The Thing About Grief

If 2020 was the precursor to what 2021 would bring me, I should have braced myself for what was greeting me on the other side of the new year. When 2021 rolled in, I wouldn't say that I was overly excited or even optimistic for the possibilities of the new year ahead of me. I was riding the wave into the new year in hopes of the pandemic being pushed further and further away from my rearview mirror. I was hoping that we were well on our way to finding our groove back into the world. I knew that it would look and feel much different, but I was ready for whatever that looked like. As I sit here and try to collect my thoughts about the first quarter of the year, it's all a blur. I know that I was telling anyone who would listen that it still felt like 2020 and that we are now living in a simulation, because, at this point, nothing much had changed. The vaccine was rolling out and becoming available to more and more people, but everything still felt stagnant and the same.

I decided that what I needed to break the monotony was travel. I booked a trip to Mexico for April and was set to leave the week after Easter; just a week before my birthday. Springtime to me has always been God's way of reminding me about new life. Things from the earth that were barren and dead come back to life. I remember feeling really good about the change in weather and the flowers that were starting to bloom, and the birds were singing and chirping every morning by now. It was starting to feel good. There was a little bit more sun in the sky; I felt good about life. But God was giving me signs in ways that I should have been paying attention to. But nothing could have prepared me for what was coming.

On the morning of April the 8th of this year, I remember waking up and having several voicemails from my mother's phone number and some of her acquaintances. I remember being annoyed by the ridiculous number of voicemails. I played them, but the first one said, Kellee, Louryn is dead; call me back. Message number two, Kellee, call me, please. I remember thinking, why the fuck would anyone leave a message like that on someone's phone. Louryn is my mom. I dialed my mom's cellphone because I thought it was a mistake, and at this point, the wrath of hell was flowing through my veins. On the other end of her line, I was greeted by a friend of hers picking up and answering, telling me that they were sorry and that the police were there to get her body.

I remember holding my breath, and time felt like it stood still. I think my soul left me for a few minutes before I could process what was going on. On the other end of the phone, my mother's friend was talking to me, but I remember nothing of what he said. The following person on the other end of my line was the police. My mother had overdosed off of a bad batch of drugs that was laced with Fentanyl. She was gone. I kept thinking that someone didn't know what they were talking about and that she would never do some shit like that. My mother struggled with addiction her entire adult life, but she would never go as far as damn near killing herself. To say that I was devastated is not even close to what I felt or still feel. My mother was only 58 years old. That is too young to be going away from here with so much life ahead of you. I couldn't wrap my head around what the hell was happening to me.

My mom was such a free-spirited soul. She loved listening to good music, theater, and the arts. She was always teaching me and exposing me to different cultures and people from all walks of life. My short time with her had a significant impact on my life. She ingrained so much of herself into my very own soul. I would be lying if I painted the picture that things were always good with her. They were not, not by a long shot. But it doesn't take away from the fact that she was my mother. She created me, birthed me, and gave me a fighting chance in such a big crazy world. She taught me so many important things about life; God, survival, self-perseverance, and most importantly, resiliency. So how do you mourn the loss of someone with whom you've had such a tumultuous relationship with? My emotions fluctuate on the spectrum of anger, deep sadness, and emptiness. More empty than anything.

The following months after my mom died were some of the most isolating times of my life. You see, when your mom is an addict and has a terrible reputation of screwing people over and burning bridges, people don't come around or reach out when they pass. Some relatives even went as far as saying, “it was only a matter of time.” Everyone called in the first few days to see what happened, but then, it was radio silence. My mom's brother and his daughter put something together for my mom's cremation, and that was that. It was over. It was final. I still didn't believe that she was dead, even with her remains sitting in the urn downstairs on the table. I would sleep a lot and ask God to help her as if she was still here; I would call her phone and see if she would pick up. I would talk to myself and ask her what happened that night, but I couldn't feel her. I would ask Karina at random if my mom was really dead. I would spend hours looking at old photos of her trying to ingrain her memory in my brain of how she looked. Her hair, the color of her eyes, her half crooked smile. I didn’t want to loose her. Karina tried her best to keep me busy, but she eventually left for the summer to do some training with her job. For the first time since my mom passed, I was alone.

I thought I would be okay, but then it all hit me like a ton of bricks. I had what you would call delayed grief. Once Karina left, I was alone with my thoughts, and I was breaking down day by day. There was no more serotonin left in my brain. I thought about dying every day. I wanted to just kill myself. It’s like I was starving for oxygen, and I could find it anywhere. I was suffocating in my own grief. On one particular evening, I was so distraught that I had broken down while doing the dishes. The dog was so worried that he began licking the tears off of my face. Rudi was so upset by my breakdown that even he was crying. Rudi felt helpless. He had never seen me so emotional. As I slowed my breathing down, I gathered myself and put a cool rag on my face. That night, I cursed God. I cursed God in one breath and prayed to Him in the next breath to help me because I was going to end it.

I still have days like the one I just described. Some days I am okay, and other days a memory will flood my mind, a song will play on the radio, or I will have a dream of my mom that sends me into deep grief. I don't think I will ever be the same. My mother was the only person on earth that called me Keke; she was the only person who ever loved me with her entire life, the only person that constantly told me how proud she was of me, the only person who had probably ever properly loved me. She would always tell me that I was her firstborn and that she had never seen anything more perfect and pure than me. She couldn't believe that I came from her. She named me Kellee DeLorean Green. De means of, and Lorean means Louryn. Put them together, and DeLorean means of Louryn. And now she is gone. It's like a piece of my soul is dead. I don't think I will ever look at life the same. I've always been aware that we can be here one day and gone the next. But here lately, it's more like here today, gone today.

Looking back at it all, God was sending me signs. But you know, God's voice can be still and small. Ever since I was a little girl, I have had dreams of things to come. I can feel things before they happen. The night before my Nanna died, I stayed awake all night crying and shaking because I could feel my Nanna soul leaving me. I was inconsolable, and my mother could not soothe me no matter what she tried. We didn't know that my Nanna would die that night. The following day, the priest came to our door to deliver the message that she had passed in the night. A few nights before my mother died, I dreamt of a black widow spider. Black widows are a bad omen, but I couldn't feel my mom for some reason. I just thought it pertained to me. I thought it was a sign for me to be careful. Our hydrangea bush always blooms early and is completely full way before summer. This year it remained barren, and the flowers didn't really bloom. I took it as another sign. Also, my hair didn't grow this year. Everything about this year has been death. I went to Croatia at the end of summer and almost stepped on a snake after dreaming of one the night before, another bad omen.

I am not sure what my future looks like, but I am taking it one day at a time, sometimes, one second at a time. Grief is a strange thing, and it can look different for everyone. I am willing to tell anyone that will listen that I am have not been okay this year. Usually, we say that we're fine by default when someone asks how we're doing, but I have been saying not so good when I am asked. I find that it makes people a little uncomfortable, but that's okay with me. I don't really care how comfortable people feel these days. I am just living in my truth and in my grief. I think, to go forward in life, you have to sit through some uncomfortable shit at times. So while I plan on sitting in this grief, I also plan on doing the work to get me to a healthier state of mind. My mother's tragic ending of life will always take up a sad spot in my heart, but if I have learned anything over this past year, it's that life is for living. Do all the things you have always wanted to do; you can be here today and gone today.Most importantly, tell your loved ones that you love them, regardless of whatever issues you have with them. Once a person has transitioned away from this earth, that is it. Love on them and let them know that you care.

I want to mention how incredible my two best friends have been to me during this time. Karina for always taking such excellent care of me and loving me through one of the worst times of my life. I know this has been one of the most trying years ever, but I love you forever and always until we are old lady ghosts. Me, you, and Rudi until the wheels fall off. For Crystal, who has also lost a parent this year and another one the year before last. Crystal drove down immediately to be with me for a few days when my mom died. She has been a constant friend for over the past twenty-something-odd years. We are the same person, just living parallel lives. I don't know where I'd be without either one of them. My mom once told me that you are blessed if you have just one good friend.

Thank you, guys, for taking the time out to swing by and catch up. I hope that wherever you are in the world, you are blessed, healthy, and loved. I can honestly say that I am looking forward to the new year. I feel the shift happening already. I can tell that this upcoming year will bring a lot of growth and change. I am so ready for all thats waiting for me. I plan on doing a lot more journal-type writing about my travels over 2020 and 2021. Be looking out for those posts soon. Until next time. Ciao

P.S. If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, please get help; there are people out there who love and need you.

Where Have I Been

As I sit here staring out of the windowpane in my hotel room in Istanbul, I can’t help but notice how sullen and overcast the sky looks outside. I know that most of you all have probably been wondering where the hell I’ve been. It’s been a while; I know, guys. So much has happened since the last time I have written anything on this platform. 2020 has been one of the strangest years that I have experienced in my life thus far. When the ball dropped on New Year’s Eve, I remember feeling hopeful for the intentions that I had set for myself for the year 2020. Never would I have imagined the type of year that was in store for us all. I have attempted to write this several times, and each of those times, I get too emotional to publish. So bear with me, please. I am not sure that I have come to terms with what this year has thrown at me.

I was set to do some traveling in SE Asia in late January and return to the states in early March. There had been news of a nasty virus brewing over in China. I wasn’t worried about it one bit. On the other hand, my family and friends were ringing me non-stop, asking if I was still going to SE Asia. My father, in particular, was worried about my health. He didn’t want me getting sick, rightfully so. We’d have chats with my Uncle Frank, who just so happens to be a doctor for the CDC, to get his opinion on everything. Uncle Frank ensured that I would be fine, but to take precautions. He said to wear a mask and use hand sanitizer, and to wash my hands religiously. Even though my uncle assured my dad that I would be okay, he was still very hesitant about me taking the trek all the way to the belly of the beast, or shall we say, near the beast. I want to tell you guys that I had no expectations at all for SE Asia. I couldn’t have dreamed up what these countries would be like. I was going in blind. My route would be to fly into Bangkok, cross over into Cambodia, and then make my way into Vietnam. After Vietnam, I would fly to Malaysia to visit a good friend who just had a baby and end my trip back in Phuket, Thailand. I want to say right here, right now, that my trip to SE Asia changed my life. I had never been away trekking and exploring any part of the world for the length of time that I spent in SE Asia. This trip allowed me the space to think and feel and experience things that were missing in my life back home. I felt so much better in my mind, body, and soul than I have in a very long time…actually since ever! I can’t honestly tell you a time when I felt that good. My overall sense of well being was elevated to a higher level. Anyone who truly knows me knows that my dream is to leave the United States. I won’t get into all of that here, but if you know, you know!

As time was winding down in SE Asia, I remember feeling a sense of dread in the upcoming days of my return home. I remember sitting outside on my patio in Phuket feeling melancholy while the breeze blew gently and the birds sang sweetly to me. I was having an inner dialogue with myself about extending my stay. Ultimately, it came down to me needing to be back in the US on time to attend Women’s Travel Fest in NYC. I got back on March 1. Women’s Travel Fest was on March 5…I think, not sure about the exact date, but you get my drift. I didn’t even have time to properly snuggle and inhale my dog before catching my next flight. I was still very jet-lagged, and it was freezing in New York. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that I was returning home to the chaos of what was then the early stage of the COVID- 19 Pandemic. I remember getting a call in New York from Karina and her telling me that the governor was hinting at shutting things down and that toilet paper was nowhere to be found. I was like, what, where is it? I couldn’t wrap my head around it. Why are people freaking out here? No one was freaking out back in the Asian countries that I had literally just come from less than a week ago. I got back from New York, and the state of Virginia immediately went on a strict lock down. I made it back by the skin of my teeth. Maybe I was delirious, or perhaps I wasn’t paying attention, but within the next week, after I returned from New York, that state was the epicenter of the Pandemic in the US. Everything just felt so strange to me. I couldn’t even process my tip that I had just taken. Everything was moving so fast. One day I’m out trekking the world, and then the next, I am locked down and can’t move. At first, I thought, surely, we can get a handle on this quickly and return to our normal lives. Sadly, it is now the end of October and we are worse off than when we first started. When this all began in March, I was very hopeful. I was very much at peace and hopeful for what the future would bring. But as those weeks turned into months, and months, and months, that peace and hope has slowly turned into a gnawing feeling of uncertainty that keeps me up at night. There is no pretty way of saying this, but shit has literally hit the fan here in America, and I don’t know how to process it. I don’t know how to feel about it. I don’t know anything. I am literally taking all of this one day at a time. You add social unrest, political tension from the upcoming elections, and a pandemic all together, and that makes a recipe for a disaster of a nation.

IIn the earlier months, when the weather wasn't so oppressively hot, Karina and I would spend our days doing work from home, taking multiple walks, cooking up delicious meals, baking, catching up on our shows, reading all kinds of books, and playing with Rudi. We were still hopeful that things would blow over. But as we rolled into the summer, I started to feel aggravated by the state of things. We still have more or less of the same routine, but we walked less and argued more. It was too hot during the summer months to go out. I was aggravated by everything. Even the thought of waking up early enough before the sun to catch a cool breeze by the ocean pissed me off. I used to love being by the sea, and now, nothing soothes me. I feel trapped. I feel like the walls are caving in on me. I was, and still am, in and out of the throes of depression. I no longer have the patience for the most minor of inconveniences. What has happened to me? I don't want to come out of this pandemic and completely lose myself. I find myself nostalgic for days when all was '"right in the world." Sitting up at night restless for the sound of the early morning birds singing to me sweetly in Thailand. I look through old photos trying to go back in time to a place that makes me feel good. I know that we never lived in a utopian society before this, but damnit, it wasn't this madness that we're living in right now. Hearing people say, "We're all in this together," is so vapid and useless…..I can't bear to listen to it!

I don’t like to complain because I know that things can always be worse and can still get worse. I am so blessed. I live very well. I have a home to live in, food to eat, and I am healthy. God is so good. I will always boast of how good God is to me. I may be having a hard time dealing with this, but I know that I have to trust Him and that He has the perfect plan for my life and for all of the other crazy things that are happening right now in the world. But I need the space to be sad and to be grateful all at the same damn time, because that’s just how I am feeling these days. Sadness and gratefulness are not mutually exclusive, in case you were wondering.

The one good thing that came out of this quarantine is that I was able to get certified to teach English as a Second/Foreign Language. As of now, I teach several students from all over the world via Zoom and Skype. My students are lovely. I treasure my time with them because even though they are learning English from me, I am able to learn from them as well through different cultural exchanges. My heart is always happy and full when I’m with my students. So there’s the silver lining in all of this. The world had to come to a complete stop for me to sit still long enough to take the time to complete my training to get certified for something that I love doing. Something that will open a lot of doors for me once the world opens back up. I also had the extreme privilege of helping my best friend bring her baby girl into the world on July 31, 2020. Baby Nora Adrian Ann was born during COVID times, but her birth was beautiful and amazing. Because of the pandemic, Crystal was only allowed to have one other person in the room with her during her delivery, and she chooses me. My heart is beaming with love and happiness and gratitude as if this baby girl is my own. She is the light of our lives right now during these really crazy times.

Sadly, guys, we are now in October, and the end is nowhere near in sight. America is now the laughing stock of the world and things just get more ridiculous by the day. I decided to get out of the country for a while and go to Turkey. Turkey has always been on my list of places to explore. Currently, they are one of the very few countries letting Americans in with out restrictions. I plan on writing about my time in Turkey and traveling during a pandemic soon. But I wanted to catch you guys up on where I’ve been first. If you’re reading this, I hope this finds you in good health and in good spirits. Please take care of yourself mentally, physically, and spiritually. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Sending out love and light. Until next time. CIAO

Egypt

Well, hello, my beautiful readers. I know, I know, I have been gone for way too long on this platform. However, I am back with an incredible story of my travels through Egypt. I contemplated if I should write about what I did this over the summer, but the universe was pulling my heart into stillness. I won’t always be super active on here writing about my day to day life ( because it’s pretty dull for the most part), but I do promise to fill you guys in on all of my travels because that’s where life gets exciting for me.

Now, Egypt had been on my radar for quite a while. I tried to make plans last year to visit, but the stars didn’t align for me to make it over there. Flights were high, and timing was just wrong. But low and behold, right when you’re not looking for something, it will appear like magic. A flight deal came through my email for Egypt at an excellent price, and the ticket was for an awesome time of year. It was like winning the travel jackpot. I booked the flight without even thinking, so I had plenty of time to plan because the trip wasn’t until October. But, if you’re anything like me, the excitement kicks in, and you start researching and planning right away. I would spend most of my evenings reading through fellow blogger’s recommendations and visiting Pinterest for major inspiration on what to do, see, and eat while there.

I finally decide to book with Lady Egypt Tours. This tour company came highly recommended by two very affluent bloggers who had used them before, and they both had amazing experiences with this company. I decided to book with a tour company to visit Egypt for various reasons, but the biggest reason being safety. I would be going over as a solo female traveler, and I didn’t want to take any risk. The US Department of State has a Level II travel warning for Egypt, and their only Embassy in the entire country is in Cairo. For me, that’s not a problem. No matter where you go, you always need to take safety precautions. And now, after being there, I can honestly say that I felt safe the entire time. Although I experienced Egypt with a tour company, I was still a solo female traveler. I was not apart of a group during any time of my trip. It was just me and my guides.

So here we are, today’s the day that I fly out to Egypt, and I can hardly believe the time has come. I flew with Etihad Airlines with a route from O’Hare to Abu Dhabi to Cairo. Words can’t express the agony of the long haul flight. I have flown many of long haul flights, but this one was 15 hours, and I wanted nothing more than to be in a drug-induced coma of some sort. The flight was jam-packed with every seat taken. There was no way to be comfortable on that aircraft. And in case you were wondering, yes, I flew economy. Most flight deals are economy class. I do collect miles with every major alliance as well have points through the Chase Sapphire Reserve, but I am saving those babies for something big coming up. I will say, Etihad is a great airline that offers excellent service if you should ever travel with them in the future, however, a long haul flight is a long haul flight; it never gets easier.

I arrive in Cairo in the predawn hours of the morning right before sunrise. I de-board my plane, and I’m quickly shown which direction passport control is. As I come down the long escalator, my guide greets me at the bottom with a sign with my name on it. I feel… weird. I immediately learned that I don’t like a lot of fuss or attention over me. But I am glad that he was there. It was comforting to have someone await my arrival in a place that I had never been before. He whisks me through passport control and helps me to collect my baggage, and before you know it, we’re off. As I walk through the doors of the airport, my senses are awakened with a familiar smell of the past. The air is thick and heavy with a mixture of burning trash, raw sewage, diesel fuel, cigarette smoke, and heavy cologne. Ahh, yes, I am back in the Middle East. I realize where I am and tell my driver yella, let’s go.

