tripnASIA

Closing Ceremonies

2011-02-07T00:31:00.000-08:00

It has been a while and I have to say I am FINALLY starting to feel settled and comfortable back in my own environment. It has been such a rewarding experience to finally have the time to look over the ratty and worn journals that I have carried with me for the past year. Finding these treasures and gems captured in writing which I hold near and dear to my heart.

“We’ve got a passion. It’s called peace.”

It has been an amazing journey and now that I have had a couple of months to reflect I am eternally grateful for the experience.

Every bit of effort, resistance I had in going away, every single penny that I had spent was totally worth it. And I am so thankful to have had the luxury to experience the experiences felt.

There was no sacrifice. Even the most difficult times were there for a reason. I am so lucky to be on the path I am on. So lucky to be surrounded by authentic people who are so supportive and loving.

What more can I ask for?

Since I have been home, I have been keeping myself busy. I’ve started teaching yoga which has been a journey unto itself. I very much wanted to keep the yoga alive in my life and was experiencing a struggle because Vancouver is known to be a competitive place for yoga teachers.

I’ve started teaching at a gorgeous day spa called Befresh. It’s located in a funky up and coming part of the town in Gastown Vancouver. The owner, Marco is super cool, has an amazing artistic vision where the sky is the limit. He is on it in terms of promotion, and is really excited about starting a yoga program with me.

I’ve also started working in Internet marketing and social media at October 17 Media. It’s a really flexible job that I absolutely love and allows me to teach yoga. I feel I am learning so much! Web marketing is such an interesting area to be in right now, and the owners Tamara and Brenda are amazing to work with. They are so full of integrity, and embody a passion in what they do. I’m really excited to be a part of this company. I think the common theme in all my endeavours is I really like the idea that I can help people and make a difference in some way. At October 17, I truly believe in the service that we offer and that we can help businesses create a buzz, and generate more business which is really exciting!

And my third area of work, is at The Eatery. The Eatery is a cornerstone in my life. It has been there for me during all my ups and downs over the past five years. It’s a really cool place to work, there’s a camaraderie there with the staff that has been unmatched in any job I have ever been to. It’s like a family, but with way cooler parties! The food is amazing, and Randy has been so amazing in allowing me to come back after spurts of travel, and always being a guy I can count on for a good reference no matter what.

This week I am auditioning at YYoga which I am really nervous about. The process is really intense but I am sharing this with you – so hopefully you can send some positive energy my way. I am thankful even to get an audition there because they have really made a name for themselves in just a few years.

And I figure the experience is invaluable. So even if I don’t get on right away, I’ll be able to learn and come back at some point. Enjoy the journey right?

In my moments of reflection, I just really wanted to throw out a few shout outs to people who were really important to me in my journey. I figure it’s appropriate for a last entry into my travel blog.

Lily, my teacher who I learnt so much from. Your enthusiasm and passion for yoga is infectious. Thank you for being so patient and loving with me, while still staying true to what you believed in your practice.

Sebastian Bruno – Thank you for awakening that playfulness in me with Acroyoga. Those were amazing times we had together. Thank you for being a solid source of support during my yoga training, you were always a great source of light no matter what the situation. I really do cherish your presence in my life.

My yoga colleagues: You were like family to me. Thank you for your energy and all that you contributed to the training. I feel a special bond with you guys, and I feel it even more strongly now that I am home.

Kate & Lily – You guys are my yogini sisters and I am so grateful that you came into my life. So many great laughs and so many great moments! My heart warms at the thought of you. Kate, thank you for your yoga flow playlist, it is invaluable to me.

James - Thank you for being you and having my back no matter what. I appreciate you and your amazing humour no matter what the situation. I can`t wait to see you this month!

Katie – My Canadian travel partner. Thank you for being there for me and being my guide, my sister, and best friend abroad. We shared so many good times, great shopping and drunken nights!

Gelareh – My best friend and soul sister. Thank you for being so supportive and proud of me every step of the way. I didn't`t see you for the entire year but I always felt your presence.

Jen – My sister. You are so sweet and I appreciated how you have always been there for me.

Farshad – Thank you for being such a great lesson in my life. You have been so generous and encouraging of me on this trip. You really pushed for me to start a blog, get a netbook and an SLR camera for the trip, which I wouldn't`t have done on my own coming from a place of scarcity. But at the end of the day, it brought so much joy to my trip and I am so happy that I did it.

Joe – I don`t know you very well but I want you to know that you really touched me with the brief conversation we had at Geys bar. I really felt your love and your genuine acceptance of me. Thank you for being so awesome and I really hope that I will get to see more of you in the coming years. You are so talented with your music, your photography and your general passion for life. You are a true source of inspiration.

And finally to my fiance Sebastien. Thank you for trusting me to go away without you. You are a true picture of love and support. We have such great times together, time has flown by so quickly while we have been together and it has been a great ride. I look forward to growing old with you, harmoniously. You are my best friend and true life companion and I love what we have together.

Thank you for following my blog, and sharing in my experiences. It has been so amazing when you guys come up to me and remind me of an awesome part of my trip.

I am going to be starting a yoga blog in the near future, and I hope to utilize all the social media elements that I have been learning. So watch my Facebook for that if you are interested.

In gratitude and so much love,

xo phyllis

Living ashram life

2010-11-19T21:50:00.000-08:00

I flew into India early in October filled with the anticipation of staying at the Anand Prakash Yoga ashram. My good friend Kate had stayed there previously for a few months and she had me convinced, that I needed to go to India and study there. “India’s a place that changes you spiritually. Especially if you are really into yoga. “
Anand Prakash is located in Rishi Kesh, the birthplace of Yoga. It is a small community where as my friend Rick had put it, “you can’t swing a cat without hitting a yoga teacher training.” The yoga offerings were incredible and I enjoyed being immersed in a spiritual environment filled with like minded people.

Tapovan is where the ashram was located, a good 15 minute walk from the main part of town. The Ganges river valley is surrounded by mountains on three sides and is considered the gateway to the Himalayas. The wind and the prana carried from the Himalaya whistle down the river valley and blow out over this headland invigorating the Ashram area. Prana is considered breath force or life energy, and our guru had told us that for this reason many people have crazy dreams while they are staying here.
While I was there, I had many crazy, intense dreams. I would wake up with a start at 4:30 in the morning, out of breath and eyes wide awake. And I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep. After talking to other students who also stayed there, I found out that this was quite common.

Yogi Vishveketu ji taught us yoga every morning at 6 AM in the morning. He was a super inspiring teacher, there was a certain charisma about him. He was really playful, and told jokes all the time. But there was something about his presence that just commanded respect. He was a great teacher, he explained everything with patience and precision. He would come around and do adjustments himself along with two other students. There was a yoga teacher training happening at the time, and it gave the ashram a wonderful energy. It was an absolute joy to take his class every day and hear his teachings.
Staying at the ashram required discipline though.

Daily Schedule:

5:00 AM Individual Meditation

6:00 AM Yoga Class

8:00 AM Breakfast in Silence

8:30 AM Fire Puja

12:00 PM Lunch

4:00 PM Yoga Class

6:00 PM Dinner

7:30 PM Kirtan Chanting (Tuesdays and Thursdays)

9:30 PM Ashram Gates Closed

Sundays were Karma yoga. Everyone in the ashram would get together to clean the ashram. Karma yoga is when you do actions that do not benefit yourself. Labour without fruits is what they call it. Here is Sebastien pictured in the dining hall doing Karma Yoga.

So we experienced total yoga immersion while we were there. The food was all vegetarian and ayurvedic. Also, because Rishi Kesh is a holy city, there are no alcohol or meat available. However, there are certain places where you can get around this – such as High Bank.

While the rules and discipline were difficult to follow at times, both Sebastien and I agreed that we surprisingly enjoyed the structure of waking up early in the mornings to do yoga every day. I was in yoga heaven because everyone seemed really into yoga and spirituality there. We just really had to rush back on some nights to keep from getting locked out of the ashram at night!

I was really fortunate to meet up with Meghan, a fellow yoga teacher trainee who took the course with me in Thailand. Meghan had been in Rishi Kesh for about a month by the time I got there, and so we had a chance to hang out for a few days before she returned home to Taiwan. She introduced me to Govinda who teaches a Sivananda class, and because he is actually a doctor, he knows the body really well and challenged us with his yoga classes. He got me in postures I never thought I would ever be able to do.

It was hilarious, because Meghan and I never really hung out in Thailand. Aside from the random group meal, or the yoga photo sessions. At one point she turned to me while we were shopping, and she said “Can you believe, you and me?” It was really cute and I was so happy to have the chance to get to know each other better. The thing about travelling is sometimes you end up hanging out with people of all different kinds of backgrounds and there is a flow, or easiness about it which is really cool to experience.

Through word of mouth, I found an amazing teacher, Sushil who taught an Ashtanga Vinyasa class. This style really resonates with me because I love flow yoga. He taught a really small class with a maximum of nine people at a time. I enjoyed his adjustments and the challenges he presented me with each class. After class, Sushil would hang out with us and drink Chai and talk about yoga.

So what I ended up doing was running around every afternoon, trying out different yoga classes in the afternoons. In the time in between, I mostly read yoga books from the yoga library, took some hindi classes, did some exploring, checked out the waterfalls and the infamous Beatles ashram. Oh yeah, and I did manage to get a massage in there somewhere.

This was my Hindi instructor Sachdeva Ji.

He was a really kind man who would make me Chai, and teach me basic Hindi conversation. He had an interesting style of teaching which included slapping me on the back for encouragement, and kissing me on the cheek every once in a while which made me a bit uncomfortable but well, I let it slide because well, the guys like 60! Before I left, I got really sick but I couldn’t bring myself to cancel my daily class with him, so I just sucked it up and went anyway. This was on the last day, and I was just barely kept it together.

So what did I think of my experience at the ashram?
I am so thankful for having the opportunity to study yoga in a place like Rishi Kesh. I’m not sure I can articulate my experience to truly express how I feel. I feel a change in my spirit, I feel an awakened curiosity in learning all I can about yoga through reading, meeting people and self practice.
Physically I have noticed a change in flexibility and postural progression in my asanas. Spiritually, I have noticed a big change in my meditation. There are times when I experience tears and sadness during my meditation. There was one particular time when I was sitting in easy pose, and I noticed my face felt wet, and i just thought maybe I just yawned because it was early in the morning. And the next thing you know my face was completely wet and I was crying! And then there are other moments where I feel pure love and joy.
All these things are totally naturally which have been described in meditation books as stored emotions and a process of letting go. But it is only recently that I’ve experienced these things. The biggest change is an awakening of my inner light, and experiencing an inner wisdom.

I know this sounds really crazy but I feel like Yoga has changed me. It’s changed the way that I breathe, the way I think, the way I cope with stress. It’s changed my goals, my level of spirituality, my way of being and I am so grateful to be on this path. It started off as a physical practice, and now its become a spiritual way of being.

One night, Vishva had organized a Sitar performance at the ashram. It took place in the yoga studio transformed by candle light and cushions.
It was a magical night filled with beautiful music. It started off with everyone closing their eyes and rocking to the music. Then some people started laying down to enjoy it. Afterwards, they picked up the pace and everyone got up and started dancing! It was a really beautiful experience and a real treat.

I had the feeling when I left Rishi Kesh that I would be back. It’s a place that totally resonated with me. Who knows, perhaps after I have some teaching experience under my belt, I will go there for my level 2 training certificate?

Moments like these were so priceless, and I think they will forever be imprinted in my memory.

Some teachers will say that you have to have practiced Yoga in your past life in order to practice it in this one. Because not everyone can afford to do yoga, not everyone can physically do it, and not everyone is interested in it. But if you have practiced in your past life, it draws you in like a magnet and you can’t escape it.

Travel, I'm beginning to find out can also be viewed in the same light.

Trekking through the beautiful mountains of Nepal

2010-10-10T19:27:00.001-07:00

A friend had once told me that it’s hard not to feel peace when you are in Nepal because every morning you wake up and the first thing you see when you look outside are the Himalayas. And also when the Nepalese greet each other, they place their hands in prayer at their heart centre and say Namaste.

Namaste is the recognition of the divine spirit (or soul) in another by the divine spirit in you.

”The God/Goddess within me acknowledges the God/Goddess within you.

The Divine in me recognizes and honors, the Divine in you.

The spirit within me bows to the spirit within you.

I greet that place where you and I are one.

I honor the place in you which is of love, of truth, of light and of peace.”

Living Words of Wisdom

I remember thinking at the time that Nepal sounded so beautiful and magical, and it inspired in me the desire to take a look at this place and see it for myself. And to be honest, I wondered if he was making it sound better than it actually is, that maybe these are things yoga people say to impress each other?

After fully relaxing for a couple of days, I can fully admit I was a jerk for doubting. I treated myself to one of the best massages ever at Seeing Hands Clinic Lakeside in Pokhara. This was the first time I have ever tried a blind massage and it was magical after our 5 day trek in the Annapurna region. Blind people are often marginalized in Nepali society and the Seeing Hands Clinic takes in young blind people every year and volunteers from all over the world come and train them professionally. 65% of the profits from the massage gets put back into a charity for them.

When I heard this, it just melted my heart and I decided that was where I wanted to go. They were very professional, and sweet. My masseuse was a young 23 year old Nepali who checked in to make sure he was massaging at the right pressure. When I told him he could go a little harder, he joked around by saying “oh you like it hard, hey”? Cheeky fellow! We had a few good laughs I definitely enjoyed his sense of humour and his skilled massage..

So going back to the trek, Seb and I signed up for a 5 day trek in the Annapurna region. We wanted to do a mellow starter trek because neither of us have ever been on a trek before. We hired a guide to take us through, and he was amazing. We booked our tour through our hotel (Hotel Encounter) and was put with Chan Don. He was the most amazing guide who became our buddy really quickly. I just discovered that I absolutely love trekking. Imagine walking through an area that has been untouched by cars and motorbikes. Everything is transported via donkeys or Sherpas (a caste of Nepali people who carry things for you on their backs.)

I also discovered I love Nepali people, they are so unbelievably nice, kind hearted, sweet, honest, and they love to laugh and joke around so they’re fun to be around.

It was surreal, we hiked through the mountains, through small towns and villages, saw so many different plant and animal species, tonnes of waterfalls, beautiful sunrises and enjoyed a full afternoon hanging out at the natural hot water springs. We even saw marijuana plants growing in the mountain tops!

Of course it is illegal to buy or sell it, but we could totally appreciate the beauty of it growing naturally in the mountains.

Well tomorrow our journey continues as Seb and I are flying out to New Delhi. India is a part of the journey I am really excited about. I am meeting my friend Megan at the Anand Prakash Ashram in Rishi Kesh to study more Yoga. Rishi Kesh is where yoga was founded and I am enthused to study from some of the Indian teachers out there. Sebastien is a little bit apprehensive about going to a “dry town” with no alcohol or meat but I think it’s going to be an amazing experience for both of us.

The Great Wall of China

2010-09-28T22:54:00.000-07:00

“He who does not reach the great wall is not a man!” Mao Zedong

The Great Wall was one of my biggest inspirations and must see attractions in China.

