Charleston, SC

After flying back to the USA and spending a week at home, I went to Charleston, South Carolina for a few days of family vacation and my good friend's wedding weekend. I have never been to Charleston, and I was super excited to experience the Southern charm, history and amazing food. Charleston did not disappoint.

The historical area was super cute, with cobblestone streets, old mansions and the smell of fresh jasmine. Horse drawn carriage tours were a frequent sight. I took one with my family and we really enjoyed the historical information. We also visited the Edmondston - Alston House, an old mansion that was turned into a museum. We also took a tour of the slave museum, which was housed in an old slave market. 

My family and I also spent a day at Patriot's Point. It was really cool to walk on an air force carrier, battle ship and submarine. But it was especially great to visit here with my Dad. He is a Vietnam veteran, and there is a representation of the Vietnam war zone there. It was the first time I've gotten to hear so much about his experience and time during his service. 

By far the highlight of the city was the culinary scene. We did a lot of eating and drinking, and enjoyed every place we went in large part due to wonderful recommendations from my friend Rob. 

• Husk - one of Charleston's most famous restaurants, and therefore getting a reservation is easier said than done. We went for drinks at their bar. They had an amazing craft cocktail list and whiskey selection 
• 82 Queen - stopped here for drinks and appetizers. Their courtyard is beautiful and they had the best crab cake appetizer I've ever had, and I'm super judgmental about crab cakes. It was served with a fried green tomato and bacon orange marmalade. 
• Fulton 5 - A very nice Italian restaurant. Delicious, and fairly priced. A little more white table cloth atmosphere. 
• SNOB - Very delicious Southern food
• FIG - We ate at the bar, and their small plates menu is very cool and very good
• The Pavillion - Great rooftop bar with nice views of the city 
• 167 Raw - low key lunch spot with amazing fresh seafood. It's part fish counter, part seating for lunch and everything tastes good 
• Blind Tiger - cool bar with multiple rooms and an outdoor section 
• The MacIntosh - where the rehearsal dinner, but also a highly recommended restaurant. The food was really delicious
• Hanks - A fancy seafood house we had a drink at, but looked very old school white table cloth 
• Henry's - Great live music and cool rooftop bar
• Noisy Oyster - Right on Market Street so it seems like a tourist trap but we enjoyed our apps
• The Grocery - Probably my favorite of the trip. We sat at the bar and ordered multiple bar snacks and small plates
• Eli's Table - We went for brunch. They won some award for shrimp and grits and I think it was well deserved. Their fried green tomato and crab cake stack was also very good. 

And then there was the wedding. 
It was held at the stunning Boone Hall Plantation. 

Lauren could not have been a more beautiful bride. 

Lauren walking down the aisle with her father

Lauren & Ali - Husband & Wife

And the wedding was picturesque and sure to be the envy of every bride on Pinterest. The setting was beautiful, the food was great and the party was fun. Everything was perfect!!

The next day we all recovered by going to Isles of Palms for a day at the beach. Really it turned out that we all just hung out at the Windjammer bar, but a great day recapping and recovering in the sun nonetheless. 

As much as I travel outside of the country, it's really nice to go to new places in the USA, and see what the rest of the country I call home is like and has to offer. I can't wait to go back to Charleston!  

South American Highlights & Trip Summary

During my four month trip, I saw a lot… 

• 8 Countries: Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama
• 33 Cities / areas
• Experienced three incredible ecosystems: Patagonia, Bolivian Salt Flats and the Amazon Rainforest
• 8 UNESCO World Heritage Areas: Cuzco, Lima, Valparaiso, Machu Picchu, Iguazu Falls, Nasca, Cuenca, Cartegena 
• 1 Wonder of the World: Machu Picchu 

I traveled a lot... 

• 14 separate flights to 6 destinations 
• Countless buses (but at least 12 major 8+ hour trips)
• 2 train trips
• 1 ferry ride
• 1 4x4 Jeep trip
• 1 catamaran 

I experienced many adventures... 

• Walked on a glacier 
• Rock climbing
• Scuba certification
• Bungee jumped
• Surfed four beaches
• Wine tasting at ten vineyards in two countries 
• Numerous hikes 
• A horseback ride 

I am so thankful for all that I've seen, every experience, the cultures and ways of life I've been exposed to, and the people I have met. 

Panama City, Panama

Unfortunately I arrived in Panama City late, after the delay of getting off the catamaran. With only an afternoon to see the city (it was supposed to be 1.5 days), I focused on one area and walked around Old Town. It was very reminiscent of Cartegena with the balconies and lighter colored buildings. There were some old churches, and I walked along the water where I could see the boats lining up for the Canal. There wasn't a lot to see - the area was very small. 

That evening for dinner my friends from the boat and I went to the fish market for dinner. During the day there is a section that sells fish, but at night only the food stalls are open. It was really fun, inexpensive, and delicious! I had fresh ceviche for $1.50 USD and a whole snapper for $10. 

After dinner, we went to the Hard Rock Hotel. There's another section of Panama City that is like a mini Las Vegas with a few grand hotels and casinos concentrated in an area, along with chain restaurants. The Hard Rock had a roof top bar with sweeping views of the city. We had a great night out dancing. 

Early in the morning, I was off to Florida. I first went to South Florida for my friend Carly's 30th birthday celebrations, and then home to AMI / Bradenton. 

