The Traveling OYEster

I saw my future… it was approximately 10 or 20 years from now.  From the surface I liked what I saw.  After to getting to know the 40 or 50 something year old me, I realized I wasn’t as happy as I could be.

I learned I need to listen more and ask questions.  Not just listen because I have to, but to really try to understand what people are talking about.  I have to ask more questions instead of making assumptions.  If I don’t like the answer I am hearing, let the person finish what they are saying first before seeing if anything is flexible.  I had my palm read and the gentlemen read me spot on.  I have limited flexibility which I am well aware of; but struggling to change.  I can change my ways, I have to be patient, donate yellow clothing and fast on Wednesdays for myself and Thursdays for my mate.  I said, wait I don’t own any yellow clothing.  He stopped me and said to be flexible.  Does this mean the color orange or should I literally just buy yellow clothes and donate them – lol.

I have to stop over story telling.  If someone tells a great story, I shouldn’t stomp it with one of my own.  Let the story be.  Let that person telling it be thrilled that they had an experience to share.  No need to sound worldlier or make yourself the center of attention.  It is annoying and I catch myself wanting to share similar experiences all the time, but sometimes I need to let it be.

Keep your un-satisfaction to yourself.  Venting will happen, but sometimes if you see a smile on someone’s face, don’t bombard that person with negatively right then and there.  Take some deep breaths and wait until there is a good time to vent if you realize it’s still necessary after time has passed.  If you are still angry in the morning, then it’s probably worth a discussion, if not… let it go!

Don’t ever throw a temper tantrum.  They are extremely unattractive.  Quietly excuse yourself as if you have to use the restroom and gather yourself together before re-entering a group.  Out of embarrassment I raised my voice at someone who semi spoke English.  He didn’t realize what he was doing was completely inappropriate, my friends were cringing, but I couldn’t help but get carried away and bust out… Miscommunication is unfortunate at times but can be handled with care.

Be patient.  Your turn will come.  If you run to the front of the line every time it becomes well noticed and it does isolate you over time.  No need to push your way, you will have everything everyone else gets as well.  I watched other people start to do this and I am guilty of it myself… never again!

Something like meditation would be good for me, but we all know that won’t happen.  I need to remember things that are similar attributes of people that I tend to enjoy surrounding myself with (like minded travelers), but then I realize I possess some of the same qualities that tend to make me realize, I have to make day to day changes…

18 days away is far too long from Harvey Keitel (my dog).  I realize I absolutely love my dog unconditionally and due to unforeseen circumstances, one of his sitters was no longer able to watch him in the original capacity.  I panicked and stressed in India and my wonderful friends worked together to make sure my baby was well taken care of.  Besides many words of gratitude, I spent many hours searching for unique gifts to thank them as not many people are as gracious and as wonderful as my friends.  Thank you my angels!

As for India itself, I think once is enough will be my motto.  It was an absolutely amazing trip.  There are a few folks I hope to keep in touch with.  Besides that, the begging, the way of life, the hopelessness, the trash; I will soon forget.  I will remember the smiling children and women who wanted their photos taken just because they wanted to see their smiles.  I will remember the quiet and peaceful India and places that are unforgettable such as the forts and castles we stayed in.  I will remember the village walks and some of the natural beauty and landscape that was endured along the way.  I will not miss the food in the slightest, nor will I miss the motorbike and car honks or the cows that seem to get in the way at times.  I will cherish all the monkeys (even the scary ones), the big and little pigs and hogs (I named them all bacon).  Camels freak me out a bit, but I will smile thinking about their mugs.  The birds in India are beautiful.  I won’t miss the stray dogs – my heart is broken to think how many stray dogs (1,000s of them) we saw that looked like they were starving.  There were so many puppies and moms that just gave birth and still there were puppy shops everywhere.  It was devastating.

I did love the fact that no one smokes in India so there was hardly ever the smell of cigarette smoke; however some sewage systems are above ground so the smells aren’t always so lovely.

