On the boat.

Travel Tuesday for 10.1.13 : Amantani, Peru on Lake Titicaca, the world’s highest navigable lake.

Traveled: June 2010, with Alex

Alex and I made our way to Peru back in 2010 after I found a KILLER airfare deal on Travelzoo and convinced Alex we really had no choice. $220 roundtrip to Lima from JFK? It was cheaper for us to go to South America than home to MSP, we really were forced to buy the tickets. Which is also to note, for all those curious, I travel far and frequently this is true, but I do so on the cheap. I have learned the fine art of travel hacking and if you want to travel but think you can’t afford it, we should chat. Travel is for all my friends, not just the big bank accounts.

Anyhow, on our trip we made our way through Lima, Arequipa, Cuzco, Machu Picchu, and Puno as a gateway to Lake Titicaca. Lake Titicaca is incredible, not only for the beautiful mountain scenery, but for the altitude. Be sure to give yourself time to adjust. We knew we wanted to get out on the lake, and it turned out you can grab a local boat to one of the islands, and Amantaní seemed the most off the beaten path still offering a homestay. We ended up spending the night with the boat captain’s family and had the most wonderful experience in a beautiful place.  You have not seen stars and galaxies until you gaze up at the night sky in a place like this, absolutely breathtaking.

Rocky beach shores of Amantaní.

Views from our homestay.

So much corn!

This island was FULL of sheep!

Ruins atop the island.

Two local women make their way uphill.

Travel Tuesday 9.24.13: Tokyo, Japan!

Traveled: June 2008 & September 2013 with Alex

This is going to be a short post today as I’m struggling to keep my eyes open from jet lag, but I figured it would be appropriate to post a Travel Tuesday of Japan as I just returned from a quick trip! These photos are actually from our first trip in 2008, a quick day layover on our way back from South East Asia. Japan is a fascinating place and I had a wonderful time exploring the country, as much of a whirlwind as this tour was.

More photos to come once I unpack my suitcase!

Fortunes at a local shrine.

Kelly and Ian were my last wedding of the season in Vermont, a few weeks before I moved back to NYC. (Side note: Vermont couples, I’m still willing and happy to head back north! ) I could not have asked for a better send off. Kelly and Ian were wonderful: super fun and laid back, and happy to tromp all over the farm to make loads of gorgeous photos!

These two came up to the mountains from North Carolina and had a beautiful wedding at one of my new favorite venues, the West Monitor Barn in Richmond, VT.  As giving back to the community has always been a part of my business, working with venues that promote the same ideals is always a treat.

From their website: “All proceeds from renting the West Monitor Barn go towards funding Vermont Youth Conservation Corps (VYCC) programs, which employ over 300 young people to work on high-priority conservation and education projects across the state of Vermont each year.” How great is that?

Kelly’s beautiful fresh flowers!

We started off with a first look, one of my favorite ways to kick off photo taking. Then we were off to wander the farm on this lovely sunny day!

Big red barns and lovely couples = a happy photographer.

As I’m writing this post having already moved back to the city, seeing these lovely mountain views again makes me already ancy to get back in the fresh air!

Why yes, we did play in the tomato plants.

Then it was time for the ceremony, on the back lawn with the mountains as a back drop.  Kelly and Ian wrote their own vows and were married by their brothers, you can’t ask for more then that. Beautiful.

So happy!

After the ceremony, it was time for lawn games for all before the reception in the barn.

In lieu of a traditional wedding cake, they had Ben & Jerry’s ice cream cake! Yep, it was the BEST!

Right at sunset, Kelly and Ian let me steal them for a few more quick photos, some of my favorite images of the night. Golden hour with a moon rise? Yes, please.

Kelly and Ian, thank you so very much for having me, you guys were fantastic.

Best wishes to you both! Congratulations!

