Voyage Towards Happiness

Tribute to Jen from Shell Beach California:
I think you're right.... we all need to rediscover our little girl.
you know?
so innocent, pure, full of life, energy and happiness, and free of fear and worries
(and responsibilty).... awww.... those were the days :)

This picture was taken in our free condo (thanks to Stu at Shell Beach Surf Shop) and the winner of the Nica surf trip, Colleen (an incredible artist from California). Theres me, Vera, Colleen, Dry Bag Stu (aka sugar daddy) and Jen. A lively bunch sharing some jolly good times together at Playa Colorado.




VOYAGE TOWARDS HAPPINESS

so, the things I've learned:

1. I've learned that my body is a sacred space. Why taint it with drugs and alcohol. I've noticed that after just 2 weeks of not drinking or taking drugs, I have much more energy, am happier, and the best thing: healthy.
2. I've learned that I can do anything and there is nothing out of reach.
3. I've learned to not make assumptions. Why waste the time?
4. I've learned that Im not ready to be in love. If they are right for me, they'll wait
5. I've learned the importance that YOGA has on my body
6. I've learned to "dive head first" into all that I do and to not be scared
7. i've learned to be conscious and aware of my body: what its telling me, how it feels, etc.
8. I've learned that I dont always need to be in control of every situation, conversation, decision, relationship, direction..... etc. Its okay to not know what to expect, to feel awkward, to let someone else entertain. I dont need control to comfort me.
9. I've learned to not worry about embarrassment. Who cares? Just go for it!

My New Years Resolution:
the 4 agreements
1. be impeccable with my words
2. dont take anything personally
3. dont make assumptions
4. always do my best

nicaragua in a nutshell

I spent almost 2 months in Cloud Forest in the Nicaraguan jungle at an organic coffee plantation called Selva Negra. Truly an incredible place. I hung out with a 10 year old girl and her 4 horses, 3 rabbits, 5 cats, 1 dog, 1 deer, 4 ducks (am I missing something?) in her huge house overlooking the entire city of Matagalpa. I tried teaching myself Spanish with Rosetta Stone on her dads (his name is Roy) computer in his own top of the line bakery. I took hikes into the jungle with my custom made machete and holster that Roy had made for me. This is where I had my first ever run I with a tick (I quickly decided me and that tick weren’t friends). I saw wild parrots, and huge hummingbirds, and see through butterflies, and hundreds of different types of orchids. I ate fruit off trees and drank coffee picked fresh from the plantation. I tried doing my own laundry but the maids did it for me, right after they cleaned my room… and the entire house. We didn’t drive. We had our own driver who drove for us. We never cooked, someone cooked for us and all of a sudden, there was food on the table. Truly vacation.

I left that jungle paradise and headed to the beach. I hitched a ride and it was a 5 hour drive in a pimped out jeep weaving in and out of cars, trucks, horses, ox carts, buses, stray dogs, you name it, its probably in the road. But I made it to my destination.

San Juan Del Sur. Its supposed to be a hot spot. THE hot spot for Americans coming to this country. I stayed for 3 hours, recruited a jolly fun group and we squished in a taxi and headed north to Playa Popoyo. Spent about 5 days there watching through my mosquito net as bats flew to and from the rooms probably catching bugs and pooping on us. We tide pooled, swam with crazy colored tropical fish, did yoga on the beach with a tiny little Argentina lady, cooked the most delicious food, and painted masterpieces all over the hostel walls. Then, we left.

My mom came to visit. She hated the traffic, any food that wasn’t cooked, people looking at her (she thought they would rob her), leaving the rental car parked, driving the rental car, buses, dogs in the roads, the roads in general, the markets, the language, etc. etc. Overall I think the experience shocked her. She didn’t like anything except being at Best Western (across the street from the airport) and at the very expensive condo-golf resort I took her to on the beach. She made it though. Happy and smiling when she finally received her luggage after 5 days of being without it right before she departed back to Alaska.

