South Africa: A Cape Paradise

South Africa is not just a safari destination — it attracts people from all around the world with its hip neighborhoods, eco-friendly tourism and unique history.

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  Cape Town is situated between a mountain range on one side and the Atlantic Ocean with beautiful beaches on the other. In between is a vibrant, diverse city with a rich history.
  
  You can catch these amazing views from the hike up to Lion’s Head, the iconic mountain peak.
  (Lion’s Head Hiking Trail)

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  In order to see Lion’s Head, you need to go up even higher, to the top of Table Mountain. Luckily there’s a cable car that does exactly that!
  (Table Mountain National Park)

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  Down in the city of Cape Town, you’ll find a lively town with a rich history… Bo-Kaap is a must-see neighborhood, not only for its photogenic colorful buildings but also for its unique Cape Malay heritage. Malays are descendants of people from Southeast Asia who were exiled by the Dutch East India Company to South Africa.
  (Atlas Trading Co.)
  

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  Many of the first Malay immigrants were religious leaders rebelling the colonization of the company. As a result, Bo-Kaap became home to the first Muslim community in South Africa, which later continued to develop as more slaves were brought in from Southeast Asia.
  (Streets of Bo-Kaap)

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  We were lucky to stay at a beautiful AirBnB in Bo-Kaap with amazing views of Table Mountain!
  (Bloem St)

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  District Six is a neighborhood symbolizing the impact of apartheid on the people of Cape Town. Like many others across the country, residents of this area were forcefully removed from their homes by the regime and forced into resettling in shanty towns outside of the city.
  This museum contains information and artifacts about this dark history but the effects of it are still very visible.
  (District Six Museum)

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  The Cape Peninsula is an excellent road trip that can be completed in a day, including picture-perfect beaches, cute towns, an old lighthouse, a botanical garden…. and penguins… what else would one need!?
  (Hout Bay)

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  There are so many beaches on the way to the Cape of Good Hope that you can stop by. Or you can just take in the views from the road!
  (Nordhoek Beach)

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  You could spend all day on any beach you pick on the way — and there are many — but we were in a hurry to see the tuxedo-wearing flightless birds…
  (Nordhoek Beach)

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  Simon’s Town is the place to be if you want to see African Penguins — and I guarantee, you want to see these unique creatures.
  (Boulders Beach)

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  You can get close to this wild colony (please keep your distance and let them come to you!) and even swim with them. Highly recommended!
  
  After penguin viewing, our Cape Peninsula tour was complete with a seafood dinner at Kalk Bay.
  (Foxy Beach)

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  Next day was the beginning of the second part of our road trip: the Garden Route. First stop was a boat trip from Hermanus, where we saw all of the marine Big 5: whales, dolphins, sea lions, penguins and a shark!
  
  Then we did a quick pit-stop at Cape Agulhas, where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet. There’s a symbolic marker for a photo opportunity, as well as a cool 3-D map of Africa.
  (Southern tip of Africa / Cape Agulhas)

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  After spending the night in Mossel Bay, we experienced a unique hiking nearby. A guided tour leads you down the cliffs to a series of caves overlooking the ocean. Evidently, these were home to humans 160 thousand years ago, overlooking vast savannah land (it later became the ocean we see today). The walls of the cave had layers of fossilized remains.
  (St Blaze Hiking Trail)
  
  

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  We drove to nearby Wilderness, a small coastal town famous for its nature. After a scenic yet bumpy road, we arrived at Nima Lodge, a highly recommended eco-friendly boutique resort.
  (Map of Africa)

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  We stopped by Plettenberg Bay for our longest hike with beautiful views of the ocean with dramatic cliffs and sand dunes.
  (Robberg Nature Reserve)

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  Moving along the coastline, we arrived at Knysna for a glamping experience. It took us three tries over 2 days to get this wood-fired hot tub running but it was worth it in the end.
  (AfriCamps at Ingwe)

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  The garden route ended at Tsitsikamma National Park, where we kayaked from the ocean inward through Storms River’s refreshing cold water (with a wetsuit of course!), with pretty views all around.
  (Untouched Adventures Kayak & Lilo Tour)

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  Our “garden route” road trip ended where it started, Cape Town. This time we stayed close to one of the city’s own beaches, overlooking Lion’s Head.
  
  This also marked the end to our stay, with a refreshing coolness from the waters of the Atlantic Ocean combined with warm feelings from yet another amazing experience in Africa.
  (Camps Bay)

Mexico City: Ruins of A Drained Swamp

Mexico tourism is mainly focused on the coastal regions and Mexico City is rarely listed as a top travel destination. Whenever it does get attention, the population and high crime rates can be deterring… for all of these reasons, Mexico City, officially known as Ciudad de México (CDMX) had never made it to the top of our list. However, when presented with an opportunity to do a quick 3-day getaway, we didn’t think twice! As we learned about the complex history of the city, which served as a capital to Aztecs, Spanish Empire as well as Mexico, there were no regrets!

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  The moment we stepped off the airport and took a cab to our hotel, we were overwhelmed with the crowds and traffic (it is the most populous city in Northern America). The Historic Center, however, seemed had a very different vibe, with families out to enjoy the weather and streets filled with modern arts.

