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Category: Hawaii

My most frequent vacation destination.

A Dedication to My Grandmother in Laupahoehoe, Hawaii

I love my family. ❤️ This is last time we’ll all be together at my grandma’s house as we’ve come to know … More

funeral, Hawaii, laupahoehoe, love

Follow Me @kionajp

For those of you here on IG, confused as to what the heck I’m doing, I’m out here still not quite ready to commit myself fully back into the rat race (I’d actually had a really awful-to-me nightmare about it the other night) and am still trying to thrust myself into a wide range of out-of-my-comfort-zone experiences. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ My old friend/colleague, @stephanekiss, invited me to join him for part of his multi-month overlanding trip from South Africa to Kenya. I met up with him in Lilongwe, Malawi and embarked upon a very loosely structured plan to drive all the way up to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ These past couple of weeks have been quite the adventure with highs, lows, and plenty of challenges that come naturally with driving through/camping in really remote places across underdeveloped, African countryside — a serious departure from my normal (relatively luxurious and fully resourced) hostel-hopping mode of travel.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ I took this picture after I let my braids out and washed (read: baby-wipesed) my face. In pictures from the day before, I’d seen that I had dirt/ash all over me. 😅 The braids are helpful because I sometimes go 2-3....-4 days without a proper shower when they’re either not available or they only run cold. (Cold showers.. #notdown.) I’d brushed (read: ran my fingers through) my hair one day and found plant seeds/grass in it. (Lol ew wut who am I.) Every once in awhile, though, I would force myself into a cold shower either out of necessity or to reinforce my gratitude for the simple comforts that I have back home.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ Everyone should experience travel like this to some degree. It’s grounding. To observe, experience, and come to understand how so many people in this world are able to do so much with so little provides next-level perspective. I’ve found the people of Malawi and Tanzania to be so beautiful, kind, and hardworking and found the landscapes unparalleled in beauty and diversity.⁣ ⁣ Side note: one v trivial/random thing that I love is that everyone here is able to hear and pronounce my name correctly on the first try.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Much more that I could say, but #characterlimit. This has been an awesome experience!⁣ Thanks Stephane!!

Mambo twiga! #onsafari #tanzania #africa

My hair is getting stronger out here! #hairstand #dontzoomin #africa

If you squint your eyes, cock your head a few degrees to the left, and believe deep down that this is a kind and cooperative dog not named GodZilla, then this kinda looks like a very intentional acroyoga pose! (i.e. not a photo of me getting attacked for delaying the frisbee throw.) #latepost #dog #yoga #doga

She tries to act like she doesn’t love me. #findyousomeonewholooksatyoulikethis #bestfriendgoals #bestfriendsforever #dogkisses #bugbites #truelove #aussiesofinstagram #themorepeopleimeetthemoreilovemydog

On this day, a celebration of the independence of folks who sought to forge a better life in a new land, it is a little (a lot) ridiculous that we are okay with persecuting others for trying to do the same.. while simultaneously and continuously celebrating our own history as immigrants (a violent and entitled one, no less). I’ll be donating some more to @raicestexas today. Have a #happy4thofjuly, but remember that there are currently many — right here in our own “free” country — who don’t have the freedom to do the same. #tbt to a #patriotic Zilla and me.

Catch Up With Me

(Getting a Little Bit Woke with Kiona[dot]) Coffee Hits the Spot
What I Packed for My Trip to Anywhere
Tayrona National Park from the Calabazo Entrance in Colombia (Playa Brava, Playa Nudista, Cabo San Juan, La Piscina, Arrecifes)

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