PSA for Stray Dogs in Nepal

The Kathmandu Animal Treatment Centre is one of the few centers in this prominent Nepali city, catering to over 20,000 street dogs that roam the city.

This shelter and shelters like it are doing a great service, not only for the animals themselves, but for the community.
Sterilizing, vaccinating, and rehabilitating animals is a big task, but is worth it in the end if it can help keep people healthy on a regular basis.
Nepal's stray animal population has drastically increased since the earthquake that caused widespread problems.

The KAT Centre is in dire need of a new place to call home. Their landlord is revoking their lease in the coming months and while they have found a new plot of land to build, there is so much more in the process and timeline that it's looking very tight on time.

By September 2016 they are hoping to start building, which means the timeline is growing shorter and shorter.
This is not great news, but at the same time, it would be amazing if they were able to get a new place up and running, on land of their own, where they wouldn't have to worry about landlords and drama.

KAT is somewhere I will be volunteering at starting in November of this year. This whole process has been close to my heart especially since I know the struggle they are going through, dealing with moving and with consistently having work to do.
So many dogs rely on this amazing centre for help when they are in need and it would be tough to see them not be able to make it work.

If you find that this is something worth helping out, please visit their site (http://www.katcentre.org.np/index.html) and read more or help out even in the smallest way you can, with anything you can. They would appreciate anything and everything and they most definitely deserve it.

https://www.youcaring.com/street-dogs-cats-of-kathmandu-595688 

Capilano - Face Your Fears

Have you ever done something because it just looked so amazing from pictures and then proceeded to hate your decision after you did it?
Oh.. yeah me neither..

Anyways, a couple weekends ago, I had some friends visiting from different states and while my itinerary list was very long with possibilities, I had my eye set on one thing in particular, after we decided that going up to Canada would be a fun day trip (they both had never been).
The Capilano suspension bridges, while seemingly nerve wracking, were something I had been wanting to go and see for awhile, to experience them.
With a 3 hour drive up from my hometown in WA, we would spend the whole day up in Vancouver, having fun, progressively getting lost on the way back, and finding something new to enjoy together, in a way.

All of us in our right minds, didn't necessarily know what to expect from the sight we'd only seen pictures of. A place for tourists from many areas waiting to cross the threshold from nervous to terrified in a matter of a few steps. Let's just say, I was a little bit more scared than I had initially thought I would be.
I am afraid of heights and while I knew, trust me I knew, we would be walking across a very high bridge stretched between two cliffs, I guess I really didn't know what I was getting myself into.
The entire walk of fright was spent halfheartedly trying to take pictures of myself, of my friends, of the scenery, with my hand grasping the side of the bridge for moral and physical support.



I'm a scaredy cat. I have no shame in admitting that, but I know while I threw a smile onto my face, every person I walked by could see the terrified look I had in my eyes, especially as everyone passing asked me if I was ok...
The bridge itself looked very stable and that was not the most terrifying part, it was the fact that it swayed under every step, children ran on it when they were not supposed to. It really made it all worse.
Not my finest moment, but definitely worth a laugh afterwards. My friends did fine, although one was for sure in the same boat as me.



We walked across twice, did the treetop adventure, took in all of the sights, saw the predatory birds for show, and walked on the cliff walk bridge as well (also scary).
We spent a good amount of time here and saw everything we could.
We spent the rest of our day driving through Vancouver and getting a late lunch before heading home, after going the wrong way and circling through the airport.

Despite the terror, visiting Vancouver with my friends was so much fun. It was a new experience I got to have with some great people. Driving through the city and just chatting about nonsense, that's what it's all about!

Cheers and safe travels everyone!

This One is for Mom - Portland

I think everyone has heard of Portland before, at least in passing. The hipster capital of the world where coffee meets donuts and food trucks are abundant.
This place has captured the hearts of many and I would say it has captured mine too. I wish I could say I've traveled here a lot, since I live in Seattle, but within the last 10 years or so, I've only been downtown a couple times.

