Welcome to Bali

Paradise in Ubud

It has been awhile since my last post as the past couple weeks have been quite the whirlwind! After Miami it was nice to come home to Cali for a brief visit before departing for Bali. It was great seeing family and friends and having a chance to relax and regroup before my big trip. After about 30 hours of travel Katie and I finally arrived in our home for the next two months, Ubud. Our Airbnb was just as lovely as the pictures and walking distance to both Katie's clinic as well as the Yoga Barn. Guly, the local host, is a nice man that speaks good English and is generally around for any assistance we may need which is comforting. We have a lovely pool that is shared between three villas and a great place to cool down in the afternoon heat. We went to the market to stock up on some supplies for the house and began to settle in.

Entry to our Villa

The first few days I attended three classes per day and I have already fallen in love with the Yoga Barn vibe. I know this is where I will spend the majority of my time in search of some spiritual awakening. The studios are all beautiful and surrounded by lush tropical greenery, stone statues, koi ponds and an overall feeling of zen. I plan to bring my journal with me and between classes and meditations I will spend some time writing and reflecting on my thoughts. They have traditional yoga classes but also other options I have not seen before that I am excited to experience. I went to my first sound healing session which was really cool and also tried Kundalini which is a blend of spiritual and physical practices that incorporate movement, dynamic breathing techniques, chanting of mantras and meditation to build physical vitality and increase consciousness.  The cafe on site is also amazing and has all kinds of super healthy, organic options and a separate juice bar with some delicious juices and smoothies for a few bucks a piece.

One of the Yoga Barn studios

 After a couple days in Ubud I heard from my friends Jack and Sallie who happened to be docked in Bali on a sailing yacht called Shamoun. Flash back to when I started this journey, these two were supposed to be with us in Ft. Lauderdale and Jack came but Sallie got held up with Visa issues, so Jack left shortly after I arrived and they joined Shamoun together. I was quite excited to hear they were in town for the night and went to meet up with them for dinner so we could catch up. They were en route to a ship yard to have some work done on the boat, and as we chatted over dinner they mentioned they may need an extra person to help out with the delivery. I quickly volunteered for the job, as it meant some extra cash and time at sea with my friends so it was an opportunity I did not want to pass up. I went back home, packed up my bag and headed back to the boat for the trip.

Hangin' with Jack and Sal on Shamoun

On deck

Amazing views of the island

I had a great time on board the boat as it was quite a different experience from Mia Elise II and the crew were mostly friends from Thailand. It is a much smaller sailing yacht where your watches are out on deck instead of inside the wheel house and you really feel like you are out on the water. You are much more exposed to the elements and luckily the weather was beautiful and perfect for a few days at sea. Sailing past Bali at sunset and seeing the volcano from the water was beautiful. One of my watch shifts started at 1:30 am and it was amazing being on deck sailing through the night with the stars above and the Phosphorescence glowing in the water below. It would seem I am not quite done with the world of yachting!

Bali from the sea

Letting the sails out

Loved spending some time with Jack and Sal on board

Sea time

Beautiful Balinese sunset

The trip was quite picturesque until we arrived in the industrial shipyard in Surabaya (on the island of Java), which was quite creepy and resembled the set of a horror movie. One thing I have learned about yachting is that nothing seems to go as planned, or the plan changes constantly and there is always a new plan. When I agreed to go on the delivery we were originally headed to Singapore, however once we got going the boat was rerouted to Java and as we arrived on the weekend we were then confined to this sketchy shipyard as they took our passports to clear us through immigration. I just had to laugh at the turn of events and go with the flow, and appreciate even more the return to Ubud to continue my adventure.  

Surabaya Landmark

Change of scenery in the shipyard

Exploring the yard - take me back to Ubud!

Miami Musings

South Beach Style

When I moved out to Florida a few months ago my mom and I had discussed doing a mother-daughter trip at some point, and we decided it would be fun to spend a week in Miami. We planned the trip back in January when I was still uncertain about my plans, but it worked out as a great transition before leaving Florida. I was also able to get on the same flight back to California with her and am looking forward to spending a week back home before heading to Bali.

It is a rare treat to be able to share a week with my mom away from home and all the distractions of life. In our busy schedules we are often running around here and there and while we do lunch or have a movie date every so often it is not quite the same as being on vacation together. We picked Hotel Victor in South Beach, a boutique hotel right on the main strip facing the ocean. I wasn't sure what to expect with the accommodations but it has been perfect for us, lovely room and great view to enjoy. It has been a great week filled with many amazing meals, a spa visit, epic pool time, a visit to Wynwood art district, a couple movies and some shopping - no trip with my mother would be complete without this! We even had a celebrity sighting, Bobby Brown at Joe's Stone Crab restaurant.We have shared lots of long talks about life and as always some sage advice for me as I move into this transition.

Hotel Victor at night

View from the balcony - not too shabby!

Lobby art

Poolside bevvies

Hotel Victor makes an impressive Bloody - bacon and everything!

Dinner the first night - Osteria del Teatro - HIGHLY recommended

Dinner at a hip Sushi/Dim Sum spot called Tanuki

Tanuki's cocktail game on point - this one had Kombucha as one of the ingredients, my fave!

