Sausalito: My Not-So-Skiing Ski Week

As I talked about in my last post, I went on vacation in Sausalito for Ski Week. (Although, it probably isn't so much a ski week this year for everyone in Park City who stayed home; I was out in shorts and a short-sleeved shirt on Friday!) I just got back from Sausalito yesterday, and, I have to say, I really needed that break! Teachers have really been pilin' on the homework for the past few weeks, so a vacation was the perfect way to un-stress.

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

Part of the great un-stressing feeling this vacation had comes from the place we stayed. We did a house swap with my mom's friend from business school, and we got to stay in her adorable little house boat for the week. It's literally floating on the water, so you can just walk out back and go paddle boarding or swimming or whatever. It also had a hot tub that I spent pretty much the whole time in and a turtle named Gus that didn't really like me, but that I thought was cute anyways. 

A sunset behind some of the neighboring houseboats.

Another thing my family and I did on our vacation was go to San Francisco. Since Sausalito is literally right across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, it is pretty easy to get down there (although traffic can make things a little bit complicated). I love San Francisco. I have been to San Francisco a bunch of times, since I visit Palo Alto so frequently, but still, the city never gets old. 

One of the days we went to San Francisco this trip, we visited the Castro, which I really enjoyed. I had driven through the Castro before, but I had never really stopped to get a good look around or truly understood its significance until now. The Castro was one of the first gay neighborhoods in the US, formed during the 60s and 70s when being gay was much less accepted by the rest of the nation than it is even now. This is a HUGE source of pride for the Castro; they have rainbow flags on all of the street lamps, their crosswalks are rainbow-striped, their sidewalks are lined with memorials to famous LGBT Americans, and they have like eight different buildings and parks named after Harvey Milk. 

Of course, no vacation is complete without some really good food. Since San Francisco is such an ethnically diverse city, you can find a ton of really good ethnic restaurants. While we were in Sausalito/San Francisco, my family and I had some amazing food, my favorite of which was probably Afghan food, which I had never tried before. We ate at a tiny restaurant in the Tenderloin called De Afghanan Kabob House, and I had this pumpkin dish called kado borani, which was very good. I have to say, I was kind of picturing Afghan food to be a lot less appetizing than it was, but it was delicious!

The Afghan pumpkin dish that I ate (but was too busy stuffing
my face with to remember to take a picture).
Image Courtesy of: De Afghanan Cuisine

Sausalito and San Francisco are two very unique and fascinating places full of amazing things to do. My trip this week to these two cities was very much needed, and I highly recommend a similar excursion to anyone who may be feeling the stress of school!

Vietnam: Absolutely Pho-bulous

Hey readers! How are all you guys? Is anyone going anywhere cool for President's Day break? I'm heading to Sausalito, and I'm super excited (and will probably do a post on this later)! Right now, however, I'm sitting in school, dreaming about pho, and I just had the brilliant idea to write this next post about the motherland of pho: Vietnam.

As you can probably tell from my pho fantasies, I LOVE pho. Way too much. So it is without question that I would eat pho like crazy in Vietnam. For those of you who don't know what pho is, shame on you; you need to eat at more sketchy-looking Asian restaurants. Pho is basically these really skinny rice noodles in broth with pretty much whatever you want in it to add flavor. This could be tofu, chicken, bean sprouts, jalapeños, vegetables, whatever!

Just looking at this picture makes me drool!
Image Courtesy of: Food Genius

In addition to eating myself into a pho coma, I also want to ride a motorcycle in Vietnam. Kind of random, but for some reason, every time I think of Vietnam, I think of myself riding a motorcycle in a really bad-ass leather jacket! I'm not sure where this idea came from (I think I maybe saw it in a movie or had a dream about it or something), but I think it would be amazing. You could do a cross-country motorcycle trip, going from town to town and pho place to pho place. The only problem is that the closest I've ever gotten to riding a motorcycle is riding my friend's dirt bike in her backyard... and I ended up crashing into her fence, so I might need to work on my motorcycling skills before I take my motorcycle trip in Vietnam.

