“For her worth is far above rubies…Strength & honor are her clothing; She shall rejoice in time to come” Proverbs 31
wan·der·lust: a strong desire to travel
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“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta
Europe
South
America
Africa
US &
Canada
Caribbean
Oceania
Asia
Backpacking Europe
Berlin, Germany
First leg of backpacking Europe, May 2014
Brandenburg Gate - my first real glimpse of Europe. We were here during the world cup. They set up a mammoth screen here and played the games in the city center for hundreds of people.
(Left) Berlin Cathedral
(Right and bottom left) Holocaust Concentration camp. Such an incredibly powerful and sobering place to lay eyes on, it was overwelming to think of the horrendous tragedies that took place where I was standing 70-80 years prior.
Favorite little cafe in all of Europe. My sister and I stumbled on this and felt like it was the picture perfect idea of a European cafe
(Left) Remains of Berlin Wall
Plitvice Lakes & Dubrovnik, Croatia
Second European country June 2014
In the northern part of the country, Plitvice Lakes. It was pouring rain most of the time we were there but it was still beautiful. It was quite chilly as well, we all woke up sick the next day.
(Left) Walking along the city walls of Dubrovnik. I would consider this one of my top 5 favorite cities abroad.
(Left) We could not find our airbnb outside of the city of Dubrovnik. When we got off the bus we still had a bit of a walk but got lost. There was no shoulder along the main highway and a fairly steep slope on the other side, so we teetered between being hit by very fast vehicles and falling down the embankment for a significant period of time not knowing where we were going. We were all sick as well so we all slumped into discouragement. We stopped and prayed and finally found our way. We were greeted by the most generous and hospitable airbnb host. We believe he felt like he needed to adopt these sickly children that shockingly walked to his home. He catered and pampered us our whole stay. He insisted on driving to at least five different groceries stores for us to find peanut butter, since it is apparently extremely rare in Croatia.
(Right) Dubrovnik city center
(Left) View from our airbnb when we woke up in our sickness. I don't know if it was my altered health affecting my emotions but this was the first of two times I teared up from witnessing such beauty.
(Right) Dubrovnik city walls along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea
Kotor, Montenegro
Third European destination June 2014
(Left) View as we were walking up the city walls outside of the city. It is speculated that the Philistines in the Bible walked these walls.
(Right) This is along the drive from Dubrovnik to Kotor. It was truly breathtaking. We had not seen such dramatic, majestic views in our whole lives.
(Left) I found a hidden trail off of the walk outside the city that led to this stone church. It was such a magical, adventure moment. One of those moments in life when you are so present and treasure the pure delight of discovery. I felt so privileged to stumble upon this gem off the beaten path.
(Right) Views from the top of the climb
Old town city center in this charming little, historic city. I loved rich architectural ambience of this city. It had this mysterious , untainted charm about it.
(Left) Part of the hundreds of steps we climbed
(Right) The original four
Prague, Czech Republic
Fourth destination June 2014
Prague has rich, ornate architecture everywhere. We took a free walking tour to see as much of the beautiful designs as we could. These two photos are the city center.
(Left) A cathedral in the castle district
(Right) Another lovely architectural work in the city
I loved the colors throughout the city
(Right) Cathedral in the city center
Even the train system was artistically designed
From Prague we took a train back to Berlin, concluding our two weeks as a full group backpacking together. Two from our group left for home, while the rest of us continued.
Kolobrzeg, Poland
I called this the second leg of our trip
June 2014
(Top left) Marshall and I went to church in Berlin, Germany. We then had to rush to catch a bus to run to catch a subway train to run to catch our long train to Poland. Pictured here I am showing my condition - having to full blown RUN in a dress and a 25 pound backpack. Backpacking forced me to delve deep within to muster every ounce of strength - mentally and physically. To be in a position where it is nonegotionable to have to push yourself with everything in you builds such a sense of reslience and pride. It wasn't pretty, all I wanted to do was complain. But it made the trip all the more rich and meaningful to be in situations like these.
(Bottom right) Marshall waiting for our train because we actually made it in time.
(Top right) My cousin was living in Poland at the time so we met some of his community. We went on a long bike ride one day. This is the view before we got poured on.
(Bottom left) This is the view from my cousin's apartment.
Albania
The third leg of Europe was a mission trip with ADRA June-July 2014
(Left) After we were picked up from the airport our group leaders took us to eat. This restaurant is to this day one of our favorites. The food was so fresh and rich and flavor. A delicious bowl of pasta $3.50. We talk about this restaurant to this day.
