EGYPT TRAVEL DIARIES
Exactly one year ago, I stepped on a plane to Egypt, North Africa and it’s truly been one of my most amazing travel experiences to date (and you all know I’ve done my fair share of traveling).
Watch the entire diaries below (consisting of 5 travel vlogs). All information regarding travel tips, visa, guides etc. can be found in the caption below the videos on Youtube.
Overview:
Travel Vlog 9: The City of Cairo, Egypt: https://youtu.be/a9y1TCFyYF0
Travel Vlog 10: Luxor, Egypt: Karnak Temple & Valley of the Kings: https://youtu.be/rwKWfSdZhd0
Travel Vlog 11: The Egyptian Museum, Egypt (real mummies!): https://youtu.be/RUVmg7y3eX0
Travel Vlog 12: Pyramids & Sphinx – Giza Plateau, Egypt: https://youtu.be/5vWHTH0c9JY
Travel Vlog 13: Oldest Pyramids, Egypt: Dahshur, Sakkara & Memphis: https://youtu.be/YRqF7R8UMkI
https://youtu.be/a9y1TCFyYF0https://youtu.be/rwKWfSdZhd0https://youtu.be/RUVmg7y3eX0https://youtu.be/5vWHTH0c9JYhttps://youtu.be/YRqF7R8UMkI
- Published in Adventure & Travel
RECULER POUR MIEUX SAUTER
Despite my French being non-existent, the saying “Reculer pour mieux sauter” stuck with me. It means: “To take a step back in order to make a jump forward”—which is how I feel…like I’m being pulled by something greater than me…to observe, listen, learn…
As I received life’s gifts, I had a choice:
Self-sabotage: hide my emotions, continue ignoring my intuition, dive into work & everything else entertaining that would present itself—thereby repeating the pattern (aka the path of least resistance)
OR
Put on my brave-girl panties and dive into transforming my pain into something useful🦸🏾♀️
While I was persuaded a few times, I’m so grateful I was able to commit to the latter.
You see…the more I started accepting life as it “is” including my own truth and that of others, I started feeling more aligned, grounded & at peace.
I needed to let go of how “I” decided things should be; make space & trust that everything IS as it should be; as I could clearly see why everything happening was for me to be able to break a destructive cycle of letting my mind cloud my intuitive judgement & lingering in situations that weren’t for me.
Observing myself brought me so much clarity: How all my emotions are guidance to where I need to connect with myself; I learned to use the cause of my emotions to identify my psychological needs, values and redefine my boundaries (to keep out what I don’t want in the future).
While I’ve been feeling really good lately, I’m still on this journey of healing & full acceptance where I have to continuously forgive,
be kind to & remind myself to trust this process of self-love, which paradoxically is more like a hell of a rollercoaster ride.
It’s also the most liberating conscious transformation I’ve experienced.
As many are dealing with their own set of challenges during these crazy times, just know: You always have a choice.
Stepping into my power has taught me that acceptance of what “is” combined with consciously facing yourself can bring you closer
to who you are to the core. With this insight you can take on the world from another level ✨
I may not see the road ahead, yet I feel confidently optimistic, even excited! Taking one step at a time…
Location: Paris, France
- Published in Love & Relationships, Self-Discovery & Growth
”HERE’S MY GIFT TO YOU” SAID LIFE
I knew myself to be in a period of transformation, but man oh mann, did I NOT expect life coming at me.
This, even though all the signs where there from the beginning and ironically, while I experienced so much progress with regards to self-discovery & growth🤦🏽♀️.
I felt so intensely happy and at peace, despite(!) nothing in my life going as I planned. As if 2020 just being itself wasn’t enough, life decided to test me. “Ahhh, you think you know what you’re doing?! Well, show me what you’ve learned!”.
Experiencing emotional turmoil, I easily fell into the “trap”, before I could see it as an opportunity to practice.
“WHY is this happening to ME”, “Howww?”, etc. = the trap of my mind/ego victimizing myself, until I realized: Struggles, challenges, adversity, heartbreak, pain, unmet expectations, rejection, loss etc.—It’s ALL here as a gift of life. To learn, grow and evolve.
As we are all unique, we receive tailor made gifts— to awaken us until we learn to accept them with gratitude & listen to what they teach us.
I had my body itching every night for 2 weeks, thinking bed bugs and all the worst. The doctor couldn’t help, as there was nothing visible on my body. Psychosomatically, it was literally the inside of me screaming that I wasn’t listening, making me want to “jump out of skin”. The crazy part? As soon as I let go of what I had to, the itch was GONE.
I’m learning now that life is NOT about being happy all the time. It’s about being true to yourself; connected to yourself. Living in alignment with your values and setting boundaries. Facing your emotions and “mistakes” instead of burying them deep. From that comes something more profound than happiness!
