but it's been forever since i've blogged. i can handle ten more things. it's like a to-do list. here goes:
1. the month of october took me to australia, india and portland for work. incredible to experience!
2. each time i got on a plane, i would come down with a cold a few days later. (booo!)
3. the final flight from india, coupled with extreme exhaustion, left me sideswiped with a cold, one i still have
with me three weeks after getting it. (double and triple boo!)
4. despite that, i've been steadily gymming to get stronger. exercising before work is the key.
5. did an awesome hike last weekend, longest since the surgery.
6. knee is still swollen from long-ass flight from india, so cortisone shot was had this week.
7. who knew, but cortisone screws up my periods. this has proven to be true again.
8. taking luna away to doggie paradise for thanksgiving, and will scatter milo's ashes in mendocino.
9. started working with a personal trainer to get stronger for the next surgery.
10. the ACI surgery (cartilage transplant) is the BIG ONE and it's scheduled for december 29th.
**bonus #11: must snowboard before losing the season due to surgery.
ciao!
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
November 22, 2008
May 3, 2008
It came to me a while ago.
It was a general epiphany from the darkness of the Tulum sweat lodge, but while it made good sense it wasn't currently applicable. From out of nowhere this thought came into my brain:
There is power and magic in the darkness, for from the darkness comes light.
It sounds deep and meaningful, no? I love when obscure thoughts get placed into my brain like this one did.
It's going to be something I repeat back to myself, along with the thought that difficult times and illness can be our most powerful teachers. I've been procrastinating on blogging this, but I need some significant knee surgery. On both knees. Two surgeries each knee, in fact. The first has a one month recovery, the second is s-i-x months of recovery. That thought is scary to me on so many levels.
It's the second weekend of the yoga Immersion. So much information, such a supportive environment, and dammit, I Love The Yoga!
There is power and magic in the darkness, for from the darkness comes light.
It sounds deep and meaningful, no? I love when obscure thoughts get placed into my brain like this one did.
It's going to be something I repeat back to myself, along with the thought that difficult times and illness can be our most powerful teachers. I've been procrastinating on blogging this, but I need some significant knee surgery. On both knees. Two surgeries each knee, in fact. The first has a one month recovery, the second is s-i-x months of recovery. That thought is scary to me on so many levels.
It's the second weekend of the yoga Immersion. So much information, such a supportive environment, and dammit, I Love The Yoga!
March 24, 2008
Mexico
The week in Mexico was indescribable. Lovely doesn't do it justice, nor does peaceful. It was such a gift to truly disconnect for a week in paradise. No phones, televisions, internet, outside world. Just a bunch of people on a yoga retreat, so they're all mellow and happy. We slept hard, ate well, and relaxed like I've never done before.
Maya Tulum is on the beach along the Mayan Riviera. Paul and I had a palapa about a hundred feet off the beach. I could peek out the glass door to see if the sunrise was happening and be on the beach in a matter of seconds. The dining hall was a large palapa and the food healthy buffet style, mostly vegetarian with some fish. After dinner, we'd walk on the moonlit beach and take up residence in a beach chair to watch the stars and clouds and enjoy the salty air.
In regular life, I try to squeeze in a yoga class or home practice around the rest of my day. In Tulum, the practice was the core of my day, and everything else planned around yoga. That alone was spectactular. We had a two hour practice in the morning and another two hours in the evening. Somehow, it seemed like it could have been more. I loved the morning practice in the high ceilinged round palapa that received the soft morning light and the sweet morning humidity.
The most planning we did all week was figuring how to fit bodywork in amongst the classes, tours, and our own desire to relax. We went all-out and had a bunch of massage. We did a Temezcal, a traditional Mayan/Aztec healing ritual that is supposed to be a spiritual purification steambath. It was two hours in the dark with ten people in a small brick dome sweating, chanting, having herbs and water thrown onto fiery volcanic rocks and if it wasn't spiritual for all involved, it was at a minimum deeply purifying because we sweat for hours. It was conducted by a Temezcalero, a Spiritual Healer in the Aztec tradition, who learned this medicine from his grandfather. His name was Fabian, and I think he was a wonderful healer. I received two absolutely amazing massages from him, complete with incantations in a language other than English, deep belly work, and pretty dead-on spiritual diagnoses (when notes were compared with another yogi, we did not receive the same pronouncements, she received something totally different, so it wasn't total hoo-ha.)
