3 Islands You NEVER Want To Visit

by Lindsay Shapka in , , ,

White sand, palm trees, gentle breezes and sparkling blue water — who wouldn't want to spend time on a tropical island?! After the long, cold winter I just lived through, I would take a hot island escape in a second.

It turns out however, that not every island in this world is a so-called "paradise" destination.  Here are three islands that I guarantee you won't want to go anywhere near.

A small patch of trees is the only vegetation on Clipperton Island (source)

A small patch of trees is the only vegetation on Clipperton Island (source)

1. Clipperton Island

This tiny, ring-shaped atoll sits about 1,000 km off the southwest coast of Mexico. It is covered is hard, pointy coral and is battered on all sides by the Pacific Ocean and steady winds. A few palm trees are its only vegetation, there is no fresh water, the island reeks of ammonia, the lagoon around it is devoid of fish (but FULL OF SHARKS) and contains some deep basins including "the bottomless hole"  that has acidic water at its base. 

If this isn't enough to convince you to stay away, the terrible history of the island will.

Having changed hands frequently (it has belonged to the French, US and Mexico), in the early 1900s, Mexico established a colony there, delivering supplies by boat regularly. That is until the Mexican Revolution broke out and the deliveries stopped. Slowly, the inhabitants started dying until all that remained was one man and a handful of women and children. The man decided he was "king" of the island and started raping and murdering the women until they turned on him and he was killed. The last four survivors were rescued soon after, and no one (other then the odd castaway) has occupied the island since. 

One of the few photos of the inhabitants of North Sentinel Island (source)

One of the few photos of the inhabitants of North Sentinel Island (source)

2. North Sentinel Island

Part of the 572 islands in the Bay of Bengal between Myanmar and Indonesia, this island was formally a part of the Republic of India. That is until it was declared "closed" in order to preserve the distinct culture of the people living there. 

For thousands of years, this island has been home to a small tribe called the Sentinels who have violently resisted contact by outsiders. Completely untouched, the inhabitants kill anyone who tries to get near the island, driving off all outsiders with spears and arrows. 

There are estimated to be anywhere between 50-400 of them living on the island that is roughly the size of Manhattan, but because the island is so heavily forested, their buildings are not visible, and no one can get near them, there is really no way to know. (Even Google Earth can't penetrate the tree cover to give us a better look at the individuals living here). 

The last documented contact with these mysterious people was in 2006 when Sentinelese archers killed two fisherman who were within range of the island. The archers later drove off, with arrows, the helicopter that was sent to retrieve the bodies. 

Snake Island from above — nobody's crazy enough to get any closer! (source)

Snake Island from above — nobody's crazy enough to get any closer! (source)

3. Ilha de Queimada Grande (Snake Island)

If you are headed to Brazil, I suggest staying as far away as possible from this untouched paradise. Even the Brazilian Navy has forbid anyone from stepping foot on this island because it is so dangerous!

Why?

Because there are between one and five snakes per square metre living on the island.

And, I'm not talking harmless garter snakes. The palms and sandy beaches of this paradise are populated by a unique species of pit viper called the golden lancehead containing a fast-acting poison that literally melts human flesh. 

Snakes win this one. 

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24 Travel Quotes to Give You A Little Inspiration

by Lindsay Shapka in ,

“The great difference between voyages rests not with the ships, but with the people you meet on them”
—Amelia E. Barr

“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends”
—Maya Angelou

“Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before”
—Dalai Lama

“Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, dreams, conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is nonexistent”
—Jim Jarmusch

“Travel is rebellion in its purest form. We follow our heart. We free ourselves of labels. We lose control willingly. We trade a role for reality. We love the unfamiliar. We trust strangers. We own only what we can carry. We search for better questions, not answers. We truly graduate. We, sometimes, choose never to come back.”
—Author Unknown

“Anything that gets the blood racing is probably worth doing.”
—Hunter S. Thompson

“Travel often; getting lost will help you find yourself.”
—The Holstee Manifesto

“Among travelers, talking about the past usually meant talking about the just passed. The expiration date on old experiences came quickly. What mattered most was where you were going next.”
— from A House in The Sky by Amanda Lindhout & Sara Corbett

