PERCEPTION IS REALITY

a mixture of photos & travel advice

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L U X O R

#throughtheeyesofben - the Egyptian themed Luxor hotel.

Well-known for its original and stand out exterior the Luxor hotel offers the usual Vegas casino floor along with several unique exhibitions/experience that make a visit to this 4,407 room hotel.

The Luxor is the 4th largest hotel in Sin City and so has a huge range of restaurants, entertainment and nightlife options. 

One such attraction is the Bodies… The Exhibition which showcases the ins and outs of the actual human body. Using a special preservation method the exhibit display real life bodies, organs and various body specimens. This once in a lifetime opportunity to see the body in so much detail is truly fascinating - we spent hours exploring the exhibition.

Check out the Luxor website for more details on booking a room (including many discount offers) as well as the other attractions, restaurants and amenities it has.

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H O S I E R | A R T

#throughtheeyesofben - a beautiful piece of Hosier street art.

Hosier Lane lies in the centre of Melbourne’s CBD and is infamous for its incredible street art, painted across every piece of reachable surface in the walkway.

The above photo is a beautiful example of the urban art that can be found here, which offer a huge variety and portray a range of themes/messages.

Melbourne itself has a lot to offer including a ridiculous amount of independent cafes and shops. I fully recommend staying in Melbourne a fair few days to really get a chance to discover the cities awesome personality (and its many hidden bars).

United Backpackers is a wonderful hostel that’s in the heart of Melbourne and offers modern, clean and affordable accommodation as well as daily events - walking tours, trips to local sport games, pub quizzes etc. Furthermore they provide free (and decent) wi-fi which is something thats hard to come by in Australia! You can book a dorm or even a private room through their website which also has more information of the facilities they offer as well as job opportunities.

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S E A L

#throughtheeyesofben - a playful seal relaxing on the shores of Kaikoura, NZ.

Whilst coming to the end of our Kiwi Experience tour of the beautiful New Zealand we stopped over in the peaceful small town Kaikoura. Upon arriving our driver parked up at the Point Kean viewpoint and let us see these cute animals up close and personal.

Many of the seals were sleeping/relaxing along the shoreline whereas others were almost territorial towards us. The reason behind this was due the huge number of babies which we found hiding in bushes and even under parked vehicles. The pups are adorable and are very intrigued by all the attention they receive.

As with any animal its essential to not harm, scare or entice them whilst you’re in their own natural habitat.

In Kaikoura the Kiwi Experience offer you the chance to book discounted boat tours to observe dolphins or whales in the nearby sea. (They even refund you 80% of the ticket price if you’re one of the very few who fail to see any of the wonderful animals whilst on the tour) Unfortunately for us the weather conditions meant the boats were unable to take us for our tour but its definitely on my bucket list and I hope to return very soon. 

The two tour companies are Whale Watch and Dolphin Encounter - they each have their own website where you can find out more about their tour packages etc.

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D A Y L I L Y

#throughtheeyesofben - a beautiful Daylily found in the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, S.F.

San Francisco is one of my favourite cities and although its the most expensive city to live in the U.S. it has so many great things to see and do.

Situated near the Marina District, the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre offers a lovely peaceful garden to visit. With its beautiful, european-inspired architecture and gorgeous greenery its worth relaxing and spending the afternoon here. Inside one of the several buildings is a theatre which hosts many events throughout the year, more information can be found on their website.

You can spend lots of time in San Francisco without getting bored and so need somewhere to stay within easy access of everything this brilliant city has to offer. There is no other place I’d recommend more than the USA Hostel which lies in the heart of S.F. They offer free wifi, fantastic daily events including bike tours, bar crawls and karaoke nights and all-you-can-eat pancakes for breakfast. 

They have other hostels in San Diego and Los Angeles. Book in advance as they are very popular, especially in the summer.

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P E T R O N A S | T O W E R S

#throughtheeyesofben - the iconic Petronas Towers, KL.

Kuala Lumpur is a fantastic city to visit with it’s very affordable and efficient public transport system and its many sights to see.

The Petronas Towers can found be in Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) and easily reached via the RapidKL monorail. These impressive skyscrapers tower over the Suria KLCC shopping mall complete with a huge range of shops, dozens of restaurants, as well as a cinema which serves the best caramel popcorn I’ve ever tasted!

Outside the Petronas Towers you can enjoy a lovely walk around the KL City Park and be sure to visit the towers at night time to capture some amazing photos of the illuminated structures.

For that extra special KL experience visit the Heli Lounge Bar. You can sit and enjoy a beer, a glass of wine or even a cocktail on an actual rooftop helipad with an amazing, unobstructed view of KL, including a unique perspective of the Petronas Towers. My advice would be to head there just before sunset allowing you to fully appreciate how great the view is with the changing light.

For those looking for accommodation I would fully recommend the Reggae Mansion Hostel which offers very affordable and luxury pod dormitories as well as a rooftop bar with great views of the city centre. It’s also a 5 minute walk to nearest monorail station allowing you great transport access to the whole of Kuala Lumpur.

