A City with Beautiful Sights, Gorgeous Men, No English, and Street Fights

I leave Delhi the evening of Holi Day which as far as festivals/parties go it ranks near the top on my list. Holi day is the one day where typically conservative India lets it's guard down, quenches it's thirst with alcohol, and douse one another with paint and water. All in the spirit of welcoming spring and celebrating the triumph of good over bad. Within minutes of stepping outside Andy and I were covered in paint, more so me than him. Holi Day for a white woman is a lot like attending a family reunion and dealing with that pervy relative who holds his hugs a bit too long. Despite having with my 6'3 platonic husband by my side I was constantly getting groped and after 90 minutes I had enough and headed back to the safe haven of our hotel. After a 30 minute shower in COLD water I was 95% paint free and ready for the next and final leg of this adventure.

 In 2013 I told one of my closest friends that I would be going to Paris soon, I didn't know how or when, but I just knew that I would. Fast forward a year later and I find myself on a flight from Delhi to Paris with a brief stop over in Abu Dhabi. I'm intrigued by the people and culture of Abu Dhabi and can't wait to explore this country in the future. *Side note I have flown on many airlines and emirates airlines has been one of the best. The seats are super comfy, the food is good, and the people are friendly. The worst is fucking china south eastern...but damn they have good prices.

I arrive in Paris early in the morning and make my way to the hostel using the trains, I figure it out relatively easily and am impressed with my superior navigational skills. It's busy and being a polite Canadian I stand the entire 40minute train journey wearing my backpack and trying not to get in people's way. By the time I get to my hostel I'm cursing my high maintenance ways, carrying 40 pounds on my back for an hour served as another lesson I apparently needed to learn the hard way.

My room is in a 4 bed dorm occupied by just guys, this has consistently been a theme on this trip where I'm often the only or one of the few females in a mixed dorm. My fantasy of having a whirlwind romantic affair in Paris is dashed when I open the door and meet one of my roomies, he's this cute little old guy from Chile who speaks zero English. I try to sleep as it's only 8am, but I am to amped and just end up tossing and turning before I give up and set out to explore Paris. I enjoy being reunited with a society that has sidewalks, no evil monkeys trying to fuck with me, no smell of poo, no pigs trying to charge at me, and no COWS. On the flip side public restrooms are hard to come by (things North Americans unknowingly take for granted). I walk around all day and am enamored with Paris. Money is tight and Paris is expensive so one of the things I did was google free things to do and decided on exploring the Père Lachaise cemetery that has famous "occupants" like Gloria Stein, Jim Morrison, and Oscar Wilde. It's over 100 acres with impressive tombs and memorials and with Paris being one of the top three tourist cities in the world, it's not surprisingly the most visited cemetery in the world.

The following day I'm up at 5 and not by choice, rooming with boys (or anyone) that snores brings about homicidal thoughts and I was tired of laying in bed fantasizing about smothering them with a pillow... I begrudgingly get up and decide to get an early start. There are numerous museums to check out in Paris, I have no desire to check them all out in one trip so I decide on the worlds largest, which is The Louvre. I spend 3 hours wandering around and I still wasn't able to see it all, mostly because I got lost A LOT, apparently my navigational skills are not that superior. I did manage to see a numerous famous pieces like Captive by Michelangelo, The Wedding Feast, and The Mona Lisa which happens to be much smaller than I had thought it would be. I catch a glimpse of outside and decide to embark on what my travel buddies and I now refer to as "serendipitous wandering". Eventually I come across the Eiffel Tower and am awe struck, it's yet another moment where I feel immense gratitude/happiness/peace for being right where I am. I spend the rest of my day exploring Paris by foot. I end up back at the hostel late in the evening and am greeted by a new roommate who speaks English, which is pretty exciting as most of the people I came across throughout the day speak everything but English. We talk until we can both barely keep our eyes open, and I fall asleep hoping he doesn't snore as he seemed cool and I would hate to fantasize about smothering him with a pillow.

My last day in Paris was long, I was determined to see as much as possible and gave zero fucks about how sore my body was from the miles I was surely to have already covered. I head to Notre Dame (astonishingly beautiful) from there I headed to Montmartre a village within Paris which is where Hemingway and Piccaso chilled back in the day (a must see, I plan to spend more time there on my next visit) and then I headed to Champs-Élysées "the most famous shopping avenue in the world". I wander in and out of high end stores gasping at the prices and looking for an potential sugar daddy to fund my future travel. I pass a cafe and catch the eye of a guy that makes me weak in the knees, we exchange smiles and I keep walking. Moments later I hear yelling, I turn around and see a crowd gathering by the cafe I just passed so I walk back up to check it out. The hottie I had just passed is exchanging words with a girl from another table, while I can't understand what they are saying I can tell it's getting heated. Suddenly the girl then lunges at him and a brawl ensues, a crowd has gathered and we all watch the action in a state of disbelief.

I walk to the Eiffel Tower to check it out at night and whilst walking I pass by another jaw-droppingly handsome guy who smiles and says something in French (Im kicking myself for not learning French after grade 9). I spend my last night chatting away with some English guys while we catch the sunset. I have a restless sleep I'm excited to see my familia and friends and yet my mind is already thinking about "Where To Next", my wanderlust is insatiable.

The flight home is quick and after a brief stop over in Iceland (another country now on the list) I find myself seated next to a chatty guy who is also from Edmonton. Jesse is a nervous flyer who attempts to seek comforting words from me when he finds out I've lost count of the number of flights I've been on, I do very little to calm poor Jesse's nerves. In between the teasing, Jesse and I talk about traveling, life, and everything in between. I cherish moments like this when you can have an effortless, soulful, thought provoking conversation whether it's with someone you've known forever or with a perfect stranger. I say see ya later to Jesse at the airport, get mildly interrogated by customs, and run into the arms of my niece who is patiently waiting while holding her "Welcome Home Aunty" sign.

Stop dreaming, Start doing

I have never been a FML kinda person, I have a job I enjoy, an amazing group of friends, and a family that makes my heart burst with happiness. My life before I committed to this adventure was comfortable, it wasn't complicated, and I thought I was as happy as I could be. The problem was while trying to be my best self I was over riding my honest self, I was doing more dreaming than actual doing and my bucket list was getting bigger by the year. I felt a longing for something more, I knew that this could not be it, I've watched enough Oprah and read enough biographies and quotes to know that life is not meant to be lived with the training wheels on. So after a few serendipitous events I committed to the #1 on my bucket list and I made it happen. It wasn't comfortable, things got complicated, and I made decisions unsure of what the outcome would be. As I'm writing this I'm sitting in a cafe two blocks from the Eiffel Tower in Paris watching the sunset, this is what happens in my life when I don't play it safe, when I jump without a safety net and follow my heart.

