Mapel Syrup Shots: New Englad Fall

"The only question in life is whether or not you are going to answer a hearty YES! to your next adventure."
-Joseph Campbell

If that isn't the theme of my life at this point I don't know what is. This fall I have done my best to fully exemplify this quote. This is the season, more than any other season of my life that I felt completely and totally in my element. I wish I could name what made it so fundamental for me, but that just wouldn't be good enough of to keep me on my toes.

I can say that I have absolutely been swooned by New England with it's always changing foliage, grade B maple syrup, and nearby adventures. There was only one day (thank goodness it was the day I was packing) that I really didn't want to go out and frolic in the forests. Otherwise as soon as I awoke I was heading up or heading out on the next excursion. This season I had quite a few partners in crime which made it all the more enjoyable. The issue, most of the time ,was getting to the destination. I distinctly remember, on my way up and back visiting my ultimate fall partner in crime in New Hampshire. We stopped at least 20 times, because it was just too pretty not to soak of all the fall colors and take a few too many picture. Other adventures were similar on the scale of oooooooooo and ahhhhhhh. I revisited the Whites of New Hampshire, ran a half-marathon with Vermont's Green (but yellow and orange at the time) Mountains as the backdrop, went to a stone soup festival and found some great live music, hiked the only 'real' mountain in Massachusetts: Mt. Greylock in it's transition from fall to winter, hiking the most hiked mountain in the world on the busiest weekend of the year, apple picked, frolicked through a chasm of rocks, and chased the leaves through parts of Connecticut, among a handful of others. Is was all so breath taking! Those who joined me on these adventures seems more amused by my glee over the colors than the actual colors themselves. All I can say is I am hooked.

Now: Leaves. Let me tell you about the magic they hold. As I hinted above, my coworkers were constantly amused by the collection of leaves I would collect after a morning out with the kids. Leaves come in all shapes, sizes, and colors and I was... ok am... continuously amazed  every time I walked outside. Giddy for the colors and what different changes they all go through in their short lifespan.

I can also say that working for Nature's Classroom strikes a primal chord with me. Walking the
woods with the youth of America and then pulling them into a classroom to learn why hot air balloons work or how the value behind the craftsmanship of creating ones own wooden furniture and an opportunity to make their own has shown me such an easy way to spark imagination and moreover inspire. Although I had some more difficult individuals in some groups, all in all I was amazed with the passion, questions, and excitement I have been able to evoke from the kids. Looking back to a full three years ago the depth of knowledge I have attained and been able to then teach is truly amazing. Sure I get paid for this, but it is a solid education for me as well. I feel so grateful that this is my life and that I enjoy what I do so much.

I thought I would share a poem written by a dear friend from my time at Echo Hill. This poem I read to my kids at the end of most weeks in a conversation about remembering Nature's Classroom, remembering me, and remembering that they have to power to really make a difference.

It's not everyday you get to see the sparkle in a child's eye,
A glimmer of understanding,
A moment of affirmation that what you've said,
Or precisely, what they have experiences has made a difference,
Metamorphosing their beliefs in untold ways to reach new heights,
And to explore unknown depths,
All for the sake of knowledge.
It's not everyday that a child truly feels nature in their soul,
Striking a primal chord,
Awakening a seemingly lost relationship with the Other,
The vulture and the pine,
The connection with a world walked by our ancestors,
Enlightening the child's passions and creativity
Whilst captivating their attention
In the sanctity of the present moment.
It's not everyday a lesson can inspire a group of children to tear down the dam,
The accept a new world view, even if unintentionally,
Or a fresh perspective,
Or more likely, the reemergence of an age old comprehension
That changes the dominate culture through a ripple effect
And leaves behind a peaceful wake,
Led by happy passionate children.
It's not everyday unless...

Patience has gotten me somewhere this season. I was really living in the moment and not focused on the winter at all. In writing this blog I figured out how much I need to go back to Nature's Classroom again, and also how much I need to keep exploring the world of Spanish. My indecisiveness or lack of focus on the future worked out well. I'll be heading home for a bit of the winter to work and volunteer and then I'll be headed back to South America to farm and travel a bit and do some more work for VISIONS before heading back in a new role at NC. I really do believe that things always happen for a reason...

Andean Woman: Work and Playing in Peru and Bolivia

I have started this blog a few times over now and I still can't find the right way to write it all. This summer has been full of the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. I have been able to see the magical structure of Machu Picchu (TWO more times) when once it was only a dream on the top of my bucket list that inspired me to travel. I have taken in a new roll in a company I continue to grow in and battled my way through some complicated times while learning more about my innate strengths and more-so, my weaknesses. If there is any word that can summarize my summer it is gratitude. 

Gratitude for a job that opens up the world for me while simultaneously pushing me out side my comfort zone to learn about myself. Gratitude for a Peruvian community that always lets in a bunch of foreigners and calls them family. Gratitude for the young souls that reminded me the value of personal connections. Gratitude to live in a world with such natural beauty that in continues to inspire exploration. Gratitude for an open sky of stars that makes me realize how small I really am. Gratitude for the flexibility to travel and see and experience all these places. 