Patuxai Arch, Vientiane

Travel Tuesday for September 10th, 2013: Vientiane, Laos

Traveled in: March 2013, Solo

Vientiane is the capital of Laos and was my first stop in the country after an overnight train up from Bangkok. I think this place gets fairly bad rap from travelers, it’s no Luang Prabang, and the country certainly has far more beautiful jungle destinations to the north. That said, I enjoyed my day here. It was low key as far as South East Asian capitals go, and I ate well and saw some beautiful old temples. I’m easy to please. Laos, I hope to back someday soon!

Tuk-tuks. Colorful tri wheel motocycles taxis for public transport all over this region of Asia.

Oldest temple in Laos, Wat Si Saket

Travel Tuesday Destination for August 27th: Ho Chi Ming City (aka Saigon), Vietnam

Traveled to: June 2008 with Alex

Alex and I had the opportunity to travel up the coast of the Vietnam for about 3 weeks as our honeymoon trip back in 2008. As you may have guessed, we’re not really traditional travelers in the sense that we’re against all inclusive resorts for hundreds of reasons, and I also get ancy sitting around for too long. I like to see new and different places. And mostly, if we had the time, why would we NOT go somewhere cool? While we had several places on our shortlist, and I’m happy to say I’ve made it to all but one of them since then, we ultimately decided on Vietnam as having the most to offer where our dollar would go the furthest. While we got loads of funny looks when saying we were headed to Vietnam on a honeymoon, it turned out wonderfully. The country was incredible, and the people were some of the kindest I’ve met in my travels.

Saigon was our first stop, and holy moly, what an introduction to this country it was. The capital is one hell of a crazy place. If you are looking for peaceful relaxation, I can most definitely say you have come to the wrong spot. HCMC is a assault on the senses with colors and sounds and everything all at once. While I’m told India is worse, this city is kind of the most glorious complete and utter chaos that actually functions in a way that I will never understand. I could sit at a cafe and just watch the circus of motorbikes at an intersection all day. Crossing the street is a death defying act in that there aren’t really traffic rules (aside from honking, everyone honks always), you just kind of slowly but surely make your way across like a game of frogger. You have to trust that the motorbikes will make their way around you, so long as you don’t make any sudden movements. This daily adventure is a big part of why I loved it so much.

While exploring the city we made sure to hop on a xe om (motorbike taxi) and zoom out to Cholon, the chinatown part of Saigon and saw loads of interesting temples, markets, and shops. While the temples in places like Bangkok are a tourist mecca, HCMC isn’t quite as developed in the same way (at least not then) and we found we often had the places to ourselves. It’s here we found everything from colorful fruits to crazy dried herbs, to snakes in jars featured in the photos below.

Enjoy!

Racing past on the streets of Saigon.

Temple in Cholon.

Pink prayer ribbons at a local temple in Cholon.

Incense prayer coils at a local temple. The coil burns slowly until it reaches the prayers contained in the red ribbon at the top.

Colorful dragon fruit for sale at the market.

Why yes, those are snakes in a jars in Saigon’s Chinatown.

Motorbikes on the streets of Saigon.

Happy Travels.

Travel Tuesday Destination for August 20th: Dakar, Senegal

Traveled: March 2006 with Emily!

When my roommate Emily and I graduated from college way back when, we both decided that we wanted to get out and see the real world, rather then get into the “real world” that is the adult workplace.  We schemed and planned and worked and made things happen in the spring of 2006. Emily had studied abroad in Senegal our junior year, so she decided to head back there first. She left first and stayed a few months, and then I headed over to meet up with her in Dakar to start our journey! In total we traveled about 4.5 months or so until July finishing our adventure in New Zealand.

This was my first time in Africa and it was a great experience, thanks to Emily’s awesome tour guide abilities and connections. While I might have been able to manage, or so I like to tell myself, having her French and Wolof skills, along with being able to meet her host family and friends made the experience all that much better. Senegal was a fascinating place, and I hope to be able to get back to this part of the world again sometime in the future. Perhaps this time with a better camera in tow.

Western most point in Dakar, and the African continent.

