Upon landing in a brand new city, I always get butterflies.

The same question sits heavy in the pit of my stomach every time I'm impatiently waiting for the plane to taxi to the gate. Still buckled, I spend those minutes trying to imagine what this foreign land will look like, sound like, smell like, taste like. And most importantly, I wonder whether or not, in those crucial first hours of arriving, I will like this not-so-foreign-anymore place.

My mom and I landed in Lima, Peru at 1am in the morning. Our bleary-eyed selves slowly made their way through customs and baggage claim, then finally out into the warm Lima air where our taxi driver, Marcos, was waiting for us. As he wove us out of the gritty Callao neighborhood and onto the Circuito de Playa, the highway that runs along the ocean, I inhaled the thick, salty air and gazed at the calm, lapping waves. I think I'll like this place just fine, I thought.

A circus of honking between cars at nearly 2am quickly broke my trance. We nearly side-swiped the taxi next to us before veering sharply into the left lane for a quick u-turn.

And that my friends, is the perfect way to describe Lima.

It's gorgeous and quaint one minute, then loud and in your face the next. It's rich, and very, very poor. There's empty streets, and bumper-to-bumper traffic along most others. Organized chaos is how I would describe driving here. There's color and life and grit and energy and Uber taxis and food. OH MY GOD. The food. Potatoes and corn. Ceviche and quinoa. Causas (mashed potato terrines) and anticuchos (beef heart). The best damn limonata. There's Japanese fusion, Chinese fusion, Italian fusion, and Amazonian cuisine. There's much eating to be done with three of the world's best restaurants (#4, #13 and #30).

The garua fog blankets the city and its sprawling cliffs in dense clouds and gray during the winter, and somehow, everything seems heightened—more tangible—because of it. Lima, I didn't know quite what to expect of you, but I'm already dreaming about my return.

More peeks of our trip on Instagram: @hollisanne_

Where to Stay

We stayed in Barranco in the southern part of Lima and cannot recommend the neighborhood enough. The staff at 3B Barranco B+B were so nice and accommodating (hola Elizabeth!), and I can personally vouch that all 506 five-star reviews on TripAdvisor are well-deserved.

What to Do

The best thing we did was take a food tour with Lima Gourmet Company. We galavanted around Lima drinking local coffee and lucuma smoothies, tasting Andean fruits at the market, making our own ceviche + pisco sours, and finishing the day with lunch at Huaca Pucllana, which is situated at the base of an ancient adobe clay pyramid. Highly, HIGHLY recommend.

Barranco was my favorite neighborhood. The charming colonial architecture mixed with a hipster, artsy vibe made it the perfect place for us to stay. You can easily spend a day walking and eating your way through this oceanside district. If you have time, visit Museo Mario Testino (MATE) for a few bucks. There's a nice collection of his A-list celebrity photography, and an exhibition featuring a local artist in the back. From here, take the malecón ocean walk from Barranco to the Miraflores neighborhood for a long afternoon stroll.

Located on the flower-laden grounds of an old mansion, Museo Larco offers a collection of pre-Colombian ceramics. The best part is the naughty erotica gallery, which despite your best efforts, will make you giggle like you're in 5th grade human growth and development class.

Spending the day exploring the Centro Histórico is a must. Take the Metropolitano to Central Station, where it's a quick few minutes to the El Jirón de la Unión pedestrian walkway. This leads up to Plaza Mayor, where you'll find the Catedral de Lima and Government Palace. There's a changing of the guard every day at noon, which is worth the watch.

For shopping, Puna and Plantique in Barranco are a must. The former is a design-minded store with amazing local art and fair-trade artisan goods. The latter is next door, and a lovely plant shop. Also in Barranco,  Dedalo is worth a visit. There's a number of artisan markets in the Miraflores area, which are pretty touristy but still work a walk-through.

Where to Eat

There's no shortage of good eating to be done in Lima. If you're in the Barranco neighborhood, start your morning at Tostaduria Bisetti, where Peru's best coffee is made (they have the award to show for it). For lunch, head over to Burrito Bar for the most delicious mint limeade and tacos, or if you're vegetarian, La Bodega Verde. It's a healthy café with a courtyard seating area, and lucuma smoothies. For dinner, Isolina is a must. It serves criollo food, which is typical everyday Peruvian food. I highly recommend the lomo saltado (sautéed beef), ceviche and pisco sours.

If you're in Miraflores, El Pan de La Chola has excellent whole grain bread platters (the avocado was the best), while La Mar was great for ceviche and causas (potato terrines). Amaz is perfect for a fancy evening out. Their plantain ceviche was our favorite of the trip.

For the best of the best, head to the neighborhood of San Isidro for Astrid y Gastón, which is run by Peru's most famous chef, Gastón Acurio. My mom and I went for her birthday, and indulged in the 10-course tasting menu. Ceviche, tiradito, guinea pig (!!!), and much more.

Zanzibar, oh Zanzibar. You crazy beast, you.