We were staying at Leo Courtyard a super social youth hostel in Beijing. It was a perfect escape from the busyness of China. They had a fooz ball table on the top floor, and “Buy 2, get 1 free” beer specials that we took full advantage of during our stay there.

This is where we spent many an evening meeting and challenging new friends to multiple games such as “The Holy Trinity” which were three super cool friends biking through China: Elaine (Ireland), Philip (France) and Matheo (Slovakia).

Anyway, I digress.

When we saw that there was a “Secret Wall” tour offered through the youth hostel, we jumped on it. There were good reviews of it on Trip Advisor so we thought why not? The Secret Wall tour is a section of the tour which is undiscovered by tourists, and is open to only our group of thirty or some odd people.

And so we set off and met the group at 7:30 AM in the morning. We boarded a bus and rode for about 3 hours. And it was quite entertaining on the bus, there was a Southpark marathon, non stop Southpark episodes playing on the D.V.D. including the episode where the “Crazy Mongrorians” keep attacking the great wall.

We got to the wall and proceeded with our 10 KM hike which lasted about 2 hours. This picture was taken at the end of it, with big sighs of relief after hiking great lengths of dodgy wall and ten fortresses.

Yeah all in all the wall was breathtaking. The hike was beautiful but it got a bit monotonous after the first half a hour. There are areas of the wall that are so dilapidated and over grown with grass, eroded rock which led to me bailing (lightly) twice on my china bought sneakers. I love hiking, but it was so hot!! My mentality during this hike was, well it’s gotta be done at least once in your lifetime. The Great Wall has nothing on the grouse grind!

Okay, but then get this, after hiking for 2 1/2 hours, drinking all our water and dying for lunch, we find out that our bus got caught in a traffic jam. And we’re all thinking okay how does a bus get caught in a traffic jam when it had like 3 hours to come pick us up? Well it turns out that the last time they had a big traffic jam like this, it lasted for 9 DAYS!!! Well that’s China for ya!

So we sit by the side of a road for about an hour, before the guide decides well this is not happening anytime soon. Let’s start walking.

We started walking in the countryside. Then onto the highway, and we kept walking…. and walking…

We walked through stretches of highway with trucks loaded with all kinds of things: red peppers, tomatoes, bok choy, pigs, horses, cows, you name it.

It was quite the experience. The upside, though was there was water, and snacks available on the sides of the roads. Everyone could have gotten really bitchy, but no one did. Everyone shared their snacks, water, and laughed at what a crazy experience this was. We hiked for about another 3 hours before we even got to the restaurant. The walk on the highway took more time than the great wall.

What was really shocking to me though, was that for a capital city that boasts the best university in China, people are not conscious of the environment at all. People in the cars are eating snacks and just chucking them out of the window. I was shocked, and could not believe it … people squatting under their trucks, so much garbage littered on the road. I am so Canadian that way, I almost felt the urge to pick it all up!

This was our reward at the end of the day. While the food looks delicious, it was all cold and extremely unsatisfying. The only thing that made it tolerable was the company and the beer. Who thought I would ever say that?

Anyway, nothing went as planned which I am realizing is the norm when you are travelling through Asia. And you always have a choice to go with it or go against it. Going with it is much easier, which I realized at the end of the night as I was feeling filthy, covered in dust and entire body achy and dissatisfied with the food.

But it’s a great memory, filled with shared laughter, friendship and culture.

I’m glad we did it, and would definitely do it all over again.

xx phyllis

The Boys DJ after the Shanghai Sandwich Shop

2010-09-18T10:46:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to keep this blog up to date, but being in China for the past month has been getting in the way of keepin' it real time. Right now I am writing from Kathmandu (I can never spell that right) in Nepal. I am looking forward to going to Tibet for a week on Tuesday followed by the Tatopani trek - which is a trek through Nepal ending in some hot water springs. But more on that later.

I am sad to say that the Thailand tan I had going for many months is starting to fade and that it will only be about three months before I am back in Vancouver. Lately, the reaction to the response people have when they ask me how long I've been away (9 months), they have started asking me if I am getting tired of it. I find that a funny question because I'm not tired of it at all. I am enjoying myself so much, that it is a bit hard visualizing the transition I'm going to have to go through to adapt to a regular life again. Usually I just laugh it off and say some people have babies, whereas I like to travel. Depending on the demographic, you usually get a good laugh out of it or a bewildered look combined with the drop of a jaw.

Here is a brief outline of where I/we have been and where I plan to go for the rest of it:

1. Thailand

2. Laos

3. Vietnam

4.Cambodia

5. Thailand

6. Bali

7. Singapore

8. Thailand

9. Hong Kong

10. China

11. Nepal

12. India

13. Maybe Thailand or London (If the finances allow!)

The best sandwiches in Shanghai at my cousin's deli

Logo - Night club

The guys played a wicked set which made me a bit homesick. Ceebass & Abasi have a distinctive sound which I have missed going out in Asia.

My cousin with his awesome friends Mia and Mel, who are also from Vancouver but now live in Shanghai as well.

Stay tuned for our adventure to The Great Wall. Got a little more than we bargained for on that one ...

Shanghai World Expo Pt II

2010-09-17T00:09:00.000-07:00

Pictures continued from previous post:

All things being said, I enjoyed the Expo. Since we were there, we had to go. Many of the local Shanghainese people we met have not even bothered because of the sheer amount of people and line ups. We went for one day, and didn’t even consider going back for a second. There were beautiful exhibits, and many places to hang out, sit and drink. And I’m really happy the guys convinced me to go with them.

Shanghai World Expo 2010: “Better City, Better Life…”

2010-09-15T22:00:00.000-07:00

We flew from Shenzen to Shanghai after enjoying a day of shopping for electronics. The guys bought the knock off Ipad and I bought a purple “Balencia” clutch.

Flat tire on the way to the airport. There’s nothing like hearing the bang of a flat tire as you’re rushing to catch your plane. Farshad was ready to jump out and catch another cab, but we felt bad since we had already negotiated a queue jumping rate, and paid the guy. We unloaded our heavy back packs Seb helped with the flat, and we were outta there in under ten minutes.

Yes we made it to the plane on time, only to find out it had been delayed for 2 hours!

Shanghai World Expo

Line ups were gruelling. The ticket prices were extremely affordable at $20 bucks a day. But this also meant that tourists from all over China came, and considering the population that meant 5 hour line ups for the most popular pavilions such as Japan. Couple that with the Chinese way of budding in line, pushing and shoving in the heat meant that your nerves were sure to get grinded in some way or other. It was interesting to see how so many people brought little stools to sit on, and nap on in the line.

Big City Living - Goodbye Hong Kong, Hello China!

2010-09-13T22:57:00.000-07:00

Leaving Hong Kong happened so fast that it was a real blur. One minute we are watching the big light show downtown, and the next minute our good friend Farshad is in town and we crammed all things good into his itinerary for the three days he was there.
We went to the Big Buddha which was extremely beautiful. I could have stayed the whole day there, there was this peaceful energy that I can’t even find the words to describe. We took my family to Peking Garden, which is Yee Ling’s favorite and ours as well. They had really great service and the food was amazing! Then of course we hit all the usual drinking spots: Yumla, Drop, The Gecko Lounge (which is the only place in Hong Kong that legally serves absinthe)

On our last day in Hong Kong, our friend James took us into Shenzen in China and helped us book our tickets out. It was a gong show considering the population in China. He took us shopping at the electronic mall and helped us hail a cab to bypass the line up. We were in such a rush, to get there on time and during rush hour – I hear this BOOM sound! This was the sound of our cab getting a flat tire during rush hour. He was so efficient that with Sebs help we were outta there in like 15 minutes. And we got to the airport in time just to find out we were delayed by about an hour!

Being in China is interesting because all the things we usually take for granted like Facebook and Youtube is censored. The upside is it makes you realize how much you waste in front of the computer when it’s not there. In case anyone is wondering that’s why I haven’t been updating my status.
For some reason, I had the idea in my mind that I was going to see the China from 15 years ago. A country where everyone rides bicycles, and wears china men hats, and chinese silk dresses. Man was I in for a surprise, China is so modern with big high rises and cars and electronics everywhere. It’s not what I had imagined at all – what a shock!

One of the first things we did when we got into Shanghai was go to the World Expo. It’s a really cool thing to do, but the line ups for the popular pavilions are ridiculous. The best one we went to was the U.K. pavilion. They did a seed exhibit to preserve all the different seed species. It was really remarkable. The line up for this one was only one hour, but when we went to check out Japan, the line up there was five hours!

Another interesting experience I had while being here in Asia was one that has to do with language. I came to Hong Kong for the first time when I was twenty and I had never travelled anywhere where I didn’t understand the language. I just remember how annoying I found it to hear everyone talking such crap all the time. I found Chinese people so loud and rude!

Then after my stint of travel through other Asian countries, where I barely understood a lick of what they were saying, I found it really refreshing and cool to be able to communicate with people in Hong Kong. It was such a treat. The other thing I was able to experience is what it’s like to be illiterate. I can speak Chinese but can’t read the characters, so there is a bit of bumbling around but overall I am really loving it! Now we are heading into Beijing, where they speak mostly Mandarin so I picked up copy of the Lonely Planet phrasebook, and am using the Rosetta Stone lessons. And thanks to James for teaching me the basics!

Also, my cousin Derek lives in Shanghai and has been living here for 41/2 years. This time around I got to spend some quality time with him and his beautiful wife. We went for dinners, clubbing, massages, shopping. It was amazing to reconnect with him, as we have known each other as kids and played together all our lives!

He has this New York deli in Shanghai. It is super pimp with a big screen t.v., pool table, bar and everything. He took us there and let us all make our own sandwiches which was such a treat especially for the guys who were sick of eating noodles and rice all the time. I loved it! It was those creature comforts that reminded me of home, making a sandwich with all the fixings I like (mustard!) and watching family guy while laughing with the guys!

Afterwards we went to Logo. The guys had lined up two gigs at Shelter and Logo here in Shanghai which was really cool. It really reminded me of home and made me realize how much I appreciate their music. In Asia there is a lot of electronic music but it is really cheesed out because the population here really loves the commercial trance anthems so it was nice to hear a bit of the electro underground again.

And keeping with our regular tradition. After bar food and of course we had to teach Farshad Slap jack! So much fun! My cousin has some really cool friends out here from Vancouver as well so it was fun to reminisce about my city.

The next day, Mimi had invited us out to udancecn.com which is the underground electronic radio station where Sebastien recorded a one hour set for her podcast. It was really high tech and cool. So much fun and what a surreal experience!

Well tomorrow morning, Sebastien and I are boarding an eleven hour train to head into Beijing where we will see the Great Wall, Forbidden City and Tiananmen square. We will go back to knowing no one and getting back on the backpackers trail. It has been an amazing ride here, but as usual we are excited for the next adventure!

** The internet connection is unbelievably slow here ... will be posting photos when it is not so painfully slow! **

It’s cool to love your family

2010-08-12T09:17:00.001-07:00

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.

Rock Climbing & Island Hopping: Andaman Coast

2010-07-25T19:56:00.000-07:00

Each time I come back to Thailand, I am swept off my feet. I whole heartedly love this place and all the adventures it brings with it.

The last time I left Haad Yuan, I had a longing to explore the rest of the Southern beaches of Thailand. It was beautiful and I’m glad we saw it, but there is no place like Koh Phangnan, my spiritual centre.

First we started off in Koh Phi Phi where we got caught up in a rainstorm during dinner. We snuck off into the Irish bar next door, where we met some new friends from Philadelphia. The next night we played a full evening of slap jack and just got hammered. This is our morning after brunch. These guys even bought me a new deck of cards because they felt bad for my mangled, booze soaked cards. ha ha – how sweet!

After that, we took the Koh Phi Phi tour to see the beach where The Beach was filmed. It was breath taking even though it’s really touristy.

There is a big wavy swim involved, and you have to climb up a rope with these super sharp rocks to get onto the path.

One of the major perks, was that the guys on the tour, are so organized that they take everyone’s cameras and put it in this Tupperware container and then into a water proof bag so you don’t have to worry about destroying your camera.

Right now we are sitting in my favorite guest house, the Secret Garden in Bangkok. This place is like my sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of this busy city. It’s also a great place to reflect – this is the third time I’ve been here and there is something that is so comforting in being in a friendly, familiar place.

Tomorrow night we fly to Hong Kong. I’m a little bit nervous about going there, just the thought of Hong Kong brings about a bit of anxiety because the last time I was there, it was really overwhelming for me. The craziness, the dense population, the loud aggressive voices. Hopefully I will be able to channel my inner calmness and just enjoy it for what it is.

After Koh Phi Phi, we headed to Tonsai, the rock climbing Mecca just off of Raleigh beach. This was one of the first things we saw when we landed on the beach. These scurrying little crabs, dig in the sand creating these little balls and making unique, symmetrical designs. The beach was full of these beautiful creations.

Right away, we met this lovely couple from Germany. They were super sweet, and we found some interesting parallels in our relationships. For example, Sonia the girl on the right is my activity twin. We both are constantly wanting to do exercise, or exploring while our partners Kirsten and Sebastien just love to curl up on the beach and read a book. So during our time together, it was perfect because Seb and Kirsten would hang out, and Sonia and I would be planning the next adventure.

The first thing we did was go on the four island tour. This included Poda Island, Top Island, Chicken Island (pictured on the left because it looks like a chicken!) and Pranang beach.

It was a beautiful day, and we had loads of fun!

The picture above is Pranang cave, which is also known as the princess cave. Legend has it that once there was a beautiful princess who was so gorgeous that all the men wanted here. She had refused one of her suitors who was this arrogant prince. She was rescued by this hermit that lived in a cave, who cast a spell and turned them into the surrounding beaches and caves. Since then, this cave is where fisherman would leave offerings of phallic symbols to bring them abundance and wealth and good catches I suppose.

The next day, we decided to go deep water solo climbing with Base Camp.

I have never tried deep water solo, and neither had Sonia but we both knew we wanted to do it. Deep water solo is basically climbing over deep water, without any ropes to hold you in, and then jumping into deep water. It’s really beautiful and definitely something to get your adrenalin pumping.

What a rush!

I started at 5 meters, then went up to 10 meters. Some of the guys went up to 30 meters, and they compared the feeling to “being punched really hard in the face!”

We also did a couple mornings of regular climbing on the 123 wall and the Muay Thai wall. We had both never tried outdoor rock climbing before, and I’ve gotta say I LOVE it. We even took our guide out for lunch and a couple beers after the climb. It was an absolutely lovely afternoon.

It’s really interesting to see the different pockets of people that different places attract. In Haad Thien, the place is a lot about spirituality, there are so many yoga classes, massage, pilates, tarot card reading, energy work going on which I really love. Then over in Tonsai, it’s all about climbing and a little bit about fire dancing.

Well, I’m off to shop on Koh Sanh road. It’s a shame I don’t have more space in my back pack – the shopping is great here. Can’t wait!

xoxo

Rainy days in Thailand

2010-07-02T12:06:00.001-07:00

Monsoon!

