 Hi everyone, thank you for joining us today. This is our weekly live stream. If we are meeting for the first time, my name's Habiba from the trekking pals. And today I'm very excited to be joined by Laura from Adventures After You. She's one of my favorite adventure travelers out there. And Laura had inspired so many of the clients that I've done in the past. So I'm very happy for you guys to meet her. And I'm very happy to be talking to you today, Laura. Thank you so much for that intro. Yeah, I'm excited to be here and just chat with you. It's always so fun for anyone that's done something similar that I've done, or is interested, or if I can inspire, or if I can answer questions. Oh my gosh, it just makes me so happy. Awesome. So we will be talking today about Kleinbin, Kilimanjaro, and Mount Meru in Tanzania. But before that, we want to get to know you more. So if you want to go ahead, Laura, and introduce yourself. What are some of the things that you do? How did you get into traveling? And we'll take it from there. Yes, absolutely. Hello. Again, my name's Laura. Yeah, I am Adventures After You 75. A lot of my account is travel. A lot of it is hiking. A lot of it is just a bunch of different crazy things. A lot of it is grief. A lot of it, if anyone's lost someone, my heart goes out to you. I did lose my husband almost five years ago, very tragically, in front of me. So I wouldn't say that grief has been something that, or traveling has been something that necessarily has been an outlet, but it's just been something made me look forward to life again. And that's just been very, very exciting. And that's kind of been one of my loves for traveling. But I always will say I did love traveling, and I was this crazy adventure person prior to that. So if it's deep in you, it'll come out eventually. So yeah, that's a little bit about me. I've traveled to over 40 countries, most of those by myself. I always say, I eat a lot of fried foods when I'm on these random trips. Gotta work it off somehow. So hiking's been a great way, but also a great way to see a new country and to challenge yourself. Awesome. So it's always amazing to see how travel, I don't wanna say that it helps us heal, but it allows us to have a positive view on the world, whether it's through hiking or just adventure traveling in general. So Laura, you are Canadian, which I just knew last week and I'm so surprised. That's funny. Yeah, I'm totally Canadian. Have a Canadian passport with all my lovely stamps, but at the age of 18, I actually was a javelin thrower track and field. And I moved down and got a scholarship in Texas. And then I stayed and I met my late husband James there. And that's where I come into still living in the United States, plan on staying here. But yeah, that's why I'm Canadian actually. Awesome, that's really cool. And you are currently living in the United States while working and traveling internationally really. You said you're traveling all around the world, so many new countries. Every time I'm watching your stories, you are someone new, which is amazing. Thank you. Yes, I currently reside in California is my address. I would say four years ago, I had no address basically. I was just very nomadic and enjoyed traveling around Europe and Asia a lot. I feel like with the pandemic, most people know, definitely made it more difficult to travel, but just kind of when I eased off, I definitely enjoyed jumping into some countries that weren't as strict with some things and just absolutely enjoyed it and gave me like a new appreciation for traveling to those places. And those people just being so welcoming and excited to see a new friendly face. Awesome, so with the hiking particularly, how did that start? When did you get there? So I did grow up, like I said in Canada, but I grew up in British Columbia, Canada, which is a very mountainous area. So I definitely grew up with mountains all around me and definitely doing some hiking. I would say I've always hiked probably whatever since I was very, very young. I still, there would just be paths out the back in my backyard that I still, it's just a normal thing to ride your bike or go for a little hike on a weekend. So I definitely have always hiked, which I'm very fortunate for. And then I would say I wasn't until probably 2017 that I was in Scotland for the first time on my first like longer solo adventure. And I was like, I should do the tallest peak here. That'd be really cool. And Seth and looked that up and went out in my runners, probably just threw a few like kick cats in my bag or something like that and then put my backpack on and went and tackled it. And I just really, really loved it. And then when I was traveling around Europe, it just became kind of this thing that I wanted to do. I just like, where could I hike in this area? I don't, because I've never been, I always find like all large cities in my eyes look a little bit alike. I love those like smaller villages, but also the mountains. So it's just always been something that I look forward to with my travels is something that I can look forward to in general. Awesome. And the majority of the hikes that you go on when you're traveling internationally are those guided adventures or you go solo most of the time? Yeah, it would definitely depend in which kind of country. If I'm in North America, I would say almost all are gonna be by myself or just with like a friend or just like a loved one or something like that. And then same with Europe, I would say for the most part. In South America, I would say it's primarily with a guided group. And then like when I was in Africa for Kilimanjaro and Baru, that was all guided. So it's a little bit pitchy-fifty. Sure. I guess it makes sense with just safety. There are areas that are safer than others, especially when you're traveling as a solo female traveler. Absolutely. Yeah, it's something you, I mean, if anyone, I know I get this question, this is probably like my number one is just about being a female solo traveler. But it's just all about like keeping your wits about you, understanding that. But also like I'm okay to not only support someone in their goal to be a guided person, but I mean, that's like you're supporting that country as well, especially if they're kind of more of a third world country. It's just something that I get to learn more about the country. They're way smarter than me about their surroundings. Oh my gosh. And a lot of those trails also might not be as well marked. But I just think something like, you know, them being able to tell me about the birds or the plants or anything like that, that I wouldn't have known any. Otherwise you get so