There is Always One More Place to See

We originally posted this back in 2017, but the sentiments that we expressed remain as true today as they did seven years ago. No matter how much time you spend in a country, or even a city, there is always one more place to see or thing to do. Sure, it may not be the most important thing to see or do, but it probably something interesting or fun that someone else has done. After returning to the United States from spending six months in Europe, our least favorite question that people asked us when we got back was “did you go to…?”. We were working during the week, so we only had weekends to travel and didn’t have an unlimited budget, so obviously we couldn’t go everyplace. We also wanted to take advantage of our close proximity to other countries in Europe, so we couldn’t see every place in Germany, let alone Europe.

Colosseum in Rome
Tower Bridge in London
Seville Cathedral

The same is true of many other trips. We spent two weeks in Spain and upon our return people inevitably asked whether we went to Madrid, Barcelona, or Portugal. We concentrated on southern Spain, so we did not make it to those places and we had a wonderful time and treasure every memory of our trip. We leave for Lisbon, Portugal in five days, so we’ll finally be able to “tick that box”. We also spent two weeks in Bolivia, but didn’t make it to the Uyuni Salt Flats due to the distance and costs from where we were. When we spent a week in Paris a few years ago, we decided to go to the Catacombs on the next to last day of our trip and it turned out that they had closed the Catacombs that day to do some repairs. It was just bad timing.

Eiffel Tower in Autumn
Temple on Sun Island with Moon Island in the Distance on Lake Titicaca, Bolivia
Geysir Erupting in Iceland

The point that we’re hoping to make is that it is okay that you don’t see everything. Don’t worry about the places you didn’t get to see, restaurants you didn’t get to try, or the attraction that happened to be closed during your visit. Our standard response to people these days is that those are just reasons to go back sometime in the future. Worrying about the things you missed is like complaining about the half empty glass. Keep traveling and your glass will only get fuller and fuller.

Heidelberg Castle, Germany
The Erechthion in the Acropolis in Athens
Prague Castle

Going to Local Markets Throughout Our Travels

One of the things that we enjoy whenever we travel, is to visit markets with local vendors selling fresh foods as well as various arts and crafts. It is important to know before you go what the local customs are regarding haggling with the person selling their items as to whether the price given is not negotiable or whether there is an expectation that you will barter with them over the price that you are willing pay for the item. If you visit the market with a local guide, you are likely to get some free samples of foods as you walk through the market, which is a great way to get a taste of some items that are unique to the country that you are visiting.

Fish Monger in Morocco
Looking Down the Market Street in Hanoi

We have been to many markets and bazaars during our travels, but some of the most memorable have been in locations that were more exotic. There are times when going to a market can be overwhelming due to the crowds as well as people who will try to approach you and take you through the market. Do not fall for that trap as they are trying to make money off of your purchases and do not necessarily have your best interest at heart. It is best to go with a guide if you are uncomfortable or at a minimum make sure that you do your own bartering and choose only the stalls that you are truly interested in.

Standing in the Bazaar in Old Cairo
Dry Goods and the Rice Paper We Needed to Cook Dinner in Hanoi

Touring a Local Market in Tangiers, Morocco – One of the most diverse markets that we visited was the one in Tangiers, Morocco. The variety of colors and smells were almost overwhelming with the spices, fresh produce, seafood, and meat that would be trimmed in front of you. You could even buy bones for soups and other parts of the animals as nothing goes to waste. Even though we didn’t buy anything, we were able to try several things as we walked through the stalls from olives to a fresh tangerine. Each owner was very proud of the items that they had to sell and were definitely keen on making sure that you knew anything you wanted about what they had on display.

Spice Vendor in the Moroccan Market
Various Cuts of Meat

Khan el-Khalili Bazaar in Old Cairo, Egypt – Visiting markets wherever you visit is certainly worthwhile, but there is something very special about the bazaars in the middle east. Khan el-Khalili Bazaar in the Old Town Center of Cairo, Egypt, also known as Old Cairo, is certainly one of them. They can be quite busy and you need to be aware of your circumstances to avoid pickpockets or those who might want to take advantage of you. In most bazaars it is usually customary to bargain over the prices and the vendors don’t take offense to it. In fact, to get the best price, you might even start to walk away before the vendor offers a lower price that seems reasonable to you. Haggling, though, does not mean offering a ridiculously low price that might be viewed as an insult.

Using Every Inch of the Bazaar
Very Colorful

Buying Ingredients for Our Cooking Class in Hanoi, Vietnam – We decided to take a cooking class during our trip to Hanoi, Vietnam where our chef took us to a local market to buy all of the ingredients needed for our dinner. Obviously we wouldn’t have been able to navigate the market without the help of our chef and there were plenty of ingredients that we can’t necessarily find at home. We were told that the local people of Hanoi, like in a lot of cities, go to the market every day or at least every other day in order to buy fresh ingredients for their meals.

