourselves busy with origami andsinging.

In Wyoming, we had one lastpit stop before heading backinto the wilderness of theGrand Teton and YellowstoneNational Parks. We saw OldFaithful erupt and hiked alongthe Canyon of the Yellowstone.In Yellowstone we once againhad to lock all food and gelsaway, so that black bearscouldn’t get to them. Survivinga truly ferocious thunderstorm,

Counterclockwise from

top: Inspiration Point in

Grand Teton. Having a

waterfight at Badlands.

Colourful shopfront in

Haight Ashbury. Skyline

of Chicago. Panoramic

view of Yosemite. CoKa

‘We grew so fond

of our Ford, that

we called it

Harrison’

Northern Trail saw us inupstate New York at NiagaraFalls. We got soaked in themist, and then went tocelebrate our survival ofthree weeks on the road. Inorder to all have a drinktogether, we walked acrossthe bridge and into NiagaraFalls, Canada, because someof the group were still under21. The legal drinking age inOntario is 19, and we all hada meal together at the HardRock Café, where wetoasted our survival.

From there, it was only ashort hop down to NewJersey were the tourofficially concluded andwe all made ourseparate ways into theBig Apple. It was a longtrek across the NorthernUnited States, but wegot to see an America,many tourists in the bigcities never will. Aneye - openingexperience.

www.trekamerica.com

Shoestring 23

we spent the next day soakingup at a hot spring in Montanaand even saw our first and onlybear cub just as we wereleaving Bear Country.

You get an appreciation forjust how vast the United Statesare, when you can drive 750 kmin one day and you still havenot left Wyoming. The drive toDevil’s Tower got us muchnearer to where we needed toget to the next day though.Entering South Dakota, wewent straight to the Black Hillsto see Mount Rushmore.

To be honest, I was not tooimpressed. The faces of GeorgeWashington, Thomas Jefferson,Theodore Roosevelt andAbraham Lincoln are muchsmaller than I thought theywould be. So we left thepresidents behind and headedfurther into the Black Hills, toanother famous stone face:Crazy Horse.

Still far from completion,Mount Rushmore will fit intothe Crazy Horse Monument fivetimes once the Lakota warrior’sstatue is finished.

The trek led us further east,past the town of Wall, with itsfamous Wall Drug Store, andinto the Badlands, were wewent out for a walk in 45°C andno shade in sight. It is weird tothink that you can go fromcoastal sequoia forests tosemi-arid land within such ashort time.

That night, after a welldeserved water fight to cooldown, I took part in a bonusactivity I had been waiting for:A sunset ride on the ranch we

were staying that night. Luckilyit had cooled down enough andthe light breeze as we werecantering across a plain wasvery refreshing.

So when we found out thatwe would have to spendanother day just driving 750 kmto Albert Lea we were all prettyhappy to escape the heat andwatch the landscape fly past.

We stopped in Mitchell werewe visited the Corn Palace – thefaçade is completely made outof corn – and then we startedovertaking horse - drawncarriages. We had enteredAmish Country at last. Pushingon to Chicago, all of us wereglad to be sleeping in a normalbed again.

The Windy City had much tooffer us, from decent pizzas toa bird’s eye view of the city andLake Michigan from the top ofSears Tower (now known as theWillis Tower). The rest was wellneeded, as was the chance tostretch our legs properly andhave a coffee. After all thehiking and wilderness areas wehad been through over theprevious days it was good to beback in a city and catch up withthe world.

It also gave me theopportunity to go sightseeing,as Chicago had always been onthe list of cities I really wantedto see. Somehow, we hadgotten across most of the USAand the next day, we wererewarded even further whenwe got to spend the evening atCedar Point Amusement Park.

Our last full day on the

Clockwise from top:

Hiking through Badlands

National Park. Bear on the

road in Yellowstone.

Stretching our legs at a

covered bridge. The entire

group fits into a Sequoia

tree at Yosemite. Crazy

Horse Monument in South

Dakota, face and arm

completed. CoKa

‘Mount Rushmore

will fit into Crazy

Horse monument

five times’

‘On our last

day, we walked

across the bridge

and into Niagara

Falls, Canada’

24 Shoestring

In the previous issue of Shoestring, Gio Andollo explained how he put together

a tour of the USA by using fundraising-platform Kickstarter. Now, he is showing us,

that a tour is possible on the strength of Couchsurfing and good mates.

In October 2010 I tapped atalented friend andcolleague, Lauren Rogers, to

design the promotional posterfor the impending Eagles &Snowbirds Winter Tour 2010.

"I don't really have any greatideas for what I want. Probablysomething cartoon-y, featuringbirds (eagles at least) andpossibly old people on thebeach?"