“Great travel writing consists of equal parts curiosity, vulnerability and vocabulary. It is not a terrain for know-it-alls or the indecisive. The best of the genre can simply be an elegant natural history essay, a nicely writ sports piece, or a well-turned profile of a bar band and its music. A well-grounded sense of place is the challenge for the writer. We observe, we calculate, we inquire, we look for a link between what we already know and what we’re about to learn. The finest travel writing describes what’s going on when nobody’s looking.”
—Tom Miller

“I don’t want to earn my living; I want to live.”
—Oscar Wilde

“Don’t wait until you know who you are to get started”
—from Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon

“If you are willing to do something that might not work, you’re closer to being an artist”
—Seth Godin

“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers. The ones who see things differently. While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people that are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones that do.”
—Steve Jobs

“Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not leave you astray ”
—Rumi

“We travel not to escape life, but for life to not escape us.”
—Anonymous

“It is a terrible thing, I think, in life to wait until you’re ready. I have this feeling now that actually no one is ever ready to do anything. There is almost no such thing as ready. There is only now. And you may as well do it now. Generally speaking, now is as good a time as any.”
—Hugh Laurie

“If you do nothing unexpected, nothing unexpected happens.”
—Fay Weldon

“It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.”
—Paulo Coelho

“I would rather die of passion than of boredom.”
—Vincent van Gogh

“To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.”
—Joseph Chilton Pearce

“I used to think I was the strangest person in the world but then I thought, there are so many people in the world, there must be someone just like me who feels bizarre and flawed in the same ways I do. I would imagine her, and imagine that she must be out there thinking of me too. Well, I hope that if you are out there and read this and know that, yes, it’s true I’m here, and I’m just as strange as you”
—Frida Kahlo

“We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be.”
—Kurt Vonnegut from Mother Night, 1961

“Self-doubt can be an ally. This is because it serves as an indicator of aspiration. It reflects love, love of something we dream of doing, and desire, desire to do it. If you find yourself asking yourself (and your friends), “Am I really a writer? Am I really an artist?” chances are you are. The counterfeit innovator is wildly self-confident. The real one is scared to death.”
—Steven Pressfield from The War of Art

“If we were meant to stay in one place, we’d have roots instead of feet, he said.”
—Rachel Wolchin

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Ocean Safety 101: How to Stay Safe in The Water

by Lindsay Shapka in ,

I realized after taking my 20-something-year-old friend to swim in the ocean for the first time —  and she screamed, jumped and came running at me the moment she saw a miniature crab — that not everyone understands that the ocean is more than just a really big pool.

Not only is it full of living creatures, but the water itself is mysterious, unpredictable and can be really dangerous if you aren't smart when you are out in it. 

Here are a few ocean safety tips to keep you safe when hitting the beach (other then the obvious like wearing sunscreen and staying hydrated, of course).

Watch out for sleeper waves

These waves are the ones that crash further up on the beach than normal and can knock over small children, or people who don't have steady footing, and pull you out to sea. Be careful when walking near the water line along the beach.

When swimming be careful of rip currents

Rip currents are swift rivers of backwash that surge through the surf (the choppy, foamy or discoloured water near the shore). If you are caught in one, DO NOT swim against it. Swim parallel to the beach until you are free of the current, and then head for shore. 

Stay away from rocks, driftwood and piers

Like icebergs, it is hard to tell how big the rock is underneath the water until you have scraped your hands and knees on it. Unexpected currents and large waves can push you into these obstacles as well, causing a lot of damage.

Watch out for reefs

Reefs are pretty easy to spot, they are usually a dark shadow in otherwise clear or blue water. You can also spot them by the waves that usually break over them. Not only can you risk damaging the fragile ecosystem if you step, kick, or otherwise knock into a reef, but a scrape can cause a nasty infection. 

Stay alert for fish and other critters

Jellyfish are usually easy to spot, as are small crabs that are more afraid of you then you are of them. Shuffle your feet when entering the water if you are somewhere that has stingrays present, and never go in the water with open wounds — no need to tempt the sharks! 

When in doubt, ask a lifeguard

The lifeguards are aware of currents, tides, and any type of critters that might be present on the beach. If there are not lifeguards on the beach that you are headed to, do a bit of research ahead of time or, if nothing else, make a conscious decision to be alert and aware of your surroundings.

