Organized group tours have not been a big part of my travel experience. I’ve actually only taken a few in my life. Most of these were at the very beginning of my travels: My first ever trip abroad when I was 13 and visited Japan and China with my father, a school trip to learn about marine biology in Mexico when I was at boarding school, a trip to Bahia, Brazil with my scholarship group in university, and one to Oman for a college class. As I’ve gotten older and travelled more independently, I’ve only taken one organized group tour: to North Korea, where essentially all tourists are required to go as part of a group (though I did get lucky and manage two days private before the group arrived.)

In fact, I not only avoid organized group tours, but I’m not usually interested in tour guides at all. Sometimes I’ll do a day trip with a guide and/or group, like for a safari in Chobe, Botswana or to San Cipriano in Colombia. Otherwise, I much prefer to go with local friends, to see their everyday life. I also like to go independently, whether solo or with friends I may be traveling with. One big exception was in Iraqi Kurdistan when two of my friend and I travelled with Karwan – which ended up being an unmatchable experience.

I guess that why I don’t like organized or group tours is that I like to go with the flow – to have no plans and just see where the journey takes me. I also know that I have specific interests when I travel- and that’s mostly about seeing every day life and talking with people about their lived experiences. I don’t just like to observe a place, I like to engage.

So, when G Adventures asked if I’d like to go on one of their tours, I was at first quite hesitant. But as I learned about the company and the way they approach their tours, I was willing and excited to try it out. There were two main things that excited me about G Adventures before I even went on a tour. First was how they are local focused: they almost exclusively stay in locally owned hotels, eat at local restaurants, and all guides are from the places where they’re touring. This calmed me because it showed a conscious effort to make tourism less exploitative than it somewhat integrally is. The second was Planeterra – a not-for-profit founded by G Adventures that works with local social enterprises and catalyzes their impact by giving built in demand. They do this by sending their tour groups to homestays, meals, or shops run by these enterprises. Before I even went on a G Adventures tour, I visited Planeterra’s Senang Hati group in Bali, Indonesia- quickly fell in love, and wanted to see more.

Then it was time to pick a tour to go on. I wanted somewhere I was excited to go back to, a tour that included places in that country I had never seen, and one that included a visit to an awesome Planeterra project. Morocco hit all of those boxes, especially the Deserts and Kasbah’s tour. I was so nervous before arriving but it ended up being a perfect and eye-opening travel experience. Here are the four reasons why:

1. New Friends: I’m an introvert, which means that though I can be a loud and obnoxious center of attention, I more often need my own space and time alone. So the idea of being on a bus full of absolute strangers for a week was quite frightening. But then I met everyone and was pleasantly surprised at how interesting, friendly, and accepting they were. I realized that the kinds of people who sign up for a tour like this will tend to be more adventurous and open to being with others. In the couple months since my tour we’ve all still kept up on our group chat and I talk weekly with one of them!

2. Worry-free: From the moment the tour began, there was hardly anything I had to worry about. No desperate search for food, worrying about missing buses or train connections, or wondering if a site would be open. The G Adventures team took care of all of this and our guide, Yusuf, took such good care of everyone. He really wanted this to be a trip of a lifetime! Sure, having a set itinerary limits some of the exciting unexpected moments of an independently planned trip, but there was enough free time allotted for this to happen, and the ease of the rest made up for it.

3. Unique Access: A lot of the places that we went on our trip were off the beaten path or only accessible by long exhausting drives. In fact a few of my followers responded to photos of our camel ride in the desert saying that they wanted to see this when they were in Morocco but couldn’t arrange it themselves. It was also nice to be with a local guide who could tell us exactly what were local specialities and intricacies of the culture. I’m lucky to often be traveling with local friends, but know that’s not the experience of most people and my group was very appreciative.

4.Planeterra: In Morocco we visited the Meknes Community Center for lunch. This is a group that supports women and children in a small community outside of Meknes. They provide English courses and sewing courses to give women opportunities. They also have become a registered pharmacy in order to provide medical treatment and even have their own ambulance. Previously they relied strictly on Moroccan government grants. These can be tough to get, time intensive, and unreliable. So Planeterra helped them launch a lunch program with restaurant standard food preparation. Now the group serves two groups (usually 10-15 people each) every day. With the money from this they are able to be more self-sustaining. It was truly inspiring to speak with the women running this organization!

Overall, I loved my trip toMoroccowith G Adventuresand it made me rethink organized group tours. I love how seamless it made it in traveling to some interesting places and I enjoyed making friends. There were some downsides, like being taken to some places that I wasn’t interested in (so many shops!) and to some overtly tourist restaurants, but all the positives outweigh these .

I do still think that most of my time will be on independent travel. I like the freedom and control and ability to decide what I want to do each day only as it comes. However, I think for specific reasons an organized tour is great: for people who are uncomfortable traveling alone, for people who do not have much time to organize a tour, for people who want structure, and for people who just don’t want to worry while on vacation! I’ve been each and every one of those people at some time in my travels – so definitely see the value of getting on a trip again sometime soon!

My overwhelming emotion around completing this incredible journey to all 193 countries is pure GRATITUDE. I have been so lucky to be helped, inspired, and enabled by so many things and I am thankful to them all. Here are the things I am most thankful for:

FAMILY

You can’t pick your family, but I won the lottery.

My family has been my biggest support and inspiration. My uncle Frank and Aunt Liz bought me my first atlas and my grandparent’s my first globe. My parents, sisters, and I DROVE to 44 states in our childhood- instilling a love for road trips that has led me to enter 110+ countries by land. My big older cousins inspired me with their early international trips- making travel “cool”. My brother-in-law and I have played dozen of Sporcle geography quizzes together, testing my knowledge and feeding my interest. My Tante Bettina, with years as a travel agent always gives good tips and can discuss almost any location. My uncles spurred adventure with stories of epic Grand Canyon expeditions. My uncle and aunt helped me set up my first apartment from thousands of miles away- helping me feel quickly at home in a foreign land. My Aunt Vivian and Uncle John tasked and enabled me to do “things I thought I couldn’t.” My uncle in Germany let a 18 year old who hardly spoke German spend a summer with his law firm in Berlin – giving me my first taste of global living. Now I try to be the inspiring one to my nieces and nephew and have sent them postcards from 50+ countries.

It also helped that my family is global- as many of my first international trips were to visit relatives Germany, Argentina, and Italy. Which brings up a point I always think of: People say it takes bravery to have done this travel and to have lived abroad since the age of 20, but ALL of my grandparents crossed the Atlantic in the 1950’s when parents and loved ones weren’t a whatsapp group or a Skype call away. They went for new opportunities and learning and I constantly channel that courage.

I would sit with wide eyes and listen to Oma’s tales of life in war-torn Germany and still ask about my grandparent’s life in Italy– with them the rest of the world was always only a memory or imagination away. Oma now rocks it with Opa as my guardian angel shining down positivity.

My family has always been there- with dozens of whatsapp messages each day, genuine excitement at each new place, and pointed questions to make me reflect on what I’ve learned. Though I feign annoyance at my mother and father’s worries, it elicits a second glance at precautions in places like South Sudan, Iraq, and Venezuela. They’ve always said, “be careful” but they’ve never said, “don’t go.”

Thank you to all of you. I am blessed.

FRIENDS

I'm unique to other travelers in that the vast majority of my time is spent staying with local friends in the countries I visit. In nearly 75 countries, making up 90% of my time, I've been either hosted or guided by a former classmate or colleague. In dozens of others, I've been given lovely advice before arriving. In many I've been supported for visas and with invitations that would have otherwise made the trip impossible. I could not have done all of this without each and every one of you. I would not have wanted to.

You see, for me, traveling is not about seeing things, it's about learning and understanding. I love to visit historical and culturally important sites, but my favorite travel memories are staying up late after reuniting with a friend and asking question after question about the place, new to me, that they call home. These moments have formed my global understanding and being so graciously welcomed has made me feel like the world is literally my home.

That's a question I often get, "Do you miss home?", and my response is that I'm always returning to my "homes" even if I have no house. Especially these last two years of full-time travel, I could not have kept up my momentum without constant stops at "home" in Abu Dhabi / Dubai, Nairobi, Tanzania, and New York. To those of you who have quite constantly hosted me in these places, thank you!

In many countries where I was not hosted by a friend, I was traveling with one. I am indebted to all of my travel buddies for keeping up with my crazy adventures. I'm amazed at those of you who say yes when I suggest visiting places like Lethem in Guyana, North Korea, Somaliland, and Tajikistan - how wonderful to have companionship in those journeys.

Then there are the friends who always, from a far, have rooted for me. Who have shown genuine joy as the country count got higher and higher, who always eagerly wanted to know what I had experienced or learned, and who cheered me on when things got tough. Even the smallest of actions (a "like on Facebook") and simplest of words have meant the world to me.

It is because of my friends, so many of whom love the world and strive to understand its complexities, that I can say "Travel isn't my life. The world is my life".

I am so excited that some of you were in Malta to celebrate with me! Thank you all!

STRANGERS

How long can someone stay a stranger before becoming a friend?

Hundreds of strangers have aided me in my travels: from saving me in times of need to simply greeting me with a smile. It also keeps my spirits up more than you can imagine to receive dozens of messages every week from followers on Instagram- whose kind words give me so much joy. I’ve learned that 99% of the people in this world are good – and I’m so grateful to have encountered so many of them.

Here are some quick stories of amazing strangers:

- The Royal Omani Police border officer who shooed away sketchy conmen saying he’ll keep me safe, gave me tea and date sweets, bought me dinner, gave me a place to sleep, and found me a free ride to the city 3 hours away. When I thanked him profusely he responded with, “It’s my job.” His actual job was to stamp my passport.

- The CFO in Nauru who invited me to his office Christmas party, gave one of his workers the day off to tour me around in the company car, and loaned me cash to pay my hotel bill when no ATM worked.

- The American Peace Corp volunteer in Burkina Faso who translated and negotiated the price for me to rent an entire bus and militia to get me safely into Niger when I got stranded in AQIM territory.

- The mother and daughter in Palestine who saw me confused on the bus at the border, helped me get where I needed to go, and then acted as my second home throughout my four months living in the region.

- My friend’s brother in Afghanistan who let me stay in his house while he was out of the country, tasked his chief-of-staff to guide me, his cook to make the most delicious meals, and his security detail to keep me safe.

- My friend’s cousin in Libya who was asked by his cousin to “give me some tips for Tripoli” but ended up hosting me for three nights, sitting with me for 5 hours to wasta my way into a visa, dealing with my frustrations at all the airport shenanigans, and touring me around.

- Everyone in Annaba who became family when a dinner meet-up turned into more than 2 weeks of being hosted while I stressfully waited for a visa.

- My new friend who was asked by his cousin to help me in Algeria and ended up setting me up with friends to guide me in every city and offering homes to stay in.

- All those who helped me after being robbed at the border in Sudan – buying me tea, my bus ticket, and the taxi to a hotel.

- The brothers who found me a home to stay at in Timor Leste and drove me all over for hours each day.

- My cabin-mate on the train to Tbilisi who wasn’t happy with just giving a list of recommendations and so took off work to tour me all around the countryside.

Thank you to all of these and SO many more- to those who have become friends, and to those who will forever be anonymous but whose kindness will never be forgotten.

MY CULTS

I’ve not just traveled through the world – I’ve engaged with it and hope that in some small ways I’ve contributed to it. From attending global schools to working professionally in 20 countries by the age of 25, I have been a part of and enabled by international institutions that have shaped my experience and who I am. These communities of thinkers and actors have constantly pushed me to better understand the world and to be an efficient and effective part of it.

My journey to every country in the world is owed to each of these:

UWC USA: In so many ways United World College was the beginning to everything. 200 students, 16-18 years old, from 90+ countries spending two years in an isolated castle resulted in a significant identity shift. I began to see the entire world as my backyard, and with this came a sense of responsibility to better it.

New York University: At NYU I began to study just how that betterment could come about. I created my degree of Culturally Inclusive Development – looking at development as not only an increase in economic indicators, but as an increase in quality of life dictated by the affected society. Studying in New York City with such creative global minds like John Sexton showed me that anything is possible. It also gave me the tools to make my dreams into reality through studying abroad, funded international research projects, and school trips to various countries.

Trail of Seeds: Concurrently while at NYU, wanting a firsthand look at development but not fully agreeing with the initiatives available, I along with my friend Shannon, founded our own - Trail of Seeds. We worked with groups in rural Tanzania, indigenous populations in Venezuela and Brazil, and agricultural co-ops in St. Kitts. We deeply analyzed the similarities across humanity and gave catalyzing grants to some fantastic initiatives. Along the way we began to understand the complexities and sensitivities of these issues and always hardened our stance to “go in with no pre-conceived notions.”

McKinsey & Company: After graduating I joined McKinsey in the Middle East, excited to “solve the world’s biggest problems.” In my 3 years I worked mostly on social sector projects, but was also exposed to telecom, banking, mining, and more. At McKinsey, with the smartest colleagues there are, I felt like a real part of serious impact and had access to global knowledge of the sectors and forces moving our world.

SPG: Maybe it sounds silly to say that a hotel brand helped me get to every country, but in the past 4.5 years I have stayed nearly 350 nights with SPG/Marriott. That’s over 20% of my time! This has been spread out at more than 65 properties in nearly 40 countries.And if I could have, I would’ve stayed more! I am always so sad to be in places with no SPG properties. That’s because SPG knows how to make their committed members feel at home and so many of my best travel memories come from these stays.

With all of these organizations I became increasingly exposed to and a part of the world in its true universal sense. They each honed my perspective and my ability to engage with global issues of all types. I’ve tried to copy the best and learn from the worst and each day I work towards improvement. I know that these experiences and their communities that I’ll always be a part of, will help me at every step.

ABU DHABI

For the past 6.5 years I’ve lived in Abu Dhabi and/or used it as my base. In that time, I’ve grown to love the city and, if you’ve been around me you know, constantly talk about it. Enough so that I’ve been called an “Abu Dhabi propagandist” – a title that I happily accept.

Living here has helped me get to every country simply because of geography. From what other place can you take long weekends to Kenya, Ethiopia, Central Asia, Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon, Georgia, India, Maldives, Seychelles, and more without taking more than 5 hours each way?! It’s not just because it’s close- we have the best airlines in the world with Etihad and Emirates (FlyDubai and AirArabia have their uses too)!

This creates a culture of travel and friends will always be jetting off somewhere exciting and coming back with tips. Because the UAE attracts talent from all over the world, these friends themselves will be from many of these locations – it’s truly a global environment and an internationally mobile one.

More than all of this- Abu Dhabi has kept me happy and interested. There are no development stories that I find so fascinating and successful – it’s exciting to watch that happen and to be a part of it. There is also nowhere else that I’ve found my interest in identity to be so piqued. Issues of class, race, gender, sexuality, and more are constant discussion points and in each the trend is positive. Whereas the UAE is aware of its problems and trying to fix them (albeit not as fast as in a dreamworld), my other homes seem to be stagnating or declining. It’s also motivating to see how many people are bettering their lives through the opportunities provided by the country. And these opportunities are endless, not just in terms of jobs and finances, but in the arts, fashion, music, and more. It’s a place to feel absolutely positive about.