We rented bikes one day and rode to a cenote (a fresh water sink hole, very deep and clear) and swam there before riding in the other direction to check out the Tulum Ruins, which sit atop the ocean. We took a boat trip far from shore and snorkeled along a reef (it was dying, so the fish weren't that great, but it was still wonderful.) We went to the Sian Ka'an Biopshere and the highlight there was floating down the fresh water canals carved by the Mayans. We swam in the turquoise beaches, and played frisbee on the beach.
My shoulders are sitting lower than they have in a while. I feel deeply relaxed. None of us wanted to get on the shuttle to the Cancun airport. But we are back, and I hope to take some of the inner stillness into the world this week.
Maya Tulum is on the beach along the Mayan Riviera. Paul and I had a palapa about a hundred feet off the beach. I could peek out the glass door to see if the sunrise was happening and be on the beach in a matter of seconds. The dining hall was a large palapa and the food healthy buffet style, mostly vegetarian with some fish. After dinner, we'd walk on the moonlit beach and take up residence in a beach chair to watch the stars and clouds and enjoy the salty air.
In regular life, I try to squeeze in a yoga class or home practice around the rest of my day. In Tulum, the practice was the core of my day, and everything else planned around yoga. That alone was spectactular. We had a two hour practice in the morning and another two hours in the evening. Somehow, it seemed like it could have been more. I loved the morning practice in the high ceilinged round palapa that received the soft morning light and the sweet morning humidity.
The most planning we did all week was figuring how to fit bodywork in amongst the classes, tours, and our own desire to relax. We went all-out and had a bunch of massage. We did a Temezcal, a traditional Mayan/Aztec healing ritual that is supposed to be a spiritual purification steambath. It was two hours in the dark with ten people in a small brick dome sweating, chanting, having herbs and water thrown onto fiery volcanic rocks and if it wasn't spiritual for all involved, it was at a minimum deeply purifying because we sweat for hours. It was conducted by a Temezcalero, a Spiritual Healer in the Aztec tradition, who learned this medicine from his grandfather. His name was Fabian, and I think he was a wonderful healer. I received two absolutely amazing massages from him, complete with incantations in a language other than English, deep belly work, and pretty dead-on spiritual diagnoses (when notes were compared with another yogi, we did not receive the same pronouncements, she received something totally different, so it wasn't total hoo-ha.)
We rented bikes one day and rode to a cenote (a fresh water sink hole, very deep and clear) and swam there before riding in the other direction to check out the Tulum Ruins, which sit atop the ocean. We took a boat trip far from shore and snorkeled along a reef (it was dying, so the fish weren't that great, but it was still wonderful.) We went to the Sian Ka'an Biopshere and the highlight there was floating down the fresh water canals carved by the Mayans. We swam in the turquoise beaches, and played frisbee on the beach.
My shoulders are sitting lower than they have in a while. I feel deeply relaxed. None of us wanted to get on the shuttle to the Cancun airport. But we are back, and I hope to take some of the inner stillness into the world this week.
February 21, 2008
Required Reading
A while back, at the suggestion of Becky The Amazing, I purchased the book "Nonviolent Communication".
Last night, I pulled the book out and set it with my passport. The book has now been elevated to Plane Reading status, not because it's the perfect read on an upcoming 10 hour flight, it's because I am struggling to keep my zen on when it comes to one particularly challenging person at work, one whom is traveling to Argentina with me. My calm, my attempts at mindfulness fly out the window when required to exchange more than two sentences with this individual.
I have a feeling that being thousands of miles away from the office might be the opportunity to let this person know how they treat others is not okay. I want to be able to hold back and not rip him a new one, so perhaps this book will guide me into telling him he behaves like a manipulative two-faced napoleon in a graceful manner.
