I loved taking over the Queenstown NZ Instagram for five days. I got to share my favourite places to visit in Queenstown over the winter…
Follow their Instagram here for some serious travel inspiration!
Destination Queenstown
KJet Queenstown
We were lucky enough to get out on the lake with the awesome crew from KJet Queenstown & I wrote about it here…
Enjoy!
How do you handle being homesick?
People ask me all the time if I ever get homesick. My answer is always no, however I do get people sick. Sheffield will always be home. It was where I was born, raised and taught many a life lesson including how to make a good brew and speak in a way half of the world will not understand. Sure I miss the rolling hills, I miss the friendliness of Yorkshire folk and I really miss never having to worry about what condiment will accompany my food ( always Hendo’s! ) but I am not homesick.
The place is which I reside now probably has a huge part in helping this. I live in Queenstown, in the south of New Zealand and my god it’s bloody beautiful. If you have ever been it doesn’t really need an explanation, if you are yet to visit my question to you is, what are you waiting for? There are mountains as far as the eye can see, the lake is as blue as you see in the postcards and the weather is tip top. Maybe living in such a beautiful place makes it harder to miss my hometown.
HOWEVER… the people in my life I miss dearly. A day doesn’t pass by where I don’t think of them. I miss being in the same time zone, being able to pick up the phone whenever a random thought pops into my head. I miss popping round for a brew, I miss having my family a stone throw away from my house, I miss meeting my friends for coffee or wine. I miss drinking tea with Liss, car karaoke with Joe & sleepovers with Rose. I miss walking in the peak district with my Dad and Step mum and seeing my grandma on the weekends. I miss my mum’s daily updates and my Step dad’s homemade spaghetti. So yeah maybe I do miss elements of home but I know it’s the people I really miss. I am fortunate enough to have an incredible bunch of friends. Three of them now all reside in different towns around the UK. The bonds I have with them individually & as a group is one I can never replicate nor break. They are quite literally my rocks and have helped mould me into the person I am today.
I was lucky enough to host one of them in my new home this weekend. I felt sick standing there waiting for her bus to arrive, I was shaking and crying before she even got off, then before I knew it she was running at me with open arms. All my emotions flooded out and we stood and cried like babies. I speak to these people every week on the phone & via text nearly everyday but nothing compares to seeing them in the flesh!
We drank wine, ran through the hills, ate good food and soaked in the ‘zennest’ tubs in NZ. Time went by far to quick and before I knew it I was waving goodbye to one of my best gal pals. I thank my lucky stars daily that I have friends like this because even with a million miles between us, time differences and life changes, everything and I mean every single thing remains the same, apart from laughing, we always seem to laugh a little harder. It’s so important to talk to the ones you love regularly especially if you live away from them, you never know they may be feeling the same as you. It is also so important not to let that degree of homesickness prevent you from enjoying your trip or move overseas.
I’ve been away from the motherland for over three years now and found the following helped me when starting to get homesick or in my case ‘people sick’
Make a bucket list for your new country – get out and explore you new backyard, you never know what you might find.
Get adopted… not literally but do go out and make new friends. New friends don’t have to replace your old ones but will make your time away a lot easier. Having people to talk to and adventure with is the best remedy when you feel down.
Make your new home a home. Embrace your new surrounds, buy those comfy cushions to decorate your bedroom & immerse yourself into your new town.
Talk to home. Don’t bottle up your feelings. They all miss you as much as you miss them and their aint nothing finer than hearing a familiar voice on the end of the phone.
Document your time away. Write it down, take photographs, blog it, scrapbook it. Whatever your medium to document make sure you do. You will have the best time revisiting those memories with your home slices.
Get out and enjoy this world. Your people aren’t going anywhere and will be there for you every step of the way.
Exploring Arugam Bay
I tried so hard to convince Robbie to hire a Tuk Tuk. We had found a rental place just down the road from our humble abode but the guy who owned it was most defiantly a crazy and we thought best to stick to a moped and explore the area.
I’m normally pretty good at doing my research but for some reason here I just didn’t, quickly screenshotting some places on my phone and half heartedly looking at maps was my idea of research. We set off, heading South toward Panama… “ If you hit Panama, you’ve gone to far” he said. Well not only had we hit Panama, driven through Panama, got chased by local children and got lost in Panama, we had gone so far past Panama we thought we were in a differnt land. We hastily turned around as it was quiet obvious we weren’t to be in said town.
