Well I'm 4 days into a 7 day detox/cleanse (fast) and feeling great! I haven't been doing too much, lots of relaxing- making up for some lost time :-). My days have consisted of detox drinks, herbal supplements, no food, 2 Colemas a day; yoga, coconuts, Thai massage, facials, laying in hammocks, fresh juices, meditation and beach time...
It's been rough.
No, it's been great! In love with Thailand, and finding tranquility.
By the way, I have been trying to post pics but it's not working for some reason. So sorry! I will try to keep up with posting them on FB.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Crying for elephants
We rented a scooter today for $5 a day and toured around the island. Fantastically beautiful, green and lush. At the north end of the island we stopped at a tourist Attraction to see elephants. Alesha had never seen them and was thrilled with this opportunity. I went with her, excited for her to see her first elephant. I did not expect the approaching inner adventure..I should have known as it has happened to me before. The moment I saw those magestic Creatures chained up and forced to move around via the encouragement of a sharp metal hook... I began to cry. It came with such velocity that it surprised me! I had to excuse myself and walk into the woods where I sobbed uncontrollably for quite a long time. So much emotion was coming out, I didn't even know where it was all coming from! I soon found myself apologizing and grieving for those elephants; to every animal who has ever been beaten or enslaved; for ourselves who are enslaved; for the earth; the polluted waters; the polluted air...I felt myself feeling it, really FEELING it and apologizing, and praying...for the balance of nature to be restored. For all beings to be free from suffering and to live in the way in which they choose. I pray for the end of abuse and for us all to feel with our hearts and emotions what the earth is asking for. May all beings be free. May all beings be happy....
Monday, January 23, 2012
The danger of coconuts
We took a night bus from Bangkok (after many hours navigating through the city trying to get to the bus station) 10 hours down to the south of Thailand. We arrived at sunrise and boarded a ferry to Koh Phangan, an island In the gulf of Thailand. Green clear waters, with relatively little wave action. We arrived on island and found our way to the retreat center where we had made reservations. We were a day early so we had our fingers crossed that there would be a room. Lucky manifestors, they gave us the nicest room available at the same price! He said "dont get used to it", as we were soon to shift to our little bungalow...too late, we got used to it. Miraculously he let us stay another night! Soaking it up now..
We start our cleanse/detox in two days. Going to be the most comprehensive cleanse and fast I have done. Really looking forward to it!
The island is so beautiful; infested with palm trees...full of coconuts..just watch out for the hammock slung between two palm trees! Or wear a helmet ;-)
Loving it here though. The water is warm and people Friendly... How will I ever leave??
We start our cleanse/detox in two days. Going to be the most comprehensive cleanse and fast I have done. Really looking forward to it!
The island is so beautiful; infested with palm trees...full of coconuts..just watch out for the hammock slung between two palm trees! Or wear a helmet ;-)
Loving it here though. The water is warm and people Friendly... How will I ever leave??
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Pampering and indulgence
I'm totally in love with Thailand! In some ways it has that familiar feeling; smell; energy; that I have Come to know when traveling...but there are far more differences. It feels more like a second world Country than a third. It's actually a very wealthy country as all of its money is backed by gold... and there is a lot of gold here. One of the biggest differences I have experienced is in the people. They are so beautiful, of high intellect, and hold a lot of respect for themselves. They are not beggars or thieves (at least not commonly). I have had to work through a lot of distrust coming from past traveling experiences, but it feels safe here. They call it the land of smiles...and it truly is! Unfortunately, no one speaks English so it has not been easy to connect with the locals. A fine opportunity to hone my skills of non verbal communication through the language of Love.
We spent three days in Bangkok staying with some friends I know from California. Absolute blessing. They showed us the ropes around the city including the oh-so-crucial skills of asking for vegetarian food; using the transport systems and my favorite- locating a good massage place. Alesha and I have been on a mission to totally pamper ourselves and indulge. We have gotten a two hour Thai massage every day for the last 3 days (only $5 an hour for the most amazing massages of my life); everyday an abundance of fresh beet, carrot, apple, ginger juice ($1); coconuts daily; shopping; yoga; and various other little treats...I for one am not finding the value of these things decreasing as the price decreases. I remain in utter gratitude!
Bangkok is a massive city, very spread out and a lot of people. Not a place I want to spend much time, save for some culture and the massage. Ready to get out and touch the rest of the culture...
We spent three days in Bangkok staying with some friends I know from California. Absolute blessing. They showed us the ropes around the city including the oh-so-crucial skills of asking for vegetarian food; using the transport systems and my favorite- locating a good massage place. Alesha and I have been on a mission to totally pamper ourselves and indulge. We have gotten a two hour Thai massage every day for the last 3 days (only $5 an hour for the most amazing massages of my life); everyday an abundance of fresh beet, carrot, apple, ginger juice ($1); coconuts daily; shopping; yoga; and various other little treats...I for one am not finding the value of these things decreasing as the price decreases. I remain in utter gratitude!
