How I Got To Memphis

The legendary Sun Studio!

The Millionaire Quartet! Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, and Johnny Cash

Seeing the ducks in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel! 

B.B. King's guitar "Lucille" and the Memphis Music Hall of Fame

            Greetings from Memphis! It’s been a busy day of traveling, getting introduced to this city, and eating barbecue. One thing that I didn’t mention in my last blog post is that I’m actually not traveling solo for this trip. That was originally the plan, but when my music-loving uncle, Mark, heard that I was planning a trip to Memphis, he got jealous and decided to join me.

            We were up and moving bright and early this morning, getting to the airport in plenty of time to make our eight o’clock flight to Houston. After a layover of just over an hour, we were in the air again, arriving in Memphis around lunchtime. We decided not to rent a car for this trip, but just use shuttles and Uber to get around. With the aid of the hotel’s shuttle service, we left the airport and got out to explore the city. It’s predicted to rain tomorrow, but so far the weather here is great! A nice blend of cloudy and sunny, the temperature’s in the low seventies with a nice cool breeze!

            After getting checked into the hotel and settling in, we walked over to a little shopping center right down the street from our hotel for a quick lunch, then returned to the hotel to look at some maps and tourist info to decide how to spend the rest of the day. We decided to start with the legendary Sun Studio, then see what else we’d have time for. We got an Uber and made it to Sun Studio in time for the 3:30 tour. The building itself actually isn’t very big- they’ve clearly tried to keep it as original as possible. Started by Sam Phillips in 1950, Sun Studio is (as our tour guide put it), the birthplace of rock and roll. Although it was only an active recording studio for ten years, it was the original studio for a lot of successful musicians including Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and B.B. King. While on the tour of the place, it was really cool to be in the exact studio where so much of that music originated. They even still had one of the original microphones that a lot of those musicians used.

            After the tour of Sun Studio, we headed down to the famous Beale Street, just a few minutes away. On a spur of the moment decision, we decided to run into the beautiful Peabody Hotel to see the ducks playing in the lobby fountain. The place was huge, and very packed with people, so we didn’t stay too long. Afterwards we walked down to the Memphis Music Hall of Fame, where they had a lot of cool music memorabilia. By the time we were done there it was about dinner time, so we decided to take the advice an Uber driver had given us for barbecue. Thankfully, it was right across the street from the Music Hall of Fame! The place was called Blues City Café, and a sign said that they were voted best ribs in town. We both ended up ordering the ribs, and they didn’t disappoint! This city seems to be mainly known for music and barbecue, and so far it seems to be deserving of both.

            When we were done eating we came back here to the hotel to relax after a very full day. Tomorrow it looks like rain is pretty likely, so we’ll most likely do the Civil Right’s Museum, since that should be mostly indoors. It’s so nice to be out exploring a new city! This post’s food for thought: “If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.”- James Michener

Nothing Like Spontaneity! Update

            Time for a long overdue blog update! Considering how busy we’ve been at work, I haven’t had much free time for an update lately. On the fun side, one thing I have been using my free time for is planning future adventures! On that note…

            When I was planning my second trip to Africa last year, I knew that trip would be my main adventure of 2017. I knew I just wouldn’t have the free time (or funds) to take two big international trips this year, which made me a little hesitant to make that trip so early in the year. Considering my intense wanderlust, staying in one place for too long gives me very itchy feet! That being said, travel doesn’t have to be international. A lot of people that know about my international travels assume that I’ve also traveled all around my own country, which is actually not the case. Yes, I’ve seen some of the US, but so far I’ve only been to ten states. In order to meet the travel goal I set for myself a few years ago (which I’m absolutely determined to do!), I need to more than double that number in the next six years. So, back in early July, I was spending a day off work watching one of my favorite travel vloggers on Youtube describe how to find cheap flights- I might actually make a blog post on that myself later. Watching the video really got me in the mood to start looking into and planning my next trip. At the time, I didn’t know exactly where I wanted to go, when I wanted to go there, or for how long I wanted to be gone. Within two hours, my flights to and from Memphis were booked and paid for- two hours!!! That’s a new record for me, and I still can hardly believe that I did that. One thing that I always say is one of my favorite things about traveling solo is it allows you to embrace spontaneity, and that certainly rings true here! Basically, I began by looking at a simple online map of the US and getting some ideas about where I’d like to go. Of course, I want to go pretty much EVERYWHERE, but I just looked at cities that jumped out at me and peaked my interest most. I narrowed it down to about three or four cities that looked the best for me, then jumped on some airline and flight comparison websites to see what flight prices looked like and what cities had the best rates. When I saw the very cheap flights to Memphis that were being offered, I quickly decided that they were too good to pass up, and if I waited to book the price would almost certainly go up. So, before I could convince myself not to, I booked those flights, a simple two hours after deciding to plan a trip.

