Heal and Balance in Liverpool

As I require a special diet of vegan and gluten, sugar, yeast and onion free food, I occasionally have to make exceptions. Especially when travelling and I can't cook for myself. I am aware of this and, therefore, whenever I can I bring my own food, snack and essential herbs to help me digest what ever it is that I don’t normally eat. In the UK, gluten is hard to avoid even though nowadays many cafés have the option of gluten free bread. However, the main issues with bread are the yeast and the refined flour- gluten free or not. And they like their sandwiches, the Brits! Besides gluten and yeast, sugar and onions are vicious and difficult to avoid. We even found sugar in the oatmeal! So, during the week most of my exceptions concerned onions, sugar and yeast. My body required me to do a nice purge when I got back home!

In regards of non-animal food tho, most restaurants and cafés have at least one option of vegetarian food and my general experience is that most of these dishes are possible to make vegan or at least lactose free. Still, sometimes it’s nice to be prepared and know where to be able to eat FROM the menu! Check out my healthy travel tips for Liverpool below.

Look up vegan and vegetarian restaurants and eateries on Scouseveg There are several options around Liverpool center that are vegan friendly. For instance, we tried the vegan menu at Lunya, a Spanish tapas restaurant, and were very pleased! There is also a vegan café on Bold Street - a genuine and cozy bohemian feeling street which we found when walking from the Cathedral and down towards the dock. This street is where you’ll find alternative bookstores, independent businesses, world food stores, fair trade, organic and the like. Needless to say, I enjoyed the visit!

Always carry snacks such as unsalted nuts, seeds and fruit in your daypack in case of sudden hunger and absence of healing nutrition. Bring a thermos of hot water! Refill whenever possible. For instance, ask in cafes or at 7/11, I’ve always gotten positive outcomes! Why do you want a thermos you wonder? 1- to stay warm throughout the day if weather is rough 2- to aid the digestive fire (especially if you’re making food exceptions).

Put your hiking boots on! I love to walk around bigger cities because it offers a genuine way to get to know the city, its neighbourhoods and people. Liverpool is a good-sized city to walk around for the weekend tourist. A huge plus are the signs all over town, encouraging visitors to walk between attractions. Dancing is of course also a terrific way of moving your body and get the prana flowing! As we were alone in The Cavern, in The Beatles Museum, I saw my chance to move the booty and twisted around the dance floor in front of the stage for a good two rounds of the famous Twist and Shout!

The Beatles played remarkably 292 concerts in The Cavern before the place closed down 1973. The museum does a great job in reenacting the settings and atmosphere and when I closed my eyes to let my body move to the dancing rhythms, I traveled back to a time when The Beatles were rocking the stages.

Not only is dancing and walking around museums great for the physical body but also for the overall wellbeing, such as the mental, emotional, and spiritual health. More and more research on Health and Art & Cultural activities show that the two areas are much related. For instance, music and dance have long had social and ritual functions in traditions all over the globe and research has shown that these therapies have positive affects on the mood. In addition, there is science describing how cultural activities can increase the quality of life! My health routines include absorbing art, history, architecture, music, and nature to mention a few. Thus, I make sure to involve my routines wherever I am in the world! In Liverpool, we started our trip with a visit to the world’s largest Anglican Cathedral and ended it with a long stay in The Beatles Story- both deeply spiritual and healing experiences.

The Beatles Story was an emotional roller coaster but we came out with the message of healing the world and bring world peace, so that we can all live together as ONE. 

Ps. Before New Years 2014, you can lend your voice to the largest sing-a-long ever! Read more and listen to John Lennon's Imagine here

How To Travel Without Money in Sweden

Or How To Travel the World for Free

We got in to Luleå early in the morning, where we spent the day in nature together with yet a magic yogi friend. As the late afternoon came closer, we got on the local bus to Överkalix, where we were to spend the coming week in the mythical wilderness of the Northern forest.

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The saga-like Light shines its glitter over us where we stand in awe in the deep forest. Nowhere but in the North will you find endless forests, swamps and light like this.

