My Favorite Things - Travel Edition!

I'm sipping champagne out of a Solo cup (gotta keep it classy!) and I've put together a list of all things travel, since I'm completely obsessed right now (those who can't go, research!).  So bare with me here and get into the spirit of adventure!!! (yea, I'm tipsy).  Okay, let's do this:

Since TV is my life, let's start there:

Idiot Abroad

Not your typical travel show, as Karl Pilkington is an absolute cynic and hates absolutely everything, but that's the charm and what makes it fantastic.  Karl is a friend of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant (think The Office British version and Extras) and they decide to pull the most elaborate practical joke ever by sending their bestie around the world, seeing and doing amazing shit.  To anyone else, it's the best job ever, but to Karl it's absolute torture and the results are hilarious.  It's a rare point of view and I can't get enough.  Check it out on Netflix immediately!

Anthony Bourdain in anything

When I want to see the belly of a place and watch an old man get shit-faced with random folks around the world, I look no further.  Anthony is obviously a seasoned traveler and even though he's famous and probably rich, he really goes to some gritty, local places and eats all kinds of foul stuff and that's what I love.  I don't want to see a bunch of rich snobs having a fancy dinner (although he does that really well too), I want to see people drinking homemade moonshine out a random dirty jug and eating something they found on the ground (not that I would EVER be caught dead, but I think we all live vicariously through him).  Can be found on CNN, Travel Channel and Netflix.

House Hunters International

Had to include it because it's so addicting and I watch it all the time.  You really get a taste for what it would be like to live in another country, not just visit and see touristy stuff.  Catch it on HGTV like all the time.

Forgotten Planet

This show is haunting as it depicts towns/cities around the world that were once thriving and now are deserted.  Sometimes honestly the history part is kinda boring, but overall pretty cool show.  On Netflix...Netflix is my life.

Long Way Round AND Long Way Down

Documentaries with Scottish actor Ewan McGregor and his pal Charley Boorman following them as they bike (motorcycle) around the world.  In Long Way Round they go from England through Asia (Russia) and through Alaska and the rest of the states.  In Long Way Down they start in Scotland and go down through Europe and Africa to South Africa.  Both are fantastic as they are totally unpretentious, even though Ewan is a celebrity and there's basically a camera crew following them.  It was a completely different kind of travel because they biked almost everywhere, and you really could see the difference in quality of experience as opposed to flying/driving from place to place.  Again, on Netflix.

Maidentrip

This was amazing!  About a young girl (I think she's 14) who sails around the world ALONE for like TWO YEARS!  I know you're thinking, WHERE ARE HER FRICKIN PARENTS??  However, in their defense, when you watch you can see the balls dangling off this girl are massive!  She was pretty much unstoppable.  I couldn't even imagine at 30 doing what she did as a child.  She sailed all alone, charting her course, taking short stop-overs, meeting people, sailing through Into The Storm type storms and basically being a teenager around the world all by herself.  It was very inspiring and actually goes so far as to make you feel like you haven't done anything with your life.  Watch it anyway on what else......Netflix.

Samsara

A documentary without dialogue, it's really quite beautiful.  Samsara means reincarnation in Sanskrit, an ancient dead Indian language (fun fact: my dad is fluent in Sanskrit) and the film shows the world in basically images, and it's really incredible.  Most of what you see is stuff you know you would never in your life see and that's what makes it so awesome.  Again, it is a non-narrative (there's music), so make sure you're not sleepy.  Definitely worth watching, but have to be in the mood.  It's kinda spiritual and really incorporates the interconnection of all walks of life. On Netflix.

Okay, onto books:
Only traveling books I've really read (and I tend to read quite a lot; I'm in a book club, after all (sup, bitches!))  are:

Eat, Pray, Love

Yea, yea, cliche I know, but I've read it and it wasn't half bad.  Quite inspirational, in fact.  If you're stuck in a rut and you happen to have a ton of money, this is the book for you.  Elizabeth is in a bad place and decides to drop her life and travel around to Italy (eat), India (pray) and Indonesia (hint: she meets a fella).  It's inspirational because it's a memoir, so kind of a true story (think a picture with lots of Photoshop) and she starts out miserable and ends up with a hot guy (the perfect formula to melt the hearts of all the ladies).  If you're in the mood for an easy, breezy, fun-loving kinda story, forget about all the hype (the movie with Julia Roberts was okay) and check it out.

