Oh, The Places I Went: Palo Alto

So I decided I'd mix things up this week and do a "Places I Went" post, rather than a "Place's You'll Go" post, because it's Thanksgiving break, and I've been wearing the same pajamas and sitting in my bed for the past 48 hours, and I really don't feel like going anywhere! Anyways, this week's post is going to be on Palo Alto, which is one of my favorite places on Earth. I am actually from Palo Alto, and my mom works out there, so I visit a ton, but I still get psyched every time I visit. 

For those of you who aren't really NorCal people, Palo Alto is a town in the San Francisco Bay Area, probably about 30-40 minutes away from San Francisco. It is in the heart of Silicon Valley, so it is a very fast-paced and diverse place, very different from the town I live in now, Park City. 

Palo Alto on a map of the Bay Area.
Image Courtesy of: Google Maps

Besides being the hometown of James and Dave Franco, Palo Alto is probably best known for being home to Stanford University. Simply put, Stanford is bae. It is absolutely gorgeous, in a different way than any other school you'll ever visit. It has kind of a Spanish look to it, with a lot of those wavy red roofs and stuff. There's also a ton of nature and gorgeous outdoor art, all of which are really powerful and thought-provoking (and I am not an art person at all). My favorite thing about Stanford, though, is the people there; everyone you meet there is super smart and hardworking and nice, and it makes it a really cool environment to be in.

My friends, Sage and Audrey, and I in front of the
Memorial Church in the Quad at Stanford.

Another really fun thing to do if you ever visit Palo Alto is to go see Google. I did this a few summers ago when my friends, Sage and Audrey, and I went out to a volleyball camp at Stanford. The Googleplex is freaking awesome! They've got a huge cafeteria with FREE food for all their employees and visitors, they've got a slide in one of their office buildings and "nap pods" where employees can take naps during the day. They've got a ball pit, and six person bikes, and awesome booths to work at, and free massages, and a volleyball court, and a free garden, and everything is touchscreen and shiny and rainbow! 

Sage, Audrey, and I on one of the six person
bikes at the Googleplex. 

One of the "offices" at the Googleplex.
Kind of makes me want to quit everything and
become a genius computer programmer.
Image Courtesy of: Abduzeedo

Another thing I love to do when I go out to Palo Alto is visit University Avenue. University Avenue is basically Palo Alto's Main Street. It is home to a ton of really neat (but usually kind of expensive) restaurants and shops. Just walking down University Avenue, you'll see different types of restaurants you probably didn't even know existed, like Siamese, Peruvian, and Caribbean (this place is super good). I swear there's also like twenty-two ice cream places on University Avenue, and all of them are amazing!

University Avenue at night. One of my favorite
things about University Ave is that they have Xmas
lights up year long.
Image Courtesy of: Poeschko

Palo Alto is a really fun town home to an amazing group of people and unique activities. If you are ever near the Bay Area, be sure to stop by Palo Alto; its pretty dang fun!

Ethiopia: An African Utopia*

*Before I say anything else in this post, take a second to appreciate that nice rhyme in the title there. It may or may not have required a rhyming dictionary, but it is by far the best rhyme I have made all week.

Ok. Now back to Ethiopia.

Ever since I went to a killer Ethiopian restaurant down in Salt Lake, I have wanted to travel to Ethiopia. Ethiopia is a pretty boss place. Most people don't really ever consider African countries as a travel destination, unless they are in to service work or safaris, but as I've looked into it, Ethiopia has a lot of fun and different experiences for tourists.

One thing I really want to do in Ethiopia is feed hyenas. Natives of the city of Harar, known as "hyena men," have tamed hyenas here for centuries and call them out by name to feed them from their own mouths (meaning the hyenas are literally eating out of their mouths)! Hyena men will often ask for volunteers and teach foreigners how to feed the hyenas, as well. You can watch a pretty cool video of this here.