That left me alone. I headed to the beach to work at a restaurant. Made friends, got people buzzed, ate good food, didn’t pay for rent and lived in a lux bedroom WITH my own bathroom, I might add. Surfing every morning until work at 12pm. Nothing lasts forever, I sadly, got fired and had to move out of the room the same day.

Surfer Mike let me live in his house for a few days. I met Vero, an Argentine artist/yoga instructor who I ended up traveling with for the next 2 weeks and Brad, from the band Dispatch.

That day, I was walking on the beach and I met a guy named Stu who invited me to a condo south of here. I would live with him, an artist named Colleen from California and Vero. I would cook, clean and practice yoga and meditation in between surf sessions. For free? Ok. I left that day.

One week at the Iguana Condos surfing Playa Colorado and Panga Drops. One day they rented a boat to take us up to Lance’s Left and Playgrounds to surf waves that no one else was at. Perfect. We swam out to the boat, got in and there we went. Once we got to the waves, we jumped out of the boat and paddled to the break. This too shall end.

Got a free ride to the airport from there where Vero and I headed off to Little Corn Island on the East side or the Caribbean side of the country. We flew from managua to bluefields to big corn island and then took a little boat with 15 other people to little corn island 30 minutes away on the most terrifying ride of my life ( i thought i was going to die) and then i spent 3 wonderful days there. we circumnavigated the island in an 1 ½ on foot. We lived on the beach in a bungalow in the rain so deafening i couldnt even hear vera talk to me 5 feet away and then we took another horrible boat ride back to big corn and stayed the night in the ghetto where it poured down rain and flooded our hostel room floor and then the next day got on a tiny toy plane that i was sure was just going to fall apart piece by piece in mid air back to Managua

then today, i went to an old Sandinista prison from the 80s war and i only made it 1/2 way through the first level and i got so pale and feeling so creepy i asked to be escorted out of the prison because i refused to go on with the tour. the energy was so intense for me. i was told later, the 2nd level was full of torture chambers, blood on the walls, people being hung, beaten, raped, etc. Then, they told me the prison was on the tv show ghost busters and it was full of ghosts, or spirits or whatever you want to call them.

when i was in there, i could hear the sound of shackles, chains, the sound of the barrel of the guards guns running up and down the prison bars. the screaming and crying... .it was horrible. i know it was all in my head but i felt the energy. i heard those things. it was horrible. im so glad i didnt continue with the tour because my mind just cant handle things like that.

Now, im back at Gran Pacifica where the energy is healthy, happy, peaceful and the air smells like salt and the waves crash outside my casita window, and I fall asleep to the sound of crickets and wake up to the rising sun telling me its time to surf.

I only have 9 more days here in this little tiny paradise.

pressing on

Lets fill in the blanks:

after my little South American tour 8 months ago, I found myself back in sunny Juneau, Alaska leading whale watching and hiking tours showing off the incredible state that I was born and raised in. This lasted for a solid 5 months. whales, orcas, bears, living in a tent on the beach or my trusty blazer during rainy & stormy nights or the bunker house waaaay up in the hills of downtown Juneau. Hiking trails with friends like Frannie, stealing Lena from Charlie, jumping off the docks with Gabe whereas shortly afterwards being covered completely in cold hives. yes. this is a real thing. I have aquired Cold Urticaria. I am now literally allergic to cold weather and literally break out in hives if exposed to the elements. Its a fun thing though. Having that, and my chronic hiccups averaging about 20 a day.

so, the summer season came spiraling to an end. the bears went up to their caves in the mountains, the whales migrated to warmer waters, and i hopped on a plane to wyoming where i camped with my friend brandon (who i met in valdez) for 3 weeks climbing mountains and drinking homemade dandelion wine. i fell in love with the cirque of the towers in the wind river range. spent less than a week at city of rocks in southern idaho and climbed almost every day in teton canyon which was strategically placed only 10 minutes away from brandon's huge farm in alta, wy.



tick tock. tick tock. its time to keep moving.