The sky is still dark with deep hues of golden orange fluttering in on the horizon. The hour is somewhere around 05:00 hours. As I sit in the back seat trying to listen to my guide brief me on my next few days, I am in awe of the first few sights I see out of my window. I am taking it all in like a kid in a candy store. I am not new to this region of the world, so I thought I knew what to expect, but this is unlike anything I have ever seen. Cairo is so in your face; it’s sensory overload from the moment you leave the airport. I knew this was just the start of something amazing. Through the morning sunlight, there is a thick haze that lingers over the city of Giza; everything is covered in dust and sand. Streets awaken with cars, buses, and taxis zipping in out of lanes laying on horns trying to shift their way through traffic. Vendors open up their stalls selling fresh hot bread. Both women and men walk through the bustling streets lining up at local vendor stalls to get the freshest bread and produce for the day. My guide alerts me that we are almost at the hotel and urges me to look to my left. I look over to my left and what do I see, The Pyramids of Giza are right there, not even 100 meters away from me. My eyes can’t believe what they are seeing. It’s as if I have been transported back into ancient times. I keep looking at them as if they would disappear if I blinked too slow.

Early morning haze over Giza, right before the hustle and bustle the day begins.

The huge gray building way in the back will be the new Egyptian museum opening in 2020.

A view of The Pyramids of Giza in the early morning sunrise, right from my hotel room. Sunrises and sunsets are both magical in Egypt.

I get all checked into my room, and I am exhausted from the flight over. I tell myself that I will eat, shower, hydrate, and try to explore a little on my own. Nope, not happening, the exploring part on my own never happened. I crashed hard after showering and eating. I woke up only to eat dinner and went right back to sleep and slept until 5:00 a.m. the next morning, fresh and ready for day one of exploring.

I meet my guide Mahmoud downstairs in the lobby the next morning and set off to start our day by visiting the Pyramids and Sphinx. I could hardly believe that this was real life for me. I had always dreamed of coming to Egypt and seeing all these incredible sights. It’s another thing altogether when you finally arrive and are standing in places that you never imagined you’d be.

The Pyramids of Giza settled right in the heart of the city of Giza. It’s not all sand dunes and dessert landscape.

The Sphinx. The body of a lion and head of human, missing it’s nose.

A grand overview of the area where the Pyramids and Sphinx sit. Trust me, the photos will never be able to capture this masterpiece perfectly.

It was around 103 degrees Fahrenheit that day. I immediately felt the effects of the harsh sun. I wasn’t properly hydrated, and I was still extremely jet-lagged. I remember telling my guide, can we keep walking while you explain. It was at that moment where I felt like I was going to pass out. I pressed on and continued to look at the sights, not wanting to miss a thing. I knew that we had lunch coming up, so I thought it would be okay to wait until lunch to cool off and drink more water. Lunch came and went, and I was still feeling slightly light-headed and woozy, but again, I didn’t want to stop, I was so scared of missing out on something. I will stop right here and say that it is IMPERATIVE to listen to your body! Don’t overexert yourself in extreme heat because you will be a heat casualty.

Our next stop after lunch was the Egyptian Museum. As we were headed there, I could tell that I was feeling a little weird. I didn’t even make up the steps of the museum before almost passing out. The museum is not air-conditioned, and at that point, I had tears rolling down because I thought I was going to pass out. My guide, being the sweet man that he is, he took excellent care of me, he ran and got me three bottles of water and even one juice to rehydrate me. He also took extra precautions to make sure that I would be okay by stopping at a pharmacy to get me some electrolyte packets for the next day. We took it slow for the rest of the day. Mahmoud was a total gentleman; he saved the day.

The outside of the Egyptian Museum. I don’t have any photos of inside due to me being a heat casualty that day.

That night, I made sure to eat well and get some good sleep, but most importantly, drink fluids and hydrate. The next morning I woke up feeling so much better. I felt like I had my bearings about me and could seize the day quickly. This day was more laid back, not a lot of strenuous walking and being in the heat. The day had a nice flow to it. We started by driving about an hour away to visit Karanis, located in Kom Oshim, the ruin of an old city that dates back to the Roman, Coptic, and early Islamic times.

After the visit to Kom Oshim, we headed to a beautiful Tunisian Village in Fayom. We visited a fantastic local pottery spot where I learned that the entire village does pottery to help support their local economy. It was an absolute treat to be invited to see how the pottery is made and then baked and sold. The village is very lush and green with beautiful flowers throughout, almost like an oasis in the middle of dry land.

To end this day we headed for a bite to eat at a local restaurant for a special meal prepared for the guide and me, it was a beautiful seafood spread fit for a queen. The owner and his son went above and beyond to make us comfortable during our meal. I was genuinely touched by their warm and welcoming hospitality.

The owner and his son. Two very kind souls.

The local restaurant right off of the sea.

My time in Cairo had come to an end for the time being. The following day I flew out to Aswan through Egypt Air and met another guide to take me throughout the regions of Aswan and Luxor by way of a cruise down the Nile River. The flight over to Aswan was pretty much the craziest thing I have ever experienced in my entire life. About 25 minutes into the trip, my seatmate taps me on y shoulder and asks me if I smell cigarette smoke. I inhaled the air and low and behold you could smell strongly the aroma of a freshly lit cigarette. I couldn’t believe what I was smelling. Was someone indeed smoking on the aircraft mid-flight? You can tell the difference between the stench of a person who has the aroma of an old cigarette lingering on their clothing and the very sharp smell of smoke from a cigarette that’s just been lit. Either way, I was in shock and awe!

By the time I landed in Aswan, I meet with the tour rep that transports me to my hotel. There, I meet up with my wonderful tour guide that I will be with for the next few days. The next order of the day was a felucca ride down the River Nile during sunset. That was the perfect way to end my day. The breeze coming off the Nile put me in a trance as the sails from the felucca gently swayed us softly down the river. I hadn’t felt that much peace in a long time. My soul needed that. I didn’t ever want the ride to end. They say that God will give you what you need the most right at the perfect time, and the timing couldn’t have been better. I also couldn’t help to stop thinking that I was in the same river that Moses was placed in by his mother to keep him safe from the Pharaoh.

Captured here are children on paddle boards trying to hang on to different feluccas sailing up and down the River Nile. They ere asking the tourist for candy and money. It is not recommended to entertain these children because it promotes panhandling when they should be in school.

My accommodations for the evening are at the Movenpick. The Mövenpick in Aswan is settled right on the River Nile, and you have to take a small ferry to get to it. When I stepped off the boat I was mesmerized by the views and how lush and clean the grounds were. It was very fancy, and I loved every minute of it. Even inside the hotel, the atmosphere is very tranquil and beautiful. You’re greeted with Hibiscus tea and escorted to your room promptly. The walls are filled with beautiful local Nubian art, and the rooms are spectacular, offering some of the most amazing views of the Nile River with a dessert back drop off in the distance. My only wish that I had stayed a little longer to enjoy the property, but there were things to do, places to see, and people to meet.

Grounds of the Mövenpick

Some of the beautiful Nubian art hanging throughout the hotels halls.

The most gorgeous view of the Nile River from my hotel room with lush expansive gardens and the dessert in the back drop.

The following morning comes way too fast. I check out of my hotel in the early hours of the morning, somewhere around 3:50 a.m. I hop on the ferry and go to the other side and meet my guide, Tamer, by the docks at 4:15 a.m. We head out for what will be a three-hour drive to Abu Simbel Temple. I try to catch some sleep while in the car, but the ride was bumpy, and of course, I couldn’t sleep. My thoughts were all over the place. But three hours had come and gone by with what seemed like no time. We finally arrived at Abu Simbel, and the sun was already high in the sky by 7:00 a.m. Luckily we were some of the first people to come, so we got to explore it and see everything without too many other tourists. Let me say this right here, and now, I DO NOT like massive crowds of tourists. I know that’s hugely hypocritical of me because I, too, am a tourist, but there’s nothing worse than being at a site and having massive busloads of tourists offload unto one particular place all at the same time. It takes away from the experience majorly. My guide was so excellent that he did all of his explainings in the first few minutes of arriving at a site and gave me the free time to go and explore and take pictures off on my own after that. That worked out for me perfectly as I love to wander off and explore the area or site we’re visiting.

The Temple of Abu Simbel was hands down my favorite of all of the temples we managed to visit throughout my time in Egypt. You arrive on-site and walk down a rather long path along Lake Nasser, and then as soon as you turn the curb, this massive structure of two different temples hits your eyesight and demands all of your attention. They are such a sight to behold. Again, and you will hear me say this numerous times throughout this blog. It’s mesmerizing. I couldn’t stop looking at it, even from different angles, it’s impressive. Abu Simbel has two temples carved into a mountainside that honors Ramses II and his queen Nefertari. This temple was rescued and freed from the waters of the River Nile. It took them around 26 years to move it, disassemble it and reassemble to where it sits now.

The photos below will show the temple that honors Ramses II.

The next series of photos show the temple for Ramses II wife, Nefertari.

Both temples are stunning on the inside. You can spend a lot of time in the two just wandering around and thinking of what it must have been like back during the times when the temples were being built.

After we wrapped up at Abu Simbel, we took the three-hour ride back through the dessert stopping at the High Dam of Aswan. The dam was built across the Nile River in Aswan and helped to control flooding as well as being a considerable generator of hydroelectricity. It’s massive to see. We didn’t spend much time there; we just stopped to have a quick look, and we got back on the road. Once we finally made it through the desert highway, we arrived at our cruise ship, where we would board for three nights until we reached our final destination of Luxor.

The cruise ships in Egypt aren’t considerable vessels in the likes of Carnival or Norwegian. These are much smaller vessels equipped with 42 suites, four decks, a dining area, two lounges, and a little “spa area” (I wouldn’t even call it that). My experience on the cruise boat wasn’t the best. I ended up getting terrible food poisoning from the food. The food also didn’t taste the best, but you have to understand that food varies from all over the world, and Egypt is still considered a third world country. I don’t think I ate for the next few days after getting sick. I only drank the bottled mineral water, and not once did I eat off the street, so in reality, who knows where exactly I got the bug from. One thing to keep in mind when visiting Egypt, the water is NOT SAFE to drink under any circumstances. I had a flirtation water bottle with me, and I still managed to get ill. My time after that was pretty rough for a few days. However, I didn’t let that stop me from pushing through and making the most of my time in Egypt. My guide took such good care of me. He brought me medicine, he checked in on me regularly and made sure I was okay for the day. My guides were amazing. They treated me like a queen!

The next morning we took a ferry over to Philae Temple. On the short ride over to the island, there was a subtle, gentle breeze that broke the heat of the day. We slowly float by Nubian guest houses right off the banks of the Nile, and on the horizon, you can see the temple appearing closer and closer. The small boat pulls into the dock, and there are many other small boats like the one we’re on delivering tourists to see this beautiful site. I step off the boat and onto the dock, and there are vendors all lined up selling small trinkets and incense and handcrafted jewelry. My guide encourages me to keep walking and to ignore the vendors unless I see something that I like. I’m told that most of these items are from China! We walk a short distance, and before you know it, we have arrived. Philae temple was built in the late Ptolemaic to the early Roman era. It was made to honor the goddess Isis. You can see the Roman influence in the architecture of this temple heavily.

A view of the island form the boat ride over from the mainland. You can see the Philae Temple off in the distance.

Philae Temple

Beautiful columns

There were three guys who were in the temple that talked to these kittens and made them do cute little things on command. I only hope these kittens were being well taken care of.

We left the Philae Temple at a perfect time. As soon as we left, many tourists were offloading several little boats and making their way towards the temple. Now it was time to head back to the boat and get ready to set sail for the evening. I was happy for the boat to be finally sailing. Being that I was still battling a stomach bug, I decided to lay down and drink as much water as I could and check out the views while floating down the Nile.

I will never get tired of watching the beautiful felucca’s float down the Nile.

Ultra lush and fertile grounds.

A village off the banks of the Nile during sunset.

Chasing the sunset behind the palm trees.

Cruise evenings were always so beautiful because you could see a panoramic view of the top deck of the villages while floating down the river. The next morning our boat docked somewhere on the West Bank of the Nile. We took a horse and carriage ride to the Temple of Edfu. The front of Edfu temple kind of resembled the previous temple of Philae from the front. It was at this point t where I began to feel like was templed out, but there were still a few left to see, and they actually turned out to be pretty amazing. So, if you’re still reading at this point, bear with me. There are quite a bit more temples to see.

The temple of Edfu is dedicated to the falcon god Horus. It is known as one of the most well-preserved temples in Egypt. It was built during the Ptolemaic era, and you can see the infamous inscriptions on the front wall of the god smiting his enemies, a very similar scenario that you will see in the front entrance of many temples in Egypt.

Sacred boat in sanctuary of Horus Temple.

Some of the carvings on the walls are amazing. Beautifully preserved.

After a nice break, we completed the day in the evening in Luxor by visiting the Luxor and Karnak Temples. To attend one, you must visit the other because they are connected. We start at Karnak. The Karnak complex has four major parts, but only one is open for exploring. It is the second most visited place in Egypt after the Pyramids of Giza. My favorite part of this massive complex is Hypostyle Hall. There are large towering columns arranged in 16 rows. You could spend an extended length of time just wondering around and looking at the carvings on each column.

The beautiful Hypostle Hall.

Once you think that you’ve seen it all, there’s even more amazingness in the Luxor Temple Complex.

My guide was trying to explain that an avenue of the human head sphinx of about three kilometers once connected the temples of Karnak and Luxor. I don’t remember everything because we covered a lot of ground that day, but the experience was terrific.

Luxor Temple

The entrance was built by Ramesses II, known as the first pylon.

There should be another obelisk that matches the one in front, but it now sits in Paris.

Right as the sun was starting to set you could hear the Azan ( the Islamic call to worship) over the loud speaker right inside the temple. This mosque dates back to the 19th century.

The colorful preservation fo the carvings on the wall are said to maybe be a depiction of Jesus Christ’s 12 disciples.

The ending to a beautiful day.

I could have explored way longer in the Karnak and Luxor Temples, but the sun was setting, and it was getting dark out. Some evenings, there is a light and sound show at some of the temples. I decided to pass on it, only because I find these things to be quite cheesy, but if that’s your thing, there’s no shame in going to check it out. For now, it was time to head back to the boat and get ready for another massive day in the morning.

The next morning I woke up at a very early 3 a.m. to head out on one of the most magical adventures of my entire life. A hot air balloon ride! Usually, heights make me quite anxious, but I was all in for this adventure. I couldn’t let the opportunity pass to experience this once in a lifetime greatness. Now, I’m here to tell you that once we got off the bus and it was time to board the hot air balloon, I was freaking out. The balloons are GIGANTIC, and there is fire being blown out of a blowtorch device up into the balloon to help you float upward. I was shook! I kept hearing the sound of the blow torch go off, and I immediately went into the fields to throw up. I was in full on panic. It was my turn to board the balloon with a group of others. As soon I felt the heat from the torch, I jerked back and said, “Noooo, I can’t do it.” Then the guide spun me around and said, “Don’t worry, you can do this.” An older foreign lady who had to have been in her 60’s looked at me with these summoning eyes and said, “Get in, you’ll regret it if not. You can do it, and it’ll be fine”. Something about that lady’s look on her face instantly made me calm enough to get into the ballon, and boy was I glad that I did. I would have missed out on one of the most unbelievably magical experiences of my entire life. Nothing can beat that; I don’t think.

Amazed at how big the balloons are in real life.

This was taken before I decided to throw my guts up over in those fields behind me.

Starting to go up

Floating over the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut

Coming down

You guys, this is one of those experiences where words and pictures are simply not enough to describe it. I highly recommend this if you ever find yourself visiting Luxor while in Egypt. The landing coming down was really smooth. Our pilot was amazing. They offload you one at a time to make sure the balloon doesn’t float away; it is a very meticulous process.

After the hot air balloon experience, the rep from the company linked me back up with my guide, Tamer. We meet at the Colossi of Memnon. It wasn’t much to see, just two statues with a lot of birds on them. We only spent three minutes max there, as it was on the way to the Valley of The Kings.

Amenhotep III

As we head to the Valley of the Kings, you can still see some of the balloons lingering in the morning sky. That is a view that can never get old. When we arrive at the Valley of the Kings, we get our tickets and hop on the tram that takes us up a winding path where all of the tombs are buried right into a desert mountainside. What lies here is a massive collection of tombs for past Kings. The inside of the tombs displays incredible preparation work for the next life. The Pharaohs didn’t believe that death was final; they thought that life would always be a continuance of passing from one life to the next. The tombs were to have everything that one might need for the next life. If your tomb wasn’t complete before death, no-one was able to come along and finish it for you. You would be buried in an incomplete tomb. There are around 63 tombs in total, but I only visited three. A lot of the graves are closed off to the public. Many of them have been completely robbed over the years, leaving them bare. Almost a few days later, after my visit, there was another great discovery of more tombs, and the mummification of the bodies was still preserved wonderfully. This only means that I will have return to Egypt again in the future.

These tombs are amongst some of the most preserved inside; you can see a lot of the original colors.

The first set of pictures are from King Merenptah’s tomb.

The path down is very steep and very hot.

The next few photos will be from Iside of Ramses IX tomb.

The final set of tomb pictures are from Ramesses IV, also known as KV 2. The coloration inside is some of the best I’ve seen.

There are stories to be told inside these tombs. I, unfortunately, do not have all of the knowledge or facts, but my guide did an outstanding job explaining a lot of it. My visit was very brief, and because of that, I do not remember all of the details. I highly encourage you to do a little research if you would like to know more about any of what I have shown you. There’s a treasure trove of information out there.

To wrap up my time in Luxor, we visited the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut. This temple is one of a kind, beautiful piece of architecture dedicated to a Queen that ruled over ancient Egypt as a King. However, in a tale as old as time, there was a lot of hatred brewing amongst her from her stepson Thutmose III. After her death, he tried to erase her from the history of Egypt forever by destroying statues and removing her names from the cartouches. However, his efforts were in vain, and her legacy still lives on to this day.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. The hardest part of this day was saying goodbye to my incredible guide. Tamer had a wealth of knowledge, and he was very patient and kind the entire time. I would have been lost without his expertise. He is the guy that you want around if you ever want to explore Egypt. For now, I was off to Hurghada for some rest and relaxation on the coast of the Red Sea.

The drive to the seaside resort was about four hours long. We drove through what seemed like a never-ending wasteland of aired dessert and huge mountains. We finally arrive somewhere around the early evening. I check into the Hilton Hurghada Resort, and the next few days were easy living. The resort was an all-inclusive, meaning all food and beverages were free, as well as some water activities. I tried my best to relax and catch up on much-needed sleep. My stomach was still not right at this pint, and honestly, I had stopped eating much of anything. I was drinking water, but not eating much, so I was super tired a lot. It can be pretty draining when you’ve picked up a bug and are out every day in extreme heat and getting little rest. This was the perfect time to relax, and relax is what I did.

