When in Rome

Arriving at my hostel in Rome to a familiar face was sooo nice!! Although I LOVE meeting new people, sometimes you just don't want to do the whole "where u from, how long have you been traveling, where have you been before here etc." We got our stuff together and decided that lunch was a must so we stopped to see a few sites on the way to finding a place to eat. Our lunch ended up being the worst food thus far on my trip from a restaurant. It was a deal for pasta and beer, and well they just dished out the crap stuff to the cheap tourists haha. We finished with some ice cream as we were soaked with sweat. It was 40+ and walking all day was just not enjoyable. There were drinking fountains to fill my water bottle while walking and I drank 4 bottles without having to use the washroom due to the water coming out of my skin. My newly washed clothing are no longer clean haha. 

That night we went to an authentic pizza place and met a lady and her 13 yr old son. She had a friend who lived in Rome and typed out restaurants that were good and so since she was leaving she gave it to us. After pizza, which was amazing!! We went back to the hostel with a good buzz on due to beers lol, but then got lost on the way home and lost that buzz and had to start over. I opted for waters at about 1 because I couldn't keep my eyes open because I had been up at 5 that morning. We stuck around the hostel bar and decided we would go out on the town the following day. That night I met up with two girls from Toronto that I had met in Mykonos and then met up with them in Santorini and then spent 2 days with them in Rome!

We woke up and ventured again to some more sites. The entire city is just amazing. For you who know me well, shoulda saw me snapping pictures...I couldn't walk 3 ft without seeing something beautiful. We had lunch at one of the spots on our new list and let me tell you, it was the BEST place for salads I have ever seen. Upwards of 30 salads to choose from. It was so refreshing with again, all the sweat being produced. After walking a few more hours and stopping into the Vatican, we decided to try another spot for dinner but it wasn't open until 8 so we popped into another spot close by for our authentic Italian pasta feast. We started with a bottle of red wine (yes girls, I'm starting onto the red lol) and bread with oil and vinegar. I had fettuccine with meat sauce. The sauce was quite plain, they don't tend to use many spices but the noodles were the best I've ever had. They were so fresh and delicious. The Vatican by the way was amazing! We could not get over the artchitecture. We still have no clue how they did any of it, just stunning. After dinner, we went back to the hostel to meet up with the girls. We went out for some dancing and then back to the hostel for sleep! 

We were a little late getting out of bed so we headed straight for lunch. We then started for the Basilica. The lines were long and it was the hottest day yet, but it could of been the effects of the wine but they were quickly diminished again due to all the sweating haha. Up 320+ stairs we made it to the top of the dome for some pictures overlooking the city. Saying a prayer at St. Peter's Basilica is now checked off my list- what a building! 

We had a slow moving day but ended it by the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps. I had such a great time and so many laughs with Kristina, Veronica and Lisa. We said our goodbyes and I jumped in for an ice cold shower and off to bed. 

I am currently on a train on my way to Florence which was a very last minute decision. 

Until next time! 

Santorini

Santorini- there is nothing but amazing things to say about this place. As I was on the bus from Mykonos I met a girl from Australia and we realized we were on the same ferry and stuck together. She told me where she was staying and I remembered seeing it on the drive to my hostel which was called "Anny's Studios". We had forgotten to exchange info so I decided I would be a creep and walk to her hostel in the hopes that she would be around the social area. When I got there I could not find her so I explained to reception I met a girl named Georgia and that she was staying here but we forgot to exchange info... And just like that they gave me her room number. It was a little unnerving so know they give that info out so freely although it could be my innocent face??... Right?? Haha

Anyways, we decided to meet up the following day with her roommate Shelby from the US, and we would rent quad bikes and go see the island. What a fun and tiring day! We literally went ALL over the island. Checking out the red and black sand beaches but neglected the white sand beach as we assumed it would be like every other beach. We were gone for 8 hours and decided we should go to the "beach party". I say it in quotations because when we arrived with some other friends Shelby had met at a previous island, the party was by the beach but not on it, it was just at a bar BY the beach haha.

