Stats

21 days. 6 countries. 8 flights. 4 road trips (including one 14-hr drive across the entire country of Bosnia & Herzegovina, part of Croatia and into Hungary). 7 hotel changes. 2 broken suitcases. Learned and actually remembered how to say "Thank You" in 3 different languages.

Made a handful of new international friends. Visited countless castles and churches. Received a multitude of unforgettable memories. Learned 2 new life lessons. Relearned 3 old life lessons that I managed to have forgotten... 

And I'm finally home. Not gonna lie, I'm a little sad about it, but c'est la vie! Overall, another successful and amazing trip. Thank you Eastern Europe, it's been grand. 

I also wanted to share these ads for a credit card that I immediately saw when I landed at the airport in Dubrovnik, Croatia. I'm in love with them and felt they were meant for me =)

"Those whose journey never ends, belong."

"If you consider the world unexplored, you belong."

"If you see every map as an invitation, you belong."

And my personal favorite....

"If you never lose your need to wander, you belong."

Blogs on my Eastern European trip coming soon. Have a great day everyone! xoxo

Bon Voyage!

Considering how much I travel, you would think I'd be an expert packer. But unfortunately I'm not. This is just a glimpse of how my room turns into a pig pen before every trip. The longer the trip the sorrier I feel for my room. Anyways, trying to pack for a 3-week trip to Eastern Europe in just one 44 lbs suitcase is harder than it looks. Regardless, I'm super excited for my trip today! First stop...England, then off to Croatia, Bosnia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria. Here we goooooooo...

The disaster of my room when I'm packing for a trip

Some things I never go on trip without (no matter where I go):
1. Passport
2. Travel pillow
3. At least 2 cameras, usually a DSLR and a point-and-shoot
4. Ipad
5. Foldable bag (my choice is usually one of my large Longchamp bags)
6. Refillable water bottle
7. Snacks & Green Tea bags

Why live on the edge when you can jump off it?

"Cyn, you didn't come all the way to New Zealand NOT to bungy jump! The Kiwi's invented the sport, it's only necessary that you do it here!" My auntie gives me a prep talk as I start to get cold feet. All I can think of was that she was right, and no matter how terrified I was I knew I would regret not doing it. 

I chose to do my first bungy jump at Taupo Bungy in Taupo, New Zealand (3.5 hours drive from Auckland). What attracted me to them was their location and their "water touch bungy" where they give you the option to touch the water or even completely submerge in it and everything in between. I would've chosen the complete water submersion but it was winter time in New Zealand and probably wouldn't have been the best idea, so I just asked for my arms to touch the water. 

As they strap the bungy cords to my ankles, all I can do is pray that I don't pee or throw up on myself or do both at the same time. I've never been so nervous in my life! I see my 2 younger cousins close by, being the best cheerleaders anyone can ask for and I knew there was no turning back. It was "go big or go home" time!

 

The winds swaying the cantilever platform projecting out off the cliff tops did not help to calm my nerves. I look down from the edge of the platform and it's about 47 meters to Waikato River. I try to shake out my nerves, put my arms up, tuck my chin in, take a deep breath and just jump. It lasted less than a minute but it felt like my body was being tossed up and down for much longer. When I finally stopped being thrown around like a rag doll and got to catch my breath, I look around and the realized just how beautiful the river and gorge was. Saying that this experience was AMAZING would be an understatement. 

 

I hung upside down for what seemed like forever and I remember thinking I wish I wore an undershirt. A boat came and handed me a long stick to pull myself down with. Once back on shore my body felt discombobulated, like my legs were made of jello and it didn't feel like I was on actual land. I was exhausted, and to make things worse they make you hike back up the mountain to the bungy center, which wasn't fun but I would've done the whole experience again in a heartbeat. The next time I bungy jump in New Zealand I think I'll try AJ Hackett Bungy on the Auckland Bridge. Any takers on a tandem jump? =)

For more info on New Zealand, check out my sister blog: THE LONG WEEKENDERS

Fleet Week

Early October is one of my favorite times of the year in the Bay Area. It's Indian Summer, the Blue Angels and Fleet Week come to town, and United Airlines has their Family Day at SFO which is always a good time.  Cheers to a good week ahead!

The Blue Angels parked at SFO

Crowds gathered at United Airlines Family Day

Blue Angels headed to their show in San Francisco  

United Airlines Family Day

She flies with her wings

My fascination for flying is pretty apparent, so for one of my birthday "funtivities" I decided to take the pilot's seat of a 4-seater Cessna 172 Aircraft. I took my first flight lesson at California Airways in Hayward and got paired up with an awesome instructor named Jason. Because we were delayed (the person before me decided to take their time bringing the plane back, although I can't say that I blame him) he let me try their flight stimulator for no extra charge. I had my fun picking out different flight scenarios like flying at night, landing on naval ships, and performing airplane tricks.

