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[tinytourist]

Portugal Princesas

Friday night in Lisbon began with us dragging our suitcases up a 3-story walk to the Airbnb we were sharing that night with our Kiwi friends! None of them were at the place so Irene and I walked 3 mins to Fumeiro de Santa Catarina restaurant which was relatively empty but were told to come back in 20 mins. In the meantime we hiked up to Miradouro de Santa Catarina and had a drink outside overlooking the water. Irene and I had a lovely romantic dinner, topped off with our first port of the trip.

When I looked at Find my Friends, I noticed that my friend Shiri was in Lisbon too??? At first, I thought it was a glitch but she quickly confirmed that she and her partner Leron were both currently traveling in Portugal. We arranged to meet up with them, Aidan, and Georgia for drinks near Pink Street. We had a great time catching up with everyone.

In the morning, Irene, the Kiwis, and I departed for what was meant to be a 3 hr private walking tour. In just under 4 hours our guide showed us what felt like all of Lisbon. We learned about the history and culture with a few photo-ops in between.

Straight after, Irene and I had to check in to our hotel to get ready for our sunset cruise with the wedding crew. For those of you that don’t know, the whole reason for this trip was that my colleague, Shannon, was getting married in Lisbon! The cruise started off windy but ended nice and calm.

After the cruise we met up with the Kiwis again for our 9:30 PM dinner rez @ Água Pela Barba. There we ate allllll the tapas and chatted until they started closing up at midnight. What a Portuguese night we had! Afterwards, the Kiwis did not let us go home and instead brought us to their new fav pub/club called Karmasutra where we played Irene’s favorite pub game, fingers.

Irene had the brilliant idea to get our hair done before the wedding so on Sunday morning we got done up for under $30 each! You tell us if you think it was worth it.

We had fun getting ready together and did a photo shoot while we were waiting for the bus. We made it to the venue, Forte da Cruz, just before the ceremony began, and right after the rain stopped. It was a beautiful and personal ceremony, led by one of their friends.

This venue was incredible - a literal castle overlooking the water. For cocktail hour, there was a saxophonist, great views, and impeccable vibes. The reception was filled with funny speeches and plenty of wine. Afterwards, the dance floor opened up and was packed with people dancing, including us. They played all the hits of our generation. We had a blast and were sad to go.

The next morning Irene and I began the long journey home. We watched a few movies together on the plane, both wedding related, and made matching Lagos phone backgrounds. At Dulles we parted ways and eventually both made it home.

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Cockles & Cocktails

I took a red-eye to Lisbon on Monday night and metroed to Oriente Station on Tuesday afternoon where I caught my ~4 hr train ride to Lagos. The hotel, Costa D’Orio was a small village of houses with different residences, several pools, a restaurant, and a gym. I definitely felt like I was in Europe! I dined alone at the hotel restaurant and then had an early night.

In the morning I took a quick walk to Dona Ana Beach which is touted as the most beautiful beach in Europe. From there I began the Ponta da Piedade trail which is a beautiful coastal walk overlooking Lagos’ beaches and cliff sides. Meanwhile, Irene relived my travel experience a day later. When Irene arrived we went to our first dinner location which overlooked Dona Ana Beach and had cockles and cocktails. Irene likes a multi-stop date so we had our second meal in town.

Wednesday morning we had our hotel breakfast outside and then got ready for our kayaking tour. We arrived just 5 minutes late which we thought would be fine since we were on European time but they left without us!!! Luckily they were able to rebook us on a later tour and we spent the afternoon shopping around the marina.

Take two and we made it on the kayaks. The first 45 mins was amazing as we weaved in and out of caves through crystal turquoise waters. Then, it got rocky and we got a bit tired. This video captures our experience:

At the end of the tour, the guides were giving restaurant recommendations and Irene was on it. We went back to the hotel and got ready for dinner then headed to town where we went straight to Casinha do Petisco. They allow walk-ins after 7:30 so we put our names down and went to another spot for clams and cocktails while we waited. 50 mins later and they were ready for us. We ordered the recommended dish, Cataplana, while Irene made eye contact with all the hungry people swarming the restaurant, waiting to get in.

Cataplana is a huge dish of shrimp and clams in what I would describe as a light curry sauce cooked in a copper or aluminum egg. This might’ve been the best dish that either of us had ever had, and we eat a lot.

For our last day in Lagos, we went to the beach after brekkie and enjoyed the sun. After packing up we did a bit of a stroll before heading to the train station to go back to Lisbon!

