that travel geek

[that-travelgeek]

Winter Essentials

Winter is coming! Or in Canada’s case, it’s already here. With 15 cm of snow covering the streets, Toronto experienced the coldest November 13th on record! That’s why I’ve decided to compile a list of products that are just as important as your winter coat to help you prep for the season ahead. 

Lip balms. There are a myriad of lip balms or glosses in the market that you can pick and choose from. My favorites to use for when I’m on the go are Chapstick and EOS. I just stick one in my coat pocket and I can easily whip it out when my lips need some loving! Vaseline’s lip therapy in rosy lips is the one I keep on my bedside table and I use it every night before bed. I’d go to bed without a trace of worry about having chapped lips the next morning.

Body lotion is the next big thing on my list. As the air gets even drier, so does my skin. The one’s that’s always been in my closet is Bath & Body Works’ 24-hour ultra shea body cream. They come in different scents and you have the luxury of picking your favourite (so you can smell like candy apples the whole season!). 

Moisturizer. My skin is naturally oily, but even that cannot beat the harsh air of winter. My face needs a little more loving during the winter months so The Ordinary’s Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA sweeps in to save the day. Just a small drop is all you need for the whole face, which means a whole bottle is more than enough for the winter!

Sunscreen is still so important during the winter. Even if you don’t see the sun, it’s rays still penetrate the Earth, and your face needs protection. I was gifted Skin Aqua’s UV Moisture Milk sunscreen by my best friend and I am super grateful. It has SPF 50+ and PA+++ so you don’t have to worry about their coverage. Not only is it moisturizing, it’s totally not greasy and you can put make up on top of it directly! 

Hand cream makes the cut to this essentials list. Since I am not a huge fan of wearing gloves, my hands get dry quite easily. I always carry a Glysomed’s hand cream with me in my bag as well as Bath & Body Works’. 

Last but not least, winter boots! For 2 winters, I’ve been using a bulky, furry and heavy pair of winter boots but my feet were still constantly cold and I knew I needed a new pair this year. After asking a few friends for recommendations, I finally decided to get a pair of Blundstones’ winter boots and they are life-changing. They’re warm, comfortable (after you break into them), and most importantly they’re fashionable! I got them in black and they complement every outfit perfectly.

Whether you’re traveling this winter or just trying to survive this season, I hope this list will soothe your worries when you’re picking out products to stock on. Make sure to bundle up in your hoodies and scarves because this winter will be a long one!

Cheers.

[that-travelgeek]

Just Canadian Things

First off, I am not officially a Canadian. I guess you can say I’m an amateur Canadian since I’ve only just been living here for almost 2 years now. But I will be happy to provide you with things that Canadians do that you won’t see in movies and shows because let’s be real, most of them are American. 

1. Canadians are very polite. Well, unless you catch one on a bad day then they might be a bit hot-headed, but at the end of the day they’re also humans with feelings and that’s beside the point. They reply to ‘sorry’ with ‘sorry’ or ‘oh no, you’re fine’. They greet almost everyone they make eye contact with, even though it’s just with the tiniest of smiles. People are very welcoming and they don’t differentiate newcomers with local born-and-raised Canadians. 

2. Poutine is life. If you’re not familiar with what poutine is, let me introduce you to this blessing on earth invented by Canadians. A bowl of poutine consists of freshly cut fries, brown gravy, and cheese curds. The key is to have both the fries and gravy hot enough so that the cheese curds will melt all over your bowl and thus creating this iconic dish you won’t find anywhere else in the world. Trust me, if you’re visiting Canada, you have to try poutine and you’ll miss it when you get back home.

3. They love nicknames. Canadians love giving nicknames as much as everyone else. For example, they call their one-dollar coins ‘loonie’ and their two-dollar coins ‘toonie’. To be honest, when I first got here I was pretty confused when a cashier asked me if I had a loonie. Also when you want to order a coffee at Timmies (read: Tim Hortons) with two sugars and two creams, you better call it a double-double so no one will look at you funny if you order it the ‘non-Canadian’ way. 

4. Anything above 0 degrees Celcius is considered warm. As we all know by now, the Canadian winter is one of the coldest and longest in the world. The weather could go as low as -20 degrees and if you factor in the wind chill, it could go as low as -30 degrees to -40 degrees, depending on where you live. So when spring comes around for only two weeks, you’ll see people wearing shorts when it’s 5 degrees out and all you can do is shake your head. Oh, and don’t forget that one last snowstorm in the middle of April that will officially close the winter chapter of that year. 

Well, those are the four most prominent things that I’ve observed this past year or so while living here. If you’ve considered on visiting Canada and haven’t already, what are you doing? Pack your backs and get on up here because it’s a beautiful country with beautiful people. 

Until next time, cheers. 

[that-travelgeek]

Wonderful Indonesia

Indonesia. A beautiful country with exotic places, some even undiscovered and closed off to the world, waiting to be explored. A country with mesmerizing cultures, languages and even more amazing food. 

As an Indonesian myself, it seems fitting that my first official post is to talk about this country. Located along the equator, Indonesia has a humid and tropical climate, with only 2 seasons throughout the year - rain and sun. This makes it more convenient for travellers, as they don’t have to worry about having to pack heavy jackets and coats because all you need is your summer wardrobe. 

The food is amazing. From the street food like kerak telor, es cendol, martabak manis (aka greasy heaven on earth in my opinion), to the infamous nasi goreng, the fried rice that seems to have more popularity than I do. Just typing that makes me homesick. You will never have a short list of food to try when you come and visit any part of the country. 

Now, if you go to Bali, you don’t have to worry about communicating, as most Balinese people can speak English (and they mostly learn it from all the tourists who visited the island!). However, the capital city, Jakarta, has less English-speaking people which might sound a bit weird. But don’t worry nonetheless, as Indonesian people are very friendly and they will be more than happy to help you by asking other people who might understand English. 

Another island with breathtaking views you can visit is just the neighbouring island (from Bali) of Lombok. This island is most famous for the Gilis, Gili Trawangan, Gili Menuk, and Gili Air. Each Gili has its own attraction, and you can visit all three of them in a one-day tour. Lombok is less crowded than Bali, which can be seen as a plus side when you want to unwind and relax under the sun. 

There’s a ton of other things that I can talk about Indonesia, but then this post would be too long. Thanks for reading my post and my inbox is always open to any questions you have about this beautiful country of mine! 

Cheers. 

[helpingg]

Indonesia, 2018.

[that-travelgeek]

me, a short introduction

So you might be wondering who this person behind the screen is, and why is she (yes, I’m a she), talking about travel stuff. Well, let me introduce you to me. 

My name’s Tabi, nice to virtually meet you. I live in Canada but I’m actually from Indonesia. I’m currently in my last semester in college where I’m taking tourism and I’m graduating this June! I’ve travelled to several countries, I’m not gonna tell you where so you have to read my future blog posts about them. 

I guess that’s it for this short introduction. Hopefully, you’ll stick around and enjoy my travel in writing. 

Cheers.