French Market, Crawfish, New Orleans, Food

Meeting Jesus on the Dance Floor- New Orleans Day 2

After a home run our first night in New Orleans, day two had a lot to live up to. Since I turned my dirty thirty, recovering after a night of drinking sugary drinks has become more and more difficult. The threat of feeling like I got hit by a hurricane after a night of drinking Hurricanes is real, but thankfully I awoke easily to the smell of freshly baked muffins that our host Cindy had been making at our B & B Monrose Row.

I am a firm believer in lazy Sundays so after our delicious breakfast we decided to start our day off at the French Market Place. It’s a small flea market right by the Mississippi River full of all kinds of goodies ranging from alligator heads to voodoo dolls, 3 for $10 T-shirts with creative sayings like “I Got Fucked Up on Bourbon Street”, tons of handmade jewelry, and lots of interesting people that are willing to “make a deal just for you!” It also has yummy food. Since my boyfriend and I were on a mission to eat, we decided it was time to have lunch because it had been at least two hours since we had eaten breakfast.

During our hunt for food, it began to sprinkle which inspired us to stop by the Organic Banana to grab some piña coladas… just in case we got caught in the rain. There were so many vendors so it was hard to decide what yummy foods we were going to try next. We are seafood junkies so when we saw J’s Seafood Dock was selling fried oysters on a bed of collard greens and artichokes, we had to stop and try some. After we demolished those, we got an order of boiled crawfish. They are delicious but take a lot of work for a little pay off. Eating crawfish is not for the faint of heart. Here is my suggested method for eating those little cockroaches of the sea.

Ashley's Method for Eating Crawfish

Prepare yourself for the carnage that is about to ensue.

Remove the head from the tail. Pinch the head between two fingers with one hand, and hold the tail with your other hand. ...

Suck the head. Place the open part of the head between your lips and suck out the juices. ...I know, it sounds disgusting but the broth is so good!!!!

Crack the tail's shell. ...

Devein the crawfish. ... (If you’re daring and disgusting like my boyfriend, you may skip the deveining part.)

Eat the tail meat. ...

Suck the claws.

It takes a lot to fill you up so prepare for a lot of work!

After lunch we felt like we needed to walk off some of those calories. We walked along the Mississippi river all the way through the Bywater district to Poland Avenue where we stopped at Bacchanal Wine. You would never know by the front how amazing this place is! The entrance of the building looks tiny and leads to a small wine store...we passed through and it was like entering your best friends backyard. They have a large courtyard with an array of different tables and chairs. In the center was a small stage that provided continuous live music. Before we knew it, we killed a bottle of wine while rocking out under the beautiful grey sky. It was such a great vibe that I didn’t even mind getting shit on by a bird. I figured it was good luck (even though it was on an outfit I borrowed from my sister without asking…oops) Another reason I loved this place was because there are no children allowed! There are signs everywhere that say no one under 21--that includes babies! I realize this might rub some people the wrong way, but as non-breeders, we appreciated this!

Bacchanal was a success because we were drunk by 4 o’clock on a Sunday. We decided to walk back to our Bed and Breakfast to catch a QUICK snooze; we woke up at 9pm!!! Since we slept a good portion of the evening away we thought what better to do than eat! We decided to go back to Frenchmen Street to grab some tapas at Maison. This is a lively place on Frenchman Street where there are live performances from local jazz bands. It’s dark and intimate and the stage is visible from the dining area and the bar. All the tables fill up quickly so be prepared to wait.

Once we were seated we decided to order a few more Sazeracs and some more fried balls! We got the alligator bites which were breaded with Japanese panko bread crumbs and served with a red pepper coulis sauce. We didn’t stop there and ordered the jambalaya with alligator sausage. The live jazz band was so fun and they had the sexiest singer in a tight leopard dress. We really enjoyed ourselves and got our second wind. We guzzled down our Sazeracs and decided to head over to the Blue Nile.

The Blue Nile club is staged in an 1832 building, reportedly the first constructed on Frenchmen Street. It’s got a funky blue and gold décor and hosts an array of bands. My boyfriend and I wandered in while the next band was setting up. We grabbed two bar stools in the corner which turned out to be the BEST seats in the house. As the night went on, the dance floor filled up with all kinds of characters. We were basically scientists watching a little petri dish that was the dance floor …people falling in love, falling out of love, trying to procreate with their clothes on, I even think we may have met the modern day Jesus with sunglasses.