We decided to get out of Singapore because I was starting to get stressed out from the big city. Well also living in an apartment where you are in a constant social situation was getting to me. What I believed to be angst over my Australian visa I soon realized was a need for space. Most people who know me would not know that I actually need a break from constant social interaction, even from Sebastien the love of my life. I really cherish my time alone – I can relish in being a loner and I fully replace that. But I can do both.

So Sebastien and I decided to go back to Thailand because we were two weeks in Singapore and still no word from the Australian visa. And I mean I love our couchsurfing hosts, they`re super cool and everything but we were feeling like maybe we were outstaying our welcome. They never made us feel that way but we didn't`to want to push our boundaries with our generous hosts. There`so a saying about houseguests and it goes like this. Houseguests are like fish, after three days they go bad.

Anyways life works in mysterious ways. We come back to Thailand because everything is dirt cheap. And I realized that really I came to Thailand to explore the beaches, and I haven`t even seen the beach where The Beach was filmed. So why not come back and explore the south where everything is cheap and the people are amazingly friendly.

Seriously Thailand is a place that inspires me. I enjoy my runs in the morning, the amazing food, the people you meet in Thailand. So much so that even on the gloomiest rainy day, I can revel in doing lazy rainy day things.

Here is my list of great things to do on a rainy day:

1. Find a used bookstore slash coffee shop where they will serve you non fat lattes and multigrain bread. People watch the people who are getting soaked to the bone in torrential rainfall. Analyze their fashion sense, and empathize with their situation of being a drowned rat for a few moments.

2. Get a Thai massage. It is so dead quiet that you get lots of attention since you are the only person in the shop. Chat with your Thai masseuse, find out her name and give her a good tip. A good tip here is the equivalent of one or two dollars, because the tradition is not to tip, and the cost of a massage is like ten dollars so one to two dollars fits into the ten to twenty percent. It feels good to tip.

3. Go for a run to burn off those calories from the night before from those damn bucket specials. It feels good but make sure you avoid stepping on the jellyfish that have washed ashore.

I have an obsession for all weird organisms aquatic. I love octopi, jellyfish, manatees, sea turtles, the weirder they are the more I love them. So I counted about ten to twenty jellyfish all washed up ashore and I had to resist the urge of getting a stick and poking them or touching them because I respect and do not want to mess with nature.

By the way on the beach there was so much nasty garbage washed ashore. Where we are on Koh Phi Phi is where the Tsunami had hit so everything on the beach is new. When you are in the city (except for Singapore) no one cares, cigarette butts, litter on the busy streets. But when you see it in nature like a beautiful beach in Thailand, it is utterly revolting. It makes me want to puke. It makes me want to be more socially conscious because we all want to appreciate natural beauty.The universe works in mysterious ways. I come back to Thailand and after a couple more days of checking on line with the Australian Government to see if my work visa has come through, I have come to acceptance. No matter what happens, I am in Thailand and it`so beautiful here. I just have to accept accept accepting.

Here I feel inspired to meditate, to photograph, to talk to people travellers and locals alike. I have accepted well maybe the Australian government will reject me but what the hell, I am loving my life right now.

And just like that the first morning where I don`t care whether or not the government has approved me, and I am checking out of daily obligation

BOOM! I have been approved to go to The land down under.

I am learning so many life lessons on this trip it is a shame I didn`t travel like this earlier in my twenties.

the dog days are over

2010-06-27T09:55:00.001-07:00

Well that’s it for Singapore. After two weeks we experienced the night life and the culinary experience which is rated the best in Southeast Asia.

I just wanted to take some time to update you with some photos from the Gili Islands and Kuta Beach. Well really only Gili Trawangan since we didn’t make it to the other islands.

Karma Kayak – the best place to watch the sunset while sippin’ on Sangria and nibbling on Spanish Tapas.

The Gilis is where I did my Open water certification for Scuba Diving. This was at Blue Marlin, where they are so awesome and great with instruction. Some of our highlights was watching the sunset at Spanish Tapas restaurant Karma Kayak, and smoking Shisha at the Egotiste bar. One of the photos taken there was really funny, as soon as Seb excused himself to go to the washroom, the waiters all came over and took photos with me, wearing my mint green Rayban glasses and everything! We took a horse and carriage ride around the island, and ate at our Scallyways, introduced to us by Aleesa, my long time college friend and her boyfriend.

It’s so great meeting up with friends on the road. It’s totally surreal experience and I am so thankful to make create more memories with familiar faces. Aleesa and Rob were great fun to be around, they introduced us to the Butterfish which like the name implies tastes just like butta! We had such a blast with them, and the days just flew by.

We ended our stay in Bali on Kuta beach, where Seb and I took surfing lessons from Prosurf school. We had an absolute blast there, we were both standing in no time. One day wasn’t enough though, we both wanted to surf more!

Killer Pina Colada!

Can’t wait to update you with more beach photos from the beaches of Thailand!

Angry Australian Angst

2010-06-23T21:00:00.001-07:00

It is official. I am on a spiritual hiatus. An angry, raging one at that. I have been trying to stay Zen but apart from my morning meditation and sporadic drop in yoga classes I haven’t been doing much since I finished my Osho book and it’s all the Australian Governments fault.

Right now I am angrily typing while drinking Singha beer, eating Ruffles Cheddar Cheese & sour cream flavoured chips, and listening to the moodiest music I can find in my ITunes library: Archive. Yes, I’ve fallen off the wagon.

For the past month I have been convinced that I am supposed to go to this magical place called Byron Bay in Australia. We met these couch surfers who just came from there and they raved about this hippie town, where there’s tonnes of yoga, 5 rhythms dance classes, surfing and chill vibes. They recommended I join the Osho Yahoo group which is where they hooked up everything they needed. You name it: rent, yoga, community! They even offered to rent us their car because its sitting there doing nothing.

There were so many coincidences too. (I had friends mention in passing things here and there about OSHO . He’s the controversial guru, who believes in free love. He doesn’t believe in marriage which is atypical for India.)

My six degrees of OSHO.

1. I just finished reading The Search: Osho talks on the ten bulls of Zen which I found at the Free Market in Had Thien. The free market happened every Sunday at 2 PM on the beach, and everyone basically gifts the things they don’t want. There was a stack of good books laying there, but for some reason I picked up this mysteriously beat up black hard cover. I like to say the book “chose” me.

2. Two days after the free market, I met Sarah, a girl from London just laying next to me on the beach. Sarah had just come from India and had stayed at the OSHO ashram, and was telling me about how it was mandatory to take an HIV test just to get in.

3. I talk to Lily, the instructor of my yoga teacher training. And yes, she too had stayed at the Osho ashram in India except she stayed there for three months.

4. Needless to say, I have been intrigued by the Osho ashram. And then these girls from Texas tell me they are part of an Osho email group that has led them to all these opportunities in Byron Bay? It just seemed like life was pointing me in that direction.

5. A friend of mine wrote Byron Bay as the place I should go to in Australia when I was asking for recommendations of where to go on my facebook wall.

6. My best friend from Canada has a Byron Bay t-shirt given to her years ago that she still wears to sleep every night.

Anyways, we have now been in Singapore for over a week and it has been one month since I first applied for the work holiday visa. It cost over $200 for the application fee, and then another $70 for the chest X-Ray I had to get in Bali. It’s just really frustrating to see the funds in my bank account go down, when in my mind I was supposed to be working by now.

So I thought I would hit the ground running when I got to Oz, but after several phone calls and emails I am still not getting anywhere. And now our back up plan is to go to Hong Kong and skip out on Oz completely but I just finished a few hours of research into my HK I.D. which will take 6-8 weeks to process which means more time of not working.

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Singapore but I am starting to feel that I need to get a move on. This is a pattern with me, I think that when I need to move, nothing happens fast enough for me. Every morning the first thing I do is check online with the Australian embassy, and as per usual it says health documents pending. And those x-rays were submitted over a week ago which sends me flying into frustration.

Okay, that’s the end of the poor me. The most ridiculous thing is that for the past few months I have been feeling very Zen, and had been honestly been believing that I had reached some kind of emotional enlightenment in being able to deal with things without getting upset.

Now I realize, that I didn’t really have any worries during that time, and that was before the boyfriend was travelling with me in the equation, and that was really my ego talking. I am totally a work in progress. A good friend of mine used to say to me that I am “embarrassingly human”.

Over the weekend, we had another friend from Vancouver come and visit. Steve G. from Intimate Productions. Steve is one of my favorite people to party with, and last weekend was no exception. He ended up getting us into Zouk to see Tocadisco on the guest list. Our couch surfing hosts loved him, and we did what we do best in Singapore – Eat! .It is truly a culinary experience living here, and even for Sebastien who has never really liked Chinese food in the past has grown to love it here. Oh yes, drinkers and non drinkers alike, everyone has been slaughtered by my travelling drinking game Slapjack.

We had such a blast with Steve – Steve is an awesome friend! He’s the kind of guy that wakes up, feeds you vitamins and without asking brings everyone coffee first thing in the morning, well a Chai Tea Latte for me which earns you double the points in a place like Singapore!

Tocadisco consistently pumped out the club anthems he is so famous for the entire night and the crowd loved it. However, there was not much he played that we didn’t recognize and he even pulled out some really old tracks like “Day n’ Nite.” which is so tired and overplayed it’s not even funny. Overall, if I was just attending any club night in Singapore, I would have been pretty happy but because it’s Toca our expectations were high and we expected more creativity.

The funny thing about partying in Singapore, is that no one was wasted. Everyone was just having a really good time. Well I guess that’s no surprise when drinks are like $20 a pop. The place was packed but everyone stood a respectful distance from each other. I liked that they sprayed out dry ice from under you on the dance floor which helped cool everyone down. The club was beautiful, and when we spoke to the resident D.J. after, he said the owner had purposefully modelled it after Pacha, a club in Ibiza.

Highlights included:

- Meeting a crew of Taiwanese firefighters and enticing them to play Chinese drinking games with us

-Order Jagerbombs and having locals come up to us and asking us what the hell are those drinks?

-Meeting Asian girls from West Vancouver

-Meeting Tocadisco and taking pictures of him and his hot wife

-Overall shenanigans

Here’s us at the Sri Lankan Crab place. Hands down the best place we’ve eaten at so far! Everyone do their cute Chinese pose!

And keeping with the newcomer tradition, everyone new always has to try the infamous Durian!

Indian food on Arab Street for breakfast! The next day we went to Sentosa beach and hung out at Cafe del Mar. This is where we met Penny, another local Singaporean. We bonded over Chanel! Well the book and the movie am way too much of a broke ass to be sporting anything expensive these days. Penny came out with us for dinner, and this weekend we have plans to go shopping and hit up Clark Quays. Yay! I love meeting locals.

Ahhhh! I feel better already. Thanks for listening.

Singapore: the city where I discovered: Couch surfing,Durians and Tocadisco!

2010-06-16T00:48:00.001-07:00

Sunny Singapore is a sharp contrast to the Gili T’s which flew by like a dream. Imagine this, one moment you are living on a Balinese island where you are surrounded by white sand beach and the fastest mode of transport is horse and carriage. There’s no cars, motorbikes or public transport. You can walk the entire island in an hour and a half.

Then you get into Singapore, a bustling Metropolitan centre where there are rules and technology for everything. Old meets new. They call it a fine city because there are fines for everything which is why it will probably also be the cleanest city you will ever go to.

Against the Law:

-Drug trafficking is punishable by capital punishment (Carrying over 5G)

-Soliciting – you never get hassled shopping at the markets here.

-Counterfeit goods

-When you enter Singapore, you are allowed to bring in only 1 pack of opened smokes

-UV drips used to whiten skin (Used in other parts of Asia)

And my favourite … no durians allowed in the MRT station.

What are durian’s you ask? Let me explain.

Durian is known as “The King of Fruits” in SE Asia. It is considered a delicacy in Asia but like most delicacies you need to try it a few times before you can fully appreciate it. An acquired taste if you will. Some would say eating Durian is worth the trip to the East to experience it.

This fruit is easily recognized by it’s distinct smell. A smell that some find so strong, nauseating and offensive that it is banned in some mass rapid transit (MRT) stations, some hotels and even airports.

“... its odour is best described as pig-shit, turpentine and onions, garnished with a gym sock….” Wikipedia

We decided to give it a try, and well, what was that saying about a picture being worth a thousand words? Out of seven people, one person LOVED it, 3 hated it, and 2 were neutral. I would definitely give it a couple more chances but it’s not the first fruit I would reach for.

We LOVE Couch surfing! Couch surfing is an international non profit network that promotes a cultural exchange between locals and travellers. We were intrigued by couch surfer when we met a few people who worked for couch surfers in Ubud.

We knew Singapore is a relatively expensive place to stay so we decided this would be a place to give it a shot.

We were so fortunate to meet Ryan and Summer, this amazing Singaporean couple who took us in even though they already had three guests from Austin, Texas already staying at their place. We have been floored by their hospitality. They came and picked us up from the airport, and have been taking us out for lunches and dinners at all the best local spots, they did our laundry and took us shopping, and had been a wealth of information for travel advice.

Summer won my heart when she took me make-up shopping. I have gotten so dark, that it was actually difficult for me to find a powder to match my skin! Everyone is into light skin here which is so opposite of back home. The makeup choices are great though – I love the Japanese products especially the fibre mascara which makes your eyelashes look really thick and beautiful.

The past few days, we have been 2 guys, and 5 girls living in a2 bedroom apartment with four guinea pigs and one cocker spaniel. And you know what? It has been soooo FUN!

This was the first day when we arrived, Ryan and Summer took us to Tin Tin where we sampled the most famous Hainanese Chicken with Rice – a local specialty. Afterwards, we went to Chinatown, and Little India to do some shopping and touring. At night, we decided we would cook them some Mexican food partnered with cake, local fruits and cocktails. It made for a great day!

Yesterday Seb and I started craving a bit of one on one time so we went on a date and toured the city on our own.

Our intention was to go to the Singapore Flyer for sunset, which is a Ferris wheel that gives you a great view of the city. But when we got there, we realized that tickets were $30 each which we found expensive for a Ferris wheel. So we took photos from the bottom and walked through city centre.

We did the same thing when we went to the Eiffel tower in Paris with no regrets. We can ride it when we’re old and don’t have energy to walk!

Afterwards, we went to Clarke Quay which is the happening place to go for drinks. One thing I forgot to mention is Singaporean people are so great. The other day, we were walking around with the Texan girls looking for a place to eat and we were approached by this local couple. They took one look at us and said you guys should come with us, we know a place with lots of food, air conditioning and wifi. They were this elderly Asian couple who just came from church so we trusted them. And sure enough they rescued us from the heat and brought us to some good eats.

This particular night we had kind of a repeat. We found ourselves a little lost looking for the MRT station and this girl tells us to follow her since she’s going the same way. We got talking and she recommended Clarke Quay for drinks, and we were not disappointed. There were tonnes of cute restaurants and trendy cafes overlooking the water.