It was a sunny, cloudless day in the Bay Area and an absolutely perfect day to fly over the Bay, Hayward, Oakland, Sausalito, and San Francisco. During our actual flight Jason taught me the controls, some pilot lingo, and the basics of how to fly a plane. My actual air time was clocked at 45 minutes. I did most of the flying myself and I loved every minute of it!

Not a surprise, I got hooked and added "becoming a pilot" to my already impossibly long bucketlist. California Airways also included a certificate and an Official Pilots logbook...now I'm only 39 flight hours away to becoming a licensed pilot. It was definitely a worth while experience and I'll for sure be back here for my next lesson. Anyone want to join me?!

Oakland A's home

Bird's eye view of San Francisco

Golden Gate Bridge

AT&T Park

Out of Africa?!?

I tend to go through phases where I get completely consumed by certain culture themes, for example I've been obsessed with anything Polynesian related my whole life, and will probably never change that infatuation. After living in Rome a few years ago I maniacally wanted everything Italian to a point that I was convinced that I may have become Italian by default. Last year I began my Middle East phase and insisted that harem pants become a part of my daily wardrobe and learning Arabic was something I needed to try.

All these obsessions still remain and just continue to add up, this year's phase: Safari! Animal prints, African tribal wear/accessories, decor and anything referencing the Lion King. I'm hooked!

Last week I turned 26 and would have it no other way than to have a Safari themed birthday. Unfortunately, I couldn't make it to Kenya or Tanzania or Namibia like I would have loved to but I did find a worthy alternative...

Who knew Africa was only an hour and a half drive from San Francisco?! Rhinos, giraffes, monkeys...oh my! We found the Sonoma Serengeti at SAFARI WEST in Santa Rosa! It's only a small teaser of what a real African safari would be, but nonetheless it was still a good time. 

Love that we can sit at the top of the truck during the safari.

Safari West isn't a zoo or drive through park, they're an authentic African preserve and working ranch, and home to 800 individual animals. Safari (driving and walking) tours start at $68 for adults and lasts about 2.5-3 hours, reservations are needed and spots do fill up on the weekends. 

You have the option to spend the night in an authentic African luxury safari tents shipped from Africa. Cottages are also available, overnight stays start at $170/night, depending on the season.

Other activities include private animal encounters like:

-Cheetah Photo Session

-Fast Cat Alley: Up close and personal interaction with cheetahs

-Barn Visit: Behind the scenes of Safari West

-Keeper of the Day: Feed and work among the animals, overnight stay included

Male giraffes "necking" or fighting for a female giraffe.

Oh hello there, this giraffe like the attention from the trucks. 

It's not Africa, but it'll suffice for now. 

"Some people feel the rain and others just get wet"

A couple weekends ago, against warning signs and better judgement I flew to New York City a day before the massive Hurricane Irene was scheduled to hit the East Coast. 

Luckily by the time it reached NY, the hurricane downgraded to "Tropical storm Irene" and failed to be the "apocalyptic, big-city disaster" that they anticipated. Even though the state was prepared and overly cautious, they still couldn't prevent the damage from Irene's strong winds and rain. Brooklyn and Long Island flooded, but Manhattan was spared (good news for us since we were staying at the Gild Hotel in Lower Manhattan, only a block away from the evacuation zone). 

Airports up and down the East Coast were shut down for 3 days, more than 13,000 flights cancelled, everything was closed, the NY subway and buses were shut down for a day and a half, and New York's Mayor Bloomberg ordered NY's first mandatory evacuations. "The city that never sleeps" was in lockdown and Manhattan was a ghost town.

Penn Station lockdown.

The streets of Lower Manhattan empty?

NY subway chained?

Hurricane much?

Sure the shelves in the grocery stores were empty and there were long lines to buy water and supplies, but surprisingly I never sensed any major panic from any New Yorker or tourist. The night before everyone partied like a regular Friday night, during the hurricane our hotel opened up their bar and provided board game entertainment for guests and the calm after the storm was no different, everyone celebrated "surviving a hurricane." The nightlife scene felt more festive than worrisome, and everyone seemed to make the best out of a bad situation. 

Entertainment during Irene.

Despite the setbacks, I wasn't going to let a hurricane rain on my parade, I still wanted to see New York! I've been to this city plenty of times before and each visit I get a completely different vibe, and I love it. There's something really special about "the capital of the world." I find it hard not be completely fascinated by the fast paced way of life in this concrete jungle. I'm constantly looking up at all the skyscrapers and not paying attention to where I'm walking because of all the street distractions, the shops, and the people. 

The "naked cowboy" at Times Square

Central Park

View of the Empire State from the Top of the Rock

Trying to find our way through New York City.

World Trade Center Site

I <3 NY! 

P.S. If you don't already know, this year marks the 10 year anniversary of 9/11. Unfortunately the memorial wasn't open when I was there, (it opens on the anniversary and the museum is set to open later this year) but from the pictures displayed by Ground Zero, it looks like something that can't be missed. 

P.S.S. To check out some good eats in NYC, visit my sister blog, The Long Weekenders.