Unfortunately I didn't get to see the Panama Canal, but there's always next time! 

(Also my pictures from Panama didn't back up, so I only have these few)

view of downtown from the fish market

$10 dinner

Santana Sailing Trip - San Blas Islands, Panama

As my trip progressed, I decided I wanted to take a boat trip as part of my experience. I knew the Galapagos were a good option, but also very pricey. The tradeoff to do a Galapagos Island boat trip properly would be a week there, or another 3 weeks to a month off work. I decided visiting the Galapagos would have to wait. After a quick Google search, I found catamarans that go from Colombia to Panama, and pass through the beautiful San Blas islands. I was sold. I extended my trip, and changed my return flight to leave from Panama City. As an added bonus I would also be able to visit some of Colombia.  

Trips are offered on mono-haul sailboats and catamarans. I knew I wanted to get on a catamaran, as they are more spacious, can accommodate a larger group, and their wide haul helps them better handle the waves of open water. I narrowed down my options based on reputation and dates (a lot of research), and landed on the Santana. 

I knew this wasn't going to be fancy luxury sailing, but the boat was set up better and nicer than I expected. We had 17 people onboard (they usually only take 16) plus two crew and it was comfortable at most times. The only times it felt somewhat cramped is when it rained (only one night) and we all wanted to be in the inside table area, or when we were eating. There were two cabins in the hulls - one with a twin bed and double bed and another with 3 singles. The. The main living area (between the two hauls) had the dining room table and rows of beds - 3 double beds and bunk beds in the center. In the back of the hulls, there was a kitchen on one side and the bathrooms on the other.

The boat trip is billed as 5 days and 4 nights. But really, we gathered for the boat at 5:30 pm on the first day and were scheduled to leave midday on the 5th day, so it was less (or so I thought….more on that later). However, the planned amount of time is perfect for being on a boat with a large group. You get the full boat experience before you get cabin fever, or really start craving a proper shower and personal space. 

Our first night was calm. We had a nice dinner and pulled out of Cartegena with the lights of the city behind us. Everyone was chill and basically waiting to see if they got sea sick. I was exhausted from a late night out the day before, the Dramamine and a stomach bug. I was one of the first to go to bed and had an amazing night sleep. Others stayed up playing cards and chatting.

The next morning I woke up feeling great. The water was clear and crystal blue, even out in such deep water. Right when everyone woke up, there was a huge school of Dolphins playing in the wake of the boat. It was magical! There were so many, so close, and they were jumping out of the water. Two more schools (or the same one, who knows) came by throughout the day. 

We also saw flying fish near the boat. It was our day at sea and thankfully the waves weren't bad so we could spend the day napping on the deck, reading, chatting and playing cards. In the evening, we got a huge game of charades going - interesting between people from 8 countries and not all native english speakers. And then we topped off the night with a sing along and guitar performance from an Irish guy. 

The second morning we woke up with small palm tree islands around us. It was an awesome surprise! We weren't supposed to arrive at our destination until lunch.

 As soon as breakfast was over, we all got in the water, which was super clear. We spent the day snorkeling the surrounding islands and reefs, and kayaking to further ones. 

The amount of sea life we saw was amazing. I saw a baby octopus, which after being provoked, squirted iodine at me. I saw two rays, but one was more of a skate. There were tons of bright orange starfish the size of my head. I also saw a few lobsters, and the biggest and most ancient spider crab hidden in the corals. And so many colorful and different fish.

After dinner, the games again commenced with charades and hilariously stupid drinking games where we acted like Vikings (the dutch's game) and had to memorize numbers (no easy feet after a few hours of beers).

After breakfast the third day we headed to another cluster of the islands three hours away. When we arrived, we immediately hopped in for a snorkel - I've never seen the water so clear. There was a wreck reef and the coral was stunning - so many bright colors. So many fish. 

Before this boat trip, I had thought I was ready to end traveling and go home, and then we were here in paradise. I wanted to keep being in places like this forever! 

We left after lunch to another set of islands. The reef there was amazing! It was like swimming in an underwater coral forest. We saw rays, an eel, and a barracuda.

The food on the boat was amazing! Which I was surprised about since cooking for 19 in a galley kitchen couldn't have been easy. But we were served great meals. And on this last night, we were lucky to have been brought fresh fish from the local people. 

We spent the evening swimming in the water and watching the gorgeous sunset. The sky was one of the best I've ever seen.   

The two musicians on the boat had been inspired by our trip, and had spent time writing a song. That night, they performed it during a mini concert. 

After a morning swim, we headed to immigration. It was on a small island, with two buildings and one official boat. We all swam to it. The ruggedness proved to be a problem. They wouldn't process the Egyptian girl's passport and they didn't have internet or phones to call the mainland to confirm her entrance. We couldn't leave her behind with the police, so we had to sail to another port. We wouldn't arrive in time for immigration that day, so we were aboard for another night.

A local woman from the Kuna Tribe

The bad news was my time in Panama City would be very limited - now just passing through instead of seeing the canal and sights. The bright side was I'd get to see a small fishing town that is off the tourist path - we needed to stop in Portobello for the night.

 We had fresh octopus at a local restaurant for dinner. And after breakfast the next morning, we gathered our things, got the boat ready and said our goodbyes to life at sea and the Santana.