You may think, that I think everyone should travel and while I can list off reasons why you should I know it's not everyone's dream or goal. My hope is that more people will turn the tvs off and stop watching other people live their lives and live their own. Chase your dreams, achieve goals, quit that job you don't like, book that plane ticket, take the next step in a relationship or end a relationship that is not full filling. Whatever it might be just do the stuff that makes you uncomfortable, gets your heart pumping, do the things where your not sure of the outcome. A life lived in your comfort zone is mostly not that challenging, not that interesting or inspiring.

Everyone knows what I'm writing about, but not everyone lives like this and I haven't always but I'm committed now because I feel the magic from living this way and for the first time I feel like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be in life. I'd rather have cold showers for a month, eating nothing but beans than live another minute of my life playing it safe. Life moves pretty fast, don't be a sad panda at the end of yours because you didn't have the courage to take that leap of faith and step outside of your comfort zone.

OM Shanti Shanti Shanti

In my research of ashrams in Rishikesh (Yoga Capital Of The World) I came across Anand Prakash. The reviews were overwhelmingly positive, you were allowed to come and go as you please, nothing was mandatory, and there was hot water. The Schedule: Monday-Saturday (Sunday is a free day) 5am- Bell Rings 6-7:45am- Yoga 8:30am- Breakfast 1pm- Lunch 4-5:45pm- Yoga 6:30pm- Supper

My first week at the ashram consisted of getting used to the schedule, 3hrs of yoga and 5am wake ups had me wiped out for the first few days. I didn't end up making it to every class, I slept through one and skipped another two due to being sore. If you enjoy legumes, lentils, beans, and rice then you will love ashram meals. For the first week my taste buds rejected it, I didn't hate it but I didn't like it either and sometimes I thought it was terrible. Honestly though I couldn't ignore the positive effects it was having on my body, I felt full longer and had more energy throughout the day. Monday mornings turned out to be my favorite day to eat at the ashram because it's BANANA SAMOSA day, do yourself a favor and try one.

The second week was a more social week, time was spent with newly made friends walking around Rishikesh and savoring non ashram food. To the surprise of both myself and Andy I was actually beginning to enjoy ashram food, I guess my taste buds just needed sometime to adjust. My goal for this week was to attend all AM and PM classes which I did with the exception of Saturday. On Friday Jen, Andy, Yang, and I decided to get a ride to the top of a mountain and check out a temple but more importantly the view of the Himalayas. People always ask why I don't like monkeys and here's why, while carrying an offering up the 200 steps to the temple a monkey jumps in front of me and steals my beads. Monkeys are not cute people, they are evil and masters of psychological warfare. This is the second time this week I've been hustled from one and have earned the nickname baboon magnet. Once I reached the top I placed what was left of my offering in the temple and admired the spectacular view. Seeing the Himalayan mountains in the distance further fueled my insatiable desire to explore this amazing world. Ahead of time we decided that we would walk down the mountain following the well travelled trail. Knowing we were walking down a mountain I decided to leave my perfectly good shoes in my backpack and wear my sandals. I had made it a personal mission to not wear shoes once since I left Canada, there are times were my stubbornness causes me to learn lessons the hard way and this was one of those times. 4.5 hours and 20 km later we reached the bottom of a trail, we are not sure if it was the right one because there were many others trails intersecting with each other causing us to veer off track. Once we were in a taxi headed back to Rishikesh we all marveled about the waterfalls we came across, the villages we wandered through, and the locals we met along the way. It was at this point that I was also able to forgive Yang who decided that it would be me who would either get left behind or eaten if it got to dark. The next day every muscle in my body ached so I reasoned that it was probably a good idea to skip yoga. In the afternoon we were invited to attend an opening ceremony of a school that Yogi Vishvketu and his charity started. His organization helpinghandsforindia.org is dedicated to helping less fortunate children improve their lives by providing education. It's amazing what can be accomplished when you put good out there.

On our third week the weather starts to warm up significantly and I'm starting to get somewhat of a tan, which is no easy feat considering tank tops and shorts are frowned upon in this part of India. Sunday proved the adage that bad luck happens in 3's to be true, poor Andy had a shit day first, he forgot to get his change from a cafe, then he got sold ice cream on 3 different occasions that all tasted awful #firstworldproblems, but the cherry on top was when he got hit by a jeep while walking. If you saw how they drive in India you'd be surprised that one of us hasn't got hit sooner. It's me however that steps in actual shit (a sign of good luck I'm told) and most likely as karma for chuckling at his misfortunes. Yogi Vishvketu continues to entertain us during yoga classes with his Russell Peters like humor, while doing bicycles he tells us to imagine we're driving through India and the red light up ahead is just a suggestion just like in India so keep going.

Spending three weeks in ashram may not be for everyone, for me personally I found my experience to be blissful. I quickly became a morning person enjoying the 6am yoga classes inhaling the crisp mountain air and feeling the golden beams of sunlight on my skin. Everyone knows how great yoga is for you and in addition to the physical benefits, one of the greatest benefits for me was experiencing a yoga high from pushing my body past the limits my mind had set. I thought my days of getting that kind of high were long gone. Another city and another group of amazing people that I am fortunate to have spent time with, Thank You for the memories.

Incredible India

Culture shock is defined as a feeling of disorientation by someone who is subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes. So it's plausible to say for the last month I've been going through culture shock. Which to some extent explains why I haven't been able to blog. Most nights I just want to hide under my blankets with a bottle of gin, I'm not a big drinker but like people say, India changes you. Where to begin when summarizing the past 30 days do I start with the first time I saw a herd of hip-cows traipsing about through the street (I later found out these very ugly animals are water buffaloes) or do I start with the first time I saw a kid shit on the road? India is equal parts fascinating and frustrating, never have I been to a country that has challenged me so much mentally and emotionally. It's certainly not for everyone and the consensus from travellers I've met is that yes, India is definitely the hardest country we have all backpacked in.

This is India...
It's loud and it's loud all the time, one of my favourite ways to explore my surroundings is by walking, and in India this is no easy feat. In every city I've been to but one (Udaipur) the minute you step out your door your being harassed by touts and rickshaw drivers, horns are blasting every other second, and the locals scream at one another just to be heard. At night we are often woken up by what we now refer to as the midnight symphony which is countless stray dogs howling away. As I'm writing this I can hear horns blaring, there's two guys talking loudly outside my room, and I think I heard a bomb go off in the distance.

India is dirty with barnyard animals running loose one must watch where they step to avoid stepping in a pile of shit, it's not just the cows and water buffaloes running around there's dirty pigs and donkeys in the mix too. Along with the animal feces is human feces and puddles of urine one must avoid. With no public toilets around I shouldn't have been surprised there was no garbage cans in sight. Remember a few blogs back I wrote about my biggest peeve being litter... well in India garbage is everywhere. I have not caved in and joined the masses, I just can't do it. The other day I asked around for a garbage because sometimes India will pleasantly surprise you, he pointed to the street I said sorry that doesn't sit well with me, he smiled and gave me a head bob. The guy next to him called me over and pointed to a pail that he was using as a garbage I happily unloaded my garbage that I was carrying around for over an hour.

