My new favorite blog!

These guys are super travelers and are doing what I've wanted to do for so long: backpack across Africa. Their videos are hilarious and entertaining! Check them out!

I want to buy this hotel

El Momo Cottages is a small eco hotel on the magical Caribbean island called Saba. It includes 6 small wooden Cottages, a pool, a breakfast area / restaurant and a nice house to live in for owners/managers including the office, outdoor living room and great terrace. Located on a steep and green mountain with lots of tropical garden and amazing ocean views from everywhere. Only disadvantage are lots of steps. Please check out www.elmomo.com
This is a great place for nature lovers who seek a healthy lifestyle in paradise. Saba has no crime, no mosquitos and has the best climate in the world!

Cape Cod

Martha's Vineyard

For Father's Day weekend we headed over to Marth's Vineyard for a way too short trip. The weather couldn't have been more perfect with warm but breezy sunny days and only a scattering of clouds. I'd never been to the Vineyard before and really had no preconceived ideas of what it was like other than thinking a lot of wealthy and/or famous people vacation there. I didn't see anyone famous that I know of although I wouldn't know anyone famous unless they were pointed out to me but I suspect I saw a lot of wealthy people.

We were anchored outside of Edgartown which seems like a nice little town. We were joined by a few large sailing yachts that I remember seeing down in Antigua and I'm sure are now in Newport, RI. The harbor had some pristine looking beaches with kids out playing in what I imagine is some pretty cold water. There were some really large houses on the beaches but actually not as large as I'm used to seeing. I'm suspecting that this town is the place where most of the vacationers like to go shopping. There were some nice boutique stores out of my price range as usual selling lots of girly things. In fact, if I didn't know better, I might have actually thought I was walking through the streets of St. Barts.

We ended up going to Murdick's Fudge and bought about $50 worth of fudge for us three girls. It was tasty but I'm not a huge fan of fudge so the rest of the crew, who apparently are fans, devoured the sweets in less than a day! Before the night was over we ended up with the rest of the crew at Wharf's Pub for a pint, or two or in some case 7 or 8! Sadly, we had curfew at 10 pm to take the last tender into the boat. If I have the opportunity I would love to go back to the Vineyard and explore a little more around the island. I hear strawberry picking is fun!

Where I've been

create your own visited states map





create your own visited countries map

Boston: We have arrived!

We got into Boston on May 29th after a week underway from Ft. Lauderdale. The trip up was incredibly smooth and actually pretty pleasant. My roommate and I are way into Scrabble these days so between our watches that we have every six hours we were down in the crew mess playing Scrabble which I lose everytime. Around Cape Hatteras the weather definitely changed. We went from nice warm, tropical weather to there being a slight chill in the air during the day. Then when we arrived in the Cape Cod canal it was all fog straight up into Boston. It cleared up just a little as we were passing under a bridge for me to take some pictures. We saw a man and a woman walking along the waterway pushing a stroller and some kids playing on a playground. It was really gorgeous.

When we arrived in Boston we immediately all got off the boat and kissed the ground! Trapped in small places in the middle of the ocean drives you crazy slowly. Like typical yachties we then went out and got piss drunk! We've only been here a week and it's been raining the entire time. Then the chef got the flu and now we all have it. So even if we wanted to go out here in Boston we couldn't manage to get out of our beds. I had to miss a day of work but it's not like I do anything anyway. Once we get settled into Boston I'll tell you a little more about venues and sites nearby like the IMAX and the aquariam. We'll also be heading to Nantucket pretty soon which I'm super excited about. My roommate and I are also planning some trips to NYC, Provincetown and Newport, RI. So prepare yourself for a jampacked summer!

Podcast on hold

I'm in the process of making my next podcast. I know it's been about a month but I'm waiting for some music I can use and I'm developing the website. SO!!! I'll be back soon. Until then, I'll still update my blog when I can. We're leaving for Boston soon so I'll have something to write about after that!

Official surfer = Official Slacker

I found a pic of my new surfboard! My new surf buddy, Danial, a Canadian from Nova Scotia no less, and I have gone surfing every day for the past three days! Monday the surf was about 5 feet high and there were probably 50 surfers out. I got ripped to shreads and have a massive bruise under my arm and thought I was knocked out once when I flipped over my board and it hit me dead on my temple! Despite my injuries, I am loving going out there more than I can even possibly begin to tell you! Today there weren't any waves but we went out and sat on our boards anyway. Well, Danial sat on his, but when I tried to sit like him on mine it would flip out in front of me. Danial and all the other cute surfer boys thought it was hilarious but I just felt like a stupid poser surfer girl with her trendy brand new pink and yellow surfboard. They don't know. I have skills. I have moves they've never seen. Just not on a surfboard.