A hyena man in Harar feeding a hyena.
Image Courtesy of: Globe Spots

I don't cook. Ever. It drives my parents insane how all I eat comes from the freezer, a restaurant, or their time and effort. In all honesty, I actually enjoy cooking; the maybe five times in my life I have cooked have been pretty enjoyable. The problem is I have absolutely no cooking skills and even less time (yes, I am aware that is in the negatives, and, yes, that is accurate). However, one day I will have time and lazy kids like me, so I will have to get some cooking skills, and what better place to do so than an Ethiopian cooking school!

Lalibela Cooking School is a well-known cooking school located in Lalibela, Ethiopia, where students can learn how to prepare authentic Ethiopian dishes. You can learn how to make injera (like a sourdough crepe) and curries and vegetable dishes. The classes are a little bit expensive, but hopefully with my future time and lazy kids will come a little bit of moola, if you're smellin' what I'm steppin' in.

Students and teachers after a class with a meal prepared at
Lalibela Cooking School.
Image Courtesy of: Food for Life

If I ever go to Ethiopia, I also want to visit Omo Valley. Omo Valley is located in Southern Ethiopia, where much of the country's "African" wildlife live. It is home to hippos, lions, gazelles, giraffes, zebras, rhinos, and all that jazz! Another thing in Omo Valley that sounds really interesting is their native people. The Omo Valley is home to about 200,000 people belonging to eight different African tribes. It is one of the only places on Earth where you can find people who are untouched and unaffected by the modern world and global culture. I think it would be amazing to see how life for these people is without any influence from the rest of the world whatsoever.

Children of African tribes living in Omo Valley.
Image Courtesy of: Wild Frontiers

Ethiopia is a fascinating country home to amazing opportunities. Although many people often overlook this amazing country as a travel destination, it has many unique and enjoyable activities for travelers. So next time you are looking for a place to go outside your usual trip to the beach or Boston or wherever, consider Ethiopia.

Away to Taipei!

This summer, as I mentioned in my about page, I went to a nerd camp in Baltimore and made a bunch of friends from all over the world, and one of the really good friends that I made lived in Taipei. Taipei is one of the biggest cities in the world, bigger than L.A. even, but when Kavya (my friend) first told me she lived in Taipei, I thought she was referring to some little Czechoslovakian village or something. To be clear, Taipei is not a little Czechoslovakian village. It is on the island of Taiwan, which is kind of its own and country and kind of not, and also, at the same time, kind of part of China and kind of not (I'm still a little fuzzy on that part). Anyways, Kavya started telling me about Taipei, and I thought it sounded really cool, so ever since then, it's been on my "Dream Vacations" list.

For any other people out there who maybe are little bit confuzzed about
the location of Taipei.
Image Courtesy of: Hackpad

Taipei 101 is the third tallest building in the world, and (get this!) it is in Taipei and has 101 stories. So far, the tallest building I have ever been in is the Empire State Building, which is 417 feet shorter than Taipei 101. The Empire State Building was pretty dang cool; it had an awesome view and gave me that tingly-kind-of-nauseous-but-not-really feeling in my stomach just looking down from on top of it. I can only imagine what standing on Taipei 101 would be like! To make it all even better, Taipei 101 is home to a six-story mall and two observation decks with 360º panoramic views!

No... It doesn't stand out at all!
Image Courtesy of: ArchiTravel

Inside Taipei 101 Mall
Image Courtesy of: Distro Home

One thing Taipei is pretty well-known for is their night markets. Night markets are common fixtures in Taiwan where you can go to buy food, clothes, and cool but totally useless crap you don't really need (e.g. a solar-powered dancing cat toy). To be honest, just looking at pictures of the night markets, they look a little bit tacky and touristy and crowded, but I might as well go for a little while I'm there, just to see what the hype's all about. (Did I say that right?) Plus, I'll never turn down a chance to buy food! Taipei is also famous for having awesome street food (a whole separate thing from the night markets), so I'd want to try a taste of that while I'm there, as well.

