Emily

Badlands National Park

There is still a lot more to post from my trip around the world, but as I’ve started another long trip (3 months road tripping across the USA) I’m going to start posting from this trip as well as continuing to post about my time abroad. My English boy and I set out for our… Continue reading Badlands National Park

Eating in Southeastern Asia

After a month of mostly (expensive) pub food in Australia, I was very excited for the food in Southeastern Asia. I wasn’t the most adventurous eater at home before the trip — I always stuck to the same dishes when I went out for Chinese or Thai, so I wanted to try a lot of… Continue reading Eating in Southeastern Asia

Loire Valley Cycling

After four weeks of exploring big European cities it felt spectacular to get out into the countryside and cycle through the Loire Valley in France! We did 250km in 6 days, and stopped along the route to enjoy the castles, gardens, food, and wine. We started in Blois and ended in Angers, and along the… Continue reading Loire Valley Cycling

Songkran

Here’s what I knew about Songkran before I found myself in the middle of it in Laos: -nothing Here’s what I’ve since learned: Songkran is the New Year celebration in Thailand and Laos. “Songkran” comes from a Sanskrit word that means “passing” or “approaching.” It represents the sun’s movement and marks the beginning of the… Continue reading Songkran

Uluru and the Australian Outback

The two main reasons I wanted to go to Australia were to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef and to see the Australian outback. I did a lot of other incredible things there too, but I definitely checked the big two off my bucket list. Bill Bryson’s descriptions of traveling through the outback by train and… Continue reading Uluru and the Australian Outback

Spring in Vienna

It’s a little jarring to travel from Vietnam to Vienna, but it is nice to be able to use the tap water to brush my teeth again. My first day in Vienna, after a lunch of wiener schnitzel, I went to the Albertina art museum. The name “Albertina” is essentially the 18th century equivalent of “Brangelina”… Continue reading Spring in Vienna

Morning Market – Luang Prabang, Laos

We got up before the sun this morning, bought sticky rice, bread, and crackers and went to offer alms to the Monks. They eat some of the offerings themselves, and give a lot of it to the poor families who come to the temples during the day. The morning was cool and a nice relief… Continue reading Morning Market – Luang Prabang, Laos

Australian Wildlife

The huge variety of animals, plants and elements of nature that can kill or hurt you in Australia is almost comical. Actually, it IS comical: “Australians are very unfair in this way. They spend half of any conversation insisting that the country’s dangers are vastly overrated and that there’s nothing to worry about, and the… Continue reading Australian Wildlife

Whitsunday Islands

When we walked up to the sailboat that would be our home for two days as we sailed around the Whitsunday Islands, my first thought was “is this the boat we’re taking to get to the bigger boat?” It was not. This 84 foot sailboat was home to 25 people for 2 days. And much… Continue reading Whitsunday Islands

Fraser Island

Fraser Island. For the rest of my life those words will remind me of two magnificent and beautiful days that will stay persevered and perfect in my memory. Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world. It’s a World Heritage site. It is the only place where rainforest grows on sand. It’s called… Continue reading Fraser Island

Sunset and Sunrise in Yamba

Photos never come remotely close to doing justice to the experience of watching a sunset or sunrise and the serenity of those moments. But even though the beauty is diminished in photos, they are still pretty magnificent to look at. In Yamba our hotel was right on the beach, and I watched the sunset from… Continue reading Sunset and Sunrise in Yamba

Sydney, day four: Taronga Zoo

Here’s what I’ve observed about Sydney so far: the sun shines ALL the time. It’s out of control. I heard a rumor that there was bad weather before I arrived, but I’m not sure I believe it. Today I took a ferry across the harbor to the Taronga Zoo. Here is a photo of people taking… Continue reading Sydney, day four: Taronga Zoo