Spain

I haven't had much time to blog lately, but I had to take a quick break from writing essays to share a few pictures. This Easter Alex and I were lucky enough to tag along to his family's trip to Spain. It was the perfect break from the city and from end of term stress.

Chumbe Island Coral Park

My access to pictures from my time in Tanzania is limited right now but I couldn't wait to start sharing my experiences, so I'm going to start with out last day.

Just off Zanzibar, the Chumbe Island is a nature reserve with a protected coral reef sanctuary. The sand is soft and white, the sun bright (I have a lobster red back to prove it), and the water all shades of blue and teal.

Upon arriving we were greeted with fresh juice and shown to the bungalow which would be our's for the day. However there wasn't much time to settle in before heading back to the water for scuba diving. 

The coral and many different fish and sea creatures took my breath away. Much of the time I was practically swimming amidst a school of fish. I didn't have a waterproof camera, so sadly I can't share any pictures, but I can very highly recommend going scuba diving if you get the chance! 

After reluctantly leaving the water, we headed to lunch, where a wonderful table with all seats facing the ocean was waiting for us. It was the perfect way to sit back and really take in our beautiful surroundings. 

Once our bellies were full there was just enough time for a quick nap on the beach before our nature walk.

We learned a lot about the island, from the old coral which makes up a lot of the land to the coconut crab which briefly poked out of it's little rock cave to greet us.

But my favorite part was the view from the top of the light house. Getting to the top required going up a pretty extreme number of stairs, but it was definitely worth the climb.

A few hours later, I was sitting in the airport with fresh sunburn and a few lingering grains of sand still between my toes. We all wish we could have stayed longer, but Chumbe Island was a pretty perfect way to end the trip.

Flashbacks: Hailstorm in India

Lately there haven't been many things happening that I've felt inspired to blog about. So today I've decided to share the story behind this photo, which is one of my very favorites.

It was taken towards the beginning of a 30-day backpacking trip in India (I've posted about this trip before here and here). This is the view that followed an intense rain and hail storm.

The storm took us by surprise. The sky had given us minimal warning of what it was to come. Luckily the last of the group had just joined everyone on lower ground near where we planned to set up camp for the night, but the weather did not hold out long enough to put up our tents, or any other sort of shelter.

The rain cam down hard, quickly joined by large pieces of hail. We huddled together under the minimal protection provided by the trees. We had to take turns helping to protect our packs long enough to get out more layers to avoid hypothermia. Many of us were shivering. The ground was muddy and slippery. As someone who has never been very good at dealing with the cold, I was feeling fairly panicked.

When the rain finally showed the first signs of letting up, we jumped at the chance to get our tents set up. We could only do one at a time, with some of us holding the rain flies above others setting up the tent so they would stay dry. As the rain continued to slow, we focused on warming up, some huddled inside sleeping bags, others running laps around the camp.

And when the rain finally stopped, this is the view that greeted us.

The experience which had started of as scary and very stressful became one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen.

Weekend in Colorado

About 24 hours after I landed in Philadelphia, I was back at the airport headed to Colorado with my parents. Although my internal clock is still a little bit confused, it was very much worth all the rushed traveling. I got to spend time with family who I don't see very often while surrounded by amazing scenery. It was the perfect way to spend my first weekend at home.

Flying

When I was a kid, I loved to fly.

To be among the clouds, to be one of the specs I so often watched fly above me, wondering what exciting adventures the people aboard were embarking upon, I found absolutely fascinating.

Now that I travel so much more, many aspects are frustrating. Airports are a pretty terrible place to spend time, and there's always rushing, and waiting around, and lots of stress.

But once I get on the plane, a little bit of that childish excitement always returns.

I still always look out the window as the plane takes off. 

I love to watch the city I'm leaving grow smaller and smaller, until all I can see is clouds.

Flashbacks

Years later, I still draw my inspiration from this moment. This is my turning point.

India

These pictures are a few years old now, but how could I resist this post? After graduating high school, while most of my friends headed to their first semester of college, I packed up my hiking boots and walking sticks for a three month trek in India. I was definitely not ready for college. Leading up to the trip people kept telling me how brave I was. I always laughed to myself a little bit because for me, this wasn't brave at all. In fact, it was the easier option for me-- I was too scared to go to college yet. School makes me very nervous. Adventuring I can do.

Somewhere near Ranikhet, on the way to our first backpacking trip 

Just after a crazy surprize hail storm: We were caught totally off guard and had to hide and huddle together in the trees. It was horribly freezing and fairly miserable. When it lightened up enough, we set up tents quickly so that people could get warmed up. When it finally cleared up, we were treated to this incredible view. One of the most beautiful things I've seen.

One of our first views of these amazing peaks

On the trail

Me in Depriag, the city where two rivers meet to make the Ganges.

2

My friend Tom and I in front of the Taj Mahal!