I promise you won’t find gag gifts, or single-use items, or “fad” items. Instead you’ll find products I truly love (and have bought with my own money), causes I support, and gifts that do good. Conspicuous waste should never be celebrated.
From camera protection, to portable door alarm, these are must-have travel items under $25 for practical, non-sense travelers.
Nicaragua was a slightly impulsive trip.
This is what happens when a wanderlust freelancer gets stir crazy working from home. February was a busy work month for me. I was juggling many projects at one and working long hours. It was awesome (yay money!), but it was also stressful.
I decided that this year, we’re finally going to get scuba certified. Considering I don’t know how to swim, it was a major decision.
Driving along the eastern side of Belitung coastline took us to this beach with colorful fishing boats.
Island hopping to see the collection of deserted islands around Belitung is a must do experience.
Last December, I went to Belitung Island. A small island off Sumatra that has only recently showed up on domestic tourists’ radar. I had never heard of Belitung Island until this time.
Mauna Kea, Big Island
Our destination is the peak of Mauna Kea, 13000 ft above sea level. The drive from sea level to 13000 ft takes about 3 hours. During the drive up, I could feel the change in air pressure. I kept moving my jaw to get that satisfying ‘pop’ in my ears.
Passing the clouds on the way up Mauna Kea
We were climbing so high soon we were above the cloud cover. It was grey and overcast in Kona when we left. Up here it’s like a perfect winter day in San Francisco. And just as windy and cold.
Cinder cones on the flank of Mauna Kea
The summit of Mauna Kea is one of the best spots on the world for astronomical observations: the air is dry and there’s little disturbance in the atmosphere. There are currently 13 observatories, a cluster of helmet-clad sentinels guarding the summit of the sacred mountain.
During sunsets, their silhouettes stand out against the brightly painted sky.
Mauna Kea sunset, Big Island, Hawaii
Mauna Kea observatory, Big Island, Hawaii
Jack and I made a run up the actual peak of Mauna Kea, pausing often for breaths. The air is much thinner and colder here. As we reached the peak, we wrapped our parkas just a little bit tighter around us.
We got up there just in time to see the sun set for the day.
It’s beautiful up here above the cloud covers with puffy clouds stretching in front of us as far as the eyes can see. It’s the kind of view one usually sees from inside an airplane.
10 years ago, catching sunset at Mauna Kea was one of the highlights of my visit to Big Island.
(MORE: Chasing Lava)
I’m glad that despite the changes the island has gone through, some things remain the same.
The shadow of Mauna Kea peak on the clouds down below
The spot where the current lava flows from Kilauea changes all the time. Jack and I were lucky enough to be on the island when the current flow is within a reasonable hiking distance.
This is Sokcho. Down this street by the water, seafood restaurants line the street. I got dragged into one of these restaurants. Quite literally. I took a second too long to decide, the next thing you know my shoes are off and I’m sitting cross legged next to a low table and they’re putting fish on the grill.
I love the sensation of flying through the air, seeing the blurry ground as we made our way from one tree to another hundreds of feet above the ground.
Maybe I’m getting in touch with my evolutionary ancestor?
So I didn’t know much about Korea before I got there. I had little presumptions, no expectationss. I left Korea thinking, “What an easy country to travel!”
Seoul surprised me. It’s clean, modern, and easy to travel around. It’s anything but seoul-less (sorry, not sorry).
I went to a Korean spa (jjimjilbang) despite my fear of being naked in public. It sounded like a unique enough experience that I should try at least once. I figured, hey, I’ve had a burly Moroccan women mandhandle me when I was at my most vulnerable – I can handle this.