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Pura Vida in Manuel Antonio

We said goodbye to La Fortuna just as the rains began and set off on our 5 hour drive to Manuel Antonio. Along the way, we followed Google maps down a dirt road for a very long and bumpy 30 minutes. Frances and I both felt like we were falling off a cliff at one point, but somehow we made it back to our favorite Mediterranean restaurant in Jaco.

Frances and I went on the longest 15-minute walk of our lives - full of falafel in the middle of a heat wave. I had to stop in two stores on the way back just to get some brief relief in the AC. My Eastern European blood is not cut out for this humidity.

Minnie the cat greeted us at our cabin in Manuel Antonio, and then we hit Playa Espadilla for a sunset stroll. There, we saw a monkey, some hermit crabs, and tadpoles and were hit by the scent of sweet frangipani flowers (Stacia thought it was a port-a-potty). We may or may not have struggled to find the car in the dark, but Google maps actually helped the team out this time.

We ate dinner a close walk away from our cabin and then went back for a night swim. Stacia and Frances brought their ice cream bars (and Lactaid pill) into our pool and we chatted and laughed the night away.

In the morning, we went back to Espadilla and got ourselves some shaded chairs. Frances and I played and meditated in the waves while Stacia protected her porcelain skin. We read, we blogged, and we were served Mahi salads all in our beach chairs. It was pure pura vida life 😂.

For our last day, we got up early, checked in to a hotel by Manuel Antonio National Park, and went to meet our guide, Alonso. He walked us through the park teaching us about the flora and fauna. We learned that sloths poop only once a week, and they shake their little booties when they do it. Unfortunately, that is when they’re the most vulnerable. The sloths are so smiley and lethargic all the time because the leaves they eat have drugs in them!

In his telescope, Alonso showed us a dragonfly, several sloths, iguanas, a crocodile, a mosquito-eating tiny bat, and a Costa Rican-flag colored crab. On the tour, we made new friends from Switzerland and Amsterdam. At the end of the tour, we checked out some white sand beaches.

We went back to the hotel to shower, read, and eat before journeying to San José again. En route, we stopped at a fruit market, and Frances tried a fresh granadilla, which tasted like sweeter passion fruit and was super goopy. We had a nice last meal together topped with jugo de cas and then got to the airport 5 hours early. We spent the rest of our time together spending way too much money on chocolate, braiding each others’ hair, and again laughing until we cried.

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Guanabana Gang

On Friday morning, our chauffeur Stacia transported us to La Fortuna. As we approached where we thought our Airbnb was, we lost service. The directions were not at all clear, and our hanger won out, so we quit and went for lunch at the first place we saw.

It turned out to be everything we needed: fresh dragonfruit, maracuya, and guanabana juice accompanied by fresh ceviche, garlic shrimp, and wait for it…more fish. We hopped on the wifi, downloaded the map, and successfully found our Airbnb!

After checking in, we went to the Don Olivio chocolate tour. Immediately upon arrival, we were greeted with bananas, papaya, and chocolate fudge. To say the least, we were already into it. We took a quick look at the surrounding fruit trees and saw a two-toed sloth named Maria munchin’ on some hibiscus leaves.

We saw pink bananas AKA bird food, green-rinded oranges, guanabana, and cacao, and we took shots of sugar cane rum. Our guide cracked open the cacao and gave us each a bean covered in a sweet mango-flavored coating. At the end of the tour, we sat down and somehow consumed hot chocolate and pure hot coffee with a bit of fresh vanilla extract.

On our way back from the tour, we stopped at a local grocery store where we got some local coffee and an assortment of road trip snacks including ceviche-flavored plantain chips, which we ate for dinner because we were too pooped to go out.

The next morning, we had some of that 100% Arabica coffee, and Stacia & Jess were twitching, but it helped us get on the road by 7 am! Less than an hour later with a few bumps along the way, we were at Arenal River canyon for our canyoneering/zip-lining adventure.

We did 4 repels through waterfalls, 2 zip-lines, and 3 jumps into the water. Stacia was the most scared with me at a close second but only for the free-jumps. Frances took everything like a champ. Our lunch was included at the Mistico Hanging Bridges Park where we got a spectacular view of the Arenal volcano, saw an anteater, and got a huge plate of Costa Rican almuerzo.

Back at the BnB, we relaxed by reading in the hammock before getting dressed up and listening to our old college playlists. We hit up downtown La Fortuna and got two excellent tangerine ceviches because what is a meal in Costa Rica without ceviche?? We then got a drink at Lava Lounge, where we listened to some sub-par live reggae and hung out with a pregnant cat.

