Eco-Tourism and being an “Agent of Change”

Throughout many of my travels, I haven’t thought too much about how my visit impacts the locals. Sure, I realize that my tourist dollars can support villages and families, but I haven’t planned much around how to be an “agent of change,” as we talked about in my ENG 599 class. Just realizing the fact that I can really do something to change the economy and future in the places I travel to is really intriguing. Lately, I’ve been looking up some different eco-tourism tours around the globe. Have you heard of eco-tourism? Wikipedia describes it as “a form of tourism involving visiting fragile, pristine, and relatively undisturbed natural areas, intended as a low-impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial (mass) tourism. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide funds for ecological conservation, to directly benefit the economic development and political empowerment of local communities, or to foster respect for different cultures and for human rights.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecotourism) Umm… hello. How have I not thought of doing this before? I’m totally into the great outdoors, and traveling, and combining the two! How perfect is this for me!

I want to experience the places that people may not always see. I’m not usually too excited to visit all the big touristy sites; I’m happy seeing it, but I don’t need to take selfies in front of every landmark.

Random story: Recently in London for the first time, I wanted to check out Big Ben, just to see it. Plus, I was planning on seeing some other spots nearby, so I figured it was an easy enough stop on the underground. When I walked up the steps to street level, there were TONS of people just standing around. I knew it was going to be a popular area, with the London Eye and Parliament and Westminster nearby, but this was insane. I’m not big into crowds of people just milling around, so I decided I’d just walk across the bridge to get a bit away from the people and decide my plan of attack. About three quarters of the way across the bridge, I saw a girl trying to take a picture of herself facing the opposite way. I turned around to see what she was doing… and there it was. Big Ben. I pretty much walked directly underneath it, without noticing a thing. Oops. So, I really am a bit clueless when it comes to the big spots. My boyfriend and I took some pictures in this cute square in Paris before realizing it was the Louvre. We stumbled upon Notre Dame while strolling around, trying to get our bearings around our hotel. We’re not quite the “we need to go see this right now so we are walking straight there” types.

Just a fountain in Paris… that we realized was outside of the Louvre

 

Okay… back to my point. So how have I never thought about ecotourism? In the few minutes I spent searching different ecotourism trips, I have found probably ten that I want to go on (I’ve put some of the links to interesting tours I’ve found below.) I love that you can support small families and organizations who are committed to protecting the earth, rather than those who are spending money trying to continue to expand our impact. Isn’t it part of our job, as travelers, to protect the places that we hold dear? For me, I want to see beautiful landscapes, and I want these landscapes to still be around when our children’s children are traveling the world. I don’t think it’s fair for me to have the funds and ability to travel, and leave the landscape worse for the wear. I’d be much happier knowing my money and time is going to help me gain a better cultural perspective, while leaving those I visit with a sense that other people in the world care about their livelihood, their culture, their villages. With sustainability a hot topic here in the United States and around the world, isn’t it important to support those who are helping keep the earth beautiful? From hiking, to biking, to kayaking, to volunteering at an elephant rehab center; there are trips that will suit any personal wish for your trip.

We listened to Rick Steves talk about Travel as a Political Act on Youtube, and while it’s long, it was really interesting. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXL3IrlslSs) He talked about seeing the world through another’s eyes, about getting different perspectives of the world when you are able to travel. You can see that there are other cultures, other dreams besides the ‘American Dream’. We listened to a TEDtalk by Sheikha Al Mayassa about “Globalizing the local, localizing the global,” where she talked about the cultural awakening in Qatar today, especially led by the women of the country. (http://www.ted.com/talks/sheikha_al_mayassa_globalizing_the_local_localizing_the_global)

The more we travel, the more we learn not only about the world around us, but also about ourselves. We realize our way is not always the best way, and that other cultures can teach us many valuable lessons.

Stay tuned… maybe within the next year I’ll be able to write about my own experiences with ecotourism! If you’ve been on any trips – self led or with a guide, let me know! I want to hear your experiences 🙂

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Links to some eco-tourism trips that you should buy me! (Some of these are totally within price range and some of these… well… aren’t. At least not yet! But I can dream, right?)