Day 2 in New Orleans was another success! We ate, we drank, we fell in love, AND danced along side Jesus.

A great way to fall in love all over again is to take a vacation!

April 19, 2016 thetravelbug.life 5 Comments

THE PRE-TRIP FREAK OUT! 6 Travel Tips to make your life easier.

You are leaving in less than 24 hours. You thought you were all set and ready to go and then the FREAK OUT happens. Planning for any trip is stressful, but leaving for a trip that spans a few weeks or a few months in another country can straight up cause a panic attack. I remember talking to my mom the night before I left which opened the flood gates. I then proceeded to cry in the shower, cry because I was leaving my dogs, cry because I was never going to be able to pack everything into my TINY bag, cry because I couldn’t take my favorite dress, cry because of global warming, I even cried because my boyfriend was being NICE to me (he is always nice to me by the way). I was totally panicking and there are a lot of things a person can forget when they are in a “stressed” state to say the least. That is the very reason why I want you to have this little check-off list of six travel tips to make the night before you leave a little less stressful. If you’re really a go-getter, you can do these things ahead of time!

1. Notify your bank

Let your bank know that you will be out of the country so that you can continue to use your debit and credit cards. The last thing you need is for your bank to cancel or block your card because they assume it's fraudulent activity.

You should also double check if you have a credit card such as Chase Sapphire that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees and gives you double airline points because that is AWESOME.

Make sure you take out enough cash to get you by when you first arrive. It’s nice to have cash handy to exchange at the airport so you can pay your taxi fare on the way to your hostel.

WARNING: DO NOT EXCHANGE VERY MUCH MONEY AT THE AIRPORT: YOU WILL ALWAYS GET THE WORST EXCHANGE RATE.

2. Photocopy your passport

The last thing you need is to be stuck in a foreign country with a lost or stolen passport. I actually carried three copies of my passport, sent a photo copy to my email AND had one stored on my phone. I may be a little OCD, but it’s definitely good to have copies not only if you lose your passport, but because many hostels and adventure sport companies require a copy.

I cannot tell you how much fun it is getting your passport stamped when you enter a new place! Eeek I get excited just thinking about it.

3. Make your phone travel ready

Every phone plan is different, so you must decide what capacity you want to use your phone abroad and then make sure your cell phone carrier is aware that you will be leaving the country. I decided to go “off the grid” if that is even possible these days. This worked well for me but make sure you familiarize yourself with how to turn off your data and roaming charges to avoid huge oversea bills.

I would make sure you back up any valuable information such as your pictures just in case your phone falls off the edge of a pier into the blue abyss, slowly sinking like the heart necklace in Titanic... or you have too many tequila shots and lose it at a bar.

I also wanted to let you know that there are a few great apps that can help you on the road even without a data connection. Google maps allows you to save maps off-line. I can’t tell you how valuable that was for my boyfriend and I as we were wandering around a city trying to figure out which way was east and west. Google Translate also lets you save an entire language off-line which can also prove to be very helpful...especially if you need to know how to ask for a bathroom or order a beer.

Lastly, CHARGE YOUR SHIT. Your flight is more than likely going to be extremely long so make sure your phone is not only charged, but your tablet, your fitbit, or whatever other gadgets you are bringing.

4. Cancel Bills/subscriptions

You want as much money as possible to play with on your travels so make sure you cancel subscriptions you won’t be using such as Spotify or your gym membership.

Depending on how long you will be gone, you may need to look into forwarding your mail.

If you are like me and had to pay rent and electricity bills during your travel, make sure everything is set up for automatic payments.

5. Emergency Numbers

You never know what can happen when you’re traveling and that is half the fun, but you definitely want to travel smart and that means having a list of emergency numbers readily available just in case.

I made a list of numbers for the following:

-Important family members
-My bank’s lost/stolen helpline
-The consulate of each country
-Insurance Claim Hotline
-I also liked having all the numbers/information of all the hostels I booked ahead of time. I found this very useful because wifi connection was very limited.