Shilin Night Market, the biggest night market in Taipei.
Hopefully some of those signs say "horse," "well," "child," or "woman,"
because those are the only words I can read in Chinese!
Image Courtesy of: Taipei Hostel

Finally, every year, Taipei holds an amazing festival called the Lantern Festival to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Gorgeous lanterns are hung up around the Taipei Expo Park, and there are usually fireworks, too. (And who doesn't love fireworks?!) In the last few years, the Lantern Festival has added some high tech touches; they have made some really elaborate and colorful dragon lanterns and a pretty dope Snoopy one, too. I would LOVE to go to Taipei during the Chinese New Year (usually around late January/February) to be able to go to the Lantern Festival.

Sky lanterns being released at the Taiwan Lantern Festival.
I'm not too sure how safe it is to send a bunch of firey candles
into the sky, but YOGTTTLFO (You Only Go To The Taiwan
Lantern Festival Once).
Image Courtesy of: Taiwan.net

London: Just My Cup of Tea

Number four on my list of places to go before I die is possibly the most cliché travel destination of all time. London is one of the most popular international travel destinations, and I'm pretty sure that every white teenage girl ever had London on her "Places to See" list. However, cliché though it is, London is home to some awesome accents, fascinating history, adorable parks and neighborhoods, interesting attractions, and guys wearing fluffy hats.

Fluffy hat guys in London.
Image Courtesy of: London Pictures

One super touristy thing I want to do while visiting London is ride the London Eye. The London Eye is a HUGE ferris wheel in London (you've probably seen it on TV before). The ride on the ferris wheel lasts thirty minutes, which is pretty long compared to most other ferris wheels, but you won't spend the ride burning up in the sun, sitting on a seat with chewed gum stuck under it, and staring at a parking lot, like you would on many ferris wheel rides. The capsules (people carriers) of the London Eye are enclosed in glass, air-conditioned, and very The Jetsons-esque. The ferris wheel is said to offer riders the best view of London, and I believe it after seeing this beautiful panoramic shot taken on the Eye:

View from a capsule on the London Eye.
Image Courtesy of: Collection Panorama Art

Another thing I want to do in London is visit Kew Gardens. Kew Gardens is basically the mother botanical garden of all botanical gardens. It is the biggest collection of living plants in the world and is home to over 30,000 different species of plants. Kew also has one of the world's oldest greenhouses, a four-story high treetop walkway, and a handful of gorgeous, historical structures scattered throughout the 326 acre lawn. I'm not usually much of an outdoors and naturey sort of person, so to speak, but what's not to love?

Part of the treetop walkway. In the background is the Temperate House.
That thing is massive and pretty much the Taj Mahal of greenhouses.
Image Courtesy of: The Telegraph

Kew Gardens Waterlily House.
Image Courtesy of: Wikipedia

I love public transportation. It's great, not just for the means of transportation, but also for entertainment. Some of the best people watching in the world is found on public transportation, and taking a city's public transit system, though often a long and inconvenient process, is one of the best ways to really get a sense of the culture and the people of a place. My friends, Sage and Audrey, can attest to this after our adventures on CalTrain and the New York Subway. London's main public rapid transit system, like the New York City Subway or the D.C. Metro, is called the London Underground (very creative, right?) or the Tube. The Tube is the oldest underground railway in the world and was pretty much the inspiration for all other major public transportation systems today. While in London, I would definitely want to experience a trip or two on the Tube.

A train approaches a London Underground station.
Image Courtesy of: 3 Days in London

One last thing I would love to do in London is visit Notting Hill, and not just because of its role in the Julia Roberts rom-com, but also because it has to be the single most adorable neighborhood in the history of all adorable neighborhoods. The streets are lined with markets and colorful nineteenth century townhouses, and gorgeous green parks are found spread throughout the neighborhood. To me, it looks a little bit San Francisco-y. I would move in to a Notting Hill townhouse right now, if it weren't for the fact that even the smallest cost upwards of two million pounds, which is roughly 3.2 million U.S. dollars!

Don't you just want to pinch its little cheeks?
Image Courtesy of: Travel Bites Deep

The city of London might be a pretty cliché travel destination, but it certainly has a lot to offer.  London seems like a beautiful, fascinating, and enjoyable city,  and I hope that I will be able to experience the city myself.