So, all this I write to tell you why I don't have a new podcast up! Today I am going to try and record for you a little about my trip to the Bahamas to the Atlantis Resort and Casino, a little about Argentina (just to talk about my friend Martin's new company) and some about Ft. Lauderdale, Key West, and South Beach, Miami. A lot to talk about and I know I won't be able to cover everything but I'll get us started. So hang tight, and I'll be back soon with podcast episode #2!!!

I bought my first surfboard!

I bought a 7'6" surfboard today! $415 plus a leash and enough wax to last me a lifetime. I am OFFICIALLY a surfer girl!

Ski and Wine South America

My good friend from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Martin and two other friends have just started an incredible new outfitter company called Ski and Wine South America. You can choose 7 or 14 days packages from guided tours of the wineries in Argentina and Chile, heli-skiing or horseback riding in the Andes, or high altitude golfing in Mendoza, Argentina and Chile. Check out their website at Ski and Wine

Podcast #1

Episode #1 (13 mins) One girl, her backpack and a passion for travel is a brief introduction to the podcast and the host. The podcast will discuss travel for those who want to live the lifestyle of a traveler and not a tourist.


This is my first podcast. Let's see how it goes!

Promo One girl and her backpack

From Antigua to Ft. Lauderdale

From Antigua to Ft. Lauderdale
We left Antigua today for Ft. Lauderdale. Today was supposed to be our day off before we left for FLL on Monday. Big plans to go to the beach today (for the billionth time since we've been here). I'm crushed. Ok not really. I'm sick of Antigua. I've been sick of Antigua since we got here. Nothin doin here. There's always a party here it's true. But it's the same people at every party. It's always the same venue, either Skull Duggery, Mad Mongoose, or Abras. Occasionally, we'll mix things up on Thursday night with Karaoke at The Anchorage or Tuesday at the Leming there's a live band that sucks. But it's still the same people, night after night, after night, and then during the day as well.

Anyway, we left Antigua today and hopefully I'm not leaving my reputation. I have to say, that I was not a good girl in Antigua and I'm not proud of it either! It's just to easy to get drunk and act stupid. Which I did, on a nightly basis. My job isn't rocket science so waking up with a hangover and working the day through won't hurt my on the job performance much.

It should take us about a week to make to Ft. Lauderdale. Civilization! See you then!

Back from Japan

After two weeks of living on one bowl of Soba noodles a day I have returned from Japan to Antigua. I have to say that, although Japan is a great country of all the places I've been it's my least favorite. I guess I had to find some country that I didn't love at some point. The people of Japan are quite courteous but I wouldn't go so far as to say they are friendly. Of course, the Japanese are not known for their outgoing nature. I felt like such an outsider. Many people love Japan. Some of the greatest travelers in the world are fascinated with Japan and I feel like I should love it too, but I don't unfortunately.

Japan was incredibly expensive as well. I found ways to live below my means, but it wasn't easy for me I must admit. Usually, I consider myself a savvy traveler but traveling in Japan was not particularly enjoyable for me. Obviously, the difficulty in communication was the biggest factor for me. I still think I would have enjoyed going to India or Thailand better and plan to go still someday. But until then, I have accomplished my goal of 6 continents before I turn 25 and I guess that I can at least be proud of that.

Lost On The Tokyo Subway

Kyoto

Kyoto was an absolutely beautiful city! I only had the opportunity to explore the city one day out of the three days I was there thanks to the rain. As an added bonus the cherry blossoms were just beginning to bloom while I was there!

I visited about ten temples and shrines and by the end of the day I was all templed out. I also manage to spot four geishas. Sometimes I would see them far off into the distance and try to follow them only for them to quickly slip off into an alleyway before I could catch them. Much of the time I felt like I was on a geisha safari!

Tokyo From My Hotel Room

Japan vs. India

I've been sick for the past week and have been taking antibiotics but it's taken me a long time to admit that I am actually ill. I hate being ill because I always tell myself that I am not actually hurting but really just lazy. I have been trudging along at work doubled over in pain, but a part of me still thinks that I should buck up and just work harder. For some reason, I always feel guilty that I am sick and today I have constantly apologized to my coworkers for being so slow and miserable to be around. Actually, I think they are no longer sympathetic but rather annoyed at my apologizing so much. I just feel like I'm letting them down. But I started thinking that, if I am in fact just lazy or beginning to dislike my job, my sickness is just a physical manifestation of my unhappiness. I hope not. I know that I have a great job and love my coworkers. Work is horribly mundane though and I'm longing for some excitement.

Once again, I think am beginning to feel the itch. I hate and love the itch all at the same time. The itch keeps me on my toes. The itch tells me lies though. It tells me that I don't want to be where I am that I would be happier somewhere else. I would be happy if I were on a plane heading to some country where I don't know anyone or the language. It says that I should settle down in a house of my own. It says I deserve to be paid more. It says basically I have to keep on moving.

I've been thinking (again) that I'm going to go to Japan instead of India. I have my vacation coming up and I found a great deal from Expedia leaving from Antigua to Tokyo for only $900. It's perfect to get away and I think I'm gonna go for my birthday. I would love to see a Geisha. And I've always wanted to go to Japan. Yup. That's what I'm going to do. Until I change my mind next week. Happy Birthday to me!!!