After some dancing and sleep, we all met up for breakfast and went to the beach and pool for the afternoon. That night we went to Santo Wines which was suggested by my friends that were there last year. We couldn't stop saying "can you believe we are here right now? This is just amazing". The wine was great, the views were stunning and we were all solo travelers brought together. Everyone we met thought we had arrived together and were friends because it seems when you meet other travelers, if you click, your instantly the best of friends and its like you've known each other for years. The downfall to this is that you are constantly saying bye to people you really get along with and will likely never see again.

Enough sap, after dodging cars on our walk back to the hostel from the wine tasting we all went to bed and met up the next day to have a full day of sun by the pool. My hostel had free laundry so we did laundry and got our tan on. That night we went to a town called Oia which is famous for its sunsets but to be honest, they were amazing all over the island. We had a few drinks and ended the night with some dinner. We met for breakfast the next morning to say our goodbyes. Georgia and I are going to try to meet up in Croatia but Shelby was headed in a completely different direction. I really hope to see them again sometime, they were such refreshing and funny people, it really was such a great time in Santorini.

Next is Rome where I will meet one of my best friends. She went to University with me and lived in Ottawa with me :)

I would like to give a shout out to my mother in-law - Happy belated birthday!

Mykonos

When I got off of the ferry, my hostel had a bus to pick everyone up. I stayed at a place called Paranga Beach Hostel. A sweet girl from NZ sat with me on the bus and we ended up hanging out for the 2 days that we were there. I also met two Canadian girls who were on vacay after teaching for the year. As you walk onto the grounds of the hostel you are immediately greeted with a view of the ocean as we sit on the edge of a cliff. There is a pool overlooking the water and on the right and left of you are beaches. It is high season at the moment so the beaches are JAM packed and not enjoyable for me, so I hangout by the pool. We decided the first night to all have some drinks. We missed the early bird sale of tickets to a big party and we thought 40 euro was too expensive for a party so we just had some drinks at the hostel.

I was unfortunate and had to room with 6 Canadians (19 years of age) and another guy from Alaska. All I cared about was that no one puked in the room. I was in bed at 2 and suddenly woken up at 8 to "HELP ME!! I'm bleeding, I need water!! Jesus guys I'm bleeding someone give me some water!!!" It didn't really phase me cause I knew they were all friends but then there were arguments and yelling but eventually I got back to sleep until 10.

I later came back to the room to find the "bleeding guy" crying to his friend claiming he didn't deserve to be yelled at, they left him at the bar etc. etc. My NZ friend, Bridie, and I ventured into the town and watched the sunset and had dinner and walked around the shops. When we got back I was exhausted and went to my room around 11 to find everyone asleep and the bleeding crying with a bandage on his leg as well as a plastic cast on his leg and crutches, I almost laughed out loud... I know, that's mean.

Anyways, the next day I was off onto another ferry to the beautiful island of Santorini !!!

Athens

After getting off the plane and gathering my bags, I headed towards the metro station to grab a subway ticket. I met a girl in line who was heading in the same direction that I was. We went down to the platform together to figure out which direction to go and which stop we needed. Turned out we were going to the same stop. As we were figuring it out, a guy asked where we were headed and he was also at the same stop. For the half hour train ride we all got to know each other. The girl had a ferry to catch that evening but the guy and I had the afternoon so decide to stick together and go see the sites.

We dropped off our bags at our different hostels and met up to venture up to Acropolis. What an amazing site! The architecture was stunning and while your up so high you have such a great view of the city. We kept swapping cameras so we could have some pictures and people kept asking us if we wanted a picture together. It became really funny, people thinking we were a couple and yet we had met only an hour prior.

After many pictures, we headed down and decided to grab a couple beer at my hostels roof top bar. I met a few Canadian girls and we all chatte until we went to bed at 10. The guy and I were on the same ferry the next day and had to be up at 5am. We had to go on the subway again and then onto a 4 hour ferry. I layed on the dirty floor and napped for a lot of the ride... Until a huge wave came over the boat and I was no longer able to lay on the floor as there were puddles everywhere.

