Machu Picchu, Peru in iOS (July, 2018)

August 28, 2018January 28, 2019 / Cate Tracey / 3 Comments

Being with my mom was obviously the best part of Peru.

The second? Walking the steps of Machu Picchu (llamas are the third)!

My favorite movie growing up was The Emperor’s New Groove (lets be honest, it still is!) and being here made me feel like I was alongside David Spade and John Goodman. I’m so happy my mom found these Kuzco shirts!

More importantly, I have been fascinated with The Inca Empire since the sixth grade. I had a teacher who had been to Peru many times and shared his experience and stories with us in great detail. Plus, my fiancé is Ecuadorian and I somehow felt closer to his culture and past.

Our guide, Jamie (“Hi May” in Spanish, Jamie in English) was THE BEST! He provided us with unique information that we otherwise wouldn’t have learned. We also had a phenomenal group with us (one guy lives ~30 minutes away from me)! The experience as a whole was incredible. My mom and I also felt like Amazon women walking through the ancient city, standing at 5’8” and 5’10”!

After our amazing day, we had to take a bus back down to the city centre. Unfortunately, I was a bit car sick and my mom had a killer migraine! We relaxed in town, then headed back to Cusco via train. Our Machu Picchu Train was awesome and I was even able to dance with the god Carmen during the staff’s “fashion show!”

Cusco, Peru in iOS (June/July, 2018)

August 19, 2018January 28, 2019 / Cate Tracey / Leave a comment

Although my mom and I enjoyed our time in Lima, Cusco was our favorite!

Spending all of this quality time meant the world to me! The only downside about Cusco? The altitude adjustment (or lack thereof on my end)! I instantly felt hungover, even when I was only drinking hot water. Being with my mom and petting/holding baby animals made me feel better though!

Our first night in Cusco consisted of me puking and the two of us watching old Denzel Washington movies 😂 At least the next day I seemed to make a full recovery…

We ate at the chocolate museum (twice!), saw amazing parade floats, visited more animals, climbed the cathedral for the best views, ate more incredible meals, and met some of the kindest people. Cusco, we’ll be back for sure!

Sharing this experience with my mom is indescribable. We brought back lots of memories (and llamas)!

Lima, Peru in iOS (June,2018)

August 18, 2018January 28, 2019 / Cate Tracey / Leave a comment

Toward the middle of June, my mom and I FINALLY decided to visit Peru! We were on the fence for a while, given the fact that I’m starting a new job in September and getting married in November…but our better judgment prevailed!

I mean c’mon! Look at that itinerary (courtesy of my mom)!

We mainly stayed in Lima to become acclimated to the altitude change; however, we really enjoyed it! Aside from my mom feeling the initial culture shock while departing from the airport, all went smoothly!

We had so much fun in the city! The Starbucks barista’s spelling of “Dawn” was my favorite part! At the hotel, we even made friends with the pet guinea pig!

From strolling through Parque del Amor to eating and shopping at Larcomar, Lima didn’t disappoint 🙂

So many “Foss’s”! Seljalandsfoss and Svartifoss Falls, Iceland

July 17, 2018February 16, 2019 / Cate Tracey / 1 Comment

“Foss” in Icelandic is “waterfall” in English, so there are many long names with “foss” at the end in this country!

Seljalandsfoss and Svartifoss were two of the last sites seen on our South Coast tour. It was breezy, hailing and damp, but well worth it 🙂

That’s a wrap for my Iceland posts! Thank you for reading and following my story. Now I need to start writing about Peru… 😉

National Pet Day!

April 11, 2018February 16, 2019 / Cate Tracey / 2 Comments

I LOVE to travel; however, my dog is making me more of a homebody these days (or at least if I’m not home, I actually WANT to be home…)!

My dog, Linley, is truly my best friend. I adopted him from Compass Dog Rescue in September and both of our lives have been enhanced ever since! He’s originally from Texas, but someone from the Detroit area rescued him before the hurricane in Houston.

Linley’s bio on PetFinder read something like this:

Age 2-5 (likely 3)
Hates to be alone
Very social animal (loves other dogs, but does not like cats)
Playful but not destructive
Goes with the flow (if you’re relaxing, he is, too)!

So as you can probably tell already, Linley was MY dog from the beginning 🙂

Happy National Pet Day, everyone! Don’t forget to do something extra special for your furry friend today!

My Travel Timeline

January 16, 2018 / Cate Tracey / 4 Comments

One major flaw of mine is that I compare myself to others – I can’t be happy and reach my full potential if this nasty habit continues…

Loved ones around me are “progressing at faster rates”: moving into new places, getting engaged/married, are more financially stable than me…

Rather than getting bitter, I want to get better!

And let’s face facts here: I wouldn’t be who I am today if I hadn’t traveled and seen the incredible things that I’ve seen! So what if I’m carrying a bit more student loan debt because of study abroad? Who cares that I’m not living with my boyfriend at the moment? I knew that travel would alter my life’s course, and that’s fine. Why do I care what others around me (family, “friends”…) think?!?!