Last night, I pulled the book out and set it with my passport. The book has now been elevated to Plane Reading status, not because it's the perfect read on an upcoming 10 hour flight, it's because I am struggling to keep my zen on when it comes to one particularly challenging person at work, one whom is traveling to Argentina with me. My calm, my attempts at mindfulness fly out the window when required to exchange more than two sentences with this individual.
I have a feeling that being thousands of miles away from the office might be the opportunity to let this person know how they treat others is not okay. I want to be able to hold back and not rip him a new one, so perhaps this book will guide me into telling him he behaves like a manipulative two-faced napoleon in a graceful manner.
February 18, 2008
a priveliged life
honestly, sometimes one needs little reminder of having a priveliged life.
friday, i had a unbelievable day at kirkwood. blue skies, warm, and possibly the best day of riding i've ever had. a couple guinness at lunch, brought from home. nice to be able to steal a day from work and give it to fun.
i have been accepted to the yoga immersion program at yoga kula. in april, i will begin deepening my studies and understandings of yoga, in the anusara style. i feel blessed for finding this program and being able to afford it.
a week from today, i leave for argentina for a photo shoot. it's not really been something i've been getting excited about, because it's for work. now i'm getting a bit excited, because it's still travel. even though it will be the polar opposite of my travels last year. traveling for work means the luxury of business class and the four seasons hotel in buenos aires. i will admit that i'm not entirely comfortable with the level of excess, but i am grateful for the chance to travel more. i am hoping to take a yoga class in spanish!
a week after getting back from argentina, i leave for a yoga retreat in tulum, mexico. it will be the perfect antidote to a long production, a busy few months of work.
all of that is extravagant when compared to simple things like hot showers and drinkable water. i've been having dreams of nepal again. each day, i look at the beautiful thangka painting from pokhara, and it serves as a daily reminder of the amazing trip.
January 27, 2008
don't raid your dreams to do laundry.
the intention has been set.
i'm planning to go to india in 2009. the jar that collects pocket change has been infused with more meaning than collecting loose change. it's the beginning of savings for india. each time i drop loose change in the jar, i pause, thinking of my wish to visit india in the year of my 40th birthday. each time change is dropped in, the goal is microscopically closer. so much of life is about cultivating intention, and the intention steers the desire, the outcome.
so, no more turning the change jar upside down combing for quarters each time we do laundry. these quarters now have a more important purpose: funding a trip back to nepal, and to visit india for the first time. in looking at the dalai lama's website, i noticed he's doing his spring teachings in dharmsala in march of 2009. if the goal is to repeat the annapurna circuit again, this time with paul, then that timing works nicely when the circuit is in it's spring peak season before the monsoon.
india is such a vast land, so many places i'd love to see. time and money will, of course, dictate how long this 40th birthday adventure will be. however long, i know that these small tokens placed in the jar have a level of importance that is new.
i'm planning to go to india in 2009. the jar that collects pocket change has been infused with more meaning than collecting loose change. it's the beginning of savings for india. each time i drop loose change in the jar, i pause, thinking of my wish to visit india in the year of my 40th birthday. each time change is dropped in, the goal is microscopically closer. so much of life is about cultivating intention, and the intention steers the desire, the outcome.
so, no more turning the change jar upside down combing for quarters each time we do laundry. these quarters now have a more important purpose: funding a trip back to nepal, and to visit india for the first time. in looking at the dalai lama's website, i noticed he's doing his spring teachings in dharmsala in march of 2009. if the goal is to repeat the annapurna circuit again, this time with paul, then that timing works nicely when the circuit is in it's spring peak season before the monsoon.
india is such a vast land, so many places i'd love to see. time and money will, of course, dictate how long this 40th birthday adventure will be. however long, i know that these small tokens placed in the jar have a level of importance that is new.
December 11, 2007
Travel is Travel...