The hunt for Elephant rock was proving pretty difficult; we searched, followed Tuk Tuks and even asked a guy with a gun. Yep a security guy was guarding a road, we asked which was the best way to go, he gestured down the road he was guarding and said we could if we wanted to however it all felt a little strange so we politely declined and took refuge under a tree. Not because there was loads of monkeys there, well maybe that was the reason but also to figure out where we were going. Then a swarm of surfboard topped Tuk Tuk’s appeared and we followed. They whizzed so fast across the sand and muddy land quicker than we could so we lost them. As the beach got closer so did the sand, our little moped unfortunately wasn’t going to make it. Just as we were about to turn around I spotted the BIGGEST pile of Elephant poop ever, it was fresh, kind of still steaming if you would. We hopped so quickly back on the bike and straight for the road, away from a potential run in with whoever had deposited their load.
Finding the nearest café with reliable wi-fi was also proving difficult so we ran back to our little hut and grabbed some screenshots for our next intended destination. This time on the road for much longer following winding roads through rice paddies before eventually coming to Whiskey point. We bought a juice in exchange for some moped parking and walked the beach. We were the only people there, it was so serene, we had found the a beach, a popular surf destination on the East coast and the only thing that joined us was the little sand crabs running for cover from our shadows. BLISS! Some surfers eventually did turn up & so did a fishing boat but we had soaked up all the serenity by then and I was ready to return to our hammock and an ice-cold shower.
We spent the next days relaxing, sleeping, catching the rays and trying not to cry in the heat, that’s right I cried because I was so hot, dramatic I know!
6am Tuk Tuk awakenings meant for a new destination! More palm trees and coconuts await!
Arugam Bay
Ahh Arugam bay. We spent so much time reading, researching and watching videos about that famous surf break before we left for Sri Lanka. After spending nearly half a day trying to figure out how to get from the hill country to the east coast of Sri Lanka we finally found a route and settled in for an early night, this was after visiting our friend & puppy at One Love bar for one last delicious Passionfruit Mojito. Luscious palm tree’s and waves await. We told our host that we would be leaving at 5.30am to get down into the town for 6am, so please don’t prepare us any breakfast. He insisted and true to his world I woke at 5am to find eggs, bread & coffee waiting outside our room. He had also packed us bananas and sweet treats for the road. I nearly cried, one due to the fact I was so delirious with the early morning wake up call but also at the kindness of Sri Lankan people. We set off for the bus stop, which ended up being just a bigger group of delirious travellers wandering aimlessly back and forth not knowing what side of the road the bus would appear on. In a flash of red our bus has appeared and left with us all on board and paid up.
It was 6.20am and the bus was chocka. I mean barely anywhere to stand, that’s for the men of course. I was offered a seat straight away to which I refused but the kind local man insisted I sit. Gal doesn’t have to be told twice at 6.30am to sit down. We knew we were in for a long ride… thankfully it was all on one bus until we reached Siyamballa. Our bags went under the bus so as the majority of the passengers disembarked at Mongarala we moved to the back, so we could keep an eye on our stuff but also take advantage of the Sri Lankan air con – Open windows and back door! We befriended the ticket guy and he spent the remainder of the journey giving us his life story about his family and job as a ticket man, he was so entertaining to watch as he collected his fares and acted as a human bulldozer to cram just once more person onto his bus. He told us where to get off, directed us to the next stop and told us to wait. We wandered around, couldn’t see said bus stop and a hangry decision meant we were bundled into a tuk tuk within ten minuets to impatient to wait around.
Our Tuk Tuk driver had kindly accepted the fair of 12000 Rupees down from 16000 however about 40 mins into the ride we had already decided to give him the 16000 as we didn’t anticipate it being this far away. We were tootling along the road, relaxing and enjoying the wind in our hair and sweaty faces when I noticed our driver staring into the bushes. He kept slowing and staring then speeding up again. I had no idea what was going on and his jolted starts were doing nothing for my empty travel sick stomach. Then he saw them and pointed so excitedly out of the window I thought we were going to tip over. Two huge & I mean HUGE wild Elephants strolled from the bush, minding their own business they sauntered across the fields and disappeared into the bush again. Our driver slowed down enough so we could watch them, it was magic.
