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Where's the most beautiful place in the world?

In short, my answer would be somewhere in Iceland or New Zealand. There were so many many beautiful places we traveled to that there’s no way I could ever name just one as the most beautiful.

In this article, however, I will be featuring Roy’s Peak - an epic hike in the South Island of New Zealand. One could argue that this is the most beautiful spots in the world and I wouldn’t disagree. It was definitely one of them for me.

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Drugs, Tubes + Mountain Bikes

First, let's dive into the bad news:

Look up Vang Vieng. You'll find 3,380,000 results in about 0.35 seconds. Nearly all the results talk about one thing: tourists getting out of control with drugs and alcohol. Since the mid 90s there's been an influx of tourists who go to Vang Vieng and find themselves drinking and partying hard along the Nam Song River. In fact in 2012 things got so bad that the Lao government had to crack down and enforce a few new laws just to keep tourist death rates from sky rocketing. 

Why would tubing down a river lead to death?

Short answer: Because drinking and swimming don't mix. A bit of history: at one time there were dozens of bars packed along the Nam Song River in Laos. These happening spots enticed travelers to drink buckets (YES BUCKETS) of cheap booze, dance the night away, and then carry on down the river in their personal vehicle (an inner-tube). Cheap drinks with an unlimited supply of customers is a pretty great business plan. Still, the human body can only handle so much intoxication until it becomes poisoned. So it's not a stretch to imagine drunk tourists drowning in droves... This is actually factual. In 2011, there was a record of 27 tourist deaths due to this drug paradise. According to The Guardian, "five to 10 backpackers a day arrive at the hospital with injuries such as broken bones or infected gashes, or sickness caused by alcohol or drugs." 

Unfortunately, Alex and I saw this all first hand. We were naive in thinking we could avoid the madness and that we could tube down the river in a more casual and relaxing manner. After making friends with a couple on the way into town - we felt a little more secure. The woman told us she had a sister in town working at a hostel who could hook us all up. Morning of, we knew we were in for a crazy day: the couple we had met were passing out shots of local liquor and balloons full of laughing gas. They even made a video to show off "Tubing and Working in a Hostel in Vang Vieng, Laos." You might even be able to see a little shot of Alex and I in a deep discussion at 3:40.

About half the trip was spent with our new friends, but then we decided to float down the rest of the river with some even newer friends (who weren't interested in getting trashed). We laughed, shared travel stories, and enjoyed the rest of the float without looking back.

GOOD NEWS: LAOS IS BEAUTIFUL AND FULL OF ADVENTURE

So despite the crazy tubing, happy shakes, and all other "happy" things you can enjoy in Vang Vieng, there are also a whole world of natural wonders that a person can enjoy just from renting a mountain bike. For the same costs of renting a tube, one can get an all-day excursion on two wheels. Word of advice: buy those waterproof back pack bags and stuff bug spray, a towel, water and snacks in there so that you can just take off and enjoy.

One day Alex and I grabbed out bags and biked off to several sights along this map of the caves we had read about. We biked up to this field people were working in and followed a dwindling path, crossed a rickety bridge over a little creek, and finally came upon a stand where a local sold us a couple day passes up to the caves. We had our map, passes, supplies, and were exuberant about hiking through these less known places. 

Let me tell you, Laos has a whole different view on what is considered a marked trail. Laos considers it a marked trail if there is one handwritten sign somewhere along the path that (hopefully) hasn't been washed out. The actual trail can be consistent with a mudslide/choose-your-own-adventure/death. The hike up to the Bee Caves was particularly alarming to me as I have a fear of heights. You hike of course, but then you also have to climb a bit too to get there. Climbing includes unguided traversing, maneuvering up and down ladders, and extra care to avoid large insects. At a few points of the trail we were reaching out to tree roots and vines for dear life, just so we wouldn't plummet to our deaths.