Words cannot begin to describe my experiences in Nepal. It was amazing. Incredible. Awesome. And yet, all those words don't do it justice, because the pendulum swung in all directions, so many emotions experienced. My world was made bigger. Life lessons came to light. I know I can do anything. Fear is bad. I wound up traveling alone, learning the hard way who my friends really are, and it was magical to be granted that buried treasure. Travel is travel, indeed.
September 27, 2007
So close.
Tomorrow's my last day of work before I leave on Monday. Wow. It still seems so unreal. This pack I've been loading and unloading, these guidebooks I've been reading, the thinking, it all has been busywork. It won't be for real until I'm off that plane in Bangkok and the adventure starts.
I can't wait. I feel incredibly lucky. My head will be pried open a thousand ways. Life will be shaken to its core. I'll be clear on the other side of the planet.
I can't wait. I feel incredibly lucky. My head will be pried open a thousand ways. Life will be shaken to its core. I'll be clear on the other side of the planet.
September 15, 2007
Saturday slips away....
Saturday flew by in a flurry of errands. I had planned to go to yoga at 8am. I don't use an alarm clock and by sleeping until 7:45, yoga was not to happen. Bummer about that, as I love Barbara and her class, and was hoping to make a few more of her classes before I leave.
I did have a massively productive day, taking advantage of the fact that P was out of town. I had a scrawly list, and knocked the following off said list:
met Luna's dad at Pet Club and we gave the dirty girl a bath. She's fluffy clean now!
berkeley farmer's market for this week's fruit and veggies
went to thrift store for cheap backpack for flight to Thailand (plan to pass it on and not take it on the trek. just need it to hold reading material, snacks and stuff for the flight)
got a hair cut
got a pedicure --way girlie pink toes!
went to travel store for eyemask, TSA-approved lock, etc.
bought the books i'm going to read on the plane (Three Cups of Tea, and Against The Stream)
went to Elephant Pharmacy for more chick supplies
got new batteries for Steripen and headlamp
Safeway for snack sized ziplock bags
got my wad of cash for the trip
made a pot of lentils
filled up the trial size containers with stuff i'm taking
un-packed, re-assessed, and put things into stuff sacks in a sensible order
forgot: to buy cat food for while i'm gone (duh!)
still to do: REI pro-deal pick-up and get cable lock then
decide what clothes i'm bringing.
i'm trying to keep the clothes to: one down jacket, thermal leggings, 2 pairs of pants (one on me at all times, well most of the time.) spare bra, two long sleeve shirst, one fleece top, three pairs of socks, thee pairs of underwear. maybe one t-shirt? but that's it for 7 weeks. i'll buy a skirt, hat and gloves, and trekking poles in Kathmandu.
i feel like i'm bringing a crapload of stuff, a lot just to take good care of jen. enough ibuprofin, electrolytes, moisturizer, first aid stuff and stuff to care for my feet. my seekrit stash has two chocolate bars. i know those will be gold to me at some point. i'm bringing 30 postcards of the Golden Gate Bridge to give out along the trail; I read in the guidebooks that people appreciate small gifts when appropriate. I feel like I'm bringing a fair amount of electronics/camera stuff, which is laughable compared to what Michelle will end up bringing. She's a pro, I'm a wanna-be.
and now I want to go cuddle my clean dog, since she's with me for the weekend. I'm going to miss Luna a bunch while I'm gone. (I hope she stays healthy. That's a request to the universe, please...)
now I'm going to clean up around here and continue sorting. how do i always find so much to do?