i hopped on a bus from idaho to SLC to spend the night with "beautiful billy" and say hello to some of my utah friends. fun times fun times fun times.

early early the next morning, billy dropped me off at the airport and i flew to texas to meet dylan aka "dil pickle crochet master" in the airport. together we frolicked through the airport (by frolick i mean we ran really fast because we almost missed out flight). alas, we made it, ordered a coffee and then fell asleep until... touchdown.

welcome to asheville, north carolina.

the first thing we did was to take a bus to papa's and beer for THE most delicious mexican food ever. then gabe, an old hippy college friend from the tiny town of sitka scooped us up and took us away to his palace in downtown asheville.

for 3 days, dylan and i rocked homemade glow in the dark costumes and danced our music filled hearts out at the MOOG festival for Halloween weekend. That weekend, my life ultimately changed forever.

Off to Florida i go to pay the old visit to the one and only: auntie Carol. relax and decompress from a head spinning weekend prior. 4 days go by. see you later USA!

another plane. only $40.00 later though. crammed on a Spirit Airlines flight. I fall asleep. I wake up. Im in Nicaragua.

So here I am.

Back in the digital world of online posting in the Nicaraguan jungle.

Uyuni for Carnaval

out of control.

really, truly, out of control.

i met some little old lady that made me join the parade. we danced all the way to the VIP after party. this lady was ancient. she was old. really really old. and she could put the beers away like no other. at one point, she got mad at me because i wasnt drinking as fast as she was. this is the point in my life where i TRULY learned how to drink a beer. surrounded by old people dressed in traditional colorful bolivian skirts and hats dancing in circles holding hands with giant smiles. she danced so low that i swear, her hips were going to pop out when she worked her way back up or her back would go out or something. these people can dance. they are PROFESSIONAL carnavalers. i, on the other hand, am a newbee and got tired fast. i dont know how they can dance ALL NIGHT long and never ever get tired. confetti was everywhere. in my hair for 6 days after!!! i met sean connery who wore a fred flinstone constume. he told me he wanted to marry me and thats when i asked him about his wedding ring. margaret and i danced all night long to multiple live bands. great music. amazing people. parades in the streets. in every single street. people dancing. laughing. twirling in their made up costumes and their wigs. water balloons, squirt guns, tubas, trumpets, etc.

.... around 6am, we started the trek home. for me, this was a little but harder as i spent the entire night with a 65 year old bolivian woman who kept feeding me free beer. margaret and braden carried me home and i stumbled my way down the middle of the road singing and laughing and cheersing fellow carnavalers as we passed by. when i made it there, i stole a chileans sandle and ran around the hostel screaming and laughing. i apoliged for this the next day. upon arrival of the hostel room, i decided i really wasnt tired and refused to go to sleep. braden and marg had a different idea so they blockaded the door and wouldnt let me leave the room.

CARNAVAL IN BOLIVIA, check.

Uyuni Bolivia: 3 DAY SALT FLAT TOUR

we went from the tropical beaches of Lake Titi Kaka on the shores of Isla Del Sol (accurately named) to...... wait for it........

THE DESERT!!!!!!

what a change. dang. for the past 2 years, i have really really wanted to go to the largest salt flat in the world, Salar De Uyuni.

and... i made it. after a long and terrifying bus ride we arrived in Uyuni. The desert. We wandered around for a bit and then booked a 3 day tour with a company called Oasis. Our group consisted of 2 guys, Roberto and Sebass from Spain, a boy from Minnisota who now lives in Uruguay, the cook, and the driver. we hopped into the landcruiser and took off on our 3 day adventure.

in a nutshell:

DAY #1
we saw so many volcanos including volcano olyagway which is active and it had snow on it

the salt flats were everything i expected them to be AND MORE.

first 10 minutes of the trip, we got a flat tire

stopped in the salt flats to take pictures of a local man shoveling salt out of the ground into cone shapes piles to load on the salt truck and the jeep wouldnt start after that for a half hour

saw flamingoes, white and pink ones

went to an abandoned train station

night #1, at the hostel, the 5 of us bonded after dinner with 3 bottles and 2 boxes of wine. we danced to the music and poached the other groups 1 boliviano fire under the stars

´i feel safe, i feel warm, when you´re here, and i do no wrong. i am cured when im by your side. i feel safe. i feel safe.´

we watched a killer sunset together

total tour = 1,080KM!!!!!