Into Thin Air

This was pretty epic in my book (hehe my book, get it?).  It's a personal account (meaning true, as far as people can remember) of Jon, an American journalist for an adventure magazine, and his decision to attempt to climb Mount Everest.  It is harrowing and a nail-biter, but yea there's lots about climbing.  Honestly, I was so gripped by it, I was only slightly bored by the climbing terminology/explanations, etc.  The expedition he was on had the highest number of fatalities in history (okay, recently that record was unfortunately shattered) and he (and others) describe in detail how the unfortunate souls basically perished.  It's made more heartbreaking by the pictures in the middle!  I loved this book, so check it out if you're ready for a tear-jerker.

Now we're onto blogs.  Here are my favorite:

Nomadic Matt

He covers it all, but I think he's known most of all for traveling on a tight budget.  He tells people you don't need lots of money to travel and lives by that mantra.  Love his tips for travel and saving money in every step of the process.

Lonely Planet

You can look up any country and anything about travel on Lonely Planet.  They have it all, even have published travel books.  Fantastic!

Almost Fearless Life

This is just a woman with a husband and kids who decided to leave it all behind and travel.  She has lots of stories, pics and great tips.  I especially love her segment: 30 Days and 30 Ways to Redesign Your Life and Travel the World.

Lastly, I'm covering my favorite travel gear:
So far we've only really gotten backpacks, but they are fantabulous!  We got them at REI and no they were not on sale, but we figured we needed reliable and handy and these guys have thought of everything!

Aaron's is an Osprey Farpoint 55 and it's pretty neat!  The front even detaches into a smaller backpack, that's just crazy!!  

Mine is an REI Lookout 40 and it's basically just purple and pink and cute and that's why I chose it, but it does seem to have lots of cool compartments and is extremely padded.  We're both stoked to have new gear and hopefully you'll be seeing a lot of them!  Yes, I realize I'm wearing pjs that are colors that would never even be seen near each other on any sort of color wheel, but fashionistas can kiss my purple and green ass because what I wear in the privacy of my home is my (and my blog's) business.  Matching is overrated anyways.  Everyone BOO Aaron for refusing to take a "first-day-of-school-backpack-pic," as he called it.  

These are our first travel purchases, so remember this moment, folks!  It is pretty memorable.  Anyone that knows me knows I'll probably have to name the backpacks.  I'll let you know what I come up with and how much Aaron's eyes roll.

Go Pro

Aaron wants this tiny camera that takes surprisingly clear pics and videos and is completely waterproof, so expect some cool underwater-with-great-white-sharks/me-peeing-in-the-water shots!  I don't know much about it, but it sounds neat-o!

So far, that's all she wrote.  My life is made up of planning, not yet doing, but that's okay.  I'm excited for what's to come, and the researching and watching other people do it is what is keeping me motivated right now (along with my awesome backpack)!

P.S.  WARNING: THE FOLLOWING HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH TRAVEL: I have to share my other obsession:

The Killing

It's an incredible murder-mystery-detective show, but done so much better than the rest.  It takes place in gloomy Seattle (that's not an insult, they really went for a gloomy version of Seattle.  My mom's family is from Seattle and from experience I can tell you it's anything but gloomy) and it's about two detectives (fantastic actors) and their dynamic as they solve murders (each of which take at least a whole season, which is the groundbreaking part).  Overall, I'm so sad we're done and I miss it terribly.  Watch the whole thing on Netflix, it has nothing to do with travel, I swear!

I need a refill!  As my BFF Chris would say "Ta ta for now!"

A Very Productive Week

Last night we met with our spankin new travel agent, Deb, for the first time.  So far, I like her a lot: super knowledgeable and well-traveled.  Our reason for getting a travel agent wasn't laziness (ask Aaron: I'm so OCD/ADD I've already filled almost an entire notebook with research), but more along the lines of ignorance.  Our trip is so huge and there are so many details, we just wanted to make sure we weren't forgetting anything important.  Plus, travel agents have so many contacts and can get you great deals on flights, accommodations and excursions, at little or not expense to you.  They're really the saints of the travel industry (okay, now I'm putting a little too much butter on it), but I'm pretty sold on the idea so far.  Use a travel agent, save a panda! (Yea, that might be a lie...sorry).