Costa Rica: ¡Vamos a la Playa!

I've never really gotten the whole appeal of beaches. I mean, I can go to the beach for an hour or so, but I'm usually not the type of person who is content just lying on a towel doing nothing all day. However, with weather here in Utah getting colder and colder and my pile of homework getting bigger and bigger, I can't think of any better place to soak up some sun and relax than a beach. And where can you find a beach with clearer water, whiter sand, and a more lax attitude than Costa Rica?

Like I mentioned earlier, you probably won't find me on a beach just sitting around and tanning, mainly because I'm usually not in the mood for skin cancer, but also because I just find it kind of boring. If I'm going to a beach, I want to do something exciting! If I ever get the chance to go to a Costa Rican beach, I really want to try parasailing, which is basically where you wear a parachute and get pulled by a motorboat. I also want to try scuba diving in Costa Rica, but the one time I ever tried scuba diving, I almost drowned. Twice. And that was in a ten foot deep pool, so I might have to skip this whole scuba diving thing.

This is parasailing. Looks fun, right?
Image Courtesy of: Go Visit Costa Rica

If I had to pick one beach in Costa Rica to go to I think I would choose Playa Zancudo, because it is one of the more quiet and less touristy beaches of Costa Rica, and it has plenty of recreational opportunities. Plus, it has these super cute cabins, called Cabinas Los Cocos, that are right on the beach and that I would love to stay in.

One of the Cabinas Los Cocos at Playa Zancudo.
Image Courtesy of: Anywhere Costa Rica

Another thing I want to do in Costa Rica is a little cliché, but something I have wanted to do for a very long time: I want to go on a zipline canopy tour! This is the thing they always show on reality TV where a celebrity goes flying through the rainforest, harnessed to a cable, flailing their legs and screaming. I have wanted to try this ever since I did the little zipline at the UOP when I was six or seven. The idea of soaring through the trees, going platform to platform, and practically embodying Tarzan just seems like the best thing ever to me!

HOW AWESOME DOES THAT LOOK?!?!?
Image Courtesy of: Wandering Trader

I also want to go to Costa Rica to practice Spanish. I have a goal of being fluent in four languages before I die, and so far I'm at about 1.25 (including English). I would love the opportunity to be able to converse with native Spanish speakers in real life situations, and since Costa Rica is a Spanish-speaking country, it would be a perfect place to do so. I am only in Spanish II this year, so I am not at all close to being fluent in the language, but I know how to say "windsurf," so I don't totally suck (it's "hacer windsurf," in case you were wondering).

Going to Costa Rica has been a dream vacation of mine for years. Costa Rica has gorgeous beaches, tons of exhilarating recreational activities, and opportunities to increase fluency in an influential and widely spoken language.

Mumbai: Gateway of India

Last night, my mom made some really great korma for dinner, and it got me thinking about how much I love Indian food and India in general, so I decided to make the focus of this week’s blog post an Indian city. I chose Mumbai specifically because it is much safer for women to travel to than any other really big Indian cities (*cough cough* Delhi).

Like I mentioned earlier, I love Indian food. I mean, I really love Indian food. I love Indian food so much that I cannot even begin to convey my love for it through the available font sizes. “Why do I love Indian food so much?” you ask. Well, for starters, it’s delicious. Nothing makes my taste buds happier than a hot plate of coconut curry with a side of naan. Secondly, because the majority of India is Hindu, and because many Hindus are vegetarian or do not eat beef products, a lot of Indian food is vegetarian. This makes life a lot easier for me, as a vegetarian.

If I ever go to Mumbai, I really want to get a taste of their mango kulfi (an Indian frozen dessert made with mango), vada pav (fried potato burger with garlic and chiles), and poha jalebi (a type of flattened rice). I don’t think I’d be unwilling to pay a food tour either, considering my deep love for Indian food.

Mango kulfi (mangoes are really popular in India)
Image courtesy of Cakes and More!