6. Book your first hotel/hostel stay

You are going to be exhausted from traveling and disoriented being in a new city more than likely with a language barrier. I recommend booking a hostel that is easy to get to because why not make your life easy! Before you go, double check with the hostel on the best way to get there so that you have directions ready to go the moment you land.

Now you can take a deep breath because you have handled all the important stuff. Anything you may have forgotten won’t be the end of the world. You are about to have the time of your life buzzing around the world. ENJOY EVERY MOMENT.

Actually, the best gift you could have given her

was a lifetime of adventures....

Lewis Carroll- Alice in Wonderland

April 15, 2016 thetravelbug.life 1 Comment

Rock Me Like A Hurricane-NOLA Day 1

New Orleans, the Crescent City, has always been a vacation destination on the top of my list. This year was my four-year anniversary with my man so we decided we must celebrate our commitment to one another by eating and drinking in NOLA for a long weekend getaway. Not only did we pig out for 84 hours straight, but we also learned about New Orleans’ fascinating history and that it may be one of the only cities in the country that offers drive-through daiquiris. How do they get around the open container law you might ask? Obviously they leave the little piece of paper on the top of the straw! New Orleans has an energy like no other place in the United States. The residents of the city believe there is magic there, and I have to say after my long weekend that I am a believer.

When buzzing around the world, I really like to try and find unique places to stay. We hit the jackpot in New Orleans. We ended up staying right outside of the French Quarter in a beautifully restored Bed & Breakfast named Monrose Row. Monrose Row is situated in the heart of historical Faubourg Treme just two blocks from the French Quarter. A melting pot of cultures, the Treme was home to infamous Storyville and Basin Street. We got the entire top floor to ourselves and the house was intricately decorated with voodoo inspired art. Our lovely host Cindy not only made us a delicious breakfast every morning like French toast with caramelized almonds, but she was the best guide. Residents of New Orleans love their city and are quick to offer up the top places to catch a bite or watch a jazz show. Cindy was no exception and was so proud to share all of her favorite spots and some unique history that makes New Orleans so damn cool!

We landed on a Saturday night right around dinner time and were lucky enough to be able to walk into Emeril Lagasse’s casual and funky restaurant NOLA. NOLA is located in the French Quarter and is a rustic-chic renovated warehouse with a beautiful glass elevator that serves Creole and Arcadian (Cajun) food. We kicked off our New Orleans experience with one of the first cocktails ever invented called the Sazerac. The Sazerac cocktail is said to have originated pre-Civil War. The defining feature of the Sazerac is its method of preparation, which commonly involves two chilled old-fashioned glasses. The first glass is swirled with the licorice flavored absinthe or other various anisettes such as Herbsaint. The second glass is used to combine the remaining ingredients (rye or cognac, Peychaud’s Bitters, and sugar) which are stirred with ice, and then strained into the first glass. Trust me, they go down so easy that you’ll be ready for a second one by the time your appetizer comes.

Pork Cheek Boudin Balls

We went to New Orleans to eat and we didn’t waste any time. We began with an appetizer and decided to order the Pork Cheek Boudin Balls with a creole mustard aioli. Let me just say this was the first of many fried balls we ate in New Orleans. You can laugh...I just said fried balls.

Just as our second Sazerac arrived, we dived into our main entrees which were Duck Gumbo with Andouille Sausage and the Shrimp and Cheddar Grits. I think biting into the cheesy, creamy grits was when I officially fell in love with this city and I had only been there for less than two hours.

NOLA, Emeril Lagasse, Restaurant, New Orleans

Duck Gumbo with Andouille Sausage and Shrimp and Cheddar Grits

We obviously finished our meal off like two “fatties” should with the Warm Ooey Gooey Cake smothered in coconut and coffee ice-cream combined with two espresso shots so that these thirty-year-olds could make it through the rest of the night!

After our delicious meal we headed over to the famous Frenchmen Street. Frenchmen Street is just walking distance from the French Quarter and is known for its wide variety of music any night of the week. It’s basically a two-block stretch where you are likely to hear anything from Jazz to Latin to Blues to Reggae and everything in between. The covers and drinks are cheap, the bands are amazing, and some of the best music can be found right on the street! Your main requirement is to tip the bands generously and you inevitably drink heavily because you’re having such a damn good time! Not to mention, New Orleans lets you take your drinks out into the street just as long as they are in a plastic cup. The rest of the United States should definitely take some pointers from this port town.