Laos: 

Green Discovery Laos | Outdoor adventure travel and eco-tourism

Costa Rica: http://www.greenwaytours.com//costaricavacation/Costa-Rica-ecotourism.html

Peru: http://elevatedestinations.com/itineraries/amazon-conservation-adventure/

South Africa: http://enkosiniecoexperience.com/SiyafundaBushExperience.htm

Borneo: http://www.nathab.com/asia-adventure-travel/the-natural-wonders-of-borneo/dates-fees/

Norway: http://www.naturetravels.co.uk/ski-touring-norway-husky-arctic-tg9xw1.htm

Keep in mind these are just a tiny, minuscule amount of the cool trips out there! I’m ready to go now now now!

Flagstaff – not your typical Arizona city

After reading some of our articles and blog posts from class this past week, I thought about the “single story” vs. “multiple stories”. I thought it would be interesting to see the answer from this short poll… I asked the first word people thought of when they heard the word ‘Arizona’. The most common answer, even those that live here in the state, was hot, followed by desert, cactus, and sunny. I moved from Minnesota to Arizona in 2004, and while those words definitely do describe parts of Arizona, they don’t quite describe my “home”.

I am so glad I was able to explore and find another story about Arizona.

A view from Mt. Humphreys Trail

Flagstaff, Arizona is a beautiful mountain town located at 7000 ft. elevation. Situated at the base of the San Francisco Peaks, it is about two and a half hours from Phoenix, an hour from Sedona, and an hour from the Grand Canyon. Yes, it’s sunny. In fact, we average 266 sunny days a year. And yes, we are high desert, but we are mostly surrounded with ponderosa pine trees and aspen forests… not the typical saguaro cacti that covers the southern part of the state.

We are not like Phoenix. We don’t average 100+ degree temperatures for half the year. We have all four seasons, and many years we average about 100 inches of snowfall each winter. There is a ski resort, albeit a small one, at the top of the nearby mountains which draws skiers and snowboarders from all over the state. And while it can be expensive to live here, if you love the outdoors, there’s no better town!

Choosing Flagstaff for college seemed like a tough decision – that is, until I visited the city. I had been visiting and researching schools in the midwestern states, mostly Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Arizona was my outlier. I had a friend who went to school out here and she convinced me that I would love it. I wasn’t so sure. I pictured sand dunes, cacti, and scorching heat. I didn’t really know anything else about the southwest. Oh, and my college admissions advisor at my high school had never even heard of Northern Arizona University. So pretty much, I was on my own.

In 2003, my parents and I flew into Phoenix over the 4th of July weekend to visit NAU. I remember the date, because it was the only weekend I had off from the summer camp where I worked. We stepped out of the extremely air-conditioned airport to catch the shuttle to our rental car and immediately I was covered in sweat. Apparently, the fleece jacket I had been wearing since our early, early morning flight in Minneapolis was a bit overkill in the already-110-degree-heat-at-8am Phoenix weather. I wasn’t so sure about living in this state.

As we drove up I-17 in the rental car, the city of Phoenix faded into the rearview mirror. Soon, there weren’t many buildings along the side of the highway, and we were out in the middle of the cacti, sand, scrub brush, and sun. I remember a brief moment of panic when I saw the sign on the side of the road warning drivers to “Turn off air conditioning for next 5 miles to avoid overheating”. What a decision. Roast to death in a burning hot moving car, or roast to death on the side of the road after the car overheats… luckily, we braved the heat of the moving car with the windows down and survived to tell the tale.

I remember getting closer to Flagstaff and seeing the mountains rising up in the distance, with the pine trees quickly replacing the scrub brush of the desert. I thought it was very serendipitous that I-17 ended in the city of Flagstaff, turning into one of the main drags through town. It was like all roads led me to this place.

We pulled off at the first sign to Northern Arizona University and I told my parents, “This is where I want to go to school.” I hadn’t seen any of the buildings of the university, nor the downtown area that I now love, but it was one of those moments where you just KNOW.

Now, almost 11 years after my first visit, I’m still so happy with this city. Yes, it’s hard to find friends who will stay in town longer than a temporary stay. Yes, it can be expensive to live here. Yes, it can be a hassle to get to the Phoenix airport, or find places to buy clothes, or even to see popular bands in concert.

But I also love being able to walk two minutes from my house and take my dog on a hike through the pine trees and mountains. And I love going out to eat or for a drink and having a really hard time deciding where to go, because there are just so many great restaurants in the small town. And I love that I can still experience the four seasons, but can also drive easily to escape the winter if I need to.