With a population over 1.2 billion I wasn't expecting the people to be one of my favourite things about India. Expect the unexpected in India. There has been some unpleasant experiences in India on account of the crowds, no one loves getting pushed around, having your feet trampled on, and being shoulder checked all the time. Surrounded by the chaos I've had encounters with locals that almost if not completely make up for being a human ping pong ball. I once had a pleasant conversation with a couple of women, all the while I was trying not to get knocked out of the moving train. When traveling I'm always moved by the kindness shown to me by strangers, in Kolkata when part of me fell in between the train and platform two girls came running to my rescue and pulled me up. I hugged them and thanked them as I was sure I was seconds away from a rat nipping at my foot. Walking down the street with hundreds of others going in all directions I'm often surprised when someone greets me with a quick good morning and a smile as they pass me by. In Agra I passed a group of school children one came running up to me said hello shook my hand, and then quickly ran back to his friends. Once they saw that I wasn't so scary, I was suddenly surrounded by little humans shaking my hands and saying hello in between their giggles.

The transportation in India is surprisingly drama free, I've spent countless hours on the Indian rails making my way from south to north then east to west. For the most part I have enjoyed the train rides, I slip on my headphones and let the music take me away. The longest train ride was 28hrs which I spent on a top bunk with a curtain closing me off from the rest of the world, this gave me some much needed recharging time. It was on my third 20hr train ride that the novelty of the train began to wear off and I felt restless. So we switched it up and took buses to get from point a to point b. To date the buses are an acceptable alternative to trains and not unlike Thailand they blast the a/c when it's not necessary and the seats aren't exactly comfortable, but the big windows more than make up those minor inconviences.

The men yes the men deserve their own category. As a white woman travelling through India I was warned beforehand about "Indian men." At first I found it unnerving every time I looked up I saw a man staring at me and sometimes the looks were a bit...intense, they will look you up and down, and lick their lips. On my first train ride one elderly man took it step further and pinched my butt. A close second on my list of frustrating things about Indian men is being ignored, there have been several times Andy would have to order my food for me or book our train tickets as when I tried to do it, it was like I was invisible. Luckily this wasn't always the case, I've had friendly men point me in the direction of my guest house, help me with my monster backpack, and ask my opinion on their hairstyle. Sometimes the friendliness goes to far the other way and I find myself on a rooftop with Mr. Rico Suave's arm around me. The next day I'm bombarded with questions to determine if I'm single by Mr. Rico Suave's younger brother, he also throws in some helpful advice to avoid coming off to strong like his brother. At the end of our stay he gave me a piece of paper that reads "Thank You" I'm still not sure what he's thanking me for perhaps it's the time he came to see how the shower was and I answered the door in my towel?

The poverty is heartbreaking, with India having the second largest population in the world I knew I'd see poverty I just wasn't expecting to see so much of it or have it so in my face. It's hard to walk by it Every Fucking Day and it hasn't become any easier 30 days later. Never have I seen so many homeless children, I smile at them hiding my watery eyes, later at night I sit back in my room and wonder how can I help them, I still have no answers. China's two children policy or whatever it is, doesn't seem like such a bad idea now. It didn't get better or worse as I travelled from south to north, and then east to west. As soon as you get off the train you are making your way through the families that sleep at the train station and once at your guest house you are making your way through the families on the streets. While incredibly heartbreaking it's another reminder of how fortunate I am, and that I need to do what I can to help those less fortunate.

The Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world, and regarded by many as one of the most beautiful building in the world. Andy and I pay the 750 foreigner price (locals pay 20) and make our way through security. I was given a laughable pat down where she touched my boobs, felt my jacket pockets and then sent me to someone who goes through my bags. I wait for my bag to be handed back to me as I have nothing but my camera, wallet, toilet paper, and frank my stuffed monkey in there. The security guard holds up my monkey and loudly declares that I can't bring this in, I laugh thinking it's a joke and grab it. Suddenly another security guard comes up to me and advises me that no toys allowed, I look at him dumbfounded and ask if he's being for real right now? I begin to get agitated as this makes no sense to me, I stop myself from speaking any further as I know nothing great is about to come out of my mouth and I walk away. I mutter under my breath and consider where I can stash this dangerous toy, when suddenly a shop owner appears and offers to watch over Frank. Crisis averted and believe me I'm well aware that I am a 31 year old woman who almost lost her shit over not being able to take her stuffed monkey into the Taj Mahal. India makes you crazy and crave gin. Anyways... as someone whose obsessive over symmetry I am in love with the Taj Mahal and appreciate the beauty of the details. It feels surreal to be standing in front of it and being able to admire it up close. I'm politely asked on numerous occasions to pose for pictures with Indian males, I oblige and feel my ego start to become inflated.

From Trivandrum to Madurai, a brief stop over in Chennai, up to Kolkata, then Bodhgaya, on to Varanasi, down to Khajuraho, over to Udaipur, up to Pushkar, further up to Jaipur, and then on to Agra, and finally New Delhi. This blog my friends is the short version of the past month. I'm headed to Rishikesh at the foothills of the Himalayas' and will be spending the next however long in an ashram, for some much needed relaxation.

We Are One

"You're from Canada? I love Canada." I've heard this countless times as I've wandered through third world countries. For the past three weeks, while in India my response is usually an enthusiastic "ME TOO." Hearing people express love for a country I call home inspired me to do some research into how easy it would be for them to also call Canada home. What I found pleased me as a multi cultural nation that is represented by more than 200 ethnic origins Canada accepts around 200,000 immigrants per year. There are a few ways in which one can immigrate to Canada, while I can't remember them all the following three are ones that stuck with me: 1. Sponsoring Family 2. Skilled Worker and Professional 3. Refugee escaping cruel and unusual punishment While I'm not sure how the average Canadian Citizen feels about this, I notice from time to time that as I scroll through my Facebook time feed I see posts that appear to not be supportive of Canada's immigration policy. Why shouldn't others be allowed the same quality of life that you and I are afforded? Why shouldn't families be united? Why can't someone who's worked their ass off academically, and has undoubtedly over come many obstacles be allowed to pursue a career in a country as great as Canada? Why should anyone have to endure horrific punishment? I believe what makes Canada great besides hot water and public bathrooms is that Canada as a nation embraces diversity. I've seen what everyday life is like in some countries and for some it's miraculous to me that not only do they get up everyday but they do it with a smile. A lot of people reading this are incredibly privileged and all because of where we were born. My thoughts often turn to my niece when I see little barefoot girls running around on a ground soaked with urine and littered with feces trying to sell me a photo or a trinket. How many little girls lives could be changed for the better if we thought in terms of "we are one" and not "survival of the fittest"? I certainly do not know everything there is to know about this subject, traveling has shown me that you can't see the world as black and white it's extremely grey. I don't mean to be preachy, I thought my blog might be an appropriate forum to write out my thoughts on a subject that is heavily weighing on my mind.

