Category: Destinations

Discovering Willemstad, Curacao’s Colorful City (Things to Do & Travel Guide)

No visit to Curacao is complete without a stop in Willemstad, its colorful capital city. There’s a lot to be seen on the island but Willemstad is just too darn pretty to miss, and it’s a great place to walk around and see the UNESCO-protected colonial architecture. I stayed in Willemstad for a week while I explored the island and got to know it fairly well. Here’s my overview of things to do & see.

Some of Willemstad’s History

Curacao was initially inhabited by the Arawaks, a tribe from modern-day Venezuela. The Spanish first colonised Curacao in 1498 but neglected … Continue reading

11+ Fun Things to Do in Curacao

I went to Curacao primarily to snorkel – and man, that was great – but the island has several other places to be explored as well. Even though I missed out on a lot, I got to see a lot, as well. Here’s a bit of what Curacao has to offer on land.

See Wild Flamingos

The flamingos that are native to neighboring Bonaire come over to vacation on Curacao. It’s really cool to see the flamingos in the wild. For one, they’re free; and secondly, they don’t have their wings clipped so you get to see them fly. It’s … Continue reading

10 Beautiful Beaches in Curacao for Snorkelling & Swimming

It goes without saying that the beaches in Curacao are some of the island’s main attractions. When I was looking to go to the Caribbean, I chose Curacao because it kept coming up on lists of islands with the best snorkelling. They have a wide variety of marine life and still a decent amount of coral.

I did a week of great beach-hopping and saw tons of cool fish, lots of sea turtles, an eel, sea urchins, and more. It was a great week of snorkelling. There are about 40 beaches in Curacao so I’ve compiled my thoughts on the … Continue reading

11 Cute Towns to Explore in Virginia

I have to be honest: even though I’m a Baltimore gal, Virginia easily wins over Maryland for best small towns. Its history is mush better preserved and there’s a diverse landscape from the bayside to the Blue Ridge Mountains (a place said to be among the most beautiful in the entire world).

I’ve been to Virginia several times, but I decided to go around, driving to the state’s small towns to experience them for myself. These are the ones that made the cut to this blog post, the ones I found most charming and worthy of a recommendation.

So without … Continue reading

“The” Day Trip to Coptic Cairo: an Honest Review

After my tour of Egypt, I wanted to supplement my visit to the capital city with a tour of Coptic Cairo. Many of these tours are offered and they give a look at the Christian sites of Cairo (“coptic” meaning ancient Egyptian Christian), many incorporating nearby sites of Jewish and Islamic Cairo as well. Before going, I had no idea what to expect or the history of coptic Cairo but since many of the sites looked beautiful, I opted to go on a tour and find out.

Long story short, yes, I do actually recommend this tour, particularly for history … Continue reading

“The” Day Trip to Alexandria, Egypt from Cairo: an Honest Review

Formed during the Greek empire, Alexandria is one of Egypt’s most historic cities and the 2nd largest city behind Cairo. My guided tour of Egypt didn’t include a stop in Alexandria so I opted to stay an extra day to see this mediterranean city I’d heard mixed reviews about. Since I wasn’t sure what to expect, I booked “the” day trip from Cairo that covers the city’s most popular and important sites.

Here’s what I thought.

Ancient Roman Amphitheater

I’ve seen amphitheaters before but seeing the amphitheater complex of Alexandria was a real surprise and highlight of my day. A … Continue reading

6 Beautiful Tombs to Visit in the Valley of the Kings

A visit to the Valley of the Kings is an essential part of any trip to Egypt, and it was a huge highlight of mine. The complex has dozens of incredibly preserved tombs with vibrant artwork from the Book of the Dead along the walls and is quintessential to ancient Egyptian history. It’s a short ride away from Luxor and absolutely worth having a day or half-day carved out of your itinerary for.

What’s up with the Valley of the Kings?

In the ancient Egyptian creation story, the peak called ta dehent (al-Qurn) was said to be where the god … Continue reading

An Honest Intrepid Travel Review for “Essential Egypt” as a Solo Female Traveller

After careful planning and looking at Intrepid travel reviews, I booked the Essential Egypt Tour for my first tour with Intrepid Travel and my first time in Egypt (and Africa and the Middle East). If you follow me, you know I put too much thought into things, so I did a lot of research and comparison before making my booking. So for all of you who also put too much thought into things, I’m providing a more detailed Intrepid Travel review so you can know just what to expect.

If you want the short version, it’s yes, I would absolutely … Continue reading

A Stop in Narai-juku, a Charming Japanese Town on the Nakasendo Trail

Narai-juku is one of the most popular towns to visit on Japan’s Nakasendo trail. With a glimpse of its streets lined with old wood facades, it’s very easy to see why. For my second trip to Japan, I opted to make Narai-juku a stop and it was a very lovely place that definitely lived up to the hype.

Some of Narai-juku’s History

Narai-juku is part of the Nakasendo trail, which is an Edo-period road that connected Tokyo to Kyoto (circa 1603-1868). It’s one of the 69 post towns where people would stop to rest. Many of these towns are still … Continue reading

A Stroll Through Tsumago, a Lovely Town on the Nakasendo Trail

Tsumago is one of the many towns located on Japan’s historic Nakasendo trail, and it looked so lovely that I opted to visit it alongside Narai-juku. It was such a nice stop and should definitely be on your list of places to visit in Japan.

A Snippet of Tsumago’s History

Tsumago started as a post town among the short Kisoji trail, but was subsequently absorbed as part of the Nakasendo trail, which is an Edo-period road that connected Tokyo to Kyoto (circa 1603-1868). It’s one of the 69 post towns where people would stop to rest. Many of these towns … Continue reading