They had all these concept bars and I was particularly floored by this place called the clinic. It is fashioned to look like a hospital complete with wheel chairs and stainless steel tables. They even had frozen cocktails attached to IV drips that were poured into glasses I’m sure. It was brilliant!

This Saturday we are looking forward to the

Singapore Beerfest 2010. The whole couch surfer community is going on Friday and with over 250 different types of beer, live performances and 25,000 expected attendees you can’t really go wrong!

Afterwards, we’re going to Tocadisco - award winning DJ and producer from West Germany. He’s created over 60 remixes with other well known D.J.’s like Axwell, Mylo, Tiga, Steve Angello and David Guetta.

The added bonus is he’s playing at Zouk which is rated number 10 on the list of 100 best night clubs in the world. It comes in just under the Ibiza super clubs Pacha and Space. It’s credited as the club that created the club scene here in Singapore.

We’re pretty stoked to be here to catch the show. Well especially Sebastien who is a big fan. Will keep you posted!

The Beauty in Bali

2010-06-12T02:33:00.001-07:00

Ubud is the place Sebastien and I decided to settle in for a little while, while we got reacquainted with each other. Ubud which was once a little village is now a bustling little town. It’s home to good restaurants, artisans, cool cafes and of course Yoga! We spent many an evening at cool wifi cafes listening to live music and working on our computers.

You may remember from the last blog it took a while for Seb and I to get back into the harmonious flow that is our relationship. In the mornings, I would guide him through my morning meditation and practice my yoga teaching by taking him through a yoga class I designed for him.

The transition phase was interesting because coming back together made us really aware of how we interact when we’re together and when we’re apart which is a great lesson unto itself.

This picture was taken on the street we stayed on called Monkey Forest road. This is the main street in Ubud where all the main shops and cafes are. There’s always some kind of sidewalk construction going on, and this particular morning, the women are moving baskets of dirt on their head!

This picture was taken outside of our Yoga haunt: The Yoga Barn This is a gorgeous yoga studio that offers a large variety of classes (Everything from yoga for tight white guys to Ecstatic Dance & Tibetan Bowl Mediation) and overlooks a beautiful rice field. I loved it here!

When I was in Thailand, I was fortunate to meet these girls who lived in Ubud for months working with San Francisco jewellery designers and literally wrote out a page of recommendations for me while I was in Bali. This was one of them: watching the traditional Kecak Fire Dance.

The synchronicity between the dancers, the chanting, the costumes was great to see. It is a close and intimate setting, in fact you can feel the heat from the fire on your face. Every seat is pretty much a front row seat.

The next day we went to the Monkey Forest. If you go to Ubud, and you love monkeys then it’s pretty mandatory that you go there. This place is hundreds of years old with temples, old statues and lots of walking areas.

The monkeys are super friendly if you have bananas. In fact they will even climb on top of you and dig into your pockets for them. But you have to be careful, we met a girl who had her sunglasses snatched right off of her face, and once a monkey has taken something from you its pretty difficult to retrieve it. My friend Day had half a bottle of Vodka stolen from him by a monkey. And after the monkey had grabbed it, it proceeded to imitate him and drink the rest! Cheeky monkey!

If they sit still long enough, they will also turn into stone. That’s what happened to the others.

I have such a soft spot for baby monkeys. The are the absolute cutest little creatures. They are so cuddly and adorable.

Love Love Love!

This is the Purnati Centre of the arts which is where the Bali Spirit festival is held. We were invited to go there because a friend of a friend teaches Poi Fire dance there. This particular Friday was the end of their course and they had invited Seb to come and DJ at their party.

So we rented a motorbike and went to check it out by day. They invited us to hang out at the pool when they went back to their afternoon class. This was amazing, the space was really beautiful and their pool was just a little nicer than the one at the place we’re staying. ( Who am I kidding?)

We met a lot of cool people who came from all over the world to participate in this one week course. Some stayed an extra week because they liked it so much. I was watching Nick and G teach, and they have such a talent for what they do. They make it look so easy!

In places where there’s no fire dance community ( like South Korea for example) people who really like it end up learning their skills from the internet. It’s really cool because not only can they further their skills , they also get a chance to experience what it feels like to be part of an alternative community.

This was at night, when everyone performed all their best tricks. We watched them dance for hours and you know it never got boring because each dancer brought with them a different dance style, and a different flow of movement. It was so beautiful, and we were so happy to have been basically the only people not part of the course to get to watch!

Uggghhh! One of my least favourite times while I was in Ubud. I was having gum issues again, I think mostly because of my incessant sweet tooth. I had gone to the dentist in Thailand and the pains had come back so I find myself back in the dental chair once again. Except this time it was really painful!

I basically ended up on an enclosed balcony on the porch of this ladies house. There was only one chair, and the light above would flicker on and off. There was no tube that you normally use to rinse your mouth, instead there was a little cup that sat under a tap that never stopped dripping.

I was pretty scared to go in there, but I really had no choice. But to her credit, my teeth are totally fine now. Thank god for anaesthetics and pain killers!

Oh and here’s me on my 30th birthday! We rented a car and drove out to this cute little beach town called Lovina. It only took Seb about 20 minutes to get comfortable enough to start honking his horn and making fun of other drivers. Oh those Quebecers!

Here I am having a glass of wine and a cigarette in a cafe that served yummy organic salads and breakfast foods. Sebastien spoiled me by taking me to the spa where I had a facial, full body massage and …. a vaginal steam! (It was the specialty of this Balinese spa, and I would have to say it was quite interesting… ) The next day we visited the beautiful outdoor hot springs. It was really magical when we were there, it started pouring rain with lightning and thunder showers. It was gorgeous and there were a lot of local people there just splashing around and having fun.

I’ve been trying to keep this blog as up to date as possible. But time keeps running ahead of me. Right now we are in the beautiful beaches of Gili, and Seb has been really sick and bed ridden which is probably what has allowed me to catch up as far as I have. We are flying into Singapore on the 12th of June because my Australian work holiday visa has yet to get approved.

For most Canadians, the application was an easy process, basically overnight approval. But I think because I applied from Bali, or because most things that are easy for people end of being more challenging for me …. I need to undergo a medical exam which involves going to a specific radiologist out of Denpassar for a chest x-ray, we needed a place to wait it out.

So why not Singapore? I met a guy in Vancouver before I left that made me promise him I would go there because that’s where he’s from. Beautiful food, beaches and people. Not the cheapest place in SE Asia to visit but definitely worth it.

2 Nights in KL

2010-06-05T21:10:00.001-07:00

Goodbye Thailand – Hello Malaysia…

I left the island of Koh Phangnan and flew right into the bustling city of K.L. Those old habits die hard. As soon as I saw the glowing yellow McDonalds emblem shining ever so brightly at the airport, I made a beeline for it and ordered one big mac and a chocolate sundae. My senses were overwhelmed by the forgotten taste of North American fast food!

Malaysia is very culturally diverse, never have I seen such a beautiful ethnic mixture. Coming from the melting pot that is Canada I was surprised to be surprised. The combination of Indians, Malays & Chinese was astonishing.

There were no direct flights from Koh Samui to Bali, so I either had backtrack and make the trek up to Bangkok which is chaotic right now, or spend a night in K.L. Luckily for me, Sebastian had friends who lived there and they were open to having me, a complete stranger come crash at their place.

I had an absolutely amazing time. Nick and Nika were lovely hosts. Nika was visiting from Cambodia so while Nick was at work, we ended up going for deliciously ethnic Malaysian food, to the Twin Towers and then back to 21, the restaurant Nick works.

It was Tuesday, ladies night and all the girls got unlimited free drinks at the bar. Most of them were sweet and pink but being Asian girls, I guess we liked that.

We had some great laughs that night. Nick and Nika are just adorable together. If you met them, you would see how amazing their chemistry is and how in love they are. Wow, What a beautiful couple.

The second morning was hilarious. My life is such a comedy. I woke up and took a taxi to the airport after enjoying the most refreshing sleep, and the luxuries of a hot shower. As I’m chatting with the taxi driver, I discover my flight was actually not that morning but the next morning.

So I get to the airport and try to call Nick but his phone was turned off, or I think I used up all the minutes on his card trying to sort something out with ICBC the night before. After a few attempts, and a solid wifi session at the airport Starbucks, I decided to make the most of my day and trust that everything was going to work out. I tried to book the hotel by the airport but it was full, so I figured if worse comes to worse, I could always just sleep in the airport. Not like I haven’t done that before!

It was decided, I’m checking my backpack here and taking myself out on a proper solo date.

I set out on a mission find a yoga class. I have been wanting to try Anusara but it was difficult to find a scheduled class online. What I did find however was a Bikrams class that evening, so I took the bus back into town and then the Monorail to the downtown business district. It is so clean at the Monorail station because smoking and littering is against the law – it was so clean it looked like you could literally eat off the floors.

While I was making my way there, it just started pouring rain. It was the most intense rain I had seen in ages which was refreshing because it was really hot outside.

When I got to the mall, I went straight to the info board to check where the studio was. Luckily for me, there was a promotion going on and I managed to get a free pass into this super posh gym (True Fitness) to do a Bikrams class. Here’s a photo of the cute guys that work there – they were so sweet. It’s amazing in KL that everyone speaks English. I had no trouble whatsoever communicating with anyone.

After class, I took myself out for sushi. Here’s me at the sushi bar, with a bottle of hot sake. It was delicious and so much fun. After dinner, I debated called Nick - thankfully he was around and invited me back to stay over another night. Phew!

Here’s a picture of my shin. I had burnt it on the back of a rogue motorcycle taxi when I missed my taxi and had to ride from Had Drin to Thongsala with my huge backpack sandwiched between me and the driver. Apparently this is pretty common around these parts of Asia. The worst part though, is that I had been warned several times and that morning I just forgot to watch for the scalding hot tail pipe on the right side.

In the past 5 months I had managed to do the following to my right leg:

Step on a Sea Urchin impaling myself with 13 spines
Step on a rusty nail on the beach
Burn my shin with the pipe of a motorbike

Let’s hope this is the extent of it!

As I was boarding my plane to fly to Bali I was filled with anticipation. I love boarding planes in this manner, via a rolling staircase – it feels so old school and glamorous.

Here’s a shot of Seb and I shortly after he landed. Poor thing he had just come off of a 20 hour flight. We had one of those running, hugging moments filled with tears and laughter. It was really sweet.

And so my solo adventure ends, and our journey together begins. Right now we are on the beaches of Gili Trawangan, one of our favorite places. Within 3 days of being here, we met up with our good friends Aleesa and Rob and have become known as “The Crazy Couple” who went swimming at the bar, and Seb’s already lined up to play at the big beach club, Rudy’s known for hosting the all night raves! I’ve started the PADI open water scuba diving course which has been incredible.

All in all life is good. I have to admit the transition was a little bit rocky at first. I was naive in believing everything would be exactly the same between Seb and I as before I had left Vancouver. But the truth is that even though it has only been five months since we’ve been apart, both of us has changed a lot. (Mostly me…) Sebastien now has to adjust to this new daily one hour meditation routine, and I have to get used to having someone in my space again. It made for a rocky start, but now everything has settled and we are harmonious once again. It’s a lovely feeling – Thank God it has been as easy as it has been...

Fluff & Spangle Finally Leaves The Bay!

2010-05-17T04:55:00.000-07:00

Fluff & Spangle was a nickname given to me by “the community” I think because it took me a while to understand what the term meant. And thus I had properly been initiated into the family love tribe. Fluff and Spangle denotes the dress code of any party or family outing. Fluff being the fluffiness and spangle being the sparkly attire that everyone wears at any given point in time.

Leaving the bay has been difficult because I had become so accustomed to the spiritual beach life of the adjoining beaches: Haad Yuan, Haad Tien, Wy Naam. So much love, laughter and friendship. The bonds and friendships I developed here were accelerated as there were so many good times and great memories formed that take years to accumulate in my regular life. In fact, I left 2 weeks later than I had originally planned. It got to the point where no one believed I was actually leaving. I would say my goodbyes and everyone would say, “Yeah right, I’ll see you tomorrow!”

The days before I left, we took a group outing to The Tree House. These were the lovely beach bungalows in Than Sadet which overlooked the beautiful secluded beach. In fact, there are only 12 bungalows here so we basically took it over.

We took the supply boat over, which took about 15 minutes I think. But who was keeping track of time? We were having so much fun.

Acroyoga is one of my favorite forms of yoga. I like it because it is contact yoga and you are basically playing like you are kids.

You may remember Sebastien as my acro yoga instructor from my previous posts. He is one of the beautiful people on this trip I was fortunate to really connected with. We became fast friends and I have to say I am really inspired by his passion and quest in spirituality.

He’s a healer from Portugal and he teaches everything from Ayurvedic & Thai Massage, Dance Meditation, Contact Yoga, etc. In fact I can’t even fully describe to you everything he does because he is so humble about it. Attached are the links to his bios so you can read them for yourself. Seb's Bio & Seb's Dance Meditation Bio

If you are ever in Koh Phangnan and you get the chance to attend one of his courses or get one of his massages – I would recommend him 110%! He’s based out of The Sanctuary in Haad Thien.

I had a chance to hang out with our beautiful yoga teacher Lily who is also from Vancouver. Another inspiring person who is extremely dedicated to her path in yoga and meditation. I am so thankful to have had the chance to take the 200 hour yoga foundation course led by her at The Blooming Lotus. Her teaching style is very intense but I learnt so much from her, and I can’t wait to put my training to use. I can’t think of a better place than the beach paradise that is Koh Phangnan to do a Yoga teacher training!

Okay enough of the seriousness. Here is the bar we hung out at. The staff at the Tree house were incredible and playful. At certain points in the night they even donned our colorful wigs, and some even joined the dance party! The drinks and bungalows were very reasonably priced and absolutely delicious.

Here are some more pictures of my beautiful new friends. So much Love, so much Laughter, so much Playfulness!

Yeah… Life is hard when you are on a beach, and you are surrounded by beautiful shirtless people and you are at liberty to smoke and drink and do yoga wherever you want!

This is the moment everything changed for me. I put on the pink wig, and because there were no mirrors, I had someone take pictures of me so I would know how I looked. I quite liked the pink – it matched my bikini =)

And of course, here is Rui. Rui had actually just arrived in Koh Phangnan days before from Portugal and as you can see he had no problems fitting in. One of my favourites, he patiently taught me impressive Portuguese phrases the duration of his trip. He is one of those lovable shiny sparkly personalities with amazing good hearted energy.

The crew having dinner before the party. Glitter, pirate hats and sparkly shiny people.

The night was magical. There was a big fire on the beach, and we had a wicked dance party with incredible music.

And here we are playing cards the morning after. Shithead is the name of the game, and well after I taught them Slapjack – the buckets came out. My bucket of choice: Oreo Vodka Shake. MMmmmmnnn!

There were these two adorable kids playing in the restaurant when we all woke up. It was incredible, they didn’t even speak the language but they were in perfect communication.

Another one of my favorites, Cuban sensation Andy! I actually don’t know him really well… but I know that I like him. Look how photogenic he is!

This is us on our boat ride home. Still feeling amazing, I think we were blissed out and glowing from the amazing time that we had.

Goodbye to my dear friends. Thank you for the incredible journey. I am so blessed to have had this wonderful experience and I will cherish the moments and hold them dear to my heart.

Hopefully we will all cross paths again!

The yoga teacher experience

2010-05-07T00:16:00.000-07:00

Life is such an incredible journey and lately I have been experiencing it with full awareness. That’s not to say that I don’t feel that way when I am living at home in Vancouver, but being out here in paradise every moment is exemplified. I am being exposed to so many key life moments out here that it feels almost like a fast track to spiritual empowerment.

Yoga teacher training is so much more than learning yoga. There have been so many emotional moments and life lessons I’ve figured out about myself over this past month. I’m not sure if it happens to everyone but when I talked to the other students about it, they say most people will tell you that there’s more than just yoga that happens because yoga can open up so many things in people.

Out here in Haad Yuan, I have taken up the practice of self meditation for an hour a day on the beach. I end up waking up at 5:30 AM because I get to see the sunrise and its much cooler in the morning. This is followed by a half hour jog and a swim in the ocean. Then my yoga teacher training would start at 8:30 AM, finishing at 7 PM, with 2 2hour breaks with which you can head to the beach. The beach is literally 20 steps from my bungalow and I love it that way because I have completely integrated the beach into my daily routine. Meditation in the morning, both the beach breaks, and evening walks a lot of the time just on my own.

I am usually more of a sunset person because the times more convenient for me. But we only see sun rises on this part of the beach, so I have been taking full advantage by snapping pictures every day. It’s beautiful to be here before anyone else. This picture is of me taking a calendar picture for the photo project I’m putting together for my class.

You may remember James from my earlier blog post. I adore James. For this picture I begged him to take a “conservative asian couple” picture with me. Which is really hilarious because neither of us would fall in that category. Sorry ladies, James is one hundred percent pure gay.

Naturally, the other girls also wanted to join the harem but I got to keep my title as first wife. Megan (the other asian) got 2nd wife and Lily got concubine. Yes mostly because she is white.

Another beautiful sunrise ….

Right, this shot epitomizes one of the most cliche beach tourist photos which has even been written about in Backpacker magazine. Apparently everyone and their dog takes jump shot photos in front of the beach. We just so happen to actually have a dog with us as well. And I don’t care what anyone says, I LOVE this photo with me and my yoga class. Look how high our legs are!

Here’s another one of our calendar pics. Claire and Kate!

This was a really cool experience. Our yoga class decided to go to a drumming circle at someone’s house. I have always had an interest in learning how to work the bongo drums. It was insanely fun, and I hope to learn more when I get home. Drumming is meditative yet harmonious, which is an amazing spiritual experience.

Here’s a group shot of the yoga class in front of the studio. Well I can’t just refer to them as just the yoga class anymore, they have all become dear friends of mine. Our teacher, Lily who is also from Vancouver is the beautiful yogi in the flowered pants far right. And yes, I have become the annoying person who needs to capture everything on camera. You can thank me later.

I ended up staying an extra 2 weeks along with Kate and Lily after the class was complete. We had connected during the first week of class when we discovered how much we love dancing. Our instructor invited everyone to come out to Guys bar, and we were the only 3 that went, and we were the only 3 that stayed after.

The moments after class were just magical. This particular morning we had hiked up to a view point in Haad Thien at 6 AM in the morning. Everyone asks what my favourite moment has been while I am out here. And I have to say, my favorite moment is up at this view point, where Kate, Lily and I sat in a circle and said our 3 Om’s while the sun was rising.

This is the view from The Sanctuary where we had our morning coffees and shakes afterwards.

We went for walks on the beach.

We did Yoga before lunch.

We went on nature photo safaris.

We dressed up to go to a birthday party. I LOVE these girls, they are like my sisters and I really felt like I could tell them anything. Thank you for such amazing spiritual connections!

This is what the triple threat birthday party looked like as we were descending the stairs into Wy Nam beach.

This is the dog whisperer who calmed this dog down and kept him from scrapping with the other dogs.

More spectacular views.

Here’s what the party looked like up close. It was absolutely surreal. We were fortunate enough to get in with the local community and they are an amazingly interesting group that everyone is really spiritual, open minded but also crazy party people. I felt like I had met them all before, but I actually haven’t.

Here’s a super sexy photo that Kate took with her portrait lens. We all thought it was really cool and beautiful and romantic. Except they are not a couple.

Time has flown by so fast that I can’t even keep track anymore. In 2 days I am going to meet Seb in Bali, and we will continue the rest of the trip together. I am so ecstatic about this that I have been singing everyday, and I can’t wait to carry on together. I really feel like I am getting the best of both worlds right now.

One word sums up everything for me right now in this moment and that word is this: GRATITUDE.

The day Phyllis stepped on a sea urchin

2010-04-26T08:41:00.001-07:00

Are you ready for the most hilarious story ever? The first day off from yoga training, me and the crew decide to hire a boat to bring us around the island to visit the beaches. Relaxing day on the beach? Think again…

Meet my amazing new friends: Knut and Julie (Austria), Johanna (Texas), Kate (San Diego)

Lily (New York), James (Hong Kong)

After about an hour of shopping for necessities in Thong Sala, we headed to Baan Thai Beach. I had a beautiful massage on the beach for only $5 Canadian. It was the best that I ever had, my body needed it after all that intense yoga training I have been getting. Naturally, I floated in the water afterwards in a blissful state of mind you can ever imagine.

James starts telling me this hilarious story, and he made me laugh in a way that only your gay best friend can make you laugh. I laughed so hard, that I bore my entire weight on a prickly Sea Urchin!

Now I thought I felt the most pain during my Vipassana training but this pain was a million times worse. I was like god that hurts, I hope its not poisonous. I say to James, I’m not feeling so hot, I think I’m going to head back to shore. He takes a look at my leg and he’s like dude, that is not a good sign. He ends up carrying me back to the beach. It was a stinging kind of pain, like your foot is numb from being frozen on a block of ice with an element of extreme pain sensation.

I was immediately encircled by about 20 people on the beach, all of whom had different advice. There was a french dude who insisted that if I pissed on it, that it would go away on its own as he has had it many times. There was the Israeli doctor, and Bangkok med school student who thought the spikes should be removed. There were a total of 13 punctures in my feet.

But my favourite was the little Thai guy that James rustles up from the Thai shop. They show up with a cup full of limes and a little bottle of Jack Daniels. The guy tells me that I should bash the bottle of JD on my foot to improve the blood circulation and then rub the lime all over my feet.

By this time, my eyes have swollen up and I’m like what the F is happening to me? The obvious choice was to start chugging the Jack Daniels.

In the end, the group consensus was for me to pee on my foot. I know, gross right? I hobbled to the washroom with much needed support, and peed into a cup which I proceeded to pour on the bottom of my foot. It actually took away a lot of the stinging. This is like another version of that Friends episode, except with an element of booze and cigarettes.

After that we chilled out and took the boat back to the Haad Yuan beach otherwise known as our temporary home where we met our yoga instructor for Lily’s birthday dinner.

After dinner, Canut, the Austrian guy and his pre-med school girlfriend Julie came to my bungalow to help me take the spikes out of my foot. She carries these sterilized needles around because she performs acupuncture. They hung out for about 2 hours trying to get all the spikes out. They gave up after about 5 because they were so soft and they were already starting to dissolve into my body. Needless to say, I was super enthused that they stopped. You can see from the photos that this was not the most pleasant part of my day.

The upside is that the spines are made up mostly of calcium carbonate so they can be dissolved in the body over time.

At the end of the day it was quite the experience. It’s still painful but I’m free from infection, and the spines are naturally making their way out of my body well with the aid of soaking my foot in the salt water on the beach, hot water and trying to get the spines out with tweezers when they start to come out. It’s like having crazy long splinters stuck in your foot. Electrical shocks sometimes when you’re stepping down.

Finally after one week, of soaking my foot in vinegar, they all came out on their own, and I am now jogging again pain free. yes!

Anyways, aside from that adventure – the yoga course has been amazing. One of the first days of class, there was an all night party going on at Guys Bar – The techno party in the forest on our beach that happens every friday night.

We were invited by Lily, our amazing yoga instructor who invited us to wake up around 6 AM and go for a “morning boogie” because that’s when the best music is playing. Then to go yoga class after at 8:30 AM. We took her advice and it was a blast. If you look closely at the picture below, you will see her dancing.

It was actually really fun. This was the first time I had ever waken up and gone dancing at a crazy party, and also not drank any alcohol because of my yoga class. It was a unique experience, and I just realized you really don’t need to drink in these situations to have fun.

Below are some shots from of the fun stuff we do at yoga boot camp.

Lunch break with the girls, practicing and resting at the Blooming Lotus studio.

This was taken during our Acro-yoga session yesterday. Sebastien, our instructor for the day reminded us to always be playful in our practice which was a brilliant lesson. I was lucky enough to be the one paired up with the dreamy instructor for this.

Life has been amazing on the beach. One night when we were hanging out over dinner, I decided that because there are 15 people in our class, I could make a yoga calendar of all the students with 3 bonus pages for 2011. Lucky me, I get to work on my creativity as a photographer and take pictures of my hot yogi friends on the beach. It is like a dream job! Here is one of my favorite pictures during sunrise taken on the beach of my beautiful friend Alex from Hong Kong. She is this beautiful girl – half german and half philipino.

BEAUTIFUL!

The beautiful temples of Angkor Watt

2010-04-17T21:54:00.000-07:00

Yes! We did it. Somehow Katie and I managed to pull it together and we got everything that we had set out to do on time. After we had left the orphanage we got on a bus to go to Phnom Penh to see the Killing Fields and War museum (Which was really disturbing), then off to Siam Reap where we had allotted 3 days to go see Angkor Watt.

The first couple of days, we rented bikes and did the route on our own. This was a great way to get our exercise but I tell you by the end of the day, we were always wiped! The third day we splurged, and hired a tuk tuk to take us out to the far out destinations that are unreachable by bike.

We woke up at the crack of dawn, and were picked up around 5 AM to get to Angkor for the sunrise. The view was spectacular, and there were even people serving ice coffees, books, etc. to all the tourists there snapping away with their cameras. Yes present company included.

I had a friend tell me not to bother going to the temples in Ayyuthya and Lopburi (Thailand), because I was going to Angkor anyways and all the temples eventually look the same. Thankfully, we ignored his advice. The temples in Angkor are very different from Thailand, as the religion, the building style, everything is different. The temples in Thailand I find very rich, you see elaborate paintings and lots of gold.

In Angkor, the temples are also quite elaborate with many details on the rock carvings, however there weren’t any jewels, or gold or elaborate decorations. Most of the valuables had been stolen, probably as soon as they were discovered. They are also really old, with trees that have grown right through them, their roots destroying the old walls and buildings. And as you can see cows, are free to roam through them.

What I found devastating, was seeing statues that had been defaced by the Khmer Rouge. I can’t believe that people are capable of destroying such important religious artifacts.

I had mentioned to Annette, one of the students in my yoga teacher training class about how I am drawn to the Buddhist teachings that I have been exposed to and surprisingly how they align with my meditation and yoga practice. When I proceeded to tell her, of all the temples I’ve seen in Thailand and Cambodia, she was really surprised. Because she’s been to these places many times, even though she is a Tibetan Buddhist. She said maybe this is your pilgramage. Maybe you are being called to explore your spirituality…

And here, I just thought I was following the must do things in Lonely Planet! Well who knows, it could be my pilgramage, because I am exploring right now, and I love visiting temples.

I am now in my yoga teacher training at The Blooming Lotus in Thailand. And I find myself continuously learning more. I have an amazing teacher, and she actually called me on not acting according to the yogic principles. (Well not individually, but I knew what she was talking about) I write more about that in my next post.

So everyone has their view of Angkor Watt. I fall into the “Love it” category. I could have easily spent 2 weeks there. There is just so much to see, so much history and architecture. I love to imagine how much time it would have taken to build just one of the structures. The best way to see it, is to allow yourself several days, so you can take a day off to see the town every now and again. There were so many breath taking moments that I do feel like I would like to go back again.

Katie and I had a lengthy discussion on what we prefer: Sunrises or Sunsets. We have seen so many together, and the third day of Angkor was no exception. Sunrises are nice because they start the day, the colors are brighter, but Sunsets are still my favorite. I find them more romantic, peaceful, and easier to work into your day. If I was given a choice, Sunsets would win every time!

My experience volunteering at the Cambodian Orphanage

2010-04-04T02:57:00.001-07:00

Wow. How do I even begin to describe my experience at New Futures Organization in Cambodia? Volunteering with orphan children has opened my heart. I have deep admiration and respect for these kids, who have absolutely nothing but they are so cheerful, and they want to share everything they have with you. They are really intelligent and I was continually surprised by them.

When we arrived in Phnom Penh in Cambodia, I was shocked at the overwhelming number of beggars on the street. It was kind of scary, as our bus pulled in, it was surrounded by locals. Everyone wanting something from you, whether it was a tuk tuk driver, children, disabled people, landmine victims. It was overwhelming. I was most shocked by the beggars in the wheel chairs, with disabilities oh and the kids carrying babies around.

In the Lonely Planet it tells you not to carry even a bag around at night because you don’t want to attract negative attention. Cambodia was a place I was considering skipping because I thought it may be too dangerous. And walking around the streets at night, there were definitely times I was worried that something bad might happen.

Having said that, nothing bad happened and we came out safe. When we arrived in Takeo town, which is where the New Futures Organization is located, it was a completely different vibe. The people were super friendly, and they truly want to help you.

When we arrived at New Futures, all the kids came out to greet us. There were 54 of them, all shaking our hands, asking our names, and where we came from. They were so adorable, they didn’t ask us for nothing.

It’s a well run place, and you can tell there has been a lot of love and attention put there. There’s a couple full time workers that cook for the kids, and for the volunteers. There’s a classroom with a chalkboard, and pictures everywhere. There’s tonnes of Lego, toys, a volley ball net, a soccer field. The kids range from 5-19. But the thing is they all look so young. Some of the kids that were 15, seriously looked like they were nine.

These kids have nothing. They are usually there either because they have no parents, or their family can’t afford them. But yet you get there and they are so well adjusted, they’re happy, they’re smiling, they want to share everything with you. The two pictured above were “my girlfriends.” One of them offered me some of her food – crispy rice which I politely declined. But she insisted, please, please eat some. And she was so happy when I took a bite.

We played soccer with all the boys, and I saw the most incredible thing. They were given a tiny little can of some type of sweet drink. They put a little straw in it, and they passed it around and everyone got a sip. There was like 35 of them!

I went to the market and bought them a bunch of Mango and Lychees. And everyone only took one piece and no more. There was a whole bunch left over, and they wouldn’t eat it unless you took it and physically handed it to them.

The orphanage is amazing. They were able to send one of the girls off to University this year which was a proud moment for the orphanage. They are all really good at English, and they have ambitious professional goals. Most of them want to be doctors, teachers, business owners. And when you ask them why, usually its because they want to help people. I thought that when I went there I would be able to teach the kids a lot, but I think at the end of the day, I learnt more from them then I could ever teach them.

One of the little ones, Ty is so adorable. He is the youngest one there. He is really tiny and sweet. He was brought there by the villagers because his mother passed away, and his father was an alcoholic. When they found him, he would pick up garbage off the street and eat it. When he first arrived at the orphanage, he wouldn’t talk to anyone and wouldn’t play with the other kids but after a couple of months, he is the happiest, most social kid you would ever meet.

One of the highlights was when we took a tuk tuk 40 minutes out of town to a village school called little pai. There’s a Cambodian university graduate that teaches a class of about 100 kids of all ages English. And we went there to teach them “Itsy Bitsy Spider.” And they are so eager to learn. Their teacher has amazing crowd control, they are all at attention. You walk in there and they all ask you how you are at the same time. And they sang all the songs they knew to us, from Old Macdonald to Mary had a Little Lamb, and You are my sunshine!

On the day we left, we joined them for their morning exercises which is about 15 minutes of stretching at 5:30 AM in the morning. The girls made me and Katie promise that we would go. We ended up pinky swearing them and of course we had to live up to our promise for our last day. After the exercise, they played music on the loud speakers and we danced and played games. When it was time to go, they all walked us out, gave us big hugs. One of the kids gave me a bright colored bracelet he made which I never take off.

I have to admit I cried when I left. I’m not a cryer, I never really cry over anything. But I was so touched by them. I felt a kind of love towards children that I never had before. It left me with a feeling of wanting to do more. I have the question in my heart, of what can I do for these kids? When I get settled in back home, I may consider sponsering one of them.

Also, one of the things I didn’t expect was my attitude towards having kids myself at some point. I never really thought that I would want to have kids of my own, or that I had the capacity to take care of one. But after this, my perspective is changing. They have so much love to give, and I feel like Sebastien and I could have a lot to offer – whether it be to a child we adopt or decide to have ourselves. I feel it was a major growth experience, and I do intend to go back for a longer duration at some point.

Vietnam: Big city chaos

2010-03-22T08:08:00.000-07:00

When you enter Laos, you breathe a sigh of relief because it is so relaxed. Then you get into Vietnam, and that feeling of anxiety returns with a vengeance. Every time I crossed the street I swear I broke into a cold sweat. The Vietnamese use honking as a defense mechanism, or as it would seem to me for no apparent reason except to warn you they were driving by you. This made for an incessant loud stream of horns.

The Vietnamese do everything really fast which is a sharp contrast to the Thai who do everything “Slowly, Slowly”. Katie and I did a tour of Halong Bay, and they literally are shoving you into the buses, and shaking their head at you if you are a minute late. It took a bit of time for me to adjust to the busyness of Hanoi city.

I do have to say though, that I LOVE the Vietnamese coffee, and the sandwiches. No one makes coffee like the Vietnamese.

The shopping is supposed to be the cheapest too. I was surprised to find knock off Converse for only about $10 CDN in all the trendy colors, boot and leather options. Travelling must really be changing me because I actually didn’t indulge in much except the country patches to sew on my bag, and postcards for family and friends.

Enter one of my new friends, Roel from Rotterdaam. Katie and I hung out with the Dutch people from Holland for a solid four evenings. Every time we said goodbye, we would stay an extra day, or run into them in unusual places. It was a great group connection.

We all even went to see a water puppet show which originated in Vietnam about 1000 years ago. It was a fancy evening set to a live traditional band, and music.

Next we took the bus to Halong Bay where we boarded a boat to tour the unusual lime stone formations. The views are stunning, especially during sunset. Unfortunately I took some amazing photos but they mistakenly got erased because I was impatient and didn’t want to wait for them to download thinking I could do it later …. ah well live and learn!

This was the amazing Vietnamese family on our tour. It was super cute: the two daughters and son touring Vietnam with their mother. Hopefully my dad and sister will come out and meet me in China – it was such a great dynamic!

My next post will be about volunteering in Cambodia. Late January, when I first began my travels, I met Jon a fellow from the U.K. who had just come back from a small town called Takeo.

This orphanage is run by Neville, a guy from the U.K. Originally it was run by a Cambodian family who had told Neville he could volunteer for a couple months there. After 2 months of fundraising, Neville had questioned the family on where all the donations were going because they certainly weren’t going to the kids. After a bit of a fight, the family took off and left Neville with 52 kids, no money and 10 months of rent outstanding.

It’s been 2 years since Neville has taken over and he has made it a beautifully run organization with a steady flow of volunteers from all over the world.

I was inspired by Jon who is so passionate about his work there that he had tears in his eyes as he described the impact to me. He had built a tree house and a playground for these kids and he told me that usually orphans are stigmatized in school. But kids from regular families would start to come over and play at the orphanage offering more integration with the rest of the kids.

Most of the kids there are there because they have no parents, or their parents are too poor to support them.

Needless to say, I was determined to come here. Stay tuned for the next posting which I will use to describe my experience at the New Futures Organization (NFO).

Laos part II – Buddha Park and The Plain of Jars

2010-03-16T18:50:00.001-07:00

There are many words that I can use to describe this trip. But the one sentence that plays over and over in my mind is that this trip is the most humbling experience I have ever had. Third world travelling can be viewed by some as dangerous but it has opened my eyes to how privileged we are to live in North America. There is such a huge disparity in classes out here, and many people do not have access to even the most basic things we take for granted every single day.

These photos are taken at the Patuxay monument which is modelled after the Arc de Triumph in France. It is a must see there because it boasts the most beautiful view of the city.

Our final tourist attraction was Vat Xieng Khuan more commonly known as Buddha Park. This is a lush green park filled with concrete statues. There is one statue of a reclining Buddha which is more than 50 Km long. It was started in 1958’s when Luang Pu who was a yogi/priest/shaman built several huge statues depicting both Buddhist and Hindu figures in an attempt to unite the two religions.

One of the coolest things about the park is the beehive shaped building that depicts the 7 levels from hell to heaven. The stairs are steep, heaven of course is beautiful but some of the statues show dark torture scenes from the afterlife which are truly creepy.

Today we headed into the Xieng Khuang province where every town and village has been bombed between 1964 and 1973. I can’t even describe the feeling of arriving here. Most tourists come through here to see the mysterious Plain of Jars where approximately 2000 year old antique jars are spread across a large geographical area. They range from Khorat Plateau in Thailand in the South through Laos and to the North Cachar Hills in Northern India. The jars appear to be laid in a linear path that was probably a trade route, but their real nature is a mystery… It’s a sharp contrast to Vang Vieng as there are only a handful of tourists here and there’s not much to do in town.

We visited a couple of the UXO centres. UXO stands for unexploded ordnance. They basically explain that between 1964 and 1973, two million tonnes of bombs were dropped on Laos. Around 30% of them had failed to detonate leaving Laos littered with UXO. Seeing the visitor centres was an eye opening experience. When you see how these people live and the atrocities they face everyday, it makes our problems back home seem really trivial.

We read stories of how children find these florescent colored balls, and play with them only to have them explode. Or the farmer who sees something that looks valuable like gold in his paddy field, picks it up and loses both hands. The people are so poor that they even risk their lives taking apart bombs to trade in the scrap metal for about $0.20 a piece. The farmers under produce their crops because they are afraid of having bombs go off in their fields. And this is what keeps Laos one of the least developed countries in the world.

Of all the jars, this is the on jar that has a decoration of a man carved on to it. It is mind blowing to think how the people got these jars here, as they are crazy heavy and in really hilly spots.

The sad part is a lot of the jars have been destroyed in the war, and as you walk through the park you see war trenches that are dug in super deep. There’s not much to see in Phonsavan other than the plain of jars and it was quite out of the way but definitely worth seeing.

The trip out in itself was quite an adventure. It was a whirlwhind tour as our bus broke down and was cancelled at 7 AM in the morning. This was the direct bus to Hanoi which only came once a week, and some of the other travellers waited extra days just to catch this one. We ended up travelling for 24 hours on a regabonde bus which was hounded and had to pay off a motorcycle gang (who was threatening with hand signals they were going to kill the driver if he didn’t pay) and made hardly any stops. However, we met some amazing people who we introduced our drinking games to and bonded with over $0.20 cent beer.

Which brings us to Vietnaam. More on that later!

Laos: Land of a Million Elephants

2010-03-12T03:05:00.000-08:00

Laos is considered one of the most relaxing countries in SE Asia to travel in. It has an old world laid back charm as Laos is less developed than Thailand. the mountains in the North serve as a beautiful backdrop, and the Mekong river flows through the entire length of the country. Sometimes I feel like the Laotians don’t know what to do with the Farang’s (Foreigners). There are not as many local people that speak English as there are in Thailand so it makes communication trickier.

Especially for me, who has been studying the “Lonely Planet – Thai phrasebook.” This trip has made me realize how much I love learning languages. The Thai people are really friendly with me because they always think I’m Thai and try to speak with me in their language. Words can’t describe the feeling you get when you can connect with people who live on the other side of the world. I love Thai people because they love to smile and eat spicy food probably even more than I do!

It has officially been 2 months since I entered Thailand, I know this because my Thai Visa expired after 2 months. Which meant I had to rush to the Laos border to avoid the $500Baht/Day penalty charge. Here’s Katie and I crossing the Mekong River.

I am so thankful that I have met such a great travel buddy and friend. Katie and I work well together because we have complementary strengths. Katie is studying to be a chartered accountant so she is really good with money and also amazing with directions. I am awful with a map so having her around is great. My strength is in schmoozing. I’m great at research and finding out from travellers where the best places to go are. In addition to being safer, we are also able to save money by sharing accommodations.

Luang Prabang is described as a photographers wet dream because of the lush forestry, mountains and beautiful French colonial buildings. The city is not big, and the best way to get around is to rent bicycles to tour the city.

We were able to cover the entire city within an hour. The cool thing about renting bikes was that we could leave the touristy area and truly get a feel for what local life is like as we zipped by them on our crappy bikes. We were told to never put anything in the baskets, as theft is common so that’s why you see us with our bags always slung across our shoulders.

The old quarter has a beautiful collection of French architecture, intricately decorated Buddhist temples and emerald green mountains. It was a 15 hour bus ride to get here from the border city with quite a few toilet stops just on the side of the road. But it was worth it!

I’m not sure if I mentioned that Katie and I have a tradition. Every city we have been together, we spend at least one evening playing a drinking game called Slapjack. Thanks Dad for the teaching me this when I was young. I don’t know if its meant to be a drinking game but it has kept us occupied for many a great night. Here’s us playing with all the people we met on our crazy bus ride.

Since Laos is a Communist country, there is a 11 PM curfew. This means that all the clubs close at 11, and many guest houses lock up at this time. The only place that still serves alcohol is the Bowling Discotheque. It’s filled with drunken tourists but still great fun!

The bowling teams are as follows: Holland Vs. Canada Vs. U.K. Holland kicked Canada’s butt. And Canada beat U.K. purely based on the fact the 2 English dudes were drunk. Go figure!

The next day, we took a 5 hour bus ride to Vang Vieng. This is a small city that travellers either love or hate. I was sceptical at first because I heard how cheesy and touristy it is. Upon arrival I did notice a whole lot of young tourists and it was not until I went tubing (what the city is known for) that I fully understood.

On a hot summer afternoon, thousands of tourists rent tubes and sail down the Nam Song river. This place is like Ibiza in a river. The river is lined with all these bars that serve free shots of Laos whiskey, buckets of booze, chicken sandwiches and some even have drug menus that include hash brownies, joints, and mushroom shakes! Did I mention the rope swings, the slide and the mud volleyball?

We met a couple of promoters from Finland who work the bars. This is the deal for people who love it so much they decide to live there. As long as you’re friendly, speak English and love to party, you can work at one of these bars in town. You don’t actually get paid anything, but they will provide you a place to sleep, feed you, give you free drinks all day, and all you have to do is hang out and talk to people all day. It’s a perfect way for some of the travellers to sustain their party lifestyle.

As for the rope swing, I decided that I had to try at least one. Of course this is after strategizing with others about how not to get hurt. I heard two different opinions going in. One guy had said to me, you have to try it – there is nothing like it back home. It’s the best thing ever. The other guy had said, You really shouldn’t try it – I see people coming out of the water bleeding from the head. So I was very careful. I can’t even describe how great it is, I felt like a kid again. Afterwards, I found out there is actually a death rate associated with the swings. There are about 5 people that die every year, and get air lifted out of the river. But I think those people must have overdid it on the alcohol. Anyways, glad I made it out alive!

We ended the night at the bucket bar where they actually serve free buckets between 8PM-9PM. Well we did go to the market and get some cheap eats from the market Laos style. I tried a dish made out of ant eggs and sticky rice. It sounds disgusting but was actually quite tasty.

Now we are in the capital city of Vientiane. Tonight we are boarding the night train to head into Phonsavan which is where the mysterious Plain of Jars is and after that Vietnam. Will keep you posted on that as well as Buddha Park. Having a great time.

“There’s always room in life for this…”

2010-03-04T04:03:00.000-08:00

Get ready for the biggest blog post ever. I have some catching up to do as there was a bit I left out before the meditation post. Also I’m heading to Laos tomorrow morning so I might as well get caught up.

These photos are taken at Doi Suthep the temple in the sky. I went to check what their Vipassana course was like. But when I got there I was disappointed because it felt really touristy.

It was beautiful but I just didn`t like the energy there. And I wouldn`t have been able to complete the full 10 days because Chinese New Year was right around the corner. It was great to visit though. And although it boasted some beautiful sunset shots, we were disappointed to find the temple blocked the view.

The sky was still beautiful though. It`s just that by this point we had seen so many temples we were pretty much `watted out.`

I was fortunate enough to watch Muay Thai kickboxing while we were in Chang Mai. Some of the backpackers we met were heading there, and although it`s something I personally probably would not have planned to go to, I was really happy I did. It is one of those things that just gets your adrenaline pumping!

It`s an event that draws just as many locals as it does tourists. Also I should mention here that I also had a chance to watch a Ladyboy pageant in Pai!

Here`s a photo of a Canadian fightingCanadian battling a Thai man. Sadly he lost based on points. He was much bigger and threw some mean punches and kicks. We were all cheering for him but ah well you win some, you lose some!

And the maximum number of people we have ever fit into a Tuk Tuk…. our personal record is – count them – 6!

After I had completed the Vipassana meditation, I met up with Katie in Pai. Pai is a small town of 3,000 people. It is basically on the hippie trail so when you get there, there are tonnes of healthy organic food options, and gourmet coffee to be found everywhere.

Our only escape from the heat midday was a wonderful place called Fluid Lounge. A place with great food, a cool swimming pool and amazing food.

Here`s the crew that Katie had met during my 10 day meditation. It`s a really nice group of people from Australia, the U.K., and Sweden.

Pai is known for it`s easy days and crazy nights. It`s a place where you run into everyone you know, and everyone you meet on the street at some point. One of my favorite towns so far!