Realistically this summer's star is the Andes: tall, steep, endless, and magical mountains that had a constant present in my summer. These powerful beasts impressed and pushed me through my whole summer. Not only do they offer a bit of eye candy, but the open up a way of life for the local people that is so humble, yet so unique.Yes, the ruins and the tenacity of the Incan power is truly amazing, but what really gets me is the endlessness of these old mountains and how varied they are from place to place, culture to culture,  and season to season. 

Even with all the cultural experiences built in to the VISIONS summer like Pago a la Tierra (paying respects to Mother Earth or the pachumama), Andean bands, and local workshops teaching local arts (chocolate making, bee keeping, jewlery, ceramics, and carpentry) my favorite experiences while working were the hikes  in the mountainous backdrop. We hiked from the unique ruins of Moray to the towered Incan salt crops by means of local farmland and numerous pueblos. I was blown away at every turn by the innate beauty of the Sacred Valley and the etched mountains that fence it in.

Yet my favorite excursion was an unconventional hike up the Putokisi with some adventure savvy participants to get a sneak peak of the ruins of Machu Picchu from the "happy" mountain it faces. We raced the sun and battled our way up nearly vertical rock faces to summit. The excitement of the participants and my coworker's faces made every bit of the journey worth it. It was only appropriate that the next day the same group of kids gathered up the strength to hike Machu Picchu mountain to look down on the old ruins. Absolutely magnificent and to do it with an inspiring bunch of youngsters.

                                 

After a rushed and extremely emotional end of the program I packed up and headed off from the Sacred Valley to get more adventures and some needed peace of mind out of the mountainous terrain.

I headed straight for Colca Canyon where the famous condors have been a part of my outdoor ed teamwork activities for years now. The sheer depth and slope of the canyon where impressive (it is more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon), not to mention the three meter wing span of the condor who hover over the rock faces in the same flight pattern as turkey vultures. Trekking this out first hand was the best way to fully conceptualize the jutting rock faces of the canyon. I was lucky enough to start this trek with a friend from the bus station, Anna, who ended up sticking by my side (or vice-versa) for the rest of my South American journey.

Our trip took us both to Bolivia where we were instantly drooling over the snow capped peaks surrounding La Paz. Due to a tight schedule and the sheer size of the country of Bolivia be opted into heading straight into a three day trek descending from the rocky peaks around La Paz to the lush peaks around Croilloco. El Choro (the name for this hike) started in snow pack and quickly turned into a rainy and water logged first day. The next few days were brighter, warmer and greener, but still challenging with a nearly constant downhill (still my least favorite part of hiking.) We were both impressed by the vistas and natural beauty, but ready to arrive back in La Paz after a satisfying tour of a few ecosystems.

Straight from this trek we didn't waste any time. We had booked our overnight bus and our tour of Uyuni and start upon return from the hike. The poor people with us in our three day long jeep tour never saw or smelled us us showered or bushy tailed. Uyuni is the base for the tour of the famous Bolivian Salt flats. Our tour started on the 12,000 km circumstance salar. This place was truly amazing. Hexagons of white salt stretched out as far as the eye can see. Our tour guide, who was super awesome and loved his job, went out of his way to harvest us some epic salt crystals and teach us all the cool picture options. If there is any place in the world that the pictures don't do justice this is it. I can't even tell you how many times "wow" came out of our mouths this day.

The rest of the tour was a lot of jeep time with a lot of beautiful stops with the natural park that is made up of flamingos, beautiful lagoons, and unique rock formations. After seeing the variety of mountain we did on El Choro it was astounding to see how many other natural wonders exist within the same borders. 

Our whole group thinks we really lucked out with the whole experience. This trip is notorious for bad reviews and unsafe conditions with drivers and companies. Not only did we have a stand up group of people, but also our guide wanted to inform of us of as mush as possible (Spanish really helps for that!) and ensured that we had a safe, unique, and not overcrowded experience. We felt all on our own throughout the tour which is really rare for this tour and being tourist in general during the South American high season.

                              

From Uyuni we headed to the beautiful city of Sucre for a little bit of downtime and a lot of eating. Sucre is known for its tasty empanada-like saltenas and the good vibe it puts out. While in town I did my best to sample all its goodies. Sucre also has a dinosaur fossil park. After growing up right behind one of the biggest dinosaur museums in the states I had do do my duty and visit the museum. It was way more impressive than I thought. Back in the day, while mining for granite, they discovered a wall full of dinosaur tracks. These tracks had a number of identifiable dinosaurs told a story of the geology of this part of the world. The tracks all jutted out of different layers with different slopes showing how this what-was lake has come to form the mountian. This more interesting than I thought combining so many areas of interest in one short tour.

From Sucre we headed out for one last trek on the mountains overlooking Lake Titicaca from Sorata. Now this is where my jaw starts dropping... 

This range of mountains seriously seems to pop out of nowhere. The trek to the Laguna Chillata and then the glacier above it was better each step of the way. I've always known I was a mountain person and this totally solidified it. I was constantly peaking over my shoulder getting a glimpse of the changing mountains. We got to the glacier just in time as the clouds that had left us with hail the night before moved in changing the view and climate quickly. I couldn't have asked for a better end to my trip. Camping at over 4000 meters to scale another 1000 meters with my new companion and a menu designed by us....

There is nothing better than waking up to a warming sunrise over a rock face and setting off up a mountain. That is my kind of "soul food."