Spicy Peppers
Kumquats and Other Fruit

Artisan and Craft Market in Quito, Ecuador – In order to walk to the old town quarter of Quito in Ecuador from our hotel, we had to walk through Parque El Ejido. It is a lovely park that has a nice artisan and craft market as well as plenty of open space. Located right in the city, it can be quite busy at times as families gather to have a picnic or play a game of soccer. There is also an interesting arch located in the park, simply called Arco de El Ejido with a statue of two men battling one another.

Walking Amongst the Stalls
Artwork for Sale in Quito

Visiting the Busy Kimironko Market in Kigali, Rwanda – We spent about a day and half in Kigali during our trip to Rwanda to trek to see gorillas and chimpanzees. Of the things that we saw while we were in Kigali was the Kimironko Market, which is the busiest market in Kigali. Like many markets, the number of vendors and the variety of products available can sometimes be overwhelming. It is often a sensory overload with all of the fragrances, colors, and people bustling through the narrow walkways. We were there with a guide, but it could have easily been visited on our own, but you do have deal with many people coming up to you and trying to get you to spend money in their particular section of the market.

Massive Market Area in Rwanda
Arts and Crafts Galore

This is just a random sampling of the markets that we have visited and each one was memorable in its own way. In addition to these year-round markets, visiting the holiday markets as well as the festival markets can be equally fascinating and are definitely highlights of any trip taken during one of those occasions. We often don’t actually buy anything at one of these markets, but we still walking through them to get a sense of the lives and culture of the place that we are visiting.

We Have Been Fortunate to See So Many Amazing Animals in the Wild

It took going to Africa twice over a three-year span, but our trips to Eastern Africa have been among the best experiences of our lives. Between the eleven-day safari that took us to many different national parks across Kenya and Tanzania to our most recent adventure to trek to see gorillas and chimpanzees in Rwanda, it has been truly fascinating to get up-close to all of these amazing creatures. People often ask us what our favorite location or trip has been and we typically respond that it depends on the type of trip as to what was our favorite. When it comes to adventure, the trips to Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda certainly make it to the top of the list. These are just a taste of some of what we saw in Africa, but we have had some equally unique experiences in South America and in the Amazon Jungle as well.

Graceful Cheetah
Caracal Cat
Male Lion Up Close

The Big Cats of East Africa – One of the things that most people look forward to when going on safari in Eastern Africa is seeing all of the big cats like lions, leopards, and cheetahs. We certainly weren’t disappointed with our encounters as we had several that were all amazing and different in many ways. Whether watching the lion cubs at play, seeing a leopard climbing up a tree, or having a cheetah jump on the hood of our Land Cruiser, seeing these animals up close was something truly special. We saw lions at almost every park that we visited, but the leopards and cheetahs were more rare to see. We know that we were very fortunate to see the amazing variety of cats, including the caracal cat, which not everyone gets to see.

Baby Elephant Sniffing Us
Lioness and Cub Snuggling – One of Our Favorite Photographs
Pair of Young Giraffes Walking Together

Seeing Baby Animals During Our Safari – Although not all baby animals are cute and adorable, the majority of them are and we saw plenty of them during our time in Kenya and Tanzania. Knowing that the number of people going on safari during these times of COVID restrictions, it must be even more fascinating to these baby animals when they come across humans for the first time. Sometimes they were curious about our presence, but for the most part, they didn’t even seem to notice that we were there. We enjoyed not only seeing the baby animals, but also watching their interactions with the rest of their families.

Baby Gorilla with His Mother
Silverback Deep in Thought
Juvenile Gorillas

Trekking to Spend Time with a Gorilla Family in Rwanda – After making the over twenty-one-hour trip from Washington DC to Kigali, Rwanda, we immediately were transported to Volcanoes National Park where the Mountain Gorillas of Rwanda are located. We got a few hours of sleep and then woke up early to climb into the rainforest to locate our gorilla family. We were expecting to make our way through the jungle to observe the gorillas through the trees and perhaps have the opportunity to get a little close to one or two of them. It turned out that we would spend an hour standing and walking amongst the entire gorilla family, who continuously walked in front, behind, and all around us as we spent time with them. It was truly one of the most incredible and unique experiences that we have ever had during our travels.

Eagles Taking Flight
Vulture Protecting It’s Food
African Crowned Cranes Snuggling

The Amazing Birds of East Africa – As much as we enjoyed seeing all of the large animals in East Africa, we also saw an amazing assortment of birds. Whether the fascinating ostriches, different waterfowl like the flamingos, or other colorful birds, it was as interesting seeing all of the different birds as it was to see lions, rhinos, and giraffes. It wasn’t until we arrived back home and had time to go through all of our photographs that we realized how many different birds we were able to capture images of. We knew before we went to Tanzania and Kenya that we would see ostriches and flamingos, but the sheer number of colorful and interesting birds that we saw was almost overwhelming.

Young Cub About to Cause Mishief
Stork
Baby White Rhino with a Parent

Traveling around the world offers so many wonderful opportunities to see history, immerse yourself in a different culture, or to see amazing wildlife in their natural habitats. To us, one experience isn’t necessarily better than the other, each has their own unique rewards. We are less than two weeks away from heading back to South America and visiting Columbia, which will be more of a cultural exploration. Do you have a favorite type of travel experience that makes a trip the “best trip ever”?