The Elephants of Lake Manyara

If you find yourself in Tanzania, I know you would enjoy a visit Lake Manyara National Park.  During one afternoon in March of 2011, I had my breath taken away buy my first sighting ever of an elephant herd.  

All in all I think there were  about twenty or so in the group.  They casually made thier way through the lush greenery eating grasses as the passed by the safari truck.  They moved with such grace and tranquility.

I think my love of elephants began here.

Please enjoy some of my favorite pictures from that day!
A herd of elephants grazing

Elephant youngster

Elephant herd makes their way over a rocky hill

Mother and child

Photo of the Moment- Bac Ha Market

If you happen to be in Sapa, Vietnam on a Sunday be sure to make the journey to the Bac Ha Market.  If you love photography, I can almost guarantee you that you will not be able to get enough of all the colors, activity and excitement of the marketplace.  Woman at Bac Ha Market, Vietnam

So Where Have You Been?

So I can't start writing about anything without first acknowledging that I have not written a post in a few weeks.   I arrived back in New York two days before Thanksgiving after nine months of travel though Africa and Asia.  I needed some time to adjust and enjoy time with friends and family.

It's be an interesting transition to say the least.  For the first week and a half a somewhat catatonic state of mind ensued.  Everyday experiences seemed surreal. 

Within a flash, I was in a supermarket in New Jersey buying turkeys!  I looked around and thought to myself, damn, we sure do use a lot of paper and plastic to package our food.  I also noticed the difference in the quality of the food! The things that we settle for in the western world especially the United States that we consider edible.... meat wrapped in plastic and Styrofoam.  Give me a fresh open air market any day!

Although I came back to a familiar setting, everything looked so new and shiny and I kept asking my boyfriend if certain things around the apartment were new.  Is this a new shower head?  Nope its the same one.  Did you change something, this place seems bigger?  Nope same apartment.  

So now what? I'll say that I definitely plan to keep writing.  I write because I like to.  

Why Stay In a Guest House Instead of a Hotel

The first thing that comes to mind when you pose this question is the question of money.  Guesthouses are typically cheaper than hotels. However there is another perspective that makes a guesthouse my first option when I travel.

Travel, in my humble opinion, is not just seeing the sights.   It's also about cultural immersion.  I try my best your best to experience life as if I were a local.  How can this be possible to feel like a local? Well for starters, I don't stay in hotels with amenities. First, spending money at that rate would dramatically reduce the amount of time that I would have to travel.  Second, I would be way too buffered from the cultural experiences that I'm attempting to have. Finally keep in mind that is some parts of the world if the locals can't afford to stay there, should I?

In China I stayed in a Hutong, in Thailand, guesthouses were the way to go. In Cambodia and Vietnam the same.  A guesthouse can vary from something that looks like a hotel to staying in a spare bedroom in the home of an elderly couple.  

Moreover for me, it's  important to support local communities.  When I stay in a true guesthouse I feel that I'm at least giving my money to an individual small business than a  large hotel conglomerate.  That makes me feel good.  In South East Asia, with the exception of Bangkok, I have stayed in guest houses.  These have mostly been run by families or widows that are using homes as a way to earn a living.  

In many cases the the experience you have while staying at a guesthouse can be more authentic.  It gives you a chance to interact with people in a way that you would not be able to in a larger environment.  The rules of the game are different.  You are not there as a tourist, but more as a guest.  In many cases the food that is prepared is done right there by the wife or owner.  You are more likely to share a beer and good conversation with a typical family than you would otherwise.  These days when it seems travel has become so commercialized, with New York City style bars and restaurant almost in every city,  I find it quite refreshing that you can travel like this.  

Your Not Dreaming, You're in Sapa

Sapa, Vietnam.  I honestly don't quite remember the first time I had heard of it.  Perhaps I saw pictures in a magazine or perhaps it was a television documentary.  In any case,  I knew that if I ever got the chance I would go for a visit.  It just so happens I'm in Vietnam for the better part of two weeks traveling north from Saigon to Hanoi. I took the night bus from Hanoi at around 8pm and arrived in Sapa the next day at around 6 am.  Within a few hours I had already arranged my guesthouse and my trekking for the same day.  

On the way to Cat Cat Village

The great thing about Sapa is that as soon as you step off the bus, you are visually rewarded with what seems like hundreds of Hmong tribes women walking about the center of town in traditional dress!They want to sell their goods or as one woman did, accompany along your trek from town into Cat Cat village, also to sell you some traditional goods. :)  By mid October, the harvest season is already over so my pictures don't show the ultra verdant landscapes usually associated with Sapa, but the scenery is still breathtaking.

Please enjoy the shots!

Looking into the valley

Hmung Woman, can you believe 6 children!

We pause to take a break during our trek, Hmong fixes her ribbon

Hmong Women walk with along side us all the way to the village