Being able to successfully plan and travel down to Portland with both my mother and sister, was a good highlight of this year. My mom was entirely excited to go down and see old friends and the sights, taking pictures at every turn.
Just throughout the planning process she couldn't contain her excitement.

We were able to do a couple things I didn't get a chance to do at my last go-around there, but there's still so much left to see.
Here are the things we did as well as some other sights that would be worth seeing if you ever venture there:

We stayed right downtown, near the Pearl District of Portland, which was the perfect location to get around. The hotel I chose was Hotel Lucia, which had a classic feel with modern touches. The hotel itself was nestled right in the heart of this part of the city, with attached restaurants and all. The room was awesome and suited our taste for the weekend just perfect.



The amenities they offered, while we didn't end up using any, were pretty great. Fully stocked mini bar and snack array, in case we needed it. Pillow service, ice cream service from Salt & Straw (I wish they had had my favorite flavor, snickerdoodle), basically anything you needed you could ring them for.
They also had a gym, meeting rooms, dining options, and more.

Our stay was great in the fact that we were in walking distance to the max, the Portland light rail system, that can basically take you wherever you want to go in the city.
We started off our Saturday morning right, with the glorious Voodoo Doughnuts (just blocks away from where we stayed). Who says donuts aren't a staple for breakfast?

We then journeyed our way, via max line, to the Oregon Zoo! It ended up being awesome and very easy to see all of the animals out in their enclosures. The lions were probably the most enticing, since the cubs were in their teenage years and very feisty. So funny to watch them jump on each other and even pounce and hit the window right in front of us! Crazy, but very cool!



I wish that we had gone to the Japanese or Chinese gardens during our trip, but my mom and sister had been to both so we opted out, sadly for me. If you do get a chance though, definitely go, because I've heard they're very beautiful and interesting to walk through.

The Saturday market is also very eclectic and very Portland, so we had to stop and visit as much as we could there. We actually walked around the whole place, checking out every stand and seeing what goods were available. I always talk myself out of buying things, but it was still cool to walk around. We grabbed some awesome food from there as well, lamb gyro for me!

Our night was spent with more exploring and grabbing dinner at a small quaint but fancy little restaurant northwest of us, North 45 Pub. Delicious selection of mussels and add-ons to their mac & cheese. All in all, delicious.
We were going to get drinks up at the roof-top lounge at Departure, but it was very busy. Apparently a sports team was staying at the hotel it was a part of.



Sunday morning, Mother's day, I had made reservations at the hotel restaurant, Imperial, for brunch. Let's just say, that was a great choice on my part. The food was delicious and it started off with a lovely homemade poptart. Perfect!

Portland, while being the hipster city you might know it to be, has so much character and so much to offer. The myriad of dining options and things to do is amazing. The transportation system is incredibly easy to use and makes everything that much simpler to do. Oregon, while not sounding entirely exciting, should be on your next trip list of places to go.

Cheers and safe travels everyone!

Seattle - The Emerald City

Seattle is not my hometown, nor is it somewhere I know a whole heck of a lot about, but I do love it.
This city has so much to offer in the ways of food, music, people, and scenery.

I grew up not too far from Seattle, but far enough to not very there very often. It was a place that seemed far away when I was young, but now that I'm in my 20's, I live about 20 minutes away and still don't go very often.

Seattle has it's perks, but let's start with its downfalls. Traffic and parking are top on my list for dysfunction in this picturesque city. Not only does it take awhile to get somewhere (during peak times) but if you CAN find a parking spot, it's going to cost you at least $5 (some places) unless you can find that lot that's free at off times.

             

This city is fascinating to me, not only because of the multitude of things to do, but because of the diversity of people who live and wander there.
There is always something going on to peak interest in someone.
I myself, love to enjoy good music in town, whether it's to see Hozier at the Paramount or Muse at the Key.

