Here we are — December 31, 2018. My how this year has flown by. I can’t believe that 2018 is about to come to a close. As typically happens at this time of the year, many of my Facebook friends are posting 2018 reflections and 2019 goals. One of my friends did something different — he posted a listed of all the airports he traveled through in 2018. Of course, that prompted me to do the same (and made it easy for me to reflect on my year in travel).

My 2018 Airports

JNB – MPM – VNX – DAR – ZNZ – JFK – FLL – CTG – MSY – PHX – DTW

I brought in 2018 in the same place I will bring in 2019 – Johannesburg, South Africa – which is easily one of my favorite places on the planet. The creative vibe and energy here just can’t be beat. I’m a January birthday baby and if you didn’t know, I celebrate all month. I also love beaches, so of course, the celebration involved multiple beaches. My birthday celebration started off in Maputo, Mozambique. I checked into my guest house, dropped off my bags, and met up for dinner with some friends from one of my travel groups. We ended up at a house party with some new Mozambican and Angolan friends and had the time of our lives. As they say, what happens in Maputo, stays in Maputo.

Beach cottage in Vilanculos

Beach views in Vilanculos

Next, up was Vilanculos and the Bazaruto Archipelago. Vilanculos is a coastal town in southern Mozambique, known for its beautiful beaches, water sports, and snorkeling/diving opportunities. Vilanculos is also the gateway to the Bazaruto Archipelago, a chain of six islands off the Mozambican coast. The beaches and snorkeling there were superb.

I finished off my month-long solo birthday celebration in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and my dream location, Zanzibar. I spent my actual birthday, January 16^th, on a secluded beach in Paje. That evening, I met my tour guides for dinner at the Rock restaurant, which is famous because it sits in the middle of the Indian Ocean. It was high tide when we arrived and we had to take a small boat to get to the restaurant. It was low tide by the time we left and we were able to walk back to the beach. Talk about a cool experience! I returned home at the end of January and settled back into the real life. (sigh)

The Rock Restaurant, Zanzibar

Beach views from my hotel pool

After a 2.5-month travel break, next up was Louisiana for the New Orleans Jazz Festival. I’m always happy to visit family and eat too much good food there. But, the highlight was my Detroit home girl, Anita Baker, who closed out the show. She put on a great performance.

For Memorial Day, I went to Fort Lauderdale which was completely rained out. Luckily, I was only there for two days before moving on to Cartagena, Colombia.  Colombia was a new country for me, not on my bucket list, but one which I thoroughly enjoyed. The first highlight was my visit to Palenque, the first free town in the Americas founded by escaped slaves. Located about 45 minutes from Cartagena, in the foothills of the Sierra Maria mountains, today Palenque is inhabited by the descendants of those slaves, who are proud of their heritage and retain many African customs. Their very existence is a testimony to the human spirit and resilience in the toughest of situations. The second highlight was Tayrona National Park and Cabo San Juan beach. It took six hours to get there, including three buses, a horseback ride through the jungle and short trek, but boy was it worth it. I spent a relaxing day on the beach and the lunch of fried fish, plantains, and coconut rice was the icing on the cake.

Entrance to Palenque

Dancers and musicians in Palenque

Cabo San Juan Beach, Tayrona National Park

Over the summer, I returned to two states where I formerly resided: Arizona and my birth home of Michigan. In Phoenix, I was honored to see a family friend consecrated as Bishop and I visited with friends I hadn’t seen in a few years. Of course, I couldn’t leave Arizona without visiting Sedona, one of my favorite places in the state. The beauty and serenity there is unmatched. In Michigan, I celebrated the 20-year judicial anniversary of a judge I previously worked for. It was great to see former colleagues and friends.

Sedona, AZ

I’m ending the year back where I started – South Africa. This country has become my second home and I miss it every time I leave. But I’ve decided to do some venturing out in 2019, to explore other countries and finally make it Machu Picchu. I may see less of SA in 2019, but my heart will still be there.

Wishing you a Happy New Year and more travel adventures in 2019. Cheers!

The post My 2018 Year in Review first appeared on The Travel Sista.

When we returned to the apartment building later that afternoon, the Carnival route had been blocked off and the security was tight. We learned it was because the Campo Grande circuit passed directly in front of the building. The apartment turned out to be in a great location because it was relatively close to both the Barra and Campo Grande circuits. You could feel the excitement in the air as crowds started to congregate and stake out their favorite spots. Although I had watched videos on YouTube, it didn’t prepare me for the energy and vibe that is Carnival in Salvador. You have to be there to see and truly feel it!