Dear Dad,
I am standing underneath the milky way so bright and white. Theres a thunder and lightning storm off in the distance and the bolts light up the anvil cloud. Many, many estrellas fugaz anoche. I wonder if you are thinking about me at this exact moment. I love you.

Marybeth (our cook) made Margaret and I vegetarian plates. The first lunch, we ate at the Salt Flats and our table and our chairs were made of salt. The veggie patty, oooo.... so good. I tried llama meat for the first and last time


DAY #2
SeaBass goes wierd

incredible landscapes the entire way
flamingos
lagunes
desert
lakes hidden in valleys
wild vicuñas, llamas, pink mountains, volcanos dormant and active

i rock climbed up a bunch of perfect boulders in the middle of the desert

we stopped to have lunch amoungst holy rocks and flat, red desert. no sound, anywhere besides our own noise and the constant ringing in my right ear

off in the distance, the heat radiates off the desert floor

the super mario plant thats green and puffy and resembles a huge brocolli is excreeting sap that smells just like a pine tree. so fresh. the air this high makes breathing more labored

our picnic is perfect. deep fried coliflower!! YUM!

paid 30BS to get into a national park. worth every penny which is actually only about 5USD.

Reserva Nacional De Fauna Andine Eduardo Avaroa

a red lake, a green lake, a pink lake, with such contrasting colors.

that night at the hostel, i met a man from england with an incredible bone structure. his name was robin, and no, he wasnt wearing tights.

desert nights
bone chilling night
dark nights with no lights
these nights are the best nights for star gazing.


DAY #3

4:30 wake up

the sky is blanketed with stars

at 5am, we hop into the landcruiser and speed off into the dark distance.

cold morning. about 30 celcius

the sun is rising when we round the corner to the boiling mud and the steaming geysters

margaret gets lost in the steam

off to the hot springs that are on the shores of the lake

as we round the corner towards the springs, the driver was going too fast and lost control of the car and we fish tail our way around back to safety. i punched him over and over and over again for fear of my little life

soaked in the springs at 6am when the sun was still rising and the lake was steaming and flamigos were wandering about

then off to laguna verde and then to the chilean border where marg and i ran illigally into chile to say goodbye to our friends from spain

on the way back to Uyuni, i drove part of the way (naturally. this means i have now driven 11 different types of vehicles in south america)

we picked up a hitchhiker and i made him carry a terranasaurous the whole way

THE BEST TOUR EVER


once we arrived in Uyuni after 17 hours of driving and multiple panic attacks from our drivers driving, we pulled up just in time for Carnaval.

Isla Del Sol

oh my.

ISLA DEL SOL: a gem of an island. a MUST see.
-journey´d over on a boat to the island with our new found argentine friends
-arrived at the island 2 hours later
-got attacked by water balloons and was forced to create a blockade, round the troops, and retaliate against the army of 10 year olds with an unlimited supply of water balloons and colorful squirt guns
-started, what ended up to be, a 5hour hike across the entire island from the south end to the north end.
-got lost 3 times
-paid 3 crossing fees in various places
-wanted to buy a beer in the middle of the island on the very top ridge next to donkeys and baby pigs but the old lonesome man wanted to charge this gringo 15 bolivianos. (now that i think about it, thats only like, 2US $... im cheap) so i didnt do it
-the landscape was incredible. thats all i can tell you other than YOU HAVE TO GO HERE!!!!!!
-accidently ran into some Ayamara ruins and laid in the sun in the middle of what i have convinced myself was a kitchen at one point and burnt my skin
-drank maté when i woke up with more argentines
-made it to the beach before dark and set up our tent and lived there for 3 more days then we had planned
-went swimming in lake titi kaka
-cooked dinner on the beach in a sand pit we made
-witnessed a love affair unfold
-the sky was so clear, a person could see the difference between the red stars and the blue stars.
-we saw the milky way and the FINALLY after 3 months of being in SA, found the southern cross
-margaret´s shoes were stolen
-a pig stole my mango
-we would be sitting on the beach drinking maté (an argentine tea) and all of a sudden, 6 donkeys, 22 pigs, 3 cows, and 8 chickens would just randomly walk past us on the beach.
-ran out of money on the island because all those stupid crossing fees so we started eating only bananas, cheetos and cookies.
-i attempted to pimp margaret out for more vino and cookies (no luck)
-we convinced the argentines to give us money to get off the island 3 days later
-a VERY worth while experience