I just really love the southwest, and Flagstaff is a perfect place to be in the heart of it all. Hopefully, you’ll believe my “second story” about Arizona and come for a visit!

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Thankfully, I didn’t believe the “single story” about Arizona. We need to try and find “multiple stories” about a place, a culture, a situation, like what Chimamanda Adichie encourages in her TEDtalk.

David Spurr talks about idealization in his chapter from this week’s readings. I was excited to come to Flagstaff and start over, and perhaps I did idealize the situation a bit before coming to live here. There are definitely issues about living here, which I mention above. But isn’t it important to weigh the positives and negatives of any situation, culture, or location in your mind before making a decision?  I am not forced to live here by any means. And of course, no matter where I visit or go, there will always be a positive and negative side to life in any particular place. Surely Laura Flynn, in her memory of her first trip to Haiti, might have idealized the stories and positions she would be placed in during her visit, but was faced with another reality when actually in the situation in Haiti. We all find ourselves wishing and hoping for that perfect situation, but it’s just an impossible dream… somewhere that can exist in our minds, but cannot quite be fulfilled in life.

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Flagstaff statistics quoted from: http://www.bestplaces.net/climate/city/arizona/flagstaff

A bit more about the history of Flagstaff:

Click to access flagstaff_history.pdf

http://www.legendsofamerica.com/az-flagstaff.html

Some of my favorite places in/near Flagstaff:

Hiking trails: http://www.arizonasnowbowl.com/things-to-do/hiking_trails.php

National Monuments: http://www.nps.gov/wupa/index.htm

Grand Canyon: http://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm

Restaurants:

Tinderbox and Annex – http://tinderboxkitchen.com/

Karma Sushi –

Karma Sushi Bar & Grill

Cafe Ole

Diablo Burger – http://www.diabloburger.com/index.php

Two (Very Different!) Visits to Puerto Rico

Growing up as an only child, I was lucky enough to be able to experience some great trips to places with my parents, and usually a friend of my choosing (good call mom and dad!!) Since we spent lots of time in the car traveling, I became somewhat of an adventurous spirit. When it was time to choose what high school I wanted to go to, I chose the school on the opposite side of town from all of my friends, heading out completely solo. When it was time for college, I thought, “Hey! Why not move across the country, thousands of miles from my family and friends?” And so began my life as a traveler. I love getting to see new places, especially when I can visit someone I already know and stay with them for free – and get the inside scoop to the REAL place I’m visiting.

Fast forward a few years into my college life…

 

My first visit to Puerto Rico was fantastic. I was swept up from the airport by my friend, Jenny, who was studying abroad for a year on the island. She piled me into a car with some of her friends and we went straight away to a beach. Mind you, I was in college at the time… so I took a redeye out after a full day of classes to spend as much of my Thanksgiving break with her. Please don’t mind my unwashed appearance!

The whole trip was fabulous. We went to beaches full of locals! I spoke Spanish! We ate at tiny booths on the beach with kabobs of fresh meat, and with owners who chopped coconuts open in front of you! We traveled to nearby islands and explored a bioluminescent bay! I ate with a group of international students and we all made some of our home country’s favorite foods for an eclectic, yet delicious, Thanksgiving dinner. I truly got to experience some of the local culture by visiting places that many tourists aren’t normally going to see. And I loved every minute of it! (Can’t you tell by my face above??)

 

So, when my parents surprised my boyfriend and me a few years ago by taking us on a Christmas cruise, I was extremely excited to see that we would be stopping in San Juan. I couldn’t wait to get myself back into the country, if only for a short while, and experience that culture again. However, as many others who have taken cruises before may understand, this experience was a bit different. When you get off the boat, there are hundreds of locals just begging for your money. They speak English. They thrust cheaply made pieces in your face and beg for your dollars. 

This was nothing like my previous experience of the fantastic four days.

Not that we weren’t able to escape the chaos for a bit. We wandered for what seemed like forever (hot and humid… not quite conducive to wandering) and found some quaint, somewhat local spots. We were able to eat in a tiny alleyway restaurant where “mama” still cooked everything with her authentic recipes, and her own hands. 

