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Welcome to Backpacker Buzz,
Hostelling International's blog from Western Canada. We'll bring you news, information and tips about hostels in Canada and around the world.
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June 2009
RTW Photo Exhibit: Crooked Horizons of the World
I've spent the past five months giving you an awful lot of words about my travels. To give you a bit of a visual representation of where I've been, I give you a slice of my photo album, which illustrates my inability to keep the horizon straight, especially when photographing oceans, sunsets or sunsets over oceans. Feast your eyes after the jump.
RTW: And Now... Europe
I said my goodbyes to Africa on Sunday night and got myself flown to Stockholm for the beginning of the last leg of my trip - Europe. It was one of the more bizarre transitions so far, from traffic-clogged, reputation-bogged Nairobi to a small Scandinavian city where my biggest worries were not tripping over the narrow cobblestone streets as I admire the quaint buildings of Old Town. Well that, and figuring out how to finance a cup of coffee.
Hostelling Turns 100 - You Get to Celebrate!
Hostelling turns 100 this year and you get the prizes! Back in 1909, German school teacher Richard Schirmann started the hostelling movement, which then came to Canada in 1933. For the Centennial Celebration, International Youth Hostel Federation hostels (IYHF) around the globe are marking the occasion with giveaways. Read more »
Summer Festival Flings
"With the arrival of long, hot days and lazy warm evenings, it's time to celebrate the mercury finally rising with festival fever. Experience a week in the desert at Burning Man, participate in Europe's Sziget Festival, dance on the beach in Barcelona, rock out in an 18th-century fortress in Serbia... revel in Glastonbury's celeb-filled atmosphere or support homegrown favourites such as Vancouver's Folk Festival. Whatever you chose, there's something for everyone this summer. We've compiled a list of some of the best global events that you may want to catch during your backpacking adventures. Grab your sunnies, get your sunblock, pack your backpack and enjoy the summer season of festivals."
For the full article, check out Backpacker Buzz in Issue 69 of Outpost Magazine.
And check out YHA AU's Top 5 list of international events! Read more »
People, Places, Culture; Our World - An Exhibit @ HI-Shuswap Lake
In conjunction with the HI-Shuswap Lake Open House, the Traveling Photo Exhibition "PEOPLE, PLACES, CULTURE - OUR WORLD, AN EXHIBIT" by Keith Levit with be displayed at the hostel from July 4 to 12 daily from 10 am to 3 pm.
Locals and travellers are welcome to drop into HI-Shuswap Lake to learn about hostelling or share their hostel experiences during our Open House on July 5 and July 1 from 10 am to 3 pm, and are encouraged to bring stories and photos to share with others. Read more »
Be a part of Canadian Hostelling History
To mark the 100th Anniversary of Hostelling, HI-Canada-Pacific Mountain Region is going back to our hostelling roots. In 1933, Mary Belle Barclay and her sister Catherine started the first hostel in Canada, in the foothills west of Calgary, Alberta. Read more »
RTW: How the Other Half Lives
I've turned my back on hostels. After three weeks of camping in Tanzania and Kenya and with a few days to spare before my flight to Europe, I decided I'd splash out a little bit on the Kenyan coast. My bank account strongly disagrees but I've decided I'll think about money when it all runs out so off to Mombasa I went.
AUD$19m Redevelopment of Brisbane City YHA
YHA Australia has just completed renovations of the Brisbane City YHA and the result a stunning hostel which offers the full "Australian experience" and amenities for the 21st Century backpacker (hostels have come a long way in 100 years)! Read more »
RTW: Highlights of Overlanding
As promised, there are tales to tell after three weeks of overlanding through Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania and Kenya. It's not right for everyone but here are a few highlights of what went down on the road.
RTW: Full-Blown Travel Bug
The pesky travel bug - it's an infectious one, one a lot of people talk about having been struck with. It's one of the reasons I'm where I am right now but I think for a long time it was a pretty mild case. I think there comes a point in the middle of a travel bug episode when the affliction advances to such a level that you are entirely and completely infected by the pursuit of places and the lifestyle it demands. It happened to me on Tuesday.
Thanks for your comments!
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