Bon Voyage

We're finally (yet sadly) back for our final post!!!

Check out our video below, where we are interviewed about our favourite country in this blog that we'd go to next, our favourite experiences/places in the country we posted about and our contributions to this blog! You finally get to put faces to our previous posts!

We hope our posts have given you all some really fun and unique travel locations, ideas and info!

Comment where you are off to next and if you are travelling to any of the countries we posted about!

Bon Voyage✈️

The Travel Buddiez

Thanks For Travelling With Us by Brittany

 SCHEDULED FOR TUESDAY MORNING
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Yasou! Welcome back to our adventure in Greece, though, sadly this is our final post! If you missed my last post on the inexpensive food you can find in Greece (which deserves a whole post), you can quickly catch up by clicking HERE! An amazing thing I did in Greece on my school tour last year was go on a one day island cruise. The scenery was beautiful and the weather was too. All the islands had nice stores and local foods which were great and it was good to put back into the local Greek economy. 

Picture I toke while on the boat on the one day island cruise last year

My favourite island we visited was one called Hydra which is located relatively close to Athens. According to Hop In Sightseeing Services website (I am almost certain this is the company we used for the cruise) "Hydra island has been inhabited since pre historic times, and some believe it was the home of the hydra- the horrible monster Heracles killed, thus its name.", sourced at: https://www.hopin.com/hopin-tours/hydra-island/, highlighting the rich heritage of the island which is defiantly felt when you visit not only by the people but the scenery it self. The amazing thing about Hydra is how it has held on to its history, there are no cars used on the island, the only modes of transport are walking or by donkey, you can see an image of them shown below. 

Picture I toke on the island Hydra last year

Hydra is a beautiful Greek island, with the town surrounded by small homes and large mansions, which are close to the monasteries (building where religious live, ie monks or nuns) which all areas of Greece have. Monasteries are usually high in the mountainous areas close by so to get to them either walking or by donkey is used. 

The video you can watch below highlights the wonderful Island Hydra which is clearly somewhere you defiantly should visit if you travel Greece!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYxbEHrcU8g

I hope you enjoyed our tour of Greece and I've convinced you to include Greece on your next great adventure! Even though this may be my final post, you can always check out my previous posts, Cheap Eats by Brittany, Architectural Genius by Brittany and Greece by Brittany.

On behalf of the Travel Buddiez team, myself (Brittany) for Greece, Tori for Norway, Akash for India, Poorya for Iran and Josh for Vietnam and Cambodia, we want to say a big thank you to all those who have followed our blog! We hope you experience the wonders of Greek history, be below the northern lights in Norway, walk through the Taj Mahal in India, be amazed by the culture in Iran and enjoy the serenity of Vietnam and Cambodia as we have and that our blog helps you find the things you want to do and experience when you travel the world!

Make sure you check out our twitter page to stay updated and find links to our posts! Also, stay tuned here because our very last post will be our video blog, which you sure do not want to miss!

Brittany☺

Hanoi by Josh

Hanoi

The city of Hanoi is a hive of constant activity and vibrant culture, abuzz with the whizzing of commuters on their tuk-tuk and scooters. The city boasts a wide variety of restaurants and bars where you can experience the unique south-east Asian flavours and foods of Vietnam. With a population of over 7.5 million, the city is always energetic and unlike that of Sydney, with the streets a controlled chaos of everything from bicycles and scooters to tour busses.

The city also boasts many cites to visit, including those such as Hoan Kiem Lake, a centralised lake which houses the Ngoc Son temple in its centre. For an in depth immersion into the culture of Vietnam, a short trip the old-town provides an authentic experience into the hustle and bustle of the lives of those who live in Hanoi, as well as offering the opportunity to barter with the different market stalls.

For the history buffs there is also the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, which provides a living part of history of the city of Vietnam and Vietnam itself. The large grey-stoned building proudly boasts it Soviet influence, whilst the contents, including the preserved body of Ho Chi Minh.

