#181: Go To Europe

A trip to Europe is usually at the top of most people’s bucket lists, and for good reason! There is so much to do there that one can never be bored. The whole continent is filled to the brim with culture. I have been lucky enough to have gone on two trips to Europe. The first trip was when I was 17 and went backpacking there for the summer. The second trip was when I studied abroad when I was 19. I chose to study in Austria specifically because it was centrally located and it is so easy to get all around Europe from there with all the trains and cheap flights. This made it so I was able to see so many places that I have always dreamed of.

When I first went backpacking I went to France, Italy, Switzerland, Turkey and Greece. My two favorites were Switzerland and Greece. Not only was the food amazing but the people were so friendly and helpful. In Switzerland my favorite thing was just seeing all the nature and mountains that surround the small cute villages. The whole country looks like a postcard. My favorite thing in Greece was of course the food. There were so many hole in the wall restaurants that had the freshest and most delicious food.

My second trip over, my favorite counties were Austria and Ireland. Austria was similar to Switzerland in that every village looks like it belongs in a Christmas magazine with all the mountains, Christmas markets and curvy cobblestone paths. It was a place I could imagine living the rest of my life, it really felt like home. Ireland was also similar to that in that it really felt like a home to me. The rolling hills, warm hearty food, and lush nature made it feel like I was back in Washington.

I would love to go back and spend more time in all of these places. There is still so much more to see across Europe. During these trips I made it to 15 countries. Next time I go back, I plan to focus more on Eastern Europe or Scandinavia. 

Video of Hanoi, Vietnam

Hanoi, Vietnam

   Above is my video link to my amazing trip to Hanoi Vietnam. I went to Halong Bay and did many of the famous tourist activities that we feel forced to do. But the best part of my trip was wandering the streets and talking to all the people of Vietnam. I met so many fun, caring and entertaining people who loved to just spend hours talking and practicing their English. 

#179: Go the Boryeong Mud Festival

 The Boryeong Mud Festival is now a world famous festival in Boryeong, South Korea. They take mud from the mud flats surrounding the ocean side city and bring it into the town and set up a wide variety of attractions. They even use the mud to make cosmetics and other products that they say significantly improves ones skin.









There are mud pools, slides, wrestling pits and even a mud soccer arena. It is the one time a year that you will actually see Koreans excited to get dirty. Some even believe the longer you go without showering after the more luck you will have. But that superstition has not been very popular recently for obvious reasons.








We went with the 'Enjoy Korea' travel company and left from Daegu Saturday morning and drove 3+ hours to the event. We then spent several hours playing in the mud despite the weather being cold and windy. That evening there was a free concert on the beach, this year was exciting because the main act was Psy which is one of the few Korean artists that all Foreigners know.







The next day there were more mud events which were fun to watch from behind the glass of a local cafe. The entire festival was packed with old Koreans with cameras more expensive than all of my belongings put together. This was fun to watch as they all crowd around any group of foreigners that they see and take hundreds of pictures. Because what is a Korean festival without thousands of pictures as proof you were there?



Overall the festival was a lot of fun and is a great way to meet people from across the country. You even get a chance to get up close and personal with them with all the mud wrestling there is to do!

#60: Go to the Underground River

The Underground River in Puerto Princesa, Philippines is one of the 7 wonders of Nature. The cave goes so deep that it is impossible to fully explore because of oxygen deprivation. When you go in it you get to experience complete darkness where the only light available is from the flashlight that the tour guides uses to point various aspects of the cave throughout the tour. You have to wear headphones on the guided tour because any noise will disrupt the natural environment and species of the cave which include the millions of bats that are hanging from the ceiling. Before entering the cave they warn you not to open your mouth in order to avoid any animal droppings from falling into your mouth. You are also warned about looking up too much because the liquid that falls off the rock formation can cause blindness and other effects to one’s eyes and skin. Not really the most encouraging thing to hear before heading into this pit of darkness.

In order to get to the caves you have to take a shuttle out of Puerto Princesa on a long curvy road in which people are known for getting sick on, which unfortunately happened to someone on our bus. After this long drive you wait on the beach until your boat is ready for departure. Around this area there are many food stands with fresh fruit smoothies and snacks. After waiting two hours we took a short boat ride to the other side of the island in which we then had to wait another hour in the forest. 

While waiting, we went on a walk and saw monkeys and komodo dragons which was for sure a highlight of the day. Finally we were put into smaller row boats and went into the cave for the tour.

There were many rock formations inside the cave which were said to look like various foods, animals or people. Parts of the cave were low enough that we felt the need to crouch down while other tunnels opened into giant rooms which they called cathedrals. It was mind blowing to see how much is going on in the world just below our feet. New parts of this Underground River are still being explored and discovered every year which shows how massive this area is.

This was for sure worth all the wait time and bus rides as it was one of those experiences that leaves you in wonder at the world around you. Don’t make any other plans though they day that you go because the whole tour ends up taking much longer than was originally anticipated. 

Holi Hai 2016

    This is the second time that our eccentric little group made the short trip to Busan. Holi has become our favorite festival as it is not only cheap, but also is an amazing experience for people of all ages. While this is an Indian festival, they welcome people from all over the world to join them in a Sunday morning dance party on the beach. With thousands of other people clad in white you spend the morning throwing paint, eating samosas, and dancing without judgement. Check out my link below!

Holi Hai 2016 Video

#76: Get Scuba Certified

          This was one of my favorite bucket list items to check off. For Christmas break we went to El Nido, Philippines and did our scuba certification with Palawan Divers. We were supposed to do online training before we arrived, but that seemed like way too much effort. Of course that meant we had no idea what we were doing on our first day in the water, which isn't the smartest idea that we ever had. The shop had us review the skills we should have already perfected and then we were off on our first day. Instead of using a pool to practice the skills in, we went straight into the open ocean. This was a little overwhelming at first as there are a lot of things that can go wrong if you aren't paying attention.
           After thoroughly embarrassing ourselves, we managed to finally get a grasp on the necessary skills that are needed to not suffocate to death. We saw thousands of fish including puffer fish, octopus and sting rays. We were taken to many different locations through out the islands. It was a two day event and we spent 10 hours on the boat and in the water relaxing and enjoying ourselves. Our lunch was fresh fish caught from the ocean and we ate it while lounging on the boat pretending to get a tan through our wet suits.Thankfully we managed to pass the tests without being laughed out of the country. Next trip to the Philippines I plan on doing a shipwreck dive and swimming with the whale sharks. This was an amazing experience and was the highlight of our trip.

Philippines 2015

#156: Go Zip lining

    This is something that I have done several times now and it never fails to be an adventure. Maybe one day I will master actually grabbing onto the rope at the end instead of just bouncing off and floating back into the middle of the line…but today is not that day. This is like a baby step to actual ‘extreme sports’ as it is really hard to hurt yourself while doing this because there are so many different safety straps and safety measures taken. So it really isn’t extreme at all, but of course the fact that you are high above the ground heading full force into a tree can make it quite a thrill.

    Although expensive, this is a great way to spend any extra money that you may have lying around, because we always seems to have a lot of that right? For me, I find that the obstacles between the different zip lines are actually just as exciting and really make you feel like Tarzan. If Tarzan swung on vines wearing a helmet and 10 lbs of random metal buckles. My favorite is when they have a tight rope to walk across especially when it is longer and starts to shake when you reach the middle. Good thing I have the true hipster experience of walking on slack lines in parks to help me with that one. When going make sure you are with people who are up for it and are aware that it is more than 5 inches off the ground. Nothing is worse than having to deal with a friend having a panic attack in the tree tops.