            I can’t narrow it down to one specific reason why I chose Memphis as this spontaneous destination- it was a variety of reasons put together. Tennessee has been one of the top states on my bucket list for years- I’ve heard that it’s beautiful and has a lot to offer tourists. Memphis specifically has a lot to offer music lovers like myself, including Graceland, Beale Street, and Sun Studio. For people that love history, Memphis is home to the National Civil Rights Museum, which I’ve heard is VERY well done. For animal and nature lovers, there’s the Memphis Zoo, which is one of only four zoos in the US that has pandas! Not to mention, Memphis is right on the Mississippi River. Finally, for foodies, Memphis barbecue is supposed to be some of the best in the country. I’m sure I’ll make blog posts about some, if not all of those places when I head to that city- and my trip is fast approaching! I’ll be in Memphis September eleventh through fifteenth, and I plan on seeing as much as I possibly can in that time!

            Planning this trip has reminded me that sometimes I put too much focus on international destinations. The US is such a big country, and it has a lot to offer that I still haven’t seen. Yes, the travel goal I set for myself did include other countries and continents, but it didn’t leave out places right here in the US! See you in twelve days, Memphis! This post’s food for thought: “A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.”- Lao Tzu

Why You Should- and Shouldn't- Volunteer With Wildlife

Me with one of Africa's marine big five

My first trip to Cape Agulhas!

Sweet Patats at CARE

Ajayu, the bear I got to work with in Bolivia

            I started volunteering with animals nearly a decade ago, when I became a member of “zoo team” at the San Antonio Zoo. Since then, I’ve volunteered with sharks, baboons, bears and more in South Africa and Bolivia. When people hear about my amazing experiences volunteering with wildlife, they often say that they’re jealous and wish they could do that too. I’m always careful with how I respond to those comments because, while volunteering with wildlife has made for some of the best experiences of my life, I don’t think it’s for everybody. Some people definitely go into it with the wrong intentions or misconceptions about what the experience will be like. That being said, here are some reasons, off the top of my head, why you SHOULDN’T volunteer with wildlife:

1.   You want pictures of you cuddling cute animals to make friends back home jealous

            One thing I like to ask people that are considering volunteering with wildlife is this- if you couldn’t bring a camera with you, would you still want to do it? If you couldn’t bring back pictures of you cuddling little baboons or swimming with great white sharks, would the experience still be worth it? This is probably the main reason I’m careful about what pictures I post of my experiences. I don’t want to give people the idea that my entire days are spent playing with adorable animals. There is so much more to it than that. Not only that, but I can’t stress enough the statement that THESE ANIMALS ARE NOT PETS. They are wild animals, and a lot of wildlife projects are focused around rehabilitation and eventually returning the animals to the wild. What may seem like simply taking a cute picture can actually be hugely damaging to this process. If you just want pictures of you playing with these animals to make people back home jealous, then volunteering with wildlife isn’t for you.

2.   You just want a chill, relaxing vacation

            If you want your vacation to consist of sleeping in, lounging on a beach, and being pampered, that’s totally fine- but that’s not what these projects are about! When working with White Shark Projects, I was regularly up before five am, packing up the boat with everything we needed, and being out on the water before the sun came up. While working at CARE Baboon Sanctuary, a good portion of the day consisted of being out under the hot African sun hosing down the enclosures, scrubbing out the nursery, collecting brush for enrichment, and more. By the end of the day, we were often dirty, sweaty, and tired. Again, there’s nothing wrong with wanting a chill, relaxing vacation, but if you do, volunteering with wildlife isn’t your thing.

3.   You want the focus to be on you, not the animals

            This is another one that really annoys me. These projects involve being part of a team, and in order for the team to reach the goal of helping the animals, everyone needs to do their part. At CARE, pretty much everyone’s favorite part of the day was spending time in the nursery or down by the river with the baby baboons, but if all the volunteers spent all day just doing that, no work would actually get done. At White Shark Projects, I always wanted to be one of the volunteers that got to go out on the boat, but space on the boat was limited and there were other volunteers that also deserved to go out, so sometimes I stayed behind and did other jobs that, while maybe not as fun, were still a necessary part of making the project successful.

            With all of that being said, there are plenty of reasons why I absolutely love volunteering with wildlife, and this isn’t meant to be a negative blog post. There are many reasons why you SHOULD volunteer with wildlife, and here are a few:

1.   You’re willing to put in the work

            These projects aren’t your typical vacation. They aren’t easy by any means. They certainly don’t involve sitting around relaxing all day. They often involve getting up early, spending the day working, usually outside in the sun, and being dirty and sweaty by the end of the workday. Know what you’re getting into when you sign up for these projects. Because if you’re willing to put in the work that comes with them, I guarantee it will be the most rewarding work you ever do. If you’re not afraid of early wake up calls, working up a sweat, and getting your hands dirty, then volunteering with wildlife may very well be for you.

