The Adventure Begins...

Well, it's finally happening! After dreaming about it, talking about it, saving for it, and planning variations of it for years (10 years, in my case), Nick and I are going to take some time off to travel the world!

All of our stuff in storage!

The idea of a career break to travel had never even crossed my mind until I stumbled upon Erik Trinidad's blog, The Global Trip, back in 2004. Erik's detailed and entertaining dispatches filled me with both the desire and confidence to take the leap myself! It may have taken me a decade to make it happen...but...better late than never, eh?

So here is where we plan to be over the next 18 months,

Nov 2015	Nepal (Mera Peak trek)
Dec-Jan 2016	SE Asia
Feb-Mar 2016	South Africa
Apr-Oct 2016	Europe (camper van road trip!)
Nov-Mar 2017	South America

If you think you'll be on the same continent as us at any point, please give us a shout! It would be wonderful to meet up with friends and family while we're on the road!

Childcraft Bucket List: Lascaux Caves

As a child, there was nothing I loved more than sprawling on the living room floor with a volume of the World Book Childcraft Children's Encyclopedia. There were books on every topic that could possibly capture a child's imagination: world and space, fairy tales from all over the world, the human body and how things work. But my favorite volume of them all was "Mysteries and Fantasies".

That book was my first introduction to such places as Stonehenge, Easter Island and the Nazca Lines. The fact that we still didn't know why or how our ancestors built many of these structures was absolutely fascinating to me. I have an entire bucket list devoted to all the places I had read about in Childcraft and hope to visit one day. This June, I was super excited to be able to visit one of them: The Lascaux Caves.

I knew going in, that the original caves had been closed to visitors years ago, and that we would be looking at replicas. So my expectations were suitably lowered. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and beauty of the replicas. A lot of effort had been taken to match the originals. They even used the same materials and techniques that we believe our ancestors used!

So I was somewhat surprised to find myself walking out of the caves still feeling disappointed and very dissatisfied with my experience. If this was the only cave we had visited in the region, I would have been quite disillusioned. Fortunately, earlier in the day, we visited another prehistoric cave that was everything that I had hoped our Lascaux experience would be, but wasn't: Font de Gaume

Along the trail to the entrance of Font de Gaume

How to Dress Like a Girl Without Really Trying

When I was about 12 or 13 years old, I decided that skirts were a hassle and I wasn't going to wear them anymore. Shorter, flowy skirts were comfortable in hot weather, but they required constant vigilance to avoid flashing people as you went about your day. Tighter skirts didn't have this problem, but they restricted your range of motion, which was even more annoying to me. And long skirts just seemed to get caught in everything -- nevermind that you had to keep one hand free in case you came across a staircase. All of this added up to "too much trouble" in my books.

So for 15 years, I just didn't wear skirts and dresses.

In fact, I eschewed all things girly, including fashion and makeup. But over the last five years, I have discovered that embracing my feminine side does not have to mean discomfort and inconvenience. Nowadays, you can have your cake and eat it too! Who knew?

Me and my favorite skort,
Tsitsikamma National Park, South Africa

Looking back, I think my little epiphany began with one item of clothing: The Athleta Whatever Skort. I had never heard of Athleta, when I read this review of the Whatever Skort, but I was so intrigued that I ordered one online, fully expecting to return it when it didn't work out. But not only did it work out, it worked out a little *too* well! This skort started my (expensive) love affair with the Athleta brand!

Beach vs. Boardwalk: Penguin Viewing in Simon's Town

I love penguins. I'm not entirely sure what it is about them that I find so endearing, but I could happily watch them waddle around for hours! I was so excited when I learned that a large colony of African Penguins (formerly named Jackass Penguins) was just 30 minutes from Nicks' house in Cape Town!

But Nick? Well, he just views them as a nuisance. According to him, they are, and I quote, "noisy, smelly and they've taken over the nicest beach in Cape Town!".

View from the boardwalk at Foxy Beach

Unfortunately, for my adorable little friends, this is all true. But depending on when you go and the direction of the wind, you might get lucky on the noise and smell front! And even if you don't...well that's all just part of the experience, eh?

Kirstenbosch Gardens

As an avid hiker and all-around outdoorsy person, I have seen my share of unique flora, fauna and jaw-droppingly beautiful vistas. I've been very lucky in that regard. But all of these amazing outdoors experiences come with a price. And the change was so gradual that I didn't even realize it was happening! You see, I've become a bit of a nature snob :(

If a nature spot is too close to civilization or too manicured, I find myself taking off points in the rating system in my head.

I know that national parks and manicured gardens are two very different types of beauty and that there is room in this world for both. I also know that botanical gardens make rare and exotic plants, that would be very difficult to see in the wild, more accessible. But unless there are young children in tow or health issues at play, I feel like there is no excuse to cheat yourself out of a more "authentic" outdoor experience by going to a garden over a national park.

I am working to conquer such thoughts. But even unrepentant nature snobs will be able to enjoy the Kirstenbosch Gardens in Cape Town. Kirstenbosch somehow manages to zig-zag across the line between wild and manicured without going too far one way or the other. In fact, I felt that the gardens were as memorable an experience as hiking Table Mountain itself!

Pincushion Protea, Kirstenbosch Gardens

The Slightly-Less Beaten Path: Cape Town

This holiday season, we decided to spend time with Nick's family in Cape Town, South Africa. Since it had been a few years since his last visit, I wasn't expecting very much to happen on the sight-seeing front. But looking back on our visit, we managed to cram in a lot!

This was my second trip to Cape Town, so we ventured a little further afield and were able to explore some of the lesser-known, but no less beautiful, parts of South Africa. Here are a few things I had never seen or heard of before, but really enjoyed.

Beaches Galore!

Rocky, sandy, warm, cold, with penguins, without penguins...South Africa has a beach to suit every taste!

One of the nicest off-the-tourist-track beaches we went to was in Noordhoek. The crystal clear waters, soft white sand and green, hilly backdrop made it a visual treat. There's even a nifty, 100 year old shipwreck about 2 kms down the beach.

Noordhoek and the remains of the 'Kakapo'

There's just one little catch...Noordhoek is on the Atlantic. So even in the height of summer, the water is ice cold! If all you're looking for is a place to dip your toes on a hot day, this is perfect. But anything more than a toe and you might want to head to Simon's Town or Fish Hoek.