much, you're just more educated once you actually get to kind of do it with someone else. Absolutely. So recently you climbed the Mount Kilimanjaro, which is the peak in Africa. But you've done all of other climbs around the world. I know that you have attempted a concagua in the past. I didn't. I attempted it the first year and we did not get a weather window. So you just, you stayed after a couple of weeks of climbing, you stayed at like the summit day and just nothing opened up. Your time was up and you had to go down and that's a very, very hard pill to swallow. But I went back the next year and I did summit, which is very, very exciting. So that's definitely been like the largest accomplishment in my outdoor life to date. That's amazing. Congrats. Thank you. For folks who are not familiar with the Mount Aconcagua, it's one of the seven summits and the highest peak in South America. And it's really like Laura was mentioning. It's a very difficult climb, very time-sensitive when you are in the mountains. So that's a great accomplishment. Thank you so much. Yeah. Yeah, Kilimanjaro, it's just everything's just so different. I love that about the mountain. Like even if something were to be an easy or a hard climb, you just never know what the weather, you never know what the people you're meeting. You also never know with how your body is going to acclimatize. If it's going to be like, yes, like you're working with me body, good job. Or it's like, why do I feel like crap? So you never fully know. But yeah, I feel like I'm fairly lucky with my body. Does fairly well with acclimatization. So yeah, but every body per sure is different. Awesome. So with the Kilimanjaro, how did you decide that you wanted to go after Kilimanjaro? Is it because it's one of the seven summits? Obviously you like going after high peaks. How do you go about planning and choosing tour operator? Do you want to share with us a bit more details for people who might be interested in climbing the mountain to future? Absolutely, yeah. I know it's such a, like it's funny because I feel like so few people know about Akincagua or so many of these kind of peaks. I was on the way to Africa and I was listening to this song and they had the word Kilimanjaro in it. It was like, it was, it's like a goal. I don't even remember the song at all, but they said Kilimanjaro. And it's just like, I just feel like I've always known what Kilimanjaro is. I'm not even sure why it's like, it's so, so popular, but I'm excited for Africa. And I'm excited for people that have done it that it is so popular. So for me, it's just always been something that I would love to do. I knew that like winter season is a lot more busy, or sorry, sorry, is a lot less busy and you're probably gonna get more rain and that didn't seem super appealing to me. And during like the Christmas months, I actually, I do have a full-time job and I'm a social media manager for different companies. And during like the Christmas season, I normally can get a lot more time off and can play hooky a little bit more. So that's always, that's kind of been why I've gone to South America so much. It's a little bit easier to get to than flying across the world to Africa, but also when I've gone over there, it's just like, it's just been easy for me with work. So that, and then when I found out that I actually could climb around the time that I, it would be awesome. It's a very year-round mountain. I was like, let's do this. I was in contact with a friend who referred me to someone. And I know I watched one of your videos. You might be getting into more helping people. So either you, you can always message me asking for a referral as well, but he was really, really helpful. And I, yeah, I kind of was just in contact with him. I went over there kind of having a game plan, but kind of like being like, I'm just gonna be here for five weeks straight and I'll do Camel Manjaro and a safari. I have to work while I'm over here. We'll see what else I do. So that really, I don't have a lot of game plan when I enter a country. It's don't do it, don't be like me, but that's always kind of been my goal with traveling that I kind of can feel out the country and I can see like whereabouts I'd actually wanna head to. I just don't do a lot of research beforehand. Awesome. It's fun sometimes when you just go with a spontaneous plan. You never know what opportunities will open themselves in front of you to go after. Exactly, yeah, I'm always like, yeah, I just never know like what I'm gonna enjoy when I'm there. Also like sometimes I'm just like, I just honestly feel like, especially when I'm by myself, it's kind of, I actually feel like just sitting in a coffee shop for a couple of days and reading a book. And if I'm by myself, why the heck not? So yeah, when I just, I just feel like I like that flexibility and that freedom when I'm by myself. Awesome. So you flew from California, we landed in Tanzania and then the first thing you did was climb the mountain. Which routes did you pick for your climb? So I actually first did Maru and that was really helpful for climatization and just something fun to do. I actually say I enjoyed that hike more than Kilimanjaro. Just I met a bunch of just like wonderful people. I met so many really fun people that I ended up like connecting with and staying in touch with the rest of the time when I was in Africa and that's just, that one's just very straightforward. And then when I actually did Kilimanjaro, which I only came back and took two days off. So it was quite a climatized going into Kilimanjaro. I just did like kind of the fastest route. So I got up in four days and then down in one, up in four days, yes, sorry. I had three nights and then like that last night, you're of course leaving just after midnight. So a little bit confusing there. But yeah, I got to sleep in hats the whole time. If you're someone who is a little bit better with a climatization or you're like, I just sleeping in a tent doesn't sound fun to me. I know there's lots of people out there like that. So if that sounds like you, yeah, it's a good route. I guess it makes sense since you did Mount Meru, you allege your body enough time to acclimatize. And plus you have experienced climbing higher mountains in the past. So for Mount Meru, how much time did you need to go up and down the mountain? It was, so it was two nights and that second night, again, you leave at midnight and summit right around six a.m. When the sun's peaking, it was very beautiful. It was a lot more, I wouldn't say it's a technical mountain, it's just more technical than Kilimanjaro. So there's quite a few like rope sections in it. You still are going like with your group or your guide. And there was about, I would say, six of us climbers and they just kind of put us all together and then your guides would either be in front or behind you. And it was just beautiful. It was a chillier experience, I would say, than Kilimanjaro as well, just with the wind really was coming at us. And then I summited on technically Christmas morning, which was really cool. So I had gone around Arusha in Tanzania and found I had someone find a Santa hat and was able to wear that at the summit as well. That's the best way to spend the holiday. Absolutely, 100 percent. That's so awesome. I'm a little bit jealous because I will see in Meru from Kilimanjaro. I was like, oh, I wanna go there. Yeah, the first morning that we were at Meru, you actually could see there was like this little area for where you were having breakfast and we got the most beautiful shot of Kilimanjaro. And that was honestly probably like the most clear I'd ever seen it, which was really, really cool. But yeah, you totally can see the both mountains in the distance on a clear day from so many different areas. That's so awesome. You get to see Kilimanjaro from Meru and then you see Meru from Kilimanjaro. Yes, very cool, right? That's so awesome. So the hike on Kilimanjaro, you sleep in the hut, which is convenient for people like you said. You don't wanna sleep in a tent and you still had porters with you or you needed porters. Yeah, yeah, you still had every setup. So literally, I felt like it was very lush for me. I think there's always someone carrying everything I carry just like a day pack at all times. And that was like larger than a day pack just so that I could put more rain gear or anything like that that I needed within my bag, some snacks and stuff, some water. And that's it, that's all I had to carry and I would just leave my large bag with all my stuff at my door at the beginning of each morning and someone was there to carry it all to the next. I was very grateful for them, very nice. And that's gonna be anywhere on Kilimanjaro for anyone that's actually taking any of the routes. It's a very, very nice way to hike. It's definitely helpful when you don't have to to drag a heavy backpack on top of the elevation, top of long distance. Yeah. So what are some of the tips that you have Laura? For someone, I know that you have a lot of experience and for someone who's wanting to climb the mountain average hiker, they want to do it for the first time. What are some of the tips that you have to share with them? Absolutely. I think a lot of times it might seem overwhelming or kind of scary. There are so many different kind of things that you can download for getting ready. One of the things that I always say, it's really popular to say like, I barely trained and I did Kilimanjaro. And to me, I'm like, that sounds really terrible. Like I want to go there and have a wonderful experience. So probably the climatization already isn't going to be super fun. So if I can take like the physical aspect out of it, that's wonderful. So for me, it was just kind of all about training and making sure I was in shape for doing it. It wasn't a goal for me to be like, I'm going to not enjoy myself, but I submitted. I want to enjoy myself the whole time. The first couple of days were just gorgeous. Like you were going through just so much different terrain and every single day was a different kind of terrain. And every day was kind of like four or five hours and then you're there and you're eating great food and wonderful time. So when you're back wherever you live across the world, even if you live beside the ocean, so you're not in any kind of elevation, you still can be doing things. Like even by me, there's a hike. There's a couple of hikes that, you know, you're gaining 2,000 feet of elevation. And if my legs say we're as strong, I might even do a weighted carry. A lot of times that ends up being my dog. Put them in my backpack and hike. So there's always, I always recommend all trails for things like that and seeing anything by you or if you're visiting an area. So it's just all about kind of gaining those longer days. I also really like, I enjoy running. Some people might not, but I enjoy running. So those running days kind of build my cardio, but those aren't long days, of course, cause I'm not going out running for four hours. So kind of just switching it up between maybe some longer hikes. So they don't need to be a ton of elevation, but that will put those miles under your feet, kind of getting yourself ready in terms of your boots, but also just having a bit longer of days, like a four hour day. And do you do a bit, I'm curious myself, do you do running or, you know, are you running in the gym? Okay, I would hate running in the gym. I think I would punch myself if I had to run out of treadmill. No, I normally will try to find, like beside me now, it's exactly one mile away and it's a lovely little path by a creek. And I enjoy it going there very, very regularly, but I enjoy the gym. Do not enjoy any machines. All right, no running on the treadmill. No running on the treadmill, oh my gosh. Awesome, so training is obviously very important for climbs like this, just so that you're having a pleasant time on the mountainy scenes. Yeah, I think it's part, so that you have a pleasant time on the mountain. Also, like, I mean, I'm someone that enjoys hiking, I enjoy the outdoors, so training to me also isn't something that I'm like, I have to go put in this day so that I can get Kilimanjaro and make that summit, but to me it's like, what could I do this weekend? What hike would I enjoy in the area? And that's gonna help me to get to that summit in the future, but I'm actually gonna enjoy it this weekend. Awesome, that makes sense. So I'd hope that people out there do enjoy hiking if you're planning on doing Kilimanjaro. And if you do, I hope that you just kinda do some preps with some different hikes. Absolutely, so you got there, you're hiking with the team, how many people were there in your team on Kilimanjaro? It was just me as a hiker, just yeah, it was very small. I think just with the pandemic, just very few people kinda were there. I originally was gonna summit on January 1st, and actually my guide was like, just a heads up, there's gonna be a couple hundred people at the summit because everyone does it on January 1st. I was like, let's do it December 31st. And then it was very, very few people were up there. So I was very happy that he said that. He was even like, because of course you can't stay up there too long because your body will start to notice the lack of oxygen. And he was like, if we had been there January 1st, he probably wouldn't have gotten a picture by the sign because it just ends up being a line, which sounds terrible to me. So I'm very happy that I did go the day earlier. Awesome. So it really just you. It literally was just me. I stayed in like my hut, I would say with other people that also came in, but yeah, it was just me, a cook. He was wonderful. He made me pizza at the end of every summit day, and who doesn't want pizza? And then a guide, and then he was also like training someone else. So he came too. So there's just like this large group in me. That's awesome. You really get all the time to yourself to. Yes. Do whatever you want. It was all about me. Yeah, 100%. It was a great experience. And yeah, always, always very helpful. Very nice. Did you get to sing the popular celebration song? 100%. Yes. I did that for five weeks straight, and I appreciate it. It made me laugh for your post there on me coming, me coming on this live, and that's which one you use. So it made me laugh. That's wonderful. Ah, yes. Eats out on the mountain sounds incredible too. Yeah, I definitely, I enjoy soup. Just it's like gonna hydrate you and also just yummy. Good for your stomach when you're in elevation, but then when I came down from both Maru and Kilimanjaro, I was like, oh my goodness. And then when I was coming down actually from Maru, I was dehydrated, not like terribly or anything, but it was like, okay, I need some calories in my body now. And I was coming down and like the chef that was there, he like was coming in to go into the tent and he saw me there on the way down and he had like on a tray two large glasses of like orange juice or mango juice, a combination. And I just kind of looked at him and I was like, are you bringing these to the tent for me? And he's like, yes. So I just like grabbed it, chugged, put it back down, grabbed it, chugged. I was like, thank you, you can go. You don't need to bring it to the tent. I am so tired and need calories. That's awesome. That sounds like incredible experience. So what was it like for you experiencing the culture? I guess it was that your first time in Africa? That was my first time in Africa. So I was very, very excited that it was my first time in Africa. It was definitely one of the, of course only continents I haven't been to. I would normally love to go to a couple of different countries over there, but just traveling within countries made it difficult at this time in the world. But it was a very cultural experience. I absolutely loved it. I love different foods. I love experiencing the different cultures of foods. And that was just, that always is just like fun to me. Also like hearing what you think that I might want an American is fun. And yeah, I would definitely say that that was just like, I don't know, it's just, also like the way of life over in Tanzania is just so much like slower in a good way. Like it's just like, well, what's the rush? What's the rush? And it's just like, well, cause I need to go do that kind of thing. And it's just always like a what's the, kind of a kuna matata technically, but yeah, it's just always just, just enjoy it, get there when you get there. And I'm just not used to that. So it's just, those things are really fun to me. That's the, it's really interesting to hear you say that because I had the same experience. You feel like here in the U S everything is fast to a point where you don't even know how to rest anymore. When you go to a new country and you have to take everything slow, it's, you know, not frustrating, but like, well, let's go. And it's my name because in my mind, if I'm traveling somewhere in my mind, like those are four hours wasted to get to that place. But for them, it would almost be like, yeah, but those four hours, like you could have this experience for four hours. I'm like, I just want to get there. And for them, it's just like, let's make this like a thing for four hours. So I definitely didn't pick up on that at the beginning. I was just like, why is everything so slow? And then, and then just kind of learning, learning more of the customs and just appreciating that about them. Just absolutely wonderful. And I love that. That's awesome. So for folks who are joining us, we're still talking about Kleinbein, Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru. If you have any questions about Kleinbein, the mountains, feel free to leave a comment and we will be tackling them. But in the meantime, other than Kleinbein, Mount Kilimanjaro, you went on a safari as well. Yes. I had such a good time. Oh my gosh. It was just so cool. So I partly was in Serengeti, which is a beautiful, beautiful area for seeing wildlife. And it was already like off season, but there were so few jeeps. So it was just like, I was sitting there with just like my driver with eight different lions or N lionesses just sitting there looking at them. And they're a couple feet from me. And it was just, it was a very cool experience. I've just definitely never experienced that. I think animals are absolutely amazing. So it was just, it was so cool. Like it was just, it was so cool. I think I had like the biggest smile on my face the entire time. And the night that we did stay in Serengeti, you were in this like glamping tents, which is amazing. And they're beautiful and they would walk you to your glamping tent. So you're like, if you don't know a glamping tent, it's literally like a tent, but you'll have like even a shower, a bathroom, and then like a king size bed even in it, but you would have kind of like, I wouldn't say blinds, but like rolling things. So you could feel like you're outdoors. So it's like my back is happy in the tent in the bed, but I get like the like mental happiness of being outside. So I love those, but you could hear actually lions outside, like all night, or like, and it was really funny because I like just listening to something as I'm going to sleep. And then I heard like a bit of a roar, but it was kind of on the show I was, I was watching. So I was like, is that outside or is that on my, on my phone right now? So it was just, it was such a fun experience. 