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OREGON
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TULUM
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GRUENE
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SANTA BARBARA
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NORTHERN SOUTHWEST
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THE NETHERLANDS
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NEW YORK CITY
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WEST COAST
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SPAIN
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Headline 9
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may 7th - 10th: A Quick Trip TO BEND, OREGON
It was not really a trip we constructed on a whim, but based on how quickly it came it sure felt like it! Alex's brother, Cooper, is currently staying in a small town called Sunriver, Oregon, which is not too far out from Bend, Oregon. Him and a couple of friends took advantage of being remote and have been traveling and living in various places throughout the pandemic. The house in Oregon was vast and beautiful, just like the nature in the area, so we new we had to visit. Cooper invited us to stay with him and we of course could not pass up the opportunity. We decided to visit for just a couple of days, and managed to get relatively cheap flights as well! Both flights there and back had an initial stop in Seattle, but we had to take a cute and tiny plane to Redmond, Oregon. It was one of those planes you had to actually take the stairs up to from the outside - I loved it.
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We spent a lot of time relaxing in the beautiful cabin-esque home, and took plenty advantage of the hot tub. The backyard was to a golf course that made for great morning strolls. We even saw deer walk up to the backyard a couple of times. It was nice to escape the bad warm rainy weather in Austin for a cooler and more dry climate. It was the perfect break from school and work, and a nice way to say goodbye to cold weather before summer officially comes. We planned on camping for a night but we were a tad underprepared and were a little weary of the snow. Instead we went on a hike in pursuit of some hot springs. We failed in our pursuit, but I am not convinced they actually exist.
The town of Bend was the perfect town for me, because I adore taking long walks around touristy town centers. Alex is not a fan, mostly because I take forever in each store and want to go into everyone. Fortunately, Alex does not mind spending hours in bookstores, and neither did Cooper and his girlfriend Anastasiya. We had a latte nearly every day and also enjoyed the vegan options around town. I even managed to get a croissant, which I had been needing for weeks, months even. One food truck we ate at was fully vegan, and I got such a delicious "Natcho Crunchwrap Supreme." We also tasted some amazing local ciders that I cannot stop thinking about. Can't forget to mention that we dabbled with some very legal substances that are not pictured.
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Probably my favorite part of the experience was going outdoor rock-climbing. I had never been before, but I was eager to try considering how much time I have invested in indoor bouldering. Cooper and his girlfriend has a lot of experience, and all the equipment, so they took us to a beautiful park (forgot the name, I'll hopefully ask Alex and update) and we spent all afternoon climbing. At first, I was hesitant in believing I enjoy it, but I came around. It was not as scary as I thought and will be making attempts to continue to climb outdoors when I can find the opportunity.
The last day we drove to a near-by waterfall and Alex and I went on a hike up and behind it! It was so stunning, as well as cold and loud. Maybe when it gets hotter someone could consider hopping in for a swim
Oregon is a majestic state, the landscape honestly took my breathe away. The weather was perfect, as I was able to get a little tan while I trekked through a light amount of snow. Much gratitude to Cooper, Anastasiya, and the rest of their friends for hosting us. Sadly, I did not manage to take a picture of our family dinner, but they let us partake in their tradition as well! They take turns cooking for the household and splitting the costs, and not only did they accommodate our veganism when they cooked for us, but truly appreciated the vegan food we made for them! Can't wait until the next time I get to visit!
June 23rd - 27th: TULUM, MEXICO + THE SQUAD!
On May 23rd, we took off to Tulum, Mexico!
Ah - what fond memories this reflection brings. It's also tradition to travel abroad with my friends, and I guess Mexico just seems like the most feasible and affordable option. We chose to Tulum as our destinations in for many reasons, selfishly it happens to be extremely vegan friendly which was obviously intriguing to Alex and I. First and foremost though, it was such an affordable trip. The group took flights to Cancun, all from different locations. Alex and I drove from Austin to Houston, picking up Max along the way. There was a traumatizing moment where we saw a tiny pug in the middle of the highway and Alex had to come to stop, nearly avoiding hitting the dog or driving into the ditch. I think we both cried a little bit, but thankfully nothing bad came out of it. Another group left from Houston later that same day and Emily and Colburn flew from San Diego. We took a shuttle from Cancun to Tulum and stopped at a grocery store along the way, grabbing the essentials that word nourish us while we stayed at an Airbnb in the heart of Tulum. The spot was awesome, but unfortunately the air conditioning was a little wack. Alex and I enjoyed the largest and most cool (not just temperature wise) room, but the last couple of days we moved another mattress into the room so other people could enjoy the A/C. For some reason, I was waking up bright and early every day, around 7 AM, much earlier than most of the others. Alex had to suffer the consequences of this, not getting much sleep past the time I woke up, but I enjoyed me able to get up early and walk around the town before the hustle of the city really began.
Ah - what fond memories this reflection brings. It's also tradition to travel abroad with my friends, and I guess Mexico just seems like the most feasible and affordable option. We chose to Tulum as our destinations in for many reasons, selfishly it happens to be extremely vegan friendly which was obviously intriguing to Alex and I. First and foremost though, it was such an affordable trip. The group took flights to Cancun, all from different locations. Alex and I drove from Austin to Houston, picking up Max along the way. There was a traumatizing moment where we saw a tiny pug in the middle of the highway and Alex had to come to stop, nearly avoiding hitting the dog or driving into the ditch. I think we both cried a little bit, but thankfully nothing bad came out of it. Another group left from Houston later that same day and Emily and Colburn flew from San Diego. We took a shuttle from Cancun to Tulum and stopped at a grocery store along the way, grabbing the essentials that word nourish us while we stayed at an Airbnb in the heart of Tulum. The spot was awesome, but unfortunately the air conditioning was a little wack. Alex and I enjoyed the largest and most cool (not just temperature wise) room, but the last couple of days we moved another mattress into the room so other people could enjoy the A/C. For some reason, I was waking up bright and early every day, around 7 AM, much earlier than most of the others. Alex had to suffer the consequences of this, not getting much sleep past the time I woke up, but I enjoyed me able to get up early and walk around the town before the hustle of the city really began.