From here our story takes a different route as we decided to buy a car and name it Björnen (The Bear)- bringing with us some of the medicine from the north! And even though traveling by car might be the cheapest way to get around (and most definitely the easiest!) Sweden and the North, it is part of another story. So, let’s summarize How To Travel Cheap in Sweden for ya:

Transportation:

Combine sightseeing and transportation Like we did with Inlandsbanan

Combine transportation and sleep There are few over-night travel options in Sweden, but in the North is where you can find them. Sleep poorly while transporting yourself and you save one night worth of lodging, like we did between Umeå and Luleå.

Use local buses Harder to find and time consuming but generally cheaper, offers a lot of fun through random countryside experiences and take you further than you might think. Even across county borders, like when we traveled Dalarna!

Hitchhike might be time-consuming and expensive in terms of buying shitty food and snacks in every gas station you end up at in between rides. However, when wanting to get around a certain area (i.e. shorter rides and without the heavy packing) I recommend giving it a go, like we did in Rättvik.

Drive freerider cars Especially good when you want to get from A to B quick and B is really far away, like the first part of our trip.

Food:

Travel with a portable kitchen, in that way you can cook your own food basically wherever you are and save in on a lot of money. Check out foodbymagie for tips and recipes on easy and cheap food to cook both indoors and outdoors!

Use Allemansrätten and the common fireplaces at resting areas near the roads and by the lakes. Just be mindful with the fire! Read more about how I used it and what it allows you to do here. 

Learn the local plants, mushrooms and berries and just like that you have free food all around you! I will write more about this topic, if you are interested? In the meantime, check out foodbymagie and coming events and workshops here.

Accommodation:

Forest Camping & City Camping Travel with a tent in Scandinavia and you always have a place to crash. Read more about Allemansrätten and how we camped in Umeå.

Staying with friends & Couchsurfing We actually didn’t camp all that much, staying with good friends and locals always offer great experiences!

Work exchange Psst, there are cool work exchanges too, not just for accommodation, like we did on Yoga Camp and at Läkegården.

Hidden Costs: You know what I’m talking about; toilets, Internet, and most definitely where to store the bags when you don’t have a hotel/car or the like!

Library hangout: Good place to charge your devices + use the Internet for free. I’ve used the library both in big cities like Malmö and small towns like Kalix, you might need a library card in some places tho!

Toilets: The church. Even if you can’t find public toilets, you will find a church- go check their opening hours! In addition, I like to hang out in the often times very beautiful old buildings.

Backpack storage: Can’t find any lockers? No worries, locate the tourist information and ask if they have any suggestions. Both in Mora and Umeå they let us store our backpacks and bags for free! 

Do you have any great tips about traveling without money you think I should add? Or a great idea you think I should try? Comment below!

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Next post: about the sacred waters and mountains of Arjeplog and how we ended up visiting a Samí family. 

Pura Vida!!

Summer Love Tour part IV (How To Travel Cheap in Sweden)

Part IV: BACK TO NATURE

Read part III                          Read part II                       Read part I

Free sightseeing: Holmön- the sunniest place in Sweden

After some time in the middle of Sweden, we craved to see Mother Ocean and, thus, headed straight to the coast and Holmön, just outside Umeå. The ferry from Norrfjärden is free and takes about 20 minutes. We truly enjoyed the quietness and openness Nature offers on this magic island by strolling around the forest, visiting a light house (that is also a hostel actually) and cooked lunch on the bare rocks, overlooking the wind stroking the waves. 

Free accommodation: Forest Camping

In the late afternoon, we caught the boat back and drove North East of Umeå to find a lake with a good camp site. During those days, we had a rental car- which is great when looking for a more quiet place to camp. It was beautiful to meditate with the sun dancing over the fresh water, swim in the warm lake and cook over the fire- much needed before heading in to town again. 

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Camping outside Umeå, Sweden

Staying with friends For the following nights, we stayed with another Sofia Magdalena- yet a very special Yogini who offered her love, her presence and Umeå's best view. Thank you -- much Love, always! <3

City Camping After having had my last Park Yoga in Umeå (for this year ;) ), we had a delicious Vegan meal at the-place-to-be 'Båten'. Following a tip I received from a piano-playing traveler, with eyes brown like the deer and deep like the forest, we wandered across a bridge through a residential area and down to the river (Umeälven), where we found a perfect place to camp. As the sun became redder (rather than setting), we sat watching kids play with their scooters in the water, the boat (Båten, where we just were) and listening to the ongoing Music Festival from a park on the other side of the river. Wahe Guru, magic light! When all was quiet, we put our tent up for a few hours sleep.