This'll be me, only minus all the dead pigs, of course.
Image Courtesy of: Fun Is 2 Cool

Another thing I'd want to do in Vietnam is visit the Cu Chi tunnels in Ho Chi Minh. The Cu Chi tunnels are an über-elaborate system of underground tunnels that were used by the Vietnamese Communist soldiers during the Vietnamese war. Soldiers would use these tunnels to avoid air attacks, transport supplies, and house troops. Looking at pictures of these tunnels, it's amazing they were able to do as much with these tunnels as they did; they're super narrow. Without a doubt, I would want to visit these tunnels and learn more about their important role in Vietnamese history!

Some cute little lady in one of the Cu Chi tunnels.
Image Courtesy of: Viator

One final thing I would die to do in Vietnam is take a boat tour of the Mekong Delta, a bunch of rivers in the southern part of Vietnam. The Mekong Delta is home to a ton of lush green scenery and rare animals, mostly because the region is not super industrialized, so it would be neat to see all of the flora and fauna the rivers have to offer. Another thing I would want to do in the Mekong Delta is visit the floating markets, which are groups local vendors working out of little boats. They sell fruits, flowers, and vegetables, and some of them even serve as a sort of mobile cafe!

Cai Be floating market in the Mekong Delta.
Image Courtesy of: Vietnam Tours Blog

Las Islas Galápagos

For the past two weeks in two of my classes I have been learning about the Galapagos; in biology, we have been learning about Darwin's finches, and in Spanish, we've been learning about, well, Spanish... but specifically, Spanish and culture in the Galapagos. It's kind of weird how these two classes just happened to be teaching similar things at the same time (it's probably one of those "co-learning" B.S. things), but the more I learn about the Galapagos Islands, the more interesting it seems and the more I want to go visit.

The Galapagos on a map of the Americas.
They are kind of loners out there by themselves.
Image Courtesy of: World Atlas

The thing about the Galapagos we have been focusing the most on, in both Spanish and biology, is the animal life. Because it is so isolated from the "mainland" of South America, a lot of really weird animals have evolved here that can't be found anywhere else in the world. Of all these animals, I have to say I think marine iguanas are the weirdest. They're technically reptiles, and they live on land, but they get their food from the sea and can stay underwater for a really long time. They basically cliff-dive into the water and swim around using their tail (and they kind of look like Dwayne Johnson trying to do the worm). Then, when they get out of the water, they sneeze out all the water in their system. Marine iguanas are some weird dudes, and I'd definitely want to check them out if I ever go to the Galapagos.

I don't know why, but I think this video is hilarious.

I laughed so hard during the first two minutes, and nobody

in my class really understood why.

Video Courtesy of: YouTube

The Galapagos Islands aren't just home to marine iguanas; they are home to many other interesting animals, too, like dolphins, seals, fish, and turtles. Ever since I watched Nemo (best movie ever!), I have wanted to see ocean life in real life, and since the Galapagos have such diverse and unique marine life, this would be a great place to do this! As I talked about in my Costa Rica post, my experiences with scuba diving have been not-so-great, but I have snorkeled before without drowning, so I'd be willing to try that again. Think about how cool that would be to snorkel in the Galapagos: you'd be swimming in crystal-clear water, next to sea turtles, stingrays, rainbow fish, and sharks (although that shark part might freak a few people out).

Snorkeling with a sea turtle in the Galapagos.
Image Courtesy of: World Tag

Another thing I'd want to do in the Galapagos is hike. I'm usually not a big hiking person (probably because I always get left behind and lost in the woods), but if I visited the Galapagos, I'd want to take advantage of the opportunity to see one of the most beautiful natural landscapes in the world. My #1 "Dream Hike in the Galapagos" is a hike up a volcano. Because the Galapagos were formed by volcanoes, they have a ton of volcanoes, many of which are still active. I've never seen a volcano in real life, but the ones I've seen in movies have been really cool-looking, so if I ever go to the Galapagos, I'll be sure to check out a volcano!