                          

As I said Bolivia and the adventures within helped me touch base with myself again. With the chaos of our last program all I needed was time to touch base with what names me tick and I did just that. I feel like I still have so much more to learn about Bolivia and their culture. But I can tell you despite the lack of listening skills they are a people who are always willing to help. Whenever I asked directions to anything they would ask instantly pop up and direct me. It was also very evident it is still a developing country. Many of the people I talked to or hired for hikes and such didn't have Spanish as their native tongue. I was constantly noticing errors in their Spanish and seeing their laps in communication with us as a result- but this was all part of the experience.

I can't wait to cross this border again and see what more natural beauty awaits. Until then a New England fall is calling me yet again... but before I can venture up North I need a bit of Eastern Shore time. 

North Eastern Gypsy Season

I've reached that time again where I am packing up my belongings and as always it doesn't feel like it is that time of year yet...It is mind-blowing to realize that since leaving the U.S. in January I haven't been anywhere longer than two weeks. It has been quite a ride and totally my style of work, play, and sight seeing.

Upon returning to the U.S. I spent a few days at home and got to catch up with all the people that keep that place so magical for me and even managed to run into old friends from college. I ended my whirlwind visit with an slow injured completion of the Run to the Pub Half-Marathon that I have been keen to do since my seasonal lifestyle began. The next day I hit the road with my Mom to transplant myself it the North East yet again.

My mom was pretty impressed that throughout the road trip we were in a total of 12 states in a fairly short period of time. We made the finale of our journey a stop at the frozen and gorgeous Niagara Falls and a weekend on the coast of Maine. It was evident once hitting New York how brutal the winter was in this region, but it sure made for some beautiful sights to see. In Maine my Mom and I spent a day driving to the coast for her first view of the Atlantic, a visit to her favorite: LLBean, and the classic New England lighthouse experience.

Once I set her up on the bus to the Boston airport I headed to central Massachusetts where I unpacked for the season.

Despite the fact that I didn't stick around my "homesite" for long stints of time, it was nice to have a home base and to be where all the makings of Nature's Classroom happen. It proved to be a central location to work four weeks in Connecticut, another week in New York, and other weekend hiking and beach excursions.
New England has really shown me it's magic this season; with the lichen under snow pack, the deafening sounds of frogs mating, the salamanders finding shelters disturbed by children and me flipping over rocks and logs, to all the farm animals at various NC sites, the insane eruption of foliage creating the jungle that is New England, the crystal blue water from melting snow pack, and so much more...
On a daily basis I was blown away with all the beauty that is around here that seems overlooked by locals. Growing up in Montana our forests lack in the deciduous and glowing leaf cover that continues to impress me every time I step out the door. Sure, there are a lot of people here, but it is easy to get away from the population and find some really beautiful things. I spent two of my weekends trekking through some snowy/icy paths in the mountains of New Hampshire to finally found myself believing that there are mountains out here, yet they are in a whole different category than those of the West. In the magic of it all, I found myself comparing the colors and cuts of the ridges to those of my international travels.

                     

Other weekends were spent with some company wide shenanigans at home base and on Cape Cod. Despite the beauty of the dunes on the Cape I was preferred the cliffs of Rhode Island visited on my last weekend out here. Yes, I officially visited all of the New England this Spring and found some extraordinary things in all of them. It blows my mind how close it all is and how diverse it can be in just a few hours drive.
I am thankful for my Spring up here and ultimately really glad I was such a gypsy this Spring because I really got to know this company and the people whose passion make it such an enticing place to stick around at least another season. See you soon enough North East! Thanks you for being such an inspiring place!

Diving and Dominating Indonesia

Before writing this post I feel like I need to  put a disclosure of sorts: The last few weeks of my trip felt a lot longer than a few weeks, they were so jam packed that I probably spent more time in a car, bus, plane, or boat than in a bed. So here goes my attempt to wrap it all up...

After three seasons of working at Echo Hill, I have one favorite passport/debrief question: What is your ultimate adventure dream? For me this was always to go scuba driving in Thailand. Thus, I found myself on the island of Ko Lanta to dive and explore the colorful coral, rock formations, and aquatic life in the marine park of Ko Haa an hour boat ride from the shore. I spent a few days with my rented motorbike exploring many of the less-inhabited baches of Ko Lanta and one day in the sea. My dives couldn't have been better- except for maybe seeing the whale shark that was spotted swimming between the islands we explored earlier that morning. Regardless, my dive instructor was very well versed in all things diving and the natural world that make up the ecosystem of Ko Haa. We did three dives through the day watching turtles put on a show (among other life like a frogfish!), swimming through fish bowls, drift diving, and surfacing in underwater caves. Having only dove in one other place before it was really neat getting a variety of dives and adding variety to my skills set. Underwater is truly a magical and mind blowing place.

While Ko Lanta was beautiful, I moved on quickly for one day in Malyasia in route to Indonesia.I picked what I thought the easiest ferry/bus out of the island for the island of Penang into Malaysia. Yet, it turns out that my bus wasn't easy due to the fact that everyone had left Malaysia for Chinese New Year and happened to be crossing the boarder going home the same day I did. What should have been a nine hour bus ride turned into 14 hours- most of which was spent at the boarder waiting for our bus to get through the insane traffic and work out the logistics of someone bumper tapping him from behind. Once we finally arrived to Penang I was stoked to find some cheap fried rice and that Malaysia has beers that aren't just lagers. 