I also must confess while I love the city, I haven't tried too much of the food there. You really shouldn't judge though because there is entirely way too much to try! Every district has it's own billion (exaggeration) or so restaurants, cafes, pubs, etc.
I love Belltown for drinks, but Capitol Hill for the quirky places to try.



Pike Place also captures the essence of the city. Full of fish throwers, flowers and shops to entice even the most unenthusiastic of people (probably).
I love to buy pasta and tea and check out the comic book store, just for fun.

I also like to stay down there whenever possible. I like to stay at The Moore Hotel because the price is usually right and the rooms are perfect. I've stayed in their European style, two bed shared bathroom setups, which worked out fine and in one of their suites with a large bed and old fashioned tub.
It has the best coffee shop open in the morning, attached to it, Moore Coffee, which has cute foam pictures on almost every drink. Their hot chocolate tastes like toasted marshmallows.. it's the best!

Anyways, Seattle, the Pacific Northwest, will always have my heart in a way no other place in the U.S. can. It's my home and I think that I will always come back to it.

Any questions?

Cheers everyone and safe travels!

Siena, Italy Throwback - 2010

Tuscany! If you've ever been you know how beautiful it is and if you haven't you've heard of it. Sitting in a train going through the gorgeous country, wistfully daydreaming of wine and pleasantries with local Italians.

We had only been in Rome for about 8 hours before heading off to our set location of Siena, which we would be staying to see the Palio horse races for the duration of our stay. Our hostel was a little bit out of the city but the walk wasn't bad, despite the blisters I had on my feet (from the trip thus far) that would tell you differently.

Getting into the city was easy and we always had a way of going in through the same entrance, because the whole city center is walled off, we would go through the porcupine or Istrice gate.

There are 17 different contrades of Siena, which represent different sectors of the city, only 10 of which compete in the Palio (which is a 3 day event).
Everyone from our group chose which contrade they would root for. I chose the wave or Onda, although I bought scarves of a couple different ones as well.

The race was help in the center of the city, in Il Campo, which is an amazing city center where they block everyone in the middle and tie ropes and bring in dirt for the horses and their jockeys to run on.

The have parades and sing, wave flags and such before the race starts every day and then they're off! I think the winner while we were there for the whole race was the forest contrade or Selva.
It was more than a site to see and to witness this amazing event I had never even heard of until signing up for this trip.

We definitely also had our bundle of crazies within the crowd as well. We had some Canadians next to our group who had been drinking a lot (and don't get me wrong, I love Canadians!) but they don't let you out of the center once the race starts, because you'd have to go across the track and one of the girls really had to pee.
So in her state of mind, she just peed right then and there, in the center, near enough to get it on some of our groups backpacks... It was pretty gross. Thankfully not my backpack but hey, our leaders took care of it and almost got into a fist fight with the guys in their group.
Lots of yelling, it was hot, and we didn't like our stuff getting peed on. So I get it!

Anyways, even with that little set back, we had a great time. We got to see the Siena Cathedral, Duomo, which was beautiful. My friend and I had to wear little disposable skirts to cover our legs, but it was well worth it.

We also took a day trip to San Gimignano, which was awesome. Going up and getting a great view of their city from a tall lookout. Getting some of "The Worlds Greatest Gelato" which was pretty darn good (but I love gelato, so I'd like it anywhere).

I would definitely recommend a trip there if you've ever thought about it. There is a lot to see and do there, although be careful, it's easy to get turned around with all the twists and turns of the paths. There's also a lot of nice places to go in and use the restroom, without having to pay.
They also had great doner kebabs, which is one of my favorite easy fast food from Europe, so delicious!

On the way out of the city, we did make a quick stop in Pisa (which had my favorite doner kebabs of the trip!) and see the Leaning Tower. It was fun to sit and reflect and to see all the tourists "pushing" the tower in their pictures.

All in all, Italy has been one of my favorite places to travel to. The country is gorgeous, the people are mostly friendly and they have great food and places to see!

