With salt in our hair, and sand in every crevice of our bodies, our little crew of four set out yet again after five relaxing days at Playa Gigante. We had booked some rooms at the Surfing Turtle in Leon, Nicaragua to spend Semana Santa in the big city. However, we made the rookie mistake of thinking that their Easter holidays were the same as our own back in our respective countries- Monday and Friday. Nope. Way off. Continue reading
It was a sad goodbye that we paid Laguna de Apoyo. We all packed up our bags, and some of us our hangovers and regrets over lost phones. It was time to move on yet again.
Ometepe island was the one major destination in Nicaragua that seemed to come up again and again from other travellers. It was the must see/do of the country. Thus, we all had rather high expectations heading there. We made our way by shared taxi to the port town of San Jorge, near Rivas. We walked down the pier heading towards what looked like a safe and reputable ferry. Continue reading
Laguna de Apoyo is a crater lake located a short distance away from Granada, and was one of the hot spots that was mentioned to us over and over again. A friend from home had even messaged me and told me I absolutely had to go there as it was her favorite place in all of Nicaragua, so I was pretty excited to get there. We took a short 45 minute shuttle ride; our bus meandered up the hills to climb the old volcano and then winded back down to reach the lake that filled the old crater. Our hostel was called Paradiso and was a sister hostel to Oasis so I knew to expect good things, but I was totally blown away. Continue reading
I’ve only been on the road for a mere 10 weeks, but it’s extraordinary how much you learn when you travel, even for a short time. I will be writing a couple of these posts, for travel is but a continuous lesson in life, love, friendship and all the workings of this marvellous universe, and I am but her eager student. Here is my first instalment: Continue reading
The few days spent living in the jungle on the coast near Uvita, Costa Rica was a dream. Envision Festival brought together a group of strangers, and turned them into friends through music, dance, food (and by food, I mean Falafels), and exploration. Bonds were created and solidified as each day passed and plans were made by some to attend a second festival only a few days later near Costa de Pajaros, a few hours north up the coast. Continue reading
After three short weeks in Guatemala, I made a last minute decision to cut my Spanish lessons short and book it down to Costa Rica to attend Envision, a festival in Uvita that evolves around art, music and food. I had met several people on my travels that were all making their way to Envision soon, and when I met Sebastien and Kajsa on a boat one day on Lago Atitlan, the spontaneous decision to attend the festival was made, as was a bond of friendship between my new Swedish partner in crime, Kajsa and I. Continue reading
I took a shuttle from the quiet city of Antigua for the two hour drive through the mountain country side to reach Lake Atitlan. The drive was captivating and I couldn’t take my eyes from the road, starring out bright eyed as the sights blurred past me: mountains surrounded us on all sides, farms were scattered here and there, hardy crops of maiz perched on steep slopes, the occasional small village, and now and then plumes of smoke from small rubbish fires dotted the distance. As we got closer and closer to the lake the land became more mountainous, the roads became steeper and cliffs began to form as we hugged the hillside, looking over precariously steep drops with no guardrails. Continue reading
Where does one begin? As my departure date looms a mere three days away, and I find myself embracing friends in sad goodbyes accompanied by well wishes and promises to meet up abroad, I can’t help but find myself reflecting on the kindness of the people in my life. I am completely overwhelmed with the outpouring of support lately from friends, family, acquaintances and even strangers. Nearly everyone I talk to about my upcoming journey has gone out of their way to lend a hand in some way. I am in absolute awe of the generosity, kindness and helpfulness of all of these wonderful people. I posted the other week about the darker side of this coin- those who tell me I’m crazy, and offer no support at all, but instead tear my dreams down and shake their head at me. It’s time to turn the focus on the positive because it is far outweighing the negative. Continue reading
Traveling the world doesn’t just happen, I’m not just lucky – I worked hard and made many sacrifices to bring this dream to fruition, but often people seem to think I’m just lucky and that all this just fell in my lap. No way.
I quit my job. I ended my relationship with my partner. I moved back in with my parents. I saved every dollar I could. I sold/donated the vast majority of my material possessions. I canceled my cell phone. But most of all, I’m about to leave behind all of my friends, my family and my home for the last 22 years. Continue reading
Now that my departure date is looming near, I’ve become more and more vocal with friends, family, co-workers and even strangers about my upcoming adventure. I eagerly tell people about my plans when they ask because I’m beyond excited about the fact that I’m actually following my dreams. The conversation usually goes something like this:
Them- “Oh, you’re leaving Yellowknife? Where are you going?”
Me- “I’m going traveling!”
Them- “Oh how exciting, where?”
Me- “The world!”
The conversation then goes either one of two ways:
BorealBlonde 