Tarangire National Park was one of my favorite places in Tanzania because of the number of wild elephants. Stepping off the plane at Kilimanjaro, we met our safari team. They had everything perfectly preplanned and ready to go. There was the company owner, who had recruited me online who I’d spoken to for a few […]
Birding Uganda’s Lake Victoria
We barreled down a red dirt road in the western countryside of Entebbe. In Uganda, the roadside was an active area where women balanced baskets on the crowns of their head wearing vibrantly patterned wraps. I closed my eyes, jostled, with each large bump, trying not to miss any of the rural farming sights, where […]
The Egypt Files: Part 1 The Pyramids of Giza, From Dust We Have Risen, and to Dust We Will Return
From dust we have risen and to dust we will return. My recent travel to Egypt is sparking an interest and passion for the past that I never knew I had. Travel with me to Egypt—the land that has inspired writers and travelers for centuries with its cultural legacy. Arriving in Cairo in the middle […]
Lake Bled: Angry Fairies & The Best Souvenir That I Never Wanted
Very rarely do places actually live up to their expectation that I have in my head. That’s what I reminded myself as the car door muffled shut. I climbed up a grassy embankment to the main road, and back down the other side. Lake Bled lay before me. Immediately I was hypnotized by the tall […]
Ich Liebe Dich: I Love You SWITZERLAND!
I’d just rolled into Switzerland as the sun shared it’s last rays over the most prominent wall of mountains and the greenest valley I’ve ever seen. There’s a reason I saved Switzerland for last in the region. But I figured, with a one night stand, surely a one night love affair in Europe’s most expensive […]
Grossglockner: Europe’s Most Scenic Drive
Austria wasn’t a new country count for my collection, but with the limited travel these days (Corona Virus 2020) I decided to take the scenic route on a roundabout around the world summer backpacking tour. The decision didn’t make sense logistically as I tried to make my way East. Meeting border closures and dead ends, […]
Taipei, Taiwan
The place where I almost lost my love for seafood? Taiwan. Also the place where I had some of the most awesome street food ever? Also Taiwan. Surprised to see real curved swords reverently wielded around by old men for daily exercise in the form of martial arts? Yep, you guessed the place. Taiwan. Taipei […]
Somaliland
I’d gone into Somaliland with an open heart and an open mind. I’d read so much good news online from the tight knit community of international country collectors. Somaliland wasn’t Somalia; it was supposed to be safe, interesting, and welcoming. Before entering Somaliland, at the gate in Djibouti, I hadn’t covered in my hijab. All […]
Ethiopia –Responsible Tourism: Getting Exactly What I Wanted –Then Guiltily Hating It
When I headed to Ethiopia, I really wanted to see wildlife. But sometimes when you get what you want, you find that it isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Nevertheless, a good experience that made me all-the-more hardier for future travels. The title of this article seems harsh. I actually had a wonderful time […]
The Truth that no one will tell you About Belize
It’s the age old story of being completely underwhelmed by what you came to see and leaving with a sense of value in the experiences that were unexpected. Like you, I probably headed to Belize to see the Great Blue Hole. I might have been excited to get some R&R on Caye Caulker. But for […]
My favorite Places Around Banff
I’ll give it to you straight– I went to Banff at the wrong time of year. The beginning of June was packed. Lake Louise wasn’t as serene as the Pintrest pictures tried to fool me. I was elbow deep fighting bus tourists for a photo op. But it wasn’t my fault: while researching this trip, […]
Penang: A Food Paradise, Malaysia
The Journey My hips twisted to balance as I focused on keeping my feet planted, surfing with the movement of the train on the tracks. I was too intrigued to sit during the ride from Kuala Lumpur to Penang. I tried not to fumble my camera lenses as I switched them then held my camera […]