Another thing we did this week was pick our destinations.  It was a combination of super fun and super stressful because it took a lot of thought and we wanted to have it done before we met with Deb.  Drum roll please!  Here it is (although subject to change):
Costa Rica (2 months)
Buenos Aires, Argentina (2 months)
Barcelona, Spain (2 months)
Greece (1 month)
Dublin, Ireland (1 month)
Thailand(1 month)
Another Asia stop (1 month)
Sydney, Australia (2 month)
HOME!
As you can see, instead of backpacking around the world, staying in different places every night, we've decided it would be more our style to pick a handful of places and set-up shop for a month or two.  We recently found out we can only stay 30 days in Thailand, so we're looking for another Asian destination (any ideas?).  We're still in the initial planning stages, so a lot can change from now until takeoff, but this is where we're at, as of now.
Obviously, we're going to venture out once we settle in each place (weekends in neighboring countries/islands), but for the most part we want to immerse ourselves in each culture fully and live almost like locals.  Let's be honest: that's totally Sensible (Frugal) Aaron talking, if it were up to me, we'd be throwing money in the air and making it rain!  No seriously though, I definitely want to see as much as possible without really burning us (and our wallets) out.  Deb gave us a "Bucket List" assignment (pick the places you HAVE to see) and it's so much fun it makes me want to pee from excitement!  I'm trying to pick places that are somewhat geographically near where we'll be, so anyone with ideas, let me know!  So far I have:
Panama Canal
Great Blue Hole in Belize
Machu Picchu in Peru
Eiffel Tower and Louvre in Paris
Colosseum in Rome
Stonehenge in England
Great Wall of China?
Sydney Opera House
Great Barrier Reef in Australia
Wow, that's more than I thought, but hey, you only live once!  My new mantra is:

Especially after this trip, since I'll have no money to collect anything :(

Anyway, along with planning destinations and sights, we also have the pleasure of thinking about other, technical, not-fun-but-grown-up-shit, such as: health insurance (we're both leaving our jobs, so we have to buy individual plans), trip insurance (for gap coverage in our medical and trip incidentals), vaccinations, banking/credit card options with minimal foreign transaction fees, international phone plans-Deb informed me that for iPhone 5 and higher you can get a cheap "burner" SIM card in each country with data and minutes without ever having to notify your phone company (SAY WHAT?? SUCK IT VERIZON!!), global car insurance (maybe), weather (including tsunamis!), Deb's fee, bills while we're away, adding pages to our passports, and tons of other super exciting, stupid-ass shit we have to deal with before we can gallivant around the globe.
Blonde moment of the day: I'm sorry, but I can't even fathom how suicide bombers hijack planes.  I can't even go on vacation without notifying like 50 people I'm leaving, not to mention I can't even bring my lotion because I might pair it with some weird substance in my shoe and make a bomb, and the only bad thing I've ever done is shoplift a key-chain BY ACCIDENT!  Yet these known terrorists manage not only to get on the plane without incident, but to somehow bring a weapon on-board to terrorize people?  Am I the only one confused??  Okay, blonde rant over (sorry blondes, I know that was pretty bad, even by your standards).

Okay, whew!  More to follow soon!  Remember folks: Adventure Is Out There!  That is, after you buy health care, let you credit card company know you'll be travelling, get all your vaccinations, buy a money belt (basically a flat fanny pack), sell your car, tell the Embassy/Consulate you're coming, put everything in storage......aaaand I'm too tired to go anywhere now...I think I'll take a nap.

Heavy hearted...

We have recently made an impossibly difficult decision......we have decided NOT to take our dogs with us on our travels.  We decided it was for the best, not for our own well-being, but for theirs.  It wasn't an easy choice to make, as they are our babies, but in researching flights and trip routes, we've come to realize the painfully obvious: travelling is difficult and uncomfortable (at best) for even seasoned travelers, let alone dogs who will be completely unaware of their surroundings and are totally happy with their lives as is (sans travel).  Therefore, it's with a heavy heart that we've decided to leave them behind.

