I can't believe its been a year! This has by far been the best year of my life and I'm sad its come to an end, but one thing is for sure, I now have a serious travel addiction and long list of places I want to see or return to in the future. For now, it's probably best I take a break because I really have seen to much. After a quick stop in NY and visit to the law firm that sucked my soul out but gave me the means to make this trip possible at the same time, [View Full Entry]

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All of East Africa, I thought I was ready to go home. I thought I was over traveling and had reached a catch 22 where I wanted to continue, but knew if I did, wouldn't be able to appreciate it because I'd seen too much. Then I arrived in Turkey and 2 seconds later, all those ideas went flying out the window. Back to my happy self, it was time to explore Istanbul, and that I did. I loved everything about it, except for one thing: the "Turkish man" experience I and so many other unaccompanied women seem to have in [View Full Entry]

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I don't know how I survived backpacking East Africa on my own, but what I do know is that my year around the world hit a low point. Not long after arriving in Dar, I stopped having fun, became alone and started counting the minutes until I'd leave the continent. East Africa broke me, to say the least. Strangely enough, I wasn't jumping for joy the day I left. Instead, I was sad, sad that I'd had such a miserable time. Maybe things would've been different had I gone to Mozambique or been with someone or booked an organized excursion. Maybe [View Full Entry]

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UGANDA: Getting off the bus in Kampala shocked me. What do you mean there aren't 50 taxi drivers harassing me when I get off the bus?! It's peaceful?! And I can even walk through a busy market in the center with out people shouting at me, following me or striking up conversation for money?!!! I LOVE YOU UGANDA!!! Sure it's still East Africa and there are no roads, the buses stop all the time, you're crammed into small corners for hours, but at least there is some peace and when I tell a taxi driver or vendor that I'm not interested [View Full Entry]

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Even after all the poverty I've seen during my travels, going to the Masai village shocked me. To start you off with an idea, the kids were dirty, covered in flies and had snot running down their noses that no one bothered to wipe off. The Masai are famous all over the world and most people who come to Kenya plan to see them. While there exists this glamorous image of them in their traditional bright red clothing and colorful jewelry that makes for a great painting to stick on your wall, the reality of them is very different. Here in [View Full Entry]

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Kenya is ONE step above Tanzania. In my last blog, I talked about how Tanzania was either really beautiful, or really awful and annoying. Well, Kenya is the same, except with a few more nice people who want to look after you and make sure you're ok. 1) THE KENYA RESEMBLING TANZANIA: There have been many times during the last 11 months when I've wanted to be alone, but kept meeting one great person after the other and ended up traveling with them. Then, I came to East Africa where there are little to no backpackers and found myself alone in [View Full Entry]

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"You've been traveling for a while haven't you?" one of the girls I took the ferry from Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar with asked me. "Oh, I'm used to it... I've had plenty of training in SE Asia, especially Indonesia" I told her after a little incident that went something like this: We get out of the taxi at the dock. "No thank you. Please don't touch my bag. I am not paying you to carry it. I will carry it myself," I said while pushing away 8 agressive men trying to attack my backpack. "There is only 1 boat today," [View Full Entry]

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Whether in the middle of South Africa or "on top of it" as they say because it's at a higher altitude, visiting the tiny country of Lesotho with its Sotho speaking Basotho people was a journey worth making even if there was no border control or customs agent to stamp my passport as proof. The multi colored flat mountains, waist high grass filled hills and drastic difference in temperature between when the sun is shining and when it's behind a cloud instantly grabbed me, but it was the people that were the best part. "Thank you for coming to our country" [View Full Entry]

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South Africa is a prime example of a country divided into 2 worlds. There are those living first world lives we're used to with our cell phones and computers, and those living in tribal villages without electricity who follow the same customs and traditions their ancestors have for years. After leaving the Garden Route and finally getting a taste of tribal Africa, I couldn't help but ask myself if we in the first world really have it right. This question is not about the poverty gap because I don't think anyone can justify the squalor in India's slums or children living [View Full Entry]

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Where am I?! I spend my nights sitting around camp fires drinking Savanna's (really good South African cider), roasting marshmallows, braii-ing (equivalent of a bbq) and talking to other travelers. Everything is absolutely gorgeous. The streets are perfectly paved, the hostels better than any other country I've been to, and the people incredibly nice. Last I checked, I did not sign up to be in Europe, the US or some other first world country, but South Africa's Garden Route (from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth) is basically that. I'm definitely enjoying backpacking in relatively cheap luxury, but [View Full Entry]

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