As you may or may not know, I absolutely LOVE to travel! While Seth and I were going through things to put in the yard sale last week, I came across a picture from when I went to Guyana on a mission trip in high school. It got me thinking about all the places God has blessed me with the opportunity to visit. Sooo, I thought I would share some of my favorite places! Here it goes....
1) Kaieteur Falls / Baganara Island (Guyana, South America)
I was able to visit this magnificent place while on the mission trip that I mentioned earlier. The last day of our trip, we were allowed to do some sightseeing. So part of our group decided to go to the falls that we had heard so much about. We hopped into the little, and I mean little, six seater airplanes and set off on our journey. After many bumps and scares in the little plane, we landed in a random field that they called an airstrip. We then hiked through some of the most beautiful forests to the waterfall. The sight was amazing...not just because of the waterfall, but because of the surroundings. There were no touristy things, no guardrails, no souvenier shops....just us and God's beautiful creation. Breathtaking! We were able to crawl to the edge of the cliff and look straight down the waterfall. No words can express the wonder and awe that I felt. Later that day, we were flown over to Baganara Island. It had a small "resort" where we spent the rest of the day relaxing, sitting in the hammocks on the porch of the hut, just watching the waves roll in. One of the best experiences of my life!
2) Mammoth Caves (Kentucky)
This was the senior trip for the youth group at my home congregation right before I graduated. Although crawling through the TINY holes and up the random cave walls was pretty exhilirating, it was nothing compared to what happened halfway through the exploration. When we reached the deepest, darkest part of the cave, our tour guide asked us to all sit quietly and turn off our lights. True darkness. Then some of the youth decided that it would be neat to sing a couple church songs...with the okay of our guide, we began....quietly of course, we didn't want any cave-ins!! The way the voices echoed off the walls of the cave was the most beautiful sound I have ever heard. The other people in our tour group were so moved they asked our group to sing some more, as they just sat and listened, moved by the sound and the words. Very special experience!
3) New York City
I don't have any inspirational or moving stories to go along with this one, I just LOVE visiting this place! It is so different from small town country life! Although I would never want to live there, it is fun to see something new and different from what you are used to. And there is sooo much to see and do!
4) The Grand Canyon
We drove out west once when we were younger. One of the few things I remember about the trip was the Grand Canyon. It was sooo huge and beautiful! I would love to go back out west and visit again. Maybe I can drag Seth out there sometime! :)
5) St. Louis
This was the first big trip that Seth and I took together. He is a Cardinals fan and had never been to a game up there. So for his birthday, I got him tickets and we headed out. It was a great trip! We stayed with a friend, went to a game, saw some sights...great fun!
6) Knoxville
Although my poor Vols have been struggling the past few years, I still love them. There is nothing like a beautiful fall Saturday, sitting on the hill in Knoxville watching the band march proudly down the street to the stadium. It still gives me chills everytime!
Have you traveled anywhere that you absolutely loved?!? I'm up for suggestions for the next trip I drag Seth on!! :)