Boats in the harbor at Gorée Island, off the coast of Dakar.

Kelly and Ian were married yesterday in one of my new favorite Vermont venues, The West Monitor Barn. They had a gorgeous day, and they’ll be lots more photos to come!

Congrats to you both and enjoy your trip to Quebec!

Sami and Isaac are another one of my fantastic Offbeat Bride couples. Although they live in Brooklyn, they were married at Isaac’s parents house up in Rupert, Vermont. The day seemed perfectly them, and completely came together through the help of family and friends; their best friend officiated, a family member baked the cakes, and Sami crafted up a storm.

I started the afternoon with Sami getting ready. Isn’t she a gorgeous bride?

After a first look, we had plenty of time to explore the property, which was beautiful.

Love and happiness, couples like you guys are why my job is awesome.

They were married by Isaac’s best friend on the back deck, overlooking the mountains. You can’t argue with Vermont views!

Married!!

This wedding was the most craft-tastic DIY wedding ever! Sami had been crafting for well over a year and all the little personal touches were amazing. That cake spread above was one of the most delicious I’ve seen, maybe ever.

Dancing fun at the reception!

Sami and Isaac, thanks so much for having me! Congratulations to you both!!

Time to switch up the continents!

This week’s destination: Colonia Del Sacramento, Uruguay. Traveled: January 2012, as day trip from Buenos Aires with Alex

I hope you all have been enjoying these Tuesday posts. If you have any places you’d like to see, let me know! Alex and I visited the little town of Colonia as a day trip from Buenos Aires during our winter trip last year. We’d heard good things, and it seemed easy enough to hop on the ferry and hit up a new country for the afternoon. Colonia was lovely, though it was hot, as was everywhere in this region of the world at that time of year. It made for a great day trip, lots of little shops and cafes and pleasant little streets to walk around. It’s certainly touristy, but nice to escape the big city of Buenos Aires for a bit!

As it’s right on the water, there’s loads of sailing going on!

I have a thing for taking photos of decrepit doorways. I have no idea why.

Loved the little cobblestone streets.

Someday, I would like a bright blue door.

Prayer flags, which are seen everywhere all over the country, fly in the wind on a local bridge.

This week’s Travel Tuesday destination, as requested: Thimphu, Bhutan. Traveled in April 2013: visiting friends Emily and Matt!

While a more in depth post on Bhutan is certainly in the works, Matt put in a facebook request for a Bhutan feature on Travel Tuesday. (As a side note, if you have a place you’d like to see, let me know!)

I am incredibly fortunate to have amazing friends who happen to love travel just as much as I do. As undergrads in college, I give Emily full credit for making me realize studying abroad for a whole year was even an option to be considered. While I went to the land of sangria and tapas in Spain, Emily headed more off the beaten path to Senegal. That’s just the kind of awesome girl she is. When she and her new husband, Matt, announced they’d be moving to the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan for the year so Matt could complete his dissertation research, I wasn’t the least surprised.

Now, as you may or may not realize, Bhutan is not the easiest country to visit or to get to. It only very recently opened to tourism, and you have to pay a tax of $250 a day to visit with a hired guide. However, as Em and Matt were residents for the year, they were allotted a certain number of guest visas that allowed people to bypass the tax. As I have a tendency to visit people in far flung places, I immediately called dibs on one of these fancy visas, and they were gracious enough to let me come!

I feel incredibly fortunate to have had the chance to visit this fascinating country, most definitely a once in a lifetime kind of opportunity.

More photos to come, but here’s a glimpse into the city of Thimphu, where I spent the majority of my time while I stayed with Emily and Matt who were working at the local university.

The town chorten. You must walk around an auspicious number of times clockwise to earn merit.

Chiles dry in the sun. The traditional Bhutanese dish Ema Datse (chiles with cheese) is incredibly spicy!

Local street, complete with a monk.

The largest Buddha in the world is being constructed high above the city.

More on the way from Bhutan in the weeks to come!

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