So long cubicle, I need a view

I have been in Thailand for about a week now and it is quite the place! The scenery is amazing!!! I had a bit of trouble getting here, but I blame that on the tourist people who put me on the wrong bus. Rude. But I got to my destination so no harm done! I have put in some good hard work with the garden and feeding the animals and helped out in the school (the kids are sooo cute!) Although it's weird to be in the middle of the rainforest and the majority of animals you see are the dogs and giekos.

For my first weekend we took a trip rafting down a river on a bamboo raft which was awesome! So gorgous and being able to swim in 100 degree heat is really nice. Here are some pictures!

and more to come! Hope everyone is doing well and keeping cooler than I am!

During my time in Africa there has been one blemish on my good time: the hunt. Hunters came in and were allowed to shoot a certain amount of animals...endagered or not. Our job was to track an elephant of the right caliber, it had to be a male and inbetween 20-27 with as big of tusks as they can find because it needs to look impressive on the mantle. We spent two days tracking elephants and didn't come across any, even any ones that didn't match the qualifications, it was like they knew. I was hoping they found some secret underground bunker or something to hide in for a while when we were well into our second day. However, we spotted 2 bulls that matched hunting specification. I took pictures while another intern wrote down the information for our data. I felt like I should be holding a scythe instead of the camera because I felt like the grim reaper following the elephant around and knowing we were marking it to be killed.

We heard a land rover in the distance and saw the hunters coming up a hill and toward their new prey who was so rudely eating, walking, and living. There were three interns and one respectfully didn't wish to see the elephant get shot so we drove off a bit, but not too far because we needed to take measurements afterward. We sat in the car for a while then heard BANG! BANG! Two shots close together then an elephant moan...BANG a third shot and then silence. My stomach sunk and my heart went into my throat and I scrolled through the pictures I had just taken and am not sure whether how i imagined him going down or how he actually went down would be worse. We got out with our cameras, tape measures, and paper and went to the site to take down the elephant's information. I was mentally preparing for what I would see but it still knocked the wind out of me when we came across him.

I was asked to record the measurements as we walked closer, but as I took the pen and paper I realized my hands were shaking, remebering the elephant was a year younger than me and naturally live to around 65 and that elepants and human's learning capacity only differ by 10%, I was angry. Luckily the other intern was able to take over that job and I took over the camera and measurement duties. We all worked silently while the hunters gabbed and congratulated each other. I was just getting a bit better when a hunter came over, pulled out his pocket knife and cut and skinned the elephant tail and held it as a trophy. After that we had to sit and wait in for the other crew to come in for the only silver lining of the hunt, if perhaps the worst part to watch, they were going to cut the elephant up for the meat to give locally. I did not stick around for that part, when we heard the chain saw we all got out of there.

It was sad and ironic to me that these hunts happen for the money and that their money goes to lodges that show the animals they kill, I could be wrong but I don't think that is a part of the circle of life. However sad it was, I'm glad I saw it and came away from it more educated.

My next entry will be much happier and have more pictures I promise!

Also, I have limited internet access so I'll write entries and plug them in here when I get the chance!

I made it! I'm now in Africa and have been since March 22nd. The travels mostly went pretty smoothly, just some stomach dropping moments like when my ticket wouldn't scan, my passport wasn't stamped right, and almost leaving my checked bag in joburg, however it all worked out and I have had an awesome time here so far.

The plane rides itself were pretty good and I felt it was a good omen when I saw a man with a twirly gelled mustache and couldn't help but laughing out loud at the guy behind me talking about mud wrestling midgets.

When I got to Camp Paradise the people were very welcoming and knowledgable and i'm excited to get the oppurtunity to learn from them. We also have some good fun (singing Africa by Toto in the rain) and I have got some pretty sweet pics. The only thing that keeps me from thinking this is heaven are the spiders, bees, and wasps! Although I am definitely getting better (minus the time I had a stand off with a spider above my bed for an hour before resigning and getting help from one of the guys, still haven't lived that one down).

We have been on a multitude of different projects including game drives, getting rid of invasive species, tracking, writing papers, etc. The amazing part about all of those though is being able to see animals in anything that we do. Once a giraffe basically had a picnic with us! Also, last night we saw 5 lioness and 3 cubs! They were the cutest things ever! That was after we saw a black rhino who are quite shy, and then we saw a caracle which are very rarely seen, so all in all it was a great day.

There have been some crazy rainfalls. Some so windy I thought my hut was going to be blown off it's stilts or raindrops so big I swear they were actually water balloons and the lightning and thunder are absolutely incredible to see. For the most part though it has been beautiful weather and I only got a little burnt! Wooooo!!!!

I only have a limited time on the computer so I won't be able to update as much as I thought before, but I'll try! Here are some of my favorite pics so far:

Until next time!

I have included in this blog the exact excel sheet I will be using myself (you can sell it on ebay later if you wish, it will probably be worth millions) so if anyone would like to follow me in my travels this will be very helpful in doing so.

