South Island: December 27, 2016 – January 3, 2017 Continue reading
Travel
Journey to Middle Earth: North Island
As Chuck and I approached our third Christmas away from the U.S., we realized – with a smattering of guilt – that we had not gone home for a single one of them. Of course, we had made it home on other occasions, and family is always welcome to join our international excursions, but this time we made it a point to invite Chuck’s parents and siblings to join us for a road trip in New Zealand. Continue reading
Christmastime in London Town
So, what actually got me to Europe in the first place? In my previous post, I explain how – despite having already completed my Master’s degree with GWU – I opted to audit a course in global public advocacy, which included a week-long residency in London. It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up! Continue reading
Christmastime in La Ville Lumière
Now, don’t get me wrong. I love Asia. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to explore a continent upon which I otherwise would have never set foot, given my limitations and priorities. But after 2.5 years of exploring the nooks and crannies of the Orient, I found myself craving Western Civilization. I needed to get back to Europe…
Eat. Pray. Bali.
So, there wasn’t much about Chuck’s and my 6th wedding anniversary trip to Bali that resembled Eat, Pray, Love, but who couldn’t associate the beautiful island with Liz Gilbert’s bestseller, at this point?
Getting my Pray on at Uluwatu Temple
Bali was a sparkling jewel of an island. If it hadn’t been for some unfortunate happenstance courtesy of China Eastern Airlines – both on the way there and on the way back – it would easily be one of my favorite trips. That said, we had a lovely time and I would surely go again if I had the opportunity… just with a different airline 😉 Continue reading
Girls Trip to Singapore
When it comes to leisure travel, this year has been remarkably slow. Chuck’s schedule is itinerant, and we haven’t been able to lock anything down. One night, after imbibing a few spirits, I spoke with girl friends about taking a short getaway trip of our own – somewhere the guys wouldn’t miss. Singapore, perhaps? I knew Chuck wasn’t interested in Singapore, but it would offer all the essentials for a cosmopolitan girls trip – food, shopping, dancing, and shining lights! It would provide a glitzy adventure to balance our laid back lives in Okinawa…
My friend Sally agreed to book the trip with me, and we set out on our long weekend adventure full of energy, laughter, and hope. Never mind that we ended it hungover and exhausted, despite our best intentions to avoid such a scenario… but I guess there are some lessons we will just never learn! Continue reading
Thai Holiday: Phuket
Originally, I had planned for Phuket to be the relaxing part of our vacation. I was thinking a resort with its own beach and everything on-site so that we wouldn’t have to leave if we didn’t want to. The only thing I would schedule was a boat tour of the Phi Phi Islands, which had been on my bucket list for years…
Thai Holiday: Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai was my favorite! I loved the culture, the food, the wildlife. Of course, it helped that two of our top adventures happened in Chiang Mai 🙂
Thai Holiday: Bangkok
First off, I want to wish everyone a very happy New Year! Instead of writing a sappy post about all that I’ve learned in 2015 – and I all hope to be in 2016 – I’m going to tell you about my vacation to Thailand 🙂
Killin’ it in Kyoto
To celebrate our 5th anniversary, Chuck and I visited Kyoto, which served as the imperial capital of Japan for 1,000 years. It was also was recently voted the #1 city in the world by Travel + Leisure, for the second year in a row. We had a wonderful time, so I can see why…
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Wildflowers & Whimsy 