We took advantage of all the opportunities we could during our stay. This included dining at some fantastic restaurants where we got drunk off such affordable drinks. One day, we rented bikes and went to the beach side of the city and just enjoyed the beautiful water and weather. Another day we headed to Coba to explore cenotes and some of indigenous ruins. Pictured is the second tallest pyramid in the Yucatán peninsula, in the picture doesn't do it any credit. Obviously Covid presented some limitations and concerns, but we were able to go about our vacation in a very responsible and enjoyable way. We still went out to some cool spots and even partied at a hostel with some interesting characters. Probably my favorite spot in all of the city was a small taco shop, El Bajon, where they had endless amounts of authentic Mexican tacos, all vegan, for just about 20 pesos each. Another day, we used a discount provided to us by the Airbnb hosts to relax at a beach club where we swam, drank, hookahed, and tanned. Unfortunately, one of our friends stepped on glass in the pool and we had to leave, but she was a trooper. Faced with guilt, the beach club owner called a friend to take us back to town. We all crammed in his pickup truck and managed to get our friend the care she needed. We also were able to check out Zara's uncles property, which was the beautiful villa with a majestic courtyard and pool. On our last night, an outdoor karaoke spot provided us with immense entertainment, as we probably hogged the microphone from all the other attendees that night. To our defense, they gave everyone who went up to sing a free shot (probably watered down), so how could we resist? I can't wait to go back to Tulum, hopefully with my friends, and maybe hit up some of the clubs that the pandemic restricted us from. But until then, these humble and genuine memories will keep me satisfied.
july 5th - 6th: ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY GETAWAY IN GRUENE, TEXAS
Oh Gruene, what sweer town you are! Alex and I decided to take a short trip to central Texas in celebration one year of togetherness. We decided to spend our first day in New Braunfels to spend the day at Schlitterbahn. Unfortunately, it did not go exactly as planned. It was slightly crowded considering the poor weather, which is never fun. Truthfully the worst part of waterparks are the excessive line size and waits, but being with my best friend definitely made it quite tolerable. A decent amount of the attractions were closed off, likely because of COVID. To me it didn't make much sense because it just made the attractions that were open just that much more crowded. The river that is suppose to take you all around the park was closed which made it quite inconvenient to get around. Regardless, we rode some tubes and some slides and had a god time. The most popular ride was the one we attended last, but not out of choice. The line was insanely long. My memory tells me that we waited for 2 hours, but it was probably closer to one. We entertained ourselves with I-spy and some other games to make time move faster. Alex and I became so annoyed with the 'skip-the-line' members who kept making our wait more dreadful. When we were nearly to the front, a new worker began conducting the line. Rather than the standard, for every regular line person a cut the line person goes, he was just letting them cut everyone non-stop! We became so annoyed because the weather seemed like it was about to ruin everyones day. It started raining and we became hopeless, so we spoke up in protest and intimated the worker enough to let us go. He was probably 14 years old, which was funny but also made me feel a little bad. The people around us though were very supportive of us speaking out. We managed to get on the slide and enjoy it only minutes before the whole park shut down. The park was overcome by a downpour and we had to rush out of the park as quick as possible, Honestly, the overall experience at the waterpark was pretty disappointing, as New Braunfels Schlitterbahn has nothing on Galveston's Schlitterbahn. Still, it was a romantic and youthful day which I would allowed me to savor my day with my lovely boyfriend.
After leaving Schlitterbahn, we headed to the town of Gruene where we were staying at The Gruene River Inn. It was such a cute location with an amazing view. The back of the inn was to the river, which we would have loved to enjoy if it wasn't for the poor weather. Regardless, we drying up and enjoyed the amenities of the Inn before heading out on the town for some food, drinks, and dancing, We grabbed pizza at a restaurant that was walking distance from the Inn, in consideration of the giant margaritas we were going to drink. We headed to Gruene Hall where we enjoyed some beers and lovely live music. We both got CD's from the band to commemorate the experience. After some bad but charming dancing from Alex and I, we headed back to the Inn to end the day. The next morning we just walked around the town. I had one of the best matcha lattes that morning, which makes sense for a town named "Gruene". We checked out the antique shop, some stores, and the sights of the town before heading out. On our way home, we stopped by Earth Burger in San Marcos, and all vegan and healthy fast food place that I had heard about for ages. The food was DELICIOUS and the workers were so nice. It is such a good spot for affordable and convenient vegan food. While in town, we went on the glass bottom boat tour that Alex had been on years ago, and it was such a visually pleasing ride. The water was impressively clear and we learned some fascinating facts about Aquarena Springs. Did you know, that the water comes out at a rate that could fill it up from empty to full in 12 hours, crazy!
I might have gotten the order of events wrong, and failed to include the sushi restaurant we went to in Gruene, but that is the consequence of writing this half a year later. Literally, half a year, how crazy rapid time flies when you're in love.
I might have gotten the order of events wrong, and failed to include the sushi restaurant we went to in Gruene, but that is the consequence of writing this half a year later. Literally, half a year, how crazy rapid time flies when you're in love.
July 12th - 17th: VISITING EMILY'S BLUEBERRY FARM IN SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA
Reminiscing on this trip makes me want to move to California, or at least get out to somewhere more beautiful than where I am now. Santa Barbara was truly mesmerizing, the scenery had everything you could want. The view from the top of the mountain we hiked to looked out to an ocean so endless and blue, where I also spotted Channel Islands national park. Ever since I saw that island in the distance I have been compelled to visit one day.
Unsurprisingly, one of my favorite experiences in California yet was spending time at Emily's place of work. Why? Because she was living the farm girl life, tending to the blueberries, raspberries, cows, and other diverse life in perhaps the most beautiful locations of work I could ever imagine. The drive was a little under 30 minutes from where she lived, so it seemed like an ideal combination of in the town versus in nature. Zara and I were able to explore independently while Emily tended to her work duties. We simply walked around in amazement, eating the most delicious berries I have probably ever experienced. When Emily was able, she took us around the golf cart and gave |
us a behind the scenes tour. This meant we even got to visit the cows and stand just feet away from them (I was quite scared to be honest). We also saw the worms getting to work on some fertilizer, and even weighed and packed some blueberries with Emily!
december 15th - 20th: Amsterdam and The Hague (amended)
What an interesting trip - and sort of a disaster.
Alex and I had planned this trip back in October, sort of on a whim. We were optimistic and truthfully did not give enough credit to the capricious state of the world regarding the pandemic. Seeing such good deals on flights to Europe, we jumped on another opportunity to travel and adventure together. As the date approached we realized the uncertainty of a relaxed travel situation. My brother had actually returned from Europe just a few days prior to our departure. He mentioned that The Netherlands had instated a curfew because of the Omicron variants proliferation. Going back and forth between deciding to proceed with caution or to cancel the trip, we decided to carry on with our original agenda. Looking back, I sometimes wish we cancelled and saved our resources for another time, but regardless, it was a good learning experience considering I had been anticipating traveling alone after my graduation (oh yes, I graduated, woo!).
Regardless, we managed to enjoy ourself for two whole days, and perhaps two half days. We arrived around 11am on our first day, not giving us much time to explore the city prior to the 5pm curfew. We first grabbed a coffee from a café (not to be confused with a coffee house), and then checked into our VRBO shortly after. The location and stay was great, very close to town and adjacent to a Vondelpark. Edwin was a kind and gracious host, he even provided us with a complementary and delicious bottle of wine! After settling in, we simply walked around the local area and grabbed dinner at Meatless District.