do it. do it.


http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isla_del_Sol

Bolivia and such

First things first, crossing the border.
This was difficult for me. Since my passport had been stolen previously in Peru, i had to get a new one. So I spent quiet a while kickin around Cusco waiting for 3 weeks for a new passport to arrive. It arrived, so I could continue into a brand-spankin new country. Marg and I hop onto a bus and make our way to the border. At the Peruvian frontier, since I dont have any entry stamps (hense a new passport) they tell me I cant exit because I shouldnt have ever been in their country in the first place. I show them my police document with official seals and signatures. they dont beleive me. then, they tell me they have to shred my passport because its fake. (WHAT!?) I ended up bribing them with all of the money i had left that my parents kindly western unioned me earlier that week just to pass through the border. here, i got an entry stamp, and an exit stamp. Next stop 4 minutes later, the Bolivian border. now, i heard that bolivians were much kinder than peruvians all around, this, if i may attest to honestly, is a lie. bolivians, for the most part unless they´re drunk at carnaval, unfortunately hate americans. so, the border wasnt any more fun than the peruvian border. we had to pay them MORE money just to get through, get a bolivian visa which was 135USD!, change our sols into bolivianos just to pay for all the paperwork which should have been free but for americans aparently isnt free and THEN had to hear it from the bus driver who also hates americans. we know this because he was screaming at margaret, I HATE AMERICANS over and over and over again. then, he drove the bus off without us and we had to go screaming and running after it since it had our backpacks in there and we paid to get all the way to Copacabana, not be left in the middle of no where with no bags. He was a jerk. Once we boarded the moving bus, i almost passed out because when you run that fast at 4500 meters high, lets just say i might have been a little winded.... but, we did get a roaring applause from the other travelers on the bus which was nice.

So, here we are in Copacabana, a very very expensive touristy town. I wasnt so into it. so, we ate. we went to this restaurant with a slanted floor and wondered why it was slanted over beer and nachos made of the end of a doritos bag (mostly crumbs). then, it started raining, then it started pouring buckets, then it started hailing so hard that the roof began to leak a little bit, then a lot, and then so much that literally, buckets of water and HUGE balls of hail started pouring through the ceiling all over people and their food. i literally got so much hail in my beer that it looked and served as ice. we decided the floor was slanted for this reason.

later that night at our hostel, we met our neighbors which were two argentian boys. we convinced them that peddling huge duck boats are really cool and they should buy us our tickets. so, the 4 of us headed to the beach of Lake Titi Kaka and rented a duck boat. we paddled out into the huge lake where i didnt have to convince too hard how much fun swimming can be. thus, we swam. i jumped off the ducks head into the crystal clear water. it might have been a little cold but i swam around for about 30 minutes. then stuggled my way back up into the floating duck and let the sun warm me up. all of a sudden, i lost my vision completely. 100%. margeret said there was no more blue in my eyes at all. i passed out. they peddled back to land, i woke up weak and stumbled to the road where i passed out again. i think a combination of the heat, then the cold of the water, then the exercise with the elevation and the dehydration and poor eating habits did me in. a stranger ran up and force fed me a spoon full of sugar and margaret ran screaming into the streets that she needed a taxi for an emergency. i ended up living. good old copacabana.