I was going to say I packed too much. My backpacks were both 17kgs (37lbs, 74 lbs total). This made for a ✨sweaty✨ hike through Logan Airport and 5 Italian train stations but I officially made it safe to my first workaway at 10:00 pm- 31 hours after leaving for the airport.

Along the way, the zipper on my passport holder from 2015 finally gave way (@murphs_repairs would’ve been able to save the day)- RIP.

My second train was 30 minutes late so I missed my connection(s), snuck onto the next one and caught 2 more trains and a bus to make it in time to Meran then to Tschengls. The train rides were incredible; insane mountain views, vineyards and farms on the edges of mountains, tiny churches and farms scattered on the sides of cliffs. We are right on the outskirts of the national parks and it is breathtaking.

Needless to say now that I am here and have been for a week- I wouldn't change my packing list at all.. yet. 

My heaviest items are my camera, extra lens, tripod and my overalls. I have used them every day and cannot image a day without any of them. 

It's hay season so we cut the grass, let it dry in the sun, flip it, flip it, flip it again (and maybe again if it rains) and harvest. The terrain is steep but the work is repetitive and a bit meditative- especially when we're in the shade. On Fridays we clean, I helped one of my hosts, Noa, make Hala bread and prepared a group dinner FROM THE GARDEN. (And fresh ground meat, their old cow, Ghandi). All of the food is fresh whether it’s from the town or straight from the garden. We had butter that Werner joked had been in the cow on the mountains that morning. It was by far the best butter I've ever had in my life. 

Werner, my host, and Noa have a natural spring pool surrounded by blackberries and wildflowers. The water is turquoise, perfectly clear and the temperature you'd image glacier water would be. And to top it off, there's an incredible view of the mountains. 

I met Bernard the peacock, nearly ran into him, my first morning. He's not the brightest I've learned but he is beautiful and his feathers are perfect for the kittens to play with.  There are also two kittens, Max and Mortiz. They are orange, wild and curious about everything. They're so small and so sweet, just like Theo and Willie were.

We've been able to hike to an alpine lake, eat at an amazing farm-to-table restaurant, watch Werner and Luis, another workawayer, sing at a monastery. The work is fulfilling, the people are wonderful, the animals are great and the food is unreal. I feel really lucky to be here and I'm excited for the next few weeks in the mountains. 

When it thunders in the valley you can feel it in your bones. Everyone says it’s been a rainy summer but the past two weeks have been perfect weather wise. There's only been two storms and you can feel the storm before it’s here. The temperature drops and the winds pick up. You can see the rain through the valley or over the mountains, then the thunder and lightning boom and literally everything rumbles.

We finished harvesting the hay this week and I got to work in the barn. We hiked to a waterfall and to hut in the national park. I ate the best pizza I've ever had and we made pizza in the wood oven. 

There are these flowers in the national park once you're high enough in the alpine region that are a deep raspberry color and they smell exactly like cherries and chocolate. This place is unreal. There is just so much color EVERYWHERE and everything is so clean and alive. There was delicious food at the hut, way up in the mountains, there always is, and the people who maintain the hut made their own beer coolers- out of logs. The logs are hollowed out and put under one of the glacier run offs. There's a tube at the bottom that slowly drains the water into the rest of the water system and then voila- a log filled with glacier-ice water and cold beer. 

We hiked past one of the caves where people here mine white marble from. It's used to make crosses for graves in the U.S. and about a million other things. One of Noa's friends was hired to document the artists and the symposiums this summer so we went for a night where they talked about the national park, the marble and the musicians who were playing on stage (they probably talked about those things - it was all in German - but there were lots of pictures). We danced and hung out with the artists from all over the world, working on all sorts of projects from music to sculpting to graphic design.

 I also helped Werner take photos for his company and new projects they're working on. We're headed to the vineyard to cover the grapes this week and I'm more and more certain it's going to be incredibly hard to leave. 

We actually finished the hay this week. I cut the edges and flipped the piles on the last hill all by myself, then collected with everyone in the afternoon. I felt like a kid with a very large power tool and an oversized backpack, a kindergarten ghost buster if you will. It was heavy. We filled the barn and closed the doors and it was nice to be done. Honestly, I've missed the sweaty work a bit this week.

The rest of the time I was in the vineyard covering grapes and helping Noa in the gardens. I went for a hike on my birthday on a trail that looked and felt like it had been pulled from a kid's fairytale drawing. There was a stream with crystal blue water that followed the trail the entire way, tiny wild strawberries that tasted like candy, moss covered bridges, waterfalls and tiny flowers growing out of everything. Unbelievable. We ate an amazing barbecue and the following night Noa's parents cooked. It was delicious! Noa made tiramisu and it was the best one I've ever had. 

Another best, the blackberries. They are the size of my thumb and so flavorful. There is always fruit for snacking. Around the house there’s raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, huckleberries, peach trees, apricot trees, plum trees, apple trees, a cherry tree and grapes. They’re all ripe at different times so I’ve been able to try most of them. So good. When we're at the vineyard there's a bunch of apricot trees and another massive garden. One of the workers, Oscar, will leave an apricot next to my water bottle before a drink break or tap me on the shoulder with two in his hand. I think I had 6 yesterday. The best apricots I've ever had. 

The past week was packed with festivals, hikes, friends and good food.

We went to a talk by a guy who finished the bike race, Race Across America. It was really cool (also all in German so the photos and slightly similar German words were very helpful). He was inspirational and the talk was held at an art center in an old Italian Army barracks building. The artists got to design the buildings and their own studio so the whole complex is a super creative space. 

We hiked up to the white marble caves and toured the inside. We ate at the apricot and marble festival (Marmor & Marillen; German sounds better), saw the artist’s marble sculptures, danced and met so many people at a country music festival and hiked to a peak with a hut AND learned a German card game exactly like High, Low, Jack.

Finally got to eat at the castle next to the farm and meet Noa’s friend Teresa. She was so sweet and the food was incredible!

It was so hard to leave. This place and these people will always have a piece of my heart.

Ok.. I packed too much. I will not be lugging these monstrosities across the globe. And it’s not the weight either, it’s the size. I am not about to have a brawl with every single zipper every time I need to pack and then haul these two behemoths through every train station for the next 11 months. We’re thinning out for sure after Cassi leaves.

Some things about going to places that you see on Instagram; you are constantly surrounded by people wearing clothes and shoes you’re not sure how they walk in, who are also somehow immune to sweat stains, and you are most definitely photobombing 100% of the time.

Also, Cinque Terre has jellyfish. Cliff jumping still 1000% recommended.

A much needed visit with Cassi and Ami for the past 2 weeks. We started in Lake Como (sweat a lot) and walked around a few lakeside towns. We ate yummy seafood, pizza, pasta and gelato and went swimming every day.

It’s been so nice catching up with them; hard to see Ami go but so happy she made the time to visit.

Cassi and I dropped Ami off at the airport and train hopped to Cinque Terre. We stayed in Corniglia.

A quick note about Corniglia, there are roughly 400 stairs to get up into town ... Cassi was a champ. It was hot (imagine Florida in the summer hot) and our bags were not light.

Our AirBnB was up a few more hills but it was breathtaking, (in more ways than one) every time of day.

I didn’t think I would be hiking much but we were always walking straight up or down stairs at any given point. The train station was also at the bottom of the stairs and so was the beach. So that’s how we started and ended our days, except for the one where the shuttle ticket was included.

I did get stung by the aforementioned jellyfish. I kept cliff jumping and it hurts less now.

I’d come back in a heartbeat, but maybe not in the summer.

We visited Venice for Cassi’s last 3 days. Our hotel was on the 3rd (4th floor), no lift, 112°, after huffing from the train station, to the ferry, through a plaza and around the block to the hotel.. we closed the door and died laughing - just when I had said the stairs were over.

Venice is stunning and unlike any other place I’ve been. Woke up early to explore before the heat. At 6:45 am (already 85°) I took my camera out of my bag, removed the lens cap, and the glass immediately fogged up. The humidity is insane.

I ate the worst gelato I’ve had in Italy and honestly maybe my life the first night we were here. The next day we took a pasta making class, found a gondola ride, and ate amazing pizza, gelato and Bellinis with new friends. Cassi got her Italian pasta plate and left happy, with very full bags. I’m going to miss her.

Headed to the Dolomites this week and ready to be hiking in the mountains and away from the heat. 

The Dolomites are magical. The mountains are right in your face and just so big. A bit like Glacier National Park but more panoramic. The peaks are all so different and the light hits each one in a different way from sunrise to sunset.

The temperature was an even 70° nearly all five days with a breeze on top of the mountains and man, that felt so perfect compared to the last two weeks.

I hiked as much as I could and took breaks at all of the quiet mountain huts (Rifugios).

The weather held out perfectly until about 2 p.m. my last day. There were clear sunny skies while I hiked down a mountain with a friend from the hostel I was staying at. We were on our way back from a delicious lunch in a rifugio and it started to drizzle. The cool water felt nice after a long day of hiking, but the drops turned to heavy rain wildly fast. In a matter of five minutes there were sheets of waterfalls pelting us from every direction. It was so loud, the trail turned into a river, I honestly felt like I was swimming down the mountain. I was soaked. Luckily there was another hut we were hiking past, we flew inside and waited out the storm with some new friends and a couple games of no-mercy uno. The weather cleared up for a bit then rained until the following day - my boots were wet for 3 days after.

I met Anna in Florence. Dropped off my rental car and took the train early. I had time to walk around the city a bit and now two days later and I can confidently say, outside of the mountains, Florence is my favorite city so far. It's so fun having Anna here and can't wait to spend the last few weeks in Italy with her.

Seeing Anna in her Italy era may have been my favorite part about the last 10 days.

The cities were amazing and it was so fun to go BACK to places (something I never thought I would do or say), but going somewhere and thinking “Anna would love this” then experiencing her loving the cities was so cool.

She fit right in, always looked amazing and always seemed to just match the vibe of the city we were in perfectly, especially Rome.

I never thought I would go back Rome, mostly because the world is big, you know? So much to do and see and I remember it smelling a bit funky.

But it’s also amazing; the details in the buildings and ruins are breathtakingly beautiful and it’s huge. Everything, the people, the monuments, the language, feels big and like it’s been alive forever. Rome felt like Anna’s city. The shopping, the fashion, the buildings, the noise and the awe of everything felt right up her ally. We walked out of the train station and she goes, “wow I really love it here.” Hopefully we both get to go back someday.

Florence was my favorite city in Italy. Something about it was homey but still so unique. I loved the street art, the food, the people and something about it that made me feel like I wasn’t just a tourist there. The vineyards and the parks were still close and its central location made getting to the ocean, the mountains and plenty of other cities easy.

The food also felt authentically homemade everywhere in Florence and it was easy to jump into a café, a restaurant or a street cart and get amazing food or coffee.

Originally Anna and I planned to stay in Florence for 6 days and Ancona for 4. We ended up staying in Florence the whole time and jammed plenty of activities in between plenty of siestas and rest days.

Having Anna visit, I did so many things I wouldn’t have done without her, and am so glad I did. We went to the Biennale, an art exhibition in Venice, got our nails done and we took a siesta everyday.

I got to go back to Venice, day tripped to Bologna and visited my first sandy beach so far in Viareggio. The weather was still warm but not as hot as the beginning of August which made the mornings and evenings perfect to be outside. Also, Anna is hilarious and I’m going to miss her.

I only have a couple days left in Italy. I’ll be doing a Workaway in Ancona with a woman originally from MA. Even though I’m excited to see Mummy Marcia and new places next week, this part of the trip has taught me so much about traveling back to places you’ve been. Cliché.. probably.. but it’s opened my eyes and my heart in so many ways I didn’t know I needed.

My last few days in Italy were fantastic.

I stayed an hour inland of Ancona in Genga near tons of caves with spelunking and cliff faces with so many rock climbers. My host was from Eastham, MA. Her daughters were my age and in two days we threw a pizza-making birthday party, danced with people from all over the world, learned to make “ice cream” tiramisu, played a few new Italian games with kids from the neighboring town, hiked to a temple built into a cave and had plenty of time for arts and crafts. It’s mosquito season so as I was enjoying every second of my last relaxing Italian Workaway I was also being eaten alive.

Honestly other than being itchy it was the most perfect way to welcome a new adventure, with delicious food, amazing people and a bit of home (they used ‘wicked’ as fluently in their English as Mom does) Feeling so lucky and hoping we see each other again :)

So that last Italian beach day? The one where I half-hazardly put on sunscreen in Viareggio and stayed in the shade of my umbrella THE WHOLE TIME.. yea.. I’ll be paying for that for the next 10 months..

My bellybutton is tan at least😂

I hadn’t realized just how wild the tan lines would be around the blotchy sunscreen donut that is now my stomach. No big deal. I’ve had all the weird tan lines before. I was just slightly more conscious of the fact that I have a birthmark looking target on my stomach while I was at the beach this week, enough so that I was temped to try to tan (burn, let’s be honest) the opposite parts to be even. Brains are weird. No one cares. *mentally repeating that until I believe it*

I met Mummy Marcia at our AirBnB in Split (another 3rd/4th floor CLIMB that leaves you breathless coming or going) and we have been adventuring nonstop. We hiked to the top of a hill with unbelievable sunset views.. a bit on accident actually.. wandered around old town and had really good gelato and a cute seafood dinner.

The next day we took a ferry to Hvar and would have gladly stayed a few more days if time allowed. We hiked to a fortress on a hill, went swimming in the 🔹bluest🔹 ocean - and ate more gelato. We ferried back, walked up to a park on a hill overlooking the water and again managed unexpectedly perfect timing with the sunset and had another amazing seafood dinner 100ft from our AirBnB.

Croatia is wild. I love it here and I am constantly reminded how much I won’t get to see and how much I will want to come back.

The last couple days in Croatia, Mom and I explored the national parks, went to the beach, ate plenty of gelato and went on a sunset kayak tour along the coast of Stobreč. A really hard goodbye on the last morning and we both went separate directions. I'm really going to miss her.

My travel day to Turkey took me 53 hours - ha😅 I finished 3 books.

I took a bus from Split to Zagreb, Croatia; Zagreb to Sofia, Bulgaria; Sofia to Istanbul and Istanbul to Alayna, Turkey.

The bus rides were so long they had a bus attendant with a little cart of snacks he rolled down the aisle. Without any Turkish, or Turkish grocery experience, that meant I was picking snacks like, “I hope this isn’t onion flavored..” “Don’t eat anything in red packaging yet..”

There’s also a lot of yelling. It’s just the base of everyone’s conversational tone. That was a bit jarring at the first 4 a.m. bus stop but we’re learning. 

I guess I feel like I definitely didn’t go dipping my toes into a brand new place. I slipped, headfirst, into the deep end, where people don’t help if you open your mouth and English comes out.

Everything is loud and chaotic. Everyone honks their horns here at everyone. But it's usually not because everyone is doing something wrong (also I've seen more scooters and cars driving on the sidewalks than I can count so who knows) it's mostly just a "Hi, hello, I'm on a scooter or you're on a scooter, or you're walking or you're in a car and I am here driving by you fast."

I stayed in Alanya on the beach about an hour outside of any other major city. The weather was perfect. The Workaway I was at had a pool, a sauna and a gym. A Workaway dream. We went to the market to get groceries and the fruits, the veggies, the treats and the spices were so colorfully, wildly different! I was also able to catch up on applying for visas, booking flights and accommodations for Africa.

We hiked to a sea cave and explored Alayna's castle that was built during the Ottoman Empire in the 13th century. It was gorgeous and the sea looked like someone jacked up the saturation of the water, it's so blue.  

A number of websites and aps are blocked here in Turkey. This made really simple tasks take a bit longer. It was also a bit scary that apps like Libby (for renting books) only had certain titles and many websites I use for travel were blocked or didn’t have website features OR while booking accommodation, some places weren’t listed even though I had just saved them when I was in Bulgaria on the bus.

Choosing what people see on the internet and in life is a powerful thing. That freaked me out, but everywhere is different and I’m not taking any libraries for granted anytime soon.

A funny thing about life. I was really worried about getting sick before leaving for Kilimanjaro - staying hydrated and active and all the good stuff, honestly being nearly paranoid. I ate ONE thing in Göreme and woke up with food poisoning at 3:30 a.m.

My stomach is a champion. Period. I was feeling better in 9 hours. 

This was after taking yet another 11 hour bus journey, this time from Alanya on the coast, to Cappadocia in central Turkey. The ride felt like it flew by comparatively. I stayed in Göreme where hot air balloons take off from surrounding valleys every morning at sunrise. We hiked to different peaks each morning and it was like something out of a fairytale. Watching them light up and float up into the sky was incredible but the coolest part was just how many there were in every direction. Watching them surround you and fill up the sky as the sun rose felt like nothing else I've ever seen. We were lucky with sunrises too, they were absolutely beautiful. I met so many nice people at the hostel with so many fun travel plans. It was rejuvenating and so exciting to be around so many fun and welcoming people. 

We rented a car and drove to a few view points and explored a castle carved out of the caves there. We ate lunch inside a small cave room. Two women were making Gözelme, a crepe-like bread with fillings, rolled out by hand and cooked on a convex hot plate. It was delicious and one of the cheaper lunches I've had since being in Cappadocia. 

We hiked the next day and explored the area a bit more. It's really dry but rose bushes, grapes and some tomatoes grow like weeds. Everything looks sandy but it's all volcanic ash from 8000 years ago formed into wild rock formations and canyons. 

After the last rainy day I was ready to head to Istanbul (on another bus) and I am SO glad it'll be my last Flixbus for a while. 12 hours later I got to Istanbul in the morning, dropped my bags at the hostel and explored. Found a few colorful streets, great coffee and a beautiful park just a 3-minute walk from where I'm staying. While I was happy to be moving, I think I was tired today. Anything that went wrong felt colossal. Credit cards not working, misinformation about how and what I would be paying my hostel, issues with my passport, etc. but after powering through, I did really enjoy my first day in the city and have so many things to be excited for the next few days. 

