Travel

January 18, 2021

Yearning to Travel

January 18, 2021

This morning I woke up and felt this instant need to travel. Not domestic travel in the USA, but international travel. International travel is soothing for the soul. With international travel there’s opportunities to meet new people, learn about different cultures, and understand ourselves on a deeper level.

Granted you can get the same opportunities with domestic traveling in the US, but it is something about international travel that hits different. In my urge for international travel I have been feeling nostalgic. I’ve looked at my travel videos and photos and yearn to be on somebody’s beach drinking a sugary cocktail giving rich auntie vibes.

But we are in a whole pandemic! Any yes, I am aware of certain countries being open with travel requirements. My comfort level with international travel during a pandemic has varied with the list of open countries.

For those reading this who are yearning to internationally travel like me…here’s a few things we can do in the meantime while waiting for travel to open back up.

Save money for travel expenses.
Create your travel destination bucket list.
Already have a list…update the list to see if there are new places you would like to visit.
Check for travel updates on the country you would like to visit.
Get inspired, watch travel vlogs.
Be patient. Travel will eventually open back up.
Send empathy vibrations. Many counties we yearn to visit make money from tourism, hence their economy has been impacted from travel restrictions. Do know travel restrictions are helping countries with limited medical infrastructure.

As we wait for international travel to completely open, what place are you hoping to visit first?

20 Days of Peach: Day 13…Travel is my vice

March 13, 2020

Last night I found myself in a rabbit hole on the internet. I was watching traveling vlogs. Researching international flights and reading trip advisor forums. As hours slipped away, I realized traveling is my vice. Everyone has their thing! Mines is travel. I picked up the traveling bug from my father. As a kid, I watched him research travel destinations, make packing lists, and shop for vacation attire. He has travel down to a science! I never understood why he was so consumed by travel, but it makes sense now.

Traveling gives people something to look forward too. Traveling is my muse! Traveling makes me feel free. Traveling inspires me creatively. Traveling reminds me how big the world is. Traveling recharges my gratitude. Traveling lets me know that the little things stressing me out don’t matter. Ohhhh, I just want to be somewhere foreign right now, instead of being at work.

If someone knows of how to travel the world while making legit income, please slide into my dm’s on Instagram.

Until Next Time,

-Peach

March 9, 2020

20 Days of Peach: Day Nine… Bali Food

March 9, 2020

Hey Heyyy,

Happy day nine!

Hope you’re not tired of these Bali posts. I’m clearly not. Let’s talk food. What’s a holiday/vacation without food. Bali’s food tasted good and was well-seasoned. I appreciate good seasoned food. What I loved about Bali food was the mixture of salty, spicy, and sweetness all in one bite. Salty, spicy, and sweet in one bite… is a Godly combination.

In Bali, I had some of the most amazing food. Finding plant based food was not hard. Every place we ate had options. I lived my best plant based life in Bali. My new challenge will be recreating the delicious food I ate. Also, for those wondering I did not get Bali belly. Bali belly is basically, travelers’ diarrhea. Moment’s where I felt like my stomach might not hold up, I took medicine before eating.

My favorites in Bali were:

Nasi goreng- Nasi goreng me please… for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Rice chips- The perfect way to eat/scoop a nasi goreng meal.
Fruit/fruit juice- Divinely sweet but the biggest applause goes to snake fruit.
Fried tempeh- Dipped in Bali’s sweet ketchup or sweet soy sauce, perfection!
Fried tofu- Hits different in Bali.
Sweet soy sauce- I took a bottle of this sauce home.
Hot chili sauce- Took home a bottle of this sauce too.

Honorable mention:

Bali lemongrass and ginger tea
Bali salsa
Bali coconut pancakes
Acai bowls
Cooked food in a bamboo leaf

I’m craving Bali food right now. Thankfully, the cooking class I attended gave me a recipe book, so I can continue living life the Bali way,

Until Next Time,

-Peach

March 5, 2020

20 Days of Peach: Day Five…Bali Day’s 1-3

March 5, 2020

Taking the picture was a surreal moment. I finally made it to Bali!

