Pai

We just got back to Chiang Mai after spending a week in Pai, a small hippy town, about a 2.5 hour drive away. The intention was for it to be a romantic getaway, but instead we got sick. Zen booked a nice room for us at Montis Resort and we ended up having to move twice to different rooms due to plumbing issues. For the inconvenience, we negotiated a discount, a couple extra nights for free, complimentary room service and snack bar. The resort was not very busy at all and overpriced in our opinion.

I heard good things about Pai, but was not at all impressed with the town. Not much to see or do, but I like that it was cheap. It was nicest at nighttime. It was basically one big street market with lots of noisy traffic, more like how I envisioned Thailand being.

All in all, it was a very peaceful, relaxing and uneventful trip watching movies and taking baths, so can't complain.

Venturing out into the World!

Well folks, I finally made it out the front door to explore the wonders of Chiang Mai! It really helps to have my husband here as an experienced tour guide. Riding around on a scooter, zooming through the traffic, is the fastest way to get through the city. Here, everyone drives on the left side of the road. I expected Thailand to be a crappy, ugly and polluted third world country, but it turns out there is a wide range of options from poor class to high class. The nice thing is you can live luxuriously for very cheap. If there's one thing I love, it's saving money! There are quite a few healthy cafés, customer service is on point and I love that there is so much green tropical vegetation. Rudeness and hostility does not exist in this culture. It is very muggy, but hasn't been too hot luckily. I got a Thai massage for the first time, it basically felt like I was getting beat up, but very relaxing. 

One thing I miss is the ocean. Back home in Maui I go to the beach almost every day. However, there is a really nice pool in our apartment building and a gym, so I won't let myself get fat during this two-month vacation. So far... what's not to like? 

Oh, and we've also been spending our time saving a bird that fell out of the nest onto our balcony. We named him Mr. Splits and we suspect his mama is still around feeding him because he is pooping a bunch! We provided shade for him, are giving him water and feeding him bread soaked in soup. He seems to be growing and getting stronger every day!

The Journey is Complete

I don't feel that same fear of life and the unknown as I did when I got pneumonia. I am so happy I didn't follow the fear-based decision of going to massage school before I knew what I really wanted to do, and that my pneumonia stopped me from doing it and instead forced me to stay put and do some deep inner work and relaxation and continue on this journey. I am happy Jill's father inspired me to go to Madeira before I got sick and that even though I wasn't planning on going because it was too expensive, I found that cheap last-minute deal. The psychic told me Zen might join me at some point on this journey when the timing was right, and it was perfect and a nice surprise.

This journey has been such a good teacher in learning to trust in the Universal plan. I cannot make the wrong decision because no matter which way I choose, things will turn out exactly as they are supposed to. It's like the GPS navigator - if you get lost, it finds another way to get you to your destination.

I have gained a stronger belief in myself, a deeper sense of inner independence and freedom, reconnected with loved ones and made new connections, gained new inspiration, gotten to know myself better, worked through fear and practiced trusting. I am excited to see how I will choose to design my life from here on. Let the new beginnings start! The last cards in the tarot reading I got from the psychic before I left Maui were "Triumphant Success" and "Victory & Success". It HAS been a success!

I thank you for following along on this adventure and hope it has been inspiring for you. Feel free to share your reflections in the comments section below. Aloha!

Santa Barbara, California

11/6:

Zen and I woke up at 5:30 AM and got ready to leave Culebra. When we were about to go to the airport we realized we had locked the keys in the rental car... So luckily our next-door neighbor was nice enough to give us a ride in his golf cart (it was only 5 minutes away). He told us more about the culture there and he said the locals just don't care... their main philosophy is "mañana". Both our suitcases were overweight a few pounds, so we had to transfer some stuff to our carry-on luggage to avoid the $100 fee (geez!). I was happy to get away from the mosquitoes - I had so many itchy bites!

Both our flights were with American Airlines and departed almost the same time, so we could check in together. The process was very slow and we made it just in time to board.

On my way to go see my bestie, Nicole! I had an earache the whole flight to Philadelphia - I think I got water in my ear or something... They didn't show any movies, so I worked on my needle-point.
 

After the 4-hour flight, I had a very short layover but the flight to L.A. was delayed... I was concerned I wouldn't make it with the Airbus to Santa Barbara. No entertainment either, only on your own personal devices through the WiFi, so I started re-reading one of my favorite books, "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho. The flight was about 5.5 hours. My ear was really bothering me the whole trip. We actually landed early so I had plenty of time to make it with the bus! It was a lot warmer than I expected. Check out this girl's cool outfit - only in L.A.!