The next morning, we all woke up at our leisure and went to Mirador El Silencio for our morning rainforest hike, which included a trail with a great view of Arenal along volcanic rocks. We said “¡buenas!” to a few cows on our way out and then headed to the Ecotermales Hot Springs.

This is Arenal’s only truly natural hot springs, and it felt like paradise. We ate a wonderful buffet of fresh food and Stacia announced “I’ve never been happier in my life” as she held the bare chicken in her hands.

It was a little hot outside to be jumping from hot pool to hot pool but luckily we found a cooler spot and some shade. We left feeling completely relaxed.

For dinner, we went to La Street where Stacia and Frances split a huge taco platter, and I got fish with hearts of palm and mashed potatoes with a gooseberry on top. We ate until we could eat no more, and then we walked it off. Frances dove into a hearts of palm rabbit hole and learned that we should avoid single-stemmed hearts of palm.

[tinytourist]

Eat, Pray, Love, Jacó

Stacia and I reunited in the Houston airport on Tuesday afternoon for a brief layover before our flight to San José, Costa Rica! We spent the entire plane ride attempting to watch a movie but couldn’t stop talking. Upon arrival, we picked up our rental car and stayed an an Airbnb near the airport for our first night where we spent our time continuing to catch up and laughing until we cried.

On Wednesday morning, we packed up and headed to Jacó, a beach town on the Pacific less than 2 hours from San José. We parked our car at our Airbnb and went straight to lunch at Public House where we got our first jugos of the trip (strawberry watermelon) and Mahi salads. After a bit of searching, we located la playa and got ourselves two beach chairs with an umbrella to protect our blanca skin.

Stacia and I played in the big waves, relaxed in our chairs, and got massage samples. We cleaned up at the Airbnb and then walked back into town for dinner at Morales Street where we had bebidas muy grande, ceviche, y más Mahi. We got another drink at Beach Bar where we played a very competitive game of Jenga and hitched a ride home on a golf cart.

First thing in the morning, we SPFed ourselves for about 45 mins and then went back to la playa, this time with ca$h. We relaxed in our chairs and got intense full body masajes.

After packing up the Airbnb, we stopped for lunch at Sabress, a Mediterranean & Moroccan restaurant. The restaurant was connected to Izu’s Place - a kosher hotel and Jewish center. This, our first meal of the day, happened at 2 PM so we went alllll in.

With fully bellies and hearts, back to San José we went. There, we watched Eat, Pray, Love while waiting for Frances to arrive. Finally, the trio was back together, and the Vibes were complete.

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TinyTourist’s 2023 Video

[tinytourist]

Loving Lima

The parents and I arrived in Lima on Friday afternoon. We relaxed in our beautiful adjoining hotel rooms with a view of the water before getting ready for the main event, dinner. Peggy had thoughtfully made us reservations a Kjolle which is ranked 28 on the world's best restaurant list!

Kjolle is in the same building as Central, the number one in the world and is owned by Pia León who is the business and life partner of Virgilio Martinez, the owner of Central.

Entering Kjolle ellicited an eerie feeling in my gut like I was walking into the restaurant from the movie “The Menu”. Maybe it was the etherial background music or the fact that they had exactly the number of chairs at each table that the reservations required. It was evident that they thought about every detail - maybe even the best way to murder us?

While they do have a tasting menu, we opted to pick our own dishes with the help of the wait staff. Below I have posted a picture of the menu and highlighted the dishes we ordered (note that the prices are in soles). With each dish, including the potato bread, the staff brought out a jar or plate with one of the primary ingredients of the dish as a presentation of the food and where it came from.

The most memorable dishes for me were the scallops and squash and crustaceans. The presentation and flavors of these two dishes were special. For dessert we of course picked the chocolate option which was deconstructed different formations of cacao.

We survived the experience! The next day we ventured to Parque Kennedy where they feed and protect the stray cats. It was fun seeing the cats roam free in the park. There was also an art market where we browsed. Unfortunately I had bought too much art in Cusco but there were a lot of nice pieces and my parents considered buying a big piece.

As the morning progressed, we began to process the news about the horrific terrorist attacks in Israel. We slowly understood the scale of what happened and started reaching out to our Israeli family to check in on them. We spent the rest of the day talking and walking and reflecting.

For dinner Peggy selected another great restaurant, number 32 on the top restaurants list, Mayta. The service and ambience were that of a nice restaurant but not nearly as impressive as Kjolle; however, we enjoyed the food there more. The cocktail I ordered was served over a box of dry ice which did create a bit of a fun show.

