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WEDNESDAY VOLUNTEERING Rainbows are something that I haven’t seen in a while considering that it never rains in California . I had seen them plenty of times in Florida , even a double rainbow once in Greece , but the rainbow that I saw on Wednesday morning in Muizenberg , South Africa on the way to Christian David Primary School was unlike any rainbow I’ve ever seen before in my life. It was vibrant and pronounced against the dark gray sky behind it, but what was the most notable was that you could actually see where the end of it led. “Hey Karl, can we take a detour and go find that pot of gold?” Party boy joked, but for once I didn’t disagree with his idea. Karl stopped for us to take photos in an open field where we attempted taking “jumping pictures”, and partially succeeded. Just jumping under a rainbow in South Africa Blinded by the beauty of the rainbow that the rain had caused, I didn’t take into account the toll that the we...

TUESDAY Although I was noticeably dirty and smelled like a second grader, I didn’t bother changing or getting ready when we got back to the Albertyn House after volunteering because I was so damn cold. A few of us were talking about going to Boulders Beach to see the penguins , but couldn’t tell how the weather was going to pan out. Naturally the solution was to Google it. We decided to walk down to Muizenberg beach for a snack and free Wifi, but when we got there it had suddenly cleared up, so decided to take a walk along the beach first. It was as gorgeous as the over-priced postcards that they sell at the airport – soft white sand with gentle waves rolling out onto it after a surfer rides it in, and a picture-perfect mountain background with houses sprinkled along it’s base. Muizenberg Beach The surf program volunteers were all out in the water, surrounded by kids in the bright blue Dreams to Reality wet suits. There was one particularly large figure...

“I am loyal and constant in my love for travel, as I have not always been loyal and constant to my other loves. I feel about travel the way a happy new mother feels about her impossible, colicky, restless newborn baby – I just don’t care  what it puts me through. Because I adore it.” I think every woman should read at least once in her life Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Eat, Pray, Love”. I have first read it somewhere in 2008-2009 and it has conquered me from the first page. Recently, since I am a special case, I have decided it is time I should come back to its pages, read it once again, being almost certain that I will see it with whole new eyes (since I’ve grown  a little bit since then). I am only at the beginning, reading page by page, taking everything in, enjoying her jokes and even more than that, visualizing Rome and Italy in my mind. When I first read the book I could identify only with the heartache, the continuous search of oneself, ...

I didn’t get any sunburns during my four days at Finca San Juan! For me this is quite the achievement, and I am currently accepting pats on the back and rounds of applause. These days I’m just doing homework and interning, other than one notable salsa break (thanks Olga and Freddy!). However, this long-awaited trip northwest was a journey full of blood, sweat and tears, with all the blood being inside the mosquitos that bit me, and the majority of the other fluids having been secreted by my overworked sweat glands. The path taken from Guatemala City to Retalhuleu -> San Felipe -> Finca San Juan, and then back. Only takes 4-7 hours depending on the day! How to Get to the Cacao Plantation I started my trip on Wednesday, at 12:15 in the afternoon in a taxi to the Santa Lucía bus station, where I caught a bus to Retalhuleu (the city whose name I can finally pronounce, though a bit late for it to be of any use). The bus ride took near...

Virgin Voyages has delayed the official launch of their cruise line onboard the Scarlet Lady canceling all November cruises.  An official statement was sent in a letter to travel agents stating “As we continue to navigate what's going on in the world, we've made the decision to cancel our November sailings.” Scarlet Lady cruise ship - Virgin Voyages Virgin delayed its first inaugural sailing back in March when it was supposed to host media personnel at a New York City event that revealed the cruise line . They stated at the time that they were keeping “a watchful eye on the news,” 6 Months later after the CO...

Due to the two online Spanish classes I am taking this summer, these days it seems all I do is work at the store or do homework. But I have also been planning my next chocolate adventure, and this Wednesday-Saturday I will be visiting Finca San Juan, a plantation in northern Guatemala! Honestly, I don’t know exactly what I’ll be doing beyond taking publicity photos and learning a lot about the processes involved in cacao cultivation. But I am very excited! Jorge, the owner of Finca San Juan, the cacao plantation I mentioned above. Before Seeing The Farm, One Must Define the Farm Before the big adventure south, I spent Monday afternoon with my housemate, Leo. It started with a trip to the local store named “Orgánica,” where one finds some of the only imported organic foods, albeit at double or triple the price in the US. After this we were distracted by a cute little bakery named Sweet Brooklyn, and then we walked all over Zone 10 and Zona Viva . Fi...