This was yet another adventure.  I promised myself I will take one great adventure a year.  I think my limit in the future will be a tour no more than 12 days.  The 15 days + 3 days of travel is a bit too much for me at this point in time.  Even though this was a standard (2-3 star) tour, I was OK with it as we stayed in places (like the campsite or the fort) that would never pop up on a comfort trip.  Also, by staying in guesthouses/home-stays, you get home cooked meals and it is a much more local experience/vibe.  The worst thing is comfort trips where you end up never having the opportunity to visit small villages and staying in the most unique places and eating local cuisine.  That is why I love to travel the way I do.  I know some people love their comforts, but my golly I live in NYC which has all the comforts of the world at home.

So I leave India a little dusty not having many hot showers – it’s all about the experience.  I will cherish my home, my family and my friends.  I always appreciate the simple things after leaving a country like India.  Hot shower, bacon cheeseburger, taxis with doors, clean clothes, warm bed, I am ready to enjoy you all over again and try hard to remember how lucky I am.

Happy New Year everyone.  Let 2013 be a special year.

RIP NW.  My mom told me about your passing after I arrived home.  I am happy to know my father has his best friend with him and you are now at peace.  I pray that you have found one another.  I will only assume you are out at sea searching for the big one.

Heading to the holiest city in Rajasthan, I tend to wonder exactly what I am in for…

The train ride was a long one and once we arrived it was pretty chaotic.  We jumped in vans and took a 45 minute drive to our hotel.  We went for our orientation walk which turned out to be the spiritual walk (according to the map we were handed of this town).  Once again our guide rushed it as there was afternoon camel rides planned.  The lake in Pushkar is where Gandhi’s ashes are scattered.  People come here to bathe, heal sickness and to pray.  We were asked not to take pictures in certain areas as it isn’t deemed acceptable.  We even took a walk over some bridge.  We were asked to take our shoes off.  We all did with hesitation as the amount of cow and dog poop was a bit overwhelming.  There was some tip toeing for sure!  Besides this walk, there was just one huge bazaar in this town.

Also, for the first time, I noticed Ashrams and Yoga centers.  I asked if this is where Julia Roberts came in Eat, Pray, Love.  I was half kidding.  The Ashrams here are mainly for local homeless people.  This town was also covered with hippies.  There were many foreigners with dreadlocks.  I guess this is a place to be if you want to disappear.    My guide told me this is a town for marijuana and such.  I didn’t engage in this conversation.

I skipped the camel ride in the afternoon as I promised myself after riding a camel in Morocco I would never do it again.  I did it again in Egypt and then I swore never again.  I think it’s awkward and cruel to ride these animals.  I did of course enjoy meeting the camels and taking some silly photos!

Dinner was hilarious.  As this is a holy city, there is absolutely no meat served!  Not even eggs.  We headed to our last group dinner and we ate… pizza.  Yes, pizza was the thing to eat in Pushkar.  It was surprisingly pretty good.  As there is also no alcohol in this town either, it was a pretty quick dinner as no one had to finish up their sodas at the end of the evening.

The next day was an entire free day until our overnight train back to Delhi.  We woke up and a few of us had brunch on a rooftop restaurant in the middle of town.  I ate falafel, hummus, pancakes, and had juice.  I literally had breakfast and lunch all in one.  It was definitely great.  After we finished eating, we witnessed a funeral.  The body was covered in flowers and being carried by men.  About 30-40 men were following the carried body down the long windy roads.  No women in site.  It was a tad morbid and I forgot to ask more questions about the next steps.  I assume cremation would occur as that is the norm in the Hindu religion.

I spent the next few hours shopping in the markets, haggling and buying some unnecessary items.  All in all it was a good day before relaxing on the beautiful property we were staying at.  We had an early dinner of peas, chick peas, rice and naan.

We headed to the train.  This was another local experience.  I was on the top bunk.  There were 8 compartments in each area – quite tight.  As we were in the middle of locals, it was a bit uneasy.  I slept for a few hours until our 5am arrival.  Once we arrived, we made it back to our end point of our tour.

I brushed my teeth and said my goodbyes to my tour group.  I took a taxi to my airport hotel.