Loving and Hating India

Basic Ashram Schedule 0520 hrs WAKE UP BELL 0600 hrs SATSANG (Meditation/Chanting) 0730 hrs TEA TIME 0800 hrs ASANA CLASS (Yoga) 1000 hrs BRUNCH 1100 hrs KARMA YOGA (Doing a chore) 1230 hrs COACHING CLASS (optional) 1330 hrs TEA TIME 1400 hrs LECTURE 1600 hrs ASANA CLASS 1800 hrs DINNER 2000 hrs SATSANG 2200 hrs LIGHTS OUT The entire schedule is mandatory. I knew heading into the ashram my days would be busy and there was a unique strictness that I would need to abide by. I was fine with the yoga, meditation, and karma yoga. In a weird twist of fate my karma yoga was hauling wood, which I'm sure upon hearing that my bonus dad will break into smile and and exclaim "good, I've got plenty of karma yoga for her here." I thought no problem I can do this for 2 weeks, I lasted 3 days. Was it the lack of hot water, the un-hygienic bathrooms or did my rebellious streak make a reappearance? I'm guessing it was a combo of all three and I naively thought once I escaped the ashram I would be rewarded with copious amounts of hot water and toilets with toilet paper or at the very least hoses. Yes I can be high maintenance at times. We advise the ashram we will be leaving the following morning and are handed 2 exit passes which we were told not to lose or we will not be allowed to leave. After the wake up bell with our precious exit passes in hand we catch a bus to the train station and so begins our journey through India. After being warned that it can be difficult to obtain same day train tickets we were delighted to have 2 tickets to Mandurai. Unbeknown to us these tickets to freedom were the worst possible tickets a foreigner could have. There are 7 different train classes in India 1AC/2AC being the best where you're in groups of 4 and the seats convert to bunks and the worst being unreserved 2nd class with less seats than people. One guess which class we were in? The train journey in unreserved 2nd class is one I won't forget and will be quite happy to never experience again, while there are parts of it I enjoyed there are parts I loathed. Making small talk with the men across from us, seeing the locals reaction to a picture I showed them of snow, and interacting with the children were moments that in the end made the train ride worth it. The gut wrenching moments were when the women and children would smile up at me from the cramped floor. I wanted to offer up my seats to them but didn't want to be even closer to the men that were staring at me or worse have another body part squeezed (earlier I had my ass pinched by an older man). The sad reality is that in the time it would take the closest woman to get to my seat a man would have likely stolen the seat. When I mentioned I was headed to India fellow travellers would often advise me that in their experiences men often treated women like second class citizens. There would be times when I will get ignored and need my friend to communicate for me, other times I will be stared so intently with a look that you know is not pure or they will accidentally on purpose grope you. There not all bad though I was told, often you will be greeted warmly, smiled at politely and treated with respect. I can attest to having experienced all three interactions, and while the first two are annoying and unnerving respectively, it's a whole different ball game over here and it's best to ignore the bad, focus on the good, and accept the cultural difference of the country you are travelling in. For every disheartening moment there is another moment not to far that fills your heart with joy. At the time of writing this I've been in India a week I had a difficult time adjusting to the culture, and the low level of hygiene was making my homesickness even more prevalent. I could have said fuck this and book my ticket home, and trust me I was been on the verge of doing exactly that but for now I am holding off. I will continue riding the roller coaster of emotions going back and forth between loving India and hating it.

Expect the Unexpected in Thailand

When I saw how cheap it was to fly to Bangkok while on this side of the world, I knew it would be a matter of when, not if I'd be returning to Thailand while on this adventure. I spend my first few days revisiting some of my favorite sights in Bangkok such as the Malls, Koahsan Road, and Lumphuni Park as well as finding new favorites like Sky Bar and the Soi 38 night market. After a memorable New Years in BKK I set off to explore Chiang Mai accompanied by a fellow wander luster who I will affectionately refer to as Cheech. We spend our days searching for the best of everything whether it's a fruit smoothie combo (pineapple and banana), pad thai stall, thai massage, or tuk tuk price. In the in-between time we have lunch with a friend of a friend and while I wouldn't trust his salad recommendations (I forgive you) he is well travelled and a wealth of knowledge, so I bombarded him with questions on India and enjoyed hearing about his various adventures. While in Thailand you will undoubtedly come across a few temples, my personal favourite is Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai. Way back in the day a white elephant climbed up a mountain trumped his horn 3x and then died on the spot, King Nu Naone ordered that Doi Suthep be built in this sacred spot. The aura of this temple left us feeling calm, and while there we were splashed with holy water, blessed by a monk, found out our birthday Buddha, given our fortune, and granted 1 wish. Legend has it that your wish will be granted if you are able to elevate an elephant statue with your pinky two times consecutively. Cheech decides to rent a scooter for a day and I decide I have had my thrill of scooters and do not want to tempt fate anymore than I have already, so we set out on our separate ways for the day. I return to the hostel a few hours later and am told by the hostel manager that Cheech has been in an accident I search her face for a smile, something to tell me she's joking, but she's serious. I feel sick and am not given any reassurance that she is ok. Finding the hospital she was taken to proves to be a bit of a challenge as there are "many, many hospitals" in Chiang Mai. I finally track her down and rush to be by her side, I am relieved to see no casts or body parts hoisted in the air, there is an ice pack over her eyes, a bandage on her cheek, and a few stitches under her lip. The first words out of my mouth are "Cheech what the fuck dude", she smiles and lifts up the ice pack and I see the baddest black eye I have ever come across. Cheech gives me the low down on what happened and true to form she is all zen about the incident. The next morning I head back to the hospital to pick her up, before she can be released the bill needs to be taken care of. We are both unsure of what to expect but in Thailand expect the unexpected, the ENTIRE medical bill came to $1350 baht, which is about $45 Canadian. A few days later I choke back tears, bid Cheech farewell and head to Ayutthaya. My cousin and his wife have graciously offered to let me stay with them for a few days. Despite not remembering the last time I have seen my cousin (he's been out of Canada since '91) it's easy to spot them at the train station. They take me out to eat and then back to their house which after months in dorms feels and looks like a palace. The next day we embark on an overnight road trip to visit the Amphawa Floating Market. After a 4hr car ride were on a boat exploring the market and surrounding area. Later that evening we enjoy an amazing dinner at the hotel and eat river prawn that is as big as my hand. With a bottle of wine in hand we board another boat for a night river cruise hoping to see fire flies. What an incredible sight it was to see them, it was like twinkling lights. Once back at the hotel I say goodnight and decide to go for a little walk. As I exit the hotel property a golf cart comes racing towards me with a hotel employee in it, he asks where I'm going I let him know that I'm just going for a walk and I'll be ok. He looks hesitant and asks if I want a ride anywhere, I decline and he heads back. 5 minutes later another golf cart comes towards me with two employees in it, they insist I come back with them, I'm taken aback by their caring nature and like a true Canadian I apologize and hop into the golf cart. I casually mention this to my cousin the next morning, he laughs and tells me they told him all about it last night, how awkward to be ratted out by hotel employees. We end our adventure with a visit to the morning market, which is a must do while in Thailand, even for just the food alone. I very tearfully say goodbye to my cousin (I'm terrible at goodbyes) and head to Bangkok for my last night in Thailand. Despite the many reports on how anti government protesters in a bid to get the current prime minster to step down will shut down Bangkok today (Jan 13) I manage to get in and to my hostel with no problems. I have to admire their tenacity and their ability to protest peacefully, they were all smiles as I walked through the crowds with my monster backpack. If this is successful perhaps Albertans should take note, maybe we can rid ourselves of Alison Redford. After consuming a bit to many fruit smoothies I go for a walk, I happen to enjoy walking and exploring cities this way but after the preceding and following incident I may have to rethink this. I notice a shifty individual up ahead, I move to one side of the sidewalk he shadows my move. Not sure what to expect but not entirely fearful as he looks to be about 14, I clutch my wallet and give him a "don't fuck with me" look, as he passes me he pinches my boob. This I was not expecting, with a shocked look I yell out some choice curse words and flip him the bird. I walk a bit further determined to not less this end my night early and notice a rat, a girl can only handle so much I change course and speed walk home. Despite its cockroaches, rats, and perverts! Bangkok is one of my favorite cities in the world and I know I'll be back.