(Right) View from the restaurant
During the first week of the trip we were able to do a fair amount of sight seeing throughout the country inbetween ministry projects. All of the scenic photos are during our drives and stops. A lot of the time I didn't even really know where I was so I really can't give any more descriptions. :)
(Right) "mowing" his pasture the way they are able - with a sickle
(Right) The second week of our trip we assisted with a camp for gypsy children in the community. This was our group of sweet kids.
(Left) I celebrated my birthday on this portion of our trip and this little guy shared a birthday with me.
This is one of my favorite photos from Albania. I love the poppies with the dilapidated stone and the horse grazing. This was along a walk in the countryside. It felt so pure and untainted.
Florence, Cinque Terre, Venice, Italy
Leg four, two weeks in Italy July 2014
Fulfilling my life long dream!
Our first city was Florence. It was beautiful and dreamy but my perception of Florence was affected by the huge hurdle we experienced there. Within probably 3-4 hours of being in Italy my wallet was stolen, despite my precautions against this - I had been warned Italy was notorious for expert pick-pocketers. Marshall and I both fell asleep on public transporation and though my bag was in my lap the thief apparently slipped the wallet out of my satchel. My passport, cash, license, credit cards were all gone. We retraced our steps, spoke to Italian police in Marshall's limited Spanish trying to get by. I followed him around the city crying. We spent the rest of the afternoon in the police station to file a report that was needed to obtain a temperary passport. The next day was spent in the US embassy - the fact that there was an embassy there was all God. I was under the impression that embassies are usually in the capital. It was a blessing I was able to obtain a passport but all forms of my money was still gone. Something happened to Marshall's credit card at the same time so we had a real money struggle to rest of our time in Italy. I seriously struggled with this but was taught a complete trust in God. I had panicked and worried so much, God taught me to let go and relax. If I had gotten stuck in Italy with no money, there are still so many worse things in life. Things happen that I can't control and I just gotta let go. This certainly made the trip more difficult, but again created a richness and authenticity.
These two photos were taken near our hostel in Tuscany, outside of Florence. It was an old monastery converted in a hostel - our favorite of the whole trip. They had family style dinners shared with all the guests. It was instant family. The beauty about backpacking and staying in hostels is you get up close and person with strangers. I know this does not sound appealing to some, but there is a special bond between backpackers - you share stories and suggestions and become instant friends.
Right is in an olive orchard on the property of our hostel in Tuscany.
Left is one of our hikes in Cinque Terre - 5 small villages along the coast. There was a train strike the day we were traveling to Cinque Terre. We banded together with two other couples going to the same destination, to try to figure out how to get there. Again, instant friends. We landed on the idea of all pitching in and renting a vehicle together. Just as we came to the conclusion we found one lone train making our stop leaving within minutes. We all raced together and boarded the train seconds before it pulled out.
The breathtaking views from these charming, quaint little towns were some of my favorites of the trip. The towns are close enough that you can take couple hour hikes between or short little train trips. We loved the area so much we extended our time here.
Venice was a dream come true and a bit of a nightmare at the same time. It was at this point that we were really starting to feel the money problem. We spent a couple nights "homeless" on the streets of Venice. I don't say this to complain or make anyone feel sorry for me. I mean, I was in the dream destination! It created a huge sense of gratitude for all that I take for granted. When I was tempted to feel sorry for myself God had the most beautiful message for me. The bottom left photo is what we were greeted with when we first disembarked in Venice. The sun was rising - it was beautiful hues of color dancing over the most unique and magical waterways of the city. If that is not special enough, when you looked the other way there was a rainbow. I was astounded at God's goodness. The rainbow is literally God's promise to his people. I felt God hung that rainbow in the sky personally for me. While my circumstances were not even that bad comparatively to the horrors that can happen in this world, God still wanted to remind me of his promised to me. I was blown away by his goodness and by the beauty I was beholding.
Despire our money trouble, I was determined to still ride a gondola. I came to Italy, to come to Venice, to ride a gondola. I wasn't going to not! Because of the high touristy novelty that it is, it is rather expensive. How it happened is a miracle. We met this lovley lady who we to this day believe she may have been an actual angel. Moments after meeting her, we somehow were having dinner with her and she INSISTED on paying (huge blessing because of the money situation). She started intruducing us to her friends as her kids and displayed such kindness to us. We were sharing with her that we were planning on going on a gondola ride. And she worked a little magic and convinced a friend to give us a discount - which is completely unheard of. Apparently these Italians have one price for all of the gondolas and do not budge for any reason. God cares about the little things.