Getting to Bali was a journey. From my previous post, we had long layovers. We (Azjia and I) were originally scheduled to arrive in Bali Sunday night (2-16-2020). We ended up arriving in Bali on Monday morning (2-17-2020). When we arrived, it was a different type of feeling going through my body. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. It was a surreal moment, to realize I made it to Bali…all I can say is yoooooooo (in my voice).

So many great things happened in the short time span we were in Bali. I wanted to break the trip down by days. My description of each day will be condensed, because everything doesn’t need to be shared. Before I go into detail about the trip, I want to give a special shout out to Nyoman and Ayik. They are amazing people, and made sure we had a true Bali experience.

Aight so boom…we started are Bali stay in Ubud. We spent a total of 4 1/2 days in Ubud.

Day One:

Arrived at the airport. At the airport, it took an hour to go through customs, exchange currency, get bags, and find our Airbnb host/driver. The drive to Ubud was about an hour.
Once we arrived at the villa in Ubud, our holiday officially started. We showered and had massages in our individual rooms. I kid you not, 12 dollar massages with VIP service…I could get use to this type of lifestyle.
After massages we had lunch at this beautiful restaurant (if I remember the name I will post it). The restaurant had a pond with fish and a amazing view. After lunch went shopping at Ubud market. After shopping we called it a night. *For more visuals check out my Instagram highlights. *

Day Two:

Day two we woke up super early. The time difference from AZ to Bali is wild. On day two we watched a traditional Balinese dance, visited the Goa Gajah temple, Tengenungan waterfall, and the rice fields. We were going to visit more tourist spots but we were waiting on my cousin Cierra to come (she missed her flight to Bali).

Day Three:

Day three was rest day. We didn’t do much. Many parts of Ubud were closed for the Galungan holiday. The Galungan holiday celebrates good spirits winning over evil spirits. It’s the time in which departed ancestors visit their loved ones. To celebrate the ancestors, offerings are created. We saw some of the most beautiful offerings. Every Balinese home was required to create offerings for the holiday. It was dope to see Balinese people in their ceremonial clothing.
99.9% of everything was closed for the Galungan holiday. Thankfully, we could get lunch. Nyoman took us to a restaurant near the villa, despite it being a holiday. Nyoman is dope!
Cierra finally made it to Bali later that night!

Tomorrow, I’ll post about days 4-7 in Bali.

Until Next Time,

-Peach

March 4, 2020

20 Days of Peach: Day Four… Layover Chronicles

March 4, 2020

Hope your prepared. Now starts all the blog posts about my Bali Holiday. Getting to Bali was a long journey. It took over 40 hours. I flew to Bali with my cousin Azjia (pictured to the right). The long journey to Bali was because of flight delays. We flew from Arizona to New York. From New York to Qatar and Qatar to Bali. Every flight of our trip was delayed beyond what we expected. My advice for long layovers…

Research each destination ahead of time.
Determine activities you can do during your layover.
Pack extra clothes in your carry-on bag. Most international airports have showers.
Get an extra passport stamp en-route to your destination if possible.

We made the most out of our flight delays. When we finally arrived in Qatar, we were determined to be out in the Doha streets. We had seven hours to explore. After going through several rounds of security to get another passport stamp, we took the city transit system and visited the National Museum of Qatar.

Btw, the public transit is very nice. The men in Qatar are beautiful. Also, I saw more Black people in Qatar than I have in Arizona. Here are a few pictures from over layover experience in Doha.