I will be writing about my favorite place in the world (so far) next week and hopefully making a post about how I pack my perfect carryon bag for my trip next week!

Cheers and safe travels!

The Beginning in Sarajevo - 2010

From as long as I can remember, Europe was always fascinating to me.
Somewhat in its history, from my ancestry, and the different legends/relics of time that were formed there. But really, for me, it was about the diverse cultures and the sheer weight of how different it was to the US.
So many countries within traveling distance of one another that I just couldn't wait to see.
Hence why I signed up for the Eurotour some teachers from my high school put on every 2 years. This trip was right after I graduated and it was the perfect timing.

At first, I was very nervous. My sister was going, which I had not wanted from the start, but thankfully I knew some other people going on the trip that I could group up with and try to keep up.

After the long flight, the stop in Frankfurt and the transfer to our night train (which was awesome because we had to stop in the middle of our trip due to lightning) it was a crazy busy start to our trek already.
We stopped in Croatia for a few hours and got to visit their amazingly beautiful Plitvice Lakes National Park. We rowed around in some cool boats for awhile and had a blast!

After this we had rented cars and drove on to our first destination of the trip, Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Initially, I didn't know much about this place, except for that it was in Europe (thankfully I knew that) but I definitely learned a lot more.
I didn't know that recently they had been in a war, until after we had gotten there. Our hostel that we stayed in had a cemetery on the way down into the city, which we walked by every day we were there.
                           

It was sad to see the ruins of the city and to know that it had happened so recently.

Our best time was just walking around the city, the views were amazing and we had a great guide. The food was amazing too! We had a traditional breakfast one morning of their well know Cevapi, which is a mince meat patty or sausage with bread.

We wandered around the marketplace a lot and would find things that we liked. We made a lot of side trips while we were here as well, like to see the Dervish house in Blagaj Tekke which was pretty awesome.

We also met up and traveled into Serbia to visit with a foreign exchange student who had been at our school. We had to be escorted by police officers and were brought to meet the mayor of the town of Priboj for a feast (which the showcased on their evening news and in their newspaper). After which we visited a monastery and a mosque and of course, watched some local basketball.
We also had the pleasure to visit Mostar, which is a really fascinating place, from the busy markets to the bridge people dive off of.

This was only the start to our month long journey. 3 days may not seem like a lot, but as you can see we made the most of our time. If you've ever thought about going, do it. While there are a lot of pickpockets in the city, most of the people are very nice and helpful.
Just be aware and wear your backpacks on the front of you, it's weird but it's not as easy for people to steal your things!

Cheers and safe travels! More to come...

Vancouver B.C. 2015

Canada is a beautiful country despite only seeing a small fraction of what it truly is.
Vancouver though, was still a great sight to see and just to be.

Planning a trip is easy. Actually going and doing this, well that's another story.
It's hard to know exactly how they're going to go before you leave, but all in all it was a pretty good trip.

Crossing the border the first afternoon was exciting for me since I'd never ventured that far North before. The border patrol lady who asked us questions wasn't rude and we passed on with ease.
The tricky part was after Surrey and getting through the horrible traffic that ensued after that (for whatever reason, it was playoffs weekend for the Canucks and we did not know this).
After sitting in traffic for an extra hour or so, we trekked on!
Driving through Vancouver and it's many parts was nice on first arrival. Obviously we were just glad to be there (late at this point) and we were ready to be out of the car for a bit.

Arriving at our apartment we had to walk down a couple blocks to a KeyCafe to pick up our keys, which was easy enough.
Booking our apartment through Airbnb was an easy task and everything seemed ok, till we realized we didn't understand the apartment ways in which to enter.
A nice French Canadian man came by and helped us though and we made it to our nice 12th floor apartment.

The city was gorgeous up there and we were satisfied with what we had accomplished so far during this trip. Just getting there was a feat in itself at this point.
That night we had our Lord Huron concert to go to at the Vogue Theatre, which we drove down to downtown and found parking with no problems.
By the time we got back to the apartment we rounded up some snacks and we were done, tired.

