Elephant Rides for All

I have always wanted to ride an elephant, and I decided Africa was the perfect place. While we were in Livingston, the city on the Zambian side of Victoria Falls, we heard there were elephant rides, so we decided to go for it. We each got matched to an ele, and hopped on. My dad and I were able to climb up some stairs to get on ours, but the one my mom was riding was too fat to fit in the contraption so she had to climb up its side.

We each had a guide on our elephants with us. They weren't very talkative, but they did have treats for the eles.

The elephants were all extremely photo friendly. Each of them knew a bunch of tricks, so when it was time for a photo the guide would yell, "SALUTE!" and they would put their trunks on their heads.

The baby elephant followed us all the way along our walk. He trekked through the river with us, even when it got deep. It was a pretty cool idea that we were on elephants just strolling through the Zambezi River, just before the falls...

This one was a really little baby. He was abandoned by his mother in the wild, but was taken care of at this elephant camp. He was very playful, which was a bit of a problem, because his way of playing was head butting. And let me tell you, it's pretty sore when a 200 pound animal rams into your knees.

After riding around for about an hour, we got a chance to hang out with our elephants. They gave us a bag of food, and we got to feed and play with them. The whole experience is one that I will never forget.

Hayman

Not to be confused with the Cayman Islands, Hayman Island is part of the Whitsunday Island chain off the cost of Australia, near the Great Barrier Reef. If you are interested in staying on the mainland, Cairns (pronounced cans) is the place to stay. However, I think the Whitsundays are unbeatable. The water out there is crystal clear, you can dive right off the shore, and you don't need to worry about 12 foot long crocodiles!

For the second half of my spring break from Melbourne University (in October), I headed up to the Whitsundays, and to an island called Hayman. The entire island was dedicated to the resort and its staff. It was gorgeous. The rooms were luxurious and the staff was extremely friendly.

Hayman is one of those resorts where you can just relax, and do nothing but enjoy your surroundings. OR you can fill every daylight hour exploring and active. We opted for the latter. My family and I would wake up with the sun and go on a sea plane to the outer reef, a boat to snorkel off of, or catamaran-ing! I also got to try scuba diving for the first time. I would have to say that if you are going to visit the Great Barrier Reef, the islands off the coast of mainland Australia is the way to go!

Help us Help you

Where am I going?

If you ever have questions ask the concierge or the front desk at the hotel. They're there to help you. Ask them where the best local indian restaurant, or a nice place to take a walk. I'm sure they will have lots of suggestions, and they are more likely to know the town and its attractions better than you. And even if you think you know the city pretty well, it's always worth the time, because they might be able to help you find something new, that you would never have gotten to on your own.

Did you forget your razor? Or do you need more shampoo?

There's no need to raid the maid's cart, you might not even have to drop by the corner store. You can usually just call down to the front desk, and they would be happy to bring it up to your hotel room. This service is free of charge at most nice hotels, but it's always nice to tip the bellman. And even if they aren't able to get it to your room, its worth the phone call.

How To: Dress at an airport

Dress nicely at airports. People treat you better.

-Simon Donnan, Creative Director, Barney's New York

Just because you dress nicely in the airport, doesn't mean you can't be comfortable on the plane. If you are like most people, and don't like to wear your pajamas in public and you don't like to wear a suit on the plane, you can just bring a set in your carryon. As soon as you get on, head to the bathroom and change into your comfy outfit. You will not only be so much more comfortable on your flight, but when you change back into your street clothes you feel refreshed, and ready for your next destination.

The Great Ocean Road

If you're looking for a great day trip from Melbourne, then the Great Ocean Road would be a great adventure. It's a beautiful drive 151 miles down the Australian coast. It will take you about 4 hours, because the roads are so windy. There are also some quaint towns along the way that are worth a stop. The big destination at the end of the Great Ocean Road, is the Twelve Apostles. While I was down there I didn't make it all the way to the Apostles, which are some huge rocks out in the ocean, but I don't think I missed out on too much. This is definitely one of those situations where the journey is just as good as the destination, if not better.

The views from the Great Ocean Road are spectacular. It's similar to other coastal drives, but I can never get enough of the beach, even if it's just looking at it.

Hiroshima

Unfortunately, most of Hiroshima's fame comes from World War II, when they were a victim of the atom bomb. However, it has really grown into a bustling city, complete with a Peace Memorial Museum and Park. The museum is incredibly moving, but you definitely have to prepare yourself to walk through. After the museum, I would suggest a walk through the park, which is extremely well kept and calming. While in the park, see the memorial monument (pictured), the dome, and the millions of handmade paper cranes strung up and hanging.

If you're interested in reading about the bombing of Hiroshima before your visit, which I would suggest, Black Rain by Ibuse Masuji is amazing. The visit to the Peace Memorial is much more meaningful after reading about what happened.

Kinkakuji

The Golden Pavilion is an essential tourist destination if you are visiting Kyoto. The city has managed to survive countless wars and natural disasters, but because of its historical content, it was eliminated as a possible atomic bomb target during World War II. While I was in Kyoto for a summer class, one of the places we visited was the Golden Pavilion. It was beautiful. The entire two-story building is gold plated, and stands alone amongst trees and bushes, sitting next to a small pond.

Since I was there for a class, we had to do some reading about Japan before we got there. One of the books we read was The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, by Yukio Mishima. It is a novel based on the burning of the temple in 1950 by a young Buddhist acolyte. The story is very well written, and brings what might seem like a boring historical moment to an exciting, passionate story of a confused boy.

My favorite part of the book was painting a picture of what I thought the temple looked like while I read, then getting to see the real thing only a few days later.