The more you know yourself, the more clarity there is. It “cost” me a beautiful relationship that wasn’t for me, but the pain was there to teach me to listen to me & choose me with all the love I have for myself.
Life will continue to throw us exactly what we need to force us to turn inward;
“Shit” happens to the best (all) of us and there is so much value in the growing pains! Instead of blaming life, making yourself the victim, embrace your tailor made gifts from the Universe & LISTEN🙏✨
Location: Venice, Italy
- Published in Love & Relationships, Self-Discovery & Growth
THE END OF ROMANTICISING ENTREPRENEURSHIP
I get so many messages asking me what I do exactly, how I am able to live my privileged lifestyle, how I got here etc., and it makes me think of a phrase my dad uses: “Everybody wants to go the heaven, but nobody wants to die”.
You see…I don’t have any more hours in a day than you do. I just made a habit out of creating my own opportunities, taking (calculated) risks and most importantly, putting in the work, always giving 200%. I continuously challenge myself to find smarter, more efficient ways to get things done. To me, easy is boring. So is too much of a routine or playing it safe. I’m always leveling up by choosing the difficult paths, out of my comfort zone, cause I love the thrill of a good challenge.
But the number of times I failed? Countless! None of which I shared on Social Media and still learning every day. By now I’ve embraced the falling, cause I know from experience I’ll always stand up again: wiser & stronger. The anticipation of the knockout punch, is what makes it interesting!
A lil’ bit of blood, loads of sweat and a ton of tears is what it takes. Sacrifice. Patience. Continuous improvement and investment. Being flexible
and constantly re-strategizing. Smart scaling & delegating. Staying away from negativity and spending your energy wisely. But also, taking time
to rest and reflect.
I think entrepreneurship is highly romanticized and when reality kicks in, many just give up. Everyone wants things fast and easy, yet nothing worthwhile having is obtained immediately without effort. To the contrary, I believe, you have to be willing to “die”, in order to proceed to “heaven”.
If you’re not to some degree, you’ll have no choice but to settle, which is fine too, depending on your vision for life.
So this freedom I have, all the things you see me do, none of it comes falling out of the sky. It’s purely me reaping seeds I’ve planted for years. It’s me manifesting everything I visualized, pored all my energy into. I wish I could tell you a more fairytale-like story, but the good news is, that it’s fairly “simple” and it’s entirely up to you! 😉
📍Location: Panamá, Central America
- Published in Business & Entrepreneurship, Self-Discovery & Growth
A TRUE EXPLORER
As a true explorer, she is not only traveling the world, but courageous enough to travel within her heart and mind, to discover new spaces to heal and grow—releasing negative and unnecessary attachments, while embedding wisdom wherever her awareness takes her.
She’s learning what it means to be happy on her own, in each moment. Watering her own garden, nurturing her own seeds, and blooming
for herself🌺. As she consciously steps into her power and walks forward into a bright & impactful future, solely governed by her vision
and will, she’s kind enough to let the world watch…✨
Location: Panamá, Central America
- Published in Self-Discovery & Growth
IF ONLY…
Whenever I say “If only…” in a conversation with my dad, he replies, “If only I were a King, my dear, then you would be…” and then I fill in “a princess!” and we laugh together.
Despite being cared for like a princess by my loved ones all my life, I have always been aware of the value of money, hard & smart work, perseverance and dedication.
My spiritual awakening-process couldn’t have crushed my self-image more, of both “Princess” and a “hard/smart-working, young female Entrepreneur” as I would proudly believe & present myself to be.
I’ve got to experience how nothing is more freeing than letting go of these identifications with self (including the entitlement that comes
with them).
You see, we “think” a whole lot of ourselves, which comes with an equal lot of expectations and demands.
When life deals us a difficult hand, we tend to focus on the “If only…we had better cards…” or the “this shouldn’t be happening to me…”,
which makes us blind to all the opportunity and blessings we have at that moment.
“If only I had a better body”, “If only I lived by the beach”, “If only I make 6 figures…”, “If only I am…, If only I have…etc. THEN, I will be so happy, satisfied, fulfilled…” And in the mean time? You’ll be stressed, frustrated, miserable?
How often has your mind tricked you into the above?
I’ve been there, lost in the identification with being an entrepreneur: #hustlehard, #nopainnogain, #neverevergiveup -all the clichés.
And while there is nothing wrong with having goals and working your 🍑 off towards them, there is one thing many, including myself in
the past, seem to forget: To genuinely be happy in the process.
We are so lost in anticipating the future, that we don’t even realize that at this very moment, the future is nothing but a fragment of our
mind, a thought, a fantasy, a dream. There’s no single guarantee nor is there anything we can hold onto.
So…How is it that we base our everyday moods and entire happiness on just wishful thoughts?
Why would we choose to remain royal prisoners in our future Kingdoms? 🤷🏽♀️
“..🎶 Is this the real life? Is this the fantasy? Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality🎵”-Queen.