The good news about this is that these hikes weren't super populated... most people coming to Vang Vieng were more interested in the Happy Shakes and Tubing... so I had NO pressure in that regard. When we got up to the Bee Caves I realized they were called bee caves in part because the cave looks like a hive!!! The best part of the Bee Caves were actually not the Bee Caves, but the swimming hole that one can access close by! Some kind soul had even donated a tube so that we could float around in the pool - this is what I had thought Laos was all about: an unimaginable pool found toward the summit of a climb - it was incredible and we had it all to ourselves. We continued climbing up and down and biking through a few other places, but didn't even finish the whole map in that day because there was so much to see.

Our time tubing in Vang Vieng, Laos taught us a lesson we had been facing in all of our other destinations: If it is THE THING to see or do, then it probably is not the coolest thing you can see or do. It is more likely the most accessible and tourist driven thing to do. If you're given a chance to bike or tube... Do both and enjoy... Just be safe.

All photos have been delivered by the talented genius known as Alex Dauenhauer. Please see his full album here!

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This day finally came!!! What day you ask? The day I completed this 10k that I have been training for since February. It definitely wasn't the longest or hardest race I've completed. In fact I ran the last two miles - miles I wasn't planning to run because of my not 100% healed ankle... I walked with a group of ladies who cheered on each runner and walker alike. By mile four I was ready, I could feel the familiar angst and drive to speed up. My legs were strong and ready. So I waved goodbye to my new friends and took off much like when Forest Gump took off with such gusto that he broke free from his braces and found a new hope, I found mine. I don't anticipate any coast to coast runs, but all the same my run felt good. It felt great! How's that for a #sweatysaturday 💪🏼 💪🏼 💪🏼 #meshewe #solesisters #10krun #10kwalk #halfmarathon #forestgump #run #walk (at Willsonville Memorial Park)

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My little spot of heaven is a camping chair on my back porch. 😌 😌 😌 #happiness is #flipflops and #nature #listening to the #birds #chirpchirp #breathing in #freshair #positivevibes #positivequotes #mentalhealth #strong #mentalhealthawareness #transformation (at Multnomah Village)

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My #sweatysunday is brought to you by my #sweatysaturday with my folks. We had a great time fixing up the front and back yard and running errands. Happy memorial day weekend all! Pics brought to you by my family! (at Sherwood, Oregon)

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Me time. Nuff said. 😎 💁‍♀️ 🤗 #healthkick #health #choices #metime #clay #mask #pdx #pomo (at Multnomah Village)

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Two days in Queenstown, NZ

April 15th, 2017

Our journey to the south island began very early that morning (like a 4 AM kind of early). Fortunately, one of our hosts offered to drive us into downtown Auckland so that we could catch the Sky Bus and commute the rest of the hour long trip to the airport. His kindness saved us both time and money - Thanks Greig!! We even arrived early enough to grab a cup of coffee. I remember feeling a little emotional over our goodbyes, but something made me think it wouldn't be too long before we'd saw each other again. We gave Greig hugs and headed up to the bus to find seats and to sneak in a quick cat-nap. I felt a surge of emotions upon arriving at the airport from complete exhaustion to unstoppable excitement.

On the one hand, we were about to embark on an epic trek across both Mount Aspiring and Fiordland National Parks. We were destined to use every ounce of energy to make it to that night's hut, only to wake up early the next day, dig deeper and summon new energy in order to reach the next hut. On the other hand, Routeburn remains the second most visited trek (only outdone by the Milford trek) because the views and trails are incredible - many claim the experience is life changing. Our plan was to take a rest day in Queenstown to adjust, make any last minute preparations, and then to take off on our pre-booked shuttle to the trailhead by mid-morning the next day! YIKES! The trepidation was mixed with exhilaration as we flew over this glorious land of wonder. New Zealand is the place that screen savers are made from.

Once our plane landed, we set off to go find the local bus that would take us into downtown Queenstown. We could hardly contain ourselves. In one direction sat clusters of helicopters with promise of adventures galore (skydiving, bungee jumping, ect.) in the other direction stood the Luge, lake, and eateries. I felt like a kid, nose-pressed against the glass as we entered deeper in the town. When we pulled into our stop, mouths gaping, we recognized the town as the mecca that it is: a wonderland with all the adventures and shopping one could dream of.