Hilton Hurghada Resort

Swimming in the Red Sea

Views from the glass boat ride

My two days in Hurghada were terrific. I was able to be in my element by the sea and relax just enough before going back to Cairo to return home. The Red Sea is the second saltiest sea after the Dead Sea. The water is at least 100 shades of aqua blue. Some of the prettiest waters you’ll feast your eyes upon. I managed to take a glass boat tour as well as get some snorkeling in a while out in the waters of the Dead Sea. I had a blast. If I am ever in this region of the world again, I will be sure to return.

On my flight back to Cairo, I managed to capture some stunning aerial shots of the water and the mountains from the window seat of the plane.

The coastal city of Hurghada from above

How beautiful are these mountain views from the sky

I land back in Cairo from Hurghada in the evening and take it easy for the rest of the day. Tomorrow is my last full day in Cairo, and I have saved the best for last. I am going to explore Coptic Cairo, the Cairo Citadel of Saladin, and the Khan El Khalili Bazar all before my flight later on that night. This trip to Egypt has been non-stop the entire time with new adventures each day.

The next morning comes, and to my surprise, I am being linked up with one of my guides from when I was in Cairo earlier. It was a treat to see Mahmoud again. We set out to explore Coptic Cairo first. We arrive at Saint Virgin Mary’s Coptic Orthodox Church, also known as the Hanging Church. The church is on top of a gatehouse of Babylon Fortress. The grounds are lovely and serene. You walk in, and there is a courtyard with colorful imagery from scenes the Bible on the walls and steps that lead you up into the church. Again, there is a ton of historical information out there on this church. I highly encourage you guys to read up on it if you have free time.

The entrance to the church

After we spent some time in the Hanging Church, my guide had a small surprise for me and took me to a cool place called Church of St Sergius and Bacchus. It is said to have been built on the spot where Jesus, Mary, and Joseph rested when they fled to Egypt. It was an excellent way to end the tour of Coptic Cairo.

The entrance of the Church of St. Sergius and Bacchus.

The first image is from the well that the Holy Family drank from.

The second two images below are the small space down in the crypt below the church. This space is said to be the place where the Holy family rested.

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We head out and take a drive to The Cairo Citadel of Saladin. This place is a UNESCO world heritage site that was built between 1176-1183 AD. It’s known for the beautiful Mosque of Mohammed Ali. With tons of Ottoman influence in the architecture, it bears a lot of resemblance to the Hagia Sofia in Istanbul. The views of Cairo from up top are incredible, not to be missed.

This citadel was said to be built to protect from the Crusaders.

The Alabaster Mosque of Mohamed Ali Pesha.

The courtyard

The entrance

I tried to capture as much of the ceiling as I possibly could. The intricate details are beautiful.

The back entrance leading into the mosque.

Views from up-top the Citadel

Finally, the very last place we go before it’s time for me to freshen up and get ready for my flight home, we stroll the streets of the Khan El Khalili Bazar. The bazar puts you in the mind of a scene straight out of Aladdin when they are chasing him through the market. Throughout the narrow winding alleyways are vendors of all kinds asking you to look at their products. “For you, I have a special price,” yells one of the vendors. The young adult crowd is the majority of the population that you see roaming about. The fragrant smell of different incense wafts through the air demanding the attention of your senses. Whatever you’re looking for, you can find and buy at the Khan El Khalili Bazar. The hustle and buzz of the bazaar seem only to amplify once the sun sets. That’s when the place truly comes alive.

And that, my friends, is a perfect ending to one of the most amazing trips I have taken in my life. I know that I say all of my trips are good, but Egypt was AMAZING!!!! There is so much rich history in this place, and it’s hard to believe that I stood and walked on the same ground as ancient Pharaohs of the past as well as gods and goddesses and even The Holy Family. It indeed will be an experience that I will never forget. I HIGHLY recommend that you put EGYPT on the top of your travel list; it will not disappoint.

Thank you guys so much for sticking with me through this incredibly lengthy blog. I tried not to leave anything out. My goal is always to provide you guys with the full experience so you can feel like you were right there with me. I hope that you guys enjoyed reading this as much I enjoyed sharing. Until my next adventure, much love and peace.

P.S. My next adventure will be in SE Asia…. get excited!!!!!!

Cape Town

Well, hello there and welcome back guys. I am so happy to be back. I know it has been quite a while since I have last updated you guys, but trust me when I say, life has been crazy busy. Now that things have settled down a bit, I can fill you guys in on my latest adventure. And what an adventure it was!

One night while sitting at the dinner table with Rudi and Karina, I scribble out possible travel destinations for 2019 and 2020. I had small travel ambitions for 2019 since there was and still is, so much going on in my year already. Cape Town, South Africa wasn’t on my radar for this year at all. I was saving it for possibly 2020. I had kinda already decided that 2020 was going to be my year to do extensive travel through Asia since it’s relatively cheap and I can just try and knock out several of the little islands and counties all in one go. And I’ll have you know that traveling to the content of Asia is at least a two-day journey from the East coast of the United States and if I have to be in the sky that long to get to one place, I might as well see as much as possible while I am there. But it’s funny how the universe works. While I had been saying for a while that I really wanted to go to South Africa, I never really set the ball in motion to go. Fate would have it that the very next day a flight deal would pop up in my email to go to Cape Town. Now, mind you, I had no large travel plans for this year except to travel locally in the United States and maybe go to Egypt at the end of the year, so when the flight came through for Cape Town, it was a deal I couldn’t resist, and I brought the tickets. I cannot begin to tell you the level of anxiety that I experienced after purchasing my tickets. The travel dates for South Africa were overlapping with our big move back to Virginia. Oh boy, what I have gotten myself into. Is this doable, what was I even thinking? I get all of the logistics sorted out with Karina, and we tweak some moving parts and voila, we’re moving back a little earlier and literally the week after I am off to Africa for the very first time in my life.

I must warn you that this may be quite lengthy getting into it because there is so much to unpack here, but hang in there because I promise that there will be tons of pictures.

So, in true storytelling form, I will try and take you on the journey as if you were there with me.

The day of my flight, I wake up very early to shower and do a once over my house and shut everything down since there will be no one home for the next several days. All of a sudden before I can get my clothes on good, there's an aggressive knock on my door. I am not the most savory person to deal with in the morning, so this better be good if your knocking before 7 a.m. I quickly jolt down the steps half dressed and opened the door only to find the head of the condo association standing outside of my door, demanding that I move my car immediately. I know what this about. It's about the roofers coming to put on a new roof; however, they are here way before the scheduled time, and I don't appreciate it one bit. Especially when an old man is yelling for me to move my car. Sir, I will move my car once I am fully dressed and I have loaded it. I am going away and need to load my car with my luggage. He then retorts, well fine, don't come tell me when the roofers throw something off the side of the house and it falls on top of your car. So that has me all in a tizzy, but nevertheless, I finish getting dressed, lock everything up, load my car, and I'm off to DC to meet my dad. I meet up with my dad to drop my car off at his house and we make our way to Dulles Int' l Airport. Hmmm, I guess I kinda left out the part that I was coming down with a yucky upper respiratory infection. It's allergy season here on the East coast, so I had just assumed that it was allergies and I was okay to fly. Boy was I wrong.

I get through security with no problem and transfer over to the airside and relax until it's time for me to board the first leg of my flight to Zurich Switzerland. You guys, what in the name of pain and suffering is happening to my body at this point. It's time to board the aircraft and there is absolutely no way that I can go eight hours in the air sitting next to someone with mucus flowing from my nose like an erupted volcano. I flag the flight attendant down and ask her if there's any way that I can move to one of the very back empty rows. She obliges and says absolutely. Ha, there is a God after all. However, we take off and reach cruising altitude and I am feeling terrible. My sinuses are stopped up tight as a drum, yet my nose is running continuously. My head is pounding and I am miserable. The longer I sit on the aircraft the more my body rebels. My skin starts to crawl, my teeth are feeling dry (how is that even a thing), and I just want off the aircraft at this point. I flew with United Airlines to Zurich and then from Zurich to Cape Town they transferred us to their sister airline Edelweiss.

We arrive at Zurich very early in the morning and I am coming completely undone at this point. When I get sick, I need comfort and rest and nothing less. I can't be bothered with anything, let alone wandering around Zurich's monstrosity of an airport. You guys, I think at some point I just start silent crying. I am in pain, I feel really sick, and I just want to collapse. But you know what they say, when we don't have the strength to go on for one second longer, God gives us his supernatural power. I finally make it to passport control and on to the transit hotel inside the airport. I strip naked, shower, and collapse into a coma until my alarm goes off later that day. I had a 14-hour layover, so I was not going to just hang around the airport the whole day, I went to BED!

I woke up feeling just a little better but still very cruddy. I hydrated like a mad woman and had a quick bite of food, and I was off on the longer haul of my flight to Cape Town. This part of the flight was 12 hours. Another agonizing flight. I am telling you, it was divine powers that kept me together on that aircraft those 12 hours. I took so many drugs on that flight. I had to, I had to get through it to reach my destination. The entire time I would just try to imagine what Africa would be like. I had to stop myself because I didn't want to imagine it too much, I wanted to just experience everything in its fullness just as it was with no expectations.

We land in Cape Town around 10:00 a.m. I exit the aircraft and take my first breath of fresh air. It's about 80 degrees Fahrenheit outside, sunny with no humidity. We wait on the tarmac and wait for shuttle buses to take us to the arrival side of the airport. Passport control was a breeze. I collect my luggage from baggage claim and try to order my Uber to my Airbnb. To my surprise, my phone isn't working in South Africa. I immediately connect to Wi-Fi and call Karina stateside and ask her to call Sprint and see what's up with my data. Long story short, I ended up having to buy a router with data from Vodaphone and using that when I was out and about. It was my lifeline, my only way of connection/ communication while in the country.

When traveling in Cape Town, I highly recommend using Uber to go everywhere. They are very cheap, reliable and most of all, very safe. My experience using them was excellent. I always had the very best chats with my Uber drivers and even hired one to be my personal driver for the day when I went to Stellenbosch to do the wine routes. I highly recommend it. The Uber ride from the airport to my Airbnb in Devil's Peak Estate was about a 20-minute drive. I eagerly looked out of my back window, absorbing the sights as much as I could as the driver took me to my Airbnb. I couldn't believe that I was actually in Africa, it seemed surreal.

We finally reach the Airbnb, and my host comes out to greet me with the biggest hug as if she's known me her entire life. I remember thinking, wow, she is very friendly. I am an introvert when I am tired and not feeling well, so I am not sure if the expression on my face was one of sheer horror when she decided to come really close and hug me or did I force a half smile half grimace as she came in for the hug? I think I may have even shuddered at her touch. I meant well, but I was beyond tired and quite sick. Thankfully, my host had already been informed of my feeling under the weather before landing. I messaged her in Zurich and told her that I would probably need medical care upon arrival. She showed me my around and let me shower and gather my self before giving me the official rundown of South Africa. I want to stop right here and say that it makes ALL the difference in the world to have a local host if possible. You can do your research and navigate any place more or less on your own, but having a local host makes it so much better. Arriving in a new place can be quite daunting at times. I had no idea how much of a culture shock I was in for. It came totally unexpected. That just goes to show that one should always leave their expectations at home when traveling. Go with an open mind and open heart and take the good with bad. Traveling can be a myriad of things.

The day is still young, and although it's my first day in the county and there's nothing more that I rather do than to collapse into bed right now, I must push through and go to Table Mountain. Plenty of people told me that you must do Table Mountain the very first day you arrive because you never know when the clouds will roll in, and your view becomes obstructed. I push myself and head to Table Mountain, one of the seven natural wonders of nature. You arrive pretty high up on the mountain and get on a cable car that takes you even higher up to the peak of Table Mountain. It's finally my turn to board the cable car, and we start our ascent up to the top of the mountain. I step off of the cable car and immediately, my jaw drops. First, I am completely overtaken with how high up we are, second, you can almost see God up here, and third, Oh my God! Words just won't describe this, so maybe these pictures will.

Waiting in line to board the cable car that takes you up to the mountain.

Going Up

Views as soon as you step off of the cable car.

What an incredible view of the sun setting right on the horizon above the clouds as well as the city view of Cape Town below.

I felt like if I looked close enough through the clouds, I would see God.

Standing above the clouds.

This big guy was sitting here waiting for me. I’m not sure what he is, but there were a lot of then up top the mountain.

A view of Lions Head coming down from Table Mountain.

Table Mountain was absolutely breathtaking. My only grief with Table Mountain is that is was extremely packed with tourist and locals, so it was hard to get really good photos. People would post up in a spot and wouldn’t move until the sun went down. But, that’s to be expected at places with amazing views.

The sun is almost entirely down as I come down from the mountain and I head home. The research that I had done before leaving the US advised for solo female travelers to ALWAYS use Uber when the sun starts going down due to crime. I personally didn’t experience any problems, but I was always either back at my Airbnb or getting ready to go back once it started to get dark outside. I don’t like to take chances when it comes to safety, and I was already sick, so I wasn’t doing much exploring at night.

Now, before we get into the sights and activities that I did during my visit, I think it’s important that I discuss a few things before going further. According to the 2011 statistics bureau, Cape Town South Africa is roughly made up of 76% Black Africans, 9% White Africans, 9% Coloureds (mixed race people, yes, they call them that) and 2.5% Asians (Cape Malay people). I am going to be honest and transparent with you guys. I experienced more culture shock in South Africa than I expected. I have traveled quite a bit in my life and this was the first time I was utterly shocked and left with so many questions and feelings. I just couldn’t process it. In fact, I am quite sure that I still haven’t processed it completely.

The first thing that I noticed immediately beside the overwhelming beauty of the place was the abundance of White people in Cape Town. I didn’t really see a lot of the African people just out and about. Where were they, I thought to myself? It seemed like everywhere I went, no African people were living in any of the communities that I explored or working in any affluent positions. The majority of White African residents living in Cape Town are either wealthy or ultra-elite wealthy. As I stuck around for a while going about with my day to day activities, I started to realize that there was an extreme gap in the social and economic status between the African people and the White Capetonians. My head was reeling with questions, and I didn’t know who to have this conversation with. I would eventually learn through small chats with Uber drivers and housekeepers at the different places I stayed, most Black South Africans live in townships on the outskirts of Cape Town. In case you guys are wondering what townships are, the townships were created under the apartheid system to separate the blacks from the whites racially. But now that apartheid is over, you still see the lingering effects in the township communities. There are extreme poverty, crime, inadequate infrastructure, and high unemployment rates. You can usually find them very close to wealthy white neighborhoods. Apartheid may have ended over 20 years ago, but it’s hard to not see how blatantly divided it still is. I have never seen or felt division on this level in my entire life. Back home in the states, people are always talking about how racism is still alive, but after visiting Cape Town, it made me think that our problems are slim in comparison to what South Africa is dealing with. It left me feeling so conflicted during my entire visit.

On the one hand, Cape Town is probably one of the most beautiful geographical places I have ever been to, beautiful seaside and mountains views everywhere, ultra-luxe vegetation; a real gem. But how could I not feel disturbed knowing that this incredibly beautiful place, more than twenty years post-apartheid, is still struggling with extreme social divisions? It’s a lot to unpack and discuss, and to be honest, I don’t have the answers. In fact, I encourage people to do their own research. Cape Town is such a unique place in Africa. I highly encourage people to visit regardless of the issues going on. It is very unique and different and to the rest of the African continent. But, please keep in mind that this is only a portion of my experience. There is plenty of good and beautiful to Cape Town. The thing about traveling to distant lands is that it will open you up and challenge your very existence. It forces you to take a more in-depth look and to think about things differently. Travel never takes away, it only gives.

I want you guys to also keep in mind that while reading this, I am not a self-proclaimed historian, I am just a novice traveler exploring different parts of the world. I make it a point to do some research before I leave my home in the United States, but I don’t always research in great depths before I land in a particular country. So my views and experiences are raw and organic first impressions of a place.

Moving along onto brighter things. During my travels in Cape Town, I was able to explore and do a lot of awesome things. My most anticipated thing to do on this trip was to cage dive with the great white sharks. I was so excited to finally be able to face my fear of sharks, only to be told that the shark sightings are rare at the moment. I was told that there was a possibility that we would be out there all day and not see one shark. The reason is that the Orcas are killing the great whites. It was hard for me to believe that Orcas are hunting these Apex predators (the Great Whites), but I wasn’t about to drop a large sum of money for a less than 50/50 chance of me not seeing a great white. I was told that I could rent a car and travel four hours up the coast and I would be guaranteed to see them, but I didn’t have that kind of time on my hands, and to do that solo would be agonizing for me. Had I known a little earlier on in my trip I would have probably made better arrangements. I mean, after all, its cage diving with the great white sharks. It’s a once in a lifetime kind of deal. And not many people can say that have done something that cool.

Every morning in Cape Town I would start my morning early by sitting outside on the patio right as the sun comes up listing the beautiful melodies of the birds singing and chirping, mixed with the faint sound of the Azan (the Muslim call to prayer) in the background. Usually, once the sun comes up, I would place an order with Uber Eats and fuel up for a full day of exploring.

Gluten free waffle with strawberries and coconut whipped cream. YUMMM

One of the joys about Cape Town is that it is indeed a food lovers paradise. There is no shortage of culinary greatness here in Cape Town. There are some amazing markets that are held around town on the weekends that are not to be missed if you’re wanting an extraordinary gastronomical experience. Being that I live for exquisite cuisine, one of the first things that I did to get my feet wet was to explore the Old Biscuit Mill Market and The Oranjezicht Market. Both are wonderful if you’re looking for a smorgasbord of options for food. The Old Biscuit Mill Market offers live entertainment, vendors that sell artisan crafts, clothing, jewelry, unique shops for souvenirs, and most of all, a beautiful selection of glorious food. It is best to arrive early to avoid the crowds and long lines if you want to do quite a bit of food experimenting. I walked around and ate from at least three different vendors while there. I had a lovely butter chicken from one stall, shawarma from another, and a mushroom shish kabob that would leave me drooling long after at the thought of eating another one. I will just say that Old Biscuit Mill was a real treat for me. I arrived around 10:00 a.m. and the crowds were already massive and thick. I just breathed through my anxiety and squeezed my way onward and about to culinary greatness. Sadly, there are no pictures of my food. I devoured it as soon as I got it in hand. And the crowds were too thick to be whipping out my phone or camera to try and take a picture worthy enough to do it justice. There was barely standing room.

The entrance of the Old Biscuit Mill~Lively on a Saturday morning.

Live music of the front entrance seating area.

Entering into the heavenly food section of the market.