The second day we got a COVID test, just to be safe, and received the negative results that permitted our confident exploration of the town. For breakfast we enjoyed some dutch pancakes, which truthfully were just thick crepes, but delicious regardless. We walked (and talked) endlessly, checking out bookstores, a local pub, a coffeeshop, retail stores, the red light district, took a canal tour, and of course ended with a delicious meal from Veganees, a vegan restaurant a block from where we were staying. Fortunately for us (and Uber), Uber eats was dominating the after curfew scene, and we got pizza in the comfort of our studio while watching some pretty tragic movies. This was a common theme for us, due to jet lag and curfew. I would not recommend Red Notice or Focus to anyone looking for a good film. We watched a lot of other movies as well, which I am sure Alex will give thorough reviews over on his page.
On day three, we visited the Van Gogh museum and the Rijksmuseum, both were fascinating and full of content, but I was disappointed to find out that The Starry Night is located in NYC. This dominated most of our day, and the rest was spent strolling the streets of Amsterdam. We wandered upon an outdoor market where we enjoyed some delicious dumplings, and I can't forget to mention the amazing and truthfully perfect croissants we got from Craft Coffee & Pastry Amsterdam. If you are looking for the best vegan croissants, you must visit this place. We attempted to visit the Heineken brewery but the line seemed too long and opted for a German bar instead. You are extremely disappointed to miss out on eating at Mr. & Mrs. Watson during our stay in Amsterdam, as they were fully booked that night for dinner. The reviews looked great and it ended up being quite disheartening for me, but fortunately we saw a vegan Mediterranean food store on the way home and had an amazing and delicious wrap instead.
Day four ended up being our last real day in the Netherlands. We woke up early and checked out of our stay and headed to The Hague from the Amsterdam train station. The previous night we had found out that the hotel we originally planned on staying at had a closed because of the pandemic, so we had to find a new last minute place to host us. Fortunately we found a hustle, The Pink Flamingo, and got a room for about €70. Before arriving to the Hague, still on the train, we found out that the Netherlands had gone into lockdown. Our hearts sank as we scramble to figure out what to do. We questioned continuing with our trip, knowing that we could not go out and explore any of the future locations to the extent that we had hoped. Leaving the country and spending the rest of our trip in Belgium or France was also suggested, but in the end we decided to try to get home as soon as possible as traveling amidst a pandemic was far more stressful than it was worth. I managed to convince United to change our flights to the following day free of charge, which felt like our last stroke of good luck we could muster. Alas, it was not! We also received the negative Covid test needed to go home, and our room at the hostel was upgraded to the best week, it even had a Jacuzzi! Just about everything in The Hague was closed, except for Dunkin' Donuts which provided us with delicious vegan donuts and drinks. Why can't they have that in the States? We still explored the town on foot, taking a tram to the beach and walking across the sand along with all the others who had nowhere else to go. It was surprisingly crowded considering everything was closed, but I guess no one had to be at work so might as well! Our last night and we enjoyed the amenities of the room, watched a British soccer game, it's via dominoes, and rested for our trip home.
The flight back was quite awful, and the airport was so crowded that I was genuinely worried we would miss our flight. I know some people believe a direct flight is a premium, but I would much rather have a layover and take a break from plane travel than to sit on an airplane for 13 hours ever again. Not to mention we were starving, only having vegan chicken nuggets from Burger King for breakfast and being dietarily discriminated by United Airways! I only joke, it was a huge bummer not being able to eat the food provided by the flight attendants. But next thing we knew we were home and thankfully my father picked us up and took us straight to chipotle. I think that might've been the first time I ate a whole burrito in one sitting. Regardless the trip was amazing, I genuinely enjoyed my time, but I truly believe that the experiences would have been much more grand if we had waited for the pandemic to be in a better state than it was. Or perhaps Alex and I should just stick to our perfect and very missed road trips... coming soon I hope.
Alex and I had planned this trip back in October, sort of on a whim. We were optimistic and truthfully did not give enough credit to the capricious state of the world regarding the pandemic. Seeing such good deals on flights to Europe, we jumped on another opportunity to travel and adventure together. As the date approached we realized the uncertainty of a relaxed travel situation. My brother had actually returned from Europe just a few days prior to our departure. He mentioned that The Netherlands had instated a curfew because of the Omicron variants proliferation. Going back and forth between deciding to proceed with caution or to cancel the trip, we decided to carry on with our original agenda. Looking back, I sometimes wish we cancelled and saved our resources for another time, but regardless, it was a good learning experience considering I had been anticipating traveling alone after my graduation (oh yes, I graduated, woo!).
Regardless, we managed to enjoy ourself for two whole days, and perhaps two half days. We arrived around 11am on our first day, not giving us much time to explore the city prior to the 5pm curfew. We first grabbed a coffee from a café (not to be confused with a coffee house), and then checked into our VRBO shortly after. The location and stay was great, very close to town and adjacent to a Vondelpark. Edwin was a kind and gracious host, he even provided us with a complementary and delicious bottle of wine! After settling in, we simply walked around the local area and grabbed dinner at Meatless District.
The second day we got a COVID test, just to be safe, and received the negative results that permitted our confident exploration of the town. For breakfast we enjoyed some dutch pancakes, which truthfully were just thick crepes, but delicious regardless. We walked (and talked) endlessly, checking out bookstores, a local pub, a coffeeshop, retail stores, the red light district, took a canal tour, and of course ended with a delicious meal from Veganees, a vegan restaurant a block from where we were staying. Fortunately for us (and Uber), Uber eats was dominating the after curfew scene, and we got pizza in the comfort of our studio while watching some pretty tragic movies. This was a common theme for us, due to jet lag and curfew. I would not recommend Red Notice or Focus to anyone looking for a good film. We watched a lot of other movies as well, which I am sure Alex will give thorough reviews over on his page.
On day three, we visited the Van Gogh museum and the Rijksmuseum, both were fascinating and full of content, but I was disappointed to find out that The Starry Night is located in NYC. This dominated most of our day, and the rest was spent strolling the streets of Amsterdam. We wandered upon an outdoor market where we enjoyed some delicious dumplings, and I can't forget to mention the amazing and truthfully perfect croissants we got from Craft Coffee & Pastry Amsterdam. If you are looking for the best vegan croissants, you must visit this place. We attempted to visit the Heineken brewery but the line seemed too long and opted for a German bar instead. You are extremely disappointed to miss out on eating at Mr. & Mrs. Watson during our stay in Amsterdam, as they were fully booked that night for dinner. The reviews looked great and it ended up being quite disheartening for me, but fortunately we saw a vegan Mediterranean food store on the way home and had an amazing and delicious wrap instead.
