cutrelllikeneutral

[cutrelllikeneutral]

Colombia has been an item on my bucket list for awhile, and hiking through Tayrona National Park to this beautiful beach was spectacular. This trip with my closest "non-blood" sisters has been a success in so many ways. We persevered through a little bit of stomach bugs, sunburn, sore muscles, and a twisted ankle, but it was all worth it. (at Cabo San Juan - Parque Tayrona)

[cutrelllikeneutral]

We made it to beautiful and balmy Colombia! Splurged on this amazing hotel with a rooftop pool in the historic district to recover from our long journey here. So worth it! Now we are headed "off the grid" for 2-3 days hiking and sleeping in hammocks in Tayrona National Park. (at Hotel Catedral Plaza)

[cutrelllikeneutral]

Rex and I had a fun night at the Protiviti holiday party this weekend. Nice to have an excuse to get all dolled up occasionally! (at 3015 at Trinity Groves)

[cutrelllikeneutral]

Rex and I took my niece and nephews (@sarahsherman00) to the Gaylord ICE for their Christmas present. They had a blast (and we were straight up exhausted after running around the crowded Gaylord for a few hours). (at Gaylord Texan ICE!)

[cutrelllikeneutral]

Happy 1 Year Anniversary to my one and only. From the fateful meeting in our onesies to almost killing you in a car accident to backpacking (literally) around the world to spending the last few months in Texas doing life with you and Pepperoni (and MANY more adventures), it's been a wild first year and can't wait for many more to come!

[cutrelllikeneutral]

Fantastic view from our hotel room balcony. Work trip - turned weekend getaway in Puerto Rico with @namasterex! After night out in Old San Juan, relaxing morning on the beach, and now off to find "Pig Highway" and then the rain forest to chase waterfalls. #puertorico #condadobeach #worklife (at Hotel La Concha, A Rennaissance Hotel)

[cutrelllikeneutral]

Look it's Bob Ross and his Pretty Little Tree. Get it? (at Deep Ellum, Dallas)

[cutrelllikeneutral]

I've been around the world this year, but there is still no place like home and being surrounded by family. #family #texas #usa #terribleshot #fishingandswimming (at Powderly, Texas)

[cutrelllikeneutral]

To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.

Aldous Huxley (via travel-quotes)

[cutrelllikeneutral]

Monkeys don’t joke around when it comes to getting their bananas…or really ever. We learned: 1) only take out one banana at a time (or the big ones take them all), 2) they aren’t afraid to pull you down by your clothing, or pull your clothing down for the banana, and 3) they know when you are cheating with an already opened banana, and they don’t take that shit. (at Monkey Forest Ubud)

[cutrelllikeneutral]

Bored in Belgrade - Maybe it was the time of year or just that I loved Bosnia so much or that it rained the entire time I was there, but I was not enthused by Belgrade.  The city has nice European-style architecture, but the whole place is quite dreary.  I took a walking tour of the city and learned about the history of the city, but overall this was not my favorite stop.  The most exciting thing people say to do is to go to these night clubs on barges, which sounds cool in theory, but I’m really not a night club gal, so I skipped that.  If I had a nice seat over the water with a glass of wine, I’d be much happier. :)

[cutrelllikeneutral]

On my second day in Sarajevo, I took a walking tour and learned a bit more about the city.  This included:

The Sarajevo Rose - To commemorate the Siege of Sarajevo, the city took to filling in the mortar holes with red resin, which resemble a floral arrangement when you look at it just right.  You stumble across these all over the city and realize the impact of over 300 shells hitting the city per day during the siege. 