I did have a massively productive day, taking advantage of the fact that P was out of town. I had a scrawly list, and knocked the following off said list:
met Luna's dad at Pet Club and we gave the dirty girl a bath. She's fluffy clean now!
berkeley farmer's market for this week's fruit and veggies
went to thrift store for cheap backpack for flight to Thailand (plan to pass it on and not take it on the trek. just need it to hold reading material, snacks and stuff for the flight)
got a hair cut
got a pedicure --way girlie pink toes!
went to travel store for eyemask, TSA-approved lock, etc.
bought the books i'm going to read on the plane (Three Cups of Tea, and Against The Stream)
went to Elephant Pharmacy for more chick supplies
got new batteries for Steripen and headlamp
Safeway for snack sized ziplock bags
got my wad of cash for the trip
made a pot of lentils
filled up the trial size containers with stuff i'm taking
un-packed, re-assessed, and put things into stuff sacks in a sensible order
forgot: to buy cat food for while i'm gone (duh!)
still to do: REI pro-deal pick-up and get cable lock then
decide what clothes i'm bringing.
i'm trying to keep the clothes to: one down jacket, thermal leggings, 2 pairs of pants (one on me at all times, well most of the time.) spare bra, two long sleeve shirst, one fleece top, three pairs of socks, thee pairs of underwear. maybe one t-shirt? but that's it for 7 weeks. i'll buy a skirt, hat and gloves, and trekking poles in Kathmandu.
i feel like i'm bringing a crapload of stuff, a lot just to take good care of jen. enough ibuprofin, electrolytes, moisturizer, first aid stuff and stuff to care for my feet. my seekrit stash has two chocolate bars. i know those will be gold to me at some point. i'm bringing 30 postcards of the Golden Gate Bridge to give out along the trail; I read in the guidebooks that people appreciate small gifts when appropriate. I feel like I'm bringing a fair amount of electronics/camera stuff, which is laughable compared to what Michelle will end up bringing. She's a pro, I'm a wanna-be.
and now I want to go cuddle my clean dog, since she's with me for the weekend. I'm going to miss Luna a bunch while I'm gone. (I hope she stays healthy. That's a request to the universe, please...)
now I'm going to clean up around here and continue sorting. how do i always find so much to do?
September 13, 2007
It's Thursday
A very scattered, random update from a sleepy girl who's squinting because she doesn't have her glasses on...
A blind couple has been coming to the past couple spin classes I teach. I love this! I give them so much credit, and admire the heck out of them. They bought cycling shoes and have jumped right in. It makes me teach differently, being very explicit in my instructions and calling things out with more warning. But I'm thrilled they're coming to class.
Paul, the lucky bastard, left for a backpacking trip with the guys. I'm super envious, mostly because with this staff job picking up for long weekends here and there is not an option. I also miss starry nights in chilly night skies. I hope he has fun!
Meanwhile, someone in our building stole our plastic laundry basket from the laundry room. WTF? Our laundry room is up three flights of stairs by the roof, unlike most buildings where laundry is in the basement. So I really need that laundry basket. I left a note, but suspect no one will return it. Because if you're lame enough to "borrow" or steal someone's laundry basket, are you really planning to return it?
Oh, and I finally got that friggin' lip stud removed and replaced with the hoop I'd wanted. I like it! Todd did a great placing on the piercing and got it exactly how I wanted it. I've got a little scar tissue on the inside of my lip from the stud's post being long and slamming around, but I'm slowly dissolving it by putting aspirin crushed into a paste onto the scar tissue each night; crazy, but it dissolves the tissue. You imagine what that feels like, okay?
My trip is just over two weeks away. After tomorrow, I have exactly two weeks of work. Thankfully I'm not very busy right now. There's one large project looming, but it's going to be someone else's work soon enough. It's sort of unbelievable that I will leave and return right before Thanksgiving. I'm back three days, and then we fly to Chicago to spend Thanksgiving with Paul's large family. No doubt I'll be culture-shocked.
I have gotten both my Nepalese and Indian visas, all my travel vaccinations, restocked my first aid kit, and gotten travel meds. I've given up on breaking in a new pair of boots. I'll go with my old ones, even though their tread is very nearly gone. At least they won't shred my feet. I have a new backpack, and have done a hike to get it dialed in. Hopefully more hiking in the next couple weeks will happen, too. I have to admit I'm at the worst level of physical fitness in a couple years. Working so much, living with someone I love who is an amazing cook and shares a sweet tooth-chocolate habit, all contribute to this.
Such is life. I had plans to be in mega-great shape, but plans don't always go as planned, do they?