 The Airbus was 30 minutes late and the ride was about three hours, and I didn't do anything except nod off a few times. I'd been traveling for about 14 hours... Nicole came and picked me up around 9:30 PM and she had made me dinner and I got to meet her cats, Oliver and Bella for the first time. Her couch was super comfortable to sleep on! There was a 3-hour time difference, so not too bad.

11/7:

We woke up early and meditated for 20 minutes and went for a morning walk. Nicole had to drop off her car at 10 AM for repairs, so while we were waiting we had lunch at "Savoy  Café & Deli", where they had an excellent salad bar.

Santa Barbara is nice!! The weather is so warm and pleasant. I went from extreme humidity to dry desert climate. My skin dried up, but my hair responded very well. I loved how classy everything was and the relaxed vibe. 

We strolled around town and checked out all the trendy shops and I couldn't resist buying this sparkly water bottle and rhinestone cat ears at "Francesca's Collections".

When I have my Arabic mansion I will buy this huge, incredible blue chandelier:

My ear was still bothering me... it felt like I had an earplug in my right ear and was half-deaf. Super annoying. So I went to the Pharmacy and got some Auro Dri (ear drying drops) for swimmer's ears.

We had frozen vanilla almond milk at "Paseo - Pressed Juicery" and at 1:30 PM we got a private voice lesson from Nicole's teacher, Karen Lytle. She teaches the SLS method (Speech Level Singing), just like my voice teacher in Maui.

When Nicole's car was ready we stopped at her boyfriend's house so I could meet him and then went over to her mom's for dinner.

When we came home we sang karaoke and recorded goofy videos of us cracking up hysterically.

11/8:

Nicole went to the gym in the morning so I had some time to myself (which I always love). When she came back she did a pretend 30-min therapy session with me because she's getting her Master's in counseling and it was an assignment and then we painted our nails. At 4 PM we went to the Farmer's Market and had dinner at Savoy with her boyfriend.

Then we all went to the Granada Theatre to watch the election. Happy Doomsday. ;) We are in this together.

To lighten things up, we went to her boyfriend's house afterward and sang Disney songs until 10 PM.

My ear had not gotten any better, so I tried taking a decongestant and an ibuprofen. My friend who has had this in the past said it might drain on its own if the swelling goes down from the ibuprofen, but recommended I see a doctor. It's been three days and it's supposed to get better after 48 hours. The ear drops only seemed to make it worse. 

11/9:
We started the day by doing Kundalini yoga for 30 minutes to this video:
https://youtu.be/gdZgRcIvzzI

I called Kaiser to get some advice about my ear and they suggested waiting a couple more days before I see a doctor, unless I get a fever or discharge from the ear, and just keep doing ibuprofen 3x a day and try anti-histamine.

We took a nap and I did my breathing exercises. It was 92°F outside! We went to a really good "Dakini Dance" class taught by Lisa Beck. I would say the style was Indian fusion and I learned a lot because it was different for me. Afterward we went to Nicole's singing lesson and this time the students performed for the group, so Nicole and I sang a couple songs together and we did solos as well. Here is a video of me singing one of my favorite jazz standards:

11/10:

We had a pretty mellow day. Started off meditating for 20 minutes, we sang, went to the grocery store, uploaded videos to our new YouTube channel "Weirdo Goofballs", and in the late afternoon Nicole's boyfriend came over and we watched Disney's "Oliver & Company". Still no improvement with my ear... At this point I was starting to get used to it... I started taking Mucinex today.

11/11:

We meditated for 20 minutes in the morning. I felt worse than yesterday and a bit wobbly, so since nothing I was doing was helping, I decided to go to the doctor. The nearest Kaiser clinic was 1.5 hours away, so we went to the urgent care nearby instead, after we had lunch at Savoy. Turns out it's an ear infection and I have to take antibiotics for 10 days. That's a lot of antibiotics for me lately (with the pneumonia)!

In the evening Nicole's boyfriend got us free tickets to this incredible spiritual and inspiring concert/seminar with top class and unique talent.

11/12:
My last day in Santa Barbara so we were a bit sad... Our paths will meet again... We started the day doing Kundalini yoga for 30 minutes  and had lunch at Savoy again. We could've tried a different place, but we love it so much! Then we visited Nicole's school, "Pacifica".