But we had to return to the ship. And we had to pass through the throngs of people trying everything to get your money. We had to push past the vendors selling the things they thought Americans wanted to buy – maracas, sombreros, churros. Even things that weren’t part of the Puerto Rican culture were being sold as though they were traditional, authentic wares. At each port of call on every cruise I’ve been on, it seems like there’s this line of vendors waiting to prey on the rich Americans getting off the ship. Perhaps it’s a CD by the local steel drum band. (My parents bought for one for $10 in Haiti. When we got back to their house after the trip, we all thought how fun it would be to remind ourselves of the sounds of the islands. Unfortunately, it sounded like someone was standing in the back of a crowded room, holding a microphone above their head, with a distant sound of the steel drums…) But always outside of this sphere of where most Americans go lies a culture very different than what is portrayed to many tourists. 

 

In my Rhetorics of Travel Writing class, we’ve been reading many interesting articles and blogs from numerous authors. We read a blog entry about a woman, Lavinia Spalding, who traveled to a small, Mexican city to mourn her father’s death. We read about different Native American cultures who historically call the Grand Canyon home. We read a chapter of a story about Quoyawayma, a Hopi who left home in search of a better life. All of these stories talked about people who traveled and immersed themselves within a different culture. Some, like the Native American tribes from the Canyon, were forced to integrate with the “better” population; to assimilate them to the white population and culture that was taking over their land. Some, like Quoyawayma, left voluntarily to see if there was a better life outside her culture – to see if the grass was actually greener on the other side.

All of these stories made me wonder what the future held for these ports of call. Will their native cultures prevail? Or will the travelers spread their influence throughout the islands and countries, changing the inhabitants to what the travelers wish to see?

 

All I know… is now I really want to sip some coconut milk, on a deserted beach, listening to local musicians playing happy music and the waves rolling up on the beach… and let’s just throw in a sunset while we’re at it! Who’s with me??

 

 

Wales – The Secret Gem of the UK!

It was early December when we first found out that going to London for Justin’s work was a very real possibility. He had gone twice before, but my job had always prevented me from tagging along. But wait! This trip was a new story! I’m at a new job where it’s a lot more flexible with time off. Could it be? Could we really be going to the UK?

We quickly decided that we were going to need to take a couple weeks and explore a bit more. I mean really, why not take advantage of his free flight and make a vacation of it? Of course, one stipulation to this trip was that Justin was going to have to work like a maniac in the months ahead of the trip just to be able to show off the parts he’s working on (I’d give you more details but it’s strictly hush hush… that and I don’t really want to bore you with the sometimes snooze worthy details of his big engineering work…) So, that means I’m on my own for all the planning involved!

We decided that we wanted to explore Wales. Scotland was a very real possibility for a few days, but then we decided that we had been to Edinburgh in 2010… and we loved it too much. We’d be too tempted to stick around places we’d already been, and we wanted to explore a bit more of the UK. On the same 2010 Edinburgh trip, we also visited the Lake District and northern England… so if we didn’t want to get off the island, Wales it would be.

Now, I’m not saying we felt any real calling to the country. I didn’t know anything about it. Not really, at least. I have a friend who studied abroad there and she didn’t do a whole lot of traveling, so that wasn’t a huge source of information. Her main bit of advice was to stay away from the bigger cities of Swansea and Cardiff because there wasn’t much there to see, and they were just big, dirty cities. (Disclaimer: we didn’t actually go to either of these cities besides seeing them through the train windows… so don’t be upset!) There were a few websites with some info, but, well, not a lot of info. It just seemed like Wales is a destination for Londoners who are looking for a week away, perhaps on the “beach”.

But, as I researched more, I realized it sounded like a great place. Tons of scenery (which we love!), some great outdoor trails (which we also love!), tons of castles (sometimes called “The Castle Capital of the World”, there are some 400 castles in this small country, of which over 100 are still standing!) I figured this alone was enough to warrant a visit, especially since we were going to be right near there already!

So, here I am, armed with a few tourism sites, trying to plan a trip. Oh, and did I mention we didn’t want to have a car? We wanted to take public transportation around the country. Justin said he’d be stressed from working and so why not just take trains and busses? How hard could it be? (Don’t listen to the naysayers who kept telling me in public forums that we NEEDED a car to get around… we didn’t!)