I really want to stay in the Taj Mahal Palace (which is actually a hotel) in Mumbai, if I ever go. The Taj Mahal Palace is gorgeous, and it has a awesome location, too. It’s right up on the shore of the Arabian Sea and right next to the Gateway to India. Plus, it reminds me a little of the hotel in The Grand Budapest Hotel. However, some of the rooms at the hotel are almost $1,700 a night, so I need to start saving!

Ooooh, look how pretty! The Taj Mahal Palace is the one
on the left, by the way.
Image Courtesy of: The Leading Hotels of the World

Finally, India, not necessarily Mumbai, but India in general has a really big problem with leprosy. About 54% of all leprosy cases are in India. Leprosy is basically a condition where a bacterial infection eats away at your skin and nerves. It’s treatable, but the problem is that most people with leprosy live in leper colonies, or leprosariums, where they are socially isolated and live in poor conditions. I have a friend who volunteered in a leper colony in India, teaching and helping treat people with leprosy. She loved it, and I think it is definitely something I would be interested in doing in the future, if I ever go to India.

Residents of a leper colony in Mahabubnagar, India. 
Image Courtesy of: Global Hope India

Istanbul: Belle of the Bosphorous

Sitting in one of the drawers of my desk is a 63-item list of cities I am dying to go to. And this list is one of many. Needless to say, it was nearly impossible to pick just one city to write this post about. However, I was able to find the perfect city: one with fascinating culture, rich history, gorgeous architecture, great food and more!

*cue drumroll*

Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul on map of Europe. Image courtesy of: Google Maps

Istanbul is a really neat city, because half of it technically lies in Europe, and the other half lies in Asia. This gives the city a really interesting culture, kind of a blend of European and Middle Eastern. You can shop at very chic little European boutiques or at traditional Turkish stores in the Grand Bazaar. You can visit some of the most famous mosques in the world, while just down the street is another world famous Greek Orthodox church. I love watching and learning about different customs and lifestyles, so Istanbul's unique culture is the biggest reason I want to visit.

Colored parts are districts of Istanbul. All districts of the city on the west side of the Bosphorus Strait are in Europe; all districts on the East are in Asia. Image courtesy: mapsof

I have a weird (almost) obsession with visiting churches. I don't know why; I'm not even religious, but I could spend hours in a church just looking around. Istanbul has a ton of famous churches, most of them much older than any building you'll find in the U.S. If I ever go to Istanbul, I would definitely visit the Hagia Sophia (previously an Orthodox church and mosque) and the Blue Mosque.

Interior of the Blue Mosque
Image Courtesy of Wikipedia

Exterior of the Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofia)
Image Courtesy of the Tesla Society

Earlier this year, I went to visit my grandparents in Cleveland, and we went to a covered market called the West Side Market. It was so cool; there were vendors selling all different types of foods and desserts. I ended up going home with 12 different flavors of cannolis, 2 bags of perogies, and a ton of kiwis.

Istanbul has something kind of like the West Side Market on steroids, called the Grand Bazaar. It is huge. It has more than 4,000 shops, and up to 400,000 people visit every day. Although I am super cheap and probably wouldn't end up buying anything, I would love to spend a day walking around the Grand Bazaar and looking at all of the cool little Turkish plates and rugs and lanterns and whatnot. Plus, with so many visitors, there would have to be some pretty great people-watching.

The Grand Bazaar
Image Courtesy of BoomsBeat

My all-time favorite thing to do on vacation is eat, and no vacation is complete without gaining a pound or two, so I will be sure to indulge in Istanbul's delicious cuisine if/when I go. Some foods I really want to try are simit (a sesame-covered ring-shaped bread somewhat like a slightly crunchy bagel), gozleme (Turkish crepes), pide (similiar to a Turkish version of pizza), and sour cherry tea (popular tea in Turkey, but not found much elsewhere).

Simit on display in Istanbul.
Image courtesy of Witt Istanbul

Istanbul is a city unlike any other, and I hope that one day I will get the opportunity to take it all in.