We meandered over to our hostel only a few blocks from the bus stop. The clerk told us we could drop our bags off, but that our room wouldn't be ready for another few hours. He handed us the storage key and pointed us to a room at the end of the back hallway. We unlatched the door and entered a 10 x 5 room with a couple of metal shelving units and roughly 20 backpacks piled all over the place. We had to walk over all those bags and do a quick reorg so there would be a spot for us to stow our own. After returning the key, we ended up finding a spot that offered some grub, a beer, and outside seating.

After a relaxing meal, we strolled through town to make sure we had everything ready for our early morning departure: We needed to find a place to store our extra luggage and a place where we could rent a pot for cooking. Luckily we found both in one location. The best part was that they store any one item/bag for $5 a piece. This set in motion a challenge for us to find a bag that would work to hold all of our belongings (you know, a 60 lb. backpack loaded with all the extra weight). Along the way over to the shop we saw several street performers and loads of tourists. We ended up finding an eight dollar bag that was 6 feet tall and 3 feet wide. By this time, we could check into the hotel and pack the bag, which held. It was tough to carry, but it did the job.

Nothing much happened at the end of the 15th. We did learn two things though: 1) Hostels can be just as nice as hotels - they can offer private rooms and amenities. 2) We found out how horrible wi-fi is out of the US. High functioning wi-fi is extremely difficult to come across unless you stay with someone that pays for "good wi-fi". We only had good wi-fi twice: once at Greig and Catherine's house and once at a really nice hotel in Bangkok.

April 16th, 2017

This was a day we launched to our Routeburn Trek. After eating a solid breakfast and drinking plenty of coffee, we made our way over to the shuttle pick-up location. I wasn't aware that the drive over to the trailhead was going to be so looooooooooong... but it was. We had two breaks - even one in a tiny town with a superb cafe. I remember this cafe because they served me one of the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever tasted. It paired quite nicely with a latte. We spent a minute walking through the town and using the facilities before settling back into our seats on the shuttle.

The last bit of our trip was boring, minus seeing someone waiting for a tow-truck as we drove up a torrential road. Our shuttle driver said people will ignore all of the rules and guidelines and then end up on the side of the road (or a ditch) as a consequence. He said someone would be by to help them, or he would help them out on his way back to Queenstown. I think it was just an excuse for him to run through the guidelines with us.

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#whatmakesmesmile is knowing that both my outward and inward confidence are on the rise. I'm working on a brighter and more beautiful smile (and also flossing a lot more) with the @smiledirectclub aligners. They have thought of everything including a whitening kit, lip balm, etcetera. I'm looking forward to seeing the changes over the next few months. 😬😁😎 (at Portland, Oregon)

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Alex and I have been fortunate to be surrounded by exceptional Mamas our whole lives! Renee and Kay, I cannot even begin to thank you for all the love you have shown us. We've shared tears, laughs, and more memories than I can write about. Thank you Mamas for your love, wisdom and willingness to never give up. You have taught us how to grow and stretch beyond our confirmation zones. Your expectations for us seemed high, but when we met those goals there were celebrations and new horizons to go after. Thank you to our friends and adopted mom's. Thank you to the moms who (as my friend @sbaumbach says) hold their babies in their hearts instead of their arms. Your love makes our world possible. I'm possible because of the Mamas. 💕 ♥️ 💕 #happy #mothersday #iloveyou #mama #madre #mere #nurture #love #heart

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Do yourself a favor and promise me you'll try a meal at Multnomah village's most delicious food cart: Noy Viet Lao!!!!!! Hot damn, this team is amazing. Brian and Tutu (the owners and chef) are wonderful people. Tutu (the chef) puts the perfect mixture of the most incredible flavors in each made to order dish. I always have leftovers, which makes all of this an even better deal. Open 11am-7pm. It definitely reminds me of the mouth watering street food we ordered abroad last June. Definitely the BEST food cart in Portland 😎. 💯 😋 💯 #foodie #foodcart #pdx #delicious #pdxfood #iam #lao #vietnam #noyvietlao #portland #foodcarts #willametteweek #portlandmonthly #pomo #delicious (at Noy Viet Lao)