The gateway to Arugam bay is kind of like getting off a plane. What I mean by this is you know when you step off a plane and the intense heat hits you smack bang in the face? Well this happened as we crossed the bridge onto the main road, holy heck it was hot! We drove the main road at least 12 times searching for our guesthouse, eventually found it and sheepishly overpaid the driver after realizing how far it was & how foolish we were to barter him down in the first place! We dumped our bags and ran for the beach that was conveniently at the end of our gate. Robbie had his board shorts on quicker than you can say board shorts and was heading straight for the closest surf rental as I tried to keep my cool sweating silently in the heat. When Robbie had finished throwing himself around in the ocean we headed back to our beautiful little villa for some hammock hangs and plan making.
We had anticipated this place to be the best for surfing so we set out to explore the point break at the end of the beach. From a distance it looks exciting, up close it’s terrifying. The waves were huge and unfortunate for us break right onto four-foot of coral just below the surface, we watched as surfers exited the water further down the beach and hobbled back up with cuts and gashes all over their feet only to hop right back into the madness. I begged Robbie to wait until the swell had calmed down as I couldn’t bear to think of him getting battered around by the beast, we did have five days to choose from so hopefully one will work out & he can play in the big waves. Unfortunately the whole time we were at Arugam bay the wave never calmed down & was far to risky so early on in our trip however we did walk there every morning and evening to enjoy the other surfers, mainly local boys giving it a good old go.
For a ‘surfy’ town there wasn’t much choice of establishments offering that beach chill vibe. We walked up and down looking for somewhere decent to eat & drink but we weren’t all impressed with what we found. The one place we stumbled across that did sell beer was ran by an English woman so it killed my local authenticity feel, however being out of season we were limited on choice so we did visit a few nights.
We also happened to be in Arugam bay on Poya day – a day celebrated by the Sri Lankans every month on the full moon to commemorate key events in Buddhism. So the day before, the day of and pretty much the day after is a no alcohol zone. We literally couldn’t buy a beer anywhere, so we spent our very sober time in Arugam bay sipping juice and watching the world go by.
It was beautiful to see the locals unite and celebrate together. One of the best sunsets I have ever seen was on Poya day here in Arugam bay, as the locals bathed in the ocean we walked the length of the beach twice and back soaking it all in.
Mental health awareness week
In light of mental health awareness week I wanted to write something a little personal, away from the travel style I’m used to and just a little more raw.
Anxiety.
For the silent sufferers, I’m here for you. Those four words I want everyone to repeat, “I’m here for you” Just because you cannot see how someone is feeling or coping doesn’t mean it’s not real within them. This is an issue I don’t really choose to discuss publicly and most people I know will be surprised to find out that I have it. I have the ability to hide it, to mask it, to shield the ones close to me from my mind battle. I feel like over the years I did this to protect my loved ones. It is a hard medium to explore & explain to others, you find yourself faced with comments such as “thats a stupid thing to worry about” or “stop being so dramatic” and all the rest of it. Don’t worry, I’ve heard it all. At first I thought maybe it is stupid, maybe I was making mountains out of mole hills. What may seem like an insignificant detail to others was actually creating world war three in my mind between my emotions and my reality. I have friends also, very close friends who have the same issues and what do you do? You want to help, but in that moment there’s not much you can do. Your words are powerless against their mind so you know what my resolution is, just let them know you’re there, let them know your front door is open, the kettles on and there’s a big hot steamy cup of (preferably Yorkshire) tea to lose themselves in.
When anxiety attacks there’s no real escape so knowing you have someone to talk to, scream down the phone at and cry to is somewhat grounding. You don’t even have to say anything. In fact it’s probably better if you don’t. Just being that ear, that shoulder and the friend they need in that moment is enough. I have spent countless hours on the phone to my friends listening to their woes and to their troubles without chucking my two-cent in because frankly they dont care, well they do but right now it’s not what they need. They don’t want to suffer in silence alone but may find solace in your silence. Silence doesn’t always mean understanding but to them in that moment it feels like acceptance.