Sierra Negra, a volcano on the Isabela Island of the Galapagos
Image Courtesy of: Summit Post

The Galapagos Islands are home to amazing natural features and fascinating wildlife. If I never need a nature fix, I know exactly where to go!

Guadalajara: El Viaje de Mis Sueños

Last week, my uncle came out to visit my family and I for Sundance. For most of the year, my uncle lives in D.C., but his husband lives in Guadalajara, Mexico during the winter and they own an apartment there, so he inevitably visits frequently. As he was telling me about the city and his apartment and the people there, I thought it sounded really neat, so I decided to focus this next post on Guadalajara!

Everyone knows that soccer is a huge thing in Mexico, kind of like American football is here. Even though I'm not big into watching sports (except for when it comes to volleyball), I'd definitely want to go to a soccer game to get a feel for the game and the culture surrounding it in Mexico. Jalisco Stadium (or Estadio Jalisco in Spanish) is a huge soccer stadium in Guadalajara; it holds more than 55,000 people and has hosted two FIFA world cups. Just watching videos of the energetic crowd at games at the Jalisco Stadium makes me want to go, even though everyone in the crowd looks really sweaty!

An excited crowd at a soccer game in Mexico.
Image courtesy of: World Soccer Traditions

As I mentioned earlier in one of my blog posts, I LOVE to visit churches. I don't know what it is, but no matter what the type of church, they all just seem gorgeous to me. I especially love Catholic churches; they're so elaborate and have those high, decorated ceilings that make you feel tiny when you look up at them. About 80 percent of Mexico is Catholic, and as Mexico's third largest city, Guadalajara is home to a lot of very famous, very old Catholic churches. Probably the most well-known of these is the Expiatory Temple. From the looks of TripAdvisor pictures, it's a beaut.

The Expiatory Temple in Guadalajara.
Image Courtesy of: Tuchman Travel Guide

Another really fun-sounding thing in Guadalajara is shopping at the street markets. Guadalajara is home to some huge street markets selling a lot of really neat handicrafts and delicious food. Some of these markets are so big that they have to shut down entire neighborhoods to traffic! I probably wouldn't buy any of the pottery or arts there, even though are probably amazing, because 1. how would you fit that in your suitcase? and 2. I'm broke. Really broke. However, I would definitely want to go to check out some of the products and get some good people watching in.

Cool-looking pottery for sale at the Tonalá street market.
Image courtesy of: Destination360

Finally, I would want to visit one of these fancy movie theaters they have in Guadalajara that my uncle was telling me about. Guadalajara has these theaters that are pretty much the first class version of a movie theater. You sit in these huge plush chairs, and people serve you meals and drinks while you are watching a film. My kind of movie theater! In Mexican currency, tickets to these theaters are pretty expensive, but since the U.S. dollar is worth about fifteen times more than the Mexican peso, it actually wouldn't break the bank.

All Bets on Tibet

Hey y'all. I've been a little bit of a slacker the past few weeks with my blogs because I've been super busy with school *cough cough, finals*, but I'm back now! I decided this week's post on Tibet. After Humans of New York's trip to Tibet and learning about the Tibetan uprising in my geography class, I've wanted to find out more about Tibet, and what better way to learn more about a place and its culture than visit it?

Tibet is probably best known for being the world capital of Buddhism. Ninety-nine percent of Tibetans practice Buddhism and until the uprising in Tibet, it was the home of the head of Buddhism, the Dalai Lama. Buddhism is a relatively large religion (it's the fourth largest in the world), but it's not something you get much exposure to in US. Other than kind of knowing this one Buddhist kid in third grade and seeing some monks in Golden Gate Park, I really have not had much experience with Buddhism. The biggest reason I want to go to Tibet is to learn more about this religion and its beliefs and customs.