The city is definitely a must see, don't limit yourself to just the one city, as there are many other unique areas such as Hoi An which are a must see also.

To view my previous posts, follow the links below:

Angkor Wat: https://travelbuddiez.blogspot.com.au/2017/04/angkor-wat.html

Pnom Khulen National Park: https://travelbuddiez.blogspot.com.au/2017/04/phnom-kulen-national-park.html 

Halong Bay: https://travelbuddiez.blogspot.com.au/2017/05/halong-bay.html

Golden Temple by Akash

Golden Temple

The Golden temple also known as Sri Harmandir Sahib or Sri Darbar Sahib is the holiest Gurdwara of Sikhism, located in the city of Amritsar, India. It was founded by the fourth Sikh guru, Guru Ram Das in 1577. The fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan later designed the Harmandir Sahib to be built in the centre of this holy tank, and installed the Adi Granth.

The Golden Temple

Harmandir Sahib

As it can be clearly seen from the picture above and the name itself a big portion of the temple is made of Gold and precious stones. The Golden temple is also the largest free kitchen in the world serving vegetarian food to about 100,000 – 300,000 people every day regardless of their race, colour or religion.

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In case you missed my previous post follow the link below:

https://travelbuddiez.blogspot.com.au/2017/05/taj-mahal-by-akash.html

Trolltunga, Norway by Tori

Trolltunga is one of those places that 100% needs to be visited at one point in your life.

Trolltunga is basically a large slab of rock that sticks out about 700m above lake Ringedalsvatnet and the surrounding canyon. The cliff also stands over 1, 100 meters above sea-level creating the most breath-taking views.

The large granite formation has been moulded and sculpted by nature over the past 10, 000 years and is only available to visit from about mid-June to mid-September.

The hike to the cliff is around 10-12 hours long and covers 23 kilometres but is still frequently visited by thousands of tourists even though there is little to no safety railings; there are a few small metal hooks have been placed into the rock to act as footholds.

Since my trip was during the cooler winter months, I wasn't able to make this journey but will certainly be apart of my travels in the near future.

- Tori

This brings us to the end of our glance into Norway! Also check out the other Norway posts at Introduction to Norway , Aurora borealis, and  Norwegian culture!

Be the first to see when Travel Buddiez posts an update on our twitter page

My details: Victoria Porreca (44920216)

Taj Mahal by Akash

Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is one of the seven wonders of the world and UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Agra, India. It is representation of love by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan for his favourite wife Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal is an ivory-white marble mausoleum and is the centre piece of a 42-acre complex which includes a mosque and a guest house, and is set in formal gardens bounded on three sides by a fortified wall.

The great Taj Mahal while passing through the entry gates

The Taj Mahal was originally commissioned in 1632 and was essentially completed in 1643 but work continued on other phases of the project for another 10 years. The cost to build the beautiful mausoleum was 32 million rupees at that time which roughly translates to 52 billion rupees (over US $820) in present day. It is believed that every worker’s hands were cut after the construction of this master piece was completed, so that no one could ever build something so iconic.

The Taj Mahal going through restoration

When I visited Taj Mahal it was going through the process of restoration, which is kind of maintenance. Due to it being so iconic and old it goes through restoration process often. Visiting Taj Mahal was surely one of my greatest experiences as I was stunned by the beauty and the history behind it.

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In case you missed my previous post follow the link below:

https://travelbuddiez.blogspot.com.au/2017/05/mehrangarh-fort-by-akash.html

Iran part 4: Sports by Poorya

Iran

Part 4 : Sports

By Poorya Mahdavi

Sports in Iran like any other country is a huge topic that is followed intensively by all people, with activity's such as soccer, weightlifting, basketball, volleyball, futsal and many other sports. Tehran was the first city to host the Asain games in 1974 out of the whole of West Asia.