It’s also my favorite country to travel in. I’ve been many times to all seven Emirates, explored the Western Region, visited Sir Bani Yas, Liwa, and Al Ain, and wondered in awe at the beauty of a desert sunset. I still have so much to see here.

So thank you Abu Dhabi for giving me these opportunities, for teaching me so much, making me think constantly, and being the best jumping off point for world travel!

FAITH

Joyous gratitude is the over-powering emotion I have been feeling. Most important, encompassing and fueling all the other things I’ve written about, is my gratitude towards the divine (aka allah or god or any of the many terms I call the ineffable magic.)

My spirituality is so special and intimate – so literally essential – that it is difficult to explain. Even so, it’s my favorite topic of conversation and many of you have philosophized and debated it with me. Examining what the divine means to us as individuals and as a global community – both historically and in our modern world - is the most important and phenomenal conversation we can have. It is also deeply phenomenological – and exploring the endless manifestations is awe-inspiring.

Part of traveling the world has been searching out these transcendental experiences. For to better understand humanity is to more clearly see God. To appreciate all that is given to us in nature, emotion, and science is to praise God. To give endless thanks is to respect God. And to love is to know God.

With these divine truths always in my heart, throughout my soul, on my mind, and out of my mouth – I have been a more centered and happy traveler. I have been a more thoughtful human. I have experienced and given thanks for the wonders of the world.

My belief is Islam and there is a true fulfilling excitement to traveling to places where I meet the incredible diversity of our religion and pray together with other Muslims. Nothing is more powerful than united prayer with united belief, but I also love to learn about how our shared understanding is differently interpreted. I’ve experienced varied forms of worship with Christians (which I’m also intimately familiar with), Hindus, Jews, Buddhists and have spent time and learned from Zoroastrians, Druze, Rastafarians, and have visited sites of Yazidi, Shinto, and more. We all manifest it differently, but we are ultimately united by a quest to better understand the ineffable and direct our praise towards it.

So, as I do every moment of every day, I say subhanallah, glory be to god. For all of the magic in my life and in this world and for how incredibly connected they have been.

Travel secrets / quirks:

There’s a lot of assumptions made about a 27-year-old who has visited every country! People think that having been to every country means being everywhere and having done everything. This simply isn’t true. There is so much remaining on my travel to-do list. There are also expectations of how I travel. I don’t stick to one type of traveling, I’m not always luxury and I’m not always budget, I don’t always go super slowly or super-fast, each trip and each experience is different!

Over the years, some things about my travels and my approach to travel has surprised people. So I thought I’d put them in a list here – my travel secrets / travel quirks.

#1: I love airplane food.

It’s almost sacrilegious to not moan about airplane food. Whether they are on planes once a year or twice a week nearly all travelers complain about the food served. It’s tasteless, it’s repetitive, it’s unhealthy…on and on. But I love it. I almost always eat everything! I know it’s not fantastic (though sometimes I’m surprised – especially on Etihad) and definitely not healthy (always including dessert!), but I can’t stop myself. I guess it’s because I have nothing better to do while sitting there, or that it breaks up the monotony of a flight, but I always look forward to meal service. Sometimes this quirk can be truly upsetting when I’m on a long journey with 2 or 3 flights and eat a meal on each one of them (and at the lounges in between!).

#2: Yet to rock the boat.

I’ve never done a cruise! The closest I’ve gotten was a 3 day ferry from Japan to China in 2004. I’ve also done a handful of shorter ferries – from Estonia to Finland, Sicily to Calabria, and from Belize to Guatemala, as well as river border crossings into the likes of French Guiana and Botswana. But never a full cruise. One with pools on board, big parties, and fun excursions into new ports of call each day. Most people say that I’ll do one when I’m older – but I want to do one now! I’m just looking for the right excuse.

#3: Unexplored neighbors.

Two of my least explored countries are the two closest to my own country: Canada and Mexico. Canada I’ve actually only been in, around Niagara, for a day! Mexico I stayed in for a week during high school for a class project on marine biology – but only up north in Sonora. I have SO much to see in each of these countries, and a serious desire to visit more. I especially want to see Canadian cowboys in Calgary and immerse myself in Mexico City! I just haven’t lived close the past 6+ years, but that’s not a good enough excuse….

#4: One-night stand hostel rule.

Because I’m young people assume that I’m constantly couch-surfing or staying at hostels. In reality- I’ve NEVER couch-surfed and I very rarely stay in hostels. In fact, I only ever stay in hostel for 1-night at a time, and only if I have a very early flight or land quite late. In those cases, I just need any be to sleep in. The thing I have against hostels isn’t the crowded dorms or noisy neighbors (I can sleep anywhere and through anything). My problem is that I like to have my own space to relax in after a long day of touring. I’m actually quite introverted and prefer my own time. I have had fantastic hostel experiences with fun nights of new friends and great parties – but I’ll stick to the one-night rule.

#5: My uniform.

My most observant of followers on Instagram have called me out on the absolute truth that I’m almost always wearing the same thing in my photos. My plain white t-shirts are the core of the minimal clothing I bring on trips. In fact, of the 8 or so shirts I have, 3 are just white t-shirts! I also am somewhat constantly wearing football shorts (usually Real Madrid ones I got for $5 in Tanzania) or my favorite torn sweatpants a designer in Kenya made for me (yes they were torn when I got them…). Since I carry so little it makes sense that I’m endlessly repeating outfits, but I do agree that my love for these simple items is excessive.

#6: Money memories

It would’ve been fun to have one thing from all 193 countries. A magnet or piece of art or something, but again with the packing it’s essentially impossible. In fact, I have enough trouble dealing with random things I’m gifted along my travels (always super grateful but always confused as to how to carry it!). What I have done in almost every country is to keep some currency – either bills or coins. Of course, many countries share currencies so I don’t have 193 different kinds, and there are a few cases where I’ve forgotten or had to use everything I had to pay the final taxi to the airport. I do still have a great collection and my parents have presented it nicely to look like a bouquet of flowers.

#7: No guide, no problem

I constantly get asked to give recommendations on what guides I used in different countries, or what agencies I used to go. But the truth is, I very rarely have used guides and only employ travel agencies when it’s an absolute must. Many people love to be met at the airport, toured around for days, and then dropped off – never leaving the site of their guide. In fact, I’ve only had this 24-hour a day service 4 times: in North Korea (required), Iraq (highly recommended), Somalia (again recommended), and on my first trip abroad to Japan and China with my father. On some occasions I’ve had a guide for a specific day tours, but that’s not the same as the guide as constant companion. This lack of paid guides doesn’t mean that I’m not often guided: I’ve been with local friends from boarding school or work in over 100 countries. Maybe I’m missing out, I’m sure the guides are full of information and provide tons of assistance, I just prefer engaging on my own.

Last month on Instagram and Facebook I asked everyone to ask the questions they have for me! I got so many incredible questions that made me sit and reflect. Here are some of my favorite ones and the answers I gave. Feel free to always ask me anything!

Do you call yourself a traveler, a world citizen, a tourist, any other term, or does it vary?

Identity is dynamic – it’s made up of how we see ourselves and how others see us. Depending on where we are, what we’re doing, who we’re with, we’ll see ourselves differently. Generally though, I think of myself, and so many of those around me, as world citizens. It doesn't mean that our national identity or our religious or gender or racial or whatever other identities don't exist - but that we promote our essential humanness, and the connection that brings with others, as our foremost identity. I love that the people I have in my life share this outlook.

How does seeing the wonders of the world (in nature and in people) affect your spirituality and your attitude about life?

It's a beautiful circle - I travel because my love for the world and its people enhances my spirituality and relationship with the divine. As I travel and I learn more and see more, that love deepens. I think a lot about the from Lester B Pearson, "How can there be peace if people do not understand each other, and how can they understand if they do not know one another." Through knowing the world you know peace and love, and through knowing peace and love you know god.

What dictates your next location?

I don't like to think too far ahead in picking next locations - I go with the flow, thinking of what will be the best for ME. Of course, as the number of remaining countries dwindles, those are the top priority - but I also return often to places that are like home: the UAE, Tanzania, Germany, NYC and even Indiana.

Anything completely unexpected that blew you away?

I remember arriving to Burundi on a bus from Tanzania and just looking out the window and thinking, "this is the most beautiful place on earth!" and being shocked that not a single person had ever mentioned the country when talking about must-see spots.

At what point were you truly SHOCKED by the culture and how they live their lives?

I’m not sure I've been truly shocked because no culture is completely irrational and can always be understood in their context. What does shock me is when neighbors hate one another. I heard some scary statements on both sides of Israel/Palestine and simply could not fathom how they truly believed some of the dehumanizing things they said.

What country did you visit where you wish you could have spent more time in but for w/e reason left early?

Too many! Though I’ve done 2+ months in 13 countries and am good at getting proper time when I want it, there is never enough time anywhere. Some of the first examples that come to mind: I want to explore Papua New Guinea more and would love to be in Eritrea for a month, I never want to leave Tanzania while I'm there, and of course would love a full springtime in Paris.

How did your adventure around the world shape the person you are today?

It's made me a more patient and aware person. I’m also a better listener, which really helps me in situations to learn about others who are different from me. I now take the time to really observe and to learn from every person, place, and experience I encounter. Travel opens your eyes and really pushes you to accept all thing. To me travel is about being open and learning, in that sense, everyone is always traveling.

What is your goal?

My goal is, on a personal level to build connections between people, the beauty of the world, and the divine. On a professional level it is to develop economies so more people can appreciate those things. How exactly I'll do this in my life or do it every day, I'm still figuring out.

What's that thing you always think of?

God! And how much beauty and magic there is in the world and the people on it.

Favourite and least favourite country? And why?

Favorite countries are the UAE and Tanzania. I'm biased because I have bases in both, but why I love each is because of the cultures of deep sense of community and fascinating development histories. No real least favorite but I hate any experience when I feel taken advantage of or I see others being taken advantage of

Do you journal every day?

I do! I handwrite one page each day :)

What were the biggest barriers you had to overcome to start your journey? How did you get past them?

Sometimes the hardest part is just deciding that you will go and do it! Taking the leap and buying the ticket! Also realizing how travel doesn't need to be just touristy sites and fancy hotels. There are many things to do in other countries not just being a tourist

In the future, do you see yourself residing in the States or overseas?? Is there really "no place like home?"

I'm never sure...I really have loved living in Abu Dhabi the past few years and do picture myself there longtime. But I love being nearer to family. I feel like I have many homes around the world in the places I’ve spent extended periods of time, not just Abu Dhabi, but also New York, East Africa, and Berlin. I like to spend most of my time in these places.

Out of all your travels and experiences...what/where...would you say has been your favorite part/moment/place?

What always stays with me the strongest and longest is spending time with people my age. Just knowing how similar we are despite race, wealth, job, etc. We all just want our lives to be full of love and fun, to be accepted by our families and societies while being ourselves.

Tell me the most magical and most spiritual experience(s) and places you have encountered in your travel.

I'm always searching for the divine and direct transcendence. I believe it's everywhere, with the right perspective. The places I feel it most strongly are in the mosque where I converted in Tanzania, on the balcony of my favorite hotel looking at the mountains / ocean, every time I walk a beach, and being with those that I love.

I was in Monrovia, Liberia and I wanted to head east into Ivory Coast. When I asked around in Monrovia about a direct route - I was always met with doubt. Even when looking online there were no clear answers for what way to follow or how many hours it might take. I assumed this was because of how obscure the trip would be- it isn’t a journey that your average vacationer would undertake. But I thought, hey- I’m not the average vacationer! And besides, on the map it didn’t look too difficult. Head up to Liberia’s second biggest city- Ganta, and then over the border and stay the night in Man, Ivory Coast. Google maps said it was about 450km and would take 7 hours. They’re notoriously wrong in Africa, but I thought that even doubling that, I could be there that evening. I even had a hotel name written down for when I arrived.

But my optimism was quickly revealed to be ignorance. Not only would I end up on the road for way more than 7 or even 14 hours, but I never actually made it to Ivory Coast. And it was not straight forward nor easy.

The first day began early. A friend I had made in Monrovia drove me to the bus terminal far out of town and got me a good seat in a car headed to Ganta. He instructed the driver that once we arrived I should be directed to the cars toward the Ivory Coast border. It was a slow but straightforward morning drive and we reached a little over 4 hours later.

The first surprise of the day came after I asked to be shown the cars heading to the border and instead got directed to five men waiting on their motorcycles. They explained that no cars were going to the border and I would have to take a motorbike. At first I protested, thinking they were trying to trick me into the more expensive option – but I quickly realized that I was being ridiculous. Looking around there absolutely did not seem to be much action on this road. Also, taking a look at the narrow dirt road full of potholes, it definitely seemed more likely to make it there in one piece by motorbike.

So I strapped in my big backpack to the rear, the driver wore my small bag on his front, and I hopped on and we were off. I’ve ridden on the back of motorbikes occasionally throughout Africa- mostly in the East where they’re called, boda bodas or piki pikis. Ever since being in a minor accident on one, and realizing that it was much too common of an occurrence, I tried to avoid them at all cost. So knowing that I had a four hour ride ahead of me, without a helmet, I was a bit nervous.

You have to put a lot of trust into the rider in front of you. Not just that he’ll drive safely and avoid the biggest potholes, (which you can assume he’ll do out of concern for himself and his bike), but also that he won’t just pull into the forest, push you off, and take all your stuff! It would be way too easy for him to do so. And especially in a part of the world where many had been recently ravaged by the ebola crisis and the economic effects of it shutting down trade, there’s more than a slight worry that he won’t turn his good fortune of having a foreign passenger into an opportunity to get a bit more than half a day’s pay.

Beyond the worry, it’s slightly awkward to ride on the back of a guy’s bike for hours and hours. You’re strangely close and have few things to grab for when you hit a bump. You also can’t really communicate because of the wind. So it’s basically a silent pseudo-homoerotic brotherhood- you put your life in his hands, but try and sit as far back as possible.

The ride though was mostly uneventful. We passed only a dozen or so other riders, with everyone slowing down and doing a double take when they saw a white guy headed through. At one point our tire got flat and so we pulled into some village where a mechanic gave a new innertube. I’d never really seen a motorcycle tire get changed like that and it was really interesting to watch. Part of the ride was along what will soon be a new highway- they’ve flattened out the earth but not yet laid any asphalt. I imagine in a couple years there will definitely be cars going along! Most of the journey there was tall forest on either side of us which gave for a pleasant setting and nice smell.

Right around the time I thought I couldn’t handle another bump, we were near the border. But before we arrived we were given bad news. A passing rider told mine that “white people can’t cross.” Confused, we decided to continue forward to be told ourselves. Sure enough, the word was that even though Ivory Coast had announced they would open their borders (they’d shut them because of ebola) the actual order had yet to be given. They would let locals cross if they were coming back the same way, but it wasn’t possible to get an entrance stamp.