Bangkok is a massive city, very spread out and a lot of people. Not a place I want to spend much time, save for some culture and the massage. Ready to get out and touch the rest of the culture...
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Arriving in Asia
Greetings from Asia! It has officially happened my friends.. I am on the other side of the planet!
Our 21 hour flight yesterday seemed to go by pretty fast and easy. We flew over Alaska and brushed by the Arctic and through some of northern Russia... was clear out the plane window and I was wide eyed with excitement to see some more of Mother Earth's unchartered territory from the view point of the birds. We Crossed the international date/time and were really confused to find we had lost a day upon our arrival. We had an hour layover in Beijing which was just enough time to scurry to the next terminal for our flight, but not enough time to acquire a few yen and buy an egg roll...
We arrived in Bangkok at midnight and found ourselves a very friendly cabbie who spoke a few words of english (thought not much). Had about a half hour cab ride to a place north of Downtown where some friends of mine are living for the month. The first thing we noticed when we stepped foot outside of the cab onto bangkok pavement, was the number of hearty and unruly rats scurrying around in the night. They paid no attention to the people walking by but went about their business collecting rations from the day. The rats have little influence on my adrenal glands.... but the obscene multitude of 3 inch long cockroaches weaving around my feet made me a wee bit jumpy. I have never seen so many, not even in Africa. I danced around them and into the building, noting the small adjustment phase of learning to live in harmony with these little creatures. The Thai people are able to set up food stands on any street corner, so there is an abundance of scraps left over for the critters of the night.
My friends kindly opened up their little apartment to us and we caught some nice winks and are feeling rested. First thing on my agenda for the day is a $6 hour long thai massage and a coconut! Fresh juices around the corner, for pennies... We are not in Cali anymore Toto!
Our 21 hour flight yesterday seemed to go by pretty fast and easy. We flew over Alaska and brushed by the Arctic and through some of northern Russia... was clear out the plane window and I was wide eyed with excitement to see some more of Mother Earth's unchartered territory from the view point of the birds. We Crossed the international date/time and were really confused to find we had lost a day upon our arrival. We had an hour layover in Beijing which was just enough time to scurry to the next terminal for our flight, but not enough time to acquire a few yen and buy an egg roll...
We arrived in Bangkok at midnight and found ourselves a very friendly cabbie who spoke a few words of english (thought not much). Had about a half hour cab ride to a place north of Downtown where some friends of mine are living for the month. The first thing we noticed when we stepped foot outside of the cab onto bangkok pavement, was the number of hearty and unruly rats scurrying around in the night. They paid no attention to the people walking by but went about their business collecting rations from the day. The rats have little influence on my adrenal glands.... but the obscene multitude of 3 inch long cockroaches weaving around my feet made me a wee bit jumpy. I have never seen so many, not even in Africa. I danced around them and into the building, noting the small adjustment phase of learning to live in harmony with these little creatures. The Thai people are able to set up food stands on any street corner, so there is an abundance of scraps left over for the critters of the night.
My friends kindly opened up their little apartment to us and we caught some nice winks and are feeling rested. First thing on my agenda for the day is a $6 hour long thai massage and a coconut! Fresh juices around the corner, for pennies... We are not in Cali anymore Toto!
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Traveling with Intention
It has been such a profound and deep time for me this year. Lots of intensity and beauty, struggle and healing. I have been fully immersed in the inner journey and traveling into the Heart. With meditation and ceremony as my guides, and and a vision of aligning with the wholeness of Love. What a beautiful time on this planet, amidst the chaos and destruction, lies the potential for rebirth and a new way... Seeing Life through the eyes of grace and forgiveness.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Communing with the Consciousness of the Sea
One week before departure for Asia, and already the magic is manifesting...
There are five of us traveling together right now; myself, Ben, our friends Amanda and Jacob and Alesha who will be my near future travel partner on the journey to Asia. We have made a new friend who has generously invited us into his home just north of LA for what is unfolding to be about a week's worth of time. He is a very kind, giving and despite a wealth of which I have never seen the likes... a humble man. We have all had the mutual pleasure of basking in each others essence and sharing experiences and stories over the course of a few days. His gift to us, aside from a magnificent landing pad, was a trip out on his boat yesterday in search of the playful creatures of the ocean...
Our adventure lead us about 10 miles off the coast, toward a small chain of islands. We were in search of dolphins... and dolphins we found!.. as well as an entourage of other sea life. First we encountered many seals and sea lions, who were playing like the dogs of the ocean... so cute, they would pop in and out of the water playing peek-a-boo and gleefully toying with us as we ran from side to side of the boat hoping they might come up for a pat on the head.