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My grandpa wants to know how I roast my veggies. He asked me to bring over spices so that I can show him how it's done! What a great opportunity to share a delicious dinner?! I usually will make roasted broccoli or cauliflower. The best part is that it's so simple and freaking tasty. First step, set your oven for 435°. Second step, cut off the stems and freeze them for later. Then, dice or slice: You can cut broccoli however you want: into bite-sized pieces or into centimeter thick slices are my two favorite ways. Place your broccoli on a cookie sheet and spread out the pieces into one layer. Be sure to separate the leaves and toss them in compost or the yard debris. The next step is to drizzle olive oil and to sprinkle on your spices (I use garlic powder, salt and pepper). Finally, place your work in the oven and set a timer for 20 minutes. When your timer goes off flip each piece of broccoli (and if you're me, add more garlic powder), then put back in the oven for another 20-30 minutes. They should come out golden to charcoaled and they will taste delicious!! Alex and I will have them over soba noodles and cooked lentles with a miso tahini sauce. 💯 💯 💯 #eat #vegan without knowing it #whatsfordinner #veganrecipes #tasty #nom #roasted #broccoli #chopped or #sliced #homemade #delicious

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For yesterday's #sweatysunday I hiked 3+ miles through Multnomah Village over to a friend's place. Walking every day and being gentle to my ankle has put me back into running shape. It's definitely challenging to go slow, but it's even worse to reinjure yourself. That's why ankles can be one of the toughest parts to rehab (peeps get too excited and end up suffering with a never healed ankle). This weekend I tracked over 30,000 steps!! With the daily practice of walking, I am not only preparing myself for upcoming events, but I'm helping my mental health and sleep schedule as well!! 🚶‍♀️ 🚶🏿‍♀️ 🚶‍♂️ #walkthisway #hike #alice #trail #exercise #rehab #run #health #trails #wilderness #photoshoot #photography #photo #beautiful #amazing #woah #damn #photogenic #youtube #youtubers #woods #memory #city #urban #tree #melancholy #nostalgia #feeling (at Multnomah Village)

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Yahoo! I'm healthy today... I've had a handful of grapes, half a banana, a tangerine and now this slaw and greens salad topped with craisins and mustard vinaigarette! I also was treated to a plain @sesame_donuts donut. Life is good. 💃 🥗 💃 #happynewyear #newyear #newyearsresolution #resolutions #govegan #bekind #kindness #compassion #compassionateliving #loveanimals #animallovers #healthy #healthkick #healthyliving #freshstart #plantpowered #adventurehappy #happynewyear2018 #walk #personalbest #run

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Today's #sweatysunday workout was spent working my ankle, lower back and whole body (with a few modifications). My legs are already sore and I'm blissfully tired. Since I am still rehabbing my ankle, I modified this Jillian Michael's workout by keeping my squats on the ground (eliminating the jumping/rotating squats). It's the small modifications that keep me moving forward. I'm rewarded by being able to give the workout a try, rather than skipping it or feeling down that I "can't" do it. Adding two sweaty workouts a week in addition to my 10k steps/day (for 5 days a week) goal. 💪 🌞 💪 #liveinspired #wellnessblogger #wellpreneur #mindbodysoul #mindbodygram #mindbodyspirit #raiseyourvibrations #holisticliving #greenlifestyle #healthyhappylife #wellnessjourney #hippielifestyle #nourishyourself #nontoxichome #nontoxicliving #nontoxicskincare #organiclifestyle #spapreneur #organicbeauty #diyskincare #fitforme #justbreathe #lookwithin #mantramonday #moveyourbody #hippievibes #inspirationdaily #cleanliving #cleaneating (at Portland, Oregon)

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My weekend has been very wonderful! Got my #pipsfix @pipsoriginal with @ebbowee for her birthday🎈Saw these great words of wisdom 🤔 and I am currently enjoying homemade foods and watching my Blazers!!! 🏀 🗑️ 🏀 #watching #portland #TrailBlazers @trailblazers #goteam #delicious #doughnuts #roasted #veggies #milkshake (at Portland, Oregon)

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First 40 Days: Birkenhead

Refresh

A little over a year ago, my husband and I left our jobs to travel around the world. After selling over 80% of our belongings and packing the rest away in a storage unit, we left. 