At first, the Liberians were nice and allowed me to walk over to the Ivory Coast side to double check. The driver came with me but the Ivorian soldiers, who spoke no English, just shook their heads and pointed us back across the bridge. Then things got slightly scary as a new guard on the Liberian side began accusing me of breaking the law by crossing without an exit stamp. I said that I’d been told by the guards that I could go and confirm, but he was having none of it. I think he likely just wanted money, but I played dumb. He said, “who is in charge of your passport?” I pointed to the intro section and said calmly, “Secretary of State, John Kerry.” He became a bit livid, I suppose he wanted me to say that at this border he was in charge- but I wasn’t about to stroke his ego or line his pocket and so after a bit of a standstill, I retrieved the passport and was on my way.

But to where…. I had my Ivorian visa and wanted to enter there before making my way into Mali. There were three options to make this still happen: I could go all the way back to Monrovia and then fly to Ivory Coast, but this would be exhausting and expensive. I could go along the illegal trading route through the forest that most Liberians actually use to enter Ivory Coast, but I wasn’t about to break a law in West Africa, or I could venture up a different narrow road and cross into the forest region of Guinea and try to enter Ivory Coast that way. We were told that this border was open, and considering I didn’t want to break the law or retrace all of my steps- the decision was made.

So we turned around, and at a fork in the road, the driver stopped and asked me to confirm. And then I had a realization. I didn’t have more money to pay him to take me anywhere else. I had large bills of $100 and 100 euro, but needed to give him only $15 or something. We got in a big debate- and I could tell that he really didn’t want to just abandon me, which made me feel good, but was also mad to take less than what he thought he deserved (I think it was still more than it should have been). Finally, he agreed, albeit angrily, that he would take me for the lesser amount, and we were off in a huff.

We continued on a couple more hours, deeper into obscurity in Liberia. Me exhausted from the long day and sore from the uncomfortable seat, and him upset that driving the American around the whole afternoon wouldn’t lead to the huge payday he was hoping to reap. Then it suddenly started pouring down rain and we had to quickly find cover. We made some small talk and got friendly again, and I told him that we would compromise and we could stop at the next town that had a guest house, so that I could rest and he wouldn’t have to continue too far out of his way. He agreed and soon we were in Yekepa.

Yekepa is a strange place. From the 60s-80s it was a bustling town because of a large iron ore mine. Hundreds of Western expats came here to live; they built beautiful neighborhoods, a swimming pool, a large theater, and even a go-kart track. However, all of this stopped with the start of the First Liberian Civil War in 1990 when all foreign mining companies left for safety and were then banned. This left Yekepa largely a ghost town. However, in 2005 global mining giant Arcelor Mittal bought the rights and became the first foreign mining company to export from post - conflict Liberia. In some ways the town is being revitalized but the going is slow. The old movie theater is abandoned, there seems to be no one coming nor going from the large office buildings, but the church does have a new coat of paint.

Because of this history there is one relatively nice guest house in the town, where you have to pay some absurd price for the region of like $50. The first thing I did when I got in the room was to look in the mirror, and when I did, I almost screamed. I had never been so dirty. After 10 hours on the bike, my white shirt was brown, my skin was caked with dirt, and my hair was standing up tall from the wind and felt thick to the touch. It took me two showers to feel even slightly clean.

After my shower I decided to walk around a bit. There was something special about Yekepa. Towns like these, far from the capital, with few if any foreigners passing through, are so lovely and unique. I like to meander around to find and appreciate the little bits of beauty. It's everywhere! Even if the meaning or importance isn't global or world-known, everywhere is interesting. I asked about where I should eat and they pointed me to the canteen of the mining company. It was buffet style and I had a good time talking to the chef. It was the biggest meal I had eaten in days, but weirdly the hour I spent there, I didn’t see a single other person come and touch the food. Maybe they ate later.

After dinner I looked out my window and I couldn’t believe my eyes! The sky was lit up in oranges and pinks and blues. I grabbed my camera and ran outside, standing in the middle of the street of this all but abandoned mining town. I was entirely disconnected. Noone knew where I was, I didn't really have a good idea either- just knowing it was northern Liberia. And despite this lack of place, I felt found. This beauty was surrounding me and I was so much more than okay- I was filled with glory.

It had been a long exhausting day and not getting through the border was frustrating- but also the day was great. I saw a part of the world few people visit, I was pumped with adrenaline from the long hours on the motorbike, I had a yummy dinner in a strange unexpected town, and now the sky was dancing its colors. I wrote in my journal, read a bit, and passed straight out to sleep.

There are some interactions that stick with you long after they’re finished. You come back to them time after time. You continue to learn new things from it as at each new point in your life you have a fresh perspective through which to understand. Sometimes you know immediately, you feel the weight of the moment as it is happening. Other times it’s more subtle, you wake up the next day, or you think back months later, and it hits you- the importance of what occurred.

At the end of an exhausting two-month journey by public transport through West Africa I was in a car heading through Guinea’s forest region. We were heading North into the tropical savanna of Bamako. It was April – the hottest month of the year. The day had started at 6am, and now, twelve hours later we were still bumping slowly along the dirt roads. The sun slowly began to fade but we would continue on through the night.

I had not said a word to any of the other passengers. I do not speak much French and can’t even recall the names of all the local languages – and so I just sat quietly. After hundreds of hours in transport like this the past months, I was most comfortable in silent reflection. I held my prayer beads and would silently recite affirmations. I would look out the window at the passing villages and smile when someone caught my eye, shocked at seeing a foreigner this far inland. Occasionally if I was truly overtaken by the beauty outside, I would quickly snap a photo. Each time the driver would smile and point at my camera and say “nice.”

I was sharing the single front bucket seat with an elderly man with a cane who had been put into the truck by his son. After the elderly, the seat hierarchy goes to the “big men” rich enough to pay double, but not rich enough to fly. Foreigners come third and without even asking it had been mine.

We suddenly came into a clearing with a fork in the road. In these parts there are often “dry season” roads and “wet season” roads. The intense rains of June-September wash out the lower lying dry roads or at best turning them into slick streams of mud. The wet season roads are higher, but going by them is slower as they’re less well kept, and never a straight shot from point A to B. As we slowed down I looked up to see we were doubly in bad luck. On the left was a banana truck stuck on the hill to access the wet season road, on the right, a goods transport was stuck in a ditch that should have been the dry season road. Ironically, on the back of the truck to the right was written in large letters, “Good luck to us all.”

Without the driver needing to explain, everyone in the car started piling out. We stood on a bridge slightly closer to the action to get a better look. I started laughing and turned to a guy standing next to me and said, in English, “We’re going to be sleeping here.”

To my surprise, he responded in a broken but intelligible English saying, “We’ll see what happens.”

It seemed that everyone was going to walk up past the stuck trucks. Some to see the state of the wet season road and others to check if there was a village nearby where we might be able to relax. As we walked, I talked more with the English-speaker. He was a bit younger than me, 22, and said he was Liberian. We were already a thousand kilometers from Monrovia and nowhere near any large towns so I asked what his plans were. He then said calmly, “I’m going to Italy.”

After seeing my surprised and confused look, he explained: “I’ll go first to Libya. I bought one ticket for the whole way, the drivers will each pass me to the next car until we reach the ocean. I will then call my family and they will send me the money I need to pay for a boat. In Italy I will find work and send my family money.”

The questions I asked were basic and simple. Maybe I was tired from the long journey, or being in such a foreign environment having this conversation made it seem less strange and intense, and likely I couldn’t grasp the weight of what was being shared. In all truth, I never will be able to.

He had paid around $300 for the journey - booking one ticket, though he would have to change cars constantly and was told the journey would be 7 to 10 days. He had to put an incredible amount of trust in these drivers and the ticket agents to honor what he had paid and to get him onto his next transport.

I asked if he spoke any Italian – “no.” Arabic – “also no.” His pidgin English made it clear that though he was from an English-speaking country, he likely had little to no schooling and at home spoke local languages.

As if he were searching for any advice I offered, “Make sure you bring a lot of water for the desert, just in case you break down like we have now.” He just looked blankly and asked, “what do you mean?” As part statement, part shocked question I said, “The Sahara, the biggest hot desert in the world - you’ll have to cross thousands of kilometers of it.” He calmly just said, “I didn’t know that.”

Everything he said was stoic. The journey wasn’t something that he wanted to do and it wasn’t something that he really even thought about. He was just doing it - whatever “it” meant. He thought only of the destination, the idea that Europe – Italy meant money. That this money would mean food for his growing family, school for his siblings, and maybe the possibility of being able to pay the marriage fee for a wife.

We didn’t talk about the danger, but my mind raced about AQIM (Al Queda in the Islamic Maghreb) and how his route will pass through their strongholds. I thought of my friends in The Gambia whose sister had attempted the same passage and was kidnapped sometime after reaching Tripoli – they never responded to the ransom request, they had no money, and they haven’t heard from her since. I thought of the videos of beheadings on the beach by Libya’s Islamic State- it’s said that they “bought” the black African captives from a people smuggler, convincing him to take the money instead of risking the perilous journey across the Mediterranean.

People do not risk their lives lightly. Journeys like this are the absolute last effort. When not only are there no jobs, but also no occasional menial work, no neighbors or uncles or cousins any better off to ask for food. You simply do not leave your community lightly, to travel away when you’ve never left your own village ever before.

We didn’t talk about all of this. We didn’t need to, and what could I say? We talked about the trucks being stuck. We talked about football. I took photos of some trees and he asked why I thought that they were beautiful. He asked what America was like and was excited to speak to a white person, he said it was his first time ever, but that we were similar because we were the only non-Guineans in the vehicle.

He asked me if I would help him with some money. I actually responded, “will you help me with some?” I said the same thing back. It sounds rude and inappropriate, and now a year later, I can’t know why exactly I said it. I do know that being in the middle of nowhere, not speaking the language, and the color of your skin signifying wealth and power to others, makes you feel vulnerable and like a target. I would never take out or show money, and if it was known that I had given to one person, that might make others ask, or if less friendly, take. So in the middle of the forest of Guinea - blocked behind two stuck trucks, thinking I would have to sleep out there in the open, that is what I said. I think he just smiled back.

Our driver had worked together with all the other blocked vehicles and dug a small route around the banana truck on the wet season road. It still looked impossible, but he revved the engine, flew up the hill, tilting literally onto only two wheels, turned at just the right moment, missed the truck by under a foot and got around it. Everyone cheered. My mouth was agape and people laughed at how shocked I was. I got in the seat and said to him, “that was awesome!” he had no idea what I said but absolutely understood what I meant and gave me a big smile and a huge thumbs up.

We continued on late into the night. We arrived in the fantastically named KanKan around 2am and the driver advised that even if it was the final destination, we would have to stay here until morning- the gates to the terminal were closed for safety. The driver gave his seat to the old man, so I finally had the single seat to myself, I leaned against the door, held my camera bag tight, and got a couple hours of sleep.

Around 6am the Liberian guy woke me and said he had found the next car and that I should go with him. He had explained to them that I was his concern and thus he was able to split the treasured front seat with me. As we drove we talked some more about our journey: when we would reach Bamako, if the car would break down, and how he would have to contact his next driver to see when they would leave. I explained that Bamako was the last stop on my two month trip. He said he was sad I wouldn’t continue further North with him.

At the border between the two countries he explained that he had no paperwork, and so he told the driver to stop a bit before the immigration checks and he would jump out and “walk around”. We waited for him on the other side and off we went again. I asked if he thinks he’ll be able to do this at all the borders he’s crossing. His unfazed response, “they said so, yes.” Part of me hoped he would be stopped before he reached the most dangerous territories further North, most of me wanted him to make it all of the way to Rome.

As we drove, refreshed from the bit of sleep, happy to have crossed the final border on this 2 month long journey, and enjoying the views of the circular mud huts typical of people in Mali and the Sahel, I began to realize how meeting this guy would change me.

Here I was, sitting next to someone for the past two days. For those 48 hours, we were doing exactly the same thing, riding in these cars, sleeping at the terminal, getting stuck behind banana trucks. And yet, what we were doing could not have been more separate. I was a tourist, traveling the world for fun, taking photos with my camera, enjoying being “off the beaten path.” He was risking his life in order to save his own and those of his family. I was spending these months “focusing on me;” he was embarking on a journey for his family’s survival. I knew what lay ahead of me; I had maps and knowledge of the risks and dangers at every step, he knew nothing but a dream of his destination.

When we reached Bamako I switched from “in transit mode” to “find my AirBnb mode.” I picked up my two big bags and shoved my camera / valuables case into one of them. He picked up the smallest sack, which barely looked full. We said the shortest of goodbyes. I don’t think I even said good luck. If I asked his name, I forgot it by the end of the day.

I will never know if he made it. In 2016, there were almost 360,000 people who safely crossed the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy. Over 5,000 others died. Many more went missing in the desert and along the way before ever reaching the coast.

I often think of this guy I shared the seat with. Who I laughed with and who grabbed me a ripe banana off the back of the truck. I think of his nonplussed face when I told him to bring water and I think of how I responded to his request by asking for money myself. I think of how similar we felt- the two foreigners in some dodgy transport- heading North, talking about Ronaldo and when we’d get married.

I think of how connected we were at that moment and how in probably every single one since then we have been so separate.

I think of how similar we are and how incredibly different. It makes me stop in wonder at all the ways that lives are lived on this earth. I am grateful to have even the briefest exposure to his.

Until next time, Sal Lavallo

When I'm traveling to new places I'll often get told, "You know that this city is the X of X." The most famous examples are cities with canals being called the Venice of the North / East or cities filled with beautiful architecture and small cafes being called the Paris of the East. There are even Wikipedia pages with lists of dozens of cities that claim these two titles!

I understand why these comparisons are made: to link the unknown to the known. We don't have an instant image that comes to mind when we hear, "Gdansk, Poland" but when it's called the "Venice of the North" we automatically associate our positive image of Venice into that of Gdansk. However, though I've occasionally used them myself, I've never liked these comparisons for a few reasons:

It's not true. Simply, if you're expecting Venice in Norway or Paris in Azerbaijan, you won't get it. Venice is more than canals and Paris is more than a few pretty streets dotted with cafes. Our perceptions of these cities aren't so two-dimensional. The positive images that we have of them and the feelings that they fill so many of us with, are dynamic and in many ways unmatchable.It ignores the unique beauty – Even though these cities are not really like the places they're compared to, they are fascinating and stunning in their own unique ways. They have their own cultures, architecture, and spirit that make them perfect locations to visit. It's faster and easier to know of a place by a simple moniker, but we're capable of more depth in our descriptions.It's teleological – By ignoring the uniqueness of these locations and promoting / linking them to the positives of others, we create a force of teleology. It becomes a pressure for these places to "develop into" their more famous counterparts, to mimic, and placing them as the opposite binary within a hierarchy.

Even though these claims can be misleading, they can also be interesting, so I thought I'd share a few of the more interesting examples I've heard in my recent travels. I'll share why they're made and a bit of why they probably shouldn't be.