In the photo above, my cousins (centre and right) and I (left) are outside the Azadi stadium waiting for the gates to open for everyone to enter to watch the showdown of two of the most popular Iranian soccer teams going head to head in a grand final fixture, the two teams Persepolis (Red) played a team known as Esteghlal FC for the league final, however unfortunately the team we were supporting didnt come out on top and lost the game in the closing moments 1-0, the experience all in all was a great opportunity as I saw first hand how big the sport of soccer was in Iran as the stadium was completely sold out, which was incredible as the Azadi stadium is the worlds forth largest soccer stadium.

Apart from soccer, another sport that is considered very important to many Iranian's, is weight lifting, this is all thanks to a very important man known as Hossein Reza Zadeh, who is regarded as one of the greatest weight lifters of all time, he holds the world record for two types of weight lifting super heavyweight class, first being the clean and jerk and total where he lifted an incredible amount of 263.5 kg, a small youtube video regarding his time as a weight lifter can be found here.

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Incase you missed last weeks blog here is a link for it right here!

Part 1: Introduction

http://travelbuddiez.blogspot.com.au/2017/04/iran-by-poorya.html

Part 2: Architecture

http://travelbuddiez.blogspot.com.au/2017/04/iran-part-2-by-poorya-mahdavi.html

Part 3: Cuisine

https://travelbuddiez.blogspot.com.au/2017/05/iran-part-3-cuisine-by-poorya-mahdavi.html

Cheap Eats by Brittany

Yasou! Glad you are back on our tour of Greece! If you missed my last post you can quickly catch up by clicking HERE! One thing I found most surprising about Greece was how cheap and easy it was to eat there (with out completely knowing the language), especially on the school tour I went on last year. Travelling on my own, without family, obviously meant I was paying so I paid more attention to the money I spent. On the tour we found great food, in small stores and major restaurants that was a lot less expensive than the same meal back home. Making it a lot easier for young travellers, like me and possibly you, to experience the amazing cuisine and most importantly survive there! 

Photo I toke of the low cost of Greece's famous export the 'yeeros'

As seen in the image above at this particular eatery prices ranged from 1.70-4.70€, which is around 2.51-6.94$ here. The price comparison gap between the same meal there and here, is incredibly large, for example, a Chicken Gyros Pita (Chicken Yeeros here) costs a small 2.40€ (around 3.54$), though, the same here, at Gyro Fix in Fivedock, Sydney the pricing ranges from $6-$10 in the equivalent size.

Picture I toke of my order from the same restaurant

Clearly highlighting how cheap and easy it is for travellers to enjoy a meal in Greece as it is almost double, if not majority of the time, more than double here. There are so many beautiful traditional meals you can try in Greece for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert and enjoy every bit, while still being affordable. Defiantly make sure you try a Gyro/Yeeros when you visit, at any time of the day, the chicken Gyro is my personal favourite and also try some traditional Greek Baklava for dessert (I had quite a few on the trip)! Baklava is a wonderful dessert of pastry, nuts and honey syrup and you really won't get enough of it once you try it!

My last baklava in Greece at a dessert bar while on the
 island cruise that I will discuss in my next post

Stay tuned as in my final post I will be taking you on an island cruise and highlight some more places you defiantly should visit, specifically a pretty and beautifully scenic island named Hydra!

Brittany☺

Norwegian Culture by Tori

Welcome back! This week we'll chat about the Norwegian culture and day to day life. Do you want to read about the Aurora borealis first?; read last weeks blog using the links at the end of this post!

The Norwegians live a very care-free, stress-free lifestyle. From taking regular long-weekend vacations up to the ski fields for a family retreat to actual government schemes which stress personal and relaxation time, the Norwegian lifestyle is very comfortable.

They have a range of recreational activities that are usually done as a family unit like bike rides and soccer but many people there are very skilled at long and short distance skiing; not surprising considering the geography and their national sport.

One in particular that we were lucky enough to try out was dog sledding. Dog sledding is literally 5 dogs connected with harnesses and ropes, pulling along a wooden sled which held 2 people; the driver and the passenger. We followed closely behind our guide who led the dogs through the pitch black countryside for around 2 hours.