Monks at a Tibetan monastery.
Image courtesy of: Wikipedia

As the world capital of Buddhism, Tibet has a ton of historical and important religious sites for Buddhism. The most important and well-known of these structures is Potala Palace. This is the huge red and white temple-looking building that you have probably seen in pictures and documentaries and stuff. It was built in the 600s by the Dalai Lama and was the winter residence of the Dalai Lama until he fled to India. The Potala Palace is pretty much the symbol of Tibetan Buddhism around the world today.

Recognize it?
Image courtesy of: Travel Surround

Another reason I want to go to Tibet (and the reason I want to go pretty much everywhere) is food. Tibetan food is kind of like Indian food with a little bit of a Chinese flare thrown in there. They have tempura, these really good dumpling things called momos, delicious rice pudding, and this tea called salted butter tea that tastes like bread dough, but is OK once you get used to it. Plus, many Tibetan Buddhists are vegetarian, so that makes life a lot easier for me as a vegetarian.

(Did you guys know there's a Tibetan restaurant in Salt Lake? It's called House of Tibet and it's really good and super cheap! I actually ate there for Christmas!)

Momos are basically Tibetan dumplings, but better and less slimy.
Image courtesy of: I Am Kathmandu

One other thing I want to do in Tibet is ride the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. This is a train that from Lhasa (the capital of Tibet) up through China through the Himalayas, and it is supposed to have a gorgeous view. As the Himalayas are home to the tallest mountain in the world, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway is the highest railway in the world. Even without the Himalayas, I would still want to ride the Railway. Riding trains is one of my favorite things in the world; they're faster than cars, but slow enough that you can take in your surroundings, and you don't get stuck in your seat next to some old lady that falls asleep and drools on you, because you get up and walk around and grab some food. Plus, trains just have a classy, old-school feel to them.

The Qinghai-Tibet Railway going through the Himalayas.
Image courtesy of: CRECG

Tibet is fascinating place with delicious food, beautiful railways, and a central role in a major world religion. I dream to one day go to this amazing place.

Portland: Keepin' It Weird

Two days ago, I got back from a trip with my mom to Portland, OR. Portland isn't a huge city; it's probably about the size of Salt Lake, but it certainly has a lot of life. Around the city, you'll find vintage hipster bicycles, random chalk drawings, and the well-known sign reading "Keep Portland Weird." This post I am going to highlight the favorite things I did in Portland and show some pictures from each of them (and they are actually my pictures this time, so don't judge my lackluster iPhone 4 photography skills).

The "Keep Portland Weird" sign in Downtown Portland.

My #1 favorite thing that I did in Portland was definitely eat. But not just regular eating, food truck eating. Portland has these huge parking lots with food trucks parked all the way around the perimeter, so you have like 40 restaurants all on one block, practically. These food trucks have food from all over the world. In one parking lot, I saw Georgian (like the Caucasian country), Polish, Indonesian, Moroccan, Vietnamese, Thai, Indian, Mexican, Korean, Transylvanian, Scandinavian, Iranian, Greek, German, and Czech food trucks!

View looking down a street of food trucks.    

Coconut bubble tea from one of the Portland food trucks.

Portland has a ton of vegetarians (probably because of all the hipsters), so a lot of the food at the food trucks is vegetarian, or at least has vegetarian options. This made eating ethnic food a lot easier, because often my experience at restaurants consists of order a meat dish meat-free, which is usually pretty much just lettuce with maybe, if you're lucky, some bread.

A Moroccan food truck where I got vegetarian paella.

Portland has a lot of great independent film theaters, and while I was in Portland, I got to watch a couple of movies at different theaters. A lot of people stray away from watching movies while on vacation, because they think they're missing out on seeing the city, and that may be true for a big blockbuster movie like 21 Jumpstreet or Just Go With It, but going to a film festival or indie theater is a great way to become familiarized with the art in the city, and is not all that different than going to an art museum. The theaters there were really neat; one of them had a set up with round tables and plush chairs where you order drinks and dinner while you watch, and the other one even had a babysitting service! 