10 out of 10 recommend this party. Really nice to work very hard for the mountain and then just have the safari right after. So before we continue talking about the safaris, we have a question from Angel and she is saying, for those of us clueless people regarding who to go with, how to choose a company, group or a Sherpa, I believe they're talking about climbing the mountain. How do you even, when it comes to picking an operator? Yeah, I would actually love for you to explain this as well, just I think you have more experience on this one than I do, but mine was just I have a really good friend and she had been there. And so I just asked her and she was like, I know someone who enjoyed working with this company. And that was literally my only experience and I'm happy with who I chose and I had a great experience, but mine was just kind of a word of mouth for anyone who had been there asking them for their experience. Okay, so just to add to that, I think getting recommendations from someone that you know and trust is all always helpful, but there are usually two types of tour operators. There are those that are local to Tanzania and then there are those that are operating in the UK or the US. So usually with the, with local companies, they are a bit more affordable compared to high-end companies and it really just comes down to reading reviews online, hearing from people who traveled with them and make sure it's a solid company. Yeah. Yeah, and like I think the thing is, is I definitely normally am a lot more pro working with a local company. With that said, I did wanna make sure that they could speak decent English. So making sure for me on any of my treks, I actually made sure of that and I hope that doesn't sound bad. I just wanna make sure that I could communicate if I was feeling like death on the mountain. And so I think that goes back into why a lot of people might choose like an American or a UK guiding company. A lot of, like, I think most of those guiding companies will still just outsource into, like they're not bringing their own guides over there. So I'm an advocate of working with local guides. So I would just find a company that can have, if it were me, English-speaking guides, but it's a local company. Absolutely, yeah. You would want someone who will understand you if you are stressed or you need to be rescued. That's an important point. All right, so going back to the safari, when you did this safari, how many days was the safari? It was four days. Four days. And you were by yourself again? Yeah. I know, I honestly would have loved to be with someone else. I was supposed to be with a couple other people and they ended up canceling last minute and not getting on their flight with the latest world stuff. So they didn't actually get on their flight. So I was supposed to, I think it would have been really fun to experience it with other people, especially it was just a bunch of Canadian girls. But I also, they did whatever the heck I felt like doing and that's wonderful. And I just got more of a front seat feel. I think it would be a little bit overwhelming for my stomach. I think four rows back or something like that. Because they definitely passed some people and it was a pretty full Jeep. So I got it all to myself. I had such a good time though. Everyone was super, super nice. I experienced my birthday when I was on the safari and like the place that I stayed that morning, it was like non-alcoholic, but it was a champagne. They opened for me at six a.m. before I started. And everyone was saying, happy birthday. And then that night we stayed somewhere else and they brought me a cake and saying happy birthdays. It was just such a nice, loving experience. That's wonderful. Laura, you create content about your adventure travels over on your Instagram and you're well, right? Okay. Yes. So for folks who are watching us, do you have content out there from the safari and the mountain that they can refer back to? Thank you. Yes, I absolutely do. If you go on my YouTube channel, it is under Laura Lianne. Probably what I'm basically here as. And I have a lot of Kilimanjaro videos I vlogged every single day, which is really fun just for me going back and seeing every single day and seeing kind of me give a tour of every single camp and how I was feeling and probably swearing throughout it that I felt tired. And then I did also for the safari, which was really, really cool showing like the lines up close. Awesome. I have to play catch up with your YouTube channel. I'm looking forward to seeing the videos. We have a comment from Steel Angel. She says safaris are amazing. I did one in South Africa best experience. That's wonderful. I love that. Yes, yeah. South Africa I know is so amazing for safaris. So many people, if they were on like their second one in the Serengeti, they said their first one was there. So I'm so glad you experienced it. Yeah, it's just, I mean, being from North America, you just don't even like fathom seeing that or anything. So definitely cool. And technically Lion King is based out of Serengeti, which is really, really cool. So yeah, just little things like, I was on my way back home to the US and watched the Lion King because I was like, I need to see it now again. And like it's like Simba is technically Lion and Swahili. And like just all these things and you're like, okay, Disney really like didn't go or didn't, you know, go too far out there for that word. And yeah, those just made me laugh. But yeah, it was, it's like I've said, it's just a very cool experience, a beautiful area. What were some of your favorite animals to see in the Serengeti? Yeah, I would say baby elephant. I really enjoyed the giraffe. I thought it was just, it's just this friendly, big friendly giant, right? Super cool. For some reason the skin sound weird. The little bums of the zebras, just the cutest little bums you ever did see. But I mean, I know I've talked about like the lions. I just thought like, and then like we saw when they were migrating. So it was like, I'm literally looking at like a hundred thousand zebran and like just different animals as they're just walking. And I'm just here with the Jeep up and just being able to watch this. This is just a very cool experience. Wow, that's wonderful. I saw some of your photos, Laura, with some of the tribes in Tanzania. Do you want to share that? Yeah, it was just, it was so cool. I just, I've such a big appreciation for their way of life. And I know like, if anyone's like traveled and you've suddenly, you're suddenly just in a backpack and I even find myself not using a quarter of the backpack. And it's like, you realize how little you need to keep yourself happy and just to do all these amazing things. And that was just a really nice reminder. Cause once again, I was like in a backpack but I just felt like my backpack was the biggest backpack in this tribe kind of thing. And they just, they were all very happy. I think a lot of humans, you know, we crave a community and that's really what we love and that support from other people. And I think a lot of these tribes, that's what they have and you know, lean on each other. And I just, I