For the past few weeks I'dkept busy organizing this tourwith a couple Florida natives,Noah and Amber Eagle - theformer a young singersongwriter who dons astrumming mandolin, sharpwit, and great sense ofhumour; and his older sister, afree spirit and perpetual smile,volunteered herself and hervehicle to drive us aroundbetween Thanksgiving andChristmas.

And I, a singer songwriter,busker, activist, andperformance artist based inNew York City - I was thesnowbird.

I had met the Eagles a fewmonths prior via couchsurfingas I planned my summer tour.Amber brightly offered to hosta show at her house in CocoaBeach, FL, which turned out tofeature both me and Noah, thetwo of us having comparableDIY sensibilities.

So when I set out to find aFlorida-based tour partner -someone who would play livingrooms, thrift stores, andfireside shows, someone whowould couch surf, dumpsterdive, busk, and/or shareminimal expenses with methroughout our journey - Noahwas a shoe-in!

As we began booking showsfor late November and most ofDecember, we hoped to play asmany as twenty southeasternUS cities within three weeksand a fluorescent orange Dodge

Neon. So there was no tamingour excitement as we lookedover our 24 city itinerary,sharing vegan pastries at thevenue just hours before ourtour kickoff show in Orlando.

The legwork - booking,fund-raising, couch searching -was largely behind us; up aheadwas the open road and nearly amonth of adventure.

We had raised funds viaKickstarter, an online platformfor creative people, with theobjective of piecing together atour documentary.

We hoped to explore analternative world wheremoney, power, and privilegeare not the chief aims, achie-ved by violence and (ironically)apathy; but instead to docu-ment a DIY movement markedby generosity, hospitality,peace, and responsibility.

We could useCouchSurfing.org to find freelodging. We could seek out thehelp of remote musicians to setup small shows with localsupport in distant towns. TheKickstarter fund - raisingplatform itself would enablefriends and fans to financiallysupport our mission directly.

And we could make our owncontribution by playing freeshows (donations encouraged)all around the country, givingaway our recorded music witha smile, sharing meals with ourhosts, washing sinkfuls ofdishes, and capturing all theaction on video.

So we kept the camera

‘An alternative

world where

money, power

and privilege are

not chief aims’

Playing musical gigs

while touring on a budget

rolling as we talked with theabove people, ate local food,listened to those remotemusicians, danced aroundcampfires, and engaged in allkinds of other shenanigans.

All in all, the tour was greatfun! We three travellersbecame great friends and mademany more along the way.There was only one city wherewe had trouble securing lodging(so we spent the night jumpingon hotel beds in Middle ofnowhere, Tennessee) and all ofour scheduled shows went offwithout a hitch (or at least nohitches worth remembering).

Still, there were lessons -profound existential truths - tobe learned and still morequestions to be asked.

We learned that folks in post- industrialized societies likeours seem to have developedunhealthy, even counter-productive, dependencies ontechnology.

From day one we battledwith devices that anyone witha "smart phone" would considerobsolete - a digital camcorderand comparatively outdated PClaptop - even though thesesame gadgets would have beengroundbreaking only, say, adecade ago.

We found them to beunrelentingly distressing yettotally necessary to completethe promised Kickstarterdocumentary. Perhaps wewould not have struggled somuch, perhaps we'd have donejust fine, with more up-to-dategadgets.

But then where would thiscycle of obsolescence,innovation, and consumptionend? And is it environmentally,financially, or even socio-economically sustainable? Arewe only digging societal gravesfor ourselves and for those whoslave over our consumer goodsin developing countries? And,ultimately, who even cares tolearn about this world wesought to document?

On the tour we saw that the"real world" we live in day-to-day is either ambivalentto, or simply not-yet-ready forthe subject of ourdocumentary.

Otherwise CouchSurfing,freeganism, and busking(playing music publicly fordonation) would not be thekinds of marginal side showactivities that they tend to bein today's culture.

Moreover people wouldsupport DIY music and artists.

It was a great shame thatmany of our scheduled showswere so poorly attended, thatNoah and I played ourcherished music night afternight to only two or three otherpeople, Amber included.

It was also a huge struggleto raise money via Kickstarter,even though we offered greatrewards and planned to playfree shows in the cities wheremost of our supporters werelocated.

It is doubtful that we wouldhave reached our all - or -nothing goal without anincredible donation from onefriend who could not come toany of the shows and wantedno rewards in return.

The questions againcropped up. Was theresomething we did wrong orjust too little? Why wasn’tfree a good-enough pitch?What would it take to garnersupport for DIY music and art?What would it take toawaken the imaginations andpassions of others? And howcould we be the change wesought in the world?