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  The historic center of Mexico City dates back to the Aztecs. At the time it was an island capital called Tenochtitlan, located in the middle of Lake Texcoco. It stayed that way until the Spanish conquests in the 16th century.

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  The concept of “mercado” in CDMX is similar to other Latin American countries, where you can find anything from food stalls to gift shops to produce sections.

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  The city has a wide range of food options, ranging from casual curb-side taco stalls to creative fine dining. For something on the latter end of the range, Azul Historico is a fantastic choice, with its pretty inner courtyard setting and its signature squash blossom soup. While in the historic area, make sure to stop by the famous El Moro for their delicious churros!

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  After spending the first day in the historic center, we took the subway to a neighborhood 10 km to the south, Coyoacán, which was once a village on the shore of Lake Texcoco inhabited by Tepanec people. Their dislike of Aztec rule was exploited by Spanish conqueror Hernán Cortés, who used this as headquarters before eventually conquering Aztecs.

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  Today, Coyoacán is a peaceful artsy neighborhood, filled with single-family townhouses on tree-lined streets. It is especially famous for its former residents Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.

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  The famous artist couple’s house is a popular museum. Be ready to wait in line!
  Tip: purchasing a ticket online reduces the line significantly

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  Inside you’ll get a glimpse into the bohemian life of Frida and Diego, and learn about their amazing life stories.

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  Corn tortillas are the staple of Mexican cuisine today. In fact, we learned it was a staple back in Aztec times (called tlaxcalli), before European settlement. We visited one of the traditional tortilla shops to see how maize (corn) dough was prepared and cooked.

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  How did the island town of Tenochtitlan become a megapolis of over 30 million residents? After the Spaniards forcefully took over the Aztec rule, they used indigenous labor to systemically dry out the lake and expand the city. Eventually the lake completely dried out, connecting the port villages like Coyoacán to the center. The land-filled areas have now completely been integrated into the larger CDMX metropolitan area.
  
  Chapultepec, once a retreat for the Aztecs, is now a large city park with a zoo, botanic garden and many museums.

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  The botanic garden within the park is free to browse!

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  A fusion of modern arts and botanics.

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  On our final day, we took a 1-hour bus ride to the ruins of Teotihuacan, a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is an ancient city pre-dating the Aztecs and there is little information on who the inhabitants exactly were and the cause of their eventual demise. The influence of Teotihuacan culture can be seen across Aztec cities.

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Japan: Trains, Temples and Noodles

Ever since I got into watching Japanese anime and fell in love with classic movies like Tokyo Story and Rashomon, it’s been a dream to visit this island famous for its samurai, advanced tech, and delicious food!

Although I’ve always felt positive about Japanese culture (despite its troubles), I was under the impression that people who traveled to Japan were exaggerating how amazing everything was.

Southern Utah: Water’s Journey through the Wild West

From the moment I stepped foot onto the Southwestern states, I sensed a deep connection with the region — from the mighty rivers to the grand valleys and endless deserts, it’s almost like you are watching nature shape itself in real time.

After two shorter trips in 2011 and 2014, we planned the ultimate “canyon craze” road trip in late August of 2017, taking us through many national parks, tribal lands, and cute little towns.

Paris in 24 hours

Even though I had a very tight schedule, I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to visit Paris, one of the most iconic European cities. As a result, I found myself with less than 24 hours to see dozens of sights.

To make the most out of my time, I purchased a day pass to the French bike-share company Velib, allowing to move from one point to another more quickly. Luckily on this early-April day, the weather was just warm enough for a pleasant ride.

Iceland: Ever-Changing Beautiful Landscapes

Imagine an island separating Europe and North America, home to dozens of volcanoes, topped with some of the largest glaciers outside of the Arctic. A country with only 300 thousand inhabitants and over a million sheep (!), attracting over 2 million tourists every year. Where active volcanoes keep adding new land via lava eruptions, waterfalls keep bursting out of the mountains as glacier ice melts from geothermal heat…

Our Iceland trip in the Spring of 2017 involved circling the entire country in just 9 days!

Alaska: Into the Wild

Historical fact: The U.S. purchased Alaska from Russia for 7.2m dollars (2 cents per acre) in 1867.

After our trip, I’m thinking it was a pretty good deal! Alaska is full of wildlife, nature, and serenity. Plus gold and oil! 😉

Kenya: The Cycle of Life

It’s been a lifelong dream of mine to visit the heart of Africa and experience wildlife first-hand. Finally, we were able to plan a weeklong safari trip in Kenya at the time of the Great Migration in Maasai Mara. We also opted to spend a few days in the Amboseli / Kilimanjaro region famous for its elephants.

Costa Rica: A Journey through Forests

For the Christmas/New Year break of 2016, we took a 5-day vacation to Costa Rica, claimed the happiest and greenest country in the world. We got to experience many things we hoped for, such as getting close to the laziest animal on earth, even though there were some surprises in the process. 

Bahamas: Fifty Shades of Blue

We made a last minute decision to spend the 2015 holidays in the Bahamas. We hoped for pristine beaches, crystal clear water, and abundant sea life, and boy did it meet (and exceed) our expectations. With over 300 islands to choose from and a 2-hour nonstop flight from DC, it’s hard to resist going there every winter break!