Site of the Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, which caused the start of World War I

City hall and former national library that was destroyed during the siege

Memorabilia of the former Yugoslav President Tito (still loved by most and thought of with nostalgia)

Cathedrals and Mosques showing the diversity of this city and country

Random Dallas candy store in the old town (not really part of the tour)

[cutrelllikeneutral]

Sarajevo was my second city in “Beautiful Bosnia”, and as such I loved it almost as much as Mostar.  On my first day I took a day tour around the city, and the entire day was a bit overcast and dreary, appropriately matching the nature of the sights visited.  First was the tunnel built and used during the siege of Sarajevo during the Bosnian war from April 1992 to February 1996.  It is said that this tunnel saved the city, because it allowed for food, water, and weapons to be delivered to the city and some people to escape.  The house that the tunnel entrance was built from still stands, with bullet and mortar holes still marking the outside (first picture).  I didn’t get a great photo of the tunnel, so here is a selfie of me attempting to crawl through a small portion of the tunnel.

We also saw the second largest Jewish cemetery in Europe, which was in use until the 1960′s.  This was part of the front line of the Bosnian war, utilized by the Bosnian Serbs as an artillery position, and severely damaged by explosions and mortar fire.  

Then, we visited the bobsled track from the 1984 Winter Olympics. There was a lot of channeling of Cool Runnings going on here...“feel the rhythm, feel the rhyme, get on up, it’s bobsled time!”

And finally, a panoramic view of the city, which was unfortunately used during the siege for sniper fire by the Serbs to shoot down civilians, particularly on the large central city street dubbed “sniper alley”.  

[cutrelllikeneutral]

Day Tour of Herzegovina:  With my hostel, Taso's Guesthouse, I took a day tour of the area surrounding Mostar, which is called Herzegovina.  On this tour we visited Blagaj, a little town on a spring of the river Buna, which has a Dervish house from the 15th century (tall white house under the cliff).  After that, we visited the medieval town of Pocitelj with great views of the valley below and lots of history about groups trying to control this key point.  Then finally, off to the largest (and maybe coldest) waterfalls in the country, called Kravica.  This is where you see me almost (but I didn't!) chicken out on a swim across a freezing river and climb up a waterfall.  We ended the tour with a beautiful panorama view of the city of Mostar, and heard from our guide Taso (and the hostel’s owner) about his personal view of the war and life after.  It was a fantastic day and really made me love Bosnia-Herzegovina.

[cutrelllikeneutral]

Mostar is the Mostest (Part 2)

More photos from Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina.  The photos of the tower and from the viewpoint are of the sniper tower used during the war on the front lines…now an old abandoned building for drug addicts and adventurous tourists.  The last concrete structure in the pictures is a Yugoslavia-era WWII memorial, now abandoned after the Bosnian War. Date: April 27, 2016

[cutrelllikeneutral]

And then there was that time we saw a freakin WHALE while diving. I was so excited that I forgot to start filming until it was already swimming away. Also, might have had a minor panic attack trying to remember to breathe after that. But still, amazing. @namasterex (at SD Divesite, Nusa Penida)

[cutrelllikeneutral]

Mostar is the Mostest.  

Bosnia-Herzegovina was the most interesting country that I visited in Eastern Europe, and Mostar was my favorite. The country is still recovering from a devastating civil war and is divided into three distinct cultures (Croats, Bosniaks, and Serbs). Mostar remains wounded in many ways with many bombed out buildings, bullet holes in streets and walls, and neighborhoods dividing the groups that once fought against each other. However, hearing from a local you understand that they are working to build a positive life with the next generation. The city is set in a green lush valley with a river running through it and a skyline dotted with mosques, churches, bombed out buildings, and new infrastructure. During my time there, I relaxed in the hostel, walked the city, and took a tour of the areas outside the city (next post). Within the city, a few key spots included: - Breaking into and climbing the abandoned building used as a sniper tower during the seige that is located on the front line for the war. - Exploring the old communist-era war memorial that is now used as a hang out place for teenagers and for tourists to wonder what it was all for. - Seeing the statue of Bruce Lee in the park, which was placed there after the war because everyone likes Bruce Lee, right? - Watching the crazy locals gather donations from tourists so that they can show off their manliness and jump off the bridge into freezing cold water. - Climbing to high viewpoints of the city and the famous bridge from the mosque minaret.

Dates:  April 26-29, 2016