Unexpected Travel Locations: Rockbridge County, Virginia

Me: Hey guys, my travellers today are Viola and Hermann and their unexpected travel location is Rockbridge County, Virginia. Hello travellers. How did you find out about Rockbridge County?

Travellers: It was our birthday weekend, and we were looking for an inexpensive and local getaway. We were very busy with work at the moment, so we were looking for something close yet cheap, convenient and adventurous. We did some research on Google and discovered a multitude of fun activities in the small independent cities (Buena Vista, Luray, Natural Bridge, Lexington etc) within the Rockbridge Country area.

A stunning replica of the Stonehenge in Natural Bridge, Virginia. The first time I saw this picture, I have to confess, I thought I was actually looking at the Stonehenge. An impressive photocopy right? Even more impressive is that the entire thing is made out of foam.

Foamhenge Natural Bridge, Virginia

Viola and Hermann, our travellers.

Me: Was there any particular website that effectively helped you guys to plan your trip?

Travellers: Yes! The official website of the city of Lexington was incredibly beneficial. The website is organized, up to date and outlines all major events happening in the area.

Me: How did you get around Rockbridge County?

Travellers: A car.

Natural Bridge, Virginia

Natural Bridge, Virginia

Me: Where did you stay?

Travellers: At a comfortable local inn.

Me: Why would you consider this travel location "Unexpected"?

Travellers: We had never heard of Rockbridge County before. While we were doing our research, we were shocked to discover how historically and geographically rich and diverse the area is.

Hiking, Buena Vista

At a local winery, Lexington, Virginia

At a horse riding event, Lexington, Virginia

Me: What was the most unexpected part of the trip?

Travellers: While we were driving to Natural Bridge, we were stunned to see what looked like the Stonehenge. The passengers in the car ahead of us were equally stunned, so we all stopped our cars and went out to examine the mystery. It looked exactly like the Stonehenge, but it was made out of foam hence the name Foamhenge.

Native American Village, Natural Bridge

Me: What were the highlights of your trip?

Travellers: Where do we begin? We went to a horseback riding event, and we saw a brilliant performance of Pride & Prejudice at a local school. We also went hiking in Bueno Vista, visited a Native American Village in Natural Bridge and tasted impeccable wine at a local winery. The Luray Caverns were also a spectacular experience; they are extremely beautiful and the stalactites and stalagmites are impressive. You have to see it to believe it. The Lexington downtown area is small but bustling with vibrant shows and bars. And FYI, The drinks are cheap. The entire Rockbridge County area is very small and compact, so all these activities are literally happening right next to each other.

Luray Caverns, Virginia

Me: Thank you for sharing your "Unexpected Travel Location"

Travellers: You are welcome. Thank you for having us.

Viola and Hermann are young professionals and business owners based in the DC area. You can learn more about Viola's business ventures at ALOIV

And that concludes the first feature of my "Unexpected Travel Locations" series. My goal for this project is to showcase the underrated and under the radar destinations we invariably ignore when we travel. If you have any unexpected travel location you would like to share, it could be a city, a restaurant, a hostel, a bar, a club or anything unexpectedly fun, please feel free to e-mail me at passportstamps22@gmail.com Cheers xx

A Tale of Two Cities: Finding Cheap Accommodation in Pittsburgh and Cincinnati

When my proposal to present an academic paper on travel literature at the Mid-Atlantic Popular & American Culture Association (MAPACA) in Pittsburgh was accepted, I instantly began to worry about accommodation. I had never been to Pittsburgh, so I didn't know what to expect. After tirelessly searching for a decent place, my luck changed when a friend recommended Airbnb. For those of you unfamiliar with Airbnb, Wikipedia has a succinct yet thorough summary of how the system works, "Airbnb is an online service that matches people seeking vacation rentals and other short-term accommodations with hosts who have an unused space to rent, generally private parties that are not professional hoteliers.The site was founded in August 2008 by Nathan Blecharczyk, Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia. In July 2012, the company had over 200,000 listings in more than 26,000 cities and present in 192 countries with over 1,000,000 hosts and travellers on its platform.Listings include private rooms, entire apartments, castles, boats, manors, tree houses, tipis, igloos, speciality design housing, private islands and other properties."

The living room area at Not Another Hostel

While browsing through Airbnb, I stumbled upon Not Another Hostel. This amazing hostel (the only one in Pittsburgh by the way) was founded by Jon, and his vision for the entire project is inspirational and impressive. Jon runs the hostel on a donation-based policy. I'll let him speak for himself, "Hostelling started as a way to help travelers. Period. Unfortunately, people have tried to cash in on a travelers' need for a cheap place to stay. This is not one of those places...This is my home, and I'm opening up the doors to help travelers. I ask for donations simply to help me pay bills. I recommend donating 25 USD per person, per night." Read more about his mission statement here. Sounds suspicious? Think again.

The map on the hostel wall

Noisettes OVERLOAD

Performing "That Girl" from their new album. I'm glad Dan is doing solos again.

Zak the Baker

Zak the Baker in the middle and me on the right. That's my serious 1920s Baker's stare.

So, you've read about my summer adventure as a baker's apprentice with Zak the Baker in this post. Now here's a video of the artisan bread master in action. If you are ever in Miami, you have to try his bread: pure magic. ENJOY!!

What is Artisan Bread? from Matt Degreff on Vimeo.

Photos by Matt Degreff

The Art of making Organic Sourdough Bread: A Summer Apprenticeship with Zak the Baker, Miami, FL

A comprehensive guide to having an astronomical amount of fun in Cameroon Part 3 : Korup National Park

I only recently discovered that Korup National Park, in the South West province of Cameroon, is one of the only forest regions in the world that survived the ice age. I was absolutely blown away by this piece of information. That means the flora and fauna in Korup Park has been preserved for over 60 million years. Isn't that phenomenal? A trip to Korup Park was, without a doubt, at the top of our to-do list. The first thing we did was hire a car to take us there.

A comprehensive guide to having an astronomical amount of fun in Cameroon Part 2 : Seme Beach

Hey guys! I'm back from Spring break. I had a phenomenal time visiting my friends Yuks, Q and a whole lot of cool people. Post coming soon. Let's pick up right where we left off shall we? so we ended the last Cameroon post at the bus station. We took the bus from Buea to Limbe (less than 30 minutes), met up with friends and then hired a taxi to Seme Beach. A trip to Cameroon is not complete without a visit to Seme Beach in the South West city of Limbe. Seme Beach is like something off a fantasy novel. The beach is pure black sand, remnants of volcanic activity from the nearby Mount Cameroon, and the water is always fresh, clean and warm. The area is controlled by the Hotel Beach management, so if you are not a guest at the hotel, you have to pay a small fee (about 3 USD) to access the beach.