My one day in Malaysia was focused on a self-made scavenger hunt of nifty street art tucked  away in random alleyways and corners and  eating as much Chinese and Indian food as I could fit in through the day.

                                

Georgetown (the city on Penang) is known for its cultural food and there is reason for that! I had the most amazing Chinese noodle soup, naan, chai tea (in a bag), and samosas. The thought of it is making me drool now...and jump want to jump the next plane to India...(don't worry Mom I am still coming home.)

From Georgetown I had another long travel day with two buses to the airport in Kuala Lampor and a flight to Java, Indonesia.

Indonesia was put aside as the finale of my trip and I feel like my 11 days in Indo were an epic success. Lucky for me I wasn't in alone for this last adventure. Flashback a year and a half ago to my adventures in Nicaragua- hiking volcanoes and getting a bit of the beaten track. My partner in crime from that trip, Jack, and I met up in Indonesia to see what other shinangs we could get ourself into.

Being on Volcanic Islands we immediately headed to volcano Bromo. The volcano itself doesn't sit that high anymore, but it is sitting in a field of ash and sand that make it appear to pop out of nowhere. The volcano is still active and Jack and I went up there in the afternoon after all the other tourists had left and were able to explore around the crater. I managed to not fall in (barely) and we were able to skate down the side and leave our mark for all to see. This tacked up number five volcano for the two of us adventuring together.

                               

The next morning we awoke at 4 am hiked up the mountain next to the little town outside if Bromo for the second time (when mountains are super cloudy it is easier to think volcanos are the big thing in front of you, at least we did the day before...oops!) to watch the sunrise. The view was great of not only Bromo, but the volcano Semeru behind it that we sadly weren't able to hike because of rainy season. 

                     

Since our dreams of hiking Semeru were crushed we headed to the next best thing on Java-Volcano Ijen. Ijen is in the middle of nowhere on the eastern side of the island and it is harder to get to and leave than one might imagine. Jack and I both don't like to book the packaged deals and travel in packs so we opted to find our own transport. We awoke at 2am to catch a motorcycle and hike the 3km up Ijen and into the sulphuric depths. Little to our knowledge or understanding Ijen is a sight because of the blue fire inside the crater. It is mined throughout the night and morning by men carrying baskets of over 100 kg (over 220 lbs) of sulphur out of the steep crater of the volcano.

Because of this mining the crater releases a sulphuric gas that combusts in a blue flame when it hits the oxygen in our atmosphere.

                                  

It is quite a sight for sore eyes and sore lungs. I can't believe people work in this setting every day. We rented gas maxes to go down into the crater and I was still nearly blown away by the fumes when the wind changed. I haven't been able to wash, thus wear my sweatshirt since.

As I mentioned it is harder to get out of this little area than we thought. It took Jack and I an hour back at the hotel to realize that no buses left from this area-unless you booked the full tour. Still worth the refreshing and view filled motor bike ride but also a bit lame. We had to hire our first car to get us to the ferry just in time to cross over to Bali. After a lot of days of little-to-no sleep and more time in transport than anticipated we opted to find a homebase for a few nights. We headed to Sanur on the east coast of Bali for a night in order to catch the ferry to the island Lembongan for some fun in the sun, not before I coaxed Jack out of his slumber for a sunrise chase.

                         

This island was the perfect island for me. In yoga the morning before I left someone asked me if I lived there, because I "have the look of someone that lived there." Why thank you!

Jack and I were able to scrape up a bit of shenanigans on the island too. The day we arrived we rented a motorbike and got a little lost and some pretty fantastic beaches and seaweed farms and even more fantastic coves with cliffs to jump off of. The jump we found was 13 meters (my highest to date) and into amazing blue water overlooking a beautiful cliff cove. So breathtaking! 

                                       

The next two days I followed my childhood dream and took some real surfing lessons. It turns out being an athlete really helps in picking up new sports, but mastering them is a bit harder. I was able to catch most of the waves I went for with the coaching of my instructor, and even start the concept of turning. I'm officially hooked and can't wait to surf elsewhere in the world!

Jack joined for my first day of surfing, and we spent the afternoon snorkeling in some of the most dense and lively choral I have ever seen before he headed to Sanur to kite surf and I stayed for one more day of waves and yoga. Lembongan is somewhere I could see myself going back to and staying for a while...but as it goes we had more to conquer.

Later in the day, I met up with Jack again spent the day in Sanur finishing up souvineer shopping before we hired yet another rickety car headed to Tulamben on the Nothern coast where the U.S.A.T. Liberty was sunk by the Japanses in the 1940s and brought closer to shore with the the eruption of Volcano Agung in the 1960s. This was my first wreck dive and it was really neat to see how nature had completey taken over the man made structure. Our dive instructor awoke is at sunrise and we got into the water straight from the shore. Going early allowed us to see giant bump head parrotfish and have the wreck nearly to ourselves. It also allowed us for more than enough time for our nitrogen to equalize befor our planned overnight assent of the very volcano that brought the ship to shore. 