I requested an early check-in as I wasn’t spending the night.  Here I hit up the breakfast buffet (westernized / Radisson).  I literally ate bacon, sausage, waffles, eggs, cheese – enough to last me the entire day.  I got a mani/pedi, face massage and a full body massage.  There is nothing like an entire day of luxury and pampering at the end of a 2/3 star tour.  I had one last Indian meal and off to the airport for my 15 hour flight home.

One word.  Octopussy.  This is where the movie with Roger Moore was filmed.  It is a beautiful India town with the 2^nd largest palace in all of India.

We were told to wait to shop until we arrived in this town.  The salesmen aren’t as pushy as other cities.  I think like many other shops, it all seems so sketchy to me.  Start with one price and before you know it you are paying ½ price OR the shopkeepers insist you buy something you really don’t want to just to lower the overall price.  Anyhow, my head spins when I try to negotiate too much!  If something is 200 rupees I really don’t think negotiating over another 50 or 100 rupee ($1 – $2) is really worth anyone’s time and I believe the shopkeeper can probably use it a lot more than I can!

We spent 2 nights in this marvelous little town.  We ate like champs.  We found a beautiful hotel that had a view of the floating hotels and had wonderful food.  We lounged, took in the sun and thoroughly enjoyed our time.  One of the funniest things in this town is that the movie Octopussy is played at almost all rooftop restaurants.  As it brought fame to the town, it is mentioned everywhere!

The palace was beautiful.  As the royal family lives in some of the quarters, we are only able to tour some of the palace.  Some of the rooms are so colorful and romantic; while others seem so odd it’s sorta funny.

All in all, this is a pretty cool town.  I think 2 nights was more than enough time spent as after 1.5 days of shopping and lounging, there isn’t all that much left to do.

We are off the Pushkar tomorrow.  We have a 6 hour train ride ahead of us, so we are leaving at 5am.

After leaving the campsite, we headed to the village of Bijaipur.  The first thing, were the kids once again screaming in excitement – just one, just one.  They wanted to see a picture Read the rest of this entry »

We woke up at 5:30am for 6am breakfast to catch jeeps to get us to the local train which was scheduled to arrive at 7am.  It was freezing!  By 8am, we still haven’t Read the rest of this entry »

Today was one of those memorable days.  My roommate nearly had a breakdown last night.  She was debating rearranging the next few days of the trip so she can attempt to see Read the rest of this entry »

There are many things that become the norm while in India.  Cows in the middle of the road, stray dogs everywhere, random monkeys, and zero traffic lights except for a select few in Read the rest of this entry »

Our 1^st stop on our free day was the mall.  Yes, we found tickets for the premiere of DaBangg 2.  It was opening day!  Some of the fancy theatres have been sold out Read the rest of this entry »

I woke up at the fort after a night of laughing when I presumed it was haunted.  Our door wasn’t closed and the wrought iron bolt was shaking.  There was a photo of a man staring Read the rest of this entry »

We left Agra bright and early to make our way to Jaipur.  Before hitting up Jaipur, we got off our bus in Bassi to be transferred by Jeep to the village of Madhogarh.

The jeep ride was a trip as there were no doors Read the rest of this entry »

I have tasted all sorts of Indian food.  I love when I ask a waiter what isn’t spicy.  I get 2-3 choices.  Then I end up sharing food with my roommate and she usually orders something without asking Read the rest of this entry »

Upon waking up at 3am… seriously jetlag!?  I starred at the ceiling for a few hours until I got in the shower to get ready for the start of a long day.

We began by taking the metro.  The most interesting Read the rest of this entry »

A 14 hour flight, a spill of cold water on my lap and my arrival in Delhi is here!!

