Arenal Volcano

Today was my last day in my twenties. The end of a decade. And guess what... IT ROCKED!

1. We went back to the waterfall and found an amazing swim hole.

Then we came back and ate some lunch: avocado and banana. And then: adventure time! 

We boarded a bus and started our way to the volcano!

Once at the base we had the most beautiful look out point! 

The view of the lake and the volcano:

After that we started our hike to the waterfall. On our way the howler monkeys started to go off... It was like being in ... The rainforest 😉

We continued our journey and saw a big toad:

We also saw some weird animal;

Walking through the rainforest was pretty spectacular. The sounds,... Crazy! Then we came to this;

And immediately it began to storm- like CRAZY! We got in anyway and went behind the waterfall! Like in a movie! It was amazing!

The rest of the hike was in a huge thunderstorm with intense rain, lightinging, and the loudest thunder ever. The lightning and thunder were only 1sec apart. 

We went on a few suspension bridges. Those were kind of scary. I didn't like when they moved. 

Then we continued in the dark and saw some frogs;

And then for the most magnificent part: we pulled over the bus, ditched out clothes and shoes- well I've been in a bathing suit all day- then walked down a path and BAM! Natural pools and hot springs! It's pitch black but there are a few lights and as we get closer we lower ourselves down a little fall and into a huge pool. All around this natural pool they have candles on the tree roots and rocks. The thunderstorm is going on over head and we relax in these pools. Honestly have you ever eaten at rainforest cafe and then they do the thunderstorm? That's what it wS like but in a huge pool of water! Then we got volcanic mud facials. It was indescribable I just kept looking around thinking: how is this real. And also, I wish I had a certain hottie in here with me to experience this most insanely romantic thing! 

The best way to end a decade! 

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La Fortuna

Today is a save money and relax day. A true vacation. I never have these days, it's kind of weird.

Current status: 

Just got out of the pool and we're lounging. It's only 2:39 and it feels like it's been a million hours already today. 

This morning we got up and went to a local waterfall. 

Got in a bus. 

10 min later it was just Hannah and I with the most beautiful waterfall. 

It was under tha main road. INSANE!

This place was so beautiful. Took is awhile to figure out how to get down there and we had to hold onto the side of a mountain and lower ourselves down some rocks. 

Then wade upstream but we made it to this small piece of paradise. 

I wish picyires could truly capture the beauty of this place.

Those are the rapids we had to climb up. Let me tell you the rocks were slippery. 

Then we came back to our hostel to enjoy a pool day. 

The water and weather and currently perfect. It storms but that's okay because you are already wet. 

For lunch I found a HUGE carrot and cut up a fresh pineapple. 

Like I said: budget day, but really I needed some fresh food. I got a beet for dinner- can't wait. 

We also went for a walk this morning. This place... 😍

I'm going back to napping in my hammock now. Peace. 

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Costa Rica: Travel Day 2

Today is another day of travel. The negative of our hostel is only 2 bathrooms for the whole place and no hot water. After attempting to snag the open bathroom and failing for half an hour I camped outside, in wait. 

Success. 

Then a morning walk to kill time. 

Taxi.

Broken Spanish.

Bus station.

Check this out. No judgement. It's hot. Humid. And that pack weighs a ton. But this is proof for all you naysayers. 

Beautiful views. 

Bless my heart, they recycle. 

Current status: on the bus to La Fortuna.

Approximate time on aforementioned bus: mas or meños 3 hours. 

4.5 hours later we roll into this view: 

Wowza! Beautiful! 

The bus ride was long but I got in a good chunk of my audio book and a lot of head bob sleeping. The views were incredible. This place reminds me of Fiji. 

It is so lush! I'll post all the photos on Facebook. 

Guys. It's humid. There might not be too many photos of my face. 

The money is so pretty! 

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Costa Rica: Getting Here

4:40am. A little early after the insane weekend I had but I rolled out of bed grabbed my pack and headed to the flyaway. Once at the airport I met up with Hannah and we boarded our flight.