Dog sledding is a major part of these northern European countries and countries close to the Arctic circle and is still used by people who live in under these same extreme temperatures.

We also got to go out on a small boat a few days later hoping to see some Killer whales. They didn't come up to the surface for very long or very close but we did see glimpses of the whales.

After all this, I can easily say that Norway is such a beautiful and unique place and can't wait to visit again.

- Tori

Don't forget to read other Norway posts and stay updated:
Introduction to Norway 
Aurora borealis

Be the first to see when Travel Buddiez posts an update on our twitter page

My details: Victoria Porreca (44920216)

Halong Bay by Josh

Halong Bay

How long, or should I say Halong, has it been since you last stood in awe of the natural marvel of the location you were in. With Halong Bay, one of the seven natural wonders of the world, any time spent here is sure to be a treat. Many tourists use the boats, ironically known as junk boats, to travel throughout the vast bay area, with many tours offering kayak or canoe hires to travel around the caves and mountains that cover the bay. The peacefulness and serenity of waters are perfect for travelling with family and friends, enjoying the views together whilst relaxing. There are also a number of cave tours available, such as Hang sung Sot or 'the cave of surprise', as well as a floating bar oasis providing further retreat from the hustle and bustle of the busy cities.

Here is a youtube video posted by the user Scot Ryan which highlights the beauty and serenity of Halong bay through drone footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lifGxAgexCw

Iran Part 3 : Cuisine by Poorya

Iran

Part 3 : Cuisine

By Poorya Mahdavi

Yes, it is the time we have all been waiting for time to learn about the countries cuisine. Iran shares many of the styles of cuisine they have with neighbouring countries such as the Kurdish and Turkish, however it is still unique in its own way, Commonly throughout all Iranian dishes there is a mix of rice and meat such as chicken and lamb, and you will often find the rice has been made with a touch of saffron to really bring out the flavours in the meal.

Main Dish

There are many main dishes in the Iranian culture, to name a few there is the famous kebab trio which consists of kebab kubide, juje kebab, and kebab barg, and other meals such as adas polow, lubia polow and koresh e bademjan, these are the most popular main dishes iran has to offer, however my personal favourites are kebab kubide and another dish namely known as Qorme-sabzi

Kebab kubide

Kebab kubide is my all time favourite Iranian dish, as it is extremely simple to make and absolutely delicious to eat, it consists of rice and ground lamb/beef, it is made by wrapping the meat around a metal skewer and placing over the barbecue, however this may sound simple at first, it is rather hard, reason being that if you spread the meat along the skewer unevenly and have too much on one side, often the weight of the meat will rip apart from the skewer and fall off therefore being uneatable, another issue you face is the possibility of putting too much meat on the skewer thus not allowing for the beef to be cooked right through.

Qorme Sabzi

Qorme sabzi is another one of my top Persian dishes to eat. Although this dish doesn't look the most appealing due to the mass amount of dark green color from the herbs, it is a meal that will bring you  back for seconds or thirds, the meal consists of rice as the base, with lamb mince and herbs such as leek and parsley, and also mixed with some kidney beans or split peas.

Dessert

Dessert plays a major role in Iranian culture as the main beverage had between meals is tea, there are many desserts that compliment the tea very well, some of which include Falude, Sholezard and Sohan however out of all the Persian desserts i have tasted nothing comes close to Bastani e Zaferani.

Bastani e zaferani

The term Bastani in persian means ice cream, and the term zaferani means saffron, this dessert is literally what the name says saffron ice cream, bastani zaferani is a very different type of ice cream compared to the ice cream you see at stores such as gelato, however like any country, it is unique to itself, when served fresh it is the perfect cold snack to have, due to the richness of the cream used to make the ice cream, followed by the strong taste of saffron, as well as tiny pieces of pistachio and frozen cream all come together to make for a heavenly bite.

