My favorite purchases from last year were my red Hershel dupe knapsack and my secondhand cafe-brown Levi jeans. Naturally, I brought them with me on my week-long vacation to South Africa last week. The cafe pants a great staple piece in my closet and were very comfy to walk around in through the city. My knapsack held all my essentials (passport, money, IDs, water bottle, sunscreen, etc) and allowed me to explore the city hands-free. I will let these two items tell the story of my trip to South Africa.
JOHANNESBURG (JO’BURG)
When we first landed in Jo’Burg, the first thing I felt was how much I had missed the African sun kissing my skin.There was art and beauty around every corner.There was so much to do and see but most of the time, I was content to just sit still and be present.Every inch of the city paid homage to history’s greats.Each neighborhood reflected the interests of its eclectic residents.Depending on where you stood, and from who’s perspective you were looking from, the city looked completely different.Despite years of adversity, the African pride could not be smoldered. It was prominent in every space we entered.
CAPE TOWN
A greeting is enough to spark a friendshipThe weather in Cape Town does as it pleases– sun one minute, wind the next.The streets were marked so that no one could erase their history.I could never take for granted the kindness of strangers (especially the ones letting me take pictures in front of their houses)I allowed myself to relax in my new surroundingsI witnessed the nostalgic blend of the old and the new.I experienced the adage that “it’s not the destination, but the journey that changes us.”
Special thanks to Bonnie, our tour guide in Johannesburg from Curiocity Backpackers. Stay tuned for my part II of this post, giving more details about the places I went, things I did, and people I met in South Africa.
Have any of you traveled to South Africa? Leave me a link to your blog post below. I’d love to see what you saw!
On a whim, I decided to join a group of classmates going to Puerto Rico on vacation. As I mentioned, this would be my first legit Spring Break vacation. This post will be a teaser of some of my photos from the trip. Between my friends and I, there should be over 1000 pictures! We were only there for 5 glorious days but we made some great memories. This was, hands down, my favorite Spring Break holiday.
As I’m reflecting from my trip, I thought I’d share some lessons I learned while I was away:
#1. Be open to new experiences.
#2. Be comfortable with silence.
#3. Face your fears.
#4. Live like you only have one shot at life.
#5. Make time for yourself.
#6. Strive to put your mark on the world.
#7. Surround yourself with good company.
#8. Don’t take yourself too seriously.
#9. Face your tomorrows with optimism and courage.
#10. Take one step at a time and don’t get ahead of yourself.
#11. “Be yourself. Everybody else is taken.” -Oscar Wilde
#12. If you want it, go after it.
#13. You may bend, but you won’t break.
#14. Don’t be afraid of where your ambition will take you.
#15. Find the things that bring you the greatest joy and pursue them.
This vacation showed me how much I’ve been missing out by not traveling. I shudder to think that I almost didn’t go on the trip, but decided to jump in last minute. It was worth every penny! I have been bitten by the proverbial travel bug and I can’t wait for my next trip (where/whenever it will be).
© 2021 Naturale Chronicles 