What we ordered at Mayta: a zoodles dish, eggplant, the BIGGEST oysters I've ever seen in my life, scallops, lomo saltado, sea bass, and a heavenly cacao dish with mousse, nibs, and more. Just thinking about it now makes my mouth water.

Sunday was our last day together in Lima which was spent walking around town, visiting the Parque del Amor, stumbling on the botanical gardens, going to the MAC museum, and eating at the hotel's restaurant.

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The Inca Trail - Parte Dos

Day 3 was only 6 miles but felt loooong as it incorporated over 3,000 steps downward. When we began, the clouds were laying between the mountains and rapidly moving. Just before lunch, we climbed up to the beautiful Inca site of Phuyupatamarca which aptly translates to "Village in the Clouds".

Again, we had a lovely 3 course lunch, adorned with animal food-based replicas. We took a brief tarp nap before continuing down. At one point, the rain began and we became poncho people. Luckily, the rain let up just in time for us to arrive at the Ruins of Intipata. Each Inca site we visited was increasingly more spectacular.

On our way from Intipata to our campsite we were greeted by a few trail llamas. At camp, the chef surprised us with a birthday cake he made on the trail for Vale! We had our last well-made camp dinner before the goodbye ceremony where we thanked and tipped our porters or "bebeees".

Before we knew it, the day we'd all been hiking for had arrived. We had a brutal 3 AM wakeup call so we could get to the checkpoint before the seats filled up. We actually got the last seats left and waited there until the trail opened at 5:30 AM. Luckily, we had some nice stars to observe as we waited.

We arrived at Inti Punku, or the Sun Gate, by 6:30 and caught our first glimpse of Machu Picchu!! Then, the photoshoots began. As we descended, we continued to get new and more spectacular views of the ruins.

After all the impressive Inca sites we saw along the trail, I expected Machu Picchu to be anti-climactic. It most certainly was not. The main questions that came to mind were how and why? Our guide talked us through a lot of the history but the truth is, most of it is quite a mystery. That makes the site even more special in my eyes.

Bess, Josh, Junior, and I departed the group to begin our hike of Huayna Picchu Mountain which is on the list of the 20 most dangerous hikes in the world. With 1,000 ft of elevation gain in less than 1 mile, the hike was challenging but not impossible. It only took us about 45 minutes to reach the summit which had rewarding views of the Andes, Machu Picchu Mountain, and Machu Picchu itself.

On our way back, we walked through Machu Picchu again and were almost trampled by two crazy llamas! We thought, wouldn't it have been crazy to survive one of the worlds most dangerous hikes just to have been killed by llamas when we finished?

We ended the trip with a relaxing lunch in the scenic town of Aguas Calientes before venturing back to Cusco.

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The Inca Trail - Parte Uno

Sam Travel picked 10 of us up from our hotel dark and early at 4:30 AM on Friday to begin our journey. We stopped in Ollantaytambo for a hearty breakfast before continuing on to Piskacucho or Kilometer 82 to begin our trek. There, our lovely porters gathered our belongings and we took off with only our small daypacks and our guides, Jhony and Junior.

Besides the early wakeup, it was a pretty easy first day with 7.5 miles of undulating terrain. Along the way we got to observe a few Inca sites. We were all faster than anticipated and arrived at our lunch spot early which earned us a short siesta while the chef and porters set us up a fantastic 3-course lunch with salad, soup, and a buffet-style main course.

When we arrived at our beautiful campsite, our tents had already been set up in a line with mountain views surrounding. We changed into our comfy clothes and played with the multiple puppies that were running around the site. For dinner, we had a four course meal and then we ended the night playing the card game shithead.

We awoke around 4:30 AM to a knock on our tent from 3 porters dressed in orange suits offering us coca tea to drink as we got ready. Day 2 was the day of the climb to Dead Woman's Pass which required almost 3k ft of elevation gain to reach a height of 13,779 ft and around 10 miles of hiking.

Instead of an elaborate trail lunch, the group opted for a 10:30 AM cheese and tea time so we were able to power through the trail and relax once we got to camp.

Bess and I lead the pack for a majority of the day as we powered up the seemingly never-ending steps. In the morning the trail was tree-lined, but as we got closer to the top, it became more exposed. The top of Dead Woman's Pass revealed expansive views of the Andes and sense of accomplishment for everyone - we had already completed the hardest part of the trail! It was (mostly) downhill from there.

To keep ourselves going, Bess, Amelia, and I took turns singing whatever songs came to mind from artists ranging from The Beatles, to Brittney Spears to Disney.