Next stop was the Greek Island of Mykonos - known for its beaches and party life!

Egypt

I arrived in Cairo and got a taxi to my hotel. I then ordered some lunch and waited for my tour of the pyramids that afternoon. My guide picked me up and we got to the pyramids around 2:30. I had all intentions of riding a camel but it was just too cheesy and I could see how much of a money grab it was so decided against it. I had previously watched a documentary on the pyramids so alot of what he told me I had already known. The pyramids closed at 3:30 so we were very rushed. They were amazing but if I had to do it again, I would not get a guide and I would go so I had more time to explore. He was talking a mile a minute and just snapping pictures and not really even looking in the view finder haha. Regardless, I still had a good time I just would do it differently next time. 

That evening, I wanted to go back and take a photo at sunset. This was quite the adventure. I decided I would walk back cause it's super close to my hotel and get a nice sunset picture. As I started walking men were yelling things at me and it was pissing me off so I hopped in a cab. I held up 3 fingers indicating 3 pounds and said pyramids and he shook his head yes so I jumped in. Once we drove into the gates 4 men jumped right on top of the car and a man jumped in and then was like "no be scared". He explained they were closed but that he worked there and could take me inside. But i said no, I went in today and paid, all i want is a picture. so he said his blurb again at how great the picture would be inside for only 80 pounds so I said again, a little more frustrated this time that no, I JUST want a picture I am not paying again. So he was like ok well you need to go to the other side of the pyramds and I was like yes I know thats why I asked the cab driver to take me there. So then he jumps out and another man jumps in. I was like NO I DONT NEED ANYONE TO COME WITH ME I'M JUST TAKING A PICTURE!! then he starts trying to sell it to me, I interrupt him but he says no no don't interrupt just listen just listen so I listen and then I say no i just want a picture. At this point, I think im almost yelling haha. Then he tries to convince me 3 more freaking times until i'm flailing my arms and yelling hahaha. So he's like ok ok well you can go up on that roof to get a better picture and I was like no i will just take it here, get back in the cab and go the hell home!! and he was like it's free don't worry about it. So up I go. I take a couple pictures WHILE he is trying to tell me how much better the picture would be inside. I ignore him and finish and go downstairs. Before I did that, the cab driver then started yelling cause he said he didn't agree to 3 pounds so I ended up having to give him 8. So I walk down from the roof and the guys like here you can look in the store and buy some perfume, NO I said haha. So then I was like can you grab me a taxi and explain I am only paying 5 pounds please! He was like oh well why don't we walk through the village? I was like because I just want to go home!! He WILL NOT take no for an answer and there are no taxis to be seen cause we are no longer on the main road. So he said he will cut through the village until we get to the main road, I refuse but he doesnt stop walking. So I have to follow cause I don't know where I am. Men are saying things to him and pumping their fists so my initial reaction is... he is taking me to his house to rape the shit out of me... perfect! So I put the scenarios through my head and decide I will just run screaming if anything goes down. So obviously, none of that happened and we made it to the main road where he says "so if you would like, no pressure, you could give me something" so I acted stupid saying, oh like what? and he just repeats himself. I was like are you talking about money? and he was like ya I left my workplace (no you didn't you were sitting on your ass until I came along, your workplace closed at 3:30) to take you around and got you a nice picture and walked you through the village. I was like I did not want any of that yet you insisted so no, i'm not giving you any money. And then shit went dooowwn!! He starts SCREAMING at me! You damn tourists, why you come here! You damn english yada yada yada so I just keep walking, trying not to punch him and cry at the same time and then find my way back to my hotel. I finally get back and vowed that I am never leaving it again haha. So that's my story lol hope it entertained you hahaha. I will now spend the next 2 days pool side working on my tan. I did however finish  my last book and really wish I had a kobo so I could just download a new one but that would mean leaving the hotel, negotiating with a cab driver there and back and well... finding where they sold them. So I will likely not do that. 