When Anxiety attacks its hard to know how to deal with it. If it appears on the daily then it can become pretty tiring for you and your precious mind. If it attacks weekly or even more sporadically it can still be tiring. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, don’t be afraid to reach out. The people around you may not realise your struggle. Talk to your loved ones and your closest friends. Trust me they are the best therapy. If you don’t feel like talking which on a regular I find myself doing then go and find your calm somewhere else. I never really knew the effect or benefit the outdoors would have on my brain. It wasn’t until I moved to New Zealand that I connected with the outdoors. I found my passion which also resulted in me finding my calm. Theres a handful of people in my circle who know me well enough to see that I am ten times the person now than what I was four years ago and I totally put that down to travel and nature.
It may sound super cliché but when you travel you really do find yourself. Doors open, opportunities present themselves and you have time. Time to think, focus on yourself and expand your mind leaving little to no space for those anxious feelings. Curiosity got the better of me and I started to explore more, quiet literally broadening my horizons and leaving my mind to wonder about the unknown and for once it didn’t scare me.
Being in the outdoors helped ground me. If I was feeling anxious or could feel an anxiety attack approaching I knew to get outside. Get into the open and breathe fresh air. Mother Nature helped me relax and find my feet. She pushed me physically to strive for better fitness and wellbeing. She gave me a focus in which resulted in giving my mind a purpose.
I guess where I’m going with this post is that I want everyone to know that you’re not alone. You may feel alone but you’re not. If you don’t feel like you can reach out to those close to you then start within. Step outside, take your own time and get to know yourself again. Conquer those mountains in your mind by climbing physical mountains, walk through the tree’s, find your calm space. I promise you this your mind will thank you later.
It’s scary when you look at statistics surrounding metal health. Mental disorders affect 1 in 4 people. 70% of young people don’t receive the proper support they need and people will steer clear of help because of stigma and discrimination. We have become accepting of anything in this world breaking down apart from our brains and that is ignorance. We live in a world that doesn’t understand therefore they discriminate. We need to educate ourselves to help others, don’t join the ignorant statistic. Be the change this world needs, be what the people of this world need.
My door is open, my kettle is pretty much always on and I know how to make a good brew, don’t suffer in silence, I will always be here for you.
Hostelworld
I can’t quiet believe I am typing this one but recently I was contact by Hostelworld.
28 Up-and-coming Instagrammers you need to follow. Thank you so much to the Hostelworld team for including me in this, I am super grateful!
Check it out below & all the other amazing people I share this post with.
Contact Me
Are you interested in creating something EPIC together?
From a long term brand ambassador role, media trips, blog editorials, content creation & social media work. You will find me raring to go on any joint projects you may have in mind. I can guarantee creativity and passion, paired with collaborative ideas… the possibilities are endless.
It can only be amazing!
Drop an email into my inbox – I am excited to meet you!
Please note that my media kit is available upon request.
sophiepiearcey@hotmail.co.uk
Uva Halpewatte tea factory
Even in the ridiculous heat & humidity I was still managing to polish off a good few brews a day. If you know anything about me you will know I run on cups of tea, I was brought up on the stuff and I think I must bleed Yorkshire tea. I dragged Robbie out of bed early (again) and in to a Tuk Tuk heading for the Uva Halpewatte tea factory somewhere in the hills surrounding Ella.
I had read you had to be there early to see any activity, we asked the driver to put his foot down which resulted in nearly risking our lives on the way up there in the worst Tuk Tuk known to mankind. The driver definitely didn’t take passengers that often and he most certainly wasnt experienced on hills. I closed my eyes and held on as I could feel us rolling back, jolting our way up a half concrete, half deadly loose gravel track. The things I do for a good brew.
We arrived at just gone 9am, the place was deadly quiet, we walked through the factory and up to the gift shop / reception, we had missed the last tour of the day. I don’t know what time you have to get here to see the whole factory in action but all activity had stopped by 9am. They still run the talk & the tour and turns out all we had missed was the tea ladies bringing their bags in for weighing and the drying process. There was still a tour of the factory & tasting to be had so we handed over our 300 Rupees and sat waiting for our guide.
I’m a sucker for anyone who is passionate about their job, this guy… well he took it to a new level. He loved tea and everything about it. The process, his factory, the distribution… everything! I though I flew the flag high for a cup of leafy goodness but he beat me on all accounts. We sat in the drying room, sweat pouring from every possible place on my body, listening to how the tea is picked, dried, processed, packed and then distributed worldwide.