just loved it. And I got like a tour, the house was a little small for me, not trying to be bougie. But it was so, so cool going through there and seeing that and just seeing like the experiences that different people grow up with and just their experience, I love that. Awesome. It's definitely nice to see different culture and experience it from the eyes of the locals who live there. So we have a question. This is a, I think it's broad questions. They're asking coffee time, what country you suggest for beginner travelers? I guess the question would be, would you suggest Tanzania as a country for someone who's traveling for the first time in Africa? Yeah, so I would say there were, so I always say like a country, if you're from North America, you're speaking English, I'll just assume. And it would probably be best to go to a country if you're just gonna go solo travel, that also speaks English. So that's why I chose like the UK and that area for like my first solo, I went through all through Ireland, I went through Scotland and I went through England. It was just the, you know, super easy. The worst thing is like getting on the bus on the wrong side of the road, like, so easy. Obviously for Tanzania, they're speaking a different language, but I will say most people spoke English that I was ever working with or they're kind of working with you to figure everything out. And of course, like day and age now, there's Google Translate and it makes it super, super easy. But I don't know, for me, I just, I looked for those countries that wouldn't be this insane eye opener, but like I could get there. I would get off the plane and I wouldn't feel super overwhelmed. Maybe they have Uber and just like take me to my like hostel or anything wherever I'm staying, drop my bags off and then go and explore. So that's kind of why I've chosen those. I've actually heard like New Zealand is a really good place to start because it has good hiking, but also again, English speaking, but also it'll depend on your budget and it depends like on the things that you wanna do. So yeah, I feel like it's definitely not a bad place. It just depends how I have friends. So that's where they started. I'm like, good for you. I think that would have been very overwhelming for me, I'll say. If I started over there, it would be a huge eye opener, but I definitely could have done it. I guess the takeaway is it's just different from one person to the other. If you feel like a person who needs to ease into a different environment, then go that way if not, you know, go for it if you have another. Yeah. Very nice. So this is on Africa or on Tanzania, were there any other experiences outside of climbing the mountain and the safari that you went on? I did actually start maybe the second day, something around there. I did a really pretty waterfall hike and that was really, really fun. That's one of the times where I danced with one of the tribes, which was just very, very fun. My guide actually was a woman, so that was really nice. And she just kind of talked about herself and her life and that was lovely to see. I love seeing that. That was, yeah, and then it was a beautiful waterfall who doesn't love a beautiful waterfall. And then kind of was able to, and I was staying in Arusha a lot of the time, so it actually was to and from Arusha and you could hike just from the town. So that was really, really fun. That was one of the experiences. And then when I was coming back after the safari, we stayed an extra couple of days and again, a glamping tent and just more in the smaller villages. I had said, if I were to replan, I definitely would have gone with the smaller villages more. I think in my head, I had to work still quite a bit and I needed perfect Wi-Fi and I was really scared that I'd go to a smaller village and they'd just be like, no Wi-Fi and I'd have constant outages and I'd be like, this is how I'm paying for this trip though and stuff and I'd freak out. But I definitely had fine Wi-Fi everywhere. Oh my gosh. I don't really even know why I was concerned about that. So I think just the smaller villages are so fun and they're so much more cultured there. You can go through the market and I was just grabbing the most random things and just like, this is a different fruit I've never tried before and just all these awesome, awesome things like that. And it's also incredibly cheap to be going through something like that. So awesome. And about safety, you mentioned that you were traveling with guides for most of these, you know, the climb and then the safari, but did you feel generally safe for folks here who are traveling solo? Great question. I have really, wherever there is wood, knock on wood. I've really never had a bad experience like I'm saying. It definitely can happen but it also could happen in your own country for sure. Have your what's about you. I never stayed out after dark and I was told not to just as if I'm being by myself. I also could take like a little, if I wanted to and I wanted to go out, I'm not like a partier. So I just like, okay, I'll just go to bed by eight 30. That's just me though. But like they just said, if you do, please just take a cab back to where we're staying and just be safe with that. Don't walk past dark. And that's just what I went with and I never, I just kind of would always get back to the house by like 7 p.m. And then that's when it was getting dark and it just worked out really well. So I never had any bad experience. I was like I said, working with a guide and then I would just meet people along the way. And also like I said, for Maru, I had such a great experience and met some other people from Europe and stuff. So I would kind of spend the day with them once I was back as well. Awesome. So that's Africa and I'm so glad I met you and I was really happy to see your photos on, you know, top of California. Thank you. So what are some of your plans or future climbs for the future if it's something that you'd like to share? Yes. I don't quite know, sorry to say. For two years straight, I've had Nepal booked. So now with the world open, I think I'll get to go to Nepal in 2022, which is very, very exciting. If you've heard of Annapurna Circuit, it is like 17 days, but basically you don't even really have to carry very much. You stop when you're tired in little villages and it's a little tea hut. You can just stop to grab some lunch in another village and then continue on your way. So really, that's just always been one of my, like just top of my list. That would be amazing to do. So I'm really, I've had, like I said, I've had it booked for two years and that's not even gonna be with a guide. A lot of