CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS IN SEPTEMBER?
Don’t
you hate it how the department stores these
days have their Christmas decorations out
in September in a bid to persuade
consumers to start spending on Christmas gifts
early and hopefully spend more $£€.
For most of us, the reality is that this tactic
simply serves to render us all feeling guilty
for 4 months leading up to Christmas, as every
time we pass the department store we remember
we still haven’t done our Christmas
shopping!!
Well,
if you can’t beat them… I
say why not be a step ahead of the mainstream
consumer market and go to the ultimate extreme…
lets start Christmas shopping in January
in our global department store. The difference
here is that it’s a whole lot of fun.
Here’s
a list of suggested gifts to purchase.
January
- Girlfriend (for the boys): Why
not pick up French perfume for your loved
one whilst on your tour of the perfume factories
in Paris.
She might be a bit miffed that you were out
travelling without her so early on in the
year but once she receives exquisite perfume,
you’re sure to be forgiven. Here you
can buy in bulk so plan ahead, stock up for
many Christmases to come!
February
- Dad: A Berimbau (single string
musical bow commonly used by Brazilians during
capoeira dancing) is the perfect gift for
Dad. This fabulous instrument can be purchased
after partying down at the Rio
Carnival. At the time it will
seem to be the ultimate present, you may even
mutter “Dad is going to looooove this!”
when purchasing it. This gift is certain to
sit in your father’s cupboard for years
to come.
March
- Brother: When you go tripping through
Vietnam
be sure to take your brothers measurements
with you and have a local tailor whip up a
suit for him. The tailors in Vietnam are top
notch and produce high quality suits for around
USD$50. Your bro’ will be ecstatic,
he will look fantastic and think you have
spent a fortune on him. Don’t tell him
where you got it.
April
- Sister: It’s New Year in
Thailand
and you’re washing away your bad luck
at the frivolous water festival. Inbetween
throwing water bombs from your hired tuk tuk
and tucking into Thailand’s amazing
cuisine, why not pick up a big happy Buddha
statue for your sister, not only will your
sister be endowed with endless good luck from
rubbing his stomach, she will constantly be
reminded of how thoughtful you are.
May
- Nephew: After you have hiked the
Inca
Trail, in Peru, you will stop
at a little town called Aguas Calientes to
soothe your aches in the hot baths. This is
also the perfect place to pick up a set of
Peruvian Panpipes for your little nephew;
his parents will thank you for years to come.
June
- Niece: Whilst on the musical instrument
expedition, don’t forget to pick up
a set of African
Drums in Arusha after you have
spotted the big 5 on the plains of the Serengeti.
ditto re: parents.
July
- Mother: You don’t need to
blame the vodka, even if you had had one or
two too many on a pit stop on your
Trans Siberian rail journey,
when you picked up your Russian Matryoshka
nested dolls for your Mum. She is going to
love them. They’ll look delightful un-stacked
and lined up on her kitchen window, she’ll
stare at them and dream of the day you bring
her first grandchild over to play with them…
the only problem is they now pose to be an
added reminder that she is waiting and waiting
for that day…. What’s taking you
so long!
August
- Cousin: Not seeing your cousin
all that often, it is hard to predict what
he or she may want for Christmas? Well it’s
lucky you took a trip to Turkey
this year as an authentic Fez (a red felt
hat in the shape of a truncated cone with
a black tassel dangling from the top) will
render your cousin the envy of the neighbourhood
and is sure to start a trend!
September
- Grandfather: If he isn’t
in one yet, one day in his nursing home a
yak bell from the Himalayas will come in very
handy! They are nice and loud, perfect for
getting the nurse’s attention. Pick
one up in Namche Bazaar on your way back from
Everest Base Camp (note,
don’t get it on the way up, it’ll
only hinder your chances of reaching base
camp).
October
- Boyfriend (for the ladies): They
say the way to a man’s heart is through
his stomach so you simply cannot go past a
1-litre beer stein from the Oktoberfest
in Germany. He’ll be the
talk of the BBQ when he turns up with this,
then after consuming a few, they’ll
be talking about him for years to come.
November
- Grandmother: When in Italy
you can purchase handbags made from the finest
leather in the world. This is the perfect
gift for Granny to whack Grand Pop with after
he’s used the Yak Bell for the 50th
time that day.
December
- Yourself: www.kumuka.com
why not plan next year’s venture,
Christmas shopping has never been so much
fun.
back
to top |
As
the sun set over the Savannah I thanked God
for gin and tonic!
OK
admit it, you want to come back from your
tour looking trim, tanned and terrific. 
Having spent 10 years travelling to all corners
of the world as a traveller and tour guide,
Kylie is no stranger to stepping outside of
her comfort zone; in fact ask her and she’ll
tell you that’s exactly what tempts
her to venture a little further. She loves
the unpredictability of travelling in Latin
America amid their vibrant, loud, colourful
culture; and learning all the rules and ways
of living in the more conservative Japan and
seeing how much she could get away with. Back
at home Kylie enjoys kicking back on a Friday
night with a beer, a barbeque and a bonfire
on the beach. 
Dear
Kumuka, 
My
husband and I just returned from a trip in
Europe. The majority of our time was spent
with your crew Kevin and Susan on the 28 Day
Kumuka Central Europe Tour, and we wanted
to let you know what a fantastic time we had!