                       

We spent the rest of the day riding the coast on a motorbike through rice terraces, past many dive shops, and crossing a number of rain rivers before we braved the rainy volcano by foot. We departed the hotel at 9pm to arrive at the trail at 11pm for the said 6 hour sunrise hike. When we left the trail there was a light rain, but by an hour in we were completely water logged and trekking up completely eroded trails with tree roots acting as our hand holds. To be quite honest I was really testing the limits of my comfort zone. Along with the physical discomfort of the cold, I wanted to see where I was and couldn't. My job is to take kids hiking, to take kids outdoors in the dark, and to get them out in the rain. Never have I done all three at the same time for such an extended period of time--a new respect for the kids' comfort zones. My limit was really pressed every time we stopped and my body temperature dropped to an uncomfortable low with wet bodies winds whipped around us. Near the peak (but unaware of our location) our guide stopped us and feel asleep. Little did we know we were three hours early and expected to sleep as well. We tried the emperor penguin tactic and huddled out of the wind for warmth, but it seemed to do little for the both of us. Finally after seemingly two hours our guide woke up from the cold and concluded due to the clouds we wouldn't have much of a sunrise. So we trekked on to the top where my body temperature rose from the hike, but the winds were sending sleet and colder temperatures on us. Despite the darkness and the clouds the view was pretty phenominal. Peeking through the clouds were the lights of Bali and some of the nearby islands. It was still an easy decision not to wait out the cloudy and grey sunrise and start our decent to where dry clothes awaited us. Since it was finally morning my head was in much better place, but I still loath going down after hiking. It took us quite a while to safely navigate the trails and take care on our knees, after ten hours round trip (including our breaks in the climb and breakfast break down) we made it back to the trail head to put volcano number seven in our books.

Our driver dropped us off in the hippie Eat, Pray, Love town of Ubud where most people visiting spend a number of days doing yoga,eating organic food, and relaxing. Here Jack and I treated ourselves to Italian and Indian before he caugh his flight back to Timor and my flight got delayed for a day to enjoy Ubud fully. I spent my last day getting a massage (Balinese outdo the Thai on this ten fold) and doing the best and most challenge yoga yet (another thing I am getting hooked on.)

Now I find myself in at the airport Thailand full from all my favorite treats and reflecting on my journey. Travel sure is something. I am incredibly elated I have had to opportunity to see all the beautiful things I have in my short life- knowing that there is no end to my passion to explore the world. I am also grateful that I had to find my way to explore most of these things solita. There is some empowerment in being a traveler, but doing it alone is a whole other sense of accomplishment. I am stronger, more aware, and a better version of me because of it. With that said, I am thankful for all the people I have met in travels, especially those that I have been able to meet up with time and time again. Especially Jack, who we constantly push each other for the fullest experience, and AB, who has been there for my highest of highs and lowest of lows. Now that I am so comfortable with myself, I can't wait to continue sharing these journeys with new and old travel buddies. Especially my next travel buddy... My mama my drive back the the Northeast in less than a week! The fun never stops!

                                                        

Mystified in Myanmar

Upon entering Myanmar I knew that something drew me there, but I wasn't entirely sure what that something was. I came willing and ready, while I left inspired and full of wonder. From stepping off the bus (lucky for us it was organized from the airport... and free) I was immediately impressed by the people of the wonderful nation formally known as Burma. 

On the flight I met a European couple who, initially, decided to check out my hotel with me. Before any major decisions were made we decided it was crucial to feed ourselves. Upon sitting down at a street stall we had no idea how or what to order or how to communicate anything. It turns out English is a bit harder to find in a country that has only been officially open for tourism a few years. Lucky for us we sat next to a self-taught-English-speaking taxi cab driver who ordered us delicious food (we never found out what exactly) and turned out to be our saving grace in organizing our afternoon. Over lunch the couple convinced me to hop a 4 a.m. train to a less touched area of Myanamar where trekking and adventure awaited. I quickly cancelled my hotel reservations on the other end of town and jumped in with them and our new cab driver friend to buy a ticket at the train station and to find a nearby hotel for a few hours of sleep before boarding my first train ride ever. He even escorted us in buying our tickets and made sure we had satisfactory seats. What hospitality!

In the few hours of the evening wandering Mandalay I could tell this was country unlike anywhere else I had been. The men walk the streets wearing skirt/tube like garb called longyi or paso, while chewing betel leaves and tobacco leaving their mouths a blood red. Street lights are non-existent. Every meal is served with green tea made in the nearby villiages. Tourists can only enter certain parts of temples. You are always asked "Where are you going?" (A cultural way of saying hello while checking to make sure you have everything you need.)

We left Mandalay short of the touristic experience, but full of delicious Burmese curry and coconut rice-you can imagine my satisfaction. The train itself was super basic and very... Springy. It was an experiences of thirteen hours rocking the opposite direction of cars in front of you, catching a small amount of air on bumps, watching the train go backwards at a stop with your stuff on it and not knowing if it would come back, screaming goats in the back, bridges only safely taken at ten kilometers per hour, locals transporting their harvested veggies, and views and insight into the landscape that makes up beautiful Myanmar. 

I really enjoyed how ruffed and true the train was to the country. I especially liked trying to communicate with my 14 year old seat mate over tic-tac-toe and origami, until her parents seemed to suggest me taking her back to the U.S. with me.