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Reads For The Road: A House In The Sky by Amanda Lindhout & Sara Corbett

by Lindsay Shapka in , ,

I had heard that Amanda Lindhout's story A House In The Sky was a must-read (it has been hailed in Vogue, The Globe and Mail, Outside, The New York Times, and was a part of Oprah's Winter Reading List), but I was not prepared for the incredibly well written, shocking, heart-wrenching test of humanity that I would find within the book's pages. 

I don't know if it is because she is from a town only a few hours away from where I grew up, but the way that Amanda writes about travelling (especially travelling solo as a female) feels like she has put into words every unarticulated thought that I have had about my own journeys.

That is until she describes being kidnapped. 

“People would say to me all the time, “It must be so hard to travel by yourself as a woman.” But I was finding that it was easier. I was sure about it. If you smiled, if you showed people that you were happy to be there, you were met most often with warmth. The swindlers backed off easily. The tuk-tuk drivers and beggars eased up and became more human, maybe even a bit protective.”
— p 55 from "A House In The Sky" by Amanda Lindhout & Sara Corbett

Yup, I said kidnapped.

While working as a struggling freelance journalist, Amanda and her friend Nigel made their way into Somalia. On a trip outside of the capital city to take photos at a refugee camp, they were both kidnapped by a rouge group of men who immediately demanded ransom from their parents and from their countries, neither of whom who had any money to pay. 

Kept hostage for OVER A YEAR, this is the story of what she went through, how she stayed alive through horrific abuse, how she managed to retain her humanity, and how she was saved.

A warning though, once you get started, you won't want to put it down.

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You Know You're A Traveller When...

by Lindsay Shapka in ,

There are people who travel and then there are people who TRAVEL. I'm talking to those of you that have been jumping on and off planes solo before you were legally allowed too, those that have stayed in a $2 bed, on the floor of an airport, and in one of the nicest hotels all in the same city... YOU know who you are. 

You know you're a diehard traveller when...

  • You don't need to get any immunizations before going on a trip because you have already had ALL of them (more than once).

  • Unless you are going trekking in the Amazon, you ignore the traveller health clinic's warning to take Malaria pills because you have tried them before and have decided that the hot flashes, vivid dreams, and flu-like symptoms aren't worth it. You pack mosquito spray instead.

  • You have more visas in your passport than in your wallet.

  • You always have mini shampoos, lotions, and toothpaste in your medicine cabinet just in case.

  • Every time you make a large purchase at home, you compare it to how many nights you could spend in Rome, or how far you could travel by RyanAir in Europe. (With the price of my rent per month, I could live, eat, travel, shop, and party in Thailand for a month... sigh.)

  • You know where all the plug-ins near comfortable chairs are located in all of the biggest airports (and chuckle as you walk by the suckers who are sitting on the floor to charge their computers.)

  • You lust over luggage.

  • Ever time you buy something new, you picture yourself wearing it on the streets of Paris.

  • When you've committed to a trip, it is all you can think about, talk about and shop for — even if it is still six months away.

  • Your walls are covered in maps and your bookshelf is overflowing with travel books.

  • Most of your friends on Facebook are from other countries — as are most of your photos.

  • You relate more to the question "Where have you been?" than "What do you do?"

  • You always have duct tape and a swiss army knife close by

  • You look forward to eating airplane food

Got any more? Share them in the comments section below! 

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Travel Tales: Alone In Rome On My First Trip Abroad (Or, How I Awoke My Inner Traveller)

by Lindsay Shapka in ,

In January of 2004, I found myself alone in a hotel in Rome — my very first time alone in a foreign country. 

I was about to start a semester of university in Cortona, Italy and did not know a single soul who was going to be attending school with me. Not only was it my first time travelling alone, but it was my first time travelling in a country where few people spoke my language.

There were no smartphones, few students had laptops, wifi was not an option, my camera used film (no seeing what your photos looked like until you developed them!), and social media sites didn't exist. If I wanted contact with home, I had to buy a phone card and hope that the call would connect. And if someone from home wanted to contact me? They couldn't. 

This is the story of my first few days alone in Rome — taken from my journal and my memories — that have helped empower and shape my travels ever since. 

DAY 1 — I'm a huge wimp

It is six in the morning and the clouds are turning pink outside my window. I can just barely see the moon through the mist.