And, while it was tons of work, I planned an amazing journey. I started looking at the places I just KNEW we had to see (climbing Mount Snowdon in Snowdonia National Park, wandering the coastline in some cute little cities, and Justin really wanted to go on a canalboat over the Pontcysylite aqueduct – which was the only thing he said he wanted to do for the whole trip, so I knew that was a necessary stop!) And then, I just kind of set up the cities we’d stay around that, keeping in mind where the trains and busses were going to stop.

I knew we wanted to see mostly the sights in the north, so we stayed up there as long as possible. We made a base for ourselves for 4 nights in a quaint little Victorian-esque city called Llandudno (thlan-did-no from how I was taught to say it… Welsh is an impossible language!!!!!!) We took the bus down to Aberystwyth (ah-ber-WRIST-with, as the English taught me, there’s a wrist in it!), and then took a train down to Tenby (ah yes, ten-bee, just like you’d guess! Although, the Welsh name was something impossible as well…) We stayed on the coast and went along the western edge of the country. We saw millions of sheep, with the littlest of lambs bounding after their mothers, frolicking on the green and yellow pastures. We saw castles – lots and lots of castles. And we saw coastline. Harbors lined with bright, colorful houses; and stretches of sandy beaches to rival any Californian spot; and waves beating against ragged rocks. It was absolutely gorgeous.

 

I think my favorite part was the castle we explored in Conwy. Maybe it was because we stopped at a pub for lunch beforehand and discovered “Old Rosie”, a scrumpy, cloudy cider (I don’t know what that means… besides the fact that it was delicious!) that was a strong 7.3% alcohol. Or maybe not. We termed our adventure “Drunk Castle-ing”, and for a small fee we were let loose in a crumbling, yet fairly sturdy castle, built between 1283 and 1289. Seriously, they just let you loose. You can climb up to the top of the tallest spires of the lookouts and view off into the distance on the seas. And you can climb the stairs into King Richard II’s secret hiding spot when the castle was under siege in 1399, overlooking a small chapel where the priests stood and prayed for safety. I loved this freedom to explore, as it felt like I could really live and experience history, as opposed to visiting the Tower of London and feeling corralled through the rooms like cattle.

Me at the top of a tall spire of Conwy Castle, enjoying the views!

Here I am, at the top of one of the spires, happily drunk castle-ing!

Justin’s favorite part of the trip was climbing Mount Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa in Welsh), and this was a very close second for me. We are fairly adventurous and love hiking and the outdoors, so when we stayed with a friend in Oxford on our way to Wales, he told us we just HAD to go up Crib Gogh. This trail was the most difficult way up the mountain, but we figured “Hey, we’re experienced! We’ve climbed up Humphreys Peak in Flagstaff! We’ve got this!” Ahem. Right.

Justin hiking along the trail of Crib Gogh… the clouds helped keep my fear of heights at bay!

Yeah… this is the trail. You don’t see it?

Luckily, we found a group of internationals, one of which had climbed up Crib Gogh numerous times, and he was generous enough to let us join their group. Otherwise, there is NO WAY I would have trusted we were going the right way. Map or not, this was sketchy. Thankfully, we were in the misty clouds for most of our hike, so we had no idea how high up we were. That is, until the view cleared just near the top. And the entire way down, we hiked looking up at the crazy ridge line we followed the whole way. Maybe we should have bought better travel health insurance?

 

The view from near the top of Mount Snowdon, in Snowdonia National Park

The peak of Mount Snowdon is a tall 3560 ft above sea level, which doesn’t sound too impressive until you see the trails. Our sweet B&B owners in Llandudno told us about how they made a couple 20-something girls go back upstairs and change out of their high heels for the ascent to the top (I can only assume the girls didn’t make it on their hike. Even the other, less challenging trails to the top are fairly difficult and rocky. Unless they took the train up, which yes, there is a train to the summit… it runs during the summer months and you can grab a cuppa at the visitor center at the top. However, both of which were closed when we were there in April.)

 

Anyways, I hope I’ve convinced you to at least consider visiting Wales. While it may not have the same unspoiled beauty as parts of Scotland, it has a beautiful, unique charm to it. The people were all incredibly friendly and happy to share their country with us. There were not many tourists to have to fight for the best sites. And we saw so many beautiful places taking just trains and busses! There was also this nifty pass that we paid a flat fee for 4 days train travel and 8 days bus travel, so it was really affordable! We stayed in B&Bs every night with a fabulous, huge Welsh breakfast every morning, and it was around $100/night. While I’m sure we could have spent less, we wanted to relax and have some nicer places to sleep. The food and drink was a bit pricier, but still considerably less than London.