When I went to Siwa, I had planned on staying for 3 nights. When I arrived, I was the only person in the hotel. The best part of travelling alone is meeting people, and well I wasn't going to be meeting anyone. The town was very quiet but came alive at night... when I was trying to sleep haha. Anyways, it was 8:15 and still no sign of anyone to make me supper so someone told me about a restaurant down the road so off I went. I hadn't eaten since 5 that morning but didn't really feel hungry so I just got a bowl of rice. I met a guy from Italy, he was about 55 maybe and then his friend who was from Australia, closer to my age came and met him. We talked for awhile and they decided they would come with me the following day to the desert. I met a couple of local guys at the restaurant who were very nice! The next day we were off to the desert! 

It was the most amazing thing I think I have ever seen. Huge sand dunes for miles and miles! We took a 4 x 4 jeep and I felt like I was on a rollercoaster. We would flyyyy up the very steep dune and then you would have to give enough gas to get over the hump but not too much that you would flip right over on the other side because it was a 80-90 degree drop. I still don't know how we didn't flip! I definately should have taken some Gravol before going haha. We then stopped to do some sand surfing which was really fun! And then we went to a fresh water lake in the middle of the desert and spent a couple of hours swimming there. We then went to a hot water spring and back to town. We were there for about 5 hours. I had already booked my ticket out of that town but then when I got back and after I met that girl I had wished I would have stayed for another night, just at a different hotel. We met up at the restaurant and the local guys invited us to eat with them. One of them had just moved back from Calgary so we all talked about Canada for awhile and how cold it is haha. I had a great last day there.

I will definately be back to Egypt, with at least one other person to talk to haha and then I will do all the things I had originally planned to do. I havent been able to do them due to the protests because most things are downtown and I don't feel comfortable going alone incase I stumble across the wrong street or something. It is quite cool tho seeing all of the military and their guns and tanks on the streets when I was on the bus but it's one thing to see them and then be in on the action, so for now, the hotel is my home haha. 

Hope all is well back home, miss you all !! Next, I am off to Greece on July 18th!

Nairobi AKA Nairobbery

Ma and Pa, I can tell yas this know cause i'm gone but Nairobi should have been the place you were worried about me... not Egypt. Luckily for Steven and I, we had a great time and nothing happened :) 

We arrived on Saturday and went to the mall cause all of Steven's clothes were dirty, and I mean visibly filthy from all the dust from the safari. So he got a new shirt and we grabbed some beer and decided we needed a night out on the town. We asked everyone we met to get an idea of where the best place to go would be. We ended up at a place called Gypsy bar. There were half locals, half white people. They played the top 40 so we had a blast. At 1:15 I was like, lets try another bar since I will likely never be here again. So off we went to another bar called Black Diamond. It was only just down the street, but you do not risk walking for even a minute at night, so into a taxi we went. We got there and boys of boys, I soon realized why so many women were pregnant. We were the only 2 white people, which was fine but it was the dancing that we felt so out of place with. It was a whole lot of booty shakin. That is the only way that I can explain it. If you have ever seen the YouTube video "Walley Walmart" well this is what was happening in the bar. We ended up only staying for 10 minutes. Steven was high fived by a couple of guys for "dating" me, a blond girl haha, we didn't tell them otherwise. So back to Gypsy bar we went until we hopped back in a cab at 3:45. Our hotel was on a one way 3 lane street and the way that the taxi came, we were about 100 metres from our hotel and he would have had to go up the one way. We were like its ok, we will sprint like hell to the hotel and theres a security guard at the gates.. and he thought it was so dangerous that he just went up the one way instead haha. 

When you get into a vehicle, you lock the doors. At night, noone uses the street lights or street signs because if you stop you could get high jacked, so it is safer to just make up your own rules while driving. 

We did some souvenir shopping (more me than Steven haha) and walked around the city. I took a tour to a place called Kibera which is the largest slum in Nairobi. It is the home to 1/3 the population of Nairobi. The guide took us to a school where I wanted to take home all of the children who were all orphans. We went to a women's group who were all HIV positive and trying to learn and teach their daughters how to provide for themselves instead of relying on the men. We visited a home which was one room, likely the size of an average living room in Canada. It had a bed, a couch, a coffee table, small TV and small kitchen. The toilet and showers were communal for the whole village. The issue is that to live outside of Kibera to say a small one bedroom apartment, the cost is substantially larger. So you see some people coming out of their homes very well dressed with brief cases. It was a great experience for the day but like anything else, told us alot about the charity and how much money they need. 