Panama City is the "Dubai of Latin America"

In recent years Panama has seen a quick increase of tall skyscrapers, making it the most impressive skyline of the Spanish speaking world. Looking towards the height defying buildings from across the water at the famous Amador Causeway, the buildings seem endless! One thing all of this construction symbolizes is the influx of money into Panama, and the town is also known as a destination of choice for the wealthy from around Latin America, and the world- to come live and invest. Both the skyscrapers and the influx of moneyed foreigners en masse also describe the more well-known and marketed Dubai, and thus the comparison is made.

Another interesting fact- Panama is the city with the 3rd most skyscrapers in the Americas (and 20th in the world). It has 50- whereas New York has 259 (it's 2nd in the world) and Chicago has 116 (8th in the world). Dubai is 3rd in the world with 156.

Socotra, Yemen is the "Galapagos of the East"

I've not been to Socotra nor to the Galapagos, but both are on my dream list and for largely the same reason. These isolated islands are some of the most biodiverse areas in the world. Each island has hundreds of endemic species of flora and fauna, making for an out-of-this-world visual experience. Of course all of this is widely known about the Galapagos, made famous through Charles Darwin's expeditions there. Now there are hundreds of thousands of tourists that visit the Galapagos each year and it is largely considered a must-see bucket list item by most travelers. Socotra through, is less known. Unfortunately, many assume that because Socotra is part of Yemen, it must be as much of a dangerous warzone as what we see on TV from the country's mainland. However, this is not true at all. Though the war has made it difficult to reach Socotra (flights used to connect via the mainland, now not a possibility) the island has nearly always been safe and free from any violence.

Macau is the "Las Vegas of China" or the "Monte Carlo of the Orient"

When you think of glitzy casinos, big shows, and faux Venetian canals you think of Las Vegas, right? Well the tiny Chinese island of Macau has all that and more. An autonomous territory of China, Macau has its own currency, visa policy, police force and more to separate it from the mainland- however, this is where rich Chinese go when they're feeling lucky. But Macau isn't all that Chinese, or hasn't been for very long. Until 1999 (when it was transferred from Portuguese to Chinese control) it was the last European colony in Asia.

The comparison should probably be switched around as, in most ways, Macau is bigger than Las Vegas. In 2010, gambling revenue in Macau was 3x what it was in Las Vegas! Furthermore, the worlds biggest casino in terms of space, is the Venetian Macau. It is actually one of the 10 biggest buildings in the world! Beyond the casinos and flashing lights, little is the same between the two. Unlike the desert that surrounds Las Vegas, Macau is a tiny 12 square mile island with more than half a million people. This makes it the most densely populated region in the world. That said, there are some natural parts of Macau – and when I visited in early 2014- I spent most my time on long hikes, rather than in the casinos!

Eritea as the "North Korea of Africa"

There are a handful of secretive, closed-off, authoritarian run, nations in the world with despicable human rights records. The one we hear the most about, of course, is North Korea- and that's due mostly to its nuclear ambitions / threats which directly affect (or certainly can affect) those of us in the West. Another one of these countries is Eritrea. The small country on the horn of Africa which was an Italian colony for almost 60 years and then fought a long hard war against Ethiopia before gaining independence in 1993. Before I visited I mostly only saw Eritrea in the news for the multiple times when their entire national football team declared political asylum when competing abroad. The country has responding by not competing in international tournaments. It's one of the few countries where citizens need an exit permit to leave the country and it is the only country in the world where all citizens must join the army- not for one or two years, but for life. However, though politically there are similarities to the closed and often brutal regimes of these two countries- as the a tourist the experience is quite different. On tours to North Korea you area essentially always with a government guide. You see only what you're shown, it is forbidden to carry local currency, and interactions with locals is minimal. In Eritrea however the situation is quite different. It isn't freedom like a visitor to the US or Europe – there are still permits required for different locations, the government sets an exchange rate that is essentially theft, and internet connection is expensive and slow. However, I spent nearly all of my time in Eritrea walking around, I don't remember seeing any police and I was never bothered nor felt watched. I had a lovely time, sitting each day at multiple cafes, speaking Italian with older locals. Of course, I'm incredibly aware that the day-to-day for the average Eritrean is not lounging at cafes and going for pleasant strolls, but even for tourists, that is not possible in North Korea.

Equatorial Guinea was the "Auschwitz of Africa" (1968-1979)

As I wrote, I don't like any of these comparisons. I think that they're silly and distracting. Usually it's distracting from the true and unique beauty of places. But this comparison I just find to be in extremely poor taste. For a little bit over 10 years, the first President of Equatorial Guinea- Francisco Macias Nguema led a reign a terror that saw up to 1/3 of the country's citizens killed or exiles. He essentially shut down the entire government other than his own security forces and in his later years even closed all schools. He liked to personally sentence people to death for arbitrary reasons such as wearing glasses.

He was later overthrown, tried for genocide, and executed. Those years are a horrifying stain on human history and though maybe a comparison sheds light on the extreme nature, genocides and mass killings are not things to be compared.

His successor has been in power ever since, but despite oil wealth discovery and nearly a decade as mainland Africa's only high-income country, the vast majority of the population lives in poverty.

What are your thoughts? Sal

Of course visiting all 193 countries isn't my only travel goal. There are many cities I want to explore, historical sites I want to learn about first hand, and natural beauty I want to see with my own two eyes. I've never sat down and made a "bucket list" but I've always said that the top two destinations that I most wanted to see were Machu Picchu and Iguazu Falls. Luckily this past week, I've visited both!

First I visited Macu Picchu. This has been on top of my list because it perfectly combines incredible history with stunning architecture and breathtaking nature. An Incan town high up in the Andes, Machu Picchu laid mostly unknown for hundreds of years, with excavations of the ruins only beginning about 100 years ago. It had appeared on a handful of European maps, local communities knew of the presence of ruins, and two families were even farming on the land when the first Europeans arrived in 1912, but it wasn't until then the proper excavations took place and Machu Picchu was introduced to the wider world. Since then it has become one of the world's most revered sites, and this is utterly deserving.

Machu Picchu used to be a town of about 750 inhabitants who farmed on the steep cliffs of the mountains. The location is particularly unique because it lies low in the center surrounded by nearly a dozen mountain tops all around it. They say it's like a pea in the middle of a bowl. Because of the high altitude and mountain terrain, it is still difficult to get here. First we flew into Cusco, took a bus and a train to reach the town of Agua Caliente, and then zig-zagged up the mountain to the site.

When we arrived the ruins were masked in fog and we saw nothing. We stood at the top – at a viewpoint – and waited as slowly the fog lifted and like magic the ancient city appeared. It was truly like something out of a movie! What a way to arrive!

We had joked as we made our way up the mountain that because we were going so early we would have 8 hours to explore until it was closed. We assumed we would spend half that or less, but actually we stayed the whole 8! We first did a slow tour around all the key points of the site, pausing often for pictures. Then we did a short 1-hour hike to the "Inca Bridge" which is a narrow path carved along the edge of the cliff. I am not a fan of unbounded heights, so it was a bit of a mind-game for me to make it across, but we survived! Then we decided to again tour around the main site, since now, late in the afternoon, there were much fewer tourists. That was such a perfect decision as we really got to enjoy the location and stop and wonder at how amazing it truly is.

So many times places do not live up to the expectations we have of them. They can be smaller than we think or less interesting, or other circumstances like bad weather or large crowds can ruin the experience. However, our visit to Machu Picchu was perfect. From the magical first sighting, to the views as we walked and the history we learned, until the final, slow walk through without the large crowds, every moment was wonderful.

I've waited a long time to see Machu Picchu and I'm so happy with how it went!

After Machu Picchu we took the long journey back to Cusco and then flew down to Paraguay. It was country #173 and the gateway that we were using to the majestic Iguazu Falls. There is something about waterfalls that fills me with awe. The purity of water combined with the powerful flow and unbelievable heights makes all waterfalls stunning. I've seen some incredible and famous ones around the world- from Niagara on the border of Canada and the USA, to Victoria in Zimbabwe / Zambia, Angel Falls in Venezuela, Gulfloss in Iceland, and many others big and small. But I've always been missing Iguazu.

Superlatives in waterfalls are always disputed, but most consider Iguazu to be the largest and ask nearly anyone and they'll say that they're the most spectacular. Climbing up to 279 ft (82m) and reaching a width of nearly 2mi (3km), the falls at Iguazu left me speechless. The sheer power of the more than 60,000 cubic feet of water going over the edge every single second is mindblowing. Watching it from the viewpoints, especially at the "Devil's Throat" where you ssentially float above it, feels more like you're in a movie than experiencing real life.

Just like with Machu Picchu, getting to Iguazu wasn't straightforward. The falls are on the border of Brazil and Argetina, and only a few kilometers away from Paraguay. Because I would be spending time in Paraguay I entered through there. You can see the falls from both the Brazil and Argentina side, but without a Brazilian visa, I was limited to only the Argentine. If you have to experience only one- most recommend Argentina as you get to see the insane width of the falls. The Brazil side is interesting because you get to look up at the falls from a ledge below.

We took a 6 hour bus from Asuncion to Ciudad del Este, then one of the more unique bus routes I've ever been on, from Ciudad del Este, Paraguay to Puerto Iguazu, Argentina. Because there is no road link between the two countries, you actually have to drive through Brazil for about 20-30 minutes. However, the bus only drives through and doesn't stop at all in Brazil, so no need for a visa as you actually get to skip immigration! We spent the night in Argentina and woke up early to get to the falls. They're about a 40 minute ride out of the city and are part of a large national park complex. The park has a train up to the main lookout at the Devil's Throat and then a handful of hiking / viewpoint paths. The day that we were there, one of the paths was actually closed because a puma had recently been sighted! These large cats can be particularly dangerous and one year recently a park rangers young son was actually mauled and killed by one! Though we were safe from puma's we did encounter some sneaky coati who stole a danish from us as well as a group of monkeys who snatched the sandwich from some other tourists!

Just like at Machu Picchu, we thought we'd only spend a couple hours at the sight, but ended up spending the whole day. We walked all the open paths, took long pauses gazing at the falls, and made friends with an Australian couple who had sons around our ages. Once again, it was a perfect day. The falls exceeded my expectations – flat out being breathtaking. The power that they exhibit is simple not something that you expect to be naturally of this earth. Walking around this wonder of nature under the bright sun and with new friends made for happy memories. Even the kleptomaniac coati were more cute than anything. A truly ideal visit to another one of my top two travel destinations!

So now that I've visited my two biggest desires, I have to start thinking of what else I want to see! I'd love to see the unique flora on the Galapagos Islands and Socotra, dive at the Great Barrier Reef, explore Zhangjiajie in China, climb one of the seven peaks, visit the Potala Palace in Tibet, ride a hot air balloon in Cappadocia, and make Hajj to Mecca. And that's just to name a few!

Your turn. Tell me what your top destinations are below.

Sal Lavallo

In many ways, I grew up as a traveler in Latin America. When I was in boarding school and university and I first started making many trips abroad I traveled to Latin America often because of its proximity to the United States. Between 2008-2012 I made six trips to the region, culminating in a seven week stay in southern Venezuela. But in the now almost five years since then, I haven't been back.

I've been close, teasing myself with a short stay in the Dominican Republic and visits to the quasi-Latino neighbors of Suriname, Belize, and some West Indian Islands. Of course, those visits never had the feeling of proper Latin America. The memories of being fresh and excited in a culture that is both familiar and so different didn't come rushing back – until today. Today it was real- I was in the thick of it. I was back!

From the second I entered, crossing the empty border by foot I began remembering why I love this part of the world so much. The sun was shining, I could smell tortillas cooking, hear the Spanish being spoken loudly with emotion, and there was color – so many colors!

The day was perfect regardless of where I was, but being back in Latin America gave it all an extra glimmer. I filled the day with things I love to do when traveling: transit, exploration, activity, food, and language. Starting with the extended journey – first a long walk, then a one-hour ferry, a too-fast mini-bus (collectivo), and finally an old repurposed (though not refurbished) school bus. Then I was at my destination – the small town of Omoa, Honduras.

I came here because of the proximity to the beach and the famous San Fernando de Omoa Fort. Add these things to the fact that I'd prefer to overnight in this quaint spot rather than the nearby San Pedro Sula, also known as the most dangerous city in the world, and it was the perfect stop. Yet it became so much more.

First, when arriving into the town, I did not expect the beauty. I was stunned at how picturesque the low Meredon Mountains were in the distance and how calm the Caribbean Sea was along the town's edge. I could not wait to see more.

I walked aimlessly from the bus station, no reservation or even the name of a hotel in mind. I was lucky though and found something nice and got settled into the cute little guesthouse. I changed out of my filthy travel clothes and hopped on a bike to be active and explore. My first stop was the fort. I made my way all around the exterior, taking pictures of its imposing heights. Then I wandered through some residential neighborhoods, enjoying the dirt paths and getting purposefully lost, knowing the sound of the sea would guide me back. Finally, near sunset I came out to a clearing by the ocean and was shocked – I was greeted by one of the most beautiful skies I've ever seen. I love skies. I take and post way too many sky photos but, this was special. Over the next two hours, I just moved slowly down the shore, never taking too long between glances at the ever-changing sky.

While watching, I treated myself to another highlight of Latin America- the food. I first got a minuta (shaved ice) with strawberry, lemon, and pineapple syrups. With the treat in hand, I made my way to the end of a pier and sat with the fishermen as they cut up their catch – part for bait, part for ceviche.

When it was too dark to make any more photos, I continued the simple but yummy culinary journey. I got two ears of grilled corn before making my way to a tiny market for some local veggies. I brought them back to the guest house- whipped up a little salad- and wound down from the long but gorgeous day.

Not only did I see and eat so much, but the day was conducted all in Spanish! Of my foreign languages, my Spanish is one of my best, but not my most used. Now that I'm beginning a month-long trip in Latin America, I'm so excited to practice and better it! Today was a good start. I never felt lost in conversation and could get my point across to all those I encountered. We'll see how it improves in the coming weeks.

Overall – what a perfect start to my return to Latin America. I've always loved the culture here – the broad Latino feeling that unites all the countries as well as the unique aspects of each. I'll be in a handful of countries this month and I'm looking forward to seeing how each is similar and how they diversely embody the Latino spirit.

I hope that I have many more days like this one and that I leave the region even more in love than when I arrived!

I'd love to hear about your time in that part of the world.

Sal Lavallo

Luanda, Angola by Sal Lavallo

I've just finished a three week trip to a handful of countries in Central Africa. It was the last region of the world that I hadn't explored and so the trip was full of endless learning. The countries there are not oft-visited, we sometimes (but still seldom) hear about Cameroon for soccer or the war in Central African Republic, but how often do stories of Chad, Gabon or Sao Tome grace our screens? When we think of "Congo" we almost always mean the larger DRC, and not the small, well-developed Republic of the Congo. Maybe you didn't even know there were two? There was definitely a lot that I learned while in Central Africa. Here are some of the highlights:

Wealth and Development

Africa is an oil rich continent, especially the Gulf of Guinea to the East of Central Africa. Although often spread unequally and prone to graft, the revenues from oil exports have led to significant levels of development in many of these countries. Equatorial Guinea was famously the only high-income country in sub-Saharan Africa for many years before it was joined by the Seychelles and then fell to upper-middle status following oil price decreases in 2014. Joining it in upper middle-income territory are Angola and Gabon, and in lower middle-income are Cameroon, Sao Tome, and Congo. Walking around the capital cities in these countries you can see the monumental effects of this wealth in government buildings and infrastructure. Although I was aware of this prior to my trip, the extent of it really impressed me. These countries definitely do not match our stereotypical views of African poverty.