Day four ended up being our last real day in the Netherlands. We woke up early and checked out of our stay and headed to The Hague from the Amsterdam train station. The previous night we had found out that the hotel we originally planned on staying at had a closed because of the pandemic, so we had to find a new last minute place to host us. Fortunately we found a hustle, The Pink Flamingo, and got a room for about €70. Before arriving to the Hague, still on the train, we found out that the Netherlands had gone into lockdown. Our hearts sank as we scramble to figure out what to do. We questioned continuing with our trip, knowing that we could not go out and explore any of the future locations to the extent that we had hoped. Leaving the country and spending the rest of our trip in Belgium or France was also suggested, but in the end we decided to try to get home as soon as possible as traveling amidst a pandemic was far more stressful than it was worth. I managed to convince United to change our flights to the following day free of charge, which felt like our last stroke of good luck we could muster. Alas, it was not! We also received the negative Covid test needed to go home, and our room at the hostel was upgraded to the best week, it even had a Jacuzzi! Just about everything in The Hague was closed, except for Dunkin' Donuts which provided us with delicious vegan donuts and drinks. Why can't they have that in the States? We still explored the town on foot, taking a tram to the beach and walking across the sand along with all the others who had nowhere else to go. It was surprisingly crowded considering everything was closed, but I guess no one had to be at work so might as well! Our last night and we enjoyed the amenities of the room, watched a British soccer game, it's via dominoes, and rested for our trip home.
The flight back was quite awful, and the airport was so crowded that I was genuinely worried we would miss our flight. I know some people believe a direct flight is a premium, but I would much rather have a layover and take a break from plane travel than to sit on an airplane for 13 hours ever again. Not to mention we were starving, only having vegan chicken nuggets from Burger King for breakfast and being dietarily discriminated by United Airways! I only joke, it was a huge bummer not being able to eat the food provided by the flight attendants. But next thing we knew we were home and thankfully my father picked us up and took us straight to chipotle. I think that might've been the first time I ate a whole burrito in one sitting. Regardless the trip was amazing, I genuinely enjoyed my time, but I truly believe that the experiences would have been much more grand if we had waited for the pandemic to be in a better state than it was. Or perhaps Alex and I should just stick to our perfect and very missed road trips... coming soon I hope.
JANUARY 23rd - 26th
Having recently been accepted to the Masters in Global Policy program at NYU, I found it necessary to visit the campus and city prior to accepting my admission. This isn't my first trip to Manhattan, but considering that I was about the age of 4 the last time I visited, it might as well be. The idea of living in such a busy and compact city has me feeling quite weary and claustrophobic of the potential future I have there, but the opportunity to be a student of such an outstanding program is too fantastic to pass up. So, I booked my trip to visit with the company of my mother. In three short days I aimed to absorb as much as a could, hoping to get a true idea of what the next couple of years of my life could look like.
This is not the best time to take a trip to the big apple in terms of experiential value, but monetarily it was absolutely perfect a steal. Probably because of the intimidatingly cold weather we will be facing, but also because of all the limitations and |
closures encompassing the lives of every New Yorker. Just a couple of days before we left, I found out that my tour of NYU's campus was cancelled because of the Omicron variant. I would not be allowed to go onto campus at all, but I was okay with that. My goal here is not to see if I will like what the school itself provides - I am confident that I will. I visited to see if I could enjoy my life in this environment, because I had my doubts.
Having now visiting Manhattan, I am pleased to admit that my preconceptions were not completely valid. Now, there are some cliche aspects to New York City that were almost inherent to a visit. This includes seeing rats roaming the street, angry drivers honking at pedestrians, and people spitting on your shoe (yes, that legitimately happened). Even still, I enjoyed the city in almost an ironic way. It’s as like they were making a satire of where America has gone since the city was established, but the people of the city own it.
I came in having very low expectations, even fearing that my distaste for the rushing area would be strong enough to make me reject acceptance to NYU, but perhaps it was this pessimism that made it easy for those worries to be relieved. I could definitely see myself managing to live here for 2 years (or 18 months at least). I almost would not like to have to adapt to the way of life but having to do so for a short stint would be a challenge that could allow me to grow as an individual. I have a lot to say about my notions on urbanity and political/philosophical thought (and how the two of those words are hardly different), but I will save that for one of my personal blog posts.
There is much I did, and much I didn’t do. My mother and I did a tremendous amount of ground-covering, on foot, over 40 miles over the three days to be exact. It was very cold, but I was well prepared for the harsh weather. What I was not prepared for the horrible heat when I spent more that 5 minutes inside everywhere. Seriously, I feel like every store/establishment should have a coat check. Do you really think I wan tot walk around wearing 5 layers and shop for 30 minutes? And I am obviously not going to take my jacket, gloves, beanie, etc. off and hold them while I walk around. The cold was not nearly as bad as the inconveniences of dressing in layers, it made me prefer to spend my time outside.
Anyway, these shops we went to were mostly for clothing, as shopping with my mom is kind of a standard way for us to spend time together. My favorite place to stop at, channeling Alex vibes, is bookstores. Honestly, I was surprised at the lack of bookstores, expecting that I would see them every so often in my venturing of the island. Instead, I had to look them up to find them. My favorite was Strand Bookstore, as they had so many options and recommendations. I love when bookstores have ample displays for recommendations.
Having now visiting Manhattan, I am pleased to admit that my preconceptions were not completely valid. Now, there are some cliche aspects to New York City that were almost inherent to a visit. This includes seeing rats roaming the street, angry drivers honking at pedestrians, and people spitting on your shoe (yes, that legitimately happened). Even still, I enjoyed the city in almost an ironic way. It’s as like they were making a satire of where America has gone since the city was established, but the people of the city own it.
I came in having very low expectations, even fearing that my distaste for the rushing area would be strong enough to make me reject acceptance to NYU, but perhaps it was this pessimism that made it easy for those worries to be relieved. I could definitely see myself managing to live here for 2 years (or 18 months at least). I almost would not like to have to adapt to the way of life but having to do so for a short stint would be a challenge that could allow me to grow as an individual. I have a lot to say about my notions on urbanity and political/philosophical thought (and how the two of those words are hardly different), but I will save that for one of my personal blog posts.
There is much I did, and much I didn’t do. My mother and I did a tremendous amount of ground-covering, on foot, over 40 miles over the three days to be exact. It was very cold, but I was well prepared for the harsh weather. What I was not prepared for the horrible heat when I spent more that 5 minutes inside everywhere. Seriously, I feel like every store/establishment should have a coat check. Do you really think I wan tot walk around wearing 5 layers and shop for 30 minutes? And I am obviously not going to take my jacket, gloves, beanie, etc. off and hold them while I walk around. The cold was not nearly as bad as the inconveniences of dressing in layers, it made me prefer to spend my time outside.
Anyway, these shops we went to were mostly for clothing, as shopping with my mom is kind of a standard way for us to spend time together. My favorite place to stop at, channeling Alex vibes, is bookstores. Honestly, I was surprised at the lack of bookstores, expecting that I would see them every so often in my venturing of the island. Instead, I had to look them up to find them. My favorite was Strand Bookstore, as they had so many options and recommendations. I love when bookstores have ample displays for recommendations.
