sapa

After a few days after arriving in Hanoi, we boarded an overnight train that would take us north, near the border of China, to a city called Lào Cai. We found our berths and settled in for the long journey. In the (all too) early morning hours, our train slowly pulled into railway station. We disembarked the train and exited the station. The sun had yet to rise and there was a dense fog that obscured the bright lights of the billboards and neon signs in a square of the city. We located our driver and loaded our bags into the van. The sun was slowly starting to rise as we drove along the windy narrow roads that would take us to our destination - Sapa.

vietnam

Vietnam might be most famous for being the backdrop to hundreds of war movies, but there is certainly much more to this country. The promise of stunning scenery, culture and incredible food were all factors that lured us in to buying that airline ticket.

the best of grand cayman

This past March, I dusted off my passport and spent a week at the Caribbean Club on the island of Grand Cayman. Located just steps from the gorgeous soft white sands of Seven Mile Beach, it was a perfect location for a relaxing getaway.

great smoky mountains national park

In an effort to explore more of the United States, my boyfriend and I have been slowly checking off National Parks on our list. So far, we have traveled west to the oldest, one of the largest, and probably the best known national park, Yellowstone, and also the stunning snow capped mountain filled Grand Teton National Park. A little closer to home, we traveled north to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where we explored Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore along the banks of crystal clear Lake Superior. This past Thanksgiving, we spent a long weekend in eastern Tennessee exploring the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  

copenhagen

Copenhagen was never a "planned out months ago" type of trip. As luck had it, a price alert popped up in my inbox a few weeks before with a cheap flight offer to the Danish capital that was extremely hard to pass up. It has been over seven years since I've been to Europe and I have never been to Denmark. So with that, I said to myself, "why not?" and bought the ticket.

the people and villages of tanzania

On our two week overland trip in Tanzania, we covered quite a large distance. We started north along the border with Kenya all the way southeast to the city of Dar Es Salaam. Along the way, we were fortunate enough to visit a few villages, some small enough to be just a quick blip along our route to larger ones, full of hustle and bustle.

stone town, zanzibar

After seeing all of the animals on Tanzania's mainland, we hopped a ferry taking us from Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania's largest city to the island of Zanzibar. After the quick two hour ride, we disembarked at the main port and walked to our hotel in Stone Town. 

ngorongoro crater

In order to get to the entrance of the Serengeti, our jeeps followed the road that hugs the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater. Forming around two to three million years ago when a large volcano exploded and collapsed on itself creating a two thousand feet deep hole in the earth, the crater and surrounding highlands together form one of Africa's most beautiful regions. 

serengeti national park

Visiting the Serengeti seems to be on everyone's travel bucket list (and rightfully so). This most famous of the national parks throughout the continent of Africa boasts over five thousand seven hundred square miles of grassland plains, savanna, kopjes and woodlands. But the main attraction of the Serengeti is, of course, the wildlife. Over three hundred thousand people travel from all over the globe to this northern part of Tanzania in order to get a glimpse (and take about a million photos) of all of the beautiful animals that roam free in this magical place they call home.

london love

This is where it all began. The city that opened my eyes to the rest of the world. The city where I first got bit by the infamous “travel bug” way back in 2004. London holds a special place in my heart just for that reason. From its quaint shops to its rich history, I developed a huge crush on the city. How could I not? It was nothing like the quiet suburbs where I grew up. I loved it. Every time I return, I feel my heart grow a little fonder for this city. Even though I’ve since fallen for other places after that initial trip (I’m looking at you, Australia), London will still be my first love.

autumn in lake geneva

The warm summer months are gone. Shorts and flip-flops have been replaced with cozy, chunky sweaters and boots. Pumpkin spice flavored everything is everywhere. The leaves have started to change from green to bursts of red, orange and yellow. Autumn is officially in full swing! 