Portuguese and Spanish Colonialism in Africa

European Powers divided up African territory at the Berlin Conference of 1884-5, drawing largely arbitrary lines that generally ignored pre-existing kingdoms, allegiances, and cultural similarities in lieu of resources centers and access to them. Though we are more aware of French and British colonial rule, the conference also gave land to Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany, and Belgium. Of the countries I just visited, three were former Portuguese Colonies (Angola, Sao Tome, and Cape Verde) and provided an interesting history that I'd known little of before. Especially interesting was how Sao Tome was uninhabited before the Portuguese claim and that everyone in the current population is thus the descendants of those brought to the island during the slave trade, when Sao Tome was used as a slave depot of sorts. Even more fascinating to me was the Spanish legacy in Equatorial Guinea, the only sovereign nation in Africa where Spanish is spoken! Cameroon is also intriguing because it was originally "given" to Germany, but then had British and French periods / areas of control, leading to a split lingua franca currently in the country.

Autocratic regimes

The three longest serving non-royal rulers in the world are ALL in Central Africa! Cameroon's Paul Biya (42yrs), Equatorial Guinea's Teodoro Mbasogo (38yrs), and Angola's Jose Santos (38yrs). Surprisingly, President Santos has announced that he is stepping down at elections later this year. These strict regimes result often in a society of fear and oppression, but in some ways lead to development and stability as the Presidents are able to work on long-term projects with less fear of losing power. Other countries in the region have skirted around democracy, and many, particularly Central African Republic, have fallen into chaos resulting from power struggles.

Size

Central Africa (including DRC which I did not visit) is the size of Australia! Even though it appears tiny and shrunk on our maps, the distances are quite extended. Because of a hostile tropical environment, poor transportation infrastructure, and shaky political agreements, most land borders in this region are closed or too tightly-controlled. Therefore, I flew into each country, which for me is quite out of the ordinary as I've entered over 100 countries by land.

Strange small airlines

Some major airlines connect the region to Europe and the Middle East, but generally for travel within the countries you must take one of the local carriers. This trip thus gave me my first time flying many small (and not particularly well regarded) airlines like Nigeria's Asky, Cameroon's Camair-Co, Equatorial Guinea's Ceiba Intercontinental, and Angola's TAAG. I also flew an Air Burkina flight when another flight got canceled. At one airport I saw a plane with the name: "Canadian Congo Airlines". I would love to know the story behind that unlikely pairing! These routes are also not commonly flown, and so it takes some clever planning to make an itinerary between them. The flights also change often and I ended up getting an extra day in Chad because a flight got cancelled. Nobody told me until I happened to google my flight number and see it no longer existed!

Libreville, Gabon by Sal Lavallo

Peaceful

Another false stereotype about Africa is of a war-ravaged continent, and though true at times in some parts, most of Central Africa is quite peaceful. In fact, according to the Global Peace Index 2016, the majority of countries I visited are more peaceful than the United States. The USA is ranked 103, whereas we have Equatorial Guinea at 62, Gabon at 79, Angola with 98, and Republic of the Congo slightly below at 114. Sao Tome is not ranked, but to me felt like the most peaceful of the lot! I was impressed in each country about how easy it was to walk around the cities and feel calm and free of worry.

Difficulty to enter

I guess that I technically learned this before I arrived, but Central Africa has some of the strictest visa policies and lengthiest processes. I had to get three visas (for Chad, Cameroon, and Congo) before I even got on the continent. I had the folks at TravelVisaPro.com help me out for this and so that was less hassle but it still took over a month! I also got Angola beforehand, and though this is known to be one of the world's most difficult to obtain, I got it quite easily. Gabon advertises a quick and easy online process, but I found it utterly confusing. My application got cancelled twice because I didn't submit a hotel reservation, but there was nowhere on the website to do so and all my emails bounced! I ended up getting it quickly and easily at the embassy in Sao Tome (which is visa free). Two other countries that are known to rarely give out visas, Equatorial Guinea and Central African Republic, actually have visa-free policies for Americans, so that was quick and painless!

Shared currencies

The CFA Franc is the name of two equivalent currencies used together in a total of 14 countries. There is the West African CFA which is used in 8 countries and the Central African CFA which is used in 6. This makes it easy to travel between the countries and not have to worry about exchange. The two currencies are pegged at a 1-to-1 ratio and guaranteed by the French Treasury. Combined it is the currency used in the second most countries after the Euro that is used in 19. Another currency used officially in multiple countries is the United States Dollar, used in 8 countries, and the East Caribbean Dollar, shared between 6 nations.

Apart from learning things about the countries I am in, I learn a lot about myself when I travel. Here are three more things that I learned about how I like to travel:

I like purpose

This trip in Central Africa was one of the trips where I did the "fastest" traveling, doing multiple countries in only a few weeks. I so often am traveling for work, to see friends, or to do or see something specific. I felt guilty at first, to travel to these places just to see them, but once there I realized how much I can learn and I ended up enjoying the way I had set the trip.

I love friends and local connections

In a few of the countries I had local connections which really added to my experience and this is something that I've always loved. In Angola I got to visit with two friends from my boarding school, The United World College, and I also got to meet a friend from Instagram in person for the first time. In Congo I was guided around by a friend-of-a-friend also from the United World College. Those experiences of connecting with someone and having a shared foundation but also being able to ask all the questions, is the quickest way to learn. In a couple other countries I made friends while I was there, with my hosts or with others I met along the way. This helped me to get to do things in the countries that I normally would not have-like to horseback ride in Chad.

Learning curve

Though I prefer longer trips and longer stays in each country, it was interesting to think about the learning curve when in a new place. How quickly you learn and how much additional knowledge you get with additional days. For example, the two countries I spent the longest in on this trip, Sao Tome for a week and Chad for 5 days, are not the ones I think I learned the most about. Those would be Angola and Congo where I went around with my local friends. There is something about the first couple days in a place, the hyper-awareness of looking around that really is the bulk of the learning and insights.

Overall, I loved my three weeks in Central Africa and am happy at all that I saw and everything that I learned. Some of the lessons are impossible to explain here but will stick with me forever. I'm so happy at all the friendships I made, reunions I had, and the beauty I saw.

Have you explored Central Africa?

Tell me about it below.

'til next time,

Sal Lavallo

My flight landed early at the airport so I wondered if my driver would be there yet to pick me up. As I walked out of the baggage claim I quickly glanced through all the signs of hotel and company names, but saw nothing. Then at the end of the row, I saw a man standing with a folded piece of paper wearing the uniform I was told to expect. I walked over to him and I said, "I think you're here for me." Looking confused he responded, "I don't think so..." and unfolded the paper to show me the name.

I quickly realized it was not mine, but then let out a little chuckled because it was a name I recognized. It was my friend from boarding school who I hadn't seen in more than 8 years!

The level of coincidence might not seem too out of this world until I tell you that this took place at the airport in Luanda, Angola. Even if you have heard of Angola, you can imagine that it is not a well visited country. Largely given to its perceived dislike for any foreigners not involved in extracting the country's vast oil reserves, Angola is notorious for denying visa requests. Even the most seasoned travelers have had difficulty entering, not to mention a relative lack of interest in even trying. It's simply not on most people's itineraries, not even close. So running into a friend there is somewhat surprising.

And yet, I didn't connect with only one friend in Angola. I had 3 friends who overlapped with my short visit. It all sounds serendipitous but really it is what I've come to expect in my global life.

I'm incredibly lucky to have friends who are not only from all over the world but who, like me, traverse all over the world. My family is international and often travels, I went to incredibly global schools, the United World College, NYU, and NYU Abu Dhabi, my professional life was focused on issues of worldwide business, and now I'm part of the community of avid travelers on social media. So at any given time in almost any given place, I know someone.

These circumstances are the single most important catalyst to my travels. In over 50 countries I've stayed with a friend I knew before. I ate and slept in their home, meeting their families, seeing their real lives. In countless others I either traveled with friends or was given lists of firsthand insights and recommendations before I arrived. I almost always feel like I get the local perspective and assistance.

This global network aids my travels. It makes it easier, having less logistics to figure out, not worrying about language barriers, and enabling places to quickly feel like home. Most importantly, having this network makes travel fun. It makes it why I do it. I travel to understand a place, to analyze and compare the societal and economic aspects, and there's no better way to understand than through conversation with and perspectives of those who live it.

So back to Angola. Although surprised to see her name with the man I assumed to be my driver, I wasn't entirely shocked that she was there. I was actually told that morning that she'd also be in the city for her job in global development. One of our other classmates is from Angola, and living there now, and we had both separately messaged her to meet up, so we planned a big reunion. The driver was there because another friend, a traveler who I've connected with on Instagram, works in Angola and had sent him as we were meeting that night for dinner and I would be staying at his friend's home.

Having all of these friends in Angola really made the trip what it was. Not only did I feel comfortable and enjoy being with them, but I was also able to ask all the questions about the country, to learn about it and see dynamic views on it going far beyond a tourist perspective. Furthermore, having friends like these, not just working where I'm visiting but, like me, involved globally, makes for thought-provoking and entertaining conversations. All three of these friends are intelligent, active, interesting and interested. It motivates me to engage in the world on a deeper and impactful level.

And maybe that's just it. Having friends all over the world makes the world seem small and being connected to them makes me feel connected to it. It makes it feel personal. It eliminates differences and highlights the similarities. To me, that is what travel is about, understanding the world in order to help it somehow. I love that not only do I think this way, but also do so many others in my life.

Of course, there are many ways to have a global network and internationally-minded friends. You don't need to have gone to specific schools or worked abroad. Many of the friends I interact with now I've actually met through social media and traveling groups. And you also don't need to already know locals to have a local experience. You can meet them; as a host wherever you're staying or just by talking to people on buses or at bars.

Yesterday I spent the day in Jerusalem. I visited two families and had two quite opposite experiences. Not because one was fun and the other boring, but because of the dichotomy that I was exposed to. I spent the afternoon in West Jerusalem with an Orthodox Jewish family for Shabbat and then the night at a birthday party of a Palestinian friend in East Jerusalem.

The day served to epitomize the increasingly neutral stance that I’ve grown to have on the conflict while living here the past two months. Before coming to Israel I was similarly neutral, but much less informed. Back then, my view was based almost solely on having both Israeli and Palestinian/Arab friends from United World College-I understood that I was not knowledgeable enough to strongly take a side, and so to not alienate either I stood in the middle. Now, after months of intense experiences and constant first-hand learning, I still find myself in the middle. One day soon I hope to write a post more intellectually examining my opinions on the matter, but for brevity’s sake I will just talk a little bit about the wonderful time I had yesterday.

I went to Jerusalem with one of my closest friends from the program. He is Israeli-American, growing up near NYC but spending every summer in Israel. I always liked doing stuff around the country with him because he’s done it all a hundred times and knows the history and cool facts about everything. After walking around the city a bit we headed over to his distant relatives for shabbat. These relatives are rather conservative politically and so before I entered the house Daniel advised me to remove the Palestinian flag bracelet I wear. He said though, that I should keep on the one of Israel.

These relatives are Orthodox and I learned a lot of different traditions while I was with them. We set the table together, went to temple, pre-tore the toilet paper, and prayed for the bread and wine. Other than the hour we left to go to temple, we sat inside and talked. They told me about their history in Romania and the Netherlands, then the Holocaust, and now in Israel. They discussed politics, and were a little perturbed by my vow of neutrality, but I didn’t push it. Instead, I spent the day listening to their side and enjoying their amazing hospitality. They told me why they did each activity and the father explained the important parts of the weekly Torah reading. The food was definitely a highlight of the night, only being beaten out by the hilarity that ensued when they had to covertly ask me to switch off the coffee pot. On Shabbat only a non-Jew can switch on or off electricity, and Jews can not flat-out ask them to do it, so they had to cleverly ask me by explaining what the Hebrew words meant (on and off) and asking which seemed most appropriate at the time.

After dinner I got into a cab to head to East Jerusalem for the party and switched my bracelets. It had officially started at 5:30, but that was the “girl’s only” time, because some of the birthday girl’s friends are conservative Muslims and have a few things they can not do around boys. When I arrived at 8:30, most of the guys had also arrived and the party was in full swing. There was tons of incredible Arab food and desserts, but unfortunately I was more than full. I split my time between the younger party room- it was the girl’s sweet 16, so the girls were all young, the boys a bit older at 18- and the adult’s room, where the mom and all of her co-workers from the United Nations were. It was great to talk to them about all of the events currently happening surrounding Palestine and to get the second perspective on what I heard at dinner. I had fun both discussing global issues with the adults and dancing with the kids and I eventually acted as the link to the two groups as I convinced everyone to dance together.

At one o'clock in the morning me and two of the adults found our way to the Sherut (like a big taxi or small bus) and headed back to Tel Aviv. Of course, the Sherut was full almost strictly of Arabs-since Jerusalem Jews are more conservative and not active on Shabbat, but once we were in the cosmopolitan city of Tel Aviv it was a different story, really a city that doesn’t sleep, Jewish or not. When I got into my bed at night I began to think about how lucky I’ve been to see so many different sides to this issue: I’ve seen secular liberal Jews in Tel Aviv and Orthodox ones in West Jerusalem. I’ve experienced conservative Islam during my birthday weekend in Palestine and party-throwing left-wing Arabs last night.

Most importantly, I think that my neutrality and ability to listen rather than throw verbal stones is the catalyst to my learning. When I arrived here I was an empty page, ready to learn as much as I could and form an opinion and open my mouth only once I was knowledgeable enough to believe 100% in my views. I think that I’m almost there, I speak up if anyone is too dehumanizing, I don’t make it a secret that I’m not fully on one side, and I do not lie if directly asked for a view… but I still switch my bracelets.

Do you have a similar experience? Tell me about it below in the comments section.

Sal Lavallo

Walking around town is the main way that I fill my days while traveling. I usually average over 10km (6mi) each day, but when the city is big or I'm energized I'll easily walk 20 or even 30km! Walking is the best way to see and understand a place as you get glimpses of everyday life and start to grasp the structure of a place.

It's not just that you learn the town map but, that you start to understand society. You see the small things being sold on the streets, the type of stores and restaurants that there are, you learn what public transport options exist, and you see all types of homes. All of these things teach you about everyday life. You'll also see what is advertised on billboards and signposts, what type of cars pass by you, whether there are sidewalks and sewers or just dirt paths and open gulleys, and how many banks and phone providers there are, all of which tell you what the economy is like. As you walk you become aware of the level of presence of military and police, you read the slogans of various political parties (or not), and you run into foreigners and expats of different kinds, all telling you what power structures are at play.