We finished our time in Nairobi by visiting the museum where many of the first human fossils are stored as many of them were found in Africa. There was also a snake park at the museum which was pretty cool. 

Steven's flight was at 11:30pm and mine not until 4:30am so I went to the airport anyways and slept on the floor for a couple of hours until my flight to Egypt. 

Up next, my adventures in Egypt! 

Miss yas!! 

Safari

I left the tropical island of Zanzibar, Tanzania June 29th by myself while Steven stayed back and decided that he would fly to Arusha instead. I booked the ferry to Dar Es Salaam and got a taxi to the same hostel I stayed at when previously in Dar. I decided to venture out to find some peanut butter, bread, bananas and apples. I remembered I had seen a supermarket but when I got onto the street I could not remember where it was. I saw a man with a Canada t-shirt on and asked where the closest one was and he gave me directions. The supermarket didn't sell produce so I asked the cashier who I learned did not speak English but someone over heard me and lead me to the market. I got back to the hostel and made my supper sandwich and went to bed early because the bus I booked for the following day left at 5am. One of the cleaners walked me to the bus station the next morning because remember, walking when it is dark is dangerous. 

The man who sat with me on the bus spoke very good English and taught me about some of the culture of Tanzania. After 10 hours together on the bus from Dar to Arusha, we became great friends and he made sure I had a reliable can driver who was not going to over charge me. I was dropped off at a hostel I read about in my lonely planet book. I arrived on Sunday around 4 and found out that all the restaurants were closed because it was Sunday. I was stuck again with my PB sandwiches. 

The next day, I got up early to go shop around for a safari. After dozens of emails the previous week and six stops at offices I booked a safari. The company was great to deal with as I hammered them with questions that were advised by lonely planet. I asked to see the vehicle we would be traveling in and checked that out. After leaving a small deposit they drove me back to my hostel. It was only noon so I had all day to adventure. I went for lunch at the best Indian restaurant I have ever been to. It was so good that when we got back from our safari, I went again! So after walking around and getting lost a couple of times, meeting some local people and finding a new book, I headed back to the hostel. Steven arrived at 9:30 that night and we were to leave the next day at 8:30am.

We were picked up on time and dilly dallied for a couple hours until we actually left at 11. We had 3 others with us, two guys from England and one 70 year old man from China who knew very very little english. His favorite word was "ohhhhhh". He made the entire trip interesting thats for sure. We had to drive a few hours until we got to our first park, the Tarengerie Park. Within the first 5 minutes, we ended up being so close to elephants that we could have reached out and touched them. Our guide told us to be quiet and Mr. Miyagi was just saying "Ohhhhhh". The elephant was looking right at us with its trunk up. Later our guide said sometimes they smell food and will put their trunk into the jeep until it gets the food haha. Other things we saw at this park were zebras, gizelles, antelope, ostridges (which were far less frightening when I was safely in a vehicle), wildebeest, many birds and a giraffe. We camped at a campsite and were to be up early the next day to drive to the Serengeti national park. 

The following day we drove 4 hours to the Serengeti. The first thing we saw as we entered the park were two brother lions!! After 4 hours of driving we saw many lions, 7 leopards, 4 cheetahs, many elephants, zebras, antelope, a jackal, birds and buffalo. We went back to our campsite which was in the middle of the Serengeti which was not fenced off. I woke up multiple times to sounds of elephants, hyenas, buffalo and lions. I woke at 4 needing to use the washroom but there was no way I was going out there haha.