All in all, I hope to go back and see some other places we weren’t able to see on this trip over. Perhaps I’ll see you over there!

 

What language does your state speak?

What language does your state speak?

Have you seen this yet? I thought it was fascinating! The most popular language spoken in each state, besides English and Spanish!

Plus a bunch of other interesting maps about languages spoken here in the US. For someone, like me, who loves language… this is so cool!

A bit about ME

Oh, hello! My name’s Alyssa, and I am an introverted travel nut. Ah yes, that may seem a bit contradictory, but it’s not. I love people watching. I love listening to people. I love to get immersed in a culture. But I’m also a bit hesitant about plopping myself into a conversation with a stranger, especially in a foreign language.

So I speak (spoke? I don’t get to practice as often as I’d like!) Spanish and have the French ‘Rosetta Stone’ disks that get used every so often. Oh, and I learned some key phrases in many other languages, like Bore Da! (Good morning in Welsh) But I’m always wishing my languages skills were better. Wouldn’t it be great to have unlimited funds and just go immerse yourself to learn a language whenever you wanted? Can we all please just go to Portugal and learn Portuguese together?

Being introverted doesn’t mean I don’t like to travel. It doesn’t mean I’m a homebody. It means that while I love traveling, I still need to make sure to get my “me-time”, which can easily happen while wandering aimlessly around a crowded London museum. As long as I don’t HAVE to talk to anyone, I’m good!

I’m a traveler at heart. I grew up in Minnesota around the Twin Cities. And when I say that, people who live there inevitably ask which part? And, well, I moved around the suburbs a lot. So a lot of northeast suburbs, and a north suburb, and a southwest suburb… so yeah. When I say the Twin Cities, I really do mean around the Twin Cities.

I went to a parochial school from K-8 grade. And then the travel bug already hit. I went to high school way across town from everyone I knew, at a smaller, “Convent” high school. And while I was absolutely petrified at going somewhere so far from anywhere I’d ever known, I also knew that it was the right move for me. (Can you tell I don’t really give in to peer pressure?) And, not surprisingly, four years later I decided to move clear across the country to Flagstaff, Arizona for college. That was almost ten years ago and here I am still! I love it here. There is a ton for the adventurer in me to see and do.

We take back roads road trips as often as our schedules allow. Have you been to the Southwest? There are infinite places to see and outdoorsy things to do. My rez-dog Sadie, my boyfriend, and I, we just can’t get enough.

Can I just mention this is minutes from my house?

So I can’t promise that I’m going to write about far away countries and magnificent trips across the globe. But, I can promise to show you some places you might not have seen before.

Oh, and I can’t always promise that you’ve never been there. But I’ll try to show off a new side of places you might have seen. I’m not the typical tourist.

What is Travel Writing?

Travel writing. What is it, really? Is it visiting a new country and writing about the dinner you ate at the local pub? Is it going on a hike two miles from your house? Is it checking out famous landmarks? Is it wandering the back alleyways of a city?

Personally, I think travel writing is anything you make it out to be. Travel writing has a varied history, from scientists like Charles Darwin traveling to Brazil in his Journals written on the H.M.S. Beagle, to Catherine Watson writing about her travels (or possibly her dwelling?) in Rapa Nui, or Easter Island. Even now, these blogs – like mine! – are popping up everywhere. Do we still want to read about the insects that Darwin was studying hundreds of years ago? Or do we want to go on Runaway Jane’s blog and read about “5 ways to say ‘drunk’ in Scottish!”? Or both?

Personally, I love the variety in travel writing today. I can easily search for what animals and plants I’m going to see on my trips, but I can also easily find articles about the people, or the food, or the culture of any given place.

I mean, really? How did people survive without Google? I spent hours upon hours researching Wales for my recent trip to the UK, especially since I had NO IDEA what was in Wales. Yes, a bit embarrassing, but isn’t that part of the fun, too?

In my blog, I’m hoping to gain a different perspective in all forms of travel writing – not only from my far-away places I’ve been (which aren’t all that many… yet…) to my own backyard!

So come back, and often! You never know what I might be writing about next…

Oh, and take my poll! I’m more of a “Depends on where I’m going” girl myself. I like knowing where I’m going to sleep, but hate deciding anything past that 🙂