Walking around a city is the best first-hand knowledge of a place. Of course, it complements some basic research and discussing with locals but, there's nothing like seeing it all with your own eyes as your feet push forward one step at a time.

But being a pedestrian adventurer may not always be safe. So how do you traverse around town keeping safety in mind?

Here are my tips:

Before you go out:

Know where you're going and tell people

When I go walking around town I don't have a set route. I actually like to get a bit lost and try to find my way back (always making sure I have enough money to take a taxi home if I'm really unsure of the way). But I always ask people, not just one person but multiple, about where is safe to wander.

Generally, there are four ways to consider a place in terms of safety for walking:

a. Do not go here at all. These are usually poorer, crime ridden neighborhoods where there are essentially never any tourists and no crowds or police protection.

b. Not to go to alone. Anywhere outside of town, in small neighborhoods, or anywhere else that strangers would not be seen should be visited only with extra caution. Go with someone from there, who knows the community and their way around.

c. Be extra aware. Most places outside of traditional tourist sites fall under this category. You just need to be conscious of who is around you and how safe your things are.

d. Generally safe. Nowhere is absolutely safe, but many places have no location-specific added dangers.

Don't carry anything important on you

Do not bring anything on a long walk that you would be absolutely put out to lose. Of course, this is easier said than done. But some main tips:

a. Only bring as much money as you need. I prefer to walk around with cash so that if I lose it, there's no further risk. But don't bring ALL your money. Always have extra at the hotel. Also know the important details of your credit cards so that if you do lose them, you can call and easily cancel / renew.

b. Leave your passport somewhere safe, and instead take a copy or another ID (though ask if in this specific country or the places you'll be visiting if you'll need the original).

c. Have the data and information on your phone and camera backed up. Obviously you'll want to bring your camera but, make sure your previous photos are copied somewhere else.

Don't call attention to yourself

Wearing shiny jewelry or holding your flashy phone will be noticed by people. It doesn't mean you're more likely to get in a sticky situation, but be aware that in many places without wealth, even the simplest silver or gold can be a huge sign of it. I always wear the same three things on my wrists – an industrial rubber bracelet, plastic prayer beads, and a silver chain. If I'm going on a long walk, I almost always remove the silver chain.

While you're out:

As you walk around you should focus primarily on enjoying what you see and encounter. That said, it's always important to keep your safety in mind. These few tips will quickly become second nature to you:

Protect your items

The best thing is zippered pockets on your clothing. They can't be taken off of you and you notice if they're being opened. Usually though, we carry bags. Whatever it is, keep your things close to you. With a bag, it's best to wrap it over yourself (around your neck or both shoulders) rather than just letting it hang off of one shoulder. This makes it more difficult for someone to snatch and run. Sometimes if it is wrapped around you they will try to yank it and break the strap. This can hurt quite a bit as well and likely pull you to the ground. The bag has rope straps and a cloth bag meaning that if it was yanked, the bag would rip before the straps. You can also use those clutches you wear under your shirt, but I find those annoying and incredibly unfashionable.

Stay near people, but not in crowds

There is a delicate balance between how many people make a place safe because of protection in numbers vs too many people for you to notice someone approaching vs so many people that it’s a riot situation. Always stay on the side of the street with more people, usually older women = safety, and don't go down small alleys or other streets where you don't see anyone. It might just mean it's an inconvenient route, or it could be unsafe.

Be aware of how close people are

Don't be paranoid, but do keep aware if you're being followed or watched or if someone is getting too close. Once, stopped at a crossing, I felt a man being too close to me, I moved out of the way just as his arm was reaching for my (empty, unbeknownst to him) pocket. Then we had a bit of a staring match before he quietly apologized. If you're becoming uncomfortable by a person's closeness just stop in a shop or on a corner and let them pass.

God-forbid, after something happens

Get help

If you get robbed or attacked, let someone know. If it is a pickpocket or a bag snatch, then you can even yell for people to stop them as they run off. If it's violent just give them what they want and let them leave and then go to the nearest safe place.

Know your information

If something happens in a foreign country, contact BOTH the local authorities and your nearest embassy immediately. Depending on the location and your own nationality, one or the other may be most helpful, but always talk to both. Next, contact your insurance and (if they're taken) your credit card or phone company. Make sure you're aware of where your hotel or lodging is and contact your loved ones.

Don't generalize or become forever fearful

These things happen. They suck, but they can be dealt with. Do whatever feels comfortable to you in terms of continuing or calling off your trip and take time to feel 100% at ease and calm. Do not assume that because you were robbed somewhere that that place is dangerous and lawless, these things happen everywhere. Do not blame yourself even if you're walking around at night in the "worst" part of any city in your Louboutins, with five Rolex's, and your huge Prada bag. It does not mean it's okay to be bothered. That said, understand that we do not live in the most perfect world and think again about the things above and how to best take precautions for yourself.

Safe travels out there to everyone! Please wish me the best as well as I continue exploring the world! Do you have any other tips for people walking around new cities? Let me know in the comments or by contacting me.

Sal Lavallo

"How can there be peace without people understanding each other, and how can this be if they don't know each other?" Lester B Pearson

Image: Pixabay

Nova Esperanca is a small community of the indigenous Yanomami tribes. Located in Northern Brazil, just South of the Venezuelan border. It lies on the fringes of the Amazon rainforest. Of the 200 some indigenous tribes in Brazil, the Yanomami are rare in that the language they speak, Yanomamo, is an isolate, unrelated to any other language in the world. Different even from the languages of the other indigenous communities near them, such as the Wapixana (of which some members of Nova Esperanca are) or the Pemon (a community in Venezuela I had also worked with).

Indigenous tribes all around the world are facing an evermore complex livelihood with challenges to maintain local traditions and identity while still engaging in developmental practices. In Nova Esperanca, as community members increasingly relate to their larger more universal identities of Brazilian and "indigenous", it's important to promote what is specifically and uniquely "Wapixana" and "Yanomami."

A common reaction is a defensive, closed-off, stance, clinging to how things are and eliminating connections to the outside world. However, the leaders we met are aware and inspired by the diversity and beauty of all humanity and know that learning about others and expanding our own identities does not mean losing their essence. Furthermore, they are adamant about utilizing a global world for development by connecting with other indigenous communities and learning from them.

This intersection of identity and development is why I was there. To lead a series of introspection workshops to examine what "identity" and "development" mean to this community and to draft a culturally inclusive community development mission statement. I was doing this through the NGO that I founded and co-ran, Trail of Seeds.

The chief of the village was named Alfredo, and we had been communicating with him for a couple months before we arrived. I knew that he was intricately involved not only in Nova Esperanca, but that he had a national role within the indigenous peoples of Brazil and was keen to learn more about indigenous tribes all around the world. I was eager to meet him.

When we arrived, we were greeted like visiting dignitaries. We were marked with face paint in a large welcoming ceremony as children danced around us. I had a protective necklace placed on my neck, and as the "President" of the organization, was given a small woven reed crown. Chief Alfredo and I took stereotypical handshake photos and sat at the head of the table, giving short speeches and having a small feast. The whole process for me was aided by a teammate who acted as a one-way translator as I could mostly understand the Portuguese, but couldn't speak it.

Chief Alfredo was a short, round, smiley man. He was, rightfully so, incredibly proud. He knew everyone by name and everyone seemed to love him and bask in his presence. He was like something between Santa Claus and Gandhi; a calming and reflective figure, but jolly nonetheless. A magazine I recently saw online referred to him as "A Big Chief Sitting Bull." I was instantly a fan, feeling like he epitomized a community leader not only in his attitude towards the community, but also through his vision for making their lives better. He accepted and relished in the fact that each and everyone in this world is becoming more diverse, that we are more connected, see more, know more, and are more.

We spent this first day touring the community, trying various food and drinks, and talking endlessly. We quickly formed a teasing rapport and laughed more than I would have ever expected. The conversation though was heavy, and through the challenges he explained, I saw the importance of our being there to guide these discussions.

Chief Alfredo talked of how their lives were changing fast. That there are huge generational divides as the children relate more and more to being Brazilian than to being indigenous. This becomes especially true as they leave the community to go to secondary school or university. At the same time though, the Chief accepts the necessity and importance of education. He knows it will help the tribes lead and serve themselves. For example, all the doctors in the area are white Brazilians from the larger cities of Rio De Janeiro and Sao Paolo. Having so many of the people of power and importance being "others" creates an inferiority complex. Pointing to various children he said, "she will be our first doctor!"

As he represents his tribes on regional and national indigenous councils and in various other forums, he's aware of the identity shifts this causes. How on a political stage, to fight for indigenous rights, they feel like they must homogenize, to present themselves not as 200 very different cultures, but as one thing- "indigenous". The meaning of this can become even more ambiguous on the international stage where communities from Australia, the United States, South America, and others are all united under the term "indigenous." It's beneficial to have a louder voice and to learn from others, but he wants his community to feel the meaning of being "Wapixana" and "Yanomami".

He finds pride in the tribal specificities and worries that the "identity" of being indigenous is too tied to negativity and outsider status. However, these specificities are incredibly endangered. There are less than 8,000 Wapixana and fewer than 35,000 Yanomami. He explained to me how he struggles with marriages between tribes, seeing it as a beautiful and diverse union, but nervous that the couple and their children may struggle to maintain aspects of each culture.

Of course, he admits, culture is dynamic and is always changing. He gave a poetic speech comparing the changes in culture to those in nature. Many things die and many things are born, they take different forms within different realms and must adapt overtime as situations adjust. But just like how systems of external power are ripping away the trees of the Amazon rainforest, so are they destroying the tribes within it. Chief Alfredo wants to be at the helm of the change, to understand it and to guide it, to be able to critically think about what must be maintained and what is a positive adaptation. For example, he says that marrying later and leaving the parent's home is an acceptable result in order to have those girls be the community's first doctors.

Facilitating this type of thought process is why I was there. I do not know the cultural specifics and absolutely have none of the right answers, but I can ask the right questions to help Chief Alfredo and his community to reflect on what matters most to them. I hope that I opened the door the tiniest bit for these things to continue being on their minds in actionable ways, and through the micro-grants that we later gave to promote agricultural production for community school lunches, I think that they were.

On the night of that first day in Nova Esperanca we all laid in our hammocks in the Chief's hut. It is customary for guests to sleep in the room with the Chief, to continue the discourse of the day. Exhausted after the long hours of my mind racing all over the place and our legs doing the same, I could hardly keep my eyes open as Chief Alfredo told us story after story and insight after insight. At the end of each, I would respond, to show I had been respectful and listening. Quickly though, my responses became shorter and slower, and the time between me saying it and the translator passing it on longer and longer. "Interesting" I'd say halfway to dreamland.

In the morning the Chief told me he was very tired because we had kept him up. Surprised, thinking he had been the one to do so, I gave a questioning look to the translator. He then explained that it is customary for the Chief to have the last word of the night, so all of my "interestings" were equivalent to saying, "tell me more!" Looking back now, I would stay awake for days to know more!

Until next time,

Sal Lavallo

Albatross was this stallion's name. White like the clouds from which those he is eponymized fly. Tall enough to look down on the earth as they do. I slowly mounted, a nervous grimace unhidden on my face.

The owner of the stables peered up to me, confused, "Are you really afraid?"

"Fear probably isn't the right word; more like aware of what he can do." I respond calmly, trying to mask any discomfort, knowing the horse can sense and then take advantage of it.

"But you said you've done this before...." she says slowly to show it is a half-statement, half-question.

"Oh I have", I respond. "That's how I know."

I rode Albatross not long ago outside of Ndjamena, Chad, but this exchange has occurred between me and guides all around the world from Mongolia to Romania and from Iceland to Kenya. At almost every chance I get to go riding, I usually take it.

I grew up riding on my birthday and special occasions with my grandmother and then for a few years my sisters and I even took weekly lessons and did a short summer day-camp for riding. But, as I got older I stopped and in the subsequent years only saddled up two or three times. Then, for my 24th birthday my girlfriend at the time got us a lesson at a stable in Abu Dhabi. We both loved it and from then on we rode on each of our vacations.

Usually we did short two hour tours where we'd walk the majority but trot every few minutes, and throw in the occasional canter. It was the perfect natural activity to complement road trips, and it was something that without a doubt she enjoyed more than I did, so it was a no-brainer.

But horses in their true essence are wiley creatures. It's genuinely a joke of nature that humans have tamed such beasts who can easily throw us off, kick our jaws in, and run off faster than we could ever dream of catching up. Not to mention how intelligent and emotional they are! Clearly the Land of the Houyhnhnm was the more understandable reality. Yet, these smart, strong beings have found themselves under our command, branded by fire, castrated (though not stallion Albatross), with metal in their mouths, and nervous me on their backs!

The best way to ride a horse is to overcome the gap of species and befriend one, to regularly and consistently ride the same horse, to feed them and clean them and to show that you have some worth and thus shouldn't be pummeled. But I don't even use the same toothbrush that many days in a row, so riding the same horse twice.... I do not.

This by no means results in it always being a bad idea to ride a horse on a fun vacation. In the right situation, with the right horse, it can be a lovely experience.

The right horse is obviously a trained one. A good horse can be controlled like a stick shift, signaled once to walk, twice to trot, three times for canter, and (I've been told) four times to gallop (I don't dare). Furthermore, and importantly, they stop quickly on command and can be steered almost effortlessly. I also like a horse that's not too hungry because yanking their heads up in the middle of a bite just always feels rude.

The right situation is a quiet environment without cars or motorbikes to scare the horse. Surprisingly, horses are very easily spooked and when they're scared it leads to an experience for the rider that is more like the mechanical bull and less like the carousel. It also helps if the horse is on a track that they know well because it diminishes surprises and is easy for them to navigate and feel at ease.

My best experience riding horses was on Sir Bani Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, UAE where the horses at the stable are happy, healthy, and calm and the track is gorgeous but not distracting in any way. The guides are also fantastic; giving information on the horses and the park. An absolute 5 star experience.

A bad experience is, of course, the opposite of the above. An untrained horse in an uncomfortable situation. For this I have two words: Work. Horse. No horse that is normally used to pull cargo, plow fields, round up cattle, etc should ever be ridden by a silly tourist. They are too used to freedom, too uncomfortable being saddled, and not used to be told not to run when they get scared.

My most negative experience on a horse was in Tajikistan with what were clearly work horses. I brought my horse too close to my girlfriend (trying to pass the camera- I still feel incredibly guilty) just as some dogs were coming up on the horse's other side. It obviously felt trapped and freaked out. What was particularly scary for us was that we were on a steep hill, and as he turned to run down it, my girlfriend jumped off, landing hard on her lower back. It was awful and I wish it had been me. In fact, it almost was about a year later in Mongolia.

As has become cliche but is nothing but true, when you fall off the horse, you should get back on (though not the same one if it's a work horse). So a couple months later she and I had what was my favorite horse experience ever, a horseback safari in Swaziland. At Mlilwane Park they have no large predators which means that the horses feel easy to ride through. You can see zebras, wildebeest, crocodiles, and more. Also, the landscape, up and down valleys with green mountains in the distance is unbeatable.