I managed to squeeze these hips into a small sliver of space on the bench to devour my food before even taking one single picture. This picture was an after-thought, sorry guys. None the less, this is what seating looks like in the back of the market where all the amazing food is located.

Tons of vendors set up out side with beautiful crafts.

Views leaving the Old Biscuit Mill while waiting for my Uber to arrive.

Art murals can be found all over the city of Cape Town.

The Oranjezicht Market has more a farmers market feel to it. You will see more of the local Capetonians here than at the Old Biscuit Mill. It offers a vast selection of green life (plants) in all forms and some of the most beautiful produce that I have seen outside of the open street markets in France. You can find local farmers set up with fresh cuts of pasture-raised meats, fresh cheeses, jams, and honey. It’s a gem if you’re a local that is looking for excellent quality food to prepare at home or even tourists who are spending extended time in Cape Town. The food vendors are not to be missed here as well. I had some of the best shakshuka in my life there. Shakshuka is an Israeli breakfast specialty that’s made of a tomato red pepper sauce spiced with cumin, paprika, and cayenne that’s topped with a few eggs overtop. It is heavenly stuff. I was amazed at how lovely I had it there in Cape Town.

Beautiful flora throughout when entering the Oranjezicht Market. I wanted so badly to buy all of the beautiful things and bring them back to the States with me.

Have you ever seen anything more beautiful than this produce?

Food vendor section. All the yummy things reside here.

Because food is obviously the only reason I travel ( just kidding, but am I really though), I decided to book a cooking experience through Airbnb with a local resident in the Bo Kaap neighborhood. My lovely host Fayruza, who led the cooking experience, welcomed us three girls into her home with an open heart and much kindness. I felt like I was in my mom's kitchen cooking alongside her. The atmosphere was relaxed and casual, and the flow of conversation was beautiful. This is absolutely 100 percent why I travel, for the authentic cultural exchanges such as this one. It fills you richly and leaves you with so much more than what you had when you first started the journey.

Our host welcoming us into her home with a special occasion celebratory drink. I forget what its called but its a mixture of rose water and some type of milk. When you drink it, you say Bismillah.

A traditional spice dish on the left with a bowl of yogurt, a tablespoon of minced ginger, and a bowl of tomato paste mixed with crushed tomatoes.

Our host walks us through the steps of making the curry. You can use any kind vegetables that you like. For us, it was a mixture of zucchini, carrots, and potatoes.

Next we prepared the dough for the Roti. Roti is a flat bread that uses flour, salt, baking powder, herbs, and olive oil.

We rolled the roti out and made round shaped disk in the shapes of what a tortilla would look.

Next was the chopped salad that would be made to eat with the samosas. A mixture of onion, yellow pepper, banana, cucumber, tomato, parsley, red Chile flakes, and sweet Chile sauce. It’s a strange combo, but it works so well with the vegetable samosas.

Finally, everything has come together and we are ready to eat. The food was absolutely amazing.

Continuing on that day, I walk down to Greenmarket Square and meet my guide for a private walking tour of the Bo Kaap area. The Bo Kaap area is home to Cape Towns Cape Malay population whom many are descendants of slaves that arrived in Cape Town from Maritime South East Asia, Madagascar, and Eastern Africa. Majority of the Cape Malay people were brought over by the Dutch East India Company. Many know Bo Kaap for their distinctively brightly colored homes and cobble stoned streets. My guide was explaining that the houses are painted so bright because it represents their freedom after apartheid ended. The majority of the Bo Kaap residents are Muslim. There are said to be eleven Mosques in the Bo Kaap area alone, all functioning and serving the community. While strolling up and down the cobbled stone hilly roads, you can hear the azan being played over the loud speaker calling the people to prayer. People walking by greeting me and my guide “assalaamu alaykum.” It is so hot that day that my guides frequently stops in the shade to tell me bits and pieces of history as I catch my breath and get ready to keep trekking ahead.

Greenmarket Square is a place of hustle and bustle. There are tons of vendors selling just about anything you could want; art, jewelry, native clothing, you name it, it’s there. Every turn you make a vendor is yelling out “madam, madam, please come an have a look.” It’s okay to look, but you must be strong-willed if you don’t plan on purchasing. They will hound you. A polite no thank you is usually enough to shift their attention elsewhere. I highly suggest that you haggle when shopping at the Greensquare market, they will offer you an outrageously high price at first, but if you haggle a little bit they will come down. But please be respectful and don’t go too low. This is usually the vendors only source of income.

Entering the Bo Kaap neighborhood.

A small art gallery inside the Bo Kaap neighborhood. I ended up purchasing a small piece of art from inside the gallery.

Beautifully colored homes.

A candid picture of my tour guide carrying my bag of native spices that I brought from a local shop in the Bo Kaap neighborhood explaining the mural art on the wall to me. I was struggling to keep up at this point. The heat had me.

A beautiful view of the Bo Kaap neighborhood with Table mountain in the background.

More art murals along the walls in the alleyways of Bo Kaap.

A few days into my trip, despite my best efforts to nurse myself back to some sort of health, I still felt quite crappy. This upper respiratory thing was not letting up, and I didn’t want it to ruin my entire trip potentially. I messaged my host and asked her about medical facilities in the area that would take my insurance, and she took me to see a doctor the very next day. Medical care in Cape Town is very cheap compared to the outlandish price you pay in the States. I paid $135 US dollars for the medical exam and prescriptions. Turns out I had a bad upper respiratory infection and an inflamed tympanic membrane. A round of antibiotics, steroids, and anti-inflammatory pills were prescribed to clear things up, and I was on my back out to do more exploring.

Being that I was still quite under the weather, I decided to take it pretty easy with my sightseeing go and explore the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. The V&A Waterfront is one of Cape Towns oldest functioning harbors that boast beautiful views of Table Mountain. There are a variety of things to do around the V & A Waterfront, endless shops, tons of restaurants, both budget-friendly and high end, live entertainment most days, and a huge observation wheel. In the same area, there is also the Two Oceans Aquarium and The Zietz Mocca Museum. I ended up spending quite a bit of time down at the V & A Waterfront most afternoons because of all of the shops. I could never see as much as I wanted to in one visit.

How beautiful is this view, even on a cloudy day?

Another gorgeous view of the beautiful V & A Waterfront.

The Observation Wheel was great for getting an areal view of Cape Town.

Jumbo animal head chess pieces. There would be tons of people actually playing and moving these pieces across the jumbo chess board.

A view of the Cape Town Stadium that was built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

While enjoying some fresh prawns and garlic sauce, this little fellow decided to perch upon my table and join me for a bite of my food. Did I mention that I don’t share?

African singing and dance in front of the Noble Square Statues with beautiful view of Devils Peak in the background.

In the V & A Waterfront area is the Zietz Mocca Museum. It holds the most extensive collection of contemporary African art in the entire world. If museums are your thing, I highly suggest you check it out. There is a fee of R190, which is equivalent to $13.29 US dollars to enter, but well worth it to have a look around.

I will show you guys a few of the exhibits that I saw during my visit, but I, unfortunately, do not have all the information on every piece of art.

Views that you see as soon as you enter into the museum.

I was cough entirely off guard when I entered into this room. You enter into the room through the doors pictured above, it's very dim lighting with very creepy voices speaking in almost a whispering tone. Very freakish. I did not like it. I actually opened the door and heard the whispering voices and then looked to my left and saw that person looking thing laying there and jetted out the room. It scared the hell out of me. I gathered my composure and stood in there long enough to snag a photo, and I jetted.

This photo gives you an explanation o the next two photos.

This artist recreated Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden except they don’t have heads. I imagine that the artist is trying to portray that no one alive today would able to know what these human being looked like back in that time, so he left them headless. You can’t see it that well, but the snake is also headless.

While roaming around down at the V & A Waterfront, I stumbled across the City Sightseeing office where the Big Red Bus operates tours from all over Cape Town. It was perfect timing because I wanted to book a trip to the Cape of Good Hope and Boulders Beach to visit the penguins. While there I also booked a one day hop on hop off ticket with the Red Bus to get even more sightseeing in. Using the Big Red Bus to get around is a very inexpensive way to see a lot of the sights around Cape Town. I have used this company in many different countries and cities. I highly recommend it.

Below are pictures from the Cape of Good Hope.

On our drive to the Cape of Good Hope, we drove by Muizenberg Beach that is known for their colorful beach shacks on the water. I wish we had stopped there, but that only means that I will have to come back to Cape Town for another visit.

You take a funicular up to a certain point and then you walk up the steps to the look out point of the light house where the views are spectacular.

The baboons run wild around the Cape of Good Hope. They can be quite aggressive, especially if one has food in their possession. It is highly advisable not to have any food what so ever in your hands while walking the grounds at the Cape of Good Hope.

Everywhere you look, there’s a beautiful view waiting to take your breath away.

I can never get enough the sea views in South Africa.

Below are pictures from Boulders Beach. There is a small entrance fee of R35 wish is equivalent to 2.45 US dollars. Boulders Beach is very popular due to the African colony of penguins that arrived in 1982. They can only be found along the coastline of South Africa. Because of awful tourist poking the penguins with selfie sticks and stepping on them and bothering them in general, they have blocked a lot of the areas off where the penguins roam around. You have to watch them on a dock off of the shore, and the space by the water is usually always very crowded with people trying to get photos and videos of the penguins. Makes for a less than pleasant experience, in my opinion. But, that’s what you deal with when people can’t leave the animals alone. It’s not enough to just look at them, but I digress.

Well, hello there little fella, where are you off to on this fine day?

I may have squealed when I saw this cute little colony of penguins.

You guys, come on, how cute is this guy.

Can we all take a minute to appreciate how beautiful the water is?

So sad to have to leave these little guys. I could have watched them all day, but it was extremely crowded on the dock and I needed to get out of there before my anxiety got the best of me.

After the fantastic day with the penguins it was time to rest up for the next day of exploring. By this time I am feeling a lot better, the meds are working and the steroids are giving me an insatiable appetite. I want to eat everything. First stop of the day is to the Kirstenbosch Gardens. Luckily for me, I can use the Big Red Bus to get there since The Kirstenbosch Gardens is one of the stops along the many routes the bus takes. When arriving at the gardens, there is an admission fee of R40, which is the equivalent of $2.81 US dollars.

Kirstenbosch is truly a magical place. You can spend the entire day just walking around taking in the beautiful scenery of the gardens. It was one of the most peaceful and serene places that have been in my whole life. My pictures do not do this place any justice. This is one of those places that can’t be described, it must be visited. My only regret is that I wish I could have spent more time there. The grounds are expansive and lush leaving you feeling like you’ve stepped back into the garden of Eden (not that I’ve ever been there, but I imagine that’s what it may have resembled). Kirstenbosch is known to have live music and movies on Sundays. People take their picnic baskets and blankets and spread out on the lawn and enjoy the beauty that surrounds them.

Upon entering into the gardens, you will find this statue of artwork. Very impressive.

This looks like something dreamed up inside of a fairy tale, so magical and beautiful.

Views, on top of views, on top of views.

Entering onto the Centenary Tree Canopy Walkway.

I felt like I was walking through a lush tropical jungle. The scenery was so amazing. You can literally spend hours in this place and lose all track of time.

I want to believe that this is what the world looked like millions of years ago before we ruined it.

The lawn where they have live music and movies at sundown.

The natural Flora that grows here in the gardens.

Kirstenbosch was an absolute gem, definitely one of the highlights of my trip. Now that I had explored possibly one of the most beautiful gardens that I have ever laid my eyes upon, it was time to eat. I headed to the restaurant nearby and grabbed some delicious prawn curry. Just a little food to hold me over, and it was off to my next adventure.

I’m drooling just remembering how delicious this was.

Later that evening, I decided to advantage of the Big Red Bus’s sunset ride to Signal Hill. The bus departs a little before sundown, and they take you to the top of Signal Hill to experience a beautiful sunset. Usually, people bring tier blankets a light snack and a sundowner to enjoy the view as the sun settles below the horizon. The ride up to signal brings you more amazing views as you drive the scenic coastal route; I highly recommend it. On the way down the mountain, we actually got stuck in complete gridlock traffic, but I didn’t mind it one bit because the views of Cape Town coming to life at night were just as amazing.

Views form our drive along the scenic route.

It never gets old looking at the views of Cape Town.

Twelve Apostles side of Table Mountain.

Almost to the top.

The view that greets you at the top of Signal Hill.

Everyone gathered here at the slope of the mountain to watch the sun settle beneath the horizon.

As beautiful as the Western Cape can be, it did rain a few days while I was there. Cape Town was going into their Fall season while here in the states, we were going into our Spring season. The rain didn’t stop me from going out and continuing to explore. The District Six Museum and Truth Coffee were excellent options for a rainy day.

District Six was a former residential community made up of freed slaves (both Malay and African) and immigrants that was destroyed under the apartheid regime in South Africa. Forced relocation and the destruction of homes left District Six laying in rubble never to be re-built long after the apartheid regime ended.

A fresco painting covering the entire wall dedicated to human rights in the District Six Museum

Covering the floor is a map of District Six where letters were written by the inhabitants that used to live there are placed around the border of the map.

The museum had many items that were found in the rubble of District Six, a lot of family heirlooms. This is a recipe of a curry meatloaf that comes from one of the former Cape Malay inhabitants of District Six.

The District Six museum is small and only takes about an hour or so to see in its entirety, but It is well worth a visit to learn about the history. I highly record that you stop by if you’re Cape Town. Sad, but very eye opening.

After spending some time in the District Six Museum, I make a mad dash in an attempt to dodge the pouring rain and head into Truth Coffee Shop. The shop was right across the street from the museum, so I didn’t have to run far, but I was drenched when I walked through the door. A man in full steampunk attire greeted me and asked me if I would like a seat at one of the tables. Truth Coffee shop is known for its unique steampunk vibes while serving up some of the best coffee in Cape Town. I order a hot chocolate and croissant and chatted up the lovely American expat who is currently living in South Africa. We chat about this and that and before you know it, two hours have passed by. It was an excellent way to spend my rainy day in Cape Town.

Steampunk greeter at Truth Coffee Shop

This is what I’d like to call the coffee concocter. They actually use the coffee beans from this steampunk looking machine and make coffee.

This place stayed pretty full, and it’s not uncommon to have to wait for a seat.

Also, on my agenda was a trip to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela and over 3000 other political prisoners were held during the apartheid regime. The island is only accessible by taking the ferry, but if the weather conditions are not right, they cancel the boat. I had initially booked my trip to Robben Island for the beginning of my trip just in case they had to cancel, and I’m glad that I did that because they ended up canceling the ferry twice. The good thing is that once you purchase your ticket, if they end up canceling, you get your money back. Robben Island is no longer a prison, but a museum.

Such a haunting statue to see while waiting in line to board the ferry to Robben Island.

Arriving on the island, you immediately know that you’re here for a prison. Through that entrance is the prison.

The ferry that brought us over. It’s a lot bigger than it looks.

The prison area is dry and desolate. It is eerily quiet here. It makes me think what it would have been like to have been here as a prisoner.

A very long and sterile corridor. On the other sides of those steel doors are cells that housed inmates.

Toilets were not always a luxury that the inmates had. They usually had one bucket for several prisoners.

Open showers.

The prison bay. The bunks were not always there. For many years there were only those thin mats that lie in the middle of the floor.

Our tour guide. He used to be an actual prisoner here at Robben Island for several years. An outstanding man full of knowledge.

This photo goes with the one below it. The stories of former prisoners inside different cells, most of the stories spoke about the inhumane torture for the prison guards.

Nelson Mandelas cell. That red bucket was for his waste and the thin mat is where he slept.

Guard tower.

A view of Cape Town from Robben Island.

The tour through Robben Island was such an experience. I would always hear about Nelson Mandela and what he fought for, but I never thought I would get to see the place where he spent 18 out the 27 years he was imprisoned for fighting apartheid. Mandela went from political prisoner of the state to the political leader of South Africa. Nelson Mandela’s legacy will live on, forever.

As my time is winding down in beautiful Cape Town, little did I know that I was saving the best for last. I decided to keep the wine routes for last because I am not a big wine drinker. I can enjoy a glass of wine every now and then, but you will never see me just going and buying it to drink regularly. However, I regret big time that I saved this for last. This experience was hands down, the highlight of my entire trip. Who would have thought that I would enjoy wine tasting so much? South Africa is known globally for having some of the best wines in the world. They weren’t exaggerating when they made that a statement! I was only able to visit one winery, and I am kicking myself for this. I hired one of my Uber drivers for the entire day to take me to Stellenbosch to go wine tasting. There are tons of wineries along the Stellenbosch route, the hardest part is to pick one. I decided to go with Fairview Wine and Cheese Farm. Oh boy, I was in for a top-notch treat and didn’t even know it.

Entering Fairview Wine and Cheese Farm.

Welcome to the winery. This is where all the fun happens.

I would like to tell you guys just how exquisite these cheeses were, yes the wine was delicious, but the cheeses stole the show. There was a variety of cows milk and goats milk cheeses. The goat's milk cheeses are made right here on the farm, and they are out of this world fresh and delicious. Everything was paired so perfectly.

At this point, I have had four generous tastings of wine paired four different types of cheeses. The olive oil and bread are there to eat in-between each tasting to cleanse the palate.

This is where all the magic happens. A lot of the wine we tasted is made right here on the farm from the grapes grown outside.

This is where you do the basic wine tasting. I decided that I wanted the master tasting. It was 100 percent worth it.

Fairview’s grounds are lush and expansive. I almost thought I was somewhere on a private estate off the coast of Italy somewhere.

Beautiful lush gardens around the property.

Such a beautiful and serene place. One of the best farms I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing.

A view of a portion of thier vineyards.

How amazing is this view of the vineyard with the mountains in the back.

The goats of Fairview.

Cape Town South Africa has left me with a myriad of emotions. Never in my life would I ever think that I would someday travel to lands so distant. Cape Town, while still having a lot of underlying issues from its dark past is an amazingly drop dead gorgeous place. It’s hard to remember that you are in Africa at all at times. Cape Town is a place that will be with you with forever, it shakes you up, challenges you, and sticks to your soul for years to come, begging you to come back and see more. I didn’t even touch the tip of the iceberg with everything that I saw and did while visiting. There is so much more to do and explore. If God wills it, I will be back one day to explore once more, all the things that I missed this first time. I am just getting started. South Africa isn’t only Cape Town, there are so many other cities such as Johannesburg, Soweto, Durban, and Pretoria. Thank you, God, for giving me the grace to see more of your majesty. I realize that not everyone has the privilege to travel, so my heart is extremely grateful.

Well, guys, if you made it this far, you are a faithful OG. I know this was quite lengthy, and at times, I was rambling, but I promise you that I am working on this whole blogging thing. It will get better.

I hope that you enjoyed reading this blog as much as I enjoyed sharing. Please come back soon for my next adventure around the world.

