15 favorites of 2015

Ok, so it’s a good thing the years keep getting bigger in number because my opportunities and experiences keep getting better.  The end of the year is the best time for me to reflect on what I’ve worked for each year, and look back on the opportunities that make me feel the most thankful and happy.

Up, up, up AND away in Myanmar, Spain AND Turkey

The first 31 years of my life I had lived without stepping foot into a hot air balloon and just like that, I got the chance to take not one, not two, but three incredible rides.  Each overlooking a different landscape, iconic and unique locations, it is hard to pick which one I loved the most so I’ve included them all.  In Myanmar it was a sunrise ride over thousands of temples and pagodas in Bagan.  In Turkey it was floating atop fairy chimney rock formations in Cappadocia and in Spain it was gliding above the rural countryside outside of Barcelona.

 

Ride a Water Buffalo in Vietnam

My Trip to Vietnam was spectacular, an unexpected gem found in my busy travel schedule.  I think I could have easily listed each and every event on this trip as some of my favorites from the year but the highlight had to be the surprise water buffalo rides we had in Hoi An.  Our tour was one of the best afternoons we had spent, educational, enriching and exciting.

Travel with Family in Europe

 

Spending time with family each year becomes a blessing and this year I had the chance to spend several weeks with my mother and sister on an Italian excursion that was beyond measure the best time I have spent in that country.  The day they headed back for the states my brother flew to Rome where he and I set off on his post graduation Euro Trip.  Each country offered so many fun surprises made all the more special by sharing with family.

Giving back in Cambodia

This was my third time volunteering for Save Elephant Foundation but this time I traveled to Cambodia instead of Thailand.  The project is a protected land located outside of Siem Reap, where I spent time volunteering with the Cambodian Wildlife Sanctuary fostering a project where domesticated Elephants have space to return to the wild.

Satisfied my Inner Beach Bum

When I looked back this year I realized I was a bit of a sun chaser, spending most of my time in sunny spots, toes in the sand.  I came to the conclusion that for me beaches are like my children, I just can’t pick a favorite!

Witnessed National Treasures in Arizona

I finally took the time to take a little American road trip and drove through New Mexico and Arizona.  I had the most fun exploring some of the US I haven’t seen before and went mule riding and hiking around the south rim of the Grand Canyon.

Survived some travel terrors in Cambodia

I pride myself on being a responsible, solo woman traveler, but that doesn’t mean I am immune to a few bad events.  I think it’s important to travel to places to  break stereotypes of cultures and communities, to find out for yourself and make your own assessments of a place or people.  Most of the time, it has been my experience that most of it is just negative conjecture.  This year I my purse, along with my passport, ended up begin stolen right from my shoulder only days before I had to leave Cambodia for Dubai.  After several trips to the police station, immigration office, US Embassy and then months of issues and paperwork after the fact, it ended up being just another travel story.  No one was hurt and the one thing I took away from the experience is that because of the actions of one horrible person I was introduced to a dozen more who were willing to help a perfect stranger when she was in need.  It confirmed for me that “Travel Angels” do exist and among stress and sadness you can find hope and beauty.

Nailing Nomadic Life

I’ve been living out of a suitcase, traveling around this wonderful earth for a few years now and this year proved to be simultaneously difficult and rewarding.  While most of my friends and family are putting down roots, buying houses and having children, I’ve forged ahead with my plan to try and see as much as I can for as long as I am able and after this year it’s clear I’m on a path that works perfectly for me.

Learned to surf in Portugal

Portugal was a last minute decision and happened to be one of the better choices I made this year.  The people warm, the food wonderful, the weather and surf  were spectacular.  This country is for sure one where I’ll will direct some more attention in the future.

Booked a spontaneous trip to St. Kitts

 

I’ve made some last minute travel decisions in my day, changing itineraries or buying tickets later than I should but this was one of my better travel triumphs.  One of my best childhood friends had been living in St. Kitts and had decided to make a huge life change which involved moving back to the US.  She explained everything in an email at the beginning of the week, including that if we wanted to see her while she lived there it would be the best time to go.  A few emails and flight searches later I booked a flight with my miles to head down for a long weekend to hang out in paradise with one of my favorite people.

Stayed quiet in Bali

I never thought it would happen once, let alone TWICE!  I returned for the second time to Bali Silent Retreat for some much needed zen time with yoga and meditation.  It was just as powerful as the first time I had been and was a great way to start the year on a fresh note.