On getting Island fever

Just heard today that we're going to be in the Caribbean now until mid-April. I'm going crazy here. I need Starbucks! I need Barnes and Noble! Most of all I need my Jeep! I know it's hard to feel sorry for me but I'm not doing anything here in Antigua but getting skin cancer and probably cirrhosis of the liver. Speaking of dying...

One of my friends and I stole a kayak yesterday and tried to kayak out to this island that we could see off in the distance. About a mile and a half out to the island we got into rougher seas than we imagined (ok, the waves were only about 6 inches high) and the boat started taking on water and I had to bail water with my flips flops to no avail! Shortly thereafter, the boat sank with us in it.

No one was around and we had no life jackets, just some oars, our flips flops and my car keys (why did I bring my car keys in the first place?). What would McGyver do? Swim! Then the boat floated back up to the top but it was capsized. So we dragged our stolen boat back a mile and a half in what I only just found out to be heavily shark infested waters! We pulled the boat up on the beach after swimming for an hour and found a huge gash across the bottom of the boat! No wonder the owners had just left the boat on the beach to be stolen! But we learned our lesson: Before stealing anything, always make sure that it doesn't have any holes (unless you're into that sort of thing).

Riding my bike through India?

Well, I've done a bit of research and I'm thinking about doing a bike tour with Intrepid Travel. Here's the intinerary for the trip

Day 1 Delhi We walk through Old Delhi's labyrinth of intriguing narrow laneways and bazaars, which has fed this crumbling part of the city for hundreds of years.


Days 2-3 Udaipur Fly into the most romantic of Rajasthani cities, Udaipur. Prepare to fall in love with a captivating place where artists, musicians and dancers have converged harmoniously through the ages.


Days 4-10 Rural Villages Pioneering cycle explorers by day, we spend our magical nights relaxing in style within Rajput forts and heritage castles, which give a royal flavour to the adventure. Mounting our saddles at the magnificent Kumbalgarh Fort, a ride through a wildlife sanctuary and lunch near the beautifully carved Ranakpur Jain temple proves delightful. The Aravalli Ranges make a stunning backdrop to our travels through colourful tribal Rabari hamlets and grazing camels in Jojawar. After traversing the dry and rocky Thar Desert, set up tents in time for a gorgeous sunset and barbeque under a blanket of bright stars. Acacia bushes offer shade while cycling along salt tracks beside the Kharda Dam, keeping an eye out for the elusive and unusual blue bull. A chance to dive into a cooling pool at the end of the day will have you racing on to our Rohet Castle oasis. En route to Jhalamand, learn about the fascinating Bishnoi tribes native to this region. Possessing unique traditions and a fascinating history, they fiercely protect the herds of black buck and sacred khejri trees we see on our path and make our last two days of cycling truly rewarding.


Day 11 Jodhpur Towering proudly above the 'blue city' stands the majestic Meherangarh Fort. Meander through its vast collection of royal treasures and venture down the cobbled pathway into Sadar Bazaar as it teems with spices and local delicacies, including the best lassi in India!


Days 12-14 Pushkar Kick back and enjoy the mellow atmosphere in one of the rooftop cafes dotted throughout the bazaar and watch the sun set over the holy lake. Taste the life of a nomad astride a camel for a safari into the surrounding area.


Day 15 Delhi A mouthwatering farewell breakfast awaits us following our overnight train into Delhi.

Planning for vacay!

I've been thinking a lot about my trip, which should be in March, to Asia. At first, I was planning to go to Thailand for a multitude of reasons; it's cheap, accessible, and safe. But I've been talking to a few friends who say they really enjoyed Thailand but that it's overrated. Never being one to do the conventional, it made me rethink where I might want to go.

Now, of course, I really want to experience Bankok. I hear it's worldly and authentically cultured. I also love the whole backpacker scene. Do I want to relax and sit around at the beach? No, because I work on a boat that follows the summer and therefore always have access to beaches. I have been Diving at the Great Barrier Reef and I have surfed in South Africa. Obviously I want to do something adventurous. I'm not going for Rest and Relaxation. After spending a lot of time on the water, perhaps I want to go a little further inland.

My goal someday is to own an eco-hotel. I always use my trips for informational purposes to gather ideas of places that I like so that someday I may incorporate those ideas into my own place. So, I'm thinking I'll go to an eco-lodge in the mountains. I want to do yoga for like 2 weeks. However, the big catch is that usually places like those attract older crowds and I want to avoid a place like that. Here are my requirements for my vacation to India.

• Beautiful natural surroundings
• Clean, nice place to stay
• Affordable, but not economy cheap
• Young Crowd
• Yoga

I'll keep you updated on my research. I'm going to look at igougo.com, lonelyplanet.com and various other internet sites.