Straight From My Journal: Cinque Terre Trail

**This is another entry in the series "Straight From My Journal" where I pair my travel photography with the journal entry I wrote on that day.**

March 30, 2008
Cinque Terre, Italy

This morning we got up and out the door around 10:30 am and stopped for some pastries before hitting the Cinque Terre trail from our little town of Riomaggiore. It was simply a gorgeous view. We walked along a small rocky ledge along the cliffs of the Mediterranean Sea for hours. In each town we stopped and explored the town, taking pictures. Manarola was a quaint town with a short, easy walk to it. The next town, Corniglia was on top of a big hill and took a great deal of effort to vertically climb the winding trails to it. The fourth town, Vernazza, was charming and picturesque with a big bay and rocks to climb on. By then I didn't think my legs could take anymore, but we managed to walk another hour or more to Monterosso, the fifth city of the Cinque Terre. There were luscious lemon groves, olive trees, terraced farms, and stone farmhouses on this stretch of the trail. This is one of the most beautiful landscapes I've ever seen. All in all we walked 12 miles today- practically a half marathon and on a few mountains no less! I am quite proud of us!

Straight from my Journal: Leprosy Colony, Nigeria

I'm starting a new regular feature on my blog called "Straight from my Journal." I always keep a journal when I travel, so I thought it might be interesting to pair my travel photographs with my journal entry from that day so you can see a little bit of what was going on behind the scenes of the pictures.

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March 21, 2007
Ogbomosho, Nigeria

For lunch today we had plaintains, fish, spinach with groundnuts cooked in it, and pounded yam. I liked the fish and spinach but think the pounded yam is probably considered the tofu of Africa- totally tasteless unless there is a sauce.

After lunch my family went to the leprosy colony called the Baptist Health Services Center. It was unlike anything I've ever experienced before. I've never known anyone with leprosy or seen what it does. It seems like it slowly hardens fingers and toes and then they fall off or something. (Later I found out they don't really fall off. To read more about this look on Wikipedia.) Many of the people there are better now, but will not be accepted in their home villages because the villagers fear catching leprosy. While at the colony, we walked around and saw some of the buildings- a men's ward, a chapel, and individual houses where families lived. We prayed with several people, talked with them, touched them, and shook their hands. The people there were so happy to be touched because usually everyone else is scared to be near them. I wasn't scared because I learned that you can't get leprosy from touching someone. You have to live a long time in unsanitary conditions before that could happen. We gave out some lifesaver candy, candy bracelets, bouncy balls, and plastic jelly rings to our new friends there. The rings were a big hit with the women. I met a woman named Grace that gave me an African name. It is Ayooluwa (pronounced A-yo-o-lu-wa) which means the Lord's joy. This was probably my favorite day in Africa. The people were so happy to meet us and I really learned a lot that day about being grateful for what you have.

Global Mamas

My Mom just introduced me to this wonderful non-profit called Global Mamas. They help women in Africa earn a fair, sustainable livelihood by making clothing, accessories, and home decor. All proceeds go directly to the women and to non-profit programs that assist them with business development.

I loved so many things on their website, but finally ended up purchasing a bag, shirt, and skirt. I can't wait for them to arrive in the mail!

Take a Trip

As the holidays approach, many of us take long trips, far away to visit relatives. Here are some photographs of my fabulous trip to Italy that will leave you wanting more (not of Aunt Erma's fruitcake that is...)