Speaking of plans, at this point I'm going to go to India with Michelle. Although I'm considering spending a couple days at the Kopan Monastery north of Kathmandu, and then perhaps flying down to Varanasi and meeting her there. I also have an interest in going to Dharamsala, and she does not. Perhaps I'll go there on my own while Michelle goes on to Delhi to the Irish consulate; she's got to meet them about showing her work there, which is awesome. She wants to rejuvenate in Rishikesh, which sounds pretty great to me, so maybe we can meet up there after she goes to Delhi. Who knows? We have no set dates or reservations anywhere. I am not so keen on spending days upon days riding trains in India. I'd rather fly, and get to experience a place more deeply than to meditate past the "joys" of train travel. Like I said, who knows? I'm speculating at this point, and reality will be whatever it becomes.
I'm excited. Scared. Hopeful. This trip is going to be one of the biggest things I've done. Bigger, in some ways, than moving to Yosemite three years back.
I've started a blog for my friends to read about my trip. I'll post there from the road, so that people can be kept updated about my adventure. Drop me an email if you want to get the URL. If I like you, I'll tell you about it. It's entirely separate from this one, and you stalkery types can't just get there from here.
A blind couple has been coming to the past couple spin classes I teach. I love this! I give them so much credit, and admire the heck out of them. They bought cycling shoes and have jumped right in. It makes me teach differently, being very explicit in my instructions and calling things out with more warning. But I'm thrilled they're coming to class.
Paul, the lucky bastard, left for a backpacking trip with the guys. I'm super envious, mostly because with this staff job picking up for long weekends here and there is not an option. I also miss starry nights in chilly night skies. I hope he has fun!
Meanwhile, someone in our building stole our plastic laundry basket from the laundry room. WTF? Our laundry room is up three flights of stairs by the roof, unlike most buildings where laundry is in the basement. So I really need that laundry basket. I left a note, but suspect no one will return it. Because if you're lame enough to "borrow" or steal someone's laundry basket, are you really planning to return it?
Oh, and I finally got that friggin' lip stud removed and replaced with the hoop I'd wanted. I like it! Todd did a great placing on the piercing and got it exactly how I wanted it. I've got a little scar tissue on the inside of my lip from the stud's post being long and slamming around, but I'm slowly dissolving it by putting aspirin crushed into a paste onto the scar tissue each night; crazy, but it dissolves the tissue. You imagine what that feels like, okay?
My trip is just over two weeks away. After tomorrow, I have exactly two weeks of work. Thankfully I'm not very busy right now. There's one large project looming, but it's going to be someone else's work soon enough. It's sort of unbelievable that I will leave and return right before Thanksgiving. I'm back three days, and then we fly to Chicago to spend Thanksgiving with Paul's large family. No doubt I'll be culture-shocked.
I have gotten both my Nepalese and Indian visas, all my travel vaccinations, restocked my first aid kit, and gotten travel meds. I've given up on breaking in a new pair of boots. I'll go with my old ones, even though their tread is very nearly gone. At least they won't shred my feet. I have a new backpack, and have done a hike to get it dialed in. Hopefully more hiking in the next couple weeks will happen, too. I have to admit I'm at the worst level of physical fitness in a couple years. Working so much, living with someone I love who is an amazing cook and shares a sweet tooth-chocolate habit, all contribute to this.
Such is life. I had plans to be in mega-great shape, but plans don't always go as planned, do they?
Speaking of plans, at this point I'm going to go to India with Michelle. Although I'm considering spending a couple days at the Kopan Monastery north of Kathmandu, and then perhaps flying down to Varanasi and meeting her there. I also have an interest in going to Dharamsala, and she does not. Perhaps I'll go there on my own while Michelle goes on to Delhi to the Irish consulate; she's got to meet them about showing her work there, which is awesome. She wants to rejuvenate in Rishikesh, which sounds pretty great to me, so maybe we can meet up there after she goes to Delhi. Who knows? We have no set dates or reservations anywhere. I am not so keen on spending days upon days riding trains in India. I'd rather fly, and get to experience a place more deeply than to meditate past the "joys" of train travel. Like I said, who knows? I'm speculating at this point, and reality will be whatever it becomes.