We also, of course, hit couple of restaurants so I could embrace the vibe of the city in terms of vegan eats. Gregory’s Coffee was a hit, a great standard coffee shop with delicious and affordable vegan options. I had the vegan egg croissant sandwich, and for only $6.50, I was impressed. East of Central Park we discovered this market that was underground around the subway - what a fantastic idea! I found this bakery with plenty of vegan options and my mother and I shared a vegan carrot cake loaf and a sausage, egg, and black bean bagel. Our first night we went to a nice and fancy dinner at Planta Queen, a vegan restaurant. Their Monday special was $8 sushi rolls,
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and for being a relatively bougie place, this was a spectacular deal. The sushi was definitely worth it, but the Dan Dan Noodles and Spinach Dumplings are a 1/5. Probably my favorite place was Peacefood Cafe, where my mother and I shared a cripsy seitan sandwich that had tomato, arugula, cashew cheese, and walnut pesto. It was insanely good, my mom was so impressed that she asked me to recreate it for her one day. Zazzy’s Pizza was the last place we visited, which was near little Italy. We couldn’t leave without trying some New York pizza, and so we did. Although not vegan, I appreciated that they had a vegan pizza - and, all their appetizers were vegan! Disappointingly (and despite the raving Happycow review) the mozzarella sticks were only okay, but the pizza hit the spot. It was simple, but almost perfect for a simple pie.
On the visiting of the area’s I will admit that it took seeing Columbia’s campus to make me realize that I did not love the lack of campus that NYU provided. The area that it was in was nice, we even attended a regular market at Union Square (where I purchases a delicious lemon cornbread muffin), but it just felt very passive of a college experience. I guess as I graduate student this is not as crucial, so I should’t let that factor into my decision too much. I did like the vibe of Soho/Tribeca a lot more that the Upper West Side, which is where Columbia is.
Honestly, New York City was not as tall as I thought, and it much more spread out than I imagined! Realizing the distance and time covered just going from the bottom of Central Park to the Brooklyn bridge, my mind was kind of blown. My belief that I would be claustrophobic in the city was eliminated, although that worry still stands when it comes to whatever living situation I would suffer. My favorite experience though, was running in NYC. I ran 2 miles from our hotel to Central Park, and then 3 miles around the lower half of the park, and 2 miles back, for a total of (easy math) 7 miles. Usually, when I run un unfamiliar territory, it is so hard and tiring, but I was not tired at all. I could have easily done 10 - 13 miler in fact, but time was against me. I think this was when I enjoyed the city the most because it was when I enjoyed myself the most. I felt natural, like I was doing my own thing, not obligated to the expectations and goals of my visit. It gave me a glimpse into what my life would be like there. I was surprised at how few runners there were at Central Park, but maybe 10am when its 30 degrees outside keeps people indoors. Regardless, I surely could see myself running around Central Park on a more regular basis, and the idea of that… kinda makes me happy? Until next time New York. |
Emily and I took off around 8am on Monday, arriving to El Paso just in time to see the beautiful sunset. We really booked the drive out of Houston, and made great time considering how intimidating the drive might have seemed - but it wasn't. It had been a while since Emily and I had spent some quality time together, and when is a better time to catch up then 10 hours in a car together? Even so, 10 initial hours was not enough. This catching up extended to the delicious dinner we had at a very cute local diner in El Paso, as well as the hotel room we shared where we experienced some marvelous sleep. The next day we spent a little more time driving to some music and audiobooks, but still, the majority of the ride was done over some excellent conversation. Debating stopping in Arizona for the night, we instead opted to drive straight to San Diego, once again viewing a gorgeous sunset through the valleys so Southern California.
The time spent in San Diego was perfect. I crashed on the couch and woke up around sunrise nearly every morning - mostly due to Colburn's roommate Gio's 6am coffee-grinding routine. My instinct was to be bothered, but to be honest, the early start to the morning was much needed as my 9am-5pm job began during this trip. So I spent the mornings working, and had enough done to enjoy the afternoons stress free with my friends. One morning I did a 12 mile run, all the way from La Jolla Cove to Mission Beach and back. Such a run after not being in shape may seem dreadful, but imagine running on the coast of one of the most beautiful beaches in the States, it was mesmerizing and perfectly distracting. I really wanted to feel present in San Diego as my life existed normally, rather than try to make it something that felt like a vacation. The routine we had did exactly that, as I aimed to fit into Emily's life as seamlessly as possible. She was beginning her journey of transitioning to a Texafornia girl, and she did it perfectly. In San Diego we went on hikes, grocery trips, night time bar drinking, and some household cooking. We did go to LA for a night, checking out where Emily is now working and meeting up with Jack for a night out. I will say - LA sucks! I am happy that Emily is working well outside the city, as I do not think she would enjoy the city of LA either. Unfortunately, we did not get to go surfing while in San Diego, but I wasn't expecting to considering that we went in February. Still - the weather was amazing, and we enjoyed the beach for some volleyball and some sunsets still.
Also, I just want to say shoutout to Emily for being an amazing sister! We drove 3 hours to LA from San Diego, and then an additional hour to our hotel. This is after completing a drive from Texas just a couple of days prior. Still - she decided that driving 4 hours round trip to go pickup her brother Jack and bring him to spend the night out with us was worth it. What a sweetheart! Not sure if I would have the energy to have done the same, so I respect it a lot.
Also, I just want to say shoutout to Emily for being an amazing sister! We drove 3 hours to LA from San Diego, and then an additional hour to our hotel. This is after completing a drive from Texas just a couple of days prior. Still - she decided that driving 4 hours round trip to go pickup her brother Jack and bring him to spend the night out with us was worth it. What a sweetheart! Not sure if I would have the energy to have done the same, so I respect it a lot.
There is much more I should mention to really capture how much I enjoyed this trip, but I must conclude with a very embarrassing anecdote on my departure. I was debating staying in San Diego for longer, staying at a hostel and flying out of San Diego to Austin to make it for the weekend, as I planned on spending it in Austin anyway. Emily and Colburn were driving up to Santa Barbara on the Tuesday, so I could have chose to join them and fly out of there on Thursday/Friday as well. I decided to fly out of LA on Tuesday, along the route of their drive up north, due to the fact that it was much cheaper to fly out of LA to Houston. Boy - did that decision come back to laugh at me. As we drove to LAX, I attempted to check in when I realized that I had booked a flight for the Tuesday TWO WEEKS away. Gosh, I felt like such an idiot that I didn't even tell Emily or Colburn! I hope that maybe they come across this blog post and find out this way, because looking back, it is hilarious. Instead, my wallet took the hit as a booked a flight change for an extra $200. I managed to get home just fine, but not without at least one grave mistake on this adventure.
A may in catalonia
My first time experiencing life in Europe was... well, eye-opening to say the least. Many highs and lows as could have been anticipated, because isn't that the most pure nature of life? Why is it so much harder to cope with that when you are traveling, away from home. A goal of mine on this trip was to abandon the idea of having a home that keeps you safe and comfortable, because my future has me thinking that such a concept will only weigh me down. However, this little apartment located in Barceloneta has brought me such a comfort, particularly when returning from Madrid and then Mallorca, and for that I was greatful.
