The #1 Most Useful Preparation For Travel

Planning an adventure of a lifetime takes time and research. What should I bring? What do I want to see and experience? How do I get a tourist visa? How do I stay on budget? With each country booked, brand new questions arise with the next destination; not all of which can be answered in a simple Google search. Travelers post all sorts of inquiries on various websites, and tools such as TripAdvisor can be extremely helpful to a certain extent. However, the number one most useful thing I've done in all of these weeks and weeks of planning was to reach out to someone who's been there.

Trip Planning Progress

T-minus two months until I leave this city behind. Actually, exactly two months from this moment I'll be high in the sky on my way to Dubai. More and more details are coming together, and I am more ready than ever to get going!

Tennessee Valley Trail; Sublime Concert

   

Tennessee Valley Hike

Sublime Concert

On Saturday, I ventured out for another solo hike. My intention was to check out one of the waterfalls from this list that a friend of mine sent me. I picked one in Marin and set out around 7 in the morning. That became my first mistake of the day: the fog hangs over the mountain in Marin and takes some time to retreat for warmth and good views. Blissfully not considering this, I'm circling up Mt. Tam to find the trailhead, when my gas light turns on. Fail #2. If anyone knows me - I'm a worrier. Going to be difficult to enjoy this hike fearing that I'll run out of gas in the early morning cold fog. Yet, I continue forward convincing myself that I'm almost there and can coast down most of the way. Then, I discover fail #3 - the road leading to the trailhead stays closed until 9am. At this point it's only about 8 in the morning; waiting around isn't my strong suit. I decided to go get gas and find a different trail. Hence, Tennessee Valley. I literally googled "trailhead" and picked the one closest to the gas station. 

Fun And Sun Water Sports Club - Orwood Resort

Friend's BF showing off his skills!

Fun & Sun Water Sports Club

Orwood Resort - The Delta

I cannot say enough good things about this weekend. A friend of mine invited me to join her and her boyfriend on a camping and boating weekend. They go practically every other weekend in the summer with Fun And Sun Water Sports Club, and now I see why! Members and guests arrive Friday night to Orwood Resort to set up their tents and get the party started. A board member from the club emails out fool proof details from directions to what to bring to the code to enter the campsite. 

 I unfortunately missed the Friday night festivities and arrived early Saturday morning to pitch my little green tent (thank you roomie for lending it to me! ). 

Castle Rock State Park, Independence Day

Castle Rock State Park

Solo Hike - July 4, 2015

I woke up Saturday morning, ready to take on the day. It had been some time since I'd been on a decent hike, so after a quick google search - I found this website. It is full of hikes around the entire bay area - divided by season and area. Heading South of the city is always a beautiful drive, so I picked one of their "Best Overall Hikes" in the southbay: Castle Rock. Their website can describe the hike much better than I ever could.... so click here to check it out. Read on for my personal experience & pictures... 

Funemployment!

Eleven days have passed since I quit my job. It is amazing how many hours actually exist in the day! I have been filling my new found "free time" with odd jobs, so teeeeechnically I've only been truly "unemployed" for two days. That being said, it is such a strange feeling to have energy and more importantly time to live my life outside of work.

Let me back up a bit....

Upcoming Travels!

Big News!

You'd think that quitting your job was news enough....

But everything happens for a reason!

On October 14, 2015, I am leaving the country to travel for 3-4  months!

On the agenda: Dubai, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Bali, Singapore, & India.... maybe New Zealand

My plans thus far are listed below - if you have any tips on where I should go, what I should see, or how to best travel solo - please share!

10 Year Visa to China - Check!

Click on "Read More" to view my plans, so far!

Ring Mountain Open Space

For Valentine's Day this year,  I took myself on a hike to watch the sunrise. Just a short drive from the city, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge,  you can find this quiet hike near Tiburon. Park along the side of the road near the trailhead, bring your furry friend if you have one, and make sure you have a flashlight with you or on your phone. Not going to lie - I was girlishly scared to do this alone in the dark, but the view was worth it. And to be honest, there's nothing to be afraid of other than tripping over a rock or tree stump in the dark - if you know anything about Marin County, you know it's a safe place to be.

I'm Back!

After more than a two year hiatus, I am returning to the blogging world. Over the next few weeks and
months, I will go back and finally record my little trips since my final blog post of 2013.

I found that I missed blogging - it is so convenient to help others with their travels if you can accurately recount yours for them. I am horrible at remembering the names of places, so no better way than to keep everything nice and tidy in one convenient spot.

Also, I have some exciting travels coming up in the future - wheels are just starting to turn - putting the ordeal into motion. I am terrified, but ecstatic. More on that to come...

If you're reading this - have a great weekend! Check back soon for updates.

Pizzeria Delfina

The other night, R and I had our final dinner together before she moves! She wanted to try out one of the better known pizza places before the big move, so we headed to Pizzeria Delfina. I'm the worst gluten-free person ever - always looking for an excuse or special occasion to splurge. Perfect choice to do so. Pizza, amazing. Crispy crust and fresh toppings. Went perfectly with the bottle of red wine the waitress picked for us. They only seat complete parties and don't take reservations - So be prepared for that! The table next to us ordered meatballs which looked big and juicy and like something I'd like to try. And its in the Mission. Can't get enough of that neighborhood!