I have made it astatically pleasing to the eyes with the color, however the color doubles as another function which is that each color is where I'll be for that amount of time (including the travel time). So, South Africa is orange, Thailand is pink or coral or whatever that color is, India is blue, Nepal is green, and Europe is Purple. Europe has a lot of question marks because I'm not positive on the itinerary I will have there, but it's a rough sketch.

As the title suggests this graph tells where I'll be, when I'll be there, what I'll be doing, how I will be getting there, and how much it will cost. It's quite handy if I do say so myself

As you can see I have a 15 hour layover in Abu Dhabi, if anyone reading this has any suggestions or past experiences on what to do when there I would love to hear them! Thanks!

A little more on the WHAT I'll be doing and WHERE I'll be doing it

Below is the websites of where I'll be interning and volunteering:

South Africa

Conservation internship at the Project Co-ordinator Indlovu West Conservation Research LLC
www.indlovuwest.com

Thailand

Volunteering at an organic farm and kids with special needs
http://tcdf-ecologic.jimdo.com/volunteerwork-and-working-holidays/volunteering/

India

Volunteering on a reforestation project
http://sadhanaforest.org/wp/volunteers/

Nepal

Volunteering at an orphanage
http://www.thelovenepal.org.np/files/about_us.php?category=Projects

Europe

Travel, have fun, and see everything I can!

P.S - I'm sure people are like "you haven't left yet!?" well, worry not my frieneds! I am leaving in less than a week! The next time you hear from me I will be in South Africa! (or the airport if I get bored) Wooooo!!!

P.P.S - Shout out to My sister Monica and Mom who threw an AMAZING surprise going away party and to all the attendees!!! Thanks so much!!! Love you!!!

I have about a month before my first time out of the country, first time traveling alone, and to go on the trip that I have dreamt for years about. So, (understandably i figure) I got my first jitters yesterday when I realized that all my weekends until I leave are filled up.

Since it has been getting so close I keep thinking if it's actually worth all this trouble or not. I have been planning this since October and thinking about it for years, researching and researching until my eyes were bleeding, looking at every travel blog I could, deciding on a rtw ticket or buying them as I go, how long I should spend in each place, after deciding on a rtw ticket which company to go with, which route is least expensive, am I going to be at a certain place in monsoon season or maybe just as bad: in high season, what am I going to do once I'm there, is traveling as a solo female actually a good idea or one of those "this is great!" ideas that you daydream about until the time comes and you were like what was I thinking? (Like the time I thought using the butane of a lighter to blow fire out of my mouth would be a super cool idea...spoiler alert: its not).

So, I decided ask myself some questions to break it down on why this trip was worth it (or not):

1. Was it not worth it because of the time I had to use to plan it?

That's a lame excuse, and in actuality it's fun to look up different things, to actually have the possibility of going there, and see other people's adventures in their blogs (I really liked http://www.whereisjenny.com). Also I learned a lot from all my research, even on the places I am not going! For instance, I can actually tell you where Morocco is on a map! And that it is a country! Woo hoo! Slowly but surely becoming a geographical maven. Also, I usually did it at work (...shhhh) so I really wasn't "wasting" too much of my own time.

2. I am using a decent sum from my saving account, why don't I just forget about the trip, get a house/condo/apartment, settle down, and stay at my decent paying job?

That one was an easy one to answer: because I don't wanna. I pictured what my life would be like if I decided to do that and my eyes started bleeding again, that's not the life I wanted, so why do it? Because it's what fell into my lap? Should I not go around the world because I want to stay safe and save my money and use it on more important things: like a new car, big screen TV, a white picket fence, and all sorts of lavish gifts for myself to fill in a house that I'll be at for only 50% of my time? That sounds an awful lot like the "path of least resistance" to me, and while there might be a time that I want to do some form of that, I know the time is not now.

3. Is traveling as a solo female actually a good idea? What if I don't find any friends? What if I get lonely? What if I start talking to myself because I have no friends and am lonely and look like a crazy bag lady? What if I get taken!?

After taking a deep breath, I answered these:

• I'm sure I'll be able to meet some people, one: because I would strike up conversation with a leaf blowing by if I thought it had something interesting to say (though that might not help the whole 'looking like a crazy bag lady' thing) and two: I know there are people out there who are like me and genuinely interested in learning about someone new.

• With technology the way it is now if I get lonely I'll use skype or my phone to call the people I miss. I know it won't cure me completely from missing my family and friends, but it will help.

• I'll just have to not talk to myself...at least not a lot, and not talk to leaves blowing by...at all.

• If I get taken my dad told me Liam Nieson's character from "Taken" was actually based on him, so you could say he posses "a particular set of skills" haha. But really, I have read countless ways to stay safe from women who have "been there and done that" before, who know what they are talking about, and who are kind enough to write it down for other's to benefit from (one I liked a lot was http://www.women-on-the-road.com). From what I gathered it basically boils down to using common sense, being knowledgable and sensitive to the country's culture you're traveling in, and finding an equilibrium between being trusting and cautious.

After thinking about all the above questions, my answer was a huge resounding YESSSSSS!!!! It was definitely worth it. Because I believe I'll get more then I give in this travel relationship and I can't wait to start my adventure! And I welcome you all to follow it

(*pictures aren't mine again. I swear when I actually start my trip they will be though!)