I would come back to Istanbul for the Hammams alone.

It’s a Turkish bath with an oil massage, a facial, a sauna and a bubble bath of sorts. You lay on a marble slab while a masseuse makes a blanket of bubbles with a mesh cloth and a basin filled with sudsy water and soap bars. After a soft bubble rinse you get scrubbed down with an exfoliating massage and you can get your hair washed. Honestly incredible.

The rest of the days we spent exploring. We toured the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the European side of the city. Kendell, a girl I met from Texas at the hostel in Cappadocia, ended up staying at the same hostel for the whole time I was in Istanbul. We met up with a couple other girls from Cappadocia on the Asian side and they gave us the best food tour. We ate manti, Turkish dumplings, garlic donut knots, Turkish pita, veggie sushi, and the best baklava. It was so fun to have amazing food, really cheap, with great company.

My last day I went to the Egyptian bazar and ate out for a Turkish breakfast- so many flavors, so much food, unlimited tea, so good.

We spent the rest of the day walking around the outside of a palace and down the coast. I went back to the hostel to pack then caught a tram and a bus to the airport. The bus was 45 minutes late and I was sweating. The Istanbul airport has a line for security when you walk in the door, a line for dropping off bags, the line for customs, the ACTUAL security line and then getting to the gate. I made it, left my watch behind at the 2nd security which was a major bummer, but made it. Turkey was a lot. People were brash, abrasive and demanding and there was a massive gender divide. Overall really glad I went and got to experience such a different place. Off to Africa.

That was by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

I spent a week with the best team on the planet hiking to the top of the tallest freestanding mountain in Africa. It was unreal. You literally feel like you’re on top of the world.

I hiked Kilimanjaro with a team from Soraka Tours. After seeing hundreds of other climbers I honestly can’t imagine going with a different company. I had 9 team members, a guide, a chef, a waiter (ah!), Onesmo, a waterman, Danny, a camp master who coordinated tent sites and meals and 4 porters. They were the coolest, sweetest, most inspiring people. Most of the porters didn’t speak much English but they taught me how to play a wicked fun card game and I learned as much Swahili as possible. By the end of the week we could communicate back and forth.

Hiking was incredible. The views were wild (I saw a giraffe!!) and so different from home. I loved the challenge both mentally and physically.

The porters are so impressive, strong.. magic is maybe a better word? For starters the weight they carry in tarps and buckets on their heads is a feat in and of itself never mind up a mountain, at altitude, in half or a third of the time their clients did. And half of the porters on other tours were in skinny jeans and beat up dress shoes or sneakers. They just make it work and I still can’t believe how impressive they all are. I also had the nicest team on the mountain. They were so welcoming but even more than that made me feel like a friend. The whole team is really special. The porters, Danny, Manchare, Raziki, Emanuel and Enock were the kindest human beings and will always have a piece of my heart. The chef, Bakari, should open his own restaurant. Every meal was 👌delicious👌 and he hiked all of the fresh food up the mountain and cooked it all in a tent. Can’t even imagine how good his food is in a kitchen. My guide, Dustin, was amazing and was so smart and attentive about every single detail.

The altitude was ROUGH. Day 1-2 I felt great, we were at around 12,000 ft. Every morning I woke up, ate breakfast and packed up my bag. The porters would pack up camp after I left, pass us on the way, Onesmo would set up a table with snacks somewhere on the mountain (so cool) and  they would have camp set up by the time I got there.

Day 3 we hiked up to 14,000 ft. then back down to 13,000 ft. If you have a soft stomach skip the next part.

I felt exhausted coming back to camp. The second I sat down in my tent I immediately felt nauseous and ran to throw up in the bathroom (hole in the ground). It gets worse. After trying to sleep it off I tried to eat some soup. 10 minutes later I projectile vomited out of the food tent. Ooof. I did feel better after though and the team handled it so well, like they see it every day. Got some dirt, covered it up, made sure I was ok, said it was totally normal, hakuna matata, and that was that.

Day 4 I felt great. We hiked up to 13,500 ft and had the rest of the afternoon to rest and play cards. Day 5 we climbed up to base camp and rested before getting up at 11pm for the summit.

I have never been so nauseous, tired, exhausted in my life. The first 5 hours (ha) were great. I was expecting a killer headache and no energy but I felt really good. 5 a.m. and 18,885 ft - totally different story. I started to feel a pressure in my head, I was struggling to keep my eyes open and I thought I was going to throw up. I was moving so slow literally just focused on putting one foot in front of the other.

Made it to the top and I 100% could not have done it without the whole team. Danny helped me carry my water this morning and Dustin had my bag. Such an amazing feeling to accomplish something so physically and mentally challenging; I didn’t feel better until heading back down to camp and seeing the guys with big hugs and huge smiles.

After a half an hour nap and lunch we hiked 3 hours down to the final camp. (13 hours and 12,300 ft of elevation today for anyone keeping track)

7 days later and such a mind blowing week, made it down to Mweka Camp and took the greatest shower of my life.

I am so lucky. So lucky that my body is able to do this, so lucky to have found Soraka tours and this amazing team, so lucky to be traveling and to be afforded the chance to achieve this massive goal and so many others🤍

https://soraka.tours/ 

I definitely take for granted the way things just ‘work’ at home.

Leaving for Zambia I laughed out loud on multiple occasions at the lack of working things and this is that story.

I woke up at 3:30 am to catch a 6 a.m. flight.

My flight was changed when I got to the airport, important because it wasn’t delayed. I was *changed* to different flight 2 hours later with an already speedy layover and the reasoning was, “this happens”. I watched the flight I was supposed to be on take off on time and boarded 2 hours later. No biggie.

Flights with the SAME airline made under the SAME booking have their own reference numbers so you have to reclaim and recheck bags. Totally fine. Inconvenient, disorganized, but fine.

I get to my first connection with an hour to get to the gate, grab my bag that I just checked 45 minutes ago and was directed to the wrong terminal by *the help desk*. No big deal. I get to the correct counter after running to another building and the customer service agent says it’s against company policy to have my tripod fitted to the side of my bag.

I am now in month 3 of traveling, have flown Air Tanzania twice, LITERALLY just pulled my bag off a flight and have never been told that. I said I’d carry it on the plane, he told me I couldn’t bring it through security so I would have to check it as a separate bag. I laughed (1) and said ok well I’m just going to try. Made it through the fastest I have ever gone through security.

I get to Lusaka Airport, walk into the customs line and they are out of visas. I laughed out loud (2) because, what?!😂 To be clear I HAD a visa they just ran out of the stickers. Then they proceed to tell me that the only person who has extras is the accountant ..and he’s off today (3). So I asked if security could go in and get a visa sticker packet from his office because at home, security always has a key in case there’s a fire or an emergency. They looked me dead in the eye, laughed, and said, ma’am there is no fire. (4)

I wait for an hour. They come out of their office and say I can pick up my visa at the Livingstone Airport with no further instructions. At this point I’ve been up 12 hours, I haven’t eaten lunch. It will be something I can figure out later.

I get my bags, walk out the door and I am directed upstairs. I start walking and an airport employee (with a vest and a badge) offers to help carry my bags and asks which Airline I’m flying. I decline and say Ethiopian Airlines. He walks with me up 2 stories of stairs to help me get to the right gate. I am ✨sweaty✨ yet again.

He asks where I’m going this time, I say Livingstone and he goes, “Why didn’t you tell me?! That’s in the other terminal.” (5)

We start walking down the stairs and he gestures for my bags, I hand him one, say thank you and walk 5 minutes to a different terminal.

Just a quick picture, this man is well dressed, NICE leather shoes and put together. We get to the terminal and he doesn’t know where to go. I ask repeatedly for my bag back, he says no it’s fine, no less than 4 times in 5 minutes. I finally say I’ll take my bag back and reach for it off his arm. He hands it to me and says, “any tips?”

SIR, YOU LED ME IN THE WRONG DIRECTION AND WALKED FOR 5 MINUTES WITH MY LIGHTEST BAG THAT I DIDN’T WANT HELP CARRYING IN THE FIRST PLACE. Point in case I should have said no but I reached into my wallet and handed him a one dollar bill (6). He looks at my wallet and says, “oh madam, 1’s are hard to exchange.” (7)

I did not pull out any more money, not that I had any anyway. I found my airline (the flight was owned by Ethiopian with 0 mention of Zambia Airways anywhere on my ticket, confirmation or the app, but alas it was a Zambia Airways flight with a completely different flight number). When I was called to the counter, the check-in for my now-delayed flight isn’t ready yet (8).

Oh, it keeps going. Thankfully I ate a Clif bar so I wasn’t handling myself on an empty stomach.

I go back to the check-in counter 30 minutes later and they can’t check me in without reissuing my ticket so I need to go to ticket office around the corner (9).

I walk into the ticket office, who is thankfully open, they go to issue a new ticket and it is too close to the boarding time to issue it directly. I have been at this airport for 2 1/2 hours now and I am exhausted. The agent works some magic, gets me a ticket and I head off to check in.

Smooth sailing.😅 I am also very aware how lucky I am to still have both my bags and I thank the universe for the good luck, just one more airport to go.

Also my phone data plan isn’t working. Another problem for tomorrow.

My flight is 1/2 an hour delayed. We land, I grab my bags and ask about where to find the immigration office. It’s closed (10).

My driver, Moyo, picks me up outside and is so kind. It’s a 9 minute drive to the Jollyboys hostel. Reception is waiting for me and everyone is so friendly. After more than 18 hours of travel I have a bit of a headache and I’m ready for sleep immediately. Tomorrow is a new day.

Life here is big, beautiful and simple. 

Everyone's smiles are sunshine. The people here are so kind and so caring. There's always music and color and just a lot of life. 

I've met really wonderful people, some volunteers at a school, others from the hostel that have all been so welcoming and friendly. 

I spent my first few days exploring Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwe side, touring the falls on the Zambian side and swimming to the edge. I had a history teacher in high school that loved traveling to Africa. He talked about Victoria Falls and sitting in Devil's Pool (and Angels Pool), small parts of the falls with rock barriers you can lay over the top without toppling over the edge. I remember thinking, "I'm going to do that one day." 

You need to swim across a small part of the Zambezi river; by small I mean maybe 20 ft (6ish meters) twice. In true African fashion, the only swim test prior was asking if we could swim. The other two people in my group, spoke little english and were not strong swimmers. That was honestly the scariest part. Watching them doggy paddle towards the current was enough to give me panic attack. Devil's pool was incredible. Looking over so much water and being so far from the bottom AND it was the driest of the dry season and still so amazing. 

I also went to Botswana and took a game drive and river safari through Chobe National Park. THE ELEPHANTS WERE AMAZING. We saw giraffe, hippos, a lion, two crocodiles and so many elephants. Not much compared to all of the days people have come back BUT it was still so wild and we were so close to them!

Travel days and the first morning here were a bit of a doozy. No working phones or credit cards and everywhere only takes cash. Sean helped me call my bank on speaker phone and sort out the financials. My phone still isn't working but with enough planning I really don't need it. I'm headed to a regatta on the Zambezi this evening, flying out tomorrow morning and onto the next adventure. 

I’m working on a bee farm in South Africa and at some point I am going to shock myself on one of the thousands of electric fences they have on the property but not yet.

I have however unlocked a new fear: bees inside the bee suit.

I’ve been really lucky to be able to work with the bees two days already and at night. The first day moving the bees was incredible; it was a long day, 20 hours (6 a.m. - 2 a.m.), but the bees weren’t angry and collecting the honey and the hives went quickly. It was like a dream. The bees were peaceful and the 6-hour drive back I watched the coast, all national seashore and no buildings. On the other side, the tall grass in the fields rippled like waves and the sun set and the hills turned almost iridescent.

The second day the bees were upset, buzzing and swarming and loud. Xander, one of my hosts, said we’d collect the rest of the honey at night while the bees were calm. They were not much calmer, I just couldn’t see most of them in the dark.

After about an hour and a half, around 9:30 p.m., we finished collecting and started driving away from the hives. I was stung on my back and figured I had just leaned back against one that landed on my bee suit. But when I got out of the truck and started walking back to my cabin, a bee started crawling across my face. They were in my bee suit. There was nothing I could do except walk slightly faster and gently pull the hood and sleeves off when I got to my door. Scariest thing I’ve experienced so far.

I really have liked the farm work I’ve done through Workaway up to this point. I like that I can work with my hands and that I can be moving all day. I don’t mind getting dirty and I don’t mind lots of different tasks and lots of different schedules. 

Farms are outside. So are spiders. So are rats and larvae and ants, which there are a lot of here and definitely not my favorite.

Africa has also been just really different. They make do with a lot less. A lot less electricity (2 hours a day in some of the countries I’ve been in), only rain water, and lots of squat toilets. Up until now I really haven’t minded at all. Didn’t even take much adjusting and made the showers at hostels feel like a luxury.

But, my hosts here are micromanagers, and not just in the particular, specific way.

They like having control over everything, everything you listen to, everything you talk about, everything you do, and the farm itself is isolated 20 minutes outside of Port Elizabeth. So not having the freedom to play music or have anything more than a surface level conversation is making all of those other things add up. It’s made my last week here a bit tough but at least there’s flushing toilets. I also don’t have data or Wi-Fi to connect my laptop to so updates have to wait until I can get a taxi to town.

All of the griping aside the bee work is really cool. Watching nature do its thing is incredible, the bees create the most amazing structures that are perfectly symmetrical and the honey straight out of the hive is delicious!🍯

I ELECTROCUTED myself - big time. Lost feeling in my finger that my key chain was wrapped around, called mum in an absolute panic; it hurt so bad. Go big or go home I guess. I’m not going home but I’m definitely considering leaving.

It rained tonight and I was terrified to touch the parts of the fence that are supposed to be safe. One of the workers said she gets shocked frequently after the rain because the gates can hold the charge even on the grounded parts. No thank you. I didn’t sign up for a tough mudder every night on my hike back through the woods in the dark to my frigid cabin while the monkeys screech at me from the trees. Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope.

What’s wild is that I feel like if the people were at all like Noa and Werner (my first hosts in Italy) I’d be having a great time. I really like the work and the bees are so interesting, but my hosts are…tough. They don’t read (other than the Bible) they don’t listen to music (especially not the radio), no podcasts, no board games, no movies, no TV, no dancing, no singing, no sports, no church (“it’s a scam to steal your money and they let anyone into church nowadays”), no close friends, very limited internet, and dinner is the only meal we cook- I tried to heat up leftovers for lunch one day and was told we only eat sandwiches for lunch, leftovers are for dinner (and cereal or wheat bars for breakfast).

They told me I was coming camping with them and their 2-year and 9-month old (they didn’t ask, just said “you’re coming") for a few days to check on bee sites 2 hours away. I now need to tactfully say I’m not spending 48 hours with 4 of them (and 100s of bees) in a tent on a piece of farmland in the middle of South Africa with no bathrooms. It’s just been really weird.

The work on the other hand is so neat! The honey extraction was insanely cool. You use a comb to take the wax off of the honeycomb and the honey starts to drip out of the frame. By the end of the day I was covered and so sticky. I didn’t mind, I felt like Winnie the Pooh. You put the honey frames into a huge spinning fan and the honey flings out and drips down the sides into the collection tub at the bottom. So fun to watch and see up close.

I took maybe 3 photos the entire week. They gave me such a hard time, ensuring I don’t post any photos anywhere if they have either of their faces or any of their machinery. I told them they could look through all of my photos whenever they wanted and not only would I not post them but I would delete any they didn't feel comfortable with (also, not even a little interested in taking photos of them or their machines) but they just kept explaining that they didn’t want their 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦 lives to be all over the internet. 

Then they saw the photo of the honeycomb pop up on my camera screen after I took it and said, “You can send those to us.” I laughed. Wild. A pettier part of my brain was ready to say, you can pay me for them. Just took a deep breath and got back to work. 

I went to a used book cafe for WiFi this week (and was grossly ripped off by the only taxi they recommend..honestly, expected). There was no WiFi but I met a group of girls who are so fun and friendly- we got along right away. They brought me to the mall for food and a garden center complete with an outdoor garden, a massive beautiful greenhouse and a really fun thrift store, used book shop and coffee shop too - and a pet store with birds, fish and bunnies. It was so fun! Hanging out with them has been my saving grace. I was also able to download a bunch of new books for my kindle with the mall’s WiFi so I’m not playing solitaire for hours on end in my cabin with the monkeys.

The MONKEYS are crazy. I can’t leave my windows cracked during the day or they’ll break into my cabin and terrorize it. Fair. I also can’t leave out matches near the stove I use to start a fire to heat up my shower water because one of the workers said the monkeys have stolen the matches before AND the gas tea bags and in his words: “you know.. kaboom.” Goodgoodgood. It’s all good. 

How much honey is too much honey?

How much saw dust is too much saw dust?

Overall I had a great week. Started off at Janice’s family farm. Her mum hosts a cancer awareness walk from their old dairy farm every October. Janice’s family is big, so welcoming and absolutely lovely. I felt at home immediately. People were laughing and cooking and all talking to one another. There were kids running around and so much good energy. We walked a 5k within her parents farm and you could see the ocean and views of the cape, then we braiied and ate and ate. Braaiing is South African BBQ, but Janice’s uncles made sure I knew it was better than just a regular barbecue, because it’s over a fire and we have lamb, boerewors (sausage) and all different cuts of chicken and steak. The desserts were so good, and there were so many to try. It reminded me of Thanksgiving at the Flaherty’s.

It rained all day Monday and Tuesday so I was in the extraction room working on making feed for the bees during the winter.

I love the extraction room. I love talking with Asandra, love being covered in honey and love being able to taste it, the whole Winnie the Pooh thing and all.🍯

The rest of the time I was in the work shop drilling holes in all of the different pieces for new hive boxes. They let me use power tools and shop machines. It was really cool to learn new stuff and great to have a goal to finish by the end of the day. Also every time I had a drink of water, tea or coffee in the workshop I ingested a hefty amount of sawdust. Fiber? Surely. 