The tea pickers get around $3 a day for a 5kg bag of tea that they balance on their heads and deliver to the factory every morning. We were taught about the leaf & how they only need to pick the bud meaning all leaves surrounding are discarded to the ground. We had the four main qualities of tea drilled into our brains.
Quality, strength, flavour & colour. The leaves are picked, dried, rolled & then separated into different grades for bagging. The smaller the leaf the stronger it is, the grade is why we see a difference in price on our supermarket shelves. We walked around the whole factory, through each process and finally to a tasting table, where each grade / strength of tea was available to try. It was so interesting and I was in tea heaven. We tipped our guide & begged a Tuk Tuk to take us down the torturous hill back to our home stay.
The clouds rolled in for the afternoon and we experienced a hill country monsoon. We hung out on the balcony watching the rain & then decided to put our macs on and go exploring. We walked all through the tea plantations opposite our home stay, walked the railway tracks back to the station & then started out for Little Adams Peak again.
The rain had stopped as we completed our mini workout for the afternoon, a week of Curry & rice had stated to take its toll on my body. We practically ran to the top & I’m glad we did because the thickest white fog was coming in fast. We managed to grab some more photos at the top & then descend down into the closest bar to dodge more downpours. Banana leaf curry & lion beers saw out our last rainy night in Ella & one last visit to the passionfruit Mojito king & puppies at One love bar.
Ella Rock
‘Have you hiked Ella rock yet?’
The burning question on every backpackers mind in Ella. As you sit sipping your beer or as you unravel your banana leaf curry you find yourself eavesdropping on other people’s conversations trying to pull together at least a rough idea of where to start. You read horror stories online, the locals say you must hike with a guide and everyone attempting to hike the rock has a different set of instructions pulled from various online sources.
Our day started with eggs on bread before the sun had even risen. I hauled Robbie out of bed & we set off with some half-hearted screenshots from a blog I found online the night before while sipping passionfruit Mojito’s and being distracted by a litter of newborn puppies. With sore heads and full stomachs we were ready to go.
Now as a child where I am from we are told to stay clear of train tracks, it is not your playground and they are not to be walked on. Here however the train & tracks provide an amazing network for Sri Lanka and at this time in a morning they were alive with activity. The trains move slow and loud so if one does appear you have plenty of time to move out-of-the-way.
We followed women with crops balanced expertly on their heads, dodged the mass of school children running full pelt towards us and also managed to ward off some misleading directions from a group of local men playing chess at the side of the road. Talk around town is that you need a guide to hike to the top, if you don’t you will get lost. We heard and read a few stories of people walking around aimlessly for hours without reaching anywhere near their desired destination. We were also told to beware of the people who send you the wrong way deliberately into the path of a friendly local who will for a small price help you reach the top.
We only experienced this once and confidently carried on walking the way our instructions had told us. We didn’t want to walk with anyone else, my dramatic hiking wails are just enough for Robbie to handle let alone some random local. I trusted my judgement for once and expertly directed us (with the help of the photographs) right to the top.
Follow the train tracks, cross the farmers land, walk through someone’s back garden & through some super scary long grass and you are at the base of the hill. Easy, it really was easy. Fun fact about Robbie, he is terrified of snakes. After our encounter with the 10 foot black monster in Hatton I had to go first and hold his had through the long grass just incase a snake happened to appear, I still wonder what holding hands would have changed should we have been attacked, but I am all for support and we got through it together.
We started the ascent to the summit. The sun had made an appearance but it was shaded so I was feeling good. What was left of the cool morning breeze greeted us at the summit as well as a local guy boiling a kettle over a manmade fire pit. We cautiously walked over sleeping puppies and marvelled at the view. It was pretty epic. I was concerned it wouldn’t differ much from Little Adams peak but you are way higher up here, the landscape is breathtaking.
We spent some time at the top just hanging out in the sun and taking it all in before descending into a Banana bread & Tea infused coma. We encountered some weary hikers on the way down and after assuring them they were on the right track we practically ran back to our guesthouse to rest up for a few hours.
It was such a beautiful hike & one I am happy to have ticked off my Sri Lanka bucket list.
Notes of a Northerner 