Deprecated: Function create_function() is deprecated in /home/thetra43/public_html/wp-content/plugins/nomad-world-map/includes/nwm-widget-class.php on line 327

Notice: Function _load_textdomain_just_in_time was called incorrectly. Translation loading for the social-media-feather domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /home/thetra43/public_html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6121

Notice: Function _load_textdomain_just_in_time was called incorrectly. Translation loading for the caldera-forms domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /home/thetra43/public_html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6121
abu dhabi - The Travel Sista
The Travel Sista
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Bucket List
  • Photo Gallery
    • Africa
      • Cape Town, South Africa
      • Durban, SA: Phansi Museum
      • Ghana
      • Nelspruit, South Africa
      • Sabi Sand Game Reserve, South Africa
      • Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa
      • Victoria Falls
    • Europe
      • Croatia
      • Paris, France
      • Rome, Italy
      • Sorrento / Amalfi Coast
    • North America
      • Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
      • Cancun, Mexico
      • Las Vegas, USA
      • Negril, Jamaica
      • Pacific Coast Highway
      • San Francisco, USA
    • South America
  • Work With Me
  • Trip Planning Services
  • Ecotourism
  • Voluntourism

abu dhabi

Farewell 2015, Hello 2016

December 31, 2015 by thetravelsista 4 Comments

As 2015 draws to a close, I find myself reminiscing on my year in travel and recounting my progress on my bucket list. I once had a goal to take one big international trip per year. This year I visited seven countries and 21 cities on three continents – my biggest travel year yet. I also finally took that DNA test to determine my ancestral lineage and I’m anxiously anticipating the results. I’m sure I’ll be adding some new countries to the bucket list based on the findings. Until then, here’s a recap of my travels in 2015:

I started off the year with a road trip to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. I hung out with family, ate plenty of shrimp, beignets and gumbo, collected lots of beads, and even snagged a coveted coconut at the Zulu parade.

Collecting beads at Mardi Gras

Me collecting beads at Mardi Gras

Thanks to a $178 glitch fare on Etihad Airlines, I touched down on the Asian continent for the first time with visits to Dubai and Abu Dhabi. I rode to the top of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest skyscraper, wore an abaya for the first time, and toured the magnificent Grand Mosque. This was my first foray into the Middle East and it surprisingly had me yearning to see more.

Burj Khalifa

Burj Khalifa

Me at the top of the Burj Khalifa

Me at the top of the Burj Khalifa

Me in an abaya at the Grand Mosque

Me in an abaya at the Grand Mosque

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

I also returned to the Motherland thanks to the Etihad glitch, with visits to four countries in southern Africa. I attended the Cape Town Jazz Festival, hung out on Durban’s Golden Mile, visited Nelson Mandela’s childhood home and final resting  place, drove the Panorama Route, and delighted in the animals at Kruger National Park in South Africa. I rode the infamous Sani Pass, went pony trekking, and stayed in a village in the mountains of Lesotho. I saw the Fish River Canyon, went sand boarding for the first time, and climbed a 260-foot sand dune in Namibia. And I trekked to Mantenga Falls and Ezulwini Valley in Swaziland. It all made me love Africa even more.

Table Mountain views

Table Mountain views, South Africa

Mantenga Nature Reserve

Mantenga Nature Reserve, Swaziland

Fish River Canyon, Namibia

Fish River Canyon, Namibia

The highest pub in Africa

The highest pub in Africa, Lesotho

I stayed stateside over the summer, with visits to Navajo country and the Big Apple. I shot plenty of pictures at Antelope Canyon and Lake Powell in Arizona, but photographs just don’t do them justice.  The entire area is nothing short of beautiful and amazing.  If you haven’t yet been, you ought to. I also made a quick run to Brooklyn and was able to take in the Atlantic Antic Festival. As always, I marveled in the frenetic pace and the diversity of New York.

Upper Antelope Canyon

Upper Antelope Canyon

Upper Antelope Canyon

Upper Antelope Canyon

Lake Powell

Lake Powell

Page

Mountain views in Page, AZ

I ended the year with a visit to Cuba – the one place I’ve wanted to see for years, but never thought I’d be able to due to the US embargo. As a lover of Afro-Cuban music and salsa dancing, Cuba was everything I hoped for and more. I pray that the thawing of US-Cuba relations will lead to increased prosperity and opportunity for the Cuban people, who are some of the nicest folks on the planet.

El Morro, Santiago de Cuba

El Morro, Santiago de Cuba

Rumba at Callejon de Hammel, Havana

Rumba at Callejon de Hammel, Havana

Rumba at Callejon de Hammel, Havana

Rumba at Callejon de Hammel, Havana

Me and a 1953 Chevy

Me and a 1953 Chevy

I haven’t yet finalized my travel plans for 2016, but Machu Picchu, Thailand and East Africa are all on my radar. I’ll also be writing more and sharing more travel deals and trip planning tips. Here’s to wishing you a Happy New Year and more passport stamps in 2016.

Share This Facebooktwitterpinterestmail
Posted in: Asia, North America, Travel Info Tagged: abu dhabi, arizona, cuba, dubai, lesotho, namibia, new york, south africa, swaziland, united arab emirates

Follow Me

Facebooktwitterpinterestrssyoutubeinstagramflickr
Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Categories

  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • North America
  • South America
  • Travel Info
  • Travel Tips

Recent Posts

  • Kigali, Rwanda: 1000 Hills Liquor Distillery & Bistro
  • My 2018 Year in Review
  • Birthday Musings and Bucket List Progress
  • The Top 10 Things to Do in Mozambique
  • Mozambique: A Day at the Maputo Fish Market

Quote of the Month

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”– Mark Twain

My Travel Map

Atlanta, GA

Back at home for the time being

Visit and Like Me On YouTube

Find Your Deal

TripAdvisor
VRBO
300 x 250: Confirmation - Don’t Forget
Big Bus Tours Dubai
Generic2_300x250
PARK 'N FLY

Copyright © 2025 The Travel Sista.

Lifestyle WordPress Theme by themehit.com