Hello January of 2019

Well, hello out there to all my lovely readers from all over the world. Is it still appropriate to say Happy New Year? After all, we are at the tail end of January and I feel just a tad bit guilty that I haven’t checked in sooner. The New Year can be a little tricky for me some time. Between coming down off the Christmas holiday “high” and it being the dead of winter, I feel like a bear that just wants to hibernate and awaken when the spring flowers start to bloom. But that isn’t how any of this works. Life is summoning me to be present right now in the dead of winter and motivate. I have never been really big on new year resolutions; too strict and rigid for my liking, but I don’t think that they’re a bad thing to have if that’s what works to motivate you to reach your goals. I’m the type of girl who usually has a few things that I want to focus on during a set period of time and then I break the main goals down into smaller steps to work on daily, weekly, and monthly to achieve them. That way, I am actually more intentional and focused and not overwhelmed by the huge task at hand. The objective for me this year is to be more intentional in my day to day. There are a few things that I will be working toward over the year and my pace in general will be more slowed down, but the slower pace will help me to have that laser beam focus that is required to build Rome (wink). As a disclaimer, I do use a planner to help me keep what’s important in focus. If I don’t have my planner I usually forget many important things and life is chaos.

Rudi and I trying to hibernate for the remainder of the winter.

So far, January has been pretty good to me. I kicked the New Year off by celebrating Karina’s birthday on January 11. Karina took the day off from work and we indulged in delicious food and drink of her choice followed by a mini unicorn cake that I managed to pick up from the bakery on a whim. She enjoyed her day thoroughly.

Delicious shrimp tacos for me and a Mediterranean style pizza for the birthday girl.

Micro mini unicorn cake. Isn’t it the cutest.

By happenstance, there are a lot of people who are dear to me that celebrate birthday’s in January. Three of my best friends; Crystal, Karina, and Jenny, my late Nanna Clara, and my father Timothy.

Crystal and I in our younger days.

Jan 5

Karina, the birthday girl and I on the beach.

Birthday Jan 11

My grandpa, me, and my dad.

My dad’s birthday Jan 14

My late Nanna Clara and I

Jan 17

Jenny and I at our favorite place

Birthday Jan 31

With so many exciting plans on this years horizon, I decided to make a conscious effort to move my body as much as possible throughout the day. For me, that looks like layering up and going on very long walks just about every day. I love walking because it helps me to get ready for any upcoming travels and keeps me semi-sane. I do have some very exciting travels coming up in March. I will be in South Africa for about two weeks exploring the best of what that part of the world has to offer. I am excited and nervous all at the same time. This trip came up so unexpectedly. South Africa was not on my radar for this year, it was actually being planned for the following year. But with travel, you go where the flight deal is, and that’s exactly how this venture came about. If you are a wandering soul like myself, I highly recommend following pages such as secret flying, airfare watchdog, and Skyscanner. That is 100% of the time where I get my flights from.

As of lately, when I am not catching up on household chores or reading or planning travel, I am at home preparing for the upcoming move from Fort Knox back to Virginia Beach. I am pretty stoked to be moving back. If you know me then you also know that the sea is home for me. Any place by the sea and my soul is most content.

Standing by the seashore

Moving back to the Tidewater area has me excited for many reasons. I’ll be closer to family, friends, and my church. I have missed that trinity way too much while being gone. But with any move there is stress, and we have had our fill of stressors as of late. I am actually flying out tomorrow to go and secure our home back in Virginia Beach. Lots of moving parts coming up here and I just want all of it to be done and over with. Someone cue my fairy godmother ASAP.

A few of my new reads for the year that Santa left under the tree for me. I am currently reading A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (not pictured). I can’t wait to start reading Circe!

Well, my beautiful readers, I will be sure to keep you guys updated on things. I need to learn how to do a much better job at keeping my social media platforms updated as well as the blog. You know, it’s so funny that I even like blogging because I am a private person for the most part and I think that is why I have such a hard time posting to social media. There needs to be a healthy balance, but I do know that I need to get way better at this. All with time my friends, all with time. Until we meet again. It has been a joy updating you guys. I hope that you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed sharing. Sending out light and love into the universe.

End of Year Wrap Up 2018

It is in the very wee hours of the morning that I am writing to all of my lovely readers. I have been away for a quite a while focusing on self-care. I decided earlier on in the year that massive self-care was a top priority for my well being all throughout 2018. I wasn’t sure what that looked like when I decided on it, but I was sure to give my mind, body, and soul everything it needed and as much as it needed, in order to get well and heal this year. I will just say that it has been a journey thus far. This year started off with me in the hospital recovering from a surgery that led me to be borderline septic. (You will be able to read all about that very soon. I just need to gather the courage to post it). That was not a fun feat at all. It was a long process of trying to heal and recovery both physically and mentally from what seemed like a never-ending nightmare. I was completely ignorant of how much that surgery would change my life. Never the less, life keep moving folks. You can be going through so much and not even realize that while you are going through whatever it is that you’re going through, days are going by and life outside of your “stuff” is still happening.

So here we are, December of 2018. Honestly, I feel like I have been zapped by a supersonic time machine. While so much has happened this year, I absolutely do not know where the time has gone. I believe the last update you heard from me on this platform was in August when I went with Karina to Puerto Rico to visit her family. Yeahhhhh, I’m sorry to leave you guys hanging like that. I am still a novice to the art of blogging. I am a person that needs to unplug completely at times and that can cause long hiatuses. Not good! I need to work on that. Please try and understand that I am human, and depending on what is going on in my life, I will either want to share and write, or I will just be quiet. Quiet is therapeutic for me. I process when I am quiet.

So what have I been up to you may ask. These days you will find me at home sipping on hot tea in the mornings having long chats with God, smothering and inhaling my dog Rudi, cooking and eating all the yummy food, going to therapy, and really practicing the art on being in the present and enjoying the right now. The mundane, the day to day. I am usually so busy planning for the days, weeks, and months ahead that I miss a lot of the beauty in the right here and now. I have been cultivating the art of being intentionally present. There’s something so loud about being present, it forces you to have an honest eye. It causes you to take stock of your life and do a solid inventory of your blessings. You see, in my head and heart at the beginning of the year, and even halfway through the year, I was wishing the time away. I didn’t want to be present in my body or my brain. I was dealing with a lot of changes both mentally and physically. Looking back on it now, I realize that God was growing and stretching me. Teaching me to trust Him and to Rest in Him, but most of all to surrender. I have been a relentless control freak my entire life. And even now, when I try to surrender, it can still be hard. But the thing about all of that is that God will meet you right where you’re at. His grace is good like that y’all. He knows exactly what we need when we need it.

I may have had my moments of doom and gloom this year but I must say, the year has not been bad despite it all. After Puerto Rico in August, I went to Virginia in September. Technically, I was in Virginia to honor a fallen comrade that got killed when I was in Iraq in 2004. But, I was still able to spend time with some of my favorite people. A trip to Virginia is always so good for me. You can even say that this trip to Virginia was a form of self-care. I got to connect and spend quality time with people who I love dearly, go to the beach (the beach is so therapeutic for me), and eat amazing food. Oh, and did I mention that I got a much-needed haircut. All of those things are of importance to me. It was short but sweet. It won’t be too long before I am back in Virginia for good.

SGT. Carlos Camacho Rivera. I will never forget.

Shawarma from Baladi’s Mediterranean Cafe in Virginia Beach. It is the best Mediterranean food I have ever eaten outside of the Middle East. I stop in every time I’m in town and frequent it a lot when I am living there.

VB Oceanfront

Virginia Beach

It may not look like it, but this is me with a hair cut. My hair was all the way down to my behind before they cut it. Oh what a relief.

In October I went to visit my dad and grandparents to celebrate my grandfathers 83rd birthday. It was such a nice surprise for both my dad and my grandfather since they don’t get to see me often. We celebrated him by having a delicious meal at the house with family, cake, and ice cream. It was nice seeing everyone. The rest of my stay me and my dad went out int to the city and explored around, got a bite to eat, checked out a cool cupcake spot and just caught a vibe. Again, the time always flies when you’re having fun with the ones you love.

My grandpa

83 years young

National Monument In Washington DC

Me and my pops in the city just exploring our hometown. We have been here numerous times. It never gets old!

The beautiful National Cathedral in Washington DC

We transition into fall rather quickly and before you know it, the leaves have all turned colors on the trees around Ft.Knox and they are absolutely breathtaking. One thing that I will miss when I leave Ft.Knox is the changing of the seasons. It is stunning here in the Fall and Spring.

Post Headquarters on Ft.Knox

Look how rich the yellow color of the leaves are on this tree.

Pathway leading to our home. I haven’t seen the leaves so beautiful since I was a little girl.

How handsome is Mr. Rudi

November we went to Texas to spend time with Karina’s family for Thanksgiving and celebrated her niece’s first birthday. Texas was amazing! It was a fresh breath of air for me. It has been freezing here in Kentucky. The temps out in Texas were in the 70’s the entire time of our stay. A girl could get used to that kind of mild weather. After returning home Karina and I had a serious conversation about finding a winter home for us somewhere warm. The older I get the less I can handle these drastic changes in temps. My sinuses especially!

This is where grateful hearts gather.

Food table from Thanksgiving. We had so much food guy’s. All of it isn’t pictured.

Dessert table from Thanksgiving

Family photo with the birthday girl. We’re missing Rosalie

Clean up after the cake

If only you guys knew what it took to get that smile. There was a corral of people in front of her singing the Baby Shark song repeatedly. A favorite of hers.

Nephew’s and niece walking Rudi on Thanksgiving day

And just like that, we return home from beautiful Texas and a day or two later we get a horrible ice storm.

No thank you Jack Frost.

Look how heavy the tree limbs are form the ice.

I cannot conform or deny that Rudi loves his coat, hat, and scarf. It was freezing out so he had to wrap up. Little dogs get cold fast.

And here we are guys. December is here and we have not even 30 days left in the year. As for me and my little family, we will pass Christmas here quietly and bring in the New Year the same. I am so ready and curious to see what 2019 will bring. I pray that it will be filled with kindness and grace. I believe that God has the most amazing plan for my life and for your life as well. We are all on a journey my friends. Life is truly a marathon. Stay the course. Follow your dreams. Be brave and courageous and do EVERYTHING. None of us know when our time will be up. Live your life and live it well. I would like to wish all of my reader’s much love and blessing for the rest of this year and even more overflowing into the next year. From my heart to yours, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Puerto Rico: Isla del Encanto

Well hello there. How's everyone's summer been coming along? If it has been anything like mine, it's been HOT HOT HOT! You step outside for five minutes and you're melting into a puddle on the pavement. And the sun; the sun is very different this year. I swear it's not the same sun as when we were growing up. I  spent most of my youthful days outside in the sun and I never felt it as intensely as I do now. It's almost as if the sun is radioactive. I feel like it burns me from the inside out. I am no fan of extreme temperatures. If it's too cold my body literally aches, and if it's too hot my body swells. It's the weirdest thing ever. I guess that's what happens when you age. But, I digress. Moving right along.

As you can tell from the title of this blog, I will be sharing about my time in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is a place that Karina and I visit quite frequently because Karina's entire family lives on the island. We make it a point to get over there at least once a year. Our last visit to the island was Christmas of 2016. In September 2017 Hurricane Maria came through the island with massive winds and water almost leaving it completely inhabitable. It is now August of 2018 and we are finally getting a chance to visit the island post-Maria. We weren't too sure what to expect when we got there, all we knew was that the southern part of the island where Karina's parents live was doing just fine. Still, we were anxious about what to expect.

We arrive in San Juan on a Monday afternoon.  We gather our luggage and proceed to walk outside where Karina's mom, dad, and nephew greeted us with a warm welcome full of hugs and kisses. The air was not as thick as I was expecting it to be when we exited the airport doors. Usually, there is a certain thickness that hangs in the air in Puerto Rico. The humidity can be described as stifling or even suffocating. But this time it was different, I could breathe quite nicely. It was almost as if I hadn't touched down on a tropical island at all. The temperature was a warm but mild 83/84 degrees. It was wonderful. We head to the car and load up our luggage and off we go.

Every time we arrive on the island and Karina's dad picks us up form the airport, we stop at a little local restaurant in the town of Guavate to eat the obligatory meal of lechon y arroz con gandules. That would be roasted pork form a whole pig that has been cooked on the open fire served with rice. Pretty tasty. I tried to take pictures of this meal but we were starving and all rationale left our minds once the food was in front of us for devouring. With our bellies full, we drive about an hour south onward to Karina's parents house. When we arrive, we settle in for the evening and prepare for tomorrows beach day. Almost every day was a beach day during this trip. We currently live in the landlocked state of Kentucky so we took full advantage of the ocean each day we were there.

Now, I know you guys are probably wanting to know what the island is like post-Maria. I won't be able to address this in great lengths only because the purpose for our visit was to visit family and  to relax. However, something to understand here is that the island of Puerto Rico had a long-standing struggling economy before the hurricane hit, so when Maria came through, it completely crippled the island. Recovery has been very slow and minimal as a whole for the island. There are limited resources for food and in some parts of the island people still do not have access to electricity and water. Mobile phone service and internet is touch and go throughout the entire island leaving some places as "dead zones". You can expect for inflation to be at an all-time high and wait times in restaurants to be extremely long depending on what part of the Island you are in. An example of how bad the inflation is on the island; we paid $20 for a regular bottle of lotion at Walmart. We thought that maybe we had picked up the wrong bottle, but no, that was the price. Also, what stands out the most is the blue tarps that you see throughout the island that FEMA has placed on people's houses that didn't have roof's after the storm. And the tree's that were once full, lush, and green have been stripped bare of their palms and are now brown. However, that being said, the people of Puerto Rico are resilient and are hopeful of fully recovering in the near future.

One of the houses in the Mountains of Vialba. Completely ruined with the roof completely destroyed.

If you have a close look, you can see the trees that have been striped of their green foliage. All of the brown tree stalks shown in this photo were once full of green lush tropical leaves. 

A view looking down on La Perla. One roof with a blue tarp that FEMA placed and several other buildings with no roofs at all. 

The northern part of the island was surprisingly more intact than the southern part even thought they got hit the hardest. Karina explained that the people in the north part of island were better prepared for the storm than the people in the south because the north always gets hit head on when ever a storm comes through. But, because this was a monster of a storm, even the southern parts of the island got hit hard. Almost everyone was unprepared for what was headed towards them.

Now that we have covered a little of the aftermath of Maria, we can move on to clearer waters. We were on the island a total of 9 days and we wanted to maximize our beach time to the fullest. I don't think we spent one day out of the water. We did occasionally surface for food and sleep, but the beaches would call us right back. The beaches were in pristine condition guys. It was actually the best conditions I've ever seen them in. If I close my eyes I can still see the clear blue Caribbean water. So, if you're thinking about visiting the island, I recommend it. Just keep in mind everything that I mentioned above. I'd go back for the water alone!

Coastal view of Crashboat Beach

We've been here to this particular beach in the past and this time the waters were the clearest we've ever seem them.

My second attempt to jump off the dock into the deep waters of the ocean.

 I couldn't climb this make shift ladder to get out the water to save my life, I had to swim back to the shore. Karinas nephew tried holding the rope, but it was hopeless :)

The sea was nice and calm. Great for floating around and relaxing.

Tropical view of Crashboat beach.

As the sun was setting on this day we decided to head to Rincon, the next town over and catch the sunset from the cliff where the light house sits. 

Welcome to the seaside town of Rincon.

The beautiful Flamboyan Tree. You will see tons of trees like this through out the island. The leaves are always a bright Caribbean color.

Borinquen is also another name for Puerto Rico, derived from the indigenous Taíno Indians that use to live on the island.

A nice view looking up from the Flamboyan tree.

El Faro lighthouse in Rincon. 

A seaside bar that sits off the cliff along the shores of Rincon 

Sea view

Solitude

Our next adventure was half land and half water. We hiked to Cueva Ventana during the first part of the day and then trekked up steep and rocky cliffs to Cueva de Indio. 

Cueva Ventana means "window cave" in English. The cave sits on top of a limestone cliff in the mountains of Arecibo, Puerto Rico. We decided to do a tour with local biologist that spoke to us about the nature of the cave, the importance of the insect and bat population, and life for the indigenous people that use to live inside of these caves. I was quite surprised to learn that cockroaches play a huge role in keeping the caves clean. I remember the guide telling us that if the cockroaches weren't there to eat a certain substance (juano, which is bat poop) in the caves, humans wouldn't be able to go in there and breathe with out getting lung disease. The tour was amazing. I highly recommend it. Most people go just for the view, but I thoroughly enjoyed learning about everything the guide spoke about. Also, one quick note. The biologist that lead our group mentioned that before Hurricane Maria, there were a number of thousands of bats that occupied the cave and the lush surrounding of the cave. Now there are only a total of 15 bats living in that region. Because of the loss of the bats, fruits and other things have taken a loss on the island. It was quite interesting to learn all of that. See, people, we need our bats and we need our cockroaches. I had always just assumed cockroaches were sent to us as a wretched curse. Nope, we actually need them.

I felt like Dora the Explorer hiking through the lush tropical mountains. 

At this point I wasn't sure what to expect because we were approaching a really dark and damp cave that looked like a scene from Alien.

My face says it all. I was freaking out just a bit. 

How creepy are these images! We are now entering the first entrance to the first cave.

The inside of a smaller cave that leads you to the bigger cave of Cueva Ventana.

Indigenous carvings.

I may or may not have panicked going inside the main cave. It was a super steep trek down into the pitch black cave. Every other person was given a flash light and we were told to under no circumstances, point the flashlight up towards the ceiling. We were to keep the flashlight pointed at the ground at all times. I was such a chicken that I had to hold the actual guides hand. I felt like I would be safer with him since he does this day and day out.

If you are claustrophobic and cant deal with very small spaces and have a hard time breathing, this tour is not for you. The guide whose hand I was holding, he probably lost all circulation. I was completely freaked out on the inside. I didn't want to act scared in from of all the people in my group, but there was no going back at this point. I had to keep going forward.

Literally the light at the end of the tunnel. WOW! What an amazing view. Totally worth it! My pictures do this view no justice. The cave is overlooking the Rio Grande of Arecibo. There was a nice cross winds breeze flowing through. 

By the time we get done with this tour we still had plenty of time left in our day for another adventure. We head to Cueva del Indio, which means "Cave of the Indians", is also in Arecibo. It is said to have the largest numbers of petroglyphs in that region of the island. Cueva del Indio is also a prehistoric rock site with spikes rock formations that lead to the top cliffs, which are known best for the views of the ocean. I highly suggest wearing a good solid sneaker while attempting to climb this spikey rock formation. You will cut your feet and twist your ankles if you're not wearing proper foot attire. It is also worth noting that parking around this area is sketchy. There is a man who claims the land is private property and he charges five dollars per person. Not per car, per person. A complete rip in opinion. When I asked him who the property belonged to he couldn't answer me. I also asked who he was affiliated with and he also couldn't answer that question. So beware. There really isn't many places to park so you may have to bite the bullet on this one. Just giving a heads up.