Our time in Venice was one for the books for sure. At this point I had been traveling for 6 weeks and with our struggles I was tired and easily irritable. But even still it was one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. No other place I had been had the uniqueness of the waterways. The city is truly on water, which creates an enchanting, mysterious atmosphere, It is full of life, and sumptuous food, and welcoming rich culture. I loved it.
A Night in Paris
Final European stop July 2014
Paris was actually an add on for our trip. We were able to change our return flight home easily and had friends that knew of some people we could stay with, so we figured why not! However, we encountered yet another strike in Italy - a flight strike. Our flight was cancelled, so our already quite short time in Paris was cut down to less than 12 hours. When we got there, we discovered that Paris was doing construction on their entire subway system so the maps were not correct. We spent a large portion of our time in Paris underground navigating the train system. We came up from underground long enough to see the sun set and capture a few photos at the Eiffel tower and then proceeded back underground to make it to our generous hosts before too late. We caught a few hours of sleep and then boarded for home.
So concluded my 6 weeks of Europe. It was the most thrilling experience. I loved the entire trip, creating memories for a lifetime. I was happy to be going home but cherished every moment of the experience of a lifetime. One thing I also took from this trip is that you can always travel cheaper than what you may think. It may not be plush, luxurious travel but backpacking is what added so much to the trip. It added a richness and authenticity I wouldn't trade for anything. It placed us in more positions to see how God was going to work. We met so many incredible people we probably would not have met otherwise.It allowed us to tap into an inner strength and endurance otherwise not needed. It allowed us to truly experience the culture in ways we probably would not have otherwise. It added so much depth and layers to the trip and opened so many opportunities to learn. I do not necessarily believe backpacking is for everyone, but I would highly encourage anyone who thinks they can handle it to make it happen! You won't be sorry.
Ethiopia, Africa
April 2014
My trip to Ethiopia was a last minute decision. I was already taking a 3 month leave of absence from work that was supposed to start just over a month from when this trip was. The mission trip scheduled through my work had some last minute slots to fill and I decided to jump on it.
Florida Hospital has a clinic in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and sends staff twice a year to see villagers. We spent over a week there treating patients. This was my first time on a mission trip as a nurse so it was nice to be able to use an actual skill.
(Left) On Sabbath we spent time seeing the area. These views were after a short walk. This is a lightly edited photo, only attempting to show the true colors that the photo did not capture.
(Right) Ethiopians ceremoniously serve coffee in this lovely way. To this day, I have not drank a better cup of coffee than what I experienced in Ethiopia. Smooth, rich, full flavor unlike I have ever had. A bag of coffee from Ethiopia here in the states doesn't even compare to the actual coffee IN Ethiopia.
(Left) This is it right here. Pure happiness in the cup.
(Left) Hundreds of wild flamingos
After we worked in the village we spent the weekend at a resort a few hours outside of the city. This was during our "reststop" on drive out there. By reststop I mean trying to find a tree in the great expanse that was wide enough to block you while you peed.
We took a little boat ride and saw several wild hippopotamuses. They were gigantic.
Loved the classic "African" looking trees.
We obviously weren't really roughing it here. It was beautiful.
Our next BIG international trip we want to plan is an African tour. TBD!
Brazil, South America
March 2005, 2006, 2009
When I was 14 I took my first big international trip - mission trip to the Amazon. This was my freshmen year of high school, I proceeded to take the trip my sophomore year and then my freshmen year of college as well.
My first time out of the country, in a different culture, observing a different level of poverty for the first time was pretty jolting for me. While my thoughts on mission trips has shifted a little bit, I still recommend every American teenager going on some form of trip like this. To be exposed to rest of the world teaches so much. And to get a true understanding of how privileged we are in our nation I believe is vital. To witness the disparity in what other cultures and communities may have compared to all that I take for granted is life changing. For my 14 year old self, this was a huge teaching moment for me. It was eye opening to me see the simplicity of these people's lives and the complete happiness at the same time. I was hit with the real reality of how drastically our cultures places the importance of stuff, money, and overindulges.
(Top left) A photo of a little sweetheart named Deborah. She lived next to the church that we built the first year. The second year I made the trip we stopped by the church and I was able to see her again. She remembered me. It was so special seeing her and her family again.
(Top right) The children we encountered were so openly curious about us. They were loving and such a joy. When we tried to communicate despite our language barrier they were just yell louder in your ear, sure that if they were louder we could then understand one another.
(Left) Where the Rio Negro meets the Amazon River
(Right) Giant lilly padddies - these things had to be 5-6 feet in diameter
(Left) Yes, that is a tarantula. And no, I really don't know what I was thinking.
