Maybe it’s the fact that I got ample sleep this weekend or that I checked off a few things on my to-do list, but today feels like an especially fresh start to a productive week. My friend sent me this video and I thought I’d share my sickeningly positive sentiments of traveling a little higher, aspiring a little further and seeing things from a fresh angle.

Time lapse video of photos taken the crew on International Space Station
Today’s Thing A day is one of the best pieces of advice I’ve heard in a while. It’s from a presentation I saw recently when one of the speakers interjected and said: “the thing that you do in your spare time… that’s what you should do as a career.”
Yes, m’am.
Borrowed from Lonely Planet, today’s Thing A Day is a toast to the soup slurping foodies around the world: yum.
I’m forever a pho girl but I also need to add Salmorejo Cordobes on the list. Like gazpacho, but better ;)
Tucked somewhere between the endless dunes of the southern Namib Desert is Sossussvlei, a clay pan where water collects the few times flash floods take over. That’s where we were headed when we left our blessed rental car to trek this:

People, not bugs.

A photo worthy of a caption like "through the sands of time" or "as the hourglass turns." I might have borrowed that from Days of our Lives.

Taking a break on Dune 45, so called because it's 45 meters from the entrance at Sesriem Gate.

Mysterious trail

Thirsty

Finally... Sosussusvlei!

Interpretative tree dance

World's strongest man and groupie back-up dancers.
I’m behind on my posts. Last week’s work/sans-sleep/work schedule did me in but this week promises to be a fresh start. So here it is, part one of my trip from southern Namibia to beginnings of the Namib Desert: a little patch of sand also known as the oldest desert in the world.

Oryx crossing.

The worst part about having no cops, no lights, no speed limits? Dirt roads that keep you flying at 40 mph.

I'm somewhere between a guitar and a bongo drum. I'm serious about the bongo drum.

Driving in darkness, ditches, dirt roads and cows.
Dinner. I think it got a four star Michelin rating.

The fun part about pitching a tent in the dark is the morning after.

Ah. So this is where we pitched our tent.
Tune in folks for tomorrow’s episode of the journey north.
It’s been an exceptionally jam-packed day so apologies for the late post. But thanks to daylight savings, I still made it in time for A Thing A Day.
I met Fiel Fiel Dos Santos while I was in Mozambique, one of the original artists who makes art from decommissioned weapons from the country’s 16-year civil war.
Check out the video here:
http://littlefiel.com/video.php
I have two things for you today. If you’ve been up to date with world stats, you’ll know that on Friday, we hit the seven billion people population mark.
And if you’re a sucker for commercialized holidays, you’ll be glad to know that Halloween is becoming increasingly popular around the world. More people plus more Halloween equals more of this.
Every once in a while, I look back at pictures from Tanzania and I’m reminded how amazingadorablefunny the kids are.

Nicole and Christina discussing politics, environmental law and the state of the economy during coffee break at the office.