We went on a little 3-day road trip out to some new bee sites. The place we stayed was on the ocean, like a 10 minute walk from the beach. It was stunning! Unfortunately we weren’t at the house very long because the days started at 7 a.m. and we got back around 6 or 6:30 p.m. anndd the sun set at 6:45. I only got to the beach once. This house was rented instead of pitching a tent in the farmland around the bee sites. I cannot tell you how glad I am that I said I wasn’t going to sleep in the field they talked about people burgling the ENTIRE time (and the monkeys) with no toilet, shower, stove or trash can (for bags of dirty diapers). I would have left. My hosts were insanely rude and short with not just me but each other and the kids the whole three days. We had the strangest conversations (honestly I’m still processing..) and if I had to go through that and freeze in a tent worried for my life for two nights, absolutely no thank you.

I know I said I was glad I brought my overalls for farm work. I think that may be the biggest understatement I’ve ever made. We were clearing ..brambles.. which may be the second biggest understatement I’ve ever made.. They were monstrosities. The thorns were the size of my fingers and hurt worse than bee stings. Come to find out they’re also poisonous- they didn’t tell me until later that if you get a thorn stuck in you, you can loose feeling in ENTIRE EXTREMITIES for DAYS. I wish I was kidding. I wore two pairs of gloves but it didn’t matter, even the small thorns went right through. The smaller ones actually hurt more because you couldn’t see them as well so I would grab a branch and puncture the tips of my fingers. Luckily the small ones weren't poisonous. The branches were long and viney so they would get stuck in my pants (thank god for overalls) and my back. We also ran out of water on the last day so that was good.😅

When I met one of Janice’s aunts at the walk, she connected me with her sister who lives in Cape Town. Hopped on a plane Friday as soon as we left the last bee site and I spent a long weekend there- I had a blast! I honestly think I just needed some normal human interaction and a clean, non-rusty shower.

I saw WILD PENGUINS, went wine tasting, hiking, to the beach and explored Cape Town. Cathy was so nice! She organized an Uber for me from the airport, fed me and took me to two gorgeous wineries!!

We went to Table Mountain the next day and got delicious fish and chips at the harbor. She dropped me at my hostel and I had an amazing coffee and an early dinner in the center of town. Walked around the downtown area the next morning then got a ride to the coast and saw the penguin colonies on the beach- honestly the highlight.

Headed back to the farm for 5 more work days and 1 weekend. The countdown is on.🏝️☀️

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|    Beware lions    |

Leeus

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Xander took me to a few bee sites early in the week. 'Beware Lions' was the sign on the first entrance gate. Crazy how big life is here. There were lions, elephants, kudu and cape buffalo on the property. I only saw a buffalo (and a massive snake) but there were tons of prints and fresh poo from the elephants and probably a good thing we didn’t run into any lions but so cool. 

I also learned that bees getting inside my 2-piece bee suit happens frequently when the bees are angry. Of course. Of course it does.

The last site we went to, the bees were out for blood. They swarmed so bad I couldn’t see out of the netting around my face. It was all I could do just to breathe and keep stacking new hive boxes.

3 angry bees found a way into my bee suit one at a time. 3 bee stings on my neck, chest, shoulder and I couldn’t do anything. I told Xander what was happening. We packed up the truck and drove until only a few bees were left swarming around. 

This is the *only* Workaway I have ever signed a contract. The contract stated my work hours and listed the ground rules on the farm (25 hours/week, 27 ground rules). What should have been 100 hours turned into 135 hours. I am exhausted.

I know that’s still less than full time 40-hour weeks. But it felt like a never ending work day and so much more work than I agreed to. I was with them or on the farm all 24 hours of every day unless I paid an arm and a leg for a taxi or Uber.

Speaking of, my last weekend was amazing! I went out with the group of girls I met at the book cafe. We hiked along the beach and went swimming - the coast is BEAUTIFUL! The water was so blue and the cliffs were so fun and it was exactly what I needed, just hanging out and laughing. 

Janice texted me at 7:50 p.m. to remind me the farm curfew is 8 p.m. …on my last Saturday night with absolutely no responsibilities that night or the following day AND I had a key for the outside gate (that was already locked). I was half an hour away so by the time I got an Uber I didn't get to play any of the board games we laid out - but even just the thought of a game night was nice!

The last day I spent with Danya from the farm. We went out to lunch, grabbed coffee, walked around a nature preserve and went to the beach. I think about how amazing those last days were, how nice it is to connect and I just hope my next adventure has lots of chances to do exactly that.

I’m so lucky I was able to make it to so many incredible places on this continent and meet so many amazing humans. Until next time! 🫶🌍

When I left Asia the last time I thought it was the cheesiest thing to say that Southeast Asia will always have a piece of my heart. The first day at my Workaway in Indonesia, I don’t think it’s possible to describe the feeling other than I felt like I a piece of my heart was back where it belonged.

I forgot how much I missed the colors of the jungle, the smell of food and the freedom of scooters on winding mountain roads. How much I missed the way of life here. The friendliness, the hospitality, the care and calmness that contrasts with the crazy noises of cats and birds and motorcycles and laughing kids and markets and insects that shouldn’t be allowed to be so big. I missed the coconuts, the mangos, the pineapple, the freshness of everything, the amazing flavors and the bright colors in every meal, smoothie and snack.

My first day was an adventure as always. I took an overnight bus from Makassar. Nearly missed my stop, we got to Makale at 4:30 a.m., an hour before schedule. I waited at the bus stop for my host’s son to pick me up. He came with a little blue scooter and put my backpack up front like it was nothing. We were off, bopping up and down valley roads, mountain dirt paths and then straight up the last hill to my home for the next month at Natsir’s.

When I got there Diana, his wife, made me a coffee and fried bananas which were absolutely delicious. I put my bags down and walked around the property. There is a community mosque, three buildings for the English school, cabins for the volunteers and I found out later, a massive garden.

Around 8 a.m., the other volunteers came to eat breakfast. Diana cooks the best food. Everything is fresh from the garden and so good. There is always rice, veggies and protein, and tea and coffee for breakfast and lunch. 

Right after breakfast, Sara, another Workawayer from Italy, Irma, Natsir’s daughter, and I headed off towards a few villages further north to see cemeteries in caves that are centuries old. The rituals from this part of Indonesia are really cool to learn about. Funerals are a huge tradition here and so is making the tombs people are buried in. They make realistic statues that look just like the person and build tongkonan, huge boat-like structures with intricate engravings on stilts for the bodies. Wild to see human skulls on top of graves and human bones lining the cave. There was another small village we visited where the statues and the graves were dug into the face of the cave. People are still buried there in funerals today. 

The rest of the day we ate new food and explored Makale, the nearest little town and the Sunday market. So many people and colors and smells. There was a bucket of live eels that had no business being as big as there were and so many wildly colorful and textured fruits and veggies to try.

This place in Sulawesi feels way off the beaten path and I’m so thankful I get to experience it with the people here.

Sandra and Kiêt, a couple from France, arrived Monday morning and they are the loveliest people! They have an eco farm outside of Montpellier, France and such amazing life stories. Unfortunately both Sara and Sandra and Kiêt are only here for another 10 days.

The weekday mornings I worked in the garden, painted a shelf and harvested cocoa, coffee and pineapples. In the afternoons, I helped at the English school in both villages and met the kids. Elementary (5-11) and middle school (11-15).

The coffee is incredible, I don’t need milk or sugar and it’s picked, dried, roasted and grind right outside the house. We pick the beans whenever we notice they are ripe, then shell them and let them dry in the sun. I’m not sure why we roast and grind them at night (not for lack of asking but no one seems to know, just “it’s a night hobby”).

So rewarding, such a fantastic project and so happy to be back in Asia. So grateful for every second.

This past weekend we rented scooters and drove two hours into the jungle to hike to a waterfall. It was incredible!

What a crazy cool day. Loads of good noodles and new food and the waterfall was amazing. We swam in the pool at the bottom and the journey getting there was insane, so many rice fields and traditional tongknan and little villages. Also winding, rocky paths.

On the way home, Sara was on the scooter in front of me and drove over something massive in the road. She ran right over it, so I followed. Until it moved.

It was the biggest snake I have ever seen. Bright shimmering green. Even coiled up it took up nearly the entire width of the road, albeit a narrow road. Still. I ran over it and didn’t look back, my adrenaline was through the roof.

Sandra and Kiêt were behind me and said the snake jumped at the back of my bike. I didn’t kill it either for anyone concerned, it slithered off the road and they drove past no problem.

During the rest of the week we peeled and cut turmeric, made chocolate, helped at the English school and cleaned in the garden. So nice to be working with my hands and getting to know the people here. It’s so colorful and vibrant. Just going on walks down the hill and around this village is wild.

I also drove the scooter over the swinging bridge across the river after school and felt invincible. Then had to make a right hand turn and was instantly humbled again. I love it here.

Apa warna sempakato kamu?

Adiba is 4. That is her question of the day every day. It means what color is your underwear?

The kids think it’s hilarious and I have successfully learned every color of the rainbow.

I’m trying to learn as much Indonesian as possible and I’m grateful it’s Latin letters especially at the school! I’m doing ok, I can at least explain activities to the kids and translate small phrases when they need help.

I went to work with a fourth group of kids in a village further away last week. They know numbers, colors and that’s it. We sit underneath Tongkonan outside. One day this week the sky opened up and the rain and wind were wiping and howling through. Papers went everywhere and the sound of the rain on the roof was deafening. They all stayed in one place though so it ended up being one of my favorite classes. They are also WILD but really good kids.

Sara, Sandra and Kiêt left and the work outside slowed down for a few days. Everything felt a bit quieter and a little less lively. Another volunteer, Anna, came. She’s from Portland and really fun!.

Thursday was Thanksgiving. We made grateful turkeys with the kids and it was the most amazing activity, they were so invested!

Anna’s birthday was on Friday, we rented a bike for the weekend and I picked up some balloons and cake for a little celebration after dinner. The kids all wrote her birthday cards and everyone came into one of the education rooms to sing happy birthday.

The rest of the weekend was rainy. We drove into Makale and went to a small covered cafe to get away from the storm. I got a bunch of planning done which was nice and then nearly killed Anna and myself twice.

Once on a sharp left turn, my turn radius was less than sharp and I nearly drove us into a ditch off the road. Then on the way up the hill heading home in the dark I was going too slow and had to stop the bike. I ended up tipping over, in slow motion, after Anna got off.

As the projects picked up this week I started feeling more motivated again and excited to be here. We harvested pepper and separated the peppercorns out into piles to dry. We harvested coffee and shelled the beans, made compost bags to plant new seeds and picked butterfly flowers for drying and eventually tea. We also chopped bamboo and made lattices for the garden and cracked open the cacao to dry the beans that will be used to make chocolate.

So much to do each day and only one week left on the island to explore!

The past week was a rollercoaster.

Rented a scooter over the weekend and had a blast exploring hidden tongkonan and driving up through the mountains. The landscape is stunning. Vibrant green rice fields and so much activity; water buffalo in mud baths to farmers harvesting rice and drying crops in the sun. It felt like freedom, watching the jungle fly past then stopping and immersing in the slow and gentle everyday life. With the rusty red tongkonan nestled in the cliffs, crazy roads, villages in the hills and the hundred of textures and colors between the rice fields and the jungles, this place is untouched, like a jungle fairytale. 

I got snacks on the way home. Roti, my favorite little buns filled with a bite of palm sugar and coconut, green pancake wrap ..things, rice cakes and bananas for $1.10.

There was lots of work to do this week and so nice to be in the garden helping. The kids were great and the lessons and classes are getting easier to lead.

There were a lot of creepy crawlies this week. I would like to preface with a backstory and the reason I never bring food into my sleeping space while traveling. In Costa Rica, I had a pack of gum and some trail mix in my hiking bag. After about a week there were a bunch of ants around my backpack. Fast forward to investigating a few days later and finding MANY large bugs, a mouse, thousands of ants, melted gum and moldy trail mix I learned my lesson. No food. No animals.

Not here. I have exactly 0 food but plenty of night time critters. One morning a cockroach crawled out of my backpack and scrambled up my leg. Not ideal and I still have no idea what it was looking for.

My mattress is on the floor and I have now seen three mice. I can hear them at night running across the floor right next to my head. Character building. Also there was a spider the size of my hand in the bathroom. We’re in the jungle, so not great but expected.

The rollercoaster dropped while I was sitting on the edge of my bed downloading photos. Something made me look up and a large brown snake was slithering towards me, hissing.

In. My. Room. NO. THANK. YOU.

I yelled for Anna and as I stood up IT SLITHERED UP THE WALL and into a crack. Nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope. Anna said she didn’t see anything come out the other side so the snake was hanging out in the wall. At dinner I asked Natsir if that was normal, figuring with mice and the jungle it was just a part of life. His reaction was priceless and apparently it is absolutely not normal and the only time he’s ever heard of a snake coming into the bungalows. He immediately sent three guys to check the cabin and try to find it in the roof and siding. No luck. I had a thought that I had seen the mice scurry under the mattress and wondered if there was a hole. I lifted the mattress and no hole. Just a dead mouse.💀

I am ready for a really nice shower at this point. I moved into Anna’s cabin after she left and it is SOO much quieter. No mice, no crazy animals, even the chickens and motor bikes are quieter in there.

We harvested the most cacao I’ve ever collected the past couple days and lots of pineapple. It’s been amazing trying so many new things too and I’m constantly reminded how much more there is to see.

Irma, Natsir’s oldest daughter, took me to get chiki-chikis (snacks) one night and driving in the misty rain, winding along the road was one of those moments that reminded me how magical this place is. No words really capture the feeling. There were so many colorful lights illuminating the misty rain and glowing in the fog. I felt like I never noticed them on houses then I saw a tree and was reminded lights around the holidays are universal.🎄

The last days at Natsir’s flew by. My whole time there did. An entire month of wild adventures and so much rewarding work.

This project is incredible. Natsir is leading community initiatives for the kid's education in the five local villages, starting eco projects with local universities and helping farmers to grow coffee, cacao and other natural products that can be sold locally and maybe one day abroad. 

He is inspiring and the work has been too. I've learned so much from him and I feel like I haven't even scratched the surface. Even with all of the adventures and exploring, there is still so much to see in Toraja, and so many more things to learn. I hope I get to come back. 

Teaching the kids was unforgettable. The last days at both classes were basically P.E. classes; I was in my element. We played and they listened to all of the instructions in english, absolutely rocked the games and are just such good kids. A group of them started walking home with me every day. They would run ahead and hide in the bushes and the trees, jump out and scare me, yelling, 'SURPRISE! then giggling, try to scare me while walking beside me. It was a highlight every day. The last trek home, I just couldn't stop thinking how much it meant to be here and to have this connection with all of them. Walking back under the massive bamboo shoots and palm trees, surrounded by the sounds of their laughs and the jungle noise, my heart broke a little. The last two kids headed off the road for home, walked a little ways then turned around, like when you drop off your favorite person at the airport, and yelled, 'Bye Miss Tori!' with huge waves and smiles. My heart shattered. 

Anna left the same day a new volunteer came, Brenden, also from the U.S. He's a cacao guru and one of those people who is insanely talented at everything from music to sports and is also wicked friendly. The same as Anna. He loves his mom, had so many fun stories and riddles, and was such a blast to work with. Working with Anna, Brenden, Sara, Sandra, Kiêt, Natsir, Christo, Ató, Irma and Luca reminded me how much I was missing connection and all the ways people can make a place feel so special. How lucky am I to have so many things that make saying goodbye so hard.

Spending a day in Makassar before catching a plane to Lombok for a few weeks on the beach. There are so many cool places in the city so far and lots of yummy food. Then off to the next adventure! 🌊🥥🌴🧜🏻‍♀️🍍🫧🪸

Natsir Eco Project:

https://www.workaway.info/en/host/172851463463 

Ok. I love it here. 🌊🌴

I’ve been surfing my little heart out for the last week on a small island in Indonesia.

I still feel like a baby on the waves but it has been so fun to fall in love with a new sport!

The first few days I was nervous I made a mistake going to an island so surfing-centric. I was getting bruised and absolutely pummeled. Surfing was hard and I hated getting banged up, then I started catching waves.

It was the same feeling as flying through the trees on a powder day or catching a deep throw in a frisbee game or the endorphins after a cruising run. I never thought I would love it this much. The energy it takes and being out on the water is unlike anything else.

I met the most amazing humans at the surf camp and the best instructors. Everyone was so friendly, so so fun and from all over the world. Every single person had the coolest stories and the most contagious positive energy the whole week.

Riding the little surf boat out to our spot, spending 4 hours a day in the ocean soaking in all of the good things, the people, the sun, the waves, I will never get over how lucky I am to be experiencing all of this!

Me and RiRi, another girl from U.S. and a fabulous surfer, went on a waterfall excursion. The falls were gorgeous and we absolutely lucked out on the weather - it was perfect. It's rainy season here so the waterfalls were flowing and everything was super green. There were also barely any people and so many jungle plants and animals to see. 

On Christmas we went for a sunrise surf with a whole group of us and the instructors. It was raining and so beautiful - we had the waves all to ourselves. We listened to Christmas music on the boat ride out, the rain made the water warm and the ocean ripple like a thousand little speakers vibrating under the water. A touch of Christmas magic. My usual tradition is spending Christmas Eve skiing at Mount Sunapee and grabbing Chinese food for dinner with Dad and Cassi. This year first chair looked a little different but it was perfect. We went back to Jamie and Talji's villa, played games together, had a proper barbecue and a perfect little tropical Christmas.

So happy to have found this surf family and sweet slice of paradise. Merry Christmas!