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Traveling TIPS on free stuff:

Camping according to Allemansrätten

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Allemansrätten rules

Library Hangout: To charge devices and/or use internet. In big cities you might need a library card (it's free to get one). 

Toilets: The church. Good because you can see it from anywhere you are and it is open for everybody. And they have free toilets (remember to check their opening hours!). 

Where do you store your backpack for the day? Keep in mind that most towns, especially the smaller ones, don't have lockers to store big bags at the town's station(s). However, try locating the tourist information office and ask if they have any suggestions. If you're only in town for a few hours (they usually close at 6pm), they'll most likely let you store the bag in their office for free.

Wahe Guru, Magic Light! By Umeälven in Umeå, Sweden

While in Umeå, we also dusted off a good ol' backpacker hangout: spending half the night at the train station. In Norrland during summer this is perfect 'cause it's never dark; it is warm and quiet. Add some quality company to that and you have some legit travellers' groove ;)

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Umeå Train Station, Sweden

Did I miss any essentials? What kind of tips do you want me to write about? Send me an email or write in the "comments" below! 

Love and Light

/OM

Summer Love Tour part III (How to Travel Cheap)

Backpacking Mora - Östersund - Umeå

Read Part I

Read Part II

Stop Drop and Yoga in Mora, Dalarna, Sweden

Mythic creatures in Mora, Sweden. 

The story continues with one day in the tiny winter village called Mora. This is where the famous ski cross-country competition Vasaloppet finishes (the world's longest competition being 90 km). We strolled around town for a few hours, waiting for our adventure to continue north in the afternoon when we got on a train called Inlandsbanan. This is the only train driving inland AND it offers a great sightseeing opportunity, thus we decided to travel all the way to Östersund. During the trip, we had a guide telling us anecdotes, we crossed a cataract from a 35 meters high bridge constructed in 1928, visited a deserted bear's nest and stopped for dinner in the middle of nowhere. Needless to say, it was beautiful, confusing and a lot of fun! 

The bear's nest along Inlandsbanan, Jämtland, Sweden. 

Sightseeing tip:
Catch Inlandsbanan to see and experience something different (in this part of the country one normally travels along the coast line) while you're transporting yourself. 

We spent two nights at a camp site (traditional Swedish "camping") in Östersund, since we had to wash our clothes and shower. Despite the price, it was a good choice considering the cold and rain we had during that time.

Camping tip:
Most Swedish camp sites require you to have a membership in the Swedish camp site society (part of Camping Key Alliance), even if you stay only for a night. Why? No one really knows, but this way they can charge you extra (read about the camping key here). Hence, if you plan ahead you could either try finding a place that isn't connected to SCR, or if you're planning on spending more nights get the membership in advance. Most campings offer access to their facilities (such as laundry and shower) for a small fee even if you don't stay there, which is good to keep in mind. 

Jamtli 1895 Östersund Sweden 

Jamtli 1942, Östersund Sweden 

Besides doing laundry, we visited the biggest attraction they have in Östersund: Jamtli, the park that tells the story of Jämtland county during late 1700, mid 1800, early 1900 and the 1975 hippie era. Besides being a culture and nature precervance park with old houses from the area, cows, goats and horses- each century farm has actors showing the life of their time. In addition, the park contains a thoroughly museum, a handicraft store, an impressive restaurant, shows and a town square from the late 1800s. We enjoyed ourselves to the fullest, playing around as the kids we are, all day and of course made a longer stop at 1975 where we felt at home ;) For any backpacker in Sweden with an interest in history, nature, culture, traditions, farming etc, I warmly recommend visiting Jamtli (you'll need more than one day tho!) 

1975, Jamtli. The text says "...they agree with many others from the Green Wave, regarding criticism towards commercialism and wanting to live in unison with nature..."

Flower Power and Peace Bus from 1975, Jamtli Sweden 

Playing around in the town square, Jamtli Sweden

The further north you go in Sweden (and the inland in particular), the more remote everything gets. This is our wildlife area, the Swedish Outback or Jungle if you want, which also means difficulties in traveling around, finding information and the like. For instance, just as in many places around Latin America or Asia most towns/villages have two or more stations for buses and trains but no info so you do best asking around. Hitch-hiking in these areas are therefore time consuming due to empty roads. We decided to grab a few different buses to reach Umeå and the coast, where we went straight into the forest....

