Mardi Gras Celebration, New Orleans, Louisiana

It seems only fitting to make my post this week about visiting NOLA (New Orleans, Louisiana), specifically attending Mardi Gras. For those who don’t know, Mardi Gras is a about a 2 week long celebration of the final days before the Catholic season of Lent. Although the holiday’s roots are religious, this is a good time for all walks of life.

Mardi Gras is one of the biggest drinking holidays in the world and people come from all over to join in the celebration. For that reason, planning a visit to NOLA during Mardi Gras season has to be planned far in advance. Most hotels in the area will be booked solid by December, even though the parades don’t begin until mid-Febraury. Furthermore, NOLA gets very crowded, so knowing directions and where to park is also important. Apparently parking tickets aren’t taken lightly during the parade season.

It is also important to remember that depending on what part of town you are in, Mardi Gras is very different. If you are in the French Quarter or near Tulane University it is all about aggressive drinking, but if you are on the parade route or St. Charles this is a family event and it is important to be respectful of that.

For Mardi Gras everyone gets dressed in crazy costumes and there are tons of costume contests. This being said, anything goes! I’ve seen pictures of leotards, tutus, wigs, and so many bead necklaces. It is also important to remember that whichever shoes you chose to wear, don’t plan on wearing them again. The streets will get disgusting and chances are a beer or two will get spilled on them. Also make sure that they are comfortable for walking.

If you plan on drinking while at Mardi Gras, make sure to check out The Boot, a famous bar in NOLA famous for its delicious drinks and cheap prices. The food is also something that every visitor has to enjoy! NOLA is famous for its eccentric food from a wide mix of culture such as Cajun, Spanish, French, and classic southern comfort food. Look out for gumbo, jambalaya, and fried seafood.

To all that are planning to attend this year, have so much fun! Here are some helpful links to get you through the celebration.

Mardi Gras official website

Mardi Gras Survival Guide 

Best Food Trucks of NOLA

Thailand

When I went to Thailand I saw a whole new side of the world that I had never seen before. I saw poverty, golden temples, monks singing in the streets, elephants, and long-necked women. Thailand was probably the most culturally enriching place that I have ever visited.

One of my favorite things about Thailand was the variety of cultures that I saw there. The first segment of the trip was spent in a mountain village in the north. These people, known as the Hill Tribe people, were extremely sheltered, I’m pretty sure I was the first blonde caucasian woman that the children in the village had ever laid eyes on. That being said, the people that resided in this mountain lived a life opposite to the typical America. There was one TV in the village, and one outhouse per every 5 families. Each family lived in a single story home and they all slept on the floor. At first, I didn’t understand how they lived that way, but then I asked one of the locals and he told me that he wouldn’t want to live another way and that his life was peaceful and fulfilling. It was so refreshing.

We drove to each of our locations and I don’t think that I have seen a countryside as memorable as the countryside in Thailand. We were surrounded by rice fields that stair stepped down hillsides, resembling stacks of mirrors. Sometimes people would be working in the rice fields, wearing traditional rice picking hats and bright cotton clothing. There were afternoon showers almost every day, making all of the fields bright green. The Thai people are also very serious about their religious sites, and these were found everywhere. The mountains had golden giant Buddha heads poking out between trees, marking the temples hidden away in the forests.

We visited the major city of Chiang Mai, famous for their outdoor night bazaar. Starting around 5 PM the streets are lined with thousands of booths in which Thai people sell purses, jewelry, watches, perfume, among other products. While shopping in these streets it may seem like you are just surrounded with bounds of counterfeit items, but in actuality, majority of these items are real. The Thai people that work in the manufacturing companies are known to stay after closing time at their jobs and run the factory overtime and take the products they produce, and then sell those products on the streets for a discounted price. So when you see that designer bag marked down, take advantage, chances are, it’s a real bag of high quality.

I could go on and on about Thailand, it truly is a place to fall in love with. The people there are genuinely happy and are known to constantly be smiling. I recommend Thailand to any person who is traveling and willing to dive into and embrace a unique culture.

Cape Town, South Africa

Ever since I was a kid I have wanted to go to Cape Town, South Africa. I had an Au Pair (a nanny from overseas that stayed at our house for a full year) from Cape Town and she and I always talked about the things we would do if I ever came to visit her in her hometown. Remembering these moments, I decided to do some research on what Cape Town really has to offer.

First off, this city is so culturally rich. Its mix of African and British culture creates a very unique vibe that becomes evident in the wide array of food and architecture. One day you could visit Pan African Market which is rich with traditional African art from all cultures of Africa, and the next day you could visit the the extravagant Mount Nelson Hotel, famous for their afternoon tea.

Cape Town also offers more daring activities, such as cage diving with sharks in which one can come face to face with a great white shark. However, if diving into shark-infested waters isn’t for you, there’s always the option of deep-sea fishing for some of the world’s best tuna or waddling around at Boulder’s Penguin Colony with some African Penguins. 

Last but certainly not least, visiting Robben Island and learning about the apartheid is a must-see when in Cape Town. Robben Island, formerly the prison in which Nelson Mandela stayed, is now a museum dedicated to the newly-democratic South Africa. Here you can visit Nelson Mandela’s prison cell, truly a once in a lifetime experience. 

Italia

If I said I didn’t love my trip to Italy this past summer, it would be a bull faced lie. I know I did the typical touristy stuff like the Statue of David, The Duomo, The Spanish Steps, Porto Veccio, The Colloseum, the pasta, the pizza the Venitian gondola tours… I could go on and on! Point is, you can’t go to Italy and not make an effort to visit these places!

However, if I were to go to Italy again I would do things just a little differently. What I mean by that is that I wish I hit the path less traveled a little more often. Italy is covered in tourist destinations, so many that sometimes I felt like I wasn’t even in Italy, rather a massive international museum crowded with people from across the globe. I really wish that instead of looking at the map that my hotel provided me to find the next location to check off my check list, I had just followed my feet and wandered around the city. I wish that I had gotten desperately lost and had to struggle to converse with an Italian that didn’t know fluent English. Call me crazy, but thats my idea of a great trip. Anyways, here are a couple of tips for anybody planning on going to this amazing country!

• In Florence, go to the rooftop bar at the Westin Hotel at sunset and get a drink. You won’t regret that view.
• Ride a gondola through Venice
• Embrace the fact that you will put on at least 5 pounds. Eat pasta every night. It’s so worth it.
• Eat gelato as often as possible
• Go to the art museums and take advantage of the fact that you are viewing some of the most famous art in the world
• Put down the map and put on your walking shoes!