Once we arrived in Hsipaw (the Shan district) I separated from the couple o give them their own space and bunked up with some other girls for the night before taking off on a three day trek through the mountains and villages of Northern-ish Burma.

The trek itself was easily one of the most wonderful things I have done in my travels. Anyone who knows me knows I need to be active and outdoors to really be in my element-it only put a cherry on the experience to be with fantastic people and a well educated and willing to share guide through some rural villiages. The trek through the farmlands, hills, and mountians was broken up by stops for locally grown green tea, visits to school and monestaries, and heaping amounts of rice and traditional Burmese dishes. As I mentioned before a highlight was our guide: Aso. Aso studies economics in the university and worked abroad for many years to put his siblings through school before marrying his high school sweetheart and settling in Hsipaw. His knowledge of the history and development of the region was such a treat. He made sure we spread out our food money and accommodations to help distribute wealth and he was very open about sharing about the "dark era" and his hopes and aspirations for future generations as Myanmar gets itself on its feet politically. I learned so much from him and was only inspired to learn more as my travels continue.

We ended our three days in the countryside trek at the "hot springs"  for me a much needed rinse of the feet and explored the quiet town of Hsipaw before the three Americans (for lack of a better word in the English dictionary) took off for the historical site of Bagan. We only made the bus out thanks to a local man on a motorcycle who came up to us asking "Where are you going?" and pointing out to us we had passed the bus station by a long shot and allowing me to jump on his moto in the opposite direction to make sure one of us was there to hold the bus on our less than timely arrival. The generosity of this man and so many others... Wow! He wouldn't even let us give him money or food in thanks.

Arriving to Bagan at five in the morning we managed to reserve accommodations and set out to explore the thousands of temples on e-bikes. Something Myanmar has an edge up on is promoting environmentally sustainable tourism- like electirical motorcycles (that don't always maintain a charge, but add to the adventure.) We were able to explore some of the best temples and do some more yoga pictures on the motos before we ran out of steam for the day and headed back to New Bagan for the evening.

                        

Being the sunset and sunrise chaser I am, I didn't rest long and to a pagota on the river and watched the sunset while watching a local man paint.

The next day we awoke beside dawn to watch the sunrise and the release of the hot air balloons and over the temples. This is just as beautiful as all the pictures in all the magazines make it seem. The light and glow at that hour is unreal over all the historical structures. 

After the sunrise Olivia, from Wisconsin, and I set out in search of a view people on our trek told us about...and only found a pool with overpriced coffee. Yet, in the process we were able to find the first restaurant that opened in Bagan, where Olivia's parents had eaten at in thier short and limited visit to Burma 30 years prior. 

After our failed expedition we visited a few more temples and headed back to the hostel before our bike batteries failed us again (we didn't quite make it, but luckily they can seat two for a short while.) Afterwards, I ended up going by foot in search for that man from the sunset and his painting and was again blown away by the kindness of strangers here. I sat with him and another man selling paintings for an hour or so asking them questions about the Buddhism, history, and politics represented in the paintings. They were more than willing to share and also very hopeful for change and a brighter future within the growing Democratic Party. After I ended up buying a painting from each of them (I'm a sucker for a story behind a trinket) they treated me to a sugar cane juice and more conversation. This little spot by the river quickly became my favorite place in Bagan. I returned there the next day and took the local boat across the river to watch the sunrise with Olivia for a different and more local perspective before jumping on a bus to Inle Lake.

I had been told that Inle Lake was where the true Burmese lake culture was preserved. This is true and false in a number of regards. I was able to share a boat ride for the day on the lake with two German girls. We hired a female guide, interested in getting that perspective on things which for me wasn't as rich due to my trekking experience, but she was informed on the area and very helpful. In the end Inle was beautiful and I really enjoyed seeing the fishermen in their unique tension based fishing strategies spread out across the lake, as well as the homes and gardens that are floating on or above the lake. The tour itself was insightful into the industries from the region such as: silvering jewelry making, cigar rolling, boat making,

and different types of materials in weaving, but it was also clearly modeled to try and sell us tourist priced goods. There is always a fine line between educating, displaying, and selling and they are walking on it with binoculars backwards (monocular vision-for you outdoor ed friends.) They didn't push it on us too much but it seemed established for a purpose. 

After such a touristic experience  (yes, I understand I am a tourist) I decided to spend my last day (after another over night bus ride) in Yangon on a more local level. I wandered Yangon and sat down at a number of street vendors and chatted with locals to our best ability. The most interesting of which was a man who had a tattoo of a peacock-the nationals bird and symbol for democracy. He got the tattoo after spending five years in jail after being a part of the 1988 demonstration for democracy. He was very open and kind, but he was also very injured by his own government wearing false teeth and not being able to see out of one eye due to all the interrogation he suffered through. Despite all this he insisted on buying my thirty cent breakfast because as he said: "Myanmar are friends." Throughout the day other locals continued greeting me with a smile and sharing as much conversation as we could (I've nailed three phrases in Burmese), and even guiding me to the train station to take a loop around the outskirts of Yangon.

Overall Myanmar is a beautiful country with intense history. I haven't even touched the surfaces of fully understanding it. What I do know and fully understand is that the people here have huge hearts and are compassionate and inspiring. I feel very blessed having had a short experience with such amazing people and only hope that growth continues in a positive way for their futures. This country stole a piece of my heart.

                          

Chang and Cambodia

Thailand is to smiles, as Cambodia is to laughter. I have never had so many innocent giggles shared with locals trying to earn a living as I have in Cambodia.

I left the North in a mission to get to Cambodia only to make a last minute decision at the bus station to get some beach time in first. Cambodia is also known as Scambodia, so when there wasn't a headache-less way to get across the border an island I had just read about in Thailand called for a visit. This is how I ended up beach bumming at Koh Chang  and sharing a bunglaw and cocktails with a girl I met in the bus. The island itself is huge! In my two days there I only had a chance to beach it, rent a kayak to the islands, get a Thai massage, and watch some AMAZING fire shows along the beach. Besides suffering from post traumatic stress disorder upon discovering that I was dinner for a lot of bed bugs in one of the bungalows, Koh Chang deserves a big thumb up.

From those (mostly) refreshing days I headed to the beaches of Cambodia. When I had thought of Cambodia prior to my trip I never imagined such beautiful sandy beaches. Again, I met another solo female traveler and we opted to split a room on the river tucked behind the beach. The two of us stuck together like glue for a few days; reading and eating fruit on the beach topped with an island/snorkel tour for a day. The beach we stayed at was Otres 2. It was a more mellow beach that still had access to the more frequented beach restaurants a sandy walk away-perfect for vacation from travel.

From Otres we headed to the little town of Kampot located on a river and well known for its sunsets and cusine. My roommate, Kristin, stayed with me for one night before she headed back to a big music show on one of the islands. Since Cambodia (unlike Thailand) drives on the right side of the road I decided to do as most do in SE Asia and tour the country side with a motor bike. I convinced a couple I met at breakfast to tag along with me in search of some scenery and salt. We found just that, with some rock-formation-mountain-things off of a dirt road before they parted ways and I found some fresh and far-too-small crabs and coconut water to enjoy along the beach a few kilometers from Kampot. In route to home I stumbled (more accurately-rolled) into some salt fields where the famous French Kampot Salt is cultivated. It was pretty extraordinary to see how expansive the system was for a normal household item.

That evening I hoped on a river cruise to watch not only the sunset, but also fireflies. For those of you following any social media of mine you know that this is where my nostalgia for the Eastern Shore really set in. Crabs, sun setting over water, nighttime fishermen like you read about in The Lord's Oysters, and the mating dance of fireflies. Although the day and experience was amazing, I have to say that the Eastern Shore takes the cake in all of those categories. 

From Kampot I headed to the history. Prior to heading up to Phenom Penh I read a book and watched a movie on the killing fields. It was really useful to have more knowledge of the emotional trauma  endured before heading to the sites where it all started. A little background knowledge is good here, because I know the genocide of Cambodia was not something I ever studied in school:

After some of the bombing in the war in Vietnam rolled over the borders of Cambodia a gourilla group called the Khmer Rougue was able to make their way into power in the vounerable country. The Khmer Rouge was exenophibic and exeterminated any and all educated people and their families to avoid any internal resistance. The rest were sent to work in the fields with little food and care. In the events that passed over the three years of the regime over 1/4 of the population of Cambodia was killed. It is something one can still see today, with nearly 40% of ther Khmer (Cambodian) pollution under the age of 16. Perhaps while they are so giggly in the land of eternal youth. 

The capital Phenomn Pehn is were they play tribute to the events of the past at the S21 Prision and the Killing Fields, where if they weren't harshly imprissoned they were taken and slaughtered in the thousands. As hard and as heavy that this was to take in- it gives me a little hope because on a global scale such tributes are raising awareness and hopefully will empower future generations to be less naive to what happens behind closed borders.

                       

Needlesstosay, I was very thankful to have a friend from Nature's Classroom now living in Phenom Penh to fall back onto after feeling so vounerable from the day on top of nearly getting extremely sucked into a huge scam running out of the capital. I found my happy place with Ox after some good street food and playing soccer under the bridge with some lively locals.

I left that bloody history behind to go further back in time and explore the famous ancient ruins of Angkor Wat in Siem Riep. I stayed at a wonderful hostel that allowed me to book a sunrise tour with other solo travelers. This was great for picture sharing and hanging someone to admire the master piece with. Ankor Wat was a city, but is really famous for a number of temples. We did the small circuit to the most famous and, in my uneducated opinion, most extrodinary structures. The stones used to construct these masterpieces are meticulously stacked on each other and elaborately decorated with all sorts of  designs, people, sceneries, faces, and animals. The details were far more impressive than I could begin recognize. My favorite part of the temples that we saw were the massive trees that have started to dominate some of the temples. There some trees that reminded me of the redwoods in California (because of their size) just weaving roots between the walls and bricks of the old buildings. After the destruction that some of the areas suffered in the Khmer Rouge regime this was a very redeaming feature to see.

                     

I ended up going back by bike the next day for sunset to see more of the detail. I It was a great way to end a day of finding a yoga class at a spa that allows you to hang out in their saltwater pools. Life is sure rough out here.

