Snow & South Africa

I believed to really connect with a culture, you must eat the food and  dance to the music. I have yet to experience authentic South African cuisine, but Sunday I took a trip to South Africa without leaving  South Carolina.  The award winning Soweto Gospel Choir performed at the Peace Center in Greenville, SC and  when I say award winning, I mean Grammy- Emmy Award winning.
 
The show was nothing short of magnificent.  It's their 10yr anniversary and the performance is  dedicated to the beautiful Miriam Makeba and great Nelson Mandela
 
 
 


 
Today I am snowed in, so why not update my blog.
 
 
Well, I'm not literally snowed in.
I've been for a walk to get fresh air.  
 
Recently someone asked why I haven't updated my blog. My response was, " I haven't been anywhere, so I have nothing to share." They went on to remind me that I have plenty to say when it comes to researching, planning and paying for a trip, culture and life in general. And I used to, but the instant expert on everything that social media has lead us all to believe we are has made me more conscious of what I say. Travel should be safe though? Right?


So here goes. I am about to share more about what's going on with me. More not all b/c part of being a lady is being a little mysterious and unpredictable. One thing I am excited about is  the opportunity to introduce the wonderful world of Travel to the girls at Zippy's Place.  A local not for profit I volunteer with. Normally,  my hours are spent behind the computer, so this is an opportunity to work directly with the participants. I have weeks until our program, but I've already done a little window shopping at Party City.


 
Hmm what else has been going on with me? I have been writing a deleting a blog entry about how to pay for travel for the last four months. Talking about money in general is uncomfortable and even though this is simply my opinion and creative ways I save for travel, I am still hesitant about posting it. We shall see.

As usual, Thanks for reading.
If you are in the South East stay warm.
Meredith ♥

PS. I signed up for a 5k next month. That should be interesting.

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Throwback Thursday: Bele Chere 2013



I am so ashamed to admit this, but I've lived an hour away from Asheville since 2007 and this was my first time visiting. 


I was looking for a weekend trip and a friend mentioned 
Bele Chere. Perfect timing. 
 After 30+ years, this was the final festival. 


The view from our room. 


 You know I came home with two bags. 
Taste so much better than store bought.
It's a local couple. He fries and she seasons with homemade blends. The BBQ was delicious. 
Low sodium and zero calories. #winning 


 The sign said it all. 


The first woman MD in the US studied in Asheville. 


 As the queens would say,
 " This sign is giving me LIFE!"


 I have a love hate relationship with my hometown, but everyone knows I'm from
 CHESTER, SOUTH CAROLINA 


 I could not talk him into this tour. 
No worries. Just another reason to come back.  


 The BEST crab cake ever!!! Nothing but meat and butter.


Chocolate treats for planning a fun and relaxing weekend. 




I decided NOT to post photos of the religious and equality protesters. I am all about freedom of speech, but once you start talking about the Heavenly Father having sex, Meredith is done. 


Thanks for reading,
Meredith♥




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Monks and Mormons #MahalaHi13


*None of these photos have been enhanced in  anyway. What you see is what I saw.*

 If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home." - James Michener
My friend Steph from Boston has nicknamed me Dora. As in Dora The Explorer. So she will not be shocked to hear that in one day, I managed to visit a multi-faith cemetery, a beautiful non-denomination Buddhist Temple and a multi-cultural Mormon University. None of these things were on the itinerary for the day. 



Leaving the city. 
I don't let driving stop me from taking a good picture. 
What a beautiful place to lay your loved one to rest.




While there, we stumbled upon the Byodo Temple . 
.



So proud of my mom for being open to a new experience.


 @Rowsbelle ringing the Sacred Bell.



During our visit to the Polynesian Cultural Center,  we hopped on the trolley. We thought we were going on a tour of the center.  We ended up at...


 Brigham Young University -Hawai'i campus. 
"Enter to Learn, Go Forth To Serve."


The visitors center for the 



Leave it to my mom to start asking questions about black members, teen pregnancy and same sex marriage. The poor missionary was NOT ready for that southern baptist pop quiz. 

 Thanks for stopping by. Please leave a comment!
Mer♥
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Hungry in Hawai'i #MahaloHi13



I don't know why I thought this was so funny! 
 Don't let PARADISE  fool you. 


Yes! I went to Waikiki. Home of some of the best cuisine in the country and I went on a food truck crawl. What can I say? I am an off the beaten path kinda girl. Where else can I get sticky rice and fresh garlic shrimp from a food truck by the ocean?



I saw this place on Unique Eats.
Shrimp Shack









 One of the gems I discovered using Instagram and Twitter was  the Honolulu Night Market #HNLNightMarket. 


Perfect timing!


Decided to take a selfie in the cab. 
At 32, I probably should not be saying selfie.