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C O C A - C O L A | T R U C K

#throughtheeyesofben - The coca-cola truck in the Sheffield Peace Gardens

The infamous advert first appeared on our screens in 1995 and 20 years on it’s still recognised, loved by all and marks the start of the Christmas Holidays for many!

The annual truck tour covers the entire of the UK allowing people from all over the country to see the Christmas icon in their home town. Those wanting a professional photo can queue for the souvenir and staff even give out free Coca-cola cans on site.

The remaining tour dates are below:

Gloucester – 13th Dec Sheffield – 13th Dec Bournemouth – 16th Dec Nottingham – 16th Dec Leicester – 17th Dec Winchester – 17th Dec Peterborough – 18th Dec Eastbourne – 18th Dec Margate – 19th Dec Romford – 20th Dec Paddington Central, London – 22nd Dec Leicester Square, London – 23rd Dec

Holidays Are Coming!

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T A S M A N | S U N S E T

#throughtheeyesofben - the sun setting over the Tasman Sea.

As part of the Kiwi Experience you can stop at Lake Mahinapua and stay the night at the Lake Mahinapua Hotel which is ran by a brother and sister. Within walking distance is the gorgeous lake itself as well as the nearby beach where you can catch the sunset. It was so beautiful and we even saw dolphins swim by as the day came to a close.

The Kiwi Experience is a tour company offering routes all over New Zealand. The stop at Lake Mahinapua includes a fancy dress theme party in the onsite bar and you have the option to pay for a delicious home cooked dinner and a much needed breakfast to help cure the hangover. Head on over to their website for more details on the routes they offer including the latest deals.

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C O M M O N | F R I N G E

#throughtheeyesofben - the Common Fringe Lily (or Thysanotus tuberoses) in the Noosa National Park

Noosa is located on the east coast of Australia and is a beautiful, and popular, seaside holiday destination. We stopped in Noosa for a couple of nights to really make the most out of this small town.

The National Park is perfect for those who love to walk among nature. There are several walking trails to take each offering different views of the park and the surroundings and each taking different amount of times to complete. This allows you to be really flexible in what you do whist in Noosa and means you can head into the park for quick look around or spend a couple of hours exploring the area. Head over to their website for more details.

As with every national park the plants that thrive in the grounds are beautiful and offer many great macro photo opportunities.

Noosa is located right on the coast and this means you have the great chance to catch some waves. I had never surfed before and so decided to take a class whilst visiting Noosa. I booked my lesson with Go Ride A Wave who offer surf classes and more in loads of locations across Oz. They're super affordable and the teacher was so helpful and great that I was riding waves within 20 minutes! 

Locations, services, prices and more can be found on their website.

Be sure to check out the Visit Noosa website for more information on what you can do whilst in town as well as accommodation and upcoming events.

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G O R I L L A

#throughtheeyesofben - a baby gorilla. 

The San Diego Zoo has a (positive) world wide reputation and after visiting the 100 acres zoo I can completely see why. 

The health and the care of all 3,700+ animals is immediately clear when walking around the establishment and offers a great chance to see many animals up close that you’d otherwise only see on a David Attenborough documentary.

Whilst sometimes I am sceptical about zoos concerning the ethics of animal captivity etc. this zoo is a fantastic example of why they should exist and how they should be operated. Whilst providing a great place for families to observe a range of animals they have an immense commitment in conservation and strive to end extinction. For example did you know that San Diego Zoo was the first place where pandas successfully mated in captivity? A massive feat. 

I thought I’d also share this great article from Mission Valley Resort which focuses on the gorilla habitat in the zoo.

Tickets can be bought through the zoos website and there’s a great deal of information on there about the animals as well as it’s facilities and services.

As San Diego is such a great place to visit you’ll need somewhere to stay and the USA Hostels chain have you covered! They have hostels In San Francisco, LA and two in San Diego. I stayed in the downtown hostel and the location was perfect, the staff were super helpful and provided many socials events and you get a free pancake breakfast every morning as well as unlimited tea and coffee. The quality of their hostels is one of the best I’ve stayed in and I would fully recommend them to anyone.

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K U A N G | S I | F A L L S

#throughtheeyesofben - a beautiful waterfall hidden away in the outskirts of Luang Prabang, Laos.

The cascades fall down a 60 metre drop and water flows down into other gorgeous torquoise pools that are perfect for taking a dip in after walking in the baking sun.

Entry is free and the area is very well maintained and offers a great day out whilst visiting Luang Prabang. For those who are keen hikers there’s a route that takes you up alongside the waterfall where at the top you can get stunning views of the surrounding forest and the route continues down the other side providing a great workout for the day. Be warned if its raining the route can become very muddy/slippy very quickly and soon be dangerous to attempt.

For those wanting to find accommodation in Luang Prabang I recommend the Liberty Guest House which can be booked through HostelWorld. The staff are very friendly, the location is perfect allowing you to walk right into the town centre and there’s free wifi!