When we got to camp, we rested before tea time where we were welcomed with a flaming turkey decorated with marshmallow feathers. Again, we played shithead and it only got more intense. We had another elaborate dinner and then I ended the night by reading Amelia, my tent-mate, a portion of my book "Circling Around the Sun". When Amelia fell asleep, I stopped reading and then got complaints from Bess and Meredith in the neighboring tent who wanted to know what happened next, so, I continued.

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Pachamanca and Quechua Culture

Irene booked a cultural experience for us through Pasitos Andinos which is a group of local women who promote and share the traditional Andean culture. We got picked up from Cusco in the morning and were greeted with a song and flower necklaces upon arriving in the Andean village.

The women taught us about all the functions of their traditional clothing and what they signify. We learned that unmarried girls wear their hair in two separate braids with a colorful ribbon to attract men while married women tie their braids together with black ribbon to signify the duality of marriage.

The women spend 6-9 months weaving their own colorful blankets which are used for everything from carrying their babies, bringing lunch to their husbands in the field, protection from rain, and more.

We were also taught how they spin wool into thread and use different plants and bugs to dye the threads.

After the fashion section of the afternoon, our traditional cooking class began. They showed us how they cut all the vegetables sans cutting boards! You are actually meant to cut towards yourself which is everything my Dad taught me not to do; however, it seemed to work really well for them...I probably won't try to replicate it at home.

Much of what we cut went into the soup pot, while the rest was put in bowls as the stone oven, or Huatia, was being heated to prepare a Pachamanca. Pachamanca translates to earth pot and is a cooking method where stones are heated all morning and used to create an oven in the ground.

Irene, Jonathan, and I helped remove the hot stones to layer a variety of potatoes, corn, meats, lima beans, and a package of cheese. We then replaced the stones and buried the oven with cloth and dirt to allow the meal to cook.

While the food was cooking, we learned how to crush dehydrated potatoes or Moraya with a Batan or stone which were then added to the soup.

Together, we unearthed our meal and enjoyed the food we prepared. Irene had her eye on the handmade blankets since we arrived and convinced all three of us to purchase one. They were expensive but seeing how it took each of the women the greater part of a year to create, I'd say it was worth it. It was special to buy them from their creators.

Meeting the Quechua women and getting to spend the entire afternoon with them learning about their culture and traditions was an unforgettable experience.

[tinytourist]

The Sacred Valley

Impulsive like me, Irene booked a last minute trip to come visit me in Cusco. Only a few days before she left, Jonathan decided to tag along as well. They arrived on Thursday morning and I met up with them briefly before their walking tour.

We connected again for a romantic dinner at Rucula where we sat and chatted for hours. It was so nice to have them in town! For dessert, we met up with Garrett at Qucharitas to split some peculiar nitrogen ice cream flavors along with picarones which is a type of donut made with sweet potato, squash, and star anise. That makes it healthy right?

On Friday morning I actually had a lot of work to do, but I finally managed to make it out to a not so quick lunch with Irene. Later, a bunch of the tribers met up at the San Blas Market to start off our cooking class. Our chef gave us a tour, which was needed due to the sheer size of the market and the variety of its offerings.

Once we got to the kitchen, we made maracuyá sours - cocktails with ice, pisco, passionfruit, eggwhites, and simple syryp. For the appetizer we assembled a Japanese-influenced ceviche and for the main course we made quinoa-encrusted oyster mushrooms/alpaca. With all the jokes back and forth, we never thought we would make it out of there to catch our bus to the Sacred Valley. We actually had to skip dessert!

The majority of the group rented a lavish house together in the Sacred Valley. In the morning, chefs made a nice breakfast spread before we got ready to get on our tour bus. Due to a series of miscommunications and unfortunate circumstances, the bus was an hour late so some of us took a stroll around the town of Urquillos. The town appeared to be run by stray dogs although there was soon to be a mayoral race which was split on the important issues - corn vs. cows.

Our first adventure for the day was an ATV tour to Moray which is a terraced architectural Inca site. Along the way, we got a great view of the landscape and saw a variety of livestock. Next, we climbed to the top of the Ollantaytambo ruins which signifies the beginning of the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.

The last stop of the trip was the Maras Salt Mines which are composed of over 5,000 pools and were established over 500 years ago. Back at the house, chefs cooked us dinner and we started heating the wood-fired hot tub. We spent the majority of the night in the tub, which we squeezed 10 of us into! The night ended with s'mores around the fire pit.