Spent another week surfing in Lombok. I never thought being out on the water would feel so refreshing. No matter how I was feeling, regardless of whether or not I spent the first wave in the washing machine, getting smacked in the face or filling my brain with salt water, being on the water (AFTER getting out of the impact zone) was always rejuvenating. It still takes me a few waves to remind myself that I know how to get up on the board and catching waves always feels like a bit of luck. It’s so much work and I love it.

Saying goodbye is one of the hardest parts of this trip. We said goodbye to RiRi and had one last surf and breakfast with Jamie and Tal. I'm going to miss them. Some people tangibly change you for the better and I am fully aware of lucky I am to have met them and even luckier to call them friends.

Sean, Salome and I went for a waterfall hike then out to the local beach bars to bring in the new year. There were fireworks in every direction, and in true Indonesian fashion, right above our heads. Our waterfall guide was also our first DJ of the night and was super talented, such a fun way to celebrate with new and old friends!

I got to meet up with Sara again and took a couple surf lessons at Tanjung Ann, a long board beach where the waves were mellow and it was the first day I felt like I could really turn and had the essence of something that bears the resemblance to confidence.

We said goodbye to Salome then Sean and I took the ferry to Bali and let me tell you, Bali is worth the hype. Being around Indonesia for two months before, I heard nothing but traffic horror stories, tourist price gouging and over crowded everything. In some places that was definitely the case. The swings, the pools, the picture spots in the rice fields reminded me of Cappadocia in Turkey, real and beautiful but almost not real, more like *catered*. We met Gusti, a friend of Sandra and Kiêt's, he drove us around for a day and took us to the most amazing jungle coffee and tea plantation, temples and the rice terraces. I wish we spent more time exploring the whole of the island and honestly as we left we felt like we could've spent far more time visiting temples, waterfalls and the beaches!

57 days in Indonesia. The longest I’ve stayed in one country so far and yet I feel like I haven't even scratched the surface. Each island is so culturally different and offers so many new experiences. There are 17,508 islands in Indonesia, hopefully one day I can come back to explore more.

Everyone is preparing for the lunar new year here. There’s lanterns everywhere. Flowers everywhere. Lights everywhere, clementine trees everywhere.

I love the food. Noodles and Phó, more noodles, veggies galore, more phó and rice pancakes. And fruit. Lots of fresh fruit. Everything is so fresh and there always seems to be some kind of salad and herbs with every meal.

The temples are incredible. The detail and color in the heart of cities or in the jungle stand out and contrast the trees around them but also blend in, in a wild, chaotic kind of way.

The jungle lighting is unreal too. Every street, any time of day, in both the cities and mountains, could be a postcard at any given moment. All of the thick jungle engulfing modern life and the light shining through the green everywhere is amazing.

The rice fields here are still the most vibrant shade of green, but much more geometric than in Indonesia. There are fields that go on in completely flat long, perfect rectangles as far as the eye can see, or until there’s mountains and jungle. The rice fields in Indonesia curved and followed the hills, swerved along the roads but the rice fields near the sea here could be a city map, a perfect grid.

I spent a full day in Da Nang after leaving Indonesia, loved my hostel and enjoyed trying new food, meandering and getting some future planning booked.

I got a haircut, definitely not by accident but not entirely on purpose either. I went into a shop with the idea of shoulder length hair, came out with short layers and hair that doesn’t quite fit into a ponytail. It’s not bad. I’ll get used to a morning Afro and pseudo curtain bangs that are in my face 100% of the time, unless they’re in a unicorn bob on the top of my head. It's a look.

Took a bus to Hoi An and spent 4 days wondering around the city, taking a cooking class, catching boat rides and exploring the local markets and ancient temples.

I stayed in the sweetest hostel and had the nicest roommate, Sophia. We had the best coffee and hiked through marble mountain and the statues inside the caves there. Absolutely incredible. We went to a tailor and had a blast designing pants and a suit, and we ate the most amazing meals for $4.

I just finished reading The Women by Kristin Hannah. It’s about an army nurse serving in Vietnam during the war. I didn’t know it was about Vietnam until a few pages in. Honestly, I’m so glad I read it while I am in Vietnam but damn, it was hard. On the days I read about the casualties from the bombings, lost limbs and burning bodies from napalm and agent orange, I went to ancient Hindu temples that had been blown to pieces. I listened to the tour guides talk about researchers, historians and archaeologists getting blown up from mines and unexploded ordnance while doing restoration years after the war ended. Each bomb crater was marked with a little sign, ‘bomb crater,’ ‘bomb crater,’ ‘bomb crater.’ There must have been dozens in a short 2km stretch. So many people died. U.S. service members, entire villages of innocent Vietnamese. The locals (and tourists) can’t go hiking here because there are still mines in the jungle that can’t be safely removed or detected. How many years later? 60? I saw so many older people here missing limbs and fingers, my heart ached. Then you read about how the veterans were treated coming home. I was so angry, tearing up in coffee shops built next to villages that were obliterated in my parents life time.

It was a dirty war.

I feel like humans think we’re so far evolved past animals because we can make cars and phones and books and bombs but the truth is we’re not; and that’s all I have to say about that.

The buildings were modern but there was still a quiet charm in Hoi An. There were cars, scooters and bicycles criss-crossing the road and lots of bells and honking. I would love to make a photo series of what people have on the backs of their bikes. It’s impressive to say the least. Not just how many people squeezed onto one scooter but actual stuff. Boat engines, crates of chickens, open cartons of vegetables hanging off the handlebars, mini food trucks, the biggest bouquets of real roses, clementine trees. I saw a woman with not 1 but 2 refrigerators on a wooden trailer strapped on the back of her bike. And in traffic. Wild.

Crossing the road here is a skill. It’s chaos. Generally as long as you go the same pace as you cross, people work out how to get around you, the most important thing is not to stop. The cars and the bikes are the most hectic I’ve ever seen but the traffic is also the most fluid I’ve ever seen. It never stops, just like a river.

After Hoi An I took a bus, a grab and another bus, to Ha Giang. It was a bit wild, as my journeys to Workaway’s seem to be lately. The first bus I picked up on a random corner after being dropped off with another guy. Then 14 hours later, I took a grab bike (bike Uber) to My Dinh bus station on the other side of the city. Traffic is hectic, I got it, and honestly if I’m not driving it’s really not bad, a little stressful but not bad.

This grab was another story. We were bobbing and weaving, screaming toward red lights off the highway at 80 miles hour (130 km/hour) on a bike. Which, isn’t quite out of the ordinary yet. But this guy was in a rush. Nothing I hadn’t expected but still a bit hard to hold on. I kept saying no rush, plenty of time, it’s ok, traffic is ok. It clearly didn’t translate well because we were up riding on the UNFINISHED sidewalk soon after. And even though it was bumpy, it was ok, everyone was doing it, eventually there was a traffic jam on the sidewalk. That’s when my grab driver lost it and my hands hurt from holding on. He started to get really close to the edge of the sidewalk. While I was thinking, ‘he must know what he’s doing, I wish I knew what he was thinking,’ we jumped the curb, a big curb, and went flying off the sidewalk and head on into a girl’s motorbike. She was fine, got up and merged back into the sea of bikes. We obviously crashed (in the middle of traffic) at 7:30am, in the road, luckily still off to the side a bit. I didn’t even look around, got my backpack off the ground, back on the bike and prayed his driving would be slightly more cautious for the rest of the ride. It wasn’t, but we arrived to the second bus station in one piece.

I went inside with a message from my new Workaway host that translated to give my number to the bus company and call. I asked one of the uniformed officials for help through Google translate and she took me to a counter and called my host, no answer. The ticket lady said the bus to Ha Giang was leaving right now. The very kind official rushed me outside and pointed to a bus said something to someone who grabbed my bag and ran with me saying “blue bus, blue bus.” For the record I said I didn’t have to leave on the very next bus but her response while running with my arm was why not leave now? Now I am on a 7 hour bus, hopefully headed to Ha Giang, with hopefully enough money for a ticket, and hopefully a ride at the bus station once I get there.

Also the jungle is absolutely beautiful and there is so much to see. The mountains are breathtaking.

The first week after leaving Hoi An, I spent in the mountains of northern Vietnam on the border of China. I learned about ancient tea production and the local cultures of ethic groups living in the mountains. I lived with a family in a little wooden home, way up in the mountains, 25 miles outside of Ha Giang city, then at a tea house just off the Ha Giang Loop road. The Ha Giang loop is one of the most dangerous roads in Vietnam and the majority of my time so far we have been on the back roads, winding through narrow dirt roads and up into the clouds. Being here has been one of the craziest experiences of my life.

My first day, I was picked up from the Ha Giang bus station, grabbed a Banh Mi and drove with my guide about an hour with my backpacks strapped to the back of a bike, snaking and bumping up to my homestay in the mountains. On the way to the homestay I watched the sun set over rice fields and the light shine through the most wild green gardens in patterns like nothing else I’ve ever seen before. The fields are stacked and stacked and stacked, up the sides of cliffs, on the edges of mountains and right off the sheer cliffs. They grow corn this time of year, rice in the summer and veggies in between. 

The two mornings at the homestay, I woke up to the sunrise over the mountain range of North Vietnam and the most unbelievable ridge line. My host was so sweet, he had the biggest genuine smile and the kindest ways of making me feel welcome even though he didn't speak any English. I slept on a mattress in the open space above the main floor with the rest of the family in their own little alcove. They had a fire place built into the floor; the fire was always burning and there was always a pot of tea ready every time of day.

The next day I walked with my guide and a very nice tea guru up to a small local restaurant, big enough for about 10 people. We warmed up with a bowl of steaming Pho for breakfast. Then hiked up to the ancient tea trees in the jungle and learned about their history and traditional collection of the buds. We drank fresh tea and saw all the different ways you can prepare tea from one tree. After, we hiked back through the jungle to a waterfall so far off the beaten path we backtracked a few times to get there. It feels unreal to experience such a remote and beautiful place with no sign of any humans anywhere. The jungle was so dense and felt like it would devour anything left behind. The kind of tree cover and vegetation that would take over the world when there are no more humans. I went swimming under the waterfall and the water was so cold, and so clear. Maybe one of the only places in Vietnam you can drink the water period much less straight from the ground.

That night I went to a maturation ceremony for a boy turning 13. Without the ceremony, the boys are considered unfit for marriage and immature. They happen only once or twice a year, with so few kids in the village and only once from the time the boys are 11-13. It lasts for 2 days and the whole village is invited. There is a ceremony to welcome the gods into the family’s home, a huge dinner, then at 4am the boy jumps from a ledge into a group of men from the village. I watched the rituals for hours while they prepared and drank tea around the fire. So many animals were killed and prepared. It was the first time I had a bowl of pig blood (it's kind of like a jelly but I’m still not a fan and I’ve had serval bowls since).

I spent the evening talking though Google translate to the host’s daughter who was so sweet and back home from school. We ate around these big place settings on the floor. Maybe 8-10 people sitting around bowls of meat, rice and different kinds of collard greens and broth. At lunch and dinner, whenever you have a guest you drink 'happy water'. It's like moonshine rice wine. I am always a guest so it feels like there is always happy water. Here, you take a shot with everyone at the table (8-10), anytime someone invites you to take one with them and anytime someone leaves the celebration, so a lot. You shake hands with the person who invited you to take it after you both drink. The leader of the village came over to our place setting and talked with others around the circle and invited me to drink. After shaking my hand he smiled so big and said something to the rest of people in the circle. My guide looked at me and said, 'he said he's never met a foreigner before. This is the first time he's ever shaken hands with a foreigner.'

I’m not sure there are words for the enormity of the feeling I had at this point in the ceremony. So many people in this village had never met or spoken to anyone outside of the surrounding communities. How many people do you know that can say that they were the only foreigner to have been to a place? I've been to plenty of workaways where foreigners were an anomaly and met plenty of people who have never met an American but I've never been the first in a village, in a region. Such a crazy feeling.

The food here is mainly meat, rice and collared greens, except for the occasional breakfast noodles or pho. My host said the chicken is chewy because they have muscles, what an understatement. These chickens are like the bodybuilders of all chicken. They are the size of small dinosaurs. It’s cold here, in the 30s right now, so they have an extra layer of feathers. It looks like they are all having a really bad hair day. They have feathers on their feet too so they’re running around all dinosaur-like with crazy hair and little booties.

In the morning, we left the homestay and rode 140 km to the tea house nestled in the mountains. When we got to the main road of the Ha Giang loop, we starting passing signs that said, ‘bar, beer, coffee!’ We passed groups with matching helmets and little flags on the backs of their bikes. And then we veered off and wound around and around steep hills then back down and past these insane views with cascading layers of wild mountain ridge lines.

I get to wake up with that view every morning. Also to the screeching sound of the guard geese, Chinese Geese. (If you get close, they get aggressive, they're big and they have little teeth, not to be messed with)

I spent the last week, helping to plant trees, building bamboo structures to protect saplings, attending lunar new years parties, and drank so much tea.

I learned how to harvest ginger and met some of the local women while they were farming. Women in this village cook, clean, take care of the kids, farm and work in the field. They work so hard and all day. The babies and toddlers who aren’t old enough to walk are like little starfish wrapped in big blankets strapped to their mother’s or grandmother’s backs no matter the work they're doing.

It hasn’t been easy communicating. Two people here speak English and if anyone translates it’s a bit broken and only ever the gist of the conversation never the whole thing. Someone will say, 'we're talking about X' and then go back to speaking in Vietnamese. But I get to meet so many incredible people. Everyone is always moving in and out of everyone else's home and at the tea house. Everyone invites me to their home for tea and makes me feel like family immediately. I feel so welcomed and so incredibly lucky to be here.

On Sunday Só and I went to the Dong Van local market. The night before we walked around the old town and stayed at a local homestay just outside of town. The host had heated sheets and a mattress pad. Absolute luxury. My alarm went off at 5:30 and we hiked down to town on a barely discernible path through jungle and gardens. I was so tired and so thankful I grabbed my headlamp.

I wasn’t ready. Normally when I go to the local markets it’s at night. They are all so big they look like they go on forever in every direction. The noise is just noise and the hustle and bustle is something to admire. But at 6am the sights and sounds were overwhelming. So much blood. So many carcasses, squealing baby pigs, puppies in cages, people yelling, it was a lot. So many people setting up stalls, pushing and shoving past, motorbikes in the alleyways and between stalls with bags of rice the size of mattresses. And so many dead pigs.

This next part is gory so feel free to skip ahead. People go early to set up their meat. It’s laid out flat tables so the blood runs in streams onto the floor. The butchers hack off the piece of meat the customer asks for. Sometimes that means blood and chunks of muscles and intestines and guts are sent flying through the walkways at eye level. Some people cut the heads off the pigs and strapped them to their bikes to drive home. The headless pigs turned a grey pink and were driven through the crowds of people, their hooves touched the sides of the narrow passages. The pig heads I saw had blood dripping out of their mouths and down onto to street. I eat meat so I feel like I should be able to see this, it’s not like I killed them, but hearing the constant squealing and watching it all still felt heavy.

At this time I was the only tourist, the sun was just starting to come up and everything was smoky from the open grills and fires in little stalls lining the alleys. It felt tough to breathe and felt more and more claustrophobic. But all of the sounds and smells and even the sights made the market seem to come alive. There was a buzzing energy in the way brilliant colored clothes were swung onto tables, bright colored stools moved around to make space for eating, the fresh hues of spices and vegetables and the conversations reflected in make-shift barber shop mirrors. It was as if you could feel the electricity coming from everything around you. We stopped to grab a coffee and bought fried cassava and sweet potato from a woman Só used to work for, so good!

My host asked me to write an article about what the experience of the local market is like for the tea house website. The finished product is mostly fluff but what a wild experience.

We went to another Tet party straight from the market. We ate and drank and walked around the village. The family home was Mai’s parent’s and grandparents and her younger brother’s family. They were so insanely friendly. I had so much fun!

The next few days I helped around the tea house. Harvested ginger and played badminton. I helped pick tea buds from the jungle way up in the hills. When we were finished some of the guys started walking on this tiny barely discernible path with a sheer cliff on one side. When the ground evened out they went to the edge smiled and pointed, “China.” We walked a little further and I turned around a corner to find a thick barbed wire fence.

In the evenings before dinner I learned how to pick a few new types of greens and veggies. We hiked into a valley about 15 minutes straight downhill to collect veggies for that night. Then once our bamboo basket was full we hiked straight back up the muddy slope with 40 lbs of radish and greens; and the girls did it all in slip-on sandals.

I also learned how to cut grass with a machete and cut it up for the cows. Is it hard? No. Did my tiny piles come within 10X the size of Mai’s grass bails? Not even close. I carried it all back up the hill though so that at least made me feel helpful. At the end of day, Só’s grandmother came out and smiled at me. Mai goes, “she said you work like a local. You are strong and a hard worker.” In that moment in time was there a better, more flattering compliment I could’ve received in the world? Absolutely not.

Every day is so different from the next. Each morning I wake up I have no idea what will be on the schedule.

I’m gonna miss finding clementines in my pocket and the little random things that happen. I was constantly hopping on the motor bike and headed to a destination I didn’t know existed five minutes prior.

One morning it was decided (after we ate breakfast) we’d go eat (a second) breakfast at a local restaurant. It was lightly raining. The mist rose up through the valley and between the peaks. Then we drove around a cliff and into another valley where we were above the cloud inversion and the mountain peaks stood above the misty layer like a floating jungle. And then we were around another bend and completely in the clouds where the road dropped off on either side into a foggy abyss.

It was incredible and so different it felt like I couldn’t see anything prettier. Then the next morning we were up at sunrise heading to the last local market before the new year and the sun rays were the absolutely unreal.

It feels magical and freeing to be speeding up and down and winding around on the bikes even more so on mornings like that. Like how did I get so lucky to have the chance to experience this?!

The last market was the most crowded one yet. There were so many people, I was pushed forward in rivers of bodies. On our way there we passed what felt like miles of bikes. They were parked on both sides of the road snaking up the hill and people were walking out of the market with tables and chairs and huge bags of rice and cabbages strapped to their back.