We went for a walk on Butterfly Beach. Out of all the beaches I've been to so far on this trip (Madeira, Culebra & California), the nature on Maui has the most special energy.

In the evening Nicole's boyfriend came over and we watched "Clueless". I pulled these Isis cards:

I started to get my hearing back just a tad in my right ear!


11/13:
Nicole and I went for a nice walk in the morning.

We did another one of her practice 30 min-therapy sessions (homework for her school). It was a good way for me to verbally summarize my trip, insights and thoughts about returning home and set intentions.

We ate at Savoy one last time before she dropped me off at the Airbus at 12:20 PM. It was nice to sit and reflect on the 3-hour bus ride and listen to music while enjoying the view of the ocean. Nicole was such an inspiration and support for me in quitting my job and going on this journey before I left Maui, so it felt right to finish the journey with her.

Everything went smooth and was on time and I got to the airport early. My flight to Maui left at 5:50 PM.

I was happy to fly with Delta. I get miles, they had blankets and pillows, entertainment, they served a lot of water, it wasn't too cold and the seats next to me were empty... I was apprehensive about my ears during the 5-hour flight, but luckily they were fine! I chewed gum since I heard it helps relieve the pressure.

I felt ready to go home after this almost 5-month journey (144 days to be exact!) and sleep in my own bed, have my personal belongings, be with my husband, see my cats again, drive my own car, work on new projects in my recording studio and dance space, swim in the ocean, get away from the dryness of California and back to the tropical humidity of Hawaii.

I was picked up by my dear friends Celeste & Jon because my hubby had to work. Maui's so nice... It felt surreal being back and everything was familiar but new. Maui hadn't changed, but I felt different.

Culebra, Puerto Rico

Here's a video to sum up our 10 days in Culebra:

10/27:

I definitely had a cold. My throat was really sore all night, I was sneezing and my nose was stuffy and I woke every couple hours. After having pneumonia this felt like nothing though. Once I got ready, packed and checked out of the hostel, I took the J-Train at 4:30 AM and then the Air train to JFK. The whole trip took one hour and 20 minutes. On the way I paid $4 for a bottle of water and at the airport freakin' $5.79. Insane! I was impressed with how good my energy level was despite the cold, sleep deprivation and jet lag. At the airport I was very happy to see these automatic plastic toilet seat covers! The only place I've seen these before was at the Chicago Airport.

I was happy the flight was only 4 hours. I didn't realize San Juan was straight down from New York, so no time difference. That'll give me more time to adjust. I listened to music and blew my nose the whole flight. American Airlines was more spacious than any other airline I've flown with lately. I went from wet and cold New York to beautiful and warm Puerto Rico where it was 28°C and I flew through big white fluffy clouds. Luckily I didn't get a migrane while descending, which I usually get if I fly when I'm stuffy.

When I landed, I immediately went into the bathroom and started taking off the layers. The airport felt bright and happy. Once I checked in, I got a salad and hot water for my Chinese herbs. They gave me the hot water for free as opposed to JFK where they charged me $0.60. Shortly after, my hubby arrived from Maui and we met at the gate for our connecting flight to Culebra at 4:44 PM. We were very happy to see each other again after 4 months apart.

The airplane to Culebra was so small, the smallest either of us have ever flown in... it felt more like a helicopter ride. It was so beautiful flying over the ocean and islands and seeing all the beaches. 

Our Air BnB host coordinated a ride for us to our rental and we stopped by a convenience store on the way to get some water and food.

10/28:

Culebra was very hot and muggy, kind of like Kihei in Maui. I can't imagine what it's like in the summer! The island is so small you can drive around it in an hour. It is very laid back, low class and slow - businesses do not answer their phones a lot of the time, everything closes at 9 PM, the service at restaurants is very slow and everything is pretty overpriced. The bird sounds in the morning are so unique here and there are tons of roosters. It's a pretty noisy neighborhood - even if you go to a practically deserted island it can be hard to get away from machines...

We stayed at an Air BnB called "Flamboyan of Villa Patria". It was nice, clean and self-contained, but located up a steep hill, so best to rent a car to get around.

The first day we took it easy and got settled in. We meditated for 30 minutes in the morning. I was still stuffy and had a sore throat but managed to stay pretty active anyway without much effort. 

We walked all the way up a long steep hill to get some lunch at a place called "Krusty Krab", only to find out they were closed and didn't open until 5:30 PM!