Pai is also a town that is known for it`s beauty and charm. It`s a place where the farang and the locals are all super laid back and really friendly. I fell in love with Pai very easily!

Wokking with Tee!

Lucky for me, Katie didn`t do any of the things we planned on doing together during the past ten days. So we were able to get back on track with our travel plans. Here we are making fresh curry paste from scratch.

One of the best parts though was being able to invite all our friends to come join us for dinner after. And Tee was this cool Thai hippie, who provided all the Thai Whiskey for the night. I think we all left there a little tipsy!

There were a lot of breaks, and we were advised to do everything `Slowly, Slowly`. And intermittently he would yell `Taste!` It was just my style to learn how to cook.

The next day we went on a beautiful 2 day jungle trek. You have to burn off the calories some how, right

I am a sucker for sunsets. And this was the gorgeous pristine view from the bamboo hut where we stayed the night after hiking and swimming in a beautiful water fall. After our swim, our guides made us bamboo tea, which we drank out of cups made out of a bamboo chute.

This is where we slept. A one room bamboo hut with a family from the Karin tribe. The floor was really hard, and it was cold during the night. But we were kept warm by a blazing fire lit in the living room.

We were lucky to get to visit the different hill tribes in their natural environment. There was no scheduled song or dance, or anyone trying to sell us anything. It illustrates such a simple yet peaceful way of life.

And then we hitchhiked home!

This is the friendly visitor I found in my hair over breakfast this morning. I thought the lime green was a nice contrast to the fuschia purple.

The White temple in Chang Rai. This is the modern day temple set to be completed in 2070. It`s a contemporary work of art which encompasses sculpture and current figures in some of the murals. In the temple, there are scenes of Nirvana, and if you look carefully you can make out Spiderman, Superman, and my favorite Keanu Reeves depicted as Neo from the Matrix.

You can see the sharks that swim in the moat by the temple!

This is my favorite part of the temple. these hands depict human suffering and anguish. The physical attachments that keep us in pain. The only way to let go of physical suffering is through meditation and it is only through our separation of this that we can reach the state of Nirvana.

And no smoking! Smoking is the devil! It`s considered a burdensome habit that everyone should be rid of and it is not at all conducive to meditation. Actually I read an interesting fact at the Hilltribe cultural museum today. Smoking actually causes more deaths than drugs do. More people die from smoking cigarettes than they do from drugs on an annual basis. Smoking is more culturally acceptable because a) it`s legal and b) people that smoke are not considered a `hindrance on society`. Just a little food for thought!

10 Days of Vipassana

2010-02-26T23:49:00.001-08:00

“It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.” Buddha

Blog… I have neglected you. But not because I have no interest in you, it’s because I have been living in a monastery for the past ten days. I was finally able to get through to a meditation centre and the monk had asked me to be at the http://www.watrampoeng.com/ by 10 AM the next day.

I was ecstatic because I have been looking forward to this meditation for a while. However, it meant I had to rush around to pick up white underwear, and send out emails to let my dad and Sebastien know I was going to be disappearing for ten days.

The mediation practice was amazing. On this trip I have visited many temples. But never have I been able to experience one the way I experienced this one. I was able to spend a lot of time meditating in front of the beautiful Buddhist statues, and in the temples. Also, every morning, I had the opportunity to eat breakfast with the monks. It was amazing to participate in the ceremonies, the singing and the chanting before every meal.

For me, the experience at Wat Rampoeng was the most humbling experience I have ever encountered. It was the most physically and mentally challenging ten days I have ever endured. In order to participate you have to exercise a lot of discipline.

Within 2 days, 2 of the guys in my group had dropped out. One couldn’t handle not talking and the other couldn’t get over his restlessness.

I have to confess that the thought of leaving the temple had crossed my mind many times. Especially on day 6 where I had experienced the most intense stomach pains. They say it’s a physical cleansing of the impurities in your system. Also, a reminder of how impermanent life is. The whole day I couldn’t stop thinking about how I am going to complete my set number of meditation hours while I was laying in bed.

The rewards are there. I don’t even know if I can explain it and do the practice justice. But I will try. Through Vipassana, I was able to gain mental clarity and alertness. Meditation in the morning woke me up more than a cup of coffee would. Also, it was great practice to let go of attachment to physical things. (I.e.. Makeup, Coffee, Alcohol, music, cell phones, computers, etc.) The point is to alleviate ourselves from the mental sufferings we put on ourselves.

Even jealousies for example. During your stay there, you are not supposed to look at anyone, or make eye contact, or wear make-up. The reason for this is so that you don’t look at someone, and start wanting things that they have.

One of the biggest things I was able to let go of though was expectations of others. I’ve read many times that in order to fully be happy you have to be able to not expect anything from other people. That way, when your mood is not affected by the way other people treat you. But I’ve never fully been able to understand or practice that. After ten days here, I can really grasp what that means. And I think so far, I have been able to practice not having attachments physically or mentally to others.

During one of the first few days at the temple, I had mentioned to the monk that I was experiencing pain in my leg from meditating. They said “Good, you can experience what it is like to be old before being old.” Why on earth would anyone want to experience being old? Further into my practice, the pain did subside quite a bit, and I started to notice the separation. My mind could be happy, while my body was in pain. And then, when there wasn’t pain, I would start to crave it. My mind would say I’m ready for this challenge … where is the pain? The monks said that this is a good thing, may your mind always be happy no matter what your physical condition.

Another thing I noticed about myself was not being in the present moment. We were to alternate between two different meditations: sitting and walking. Whenever I was sitting, I would think about walking, and vice versa. But when I was able to fully be in the moment, my meditation was much stronger. And I think that applies to me in regular life. It’s important to just enjoy yourself instead of always thinking about the next step.

This was just a quick summary of my experience in Vipassana. I would recommend it to anyone who is up for a challenge. It has only been a few days since I’ve left so I’m sure there is still a lot to process. Before going in though, I had felt myself going into a pattern of drinking with backpackers, and smoking a lot. I felt the need to break that pattern, and since coming out of Vipassana, I have not had a drink, a smoke, or a coffee. And I have been practicing meditation every morning. Hopefully I will be able to keep it up. I felt it was important to get my trip back on track and realign it with it’s purpose which was spirituality.

I really enjoyed the spiritual teachings while I was there. We were lucky to be there during Buddha day. During Buddha day, everyone buys lotus flowers, candles and incense. We take part in a lecture, then we walk around the stupa three times making wishes for the upcoming year.

During the lecture, the monk had translated some of the teachings into english. He had said that the basic principles of Buddhism are:

To do Good and not do Evil
Meditate on a regular basis because it makes you a better person
Donate money to good people. Not to poor people or rich people but people who need the money and are good.

At the end of the ten days, the monk had asked me “Why don’t you stay? You can stay for the 26 day program…” It was really kind of him to stay but I felt pretty maxed out by the tenth day. Not to say that I won’t do the 26 day eventually, but for now I need to get back on the trip.

This is Natalie, a Londoner I met after the meditation. It’s amazing to connect with people and share the experiences you have. Because you see each other every day for ten days but you don’t have the experience to talk to them. Natalie and I ended up bonding over a healthy organic lunch, and then we pampered ourselves with a Thai massage (Did I ever need it!) and a pedicure. Then after one day, Natalie headed back to the temple for another ten days! I have so much respect for someone who can do that. ~

Sunsets in Ayutthaya…

2010-02-11T08:07:00.001-08:00

Lopburi is a town known for being over run by monkeys. And it really is true. The monkeys are everywhere, even when you are crossing the street – they are just running wild. We had the chance to visit a monkey temple where you are allowed to feed them sunflower seeds. They are just so adorable!

This is one of the newborn baby monkeys. The mom had it’s hand around his little tail the whole time just to make sure he didn’t run away.

This shot is taken at Watt Chai Wattanaram which is in Ayutthaya. This has been my favourite place to watch the sunset so far. The traditional Thai way to enjoy a Buddhist statue is to place it outside where it can be seen from every angle. This makes for some beautiful views and great photo opps!

After a while, Katie and I got “watted out” and we needed a break from the temples. So we rented a motorbike, and cruised out to a local hot spot and chilled by the lake. they have all these bamboo huts where they will also serve you amazing food for really cheap! It takes a while to get used to, as the Thais are conservative in their beach wear. I have not seen on Thai person wear a bikini and it is not uncommon for them to swim in a t-shirt and even jeans. Katie and I decided not to rock the boat by keeping our tank tops on!

Right now we are in Chiang Mai. I have been trying to get into a 10 day Vipassana meditation and it hasn’t been very easy. The course in Kachaniburi was full, as was the course in Phitsanulok. Today I went to a temple at Doi Suthep which sounded really cool on paper, but it just didn’t feel like the right energy for me. It was really busy with tourist traffic, the dates didn’t match my plan and it was more of a one on one meditation which I wasn’t prepared for.

Anyway, I haven’t given up yet. Wish me luck!

I heart Kanchanaburi

2010-02-06T19:55:00.001-08:00

Kwai River Bridge

So I stumbled upon this small town west of Bangkok that has a population of 61,000. I was excited about attending the Vipassana meditation but when I got here I was disappointed to find that the course was full. But then I met all these awesome locals, my new travelling partner and more wicked people. I had planned on staying only 3 days but ended up staying for over a week and it has been the highlight of my solo journey so far.

Road Trip to The Erawan Waterfalls

Carrie and Andy from somewhere close to London

Me posing on Day’s Bike

Erwan Waterfalls – 7 Levels

Dinner at Smile Guest House

Day ended up cooking us a nice meal at his guest house.

I ended up staying here for a few days and it was just

a wicked experience. Most of these people knew each other from volunteering at a school in Mae Sot up North. I met Jon (London) on the far right on the bus in from Bangkok, and he introduced me to Day who volunteered with him in Mae Sot.

Drinks at Sugar Bar with Day and the Canadians

Meet Katie, my new travel buddy from Nanaimo, B.C.!

Volunteering at the Elephant Sanctuary

Rocky Ride Down

It was the guys’ jobs to hack down banana leaves…

And our job to carry them back to the truck

It takes one full truck load to feed the pack of elephants.

These elephants are rescue elephants. They basically were beggar elephants who worked the streets and worked by being forced to give tourists rides. They were confiscated by the police and placed here – Elephant World – which is a volunteer run organization.

Everyone`s favourite

One of the elephants is pregnant and she`s

due in February. You can actually feel the baby elephant move around when you touch the stomach. I`m really hoping to go back to see it when it`s born in a month or two…

The girls before our dip with the elephants

One of the best parts – the cool down!

The Floating Market

2010-02-01T19:55:00.001-08:00

First Stop: The “Coconut Factory”

So I decided to book a solo tour to Damnoen Saduak Floating Market which is about an hour and a half drive outside of Bangkok. The Lonely Planet tells you that you should go and stay overnight, to catch the real authentic market at 6 AM in the market but after 5-6 days in Bangkok, I was already pretty shopped out. I only really wanted to go for the photo opps and the 2 hours was enough for me. They do end up selling all the same touristy souvenirs anyway…

Japanese Girls at the market

Amazing Food

The Vendors

Snake Charmer

Me and my new Israeli Friends

All in all I have to say I am having a wonderful time. It took a little bit to transition me out of the shell I had when I was initially travelling alone. But I met a few really cool people and have felt really safe.

XX and The Temple

2010-01-28T03:51:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to share that the soundtrack to my trip so far has been The XX. They’re from London and what I would classify as Moby meets indie. Thumbs up to Carli for recommending them, as well as the Floating market. And an extra thumbs down to Cindy for recommending the Ping Pong show. Although I’m sure Sebastien loves you for it!

Here’s a photo of the washroom in Secret Garden off Khao San. It has a minimal style which I really like and is hard to find in Thailand. Well for my budget anyways.

One of my favorite things to do lately is to find a quiet place in a corner somewhere to study my camera functions and take practice shots. This is at Starbucks where I’m practicing the self timer function.

More of my Starbucks shots.

Thai people are so friendly. They will so willingly pose for your photos. This guy was selling faux tattoo arm sleeves. Tattoo culture is pretty big out here in Thailand. However, the traditional thai women will not get them unless they are street workers.

This is my friend Paulo. He is a photographer/D.J./ Promoter. We had a lovely photo date, as he took me through local Thailand. We went to the temple, the night market, and then believe it or not the German Beer Garden where the locals hang out.

Two of my favorite temple shots so far. I especially like the two of the monks. Interesting tidbit about monks – is that they are not allowed to touch women. So in Bangkok you have to take special care not to accidently touch them. The monk that did Angelina Jolie’s tattoo is actually not a practicing monk anymore which is why he was able to tattoo her. He now no longer tattoos people anymore but has 4 apprentices that work under him.

Here’s a shot taken with Paolo’s wide angle lens. Which I liked using a lot. It’s too bad that it is just a little bit blurry. Funny thing about temples is that if you are Thai you get to access the temples for free but if you are a tourist you have to pay. Because I look enough like a Thai, I was able to enter this one for free and I was with a local. I did go to see the reclining buddha today, but for some reason, I felt wrong cheating the system….

I have no idea what this beautiful lit up structure is. I think it’s the grand palace. But this was the view from where we went for drinks.

Here’s Paulo with 2 vinyls he bought from the market.

This I found particularly funny. You know you are in an Asian bar when … There is a sink for vomitting. With a flush and everything!

The cool thing about this beer garden we went to was that they served beer by the litre. Good german beer by the way but also the live traditional thai acts performed on stage.

Here’s the dance floor. All Thais!

Here’s a tattoo artist close to my hotel who took off his shirt for my photograph while he was smoking without me even asking.

Very cool!

happy begending

2010-01-24T07:50:00.001-08:00

So my travels with Sebastien and I’s trip as a unit are over, and the beginning of my solo trip has begun. I am just overcome with gratitude that Seb is so supportive. I cherish our time together, and am so glad we had the opportunity to create those special moments together. If anything this experience has unveiled that we worry about so many trivial things on a day to day basis.

The above photos were taken at Fotofile by the owner of the photo shop in MBK – Thailand’s renowned shopping centre. The selection was dazzling, if you go, you must be prepared to commit to spending time there.

Did I mention that I had lost my brand new camera that I had bought on this trip? It was an Olympus Tough 4000, basically an amazing camera that will survive anything and everything… except getting lost! But you know it was a blessing in disguise – I ended up purchasing a camera that I am so in love with the Canon 1000D. It’s so light that it weighs about 1.3 lbs, so it’s easy to carry. I basically devoured the manual today. You may be seeing some difference in the photos posted here.

Places Phyllis stays at when she’s travelling with Sebastien

Here’s the view from the hotel we stayed at for our last night – The Sakurn Grace which is in the Sukamwit. It was a splurge, but totally worth it. It’s a boutique hotel, with a pool, a gym and hot water. It’s far from the backpacking area, but we chose it because it was close to the mall.

The only gym I’ve been to since I arrived in Thailand. Working out on the top of a building is underrated.

Places Phyllis stays when she’s travelling alone

This is the place I checked into after Sebastien left!