BEAUTIFUL

Very dangerous getting down here. I didn't allow Karina's nephews to come down this far. I actually meet a  local diver that crawled out of one of the openings of these rocks. They were cliff jumping into the waters below. Very dangerous.

Spicy rock formation overlooking the aquamarine blue waters. At times the waves can crash as far as the tops of these cliffs.

Admiring the beauty of this place. Sometimes you have to stop and just take it in for a while. It absolutley beautuful.

We wake up incredibly early the next morning and head out on our next adventure. We travel from the city of Ponce to Fajardo. The drive is approximately two hours. We stop at our favorite café in the area. It's a hidden gem called Dulce Aroma. They have the best coffee on the entire island. The owner is always very polite and makes sure that his customers are very well taken care of. Dulce Aroma gives me a cozy welcoming family vibe. Each day that we stoped in, there were plenty of familiar faces inside chatting over caffe con pan ( coffee with bread). You can get the some of the islands best coffee and breakfast here for under ten dollars. We love this place. We look forward to coming every time we visit the island.  

A hidden gem on the island. I was so happy to see that they didn't suffer terrible damage from the hurricane. 

A beautiful sight to behold. 

Karina looks like she's in love with that sweet Tres Leché's cupcake. 

The space is very small but very welcoming. I wouldn't change anything about it.

After finishing up our beautiful breakfast, our next journey while visiting the island was hands down the best thing we did during the entire trip. We decided to take a charterd boat ride off the island to go to Culebra. We used SS Tobias Snorkel and Boat Tours. They are the best in all of Puerto Rico. Their boats are inspected by the Coast Guard and the crew is outstanding. They provide all snorkel gear, luch, drinks, and snacks.  They are very attentive to their guest and take care of everything for you. It was an outstanding time from the time we took off to the time we docked coming back. I would highly recommend all of your boating excursions through them. We actually used them twice while visiting the island, once to go to Culebra and then another time to go to Icacos. This is my own opinion of this company. I am not being paid or sponsored by them.  

Sailing out. We all had on so much sunscreen. The sun rays were vicious. We weren't taking any chances with our precious skin.

Pulling into Flamenco Beach on the island of Culebra. 

Snorkeling in these waters was amazing. Wishing I had a go pro to capture all go the sea life we saw.

Im pretty sure this is what Paradise is.

What would I give to be out in these waters again.

Why would Ariel from The Little Mermaid ever want to be human. I'd take the mermaid life any day.

Snacks for the entire boat after a long day of snorkeling, diving, and swimming. The Rum Punch and Piña Colada's flowed freely.

One of the two tanks that US Navy left left behind years ago.

Karina's Nephew standing by one of the tanks.

Getting ready to head back. What an incredible day that I will never forget.

Pano shot of Flamenco Beach, Culebra.

We never wanted that day to end. It was beautiful being on the water in that capacity. Especially out in the deep where we could jump off the stern. It was invigorating and made me feel like I was alive. But sadly, all good things must come to an end. We drive back to the city of Ponce that evening with the memories of that day fresh in our minds. As I drifted off to sleep that night, I could still feel the lull of the waves taking over my body from being in the ocean. Best sleep I've had in a long time.

As our time is winding down on the island we visit some of Karina's family in the mountains and go to the local plaza in town. We have about two more beach days before it's time to pack it all up and head back to Fort Knox. I try to stay in the present and enjoy every second of my time in Puerto Rico. 

A view form Karina's aunt and uncle's house overlooking the city of Juana Diaz.

Beautiful mountains

I meet a baby Husky girl named Amayah. She was quite the little stinker.

A view driving through the mountainside of Vialba.

Below you can see artwork from local artist displayed on the walls of Plaza del Caribe in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The walls were filled with big murals of the art through out the entire plaza.

I could have staired at this piece all day. 

Beautifull

Time is steadily winding down on the island, we head up to San Juan and hit up Isla Verdé beach for one last beach day and explore Castillo San Felipe del Morro, which is also called El Morro.

While most of the island was still fast asleep, I was up watching the sunrise over Isla Verde and thanking God for his beautiful creation.

Karina and her nephews made this amazing creation of a sand sculptured sea turtle.

I could get used to this!

We run into La Perla as we walk up the hill to get to El Morro. La Perla is a community that sits right on the wall of the shore of San Juan. 

Sights of the La Perla community.

Some of the most sought out land on the island, many investors have come to Puerto Rico to buy out the land but it is considered a high crime area. There are only three ways to get in and out of La Perla. It has been said that if you have trouble while in La Perla, the police will not come and help you.

Santa María de Pazzis Cemetary. Located right along the walls of San Filipe del Morro fortress.

We finally reach El Morro. The old fortress was built between 1539-40 and served as defense against sea attackers.

A beautiful view from the El Morro and San Cristobal forts.

Such a beautiful area to explore with a lot of rich history. You could spend hours at this place and learn so much. 

On  the weekend's you will find local families here with their children flying kites in the air if a good sea breeze comes in. A beautiful way to pass the day away.

Puerto Rico, you have been a real gem this time around. Anyone who knows me knows that I have a real love-hate relationship with this island. There are things about this island that drive me absolutley crazy, but there's also the the wonderful aspects that keep me coming back every time. It is with great hope that the island of Puerto Rico can truly 100% recover from the remnants of what Maria left behind. The island has so much offer and can truly be enchanting. Until we meet again, Puerto Rico. 

Guys, I truly hope that you enjoyed having a glimpse of my family vacation. As always it was my absolute pleasure sharing with all of you. I hope you all enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed sharing. Until next time, stay cool and God bless!  

A Cuban Inspired Gastronomic Experience

Hola chicos, bienvenidos al blog. If you're wondering what all that gibberish means, I am simply saying hello and welcome back to the blog. I thought it would only be right to greet you guys in Spanish since we will be talking about Cuban inspired cuisine today. Personally, I have never been to Cuba, but it is high up on my list of upcoming travels. I would love to visit before it becomes commercialized and looses it's old city charm. Now, I may have never been to Cuba, but I have been fortunate enough to experience some good Cuban food in my lifetime. I tell ya, depending on where you go, it's a food experience that shouldn't be missed. The atmosphere is what really makes the experience excellent. Usually there is a mixture of Afro-Cuban jazz, mambo, and salsa playing over a set of speakers while smells of garlic, oregano, coriander, and cumin waft through out and delicious mojitos being served cold. It's a thing to behold!

Sometimes in my house on the weekend, I like to cook up different things and play around in the kitchen and experiment. This past weekend I had some extra time and decided to try my hand at a Cuban inspired dish. I say Cuban inspired because I didn't really follow a strict recipe and I used what ever seasonings that I had in my panty; what ever I thought would be close to what the real deal might be. Thank goodness that I don't have a tough critic. Karina usually eats most things I whip up in the kitchen without any complaints. I'd say she's my biggest fan (insert wink).

For this meal I will be cooking chicken, black beans and rice, and an avocado-tomato salad served with a mango mojito. Guys, I can't seem to get away from mangos this season. After all, the mango trumps all other fruits. There is nothing more pleasing to my taste buds than the sweet nectar of a juicy ripe mango in the summer. So, before I go down the rabbit hole on how excellent I think the mango fruit is, we should get back to real reason why we're all here: The food!

INGREDIENTS

Chicken

• 1 lb to a 1 lb and half of chicken thighs cut into chunks or split chicken breast
• 1 and half limes halved
• 1  large orange
• salt
• pepper
• cumin
• oregano
• garlic granules/poweder
• paprika
• adobo

Black Beans

• 1 can of black beans
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• several cloves of garlic chopped finely
• ground cumin to taste
• paprika to taste
• adobo

Rice

• 1 cup of rice (I use Jasmine, it's my preference)
• 1 and a half cups of water
• several cloves of garlic chopped and minced finely
• adobo
• a bunch of cilantro chopped

Avocado Salad

• 2 avocado's
• 2  diced tomato's
• 1 tsp Himalayan sea salt
• 1/4 cup cilantro chopped 
• the juice of half a lime (just a little squeeze)
• olive oil (just a drizzle)

Mango Mojito

• 1 mango cubed
• a pinch of sugar
• a bunch of mint
• cream soda 
• a white rum of choice
• slices of lime
• ice

INSTRUCTIONS

Cleanse chicken thoroughly with cold water, rubbing lime and salt all over and rinse. Rinse again and pat chicken dry with a paper towel to remove any extra moisture. Take chicken to a cutting board and dice into chunks if using boneless thighs. If using chicken breast, split the breast by butterflying it with a knife.  Get a dish out for the chicken to marinate in. Rub salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, paprika, garlic granules, and adobo all over chicken. Squeeze in the juice from the limes and the orange and add a tablespoon of olive oil. Mix thoroughly making sure that every piece of chicken is covered and coated with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for a few hours depending on how much time you have. Usually, the longer, the better. When you're ready to cook add two tablespoons of oil (I used olive oil) to a skillet on medium high heat. Add chicken and cook for 6-7 minutes on each side or until done. Chicken will be a nice brownish color when done.  

All the beautiful seasonigs used for the foods that are being cooked. 

Lime and Cilantro

Marinated chicken all ready for the skillet.

To prepare the rice, add about a tablespoon of oil to a deep pot. Add adobo, cumin, paprika, and minced garlic. Cut heat on high and sauté garlic and seasonings until fragrant. Be careful not burn the garlic. This step should only take about three to five minutes.  Cut the flame down on the stove just a tad and add the rice. Stir the rice, coating the rice well in the seasonings and garlic. Add your water and wait for it to come to a rolling boil.  After the water comes to a rolling boil, cover the pot with a lid and reduce flame to low. Do not touch or stir the rice during this time. The rice will be done in about 15-20 minutes. 

The rice and black beans will cook at the same time and it's kind of a similar method using some of the same ingredients. Get another small pot and add a tablespoon of oil, your minced garlic, adobo, and cumin. The amount of garlic, adobo and cumin used for the beans can be as much or as little as you like. This is all based on taste. Cut the flame on high and sauté the garlic and seasonings until fragrant, still keeping an eye out not burn the garlic during this process. Once the garlic and seasonings have been heated just enough, add the entire can of black beans, juice included. Cut the flame down to medium low and cover with a lid. Check the black beans every so often and give them a good stir to make sure the beans are not sticking to the bottom of the pan. The beans will be done in about 30-35 minutes time.

Can you tell that we love fresh garlic in this house.

The pans  are all set with the minced garlic and seasonings.  Everything is getting sauteed before adding the rice and beans. Very similar cooking steps for both. It's important to heat the seasonings with he garlic so the flavor can pop through in the dish.

Rice on the back burner. Beans on the front burner. Ready for cooking.

While everything is cooking on the stove, now is the time to prepare the avocado-tomato salad. Slice two avocado in half and remove the seeds. Dice the avocado in chunks while it's still in the skin. Scoop out the chunks and throw them into a bowl along with the diced tomatoes and chopped cilantro. Drizzle in some of the juice from the lime and a little olive oil into the bowl and mix together lightly. You don't want to mix too vigorously, just mix it together gently. Add salt to taste. 

This takes no time whip up.

At this point everything should be coming together quite nicely. the food is just about done. A few minutes before plating your food you'll want to fix your mojitos. Now, I know there are proper ways to fix a mojito, but I am just following a recipe that I have and tweaked a bit to make it my own. Again, just using what I have at the house. Take a tall glass and add a pinch of sugar,  a few of the lime slices, and mint. Use a muddle instrument and mush together the sugar, mint, and lime. Get those flavors from those ingredients nice and mixed inside of the glass. Add a few of the mango chunks, some of the ice cubes, a little of the cream soda. Not too much cream soda. It will end up being too sweet if you use too much.  Add a few splashes of rum, more lime, mint, and mango and garnish with a fancy lime slice or a piece of mint. You are all set. 

I ended up using more mint that what is pictured. Mint shrinks down when you muddle it. Only a tiny pinch of sugar was used because this particular brand of cream soda is really sweet. I also used a lot of lime to offset the sweetness that the mango and cream soda would give it.

Now, the moment we've all been waiting for. Time to plate the food and sit and enjoy the fruits of our labor. Serve the chicken, black beans, and rice on a plate. Garnish the rice with cilantro if you please. Serve the avocado-tomato salad in a bowl. Don't forget to grab your mojito.

Buen provecho..... enjoy your meal :)

I hope you guys enjoyed this food experience just as much I enjoyed sharing it with you guys. Until the next time, take care and see ya soon.

My First Solo Travel Experience as a Female

Hi guys. Welcome back. I know, I know, it's been a quite a while since I have last posted anything new to the blog. We are in what you call the dog days of summer here in Kentucky and it feel like the life has been zapped out of me. The temps have reached triple digits here and all the bugs that are usually not present during the cooler months have ascended from hell onto earth. Okay, I am probably being a little dramatic, but we have spiders the size of the palm of my hand trying to sleep in my bedroom and mosquitos that are being contracted out by the Red Cross to get our blood. They are coming in for the kill this year with the bites. So, here we are. I am going to push through this summer daze (literal summer daze y'all) and continue to deliver the stories of my life.

Now that I have given you all a very good explanation of my absence, why don't we jump right into it. Today I will be talking about my first time traveling solo out of the country as a female. Trust me, it's not as scary as you might think. As most of you all know by now, I have always been compelled to travel far and wide and to go and do and see all of things, all over the world. Travel is one of the few things that I am passionate about. If I had my way, I would travel way more than what I do now. I try to get out of here several times a year, but sometimes life happens and travels have to be pushed back. But, such is life, right? I have a dog that I love like the air that I breathe so I can't be gone for too long. Rudi needs me and I need him just as much, if not, even more!

In true Kellee fashion, I was up late one night catching up on emails while binge watching some series on Netflix, not even thinking about anything travel related during that time. I scroll endlessly through what seems like a never-ending list of "trash" emails. As I get to the very bottom I see an email form The Flight Deal pop up in my inbox. I click on that email, and to my surprise, there's a flight deal for a flight leaving out of Dulles, Washington D.C. going to Frankfurt Germany for under $500 for travel dates during the month of November. This was perfect. I booked the flight instantly. I did it without even thinking. I saw there was an opportunity to fly for super cheap and I jumped. For me, it was like all the stars had aligned perfectly that night. My friend Irina lived in Germany and she had been inviting me to come visit her since the day we meet. This was the perfect time to make good on my word and finally go see her.

Because of the way the flight deal was set up, I was able to spend almost the entire month of November in Europe. Once my flight was booked I went into full planing mode. It was like my mind had taken off like a high-speed freight train with plans of where I wanted to go, things I wanted to do, and foods that I wanted to eat. I was excited. I could barely sleep that night. After looking at a map and deciding on which route I wanted to take, I decided on Germany/Berlin, Paris, Brugge, Amsterdam, and back to Germany for the flight home. I wanted to fit in as much as I could but still take my time. 

The lead up to my first solo trip out of the county, I was filled with an extreme amount of excitement and a fairly equal amount of anxiety all at the same time. I was taken over with thoughts of, "dude, you are finally going to do what you love, you get to travel the world". But for every one of those cool thoughts I would also be thinking, "what if some one kidnaps and kills you for your organs" or, "you're going to get human trafficked and end up living as a sex slave in the Ukraine". Oh the horrors. I had every kind of crazy thought imaginable cycling through my brain. The mind can be a slippery slope y'all. I was like Alice from Alice in Wonderland when she went down the rabbit hole. But never the less, I pushed all those crazy thoughts aside and reminded myself that while yes, all of those scary things are possible, I am also very smart and very good about situational awareness and following my gut instincts. And my instincts are ALWAYS spot on. It's a blessing for sure. 

As a key of precaution, anytime I travel outside the United States I always register with The Department of State. They have a program called STEP that allows you to put in the specific countries, dates, addresses, and phone numbers of all the places you plan on going while out of the country. It also gives you a list of all the American Embassy's in your location, along with ways to contact them and get to them in the event of an emergency. I highly recommend checking it out if you travel anywhere outside the U.S.

The day that I was due to fly out, we were living in Virginia Beach, Virginia so we would have to drive about two and a half hours to get to Washington D.C. Dulles is a main hub so it's always cheaper to fly out from there. I had an evening flight so we took our time getting to the airport, but still arrived very early because I like to give myself a lot of time to check in and get through security. The worst thing to deal with while traveling is arriving to an airport and you have massive lines with little time. I get all checked in and get through security and make my way to my gate.

I find my gate and take one of the few empty seats. I happened to sit next to two Irish women who have come to D.C. as tourist. They end up being a chatty pair of ladies, which I don't mind because I love a good chat every now and then. We exchange pleasantries and they tell me that they loved their visit here in the city and would come again. Things suddenly get interesting when a gentlemen about my age takes a seat next to me. The one Irish lady winks at me and looks at her girlfriend and then at the young gentlemen sitting next to me and starts grinning. I am thinking, oh dear, I hope they don't try and engage him and bring him into our conversation, leave the poor fella alone. And what happens next, yep, they start chatting him up and asking him if his final destination is Iceland. The first leg of the flight was to Iceland and then I would go forward on a connecting flight to Frankfurt Germany. Iceland was the young mans final destination and he too was traveling solo for the first time. He hinted at maybe exchanging contact information but I was erring on the side of caution and brushed it off in a round about way. 

We board the flight and begin our trip over the Atlantic and up to Iceland. I didn't sleep a wink on the flight over. I flew with WOW airlines and the seats were not that comfy; it was full flight. We make it to Iceland and the cold literally hits you and snatches every ounce of warmth from your soul. It is cold to the bone. And that was just the little bit of air that was seeping though the small walkway from the plane to the terminal. I wasn't ready! I go through border control, get my passport stamped and I make my way to my connecting flight. There wasn't much of a layover in Iceland. It all flowed very quickly and I was on my connecting flight headed to Frankfurt in no time.

I arrive in Frankfurt and I am taken aback by how freezing the weather is. I packed for the cold, but I wasn't packed for that level of cold. My friend Irina greets me at the airport and we head to her town of Pirmasens. We arrive just as the sun is going down. We get all settled into her apartment and catch up a bit, then we're off to get dinner. We stop at a little Kebab shop around the way of her neighborhood. A little Turkish man fixed our meals and brought it to our table. I remember being so dehydrated from flying and I asked the guy who brought us our food if he had any ice for my water. He responded and said there wasn't any ice. I told him that it was okay and thanked him anyway. Me and Irina begin to eat and all of a sudden the little Turkish man comes over to our table with a huge cup of ice that he got from the shop next door. That was a huge act of kindness to me. The shop owner went out of his way to make sure that I had ice for my water. My heart was touched. Not a bad way to start my trip in Europe.