Surprisingly small and with no entertainment! Gasp. Thought we were going to old school it until they gave us the choice to rent an iPad with loaded movies. So rent we did.

Watched Zootopia.

So cute. 

Landed in San Jose. Waited forever for our bags and they never came off.

They've lost my luggage multiple times before so panic started to set in since this was the first time I didn't have a back up carry on! 

Then we decided to check around the other carousels and long behold our bags were in the middle of the floor. 

Relief.

Now to find money. 

First ATM didn't work. 

Second ATM was out of order.

Third ATM we pulled out American bills on accident.

Waiting in line to exchange.

Now to find the public bus.

Talk to nice man.

Locate bus.

Get on bus and cram in seats with two huge backpacks on top of us. 

Ride for an hour and a half to arrive in San Jose. Haggle the cabs for a good price.

Arrive at hostel. 

Find food.

No carne. No pollo. 

Just bring me something Bueno.

$4

Explore local grocery store.

Find water.

Find fruit. 

Ear plugs.

Eye mask.

Horrible bed.

Sleep.

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New Mexico.

School ended at 12:15 on Wednesday June 8. I then boarded a plane at 7:30 and headed to New Mexico, the land of enchantment, and enchanted I was. Not just by the land but by the really cute guy I went to meet. See his face below.

How does one meet a handsome man in NM? The world wide interweb. Don't cringe, it's not that weird. According to eharmony 1 in 4 are doing it these days. So. The basics.
His name is Jeremy. He has a doctorate in physical therapy. Sexy, I know. He has a kind heart, so many skills, has a million and one hidden talents. But, since this is a travel blog and I am about to get all sappy let's focus on the travel.
He planned out a majorly fun 3 days and served as the most excellent tour guide.

Down town Albuquerque. I love the bright vibrant colors and adobe buildings. There is such charm to this area.

Sandia Crest- the most insanely beautiful sunsets. The drive up here is incredible by the way. Lush green trees, long grasses, and wild flowers. I need to go back for a picnic.

And really cool views of storms.

It really helped being able to watch and see all of it with this cutie by my side, even if we were freezing! Yes, it was windy. And yes, I have a head cold. I was and still am battling it, lucky for me that right there is a very patient guy.

Hiking tent rocks. Talk about mother nature showing off with amazing forms.


Going through these slot canyons on the way to the view of tent rocks was awesome! It also provided lots of shade which was a great relief from the 100 degree weather. The hike was fairly simple until the last little bit in which it turned to some steep climbing. Wearing black probably wasn't the best of ideas. Luckily J was prepared with a camel back and snacks. Snacks I love by the way, dried mangoes and trail mix. Mmmm. 



Santa Fe is full of artwork. Got to try the famous green chiles. Went Christmas style with red and green chile on my enchilada and tamale. Had sopapilla with honey butter and honey. So good. Explored the capital building. Walked along a cute river. Wandered through art galleries and artsy streets. Walked through old churches.

I even got an amazing sunset when I left. The clouds are so beautiful.


Let me tell you when a guy eats anything, and will eat hummus with me on a picnic. My heart skips a beat. When he comes into the airport to get you with flowers that he texted your best friend to find out which ones you like... yeah. Too flippn' cute. Hand holding, door opening, letting you go first, the little things all add up to one happy girl.
NM was a beautiful place full of natural beauty and the beauty of one very special soul.

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Vilnius, Lithuania

Never did I ever think I would live on Lithuania or come back to visit. I am glad that both happen. 

The city is full of a simple charm and so much history. Lithuania has been through a lot, a whole lot. There is a lot of history here to learn about and a lot to explore. 

Today we went to the Grand Dukes Palace museum. Oh I guess we should start with who is we? Cierra, who I lived with in China is now the head teacher here in Lithuania so I got to come back with my mom and see her as well as Dima and his family. Yesterday I got to see half of my elementary kids. Well, the few who are left. It was so nice and they were so excited! 

