have love, will travel

Not all those who wander are lost. (JRR Tolkien)


When I chose my word last year, I knew I was in for a lot of surprises. Explore, after all, is a big word & it made me feel like a child... at once sad to be leaving home for the first time & excited to be going out there on my own. It made me nervous, hopeful, excited, brave & adventurous. It made me feel how each human being on this planet should feel ~ alive.

Explore pushed me further out of my comfort zone & kicked my sorry excuses out of the window. It got me off my thinking chair & into the world. It got me to stop dreaming & start doing. The Holstee manifesto could not have said it any better

This is your life. Do what you love. Do it often.

And so I did, big time :) I started 2011 with a colorful visit to my hometown, swam with whale sharks, surfed Bali for a month; traveled with my yoga mat & spent intensive weeks on it with some of the most amazing spirits and the best teachers in the world. I went on spontaneous trips with unexpected company & that showed me I could fall in love with another part of the universe.

My word made me open to new connections & rethink about old ones. It made me appreciate the love I have in my life every 5 seconds. I'm deeply grateful & blessed to be taking part of the universe's abundance. All the traveling is certainly not because of a million bucks in my bank account (though it wouldn't hurt to have that as well!). I could easily say that many friends have pockets deeper than mine (they choose to spend that differently & I could only hope, passionately). No. Money can only take you so far. I say love takes you the farthest you need to go.

There has got to be passion or else traveling & transiting for 24 hours straight between 4 different terminals with your surfboard will drive you insane. It's got to be mad love or why else endure a 2 day stopover in between countries, barely enough time for you to unpack & switch bags. It may be exciting to travel to go from one beautiful place to the next but it's also exhausting at the same time. To the point of losing your voice for 8 straight days, or to the miserable point of getting pneumonia. Exploring does come with a price, but a price I'm willing to pay all in the name of love.

I read somewhere that in order to be an explorer of the world, one must notice the stories around you. To use all your senses in your investigations. You have to notice your own story unfold... see where these journeys are really taking you. And mine have taken me to realize what the best part of traveling is.

Coming home.

THANK YOU 2011. You've been such an amazing ride. :)

postcards from bali ::: surf's up!

~ scenes from kuta, legian & seminyak ~

After over a week of paddling, wave catching & playing in the water, I am totally surfed out! Not to mention bruised, sore, bronzed & extremely happy :) There's no stoke like paddling out on a clear sunny day, sliding down some glassy waves, wiping out on fierce ones, waiting on your board in between sets & taking off on long sweet rides.

Until recently, I have never really surfed solo. I had been afraid, in need & want of someone to paddle out with me. The first time I went on my own was wildly nerve wracking & exhilarating. It was a complete act of trusting myself & trusting nature. Each time I go out there is an act of complete letting go. After all how can you truly play with fear & control in your heart? You simply can't.

The cool thing is, you're never really alone. It doesn't matter where you're from or what board you're on, the lineup is teeming with like-hearted people filled with the same desire to play. There's always someone to share the stoke with. :)

One of my favorites from this week was letting a huge wave go, watching as it closed out from behind... and as the sea spray caught the afternoon light, a full rainbow stretched across the water. It was only for a few magical moments but my smile stayed on long after that.

Peace, love & good vibes. ♥

postcards from bali

- scenes from Ubud -

Bali is home to me in so many ways. Whether it's sleeping & waking up to the sound of waterfalls and the sight of lush jungles in the middle of the island; walking along rice fields while the sun & cool breeze play with your skin; enjoying flavorful spices & aromas from one meal to the next; or breezing through the temple-laden streets on a motorbike, what makes Bali so different are things which are already so familiar. Welcoming me like a dear old friend.

No matter how many travelers pass through Ubud (some staying to become part-time residents), there's always something untouched about the place. It's a place where I can retreat into myself without having to cut my ties to the world. It's where you can move amongst it's gentle people and get to know them without getting in their way. It's where a yoga teacher is blissfully content to be a student, taking classes every single day, gorging on sumptuous delicacies and after, a book & a bed to come home to.

wanderlust wednesdays: India

contrary to popular belief, they are generous with their smiles in India.
this one right here brings me back to this amazing country each time.

these are days

living on the island for over 5 years makes one used to the beauty that surrounds you.
in no way is the magic lost,
but you come to settle on a bed of wonder
and makes one sleep sweeter at night.

and yet there are times when this exact same wonder catches your heart again
& overwhelms your spirit.
these are days when you are reminded why
you came to be here in the first place.

These days you might feel a shaft of light make its way across your face
and when you do, then you'll know how it was meant to be...

when the heart wanders

it's a sunday and for the first time in a long while, i chose to stay in... my mom left for manila this morning after 10 beautiful love-filled days & now i'm feeling a little blue... adding up to the tiny bits of blues i've been having the past few weeks... i know it's time to change something.... and i will... changes are coming soon... but for now i'm lifting myself out of this blue hole i'm in with a few reminders of some random things i really like, of things to come, what i love and what makes me smile....

photo booths

fair isle sweaters


soft leather brogues


clever little things


inspired spaces

chairs i wanna sink into


islands in greece

beautiful hawaii

a house by the beach


playing with the waves

baby love

cupcakes

and lots of chocolate


it's the start of another week, happy week everyone!

wanderlust wednesdays: madrid, spain

the art of doing nothing...
taking a siesta around plaza mayor.

wanderlust wednesdays: koh samui, thailand

discovering new islands with my girlfriends
rediscovering each other
(march 2010)

wanderlust wednesdays: taipei, taiwan

isn't she lovely? :)

the wanderer

Not for lack of longing
Not for fear of being alone
Essence from a star wandering
Exploring a life to call my own
Across this strange planet I pass,
Moving as a traveler of fate,
Please, for a moment to wait I ask
'Til the sun I kissed yesterday rises late

Han Cha-hyeon

wanderlust wednesdays: mcleod ganj, india

a young Tibetan monk runs free in Mcleod Ganj*

*up in the Western Himalayas (North India),
the Dalai Lama & the Tibetan government claimed asylum
after China invaded Tibet.

wanderlust wednesdays: santorini, greece

happy sunday

everyone's cups were filled
& everyone's smiles were pretty much like this.

today was a spanish feast
we cooked gambas & berenjenas rellenas
made tortilla de patata & drank some sangria.

what a delicious way
to spend a beautiful sunday!