people just like start out and enjoy themselves and it's quite high elevation. It does get to around 17,000 feet. So nothing to see is out there. So that's very high on my list. I think a lot of, I've done a lot of what I'd love to with mountaineering and I wouldn't say I'm taking a step back at all. I just love backpacking so much and those like really intense long day hikes. And I'd love, I'm just continuing to train for those for like this summer and anytime like I have a long weekend for work, I'm always out there for three or four days and enjoying myself. So I'm planning on doing that again all summer. We're in North America and then Nepal for sure. Awesome. Nepal sounds like an amazing adventure. I hope that everything falls into order for you. Thank you. Have you looked into Nepal at all or have it on your list? I don't know about it leisurely but we don't, we don't have a solid plan yet. Absolutely, yes. And sorry, where, I was in Arizona. Do you live or do you say that? I live between Mesa and Queen Creek near the regional airports, Mesa gateway. Yeah. Okay, okay, okay. And I knew you were like in the Phoenix area. Yes, yes. And I know every time I'm like coming through there since we've actually like met online, I'm like, I'm literally here for less than 24 hours. I'm so sorry. I'm dropping my dog off. No worries, would love to meet you and even hike or something together but. Absolutely. Absolutely. So in the United States or in North America, do you have any climbs that you really wanna do? I know that there are so many beautiful mountains here and all of the mountain ranges that we have. Yeah, yes, absolutely. So I did like Mount Whitney. I've done it twice. I did it last year as a day hike and that was just like a goal of mine and it was a very, very long but I did it day. There's a couple that are just kind of two days and I really enjoy like the mountaineering style. I think a lot of people don't like snow. I really like snow. I like ice. I like putting crampons to ice. I don't find it that part scary at all. So like there's Mount Shasta which is actually only four hours, four hours from me here. So I've talked about that. I mean, when you have all the gear and you just kind of have to, you could go into a group. It's a lot more affordable of course. So once you have the gear, it's amazing for those kind of things. Anywhere around like Tahoe, there's just so many places I think on the West Coast. I haven't explored Utah too much yet but I have definitely, I lived in Arizona as people know for a couple of years. So I explored the Arizona area and I love Flagstaff and I love that area. You climbed Humphrey's Peak before. Yes, I've done it a couple of times. I actually did it in the winter and this is like a weird story but I had gotten fake lashes like a couple of days before when they were just like starting to get in and they just like completely froze and I couldn't even like hold my eye because there was so much frozen snow on it. And I was like, I don't know what to do. I got up there and then I've done it in the summer and it was beautiful. It's a good height. It's not crazy hard and it's just, it is elevation but it's just that we're 10,000 but it's just, it's very straightforward hiking. That's so funny with the eyelashes. I don't know what to do with them anymore. I probably have a fixture somewhere where I'm like, what do I also have to do after? I'm like, what do I do right now? I can't see. That's... So yeah, I'm amazed that Whitney twice it's an incredible mountain for people who are joining us. It's the highest peak in the lower 48 in the US outside of Denali. You have plans to climb Denali in the future. Denali is my world, my life goal. Denali is my life goal. I originally was considering trying to like save for it and do it this coming summer. If I do it, it will be next summer and after that, I will be over it for my goal. But it's my ultimate goal, I think. To me, it has such a low probability of summoning. The weather is just super, super volatile. I don't think like the elevation there is crazy just the way that earth is. It's not crazy, crazy high but the air hits you differently there. But I mean, when I did Akankagwa, you literally couldn't leave your tent for like three days because we were just in a storm. And I know for Denali, you can be there for like a week or two and can't and just sitting in a storm. And it's just, it's exhausting. Like I can't explain like, and it's like you might, such a TMI. You might be having, you know, other tent mates and you're just having to basically be in front of them. So it's just, it's just a lot and the thought of that for Denali. But Denali, it's just this absolutely amazing mountain. You also like just pull sleds for most of it. So you just really have to be physically fit for it. And I think it's just, it's such an amazing goal. Anyone that even thinks they want to attempt it, my hats are definitely off to you and I'd love to. I would love to though, one day. Awesome. I was gonna ask you, Laura, you mentioned earlier about Akon Kaguay. Tried the first time in Summit, second time in. I wanted to hear more about emotionally, how do you deal with the stress, you know, you put all of this time and effort into training and planning and it's a lot of money because all of these climbs are not cheap and then you get there and you're working your ass off to make it to the peak and you have to turn back with, you know, without Summit saying how do you deal with that? Yeah, it was one of the sadder moments I feel like of my life just like not even getting an attempt of it was just like even though like you've just put in all, like you're saying time and money and just kind of sitting there and you're less than a day away and just, and you now have to do the exact same route back even if you did or didn't Summit and stuff. So it's a very kind of overwhelming emotional day and couple days for sure. I think it honestly just drove me more into the following year being like you were getting this, you were gonna sit on that mountain for as long as it takes has like here's my credit card just put sit me here and I will make that something kind of thing. It ended up being a wonderful, we got it on the like the first attempt to like go up. It just was a lot better weather that next year but yeah, it was just, it was a lot. Truly for me, it really just drove me to train and like I'm saying, so it's kind of like how I was saying before with Kilimanjaro, I feel like Kilimanjaro for the most part weather isn't a super big issue but being acclimatized is. So for Akankagawa, it's a climatization plus weather. And so for me it was like I am