Bonus tip: 
Few cities have lockers big enough for backpacks in the train/bus stations but if you're in town only for a day try asking at the Tourist Center (Turistinformation). They usually store the bag for you until closing time ( 6pm) for 2 bucks or the like. 

Is there anything you want me to write about? Comment below! :)

Love and Light

/OM

"The one who wanders must carry everything everywhere. The Sami people dont have many objects, but they are strong, light and well made."  Jamtli museum

Summer Love Tour Part II (How To Travel Cheap in Sweden)

Read Part I here

Stockholm-Uppsala-Rättvik-Mora 

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Rättvik, Dalarna, Sweden

After having dropped the car off in Stockholm, my friend Alex picked us up and let us crash at his place. Me and Alex met many years ago, in Cuszco, Peru, and haven't seen each other in 3 years or so. Traveling is synonymous with making life long friends worldwide, and the best part: they are always just a text message away should I be nearby and need a floor to sleep on since they themselves understand the nomadic life. They also know about the best and many times secret places in their area, which means extra flavor to the trip;) Alex took us to a beautiful lake, surrounded by a quiet forest, showing us a new side to the Swedish capital. Our journey continued in that same friend-visiting spirit; we caught a train to Uppsala to meet lovely David for some yoga play and bubbling laughter. Uppsala showed us magic summer heat, green parks, a powerful church and a bunch of happy and curious yogis that wanted to partake in a Heart Opening Flow class. We gathered under a huge old tree in the park and as I guided them thru the class, more people joined in. It was a perfectly sunny and magic afternoon, thank you all! And thanks to David and Alex for taking us in to your homes - Much Love and Peace to you, always. 

Vegan Thai Food and tea after spreading love thru yoga in Uppsala!

For full moon, me and Ola headed north to Rättvik. Since we had short of time and it was surprisingly affordable, we decided to continue by train. In Sweden in General, however, one should never go by SJ train if it's avoidable. For obvious reasons:

Expensive: prices increase vastly the closer you are to departure date, last minute tickets do not exist, and they charge a lot more if you reserve a seat (please, never reserve a seat on trains!).
Baggage: there is absolutely no space for big rucksacks, suitcases and the like, which creates occasional chaos. 

Rättvik is situated next to the mythical lake Siljan (Sweden's 7th largest lake), and as the train stops at the station, she offers a spectacular view. In Dalarna, everything is like it always has been and the history, traditions, culture and typical Dala-houses are still very much alive. For these reasons- and of course the troll promising nature, me and Ola chose to stay for a while. We spent four days with a Swedish shaman at Läkegården, located in the forest just outside Rättvik. Here, too, we did work exchange (both By Magie services and carpeting) and thus got the opportunity to learn about and practice indigenous Swedish shamanism. In addition, we had time to visit sacred places such as Styggforsen waterfall and Dalhalla (a big lime stone quarry with a human made stage) and a few antiquities shops, which are also typical for the area and a must on a visit to Sweden! 

Styggforsen waterfall, Rättvik, Dalarna county, Sweden 

Since we don't have a car we decided to get around by foot and to hitchhike, which turned out to be a perfect combo in the Rättvik surroundings (despite heavy raining). In order to avoid SJ for our continuos travels, we do as we normally do in other countries: find local buses. Cheaper and easier. 

Random walking somewhere outside Rättvik, Sweden

Bonus tips transportation: 
Find out what county you are traveling in and and google it + "buses" and have a map ready as you browse thru the timetable. This is how we got to from Rättvik to Mora, where we're at right now.

Cheap accommodation tips:
1. Same as staying with friends is Coach Surfing and works well in Sweden too, especially when you need a place to crash just for the night. 
2. Work exchange exists in Sweden too. There are volunteer farms, WWOOFing and more around but you can also just go ahead and ask the place you want to visit, like we did at Läkegården. 

We are now heading towards Östersund, continuing our search for sublime nature, old wisdom and Love Exchange. 

How are you spending the holidays? comment below! 

Love and Light
/OM

Dalahäst in Mora, Dalarna county, Sweden. 