Since then, I've gone a couple times on my own. It's mostly been positive but it's always a bit scary.

It's not just about being high and going fast, or the physical aspect of sitting and holding tight. It's not even the fear of what all could go wrong. It's the weight of managing and succeeding in the balance of working with another being, a different creature. Not just a literal balance to stay up, but also a mental one; losing just enough control to accept that you're working together with something stronger than you, but not enough for it to use that superiority to take advantage of you. It's the request for the horse to do the same. It's each of you accepting your own strengths and your own weaknesses, admitting these to the other, and asking for help to be better together.

When done correctly, it can be the most divine of relationships and I know that's why so many people find an ineffable glory in riding horses, just like we do in loving another human.

At the end of my ride with Albatross in Chad, the owner and I talked more about my discomfort and she thought out loud, "The discomfort is something we must always be aware of, but it can't be fear, it must be respect."

Have you got any fears you'd like to talk about here? Things you're afraid to do, but just keep doing?

Have a great day,

Sal Lavallo

So, you're a world traveler. You've spent your time in the cultural capitals of Europe and experienced the diversity of the U.S. You've been to the touristy islands in the Caribbean or Mediterranean and gone for business to one of the mega-cities of Asia. Maybe you've slummed it backpacking in Latin America or Southeast Asia and felt adventurous glamping (glamorous camping) on safari in Africa.

Now you're ready for a "real" trip. You want to explore, to be challenged! But where should you go?

Previous I talked about Central Asia and East Africa. Check out what I have to say below about the "real" Caribbean.

The "real" Caribbean

The Caribbean is not just Jamaica and St. Barts. You do not have to stay in fancy resorts. You do not have to eat only fancy meals and drink only pina coladas. And there is more to do than beaches.

I love the Caribbean. I have visited more than half a dozen times. I briefly worked on a project there with my NGO, Trail of Seeds. And ever since seriously taking up Caribbean dancing, I've been quite invested in the culture. Here are some of my highlights of the less than oft-visited locations:

Where to go?

Most tourists know of and visit the Caribbean islands that are still under their colonial rulers: France (St. Martin), Netherlands (Curacao), the USA (St. John's), or the UK (Bermuda). However, there are almost a dozen sovereign nations in the Caribbean, each with a unique culture and history.

Here are some of my favorites:

Trinidad

Home to the most famous Caribbean carnival and its soca dancing, Trinidad has endless cultural experiences to offer. As one of the biggest islands there are also a multitude of natural sights to see, including the only real tar lake in the world. In addition to carnival culture, Trinidad is known for it's tasty food; a mix of colonial, native, and Indian cuisines, some of the favorites are chickpea doubles, rotis, blood pudding, and, my favorite, bake and shark up north at Maracas Bay. Whenever I'm in Trinidad I always gain a few lbs!

Dominica

The nature island of the Caribbean, Dominica is home to gorgeous volcanic peaks. Most of the land is protected habitat which lets flora and fauna thrive. Generally hard to reach but well worth it, you can spend your days trekking in Dominica's mountains or relaxing in the many hot springs. It is also the only location in the Caribbean with a specific area set aside for the Kalinago (Carib) People, the native inhabitants of the Caribbean who in other islands number quite few.

Grenada

I find Grenada to be the most beautiful Caribbean island. Not only does its capital city, St. George's, have one of the most beautiful harbors in the world, but all around the island are stunning beaches and sea views. The center of the island is mountainous with lush forests dotted with tiny villages and handfuls of inland lakes and waterfalls to explore. Known as the "Spice Isle" Grenada produces some of the world's finest nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, and more. On the sweet side, the people are some of the kindest in the world, always up for fun conversation, it's the only place in the world that I have picked up hitchhikers as it is somewhat of a customary expectation.

St. Kitts

Again I must admit a bias, St. Kitts is where I've spent the most time in the Caribbean. Even though it has one of the smallest populations and land sizes of any country in the world, St. Kitts is full of beauty and culture. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Brimstone Hill Fortress is one of the best preserved examples of a fortress in the Caribbean and worth a guided tour with one of the knowledgeable staff. In the South of the island you'll find the long stretch of narrow land, coming to the top of which gives you a stunning view of beaches on both sides.

How to do it:

Spend time in one place. Instead of going to a resort, book an AirBnB or another apartment sharing set-up. Book a week or two and try all the local foods, take the public transport, and get to know the people. Since nearly all of the sovereign Caribbean islands are English-speaking, this should be easier than in other parts of the world.

What to watch out for?

Really, spending time in the Caribbean is quite easy. With no visas and straight forward money systems. But there are a few things to be aware of:

Getting there: of course getting to the less-visited islands is more difficult. There are usually not direct flights from any large cities and the local airlines can be unreliable. But the extra time will pay off.Escaping the trap: Because there is such an big infrastructure for the resort-tourist, it's hard not to fall into the trap. It may be a bit further off and less clean to go to the public beach, harder to find the small unkown food stalls, or uncomfortable to wait for local transport or to not have room service at the hotel. Usually in the Caribbean though, there is always a cheaper option.Staying safe: each island has its own safety concerns. Do some research before you go and ask your host or any locals (cab drivers, neighbors, etc) what they warn against.

So there you have it! Three parts of the world that you may have never known you should visit! I'm always happy to offer tips and more specific recommendations. So reach out if you'd like to know more!

Sal Lavallo

Related Posts:

Part 1: Central Asia

Part 2: East Africa

So, you're a world traveler. You've spent your time in the cultural capitals of Europe and experienced the diversity of the U.S. You've been to the touristy islands in the Caribbean or Mediterranean and gone for business to one of the mega-cities of Asia. Maybe you've slummed it backpacking in Latin America or Southeast Asia and felt adventurous glamping (glamorous camping) on safari in Africa.

Now you're ready for a "real" trip. You want to explore, to be challenged! But where should you go?

Previous I talked about Central Asia. In this second part of my three part series, I will share tips on getting around East Africa by bus.

East Africa by Bus

Africa is not just animal safaris. In fact, I've spent more time exploring this continent than any other (and am here as I'm writing) and have only done single-day safaris! To me, the best way to see a lot and explore a true feel of this vast and diverse continent is overland in East Africa.

Where to go? The "core" countries for tourists in East Africa are: Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda. They all have easy visa regimes, friendly villages, lots of beautiful nature, and quite extensive English. From these countries you can also venture easily more southward to Malawi, Zambia, and even Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Depending on safety concerns, you can also combine Burundi, D.R Congo, and South Sudan. Ethiopia is to the north and also a good place to visit.

I've spent more than 200 hours on buses in the region and seen lots along the way. Here are some non-safari highlights:

Uganda

Known as the Pearl of Africa, this small but heavliy-populated country has endless authentic beauty and a somewhat addicting pulse to it.

I call Kampala the craziest city I've ever visited. I've never again seen so many cars and motos packed into a single lane! A couple days walking around this commercial center will have you appreciate the huge potential of the now more than one billion people on the continent (over 50% of which are under 18).

Jinja is the famed source of the Nile River where you can go for a day trip from Kampala and enjoy the views as well as activities like rafting.An afternoon on Lake Victoria, ordering grilled whole fish, with a side of matooke (smashed plantains) will be in your stomach's memory forever.

Kenya

The most quintessential East African country, the one that comes to mind for most people when they think of this part of the world. Kenya without a doubt has the most sophisticated tourism infrastructure in the region.

The road from Nairobi to Hell's Gate National Park (and further along to Nakuru) provides stunning views into the Great Rift Valley.Mombassa gives tourists an interesting glimpse into the Arab and Muslim influence on coastal East Africa and the further off havens of Lamu and Diani are not only gorgeous, but not yet overly crowded.Nairobi has a thriving art scene, with various events constantly taking place to promote the fine arts, fashion, and photography. A visit to Kuona Trust Gallery is well worth it to see what the artists in residence are working on.Nyama Chomaa is the traditional Kenyan barbecue of heavy amounts of meat served as is, with little to no spices or sauces. The meat is so yummy itself. You'll see why nothing more is required. A trek out to Olepolos from Nairobi is not only a beautiful drive, but the nyama there is some of the best.About an hour out of Nairobi you can find endless cultivated tea fields. A couple of them now offer half-day visits where you get a talk about the tea process, a tour of the property, and a yummy lunch!

Tanzania

I'm biased to Tanzania as I go every year, have a farm there, and consider it home. But really, it is without a doubt one of the most fascinating countries in Africa.

Tanzania offers the opportunity to see and learn about colonialism apart from the more widespread British, French, and Spanish you find around the world. In Bagamoyo you can see old German buildings from their time as the colonial power in the early 20th century. On Zanzibar you can experience the Arab flair from when this was the actual capital of the Omani Sultanate!Dancing and music have a big role in life in Tanzania. From the traditional "kucheza ngomba" drum dances to the modern lively sounds of Bongo flavour artists and Diamond Platinumz, a musical experience is a must in TZ!The official capital, Dodoma, in the center of the country has little to see, but the stunning landscape of large boulders is something I've seen in only a few other places around the world.For simple but delicious food, Tanzania is always my go-to. From ugali (maize meal) with sauce to rice and beans with spinach, it is nearly all healthy and hearty. Two less nutritious must-haves are vitumbua, a type of donut made from corn flour, and chips maaii, best described as a type of potato wedge omelette which sounds so obvious and easy but really is only found (and done well) in Tanzania.Tanzania is the only country in Sub-Saharan Africa to never have had ethnic violence since independence. This can largely be credited to the founding father, Julius Nyerere. Though not a site to see, having a conversation about him with any Tanzanian and learning about his "tukopamoja" and African Socialism ideologies is fascinating.

Rwanda

The land of a thousand hills, this country has one of the continents most fascinating recent historys of destruction and resurrection as well as some of the most majestic landscapes.

The incomparable tragedy of the Rwanda's 1994 genocide and its little reported / understood aftermath should be required study for all of humanity. It shows the absolute depths of evil that humanity can succumb to. However, the real lesson is the inspirational leadership and development that has come in the 20+ years since Now the country and it's capital, Kigali, is one of the cleanest and safest places on the continent. The genocide museum in Kigali as well as the memorials in Ntarama and Nyamata are where best to understand this history.

How to do it A good itinerary I would recommend is taking public buses. Doing a circle starting and ending in Nairobi or Kampala is your best bet. In total, it's about 3-4 days of busing, but with endless options for stopping along the way and would make for a good month or more. I'd say that at the minimum, two weeks are needed to see all four countries.

What to watch out for? While getting increasingly seamless, independent travel is East Africa is not easy. Some key things to watch out for:

Being noticed: Unless you're of African descent, and likely even then based on your dress, you will be noticed as a tourist. You will constantly be referred to as Mzungu (esssentially meaning white person) and your every move will be observed. This can be disconcerting to some, but in a way also provides a safety as others are watching out for you.There is a combined East African visa you can get for Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya – which you can apply for online. Tanzania offers a visa on arrival at the airport or you can easily get it at your local embassy. Bus stations: I recommend traveling by bus, but be aware that the bus stations in East Africa are hectic- you will be hounded and hounded and likely confused as to where to go and what to do. My approach is always to say to one person, "I need to go here" and let them guide you, ignoring all others. Where to stay: Every town and village in East Africa has guest houses, these can be quite simple but are usually quite cheap and clean enough. You can of course stay in nice hotels, but I've never had a problem with more middle-of -the-line or even extreme-budget options.Malaria and vaccinations: Before traveling to East Africa you will need your yellow fever vaccination certificate and whatever other vaccines your doctor recommends. You should also take anti-malarials.

Talk to your doctor about options and preferences.

Safety- I've always felt safe in East Africa. Like anywhere you must be smart. Any issues will likely not be violent (pick-pocketing or being ripped off on exchange rates or prices). If you suspect you are in danger, my first response is to always involve others – East Africans are a very communal society and so there are many Good Samaritans who will quickly assist or shame those who are doing you wrong. In many places, you should avoid going out at night alone, but just ask those around you about current situations.

A common form of transport in East African cities are motocycle taxis (boda bodas or piki pikis) – take these with caution. If you decide to, it is always better to wear a helmet. Do not feel shy to tell your driver to go more slowly.

Have you been to East Africa? Got any tips for getting around East Africa? Feel free to share below.

Feel free to hop over to the last post of this series on the Caribbean.

Sal Lavallo

So, you're a world traveler. You've spent your time in the cultural capitals of Europe and experienced the diversity of the U.S. You've been to the touristy islands in the Caribbean or Mediterranean and gone for business to one of the mega-cities of Asia. Maybe you've slummed it backpacking in Latin America or Southeast Asia and felt adventurous glamping (glamorous camping) on safari in Africa.

Now you're ready for a "real" trip. You want to explore, to be challenged! But where should you go?

What is that next level?

Let me give you some options in this three part series:

Central Asia

Many people have a silly notion that anywhere that ends in "-stan" must be a dangerous terrorist infested place. This is absolutely NOT true! Central Asia offers some of the most fascinating cultures, yummy foods, and awe-inspiring vistas on the globe. It is always my top recommendation when someone asks me where to go next.

Where to go?

Central Asia can mean many things, from the seven countries ending in "Stan" to parts of Russia, Mongolia, and even Iran. When I recommend a trip to Central Asia, I usually am referring to Kazakhstan, Uzbeistan, Tajikistan, and Kyryzstan. These all are safe nations that despite being rarely visited, have quite the infrastructure to support an independent trip (i.e not with a tour company, though there are many of those options as well).

Each of these countries is quitedifferent and have their own attractive aspects:

Kazakhstan

An enormous country with a couple modern cities (Almaty, Astana) and some truly breathtaking scenery. You can easily split a week there combining the luxury of fine dining and the high arts, with time in nature, going for long hikes and horse treks or skiing in the mountains. My favorite is a day at Charyn canyon, the second biggest in the world following Arizona's Grand Canyon.

Tajikistan

More than 95% of this country is mountainous, including the famed Pamir trail, which gives stunning views on its frighteningly winding turns over steep precipes. The capital, Dushanbe, is something of a show city, with wide boulevards, impressive monuments, and the world's second tallest flag pole. We hired a car to explore unmatchable beauty of Iskanderkul a high altitude lake named after Alexander the Great.

Kyrgyzstan

The least developed of the Stans, this means less infrastructure but also more "real" experiences. I stayed a few days in a yurt in the capital, Bishkek and took day trips out to Burana Tower and Ala-Archa Park. For me, this was the most difficult to navigate in terms of language, but felt the most authentic in terms of what we saw and ate.

Uzbekistan

The most Persian influenced of the Stans, the old cities of Bukhara, Khiva, and Samarkand were vitally important on the Silk Road and have some of the most impressive ancient architecture in the world. For the history buff, these are must-see destinations in a country known for genuine hospitality.

How to do it: Depending on the amount of time you have, I'd recommend an overland journey here, hitting a few countries along the way. You can do this largely by train or bus, though I've met a few cyclists along the way! Going overland allows you to best understand the diversity in terms of culture and nature. If you do not have the time, then Uzbekistan with its historical old towns would be my recommendation for a 1-week trip, with Tajikistan a close second because of its nature. All of these places can get cold, so make sure you go in the summer or be prepared to bundle up!