I thought I had really honed my go with the flow mentality. For someone who loves knowing what’s going on, I had the hardest time having exactly 0 idea of what was going on 100% of the time. And I was really getting used to it, another level of flexible.. until my very last day. The last night we went to Só’s family to celebrate the new year. We drank plenty of happy water and another workwayer, Pauline arrived. We both had had long days. I was so happy to get to bed before 10. We walked back the 1/2 mile uphill after to the tea house after one last shot and an Irish exit, got ready for bed and my phone rang. My host said we were going to a night market, staying somewhere else overnight and then a morning market with 2 visitors from Vietnam and we were leaving in 5 minutes. Ok.

We packed quick and hopped in their car. We drove to Dong Van, turns out no night market and the morning market was the same market I went to last week but without Só to navigate. We were told to be up at 6. At 6:20 I knocked on our visitors door. They had just gotten up and still wanted to leave at 6. At 6:50 they still weren’t downstairs. It was now raining and a bit chilly so the two visitors stayed inside but Pauline and I grabbed a coffee and walked to the market.

No squealing animals, maybe 1/10 of the people and 1/20 of the motor bikes. It was actually really nice. We found some delicious pho for $1.80 and strolled through the stalls. It was a great morning.

I would have loved to tour around with the visitors if I was A. Packed to leave B. Showered C. Didn’t have to catch a bus that afternoon; but that’s not how it worked out.

We spent the day in the back of their car stopping and getting out to take a picture of a river, a cultural house (kind of?) and another river. I was supposed to be back at the tea house by 12:30 to eat lunch, pack, say goodbye to everyone and catch my bus at 1. Our visitors were completely oblivious to everyone else. I kept telling them I needed to be back by 12:30 we got back around 1:45. And I obviously missed my bus(es). They offered to let me come with them back to Hanoi..if I paid. It’s a 10 hour drive plus the fact that we were in an electric car that takes an hour and 30 minutes to charge. Very long story short it took the woman, who is the worst driver I have literally ever seen, 16 hours to get to Hanoi in a very cramped car with both my backpacks and a sleeping child on my lap.

Hanoi has been magical so far and I have been walking and exploring my heart out. 

There are flower markets on every corner. Cherry blossom trees in bloom, miles of clementine trees, entire markets of orchid trees, I am in heaven. There is so much color! The food in Hanoi is slightly different than up north with a bit more variety. It’s also a city so we’re back to coffee shops every couple hundred feet.

I love the old town cities. The streets are tight and charming and viney bushes hang down out of balconies and over the restaurants and food vendors. They are always bustling and always smell like smoke and steamy soup.

Spent my days walking across the lake, exploring the flower market, reading on train street and wandering around the city with new friends. I ate so much pho and street food for $2 and loved trying new kinds!

The lunar new year was the 29th. There were tons of fireworks in the sky and the street. The whole city was lit up and there were little flags, streamers and confetti down all of the little streets.

The next day was a national holiday so the stores were mainly closed and the city was so quiet. I met Louise and Sophie at breakfast and they were so funny and nice! We spent the day exploring and taking photos, Sophie had a camera she wanted to practice with so walked around the lake and had a mini photo lesson about depth of field, ISO and shutter speed. It was one of the best days of my trip and so much fun to get to know them! I left for the airport the next morning and was off to Singapore.

Singapore is wild. There’s the most incredible food, the craziest architecture and sculptures and art everywhere.

Basically, the city/country is like one big mall. Everything you need is a five minute walking distance from anywhere you are in the city, in or around a massive glass 5 to 10-story building. There is so much food from all over the world and so many stores.

There are also a lot of video cameras. There are signs all over the city that have offenses and fines with the caveat that the area is being recorded or video monitored. a bit like big brother and slightly unnerving. The city was sparkling clean though and I felt completely safe. Traffic was shockingly different from Vietnam. Everyone used the cross walk and waited for the little walking human light to turn green.

I went to jaywalk and as I looked both ways, there were three signs that said ‘pedestrians use crossing’ with arrows pointing ahead and little pictures of people not crossing there. I laughed and thought about how a road in Vietnam with no cars felt like a luxury.

It’s by far the most walkable city I’ve ever been in. And even with that, the public transport was so easy and cheap, everything felt accessible.

Minutes after I boarded my plane from Vietnam to Singapore, the Blackhawk collided with American flight 5342. I landed and spent the entire night shocked and heartbroken as the first responders started search efforts for athletes, coaches, parents, pilots and service members.

The next morning I woke up to a slew of notifications from international news outlets commenting on the president’s ‘irresponsible and outrageous response’ to the tragedy. Let me start by saying, to try and divide people and push an agenda in a time of so much loss and suffering isn’t just disgusting, it’s inhumane.

I walked around the city like a hot mess. I would be crying in cafes, on the street and found myself thinking about leaving the Air Force during this administration. At what point does serving the country, under Trump as the commander and chief, support the ideals of the administration? At what point is it something that will put me on the wrong side of history.

I spent hours walking MILES through the Singapore Botanical Gardens and that helped a bit.

The Singapore botanical gardens was exactly like walking into a jungle. It felt like a rainforest straight from Avatar. The palms were huge and the shapes and colors of the plants were breathtaking. So different. There were birds everywhere and big signs not to feed the monkeys. It sounded like a rainforest not like a park in the city.

There’s just so many different kinds of trees! And plants and shades of green. Also, how is everyone not sweaty?

Honestly outside of the midafternoon heat, it was the perfect temperature. There was a breeze, the sun was shining, a perfect 3 days with no rain except for when I stepped onto my train for the airport. Literally perfect timing. 

The Philippines are paradise.

Even the rocks feel like paradise which might sound silly. But big smooth boulders, black and white straight out of "Where the Wild Things Are."

I spent my first week on Siargao. Rented a bike and explored for a few days. Spent the morning surfing and enjoying the white sand beaches and coconuts.

On Siargao there are coconut farms lining the roads so you feel like you're driving through a tropical oasis even when you're not along the coast line.

The public transport is so colorful. Trikes (tricycles, bikes with little cabs on the side) and jeepneys are each painted and decked out in funny names and slogans. They are bumpy but a bit like Southeast Asia in a nutshell, a little crazy but so freeing, colorful and exactly what is needed, nothing more. 

The Philippines smell like fresh flowers and tropical fruit. I have had so many mango smoothies and bananas and it is wonderful.

It's more expensive than the rest of Asia and the bikes and accommodation are a bit more.. wild. Lots of things that have the potential of going wrong but haven't yet, like being nervous every time I stopped my bike I would break down or finding geckos and rats in the hostels.

There are water buffalo and goats on the side of the road and these little canals with the fishing boats completely lined by palms and coconut trees.

There are also cold springs with rope swings and kayaks to rent. Angie and I went hung out on the rafts then traveled up to Alegria Beach on my last full day. The sun here is crazy and driving feels like baking in a literal oven but that made the beach that much more refreshing. We ate the freshest ceviche and so much local food for dinner, it was such an amazing week. 

Alright so the Philippines are paradise. I have had a bit of a week and I am excited for the rest of my time here AND very much looking forward to getting out of the Philippines at the same time.

I left Siargao on the 5th headed to Puerto Princesa that evening on the island Palawan. My flight was changed and I would now have an overnight layover in Cebu and get to Palawan on the morning of the 6th. My layover the next day was canceled and I was rebooked again to arrive in Palawan at 10 p.m. the following day. The hotel said they would organize my transfer (which I thought was included) and I got to my lodging at 1:30 a.m. The transfer they arranged cost more than my entire stay and I had to pay in cash. 2 details I definitely should have confirmed instead of assuming. There was no ATM within 15km so I then has to pay for a trike (bike with a cab) to the ATM. We had driven 3.5 hours and I had been at the airport for 2 full days with many ATMs so that was.. frustrating.

I spent the next day walking on the beach and reading. A woman was walking by and said a group of volunteers would be releasing baby turtles at sunset and invited me to come and watch. That was worth the headache of the last 2 days. The baby turtles were the cutest and the sunset was magical, I felt so lucky.

The following day I was leaving to spend a night in El Nido on the northern tip of Palawan before heading out on a boat expedition. I was taking a shared transfer van, scheduled to leave at 2 and get to El Nido by 4 or 5. We drove an hour in the opposite direction, picked up a group of people then drove back past my hotel and picked up another girl who paid $14 less than I did; so could I have saved $14 and 2 hours of my time? Maybe? If I knew? Then for the next 3.5 hours I was squished into the front middle seat and the woman behind me threw up into a paper bag. The entire ride. I had a briefing before the boat tour at 6, got to the hostel at 6:30 feeling gross, stressed and slightly nauseous. The night at the hostel was nice and people were really friendly. The next morning the winds picked up and the expedition was postponed.

The hostel didn't have any availability, no other hostels had availability and only two hotels showed space open. I booked a room with another girl at the hotel down the road and we went downtown for a coffee and beach walk. Went back to grab our stuff and check in to the new hotel and their location on google maps was wrong. The hotel was on another part of the island and would cost us more than double what we paid to get there. The weather was progressively getting more windy so the odds of the expedition happening the next day weren't looking good. The girl I was with booked a flight out to Bangkok and I booked another hotel down town for the night. We hung out until she got ride to the airport and I headed to check-in. I got the hotel around 6 and no one was at reception. I waited and knocked, no one was around. 20 minutes later someone came down, headed to dinner and said there might be help at their sister hotel around the corner. I grabbed my bags and hiked down the street. When I opened the door to the sister annex, 2 women looked up from a table a bit confused. I said I was checking in and 1 of them stood up apologized and said they didn't have any availability they were fully booked and sometimes the websites overbook.

It was now 7 o'clock and absolutely no one had availability. The host apologized profusely, said she would help me find other lodging and would be right back then ran out of the door and around the corner. The other woman at the table was opening beans or something that looks like a cross between edamame and sweet peas. I asked if she wanted any help, she didn’t speak English, but showed me how to open them so I sat down and started helping I feel like I get myself into the situation so frequently and maybe it’s just noticing little things to help with or other people but these moments always have the biggest impact. I waited for an hour while speaking English and Filipino brokenly back-and-forth and learning how they cook the beans. Honestly my El Nido highlight at that point and I was so glad to help.

At 8, I asked if I could sleep on the floor because NO ONE had any vacancy. The younger woman came back and said she found a place. I got a ride there, checked in and wanted to immediately go to bed. The electricity was on and off all night and they asked that no fans be plugged in because the generator couldn't handle it. Ah.

I woke up with ants in my bed. I tried to shower. During the night, bugs and dirt had come out of the drains in the sink and on the floor in the shower. The shower ceiling was covered in mold and the water dripped out of the shower head. At 7:30 the expedition was canceled. I tried to find another hostel on the way to the ferry but the same results, everyone was stuck and extending their stays or in the same place I was so I extended at my hotel for one more night. I then had to figure out a way to get to the island the boat expedition would have finished on. All flights were sold out for the next three days and the ferry wasn't running today and fully booked until tomorrow. I walked to the ferry office to see if I could buy a ticket in person. Absolutely not and the ticket office was a mad house. I bought a ticket in 2 days online and found a hostel for the extra night. All of the tours for the day had left or were fully booked so I headed downtown, booked a boat tour for my extra day and found a spot on the beach with food. I met a really nice couple from Canada and we spent hours talking. I packed and went to bed, woke up with ants all over everything, sighed and headed to my boat tour.

The tour was so needed. The water was beautiful, the people were so fun and the boat was amazing. I snorkeled and used their make shift Filipino kayak that was a blast. The perfect weather, the perfect day. We played cards, flew their drone and took so many photos.

At one of the stops I swam out past the wave break and found a completely hidden secret little beach. I saw the most colorful fishies and craziest colored coral! Despite the past few days, this was amazing and hopefully the rest of my Philippines time is the exact same way.

My trip to Coron did not start off promising. The ferry ride was brutal. Everyone was getting seasick over the side of the boat. The ride was BUMPY and so nauseating. Then I walked the 20 minutes in the blazing sun to my hostel and everything changed. The owners were the nicest people! The beds were clean and comfy and I met some of the most amazing travelers!

I went out for ramen and met Paola my first night. She invited me into a group trip they were doing the next morning and we were inseparable for the next 4 days. The boat trips were absolutely incredible! The snorkeling was like being on another planet. The coral, the fish - the most beautiful iridescent colors, I could've stayed forever. Schools of sardines sparkled around huge reefs and shimmering fish that looked like they were every color all at once then, the brightest shade of blue or green then just a shimmering shape. The sunsets started early and turned everything into a picture perfect paradise. The clouds faded from a burnt yellow into the most vibrant shades of pink and perfect for an hour after the sun dipped below the mountains and the horizon. The big group tour day we saw so much. Lakes and snorkle spots, we kayaked and got to spend so much time eating fresh food and being around a great group of humans.

The next day Paola and I went to 3 islands, 2 hours off the coast of Coron. They were an absolute dream. The whole time we were just gaping at how beautiful the water was, how clear the ocean was, how amazing the snorkeling was, how beautiful the beaches were. It was such an idilic trip. We came back and grabbed a pizza from downtown for Galentine's Day and brought it down to the harbor for sunset. A perfect day.

We woke up early and took a reef and wreck snorkeling tour the next morning. This tour had so few people, we were often the only ones at a location. For lunch we played basketball with a couple of the guides and a few local kids. So much fun! It reminded me how long it's been since I played frisbee and how much I miss it. The final stop of the trip, our guide cautioned everyone to jump from the right side of the boat beacuse if you jumped from the left you'd hit the shipwreck. I though he was exaggerating but we jumped in and swam right up to it. The ship was from a wreck during World War II. The size was actually daunting. Like you're looking at something so big from so long ago with a history. It surrounds you and makes you feel so small in so many ways; small in the world and a small piece of the history of the planet, but here and living. Nature completely took over and the ship was completely covered in the prettiest, craziest coral of all the places I'd seen. There were so many fish and so much beautiful life. We went to Hop Hostel for sunset, played cards and went out for one last dinner. There was live music and they were so so good!

On the last days I discovered my favorite Filipino foods are the baked goods. The fish and rice and lumpia and tapsilong were great, but the bread and naturally sweetened treats? That's where it was at. Paola and I grabbed breakfast my last morning and wandered downtown and along the harbor. I grabbed a few sweet snacks for the airport and said goodbye to the Philippines. I was so happy to leave on a high note and could see myself coming back if I had time to explore more islands.🏝 

Japan smells like the best Ramen you’ve ever had in your life even down the city alleyways, maybe even especially down the city alleys.

I missed Japan. The technology is wild, everything is so accessible and *the food.* If I could have any kind of food for the rest of my life it would be Japanese. (Italian is a close second, especially if Noa is cooking) There’s just so much and it’s all so fresh and tasty and the variety is wild.

My first meal was sushi at a little hole in the wall sushi joint without any English. I was starving.

Of course I couldn’t leave the Philippines without one more trying experience. I booked my flight to Tokyo before I knew I would be on Coron. No matter what island you’re on you still have to fly to Manila first so I booked my flight to Japan from Manila and about a month later my flight from Coron to Manila. Bags don’t get checked through anyway, regardless of the company I booked with, I had to pickup and recheck my bags in Manila so I booked the cheaper flight with an hour and 40 minute layover. I’m sure you can see where this is going. My first flight was delayed and I missed my connection but because it was less than an hour delay the airline wouldn’t give me a delayed voucher.

The flight hadn’t taken off yet, but by the time I got my bag, the customer service agent said it was too late to check a bag. I went to the airline’s office that I was flying to Tokyo with and explained my situation. They said they could get me on a flight in the morning out of Manila, I would just have to pay the rebooking fee. The first flight cost $200. The rebooking fee was going to be $680. Ha. I saw that Japan Airways had a flight that left at 11 p.m. in 4 hours. But I couldn’t buy a ticket online because it was too close to departure. I went up to their office but the sign on the door said they were closed. The entire office was glass and there were about 6 people inside looking at me, nearly in tears, looking at them. A man outside asked what I needed, I told him about the ticket and he let me into the office. The girl behind the counter said she could ask her manager if there was a way to book and came back out with a ticket that cost ₽28,614 ($502). I said that was going to have to be fine and she took my card. Then she came out a minute later and said, “I just want to confirm you’re ok with the booking fee it’ll be $594.” Gross but at this point it wasn’t looking good, then - thank god - I asked to make sure the $594 was the total and it wasn’t in addition to the first $502. It was in addition. So the actual total would have been $1,906, HA. The whole time I was looking for other flights and found one that left at 4 a.m. for $340. Winner, winner, chicken dinner. Slept at the airport, got to Tokyo around 11 a.m. I landed on the complete other side of the city because I landed at a different airport than I had originally booked. So by the time I was sitting and eating my sushi I was hungry to say the least.

I spent a day in Yussa, northwest of Tokyo, getting a new ID card for the Air Force before mine expired. I was really glad I went. Seeing daily life outside of the cities is such a highlight, cities can really feel similar and commercial. I think I just get a better feel of how people live in a place that feels like every-day, sustainable real life and Yussa was a bit of that.

I walked to Yokota Air Base from the train station and walking through the gate was such a wild experience. From the moment the guard greeted me in English I could've been anywhere in the U.S. The buildings, the color, the way people were moving and talking, I could have been in Oklahoma, California, Texas, you name it. I went to the Base Exchange and bought non-spray deodorant which they surprisingly don't really sell in Japan and some shampoo from the U.S. Little things that brought me home just a bit.

That afternoon I took out my camera and realized (so sadly) that my zoom was stuck. This usually happens from shock, i.e. being slammed to the ground at the airport😔 I went on an expedition to one of the many camera stores in Tokyo. Honestly this was the place for anything like this to happen. The repair shop had to mail the lens away so I decided to check out the camera stores in Fukuoka the next day. Spent another day in Tokyo, exploring the little streets. Got on the bullet train after a bit of wondering around the station and my own stubbornness of thinking I could *definitely* find the train without google maps. I did and now I won't ever forget it but I also would have caught the first train.