I was so happy we had those two espresso shots because I was in the mood to party. We bought our first Hurricane, another New Orleans staple, around 12 AM. A Hurricane is a sweet alcoholic drink made with rum, fruit juice, and syrup or grenadine that will get you F&*#$% because it tastes like Kool-Aid. As we were sipping…chugging away, we started talking to a local who said if we wanted to really experience the infamous Bourbon Street, that Saturday night would be best! We always listen to locals so off we went with our plastic cups.

It turns out we weren’t the only ones drinking Hurricane’s that night. Bourbon street was riddled with the young and old seemingly “letting their hair down!” It was another world and it was definitely in full swing at midnight on a Saturday. It was fun to see the oldest street in New Orleans but it was overflowing with garbage and beads. It was literally like the Disneyland Pirates ride and Vegas had some weird, freaky child and named it Bourbon Street. Though a bit rough around the edges, it was a carnival of sights and sounds. Bourbon becomes a pedestrian walkway during the evening hours when no vehicles are let through, which allows for all walks of life to enjoy the many bars and gentleman’s clubs. It was definitely fun to see but after too many drunken men asked me to show my boobs for $ .25 beads, I decided that was the end of night one. I did go home with one pair of beads though, but I will never tell if I flashed my boobs or gave a homeless man five dollars.

April 11, 2016 thetravelbug.life 2 Comments

I like BIG BAGS and I cannot lie…

BUT…they are not practical for traveling around the world. The more you travel, the smaller and smaller your bag will become. You too will turn into that savvy backpacker who travels the world with ease while other travelers look on with small bag envy.

The first piece to making my traveling dreams a reality was hunting for the perfect backpack! I began my hunt like most modern-day travelers…on the internet. I read review after review on websites like:

http://thesavvybackpacker.com/travel-backpack/

http://snarkynomad.com/5-of-the-best-travel-backpacks-for-global-adventures/

I also went to many stores such as Sports Authority and REI to actually try on bags and walk around a bit. Ultimately I decided to go with the 45L Redwing. One of the main reasons that I picked this bag was because it is made for short women. I am a whopping 5'3" and wanted a bag that would fit comfortably so as to eliminate as many aches and pains as possible while traveling.

Once your search for your perfect bag commences, you will discover that there are big differences between travel backpacks and hiking backpacks. In my case, I needed a bag that would serve dual purposes because I was traveling with lots of 5-6 day hikes thrown in. I needed a bag that made my items easily accessible, but was also narrow enough to make sure the weight of the bag remained centered on my back. Also, many travel bags skimp on hip straps or a good suspension system. If you're planning on doing a lot of hiking, make sure you get a bag that still has some of these features.

Here are a few things you may want to consider when choosing that perfect bag:

Size: SIZE DOES MATTER! You will be taking planes, trains, and automobiles and will thank yourself when your bag is small enough to always fit in the travel compartments. I particularly loved that I could always carry my bag on the plane as a carry-on and believe me, people were envious. Be aware that Peruvian Airlines only allowed for an 8 kilo carry-on and my bag weighed about 10 kilos (around 22 lbs). I was able to check it for free but it's just always easier to be able to have your bag with you at all times. Weight requirements for carry-ons varies on each airline, so keep that in mind when choosing your flights.
Panel-Loading: The last thing you want to do while you're in a bind is have to literally dig through all your belongings to get to that one very important item at the bottom of your bag. I feel like it's best to avoid those top-loading cavernous bags at all cost. You will be very thankful everything is just one zipper away. Just know top-loading bags work when you're hiking because you unload everything from the top down when you get to camp. When you’re traveling and need to unpack certain things at different times, all your belongings need to be easily accessible.
Zippers: You want heavy-duty zippers that can lock. Avoid excess drawstrings and straps at all cost. Any extra straps can and will get caught especially during transit at the airport and could possibly get ripped off. I understand that zippers can sometimes break, but most of the newer bags out there are made with very heavy-duty zippers.
Weight: You are going to be carrying this thing with you everywhere! Up mountains, down mountains, in the jungle, in the rain, in the scorching heat. You need to be able to carry it at all times. We will go over a packing list later but LESS IS MORE!!!!!!!!!!! I picked the smaller bag to force myself to only pack what I needed.
Ventilation: Your back is going to get sweaty! Look for bags that have a mesh back so you can get some air flow between your back and the bag.
Compartments: If you plan on bringing lots of electronics, you will want to have a bag that has some different compartments. It's also nice to be able to put things you want to have easy access to in little front or side pockets.
Detachable day bag: My Redwing bag didn't have this feature but my boyfriend's Osprey did and it was very useful. We loved being able to lock our bags at the hostel and then have his little day bag to take our essentials with us while we were exploring. It was definitely a useful feature.