I didn't spent too much time with Irina because I was going to be going forward to visit other countries soon and Irina had to work. However, during my visit, I had the privilege to meet her family. Guy's, when I tell you that it was privilege, there aren't any words to describe that experience. Irina and I had been out most of the day and the sun had already gone down and we had already eaten. Irina tells me that her brothers family wants to meet me. I am thinking, me, little ole me, okay. We head over to her brothers house and he, his wife, and children greet us with such a beautiful warm welcome. There are slippers for out feet at the entrance and after we say hello and exchange hugs and kisses, we are whisked away into the kitchen. Upon entering the kitchen I am greeted with several trays with assortments of meat, cheese, chocolate, you name it. There is also a bottle of Absolute Vodka with tiny glasses made of pure crystal sitting on a silver platter. Irina's brother opens the bottle and pours everyone a shot and he gives me the first drink. Everyone follows suite afterwards. We talk about everything, nothing is off limits. We eat. There is a steady flow of meats and cheeses and other delicacies that are brought out on platters. We talk and eat in a rhythm that renders me stuffed and full, but still wanting more. We manage to drink the entire bottle of vodka in small increments of shots. Just when I think I'll burst wide open from the steady flow of food and drink, Irina's brother suggest we all have coffee and cheesecake. I think, where am I. Why are they doing all of this for little ole me? Irina tell's me that I'm luck it's a work night and that this is nothing compared to what is usually prepared for guest. My jaw literally dropped! How could they even think  to do any more than what they've already done? As we head back to Irina's house for the night my heart is happy and full. I have never experienced anything like it. That night was perfect. An experience I will never forget. Russian hospitality has nothing on American hospitality. I am forever grateful for the warm welcome that I received from Irina's family. They are beautiful people.

The next day we decide to take a trip to Berlin with her cousin who's name is very similar to Irina's. Her cousin's name is Irene. I thought that was pretty cool. We travel from Pirmasens to Berlin by car that evening. It took us around six hours to get there. We arrived in Berlin at 3 a.m. Irina's friend Ela hosted us in her apartment while we were there. The next day we woke up at 8 a.m. to get the day started. Guys, just when you think the weather can't possibly get any colder. It was freezing and raining when we got to Berlin. I remember still being jet lagged like crazy during those first few days. So not only was I jet lagged, I was frozen. I couldn't stay warm to save my life. A tired, cold, and frozen Kellee makes for an extremely cranky girl. I was running on fumes, but I pushed through because I knew that a girl doesn't travel to Berlin every day. We were only there for a day but we got to explore a little. I shall return one day to explore even more of the city.

A street market in Berlin. This market was filled with every type of fresh produce, meat, and cheese imaginable. It's a fresh foodies heaven.

Hot Chocolate while visiting a Christmas Market at Potsdam Platz in Berlin

Me and Irina's sweet cousin Irene. 

Standing in front of Checkpoint Charlie. Checkpoint Charlie was a Berlin Wall crossing point between East and West Berlin during the Cold War from 1947-1991.

Hanging from the wall of the Checkpoint Charlie Museum.

Another view of the outside of the Checkpoint Charlie Museum. We didn't get a chance to go inside because of out tight time schedule. When I return to Berlin, it's a must do for sure.

I am not sure which building this is, but I found it intresting because of the eagle like statue sitting on top of the building. This building is in the same area as Checkpoint Charlie.

These are not American Soldiers. They are just there as props for photos.

Me, Irina, and Ela.

This guy in the photo had a death grip on my arm. He kept asking me if I was married and if I would marry him. He spoke very good English. He also kept asking me if I was American. Asking if I liked Trump (I was there in Nov of 16 during the election). All I could do was smile and laugh. I do that when I tend to get nervous. My friend Irina had to peel him off of me. His nose was touching my face! 

The Berlin Wall

Ela, Irina, and I standing infront of a remaining segment of the Berlin Wall that has a massive hole missing from it.  

A concert/orchestra hall in the Mitte District of Berlin.

Standing in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on a cold and rainy afternoon.

A night view of the Fernsehturn Tower in Berlin.

A view from the top of the tower. Not the best quality.

After a full day of exploring Berlin we head back to Ela's apartment and spend the night to rest up and drive back to Pirmasens the next day. I leave for Paris the very next day after arriving back at Pirmasens. My time in Germany was very short, but so worth it. I finally made good on my word and visited Irina like I had promised and got a chance to see a little of Berlin. Parting with Irina was bitter-sweet. I was sad to be leaving her so soon, but excited to go onward to Paris.

Paris, I'm coming for you.

Views from my train ride from Pirmasens Germany to Paris, France.

I traveled by train my entire time in Europe. The train system is very easy to navigate for the most part with a few exceptions, and I will talk about that shortly. The train ride from Pirmasens to Paris was a three hour ride. There ride was uneventful and very relaxing. Before long, the train arrived in Paris and it was time for a new adventure in new country. At this point I am completely solo. I leave the train station and catch a taxi to my Airbnb. On the taxi ride to the Airbnb I take in all the sights and I am in awe of the city. Such beautiful buildings and architecture. A charming city indeed. The taxi drops me in front of the building that I'll be staying in and I find my way to the apartment. I am greeted by a kind gentlemen who introduced himself as Gino, my host. He was a very handsome gentleman, maybe a few years my senior. He had a lovely apartment with several nice touches through out, and it smelled amazing in there. The place had a very welcoming vibe. I felt at home and very safe with him. We exchanged information and he showed me around, gave me a key, and told me not to hesitate to ask for anything that I might need during my stay. My stay with Gino was  nothing short of amazing. He was kind enough to cook dinner for me one night, assisted with my laundry needs, and even sent me off with a specialty Parisian cake on my last day in Paris. He went above and beyond as host. Gino is not a host but a good friend indeed. He set a high standard for future Airbnb stays for me.

My time in Paris was definitely my favorite for several reasons. The city is absolutely beautiful and full of lovers charm. If you are an art lover there are tons of museums to explore that will fill any artistic heart. The café's. There is a strong café culture in Paris. You can find Parisians in their local café at almost any given hour of the day chatting it up with fiends, having a café noisette, eating a warm pastry. It is a way of life. I am not too fond of French food, however, you can find the most immaculately fresh produce on the street markets. I've never been anywhere else where the produce is so beautiful and fresh. On many days I would shop at the local produce stands around the city picking up  fresh vegetables, avocados, garlic, and fruits. I would also shop for fresh rotisserie style chicken and freshly baked breads form the local boulangerie. The deserts. I am convinced that no where on earth does dessert like France. I ate my fill of the most amazing pastries, cinnamon glazed nut filled croissants, macrons, and crème brûlée. It was divine! Paris was everything that I thought it would be and more. It did not disappoint. I went during the off season in November so there were barely any tourist around and there were no lines at any of the big sites. It was perfect. Perfect, but really cold. Paris is very walkable but since it was my first time int he city I used Uber quite a bit. I felt completely safe the entire time. There are police patrolling everywhere so it's hard to feel unsafe in the city. 

Republique in the third arrondissement in Paris.

In the sleepy hours of the morning before the café's and shops open for the day. You can see the street lined with Vespa's. Vespa's are a huge mode of transportation in Paris. 

Trocadero. The train stop to get off for a grand view of the Eiffel Tower.

A view of the Eiffel Tower at Trocadéro on a very gray and rainy day. This spot is usually loaded with tourist. You'd be hard pressed to find a spot to take a picture with out other tourist being in the picture. Getting this shot with out other people in it was a perk of going in November.

A view of the city in front of The Sacré-Coeur Bsilica.

Place de la Concorde. A once popular execution place for thousands of people, including King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette.

The outside of the Louvre Museum. You can easily spend the entire day inside. There are so many beautiful works of art housed inside.

Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. It is roped off behind glass and is very tiny. Even thought the museum wasn't crowded on this particular day, there were massive crowds at this exhibit. You have to push your way to the front to even see her. It was very underwhelming for me, but pretty awesome none the less. 

A view of the famous Musee d'Orsay clock. On a clear day you can see the Louvre and The Sacre-Coeur Basilica

My final night in Paris. I saved the best for last. It was breath taking. Amazing. Something I will never forget. I have been to Paris many times since then and seeing the Eiffel Tower light up at night never gets old. 

The cake that my host sent me off with on my last day. It was most delicious.

As I leave my Airbnb, I take one last look at the city on my taxi ride to the train station and I know that I will return again one day. I must! It was amazing. Paris is one of my favorite cities in the entire world so far. I still have many places that I have yet to explore in the world, but something about this city keeps drawing me back time and time again. Each time a new experience. 

I arrive at the train station in Paris and make my way to Belgium stopping in Brussels first and connecting onward to Brugge. This is where things get a little crazy guys. Not crazy in the sence of safety, but crazy as in complete chaos at the train station in Brussels connecting to Brugge. The train ride from Paris to Brussels was horrible. I enter the coach only to find that my seat reservation had been "taken". Now, one would think that if you pay for a seat reservation then the seat is yours. True, that's usually how it always works. But for some reason on that particular day, the train was overbooked. Never knew that was a thing with the rail system in Europe. Usually the trains are never overbooked and your seat reservation is yours. The rule of thumb in Europe while traveling by train is to ALWAYS check to see if you require a seat reservation because if there is a seat reservation requirement, you have to pre book it or won't have a seat on the train even if you paid for a ticket. 

The train station in Belgium

The conductor comes through, well, maybe he wasn't the actual conductor, but he was the ticket checker on the train. He asks where my ticket is and I show  him and he says, "uff, the train is overbooked today, you can find an empty seat but not in first class". So I get a little peeved, but quickly remember that I am far away from home and having a sour attitude will not help the situation. I go up and down the train going in and out of train carts. I find an empty seat, but guess where the seat is. Yep, it's in first class. I think, surely there's no one else going to sit here, there are several seats available in first class. No. The conductor comes back around and firmly tells me to exit the cabin. At this point I am thinking, where am I to sit. So I end up taking a seat in-between the coaches where the train carts connect. I was also very shocked to see other passengers in the same predicament as me sitting in-between the train coaches. It was hands down the craziest experience I have had while traveling thus far. 

The train ride wasn't too long so I was okay. We arrive in Brussels in what seemed like no time at all. Everyone disembarked the train and I was off to catch another train to Brugge. This is where it gets even crazier. In Belgium their train station is chaotic. The signs telling you which platform your train will arriving and departing from are all in Dutch. There aren't many English signs, if any at all. When asking someone that works at the station, they are all very quick with their information and not vey helpful. I went from platform to platform with a carry-on roller luggage going up and down the stairs. One platform will say one thing and it will be all wrong, causing mass confusion for everyone, locals included. I have no idea why this train station is like this, but you just have to roll with the punches sometimes. Thankfully, I manage to get on the correct train heading to Brugge and I didn't need a seat reservation.

Once I arrived at Brugge I was exhausted from the days shenanigans with the trains. I gathered my luggage and headed out of the train station and hailed a taxi to take me to my hostel. The weather was pretty bad that day. It was freezing temperatures and it had just started to snow/sleet. I hop in the taxi and the taxi driver tells me in broken English, "I drop you here. The road is closed. It's weekend. Not far from here". I am thinking, oh no, please don't just dump me here. I have no idea where I am and my goggle maps aren't working. I get out of the taxi and grab my luggage and I am standing there wondering where do I go from here. I see the visitors center across the street and walk over to it with hopes of having someone to help me find my hostel. Brugge is not a big city and you can walk almost all of it, however, I didn't know that at the time. I am sitting in the visitors center and I manage to get my goggle maps working and decide to go back out and try to walk to my hostel. But here's the thing, Brugge is nothing but cobblestone streets and I have a roller carry-on size luggage so that was no fun dragging that through the cobblestone streets. When my maps notified me that I had arrived, I was no where near anything that resembled a hostel. I walk up to a few locals that were walking by and asked them if they knew where Lybeer's Hostel was and each time I was greeted with sharp looks of disapproval and a hand motion as if I was approaching them with a sales pitch. Not a friendly bunch! I was lost. At this point it is beyond freezing outside and its snowing pretty hard. I have had enough. I may have even shed a tear or two. I backtrack my steps to the visitors center and at that point you can see the frustration all over my face. An Indian man (also a tourist) with a very slender frame walks over to me and asks me if everything is okay. I immediately break down sobbing telling him that I am lost and trying to find my hostel and that no one will help me or even point me int he right direction. He immediately offers to take me there insisting that it is just a few block away. Talk about an angel in human form. This kind gentleman walked me to my hostel, which was literally around the corner, but on a small narrow side street. You'd miss it if you blinked too fast. I thanked the kind man and asked him if I could hug him, which he replied, yes. I gave him a hug and thanked him again and watched him disappear into the snowy haze. That man was a angel in disguise and you can't tell me any different. I never even got a chance to get his name, but I'll never forget his kindness.

Outside of the Lybeerman's Hostel. The owner standing in the door having a quick smoke. A very friendly fellow.

I check into my hostel for the evening and take my things up what seemed like 100 flights of narrow winding stairs. The hostel is very dark with dim lighting. I never felt unsafe, but this was my first time staying in a hostel so surely I thought there would be more lighting in places like this. I had done tons of research and felt comfortable booking, however when I finally realized that I would sharing space with actual strangers, my anxiety reared its ugly head. I would be lying if I said I wasn't freaking out just a little bit. I start to gather my belongings to take a shower before the evening crowd comes in. As I was gathering my things for the shower, the other female that would be sharing the room with me walks in and introduces herself. She is a Chinese girl from Shanghai that lives and works in Paris. She turned out to be a really sweet girl. Just when I was thinking of getting out of there at the last minute, I decide to at least stay the night and get some rest so that I could be fresh to tackle the next day. Although we were on the very top floor, the hostel was quite noisy and we barley slept. I decided that night that I would book an Airbnb for the rest of my stay. The hostels through out Europe are super cheap so I didn't take a huge loss with the money I had already paid. I think altogether I paid under 50 bucks, so I wasn't worried and I ended up getting back the money for the days I didn't stay.

Here it is folks, the stairwell of doom. I carried my back pack and my small carry-on size rolling luggage up these stairs in the hostel. Never ending!

The two person female room inside of the hostel.

The next morning Shaojun and I went out and explored a little bit of Brugge. We had breakfast at really good local café. I had a killer migraine so I wasn't out too long. I headed back to the hostel around 2 p.m. and gathered my things to check out so I could make my way to my Airbnb. Shaojun was also checking out that day because she was heading back to Paris. The cool thing about traveling solo is that you always end up meeting really cool people and you make friends from all over the world. It was pleasure to meet her. Her presence helped me make it through my first night in a hostel. We exchanged contact information and I am still in touch with her to this day.

Banana crepe with a scoop of ice cream and whipped cream. Just what I needed to start the day off.

After I get all checked out of Lybeer's Hostel it is time for me to make my way to my new Airbnb where I will be staying for the duration of my stay in Brugge. When I arrive I am greeted by the host who introduce themselves as Ann and Hein. They help me with my things and show me inside of their home and help me to get all settled in. By this time it was evening and I still hadn't had any diner. I asked them if they had any local recommendations of good food spots for dinner. I ended up going to a local pub and eating some of the best soup I've had in while, and I am not a huge fan of soup, so that's saying a lot. I walk back home and I am ready for sleep. Ann greets me when I come back in for the evening and asks me if I want breakfast in the morning for an extra 8 euros. I say sure, why not. I opt in for the breakfast. 

Ann and Hein's home is just absolutely beautiful. This is my bedroom with an ensuite bathroom that is not pictured. I got the best sleep in that bed. Nice and cozy. It was hard for me to get up the next morning.

The next morning I awake and get dressed and head down stairs for breakfast. I had no idea what kind of treat I was in for. Ann had set the table for what could have been a royal queen. I felt like a magical fairy princess when I sat down. There was a candle lit breakfast laid out on the table with soft classical music playing in the back round. It was beautiful. I couldn't believe that all of it was for me. I had never quite experienced anything like it. I never imagined that breakfast could be so beautiful. I took my time to enjoy and savored it. I spent at least an hour sitting there taking it all in while enjoying my meal. 

When I stepped into the dinning room I was amazed. Look how lovely.

Another view of the breakfast that Ann had set out for me. I had already dug in before I remembered to take a better photo. I definitely felt like a queen that morning.

A beautiful view of the back yard while having breakfast. How gorgeous are the fall leaves, even on a gray day.

I finished up my breakfast and headed out to do more exploring of Brugge. I would be there a few more days so I tried to do as much exploring as I could without freezing to death. Brugge is a beautiful little medieval city. The streets are still lined with cobblestones, there are windmills all over and small little cottage like houses. The main city center is filled with horse down carriages and the buildings that still have the charm from days of old. And lets not forget the best reason of them all; Belgium chocolate! There are tons. of fancy chocolate shops around the city to fulfill any chocolate lovers heart. Brugge is certainly a safe place. I walked all over the city alone and had no problems what so ever. The locals can be either hit or miss. There isn't really an in-between. They're either syrupy sweet or stone cold. I ran into a number of people who seemed very cold and standoffish, but I also meet an equal amount of people who were quite charming and very sweet. But again, that was okay with me, I realize that when you leave your home and familiar surroundings there are bound to be differences. I love that. I love to get the authentic experience with the culture, the food, the atmosphere, everything. It's what draws me into traveling. I never take anything personal. I am in their territory. 

A panoramic view of the City Center in Brugge

A horse drawn carriage. Not the best view, but they were moving pretty fast.

Another building with beautiful architecture.

There's medieval charm at every turn.

The Chocolate Line store. Some of the best Belgium chocolate is sold here.

Brugge has tons of natural canals flowing through out the city. I imagine it to be stunning during the spring.

A castle like building with a opening structure that let's cars pass through.

A cozy little quaint restaurant to warm yourself during the brisk fall days.

One of the many windmills along the city.

A beautiful path that lead me back to my Airbnb

Brugge was so good to me. It was absolutely beautiful. My host Ann and Hein, I will never forget them. Their accommodations for travelers are top notch. I recommend them a hundred times over. I wish I could have stayed just a little longer but I vow to return during the spring season soon. A beautiful place not to be missed.

So long Belgium and hello Amsterdam. The train ride to Amsterdam was uneventful, just the way I like it. I actually had a first class ticket this time. Our cabin was closed off from the rest of the other coaches for privacy and it was a "quiet zone". I slept the entire time. It was heavenly. The train arrived in Ansterdamn on schedule and I set out to check into my hostel.

The canals that flow through Amsterdam. Amsterdam is said to have more canals than Venice, Italy. There is also a HUGE biking culture throughout Amsterdam. There are even dedicated biking lanes for bikers. Pedestrians are warned not to walk through the bike paths, they will run you over.