Wow, 10.5 hours ahead.  I didn’t know if I should nap or force myself to stay awake.  The flight was an easy one.  I had a 21 year old college girl whose dad was relocated to Delhi for business Read the rest of this entry »

I sometimes forget how people come into our lives.  I was sitting around the dinner table on Thanksgiving with complete strangers in a town I have never been in before.  The only person I knew I had spent all of 4 days with in my entire life.  Three of those days were spent in Barcelona, Spain.  The other day was spent in my home in New York City.   Read the rest of this entry »

The entire evening was windy, rainy and freezing!  I debated staying in bed vs. going for our morning walk into the Cloud Forest.  Then I thought I don’t want to miss the opportunity to see something new and amazing.  Our pickup was at 7:30am.  As it was rainy and absolutely freezing, I layered every article of clothing I had on my body. Read the rest of this entry »

We left La Fortuna around 8:30am.  We drove to Lake Arenal where we got on a boat.  About 45 minutes later we packed onto 2 vans (as there are 17 of us including our guide).  The roads to Monteverde are more like dirt roads, so to say the least… Read the rest of this entry »

I found out I am traveling with a professional traveler, a geneticist, an accountant, a biologist, an army doctor, and generally speaking – amazing and interesting people. Read the rest of this entry »

And we are off…  I have tears in my eyes saying goodbye to Harvey Keitel.  Yes.  He is a dog, but as I previously mentioned, the love of my life.

As soon as I get in the NYC taxi, I get asked if I could pay cash.  OYE.  I took out cash for my time in Costa Rica so I tell the driver that I will pay with a credit card.  He gives me the evil eye. Read the rest of this entry »

It has been a year since my last international trip.  It’s about time I go somewhere!

A lot has happened over the past year, the good, the bad and recently, the very ugly. Read the rest of this entry »

1. Lion Encounter Walk in Livingstone, Zambia
2. River Cruise through Chobe National Park, Botswana Read the rest of this entry »

I left Zambia in the morning and headed to Johannesburg.  I headed to this huge B&B about 15 minutes from the airport.  Turns out I am the only guest.  My host for the night was Read the rest of this entry »

I am one lucky girl!  During my last game drive, I finally saw leopard!  I wasn’t sure it was going to happen, but it did.  Here are my favorite photos of The Big Five.  Enjoy!

Before Locke left, he introduced me to Eric.  Eric is a local taxi driver who claims to have been a tour guide in his past career.  Anyhow, as many of the activities I wanted to do weren’t available due to the minimum # of people required – I hired Eric to take me around. Read the rest of this entry »

Wake up is at 6am for a 6:30am pickup.  The tour is over but I still have another week ahead of me of selfish time.  I decided to do a Lion Walk Encounter.  Walking with the lions?  Really – hell’s yah!

Besides myself, there was a couple from Australia and a bloke from Read the rest of this entry »

Well, we crossed the border via foot (ferry) into Zambia from Botswana.  It turns out there are trucks waiting up to 5 days to cross the border via ferry.  If we kept our vehicle, we may have come across some problems, so we had a van waiting Read the rest of this entry »

We arrived in Kasane.  Locke and I took a drive into town where I was able to pick up some more bug spray.  Until this point, I am l am happy to report I only have 1 mosquito bite.  I am starting to get itchy even though I shower most days.  Between sporadic cold showers and Read the rest of this entry »

My new buddy from the lodge in Gweta invited me back to the school in the morning.  I was excited by the invite so of course I took him up on it.  We visited the headmaster to get permission for me to greet the children and ask them some questions.  The difference from the day prior is that school was in session and all the kids were in their uniforms.  I visited some 5 year Read the rest of this entry »

The last 2 days have been amazing!  I woke up to find the open safari vehicle was waiting to take Locke and me to the Okavango Delta.  He headed over some dirt roads until we got to our mokora boats.  For the 2 of us, there were a total of Read the rest of this entry »

I spent the last 2 hours sitting around a fire starring at 1,000’s of stars.  I have never in my entire life seen so many stars.  It was dark outside and the sky twinkled.  It was a nice night.  Getting here is another story.

We left Windhoek, Namibia Read the rest of this entry »

We left Etosha.  I was sad to leave the beautiful watering hole where I found nothing but peace and quiet.  I didn’t get to see my rhinos yet, but I hear I will have plenty of opportunities the 2^nd ½ of my trip.