Decor at Tanuki - Samurai Swords adorned the walls

Dinner our last night at Joe's Stone Crab, apparently an institution down here

Leaving Joe's - happy and full

Oh ya, and this happened at some point...red velvet sunday

I feel so blessed to be able to enjoy this time with her and a big thank you for the support from dad back home who made this trip possible and encouraged us to have as much fun as we wanted :) I know how lucky I am to have such a supportive and amazing family and every day remind myself to appreciate what I have. I think this is a trip we will both remember forever and look back on fondly as a time we got to press pause and just enjoy each others company. Thanks for coming to visit, mom!

Visit to Wynwood district

Words to live by

Daywork and Decisions

Back on land after a month at sea

It has been nearly a month since I returned to Florida from my holiday trip on Mia Elise and I have spent a lot of time reflecting about life on board a yacht. It was amazing in so many ways and I met some wonderful people, a valuable experience I will never forget. However, I feel unsure at this time about continuing on the yachting path for various reasons. Mainly the living conditions make it difficult to enjoy a certain lifestyle I have been accustomed to and I am not sure if it is the healthiest option for me. I knew going into it I wanted to see what it was all about, but I never felt it would be a long term career shift for me it was more of an interlude. I think it may be something I would be interested in doing on a seasonal or temporary type basis but probably not full time. I am so happy that I had the opportunity and took it as I always say I would rather have tried something different then look back years later and regret not taking a chance.

Ahhh back in Florida with a modern day pirate sighting

When I came back to Florida I had the intention of being a crew member on Cuan's new boat, M/Y Sweet Escape a 40m (130 ft) charter boat based out of the Bahamas. The website is currently getting updated but you can take a look at the current site here:

http://www.yachtsweetescape.com/yacht-photo-gallery/

Cuan and I had discussed the program before my return to Florida and I was excited about it and the idea of working among friends. However, my uncertainty about the lifestyle became apparent when I got back and I was feeling conflicted. While the idea of working on Cuan's boat is amazing (I know you are reading this my friend and its true!) I felt it was unfair to him and the crew to not be 100% committed to the project. We had a great chat about how I was feeling and agreed at this time it was best I help him with some temp work on Sweet Escape while I try to find my path. I am lucky to have such an understanding friend who was happy to offer advice and support during this time.

M/Y Sweet Escape

Cuan's boat was recently purchased by new owners who are completely re-doing the interior. The work they are doing is quite extensive and it is pretty amazing to see a boat completely pulled apart. The owners are in the business of flipping houses and the wife is an interior designer so she has a keen eye and is really hands-on. They plan to be in the yard for the next few months for the refit and I know it is going to be amazing once it is finished. Cuan and his skeleton crew have been working tirelessly on this massive project and it is impressive to see him in action and how much they have accomplished so far. My main task while I was day working for him was taking an extensive inventory of items such as the dishes and platters, cutlery, linens, decor and galley items so the new chief stew could see what was already on board and what needs to be purchased or replaced. I worked on board for a couple weeks and in that time already saw a lot of progress and am excited to see how it all turns out.

Refit in progress

Inventory!

Once I decided to look into other paths I decided to take the advice of my dear friend Charles who told me he had recently listened to a podcast about life choices. The podcast basically said instead of trying to make a decision and then put all your energy into that one path, instead put out feelers for various different options you are considering and see what surfaces. Many of my friends and family know I have a hard time making decisions so I decided that was a great approach, and began investigating a couple ideas. I applied for a couple jobs in SF, Hawaii (I have thought a lot about moving to the islands and love the idea) and looked into different retreats in different parts of the globe. Then I waited to see what came back to me.

While investigating various ideas I spoke to many friends including my friend Katie from UCLA who is a fellow traveler, she and I have gone to Guatemala and Australia together in the past. Katie has been traveling around the globe the past few years filming various documentaries, and in an unfair twist of fate she contracted Lyme disease last year and has had to put her life on hold. It is quite scary as you realize how this can happen to anyone and how much it can change your life overnight. She had told me she was hoping to go to Bali soon to undergo extensive Ozone treatment in hopes of getting some of her health and strength back; apparently this treatment is cheaper and has less regulations in Indonesia. Bali happened to be one of the places I was looking into a retreat, and it seemed the universe had sent me the answer. I decided to take some time for self-reflection in Bali while supporting my long time friend through her treatment. Once we decided to go everything started to fall into place and I am excited to take this journey of self-exploration and reflection in one of the cultural and spiritual meccas of the world, Ubud.

Katie and I in Guatemala in 2006 - Visiting an active volcano

Ubud is known as the spiritual and cultural heart of Bali

Once I had decided to depart Florida it was time to say goodbye to my Ft. Lauderdale family who I will miss immensely. We spent the last weekend hanging out and cruising around before I left for Miami for a mother-daughter trip we had planned last month. I have had such a great time with this group of people and know we will see each other again sooner or later.

After a fun filled trip to Miami, I will head back to SF for a brief visit and then it is off to Ubud for 2 months. I plan to immerse myself in the community of a place called the Yoga Barn and seek yoga, meditation and counseling during this transitional time in my life. I am hoping to attend a mindfulness retreat, and have also reached out to the founder of the Yoga Barn to see if there are opportunities for a work exchange program. Ubud is a beautiful and spiritual place that I visited for a few days back in 2013 and always hoped to return and it seems this is the right time. It is incredibly cheap to stay there, and with Katie and I splitting rent it makes it even more affordable. After Bali I plan to head to Thailand for a couple weeks for a visit to my old home town, Phuket. Thailand holds such a special spot in my heart and I could not go over to SE Asia without returning there for a visit as well. After that it is back to California and at that point we will see what else the Universe brings to me. Let the adventure continue!

The Yoga Barn in Ubud - My future home away from home