Sunday was spent at Mountain Views Maras which is a glamping spot with, as expected, expansive mountain views, a nice restaurant, and alpacas, llamas, and horses. All afternoon, we fed the animals with corn husks and did photoshoots. It was so special being able to be in such close proximity to these big animals for a prolonged period of time.

On our way back home we stopped at a textile place where they gave us a demo on how the yarn is made and dyed.

[tinytourist]

Joining the Tribe

Earlier this year, I interviewed for and joined a group called Wifi Tribe which is a collective of travel-loving remote workers. The tribe offers month-long trips all over the world and provides a shared living/working space for members to be productive, build relationships, and adventure from.

I signed up for my first trip in Cusco, Peru, which is from September 8th to October 6th and is comprised of 15 people. After close to 24 hours of travel, I arrived at the house in Cusco on Friday afternoon which is located in a great part of town just a 5 minute walk from the Plaza de Armas, or main square. A few of us grabbed lunch at Parada Vegana which is a peruvian vegan restaurant that offers a "Menu Del Dia" or Menu of the Day which comes with a soup, drink, and main course, all for the low cost of S/.12 or < $3! This was just the start of a wonderful culinary journey.

People trickled in throughout the day and then we went to the cafe across the street for dinner and some live Argentinian music. On Saturday morning I went to a cafe to read my book and get familiar with my new neighborhood. There are so many cafes and restaurants nearby to try!

Once the majority of the group arrived, we met up for a walking tour where we learned about the architecture and its mysterious origins, heard some traditional music, and got familiarized with the city. The tour ended at a restaurant with a beautiful view of Cusco.

After the tour we had a lovely group dinner at a Peruvian restaurant, Yaku, where I had trout that was served to me on a shingle!

Bess, Vale, Mike, and I decided to check out the nightlife after dinner and found that the after-hours place to be is in the alleyways surrounding the Plaza de Armas. There, are many speakeasy-style clubs filled with young Peruvians. We tried to get cocktails but the only options were to buy entire bottles of liquor with a warm bottle of coke, or beer. Beer it was. We danced and observed before we attempted to leave, but were told to wait. We don't plan to go back there but it was quite an experience.

On Sunday morning, we cooked up a huge brunch and planned out some of our weekend trips. A few of us went to a local bar afterwards to watch the US Open Men's Final. To end the night, Vale, Mike, Garrett, and I went to a small climbing gym. The routes were pretty hard but we still had a good time pushing ourselves.

[tinytourist]

Livin’ the Lemberos Life

Day 7, Thursday - Bryce & Moab

When we woke up we threw our stuff in the car and headed back to Bryce, straight to the Queen’s/Navajo Combination Loop. It was a nice little morning hike through the canyon and helped us get some steps in before the long drive back to Moab.We had to stop and charge again at Green River but it was worth it to have a full battery for Moab.

This time, we got back to Moab early enough to find a legit campsite. First, we went to check out some campsites along the Colorado River but due to all the recent rain, those sites were closed. We ended up on a scary dirt road on the edge of a canyon before we both decided to turn around. I was very glad that Aidan was driving instead of me.

I wanted to go back to Sand Flats Recreation Area for a site but Aidan was doubtful. We were in luck! It was early enough to grab a great site. After setting up camp, we went straight into town for an early dinner. Little did Aidan know, Irene would be meeting us there!

Irene and her family were in Moab for a vacation and I decided to keep it a secret. I sent Irene my location and she tracked us down to a gift shop to reveal the surprise. The three of us caught up and ate dinner at the Food Truck Park which was right next to Irene's hotel. She told us she had a pool and said we should've brought our swimsuits. Good thing we had the car with all of our stuff in it - benefits of car camping!

The three of us went for a swim and then got to take a shower. What a treat! When Irene's family got back from their dinner, they invited us to join them on their evening of stargazing in Arches. Somehow their car was big enough to fit all 8 of us! While it was a bit cloudy for good stargazing, we had a great time joining the Lemberos family.

Day 8, Friday - Canyonlands

As usual, we started the day by going to the Visitor's Center, this time at Canyonlands. There, they recommended a bunch of shorter walks. First up was, would you believe it, another arch trail - Mesa Arch. This trail gave us an expansive view of the canyon and another quality arch pic.

Next, we did the Upheaval Dome trail which reveals a ~mysterious~ dome shape in the canyon. There are two theories about how it formed - salt and a meteor. Aidan and I are on team meteor.

