A slightly painful 3:30am rise to watch the sunrise over the rainforest left us exhausted. We only had a couple hours to rest after breakfast before our private guide, Jair, was knocking at our door. Because it is so remote and a hotspot for wildlife, it’s not uncommon […]
Everyone please help me wish my big brother Ammon a wonderful 36th birthday!!! Have I ever told you about this absurdly cool dude? Well, if you don’t know, Ammon rhymes with salmon, and he is one of the big stars of my “Sihpromatum” travel memoir series. Though I […]
Last week Kees and I accidentally threw a party! Neither of us have ever, ever organized a party, especially not at our house. It was a really exciting experience. I learned so much and can now appreciate (even more!) how much effort goes into planning just a simple […]
From the moment we were greeted at the airport by Rainforest Expedition staff I knew we were in good hands. It wasn’t until setting eyes on the lodge hidden deep in the rainforest that I realized we were about to spend five days in paradise. Upon arrival at […]
From high above, we watched as the arid Andes turned rapidly to a thick carpet of green with wrinkles of chocolaty rivers. Climbing down the plane’s steps onto the tarmac in Puerto Maldonado, the humid heat hit us like a wet glove. After the crisp and cool atmosphere […]
Giancarlo, the manager of Sacred Dreams Lodge, welcomed us back with open arms and we couldn’t have been more appreciative. The three of us had a lot of fun and great laughs together when we first met. We discovered the area, joined town riots and balanced three of […]
Without traveling here, the city “Cusco” would only make me think of Disney’s character Kuzco, from “Emperor’s New Groove”. I never really thought when I watched that cartoon more than ten years ago that there even was a place called Cusco in Peru that I would one day […]
There’s something about standing up on the edge of a windy mountaintop ABOVE Machu Picchu, that makes you truly feel on top of the world. Whether it’s your very first trip or like me, you’ve been travelling for the past 10+ years, there are always expectations before visiting […]
Hover like a SUPERHERO! We returned to Holland after 6 weeks of adventures in South America, but the fun hasn’t ended! With summer still going strong the excitement hasn’t stopped. In just the first week home we’ve enjoyed the Pride Parade in Amsterdam, a drumming festival in Ruigoord, […]
Waking up at 5am we had our last breakfast by the crackling fire in Urubamba before taking the one hour drive to Ollantaytambo where we would catch the train, the only way to reach Aguas Calientes, the town below Machu Picchu. The train company, Perurail, really disappointed me […]
The mountains rose up out of nothing and towered over us as we cruised through the rolling hills. Local women were herding sheep, standing amongst perfectly stacked and harvested hay in the fields and visiting nearby villages on foot. They wear their thick black hair in double braids, […]
During our walk through the market and town of Urubamba with Giancarlo, the manager of Sacred Dreams Lodge , we bumped into the hotel’s bar tender Francisco. He’s a really friendly, young guy with long black hair and an endearing smile. After a quick chat Francisco pointed us […]
We are HALFWAY through our amazing 6 week trip in South America. Wow. I feel like time flies and yet we have done so much in that seemingly short time. We’ve hiked to the world wonder Machu Picchu, shared the jungle with exotic wildlife at the amazing jungle lodge, […]
Spending my birthday abroad is something I’ve been doing since my 15th birthday, where I was in Xi’an, China visiting the incredible Terra Cotta Warriors at the start of our grand four-year family adventure (If you haven’t picked up your copy yet, please check out my travel memoir series […]
Happy Amazing Birthday to my Saweet!!! I can’t imagine what life would be like without him. He has supported me through so much and somehow managed to put up with my quarter life crisis, female emotions and teenage dramas for the past 7 years. Kees, I fall in […]
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