It's not me Yogyakarta, it's you.

I leave blissful Bali and head for Yogyakarta, I assumed a city that almost has the word "yoga" in it, would be blissful as well. Oh how naïveté I can be, Yogyakarta is an assault on all 5 senses. It smells of rotting garbage and sewer, there's people bumping into you or in most cases rubbing up against you, the streets are filled with the never ending sounds of traffic, the amount of garbage laying around is a sight that drove me bananas (one of my biggest pet peeves is litter), and finally there is so much pollution that you can actually taste it. There will be no twist at the end where I write how I learned to love Yogyakarta, I appreciate it for what it is and was over the moon with happiness when I left. Those of you in need of a geography refresher, Yogyakarta is on the island Java, which is north-ish of Bali. Indonesia is comprised of approximately 17,000 islands, 135 million people reside in Java making it the worlds most populous island and one of the most densely populated places in the world. My purpose for coming to Yogyakarta, Java was so I could explore Borobudur which is the single largest Buddhist structure in the world and considered to be one of the greatest ancient monuments in the world as well. We booked a tour for Christmas Day foolishly thinking that perhaps it would be quiet, as you can imagine we were very wrong. We wake up at 3:30am and jump in a van with 5 others. Our first stop on the tour is to see the sunrise overlooking Borobudur. Once we climb the hill we are greeted by grey skies, despite it being rainy the past few days we were hoping that the sun would make an appearance. It disappointedly did not, we were however treated to some more rain which made climbing down the now muddy hill in flip flops a real treat. After breakfast we explore the 8th century temple along with the crowds. It was interesting to see the wall reliefs (sculptures) which recount the life story of buddha, his teachings, and his progress to nirvana. While exploring this spectacular site we were shocked at how many people seemed more interested in us. Countless times we were asked to have our picture taken and some took matters into their own hands snapping away when they thought we weren't looking. I asked one girl why she wanted my picture, to which she screamed "because I love you." This was a theme in Java, everywhere I went I was constantly being stared at and asked to have my picture taken. I began to feel very uncomfortable with the situation, I don't like the idea of people putting me up on this pedestal because of my skin color. I'd like the think I'm pretty conscientious when I snap pictures of others, I try to focus on what they are doing rather than them, and I ask permission if possible. This experience will defiantly keep me more mindful in the future. It's not all bad I linked up with a wonderful woman from Argentina whom I was fortunate to spend Christmas with and together we spent 3 days seeing much of Yogyakarta's sights, and eating delicious Pizza Hut.

When in doubt go to Bali.

Attempting to sum up my time in Bali in one blog post is a daunting task, I'm afraid I won't be able to properly convey the spirit of this magical island. Walking around smelling the incense, witnessing the locals assemble, and put out offerings for the gods, admiring the beauty of both the landscape, and the people are just a few of the things that make this place so special. Much of my time was spent in Ubud, I did spend my first two nights in Kuta, and the next few on Gili T. Ubud is the cultural hub of Bali, originally I planned to stay a few days but it's the kinda place where days turn to weeks. There is a plethora of yoga studios, spas, gluten free restaurants, healers, juice cafés, art studios and the list goes on. I dive in and sample it all from a juice cleanse, meditation classes, $5 massages, an art workshop, and even some sessions with Balinese healers. My first experience with a healer is with Cokorda Rai who happens to be a very famous healer in Bali. To find out what needs to be healed I'm told to sit with my back to Mr. Rai he then touches my ears, nose, mouth, shoulders and various points on my head. I am then asked to lay down where he uses a stick to push on my feet at the various pressure points to see if there is any organ issues. Once finished Mr. Rai exclaims "nothing wrong with you, you lose a few kilos good, need to lose a few more, that's it nothing wrong with you." Feeling a bit ripped off, and silly I just paid someone to tell me something I already knew, I thank him for his time and walk away. Then a funny thing happened a feeling of gratitude washed over me I can lose a few more kilos, others are not as fortunate as I. I read about kundalini healing and became intrigued, so I booked a session with Guru Made Sumantra. After completing an energy analysis, chakra, and aura readings, we prayed together. He ended the session by performing the Balinese Melukat Ceremony for self-purification with me. This session had a tremendous affect on me, and maybe on the few others that I have shared the details with ;) I bought a 10 class pass at the Yoga Barn and enjoyed the many different yoga and meditation classes. After one mediation session with Dr. Punnu, in which I later described to him as being on "a roller coaster ride of emotions" I was given a Deeksha blessing which was really cool. Another highlight was attending the Tibetan Bowl Meditation along with 32 others under the full moon. What an amazing experience it was to listen to the sounds of the ancient singing bowls, along with the great outdoors. With all this spiritual awakening going on I knew I needed to rent a scooter after realizing the only reason I haven't was because I was scared. Day after day I came up with a plausible reason on why today was not a good day to rent one. Then one day with out any chatter in my head, I just went for it. What was supposed to be a one day rental, turned into two days. You could not keep me off of that thing. I rode to the Rice Terraces, I went to Goa Gajah and saw fragmented remains of the phallic symbol of the Hindu god Shiva, the Yoni, and the elephant headed god Ganesha. I chased sunlight and made sure to go on the roads that scared me the most at least 3 times. Traveling has the power to change you, if you let it. The changes can seem small like realizing you enjoy making art and riding scooters or they can be life changing like deciding you want to be better and do better than you did yesterday. I'm without a doubt a better person for traveling, I know my circle, I know what matters most to me, I'm humbled, I know more, I feel more deeply for others, I'm happier.