The next morning, after stopping off at a Tim Hortons for some smoothies and donuts (we had to) we walked to the Vancouver Public Library where we rode up all seven stories of escalators, took some pictures and read some interesting Earth books (mine was about African animals).

From here we drove back through the city and ventured our way out the the Vancouver Aquarium where we had a great time! Walking around and seeing all of the sea creatures, watching the Belugas swimming and giving us a show and all of the other mammals and fish they had there was awesome. A great time was had by all, you could tell by the children crying and the parents laughing after being soaked by a Beluga splash. Too funny.

The Jellyfish were probably one of my favorite to see at the aquarium. With the various species they had in different exhibits, it was cool to see the differences and also the similarities between all of them.

What a great experience to see the colors and the movement.
At one point I thought to myself, it makes you want to touch them (obviously, do not do this).
Just the way they look in the water looks so serene and calm. Their bodies of mostly water (90% actually) looking ethereal and soft.

The otters were another sight to see.
Their exhibit was outside and free for had great views into the enclosure to watch them swim around, float and knock into each other.

This little guy, as he passed his buddy on the way through, pushed him on the head and just kept on going.

They are interesting mammals with their dense, waterproof fur. What a cool thing to see!



The belugas were probably our favorite overall, mostly for the sheer surprise factor they brought to the table at the 2pm show.

It's funny how they had warned us not to sit so close, but in the end that didn't matter at all. Yes, even we got wet and splashed enough during the opening.

The belugas are funny and oh so smart creatures. Their trainers did a great job keeping up with them and showing us what they could do.
Waves, high fives, the use of water, and their sounds. What a sight!

Our afternoon at the aquarium was well spent and as we got in our car to head out, we were glad with the day.
That was until we went the wrong, crossed over the bridge to the North and found ourselves back tracking into more traffic (thankfully for not too long).
We did however get to drive through Stanley Park which is gorgeous, if only we had had more time to be there.
After getting back we decided food was in order and grabbed a bite at the local pub just walking distance from our apartment.
We ordered some beer and cider and a great order of poutine with our main bangers and mash.
The day could not get any better right?

As we winded down, took a nap and just rested, we also slowly got ready for our fancy dinner date up at the Cloud 9 restaurant downtown.
We parked right underneath the building in their parking garage which was perfect (no ones wants to walk in heels for too long) and found our way up to the 42 floor.
The view is 360 degrees and throughout the dinner we were able to see all of Vancouver, it is a revolving restaurant!
The dinner was amazing, salmon and vegetables with mashed potatoes. Yum!
Great date. Great food. Great views.

The next morning, our last day in the city, we decided we had a try out a recommendation one of our friends from work had given us.
Cafe Medina near Granville was highly spoken about and when we got there, we could understand that, since our wait was an hour long to eat brunch.
We walked around town to wait it out, visiting into some shops, getting candy and looking at clothes until we had to go back.
When it was our time to eat (we were pretty hungry at this point in time) we were so glad that we had waited. The food...was amazing! I'm not gonna lie, I would eat here every day if I could, so delicious.
Their little waffles allow could have kept us coming back.
And apparently the flavor of sauce to get (which is a must!) is the raspberry caramel. Just do it, you will thank me.

The main dish for me was called Les Boulettes, which was Moroccan lamb meatballs in a tomato and red pepper stew with poached eggs, raita, and focaccia bread on the side (Forgive me for the blurry picture but oh my gosh, had to capture it somehow).

This is some of the best food I've had on a Sunday afternoon and the wait was worth every single minute. It was also a great way to end our trip to Vancouver.
Driving home we could only imagine going back and what else we would do next time. Maybe take things a little bit slower, but our experience so far has been a great one.

Definitely recommended to anyone looking for a trip over the border.

Safe travels!