I arrive at the hostel and the women at the counter seemed to be very confused about how to check me in, so I ended up waiting a very long time before someone came to help her check me in. Once I am checked in, I find my way down a dark pair of stairs that leads to the dorm room I will be staying in. I would just like to mention that this place had excellent reviews online, hence, the reason why I booked it. When I checked in it was still day light out side. But as the night came in I started to feel a little uncomfortable. I was downstairs in what felt like the basement part of the building and there was no one in the dorm part except for myself. Usually I wouldn't mind that, but there was no way to lock the door and no one could hear me scream down there if anything happened to me. The vibe was off.

Ecomama Hostel. 

A nice sitting area, but it was night time and the place was completely empty. A little weird for me.

Art work hanging in the hostel

Stairs leading to the downstairs part of the hostel.

I was given the bed by the door. Nope, not happening. It looks nice during the day but once the sun went under it was actually quite scary down there.

Now, right around this time I suddenly start to feel sick like I coming down with a flu. It was probably because I had been trekking all over Europe in the cold and rain for days on end, tired, and not getting proper nourishment as I would back home. I made the rookie mistake of not traveling with travel insurance so I decided to cut my time short and bump my flight up a few days early. That meant that I had about 24 hours in Amsterdam before heading back to Frankfurt and onward home to the States. But I knew I couldn't stay in the hostel that I was in. I booked a hotel instead of an Airbnb because I knew I was sick. I wanted to be as comfortable as possible until I reached back to the States. 

I was a little bummed out because my time was cut short at the end, but I managed to at least see the Ann Frank House while there. That alone was worth the trip to Amsterdam. I waited outside in the line for the Ann Frank House in the cold and rain for about an hour. The line moved along fairly quickly. Once we entered the house there was a strict no pictures policy. There aren't words to describe the space that Anne Frank's family had to live in while hiding during Hitler's regime. I almost got claustrophobic the more we went up into the small space. There were several people snapping photos, but I thought it was just rude and disrespectful. The tour of the house was quick. We were in and out in less that 30 minutes. Another memory that will stick with me forever. 

These photos were taken after the tour was over and we were in the book shop.

Ann Frank

After visiting the Ann Frank House I found a spot to eat dinner and went back to the hostel and checked out and checked into my hotel. I was actually feeling quite ill by that time. Luckily, I had brought some meds from back home. They were my saving grace. I slept like the dead in the hotel. My train heading back to Frankfurt left the next day and I made it just in time to catch my flight home that night. Whew. That was a tumultuous 24 hours of traveling. I was happy to be going home. When you are traveling and end up getting sick, there is no place you'd rather be than in your own home inside of your own bed.

A night view of Frankfurt before heading to the airport to return home.

My flight home was from Frankfurt to Iceland and from Iceland to Washington D.C. Dulles. We made it to Iceland only to find that all fights have been grounded due to weather conditions. We were stuck in Iceland for another 24 hours. That was the biggest blow of the entire trip. The WOW air staff arranged for all passengers to have billeting in an old army barracks not far from the airport. We boarded a bus with all our luggage and off we went. It was freezing in Iceland. Below zero temps. I was dying-do you hear me, dying! I couldn't breath and I was cold all the way down to my bones. There wasn't enough warmth in hell that could have warmed me up. The roads were slick with ice, even the sidewalks. We get off the bus and wait outside of the building until they can arrange keys to our rooms. At this point I am LIVID. We are standing outside and most of us are teetering word becoming hyperthermic at this point. I couldn't feel my fingers or toes. I had already been predisposed to a cold weather injury from basic training back in 2001. I've had enough. Finally, they let us in because people were complaining and becoming irate. We each get keys and are told which building we would be staying in. I arrive at building and immediately cut the heat on hell and try to unthaw the best way possible. But at this point my skin was so frozen that it hurts to have heat or any hot water on my body. I wrap up in the blanket and go to sleep with hopes of being on the flight that is leaving in the morning. 

I push both of the beds together and stack both heavy blankets on top of each other and wrap up tightly in them to keep warm through the night.

The next morning I get up and get dressed and head down stairs to eat breakfast. At breakfast they announce which flights will be leaving Iceland and the times of departures. My flight was leaving at 3 p.m. I was stoked. Happy to be leaving. I go upstairs, shower, and re-pack my carry-on bag. By the time I get done and turn the key in to the main building, it is time to board the bus and go back to the airport. I was praying the entire time for things to go smoothly. Our flight ended up getting delayed by an hour, but we managed to take off and before you know it we arrived back on U.S. soil. I ended up getting home the day before Thanksgiving. I had not been that excited in a while. I was elated to be back in the comfort of my own home and with my Rudi pup. 

Driving back to the airport in Iceland. 

We will meet agin Iceland, but never during the winter season.

I will wrap this up with my final thoughts on traveling solo as female for the first time. I had THE BEST time exploring different parts of Europe. I never felt unsafe while out in public in any of the countries that I visited. I did have a few issues with the hostels but that was more of my own issues of worry and concern. I always go with my gut and instinct. I am usually very good in discerning when things are a little off. I don't even give a situation a chance if I feel like something is off. That's how I stay safe and alive. Would I recommend it, ABSOLUTELY 100 percent! When you travel solo you're never really alone because you meet so many people along the way. It truly is an amazing experience. You learn things about yourself. You learn more of who you are and it teaches you that you are capable of handling situations that you never imagined you could. It grows you and completely changes you each time you leave your own bubble. Solo travel is also great for going at your own pace and not accommodating other people's plans. All you have to worry about is yourself. 

For you guys that hung in there and made it to the end of this blogpost. I appreciate it. I hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed sharing it. Until next time, my friends. 

A Proper Introduction to Rudi Fennikiss

Hi guys, welcome back. Today's entry is something light and fun, and maybe a little ridiculous all together. Today I will be giving you a proper introduction to my handsome little pup named Rudi Fennikiss. Which, by the way, he is literally sitting on my lap right now as I struggle to write this. If you can tell by that last sentence, then you already know that Rudi is a mamma's boy. He has to be by my side every waking second of his life. What can I say, the boy loves his mamma (insert shoulder shrug). Okay, okay, I confess. I totally, one hundred percent take the blame for his perpetual need to be close by me. It's totally my fault, but we'll get into all of that here shortly. But first, let me take you back to the very beginning.

In 2015, I was struggling with a variety of things happening in my life, and to be quite frank, I couldn't even begin to tell you what those things were. All I really know is that what ever was ailing my soul back then seems so far and long forgotten. I was in therapy during that time and my therapist kept bringing up the idea of me maybe getting a support animal. She thought it would be beneficial for me based on all of the supporting research that's out there suggesting that animals can be therapeutic for people who have experienced trauma. So, I gave it some thought and decided that maybe the therapist is right, maybe I should look into this. Well, the very next night I asked my good friend Kristina, her mom Lisa, and her sister Leyna to let me know if they happen to know of any puppies that needed a good home.

The very next morning I get a text from my friends mom telling me about a lady that has minpin/dotson puppies for sale. She said that its a first come first serve type of situation. So whoever got there to look at the puppies first has a  better chance of securing one.  She gives me the information and I contact the lady and schedule a visit to check out the puppies that same day. I drive all the way from Virginia Beach to Lanexa, which is about an hour and a half drive with out the horrible 757 traffic. I arrive at the lady's house and she is waiting for me with all the sweet puppies outside on her screened in front porch.

The lady welcomes me and shows me the mom and dad of the little puppies. The mother is the miniature pinscher and the dad is the dachshund. I go over and have a look and all of them are laying there so cuddled upon one another. There were a few making little noises and yapping a bit. But one of them caught my eye. A little puppy boy all way cuddled up on the bottom of his bothers and sisters and he just looked at me and I knew he was the one for me. I asked the lady to pick him up and give him to me. I remember that moment like it was yesterday. I held my breath because my heart was about to explode from cuteness. So super tiny y'all. Not even a full pound I don't think. It was at that moment that I surrendered my heart to that pup and didn't even know it. He owned me and I wasn't even going home with him yet. 

Me picking out Rudi, but he actually chose me. He looked up at me and knew I was the one.

The lady asks me if I am sure that he is the one. I say yes. She then marks him with a blue marker on his paw. I thought it was really strange that she did that. She said that way she will be able to identify which of the dogs belong to who. I asked her if the other dogs had been spoken for and she said all had been claimed except for two others. Had I known then how much of a complete joy Rudi would be, I would have gotten one of his brothers or sisters as well. When it was time leave I drove off thinking that I couldn't believe that I was going to be puppy mom. I had no idea what I was in for, but I was ready. 

Now, I was originally supposed to pick pup up several weeks later after he had been weened from his mother, but the lady called me a lot sooner and told me that if I wanted my puppy I could come and pick him up now and that he was the only one left. I told her I would be right over. In hindsight, I should have known that it was way too early for him to be weened form his mom, but I was eager to get my boy home as I had already had everything ready for his arrival.

I ring Karina at work and tell her that pup is ready and we have to go get him. She speeds home from work and we make the journey back to Lanexa to pick up pup. When we arrive, the lady has Rudi ready to go. She says that he is eating puppy food and drinking on his own and he's good to go. She hands me the pup and I get in the car and Rudi instantly starts whining. He cries the entire car ride home. Did I tell y'all that we live an hour and a half away from the lady's house. Karina tried every attempt to calm his little puppy soul but nothing worked. Rudi didn't stop crying until we hit the corner to turn on to our street and by that time he was dead asleep. Wow. The entire car ride home I was thinking, what have I gotten myself into. Oh, but it gets worse before it gets better. 

Rudi's first car ride home. All tuckered out form all of the crying he did on the way down. 

We bring him in the house and the first thing we do is put him straight in the bath and give him a proper scrubbing. Surprisingly, he did not mind the water. After his bath we show him where his food and water bowl are. Rudi doesn't seem to care about drinking or eating at this point, he just wobbles around sniffing out his new unfamiliar territory. From the start, Rudi is quite playful. He takes turns pouncing on me and Karina until he gets tired and then he naps. Puppies nap a lot y'all. We'd be playing with him for all of five minutes and he would sit down next to one of us and before you can blink twice he's sleep. 

The first week of him being home with us was quite challenging. I remember calling my friends mom several times a day for quite a while because I wasn't sure if I was doing things right with him.  By the third day Rudi had still not eaten or drank anything. He didn't know how to eat or drink. We took him to the vet so that he could get his first check up and see about shots, but they had news for us. They told us that Rudi had been weened way to early and that the reason he wasn't eating or drinking was because he didn't know how. They told us he was only about 4-5 weeks old and that there was no way he was 6-7 weeks like the lady suggested. The vet ended up giving him several round of fluids though an IV that left a huge hump on his back until his body absorbed it. We were told that we would have to bottle feed him until he was a little older. 

We worked with pup day in and day out. Bottle feeding, crate training, and getting him house broken. I'll never forget those days. Rudi would cry so much during the first two months. He missed his mom a lot. Dogs should never be weened before the right time. Me and Karina would take turns all night laying him on our skin, swaddling him, rocking him, and soothing him to sleep,  all on top of waking him up every hour on the hour to sit him on the grass outside so he could get used to going potty outside. It was brutal. Something like having a newborn in the house. We were sleep deprived zombies that were in way over our heads. Surprisingly though, Rudi became house broken pretty fast. He didn't have many accidents and for that, I am grateful. He also crate trained beautifully along the way after the first two months. Rudi actually prefers to retreat to his kennel now when he doesn't want to be bothered with us humans. 

Rudi was coming along quite nicely for the most part, however, there was this one thing. Rudi didn't want to eat puppy food. He wanted his bottle. We tried everything to get him transitioned to regular food. We tried it all. All the tricks were used but Rudi wasn't budging. It wasn't until I knocked on my neighbor's door out of pure desperation and asked if she knew how to make puppies eat (she had one of her own). She said sure, let me grab my coat and I'll come right over.  The neighbor came over and took his food, which was soft canned food at the time, and shoved a little of it right in his mouth from his bowl. From that magical moment on, Rudi has been faithfully eating his food out of his bowl with no problems. Who would have ever thought to just shove the food in his mouth. We had a good laugh about it after the fact. That night, my neighbor looked at me and said, "you know this dog owns you don't you". My neighbors words are the truest words that have ever been spoken. Rudi completely owns me!

*Please standby for a flood of early puppy pictures.*

Karina holding Rudi during his early puppy days. At this time he would only feed out of a bottle.

Look at those puppy eyes.

The sweetest little face.

Rudi's love for soft and snuggly things started right here in this picture.

Look how tiny he was. He was the same size as Santa.

He could only sleep on my chest or skin. 

A very young Rudi snuggled up on his mom. Thats was, and still is his favorite place to be.

Rudi and Karina resting after playing around on the floor.

We are knee deep in spoiled rotten territory.

Look how big he's grown and it hasn't even been a two months.

Rudi's first year with us was full of excitement. We grew into a rhythm with Rudi. He was one of us now. Rudi was slowly become a mama's boy. Wherever I was, Rudi was sure to follow. It didn't matter if I was going to the bathroom, to the kitchen, or just across the same room. I feel in love with little pup. I couldn't believe that I was his mama. I still can't believe it. He is the purest form of unconditional love. I will never have any children of my own, but Rudi is my fur baby. You can't convince me otherwise. It's amazing to see the bond that has grown between Rudi and I. When I go get him from his kennel in the morning I literally inhale him. His tail wags so hard that one might think it will fall off at any moment.  He jumps in my arms and puts his head in the crook of my neck giving my cheek tons of kisses. I love my boy. 

Puppy days were quite fun. He was full of spunk and energy. He loved going on walks at the beach and around the neighborhood. People started to recognize Rudi throughout the neighborhood when we walked. People were quite smitten with pup. All the neighborhood locals would come up to us and exclaim how beautiful and shiny his coat was and how cute he is. We sometimes could barely get a good walk in because people would stop us and want to chit-chat about Rudi. It's like the entire universe revolved around this one little puppy boy.

Yep, you're seeing that right. Rudi bitting my bun. He was quite rambunctious as younger pup.

Rudi hanging out with his pal Karina.

Rudi taking his daily walk on the beach as a young pup. Can I have him this small again, please?

As time moved right along, we decided to get Rudi neutered when he was six months old. Rudi was a full ball of energy 24-7 and despite all the playing and walking several times a day, he was a wild child unless he had a thunder vest or shirt on him.  I will never forget the day that I took Rudi to get neutered. I woke up that morning from what seemed like a restless sleep. I got Rudi ready, packed him in the car, and headed out to the PETA headquarters in Norfolk. I get there and fill out tons of paper work and sign a consent form that gives PETA permission to do the surgery. I go and wait in one more line and before I could even stand in the line good a woman yells out, "Rudi Fennikiss". I walk up to the door and my heart was pounding so hard that I think  people around me can hear it or see it about to  literally pop out of my chest. I handed the lady my six month old pup who had never spent a day with out his mom since we brought him home. I was a nervous wreck leaving my pup there all day alone with those people. You'd think that I'd be somewhat at ease because PETA was performing the service, but it did nothing to ease buy anxious ridden  heart. I wait all day staring at my cell phone going crazy waiting or them to call me to come get him. I finally get the call around 4 p.m. to come pick him up. They said he did well and that he might be a little groggy. I asked them if he would be in any pain and they said no. Well, we get home and the grogginess has kind of worn off and my pup is in pain. He starts whinning and whimpering from the pain. I lost it. I started crying because I dint know how to help him. Karina calls the 1-800 number on his aftercare instructions and talks to a vet nurse. The vet nurse assures us that what he's experiencing is normal. Pup eventually settles down and sleeps the rest of the day and into the night. The next morning he is good as new. Talk about being a freaked out new puppy mom. I hated seeing him in pain. In the end, we are happy that we made the choice to neuter him. Rudi calmed down tons and he stopped marking his spot in our house, on our furniture. 

Still sleeping on his mom.

A perfect specimen of a dog. Doing what he does best, basking in the sun.

Super Rudi.

Still a baby, but growing fast.

Rudi with his thunder vest on trying to figure out why he cant go upstairs. 

Cuddles on top of cuddles.

Since then, Rudi's personality has grown and he has matured into an even sweeter little puppy dog. We have celebrated two birthdays with him, two Christmases, and two New Years and have done plenty of traveling with him. I can't believe how fast time is flying. I don't even remember life before Rudi came along. This little dog has brought such and abundance of joy in my life. I look at him sometime when he's sleeping on me and just think, wow, I can't believe I am his mom. I am so lucky to have Rudi Fenn in my life. I never knew my heart was capable of loving something so much. This has to be what parents feel like with their human children. The mere thought of something happening to Rudi sends me straight to tears. I am always worried about him and always thinking of him. He is connected to my soul on a spiritual level. I swear, this little dog has so much of me in him. His attitude, his little quirks, it's all me. Karina will often say, I don't know who is worse, you, or Rudi? She always talks about how Rudi and I are made for each other. You'd have to spend a day in my house to now what I am talking about. Weird to even think that a dog can take on their owners traits. Me and Rudi are one.  

Rudi spending time at the beach in Puerto Rico.

Rudi exploring bridges in far away lands with his momma.

The mountains in Viallba.

More beach time. It is one of our favorite pastimes. 

Rudi's birthday is on Halloween. He sports a Batman cape and harness.

Happy 1st birthday Rudi Fennikiss. 

A yummy mixture of yogurt and peanut butter topped of with one candle.

Rudi has the most posh life for a dog. He gets to enjoy the ride on the beach while mom pedals.

Rudi peering out from his car seat.

Merry Christmas from Rudi

Happy New Year. Rudi was ready to watch the ball drop with his party hat on.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, now that you have had proper introduction to my pup, you will be seeing him in many more of my post in the future. Rudi has a great life ahead of him alongside of me. I plan on giving him the best little puppy life full of adventures. If you are a person reading this and are thinking about getting a puppy, or any animal for that matter, do it. Animals are amazing companions and they offer so much love. We are not even worthy as humans. Your life will be enriched a thousand fold. I will leave you with just a few more photos of pup, because, why not? I truly hoped you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed sharing it with you guys. Until next time, my peeps. Take care and God bless. 

Rudi's all time favorite spot in the entire house is right on the back of the coutch bird and squirrel watching. He will be up there for hours ya'll. Was he a cat in his past life?

Such a love bug.

Mid day napping like a boss!

Rudi will always be a chest sleeper. Spoiled to the max.

Can you tell by the look on his face what he's thinking? 

Birthday number two for Rudi and Happy Halloween.

Rudi thinks he's the boss. He just sits wherever he pleases.

What did I tell ya'll. He literally has to be by my side 24/7

Some things never change, a puppa's heart for his mom.