We are going to do pen pals with kids from my class back home. So excited for that! 

Alma still works at the school too! I loved being back. I'm going today and tomorrow As well which should be great! 

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Istanbul Tidbits

Little things I've taken note of:

-This city is clean. Really clean. Like not one piece of garbage or scrap anywhere in the main areas. 

-Turkey is built on hills, steep hills

-The people dress nicely. 

- I have not seen a single wheelchair, probs bc of those hills. 

- Taxis are decently priced and reliable.

- Food is the same price as the US, at least in all the main tourist areas 

- there are cats and dogs everywhere but more cats. If you sit down and offer food up a cat a dozen more will appear. 

-Calls to prayer are loud but really neat to listen to

- There is no shortage of masques and they are beautiful 

- Baklava is to Turkey like the macaron is to France and it is everywhere 

- Most of the people on the streets are men

- Turkish delight really is delightful especially the pomagranite

- You can pick up fresh squeezed juice all over for cheap

- everyone is very modestly dressed. Most women are in long skirts, full coats, and head scarves. If coming I would suggest bringing long skirts and nicer clothing. Jeans, leggings, pants in general and you will stick out. 

- the stray dogs have tags in their ears. It's part of a program where they capture the strays, neuter them, tag them and release them. They've had a problem with strays forever and have tried managing them in different ways. Luckily the dogs are all pretty plump. Research says that the people feed them.

- I would bring a Baggie of cat food and sit in the park and feed the stray cats like pigeons :) Don't but those pretzels, the cats don't like them.

- Turkish breakfast consists of eggs, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, meats, breads and tons of spreads. Sunday is a big deal for breakfast and there will be lots of breakfast buffets open.

- The Golden Horn area is full of lots of neat ruins both ancient and new. You should walk that area and explore the streets. 

- They have a sea bus that works with your transport card. You can take the sea bus to Asia. You can also use that card for the metro and tram. 

- You should not visit the mosques during prayer time, go before or after. 

- Definetly visit the Basilica Cistern. 

- Turkish airlines weighs and checks your carry on at check in. 

- Turkish delight can last 4 months and baklava 6 days, just incase like me, you want to take a ton home. 

- Check out the city at night. The mosques are lit up and it's beautiful. 

- bring ear plugs if you don't want to listen to cats, seagulls, and calls to prayer all night and morning. 

- 

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A Ferry to Asia

Never thought that would happen but today I took a ferry to Asia. Istanbul is unique in that it spans two continents. This allows for the unique experience of taking a ferry back and forth between Asia and Europe. 

Pretty sweet eh?

Before this mother made us take a tram and taxi to the middle of nowhere so she could attend church. 

Yeah, that ended well. Apparently due to the bomb threats and terrorist alert church has been canceled. So now we are on the boat. Asia is calling. 

So, we went to Asia. We walked the coast. Then walked back. Found this lunch spot. Mother does not know how to choose food she just gets a tinge of hunger and bam we have to sit down and eat. Then she ends up going and ordering herself instead of letting the waitor do it. Acko taco. Plus she orders two big meat dishes one of which was unidentifiable. Good. Maybe next time I will get to pick. 

Oh and in Asia I actually found a grocery store. This side is was less touristy. Not many at all. Btw there are like no American tourists here. I love that this city is on the water the views are so pretty. 

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Istanbul

Baklava.

Turkish Delight.

Architecture.

What's not to love?

With the recent bombings people were really afraid for me to be traveling to Turkey. Heck my solo trip even added my mom. 😂 It is a real threat, but I'm more likely to die in a car accident back home. However last night I got an email from our government that Turkish sources are reporting threats today (Easter) from ISIL. 

But, oh well. Turkey is beautiful. We avoided rain. It's been about 48 degrees. 

Yesterday we visited the Blue Mosque,

Hagia Sofia,

Topkapi Palace,

Grand Bazaar,

Spice Market

and walked all over. 22,000 steps to be exact. Thanks Fitbit. 

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A Terroristic Easter

The most eventful Easter to date. Started with an email from the gov about a terrorist threat and warning: stay away from worship houses. So we explore Iskital street, (where the explosion happened last week) just to see busses of police, the bomb squad, and streets filled with people.

As we proceeded cautiously the first demonstration came by. We still felt okay so we continued. Then two more caged buses of police with full shields and gear protecting some unidentified building. More police guarding a church, which we went into. Then we get to the end of the street, look up, and dozens of police in full riot gear ( helmets, shields, batons, tear gas guns) are blocking the whole street. Behind them, thousands of political demonstrators. We immediately turn around and get off the street down and ally. The protesting starts with yells, chants, and the March of the men. We are trying to head down an alley when the police start coming up the alley. Yeah. We high tailed it outta there. All is well. Another great day in Istanbul! (The pics are a bit messy seeing as how we were trying to get out of there but also document and at the same time not get in trouble for documenting.)

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Peanuts

Peanuts- a school assignment but great memory 

Peanuts. Salty, crunchy, Chinese peanuts. To any human being this seems like an ordinary protein packed snack, BUT you would you be wrong. A single ordinary pack of peanuts was about to trigger an extraordinary event.

It started off like any other day, except I was in China and about to embark on a once in a lifetime adventure through the Avatar mountains. Yes, yes they do exist. Although, I am not too sure about those blue people with the tails, I never made contact with them.

There we were all 1.832 million of us covered in bright plastic ponchos of varying color in a failed attempt to keep dry amidst the furious unleash of rain. Thousands of us in this particular area climbing the mountain and 5,301 excruciating stairs. Winding in a path like little dots of bright hope that would eventually reach the lookout point, we drudged on. Through the pounding rain, paper thin ponchos, and attempts to dodge every wayward umbrella, we pulled over for a nourishment break. Trust me, when hiking 5,301 stairs you need energy now and then.

Speaking of food. Cierra. Cierra always had food. She was one you needed to be friends with if you were to survive these kinds of adventures in ZhanJiaJie. Today her snack of choice was peanuts. Wide eyed I inched towards her with hands outstretched. With a flick of the hand the top of the peanut wrapper came off with ease but as she reached into the awaiting container, it happened.

That simple smell of salty goodness had alerted them and one ear piercing shriek had alerted us. In a simultaneous turn we saw him, king of the jungle, barrel chested and with hungry eyes he starred us down. Teeth blared and eager clawed fingers ready and waiting. Waiting for the snack we were just about to enjoy. Like a fury from hell he came for us and in the blink of an eye the peanuts were gone. Stolen. Thrown to the demon like a sacrifice in hopes that he would not want us instead.

In the tree above us sat the king and our, no his, nuts. Proudly triumphant on his throne he stared down mockingly at us as he oh so carefully took the peanuts out one by one and savored each morsel. At the last nut he dropped the bag in laughter and it floated lifelessly to our feet. Little did we know this was his signal, his war cry.

From the depth of the jungle came his army. An army of every stature and size crawling out of the darkness, antsy, and wanting more. But, we had no more peanuts. We stood shell shocked, shaking bodies began to give way to curiosity as they approached. How close could we get? Would they eat bananas? Who had a banana? Could I take a selfie with them? You know what they say, if it isn’t on instagram did it ever really happen? I needed that selfie. And so the round of human vs ape began. We may have lost the battle but we determined to defeat the army and win the war.

After a prolonged encounter, with stomachs growling in protest,  we reluctantly moved on, we still had 5,299 stairs to climb afterall. Unfortunately, our salty, crunch, ordinary chinese peanuts had been devoured but we were left with an extraordinary memory that will we cherish for eternity. Well that and one epic selfie.  

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