Madrid
Living in a metropolis is simply just not for me, at least for now. Suddenly I am so relieved that I will not be attending graduate school in New York City. Beyond just living in a metropolis like Madrid, I find myself also feeling like paying large cities a visit just leaves me... confused. What am I to do with all my time in terms of exploration? Yes, I do very much enjoy walking the streets of a new city (although the streets of a town make me far more fulfilled), but at a certain point you are just seeing more and more of the seem. Museums do the best they can to remove you from the constraints of a city by diving into the knowledge of another time or another place. What is there to do when visiting a city besides visit shops, sightsee buildings, eat out, and check out museums? Maybe I am doing it wrong, or maybe cities just aren't for me.
Mallorca
In contrast to the unsatisfying trip to Madrid, Mallorca gave me a sense of home by us having chose to rent a car. Ah - the freedom of having a car. We stayed on the north eats side of the island, near Cala Ratjada. The drive there was full of small, historic towns, mountains, hills, plains, farmlands, beaches, and more beautiful nature. It was rural, and that brought me comfort. Okay, I am not going to frame myself as some rural girl who does not enjoy the luxuries of humanity. We stayed at what seemed to be a tennis resort, and boy was that nice. Minutes from a beautiful cove, our hotel provided us with free buffet meals, plenty of drinks, three pools, and random entertainment. Keeping me humble, though, was essentially a complete lack of internet/wifi during my entire time in Mallorca. It was refreshing. Our experience was compiled of laying on the beach, a few naps in the sun, some hikes to the top of mountains, drinks by the pool, and two outings to go out in the town that were extremely short lived and reassuring ot me that I simply do not like going out. I mean, who the heck really likes to go out to clubs? It is far more about the people you are with, and Lili and I simply did not seek socialization with new people or desire to socialize with each other in that environment. Grabbing far too much Burger King and heading back to our room was far more relaxing, although I think I might never want to eat Burger King again. Why do we always get the largest bucket of vegan nuggets? So unnecessary.
We enjoyed out time so much that we actually decided to extend our stay. Rather than leaving Sunday, we lest Tuesday night. Although I do not regret that decision, I learned that sometimes it's better to leave memories as something amazing than try to push to extend them so hard to the point that the glass shatters. I won't dive too much into the negatives, but man, being seemingly the only Americans on the islands constituted a LOT of judgmental looks from the other guests. Also, apparently we eat WAY too much based on the looks and comments we faced at the dinner buffets. Hey, we are growing and active young women, we need our nourishment!
We enjoyed out time so much that we actually decided to extend our stay. Rather than leaving Sunday, we lest Tuesday night. Although I do not regret that decision, I learned that sometimes it's better to leave memories as something amazing than try to push to extend them so hard to the point that the glass shatters. I won't dive too much into the negatives, but man, being seemingly the only Americans on the islands constituted a LOT of judgmental looks from the other guests. Also, apparently we eat WAY too much based on the looks and comments we faced at the dinner buffets. Hey, we are growing and active young women, we need our nourishment!
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ROAD TRIP THROUGH THE SOUTH WEST
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LA
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ROAD TRIP THROUGH THE OZARKS
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SAN DIEGO
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SOUTH PADRE
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NEW ORLEANS
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BRECKINRIDGE
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MONTERREY
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VANCOUVER 19'
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CANCUN
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From Texas to Arizona
There’s so much to say about this trip is hard to even know where to begin.
Day 1:
I guess we can start with day one we left from Austin and headed out to Guadalupe Peak. We were hoping to camp at the base of the mountain, but wasn’t sure if they were going to have any available spots. The drive is about eight hours long but it honestly went by way quicker than either of us expected. We watched the sunset as we approached the mountains and it was stunning. Lucky for us there was a spot open when we got there and we were able to set up our camper under the amazing view of just about every star you could imagine. We set up our camper, made ourselves a nice dinner, and got tucked in and ready for our big hike the following day
Day 1:
I guess we can start with day one we left from Austin and headed out to Guadalupe Peak. We were hoping to camp at the base of the mountain, but wasn’t sure if they were going to have any available spots. The drive is about eight hours long but it honestly went by way quicker than either of us expected. We watched the sunset as we approached the mountains and it was stunning. Lucky for us there was a spot open when we got there and we were able to set up our camper under the amazing view of just about every star you could imagine. We set up our camper, made ourselves a nice dinner, and got tucked in and ready for our big hike the following day
Day 2:
We woke up absolutely freezing and unprepared for the cold weather, but obviously we made it work. We got up early enough to watch the sunrise and started the day with a cup of tea and a great breakfast to keep us energized. We packed up the entire camper but left it at the site as we began to prepare for our hike. Perhaps the main event of our entire road trip was completing this hike to the top of Guadalupe Peak. It was a crazy journey but the weather was probably perfect. It was windy and cold but not too much, and we actually found that we were pretty overdressed because the hike up made us pretty warm. We took plenty of breaks for snacks and charts to gaze at the beautiful views but we made it to the top in probably just about 2 1/2 hours. The view at the top was amazing and beyond what I could’ve imagined. It was very worth the hike and we enjoyed having our packed lunch at the top. The hike down went by super quick, but became its own experience as the clouds rolled in. We were basically hiking inside a cloud and it was awesome. Once we made it back to our cars we packed up our stuff and headed to the next location. We were camping at a KOA near White Sands. Lucky for us they had electricity so we weren’t going to have to deal with the crazy cold because thankfully we brought an electric heater.
Day 3:
Waking up at the KOA was very comfortable, but humorous because of its trailer park nature. Will quickly gathered her things and headed to White Sands national Park. It was a super cool place and we even brought a sled and bought some wax to hopefully slide down the dunes. That didn’t really work out but it was worth a shot. We did a 5 mile hike that proved to be very straining on our sore bodies, but I wouldn’t have changed a thing. The hike took us out from pretty regular sand dunes too deep into the dunes where it looks like you were on another planet. The sand was so white and that didn’t seem so unless, it was so awesome. After leaving White Sands we headed to Gila National forest where we plan on camping in the mountains. I found this site that was tangent to these Hot Springs, and if you camped there you could use the Hot Springs. So of course it’s what we decided to do, even if it meant we were not gonna have any electricity. Once we got there we set up our camper and tried to insulate as best as we could because we knew it was going to get extremely cold. Once we had everything set up we decided to get into the Hot Springs while it was about 20° outside and it was absolutely amazing. You could see every star in the sky while you relax in a 100° pool of water with no one else around. After we were done we got back to our camper and our bodies were already so warm from the Hot Springs that we didn’t really have to fight off a cold. We made dinner and went to bed and prepared ourselves for the cold morning.
We woke up absolutely freezing and unprepared for the cold weather, but obviously we made it work. We got up early enough to watch the sunrise and started the day with a cup of tea and a great breakfast to keep us energized. We packed up the entire camper but left it at the site as we began to prepare for our hike. Perhaps the main event of our entire road trip was completing this hike to the top of Guadalupe Peak. It was a crazy journey but the weather was probably perfect. It was windy and cold but not too much, and we actually found that we were pretty overdressed because the hike up made us pretty warm. We took plenty of breaks for snacks and charts to gaze at the beautiful views but we made it to the top in probably just about 2 1/2 hours. The view at the top was amazing and beyond what I could’ve imagined. It was very worth the hike and we enjoyed having our packed lunch at the top. The hike down went by super quick, but became its own experience as the clouds rolled in. We were basically hiking inside a cloud and it was awesome. Once we made it back to our cars we packed up our stuff and headed to the next location. We were camping at a KOA near White Sands. Lucky for us they had electricity so we weren’t going to have to deal with the crazy cold because thankfully we brought an electric heater.