Realized traveling alone is both difficult and rewarding

 

This year I spent the majority of my time traveling solo.  It was nice having some friends and family meet up with me along the way but being by myself has continued to give me some perspective.  I’ve had moments where I felt really alone then times where I was proud to accomplish something difficult on my own.  Being a solo traveler reminds me how important relationships can be while at the same time consistently challenging myself.

Culinary chops in Spain

I spent a month in Spain, several weeks living and working in Barcelona where I ate some of the most amazing foods.  While there I sat in on a few cooking classes with Barcelona Slow Travel and learned the secrets to making the most delectable Paella.

 

Took a Tour of Turkey

 

I usually take way too much of my own free time planning and researching where I’ll be staying, what food I want to try and where I want to explore with each country I visit.  This year however, I decided to relinquish some of my control freak tendencies and went on a three week planned trip around Turkey.  All I had to do was pay, get insured and show up for all the insanity.  It was a bus full of fun, adventure seeking people and some of the people I met on that tour will be life long travel buddies.

 

Finding Joy

Starting in Southeast Asia, migrating westward back to America by air, land and sea.  Stepping foot in sixteen countries, making countless new friends, spending late nights and early mornings juggling writing, consulting, non profit work while researching, photographing, learning and living 2015 was in no way short of lots of hard work with some out of this world rewards.  I’m thankful that I’ve fostered great relationships in both my personal and professional life to make a year like 2015 come to fruition.  Looking forward to all the amazing endeavors that await in 2016!

 

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The breeze slowly moves from one window of the train through to the other.  The pleather seat sticks to the backs of my legs as I shift on the bench, moving from side to side as the train bobs me up and down.  Peering out of the window I watch as the little boys in our car stick their heads out the window, pointing to this and that with excitement in their eyes.  The rickety tracks take us on a slow, scenic journey through the countryside giving me a glimpse of rural life as we spend hours on hours bouncing along to our destination.  We booked our seats in the “upper class” section, but most of the cars are ordinary class, with simple wooden benches and creaky floorboards.  With most journeys lasting 10, 16 hours or even overnight, my back aches even thinking about sitting on a wooden slatted seat for that long.

A Day in Mandalay

When touring Myanmar there are the four major cities that most tourists visit; Yangon, Bagan, Inle Lake and Mandalay.  While I was there a lot of other travelers were skipping Mandalay because, unless you fly, transportation between the four cities can take precious time out of your itinerary so seeing the old royal capital wasn’t worth the trip.  Big mistake.  Mandalay has a completely different feel from the others and there is plenty to see and do to make it worth the trouble of the LONG bus ride or train.  Here are some of my favorite Mandalay moments.

Climb a hill

Where the city gets it name, the near 800 foot hill rests in the city center.  There is a pagoda at the top with a panoramic view of the city and surrounding area making for a great spot for sunrise or sunset.  Head to the southern staircase to see the iconic lions protecting the steps.  Around the base of the hill is where a lot of the tourist attractions are located so you can spend much of your time in town in and around this area.

Act like royalty

The last palace of the royal Burmese monarchy, the Royal Palace in Mandalay was the primary residence of the king.  Much of it was destroyed in World War II so many of the buildings on the complex are replicas.  Make sure to climb the rickety stairs of the watchtower, one of the original buildings on the property, giving you a wonderful lookout point of the palace and surrounding areas of Mandalay.  The late afternoon provides warm light pouring through the windows and doorways, creating mysterious shadows and a great place to wander around and photograph.

 

Check out a bumpy Buddha

Mahamuni Buddha temple is a pilgrimage site for many Buddhists, as this is one of the few said images that was made of the likeness of Buddha while he was still alive.  What started out as a smooth 6 ton image, now after years of visitors adorning the statue with gold leaf there is a cover that is several inches thick creating a lumpy gilded covering.

Be sure to circle around the pagoda and you’ll find six statues that have been moved from Angkor Wat, Cambodia during a 15th century war.  The two warrior statues are said to have healing properties so devotees line up to rub their hands over a part of the body that is ailing in hopes to be cured by the bronze guards.

 

Try and find the world’s largest book

This is a great example on reading up before heading somewhere.  I knew the world’s largest book was here but I didn’t do much more research than that because honestly, I thought I’d show up and there would be a huge book sitting there.  I arrived early in the morning and thought I would stumble on the book inside, but after walking through a maze of small white buildings and then circling the pagoda there wasn’t a larger than life book in sight.  I went out the way I came in and asked one of the girls selling postcards and she pointed inside where I had just been.  Puzzled, I decided to go in once more and see if I could find someone who spoke English well enough to fill me in on the mystery.  It turns out that each of the hundreds of small white buildings that I had mistook for mausoleums were each a page of the largest book so as it turns out as I was walking through looking for it I had actually been standing IN it.