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M A N H A T T A N |  S K Y L I N E

#throughtheeyesofben - the infamous New York, New York skyline at sunset.

One of my favourite cities in the world. 

This gorgeous view can be seen from the Top Of The Rock observation deck on the 70th floor of the Rockefeller Center. From this perspective you can see central park and uptown NY as well as the iconic Empire State Building and downtown NY including the new One World tower.

Being here for sunset is totally worth waiting in the crowds as the city almost comes alive as the sunlight drops showing how the city truly never sleeps.

I cannot stress enough how much I advise you to book your tickets beforehand. The queues at the ticket office around peak times are ridiculously long and could mean you miss out on the incredible view. Tickets can be bought from the Top Of The Rock official website.

For anyone looking at accommodation in Manhattan theres no other place I’d recommend more than citizenM. This relatively new chain of hotels offers nothing less than an (affordable) luxury experience in various locations around the globe. Their New York hotel lies around the corner from Times Square and their rooftop bar offers incredible views of the surrounding concrete jungle. There are no hotel gimmicks. Just super friendly, helpful staff and modern accommodation.

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C H R I S T C H U R C H | C A T H E D R A L

#throughtheeyesofben - the cardboard Christchurch Cathedral. 

Christchurch is the largest city in the south island of New Zealand and lies directly along a fault line in the earths tectonic plates. The city has experienced a series of earthquakes and this has resulted in a large amount of damage to the infrastructure. One such building was the St John The Baptist Church which had to be demolished following the 2011 earthquake. 

Following this the Christchurch Cathedral was designed by Shigeru Ban and built in the city, providing people a place of worship. However this Cathedral is like no other, a huge majority of the materials used to construct this building was cardboard.

Christchurch has still yet to fully recover from the earthquakes that have hit the city and many buildings still show a lot of damage and many see the area as “run down”. However, I personally think Christchurch has a great sense of character with numerous pieces of beautiful street art and this magnificent cardboard cathedral. 

The Cathedral organisation are thankful to receive any donations that can be used in helping to rebuild the city.

I visited Christchurch as part of the Kiwi Experience, a hop-on and off bus tour that offer many varying routes across New Zealand. As well as providing a means of transport around the country they offer discount activities as well as friendly staff who will go out of their way to make sure you get the best out of your time in New Zealand. Depending on your time (and budget) you can book the route that suits you're personal needs. Christchurch is a stop on several of the route options, more information on the routes provided by this excellent company can be found here.

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B L U E | M O U N T A I N S

#throughtheeyesofben - the beautiful Blue Mountains National Park. 

A great example of how beautiful rural Australia is.

The infamous mountain range is a 2 hour train journey away from Sydney nestled just south of the small town Katoomba. The ticket price is $15 return with a PAYG Opal transport card and is 100% worth making the journey for. Echo Point offers a magnificent panoramic view of the unique mountain range where you can see several significant rock formations including the Three Sisters.

There are many hiking routes to take and see many different areas of the national park, each varying in time and ease of use. Personally I would advice walking west towards Katoomba falls allowing you to have an incredible view as you walk across and experience the numerous lookout points and other attractions there are in the area.

For more information I recommend visiting this really useful information website offering advice on accommodation, things to do etc.

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E L E P H A N T | S K I N

#throughtheeyesofben - a black and white photo of elephant skin. 

One of the highlights of my life will be having the opportunity to see these magnificent animals so up close and personal. 

The full day visit was booked through a company called the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary and they have a strict no riding policy in place. Whilst many tour operators across S.E. Asia allow tourists to ride Elephants, many are unaware of how poorly these creatures are treated and how riding elephants can seriously affect their health (source). 

The full-day tour includes pick-up and drop-off in the morning from your Chiang Mai accommodation and upon arrival you are greeted and meet the elephants in time for their midday feeding. Photos and gently petting/playing is allowed and provides a first-class experience. After lunch you have the great chance of playing in the mud spa and then washing the elephants in the nearby river which makes for great photos and entertainment. (Photos are taken by the workers and are uploaded to Facebook for people to download for free)

The team behind the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary are working to bring awareness to the ill-treatment of elephants and want to lead by example with their ethical project. Many of their elephants have been rescued from others who over-work, abuse and poach these mammals. Due to their over-whelming success many organisations are attempting to imitate their brand and provide a very poor service to tourists and the animals.

Be sure to check out their trip advisor page, official website and Facebook account for more details about this wonderful organisation and their half day, full day and even over night visits, as well as their volunteer programme.

Anyone looking for a place to stay in Chiang Mai should book their stay at the Living Place 1, this small hostel is ran entirely by Aree who is the nicest lady you will ever meet. She makes sure the atmosphere is always positive and even manages to learn everyones names as well as being the perfect person to book many tours through, including this one. This hostel was one the best hostels I’ve stayed in and can be booked through HostelWorld.