I'm excited. Scared. Hopeful. This trip is going to be one of the biggest things I've done. Bigger, in some ways, than moving to Yosemite three years back.
I've started a blog for my friends to read about my trip. I'll post there from the road, so that people can be kept updated about my adventure. Drop me an email if you want to get the URL. If I like you, I'll tell you about it. It's entirely separate from this one, and you stalkery types can't just get there from here.
September 2, 2007
An understanding.
In four weeks, I leave on my trip. The bombings that occured today are an all-too-real reminder that I'm leaving the "secure" and the familiar.
Michelle and I talked and agreed we didn't want to spend unncessary time in Kathmandu. We're probably safe on the Annapurna Circuit. Crowds, public transit, urban streets all may not be the safest places leading up to Nepal's upcoming elections on November 22nd.
Michelle has elected to go to India instead of Tibet after we do the Circuit. She needs to go to the Irish Embassy in Delhi to meet with them about having a photo show at the Embassy of her Himalaya photographs. She'll be going to Agra, and perhaps Varanasi. I'll get my Indian visa for the possibility of joining her, but will not be making any decisions, rather leaving open the possibility for staying in Nepal.
Given the political climate in Nepal, it could be safer to boogie down to India. India will be overwhelming, more intense than Nepal. We'll see.
I have been looking at September in a way that may seem morbid. I am making the effort to get together with people. I have this deep seated understanding that with this kind of travel the chance exists, however small, that I may not return. I could die. I don't want to, but I am at peace with the remote possibility. I say that undramatically. I am going to be smart, but I'm also a believer in living the life you want, and if you expire living fully, that sucks, but it sure beats living safely by the dim glow of your widescreen television.
Michelle and I talked and agreed we didn't want to spend unncessary time in Kathmandu. We're probably safe on the Annapurna Circuit. Crowds, public transit, urban streets all may not be the safest places leading up to Nepal's upcoming elections on November 22nd.
Michelle has elected to go to India instead of Tibet after we do the Circuit. She needs to go to the Irish Embassy in Delhi to meet with them about having a photo show at the Embassy of her Himalaya photographs. She'll be going to Agra, and perhaps Varanasi. I'll get my Indian visa for the possibility of joining her, but will not be making any decisions, rather leaving open the possibility for staying in Nepal.
Given the political climate in Nepal, it could be safer to boogie down to India. India will be overwhelming, more intense than Nepal. We'll see.
I have been looking at September in a way that may seem morbid. I am making the effort to get together with people. I have this deep seated understanding that with this kind of travel the chance exists, however small, that I may not return. I could die. I don't want to, but I am at peace with the remote possibility. I say that undramatically. I am going to be smart, but I'm also a believer in living the life you want, and if you expire living fully, that sucks, but it sure beats living safely by the dim glow of your widescreen television.
May 28, 2007
finally!
the thai air website FINALLY cooperated.
i believe i just purchased my RT ticket from Bangkok to Kathmandu!
this has been an early lesson in transportation matters not going smoothly as one might hope. the thai air website has had endless problems, right down to a programming error that, because i couldn't select "ms." as my prefix to my name, wouldn't allow me to proceed with booking my ticket.
the site would randomly freeze. daily. weekly. been trying forever.
emails to thai air...well, what do you expect? and to go through the Los Angeles office of thai air, the same exact ticket was $400 more. go figure.
the travel gods were with me this evening. after a couple tries, my credit card was finally accepted. (now let's hope it won't get stolen and used rampantly throughout asia!)
woo-hoo. october 4 - november 15. nepal. tibet, hopefully, too. everest base camp, possibly? annapurna circuit definitely.
stoked.
i believe i just purchased my RT ticket from Bangkok to Kathmandu!
this has been an early lesson in transportation matters not going smoothly as one might hope. the thai air website has had endless problems, right down to a programming error that, because i couldn't select "ms." as my prefix to my name, wouldn't allow me to proceed with booking my ticket.
the site would randomly freeze. daily. weekly. been trying forever.
emails to thai air...well, what do you expect? and to go through the Los Angeles office of thai air, the same exact ticket was $400 more. go figure.
the travel gods were with me this evening. after a couple tries, my credit card was finally accepted. (now let's hope it won't get stolen and used rampantly throughout asia!)
woo-hoo. october 4 - november 15. nepal. tibet, hopefully, too. everest base camp, possibly? annapurna circuit definitely.
stoked.