Every night watching the sunset over the Amazon river was a really impactful experience. The river is so powerful and huge. Being on a boat in the middle of the jungle in the Amazon just had a deep, larger than life feel. It was humbling.
To continue in that vein - We lived on a two or three decker boat, sleeping in hammocks on the Amazon river. Something about that made you feel more present - more in tune with the river and the jungle, more a part of it. We truly lived on the boat. We slept ate our meals, bathed in the Amazon (it was the same water coming out of the shower so some days we just jumped in to do the job, slept in our hammocks. Til this day I still say some of my best sleep was that hammack swaying with a light breeze. It was the most "rugged living" I have ever done and at times the most fun!
This back deck of the boat was our dining room, living room for group devotions, laundry room for a clothes line, game room, meeting room...
Caribbean Islands
Puerto Rico
Anniversary April 2017 and friends' destination wedding March 2018
We actually went to Puerto Rico before and after the devastating hurricane hit. It was sobering to see the difference of the island.
Havana, Cuba
Long weekend trip summer 2018
Cuba was full of the most welcoming, kind people. The people were the most diverse in color I have ever seen. We loved the vibe in this city and of course enjoyed all the old school cars.
Favorite United States & Canada destinations
Hawaii
Family trip spring 2018
We first visited the island of Kauai - the garden island.
(Right) Photo taken from our helicopter ride, as well as the next two photos
(Left) We extended our time in Kauai for a day and decided to sleep in our jeep - woke up to this sunrise
(Right) Fresh pineapple from a pineapple farm we visited
(Left) We counted over 40 sea turtules sunbathing here
(Right) We went to Maui next. We really enjoyed snorkeling on this island. We also spent time in the biggest waves I have ever experienced - teetering between the best time of our lives and afraid of drowning.
(Left) Our morning snorkel
(Right) We drove up Haleakalā, 10,000 ft, to watch the sunset. It was truly above the clouds.
We went to Honolulu on Oahu island for a day to see Pearl Harbor. It felt a bit like hallowed ground to be on the land of that devastating attack.
Yellowstone
Continuation of family trip Spring 2018
Yellowstone far exceeded any expectations I had. It was majestic and powerful. It was a good reminder for me - I always want to travel internationally, I was reminded we have many beautiful treasures in our own country. We stayed in this huge interesting, and unique house with beautiful views.
The buffalo surrounded the car
Old faithful erupting, faithfully on time as predicted
Oceania
South Island, New Zealand
Dream trip February/March 2020
New Zealand has officially become one of my favorite places in the world. It was one of the most majestic, magical, powerful, dramatic scenes I have seen. Blew past all expectations.
We began in Dunedin, on the east coast.
(Left) Dunedin train station
(Right) Tunnel beach
(Left) Sunset from our neighborhood airbnb
(Right) Historic church in Dunedin
(Left) Mirror Lake
(Right) More Tunnel beach before we got rained on
(Left) Larnach Castle
(Right) How I began every morning in our first airbnb - our absolute favorite place we stayed
Both of these photos are stops along the drive to Milford Sound. There had recently been terrible flooding and landslides in Milford Sound. They had just reopened the roads a couple days prior, but still not to public vehicles. So we had to bus in with a convoy, which turned out to be a blessing anyway. I was just grateful we were able to go. It was the whole reason I wanted to go to New Zealand and ended up being my favorite part of the trip by far.
I cannot describe the beauty that I witnessed that day. The towering, dramatic mountains in the indigo water took my breath away. It was rugged and natural, powerful and mesmerizing.
Staggering waterfalls cascaded over the mossy cliffs, ferocious and powerful yet soft and delicate.
We drove from Te Anau to Queenstown, which become one of all of our favorites.The city is small and quaint, yet full of activity and adventure; simple but so fun.
Our favorite hike of the trip was Queenstown Hill - which felt like a lot more than a hill. These were the jaw dropping views from the top.
(Left) This is the Luge at the top of the mountain when you take the gondola up. It is the little gravity powered go-carts that go surprising crazy fast and so much fun!
(Right) Sunset on the water right in the middle of town. Along the water are shops, restaurants, music - bustling yet chill.
(Left) The famous Church of the Good on Lake Tekapo
(Right) The was the first and only day that rain did ruin our planes for the day. We attempted to see Mount Cook - the highest peak in NZ. We were unable to see it, but saw this gorgeous rainbow instead.
(Right) Lake Tekapo is the unbelievable color that it is because glaciers melt and grind rock on the way to the lake, which suspends in the water.