We arrived in Windhoek to find Read the rest of this entry »

After driving a few hours, we arrived at Otjiwarongo.  We headed to the one attraction in town – a crocodile farm.  As we all know, I heart all lizards so this was awesome!  They had areas for the adult crocs, the juniors and the babies. Read the rest of this entry »

We arrived in the early afternoon.  I have an entire day and ½ free to do whatever I want in this ‘Nazi’ town.  The entire town has German influence.  I have never been to Germany, but apparently it has a strong resemblance with German restaurants, street names, etc…  It even has shops with Read the rest of this entry »

Today was an awesome day!  After one of the best home cooked meals of all time last night, we slept with no AC and survived as it was nice and cool out due to some rain.

Wake up was at 5:30am Read the rest of this entry »

Apparently, this is supposedly a very dry and rigid area of the world.  I come and there is flooding for the first time in… according to Locke – the first time he has seen it.  He is in his 40’s.

One thing that I never experienced before in my life is Read the rest of this entry »

Around 4:30am my battery died in my phone which acts as my alarm clock.  Oops.  I ended up stretching on the river front around 6am.  Breakfast was at 7am.  Linda showed up very late Read the rest of this entry »

We started our drive from Lambert’s Bay, South Africa around 9am.  We stopped for lunch at 1pm.  We finally got to the border crossing around 3pm.  It was pretty smooth considering John Read the rest of this entry »

So I rode shotgun during our 5 hour drive from Cape Town to Lambert’s Bay which is north up the coast.  Our meeting time was supposed to be 8:30am.  Lifeless Linda who was too good to stay at the lodge (I ended up with her single room for the night thanks to my brilliant tour manager Read the rest of this entry »

A lot has happened over the past 2 days.  I started my day yesterday wondering if I should go to Robben Island.  After reading about it, I realized I should probably check it out; however I really wanted to go to the botanical gardens as I LOVE gardens!  So my host convinced me as it was a beautiful day Read the rest of this entry »

After another long night of sleep, my host asked when I wanted to get moving.  I asked for 30 minutes as I was completely off center.  I threw my bathing suit on and 50 SPF.  We headed to Camps Bay.  My host dropped me off a little before noon.  He said he would pick me up at Read the rest of this entry »

After my amazing dinner, I headed to sleep.  After some weird dreams, I woke up around 3am.  Startled I stayed awake for another 2 hours before falling back to sleep.  I haven’t even started taking my Read the rest of this entry »

Its day 1.5 or what seems like day 4.  I left my apartment in New York City on Thursday morning at 6:45am.  South African airways suggest you arrive 3 hours early no matter what!  OK then… Read the rest of this entry »

Now that this journey has ended, I can officially say, I am an expert on packing.  If I decide to do something like this ever again, I know exactly Read the rest of this entry »

After leaving Siem Reap, I flew to Bangkok for one last night before my flight to Hong Kong.  I simply relaxed by the pool and slept a lot while I was in Bangkok.  The last tour wiped me out! Read the rest of this entry »

We arrived at 5:30am.  There were hundreds of people standing around and waiting; waiting for the sun to rise over these mysterious temples.  It happened slowly Read the rest of this entry »

It was one of the girl’s birthdays on the tour. About 9 of us went out for dinner to a ‘Westernized’ restaurant. It was Read the rest of this entry »

After leaving Phnom Penh, we arrived in Siem Reap.  The first stop was the floating villages.  This is a huge and undesirable wake up call.   The people who live in these villages simply bathe, swim, crap, wash plates, etc. in the same Read the rest of this entry »

We arrived in Phnom Penh.  Just yesterday the news broke how over 300 people died in Phnom Penh at the end of a celebration that turned into a stampede.  Today, the death toll was closer to Read the rest of this entry »

It was a moving and informative day.  We arrived in Vientiane which is the capital of Laos.  Our first stop was COPE which stands for Cooperative Orthotic Read the rest of this entry »

The drive from Luang Prabang was pretty rough as we were warned.  On the way there, we stopped for some lunch overlooking some of the most beautiful views.  I was green at this point Read the rest of this entry »