Studying abroad in Costa Rica: this is all you need to know Part 3

Read Part One about Visa details

Read Part Two about Flight tickets

1.    Where to?

So, now you’ve decided to move to Paradise to study- where will you go? Again, the starting point for this article is exchange through Swedish Universities, first and foremost Linnaeus University, and thus there are three options to choose from. Even if you shouldn’t choose USAC to study with, these guides can be used generally to decide on what part of the country you want to live in. If you are interested in more specific areas, other areas, more tips, or want me to write about something that is not mentioned here: WRITE me! Comment below or send me an email :)

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Heredia and San Ramón (San José)

The San José area has a sunny mountain coolness that turns into real cold at nighttime (except during summer), astonishing views, busy town(s) and a maze-like bus system. If you opt for a city life and a cultural scene either of these should be good options. There are plenty of buses to take you all around San José, both in the center and to the outskirts.

Find schedule between Heredia – San José and San Ramón – San José here. In addition, buses for the Caribbean coast, West Coast, Guanacaste, Nicaragua, Panama etc. depart from around the capital.

The environment offers- in addition to mountains- trees and green nature despite both places being quite busy cities. There are plenty more everyday activities around than the beach option (Puntarenas), such as the movies, theatre, concerts, restaurants, coffee places, yoga studios, gyms and other workout places. Downtown San José and all of its parks also offer regular events, such as free activities on Saturdays with Enámorate de tu ciudad, organic festivals, markets, concerts and more. Read more about the capital of Costa Rica here.

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Puntarenas

Is the natural option if you want to live by the beach. Puntarenas is a fishing village and still today a lot of boats and ships come, go and randomly hang out outside the harbors. This includes the huge cruise ships that about once a week dock along Paseo de los Turistas- for the tourists to beach it and buy coffee. Due to Puntarenas’ industry, and of course a bunch of other things, the beach and most of town is dirty. It is a great place as a starting point for your travels, since it’s a kind of transportation hub of the west coast. The ferry easily takes you to Nicoya Peninsula and busses leave regularly for both Guanacaste in the North, Jaco, Manuel Antonio and all the beaches on the southwest coast, San Ramón and San José. The town is small without any real activities besides the beach, a couple touristy restaurants and football games at the stadium every now and again. As with all places, Puntarenas has its charm. For instance, it offers tranquility and a chance to live in the heart of the Tico culture. The opportunity to practice Spanish here is great too since around town there is not much English spoken (as soon as you get away from El Paseo de los Turistas that is). The city center is cute with a useful and decent food market that brings you local fruits, veggies, fish and more.

2.             Oh, you fell in love in Central America, Costa Rica and Paradise too? How to extend the stay

Volunteering. That is the word. If you have money left still, there are also a lot of interning opportunities around the country. Simply, I’ve put together a list of links you can have a look at according to your preferred interest. Sure, it takes some time reading through it all, send applications, make decisions and what not but you wanted to stay, right? Remember that YOU are the only one in charge of your life, now go out there and LIVE IT! Much Love and Luck to you on your path. If you feel like sharing your traveling stories with me (before, during, after or always), I’d be honoured.

Volunteer Latin America: http://www.volunteerlatinamerica.com/projects/index.html

Great source to find small, cheap and free projects: http://www.volunteersouthamerica.net/

http://www.goabroad.com/

http://globalportalen.org/

http://www.transitionsabroad.com/listings/work/internships/latinamerica.shtml

http://www.scandinavianinst.se/

http://www.peaceworks.se/

http://mytellus.com/

http://www.nicaraguainternships.org/ 

http://manniskohjalp.se/bli-volontar

Internships

http://framtidsjorden.se/bli-praktikant

http://www.theinterngroup.com/how-it-works/

http://www.praktikstart.se/kategori/praktik/

http://www.oneworld365.org/continent/central-america/work

http://www.projects-abroad.se/volontarresor-lander/costa-rica/

Work Exchange

Great blog to find all kinds of info about Work Exchange http://www.broketourist.net/tag/work-exchange/

Bonus tip!

There are organisations around that are not listed online and that doesn’t necessarily cost anything. The Caribbean Coast is unfortunately a poor area in Costa Rica and in need of loving souls helping out in smaller farms and what not. Go to Puerto Viejo (de Talamanca) and have a look around.

http://www.puertoviejosatellite.com/volunteer.php 

http://www.ateccr.org/ 

http://www.vagosplace.com/

http://veronicasplacepv.com/work-exchange.php

Pura Vida siempre!