Malena loves candy. And travel. And both together. And thus, this site was born.
After Syria and a quick detour to Lebanon (to be written about later!) I met up Kate, a friend from college, and attempted to get into Israel. I very nearly failed. To future travelers: going to Syria and Lebanon before Israel is really asking for a hassle at the border… but at least they do finally let you in, as opposed to doing it in the other direction! (more…)
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Outside of my experience visiting the candy factories in Aleppo, I spent most of my time in Syria sightseeing and just enjoying the atmosphere. Because Syria is a relatively small country, it’s easy to get around and see all sorts of different things in a short time. This entry is about a few of the things I saw, complete with pictures! (more…)
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So I’ve raved about Syria, hinting at the many plusses of traveling there: friendly locals not yet cynical about travelers; inexpensive and delicious food; a hassle-free experience when walking down streets alone as a female. Here is a story that was indicative of my time there… and it has to do with candy! (Apologies for the enormous length… I’ll try and be less verbose in the future.) (more…)
I started this trip ten months ago in Mexico, traveling with my grandmother in her country of birth. While this was my first trip of longer than a few weeks, Abuelita was old hat at it, having spent months independently traveling through South America, China, and Egypt. She had plenty of advice on long-term travel, and was prone towards giving it at all times. Still, my preparations for this trip were extensive and I imagined I had all the answers. I tended to discount or ignore many of her suggestions, perhaps due to the pride and vanity of youth (ha!) or maybe just an eagerness to be off adventuring rather than spending even more time dissecting my packing list/hotel selection plan. (more…)
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