The festivities started early, around 6 pm. Since we were close, we went to both the Barra and Campo Grande circuits to get a feel for the routes. They were different, but both equally fun. The Campo Grande circuit was more gritty and seemed to cater more to the local crowd. The Barra circuit seemed more commercial and touristy with plenty of advertisers among the throes of people. I was amazed by the large crowds and the trio eléctricos; I’d never seen speakers so large and loud.  I guess music really is the universal language because even though the music was in Portuguese, I still enjoyed it.  I got my first glimpse of the group Parangole (and their gorgeous lead singer Leo Santana). Their hit song, Rebolation, was a Carnival favorite and quickly became mine too. I was exhausted by midnight and called it quits early. But, the party was just getting started. Despite being on the 9th floor, I could still hear the music playing outside until around 5:30am.

On Friday, we decided to go sightseeing in the Pelourinho. It was about a 20 minute walk from our apartment, which allowed us to see another part of the city. The route was a little seedy in some areas and we probably would have been concerned walking alone. But there were others walking  too, so we went with the flow. Once we arrived at the Pelourinho square, we were greeted  by a variety of street entertainers, including Capoeira performers and a Michael Jackson look-alike.  After enjoying the show (and paying the obligatory tip), we took the Elevador Lacerda to the lower city and went to check out the Mercado Modelo. There were 200+ stalls of art, jewelry, T-shirts, and other souvenirs, and the place was bustling with people.  We bought a few souvenirs, then headed upstairs for lunch at the Camefeu restaurant, which had gorgeous views of the bay. We wanted to try mocequa, so we ordered one chicken and one seafood dish to share. The food was good and the views were even better. We stayed for a couple of hours drinking caipirinhas and taking it all in.  Later, we headed back to the upper city and walked around the Pelourinho to look at the architecture. We were also treated to some beautiful local artwork. Many describe the Pelourinho as a tourist trap (and it is), but there were also plenty of locals going about their daily business. It seemed to be the heart and soul of the city and we were so enthralled we had to go back.

On Saturday afternoon, we returned to the Pelourinho. We stumbled upon a quaint restaurant, J & K, where we were treated to a good, cheap meal and live music performed by our waiter. He had a beautiful voice and truly seemed to enjoy entertaining us. We later bid him thanks and farewell, then walked along the steep, cobblestone streets of the Pelourinho where various groups were parading in colorful costumes. Before leaving, we visited the São Francisco church, known for its ornate gold walls and ceilings. Later that evening, we went to the Barra circuit. Saturday night really brought out the crowds; I’ve never seen that many people in one place. Everyone was singing and dancing in the streets and having fun.  We met people from Brazil, France, Argentina, and Portugal. We stayed out until 4 am and loved every minute of it.  This was the second of 7 nights of nearly non-stop partying. I averaged only 4 to 5 hours of sleep each night.

On Sunday afternoon, we decided to experience the Pelourinho circuit. This route caters to families, so there were many kids. As we walked through the Pelourinho, we happened upon youth musicians of Olodum. Their drum beats resonated throughout the Pelourinho and attracted a growing crowd which followed them like the Pied Piper.  These kids had amazing talent, performing choreographed routines with their instruments while never missing a beat. Later, we passed by the Filhos de Gandhy headquarters, where the men were dressed in their signature white and blue togas and turbans. They were a bit tamer than they had been the night before, exchanging beads for intimate kisses (ala Mardi Gras).

By Tuesday, the last official day of Carnival, we were tired and decided to relax at the beach before the big night. We took the bus to Itapua beach, laid out for several hours, then came back to town to get ready for the Barra circuit. We had splurged on Bicho bloco abadas, so we got dressed in our pink shirts and headed out for the fun around 8pm. When we got there it was already crowded and groups were congregating and waiting to join their  blocos. We joined the other pink shirts, drank a few beers, and patiently waited. Finally, around 10pm the trio electrico arrived and we lined up inside the ropes to follow the truck along the route. It was jam packed with people (to the point of being uncomfortable), but the energy was electric. As the night went on, I looked around marveling at the people, the sounds, and the fun vibes. Brazilians really know how to party! Everyone should experience Carnival in Salvador at least once in life.

To learn more about Salvador and its Carnival, visit http:\\www.salvadorcentral.com.

The post Carnival: Salvador da Bahia, Brazil first appeared on The Travel Sista.