New Zealand had been an all time favorite (at the top of my list) for places to visit. My dad actually took a solo round the world trip at my age. He thrived by traveling and playing his harmonica. Playing his harmonica made him friends at the pubs, got him invited to share dinner and occasionally even a place to stay. I always admired his wanderlust and charismatic ways. He inspired me to travel and to take full advantage of any "off the beaten path" experiences. 

Fast forward to the first 10 days of our round the world trip where we were based out of Birkenhead, NZ. To see my first article about our time there, click here! In that post I talk about our first WorkAway and some of our favorite spots we saw in the first 10 days.

Note: There were two towns that I didn't even mention in that first article, which is exactly what I intend to share with you now!

A morning off the beaten path

Alex and I jumped on the opportunity to accompany our hosts to a less known local market about a 30-45 minute car ride from Birkenhead.

There are two main sections of this market: the food and all the other stuff. After finding parking, we walked up to an outdoor mall covered courtyard where there was some rocking musical performances. In the mall were a variety of items for sale (clothes, pool toys, furnishings, etc.). Everything was significantly discounted, almost like a large variety of dollar stores. They were certainly fun to walk through, but quite overwhelming as well (with the overflowing shelves and aisle packed to the brim). So many colors, fabrics and choices. OH MY!

Just past the mall area and through the tunnel is the REAL market. Think of a weekend street market meets a thriving tropical farmers market. Fab. It expands over a large parking lot (about half a football field in size). This is a market where one can really see plenty of exotic foods. Every plate we ordered from the food carts was unique in that I had never tried the item or had it prepared in such a way (partially due to not being able to get all of the ingredients). It was all delicious. My favorite dish that day was this coconut poke.

On the way home, our hosts passed us a couple feijoas. The ones we had were about the size of a lemon. They tasted like a fizzy root beer to me, but no one else agreed with me on that description. We all gorged on a few, biting first into the skin to break into the fruit and then licking our fingers trying to savor every drip. It was the perfect way to end the day.

  Coming up soon:

My next post will feature one of my very favorite moments of our entire trip: our journey from Auckland to the Routeburn Trail. There are quite a few fun stories to share from our time spent in Queenstown as we prepared for our trip, but I'll save that for next time.

TTFN,

Alice

A town called Devonport

One day, we took a (20 minute) ferry into the very beautiful and charming town of Devonport. I was immediately drawn to Mount Victoria when shoring up - which is (according to Wikipedia) the highest volcano on Auckland's North Shore (rising to 87 m). We spent about an hour walking through different shops and art galleries. Overall, I felt like the town was small and quaint. For example, there were half a dozen adorned bikes displayed around (I captured three of them for this post).

My favorite part about Devonport was ascending Mount Victoria. The views and the weather were both top notch. We didn't realize how much we would learn about the town's history once we stepped off the ferry: Devonport Naval Base is the home of the Royal New Zealand Navy. It is currently the only base of the navy that operates ships, and was a navy base from as far back as 1841.

As you can see from the pictures, the top of this mountain allows 360° views out to all the other islands (which must be pretty useful for the navy). What amazed me was the lack of effort to get to the top - it was actually quite easy and enjoyable.

Trivia Time!

One curious thing we noticed at the top of Mount Victoria were the painted mushrooms. Coming upon these felt very strange... because I almost thought I fell into a Mario video game.

TRIVIA QUESTION: What are these mushrooms?:

A) Props left over from the 1993 Super Mario Bros film scene.

B) Air vents for the tunnels in the hill itself.

C) A town art statement.

D) Air vents for the water pumping system.

 Answer: I've got statements defending both B and D, but the most correct answer is D (if we are all to believe Wikipedia). 

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You know what makes my day more than anything? A delicious cookie. This is a sesame and raison cookie #nomsauce brought to me by my brother in-law Eric. Pro: They we're scrumptious... Con: They didn't last long.... (Because they were so delicious.) 🍪 🍪 ♥️ 🍪 🍪 #cookie #food #lovely # awesome #fantastic #tutorial #perfect # inspiration #instablog #likeforlike #happy # instagood #blogger #boanoite #followme #idea #creative #bake