Luang Prabang is an interesting place.  Some love it here; while others may find it a bit boring.  I think it’s a beautiful place with many nooks and Read the rest of this entry »

The day was overcast and chilly on the boat along the Mekong River.  I utilized 2 blankets and snuggled up in a ball and pretty much napped the morning away.  We stopped at a cave temple (Pak Ou Caves).  Honestly, this was super Read the rest of this entry »

It was an early start as we were heading to cross the Thai/Laos border by boat.  As some of our group was hung over and Dean has started to get lazy and doesn’t want to become the bad guy, I definitely started Read the rest of this entry »

We drove from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai. We checked into our hotel before heading to unique hill tribe villages. These were fascinating as I had never seen anything like it my Read the rest of this entry »

After a lovely sleep on the overnight train, we arrived in Chiang Mai. The good news is that we actually arrived on time! I guess this is the same story in all 3rd world Read the rest of this entry »

I am on my overnight train heading up North to Chiang Mai.  The day was spent in ‘touristville’ in Bangkok.  This included the Royal Palace and boat rides along the canal.  It was hot Read the rest of this entry »

Ahhhh, sidewalks and streetlights finally!  What a relief from Vietnam.  The last few days flew by.  As I was fighting getting sick, I took it easy for the most part.  I enjoyed my beautiful Read the rest of this entry »

Vietnam is a phenomenal country.  The landscapes and cities vary drastically.  Starting in Ho Chi Minh City was a good look at an overcrowded city that was a bit Read the rest of this entry »

My last day in Hue was wet and rainy.  I slept straight through the morning activities which including a cyclo ride (where you get pushed by a bicycle in a little cart – like a stroller).  Marley came back with a soaked Read the rest of this entry »

Its official, my sneakers are so soaked they haven’t dried in almost 2 days.  My feet have turned to prunes and I Read the rest of this entry »

November is supposedly the end of rainy season; however some call it the wet season.  I am confused.  Supposedly it is supposed to rain for an hour or two in the afternoon and that’s it Read the rest of this entry »

Even though I slept under a mosquito net and wore 100% DEET, I managed to get bit a bit too many times.  Within 48 hours, I have discovered 8 bites in total.  There is a girl on my trip from Colorado.  She simply said, gee, I hope you don’t get malaria.  If she wasn’t so Read the rest of this entry »

I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City in the afternoon.  I hop into a cab only to have a driver who thinks he can rip me off.  I ask the airport security if the driver knows where Read the rest of this entry »

I am sitting on the largest bed in the entire universe right now.  This would comfortably sleep 4 adults.  I have never seen a bed so large.  It reminds me of Read the rest of this entry »

I arrive at my hotel in Koh Samui.  There are many hotels on this island.  With the help of a friend (thanks RKY), I narrowed down staying in Chaweng Beach Read the rest of this entry »

Reality bites.  I realize my last friend visiting me from home just left.  I almost started to cry as she got into Read the rest of this entry »

One word: HOT. It was freakin super hot in Egypt. I know you aren’t supposed to sweat so much in dry heat… but I schvitzed Read the rest of this entry »

I had some free time in the morning.  I joined Jane and Andy, a lovely couple from the UK to see the Aswan Dam and Philae Temples/Island (can only get there by boat).  The rest of the group woke up at 3am Read the rest of this entry »

I stopped counting after 39.  It was time I gave up on trying to count how many times my taxi driver from the airport was going to honk Read the rest of this entry »

I arrive at my B&B in Istanbul.  I get a room on the ground floor.  As a New Yorker, I don’t enjoy the ground floor Read the rest of this entry »

The main reason people come to Selcuk is to see Ephesus.   Ephesus is known to be the commercial, the religious and the social center of antiquity.  Well, the only thing that made this trip interesting Read the rest of this entry »

Ahhhh…I had a lovely day of serenity.  I was with a group of about 12 people from all over.  This was one of the 1^st days where there was no one Read the rest of this entry »

Would you be surprised to know I sat patiently by the side of the road?  My bus driver doesn’t speak English or doesn’t speak in general, so therefore I have no idea what the problem Read the rest of this entry »