The Path to Happiness

As I depart Australia I am overcome with the sense that a chapter of my life has closed and I am embarking on another. For many years I have been planning Australia. I have put off a lot of things and used the reasoning, "after Australia I'll pursue that." I have always wanted to travel long term and along with getting a working holiday visa for Australia I have considered working on a cruise ship, in a resort, or teaching English as ways of accomplishing this goal. These ideas came and went but Australia remained a constant. Once I returned from Asia I knew that I would have to make Australia happen soon if it was ever going to happen. There is an age limit when obtaining the working holiday visa, turns out some dreams do have deadlines. I felt lost for some time, I knew that deep down I should follow my heart but I was letting the noise of what others expected of someone my age, drown out my inner voice. I started saving for Australia but didn't become serious about it until after I saw a new age healer, and she put things into perspective for me. After our session she told me she could sense that I was at a crossroads in life and was feeling indecisive. She added that either path I choose will lead to happiness but if I let my heart be the guide I will experience a state of nirvana like happiness, as I will be following my destiny. A lot of people may scoff at this and some will say I could have told you that, and deep down I knew it to. It took someone else saying it out loud for me to really realize it. If you don't do the thing in your heart you know that you should, it will haunt you for the rest of your life. I stayed in Australia for 7 weeks which is far less than originally planned, I knew it was time for me to go. Now I know without a doubt that all I need, all anybody needs to do is tune out the noise and listen to our hearts, by doing this no matter what you win.

And then there was 7

I decide it's time I get a job. A lot of the jobs in Melbourne involve either selling something or working in cafés. I quickly land two sales job interviews. One is for an energy company and the other for a company that delivers groceries to your door. I end up accepting the job selling groceries, as it's a concept I like. The groceries are fresh as they come direct from local farms thus it supports the farmers and the Australian economy. On Friday I along with 10 new recruits attend our training/orientation session where we learn about the different products we would be selling, as well as how to sell door to door. It seems easy enough but we are a bit skeptical on how much money we will make. For the first two weeks we earn a base wage of $300/week, thereafter pay is commission based. In order to make $100 a day we need to sell to at least 4 customers. All but one of us decides to give it a go, for the first two weeks anyways. Monday I show up for my first day at 10:30am and notice that out of the original 11 that started with me, there are now only 8. We are split into 3 teams and introduced to our team leaders, both of mine are 23 one from the UK and the other is a fellow Canadian. We pile into a van that smells like feet and head off to our turf. I walk around with my Canadian boss for a few houses to get the hang of things and then head out on my own. Everyone is friendly and I make small talk with most of them, I even get invited into houses. No one is buying and I can't convince them that they need to sign up with me at their door. Once they ask if they can check out the service online, or tell me that they are really busy I end up apologizing, and let them know that yes they can check us out online. I manage to get 1 sale by days end, if I was working on commission I'd earn 15$ for what ended up being a 12 hour day. On the way home one of the team leader asks if we object to him drinking while he's driving, we're all shocked, he goes on saying not to worry it only happens Thursday and Friday once we leave turf. Oh thank god, cause I hear it's much safer to drink and drive on Thursdays and Fridays versus other days of the week. Once I'm home I crash and 8 hours later I begrudgingly get up for day 2. We start the day off having a BBQ with the entire office and then head to turf. After a few hours on my turf I start receiving texts from one of the leaders, at first they are motivating talking about how we are a family and together we will reach our goals. He then asks for our scores, clearly he did not get the answer he was hoping for as his subsequent texts take on a different tone. In his attempt to motivate he tries to instil fear, saying if we don't reach our respective targets there will be punishments. Rewards such as bbq's are off the table and he may also have to start asking people to leave the family. He then sends me text after text asking what my sales are, I choose to ignore him and his tirade. On the way home after getting scolded for not meeting target, one of the team leaders says never again will he pop E at 3am and come down from it while at work. I laugh out loud and shake my head, I feel like I'm in some sort of weird twilight zone. On Wednesday I wake up to gorgeous weather, the high is supposed to reach +34. It has been awhile since Melbourne has had a hot sunny day. I stroll into the office and sit down for our team meeting. I look around the room and everyone is staring attentively at our leaders as they go over how to fill out the order form properly, and then start in on how we need to be selling more. I'm not sure if it's because of the weather or the realization that I can't possibly spend one more day taking orders from these guys, either way I'm done. So I get up say I'm not doing this anymore and walk out. It felt fucking liberating. I received emails from the management team asking why I quit I couldn't decide whether to tell them if it was that I loathed the job itself, or I could no longer tolerate irresponsible, harassing 23 year olds as my bosses. I decide on both.

Jazz + Amazing City + New Friend = 2 thumbs up for Sydney

Nearly a month after being in Australia I'm back in Sydney and excited to see what one of the worlds most beautiful cities has in store for me. Along with being one of the most beautiful cities, it's also one of the most expensive cities in the world. Perhaps this is why in some restaurants you are allowed to bring your own booze. Another interesting or at least I found it to be, was that Sydney has a curfew, no planes are allowed to land between the hours of 11pm and 5am. I along with the crowds make my way to the Circular Quay, the hub of the Sydney Harbour. The many jazz street entertainers add to the ambiance as we get our first close up of the iconic Sydney Opera House. Later I head to the Rocks, which is Sydney's oldest neighbourhood and then cross the Harbour Bridge to witness the spectacular skyline at night. On my last day I brave the rainy, cold weather and head to the world famous Bondi Beach. Its not near as crowded as Sydney's CBD so I enjoy my personal space and watch the surfers as they patiently wait for the perfect swell. I'm loving the hostel I'm staying at, and for $45/night, I should. It's got loads of amenities such as a cinema, huge common areas, and a giant kitchen. I've also managed to score chill roommates, one in particular is just fucking awesome. That's the thing about traveling, especially solo you meet these wonderfully amazing people, who enrich your experiences and inevitably end up teaching us about ourselves. Some you exchange names and info with in the hope of keeping in touch, and others you never do get their names. I've had some thought provoking, soul stirring conversations with strangers while on a bus, hiking, standing in line, at the beach. It's all about the people you meet along the way that shape you and your experience.

