Tag: travel tips

A long card board box on a table with white paper going into the distance

Eating the World’s Longest Box of Chocolates

October 16, 2015

Chocolate. Milk chocolate. White chocolate. Dark chocolate. I’m a sucker for chocolate. So when my friend from high school Alexandra Clark opened up her very own chocolate shop right here in Detroit, I was all about it. In fact, when I had a six hour layover in Detroit on my way to Washington, D.C. for the Blog It Home Top Bloggers Tour in 2014, I had my friend pick me up at the airport and my first taste of America was a bon bon from Alex’s shop, Bon Bon Bon.

And Wednesday, Bon Bon Bon set the world record for the World’s Longest Box of Chocolates, clocking in at 313 feet long. (Detroit’s area code is 313, in case you were wondering why that length.)

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The front of a white house with blue doors and trim and the words Hitsville, USA on a sign

The Birthplace of that Motown Sound

October 9, 2015

D Town. The Motor City. Hockeytown. Rock City. Motown.

Ah, that Motown sound. The label that created that sound, and in 1975 was producing the most 45s, was headquartered in Detroit, Mich., and has been a museum for the past 30 years. Visitors can learn about the start of the label, its rise to success, how they got those rich vocals and see the studio where it all happened, plus a bonus of Michael Jackson’s famous fedora and sparkly glove.

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A campfire on the right side under a night sky with low yellow clouds

All About Michigan’s Sleeping Bear Dunes

July 24, 2015

It’s no secret that Michigan is full of natural beauty. One of the places in Michigan that definitely a natural wonder is the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

My friends, and fellow Blog It Home winners, Keith and Heather over at Sponge and Slate are back in the U.S. for a month before embarking on their third year extension adventure in China, and invited me to join them relaxing at a family cabin on the gorgeous shores of Lake Michigan. Of course I jumped at the opportunity.

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View of a blue river under a clear blue sky with a green island in the middle and a steep sand dune in the foreground

7 Things on My Michigan To-Do List

July 17, 2015

I’ve been back Stateside for a week now and I’m still getting used to life here. (There’s so much space everywhere! Tap water is OK to drink! Toilet paper exists and is so thick!) But, in addition to getting my bearings here (I’m constantly reminding myself to stay to the right when I’m driving), I’ve also been answering the question, “So what’s next?” about once an hour. There are a lot of things that are next but this is a list of things that I know I will do next.

Michigan is a beautiful state, with the most coastline of any state in the continental U.S., wonderful National Forests, great engineering feats, a booming food and beer scene and a lot more. I’ve been away from my home state for just shy of a decade and I’m looking forward to reacquainting myself with the bounties that are here, and these are the things that are at the top of my list.

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A young chimpanzee lies in the grass with an arm stretched out and head rest on its shoulder

Chimpanzee Rescue and Sanctuary in Cameroon

June 12, 2015

When most people think of the African continent, one of the first things that springs to their minds are images of the fauna that inhabit the continent: lions, elephants, hippos, rhinos and monkeys. All of these animals have a home in Cameroon, including a wide variety of apes than many people refer to as “monkeys.” Perhaps most prominent among the apes that live in Cameroon are chimpanzees.

Chimps are classified as an endangered species, with population estimates ranging between 170,000 and 300,000 and some of the biggest threats to their existence are habitat destruction and poaching for the bushmeat trade, the latter of which is a particular problem in Cameroon. I had the opportunity to visit a sanctuary for chimps that have been orphaned by poachers and the experience was truly exceptional.

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A man standing on the back of a wooden canoe paddles across a river with an orange sunset sky in the background and reflected in the water

Beyond Nepal’s Mountains: Chitwan National Park

April 10, 2015

Say Nepal and what comes to mind for most people are the High Himalayas. Those iconic peaks of Everest and Lhotse, the Annapurna massif and Kangchenjunga, are just a couple of the more popular mountains found in the borders of this small country, which boasts seven of the 10 tallest mountains in the world.

But, when you arrive in Nepal and get your hands on some Nepali rupees, you notice that they are emblazoned with a variety of animals that are not found in the mountains: deer, crocodiles, rhinos, elephants. These animals aren’t on the money just because they are cool animals, but because they are actually found in Nepal, in the jungle-y southern border with India.

There are a couple of national parks along the southern border, but the most easily accessible and most visited is Chitwan National Park, near Sauraha, about six hours by bus from Kathmandu.

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A young girl wearing red robes and headdress and heavily made up sitting in a palaquin

4 Travel Lessons I Learned in Peace Corps

April 3, 2015

There are all kinds of lessons that you learn in Peace Corps. From your first day, you are learning a new language, to the lessons that are passed down through volunteer lore (top two being: “It’s not if, it’s when,” and “Never trust a fart.”) You learn the cultural norms and celebrations of your host country and how to navigate around.

I’ve been in Nepal for about a week now, and I’m realizing that some of the lessons I’ve learned from my Peace Corps service are showing up in my life traveling here.

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A arrival and departure board at an airport or train station

6 Friendly Tips for Dealing with a Cancelled Flight

March 27, 2015

About 9 months ago, I was dreaming about where I might travel after I finished my Peace Corps service. I have wanted to go to Nepal for nearly 20 years, and at that point, ticket prices to Kathmandu were great. So I bit the bullet, bought the ticket and waited.

Finally, March 25th arrived and I was on my way. I made it through the first leg of the journey, to New Delhi, without at hitch. However, the second flight ended up being an adventure in its own right.

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