In case you're wondering, we haven't yet found someone to take them (just for the year, mind you), but I'll keep you posted when we do!  Whoever wins that lotto will be in for quite a treat: I'll be checking in on my loves as much as humanly possible.  I also like to talk to them on the phone :)

It's almost like a catch-22 because we are essentially "free" from the constraints of your typical life (we have no children, no mortgage (soon) and Aaron can return to his job at any time), yet our dogs are like our children (okay relax, I don't celebrate Mother's Day or anything, but they're the closest thing I have to kids and they're our family, so stop rolling your eyes!).  

While they are practically my life, it would be almost crazy for us to stay simply because we would miss our dogs.  I know it sounds like I'm contradicting myself, but it's the dog owner's plight: you love your dogs like they're family, but at the end of the day they're still pets and the line gets so blurred and before you know it you're the lady with 15 cats and a couple ferrets and you're on Hoarders and people shake their heads at you and you wonder: HOW DID MY LIFE END UP LIKE THIS??  So long story LONG, we're going away for a year and we're leaving our dogs behind.  Save the guilt trip because I don't have room in my itinerary for even one more!

Until then, my boos will be the most spoiled pups in town (expect a LOT more pictures...I know it's annoying, but I don't care!).

My 30th Birthday

So my 30 birthday came and went.  I simultaneously feel totally different and exactly the same, it's so strange.  Do I look older?

Aging is such a complicated feeling to express, but I'll sum it up for you: it sucks.  Okay, that's not fair, SOMETIMES it sucks (for example: when I'm in a sitting position and need to get to a standing position or when I DON'T get carded somewhere-which used to be awesome when I was 20, but now is the ultimate insult).  It can be awesome too I suppose, but I don't have any examples of that yet.  If I'm being perfectly honest, it feels pretty much the same as 29, but I know I'm SUPPOSED to feel different so I'm really trying to accommodate that feeling and basically make shit up...so far it's not working (if you couldn't tell).  I know it's all relative: if you're older, 30 seems really young, but if you're just turning 30 (ME!!) then it's obviously the oldest you've ever been, so it's completely unfathomable.  I remember being 5 okay?  Now I'm supposed to be 30?!  It's outrageous!  

As far as wisdom, I have many people in my life who are totally on board with getting older and see it as a right of passage and swear they get more respect, I'm just not yet one of those people (I'll let you know if someday an older person passes me on the street and nods at me as a sign of respect, but don't hold your breath).  Don't get me wrong, I'm not clawing tooth and nail to get back to my 20's.  I'll never be one of those older women in the club, shoving my situation into a tube top, thinking I'm fooling anyone.  I'm perfectly content and happy with my life (and I believe that's a huge part of accepting your age), but it feels like a death to me, or let's compare it to a snake shedding it's skin (just to be less morbid).  There's this other person inside me I have to shed and that's kinda sad.  

WHEW!  Anyway, my birthday party was just as fun as it was depressing (okay, more fun than depressing).  Thank you mom and dad for throwing the shin-dig and thanks to everyone who came over during the day and/or out with us that night AND thank you for all my wonderful gifts!  I am so grateful to have people in my life that I know will push my wheelchair and feed me when I'm old(er).

Here's us on Shattuck in Berkeley:

A couple observations people have had:

1.  Why do I look like I'm digging in my crotch?  Honestly I was just trying to duck down a little and I have no idea what my hand is doing, it must have been warm in there.

2.  Who is the chick on the far right?  I have NO IDEA!  We got photobombed.  She is way too cool.

Okay, I have to give a special shout-out to my bestie Ashley and her hubby Kevin for getting me the most perfectly fantastic birthday gifts:

For our travels and my blogging, they got me 3 lenses for my iPhone, so I can take really good quality pictures without having to carry my bulky camera everywhere.  They're magnetic and super cool (I have no idea how to use them yet, but I know they're somehow the best!).  I also got a keyboard for my iPhone that folds in half, so as to be tiny and I love it!  Oh yea, and of course no birthday is complete without a Whirly Pop!  Thanks Ash and Kev (and of course baby Theo)!  Love you guys!

Another special shout out to my main man for taking me and my boys to Tahoe for the weekend.  It was absolutely the best!  We rented a condo at Northstar Resort in Truckee and it was fun for the whole family!  Here's me making dinner at the condo:

   And here are all my boys at the beach:

Overall, I had a most excellent birthday.  While I can't say I was over the moon about turning 30, the people in my life made it a mostly painless celebration.  Thank you everyone!  Oh yea, and another special shout-out to everyone at work for making me feel ultra special..you guys are amazing!