Location: Cairo, Egypt
- Published in Self-Discovery & Growth
A WOMAN BREAKING FREE
When I think of a woman breaking away from convention, with all that it encompasses in terms of daring and courage, I think of her as:
strong, surprising & unpredictable. Often misunderstood, underestimated and perceived intimidating by those too insecure; Yet she’s
unbothered by all attempting to define her, cause she knows she is so much more than anyone, let alone simplistic minds, can comprehend.
She is too open-minded and wayy too versatile to fit into any “box”. She is as complex as she is simple. As intellectual as she is sensual;
As serious as she can be playful. As determined, tough & adventurous as she is adaptable, warm loving & introverted.
She leads by intuition, often bringing her on paths in opposite directions of the status quo. Being a rarity herself, her life is far from dull and ordinary. She’s relentlessly passionate in pursuit of her goals. Very much aware of her strengths, capabilities and value.
Just as much as she knows very well her flaws and faults. But these, she uses as fuel to rise again and again; To grow, adapt, advance, transform and raise the bar every day.
She lives to explore her dreams, while flourishing in her created reality with an attitude of gratitude. Her uniquely graceful charisma combined with her radiant energy tends to leave an everlasting impression… She is everything beyond your imagination, and nothing you can fully envision.
And as I’m writing this, I realise…she is me. And as this woman, as me, I am free…
📍Location: Panamá, Central America
- Published in Self-Discovery & Growth
UNDER INNER-CONSTRUCTION
Learning persistence in following my inner compass, as it seems the only means to guide my way through….The way the seasons come and go,
as I keep riding waves and walking on these roads, to constantly find myself in new time zones, with new phrases and new goals.
The out of the ordinary life I’ve always wished for, I’m now living in gratitude for the limitless possibilities. Yet, the unknown frightens me just as much as it excites me. As much of a puzzle it is to “become” and “unbecome”, it’s equally challenging to keep finding balance in the continuous change.
I’m feeling it all comes down to building a happy, loving home, regardless of location, situation and presence of company.
Under inner-construction is where you’ll find me…content with how solid the foundation is coming together, from which I know that whatever happens; no matter how damp the disappointments, however my heart may be torn and bruised, I will always be absolutely fine.
I will come out at the other end, just like I have all the other times before and realize all I am is all I need and that will always be here right inside of me. A bold, strong love; a true romance that will never fade…🔥
📍Location: Loosdrecht, The Netherlands
- Published in Love & Relationships, Self-Discovery & Growth
FEAR THE FIRE…OR BECOME IT.
“Some fear the fire🔥, others simply become it”…And when you see her glowing, sparkling like sunshine, dripping gold from her pores—let her be✨
Because you see, every moment is a new opportunity for growth and greatness. Each minute you can choose to be a better and happier you.
Every realization starts with a single thought. I’m not the kind of woman to wait until the the new year to become a more evolved version of myself. I’m not waiting until a new week or even tomorrow. As humans, we have the capacity to shape and reshape our lives at any given moment. There’s so much beauty in (un)becoming and so much mystery in never being the same person when you’re ever evolving.
I’ve realized a long time ago that I am the only one responsible for how my life will be looking. That actual growth is being able to look in the mirror and be honest to yourself about your shortcomings and things you could have responded to better, all the while still loving yourself just as much as you would love the ideal version of yourself that you’re working towards.
So I’m working, I’m breaking down my patterns, i’m creating positive shifts, i’m expanding, transforming, advancing and adapting. I’m shedding my limiting beliefs and old habits, creating space for thoughts, words and behaviours that are going to serve me better. I’m a lot kinder to myself. No self-destructive choices, yet no excuses. Trusting in the power of my mind and intuition. I’ve already experienced that power over and over again, as I’ve come a long way.
Growth is my choice, and i’m no longer afraid to explore the depths of my own consciousness and existence, as I still have a long way to go…✨
📍Location: Loosdrecht, The Netherlands
- Published in Self-Discovery & Growth
EXPLORA PANAMÁ WITH ME! — TRAVEL VLOG PART 3
I hope you enjoy this last part of my Panamá adventures highlighting a special inaugural flight and the beginning of connectivity and opportunity for the America’s. You can now fly in 4 hours straight between Panamá and Paramaribo, Suriname! I’d say…”Experience the Difference” in Suriname and then go ”enjoy the Diversity” in Panamá! Forever grateful to Airport Management Ltd. and Copa Airlines for including me in this historic event.
In case you missed it: For Tours, Restaurants, Nightlife, Malls and other places to visit, check out Panamá Travel Vlog Part 1 and Part 2.
See my text below this video on Youtube for some extra Panamá travel tips and while you’re there, feel free to show me some love and of course, don’t forget to Subscribe to get an update every time I publish a new vlog! Love!
- Published in Adventure & Travel