National Museum of Qatar- Artifact Picture…I was too scared to get more pictures #museumrules

Until Next Time,

-Peach

March 2, 2020

20 Days of Peach: Day Two… My Bali Holiday

March 2, 2020

Bali-Bali-Bali. Bali is magical! I had a wonderful time in Bali. I am few days post Bali holiday. Not sure how I feel about it. But…Bali was everything I needed. It took me almost four years to get to Bali. Four years ago, I was not ready for Bali (mentally and spiritually). My trip was worth the wait! I had the time of my life in Bali. Bali heightened me to a new level of awareness. There’s still so much I want to share about my Bali experience. Not sure where to begin. Still trying to figure out which modality would be the best way to encapsulate my Bali experience. All I can say is be prepared for multiple Bali blog posts.

Until Next Time,

-Peach

November 20, 2019

The Timing Of It All…

November 20, 2019

Last night it hit me! As I laid in bed watching Bali travel vlogs, I had the aha moment! I’m finally going to Bali. I’m going to Bali at the beginning of the new year. Like for real-for real going! Like, tickets have been purchased, going! Villa fees have been paid, going! My suitcase it already packed, going!

If you can’t tell, I’m super excited!

My trip to Bali has been a long time coming. I always knew I was always going. Just didn’t know when.

Back in 2016, I made up my mind I was going to Bali. I watched the movie Eat Pray Love and just knew that’s where I needed to be. I connected with the character Liz Gilbert. She was literally a visual representation of my turmoil at the time. I figured if she went to Bali to find peace, then I needed to go too.

Months later, I got the opportunity to attend a writing boot camp in Bali. The writing boot camp was for two months. In my mind, I was like…” this is my moment, I manifested this”. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity, but there was a caveat. I had to come up with $ 30,000. Yes, you read that right $30,000. $30,000 included lodging, excursions, some meals, and coaching. Even with all the amenities, $30,000 was too much!

At the time, I had no job. I had my teaching 401K and unpaid bills. The day I realized I couldn’t afford the $30,000 price tag, I sobbed. I felt like I missed my moment. In my frustration, I made a promise to myself that I would go to Bali on my own terms and conditions. Years later, I had to trust the timing of it all. It wasn’t my time to go to Bali yet. I wasn’t in the mental space to enjoy Bali. I’m ready now.

In trusting the timing of things, sometimes it takes a little longer for manifestations to come true. The key lesson in waiting is having faith. As we wait…we must ask ourselves is it our time? If it’s not our time, will we make space to receive what we desire.

Until next time,

-Peach

December 4, 2016

Finding The Doyle Plantation

December 4, 2016

A year of so when I first started Destination Peach, I did a blog post titled Southern Peach. In the post, I mentioned that I would talk about my family heritage. Specifically, what that experience was like when visiting Birmingham, Alabama. And now I’m finally ready to talk about it!

When my family originally visited Birmingham, it was for the funeral of my great aunt Mary on my mom’s side. However, the Birmingham visit turned into an endless road trip (shout to my uncle Keith). Alright, let me get back on track. When we were in Birmingham, I came up with the idea to track our historical roots. Tracking our historical roots, led us to the Doyle plantation. Doyle is my mother’s maiden name. While in Birmingham I started asking the elders about the Doyle plantation, and they gave specific instructions on how to get there.

Now my family was looking at me like I was bat-shit crazy. I was asked multiple times…why should we know about our history and the Doyle plantation? I had to remind my family that, we need to know where we come from and understand how our ancestors fought for us to be here. As a consensus, everyone said… “we feel you Peach, let’s go find the Doyle plantation”. With my plans in action I was excited and extremely nervous.

The day we set off to find the plantation, we started the adventure early. Starting the adventure early was key because we didn’t want to be in the backwoods of Birmingham at night. Like going to the club, we rolled out deep. Five trucks riding through the backwoods of Birmingham. On our way to the plantation we got lost several times, GPS stopped working. Everyone wanted to turn around.

In my mind…I was like, ” we came to far to turn around”. So, I started to ask people living in the area for help. I literally got out of the car, and knocked on the homes of people who had their confederate flags waving high. One home in particular, I was extremely nervous to knock on the door. I asked my family to stay in the cars, because a group of Black people knocking on doors wasn’t the scene we needed at the moment. As I knocked on the door, a man came out.

