Countries

Babushkas in Bikinis

Posted by Kathryn Pisco on Aug 23, 2013 in Featured, Ukraine | 9 comments

ba-bush-ka: noun: an old woman or grandmother or a headscarf tied under the chin typical of Polish or Russian women.

bi-ki-ni: noun: a very brief two piece bathing suit for women

While most people would not think of these two things as going together, in Odessa, Ukraine, they seem to be the norm.

Why Not Ukraine?

Posted by Mike Pisco on Aug 22, 2013 in Featured, Ukraine | 1 comment

Why Ukraine? We were often posed this common question before embarking on the third and final leg of our trip around the world. During our first few days in Kiev, even local Ukrainians asked us the same thing. Tourism in Ukraine isn’t huge, especially among Americans. Historically, this is probably due to the language barrier and the country itself not being set up for mass tourism. But after recently co-hosting UEFA’s Euro 2012 (huge soccer tournament) with Poland, Ukraine drastically improved its infrastructure. Now, it is a truly navigable, not to mention, affordable country. The west needs to take advantage before it becomes the next new destination in Europe.

Best of South Africa in Photos

Posted by Mike Pisco on Aug 17, 2013 in Photos/Video, South Africa | 3 comments

People Tell the Story: South Africa

Posted by Mike Pisco on Aug 17, 2013 in People Tell the Story, South Africa | 1 comment

When it comes to the history of racial segregation, South Africa’s is still very recent. From 1948 to 1994, legislation known as Apartheid divided citizens into four different racial groups – natives or black Africans, whites, coloured (mixed race), and Asians. Although deep segregation ended almost twenty years ago, there is still a stark sense of separation among its people. But, according to some people that we spoke with, it seems to be a separation that is mutually acceptable. This outlook made for an interesting lesson into the past and present state of South Africa’s people. 

Exotic Eats: Southern Africa

Posted by Kathryn Pisco on Aug 15, 2013 in Botswana, Exotic Eats, Namibia, South Africa | 0 comments

The food in Africa as a whole was not my favorite. To be fair, a good majority of my time touring Africa was spent either camping or volunteering….not exactly the time for culinary greatness.  While we tried to cook while camping, I think that I ate more PB&J in two weeks than I did during my entire childhood. And while volunteering in Zambia, we were served delicious comfort food (stick to your rib casseroles, roasts, and pastas) but it was not the authentic cuisine. However, there were a few dishes throughout our travels through Southern Africa (Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa) that are worth mentioning.

Wowed in Wine Country

Posted by Kathryn Pisco on Aug 15, 2013 in Featured, South Africa | 4 comments

Beautiful. Spectacular. Picturesque. Stunning. I could go on and on about the uniquely gorgeous landscape that makes up South Africa’s wine country. Mike and I were floored by the beauty at every turn (unreal views despite cloudy weather during our time…I cannot even imagine if we had caught a sunny day.) Thanks to this phenomenal scenery and surprisingly quaffable (to pay tribute to Sideways) wine, we thoroughly enjoyed sipping our way through Stellenbosch and Franschoek, the two towns that make up South Africa’s wine country.