After lazing in the sun for some time, we finally found ourselves in the company of dolphins. I have never experienced such joyful creatures, so conscious and able to connect with us humans. leaning over the bow of the boat, we screamed in delight as the dolphins raced along side of us, showing us every trick they knew. They would turn in the water looking up at us; the depths of their eyes looking into our souls. Every one of us felt a deep connection with these beings, and a recognition they were also connecting with us. We felt so much gratitude for the opportunity to share this experience with them, and could feel their gratitude as well. They were bigger than any dolphins I have ever seen, and we could hear their squeaks as they communicated and sang to us.
What happened next was a surprise to us all.. a moment I will never forget and which continues to hold me in Awe. The boat was moving slowly and we were focused on the dolphins when all of a sudden from up underneath the water, came the "water spouting" of a huge grey whale!!! We quickly turned the engine of the boat off and watched with dropped jaws and wide eyes as the whale dove under the boat and spiraled its body through the water... its tail giving a tap to the underside of the boat. The water was so clear we could see the barnacles on its body... The feelings as this happened were: surprise...fear for the whale.. fear for our boat... and then amazement. The whale of course was fine, as was the boat... but the amazement has not ceased. This was such an incredible blessing and it was a long while before the shock wore off for all of us. This was not the last blessing of the day, however.
On our way back to shore, we spotted some more dolphins, swimming for the bow of the boat to catch our wave and play. As we went to the bow to take a closer look, we were amazed to see that the landscape of the ocean was filled with dolphins! everywhere we looked were dolphins jumping from the waters. Thousands of them in every direction... In astonishment we could only stand gaping at the magnificence of the moment. Then we were rejoicing at this opportunity to commune with Mother Nature. All of us high on the magic of the moment. Nothing I have ever seen before and could only hope to experience again... stay tuned for photos!
It was an epic day at sea... one none of us will ever forget!
There are five of us traveling together right now; myself, Ben, our friends Amanda and Jacob and Alesha who will be my near future travel partner on the journey to Asia. We have made a new friend who has generously invited us into his home just north of LA for what is unfolding to be about a week's worth of time. He is a very kind, giving and despite a wealth of which I have never seen the likes... a humble man. We have all had the mutual pleasure of basking in each others essence and sharing experiences and stories over the course of a few days. His gift to us, aside from a magnificent landing pad, was a trip out on his boat yesterday in search of the playful creatures of the ocean...
Our adventure lead us about 10 miles off the coast, toward a small chain of islands. We were in search of dolphins... and dolphins we found!.. as well as an entourage of other sea life. First we encountered many seals and sea lions, who were playing like the dogs of the ocean... so cute, they would pop in and out of the water playing peek-a-boo and gleefully toying with us as we ran from side to side of the boat hoping they might come up for a pat on the head.
After lazing in the sun for some time, we finally found ourselves in the company of dolphins. I have never experienced such joyful creatures, so conscious and able to connect with us humans. leaning over the bow of the boat, we screamed in delight as the dolphins raced along side of us, showing us every trick they knew. They would turn in the water looking up at us; the depths of their eyes looking into our souls. Every one of us felt a deep connection with these beings, and a recognition they were also connecting with us. We felt so much gratitude for the opportunity to share this experience with them, and could feel their gratitude as well. They were bigger than any dolphins I have ever seen, and we could hear their squeaks as they communicated and sang to us.
What happened next was a surprise to us all.. a moment I will never forget and which continues to hold me in Awe. The boat was moving slowly and we were focused on the dolphins when all of a sudden from up underneath the water, came the "water spouting" of a huge grey whale!!! We quickly turned the engine of the boat off and watched with dropped jaws and wide eyes as the whale dove under the boat and spiraled its body through the water... its tail giving a tap to the underside of the boat. The water was so clear we could see the barnacles on its body... The feelings as this happened were: surprise...fear for the whale.. fear for our boat... and then amazement. The whale of course was fine, as was the boat... but the amazement has not ceased. This was such an incredible blessing and it was a long while before the shock wore off for all of us. This was not the last blessing of the day, however.
On our way back to shore, we spotted some more dolphins, swimming for the bow of the boat to catch our wave and play. As we went to the bow to take a closer look, we were amazed to see that the landscape of the ocean was filled with dolphins! everywhere we looked were dolphins jumping from the waters. Thousands of them in every direction... In astonishment we could only stand gaping at the magnificence of the moment. Then we were rejoicing at this opportunity to commune with Mother Nature. All of us high on the magic of the moment. Nothing I have ever seen before and could only hope to experience again... stay tuned for photos!
It was an epic day at sea... one none of us will ever forget!
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