2.   You want to make a difference for the wildlife

            To get anything out of these projects, your heart needs to be in the right place. You may have a lifelong dream of working with apes, or have a great love for elephants. Regardless of your specific focus, you need to have that passion for wildlife and conservation in order to help these projects. If you love animals and know that you want to help them, then you should volunteer with wildlife.

3.   You have an open mind

            I think this is important with travel in general, but especially so when it comes to volunteering with wildlife. People come from all over the world to work with these projects. If you’re only going to interact with people that look and sound like you, you won’t get anything out of the experience. On the same note, these projects often include a variety of jobs and activities that most people aren’t used to doing. If you’re open and willing to try new things that are unfamiliar to you, you’ll not only enjoy the experience so much more, you’ll be a much more valued and appreciated member of the project’s team. If you’re willing to open your mind and say yes to new experiences and people, then you should volunteer with wildlife.

            While volunteering with wildlife, I’ve had some of the most rewarding experiences of my life- experiences that I’ll never forget and always cherish. I’ve traveled thousands of miles, made friends across six continents, learned things I couldn’t have learned any other way, and created a million wonderful memories. As I mentioned earlier, I don’t think it’s for everybody, but if you’re the right kind of person for it, volunteering with a wildlife project is something you won’t regret. This post’s food for thought: “I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.”- Maya Angelou

Traveling in the Age of Terrorism

Me with Jama, my amazing tour guide of Robben Island in Cape Town

The wonderful crew of White Shark Projects

My fellow traveler friends! 

            There’s a lot of negative news going around all over the world today- it’s hard not to notice that. Words like fear, danger, and terrorism get thrown around a lot. With all of this information going around, people are basically trained to believe that the world is not a safe place. This thought is nailed into our heads nearly every time we open a newspaper or jump on the Internet. If one thing has been made very clear in the past few years, it’s that terrorism is virtually omnipresent- these horrible events can happen anywhere. An airport in Brussels, a concert venue in Paris or Manchester, a nightclub in Orlando- these tragedies don’t focus on one country or type of place. In fact, they seem so random that they trigger a sense of panic whenever we hear about the latest attack, because we have no idea what could come next. People who have planned international travel, and even travel within their own country, begin to question if they should go through with their plans. Should they reroute the Paris trip they’ve dreamed of for so long to New York or Australia? Should they reschedule that trip to the UK until the panic subsides and security increases? Or should they nix that dream trip altogether, since it’s just not worth the risk?

            I don’t know the answer to these questions, but I do know this- we shouldn’t let these all-too-common tragedies control our lives, as travelers and as people. If we lived our lives focused solely on avoiding risk, we’d never leave our homes. Nowhere in the world is void of potential danger. In my experience as a traveler, I’ve learned to take just about everything I hear about other places with a grain of salt. I remember how much I was warned about the dangers of going to South Africa, how many people said I was so brave, being a twenty-something year old white American girl traveling there alone. Here’s a little story that I haven’t previously written down about one evening in Cape Town. I was sitting at a bar at a restaurant on the V&A Waterfront, looking out at the beautiful city lights reflected on the water, enjoying the moment, when someone sat down next to me and struck up a conversation. I noticed his thick South African accent as soon as he opened his mouth, and we talked about where I was from, what I was doing in South Africa, and life in general. He ordered us a couple of beers, and when I offered to pay, he gently pushed my money away. When I started to thank him, he said something I’ll always remember. “No need to thank me. The way we look at it here, you have traveled all this way just to meet us, and that is a huge honor.”

            That is just one of my many experiences seeing the kindness and generosity of strangers, people that I’ve been told are dangerous and untrustworthy. While there are people in this world that commit terrible acts of violence, my travels have solidified my belief that most people would rather help you than hurt you. And, because of moments like that, we should never stop traveling. We should never stop smiling at strangers, and never stop striking up a conversation with them over a coffee or beer. I think this has always been important, but it is now more than ever. Travel tears down prejudices, eliminates fear and hatred, and turns strangers into friends.

            I’m not telling anyone to be careless. Do your research when picking a place to travel. Look up travel advisories and listen to their advice. Be cautious, and make informed decisions about where to go. But DO go. Book that plane ticket. Pack some bravery and hope, and go out into the world. It’s okay to be afraid, but don’t let that fear stop you from traveling. In this age of constant panic and terror, it will undoubtedly be a life-changing decision. This post’s food for thought: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”- Mark Twain