January 21, 2014: Stepping into the Unknown

“The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.”

Buying a one way ticket to anywhere always brings anticipation and excitement, especially when it's on the other side of the world. My boyfriend and I decided we wanted to spend the majority of this year traveling through South East Asia, so we bought one way tickets leaving from Honolulu, HI to Bangkok, Thailand for January 21, 2014. We flew with no plans on when we were to come back. Stepping onto the Delta Airways, I knew my life was going to change forever, and I could not have been more excited. I know my life is destined for adventure and travel, that's why when my boyfriend and I first started dating, I knew it was something special since he felt that way too. We have many plans to travel together and after spending a year traveling with him, I know we are going to have many successful travel adventures. Upon arriving in Bangkok at midnight, we quickly grabbed a taxi and went to our hotel we had booked. This was the only night we had planned getting onto our flight, because we wanted to leave it up to spontaneity on where to go next. We got our hotel on Koh San Road late in the evening, after very obviously being ripped off by our taxi driver.

The craziness that ensued at this hour was unbelievable, but I did not have the energy or mental capacity to even try to understand it. We searched for our hotel, found it, walked into our room and immediately noticed it smelled like a sewer system had exploded in it. But again I was too tired to even think about changing rooms or hotels. We hit the beds and next thing I knew was awoken by construction at about 7:30 am. Andy and I woke up looked at each other and said "Let's get out of Bangkok today." We knew Bangkok did not have much to offer us, since it's just a big crazy city and we wanted to be closer to nature and the truth of Thailand. After some discussion with locals and travel agencies, we decided to go to Chiang Mai, in the northern part of Thailand. We both felt confident in this decision. Knowing we would have an amazing time up there. We had a two weeks before our flight to Bali, Indonesia. The overnight bus we booked did not leave until the evening so we decided to adventure around Bangkok for the day and we able to see some great sights.

 

Finally, we took a taxi to the Bangkok Northern Bus Terminal and loaded our bags. While waiting to get on the bus, we met two nice couples and chatted up about our plans in Thailand. Little did we know how amazing Chiang Mai was and how it was going to impact our lives....There is more to come.

What Animals Can Teach Us

“If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans.” 

This week, I have been surrounded by loving animals. My boyfriend Andy's mom has three dogs and some horses. Yesterday, she took me horse-back riding. The connection I was able to feel from riding a gentle horse was amazing. As we rode through the beautiful landscape, I begin to go inward and discover what this horse I was riding on could teach me about my own life. I know I am going through a transition in my life, after spending a year abroad and then coming back into the states, I am given an opportunity to decide what I want in life. So as I rode this beautiful horse named Faith (which I found to be a perfect name for me), I realized the grace, patience, and self confidence that a horse possesses. You can learn through horse how to find more simplicity in your life. Simplicity brings joy, love and presence into our lives. How can you make your life more simple? 

This week I have been focusing also on grounding myself. Being around three loving dogs have helped with this process. There are so many things that dogs can teach us about life. One being, we can always overcome fear with love. Love is all that dogs know besides eating, sleeping, and running around. They just want love in every aspect of their lives. Shouldn't we focus on the same? I also love how expressive dogs are, they jump for joy when they feel it and they play EVERYday, we can too! Dogs are loyal and dependable which is something we should strive to be in our loving relationships with people. A health lesson I have learned from dogs as well is drink lots of water. Dogs love water....I love water. Water is truly the essence of life. 

I urge everyone to spend time with animals as often as they can. They can truly teach us such simple but important lessons about our lives. 

Finding Presence

"Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin." Mother Theresa.

It's 5 am and I am awake. Wide awake. It's been 5 days since I returned from traveling in Asia for a year. I have been waking up each morning at around this time because I am feeling the effects of jet lag. It's amazing though, I have found this quiet solitude in the early mornings. I know eventually my sleep cycle will go back to normal, but while it's like this, I will enjoy the early dark mornings. It has given me time to be quiet and reflect upon my experiences while traveling. I arrived back into America, flying into LAX, on Oct 2, and I was so happy to see my Dad and Sister as I walked out of the airport. It's amazing how no matter how long its been, it's always so comfortable to see the people who mean the most to you. As I walked the frigid halls of the airport, I felt the anxiousness in my stomach. I thought, "This is it, I have closed a chapter in my life and I am moving onto the next, but I could not be more excited about the future.." Since I have arrived back in California, I am finding myself so focused on the present. The smell of the air, the breeze in the wind, the sound of the Pacific Ocean...so many of these things seemed to have created a sense of timelessness and tranquility. I am glad to be back in California, and I am embracing everything that I have missed during my yearlong travel. This does not go to say though that I do not already miss many aspects about Asia. I will miss the wonderful spirit and mystical spiritualism of that land. I know I went there for a reason, and I know I will be back. Traveling with no agenda allowed for me to experience true simplicity, presence, and pure joy. Waking up every morning, I found myself so excited for the next adventure, the next conversation I would have, and the love I would find in the land all around me. I found by living each day as new, each day as whole, each day in the NOW, that I could so easily manifest what I wanted. Manifestation is a powerful tool, and it can only be truly utilized by being in the present moment. Let's all go out there TODAY, and live our lives to the fullest.

This is my new lifestyle blog, promoting love, peace, acceptance and all things good in life. I will be reliving many of the experiences I had on my travels and many of the experiences I still have to come.

Come be apart of my journey.