I realize I walk out of every trip saying "best trip ever" but it always feels that way. Yes, I may have complicated my knee injuries climbing that mountain, lost 15 pounds on the mountain and gained 10 back from all the boozing. But I also came back a tad bit wiser and with a renewed determination to see and experience more cultures around the world. Dubai was awesome and such a unique experience, this being my first time in the Middle East. I loved learning about the history and evolution of the city and exploring their old town, and mourned the Westernization that was impacting the less-privileged members of the local population. Kenya, I only saw in transit. But Tanzania, I can tell you, is a beautiful country full of amazingly wonderful people. Everyone is so super welcoming and willing to feed my ferocious appetite for knowledge. And we all know my penchant for asking questions knows no boundaries.

Every single person I met on this trip made an impact on me, some subtly, and others more significantly. Not only that, I had all sorts of unique experiences, bringing back memories (and a ton of censored stories) that I will cherish for a life time. One of my favourites asked me the other day what the three highlights of my trip were. My response? Me and my pride successfully conquering Kili, because really how cool is that? Discovering that Tanzanian was a boy toy haven on day 17 of our 19-day trip, because we are oh-so-dense sometimes. And that I could survive on 4 showers in 3 weeks of travel, yay for not being high maintenance!