Photos never come remotely close to doing justice to the experience of watching a sunset or sunrise and the serenity of those moments. But even though the beauty is diminished in photos, they are still pretty magnificent to look at. In Yamba our hotel was right on the beach, and I watched the sunset from… Continue reading Sunset and Sunrise in Yamba
Category: around the world
Sydney, day four: Taronga Zoo
Here’s what I’ve observed about Sydney so far: the sun shines ALL the time. It’s out of control. I heard a rumor that there was bad weather before I arrived, but I’m not sure I believe it. Today I took a ferry across the harbor to the Taronga Zoo. Here is a photo of people taking… Continue reading Sydney, day four: Taronga Zoo
Sydney, day three: Bondi, Bookstores, the Galaxy, and Pie
Today was a beach day. 79 degrees. Sunny. Blue sky. I covered my ghoulish skin with sunscreen and set out for Bondi Beach via the bus. I have mastered the Sydney bus system. And by “mastered” I mean that I am capable of plugging my destination into Google Maps on my phone, following its directions… Continue reading Sydney, day three: Bondi, Bookstores, the Galaxy, and Pie
Sydney, day two: coffee, art, books, culture
The great thing about being jetlagged when you’ve headed west is that getting up in the morning is incredibly easy. (Staying up past 8pm: not so easy.) I hopped out of bed nice and early this morning, planned out my day, showered & got ready, and was at Pier 8 Cafe on the waterfront for… Continue reading Sydney, day two: coffee, art, books, culture
The Royal Botanic Garden
I’m here! I’m in Sydney! My flights to Australia were surprisingly good. I flew Air New Zealand, and when I booked the flights I paid a little more for an exit row for the 13 hour leg, which was arguably the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. It was a huge exit row… Continue reading The Royal Botanic Garden
Packing: Books
M——l asked me a really great question in the comments today: “I know you primarily as a reader (so much so that I have you labeled “Emily Reader” in my feed to avoid confusion with the Emily who likes knitting), and I’d be interested in hearing your book plans for the trip. Are you bringing… Continue reading Packing: Books
San Francisco
If you’re going to leave your friends, family, home, city, possessions, and everything familiar to you for four months to travel solo around the world, I recommend that your very first stop be somewhere where you have a friend already, to ease into the adventure a bit. If possible, to the home of two of… Continue reading San Francisco
Travel Resolutions
This morning I am setting out to travel around the world. These are my resolutions. 1. Take each day one day at a time. This is the most important thing I want to keep at the front of my mind. When I get overwhelmed or scared thinking about being on the road by myself for… Continue reading Travel Resolutions
Packing: Tech
In the past few months, one of the main things on my mind has been: HOW IN THE HECK DO I PACK FOR FOUR MONTHS ABROAD? 16 countries, 3 continents, all 4 seasons, city explorations, hiking and adventures, arctic boat expedition, 8 day bike tour, 1 backpack. Since I spent so much time researching and… Continue reading Packing: Tech
Around the World Itinerary – Send me your sightseeing recommendations!
After four months of planning, I’ve finally finished the outline / itinerary of my around the world trip! If you’d like to see it in Google Map form, I created this. I’m joining up with a few adventure travel tours, and doing a bike tour in France and an Arctic expedition cruise in Norway, but… Continue reading Around the World Itinerary – Send me your sightseeing recommendations!
Endlessly Changing Horizon
I am currently in the middle of listening to the audiobook of Into the Wild, and this passage from a letter Christopher McCandless wrote to Ron Franz is absolutely stunning. “I’d like to repeat the advice I gave you before, in that I think you really should make a radical change in your lifestyle and… Continue reading Endlessly Changing Horizon
Conceptual Paths
Last week, I gave notice at my work. My last day will be February 7th. On March 3rd I am getting on a plane headed west, and I will return from the other direction four months later. In other words, I quit my job and I am traveling around the world. Here are some of… Continue reading Conceptual Paths