Got to my hostel, everything is digital so there's not even a checkin process. Dropped off my bags then I HAD DINNER WITH DIANA! So fun, so amazing to just enjoy catching up on life with someone you love so much and haven’t seen in months. Diana is doing research/ writing for her thesis at Kyushu University in Fukuoka. So after wandering around downtown we went to have classic Hakata Ramen in the food stalls and she gave me a little night time city tour.

There are about a dozen little stalls, each with stools around a small island and grill. They are covered in heat tarps and the steam from the grills wafts out, backlit by the paper lanterns hanging from the tents of the stalls. People eat quick and cycle through, so there is a steady stream of people, beer, ramen and chatter. The local ramen was so good and $4.67. We stopped to grab sweat treats on the way home and had a little adventure through the city. So happy to be here. 

I stayed in downtown Hakata across from a beautiful park my first few nights. I spent my first morning walking miles around the lake and trying to sort out my camera lens situation.

The first store I went in would have to mail it out with no timeframe of when it would be fixed. The second store I went to was a tiny room on the fourth floor of a building with one owner. It reminded me of Hunt's photo in Manchester, New Hampshire, I felt right at home. To fix the lens it would be more than the lens cost though so I went to a third store. There it would be 2 months before they lens could be fixed. So I went back to the first store to look at lenses, lenses are ridiculously expensive and this store was even MORE pricey than usual, even more than the U.S., so I went back to the second camera store (racking up the miles) and they sold used lenses. I have never found a lens as cheap as I did here and they gave me a free lens filter and protective sun shield. Huge. I walked back to downtown for dinner and had some delicious curry.

The next day Diana and I left for Hiroshima. After finding the tram and checking into the hostel we went out to see the Hiroshima A-bomb museum. It was brutal to see the obliteration and the lasting effects of one deadly weapon. The whole message of the museum is to get rid of all atomic weapons to ensure this kind of destruction never happens again. That felt so real. Such a realistic and simple solution and way to peace. How optimistic do you have to be to hope that could actually happen in the future?

When we stepped outside it was a beautiful day. The sun was setting, it was warm, the sky was pink and the clouds were beautiful. There were small flowers blooming and a fountain at the enterance to the park with dancing water patterns- so simple and peaceful. Diana pointed out the stark contrast. The perfect day we were walking around on and the exact spot that we were standing on would have been rubble, human remains and destruction 80 years ago. Human resilience is astonishing.

We went to get dinner and had the best sashimi box, rice cake, matcha udon and tuna rolls. An added bonus to the fact that anywhere that night would have been incredible just getting to catch up. The next morning we took the bus to the ferry and went to Itsukushima Jinja Shrine - it was amazing! There were deer everywhere and they were so fluffy!

We went on a Mt. Mayor size hike up Mt. Misen and it was absolutely perfect. We had all the trails to ourselves and great views of the bay with crazy weather from a distance. We hiked down and visited another super detailed and grand shrine complex that had a little bit of everything! There were also a ton of really cute statues and one with a somborro. It reminds me that there is a lot of humor and fun in plain sight here.

Sometimes I feel so foreign because there will be moments where something is happening and I just don't get it (like a huge crowd in front of a chorus of digital cats singing on a massive screen at the train station, just different for me).

We headed for Kyoto as soon as we got back. I loved Kyoto. There was so much to do and it felt really homey. We tried duck ramen our first night and after waiting 30 minutes in a dark alley, it was completely worth it. The noodles were homemade and the ingredients were all fresh, one of the best things I've eaten in Japan.

We explored a shrine right down the road after dinner and the lanterns were beautiful so symmetrical and dreamy all lit up.

Diana and I grabbed a 7/11 breakfast snack and walked around the gardens behind the shrine in the morning. We ventured down the road and found a HUGE temple complex that wasn't on any map. We went up the stairs and through the gate. The complex opened up and had so many different parts. I've never been able to go into the area inside the shrines that is used for praying. We were allowed to go in and sit in the prayer area. It was amazing. Chaotic with so much gold, so many contrasting patterns. There were golden candles reflecting of the metallic surfaces and warming the rich colors in every direction. There were no photos allowed and I realized I had never seen the inside of a shrine, how wild that with phones and all the media we have, there are still places we don't get to see without really being there.

We headed to the local market and ate so much. It was all so good and different! You're not allowed to eat and walk in many places (even though the food is so snackable and portable) so we ducked into food stalls with standing tables, some with benches and kept eating and moving. We toured the samurai museum and learned about their history and practiced throwing shuriken (throwing blades).

For dinner we cooked our own wagyu beef at an amazing restaurant on the river. It was the best wagyu I've ever had, the meat melted in your mouth like sugar.

The next day it was blizzarding! We hiked through a thousand Torri Gates in a pine forrest where the trees were so tall and covered in snow. It made everything feel so grand and yet peaceful. The red gates were so beautiful against the falling snow and the flakes were huge, only some fell through the pathway the gates made, being so close together.

We stopped for coffee and lunch in a really cute cafe that had so many little Italian influences. We went to a cooking class and matcha tea ceremony, where we made little Japanese treats and our own matcha tea the traditional way in Kyoto. So cool to learn about the culture, the process and the plant and nature behind it.

Headed back to Fukuoka and the south of the island for the next week!

I love staying in one place for a while. I feel comfortable, like a little home away from home again. I know all the train stops and how to navigate the subways. When I’m at the station closest to my hostel there’s a huge framed photo of swans in the park. It’s so nice how quickly somewhere can feel like a home base.

I splurged in Japan I bought souvenirs postcards I ate out with Diana. Had some absolutely delicious sushi and ramen and wagyu. I bought sweet treats. I drank delicious coffee and best matcha tea. I did still budget my lodging and most of my food. I was careful not to go overboard on the train trips. Overall it was worth it.

I explored a few shrines in Fukuoka then took the train and a bus to visit Diana at the university. We went for a 5 mile run and I missed running! I was definitely sore the next day but the road was amazing. We ran along the beach and to a swing park! It was amazing, so many fun swings, all different sizes and heights and zip lines with some serious speed. The whole place was free to just be and enjoy. Right on the beach with palm trees and super clear water. Everyone was so happy, like being a little kid again. We ran back to an amazing seafood restaurant on the water- had a delicious lunch then ran back to campus.

I took a tour in Kumamoto with some really cool people. Sherri was 70 years old and mostly retired. She used to work for a digital media company in Canada and now lives in Australia. She always wanted to travel and Japan was her first stop. She spent her first week with her daughter snowboarding and has been traversing south, down to this part of the island. It is exactly that feeling of meeting her and hearing her story that makes me want to keep traveling and living. We went to a river gorge with some crazy rock features. The water had turned the stones on the side of the river into perfect cubes and rectangular prisms. They arched and followed the water until it opened up into an aqua lake. There were koy ponds with fish that must have weighed 20 pounds, they were bigger than small dogs. We went to a shrine deep in the woods, 300 stairs up into the pine trees. You'd never know from the road but there were lanterns along the whole path and a large shrine at the top just below a hole in a slab of rock that formed an archway with a into the valley below.

The last weekend with Diana we traveled to Kagoshima to visit a volcano Diana had studied. The hostel we stayed in was eclectic and artsy. There was so much thought put into each lightbulb and every piece of furniture, even the wall panels were extravagant and each a little different from the next. The balcony looked out over the bay and directly at the volcano.

We toured around a garden just down the road at a UNESCO heritage site and it was incredible! The cherry trees were blossoming, the sun was setting and all of the koy ponds and statues and plants were glowing. The house and museum were so interesting and felt like they were thoughtfully and authentically managed not just a gift shop style business.

We found some food and treats downtown before heading back to the hostel and traversing down a *tiny* sidewalk and trail off the side of a main road in the dark back to the hostel. Kagoshima's transportation and the downtown almost completely shut down after 8:30 p.m. The bars and casinos stayed open and from far away it looked like a bustling city but we had a bit of hard time finding food and decent available public transport.

The next day we brought our stuff out to the bus stop and were waiting by the sign planning to get dropped off at the ferry. A very kind man came over and pointed at the sign, made an X with his arms, no bus today. There was a marathon so no public transport was running. We walked 40 minutes along the coast with all of our bags to the ferry station. The sun came out and the temperature sky rocketed but it was still a beautiful day and a nice walk, thank god we had each other.

We took the ferry over to Sakurajima and spent the morning at the natural foot baths at the bottom of the volcano, learning about the geology of the active and dormant craters and rode the island bus up to the observation deck. We had some delicious curry and walked around the lava flow on the beach then took the ferry back to the mainland. We said goodbye outside of the train junction and I'm going to miss her! Traveling together was a blast! 

At the airport no one spoke english and that was really cool but also blew my mind. It was wild to be in a place where English was so prevalent but not used, especially in a transient place. Staying in Tokyo for a few more days and trying not to think about leaving Asia so soon. 

Made it to my hostel in Tokyo minutes before the receptionist closed down. I met some really nice people in the common area that morning and we made dinner plans then I left to shower and go meet up with Moe! I met Moe in Zambia crossing the Zimbabwe boarder bridge to Victoria Falls. She is so sweet and it was amazing getting to see her again!

We caught up on all of our recent travels and listening to her most recent endeavors was inspiring and so much fun. We ate ramen, shared a rainbow cotton candy that was bigger than my head and stopped inside a coffee shop and an art gallery. The whole day was so nice and so much fun to have so many travel buddies in Japan. For dinner I got conveyor belt sushi with friends from the hostel. The way home was freezing! It is basically winter here. It's snowed almost every day and been below freezing or close to it. I'm so glad I still have my layers from hiking Kilimanjaro and have all the warm food here too.

I got to say goodbye to Jovan before he left in the morning. He has his friends write a note in a travel journal he keeps just for that. I think I honestly might steal that idea. It must be so cool to come home and read everything everyone has written, and memories to keep from their perspective of the trip.

Moe and I explored a bunch of yummy spots around the city and ate so much fresh sushi, soba, rice wagyu sandwiches, cow tongue, crabs the size of a small child and so many types of ramen and broths served in little cups with chopsticks from street stalls in Asakusa and Tsukiji.

We took photos at the train station and had insanely yummy coffee on the way. There was another blizzard. The snow makes the city look peaceful and the bright neon and lanterns and crossings look magical. We stopped for dinner and hot sake at an itsuki. The meat was amazing. We went to get Taiyaki from a stall next to train station. Saying goodbye is always so hard, I know it's not the most realistic but I truly hope I get to see all of the amazing people I've met on this trip on another adventure somewhere in the future.

Off to the land where palm trees sway and lots of goats.

When we landed in Hawaii the water was cobalt blue. The most vibrant blue I've ever seen. The water in the Philippines was clear and blue, the water in Indonesia was blue and beautiful, this is different. It popped out like an unreal level of saturation had been placed on the surface of the water. 

The palm trees are beautiful and the island is covered in hibiscus flowers and beach roses. I am staying at an animal sanctuary on Kona, the big island. There are 95 animals here, goats, sheep, chickens pigs, cows, cats, a duck and a dog. We are 3 miles up hill from the water but we get to look out at the ocean and the sunrises/sunsets every day.

The sanctuary takes care of disabled animals and animals that can't be let back into the wild. I have never worked with this many farm animals much less this big. Some of the goats are as tall as me, they are my favorites, Bruce and Alpache. The pigs, there are 17, are massive. Many were rescued from the eruption and lava flow on the island in 2018 and they are the biggest pigs I've ever seen. Herbie, Koji, Larry and the lava pigs all weigh over 700 pounds. They are MASSIVE. The sheep are just large. Wooly and fluffy and large. 

There are three chickens, one is very fluffy and aptly named Fluffy. I feel absolutely ridiculous trying to catch him at dinner time, he's the only one who doesn't want to go back into the pen and he's not very quick either but he's tricky in a dumb way. Like I never know what he's going to do next because he doesn't know what he's going to do next. He has a silly little white afro and fluffy little feet that bounce when he moves or changes direction.

The goats are growing on me but we had a rocky start. I'm not a fan of all the ramming. Their horns are so big and they are so strong. Some of them are incredibly sweet but don't know their strength or size.. and some of them have nasty little attitudes. I've had a couple close calls but luckily no major run ins yet.

The sheep are wonderful. So friendly and gentle and easy to clean up after. Same with the pigs, even though they're massive, they are such sweethearts.

I am living in a yurt with 3 other girls from the U.S. and a full schedule. My shifts consist of cleaning the pastures and the stalls, feeding all the animals, and cleaning and feeding and feeding and cleaning and so on. It's nice to have repetitive work and responsibilities that are fulfilling.

I am excited to explore more of the island and visit the beaches and some of the national parks on my days off. 

Hawaii has been beautiful, the animals have been so funny and I’m having a great time. Hawaii is also insanely expensive. I feel incredibly privileged to say that I’ve seen far prettier beaches with infinitely better public transport and equally delicious food for a 10th of the price.

My time has been incredible though; the people are so friendly and have made everything that much more fun.

On my first day off with the car Lili and I went to Volcano National Park. The volcano was exploding, but only ash no lava. We hiked around inside the crater and went through the lava tubes. We had a great lunch we picked up from the farmers market and ate at the park. We walked through one of their art galleries then drove back to Hilo and had Ramen for dinner on a beach. We spent the rest of the evening looking for sea turtles - none found (Lili has seen like 10 since and I am still yet to see one, what the heck) but the beach was gorgeous. The water is so clear and it looks like a mini paradise. There are swimming pools that have little metal ladders into the ocean, they remind me of Harvar, Croatia!

The rest of the week I was on feeding and cleaning shifts, helping with all the animals. They have all grown on me so much. Apache and Bruce are the biggest goats, nearly my height, and by far my favorite. The babies are cute and so are the cows! The best part of my day is going to feed the lava pigs - all 800 pounds of them and their big fluffy ears and silly naps in the mud wallows.

One of the work nights, we all went out to the restaurant down the road they had a St. Patrick’s Day band playing. It was so wholesome, and the pizza (with vegan cheese) was so good!!

Being vegan isn’t actually as hard as I thought! That being said I also cheated by accident with honey (animal product) and pesto (it has cheese! Who knew?.. it’s definitely on the ingredient label so I should have known..). Being vegan also means no products tested on animals so there are some shampoos and other things that we have to be cautious about while here - so interesting and I’m learning so much!

Spent my next day off with Ellie exploring waterfalls, the coastline, lava tubes, great vegan restaurants and food trucks, and we went to Jazz night! Such an amazing space and completely free. It’s basically open mic where people come up and perform; they can sing, play instruments and or anything jazz. The place was eclectic and artsy and a place I would love to have at home. Downstairs the floor was open for anybody who wanted to dance and there’s a small bar and another lounge room off to the side. The stage was underneath these huge colorful murals and a massive chandelier, concocted from a bunch of shiny stuff and lights. Upstairs was a balcony looking onto the make-shift stage. They had theater seating and small bleachers along the wall. Everybody else sat with their feet, dangling over the edge, and we watched people dancing, and all the fun groups that came out. It was also an amazing space where people could just be. There were a couple girls knitting, and people hanging out in the seating, other groups that brought stuff to do for the lounge area and you could bring your own alcohol, drinks, snacks, or whatever you wanted! It also ended promptly at 8:58pm to respect the neighborhood on a Monday night.

We had so much fun, listening to all the artists and super talented people and meeting new friends from all different backgrounds, all ages, all different walks of life. The local Tavern had open mic night after we went and enjoyed ourselves. Had a great night with new friends and so much more talent and super fun and funny humans.

This next week is going be busy with the cleaning and feeding and new faces at the yurt but looking forward to full days!

My next day off, I took the car to Paloa, got great coffee and cinnamon bun from a vegan bakery that one of the local volunteers works at - unbelievably delicious! I went for a run to a nearby beach, had it all to myself and watched an absolutely stunning sunset.

Still no turtles. What the heck?

The rest of the week Ellie, Gracie and I were full time cleaning, feeding, special needs and managing the sanctuary. Ellie and Gracie are amazing, working through everything thrown their way from crazy animals and broken hoses to fixing everything under the sun, just incredible. The water pump stopped working twice and I learned how to fix the hose attachment, moved the propane tank and fixed the water heater from tinkering. So the third time it stopped working, we knew all the things it could be (turns out the pump was just unplugged.. bless🙏)

Charlotte came to visit Lili for a little over a week and helped with all the shifts! It was so fun to have everyone together and the energy in the yurt the whole week was so nice!

Ellie and I ran errands on the next jazz night and I got my first Taco Bell supreme crunch wrap - I know, I know CRAZY.

Joey the yurt cat is my absolute favorite. (And the pigs, and Bruce the goat, and Fluffy the chicken) He takes a nap in my pod every day and helps me feed the pigs. He’s the perfect yurt cat. Independent but loves everyone, loves to cuddle and is the absolute sweetest. He hangs around with being coerced too, like a dog, and he's so soft and clean; even after rolling around in the dirt all day. 

I love Charlie, the other semi-yurt cat, too. He’s super friendly, except for this one time I had an ‘Ouch Charlie, that really hurt’ moment while FaceTiming Cassi and Mum, but otherwise they’re both the best. 🐈‍⬛

Another volunteer, Valeria, came from Germany this week and she is so much fun!

My last day off at the sanctuary I took the car to Kona. I treated myself to an açaí bowl (THANK YOU Rosemary!!!) at a crazy fun little shack, definitely a hole in the wall, but like in the middle of a small parking lot above Snorkle Bob’s Snorkle Shack, great name.

I found FREE parking at the four seasons hotel which had FREE beach access and you could walk the length of the beach at the resort too- it was a perfect sunny day. AND I SAW TURTLES. One hanging out on the beach during the day and a whole bunch eating algae off the rocks at the edge of ocean as the sun was setting. They’re amazing and certainly had the personality of Crush the sea turtle.