This is probably going to be the only view I see today.

I am terrified to leave my room. 

My hands are shaky and I can't stop crying. It would be easier if I could have a good, all-out sob and be done with it, but instead my tears are silent ones that steadily pour from the corners of my eyes.

I am scared and ashamed of it. 

Four floors above the foreign streets, all I can see is rooftops. Eerie, lonely rooftops with weathervanes standing out against the rising sun. There is no sign of life at this level and no sound of it either. 

My only consolation is the television that I have kept on all night turned to the only English station that I can find — a never-ending loop of BBC news. 

My room is a shoebox, not large enough for Italian leather boots though, more fit for bargain children's shoes. The door opens into my tiny bed, a closet, and a desk. The bathroom is almost bigger then the room, but it is clean and has a window with a nice view of, well... rooftops.

What was I thinking?!

I have never been outside of my country alone before and here I am on an entirely different continent, alone in a strange hotel!

On top of the emotional goodbyes I made to family and friends just a few hours ago, I have lost and found both my bag and passport already, which, now that i think about it, may be part of the reason for the shaking. 

DAY 2 — Feeling brave(ish)

This morning I am determined to leave the hotel.

I wake up early, shower and go up to the breakfast room on the eighth floor. The continental breakfast looks more like dessert — platters heaped with pastries and strong black coffee bolster my confidence (or at least give me a much needed energy boost).

About thirty minutes later, taking a deep breath, I take my first step out of the hotel and into the cobblestone streets of Rome. It is sunny and surprisingly warm for a January day which helps life my mood almost immediately.

I am walking along a street that borders the ancient city wall and am so busy looking at the map and trying to figure out where I am that it is there before I can prepare myself for it — the Colosseum.

I don't know why, but I can't hold back my emotions and without warning I burst into tears. It suddenly hits me how real the world is and I get a sense of how real I am for being a part of it. This incredible part of history is not on a slide or in a textbook, but directly in front of me.

I sink down on a pile of old stones in a park across the street from the massive monument and just look at it for awhile while I let the tears run down my face. 

Slowly coming back to reality, I take a few pictures (and a few deep breaths). The true blue sky is the perfect backdrop and the morning sun is carving deep shadows into the ancient stone and revealing secrets that can only be seen at that certain time of day. It is early on a Sunday morning, and there is hardly a soul in sight.

I cross the street, walk right up to it and touch it.

I touched it!

The rock is rough. Worn from battles, wars, erosion, the subway cars that pass below it, the smart-cars that pass beside it, and the millions of us that reach out and touch it in our need to confirm that it is really there. 

In a trance, hardly breathing, I walk around the outside of this incredible piece of history, letting my fingers create an invisible trail on its ancient surface. 

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .

The sun is shining on the facade of the Trevi Fountain, but where I sit is in shade. The once pure white marble seems to glow in all the right places, while the deep cuts in the statues are in perfect shadow. The water is loud, blocking out the noise of the modern world as it falls majestically over the strategically carved and well worn caverns.

It is perfect.

I could not have asked for a better day. I have spent the last few hours wandering from the Colosseum to the Roman Forum, through twisting winding streets to the Pantheon and finally to this famous fountain. 

Though it is one of the most popular tourist sites in Rome, there are only a handful of people milling around on this January day. Some are posing for photos while others are throwing coins over their shoulders into the clear water to ensure their return. Like me, some are just sitting and observing while pigeons mill around our feet and men try to sell us useless trinkets. 

An image projected on a screen in art class is nothing compared to the experience of the real thing... nothing. 

For the first time since boarding the plane back home, I feel quiet, calm... relaxed. 

Ahhhh Roma...

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .

As my new bible, Lonely Planet Italy, predicted, I am drawn to the windows along the streets as much as I am to the historic monuments. Seriously, a girl with a shoe fetish should NOT be allowed to walk alone in Rome! I have managed to stay out of the stores today, but it is only my first day out — with so much delightful temptation (and no one to stop me) my plan to save money isn't going to last long. 

Other then realizing that travelling alone is not as scary as I thought, I have also discovered that in order to eat I will have to learn a few more phrases in Italian.

I figured out the hard way that I need to know more than "Ciao" in order to get a sandwich...

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