Be sure to tune into next weeks update for more news on everything IRAN

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Incase you missed last weeks blog here is a link for it right here!

Part 1: Introduction

http://travelbuddiez.blogspot.com.au/2017/04/iran-by-poorya.html

Part 2: Architecture

http://travelbuddiez.blogspot.com.au/2017/04/iran-part-2-by-poorya-mahdavi.html

Mehrangarh Fort by Akash

Mehrangarh Fort

Mehrangarh Fort located in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, is one of the largest fort in India. The fort was build by Rao Jodha, the chief of Rathore clan in 1460. Rao Jodha was 15th rules of rathore clan and  has been credited with the origin of Jodhpur itself in 1459.

A view of the fort taken by me while I was on a road trip.

Quick Fact : The Mehrangarh fort was one of the filming location for Christopher Nolan's 'The Dark Knight Rises' and Bollywood film 'Awarapan'.

Stone Map of  Meharangarh Fort.

The fort is situated 125 meters above the city and is enclosed with thick walls. There are seven gates to the fort and has several tourist attractions.

• National Geological Monument

The Jodhpur Group - Malani Igneous Suite Contact on which the Mehrangarh Fort has been built has been declared a National Geological Monument by the Geological Survey of India to encourage Geotourism in the country.

• The Chamunda Mataji Temple

Chamunda was Rao Jodha's favorite goddess and he brought the goddess' idol from old capital city Mandore to Mehrangarh in 1460. The Chamunda devi temple is situated in southern part of Mehrangarh Fort. The temple is visited by people in and around Jodhput and is crowded highes during the time of Indian festival Dussera.

The Chamunda Devi Temple from inside.

• Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park.

Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park was built in 2006 with the intentions to restore natural ecology of a large rocky area and was opened to public in 2011. Spread over 72 hectares the Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park contains ecologically restored desert, Visitors Centre with Interpretation Gallery, a native plant nursery, small shop and cafe.

Experimental gardens at the park with different soil types and plant types.

Quick Fact : In 2008 a human stampede at the Chamunda Devi Temple killed 249 people and injured over 400 people.

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In case you missed my introductory post follow the link below:

http://travelbuddiez.blogspot.com.au/2017/04/india-by-akash.html

Architectural Genius by Brittany

Yasou! Welcome back to our tour of Greece! If you missed my first post you can quickly catch up by clicking HERE! One of my favourite and probably the most fascinating things about Greece is the enormous amounts of history and culture the land, and it's people, have been able to retain and maintain for thousands of years. Meaning that people are able to travel from all over the world, including me, and hopefully you, to experience some of the great wonders of the world today!

Picture I toke of the Parthenon when visiting the Acropolis in Athens

One of the most beautiful and well maintained monuments to visit in Greece is the Acropolis in the country's capital, Athens. As a UNESCO world heritage site, it is treasured as a window into the architectural genius of the time it was built, as it fits beautifully into the landscape. According to an online ancient history encyclopedia, an 'acropolis' is any citadel or complex built on a high hill. The most famous acropolis in the world being that of the Acropolis of Athens, Greece, built in the 5th century BCE. The most famous monument apart of the Acropolis is that of the Parthenon, known as the Temple of Athena (it was built to honour the goddess Athena (who presided over Athens) and make a statement to the world of the glory of the city), Pathenos ('Athena the Virgin' in Greek). (Sourced from: http://www.ancient.eu/Acropolis/).

Map/plan of the Acropolis. Image source: http://www.ancient.eu/image/1081/

Picture I toke of the stone work at the Acropolis

The rich history of Greece is so fascinating and something that I really enjoyed learning about while being there! This is only one of the many sites where tourists and locals are able to travel through history and admire the artistry and genius that has withstood the test of time. Stay tuned as in my following posts I will be taking you on an island cruise, show you some of my favourite foods, show you traditions and festivities you may like to experience at certain times of the year and some more places you defiantly should visit!

Brittany☺