After a few days of non-stop curry and downtown craziness, we return our rental car and say goodbye to Durban, hopping on an early flight to Port Elizabeth this morning to begin our road trip along the Eastern/Western Cape's famous Garden Route. Although there is a pretty major hiccup when we arriv[...]
Without the allure of Cape Town or the proximity to game parks of Johannesburg, Durban is so often overlooked on trips through South Africa. If not for a National Geographic article from several years ago, I would have entirely missed it myself— thankfully, I obsessed over that article, dog-earin[...]
I must admit, I'm a bit heartbroken that the final day of our safari has arrived so quickly. I had no idea what to expect before we arrived in Kruger and then again in Sabi Sands, but both places have truly blown my mind in every way, so it's with a slightly heavy heart that I get up for my last 5a[...]
The phone in our chalet rings at 5am this morning, but this is still sleeping in compared to the 330am alarms in Kruger the last few days, so I'm feeling surprisingly springy. Not to mention that on our first game drive in Sabi Sands last night, we managed to see a leopard twice and about a dozen l[...]
Aiming for another early departure from our rondavel in Satara Rest Camp, we set the alarm for 330am and finish our packing in preparation for the move this afternoon to Arathusa Safari Lodge in the Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve. Before we leave Kruger this morning, though, we still have about 6[...]
Our first full day of safari begins dark and early this morning as we wake up in our cute little thatched rondavel at Satara Rest Camp to a positively ungodly 4am alarm. I rush to get my camera bag and half a dozen water bottles ready, and then we hop into the car with our private guide Mary-Anne f[...]
Excitement levels are at an all-time high this morning as we wake up and pack in anticipation of an 8am pick-up for our lengthy drive to Kruger National Park and the eagerly-awaited first day of our South African safari. Our energetic private guide for the next few days, Mary-Anne, retrieves us fro[...]
Touching down in Johannesburg after a truly torturous (but certainly not unprecedented) 35 hours of flights and layovers, it dawns on me that we don't have any real plans for our two days in South Africa's largest city. Really, Joburg is just acting as a springboard to our safari in Kruger National[...]
Just yesterday, South Africa celebrated the 21 year anniversary of the signing of its constitution, the Flame of Democracy still burning brightly outside of the country’s Constitutional Court in Johannesburg. The Court, South Africa’s highest authority, allows anyone and everyone to come sit in[...]
To dive into just a little of the Apartheid history in Johannesburg, mum and I visited Number Four Prison today and took an hour long guided tour to learn about the horrifying conditions in ardhich many political prisoners, including Mahatma Gandhi and Robert Sobukwe, were kept (Nelson Mandela was[...]
Anyone who thinks Maui is just an overrated holiday destination crawling with American tourists in floral shirts and visors needs to seriously reinvestigate. True, you can still find parts of Maui that feel painfully over-developed with resorts (and visors), but that's only the experience you'll ha[...]
Inarguably Hawaii's most iconic driving route, no trip to Maui is complete without braving the Road to Hana. Winding for more than 100km through the beautiful and often untamed Maui jungle towards a town of the same name, the Hana Highway is a shockingly narrow road whose hair-pin turns and zig-zag[...]
We are retrieved from our condo in Lahaina dark and early this morning (at 230am, if you can believe it) for what promises to be a day filled with adventure and stunning views. Or at least it had better be, because it's strictly against my personal policy to leave bed before it's light out, particul[...]
Of the countless island activities in Maui, my favourite, far and away, is just grabbing my mask and snorkel, hitting the beach, and blowing bubbles with the local turtles. They are surprisingly easy to find, indescribably cute, and― best of all― it doesn't cost a thing if you BYO snorkel (othe[...]
Once a sleepy town nestled between the beautiful Rif Mountains in Morocco's north, Chefchaoeun has grown to be one of the most well-known destinations in the region. There's a rich and vibrant history to be discovered in the narrow, winding streets or by climbing the ancient kasbah above the main s[...]
Following the most incredible adventures in Chefchaouen, Morocco’s Blue City, and in Akchour, home to magical green pools and sparkling waterfalls, my wonderful local friend, Hind, is taking me to spend time at the beach in Oued Laou with her extended family. My travels are nearing their conclusi[...]
After exploring the incredible Blue City with the best tour guide possible, Hind, an exchange student from Chefchaouen who lived with me and mum the summer I was 15, we are all off to Akchour for a more outdoorsy adventure. Hind says it's one of the most beautiful spots in Morocco, and, after splas[...]
In addition to being an absolutely gorgeous, much-instagrammed city of vibrant blue in northern Morocco that has most travellers in fits of wanderlust, Chefchaouen is a particularly special place for me to be visiting. I grew up in Issaquah, a suburb just outside of Seattle, and Chefchaouen is surp[...]
Dreams of Morocco almost always include a camel-back trip through the Sahara Desert, retiring at the end of each hot day to sip tea on thick rugs and sleep under the stars surrounded by the impressive Erg Chebbi dunes. Thankfully, there are dozens of companies that all run variations of this exact[...]
Following an incredible 3 day tour from Marrakech to the Sahara Desert, my friend Katy and I find ourselves in Merzouga with no real plans for getting up to Fes, our next destination in Morocco. Luckily, it proves incredibly easy to organise transport and we soon find ourselves the only passengers[...]