Thanks Instagram! We got ours!

Soror-Momma found her favorite. The Ice Cream Truck. 


@AlohaPops Menu at the Honolulu Night Market
Lilikoi was light, but very sweet. 


  Italian Soda from Life is Sweet


Food. Art. Music. Clothing. 
Go where the locals go.


 My Love...My desire...My waffle cake. 
@Whatchafillin

#1 I was seduced by their tagline. 
#2 They were only $3.



I prefer savory, so I got  Hot Stuff! 
 Cream Cheese, Cheddar Cheese and Jalapenos 
Monya loves her chocolate!
Gimmie S'more
Handmade chocolate fudge, Marshmallow, Gram crackers
and Powdered Sugar
#Winning


I know McDonald's isn't a food truck,  but I had to try this.

The other M's were NOT feeling it, but it wasn't bad.
Thanks for reading,
Mer
#MahaloHi13
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#Hashtags to #Hawai'i: Why I didn't use a travel agent.

A hashtag is a word or a phrase prefixed with the symbol #. It is a form of metadata tag. Short messages on microblogging andsocial networking services. Hashtags provide a means of grouping such messages, since one can search for the hashtag and get the set of messages that contain it. (Wikipedia) 


ALOHA!

After years of talking, months of planning, and a 10 hour flight;  I finally made it to Hawai'i. As a budget traveler, I (we) opted NOT to use the services of a travel agent beyond coordinating flights and accommodations. We were all coming from various cities on various dates and it was much easier to let AAA Travel handle it. 



So what do #Hashtags have to do with my trip to the South Pacific? EVERYTHING. The reality is people enjoy over sharing on social media and  I took advantage of that. I can't give away all of my secrets, but following #Hashtags saved us #Hundreds ! #BudgetTravel 

Follow #MahaloHi13 on Instagram and Twitter

Initially, I wanted to use a local travel agent. I liked a few pages on Facebook, started following a few on Twitter, and made cold calls.  It wasn't long before I was reminded that the goal of the travel industry is just like any other business. #TurnAProfit. Before I go any further, I am not knocking travel agents. It has crossed my mind a time or two to become one. Therefore,  I am going to share my experience using "I" statements. 

  • I needed this trip to be tailored to our needs and not what was convenient and profitable for an agent. 
  • One popular agent posted negative comments about his clients on Facebook and Twitter. I felt that was unprofessional and rude. 
  • I did not want to spend 11 days riding crowded tour buses to places that were of  no interest to us simply because they were apart of a prepackaged deal.
  • I wanted to save money.
I am putting together a list of tips and questions that you should ask travel agents and  tour companies before booking an excursion. I believe if a person is spending their hard earned money, they should have the experience they want. Within reason of course.

Thanks for reading,
Meredith
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Personal Perspectives: Give From Your Overflow

Personal Perspectives: Give From Your Overflow: This year I opted to work through the summer and go on vacation in the fall. I am looking forward to disconnecting and engaging in activitie...
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I Can’t BELIZE It

Excuse me miss! Pardon me, sir!

Hope everyone is well. I am LaRia and I just wanted to stop by to let you know about my recent adventure to Belize. Being a first time international traveler, I knew just the place to visit: Belize! Belize is one of the last untouched paradises and the name itself is simply awesome to say! So, for this trip, I wanted to experience life as a Belizean and leave all cares & worries on US soil.

First stop: San Ignacio. While in San Ignacio, I went to an Iguana project to learn about why saving green Iguanas is so important for their culture. The Green Iguanas are becoming endangered and people hunt for Green Iguanas to kill and eat. YUCK! Anywho, while there I saw  Iguanas (eggs) and had the opportunity to hold the ‘man’ of the house, Gomez.



One of the other focuses of the trip was to spend time with children. I had the awesome opportunity to work at DorothyMenzies Child Care Center in Belize City, Belize. Let me sum up this experience: humbling! Oftentimes, life gets so busy, bills continue to roll in, and the stress levels are so high that I forget to appreciate the ‘small’ things: clothing, shelter, food, family, friends, and education. Working with the children at DMCCC allowed me to reflect and appreciate the life I live. While I don’t have everything and am far from rich, seeing children with no family and a desire to learn (all schools have fees in Belize) really humbled me. I look forward to going back to visit and minister to the kids.  

(***Due to human trafficking, I was unable to take pictures of the beautiful babies). 



Now, after visiting DMCCC and the Museum of Belize it was time to head over to San Pedro, party town! Man o man, the men, beautiful men! Everything about Belize was great from food, sights, animals, and even their horrid mosquito! There’s nothing about this adventure that I’d change and I’m so glad I lost my international traveler’s virginity in Belize!
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