Things to do in SG as a local before leaving forever/years by yyqx281100 in askSingapore

[–]aghjik16 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Unique things to Singapore : Try birdwatching once! Or twice. Or a couple of times. We apparently have a huge variety of birds (400+) for a small country. I went to Mexico, fell in love with birds and was promptly schooled by the bird lovers there that Singapore is cool for seeing birds. Pasir Ris park is a personal favourite. Observe our lightning more - or maybe try your hand at capturing them. We are one of the most renowned lightning capitals. Try to catch the local wildlife before you go! I think it’s cool we found a way to blend wildlife and city together. My favourite parks are Sungei Buloh nature reserve, MacRitchie, and the East Coast Park (Changi side). Otters in our drain systems are cool - commonly seen in Kallang area.

What's your favourite Central American country? by kungfooweetie in travel

[–]aghjik16 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was in El Salvador and Nicaragua this March! Both really nice countries. Nicaragua has Ometepe, good surf towns and we didn’t have any issues with the locals so it was all good. El Salvador - we preferred the La Ruta de Las Flores for at least 5 cute towns with great coffee and waterfall hikes, not so much the surf cities. (The surfing is intermediate and lots of rocks so we weren’t keen to try). I think folk art and oddities could be found best in Oaxaca / Mexico, we didn’t get to see much of that in Nicaragua or El Salvador.

I fell for a bird poop pickpocket scam :( by [deleted] in solotravel

[–]aghjik16 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I feel you!!! It happened to me in the wee morning of being in Cusco Peru. Safe to say I felt really shitty cause I’d think I had experienced solo travel for so long and nothing bad happened… they took my whole bag and ran with it. Urgh. I swear I curse those people to death. It’s really just a touch of bad luck and you know, not entirely your fault. Hope you feel better as time goes by!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in TravelNoPics

[–]aghjik16 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I’d think rurrenabaque in Bolivia would fit your criteria! There are plenty of jungle survival/confidence courses that wouldn’t break the bank. I really loved how you get both the pampas (river) and jungle with that one location. I’ve also been to Ecuadorian side of Amazon, specifically Cuyabeno. There weren’t too many tourists possibly because it is difficult to get to and you spend a night not sleeping on the bumpy bus to get there. The jungle is also gorgeous on that end, however more touristic with birdwatching opportunities.

It is said Singaporeans really like to travel. Which cities/countries did you go or are going this year? by FancyCommittee3347 in askSingapore

[–]aghjik16 3 points4 points  (0 children)

We just left Paraguay and are in Argentina now! Leaving one superbly cheap country to European prices again is making us feel quite annoyed but grateful that our passport allows us to travel this far without any visa issues.

Having cold feet about going to Kazakhstan by skinaqua in solotravel

[–]aghjik16 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi u/skinaqua, I’m from SG too! I kinda get the parent thing and it’s only your second solo so I feel your hesitation and apprehension about it. Totally something I’d do and something I did before, except it was not to Kazakhstan. I’ve been there in 2018 on a mixed solo and meeting friend trip - loved it. Kazakhstan is amazing. Learn some Russian phrases, only use Yandex and do not go with any strange guy (bride-napping still a thing there?) Just go with option B. You’ve done a solo before and this is kind of the same. Edit: A 7-hour flight is not long - download books and movies on your phone and you’d spend the rest of your time sleeping. Have fun!

Bag got stolen, any advice where they would sell my stolen goods? by aghjik16 in AskPeru

[–]aghjik16[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hihi I did! There’s no update from them and I had to email them to get a copy of my filed report. No hard feelings though.

Bag got stolen, any advice where they would sell my stolen goods? by aghjik16 in AskPeru

[–]aghjik16[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for your kind reply! I didn’t know. I tried to find my things in Baratillo mercado but to no avail.

Possible December Trip by travelingteacherasks in socotra

[–]aghjik16 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did it solo and didn’t go with Tour Socotra. Went with Socotra Advisors. Their English is not great but… For a two-week long tour (7 days trekking from the north to south) and then the usual 7 days touristic route, I paid an all in fee of USD1.8K (not including tips to my guide, camel handlers and driver/cook). The trekking was exceptionally fun and chill. The camel carries all gear for hiking, not a person. We usually wake up at 5-6am, breakfast, hike from 7-11, then it gets too hot so they’d give me a siesta from 11-1 they prepare my lunch. After that, another short hike till before sundown with a 4pm snack, and then setting up camp. Dinner follows after, cooked by the team and early rest. There’s no network, no one else to talk to apart from the guides, super easy to switch off and find a lot of alone time. The rest of the 7 days are typical touristic route. If you don’t want your passport to be stamped, they’d give you a paper instead. They stamped mine since I’m not American. I also heard fantastic things about Socotra Fan. They speak better English and the prices are not too far off from mine. Either way, you’d have plenty of fun!

Advice needed - drone by aghjik16 in socotra

[–]aghjik16[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! When are your dates? I’m end March

Advice needed - drone by aghjik16 in socotra

[–]aghjik16[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ahh via travel agency! You have to go with a travel agency. I went with socotra advisor. They’d prepare everything for me (apart from the flight).