It's hard to write about this island archipelago without acknowledging my bias. On our first full day in Michamvi ( the eastern side of the island ), Chris sliced open his wrist at 8:00am with the help of a rusty metal ceiling fan. For the record, it was a short ceiling for a tall 6'4 man. What followed was a half-day trip to the local hospital for stitches ( an interesting, most humbling experience ), and an additional day of follow-up visits for an emergency tetanus shot. Needless to say, the start of the second leg of our trip was not as relaxing as we had hoped.

But as I mentioned in my safari post, Tanzanians are the warmest, friendliest bunch. Ahmed, Muini, Christian, Claudia, our two taxi drivers + five doctors took such good care of my injured mizungu ( white man ), and we are so thankful for them all.

To celebrate his renewed health, we did nothing. Literally.

In Michamvi, our days went something like this: sleep in, breakfast ( fresh fruit plate + coffee every day ), mid-morning walk on the beach, mid-morning beer, lunch ( fresh seafood, curry or pizza ), afternoon walk, afternoon nap, afternoon beer, shower, nightly walk with Ahmed, dinner, an hour or two of reading, bed. It was exactly what we both needed—pure relaxation.

After four days in Michamvi, we set sail across the Indian Ocean for Chumbe Island. This private nature reserve + coral park was without a doubt, one of the highlights of the trip. We snorkeled and ate exceedingly well, relaxed in our crazy eco-treehouse bungalow, hunted for giant coconut crabs + witnessed some of the most pristine turquoise water I've ever seen.

Our last few days were spent in Stone Town in the capital of Zanzibar, which was not our favorite. The street touts were out in full force, which made walking around the narrow streets + alleyways impossible without being stopped every 10 seconds to book a tour. I understand people gotta hustle ( $$$ ), but it got old fast. Also, it was so damn j'oto ( hot ). Luckily, there were pretty doors, excellent coffee + a rooftop dinner to the sounds of call to prayer that I'll never forget.

Tanzania, you are a gem. We hope to see you again soon. Tooka pamoja.

I cannot recommend traveling to Tanzania enough, not only for the landscapes but the people. The ebola epidemic hit the country's tourism hard ( even though it was on the complete opposite side of the continent ), so if you're interested in visiting, please go. You won't be disappointed by the diverse landscapes, exceedingly friendly hospitality + overall loveliness of this country. Take it away, Professor Jay.

More peeks of our trip on Instagram: @hollisanne_

Where to Stay

In Michamvi, we stayed at Pweza Beach, which was honestly a letdown as the rooms are not as big or nice as they appear. Our room was very basic + fairly clean, but for the cheap price, we stayed. Despite this hiccup, I would like to add the staff gets an A+ for being awesome.

There's only one place to stay on Chumbe Island, and that's in one of the seven eco-bungalows on the island. Visiting Chumbe is not cheap, but the cost does include all food, snorkeling + a few planned activities. Chris + I both wished we had stayed much longer than our one night.

In Stone Town, we holed up at Stone Town Café and Bed & Breakfast, and can't recommend it enough. The rooms are spacious, clean + charming ( with AC! ), and the staff is attentive. It's located right in the heart of Stone Town just a few hundred feet from the ocean.

What to Do

There is lots to do / see / shop in Stone Town. A must-visit is a trip to the Old Slave Market, which is on the site of an Anglican Church built over the old slave chambers. Zanzibar was a key port + center of the slave trade in the 19th century. It's a tough tour to take, but the importance of learning + seeing the slave chambers first hand cannot be underestimated.

I visited Mrembo Spa—a local Zanzibari spa housed in an old antique shop—for a massage. They use handcrafted oils and scrubs made from local, organically-grown ingredients like ylang ylang and sandalwood. It's women-owned and women-run, which I love.

The best way to see Stone Town is to explore aimlessly. Be prepared to repeat the word "NO" to the onslaught of street touts as you meander through the Stone Town maze. Shops, galleries + restaurants are everywhere, so you're bound to find something good. Also, keep on the lookout for the hundreds of intricately carved doors, which are scattered throughout the city.

Where to Eat

In Michamvi, our best meals were eaten at Pweza Beach, where we stayed. Their restaurant—run by two Italians—offers delicious wood-fired pizzas along with a variety of curries + fresh seafood. The above dish in the photos is one of the most delicious things I've ever had—freshly-caught tuna with lime, ginger, passionfruit and a passionfruit mostarda. The Rock ( a bar + restaurant IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN ) is a memorable if not fairly touristy pick that's nice for a happy hour and/or dinner. We also ate a few meals at Upendo Beach, which had great drinks + an appetizer of fried potatoes that was spicy good.

In Stone Town, we loved Stone Town Café for its delicious coffee + avocado toast. Archipelago Restaurant made a basic but delicious lunch, while Zanzibar Coffee House is a lovely + charming spot for an afternoon shot of java. Our rooftop dinner at Emerson Spice Hotel was a memorable, five-course affair complete with a sundowner ( happy hour ). As we ate, we heard the call to prayer echoing from three different directions, and it was simply magical.