After grabbing dinner in Kona, everyone in the yurt went snorkeling with manta rays together — it was one of the most magical things I’ve done on this trip!

Mantas can grow up to 17ft. For reference..that’s huge. Way bigger than it sounds. They eat the plankton at night and swim with their mouths wide open catching everything they can. The lights on the bottom of the paddle board attract the plankton and the rays follow the plankton.

We saw 6 different mantas that night, one of the divers called it the girl gang because the female mantas were hanging together.

Every time I’m in a place I consider extending my time there. There's just not enough time to see everything! I only had a few days left but I had already extended for a few more days and I had my next flights booked. It was such an amazing time working at the sanctuary. I can honestly see why so many people come back to help and volunteer.  The friends I made were some of the most genuinely relatable and wonderful people. I feel so so lucky to have been able to volunteer here!

Took a flight from Hilo to O'ahu and rented a car for 24 hours. The rental car place gave me a tiny two-door red Mustang. I can see why people have nice cars. It was insanely fun to drive and crazy to have that amount of luxury packed into a car- there was AC IN the seats! (Plus a backup camera, I forgot how nice those are)

I went to the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor National Memorial. After coming from Japan (and reading Malcom Gladwell’s, The Bomber Mafia) the only thing I hope for the future is that we aren’t involved (and I certainly hope we don’t start😐) another world war. The devastation left behind and the war crimes and the horrific treatment of human beings lasts longer than we can understand. It’s the land, the people, and every future lifetime in this place that's affected and it can be avoided. 

Then I went and had sushi, didn’t compare to Japan but it was delicious! 

Also insanely lucky to have the coolest cousins on the planet! If you’re ever on O’ahu go check out Loyalty Tattoos https://www.instagram.com/loyaltytattookailua_hi?igsh=MXNmNXJqN25qdm83MQ==

They’ve got wildly talented artists (especially Goon😁).

I stayed with Alex and his doggo Kiwi on O’ahu- Kiwi is now an old lady, the last time I saw her she was just a puppy!

Alex and I spent the evening up talking about everything under the sun- so glad we got to catch up. He is doing so many impressive artistic things and impacting so many people, what a cool life and such a cool human, so proud of him and lucky to call him family.😊

The next morning he made us coffee and we went to the beach and got breakfast at Waiahole Poi Factory. It was legitimate mush. Green, brown, white and purple mush. If I took Cassi there she would have laughed - it was some of the freshest, best mush I’ve ever had! Fresh veggies and squid and coconut and poi/taro and you didn't even need teeth. And we had their ice cream after, oh my god, it was to die for!

I stopped at the base to print off my W-2s, so thankful for friendly public affairs folks who let me use the computer and let me talk their ear off when they asked about my travels.

I did my taxes in the airport and boarded the next three flights out of the U.S. and onto Central America!🦥

After 29 hours of travel later, I landed at Bocas Del Toro airport, walked 8 minutes down the main street and to the dock out the back of a hostel.

Roberto, a completely separate human from who I expected, came to pick me up about 20 minutes later with only minimal worry on my end.

The sun was setting, the moon was out and the sky looked like it was filled with clouds of cotton candy. The homes along the water each had a little personality. Every place was a different color, size and style. There were lights hanging off the porches and lanterns along some of the docks. Some had colorful hammocks and lounge chairs and a bunch had porch swings over the edge of the water. 

We spent about 20 minutes flying on open water getting to the cove near the island I'm volunteering on. Isla Cristóbal, closest to the mainland peninsula but in between the more touristic islands. We're still pretty far from any villages here. In the bay, the water was like glass. As we wove through the mangrove trees, everything was pink and the ocean reflected all the details of the sky. Fiona, the other volunteer, met me at the dock and helped me bring my bags to the tree house.

I'm volunteering at another cacao farm, this time solely cacao (with plenty of pineapples, guava, guanábana, biriba, mango and coconuts and lots of bananas for snacks).

We're living entirely outside. I'm staying in a tree house, straight out of fiction novel, and built by Papito and Dorien. It's two stories with electricity, wifi and plumbing, an outdoor shower, two balconies and a kitchen, all built off of a massive tree. The railings are all made from branches and everything else is wood.

There are screens on the side windows and bug nets, but one side of the house is completely open so the termites, spiders, bugs and ants are right at home. The mosquitos and sand flies are always hungry but not as terrible as my first time in Central America and long pants do help. 

The first night I heard about snakes in the treehouse and crocodiles in the bay and there are poisonous animals here BUT it's honestly been amazing so far. Being in the jungle again is incredible. The trees look like the ones out of Avatar. The tallest trees that the monkeys love are massive networks with roots the size of train tracks and root systems as big as a city.

There are 4 dogs, Luigi and Blue are the oldest, Patch is a puppy, and Murphy is my favorite. He rubs against everything, which is actually super funny when I’m reading in one of the hammocks on the water, he keeps me in constant motion. He also farts more than any dog (or human) I’ve ever met.

Whenever I go anywhere either Murphy or Patch follows. When we were harvesting cacao, Murphy would come bounding up behind you and dive into the bushes, completely disappearing. Then five minutes later you would see the leaves rustle, huge palms and ferns and massive stems wiggle just like a cartoon and he would pop out happy as can be, with a smile, tail wagging looking up at you like you were both having the best day of your lives.

Dorien has 2 girlies, 8 and 9 years old. They are wild and so much fun. My Spanish is horrible, absolutely brutal. I am so slow and they are not patient but it's really cute and so much fun to be so invested in being able to communicate with them.

We play cards every night. The card game we play most is President, the same one I used to play every day when I was the same age, how crazy. I absolutely love that we play so much and that the girls love it. The games make me feel like part of the family.

The chocolate here is INSANELY GOOD. We make so many things for the tours coming through. Each tour gets cups of hot chocolate, cups of tea, chocolate truffles, fudge and chocolate nibs. Dorien is so generous and loves to share her chocolate and try new recipes. We're always making new chocolate spreads, cacao jam, truffles and fudges and eating lots of raw cacao too. There is always chocolate in some form waiting to be eaten.

Honestly thank god for Fiona and her baking. She makes the BEST focaccia and honestly all baked goods. We've had banana bread, crumble cake with fresh chocolate coffee cake topping, unbelievably delicious truffles and yummy pancakes. It's been really fun getting to know her and learning from all of her cacao experience. She's so happy when she's making the chocolate and her energy is contagious.

We've harvested, opened, and collected banana leaves for the cacao to ferment. We cleaned the dried shells from the chocolate after the pods were sun-dried and separated the chocolate pieces by size. Nearly every other day we make more chocolate things (I use the juicer to get the fresh cacao and Fiona makes more chocolate things and encourages me to try the left overs, which I am so happy to do).

The fresh coconut and mango are mouthwatering and I am so excited to have guanábana again. 

This fruit alone is one of the reasons I travel. It was one of the first times I experienced something so new and different in another place. 10 years ago, almost to the day, I tried one at the work exchange I was at in Costa Rica. I tried to describe the flavor of the white juicy inside; how it's kind of slippery, and a little sour but also kind of sweet like a vanilla yogurt. The outside is bright green and bumpy, kind of spiky but soft spikes. The pieces inside are bright white, fleshy and super juicy, but still have a bit of volume so they're super slippery with one small black seed in a few parts. But even describing the best I could there was no way to really communicate how yummy the juice was to lick off your fingers, how it was the perfect combination of sweet and sour, how surprised I was the first time I saw one cut open and how they looked like alien fruit from another planet growing on the trees right in front of you. Without being in a place that they grew, there was no way to experience all of those things and no way to really know the taste, the smell, and the feel of it without traveling. Guanábana is just a fruit but what about ideas and cultures and values that you truly don't understand until you've lived them? The little fruit opened my eyes to so many of the travel lessons I've been afforded to learn.

How lucky to be back in Central America and getting to experience that feeling all over again. 

Dare I say I’m getting used to the spiders. These things are massive and colorful. Huge nope on all accounts BUT I can look at them without getting a knot in my stomach and I notice the ones in the shower without having a small panic attack.

This week we dried the cacao. We collected the fermenting cacao and cleared off the platform to lay it out in the sun. Every morning we emptied buckets of the seeds onto a plaform, spread them out to dry then collected them each night.

There were a few larger chocolate tours this week and three families and couples who came to stay. We helped get their tree houses ready and Fiona made breakfast each morning. I made my first batches of caramelized chocolate bites by myself (under direct supervision of Fiona, who was there to help with everything).  

Tuesday I paddled with the girls to school. Every morning they clean out their kayak with a little bucket and paddle 20 minutes to school together. We made it about half way before we passed by Veronica on her way back from the school. Veronica works for Dorien and has a son in Nora's class. Apparently no school that day and so we paddled back. The girls criticized me every time I put the paddle in the water.

I made chocolate for Fiona to have for spreads and truffles. We snacked on coconuts and blended them for coconut milk and had lots of leftover fruit to eat.

Fiona and I spent the afternoon playing canasta!! It's a card game with a bunch of rules and at least two decks. I definitely needed a refresh but I hadn’t played since I was in Guatemala and Malta years ago and it was so much fun. I'm so glad I got a refresher before Cassi comes next week so we can play.

My last days were so nice. We went Kayaking when there was a bit of sun and as soon as we got far enough from the shore the wind picked up and the sky turned grey. To be honest, the temperature then was actually perfect but you could tell a storm was coming in. We made it a ways around the island to a snorkel platform and turned around. At one point a looked back at Fiona who was paddling for her life over the waves, not moving an inch, and she yells over the wind, “I’m not going anywhere!” I laughed so hard. We made it back before the rain and busied ourselves with baking and chocolate things.

Honestly, Fiona’s focaccias and the chocolate are how I mark the passage of time in between card games with the girls.

She made calamansi chocolate truffles that came out a bit soft with the first recipe and we’ve been happily finishing them off after dinner. Calamansi is a small citrus fruit here.

That day a sloth was right next to the house. They're smaller than I imagined. I have seen so many this week. A few sloths hang out in the trees around the property and this one crossed the path to the house twice, so crazy to see them up close - they are so cute!

My final full day at the chocolate farm, I went on the snorkel tour to Cayo Coral with the guests from Germany and brought the girls, who had a blast. The fish were incredible. So many colors, kinds and sizes. I loved the iridescent fish with hues of blue, pink, silver, magenta and the swordfish were so wildly colorful and fun to watch.

The coral here is amazing too. There was a coral reef that looked like an underwater castle. It was lavender and light pink with tons of life. Fish swam around and between the rosy anemones that swayed with the waves, and some types of anemone with little tentacles that shiver and close when you get close to touching them, like venus fly traps.

There were also sections of coral with hues of lilac and all shades of gold and yellow, the exact opposite complimentary colors. They could have been painted in art class.

Each stop around the island, the little over water restaurants were the brightest colors. There were tiny shops where I bought some snacks for $2. Just a quick opinion, sharing food is the best thing ever and a tiny act of kindness that can be passed to the next person SO easily. It was so fun to try new Panamanian snacks and share some sweet treats!

And another fun little fact, in Spanish, fresh water is called sweet water. The opposite of salt water is sweet, so funny.

We were out all day. The last stop we snorkeled around a mangrove island that was beautiful but an absolute death trap. The water was so shallow and this place had the most sea urchins I have ever seen in my life. My adrenaline was pumping. I didn't dare kick my feet under the surface of the water or dip my hands in front of me without looking. It was a massive shoulder workout and less than a minute into floating I came inches away from getting a jellyfish to the face but the fish and coral were amazing. We climbed back into the boat as the sun was setting and watched a huge group of pelicans and sea birds start diving into the water for their dinner.

It was a great way to end a couple very chaotic weeks. 

Cassi and Mum came to visit for a week in Bocas Del Toro! It was so nice, so much fun, we laughed so hard and I was so happy to see them, first time in 9 months. 

Friday I took a ater taxi to Bocas town from the Cacao farm. Aurelio was so sweet, I got his number for more rides throughout the week. Dorien asked me to pick up veggies from the veggie store, bring them to the grocery store and leave her credit card for the water taxi to pick up. All of that had to be done in spanish. I managed until I had to leave $20 in cash and Dorien's credit card with the cashier at the grocery store. The cashier looked at me like I absolutely lost my mind. Thank god for the people behind me. 

 I grabbed coffee at a really cute diving and snorkeling cafe then went to check in at the hotel. The weather was absolutely gorgeous for the first time in weeks and beautiful on the beach. I got a taxi to the airport to pick up Cassi and Mum, who had already bought a mango bread.

We ate dinner at a restaurant, Ohana, on the beach and had the best seafood. 

The next day we walked to Bocas town and got breakfast at Cat in the Cup, the coffee was so good. We headed to the north part of the island to Playa Bluff and mum nearly went back to the U.S. The riptide was strong to say the least and went all in to the waves. They were also some of the biggest waves I've ever seen! A couple guys came out and body boarded and surfed for an hour. Watching them was insane, They would ride the face of the wave for so what felt like minutes, then the ocean would literally eat them. They'd pop out and paddle out again, so insanely impressive. 

That night we tried to walk to a restaurant we heard amazing things about earlier in the day. Cassi had blisters, mom had a head full of sand from her wave time earlier and the road was wet and muddy and getting dark. A taxi drove by and opened his doors, the 3 of us squished in with 2 other girls for 5 minutes, showed up to the restaurant looking like a bunch of wet rats and got a "table" out on the patio (practically outside of the restaurant). The food was amazing though and super fresh, and super worth it. 

Sunday we walked to a tiny spot down the road for breakfast. They make everything there for only the day, pineapple jam, pancakes and fresh homemade bread. They get all of their ingredients from the farm next door including all fresh fruit, herbs and veggies. The flavors were incredble and the food was such bright colors. We took a taxi to Playa Boca del Drago, walked to Playa Estrella and saw a sloth, Cassi's first and very exciting. The sky opened up, for a while there was an absolute downpour, you couldn't see anything in either direction. We were hunkered down under an awning with a couple smoothies. The rain let up a little and after a bit of debate we went snorkeling. The starfish were HUGE and there were dozens just hanging out in the shallow water. Even with the rain, the water was so clear, you could see them even walking along the beach. We walked back and had fresh ceviche and seafood pasta dinner at a restaurant on the beach. 

Monday RAINED. We had a great breakfast at a super cute place, JJ's and I went back to grab the snorkles from the hotel. The roads were flooded, there were pumps everywhere and completely underwater roads. I called Aurelio and he came to get us in the water taxi, thankfully not a far walk from breakfast. We spent the day exploring Red Frog and Polo beach, saw some very cute little red poison dart frogs and an even cuter sloth, who came right up to us. Tuesday also RAINED. Aurelio drove the boat to Zapitilla. Open water pouring rain, a bit chilly and a smidge bumpy to say the least. But the island, unreal. We were the only ones on the whole island (honestly definitely because of weather) it was paradise. Blue, blue water, white beaches and palm trees. The water could have been a bit calmer but it was still nice to have it all to ourselves. We all went to the floating bar after, such a fun idea. It's moored in the bay with all of the other boats and they just pay their rent. They have a two story floating building with seating upstairs and downstairs, a great snorkel and dive spot and specials like morning yoga and taco Tuesdays, super fun vibes, amazing food and really fun staff. We were all freezing though (especially Aurelio) so we didn't stay long, drove back through the bay and went back to play cards and shower at the hotel. Everyone decided take out would be great for dinner, but there are no delivery drivers, so I walked to take out in the same rainstorm that had been thundering down since we got back. There are two other times this trip I've felt like my bones were wet, once in Makassar when the roads flooded, and once in Italy on a hike but this time I had a mission and I kept the burritos dry, the luke warm shower and dry clothes were so welcome. 

I fried my phone. There was a power surge that night and it was probably still wet from the rain. It now only stays on for 5 minutes at a time and if a message comes in while it's dying, it disappears. A massive bummer but I'm hoping to stick it out until I get back. 

We explored the part of the island close to the hotel, took a fruit class and went paddle boarding. It was really neat learning about all of the different fruit that grows on the island, different stages of coconuts and fruits and watching mum and Cassi try all of them. That will be the thing I miss the most. The freshest mangos, freshest coconuts, unreal biriba and the best bananas litterally right outside. I paddle boarded while Cassi snorkeled off the front for the rest of the afternoon. We read a bit and had yummy pizza right down the road. Thursday we hung out in Bocas Town and tried to doge the heat. We flew to Panama City and had dinner in a Cathedral. I had to catch my Uber to the airport at 12:30am but I would come back to Panama City in a heart beat. So many fun food places and a great vibe around the Old Town. It was hard to say goodbye but I'll be home in exactly 2 months. Headed to the mountains and out of WiFi for a bit. 

I went straight from Panama to Cotopaxi, Ecuador. What a travel day. My flight left Panama City a 3am, layover in Bogota, Colombia, had a mini heart attack that I don't have my yellow fever vaccine, ended up loving the airport and having no problems whatsoever. No lost baggage, no delays, no crazy layovers or mad rushes to the gate. I had my snacks and time to relax, what a crazy reminder that travel can actually be smooth sometimes. Then my pickup was 2 hours late to the airport in Quito. No biggie, I had time to grab some banana bread and a coffee and let the same taxi drivers know that I do not need a ride 560 times. 

Cotopaxi is amazing, mostly the llamas and the people but the views are great too. It's been raining here as well but I'm pretty used to it and there are plenty of places to dry clothes so everyone's wet hiking gear is out of the hostel rooms. I can confidently say I ate my money's worth of free bananas this week. There were unlimited bananas and banana cake for all guests, which meant unlimited free banana peels for all the llamas and free llama feeders for the staff. 

I spent a week just outside of Cotopaxi national park, surrounded by horses, cows, donkeys, goats and llamas, went hiking nearly every day and met the most wonderful people. 

The first day, it was raining (a given at this point) we hiked to a waterfall. So much fun, ropes and river crossings and the hostel has gum boots in all sizes- even mine! The water was chilly, 45°, but I was soaked anyway. Such a great hike to start off, then jacuzzi, snack time and dinner. All meals and snacks were also included and served when everyone got back from the hikes during the day. The meals were so good!! 