So after a nice ending to Kas, I make my way to Fethiye.  The public bus system is interesting in Turkey.  The buses are like shuttle buses (not coach/not minivan).  Even though they have destinations Read the rest of this entry »

So last night was unfortunate.  My stomach slapped me for some reason or another.  I drank a couple of liters of water…  I decided to stay close to the hotel in the morning so I literally drank some Read the rest of this entry »

Getting sick when you are traveling is a terrible feeling, especially when you are alone.  I started with a cold and fought the shit out of it.  It caught up with me and I got worse Read the rest of this entry »

I arrived in Olympus after a very long overnight bus and a 2 hour transfer on a smaller local bus…  I was staying at a bungalow/tree house place.  I got a bungalow which is a small wood Read the rest of this entry »

Ok, so I have to tell everyone about my new friend – we’ll call him C.   C is 32 years old.  He has been working since college.  He took ‘leave’ from his job at Read the rest of this entry »

I am starting to feel like Smurfette. Day 2 in land formation whacky land, we started our day with a panoramic view of more weird rocks. I got the sensation of the grand canyon… kinda cool, but could have Read the rest of this entry »

I started to name my pet flies in my room.  Even though the temperature drops to about 40 degrees at night, my room is a little oven.  It is an oven with a bed Read the rest of this entry »

Wake up at 5:45am.  Shower, finish packing and grab some grub before my 6:50am pickup.  Arrive at airport at 8am.  Check in Malev Hungarian flight from Rome to Budapest.  Flight leaves 30 minutes Read the rest of this entry »

2 weeks in Italy was not enough time.  I will have to make my way back to this lovely country one day and spend quality Read the rest of this entry »

The drive from Venice to Rome wasn’t as bad as I initially thought.  We arrived early afternoon and immediately started a walking tour of Read the rest of this entry »

Ahhhh… Venice.  When I thought about Venice I have always thought romance!  All I have to say after Read the rest of this entry »

We arrived at Lake Garda in the morning.  We hopped on a boat that took us around for about an hour.  It was Read the rest of this entry »

So it turns out there were no video cameras in our hotel in Florence.  Turns out the guy who had his laptop stolen assumed it was our group as we were on the younger side.  Read the rest of this entry »

One of the big driving days was upon us.  We woke up bright and early to leave Sorrento to get to Florence.  Besides the 7+ hours of driving, we made a lovely pit stop in the Chianti Region. Read the rest of this entry »

Turns out there are 50 people on my Contiki trip.  Sounds overwhelming, but it isn’t at all!  Read the rest of this entry »

Jugslie left for NY around 1pm.  My flight wasn’t until 4pm, but I headed to the airport Read the rest of this entry »

Sleeping on a ranch in the middle of nowhere was one of my favorite experiences.  I absolutely heart nature Read the rest of this entry »

Our last morning in Granada was spent with a luxurious breakfast.  Yes, a luxurious breakfast for the taste buds.  We splurged Read the rest of this entry »

Our 2^nd day in Marbella was lovely.  We went to the beach in the morning, got some sun Read the rest of this entry »

We picked up our automatic diesel Mercedes at Hertz 1^st thing in the morning.  We are super lucky Read the rest of this entry »

So the girls are here in Seville.  I left my relaxing hotel to grab the bus to the airport.  Read the rest of this entry »

So I ditched my hostel after 2 nights.  My new bunkmates were chatty… and not speaking Read the rest of this entry »

So I met up with my new friend, Varty (Armenian).  She is super easy going Read the rest of this entry »

I arrived in the afternoon after a ‘small world’ flight from Barcelona.  I am on the plane Read the rest of this entry »

I am with mixed emotions to be leaving Barcelona.  I could have easily spent another few days Read the rest of this entry »

We arrived at Minorca around 1pm.  It was a beautiful day!  We spent a majority of the morning Read the rest of this entry »

We arose bright and early to see the island of Capri.  Only problem was… the weather.  The captain of Read the rest of this entry »

Day 2 on the cruise was a relaxing one.  We made the decision to stroll around Read the rest of this entry »