Even six months later Icontinue to wrestle withthese questions and learnthese truths. They areamong the most importantquestions we can askourselves and each other.

As for me, I refuse to letthe questions go unasked.I’ll make videos, write songsand blogs, plan DIY tourafter DIY tour, and other-wise bust my hump to bringthese issues to the fore ofour collectiveconsciousness, so thatLauren’s vision for our tourposter will be the perfectrepresentation of whatwe’d set out to do on theEagles & Snowbirds Tour.She suggested “a picture ofsome old people enjoyingthe beach and then thisgiant roaring eagle swoopsdown at them.“

Shoestring 25

‘What would it

take to awaken

the imaginations

and passions of

others?’

All photos: On the

Eagles & Snowbirds

tour with Gio Andollo

and Noah Eagle,

playing gigs in front

of live audiences and

capturing every move

for a Kickstarter

video documentary

(GiAn).

26 Shoestring

Writer Profile

Name: Sonja KaufmannAge: 20This German girl took a breakbetween school and universityto travel to North andCentral America

Pura Vida, Costa Rica!

When I came back frommy trip to Nevada andCalifornia (page 14) my

mission for this year “find outwhat you want to study” wasalready completed.

But with still 11 months togo until I could finally start tostudy geophysics, I did aninternship in a project for FairTrade in Düsseldorf and decidedthat I should go abroad again todo some volunteer work.

I had a look through acouple of brochures oforganizations which offer allkind of projects in differentcountries and finally decided tovolunteer in a project for seaturtle protection. I wanted togo in May, so there was more orless no other choice than CostaRica, because only there startsthe turtle season in May.

So I booked my flights andstarted my trip on the 20th ofApril 2011.

On the 1st of May mySpanish class started, until thenI had some time to travelthrough Costa Rica. TheSpanish class was part of theorganizations programme, itwas good because I never hadSpanish in school, but I am notthat much into languages and I

somehow managed to travelthrough the country for 10 dayswithout a Spanish word exceptfor “Hola” and “Gracias”.

During this 5-day-class Istayed in a host family inBarrio Jesus, Heredia, about 15km from San Jose. On 8th May,my project finally started and Idrove with several othervolunteers to Moin, a smallvillage close to Puerto Limon,the most important harbour ofCosta Rica located on theCaribbean coast.

The project was calledParadero Eco Tours andcombined a rescue center forall kinds of animals with theturtle protection at the beachright in front of it.

I didn’t know we would alsohave the chance to take care ofother animals but I was theluckiest person alive because Ihad the opportunity to cuddlewith my favourite animal: asloth!

The rescue center takescare of animals which wereabused, ill, left behind or heldas pets in unnaturalenvironments. There weremonkeys, parrots, raccoons,armadillos, sloths, a deer, dogs,owls and some animals I don’teven know what they are.

The turtle project tookplace in the evenings and atnight because that’s the timewhen they come to the beachand nest.

The beach in Moin is verylong, so we walked about 6 kmeach night to find Leatherbackturtles, the biggest turtlesalive. It is quite easy to findturtle tracks, they look like atractor track in the sand. Whenwe found a turtle we measuredit and filled out a form toremember the size, marks (alot of shark bites on the

Saving sea turtles on the beaches of Caribbean Costa Rica is a major preservationproject and for Shoestring contributor Sonja Kaufmann the participation had theadded bonus of travelling through Central America and cuddling sloths.

‘I managed to

travel around

without a word

of Spanish’

Background: National Park

Zapatilla Island, Bocas,

Panama. Top: Sieving sand in

the hedgery in Moin. Above:

The toucan Sonja fed every

morning. Below: The Catholic

church in Santa Barbara,

Heredia (SoKa)

flippers) and the tags. If a turtle didn’t have tags,

we gave it one so that theturtle can be recognized again.The Leatherbacks are huge, weonly measured the shell whichwas in average about 155 cmlong and 115 cm wide. Theshell is made out of leather sothat the turtle is able to divedeeper without a burstingshell.

The reason why the turtlesneed protection is that theMoin beach is full of poachers.There are hundreds of menwalking down the beach andhiding in the bushes to wait forturtles at night.

They take the eggs and sellor eat them. Some people evenstill believe in eggs as an aphro-disiac.

When we walked at night weusually went with police whosometimes even arrestedpoachers but usually they justmade sure that we get the eggsto relocate them.

The nests we found or theeggs that we got taken frompoachers, needed to berelocated, because the turtletracks were way too obvious,poachers would always findthem.

So we learned how to dig anest in the sand. It has to be

about 70 cm deep, so you makea tunnel and a cave at the endof it which is big enough to fitin about 100 eggs as big as atennis ball. Afterwards weneeded to hide the nest withdry sand and then we could justhope that no poacher watchedus.

