Adventures in Butare

We spent the last couple of days in a town called Butare (or Huye) in the southern part of Rwanda. It was one of the places that I wanted to visit before I leave, and it didn't disappoint.

Our first stop was a pottery store that is known for it's gorgeous blue pottery. We picked up a few bits and pieces (because who can resist buying a cute mug?), and also got a tour.

We also visited the largest cathedral in Rwanda. And lemme tell you -- It was HUGE. The whole thing is made almost completely out of bricks, and the architecture was just amazing.

We packed a lot into the few days that we were there. Aside from the pottery and the cathedral we visited the local market, ate lots of good food (Chinese food, ice cream, and smoothies anyone? haha), and visited an ethnographic museum that was very interesting. It basically detailed the geography, past culture, past customs, and history of Rwanda. 

All in all it was a really fun trip, and I would totally recommend it to anyone who is planning on visiting Rwanda for an extended amount of time.

That one time that I hiked a volcano

So last week I did a really cool thing -- I hiked a volcano! It was probably one of the most physically challenging things that I've ever done, but it was an awesome experience. And don't worry. It was extinct not active. I'm not THAT adventurous. 

We hiked probably for a total of seven hours or so up and down, and though we didn't come across any gorillas or other animals we did meet some giant earth worms (seriously, they were so fat and long they could have been snakes) and fierce stinging nettle plants.

If you fancy mud skiing, mud skating with your porter, and slipping into the splits every few minutes, then this hike is meant for you. Just kidding! I actually do recommend it, maybe just don't go after it's been raining for two days straight. Or if you do, at least bring some m&ms with you to lift your spirits.

Moral of the story: You should never turn down the chance to hike a volcano because it's super amazing and makes you feel like a boss. And also don't forget to pack m&ms.

So here's to doing things that I didn't actually think that I could do and crossing things off of the bucket list that I don't actually have!

To Inspire

As you all probably already know, Pinterest is one of my favorite things ever. One of my favorite things about it is all of the little quotes and sayings that pop up in my feed everyday. Today I just wanted to share some of the quotes that I've recently been loving with you guys.


What quotes and/or sayings have been inspiring you lately?