Welcome to my humble abode. This is the Taewez House, a nice clean guest house just a fifteen minute walk away from Kho Saon and they even have free wi fi! The only problem is that the cab drivers usually have no idea where it is, so we spend time calling the front desk, even though there’s a map on the back of the card I always carry. The bonus though is that it only costs $250 THB which is the equivalent of about $8.

I spent most of my first day alone, and settling in. At night, I met up with a friend, Joeki who was introduced to me via facebook friend suggestion (go figure) through my buddy, Steve G. We hit up club 808, and I actually got to see Diplo play a wicked set well minus the hip hop.

Street Graffiti on my walk to Khao San Road.

Workers walking on little pipes and ledges to get around the building.

Tuk Tuk’s and Taxi’s

I love used bookstores. The more cluttered they are, the more treasures they usually have. I have been having the most difficult time tracking down the suggested reading for my teacher training. I’ve been to at least ten bookstores, new and used, and I got nuthin’. I guess Yoga is not a huge topic of interest in these parts.

Today I finally got myself to go down and get me a visa to enter Vietnam. For some reason, I am getting antsy to leave the busyness and chaos that is Bangkok. And then when I got to the Visa, I was kicking myself – damn it – I have to wait 3 business days? But I want to leave now!

Anyway, it was alright – I made a new friend who is staying at the Secret Garden. Aba is a 56 year old Israeli guy who is well connected with the guest house. He has been travelling for over 20 years, and he had all kinds of fabulous advice for a newbie like me. I am seriously considering moving over to the Secret Garden, it’s a really cool spot with tonnes of great chill areas.

Safari Boat – One day trip in paradise

2010-01-22T22:45:00.001-08:00

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We decided to break up our routine of lazing about the beach by actually getting out and seeing something. So we decided to join this tour: Safari "Not a boat at all!" Tour

It was a rocky start since it has been raining the past couple of days making it really hard to leave Haad Yuan. We had to wake up at 7:00 AM to catch a long tail taxi boat, but there was no one leaving from the Peace & Love bar. The driver there had hurt his hand in the rocky currents. We ended up having to ask a few people, and made it just in time for our departure but at a premium price.

By chance, we happened to stumble upon this hotel that does travel tours out of Haad Drin. The ticket price for the tour was $1,200 Thai Baht, but because we booked through this fancy hotel at the end of the beach we were able to save $200 Baht each.

We started at the elephant camp where we fed the elephants bananas, and watched them smash coconuts.

Fun Facts about Elephants:

Recognize their name when called
Sharpen their own tusks
Find sharp sticks or rocks to scratch themselves when they’re itchy – they’re pretty thick skinned
Can live up to 120 years
Recognize their trainers
Eat 3 kilos a day
Fully grown weigh 2 tonnes – the equivalent of 2 pick up trucks

Then we saw how the Thais collect coconuts. The most efficient way for them is to use monkeys. These monkeys they send off to a “monkey school” when they are young because they are the most agile. They are trained to climb the coconut trees, collect them and throw them down. They are able to collect like 300 coconuts in 4 hours. And they can jump down, which makes them so much more efficient than humans. The funny thing though is that they don’t even eat coconuts. All they eat there is boiled eggs and rice.

They are ferocious though, the only person that can come close to them is their trainer. They said that they can train them to be nice, but then they won’t want to work anymore. Once they are past the first ten years of their life, they will go off to work doing tricks and such.

After that we hiked up the mountain to visit the waterfall, and the tourist view point. It was really nice and we got to meet other travellers from the States, Denmark and Rotterdaam. What a strange assortment of people.

We visited some really gorgeous beaches, and then went to the Chinese temple – Chaloklum. It’s a cool story, the temple was commissioned for them by this Chinese woman.

The Thai’s believe that there are only four necessities of life:

1) Food to Eat

2) Clothes to wear

3) Medicine when you get sick

4) Phone to call

Our guide explained that sometimes when you life a simpler life you are more happy. That sometimes people living in the city get caught up in work, and that they will step on other people to get ahead and that’s not right. That it’s not necessary to always want better, nicer things, smarter cell phones or cameras. Because you are always caught up wanting more.

I wanted to share that with you because I thought it was pretty cool and it left me feeling pretty peaceful.

More Photos

2010-01-16T00:52:00.001-08:00

Here’s us with our friends Patrick and Roxanne. Patrick is one of Sebastien’s best friend and we’re at Bamboo before a crazy night of partying at Guy’s Bar.

This is me during our hike to the neighbouring beach – Haad Tien.

The sky looks so incredible in the morning.

Here we are drinking Happy Shakes with our friends Tom and Maria from Ireland at Eden.

Seb goofing around. District 9 in Thailand!

Waiting for our Long Tail boat to take us to Haad Drin.

Sun Salutation!

Until next time!

Big Bird and The Eclipse

2010-01-16T00:28:00.000-08:00

Today we had a friendly visitor in the form of a large black exotic bird from the rainforest. According to the friendly staff at Big Blue, which is where we are staying, this bird never comes to this part of the island. They speculate that it must be sick or lost or abandoned. But it is so beautiful and so friendly and not at all afraid of people.

The restaurant staff have been feeding it papaya, and the bird tried to pass me a piece in with it’s large beak.

This is the same day, we were lucky enough to see an eclipse in the middle of the afternoon. The bungalow owners brought out what looked like a welding mask so that we could see it, and it was just incredible!

The view from our bungalows is just lovely. Here is a shot of Sebastien helping the locals push a boat back to shore early in the morning. The sky looks incredible, and the weather is so warm.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention we also have these amazing tropical birds, and even bunny rabbits at The Big Blue. They are so friendly, and every morning I see these gorgeous butterflies with beautiful colorings I’ve never seen before.

Please bear with me, as I am still figuring out how to blog.

There’s so much that happens everyday that I could go on forever!

Welcome to Paradise!

2010-01-10T23:51:00.003-08:00

It didn't take me and Seb long to settle in here. We are situated on a lovely beach called Haad Yuan, and we couldn't have chosen a better spot. This secluded beach has a steady flow of interesting, spiritual travellers coming through mostly due to the health spa - The Sanctuary, and the Blooming Lotus studio. The laws are lax here, because it takes a boat to get the police here, and apparently they don't come down this route much. In fact I haven't seen one cop down here yet.

The oceans are turquoise, and the music is amazing. The people are really friendly, and Seb and I have met a wicked couple from Ireland who just may be my travel companions to Laos, vietnam and cambodia. We are the only Canadians here, and a lot of the travellers we've met have been coming here for years!

The night that we landed there was a huge gay wedding going at at the Sanctuary. These guys had a huge Vegas style wedding with everyone decked out in neon colors, sparkles, glitter and gorgeous accoutrements. We went to check it out, and they had a d.j. playing, with a dance stage right on the beach. It reminded us of one of the beach stages at Soundwave last summer.

The music was bumpin'. Then we met this dude who made us promise to go to Geys Bar. He was wearing these awesome glittery red pants - and so of course we trek through the forest about ten minutes to get there, and it was a full on club night. Usually the beach is a lot quieter than it was when we arrived. But because of the wedding, it had a surreal atmosphere. Needless to say - it was such a blast.

Settled in Koh Phangnan

2010-01-09T04:21:00.000-08:00

I can finally say that the fun part of the travellers holiday has begun!
Sebastien and I had a really rocky start at the beginning of our trip. In four words: major Chinese Visa issues. Because we were flying into Shanghai, we are allowed a 48 hour tourist visa upon arrival. But we had a 3 hour layover in Beijing here the rules are different - you are only allowed a 24 hour tourist visa here. And because we passed through here, this is where our time count down began.

To make a long story short, we were held at customs for 2 hours, not understanding a word of he language and under the threat of deportation back to Canada! Finally it got straightened out by Air Canada, who changed our flights so we would be out of the county within 24 hours which meant cutting our trip to Shanghai and our visit with my cousin Derek super short.

But oh no, this is not the end of it. We had to board the 6:30 flight that evening in order to catch all our connector flights, and all the flights leaving Beijing that day were cancelled due to a huge snow storm. The biggest one in ten decades! Because of this storm, there was a train that was trapped in the snow for like 12 hours and had to be dug out. The airport was mad chaos and we were stuck in the middle of it with the fear of chinese government looming over our heads.

The line ups were crazy, did you know that queuing is a fairly new concept in China? We were in lineups of 100 people plus, and at the end of each one we were prety much directed to another one. From 6:30 PM - 1:30 in the morning we were in lineups to change our ticket, find our lost bag, get put up in a hotel, etc. etc.

Finally they put us up in a fairly decent 3 star hotel, which as great because we really hadn't slept much on New Years, and the overnight flight. But part of the line up went outside where we had to wait for about an hour in -20 degree weather!

Everything ended up fine, and thankfully we didn't get deported!

We had a great visit with my cousin in Shanghai. He took really good care of us, he partly owns a New York Deli in Pudong, and it was this huge new business with pool tables, full bar, flat screen t.v. This is where we decompressed and made our own sandwiches. He was nice enough to come pick us up in a taxi, and have us crash at his place. Too bad it was so short!

Finally we are here in a beach/ yoga town where I am planning on taking my yoga course at The Blooming Lotus. It is so beautiful here, it's like a traveller's paradise. Going to Thailand is definitely a culinary experience, there isn't one thing I've eaten here that I haven't liked. We are staying in a beachside bungalow called the Barcelona for the equivalent of $15 a night, and tommorrow we are moving into an even cuter one called the big blue for $10.

No complaints here. White sand beaches, turquoise water, and the friendliest people you will ever meet!

Hope everyone is doing well - pictures to follow soon I promise!

Love for Photography

2009-12-14T21:58:00.001-08:00

Last month, I started taking photography classes and I have been creatively inspired by two people and their passion for photography. Amie Stafford http://www.amiestafford.com and Cam Bowman http://cbowmanphoto.zenfolio.com/. I quickly realized how easy it is to become immersed in this expensive hobby and how fast time flies when you get into it. Hopefully it will make a difference in the photos you see here.

Here's a photo I took of a sandwich board I got such a kick out of on Main Street. It's simply a crude drawing of a bear with one side saying

FREE

and the other side saying

PUNCH

I can't say why I was so amused by it. Possibly because it was so random, and adorably cute.

Neverending Travel Checklist

2009-12-10T21:26:00.000-08:00

The planning behind this trip can be daunting. Today I feel good about making a dent on the seemingly neverending list of tasks.

Get photos taken for Chinese Visa Application (pictured above)- check.

Set up skype account www.skype.com - check.
I am super stoked about being able to chat with friends via video for free! This may date me but my first memory of video chatting was from watching The Jetsons! And I never thought it would be possible.

Set up appointment with financial advisor. My email went something like this
"Yay my ticket is booked! You're not going to like this but ...." check and check.

Anyway enough with the mundane tasks. Tonight I'm off to see my man, DJ Ceebas play at the local radio station (102.7 FM) between 12-2 AM in case you want to listen in. It sounds pretty amazing so far and I'm so proud of him.
www.theartofbeatz.org

7 Wonders surprisingly not 7 at all!

2009-12-08T23:33:00.000-08:00

Visiting the Seven Wonders has been on my "to do" list for the past couple years. But after taking a closer look this is harder to accomplish then it looks. Seven wonders, how hard can that be?

The lists are as follows:
1. 7 Wonders of the Ancient World (The only one that still exists is the Great Pyramid of Giza)
2. 7 Wonders of the Medieval World
3. U.S.A. Today's 7 Wonders
4. 7 Natural Wonders of the World
5. 7 Wonders of the Underwater World
6. 7 Wonders of the Industrial World
7. 7 Wonders of the Modern World

Interesting - I have 7 lists of 7 Wonders... making approximately 49 Wonders.

What's a girl to do but take it one wonder at a time?

Inspiration

2009-12-04T20:21:00.000-08:00

You should see the number of different reactions I get when I tell people I am going to Asia for about a year. I have experienced the everything from "Woo Hoo! This is exactly what you've always wanted!" to "What is Sebastien going to say? He must be crazy to 'let' you go on your own for such a long time!"

And of course there is dear old dad. "Thailand? I am not comfortable with you going there by yourself, what if something were to happen? China would be much safer... Why don't you go to China instead? He then proceeded to tell me that basically Thailand is the axis of evil, and Bangkok is the home of many trannies (in Cantonese the direct translation is "human freaks"), and that many tourists are vulnerable to murder, rape, and scams.

While there is truth (exagerrated or not) little does he know that the Thais generally blame the Chinese for bringing prostitution to Thailand, and that Ethnic Chinese still control most of the trade... Not that that will console my dear dad much. And all these things also do exist in China.

My desire to travel to Thailand/Asia is deep routed, and inspired from many things spanning a period of over 10 years. I will state them in point form:

1) Scene from Dazed and Confused when random stoner starts rambling about how Thailand, how great the beaches are and how you can live off a dollar a day. You know which scene I mean. For some reason, that scene had a profound effect on me.

2) The Beach (Novel, Movie & Soundtrack) - Remember that romantic scene when the phosphorence is out, and everyone from the secret beach goes out swimming in the middle of the night and it is oh so magical? *sigh*

3) Friend's Travel Albums & D.V.D.s (Mostly you Patrick!)

4) My junior high grade nine project on China which consisted of me obtaining travel brochures of China, of The Great Wall and China's Terra Cotta Warriors and glue sticking them into a "report".

While I really wish that Sebastien could come along with me for the whole trip, it's unfortunate he has his own professional obligations. I would love for him to come, he is an excellent travel partner and my best friend. We have had some pretty epic travel experiences together during our relationship. But having said that, everyone must walk their own path. This trip for me is one of personal, spiritual discovery and I think this is the way it is supposed to be. And he is flying in with me, and will be meeting me in various locations.

This was something I had wanted to do for many years, and has been on the back of my mind for as long as I can remember. This was something we had planned to do together as young backpackers from the benches of Paris, and I had come to realize that I need to do it period.

Another thing I didn't mention above was this emptiness I was feeling, this emptiness that came out of nowhere. And I've come to realize it was because my happiness was dependent on material things.

I am such a goal oriented person that it went a little like this. I am going to be so happy when I graduate school. Done. Now What? I am going to be so happy when I get my first job. Job sucks, okay now what? Then I started working at what I had considered to be my dream job. I was working as a sales rep in the fashion industry which was something I had wanted to do since my humble beginnings in retail.

And I caught myself... what is this emptiness? Why? How is this void going to be filled? Will it be filled by getting married? Buying my first place? Buying a nicer car?

And the answer was ... NO! I have delayed my travels for this, and once these other things start happening I am going to miss my chance at extended travel while I am young. Some people don't understand why I am putting my career on hold, but I know that this is something I have to do. A few months ago, I would catch myself thinking, maybe it would be so much easier if I just stayed put, and continued my life as is and this desire to travel will go away. But I know that if I didn't make it happen, it wouldn't happen and I would feel resentful and mad at myself. And no, it wouldn't be easier, because this trip that never happened would always be in the back of my head.

So there you have it - my inspiration - the long version - to booking my one-way ticket to Bangkok.

Departure Date: January 2nd, 2010