(Left) We continued our drive to Christ church for a couple days. This is taken in their river market. It was my favorite part of the city - that and the food :)
We finished the trip spending a couple days on the north part of the south island. New Zealand did not disappoint, and will definitely be remembered as one of my favorite trips. I felt like I witnessed God's beauty in a whole new level.
Great Barrier Reef & Sydney, Australia
More of Favorites of US & Canada to come
Continuation of the trip March 2020
We only had three days in Australia, so we really only got glimpses.
We flew into Cairns to take a day trip to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef. Man, this was an incredible experience. I swam around in awe of what I saw. Aside from many different colorful fish we saw starfish and jellyfish as well. To see one of the natural seven wonders of the world was a privilge. It also opened my eyes to what we have done to our planet. Although there were beautiful colors I could tell so much coral has died, even though it was my first time seeing it. The bleaching is evident. We have to do better.
We had a few hours in Sydney so we rushed to see the Opera house and the bridge. It was actually more interesting architecture than I imagined. The city did seem to have fun vibes even though we only got a taste.
Asia
Bali, Indonesia
Big trip continues March 2020
We continued our trip, entering into Asia.
(Left) This photo shows the terraced fields throughout the island. There are rice fields everywhere.
(Right) I love street markets like these
These photos are from Temple Lempuyang and what is called the "gates of heaven". And I understood why they call it that because it is so high. Driving up the mountain was a little terrifying with their "pretty much no rules" driving.
The sacred monkey forest was so interesting. There are hundreds of monkeys. They are free and roam in and out of the sanctuary at will.
The elephant safari was a really special experience. I had mixed feelings about it, but wrote a whole piece about that so I won't go into details here. The close interaction with the elephants was so fun for me since I have loved elephants my whole life. They are so smart and personable.
I don't have pictured here but worth mentioning is our interesting experience getting around the island. Marshall and I rented a moped. I was afraid for our lives periodically. There are no rules - pass when you want, cross traffic when you want, drive on the wrong side when you want. It is chaos but we made it out alive and live to tell the experience. It made it all the more fun to experience the culture more fully.
We actually stumbled upon this waterfall on accident. People were standing in line for their Bali waterfall photoshoot.
I succumbed to the touristy set ups. The Bali swing was basically a giant photoshoot, everyone trying to be models. But the views were really beautiful, the swings actually go really high. So it made it fun. I was glad I bought a flowy dress instead of renting one! I was thankful for that insight (thanks Mike!)
El Nido Palawan, Philippines
More Asia March 2020
We flew to the island Palawan to the city Puerta Princesa. The next day we took a five hour death bus ride to El Nido. It was the fastest, most aggressive car ride of my life. I do not know how we did not tip, I am convinced angels were holding the bus up on either sides.
In El Nido we took an island hopping tour, which was so beautiful. The whole area is gorgeous - mountainous and tropical, jagged mountains popping straight out of the water.
We kayaked here at the Big Lagoon. It is the clearest water I have ever seen.
And stopped at Commando Beach to sunbathe and drink coconut water. I know, life is hard.
Then the trip took a turn. Because of Covid19 the Filipino president instituted a domestic travel ban that would begin in two days. The only international flights in the Philippines is through Manila. We were on an entirely different island. So we took our five hour bus ride back to Puerta Princesa to try to get an earlier flight out to Manila. This was on Friday, the ban was supposed to start on Sunday and as we were at the airport all Saturday flights were being cancelled. We got standy number 15 and 16 on the last flight out Friday night. So I started looking up places we could rent for a month figuring we would be stuck. I don't know what God did but we made that flight. So I did not get to spend the time in the Philippines that I had planned, it came to a drastic halt but I was grateful we were not stranded and for the time we had there. Again, God taught me to relax and let him lead while traveling.
Taipei, Taiwan
Day layover in Taipei March 2020
Because of how fast the panic swept in from the corona virus we felt the need to change our plans and come home to prevent being stuck out of the country. We were supposed to go to Japan from the Philippines and then to Vietnam. Once we decided to change our plans we booked a flight back home that had a long layover in Taiwan so we were able to explore for the day.
(Right) National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
(Right) World Trade Center
We spent significant time navigating the subway system but in the short time we had we really enjoyed the city. Everyone we encountered was really friendly and people went out of their way to help us. We took notice of how kind the people were. I felt this "love" sign appropriate.
(Right) National Theater and Concert Hall
So concluded our big trip. It did not end how we liked or planned but we are grateful that we got home safely and healthy. We were so blessed by the experiences we had and I will forever be grateful and cherish the memories.
Travel tracker
43/50 U.S. states, 19/176 countries, 6/7 continents