Day 3:
Waking up at the KOA was very comfortable, but humorous because of its trailer park nature. Will quickly gathered her things and headed to White Sands national Park. It was a super cool place and we even brought a sled and bought some wax to hopefully slide down the dunes. That didn’t really work out but it was worth a shot. We did a 5 mile hike that proved to be very straining on our sore bodies, but I wouldn’t have changed a thing. The hike took us out from pretty regular sand dunes too deep into the dunes where it looks like you were on another planet. The sand was so white and that didn’t seem so unless, it was so awesome. After leaving White Sands we headed to Gila National forest where we plan on camping in the mountains. I found this site that was tangent to these Hot Springs, and if you camped there you could use the Hot Springs. So of course it’s what we decided to do, even if it meant we were not gonna have any electricity. Once we got there we set up our camper and tried to insulate as best as we could because we knew it was going to get extremely cold. Once we had everything set up we decided to get into the Hot Springs while it was about 20° outside and it was absolutely amazing. You could see every star in the sky while you relax in a 100° pool of water with no one else around. After we were done we got back to our camper and our bodies were already so warm from the Hot Springs that we didn’t really have to fight off a cold. We made dinner and went to bed and prepared ourselves for the cold morning.
Day 4:
We woke up and it was just about 7° outside. We were so surprised to find our olive oil rockhard frozen. I had no idea that olive oil turned white when frozen. Thankfully we did a much better job insulating our camper and it wasn’t as terribly cold as the first morning we woke up in the camper at Guadalupe Peak Trail. We also definitely wore warmer clothes and it was thankfully less windy even though we were at such a high altitude. We wanted to go explore the forest but unfortunately it didn’t open in time and we needed to head to Phoenix if we wanted to make it on time. We did a small hike in the area, but thankfully the drive was an amazing experience on its own. Driving from Gila National forest to Phoenix, AZ took us through every biome you could imagine (OK not really but a lot). From forested mountains to grassy hills to dry planes to deserted lands to dramatic canyons, it was an awesome drive. When we were about 15 minutes from where we were staying, my brother's place in Glendale, our camper got a flat tire. Thankfully Alex knew exactly what to do and we were able to fix the situation in under 30 minutes. We picked up our food afterwards and headed to my brothers where we ate, got a clean shower and got ready for the next day.
Day 5: Our plan was to get up really early and leave to go to the Grand Canyon as quick possible. Considering we had a flat tire we obviously knew this wouldn’t work out. We went to a bunch of different tire stores just to find out they didn’t have a tire that we needed until we finally found a discount tire that had only one tire left in stock of that kind. We went there and grab the tire but they let us know that the spare that we put on the camper was not gonna hold up. They told us that we would have to wait until 5 PM that day to get the next tire in, it was unfortunate but it was a safe bet to make so we did. We did some hiking in Phoenix and hung out with my brother until we got the greenlight on the camper and were able to continue our road trip. That night we didn’t have specific plans as to where we were staying but we decided to get another spot at the Flagstaff KOA. We were already planning on spending the next night there so it was pretty convenient.
Day 6: this day we had planned on going skiing so we knew we could not postpone that plan. To our surprise we were skiing in about 55° weather and it was not really cold at all, but with the use of artificial snow we were able to get our ski day in. Alex was so nervous to go skiing but he did such a good job I was so impressed. We only did green slopes but it was a nice relaxing time to just enjoy having fun in each other‘s company. We also got dinner at a vegan restaurant in Flagstaff which was definitely a strange experience but it was nice to have some food that was not made inside the camper. We strolled around the city of Flagstaff after dinner. It was a cute tourist town so I had a lot of fun because I’m definitely one who likes to go on walks. We made our way back to the KOA where we were able to leave our camper all set up. It was so nice not having to set up that thing again. We had an early night where we could just chill and relax and we’re excited to go to the Grand Canyon the next day.
We woke up and it was just about 7° outside. We were so surprised to find our olive oil rockhard frozen. I had no idea that olive oil turned white when frozen. Thankfully we did a much better job insulating our camper and it wasn’t as terribly cold as the first morning we woke up in the camper at Guadalupe Peak Trail. We also definitely wore warmer clothes and it was thankfully less windy even though we were at such a high altitude. We wanted to go explore the forest but unfortunately it didn’t open in time and we needed to head to Phoenix if we wanted to make it on time. We did a small hike in the area, but thankfully the drive was an amazing experience on its own. Driving from Gila National forest to Phoenix, AZ took us through every biome you could imagine (OK not really but a lot). From forested mountains to grassy hills to dry planes to deserted lands to dramatic canyons, it was an awesome drive. When we were about 15 minutes from where we were staying, my brother's place in Glendale, our camper got a flat tire. Thankfully Alex knew exactly what to do and we were able to fix the situation in under 30 minutes. We picked up our food afterwards and headed to my brothers where we ate, got a clean shower and got ready for the next day.
Day 5: Our plan was to get up really early and leave to go to the Grand Canyon as quick possible. Considering we had a flat tire we obviously knew this wouldn’t work out. We went to a bunch of different tire stores just to find out they didn’t have a tire that we needed until we finally found a discount tire that had only one tire left in stock of that kind. We went there and grab the tire but they let us know that the spare that we put on the camper was not gonna hold up. They told us that we would have to wait until 5 PM that day to get the next tire in, it was unfortunate but it was a safe bet to make so we did. We did some hiking in Phoenix and hung out with my brother until we got the greenlight on the camper and were able to continue our road trip. That night we didn’t have specific plans as to where we were staying but we decided to get another spot at the Flagstaff KOA. We were already planning on spending the next night there so it was pretty convenient.
Day 6: this day we had planned on going skiing so we knew we could not postpone that plan. To our surprise we were skiing in about 55° weather and it was not really cold at all, but with the use of artificial snow we were able to get our ski day in. Alex was so nervous to go skiing but he did such a good job I was so impressed. We only did green slopes but it was a nice relaxing time to just enjoy having fun in each other‘s company. We also got dinner at a vegan restaurant in Flagstaff which was definitely a strange experience but it was nice to have some food that was not made inside the camper. We strolled around the city of Flagstaff after dinner. It was a cute tourist town so I had a lot of fun because I’m definitely one who likes to go on walks. We made our way back to the KOA where we were able to leave our camper all set up. It was so nice not having to set up that thing again. We had an early night where we could just chill and relax and we’re excited to go to the Grand Canyon the next day.
