Postcard from Thailand

Dear Nicky,

How are you? I’m writing this postcard from Thailand. The culture is very different comparing to ours. If they want to cut the electricity they literally cut the wires which is really bizarre. The food is very spicy and I can’t get used to it so mostly I ask if they can prepare it less spicy.

Nearly 95% of the Thailand’s population is Buddhist therefore they meditate and make sacrifices. Did you know that every Thai man has to be a monk in his life for two weeks? I think it is a fascinating religion and I would love to be a monk for two weeks. If I was a monk, I would meditate for hours. I would also be walking around barefoot and live in the heart of Western Thailand next to the River Kwai and spend my days in the Wat Pa Luang Ta Bua Temple.

First thing to do in the morning after prayers and breakfast would be walking through the town and collect alms and food from the locals, because that is what Buddhist monks do in Thailand. But this temple is very special, it’s also called Tiger Temple and in this monastery the monks live with tigers. An orphaned tiger cub was brought to the temple years ago and the monks cared for her. After that people brought injured and orphaned cubs to this temple. Currently there are 34 tigers living there. They have respect for each other and they live in peace. I am sure this would be an amazing experience in one’s life. I really recommend you to visit the Tiger Temple when you will go to Thailand.

After visiting the temple we went to the North of the country for a jungle tour and it was lovely, but we didn’t even have a proper toilet which was awkward and we had to use water instead of toilet paper. At least they have bikes in Bangkok which made me feel at home again. Tomorrow we are going to experience the ultimate Thailand feeling; drinking beer on a sunny beach as you can see on the picture.

See you next week!

Love,
Julia

Postcard from Egypt

Dear Anna,

How are you? Guess where I am right now? I booked a last minute flight to Egypt. I thought I will send you a postcard to give you a little bit more information about Egypt, because you will go to Sharm el Sheik in one month. I am sure you will love it here; the warmth, the beautiful colours of the sea and the historical monuments and tombs.

In the airplane I read an interesting article called “What to Wear, where” about clothing tips in Egypt. If you want less hassle you have to wear long sleeved tops and long skirts and trousers. Well, you can imagine it is way too hot for that in Egypt, because it is about 45 degrees Celsius and the warmth is already killing me in bikini, so long sleeved t-shirts and trousers are more for the locals. They do not seem to have problems being completely covered in the burning sun. Well, for me it is too hot to handle so this tip is definitely not working for me.

The local dress code for women seems to be ‘no shorts’. You will be seen as wearing your underwear which I didn’t know of course. There are so many tourists here in Hurgada that it is not really conspicuous.
Topless sunbathing at hotels is forbidden, but don’t forget your bikini if you go to Egypt, because snorkelling and diving is absolutely fantastic here. The colours are very vivid and bright under the surface. There are various kind of fish and if you take some bread with you they come really close so you can take amazing pictures. You remember the movie “Finding Nemo”? Well, I have seen Nemo and his family.

You also have to visit the major attractions and must see sights such as Luxor and Karnak. The temples and tombs are so impressive with all the sculptured walls and ceilings. My favourite temple is the one of Hatshepsut, because of the symmetry of the building and the amazingly well preserved hieroglyphics. You really have to visit it, because it is so enormous and impressive I can’t even describe it.

I am afraid my holiday is over, but I will come back once more to visit Cairo! See you in a few days!

Love,
Julia

The secrets of Travel writing

Dear Lisa,

How are you? Are you already packing for your next trip? It must be really exciting to go backpacking in Asia. Which countries are you planning to visit? I know you will start in Malaysia, but I suppose you’re not going to spend all three months in one country. Are you not scared to go all by yourself? I would completely freak out, because of the scary stories that backpackers get robed and things like that. Besides I don’t think my mother would let me go, you know how she can make a big fuss of things.

In your last letter you told me you want to write a travel story when you are in Asia. I think that is a very good idea, because you are an excellent writer so why wouldn’t you give it a try. I read an interesting article called ‘The secrets of Travel writing’ by Peter Moore. There are some helpful tips in it if you want to become a travel writer, such as successful travel books are inspirational. Another good advice is that you have to write your story like you are telling it to a friend in the pub.

The third tip is that you have put a good dialogue in your story. Many people think that travel writing is about describing people and places. It will be easier to do this in a dialogue and it will give your story a more professional look. I am sure you are creative enough to make them up, but according to Peter Moore you’ll be surprised by the interesting things that people say.

The last tip I want to share with you is that you shouldn’t put too many details in your story, because it will make it very boring to read. If you spend five hours in a bus we don’t have to know how many birds and traffic lights you have seen during that specific trip, because we don’t care.

Don’t forget to scribble away all your amazing experiences. I am really looking forward to read your travel story. Enjoy your trip!

Love,
Julia