But even the police iscorrupt sometimes and younever know if the officer youare walking with might be apoacher in his free time.

There is still a lot of work tobe done in Moin, the turtleproject started about one yearago and is doing as much aspossible to protect theLeatherbacks.

The days at the rescuecenter were quite relaxedwhen we had a lot ofvolunteers. After breakfast wecleaned the cages and fed theanimals. I usually took care ofthe toucans and the deer“Bambi” in the morning.

Cutting the food for theanimals is like a lesson aboutexotic fruits. They get mangos,papayas, plantains, all kind ofmelons and lemons and somemore. My favourite part of theday was feeding the babies inthe evenings. There were fourbaby sloths, four babyraccoons, three babyarmadillos, an opossum and“Itchy”, a very cute animal noone knew the name of.

The sloths were the loveliestanimals I ever worked with.They are chilled, but they canbe fast if they want to althoughit takes all their power andthey have to rest afterwards. Inthe rescue center were mostly

if you are interested in going to costa rica to save turtles or cuddle

sloths you should check out the project sonja went to:

www. costaricasanctuary.org

‘The reason whythe turtles needprotecting is thehigh amount ofpoachers’

two-toed slothsand three three-toed which weremy favourite onesbecause of theirsmiling faces.

“Elvis” and“Priscilla” lovedto be carried aroundbecause theywere really usedto humanswhich makes itimpossible torelease them.

If there wasnothing to do inthe project, wevolunteers wentto the beach or toLimon to go shop-ping and check ourmails on theinternet.

We had twodays off each week,so it was possiblefor us to make sometrips to PuertoViejo, San Jose oracross the borderinto Panama.

The only thing Iwas not really happywith was theorganization I wentwith. If you wouldlike to do volunteerwork in Central orSouth America, youshould try to organizeit by yourself.

My organizationtook $20 each nightand included 3 mealsper day, but theproject, which reallyneeds the money, gotonly $12.

It was a reallygood experience tovolunteer in thisproject, workingwith these exotic animals issomething I will never forget. Ialso found a really good friendin this project and a lot of nicepeople I would like to meetagain.

Shoestring 27

Clockwise from left:

Almirante, Panama, seen

from the water taxi on the

way to Bocas del Toro

(SoKa); Pryscilla, the

three-toed sloth (HeFi);

Sonja on Red Frog Beach,

Bocas Islands, Panama

(SoKa); Race against the

clouds to the rim of

volcano Poas (SoKa);

Coral Cay boat trip Bocas

Islands and Iguana on the

Pacific Coast (SoKa)

28 Shoestring

Being a Willing Worker

on organic FarmsMany travellers try a different working experience

by becoming a farm hand for a while. Wwoofing

is popular worldwide, and offers experiences

from fruit-picking to sheep shearing.

How does it work?The Wwoofing network has listsof all farms currentlyparticipating in the scheme.Some might be allotments andpersonal gardens, some arecommercial farming properties.

The lists usually come in theform of a book, that lists allproperties and the help theyneed. Wwoofers pick out whichstations they would like to workat and call the owner directlyto apply and set dates.

How long does it last?Wwoofing started as a weekendoppportunity. Most farms havea minimum stay of 2 days, someprefer several weeks. This is upto the volunteers and hosts towork out between them.

How much can you earn?Nothing. Wwoofing is voluntary.Wwoofers work for their roomand bord, so that there are noadditional expenses. Somehosts might offer you insightsinto a new skill, or offer a bitof pocket money as a reward,but this is not the norm andshould not be expected.

What skills are needed?Farming skills are alwayswelcome, and some farmsrequire a certain degree ofhorsemanship. A keen interestin organic farming, countryliving or ecologically soundlifestyles is most important. Forextensive work on cattle orsheep stations, a crash coursein farming might help.

National organisationsArgentina, Australia, Austria,Bangladesh, Belize, Brazil,Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada,Chile, China, Costa Rica, CzechRepublic, Denmark, Ecuador,Estonia, France, Germany,Ghana, Greece, Guatemala,Hawaii, Hungary, India, Ireland,Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan,Korea (South), Lithuania,Mexico, Moldova, Nepal, NewZealand, Nigeria, Philippines,Poland, Portugal, Romania,Serbia, Sierra Leone, Spain, SriLanka, Sweden, Switzerland,Taiwan, Turkey, Uganda, UnitedKingdom, United States OfAmerica.

There are independentorganisations as well.

WEbsitEs

Wwoofing Network

www.wwoof.org

Wwoof International

www.wwoofinternational.org

Wwoofing in EU

www.wwoof.eu

Horse yards on Leconfield

Farm, Australia (CoKa)