Another cool thing I did in Portland (and you should do, too, if you ever go around Christmas) was visit Peacock Lane, a neighborhood street with very elaborate Christmas decorations. All of the houses had a ton of Christmas lights, and a lot of them had a "theme," too (like one was themed the Grinch, one Star Wars, etc.) They even had a Elf-themed little hot chocolate hut on the street!

I thought this house was really cute.
It was one of the more simply decorated ones.

One other activity in Portland that I would recommend is the Portland sky tram, which connects the OHSU hospital (which is kind of in the middle of nowhere on this mountain) to downtown Portland. It has an awesome view of Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens, and Portland. Plus, the OHSU campus is fun to walk around in.

View from the Portland sky tram with Mt. St Helens in the background.

Portland is a fun city with a colorful population and amazing food, activities, and art. If you ever looking for short get-away in the US, try visiting Portland.

Copenhagen: My Dream City

If you dropped me in the middle of the ocean, gave me a boat, and told me to pick a country to go live in (without regards for a language barrier or anything), I would pick Denmark. In fact, if it weren't for these things called school, parents, and money, I would be makin' my way over to Copenhagen right now.

One of the biggest reasons I want to go to Copenhagen is because it is straight up adorable. Most of the time, when I go to a city, my favorite thing to do isn't a big tourist attraction, but just to walk and look (and eat) around the city, and Copenhagen would be a great place to do so. It is home to the cutest colorful houses lined up on the Nyhavn canal and tiny little coffee shops with the weirdest names you ever did hear. Plus, Copenhagen has those really narrow European streets, which just make me really happy for some reason.

The cute buildings on the Nyhavn.
Image courtesy of: Condé Nast Traveller

Copenhagen streets
Image Courtesy of: Kevin McGrath

Another thing I would want to in Copenhagen is visit Tivoli Gardens, which is the world's second oldest amusement park and looks amazing. It has roller coasters and spinny rides and all that jazz you usually find at amusement parks, but minus the rednecks and incessant urge to bathe in hand sanitizer and add a classy old-school feel and some cool gardens.

Rides at Tivoli (I want to try those boat things!)
Image courtesy of: Wikipedia

*If you really hate politics, you might want to scroll past this next paragraph, because I am going to major rant (in a good way) on politics.*

Denmark knows what's up when it comes to politics. And so does all of Scandinavia, for that matter. They have free education (including college and graduate school), great welfare systems, and the lowest gender inequality indices in the world. In addition, Denmark also has 52-week paternal and maternal leave, more paid vacation days than any other country in the world, free health care, and free care for the elderly. They also have this thing where you get paid money just for having kids, so Danish kids don't have to end up like the 1 in 5 American kids that face hunger. As much as crap as Americans like to give the Scandinavian model, all of the Scandinavian countries rank in the top 5 happiest countries in the world (with Denmark as #1).

One thing I do have to say about Denmark is that it has a pretty weird language. According to my geography textbook, English is more closely related to Danish than to Spanish, but I'm not buying it. "Independent" in Spanish is "independiente"; in Danish, it's "uafhægig." What the hell type of word is that? I had to spend five minutes just figuring out how to type "æ"! If I am ever going to live in Denmark, I'm probably going to have to learn their language, but honestly, who even came up with this stuff?! Here is a list of more weird Danish words, for your enjoyment:

• breakfast - morgenmad
• pool - svømmevassin
• medicine - lægemiddel
• production facility of storage shelves of boxes for notebooks for the calculations of multiplication tables - multiplikationsudregningstabelshæfteopbevaringreolsproduktionsfacilitet

Copenhagen is a great city in a great country with great politics and a super weird language. I would love nothing more than to get to live in such a place one day!