Gold Coast Love

I arrive in Surfers Paradise and walk to the hostel with 2, surprise-surprise German girls. I'd bet that 4 out of 10 travellers between the ages of 18-35 are from Germany. My muscles are adapting to my 21kg monster, as it no longer bothers me as much. Although if I stood straight and slightly leaned to the back I'd no doubt have a first hand encounter of what it's like to be a turtle. The hostel blasts reggae all day, and has some of the best showers on the east coast, it's the small things that make my happy. I make my way to the beach but enroute get caught in a storm. I wait for the storm to pass by window shopping. This is a sad time for backpackers, not enough money or room to buy anything. Once the storm passes and I step on that beach my frown is turned upside down. With sky rises behind me and the Gold Coast at my feet I have another "pinch me moment." I take one of my favourite pictures to date, and walk up and down the coast watching novice surfers get tossed around in the ocean. I contemplate joining them but decide I'll go when Mother Nature isn't being so ruthless. I head on to Byron Bay excited to enjoy it's laid back, new age, organic vibe. I hike to the summit of Cape Byron and check out the stunning views, a lighthouse from 1901, as well as Australia's most easterly point. Anxious to try Stand Up Paddleboarding I sign up for a lesson. We head out to a nearby river and after a brief lesson on how to paddle we get on the boards. While I don't fall I come very close, my legs are vibrating like a rabbits foot. A few deep breaths and I find my centre, I can not convey just how much I enjoyed SUPing. While gliding along the river we spot mantas, a pelican, and a snake in the tree. My show off guide demonstrates how easy it is to do a handstand while on the board, I secretly hopes he falls but he does not. He encourages me to try, I educate him on the fact I can't even do one on land let alone on water but I will rock out mountain pose. The way back we don't exactly glide, the current and wind are against us, making it seem like I'll never make it back. I contemplate rocking out corpse pose and let the wind take me where it may, but I suck it up and literally power through the conditions, promising myself Mexican food if I finish. BTW Australia has some of the best Mexican food you can find when not in Mexico. While it's raining I explore the many shops in Byron searching for a souvenir for my brother and browsing the many Happy Herb shops offering natural remedies. I dig this town and if I can I may head back up here.

Friends, Wine, and City Skylines

Hervey Bay is the number one spot in the world to catch a glimpse of the humpback whale, that is of course if you're there during whale watching season. Lucky for me Hervey Bay has an amazing 22k bike path that borders the coast, and my hostel has free bikes to use. On my tour of Hervey Bay I decide to check out the Vic Heslop Shark museum not really knowing what to expect. Vic is a shark hunter his opinion is that the ocean is over populated with great white sharks. Through his studies he believes that these sharks feed on turtles and whales, and are in part to blame for them becoming endangered. So by him hunting he is creating more of a balance in the ocean. His museum was created to educate the public on his efforts, there is letters from various organizations thanking and supporting him, pictures of sharks he has killed, and various home movies. Perhaps the greatest draw was to see an actual great white shark that has been preserved in a freezer. His hope is that people leave the museum better informed on both sides of the issue. I think thats important to know both sides of something before you make your opinion, at least that way it's an educated one. Too often people only focus on the side they favor. Short bus ride later I arrive in Brisbane and am excited to check into my hostel as online it was described as a sanctuary. Apparently their idea of a sanctuary resembles a prison cell, except in cells I think they get a window. All is not lost however as my roommates more than make up for this dungeon. Two of the three are fresh out of high school German girls, one is suffering from a bout of homesickness so I do my best to console her, and the other makes me envious with her "short 9k runs" it's 35 degrees who runs 9k? The 3rd one becomes the closest friend I've made in Australia so far, she's from South Korea and we click immediately. She shares with me her story of beating cancer and how she is pursuing her dream of working with children by being enrolled in university in Brisbane and starting in January. The next couple of nights in between glasses of wine she shows me around Brisbane via the ferry. City skylines at night have to be one of my favorite things, and Brisbane's is so beautiful. I am not the only that is enchanted by it, many others are as well as I have never seen so many people making out in public

Crossing off items on the bucket list

Sylvia a girl I met in Magnetic Island and I decide on a 2 night 3 day tour which encompasses sailing the Whitsunday's, spending 2 nights at Long Beach which is an island in the Whitsunday's and on the final day snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef. Like everything in Australia this excursion is a bit expensive, but can you put a price on crossing items off your bucket list? Actually you can, it's about $400. After an hour of sailing we arrive at Whitehaven Beach which is known for its white sands that never retain heat, and is the most Eco friendly beach in Australia. According to the guide it is also one of the top 10 beaches in the world, in my humble opinion it is #1. The water is not only inviting at a balmy temperature of 25 degrees but it has this perfect color combination of blue and green. During lunch I sit with a group of people and who's sitting beside me but a guy from EDMONTON. We're both tripped out about how small of a world it is and immediately start chatting away like old friends. We then find out that the lady across from us is a Doctor from Sydney but originally from Brazil, so we start chatting her up as Brazil is on both our travel lists. After lunch I begin to realize I'm burnt, specifically my back. Once at Long Island I take a look and see the damage -it's bad. The pain lasts for days, and carrying my monster backpack isn't helpful either. As I write this a week later I see the light at the end of the tunnel I'm still peeling but the pain is almost gone. The next day is spent on Long Island where I hike and heal. It's unreal how expensive it is here, a water and an ice tea after my grueling hike set me back $10, believe me I savored every drop. On the last day of my tour we set off to the Great Barrier Reef, which is the worlds largest coral reef system, and one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. Sylvia has decided to head back as she's not feeling well so for this I'm solo and am feeling a bit sad, I wish I had my brothers, sisters, and my niece to share this with as I know they would love it. After a rough ride in which many people got sick, we arrive at ReefWorld which is on Hardy Reef. There is a submersible where you can cruise above the coral, an underwater observatory, and of course scuba and snorkeling gear. The reef is spectacular I am able to spot nemo along with many other colorful fish. I learn a lot about the Eco system and the diversity of species that call the GBR home, many of which are vulnerable and endangered. I'm not here to preach to anyone and I'm aware of the fact that my jet setting ways have a significant impact on the environment. Global warming is considered to be the greatest threat to the Great Barrier Reef. If everyone of us does not start changing our ways and becoming more environmentally conscious and aware of our impact the 6 out of 7 species of turtles, 30 species of whales, dolphins, porpoises, more than 1500 species of fish, the coral, and many other species that call the Great Barrier Reef home will become endangered or worse extinct. This is something I have become very passionate about, and hope that maybe my ramble will inspire you to become more environmentally friendly so that you, your children, your grandchildren, and countless others can experience the natural beauty that this world has to offer. Anyways... after a long day at sea I'm welcomed home by perhaps the nicest hostel owner yet. This hostel is cute every unit which is similar to a storage container with windows has 2 bedrooms each with 3 beds, a bathroom, and a kitchen. The next day I FaceTime with my brothers and 2 dear friends and then head off for my 13hr bus ride to Hervey Bay

Dreaming of cold water...

