So it’s been a while and it looks like we need to catch up. Time has gone by really fast. Can you believe I am already on my eighth month of travel?
My intention for this trip was clear in that I had asked for a spiritual journey. There were some points where I had struggled and asked myself am I staying true to the intention I set for myself?
And the answer is yes. There are some spiritual leaders that would say, the most important thing is to integrate your spirituality with your regular life. That anyone can be spiritual when you are living by yourself isolated in a cave on a mountain.
But who wants to live that way? The life I want to live is one of abundance. One where you can be social, have fun but not be soul less. I want to keep that spirituality intact. Of course it is a challenge, as I think of how many glasses of wine I had the night before, or how I neglected to meditate yesterday morning. But I think the first step is awareness, and the intent to live by your values.
The reason why you are not meant to drink alcohol, coffee, cigarettes, etc. is because you want your body to be healthy and free from all cravings. This has been a challenge for me, as I tend to indulge in sweets, and drinking – when you are not working appears to be without consequence but when I think about it, it does affect my yoga and meditation practice, and how I feel the next day.
Common sense … but a lot easier said than done.
Here is me, taking a 15 meter jump in Koh Phi Phi. This is the latest in rock climbing, the Deep Water Solo Climb which is where you climb up the rocks without a harness, and drop into the deep waters below. It took me a while to work up the nerve to jump, and the feeling is incredible. I remember looking down and thinking, wow it seemed like a good idea at the time …. as I am sweating bullets and my heart is pounding like its never pounded before. But I have too much pride to turn back. So here goes nothing! And it was over before I knew it. It felt great, really exciting, and I continued to jump a few more jumps without any harm or injury!
And here was our guide, Alex. He was practically sleeping on the way over, and then all of a sudden he climbs and jumps 30 meters in like under 5 minutes. It was like watching him dance or float to the top, as effortless as a monkey.
Here’s Sonia, Sebastien and I during our last night at Tonsai. I am always filled with gratitude over the great friends we get to meet during our travels. We always joke around about how you know when you’ve been at one spot for too long … It’s when you’ve been around long enough to have a goodbye dinner when you leave. All jokes aside, I think it’s lovely having intimate dinners with friends whether it be after having known each other for days, weeks, or even months!
After we left Koh Phi Phi, we decided to head back to our favorite spot … Haad Yuan in Koh Phangnan. Nowhere compares to this place, it’s a perfect harmony of beach paradise, great reasonably priced food, friendly people, spirituality and partying. This is my morning jogging and meditation spot. I miss it already!
Here’s some pictures from Guys Bar. Our favorite place to have a dance party in the jungle. David is the resident D.J. on the beach and has been playing there for three years at various parties. He’s originally from Paris, and Sebastien and I had the good fortune of hanging out with him for a solid afternoon/evening when we got rained in at Eden Garden restaurant the day after the party. Very interesting guy, and really great music!
When we came back to Haad Yuan this time there was another yoga teacher training (Jungle Yoga) going on with Randall. He’s an amazing teacher and is actually a sewing sadhu. The group taking the class was only seven people, a close and intimate group. They were such great, fun yogis!
Celeste, my friend pictured here is actually from Vancouver and we know a handful of the same people really well. It’s like 2 degrees of separation with us.
She had said to me we must hang out when you get back to Van. And I had said to her, of course we will, can the universe be any clearer in bringing us together? We live within ten minutes of each other, she was room mates with my friend Blake, goes to the Eatery (good friends with Jonny) and is also doing yoga in Thailand. It’s totally meant to be!
Vicky was my Pilates teacher while I was there this time. Vicky has a smoking hot body, and dances like its nobody’s business. She’s a lot of fun, and I was really glad to have a chance to get to know her better this time around.
Hippies! We love them – no one poses for pictures the way hippies pose for pictures after the sun has come up!
James… Another great guy and brilliant photographer. I met him the last time I was in Haad Yuan and he just never left! Now he hangs out finding snakes in trees and giving them to people as pets. I think it’s the new beach craze. The baby green snakes are actually quite cute and beautiful. Oh my god, what am I writing and who am I turning into????
I am currently writing to you while sitting on a bean bag made with Mongolian Yak fur in Hong Kong. It’s actually really comfortable.
Hong Kong was a major adjustment but thankfully we had James. James still loves me after I destroyed his Iphone 3 and in fact allowed me and Seb to stay in his beautiful apartment in Sheung Wan. He is such an amazing host, he went above and beyond, printing us out maps of the area, lending us amazing books to read, along with the travel guide, taking me to yoga, introducing us to all the hot spots and interesting people. Everyone loves James!
We love James because he is witty, intelligent, spiritual and is surrounded by cool friends like Yee Ling and Emma (who we also love). Who I also had the good fortune to meet when they came to visit James in Thailand.
As I am nearing the end of my stay in Hong Kong, I am feeling a bit sad because we had so many great times here. And of course we have a lot to look forward this weekend, our best friend Farshad is coming tomorrow morning to spend our last weekend in HK together. Another lovely going away dinner (of course). We are averaging one about every 2 weeks, not so bad! And then we will be riding the train to Shanghai for the World Expo.
Here we are at the local diner in James neighbourhood after yoga class. This is Sebastien’s favorite place for Chinese buns. He now knows how to order a barbecue pork bun and a snow capped custard bun in Cantonese now. And all the bun staff know him now …. so cute!
Here’s me and the family after dim sum last week. My Auntie Mabel was visiting from Toronto along with my cousin Julien – the timing was perfect! Beside Sebastien is my mom, and my sister Carmen, and my uncle Tai.
This trip has been great. I have rediscovered how kind, loving and giving people are. It goes along with the lesson of giving up your attachments. If you have no expectations of people, they surprise you with how amazing they are. But if you go in expecting people to do things for you, you are more often than not disappointed.
Reconnecting with my mom has been great, and I loved having the chance to hang out with her and her family as well. While we have our differences, I still feel so much love for my family and a lot of respect for the different paths we have chosen to take in our lives.
So I have a lot to be grateful for – Good friends, loving family and fiance, great wondrous experiences and still more to come along the way.
