bit by the travel bug

i took the bullet train to kyoto from tokyo to get outside the city and visit another part of japan. and i'm so glad i did! kyoto was beautiful, quieter, and i got to experience more like local japan life. i am traveling alone this trip. i haven't solo traveled for pleasure since i was transitioning between ventura and san francisco in 2013. back then i headed to the maldives, where i missed beau and was excited to start my life in sf. while solo travel can be challenging, it's nice not to have to make any decisions with anyone else and truly do what you want to do. no arguing over directions, deciding where to eat or feeling guilty about wanting to go to bed (story of my life). i spent my days wandering the streets, walking 10+ miles and trying lots of different foods. kyoto is FILLED with matcha everything. so many sweet treats and fun things to try. i definitely recommend matcha or black sesame ice cream and trying the foods from the food stalls and/or nish...

see hawaii as hawaii sees hawaii. with no leis, no luaus, no high rise hotels. just, plain, beautiful hawaii. molokai is absolutely stunning. and empty, which makes it feel like we're the only ones here. we flew in a 9 person plane over oahu to the tiny island of molokai. molokai is only about 40 miles long by 4 miles wide. it has very red soil and only one main "highway" that runs the entire distance. only 7,000 people live on the island. and while people say it's the unfriendly island, it's nearly the opposite. the town has been frozen in time... the buildings and storefronts are very old and inside are random stores filled with the weirdest shit, and the nicest people. there's like 7 restaurants on the whole island. stores close at 8. there's no zip lines here. no atv's. no swimming with dolphins. just land to explore. each beach with a different personality. either vast beaches with less than 10 people to be seen in either direction. or a s...

Tulum is awesome. It still has a small, beach-town feel and feels safe and authentic. There aren't huge resorts and you can get to a lot of cool nature near by. TO EAT : Tres Galeones El Camello Jr. (super good fish at reasonable prices)  Helado Buena Estrella (vegan ice cream truck - super unique and good) Celti (dinner) Kitchen Table (dinner) Ki-bok (for breakfast/tea/coffee) Pollo Bronco (some of the best chicken I've ever eaten in my life) Any street food  Burrito Amor (very gringo) El Tio taco truck  Matcha Mama (in town and at the beach)  TO DO : Dos Ojos Cenotes (cave water hole cenotes) Cenote Escondido (you can jump off the rock into the water) Gran Cenote (good for laying out, more a of a community pool vibe) Calavera Cenote (know for it's holes... looks scary but super fun for jumping) Cenote Azul (further from town but great rock jumping, beautiful water/greenery)  Mayan Clay Spa (expensive but SO worth it... get the mud m...