March 23, 2007
Day 3-4 of zesty fasting
Thankfully, the awfulness of Day 2 stayed there. Once the stomach ache from vomiting the previous night dissipated, Day 3 was fine. Had to remind myself to drink the lemonade, didn't feel much hunger. Very heightened sense of smell, almost annoyingly so. All this time spent not eating leaves us to pursue other fun stuff. Teaching spin last night was fine. I kept my heart rate below 85%. Luckily it wasn't a killer class, just plain ole' medium endurance riding. While spinning I did notice that my sweat was unusually salty, much like the salt water I drink each morning.
Today's been a-okay, too. Paul had the day off, and so it was a lazy morning after we consumed our salt water. It was funny to see food habits being broken; usually we'd go out for a meal or need to do some grocery shopping or the like. There was none of that, just noticing the letting go of habitry. My friend Becky was right- I was more productive due to not having to think/deal with food. Also noticed we've run the dishwasher far less than normal since we're not cooking.
I'm being intelligent, as hard as it is, and not doing long rides outside during the fast. A spin class is one thing, a ride outside is a whole different story, especially since around Berkeley-Oakland you can't escape the hills and that's where my energy would get eaten up. I will miss riding with my friends for a few days, but better to be sensible than to get myself into a bad sitch.
In other news: Starting to do a bunch of reading and research about my upcoming trip to Nepal. The Annapurna Circuit isn't a cakewalk. There's one pass, Thorung La, which is 17,770 feet we have to make it over, then descend over scree. This shit's serious. Thankfully, I will be taking a three day course to recertify my Wilderness First Responder next month, which will give me the refresher I need to deal with altitude illness and other things we may encounter on the trail. It is becoming apparent that I will need to be in phenomenal shape for this three week trek.
Today's been a-okay, too. Paul had the day off, and so it was a lazy morning after we consumed our salt water. It was funny to see food habits being broken; usually we'd go out for a meal or need to do some grocery shopping or the like. There was none of that, just noticing the letting go of habitry. My friend Becky was right- I was more productive due to not having to think/deal with food. Also noticed we've run the dishwasher far less than normal since we're not cooking.
I'm being intelligent, as hard as it is, and not doing long rides outside during the fast. A spin class is one thing, a ride outside is a whole different story, especially since around Berkeley-Oakland you can't escape the hills and that's where my energy would get eaten up. I will miss riding with my friends for a few days, but better to be sensible than to get myself into a bad sitch.
In other news: Starting to do a bunch of reading and research about my upcoming trip to Nepal. The Annapurna Circuit isn't a cakewalk. There's one pass, Thorung La, which is 17,770 feet we have to make it over, then descend over scree. This shit's serious. Thankfully, I will be taking a three day course to recertify my Wilderness First Responder next month, which will give me the refresher I need to deal with altitude illness and other things we may encounter on the trail. It is becoming apparent that I will need to be in phenomenal shape for this three week trek.
March 18, 2007
Asia Travel
I booked my ticket. I'm meeting Michelle in Bangkok. We're going to Nepal, Tibet, and who knows where else our adventures will take us. The plan, thus far, is to do the Annapurna Trail. We'll be over there for seven weeks.
Ever been over there?
Tell me about it, please. I've never done anything like this before. Been to Germany and Italy. That's it. All the more reason I should be doing this, eh?
Ever been over there?
Tell me about it, please. I've never done anything like this before. Been to Germany and Italy. That's it. All the more reason I should be doing this, eh?
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