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Dear Blog Readers,
First of all, so sorry for the lack of posting this summer.ย It had turned out to be so much busier than I anticipated.ย From research and school work to beginning contract work on the side, itโs been challenging to stay on top of posting.ย I have a plan in my head to catch up on posts, but for now, Iโll just give you some monthly highlights (with photos), and Iโll fill in the details in more posts on a regular basis now.
But before the monthly highlights, I just returned from the Cook Islands the other day, for a quick 6-day island getaway. My story of how the Cook Islands came to be seems to be an amusing one.ย Last year on Black Friday (after-Thanksgiving Day sale), Air New Zealand had a fare sale to Auckland, NZ, for under $400.ย Sales were posted to Twitter around 6 am, Eastern time.ย Being in California for Thanksgiving, by the time I woke up in Pacific time, they were sold out.ย There were Twitter rumors that Air NZ would have another sale for Cyber Saturday the following day.ย So I turned on my notifications and set a light alarm on my phone for 4 am Pacific time (7 am Eastern time).
$490 RT LAX to RAR?ย For the week of my 36th birthday?ย (9 months in the future, at this point)ย Sure, why not!ย The Cook Islands sound like a great idea.ย And it totally was!ย More on CI soon, but it was wonderful!ย Itโs a Polynesian paradise, without the crowds and big resorts.ย I will definitely be going back in the near future!
So now, that recap of my travels since April 2018!
April
- Oaxaca, Mexico with a friend!
- Eating all the corn-based tortilla products one can find!
- Day trips visiting Hierve el Agua, the Tule Tree, Mitla and Monte Alban
- Watching a donkey go round and round in circles, grinding agave for mezcal, in a roadside, artisanal mezcal distillery
- Big Island, Hawaii!
- Hives on the flightโฆ
- Photographing the Kilauea volcano and Milky Way in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
- Epic hike on lava fields
- Above the clouds, on the worldโs tallest mountain, Mauna Kea.
May
- Back to school! In Vienna
- Visit to lovely but crowded UNESCO village, Hallstatt, in Austria
- Relaxing weekend in Budapest, with a friend that I met in Nepal!
- Quick jaunt to Bangkok for some Thai massages and relaxation!
June
- Unexpected and amazing time in Slovenia!
- Cloudy, sunrise hike over Lake Bled
- Hiking at and amazing scenery in Lake Bohinj and Triglav National Park with one half of travel bloggers, Rambles on the Go
- Eating dumplings, walking around Ljubljana and recording podcasts with the Postcard Academy!
- And then, almost the whole month in Croatia!
- Starting in Zagreb, with awful allergies, lots of sneezing, and seeing the remains of failed relationships.
- Full day hike with lakes and waterfalls in Plitvice Lakes National Park, with new Canadian friends!
- Eat lots of amazing pork afterwards at Pri Zvonou, a Zagreb institution within walking distance of my Airbnb
- On to Pula, for sunsets, Roman architecture, and boats
- But wait! I was stung by a sea urchin and had to dig out all the spines from my foot by myself (cue sound: womp womp)
- Chasing sunsets in Zadar
- Hike up to Manita Pec cave in Paklencia National Park
- Lots of balcony time and strolls along the beach in Okrug Gronji
July
- Visiting with Rembrandt in the Rjiksmuseum and friends in Amsterdam
- Crashing a friend and fellow bridesmaidโs family vacation in Milan!
- Taking breaks between eating gelato, pizza, burrata and prosciutto to see Italian Renaissance classics at Pinacotecaย Ambrosiana
- Hiking above Lake Como, hearing tales of Italian-Swiss border smugglers and getting stung by way too many mosquitos
- Crashing the tail end of a different friendโs (and also fellow bridesmaid in the same wedding actuallyโฆ) 3 week European vacation, in the amazingly beautiful and wonderful alpine town of Innsbruck, Austria!
- Hiked an incredibly difficult mountain in the Zillertal Alpsโฆ (story coming soon)
- Relaxation at Aqua Dome, sparkly things at Swarovski Kristallwelten, and frequent trips to Himal Nepali restaurant, in Innsbruck
- James Bond, mountains, and Milky Way in Soelden, Austria
- Watching Carmen, performed over Lake Constance as part of the Bregenz Festival, in Bregenz, Austria! Bucket list (CHECK)
- And then, back to school in Vienna!
August
- Stumbling upon the Pride on the Canal parade in Amsterdam!
- And finally, back to America for family time and R&R!
- Watched the Perseid meteor shower and shot the Milky Way at Anza Borrego Desert State Park, an international dark sky park
- Chased a particularly foul bucket list item to disappointment, at the Huntington Library, in San Marino, California.
- Celebrated being another year older and feeling particularly thankful for the experiences I have in life
- Crossed the Pacific to the Cook Islands, where I found the perfect paradise, without overwhelming tourists and large resorts.
- Took a day trip to Aitutaki where they have the bluest, clearest waters I have ever seen in my life!
- Sat in the cockpit on the way back from Aitutaki because the owner of my villa in Rarotonga happened to be the co-pilot on the flight!
- Made friends with a group of people that kept running to each other on the island, and happened to be all on the same flight back to LAX.
And now, today, September 5th, I am in Mexico City for a few days before I head back to California!ย My life will be a bit more structured starting next week, so stay tuned for (more regular) posts and thanks for your patience!ย Hope everyone had a great summer!
Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.ย She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!ย She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.
Click on the blue icons below to follow her on social media!
Your travel itineraries sound crazy busy, but very awesome, Lannie. I can’t believe how much you’ve travelled in such a short period of time. Most people squeeze half of that into a lifetime, if they are lucky and determined. I remember a good part of your travels from other posts and from tweets, but don’t think I knew you went to Hawaii., one of my absolute bucket list top end destinations It’s amazing how you manage to connect with people and meet them again half way around the world.