KELLY'S GONE AGAIN
…AND HERE'S WHERE I'M AT.Archive for March, 2009
#28. Kuta, Legian and Seminyak: An Intro to Bali; Ubud: Settling In
To be honest, Bali wasn’t my first choice of last places to go on this trip. Worried about overtouristing (given its exceptional popularity), I wasn’t sure it was “sexy” enough; instead I’d considered Fiji, the Maldives, even Borneo. But, in the end, a recommendation from resident homegirl and recent Bali visitor, Alicia, won out. And for the record, AI, thank you.
#27. Cairns: Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?
So after spending 4 days in the Great Barrier Reef, I decided to make an overnight stop back in Cairns, where I’d flown in initially. It’s a seemingly simple town, renowned for sailing, though I admittedly didn’t get a good feel for the place because I was only there for 24 hours. But here is the highlight, and the reason for the early island departure: for dinner, I checked out a nearby aboriginal cultural park, and it was so, so worth the stopover.
#26. Great Barrier Reef: Private Island Paradise (Part II)
As promised, with more after the jump…
The Island
#25. Great Barrier Reef: Private Island Paradise (Part I)
Welcome to The Good Life. *smile* I’m residing this week on a private island in the GBR, off of the coast of Queensland, Australia (north of New South Wales, which houses Sydney). It is, as you might imagine, no joke.
The island is covered heavily in lush rainforest, giving it a tropical jungle feel, with walking trails and sparse, simple beaches. Because a resort operates here, there are also loads of activities — horseback riding, snorkeling, spa treatments, bingo — all the usual suspects. I have little to no interest in the planned program, though. This, instead, is a reflective place for me, removed from any urban sprawl whatsoever (by which I’m so easily, and happily, distracted).
#24. Hunter Valley: Good Living
Hunter at Sunset
After a long work-filled week here in Sydney for my local friends Amani, Anna and Jake — and a bustling, fun-filled 5 days for me — we piled ourselves into a rental yesterday and escaped the city clamor for a little rest and a lot of wine in Hunter Valley.
It was as eventful as all road trips should be, with multiple stops for snacks, a series of music playlists, and an empty gas tank scare (seems you really can go pretty far with the light on). We approached the yards at dusk, met by warm, quiet, phenomenal views : vivid greens vines with sun-lit top layers, rolling mountain peaks, glimmering ponds, crisp white clouds broken by soft, orange rays. Beautiful, breathtaking, gorgeous, you name it.
#23. Sydney: Monkeys, Elephants… Why Not Koalas?
Updating Post #22 with some photos of the Saturday a.m. trip to a local nature preservation center. Unfortunately I don’t have much to say here other than it’s a good cause and the animals there are really cute. Koalas, kangaroos, reptiles, tons of birds, tasmanian devils… the majority were in cages, but some hung out free-style in the children’s petting zoo. Just guess where I spent most of my time.
#22. Sydney: Yeah, I Could Live Here
So, I’ve been in Sydney for five days now. It’s not that I haven’t wanted to update the travel notes with my thoughts, but I’ve had some writer’s block because, well, I’ve taken to the city so comfortably — like a duck to water, one might say — that it reminds me of home. And I certainly wouldn’t blog about NYC on a regular basis. I’ve stepped into Sydney so easily, in fact, that I almost feel like I do actually live here.
#21. Delhi: Halfway Check-In
(c) 2009 Todd Sykes.
I’m halfway to home. ‘Seems like a good a time as any for a little introspection.
Week: 6
Countries: 5
Cities: 17
Charitable causes supported: 8
Injuries: 6
New friends: 40+
Pictures: 300+
I start Week 6 with excitement and trepidation — excited to have over another month of traveling and, despite my efforts to stay present, a little nervous already about it being over. In case you haven’t noticed, I LOVE this game. For better or worse, I’m afraid, traveling is in my blood and, I might add, actually in my stars (oh yes I did — I mean, who *doesn’t* have their vedic astrology done in India??).
#20. Paro: Pilgrimage for a Budding Buddhist
You ever have one of those workouts where you swear your body will be revamped when you get home? Welcome to my world. Yesterday we climbed into the mountains, 10,000 feet (all uphill, by the way), to the Tiger’s Nest.
Any guilt I’ve ever felt from any time I’ve ever stepped off of the treadmill early (or from every piece of naan I’ve eaten over the last 3 weeks) has now been absolved.
#19. Thimpu: Time to Get Happy
So I took a little break from India this week and flew into Bhutan, via Kathmandu, on Thursday. Bhutan is famous for its use of “Gross National Happiness” as a measure of national productivity, and when I heard that a few months back I thought, “well, I’ve got to go *there*.”
It was a pretty pleasant flight over the Himalayas. When I wasn’t glued to my window watching the mountains, I was reading one of the national Bhutanese newspapers, which had articles on how the country was actually fixing ills, such as humanely taking care of the stray dog population, and more personal columns like “Do You Have a Good Sense of Humor?” As we touched down into Paro, Drukair [Airlines] played traditional Bhutanese music, something like that which you might hear while Daniel-san gets a lesson from Mr. Miyagi. The stuff works — I was happy already.
#18. Rishikesh: Loving Lakshman Jhula
The yoga conference is over, and the ashram is, by no coincidence, better. Quieter, easy, much more my speed. That doesn’t stop me, however, from taking a break from yoga and meditation and heading up to my new favorite location, Lakshman Jhula.
The Jewel, as I now call it, is about a 20-minute walk from the ashram, in between the two bridges that connect the sides of Rishikesh that are separated by the river. Streets are wider, a bit more modern, lined with shops and handicraft stalls and henna artists, lazy cafes with music ranging from chill Indian to reggae to classic rock (circa late ’60s). Today I met friends for breakfast of Nutella crepes and ginger honey lemon tea, and we’ll soon head out for a little trek to nearby waterfalls. Tonight we plan on hitting up a local Indian chef for some private cooking lessons, which she provides in her home for the going rate of $7.
The “we” does tend to vary, though lately it includes new friends, Mia, a nutritionist from San Francisco who bought a one-way ticket to Mysore a month earlier, and Cameron, an Australian art dealer. My newest and closest musketeer, however, is David, a very tall Scottish surfer-and-sailor from the UK.
David’s story is worth recounting here, for he’s a brilliant example of the friends I meet these days. After getting a degree in chemistry, he did some internet searching and found that very rich people would pay him to sail their boats around the world. He promptly took a month-long intensive in yacht sailing, started his new career, and already has had quite a life. He’s animated and fun and a foodie, and says things like “crikey!” and “wicked!” a lot.
Though David’s work takes him all over the world, his main hub happens to be in the south of France, a trip I’ve been plotting for a couple of years now. He has suggested that I consider a potential yoga teaching job with friends who live in the area. As I contemplate this opportunity, I wonder what I was doing on this very day, at this very moment, exactly one year ago. And I smile.
On the way to LJ
View of the Ganges from my daily walk
Monkeys and Men
#17. Rishikesh: A Day in the Life
(c) 2009 Todd Sykes.
I’ve been in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India for six days now. I’m equal parts happy and skeptical here, as half of the time I feel contentment and the other half I feel like I’m in some sort of yoga-based Jesus Camp. Being here often brings about a sincere snarkiness, making me wish daily that my former fellow yoga teacher trainee Barb was around, as a real-time, down-to-earth partner in crime to share my sentiments. More importantly, it requires me to focus on the most vital parts of yogic practice, namely kindness and nonviolence. I’m practicing those right now as I type another blog sans pictures, as my camera still isn’t working. I’ll add visuals soon but, for now, picture this:
