The month of May was overall a pretty relaxed month in terms of events. It consisted of a 7 day cruise, a few visits with friends, an exciting new opportunity, and one rowdy weekend celebration. I was able to go back to the Dominican Republic to volunteer! My very first plane ride and my very first time abroad (not including a ferry into Canadian waters) was to volunteer in the Dominican, so going back for the same type of trip was extra special. It was definitely a fun month, with a few bumps in the road along the way!
Destinations Visited
Sacramento, CA — 27 nights
Miami, FL — 1 night
Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic — 3 nights
The Highs
The biggest high this month was cruising with my Mom on a Fathom trip to the Dominican. We volunteered at a papermaking/recycled crafts business, a chocolate making cooperative, and a water filter organization. Partnering with Wine to Water to create water filters was by far my favorite activity. Our group that day wound up making a total of 30 filters, which would give 150 people access to clean potable water! I met a lot of awesome locals as well as fellow travel bloggers while on this cruise!
This month, while on the cruise, I got a very exciting email. I am now officially a Brand Ambassador for Rapid Hammock! Rapid Hammock is a growing company in Michigan that produces lightweight quality hammocks for outdoor adventuring. And just to be fully transparent — no compensation has been mentioned, however they did send me a free hammock and a percentage off of their hammock accessories! Reviews and hammock trips coming soon!
It was our roommate Lisa’s birthday this month! Over the same weekend, we had a friend from college visiting us for a few days — my boyfriend and Lisa’s martial arts Sifu! It was great having him over to talk wildlife biology with, and it was pretty freaking hilarious to take him dancing in Sacramento’s largest nightclub for Lisa’s birthday. “Dad moves” for the win! That was the fun part of the night, but read the lows for our not-so-fun ending.
The Lows
While on our way out of the nightclub for Lisa’s birthday, we paused to let a few screaming ladies be roughly escorted out by security. Exiting a few minutes later, we were instantly met with an inhale of pepper spray and started choking while trying to push through people to get out of the area. In the raucous, we heard a weird buzzing noise across the street and saw that someone was being tased. Lovely. Add to that me stepping on someone’s weave in the elevator and now an image of our downstairs neighbor in a thong bouncing on a platform (he’s apparently a gogo dancer there), I’d say I had my fair share of nights out for the month year. Any other twenty-somethings just not a wild partier? Tell me I’m not the only one!
Before boarding our Fathom cruise, I had been invited by fellow bloggers and social media influencers to join the meetings they’d have onboard. There was a miscommunication about who specifically would get refunded wifi minutes during the trip. I wound up purchasing the 2 internet packages for the deal I thought I was a part of, but it turned out they couldn’t be refunded after all. My mistake and our miscommunication led me to spending $125 on wifi — something I definitely would not have done had I known I wasn’t part of this deal! I’m now waiting for my summer jobs to start so I can pay my poor Mom back for the expense. [Oops]
Memorable Food
Y’all. That cruise food though! Working seasonally on ships, I suffer through the crew mess food or eat at the buffet, pizzeria, or grill onboard whenever I can. As an employee, eating the same mediocre foods each week gets boring real fast. But being a passenger this month meant that I could finally experience dining in a restaurant! Fathom’s complimentary Pacific Grill Restaurant had shared or solo dining and 3 course options — serving both American and Caribbean fare. The presentation of the desserts was creative and the meals were delicious! My favorite dish was the Mussels with garlic, white wine, and parsley.
As for memorable drinks this month, the boyfriend and I met up with a couple friends in downtown Sacramento for Concerts In The Park and a bar crawl. We visited a handful of bars, and 2 stood out. The first being Mayahuel, a Mexican restaurant and museum most known for its authentic tequila bar! Try the Mayahuel Fresca with fresh cucumber, mint, and grapefruit juice. The other stand-out bar was the Dive Bar, famous for having a huge aquarium above the bar where mermaids or mermen make occasional appearances!
Memorable Lodging
While on the Fathom cruise I won last month, my Mom and I decided to spend a bit of extra for an upgrade to a balcony cabin. It was not only my first time as a passenger on a cruise ship, but my first time reaping the benefits of having ocean views from my room! I’ll be very sad when I have to go back to a small windowless cabin while working on my next ship! For a peek into our balcony cabin, watch this short video I made!
My Mom and I decided to meet in Miami before our cruise, and booked accommodation through Airbnb. A big “HOO-RAAH!” to my mom for experiencing her first Airbnb stay! It was a really clean and cute room — complete with a kitchenette and a welcome packet — though I’d be lying if I said the 7 locks on the doors and the gated entrance didn’t make me nervous. (Sings Will Smith’s “Welcome to Miami, Bienvenido a Miami”). You can get $25 off your first stay with Airbnb here!
Best Wildlife Shot
While visiting the Dominican Republic on our Fathom cruise, my Mom and I decided to wander around the port in Amber Cove near Puerto Plata. As we were climbing the stairs to check out the Sky Bar and the zipline area, a few anole lizards scattered away on the fence railings. I went straight into herping mode and in typical Joy fashion, I threw my backpack into a bush, chucked my sunnies somewhere, and went after them. After a few minutes of unsuccessful attempts, I decided it was better to capture a photo instead of an anole.
Most Popular Instagram Shot
This shot is now my most liked photo on Instagram! While day tripping to the Point Reyes National Seashore, we arrived to discover the entire coast covered in wildflowers! It definitely made up for the lighthouse being closed and the cold winds whipping our bare skin! We attempted to search for gray whales that were supposed to be migrating through this area, but the warmth of the car beckoned. I snapped this photo as we headed back.
Goals Accomplished This Month
Setting up a more consistent writing and posting schedule was a joke this month. My boyfriend graduated from a park ranger academy last month, which he was away for the majority of 4 months. Him finally being back home was a bit of a distraction (in the best way though!). I also completely lacked motivation as I was too busy scrambling to find work and make money — also epic fails this month. Although I do have jobs starting in June and throughout the summer!
A goal that I did make happen was introducing more video content! I used an old Apple gift card to download iMovie and shot a couple short GoPro video’s for my YouTube channel. I also hit over 100 followers on both my Facebook and Twitter pages, and reached over 400 follows on my Instagram! It’s all about the little things — gotta start somewhere!
Goals For Next Month
I’d love to continue producing video content and learning how to effectively use the GoPro and iMovie. If anyone has any tips on either, send them my way! Please and Thank You!
My biggest goal for June will be to make money and pay off a few debts. One of the hardest things about my traveling lifestyle is that I’m often taking up seasonal jobs, which only last for so long before I need to look for more work and more income. Or, ya know, this blog could always go viral overnight. Wink Wink.
Now that I have a hammock to test out, it’s only fair to try to use it wherever I go, right?! It would be awesome if I could do a hike next month with my hammock in tow!
Coming Up…
The month of June brings me WORK (just try to silence your inner Rhianna’s “work work work work work”). I’ll be heading back to my seasonal cruise ship job as a Youth Staff for a week in mid-June, and I’ll be starting a summer job at the Sacramento Zoo in an educational day camp! I also have an interview with a petsitting and dog walking company!
My cruise contract will be bringing me from San Francisco to Seattle via plane and setting sail to Alaska! This will be the 4th summer in a row that I’ve spent some time working in the Final Frontier, and I love that! I’m stoked for the stunning scenery, the wildlife viewing, and all of my favorite food joints! Make sure you’re following my snapchat then (ajauntwithjoy) if you’re curious about cruise life or Alaska!
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