So we walked back down the hill in the heat and humidity and went home and had ramen noodles instead. It started to rain, so it was a good thing we didn't go back out to try another restaurant. It's supposed to rain every day the whole time we're here... Once it cooled down, we walked down the hill and asked around and got a taxi ride to a restaurant where they served fish. The food was tasty, but greasy... We tried mofongo (fried plantains) for the first time. It was fun to hear the Latin music! Lots of dogs and cats on the streets. Taxis are only $3 per person here.

10/29:

Another easy-going day. Woke up around 6 AM to this beautiful sunrise. I feel really calm here.

No rain today! We tried to rent a car but there was nothing available until the next day, so we were stuck in the house again. We watched "Bad Moms" which was really good. I wasn't as stuffy and my throat wasn't as sore, but I had developed a bit of a cough. I had pretty normal energy.

In the evening we took a taxi to a nicer restaurant called "Club Seabourne Restaurante" by a hotel and split a giant lobster!

10/30:

I rented a car in the morning and drove around to try to find a grocery store while my hubby slept in to recover from jet lag. There are hardly any stop signs, no street signs and no prices listed in the grocery stores.

After getting food and water I drove home and made us lunch and then we went out to explore Flamenco Beach. It was perfect - the water was turquoise, warm and calm, the sand was whiter than the beaches on Maui, not too many people, not too windy... Ah, finally back at the beach!

Then we drove up the hill to Krusty Krab again to try the food, while jamming out to Britney Spears. We both love her new album, "Glory" so much! The sunset and view was gorgeous, but there were too many mosquitoes, so we got some fish tacos to go after a loooong wait in the car. They were the BEST fish tacos ever - I had no idea! Totally worth the wait. It is very easy to get ripped off here if you are a tourist. They owed us $20 back in change for the food, but tried giving us $10. We are learning the hard way to always check the receipts at the grocery stores - since you don't know how much anything costs until after you pay and there are no digital monitors when you check out, it is easy for them to add things to the receipts that you didn't buy. When we went to the convenience store the other day, they charged us for 44 cans of tuna instead of four. When we got the lobster they added on an extra $7.50... Sneaky...

10/31:

I started the morning by doing my breathing exercises. It was another hot and muggy day without rain, so we went snorkeling at Melones Beach. There wasn't much to see under the water, but we did see a few small colorful fish and a mantaré (my first time!). Then we went the store, the bank and Zaco's Tacos and indulged in delicious shrimp/crab nachos.

We told the bartender about our experiences with getting ripped off, so as a joke he gave us this receipt after our meal:

We meditated in the evening for 30 minutes, I gave Zen a massage and we watched "Magic Mike".

11/1:

We drove over to check out Zoni's Beach today even though it was overcast. We left very quickly after jumping in the water because there was a lot of seaweed, coral and mosquitoes... and a small tornado!

We ate at Zaco's Tacos again for lunch.

Afterward we went to Flamenco Beach while there was thunder and lightning. When we got home it started pouring rain and I made dinner and got a massage from Zen.

11/2:

We spent the day at Flamenco Beach - the weather was perfect, the waves were big and soft without an undertow, the sun was out, there was a nice breeze, the water was clear and oh, so warm... We walked on the beach and chased eachother and jumped in the ocean whenever we felt like it. I felt so free and happy that I could run again after being sick and felt strong in my body. When we came home, Zen made us a delicious dinner and we watched a movie called "Keanu" about a kitten and it rained again. Ah, life is good...

11/3:

I worked on my needle-point in the morning and painted my nails blue (while Zen took a nap) and then I went for a drive to explore more of the island, but it turns out there's really not much more to explore. And I thought MAUI was small... So I went to the grocery store and drove back home.

In the evening we saw another stunning sunset and watched "The Huntsman" and "No Strings Attached".



11/4:

We had lunch at Zaco's Tacos again, went to Flamenco Beach and watched "Waking Life" in the evening. Such an incredibly mind opening philosophical movie. Zen had seen it three times before and I saw it with my dad when I was a kid.

Fun stools at Zaco's Tacos :)

11/5:
We spent most of the day on the phone with T-Mobile trying to resolve an issue and it was driving Zen crazy because it wasn't going anywhere and the call kept getting disconnected and it was a waste of time. We went for a swim at Flamenco Beach for the last time, made dinner, watched a French movie and packed. 10 days felt like a good amount of time in Culebra and we felt ready to leave. It was a wonderful and relaxing stay!