garfield park conservatory

Chicago is lucky to have an abundance of spectacular green spaces. It's refreshing to stumble upon a small space of nature, tucked away from the hustle of the city. Unfortunately, Chicago is not blessed with the type of weather in which its residents can enjoy these green spaces year round. Fortunately, there is a place one can find reprieve from the undesirable weather conditions (I'm looking at you winter!), even if only for an afternoon. 

pictured rocks national lakeshore

After deciding to escape the city this past Labor Day holiday weekend, we now were faced with the difficult decision of where exactly would we be escaping to. My boyfriend did a quick google search of destinations within a day's drive from Chicago. He found a place neither of us had heard about before. After looking at about two pictures, we couldn't wait to get there. 

postcard from the pilsen wall

I'm a sucker for street art. Thankfully, Chicago is littered with some great pieces. When I discovered a stretch of wall that runs along the 16th Street viaduct in the Chicago neighborhood of Pilsen via Instagram, I knew I had to pay a visit. The art on this wall is an initiative between the neighborhood and the Chicago Urban Art Society. It allows various street artists, many of whom are internationally known, to beautify the landscape. It is definitely worth the trek to Pilsen to see some really amazing work by some greatly talented artists.

grand teton national park

Just ten miles south of Yellowstone lies Grand Teton National Park. The park is a bit smaller in size covering only about 480 square miles in the state of Wyoming. What it lacks in size, it makes up for it in stunning views. 

wild america: yellowstone national park

 

Mother Nature is one heck of a lady. She has created some jaw dropping scenery around the world. Among her many great achievements is Yellowstone National Park. It is the world’s oldest national park along with being America’s largest, covering nearly 3,500 square miles within Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. Yellowstone is home to many dramatic canyons, lush forests, stunning lakes, numerous hot springs and gushing geysers.  Hundreds of animal species call this place home including bison, elk, bears, moose, wolves and antelope. Yellowstone stands alone as one last piece of wild America.

All those things were more than enough to convince me to book my flight as soon as possible. With only four days, we tried our best to see as much as we could of this vast park.

until we meet again, dubai

When I was booking flights for my recent trip to India, I was lucky and found a cheap(ish) fare on Emirates that would give me a fourteen hour layover in Dubai. My plan was that I would visit the observation deck at the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world and photograph the Burj Al Arab, the only seven-star hotel in the world, in extremely short time I had.

Seemed simple enough, right? Well, not so much.

along the ganges in varanasi

After a grueling twelve hour turned nineteen hour overnight train from Delhi, I arrived bleary eyed in the oldest city in India, Varanasi. Along this city's banks lies the Ganges river. It is the largest river in India with an extraordinary religious importance for Hindus. Ironically enough, it is also the sixth most polluted river in the world. People travel great distances to bathe, drink, wash their laundry and cleanse their souls in full view on the riverbank.  

postcard from the taj mahal

Having been delayed an entire day courtesy of Indian Railways, my trip mates and I were giddy with excitement that we were FINALLY getting to see the symbol of India's rich history; the famous Taj Mahal. Shah Jahan, a Mughal emperor, commissioned this monument not as a palace to live in, but as a mausoleum to house a tomb for his third and favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Construction began in 1632 and took nearly twenty years to complete.

As I walked through the Great Gate that leads to the gardens, I heard many people gasp at the beauty of the Taj as they first laid eyes on this great monument. I caught myself doing the same exact thing at first sight. I stood there for quite some time in awe of everything from the massive size of the structure to its extreme intricate details and symmetry. It's beyond amazing and is certainly one of the most, if not, THE most beautiful buildings I've ever seen. I still can't get over that I was actually there to see it with my own eyes.

coogee to bondi walk

My friends and I managed to push our hangovers from our New Year's celebrations to the side and mustered up enough energy to board the bus in Surry Hills to take us to the end of the line - Coogee. We spent the first day of the new year taking in all that this picturesque six kilometer coastal walk offered. Despite the dreary weather we had that day, the landscape was beyond stunning. With its cliffs, beaches, rock pools and bays, the Coogee to Bondi walk is  certainly worth the trek while in Sydney.