Clearly, I loving my trip so far, but ironically enough I am finding  my excitement about Latin America continuing to grow. Some of the best people I have met and shared time with have been from the lower Americas. Their attitude and enthusiasm is making me excited to explore that part of the world more. To start traveling is like entering a ring of infinity... There is no getting it out of your system once you start.

                       

     

Ellies and Elevated Tribes

I think that most people can say that the sight of an elephant is a wondrous site- and boy do I agree! My main purpose for picking Thailand as a destination for this holiday was to spend some time with elephants in the land of elephants. Their beer, cities and even a few islands are named after this wondrous creature. Unfortunately due to everyone's fascination, many elephants have been moved from their already abused lives in logging camps to elephant trekking "villages" or camps. In these areas people pay a minimal fee to get the chance ride elephants-which I admit seems like a neat idea, but is quite obviously no form of fun for the elephants. As I was riding my bike around Pai I rode by a few elephant camps and even passed an elephant touring some people around the road. My initial thought was "Neat! Not a traffic jam, but an elephant jam!" Until I got closer and could see the look on the poor creature's eye. This elephant carrying the weight of a massive stool and two people on it looked as if the life had been sucked out of it.

This broke my heart, but made me optimistic for my future endeavor at Burm and Emily's Elephant Sanctuary in the mountains tucked behind the village of Mae Chaem. Emily and Burm personally picked me and two other girls up (they ended up going home quickly after not enjoying the other adopted critters and rustic nature of the place) to make the drive out there. On our way out there we drove around Doi Inthanon (the tallest mountain in Thailand) and through the accompanying national park for a pit stop at the biggest and most beautiful waterfall I have seen yet! 

Once we arrived at the Elephant sanctuary we got a quick info session on safety and intro into mahout's customs before we headed to welcome the elephants back from wandering in the forest. The four retired Elepahants and the Mama and Baby elephants in rehabilitation spend their days wandering through the greens of the forest, doing what Elephants do best- eating. They normally travel in pairs with their best friend and they are followed by elephant trainers called mahouts. The mahouts, both Thai and Burmese, are there to make sure the ellies don't go into farms or knock down too large of trees, they act as guides and shadows.

Let me just say that seeing the Elephant's up close and feeding them was amazing! I was in awe of their size and grace. Everything about them was quite mind blowing. I mean I know I am a wee person, but WOW they are biggins in every way! I was also overjoyed to see these elephants had a twinkle in their eye that wasn't there with the elephants I passed on the road. One can easily see that elephants are emotional animals. Especially these ones that had seen and experienced some pretty harsh things before the were relocated to BEES, and now were given a chance at living more freely. I could tell that the forest life was suiting them well.

In my four night stay with BEES we spent two days alone just wandering with the elephants. When we would spot them we would just sit and watch. I would take pictures and ask all the questions that came to mind, while Emily, Burm and the intern(s) told other elephant stories. In my time I observed that elephants really like to eat all sorts of trees, and baby Elephants like to chase humans around tree roots to see if they want to play (true story and sooo much laughter.)

The wandering alone was great because I felt like I was on a field group at Nature's Classroom just watching elephants, spotting any sort of living thing, and checking out the neat tricks of the local fauna. I really couldn't have asked for a a better experience with the Elephants and mountainous region of Northern Thailand.

Something that I really like about BEES is their support for animals which is met  equally with their support for the local cummunity. The mahouts are not only given a full time job, but also a house and supplemental food on top of their salaray.

They also really focus on giving to the local youth with a mid-week children's day normally focused on teaching English. Despite my love for teaching I was happy that I got to experience a very unique children's day. We hopped into the back of a pickup truck lined with pillows, blankets, and food to head to a hill tribe village to help distribute some donations. The drive out there was absolute increadable! We were literally weaving through the mountains I had been admiring from Pai Canyon. They were so endless and grew more dense and greener as we climbed further and further. The people who saw us western folk in the truck craned their necks watching us and just kept staring. We are pretty sure that they had seen less than a handful of cacasion people in their villiages- so we were seeing the authentic them. Once arriving we had to wait for the kids to get out of school so we followed some locals and Monks to go fishing and explore their very deep cave. Emily, who has lived in Thailand for three years, even said "This is a story to tell! Blindly following monks into the forest!" 

It was totally my type of adventure. We left some people below with their intriguing fishing techniques while the rest of us hiked up the hill to a very dark and very deep cave. I could have been in Lord of the Rings with how endless the cave felt. We admired some carvings in the wall, stalagmites, stalagetites, and some bat dwellings. When I was trying to take a picture I got very excited as a bat started creeping out of hiding to the warm light, and even more excited and spooked when it flew out at my head.

                                 

As we explored deeper and deeper into the cave it got harder and harder to breathe with oxygen levels going down so we headed back and distributed the donations. The women and kids were very excited about the tins of sweets we were offering, yet I still preferred the cave exploration. The ride home was amazing to reflect on how big of a world we live in. Even being from big sky country I think I saw more stars than I have ever seen before.

As you can tell reading this I had a great time with the elephants, I wore I smile day in and day out. These elepahnts  need a the love they can get. If anyone is traveling to Thailand look them (BEES) up, and try NOT to ride and elephant. It may turn into the best adventure of your trip and worth every pretty penny.