• California

    Mammoth Lakes

    December 5, 2018 - By 

    One reason why I love California is that I’m never far from somewhere beautiful, and there is always somewhere new to explore whether I go north, south, east, or west. After Thanksgiving when “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year” takes over media, I always wonder why the song isn’t broadcasted sooner. Fall truly is the most wonderful time of the year. No crowds, no traffic, no heat, no mosquitos, and complete solitude with nature. So what’s a girl to do at the end of fall and the mountains are calling? Make the hubby take the trailer out for…

  • California

    Redwood National & State Parks

    January 4, 2018 - By 

    Chris and I got up close and personal with the world’s oldest living trees at the Bristlecone Pine Forest and meandered through groves of the world’s largest trees at Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park.  While the ancient bristlecone pines and massive sequoia trees thrive in the high altitude mountains of Southern California, the tall redwood trees tower over the foggy coasts of Northern California; no matter where we are in California we’re not far from the world’s largest (and oldest) trees! As Bay Area natives, plenty of my friends and I have driven past the Redwood National and State…

  • Arizona

    South Rim Trail Run

    December 25, 2017 - By 

    Years ago when I read about crazy people who ran down and up the Grand Canyon, I knew I wanted to be one of those crazy people too.  On Thanksgiving of 2017, it became official. Traditionally a Grand Canyon trail run is considered a “rim-to-rim” run, which implies an adventure from the north rim to the south rim–14 miles of descent from the north, about a mile along the Colorado River, and a 8 mile climb up the canyon walls to the south rim for a total of 23 miles. Due to the extra logistics required for a return to…

  • Egypt

    Dahab

    February 7, 2017 - By 

    Sinai, that triangular peninsula that rests between the Gulf of Suez and the Red Sea, is nothing like the rest of Egypt. Dahab in particular is absolutely nothing like one could imagine in the Arab world. In fact, during our incredible week in Dahab, we often forgot that we were still in Egypt. Yes, camels and bedouins can be found roaming about, but the landscape sparkles with beauty, the laid-back atmosphere relaxes the soul, and the chaos of traffic does not exist. Hookahs and even beer were also not uncommon. Catering to independent backpackers, hippies, wanderers, scuba divers, and beach junkies, Dahab’s…

  • Egypt

    A White Desert Christmas

    January 26, 2017 - By 

    It seems as if most people traveling to Egypt only have enough time to check out the “must-do’s” which include the Great Pyramids of Giza, the Egyptian museum in Cairo, the magnificent archeological sites in Luxor and further to the south, and the handful of souqs and bazaars tucked in the cities. Once we exhausted the list of “must-do’s” in a brief two weeks, we spent our final 1.5 weeks in Egypt doing what we wanted to do. This not only entailed travel to Egypt’s lesser known natural landscapes, but also the wonderful void of giant tour buses and aggressive touts. Doing…

  • Egypt

    Luxor

    January 22, 2017 - By 

    It seems now that many travelers opt to skip Cairo entirely (I don’t blame them; it is rather hectic and disgusting) and head straight to Luxor for all its archeological treasures. While the sites are wonderful and the city is large enough to host an endless array of restaurants and hotels, Luxor has one major problem: its plague of touts.  I read that touts in Luxor are possibly more aggressive than the touts in Cairo and Giza, and with the decimated tour industry, touts are more hungry than ever. But rather than falling into the easy cycle of frustration and anger,…

  • Egypt

    Cruising Along the Nile

    January 16, 2017 - By 

    In addition to the pyramids, I couldn’t help but sign up for another touristy Egyptian excursion: a multi-day cruise along the Nile. Cruise ships sail from Aswan to Luxor for 4 days/3 nights (which is what we picked) or against the current from Luxor to Aswan for 5 days/4 nights. I read that one of the cheapest options is through viator.com, and we paid $280 each for what typically would have been the high season in mid-December. We even opted for a group tour for the lowest price, but somehow ended up with a private guide anyway. Yay! After independently exploring…

  • Egypt

    Aswan & Abu Simbel

    January 8, 2017 - By 

    Along a beautiful section of the Nile lies the idyllic city of Aswan, the largest city in southern Egypt, with sleepy Nubian villages spilling to the river. Aswan is about as far south as most travelers will reach in Egypt, with most likely an extra excursion even further south to the famous temples of Abu Simbel, only ~40 km from the Sudanese border. Without the noise, pollution, traffic, and aggression seen in Egypt’s other cities, Aswan is a relaxing escape from it all with plenty of wonderful sites to take in. And last but not least, Aswan serves as the…

  • Egypt

    A Couple Days in Cairo

    December 29, 2016 - By 

    Cairo is one of those cities that you can love…if you have the luxury to avoid living in it. My native Egyptian friend left Cairo and Egypt altogether and can rant about his pure loathing for the city.  At first I thought it was only his pessimistic nature, but I quickly learned from other locals that Egyptians generally hold great disdain for Cairo; they only live there to work. The city is exhilarating and fascinating as much as it is dilapidated, filthy, and inefficient, and if you have a tolerance for such chaos plus a few days to spare then…

  • Egypt

    An Independent Pyramid Tour

    December 26, 2016 - By 

    Considering how far the Great Pyramids of Giza are from Cairo, I thought, “Why not spend a couple nights in Giza and check out the sites from there?” After all, the pyramids are one of the main reasons why people come to Egypt. Plus, staying in Giza not only allowed us to leisurely explore the Great Pyramids but also other less notable pyramids in the area. Then I discovered a couple of budget hotel options in Giza that sealed the deal. Can’t beat this terrace view for $30 per night, right? Sound and light show in the evening from the terrace:…