Whale Rock was next, although I don't think we followed the trail. Instead, we walked out as far as we could until we reached the edge of the canyon. There, we saw white throated swifts dive bombing the canyon. The longer we stayed, the closer they got to us. They flew so fast you could hear them soaring through the air. Something about their speed and proximity while sitting on the edge of the canyon was a little unnerving; however, it was such a special and memorable experience.

We had a picnic bench lunch and then went to the Grand View Point Overlook which gave us 360 degree views of the canyon.

We grabbed some quick tacos at the food trucks before heading back to the Lemberos' hotel for a swim - this time, with all the kids. We caught up about our days and hung out until dark. Aidan and I were looking forward to building a fire and making s'mores back at camp but unfortunately it was extremely windy so we had to take shelter in the tent and eat cold s'mores - if you can even call them that. I got a good whole body exfoliation that night from the sand whipping into our tent.

Day 9, Saturday - Arches & Drive to Denver

On Saturday morning Aidan and I went back to Arches to see the Windows. We were supposed to meet the Lemberos' there but we lost service. Aidan and I began the walk and went off to the primitive trail where Chris found us! We got to do the rest of the walk with the whole group and do a few photoshoots. Don't we blend in well with our adopted fam??

Sadly we had to head back to Denver, but at least we had a concert to look forward to on Sunday. Aidan had a great time at his first Red Rocks show! Eventually, we had to say goodbye. Stay tuned for when I go visit Aidan in London - hopefully next year and hopefully with Irene!

[tinytourist]

Sons (and Daughters) of Zion

Day 4, Monday - Zion

First thing in the morning we applied for the Angels Landing hiking permit and packed up the car to head to Zion. We hit a Walmart to charge and re-up on some groceries while Aidan made brekki in the parking lot. From there, we drove to another Walmart for more charge and a much improved trunk lunch thanks to cheese and quality tuna fish.

4+ hours later and we made it to Zion! We went straight to the Kolob Canyons visitors center where they recommended the Taylor Creek Trail which is a 4.9 mile hike with numerous river crossings.

I loved the technicality of this hike and all of the flora that were thriving with the help of the creek. This is not what we expected to find in the desert. Even though Zion is an extremely popular park, we were pleasantly surprised by how quiet this gem of a trail was.

After the hike we ate a pretty disappointing dinner in town before heading to our glamping spot...or so we thought. We arrived at Zion Wildflower and the grounds were spectacular, I was eager to spend some time there. Unfortunately, our reservation was for a spot 40 minutes away, on the border of Utah and Arizona. Woops. We arrived late to our proper accommodation and went straight to sleep.

Day 5, Tuesday - Zion

On Tuesday morning we woke up early and headed to the main visitor's center at Zion. We didn't get the permit to hike Angel's Landing but we were able to hike Scout's Lookout which is the majority of the Angel's Landing hike just without the scary part. It was 1,115 ft elevation gain and 3.6 miles.

Luckily, we started the trail early enough for the majority of the ascent to be shaded. What more could I ask for? I enjoyed the climb and it was more than worth it for the panoramic views at the top. Being so high up gave me a lot of perspective on life and what’s important.

We did a bit of the West Rim Trail before heading down to eat lunch by the river. After a not long enough break, we went back up to hike the Emerald Pools Trail. The naming is iffy because I would call what I saw puddles rather than pools…

Our last hike of the day was the Riverside Walk which takes you up to the entrance of the Narrows. Unfortunately the Narrows was closed due to heavy water flow but the Riverside Walk allowed us to take a peak at the incredible views that the Narrows provides.

We got some Thai food on our way back to the campgrounds and actually had enough time left at camp to make a fire!

Day 6, Wednesday - Bryce

On Wednesday morning we drove straight to Bryce. At the visitors center they recommended two hikes for us to see most of the park - Queen’s/Navajo Combination Loop and the Peekaboo Loop Trail.

We had a quick lunch at a bench in the parking lot before getting a shuttle to the start of the Peakaboo Loop. The trail started us at the top of the canyon and then we quickly descended to the canyon floor. With the exception of all the horse poop it was a beautiful trail. I loved being able to wind my way through the hoodoos.

We finished the hike without getting rained on and went back to the cabin. For some reason Aidan wanted more exercise and went for a run before dinner ???

For dinner we walked about a block to Showdowns which was the perfect rustic country vibe, complete with live music! Aidan and I both had a few drinks and convinced ourselves to get last minute tickets to see Opiuo (a Kiwi!) at Red Rocks for when we got back!