The rest of the week I hiked to the glacier of the Cotopaxi volcano and the basecamp, hiked up a volcano behind the hostel and went horseback riding for the first time in my life, I honestly don't see myself doing that one again but it was wicked cool to try, and went for a run past all of the horses and cows and rolling green mountains. I finished couple books, spent a ton of time in hammocks around the property and in the coolest rocking swing with a view and learned a few new ways to play some of my favorite card games. 

The hostel didn't have WiFi so people woke up for the hikes, hung out by the fire, roasted marshmallows, played games, read and really talked. One night at dinner everyone seemed to be laughing at once. I looked around and all 50 guests and volunteers were talking, really talking. I just felt so lucky to be there, taking a break from the world and enjoying the good company, good food and free bananas. 🦙

I've been at the coffee farm for a week and time is flying! 

I spent one night in Quito after Cotopaxi and hopped on a bus to a little town in the mountains. I'm doing my final workaway at a coffee farm in Tuilpe, Ecuador at El Choco Coffee Farm. My host Julio is incredibly nice and knows just about every single thing there is to know about coffee. I'm learning so much and love the work. 

I've been cleaning around the trees, weeding and learning how to take a tiny coffee seedling all the way to preparing the final cup of coffee. 

Some of the tasks overlap with the things I learned at Natsir's Eco Farm in Indonesia but a lot of the work here are more calculated, measured and planned out. Julio sells the coffee globally and knows so much about how to get different flavors and aromas from doing each step a little differently. 

We've cleaned, fermented, dried and roasted three different varieties of Arabica coffee; Sidra, Gaesha and Caturra. It's the best coffee I've ever had in my life. No sugar, no milk, just really good coffee. Each step of the process takes anywhere from 2-5 days depending on the weather and many of the steps require daily tasks. 

Julio is also a fantastic cook. Every single meal has been so different. He loves talking about music and movies and he is seriously helping me with my Spanish. 

My first weekend, Julio and I went to Quito and we explored the historic center. The churches and museums were incredible and the food was delicious! We also stopped for ice cream at a traditional parlor, super cute and so yummy. There are so many traditional foods only here in Ecuador and even then, foods you only find in Southern Ecuador, Northern Ecuador, on the coast etc. The food vendors were really fun and everyone had their own really unique dishes, any personalities to match. I'll be back in Quito for another day at the end of my stay and can't wait; I loved the city, the energy and how proud Julio was of all of the food and local culture. 

There are 2 dogs at the farm, Yoshi and Max and a cat, Saki. There's chickens and ducks too and they're super fun to feed. In the morning if you make clucking noises they all follow you in a little parade to the chicken pen for feeding. 

I really love it here! 

The past week FLEW by. 

Over the weekend we hiked the Pichincha Volcano outside of Quito. We had incredible views of the city and the valley. Sunday morning we ate breakfast in Quito then took the bus to Nanegelito and went grocery shopping. The food from the markets is insanely fresh and the meat is amazing. All of the ladies behind the stalls and the counters were the sweetest and had every kind of fruit you could imagine. Also everything is so cheap! 

We spent the week cleaning the green house and planting seedlings. We moved some of the bigger baby trees into the fields and cleared tree stumps. I'm getting better at telling the coffees apart based on their taste and *aroma* when we roast the beans, how freakin' cool. 

The second half of the week I harvested with Ms. Hercita and her daughter. We harvested all three fields. It took us three days, I hadn't realized just how big the farm actually was. Harvesting was so different here than the other coffee farms I've been at. At all of the other farms, we waited until the beans turned red, mostly. Because Julio measures the sweetness of the fruit (and therefore the beans) and tries to get above 85% for sugar content, the fruit has to be a specific shade of red, like a rich merlot or deep crimson burgundy. If the little part of the fruit that touches the stem was a little green, yellow or light red, the fruit stayed until the next round of harvesting. And still we collected so much!

Sometimes while you're out in the fields, you hear someone selling something from their truck. "¡Pescado! ¡Cuatro libras, cinco dólares!" You hear the movement from the other valleys. It's soft at first, pescadocuatrolibrascincodólares, pescadocuatrolibrascincodólares, pescadocuatrolibrascincodólares. Then as the truck comes around the mountains it gets louder and louder ¡Pescado! ¡Cuatro libras, cinco dólares! from the speaker and then fades away again. Sometimes it's potatoes or vegetables. It's kind of that chaotic colorful style of life but in the sounds of the place not just visually. 

I saw a tarantula. Flipped over a bucket in the green house and it scurried away. Honestly, it was closer to a small mammal than a spider. Not a fan. 

On that note, one of the more humid mornings I also saw little worms (definitely not maggots, that's gross) wiggling into the holes in the fabric of my boots. I could have lived my whole life without seeing that and been just fine. 

After the last workday Julio took me to visit his neighbors down the street. They run a palm sugar business. It's exactly like a sugar shack during maple season but the Ecuadorean version. Unbelievably impressive. The family runs the whole business, with their twin toddlers running around. It was a small building in the middle of the palm sugar fields. They used the remnants of the trees after harvesting to fuel the fire underneath huge metal tube where they boiled the sugar. Then when it begins to solidify, the boiling sugar is scooped into a massive metal bathtub and mixed until the viscosity is close to molasses. Then they scoop it into a big bamboo plate and pour it into little metal rings until it hardens into sugar cylinders which they sell at the market for 35¢/ lb. 

The views are gorgeous here. Every morning the sun comes through the big windows and the lighting is insane. There are usually small fluffy clouds in the valley or just past the little town down the hill and the sunrise lights them on fire and makes them look absolutely magical. I love feeding the chickens and ducks. Their little home is at the top of a hill. When they parade after you at breakfast, it''s like a scene from a fairytale. Looking down over palm trees and all the wild flowers and a line of waddling ducklings as the sun comes up, unreal.

I finally fixed the photo thing! Photo pages are *mostly* updated!

Julio took me to the factory he uses to roast the coffee on a larger scale for global distribution. It was so cool. And even cooler to know that we've been doing all of the process by hand on a smaller scale. They had machines designed for such specific things, like removing the dry shells and sorting the sizes of the beans. The roaster was amazing, with a little window to see the color of the beans and so many more nozzles and buttons and methods to make sure the coffee is perfect. 

On the way home from the factory, we were in a truck driving through the little villages. People always smile, wave and honk at each other. We stopped in front of a tiny shop and a little boy, probably around 6, jumped in the bed of the truck with the biggest smile on his face. His grandma came out, closed the shop and climbed in beside him. He spent the next five minutes giggling and yelling at everyone as we drove by. Then waving everyone over. By the time we got up the hill to the main road he had waved over all of the guys getting out of work and we had picked up four more people. 

I kept looking back at his smile. That's what freedom feels like. Riding in the back, standing up, sitting down, making choices that might be a little risky but making your own choices, laughing, feeling the wind on a beautiful day, surrounded by people who love you, the confidence of safety in a place that feels like home, sometimes it's something so simple that reminds you of something so big. 

I relaxed this weekend and took photos of the coffee products around the farm. Finished planning for the Galapagos and started planning for the last month of traveling. Ah. Wild. 

For the rest of the week, we weeded around the trees and cleared out a new green house. We covered the windows and doors to keep the heat in and dug a trench around the outside for the rain water. 

The day I left Tulipe, I was blown away. The sky was completely clear, you could see for miles, all the way to the massive volcanos in the national parks. As the bus wound its way through the mountain roads, I felt so lucky. The colors of the churches and the houses and the fruit stands and all the green things, and everything against the most breathtaking backdrop of valleys and volcanos and jungle. 

I don’t want to stop seeing this. I want fresh bananas and coconuts and mangos any day of the week. I want to see palm trees and green, so much green, everywhere, all the time. Don't get me wrong I love New England's four seasons and I am desperately waiting for the next pow day and SNOW. I'm not going to move anywhere tropical, at least not yet, but everything is so alive and fresh and wonderful and I know I'm really going to miss it. 

Ah! My time here is going too fast! The Galapagos are unreal.

The animals are just so wild! The nature is straight from the Darwin chapter of the bio textbook - it’s incredible. I’ve been swimming with sharks and seals and turtles (so many turtles) everyday. 

I just want to slow down time. The way it crawls by in meetings that could have been emails, you know? I just want the seconds to last a little longer.

Another week in the water. I saw turtles and sea lions every day. Ate menú del día every día and spent the week mostly smelling like the ocean. 

The tours were amazing but not as amazing as the early mornings with snorkel gear alone in the water with the seals or the morning snorkeling with Lennart and Kimmi in Concha de Perla. I met so many incredible friends here and the last month I spent in Ecuador. Everyone is here for a bit of adventure and hiking and being outside and the animals. Every time I got in the water I saw something breathtaking. The colors of all the fishies, crabs, seahorses and starfish are crazy and THE BLUE FOOTED BOOBIES. Their feet are bright blue, I mean BRIGHT blue. They get the color from the pigment of their food and the hormones the birds produce. Females (who are bigger) pick the mate with the most intense blue feet/ the best dancer. They do this super cute little waddle back and forth that looks like they're trying on a new pair of shoes or showing off a new pair of socks for a mating dance.  

There are also sea lions and iguanas sleeping everywhere. Literally basking in the sun all day and catching their food at night. The sea lions are technically 'sea wolves' when directly translated from Spanish and because they're different from seals, who have bigger ears, and sea lions, who are bigger in size. They have the sweetest faces. They remind me of baby cows with their long eye lashes and huge brown eyes and they were so playful. A couple times I was in the water a seal would swim up behind me, nudge me then swim in circles around me. It was wild, one of the most amazing travel moments I've ever had.

This trip has officially convinced me to try diving too. When I get home, I'm looking into getting my PADI cert. There is just so much to take in underwater and it's such a magical feeling to be able to see all of it.

My second to last day I took a 360° tour around San Cristóbal. What a crazy day! I was so nervous because all of the tour agencies people recommended were booked and the one I found seemed ok, until I went home and read the reviews. There was a whole slew of one star feedbacks - AH. But I had the exact opposite experience. We were the first people to every spot and our guides were so friendly. Sharks circled our boat, eagle rays and sting rays and turtles everywhere and not 1 but 2 GROUPS of Orcas. Such a perfect way to say goodbye to the islands. 

The final morning, I grabbed my snorkel and spent the whole morning at the beach, until the very last minute. Then scooped up my bags and walked to the airport. 

I got on the plane with slightly sandy toes and salt in my hair. Couldn't be happier.. we'll see how I feel tomorrow after 24 hours of traveling. Ecaudor was so lovely, I hope I get to come back someday soon - there's still so much to see! Off to hopefully catch a few more waves 🤙🇨🇷

I can't believe surfing wasn't a part of my life before this trip. 

This week was my redemption week in Costa Rica. A decade ago I was eaten alive while volunteering on the Osa peninsula and I wasn’t sure I’d come back. Surfing brought me back and it was amazing.

Playa Grande was a little pura vida paradise. Huge swells, amazing sunrises, lizano, growing season, it was a dream.

I went with Surf Amigas and met such amazing women. We had so much fun and squeezed in a bunch of little adventures. We still had our fair share of sand fly bites but every day was incredible. 

The first morning was the biggest swell they had had all season in Playa Grande. It was wild and I was destroyed. Just getting to the last bit of the whitewash and inside waves was such a struggle. I was exhausted and so frustrated. Just paddling was kicking my butt. After that though, each time on the water was progressively a little bit better, kind of. 

This was my first time surfing a beach break and it was really different! I could physically see how progress in surfing is closer to resembling tide charts and not so much a gentle sloping mountain of growth. I would get better at little things and feel just a bit more confident then get a high five to the face or a gnarly rinse cycle in the washing machine and was humbled again. 

We had two surf sessions a day and yoga. 1st breakfast (granola, some sort of baked goods, yogurt and coffee), 2nd breakfast (rice, beans, fried plantains, eggs and toast), lunch (rice, ceviche, sandwiches, veggies and protein) and dinner (everything under the Costa Rican sun) were unreal. The food was so good. It was also probably the first time this trip I had a consistent 3 meals a day (much less 4). 

In between surfing we went on an estuary tour, an all inclusive boat ride (ooo fancy), loads of walks on the beach and girls night out. 

There were so many moments I wanted to press pause and drink in the salty air and the sunrise on the water. Laughing with everyone and learning so much, sometimes overflowing with gratitude just doesn't cover it.

I loved how early we were up. Nearly everyday breakfast started around 4 or 4:30 and we were consistently the first ones on the waves with the sunrise and the palm trees all to ourselves. 

Weeks like this are so inspiring. Hearing everyone's life stories and insanely unique journeys reminds me that I have time. Time to keep traveling and learning and time for living. There are so many activities I am going to try, people I'm going to meet, food I'm going to love and all the adventures I have yet to plan for.

Ok I’m being dramatic BUT I might move to Mexico City. 

I’ve had the best tacos of my life for $4 and that’s not even what sold me. 

I think it was the guy playing 10 instruments in the park or maybe the park as a whole or maybe the dogs in park or all of the above?

Anyway it’s amazing. Picture DC but with more history, more parks, bigger parks, more dogs, cooler overall and THE FOOD. 

It's also such a foodie city. Every single meal and drink and little snack has been incredible and there is so much flavor. People eat with their hands, sell food at every corner, and there are napkins hanging from the ceiling in taquerias because Tacos are meant to be devoured and enjoyed. 

I did have a MAJOR tourist moment, confused a thick salsa verde for guacamole and I was sweating in seconds. I knew something was wrong after the second bite of my taco- finished both tacos though and laughed so hard I cried when the waiter and I made eye contact (the crying could have also been in part from the heat).

I'm staying with Tal and Jamie and Luna for the week and holly guacamole, they are THE. BEST. They have made me feel so welcome, so at home, I'm missing them before I even leave! Their apartment is gorgeous and puppy Luna is the sweetest girl. 

While I've been eating my way through the city, I've been walking through all the parks. I have never seen so many dogs in one place, much less a city. Everything is so green and there are parks EVERYWHERE.

I’ve been able to practice my Spanish and have loved spending so much time with everyone! I met Paul and Sergio (strangers before today) in the park throwing a frisbee and joined for hours. What a great day!

Jamie, Luna and I also went for a walk about an hour outside of the city and I was blown away! You would have never known you were still in Mexico City, completely in the trees. It was so nice to explore and see such a different side of the city. 

I got to walk to the museums in the central downtown area, they are incredible. Many of them are nestled inside a massive park, Bosque de Chapultepec. It covers nearly 1,700 acres in Mexico City and is the largest park in Latin America. I could have walked around for days, there were amazing museums, fountains, open spaces, dog parks, forest, it was incredible. 

I went to the Museo Nacional de Antropología, Museo Nacional de Historia and Museo Tamayo Arte Contemporáneo and there were still more! The Anthropology museum was unreal and had history and artifacts that were mind blowing! The shear amount of things I wanted to look at reminded me of the Louvre, there's just so much to see! https://www.mna.inah.gob.mx/informacion_general.php  Everyone recommended it and it was definitely somewhere I'd not only recommend but go back with you whenever we're in Mexico City. 

I had an interesting realization that I don’t sit down in museums often. There were a couple ceiling-to-floor sized pieces in the Museum of Modern Art that had benches in front of them. The paintings were all-encompassing; sitting down I was washed in waves of color, like immersed in the color so completely it felt like I was surrounded by how the painting made me feel. The curators did such a phenomenal job with the design and the layout of the museum and the artwork was incredibly moving. 

I had so many fun experiences this day too and some that were really random. I saw a guy in the park taking a picture of himself on a billboard. What might’ve been his dad was standing next to him absolutely cracking up, I turned around to see what was funny and then had to do a double take. There the man was on the sign surrounded by some sort of floating facial products and skin oils and there he was on the sidewalk next to his dad, woah. 

Tal and I went on an expedition for fruit my last morning. There are so many food stalls, carts and stands always on the move. We found the perfect cart, every kind of fruit you could imagine piled in little mountains. The fruit here is out of this world, and still the thing I’m really going to miss while traveling. 

Our girl morning turned into a walk with Luna, fruit hunting, catching up on everything in life and finding coffee with a sweet treat. Tal recommended the chocolate croissant and that is something else I’ll miss while traveling, mornings like these, a little different, really special and always delicious.

I left for the airport with 4 hours of leeway at 4pm flight at 7:30pm. The MEX was said to be crowded, especially with international departures and thank god I did. I was then stuck in 2 and half hours of traffic on the way there when it was only supposed to take 20 mins according to uber before I left. I arrived with just enough time to be able to check my bag. The airport was a breeze- no lines, no waiting, it was so fast and seamless. The flight? Not so much.

We boarded a few minutes late, pushed back from the gate a few minutes late, then waited for the runway for 3 HOURS. We were then told we couldn’t leave Mexico and needed to deboard. So we waited for buses to come get us, go back through customs and collect our bags. By the time I made it to the customer service line it was 1/10 of a mile long and 12:30am. I booked another flight for 8am in the morning as soon as the pilot came over the intercom and said we were staying the night so I only had to wait in line to not get rebooked and to get a refund. Still waiting on the refund. 

I slept in the airport for the remaining 2 hours then went to the other terminal to check in. I honestly felt like a body without a soul, just like floating through the airport half conscious of everything around me.

Also, traveling with a broken phone has been.. inconvenient to say the least BUT it has kept me from spiraling into social media. It has not however helped with any kind travel anxiety, if anything only significantly increased anything in that realm. 

Viva is the worst airline in the world (tell me I'm wrong) and everything is done through bots which are better handled over the phone. The process has been a bit of a nightmare but honestly looking back this didn't even remotely sway my opinion of my Mexico trip so I truly had the most amazing time. I'll be back again for sure. More surfing, more friends, more climbing, more mountains and so many more memories to come!