We are to be up at 6am the next morning to do a sunrise drive. As we are driving out of the campsite, not even have driven 30 seconds.... We see 4 lions laying in the grass!! So then I knew one of the noises I heard was a lion! Luckily when they eat, they stay full for up to a week and they would much more prefer a zebra then human. We later see 3 more lions and they are so close I could have reached my arm out (likely had it bitten off) and touched them. We returne for brunch, packed up the tents and truck and headed to Ngorogoro crater where we would sleep on the rim and decend down in the morning. At this point Myagi had taken ten times more photos than I and continued to be astonished using only his favorite phrase. When his camera died it was like he was no longer interested and stopped even looking at the animals. We have supper and go to bed and have to be up again at 6am. 

We are sitting at breakfast and Myagi comes to us sooo excited and says "this morning, I went to toilet" and we were like oh very good. "And it was dark" again, we're like ya it was dark this morning. And then he says "AND I SAW AN ELLIE FANT!!! I run away and workers tell me not to stand cause Ellie fant walk there!!" We were dyyyyying!! Of course it would be him who almost gets trampled by an elephant haha. The whole 4 days the workers all joked about him because he had no clue what was even goin on so they thought it was just hilarious that he almost ran right into an elephant! 

After breakfast we packed up and went down into the Crater. This was our only chance to see a rhino but we had no such luck. The majority of things in the crater are wildebeest and zebras and into numbers of the thousands. After a 3 hour drive and a picnic lunch, we drove 5 hours back to Arusha. 

We stayed at the same hostel and decided to head to Nairobi, Kenya the following morning! 

Hope everyone had a great Canada day! When I return in September I will upload my camera safari pictures which are 100 times better than those taken with my iPhone that I posted on Facebook.

Also, I have been organizing my trip to Egypt all day and will update when it is all figured out. I will not be going to Cairo and stayed well away. I am also visiting the embassy in Nairobi tomorrow for additional information so there is nothing to be worried about. I decided to just spend more money and hire a driver for everywhere I go to avoid any public transit. I will be staying in Giza, Siwa and Marsa Metruah if you want to look it up. 

Miss everyone!! 

First Solo Experience

After 7 days in Zanzibar I had to start my trek to Arusha in order to find a safari. Steven decided that he would stay where it was warm for a couple days longer and fly to Arusha instead.

I took the shuttle to the ferry dock and purchased a ticket for the fast ferry. As I was boarding I could only see locals and thought, did they trick me into buying the cheaper and less reliable ferry but I was wrong. All of the white people ended up in VIP with me, which I did not pay for by the way haha. I just read my book for the 2 hours. Once I arrived I took a taxi to the place that I stayed last time I was in Dar Es Salaam. I had to go to the bus station to get a ticket for the next day. There were only 2 seats left and we were leaving at 5am. I got my ticket and then went and got some bread and apples for the bus ride. I had a PB and banana sandwich for supper and read the remainder of my book. I woke up at 4:15 and one of the cleaners walked me to the bus station as it is not safe to walk alone when it is dark.

The man sitting with me on the bus was very good at english and we talked for awhile and he explained some cultural things to me. He then helped me when we arrived in Arusha 10 hours later to get a taxi that would not rip me off. I got to my hostel and was starving! PB sandwiches were becoming sickening at this point haha. The bad thing was that it was Sunday and EVERYTHING is closed, so PB sandwiches it was. I was able to get a 7up. I was so tired so I showered and watched some TV and was asleep at 8:30.

This morning I started early at 8 to start my search for a good safari. The issue here is that there are over 200 "safari" companies. Some people will trick you and say they have a safari and then just take your money so I had to be very careful. After checking with half a dozen companies and taking a trip to the Travel Information Centre, I was informed that the company I wanted to go to was reputable and recommended. I then booked with them for a 3 night 4 day safari and apparenly 2 other Canadians are coming with us. I hope that is all works out, we leave tomorrow at 8:30.

One thing I have noticed while traveling solo is a lot more locals talk to me, especially the men and all I can do is laugh because all the men love the white women, and all the women hate the white women. Right now I am heading to try to track down some more books and then meet Steven when he arrives. Next post will be all about my safari :)

I want to wish Melissa and Cheryl a happy birthday and I apologize that I am late.

Talk soon!!
xo