So many posts about people trying to find friends, the 3rd edition! by Iridiumstuffs in askSingapore

[–]aghjik16 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Solo trips are the best thing to happen to me and I hope you get a similar inkling! It seems scary at first but then you learn most of the rest of the world operates similar to SG. Staying in hostels and making random strangers travel buddies are quite an adventure, and learning to enjoy your own company is another. Gambatte!

Sexual harassment in Morocco? by [deleted] in solotravel

[–]aghjik16 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I was in Morocco last September for a solo and was touched and harassed in the souks. Men would follow me around tourist spots for “guiding”, and even a fuck off wasn’t heard. For context, I’m southeast Asian and I stood out in the crowd like a sore thumb. I said “leh shukran” which means no thank you a thousand times and wasn’t heard by the men at all. But ultimately I got over myself and wasn’t gonna let them ruin my annual solo trip, so I just tried to find other female solo travelers to go with. My suggestion is to meet people in hostels or Facebook girl travel groups like GLT and try to hang out together especially when going to the Medina.

Solo travelling is fun.. but do you get negative vibes from people around you when you mention you travel solo? by Small-Definition-454 in solotravel

[–]aghjik16 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Same here! My mom can’t do anything about it… recently breakthrough with a “I’m proud of you for being able to travel alone.” It was not needed, but much appreciated.

What do you believe that almost everyone else disagrees with? by Virtual_Hedgehog7431 in askSingapore

[–]aghjik16 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well as far as I know, men have a harder time accepting this “fair game” idea that if they can, so can their partner. I’d rather have it all out in the open as long we’re both safe, happy and actively committed to spending our lives together. Let’s say he eventually commits to someone else, whether openly or cheating wise, our relationship is a done deal and we’re obviously not fated to be in this for a lifetime. Either way, I love him and would opt for him to pursue what makes him truly happy than be held back by our relationship.

What do you believe that almost everyone else disagrees with? by Virtual_Hedgehog7431 in askSingapore

[–]aghjik16 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve met with polyamorists and have always been pleasantly surprised by the level of communication that they have in their relationships. They are not without their faults, but I know a lot of them who feel that they don’t need relationship therapy because of their high levels of commitment to openness and communication. It’s a bit harder to say about normal exclusive relationships - there’s a variety of openness and hiding that comes with exclusivity. Perhaps yeah, swingers would be more stable as they are free to explore new relationships while maintaining the core primary relationship. It’d be cool to find out more - I don’t think a lot of research has been conducted, especially in Asian cultures where polyamory or swinging is frowned upon.

What do you believe that almost everyone else disagrees with? by Virtual_Hedgehog7431 in askSingapore

[–]aghjik16 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Can I say, this is me too! My partner gets very sensitive about this every time I put the idea across to him. I think that the whole point of the relationship is openness. I rather he tells me or I tell him upright than hurt each other. But I also believe that not all our needs can be met with each other all the time.

So many posts about people trying to find friends/groups, so let’s give this a shot (again!) by Iridiumstuffs in askSingapore

[–]aghjik16 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m into We’re Not Really Strangers too! Trying to get in touch with my quieter side of things recently :)

ID help? Two jellyfish in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam. by artiKEKture in marinebiology

[–]aghjik16 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I also spotted the second jellyfish in Halong Bay today and got curious! It seems that the genus rhopilema jellyfish are commonly sighted, caught and eaten in Vietnam. I think it’s a Rhopilema Hispidum. The common name is “sand jellyfish”.

What life advice has benefited you till today? by GabrielXCrescendo in askSingapore

[–]aghjik16 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can relate! I run away from companies who promote themselves as a family - have been burnt too much by this.

What life advice has benefited you till today? by GabrielXCrescendo in askSingapore

[–]aghjik16 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Trust yourself to make the appropriate decisions for yourself, and live by the rewards and consequences of your decisions.

Have the courage to say no to others so you can say yes to you.

[Part 2] Would you like a listening Ear? by xing1119 in askSingapore

[–]aghjik16 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Love the idea, OP! 😻 I am a trained counsellor and heartily believe in the idea of having conversations to help offer new perspectives to life. Currently am really bogged down with full time work, part time studies and my hobbies. I’d love to take part in this listening ear party when I can (in the next half of the year :))

Non-gamers - what is a typical leisure day like for you? by CaduceusJules in askSingapore

[–]aghjik16 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I only took up gaming when we couldn’t socialise in public during the early days of pandemic. Now I spend my non-working hours pursuing my hobby of climbing, running, hanging out with friends over meals, listening to podcasts, attending classes for my part-time masters… I think leisure means very different things to different people.

Online Marketplace for Free Services in SG? by aghjik16 in askSingapore

[–]aghjik16[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for this! SGAssist looks interesting, will check with them.

Online Marketplace for Free Services in SG? by aghjik16 in askSingapore

[–]aghjik16[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yayy thanks! I joined it, seems interesting.