taking athleticism out of the equation. Like I will be able to hike that thing three times if I need to, that's what I'm gonna be able to do. And then the other ones are out of my control but what's in my control? I'm going to control and train my little butt off. That's awesome. That's the right way to put yourself into it. Yeah, I do think I put myself up for success at next year for sure. Wonderful. We've been going for 15 minutes. We have some time. I wanted to ask you more about mountaineering because with hiking and back, like you said, you start small. You start with trails that are nearby and then you learn. But how did you get into mountaineering? How did you build all of the skills to just go for these mountains that require solid skills? Yeah, I would definitely say that's not something that I grew up doing. It's not even something that I knew was a thing. Like in any way, if it's something that you want to do, I would just like any, first of all, anywhere in South America will basically have mountaineering and it won't be as tall. It'll be tall, but like getting a good guide. That guide, if you're receptive to listening to them and just understanding them, it will just be amazing. My first experience with mountaineering was in Bolivia and they spoke zero English. And I was receptive, but looking back is like straight comical because like, yeah, I had no idea what was going on. Glad people give me hearts. And Seth and from there, I think it was once it was in Chile and I remember I just had the best guide. He was just so helpful and he was just explaining to me why I wouldn't do this or why I would do this. And he wasn't in any way talking down to me. He was just like, she wants to learn, I'm gonna teach her. Then I think basically from there, I was like, I don't wanna travel, travel as much. I want to train for something. And that's where I signed up for Accincagua and I still traveled a bit, but all of it revolved around the school in my head. And once I was up at Accincagua, I had just a wonderful, wonderful guide and the entire time, I just think I was very receptive because I found it just such a cool experience that I just learned so much. And so every single thing that you're doing, you're learning. And I think if I was out on the mountain right now and I saw someone that had was attempting to put on double boots for the first time and said, wow, these are really uncomfortable. I would be like, good for you. And you've got this kind of thing. It's just, it's an environment that it's not competitive because I want you to make the summit just as much as I hope to make the summit. It's not a competitive nature in that, but it's a bit of a competitive nature within yourself. And it drives you like an inner you to do those things and you'll just learn along the way. And I can promise you, I don't think that I learned up learned like much online going into things, you just learn on the spot. And when you're just constantly asking a guide and you see that they're a good guide, they will be so open with you and explain things to you and helpful for you. And they want you to learn and they want you to succeed. So just start somewhere and you'll rock. And like you said, being assertive and observant when you see your guide doing this, I'm sure that they would need someone who can take care of themselves on the mountain instead of always being a rock, a liability. Yeah, exactly. They definitely don't want you being a liability. Just a little, I think it's just being self-aware and aware of what they're doing. And then I think from there, honestly, mountaineering isn't cheap, but it's also kind of like what I said, once you have the stuff, most stuff is actually somewhat affordable from there. I went over to Kilimanjaro and I didn't have to rent a single thing and I had great gear and stuff. But I think even from there, like I just remember looking up thing after thing for what's the best thing and then just tracking it on like eBay and tracking a lot of secondhand gear if someone who tried Denali and said, I hate mountaineering, here's my boots. And that's how I come across all my gear because it can be expensive, but make sure to get good stuff and it'll last. Awesome. So, Laura, before we wrap up for today, you have any thoughts or any other tips that you wanna share with folks watching us today? Yeah, I think that, and I know I did just touch on this, I think that hiking and mountaineering, any of those two things, they're just very, I mean, there's no in my eyes, there's really no better feeling than getting to that summit and that feeling of accomplishment. I know different people hike for different reasons. Mine is just training for something and having that excitement inside of me. It's like a fire inside of me. I would never skip a training day because I'm like, this might mean I don't get to summit and why would I not wanna summit? But that's just kind of, I feel like a weird mentality, but I think starting off small, and I wouldn't say small, but if you're in Phoenix and you're following or in Phoenix, having camelback as that great goal, the highest peak in Phoenix, from there being within a year, I wanna go to Flagstaff and do hump freeze and sleeping at the trailhead and getting that done. It's just a one day hike, but it's just putting one foot in from the other and there's been a couple of hikes that I've been like, I just don't feel like going anymore. And it's just like, but could I take two more steps? I was like, yeah, I could take two more steps. It's like, then you're not over. Like then why would you, and I don't turn around ever, but it's just one of those things. It's a one foot in front of the other and knowing kind of how extreme you also wanna go with it. If it's a situation of I just want to, my goal is camelback, just knowing that about yourself and that's a wonderful, wonderful goal and you're gonna get some great pictures. Please bring lots of water and drink lots of water, but just having a goal out there, I think it's great for your mental health. It's great for your physical health and you will get it. Awesome, I love it, love it, love it. Thank you so much, Laura. It was so great to meet you and I want you to know that you're inspiring so many people out there. Thank you. Time I see you at the top of a big peak. It's always inspiring. So thank you for your time today and for folks who don't follow Laura already, be sure to check her out on Instagram and her YouTube channel and I wish you the best of luck with your upcoming adventures. Thank you so much, you too, and we'll chat along the way. Awesome, thank you so much for your time today. Take care, bye. Bye.