The man said: Can I help you?

Me: Yes sir.

Man: What do you want?

Me: I am looking for the Doyle plantation, its where my family is from. I’m not from here.

Man: Where are you from?

Me: Colorado.

Man: Where all the weed is?

Me: Yes!

Man: I would sure love to visit Colorado, I can smoke all the weed I want.

Me: Colorado is a lovely place.

Me: Sir do you know how to get to the Doyle plantation?

Man: Sure, let me help you…and I want you to meet my family.

Me: Absolutely!

Man: Hey y’all…she’s from Colorado.

As the man started to give me the instructions to the Doyle plantation he reiterated that we needed to be careful because we could randomly end up in swamp water. After 40 minutes, we finally found the plantation. Once we arrived at the plantation, it was the most interesting experience ever. I didn’t know how to feel. This was the land my people were slaves on. While observing the plantation, the family that now owns the property came out to speak. The family insisted that it wasn’t a plantation. In my mind, “I was like… so ma’am your just gonna act like this isn’t a plantation with all these cotton crops around…okay!”

From the original pictures and instructions this was the Doyle plantation. The new owners spruced up the plantation, to make it not seem like a plantation. Intuitively, I knew it was the Doyle plantation.

As we spent an hour at the plantation, I knew my family was forever changed. After the experience, I later found out that my grandfather was named after the slave master. And the story of what happened to my great-grand father is still to be determined. Learning that slavery was not that far removed from my family, gave me the motivation I needed to keep going. My next genealogy quest is to track the indigenous roots of my grandmother Essie Mae.

Knowing who you are and where you come from is powerful liberation!

Until next time…

-Peach

December 4, 2016

Destination Series: Phoenix Peach

December 4, 2016

Tis the holiday season… fa la la la! To kick-start the holiday season, I went to Phoenix, AZ for Thanksgiving. In Phoenix, I had a great time catching up with family and being in warm weather. Arizona is a common destination for me, but this trip was different. For the first time, I was able to explore. Typically, when I go to Arizona it is school related and I am on a tight schedule.

Prior to even going to Phoenix, the original plan was to be in Ubud, Bali. However, my plans took a slight detour. I pushed back my Bali plans until March 2017. I figured what better way to bring in my birthday then in Bali? That said, I’m glad I didn’t miss the opportunity to catch up with family, I truly enjoyed my time in Phoenix.

While in Phoenix, I was able to find some of the cultural/artistic gems of Phoenix. Here are a few of the shots I captured.

Roosevelt Row Arts District

Phoenix Art Museum

The Heard Museum

If your considering visiting Arizona, the winter time is the perfect time to go. Arizona has such rich cultural history that is often overlooked. If you want more details about the places I visited in Phoenix, leave a comment below.

Until next time…

-Peach

August 24, 2016

Destination Series: Dominican Peach

August 24, 2016

As of lately, I have been spending my time in the Dominican Republic. This is what happens when you leave your full-time job… you have the freedom to do what you want! With this new found freedom I have, I plan on traveling until it leads me to some major life epiphany or until I feel compelled to try “adulting” again. In the midst of searching for life epiphanies and my escapism from “adulting”, I randomly booked a trip to the Dominican Republic.

The Dominican Republic is a BEAUTIFUL country! From the great beaches to the people that live here, it’s an inexplicable feeling. To arrive in a country and automatically feel like you’re at home is rare. Surprisingly, my Spanish has come back to me just from being here (my minor in Spanish didn’t die in vain). I must say, living a slow-pace lifestyle, and indulging in the libations of Mamajuana is something that I can get use to. Not to mention…Dominican men are GORGEOUS! Since being here I have been married like five times but…DéLeon has my heart (muchos besos mi amor).

Throughout my travel adventures in the Dominican, I have been capturing a lot of pictures (too many to upload). The colorful architecture and lush green landscape is breathtaking and worth sharing.

La Gaviota