The moral of the story is the size and fit of your bag can really make your trip more enjoyable. The right bag for you may not be the right bag for your friend. I haven't found that there is one universal, amaze-balls, top of the line, one-size-fits-all bag that beats all the others. Take the time to try on different bags and read lots of reviews. At the end of a long day, you want an ice cold cerveza, not an aching back.

“Travel light, live light, spread the light, be the light” Yogi Bhajan

March 29, 2016 thetravelbug.life 2 Comments

Honor Your Inner Travel Bug

I am a travel bug. My creativity feeds off of meeting new people and traveling around the world. I never know where I am going to land, but I decided to start sharing some travel tips because I find it's really difficult to find good, current information out there.

Being a travel bug isn't easy. For this particular journey of my life, I worked my ass off for an entire year to save up financially. Now it's completely up to you how you decide to buzz around the world. Some people sell everything and are free to do as they wish. I, on the other hand, am very fortunate to have created a beautiful home base here in Los Angeles. Because I didn’t want to be living on the streets when I returned, I had to work double to not only save for my trip but also to pay rent. I was able to do it and you will be able to as well.

Please don’t let the fear of rent or paying bills scare you from taking that leap to see the world. UGH…FEAR!!! (INSERT DOOMSDAY MUSIC). There are so many things we don’t do because we are scared. We are scared of failing, scared of the unknown, hell we are even scared of succeeding! If your dream is to travel, it is always possible and there are resources out there to help you supplement your income while you are gone and help relieve some of that fear. You may consider renting your room or house short term to either friends or family. You can also use rental websites such as craigslist, Airbnb, or Flipkey. Another option is finding work while you’re traveling. Many travelers I have spoken to procure work at hostels, wineries, or organic farms to make enough cash to keep traveling. These are all things that are easily found with this amazing thing called the internet and I will go into them in more detail later on.

THIS IS THE POINT WHERE I GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO TELL THAT LITTLE FEAR VOICE TO “SHUT THE F&@& UP!!!”

After much deliberation and the slow suffocation of my own inner fear, my boyfriend and I decided that at the end of 2015 we would take two months off to travel to Disney World, take a cruise to the Bahamas, and then we would jet off to South America for no rhyme or reason other than we wanted to travel. Too good to be true right!? Taking a trip like this does require one to make some huge decisions in his or her life. My decision, in order to allot the time that I thought was necessary to see everything I have wanted to see, was to quit my job. It was actually an excuse to quit my job.

I was stuck in a rut. I had just turned thirty and had been working the same job as a waitress for the last seven years. This particular job slinging tacos was supposed to only be a part time thing as I was pursuing my dream of becoming an actress. Seven years later I found myself unhappy and stuck. I was fighting with two dreams...to see the world and to become a working actress. Both take time and money and for some reason, I had this idea in my head that I had to choose between the two. I thought that if I traveled the world, I would be missing out on opportunities in LA. The moment I turned thirty, I realized that my thinking was all backward. I realized that in order to be the best actress I could be, I needed to feel fulfilled. In order to be fulfilled, I needed to continue to travel the world.

I personally feel all too often we get stuck in this cycle of working, responsibilities, and making money. We all have dreams and desires that get put on the back-burner. We consistently tell ourselves "I will do that later" or " I don't have enough money for that right now." When we don't pursue our dreams or the fear of failure becomes too great, we lose tiny pieces of ourselves. Every time we don't listen to our hearts, we become more and more unattached from our spirit. When I turned thirty I finally told fear to “SHUT THE F#@& UP” because I realized it was time to honor myself. It was time to honor my inner travel bug.

March 28, 2016 thetravelbug.life 4 Comments