[tinytourist]

Utahpia

Aidan is moving from Auckland to London and decided to stop by the States on his way to visit me and explore the US for the first time. Shortly after arriving in Denver, Aidan ventured to Rocky Mountain National Park and was pleasantly surprised with the snowy mountains. Upon his return, we went to Aidan’s first American concert at the Bluebird theater. We danced, sat on the floor, and I hugged the lead singer of the opening band. It was a success.

I planned out a 9-day road trip for us to Utah’s Mighty 5 National Parks starting on Friday

Day 1, Friday: Drive to Arches

Aidan had had a disappointing first experience at Trader Joe’s and I was committed to changing his opinion on my favorite grocery store. We stopped in on our way out of town to pick up snacks for the trip. Our next stop was the Target in Glenwood springs for Kianu’s (my Kia EV6) first charge. As we were approaching Moab we were getting low in charge and decided to get some juice at Green River Coffee.

By this time, the sun was starting to set and we had yet to find a campground in Moab. There were a ton of first-come first-serve spots but we were running out of luck late on a Friday night. We were hungry so we decided to eat at a Thai place in town while we both frantically googled camping options.

I found a guy offering a teardrop camper on Airbnb for too much money so I messaged him and asked if we could camp on his land. He told me he didn’t have any land and instead drove the camper out to a few different Bureau of Land Management (BLM) grounds and asked for my number to drop me a few pins of locations we could camp at.

We took Steven’s recommendations and drove straight to one of the spots which took us down a very hilly dirt road. It worked! We found a safe place to camp for the night (38.7100273,-109.7277553) and set up my tent for the first time.

Day 2, Saturday: Arches

On Saturday morning we awoke to a beautiful campground surrounded by red rocks. Aidan and I took a morning stroll to explore the grounds before heading to our first park of the trip - Arches National Park (ANP).

We stopped at the visitor’s center to plan out our day and Aidan made brekki in the parking lot. Delicate Arch was up first and to this day is Aidan’s favorite Arch. That’s saying a lot since ANP has over 2k arches alone.

Next up was Devils Garden where we saw the following arches: Tunnel, Pine Tree, Landscape, Navajo, Partition, and Double O. Aidan decided to do a side trail to Dark Angel when I realized the heat was getting to me. I took some micro naps in the shade while Aidan got lost.

On our way down, a storm was threatening and the winds began. It did say there was a 30% chance of rain…We were nervous because we left the tent up.

When got back to the campsite, luckily our tent was still there however not exactly where we left it. Hard first outing for my new tent. We didn’t have enough charge to go to Moab for dinner so made a sketchy camp meal of beans, rice, guacamole, and tuna.

We made friends with our neighbor from Salt Lake City and had plans to join his fire when all of a sudden the sand started moving and then a huge gust of wind threw sand all over the car and the tent. We huddled in the tent to wait out the storm. If we weren’t feeling dirty before we certainly were then. At least our skin got exfoliated…

I woke up at 3 am to a beautiful starry night sky and was able to see the core of the Milky Way!

Day 3, Sunday: Capitol Reef

On Sunday morning we packed up camp quickly and went back to Green River Coffee to charge and have a “cuppa”. The cafe was filled with messages about kindness but the barista was not…

A few hours later we arrived at Capitol Reef National Park. At the visitor’s center they told us that most of the trails were closed due to flash flood risk even though there was only a 30% chance of rain.

We parked at the Hickman bridge parking lot and had ourselves a trunk lunch. When we began the trail, the sky was threatening a storm. A woman asked “is it worth it?” to hikers on their way down as thunder crackled. We carried on. 45 minutes later and we had arrived at..another arch! I guess only Arches is allowed to call them that.

We made it back to the parking lot and who do I see? Someone I volunteer with in Denver! What a coincidence! The second we got in the car, the rain finally began. We decided to stay dry and do the scenic drive which was worth it.

We dropped in the local museum which was composed of 3 gift shop rooms and 1 room with some history from the town.

When we got to Capitol Reef Resort, we decided to put away the car keys for the night. With that kind of freedom, Aidan started ripping into some beers. We both finally had a nice shower and then went to explore the grounds.

First, we found the llamas. They all stared at us for a while while we stared at them. I got sneezed on. We then brought our cups to the gas fire pit (disappointing) and chatted up a couple from Vegas.

For dinner we crossed the road to Rim Rock Restaurant which had a beautiful view of Capitol Reef from all sides. There was a bird feeder and Aidan got to see his first humming birds. I had some high quality local Utah trout and Aidan had classic American ribs. We ended the night by taking advantage of the amenities and watching the Office.

[tinytourist]

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