So, quickly before I go, just wanted to share a funny picture.  Last night, Aaron, my brother, his girlfriend and I went to the drive-ins to watch Ninja Turtles (it's a nostalgia thing okay? We're not weirdos).  I fell asleep, well...because I'm 30! and because they're morons they took pictures.  This one was actually kinda funny:

Those crazy kids!

Updates on travel plans to follow, I promise!

Fear...

Fear is something that has been an omnipresence in my life.  My natural, subconscious default has always been fear, not because of any particular happening in my life; I think it was something implanted in me in utero.  Don't get me wrong, fear has it's advantages.  It's been almost like a fair-weather friend, showing up and rescuing me at it's own convenience; keeping me safely cocooned in this little bubble, making me too terrified to break free, like I need the fear to survive, giving me a really warped sense of Stockholm Syndrome.  It gives the illusion of a symbiotic relationship, when in reality no matter how "useful" it's been, for the most part I feel cheated by fear, not overcoming most challenges due in large part to being afraid...afraid of failure, afraid of success, afraid of just coasting by; it's like I can't win.  I think at 30 years old, I've finally decided to just grab fear by the balls and let it all go.
I'm aware of how this proclamation to run off and travel the world must sound to people.  I'll be the first to admit that it all sounds quite irrational, like we're just running away from the "harsh realities of life" or something equally cliche, but in fact I believe we're running towards something.  It may be gray and murky and far off in the distance, but somehow I know it's an answer to something I've been searching for.  It's the answer to the question "Can I break this cycle of fear?"
Well, I'm done with fear (okay let's be honest, if I even saw a spider right now, I'd still yell for Aaron to come destroy it immediately, but that's normal right?), at least I'm done with the paralyzing fear that keeps me from moving forward or back, just trapped like a mosquito in the amber, waiting to be rediscovered (Jurassic Park shout-out!).  That's not me anymore, I'll be the one doing the discovering, thank you very much.

A Drunken Epiphany...

So, this is us:

This is our family:

And one day Aaron had a drunken epiphany:

Okay, let's backtrack a bit...we're selling our townhouse (if anyone's interested, it's FANTASTIC! Here she is in all her glory:

Okay, personal plug officially over).  We were planning on using the money we make from the house to invest (like smart people) into another house.  One morning, as I was getting dressed for work, my drunken and sleep-deprived other half came into the room and proclaimed that we should sell the house and "take the money and run!"  I laughed him off and went to work, but it stuck with me.  Eventually, I pushed it to the back of my mind and life went on...for a few weeks.  We looked at plenty of decent houses and imagined our lives passing us by in each, yet none of it ever felt quite right.
One day he brought it up again, more seriously this time.  We should take the money, "get out of the rat race" and travel the world.  It sounded like a pipe dream; completely impossible, but incredibly tempting.  I started to actually consider it.  I thought about it all day at work and by the time I got home, it went from a crazy, hair-brained idea in my inebriated boyfriend's head to a totally realistic and do-able feat.  We decided then and there that we would go and take our babies with us...AROUND THE WORLD.
Here are the babies:

Capone is two and a half years old and been with us for two years.  He's a Manchester Terrier and he's incredibly sweet and charming, but can also be mischievous and pretty spastic.  He loves nothing more than to curl up in a warm blanket (which is how he sleeps every night, much to Aaron's disgust).

Kane is currently 7 months old and we got him 5 months ago.  He's a red-nosed pit bull and he literally grew huge before our eyes!  He's the most gentle and sensitive dog I've ever met, but along with his brother he loves to make us crazy.  He loves Capone more than life itself and it's adorable seeing them together.  They fight like all siblings do, but they also love each other dearly and are complete partners in crime. 

So off we shall go, the four of us, carefree idiots throwing all caution to the wind, yet ridiculously happy and simultaneously terrified with our choice to travel the world.  ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE!!! (For those of you unaware, "Adventure is out there" is from the Pixar movie Up, which basically encompasses everything I think is wonderful in the world...yes I know that's a pretty intense way to describe a children's movie, but they make some pretty kick-ass flicks).