Day 7: we woke up early and left Flagstaff as quick as we could to get to the Grand Canyon as early as possible. We went to the south room entrance and made our way inside the park. When I first saw the Grand Canyon I refused to look at it until I could get a good view of the whole thing. Once I looked I had to immediately look away because I was in such awe and disbelief. It was perhaps the craziest thing I’ve ever experienced in my whole life. We spent the next five hours strolling around the park and taking in the views and it was such a nice time. It was disappointing to see so many people there without masks but we kept our distance and were very safe despite them. We left the Grand Canyon after exhausting everything we could do there, and of course having lunch with a view, and made our way to the next KOA which was close to the Petrified National forest
Day 8: we got up early in the morning and went to check out the two national parks that were nearby. He first went to Painted Desert national forest. It was super cool and just looked like a bunch of alien planet hills with different layers of colors. Then we went to the Petrified National Forest which was right across the highway. This was one of my favorite experiences of the trip. Although there was not that much petrified wood the terrain and environment we were in was astonishing. I truly would not have been able to guess where in the world this was. We also saw a lot of cool details about the indigenous people that used to live in the area and that was awesome to learn about. Eventually we took off to make our way to Albuquerque where we were staying with our friend Jameson. It was really cool to see him and he took us on a nice hike in Albuquerque. It was really nice to be able to get a warm shower, hot delicious Thai food, and drink beer and watch a basketball game.
Day 9: The next day we woke up early and did another cool hike that was on the way to Carlsbad New Mexico. We also stopped in Roswell, New Mexico on the way because I thought it was going to be a cool alien themed tourist town. I was very disappointed with our stop there to say the least. It was not a cool tourist town at all; they just had an alien sticker slapped everywhere to make it seem like they had something worth visiting. Disappointing, but we made our way back to just about where we were our first night of the trip. We found this free campground near the Guadalupe Mountains and settled there for her last night in the camper. It might’ve been my favorite night, not sure if it’s because it was free or because the sunset was so magical.
Day 10: on our last day of the road trip we got up early to head to Carlsbad caverns. We spent the morning exploring the caverns and it was so awesome to go inside those caves. We were frustrated to find out because it was federal grounds they could not likely require people there to wear masks. We of course wore masks anyway and kept her distance from anyone who is not. We hiked throughout the caves and took the longest path possible to take it all in. The caves were unreal and I would recommend them to anyone who is even close to the area. But as that was the last stop on a road trip, we got back in the truck and headed back home to Austin. Once again the 8 Hour Dr. proved not to be difficult at all. I was really grateful that Alex was so willing to drive, but we tried to split it as evenly as possible the whole way. Our final stop was Pizza Hut and grabbed a vegan pizza and vegan cinnamon sticks about an hour out from Austin. It might’ve been the best pizza I’ve ever had. But eventually made it back to Austin and unpack the camper and concluded our amazing wonderful fantastic journey.
Day 9: The next day we woke up early and did another cool hike that was on the way to Carlsbad New Mexico. We also stopped in Roswell, New Mexico on the way because I thought it was going to be a cool alien themed tourist town. I was very disappointed with our stop there to say the least. It was not a cool tourist town at all; they just had an alien sticker slapped everywhere to make it seem like they had something worth visiting. Disappointing, but we made our way back to just about where we were our first night of the trip. We found this free campground near the Guadalupe Mountains and settled there for her last night in the camper. It might’ve been my favorite night, not sure if it’s because it was free or because the sunset was so magical.
Day 10: on our last day of the road trip we got up early to head to Carlsbad caverns. We spent the morning exploring the caverns and it was so awesome to go inside those caves. We were frustrated to find out because it was federal grounds they could not likely require people there to wear masks. We of course wore masks anyway and kept her distance from anyone who is not. We hiked throughout the caves and took the longest path possible to take it all in. The caves were unreal and I would recommend them to anyone who is even close to the area. But as that was the last stop on a road trip, we got back in the truck and headed back home to Austin. Once again the 8 Hour Dr. proved not to be difficult at all. I was really grateful that Alex was so willing to drive, but we tried to split it as evenly as possible the whole way. Our final stop was Pizza Hut and grabbed a vegan pizza and vegan cinnamon sticks about an hour out from Austin. It might’ve been the best pizza I’ve ever had. But eventually made it back to Austin and unpack the camper and concluded our amazing wonderful fantastic journey.
Los Angeles
Not sure what the name of the beach is but it was close to LA. We were socially distanced but near some party that was very clearly not being cautious. Yes, we judged them, but they were still very entertaining.
Some vegan meals I had during my short stay in LA. The first was from Monty's, which is famous for being the vegan In-And-Out of LA. It was super good, but a little pricey when you also get a milkshake, which I obviously did. I had a sandwich from Sprouts as my picnic food from sprouts with some homemade mimosa for a lunch in the park. The night before we left, a vegan friend recommended Veggie Grill's nachos, which were SO freaking good. I had to also get some buffalo cauliflower wings, but I can't say they were better than Alex's homemade wing.
We spent a lot of time at Echo park and it was a great spot to relax. I will say, I was disappointed with the amount of homeless people, it's so unfortunate. We thankfully managed to make it to Malibu our first day there! It was about an hour drive, but the journey was so scenic - I couldn't imagine someone saying it isn't worth the trip.
Road trip through the ozarks
Alex and I's first honeymoon (-:
Here are a couple of highlight pictures of our trip! We started in Austin and made our way to Dallas and stayed with my brother. The next morning we headed to Magazine Mountain, the highest peak of Arkansas, and camped there. The next day we spent at Devils Den, which is a must place to visit. We did some hikes around there and camped there as well! We visited Beaver Lake and swam in the water for a bit before moving along. We stopped in a small town called Eureka Springs and went around some shops. It was super cute, next time I would love to stay there for a night. Instead we chose to camp at Baxter, which was right by the water of the Ozarks. We had to camp on concrete because it was meant for an RV, and the concrete was super hot. It rained in the morning so Alex and I decided to jump in the water first thing in the morning! We went kayaking in the day and then made our way to Branson, MO where I had a time share we stayed at for two nights. We camped for a last night after leaving Branson at Buffalo National River and it was stunning. We made our way to Louisiana the next day and stayed in a lovely tiny home Airbnb at a location that hosted weddings. The next morning we decided to head back to Houston, Texas!
Here is some of the food we ate while camping. We did a lot of cooking on campfires, and it always turned out SO delicious. We went to this Mexican restaurant in Branson that had some wonderful vegan options that did not disappoint. I wish we could say the same about the vegan food truck called So Fun in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Regardless, it was nice to see options in more rural locations.
Overall, I really had the time of my life. Alex and I were able to celebrate our first month of dating on the trip and it was so special. Even though we were already close, it was really nice to spend 10 days together on the road. We did a lot of hikes and still was able to relax, mostly because of the amazing jacuzzi in the room we got in Branson. I think I can say after this trip, I am a camper gal! Alex taught me how to start a fire and I really hope that is a skill I can preform on my own one day. We definitely are planning another road trip soon, and hopefully many more.