After arriving in Townsville I'm told that my hostel is 10 minutes away if your driving, and 30 if your walking "but don't walk it's to hot" the airport shuttle guy tells me. In true Michelle fashion I do the opposite and walk, all in an effort to save money. It's a nice walk and by nice I mean pure torture, I'm acutely aware of the fact that yet again I have packed far to much. Townsville is the largest city in Queensland so I figured there would be a lot to do... turns out I was wrong. I spend my time walking around Townsville, going to the botanical gardens, swimming in the rooftop pool, and enjoying A/C in my very OWN room. The place I'm staying in is set up like a motel but with communal showers and a huge communal kitchen. It's a nice little "community" and many people have been there for long periods of time. After Townsville I take a ferry to "Maggie Island" staying in a 3 bedroom bungalow out in the wilderness. Here and like most places there is a communal kitchen and communal shower/bathroom as we'll as a nice lounging area and of course a pool (every place I've been to has a pool). For the most part I quite enjoy living a more simplistic life having only what I need, I would prefer having someone else carry around my things, but in any case it's liberating. Wondering what's near the top of my list of things I miss? Cold water from a tap. I don't get it Australia why must the water always be warm? I set out to do The Fort's Walk which is "the hike to do" while in Maggie. It's a 4k round trip with the first half mostly ascending. The hike had incredible views of the island, a few WWII artifacts and Koala's UP CLOSE, but sleeping of course. On the way down I met up with an older, Mother Nature loving, Swedish woman who also happened to be staying in my room and a guy around my age from England. The Swedish woman entertained me with her travel and life stories and the English guy and I instantly bonded over being at similar junctures in our lives. At night is when the animals in the wilderness come alive, the birds are squawking, bats are flying (which sounds so creepy) and there's animals running in and out of the bushes. A possum tries to get in our cabin, I think he's cute until I'm told there like rats -and the good feeling is gone. Next on the agenda is Airlie Beach and sailing the Whitsundays.

The beginning of the "hop-on-hop-off pass"

I leave Sydney in a rush and head to Melbourne, known as the cultural hub of Australia. I've lucked out here I'm staying in this hostel called The Nunnery which if you haven't guessed it used to be a Nunnery, so it's full of character and is unlike any hostel I've ever stayed in, and I also got a kick-ass roommate for the time that I'm there. The next day I leave on a one day Great Ocean Road Trip with a fellow Canadian and as we're on the bus I notice that I am the only one not wearing a jacket, big mistake -HUGE-. Thankfully one of the guides offers up his jacket! I hesitantly take it but am immediately grateful once it's on. I was not privy to the well known fact that Spring time in Melbs means you can and you will experience all 4 seasons in 1 day. Along the way we see the famous but fickle Bells Beach home to the Rip Curl Pro and is known as the spiritual home of Australian Surfing. Not to much farther we stop in Apollo Bay and I'm delighted to see my first Koala. There are a couple of others scattered around the trees, all are asleep like most Koalas. I'm hopeful but not overly optimistic that I will see a koala moving around, I suppose that's what happens when your diet has limited nutritional and caloric content. We arrive at the Twelve Apostles and are informed there's actually not 12, nor has there ever been, there is now only 7 rock "stacks" as 1 collapsed in 2005. Someone in the '60s came up with this name as a way to attract tourists to the "stacks" which are carved by the ocean. It's unbelievable to me that I'm actually here seeing this with my very own eyes, I take a few photos and spend the rest of my time just enjoying being here. I spend the rest of my time in Mel exploring the graffiti covered lane-ways, the CBD, and "funky" Fitzroy. I beginning tossing around the idea of working on a farm, I do some research and make some calls and am told on the phone that there is work on a banana farm in Tully, QLD and book a flight to Cairns. I spend one night in Cairns and head to Tully. Tully is a one street town with not a lot going on besides the banana plantations and cane sugar factories. I find my hostel and register it's here that I'm informed "sorry doll things slowed up quick, the wait list for work is three weeks, and you're behind 4 other girls." I'm not sure how I could have misunderstood her but I go with it and get on the list. I'm shown to my room, nothing could have prepared me for this... it's a room about the same size as the room bedroom I had in Canada, 4 bunk beds, and 7 very messy but very sweet girls. I take a deep breath and wonder how the heck am I going to live like this for a few weeks. I'm a neat freak, I have OCD when it comes to organization, and I'm set in my ways. I act on impulse but a few hours later I decide to get on the next bus outta there. Later on the girls share stories about working in the banana plantation, in their words "it's like a concentration camp" your at 1 station and do the same thing (putting lids on boxes, cutting bananas into bunches, wrapping them in plastic, etc) for 8 hours a day 5 days a week. The reason these girls and everyone else is doing it is the pay ($750/week) and the Australian government will grant you a 2nd year visa in exchange for 88 days of farm work. My job at home sounds blissfully amazing and I'm immediately thankful I don't need to do farm work, I'm not sure I'd last a day. In life Plan A or B doesn't always work out, good thing there's 26 letters in the alphabet as plan C is to use my hop on hop off greyhound bus pass and travel down the east coast, next stop Townsville.

Going from a plan to no plan...

I'm here, I'm finally here!! I've dreamt of coming to Australia for as long as I can remember, some of my friends will say "...for as long as I've known you, you have been planning this trip." So no one was more surprised than me when this trip got off to a rocky start. You see back when I first started planning this adventure I was going to live and work in Australia, staying for a year or more. Fast forward to a few months before leaving my plan was still to work but rather than be away for a year+ Id come home after 7 months. Life has a way of saying f-u to you're plans and steering you in the "right" direction. After sleepless nights and just "not feeling it" I've come to realize that I need to listen to my heart and go with it. At this moment I'm not interested in working which will inevitably cut down the time that I can stay overseas. I'm at peace with this because what I am interested in doing is enjoying every moment of this adventure, having no set plans except to finally listen to my heart.

City of Angeles

So although I'm in Australia I feel like LA deserves some blog love. If we're friends on Facebook you are likely aware that I'm in love with that city and here's why. First and foremost I love hip hop and LA also appreciates the beat as I hear it everywhere from car stereos to store speaker systems. Secondly it's beautiful, palm lined streets, the ocean, Runyon, Sunset Blvd, the people, the decor inside buildings (outside not so much), and most importantly THE MEN there are so many gorgeous mocha colored men in LA. The the third thing I adore is the vibe the people put out, there are people congregated on sidewalks, at Starbucks, in foyers all just chilling with one another and it's not one group of people over and over it's everyone it many. Fourth it's laid back boho cool here so laid back I was offered medical marihuana in Venice which brings me to number five VENICE. If you've been you know what I'm talking about if you haven't I suggest you go, it's like a boho circus. Last but certainly not least is its close proximity to the beach and ocean. L.A. truly has captured my heart and I can't wait to go back.

Think about it...

“Why tell your grandkids you worked 9-5, five days a week for 40 years and quietly sat in traffic jams while people went to war, suffered disease and shot their own classmates? Tell them you refused to live in fear. Tell them you crossed the Amazon, saw the Lost Cities of Gold and met your soul mate in Casablanca. Travel to the ends of the earth. Go now and live adventures that will make your grandkids proud.”