What to watch out for? There are some issues when visiting Central Asia, but nothing too heavy to deter a trip

• Language: The main issue for a traveler in Central Asia is language. Each country has its own unique language, though within all of them you can find lots of Russian speaker. So, if you speak Russian, this is easier. An added difficulty is that the alphabet (Cyrillic) is also different, so things like reading train schedules, ordering on menus, or deciphering road signs can be difficult.

• Visas: Visas in this region are getting increasingly easy for all passport holders. Currently, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are visa on arrival for most Western passports, Tajikistan has launched a new e-visa for arrival. Only for Uzbekistan must you visit an embassy, but the process is relatively simple and straightforward

• Corruption. In most of these countries there is a mild occurrence of police corruption, usually in the mode of asking for bribes at traffic stops. As a foreigner this shouldn't affect you too severely as any driver will likely pay the fee (basically an informal tax) for you. Of course, it is something to be aware of and prepared for. In my three visits to the region, I've been asked for a bribe only once, after some clever hesitation and deferring, we didn't pay. The other bit of corruption to look out for is the sever black market exchange rate in Uzbekistan which is 2x the bank rate. Keep in mind though that any conversion on the black market is illegal.

Those are my tips for your first "intense" vacation. Feel free to share some of yours below in the comments section.

For my next post in this series I share tips on tackling East Africa by bus.

'til then,

Sal Lavallo

Five of the last seven weeks I've been in and around the US. Literally, ALL around it. I've been in Honolulu, Dallas, Indianapolis, Chicago, Ft. Lauderdale, Washington DC, New York, and Boston.

Throughout my visit, people have been asking me, "How does it feel to be home? It's been so long!"

Yet, "home" is such a heavy word. It can mean a physical place, an ineffable feeling or a calming memory. Sometimes you don't know you're home until it creeps up. You suddenly realize your comfort, the way the word has entered your heart, it alters your surroundings that are seen now through the rose colored glasses that are worn.

Other times you're told you're home with a "Welcome home!", but the space you occupy feels foreign, shifted, damaged. Home can come and go and can't be forced. As much as we talk of "making a house a home" or "feeling at home," and prescribe to the actions we think will catalyze that, it’s truly a unique set of personal circumstances that create "home."

Most often, "home" starts with a house but, it's not requisite to maintain a house in order to maintain a home. I don't have a house anywhere. Even in my parents' house, "my" room has been turned into a green golf-themed office. My dresser is shoved into the closet and now floor to ceiling packed of stuff that mattered once but not anymore.

Yet, even without a single house or even a room, I have many homes and it hasn't "been so long." I've been home a lot this past year. Let me introduce you to my homes:

Evansville, Indiana

This summer will mark the 10 year anniversary that I left my childhood home in Indiana. Since then it's been a decreasingly powerful magnet around holidays or whenever I'm due for a parental embrace.

Though it's the most distant of my homes, it was also the first and is the most enduring. The things that mean home to me in Indiana are the view of the woods, my mother playing the piano and my father laughing at a sitcom. Also, the now too-rarely-opened closet full of well-worn board games and the ease within the tight-knit neighborhood where everyone, always, waves.

Furthermore, it's the nervous excitement of going out and thinking you'll see someone you recognize but don't quite remember. It’s the happiness when you do and you connect in new ways. It’s also the ability to say to others, "remember when we did that 15 (or even 20) years ago!" and having people who really know who I am without knowing all that I've done.

For me, these things can only happen in that small city in Indiana- and that's why it is home.

New York City

My relationship to New York is best defined as the cliché love-hate type. I endearingly call New York the "Center of the Universe" Why? 1. Because it's true 2. As an obscure Rent reference.

Growing up in Indiana, I always wanted to live in New York. My father grew-up in its suburbs and we would visit occasionally to see his family or to go to Giant's games where we still held season tickets. So when picking colleges, I saw my opportunity, and decided on NYU, later spending the next few years there.

Someone recently told me that they like to live in New York because "everyone who is the best at what they do, comes to New York to do it." And I think that's mostly true as it's an incredible place full of endlessly fascinating people and the most surprising of opportunities. That makes New York addicting. However, you can too easily get lost in speed of this place.

If you ask someone who has lived in the city, "Did you have a good time living there?" They'll almost always say, "It was amazing, I did more than I would have ever expected!" But if you ask them, "were you a good person while there?" The answer will be much less clear. New York doesn't allow for introspection, there's no time to think and ask yourself "Is this the path I want to be on?" Things just happen, and they happen fast.

For a long time I said, aggressively, that I wouldn't want to move back to New York. But, this past year, after spending more time there, I realize how exciting the action and opportunity can be. It's also comforting to feel connected to that, to know my way around and to have my favorite spots. New York is the home that can swallow me up. But I think I'm ready for another ride.

Mangula, Tanzania

Five and a half years ago when I first arrived in the small farming town of Mangula, Tanzania I never thought that it would become one of the most important places in my life. I was there to do the first project of an NGO that I had founded, but the meaning of my time there was so much more. I truly fell in love with the place. Everything, including the people, the culture, the language, the food and the dancing felt so right. Now I return every year for as much time as I can. It has become "my place".

It's hard to explain my love for Mangula. Even those that I've shown, the friends I've brought with me to visit, can only get a glimpse at the value it has in my life. They understand the facts: it's a place I return to annually, life there is incredibly different to anywhere else I spend so much time, I have a close group of friends who I spend every day with, I've bought a farm as a way to help and connect more, it's where I converted to Islam, and I enjoy learning and speaking Swahili, eating the food and dancing their dances. It's my place to get away from life and the world. But between these lines is a meaning, an indescribable sense of why I go and why it's so important. I guess the best way to describe it is simply, "it feels like home."

Abu Dhabi, UAE

More than anywhere else in the world, Abu Dhabi feels like home. Since January 2012, I've been based mostly out of the UAE and to me, it's the most incredible place in the world.

Abu Dhabi is special because it's both dynamic and traditional. It is always changing. For instance, constantly people from all nationalities are coming and going, new buildings are being built and new parts of town are booming. Also, there has been a palpable development in societal views. Yet there is an essence that is maintained in Abu Dhabi much more than in neighboring Dubai or Doha. Abu Dhabi feels Arab. It feels Gulfi. The local population integrates more with the foreigners and the vision of our late Shiekh Zayed and his sons, Khalifa and Mohamed, powerfully pushes the country forward while always remembering the past.

I've been fortunate in Abu Dhabi to be surrounded by others who love the city and know it well. Since it's in a constant state of change, there is always something new to understand and discuss. There are also always new lifestyles to examine with such a diverse population in somewhat strict social segments. Yet the truth of Abu Dhabi lies somewhere in the intersection of all of these stories and in many ways, by trying to understand Abu Dhabi, you are trying to understand the world.

When I first moved to the city as a student, I said it was because I studied Identity and Economic Development and that there's no better place to examine race, class, gender, and religion. I still find this true, I'm endlessly fascinated by Abu Dhabi and know that I'll never really know it and it will never really be mine.

Yet Abu Dhabi is what feels familiar and comfortable. It's where I know all the grocery stores, restaurants, and nightclubs. It’s where I run into people everywhere I go and where I feel a sense of self tied to a location. In a lot of ways, that is exactly what home is. A place that makes you feel like you, a place that defines you and who you've become.

Special mentions: Nairobi and Berlin: where the heart is

A couple of other places in the world combine a lot of the aspects of "home" but in a more subtle way.

First, outside of the US and UAE, the country in which I've spent the most amount of time is Kenya. After a handful of visits over the years, I moved to Nairobi for five months and quickly made friends and became familiar with the city. I was working there on a project intimately devoted to the community and so that also built a sense of connection with the place. Of course there was also the East African, Swahili speaking aspect that reminded me of Tanzania. Yet Kenya also reminds me of a time where I felt stressed and separate from myself, and that internal disconnect resulted in a lack of planting any sort of real roots into the city. Now when I return to the city, I feel a rush of memories and familiarity, but the sense of "home" teters only on the edge.

Next, the first place I’ve ever lived outside of the US was Berlin, where I spent the summer between boarding school and university. I worked and lived with my uncle and explored the city on my own and with my cousin. Berlin has a pulse like New York and is dynamic like Abu Dhabi and I feel like it’s a part of me as a German. When I'm there I feel a calm familiarity and a heightened sense of fascination. Yet, I don't think I've spent enough time in Berlin. Though I go every 18-months or so, it's never for a long enough time and so in most ways, it doesn't feel entirely like it is "mine."

Ultimately, the cliche, "home is where the heart is" might be the truest way to define "home". One main reason that I've been able to travel the world and feel so comfortable doing so, is because of how spread out my friends and family are. Any couch to have a long talk with a friend, any dining table set for a family dinner, any bed to share with a love- those have all been home to me.

So that was my story. Tell me below in the comments where you call home, and why.

Sal Lavallo

193 Journeys

I've always been an adventurous eater. My parents noticed early that I had no "regular" or "usual" go-to. Instead I ask for the weirdest or newest item on the menu.

My curious palate has led my stomach to be full of stinky fruits and moldy cheeses, various parts of different insects and reptiles, bull genitalia (penis and testicles on separate occasions), things we all know should not be eaten raw, things we definitely know should not be eaten fried, and too many types of brains and eyeballs to remember.

Honestly, none of it was that bad. Surprising maybe, but edible. The only things my tongue will absolutely not allow me to revisit are different animal's milk. I don't even like cow's milk (lactose intolerant) but, can appreciate the taste. But, horse or camel? No. Never again. Foul.

Eating isn't only about taste though. Smell, and especially sight play a big role in a culinary experience. With that in mind, my absolute most intense, shocking, and confusing meal I've ever had was the fruit bat in Palau.

Really though, who needs that adjective? Fruit has nothing to do with it. I guess it makes it seem a bit nicer. "I ate fruit bat" vs. "I ate bat". Taking away that one syllable makes it so much more declarative and aggressive. When saying, "I ate fruit bat" you think, "What is a fruit bat?". When saying, "I ate bat." you think, "Ozzy Osbourne."

Maybe it's supposed to be fancy, making us carnivores feel better by explaining the diet of the flesh we're about to consume - like saying "grass-fed beef". Though just as even your most healthy cow does not produce spinach-filled fillets, this bat did not have raspberries waiting inside when I cut open it's stomach.

Yea. That's not a figurative illusion. I literally cut open the stomach. Bat is not something large enough to be served in parts of any kind. There are no "choice cuts" form which to choose. You get the whole thing. Fur, wings, teeth, and all. I'll just say that again, slower. Fur. Wings. Teeth. All.

I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't what was put in front of me. A large bowl, half an inch of an onion broth, with an entire bat staring up at me. I stared back, presumably in shock, and didn't move or say anything.

The lovely waitress realized my hesitance and asked if all was okay. I wanted to say, "um not really, there is a bat staring at me with it's incisor-only smile!" But that would have been embarassing as I had ordered the thing, so I just asked innocently, "Do I eat the fur?"

Obviously feeling for how incredibly out of my league I was, the waitress simply shook her head, "no" and asked, "may I?" as she grabbed my fork and knife. What followed only added to the surreal restaurant experience, as I was (again, literally) fed by the waitress, each small bat bite at a time, as she expertly carved up the creature.

There weren't many other patrons in the restaurant (and I was the only brave soul eating bat), so me monopolizing her time seemed acceptable and I seem to remember talking and laughing throughout, but mostly I just tried to avoid that toothy gaze in front of me. It was unclear what bite would come next, what she would give me to eat, what all the little brownish-grey tubes and slices even were. None of them were particularly tasty. It's clearly eaten now more for the novelty. I imagine the locals looking on thinking, "we only ate that on really bad fishing days...". With each subsequent fork-full however, I became braver and braver.

By the time she had finished with the bulk of the body, I was feeling adventurous and decided to touch it. I grabbed it's little claw and pulled it to see if the wing would expand. It did, and the waitress, mistaking my look of amusement for one of prey-like hunger, said, "you can eat that too....but only the Japanese men do."

My eyes must have gleaned at the challenge and soon enough I was ingesting the wing, fruit bat wing, BAT wing! It was my favorite part! It was a weird middle-ground between rubber and leather. Neither of which is edible, so not sure why those are what come to mind, but honestly, there's nothing more fitting. It was yummy!

I guess I try and be adventurous with food because you never know what will be surprisingly tasty. It also makes life and traveling more of an experience and something to remember. I can't tell you what I had for breakfast or lunch that day, but I'll never forget that dinner. It also creates a connection to the culture you're visiting, it shows an acceptance, a willingness to take a walk in their shoes (mouth?). Some strange foods I've even come to really enjoy: goat's head is one of my favorite dishes. You get such a variety of meats with it!

Every country, every culture, every person has a relationship with food. We all share that. How we do it is the small difference that makes the similarity more appreciated.

After the bat, I got some tea for dessert and left a big tip for the waitress, thanking her for hand-feeding me. Then I walked out into the world changed – with bat guts in my gut.

That is one experience I will never forget about Palau.

Do you have any food experiences that you'd like to share from your travels? I'd like to hear. Feel free to share below in the comments section.

Until next time,

Sal Lavallo

193 Journeys

I was raised in the plains, but my heart lies in the hills.

Not that long ago I spent a day in the Ourika Valley of the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, near Marrakech. I planned a few days in advance to take the day excursion in the hills and had been looking forward to it - considering that the past three months have meant mainly flat deserts. But, I was not nearly expecting to be so pleasantly surprised at how wholly lifted I felt upon entering into the valley.

There is something about low-lying brown and green hills that brings me utter calm and joy. Ever since going to boarding school at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains (which I describe as the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen), I’ve always said that I find this scenery breathtaking beyond words.

This weekend I realized just how deeply the happiness from the hills is ingrained in me. In the valley I felt instantly at peace-both retrospectively reflecting on the past and optimistically looking towards the future. It was magnified exponentially when I let my guide walk a good minute ahead of me after we broke away up a private path (you needed a ladder to get to it). I walked giddily, looking up at the stark blue sky and the rise and fall of the summits, feeling the wind blowing across my loose clothing, listening for birds and the soft crackling of leaves and twigs below my feet. It was a deep experience of pure being.

Perhaps my love for these surroundings is because I used to take walks through hills like these with my two teenage loves, perhaps it is because I really grew up and came into my own in those Rocky Mountain foothills, maybe they are reminiscent of my independence in one of my first big trips abroad alone in the Andes in Mendoza, Argentina, or telling of the deep reflection and curiosity that overtook me in the hill of Rwanda and Burundi, and maybe it is a memory of the pleasant ease of success after Trail of Seeds’ project in Venezuela. Most probably it is a combination of all of these things - a glorious history of diversely meaningful experiences tied together by a shared landscape.

It’s fascinating how only a few hours in the beauty of Morocco's nature can make one feel lifted for days. I look forward to the next time the hills elevate me.

Is there a place in the world that does the same for you?

I'd love to hear about it. Tell me below in the comments section.

Until next time,

Sal Lavallo

193 Journeys