Be sure to check out the monasteries that are located near the pagoda, several have some amazing wood carvings.

Go on an adventure

Mandalay provides you with a lot to see but the gems are the small towns surrounding the city.  I took a bike ride with Grasshopper Adventures through the countryside, exploring small villages as we breezed over dusty paths.  We biked through the ancient capital, Ava and checked out a few shops along the way, getting to learn more about the silk, teak, weaving and the handicraft industry in the region.  We had the opportunity to meet a lot of friendly locals, learn more about their lives and rural Burma, it was one of my favorite afternoons in Myanmar.

See THE sunset

U Bein bridge is one of those iconic images of Burma, and a rickety walkway from the late 1800’s is said to be the oldest and longest teakwood bridge in the world.  It stretches across a lake and provides you with some stunning sunset.  We hired a boat to take us out on the water to get a better view of the bridge and the people admiring the view, sitting peacefully with drinks and snacks.  It can get crowded during those peak ‘photo op’ times so this was a smart way to avoid being elbow to elbow with a bunch of tourists.  The other old capital, Amarapura isn’t far and also is a stop for day trips.

‘Abbie the Explorer’ Ballooning in Bagan

“I’ve been on the internet and I’m not going back.”

It’s a phrase I’ve used jokingly to describe my dad’s opinion on technology on more than one occasion. He prefers his favorite CD’s to an Ipod and he rarely has his cell phone on.  Some days I envy his philosophy and how disconnected he could actually be.  As a result of this “anti-tech” lifestyle, I was never really sure how supportive or understanding he was of my online work.

“You know, Indonesia has poisonous snakes in the water?”, and “Why do you want to go there?” or “That place is dangerous.”

Always worrying about his forever baby girl, these are just a short snippet of the endless list of questions I’ve had to explain while telling my father of my next journey.  Right before I left of my latest trip, however, I received a gift from him that was so simple, but spoke volumes.

Just like any family around the holidays, we have our annual traditions.  The siblings all exchange their gifts on Christmas eve and then Christmas day “Santa” arrives and we exchange presents with our parents.  This particular Christmas my dad had given us all surprise gifts in addition to the other wonderful things we received.  He handed me my card, my name scrolled on the front of the crimson envelope.  I opened it, revealing the animated Dora the Explorer, inside with a check marked “your next trip” in the memo.

In her own little way that Spanish speaking sightseer was a symbol for me.   It meant my father had embraced my travel lifestyle and was just as excited for me to continue my journey and share my story.  With or without the check, that was the most meaningful gift I could have received.  I immediately knew how I was going to spend this special money… on a hot air balloon ride in Bagan, Myanmar.  It was something that was out of my current travel budget but I really had wanted to experience it and here was my chance.  My dad was thrilled when I told him what my intentions were with my “Dora Money” and we talked about some ideas on how to best capture my experience while I was in the sky.  I booked my space on the balloon later that week and set my excitement off to the back of my mind.

Bagan is the opening of an Indian Jones movie.  The landscape is desert-like, the villages are small and down every dusty, winding road lies dozens of ancient temples waiting to be explored.  The archeological zone is home to thousands of religious buildings and the absolute best way to wrap your mind around the sheer size of the plains area is to hop in a basket and float over them.

I met our driver in the dark outside of my hostel a little after 5am and I climbed into our cute, colonial British WWII bus, resting on one of the long leather benches that flanked the sides.  The roads were quiet and dark, the only light two beams from our little round headlights, a set of eyes bouncing their gaze over the dirt road as we bumped along.  We collected all of our ballooners and made our way to the proposed take off sight.  Earlier in the morning they send out a test balloon to analyze weather conditions and determine where to take off and land for the day.  I’m curious to know who gets the job of “night balloon course tester”.

We pulled up alongside a large pagoda, the sun just beginning to emerge and it revealed a row of Cabernet colored balloons all laying on the ground, pulsing periodically as they were partially inflated with air.  I stared wide-eyed with excitement as we are broken up into small groups and assigned an operator and a balloon.  The anticipation builds as he leads us over to review a few small safety requests.

The crew of Myanmar men busily work around us, setting up fans, making adjustments and then turning on the burners.  As the propane burners expel a fiery heat, the warm air becomes less dense than the air surrounding it and the balloon begins to slowly take shape, rising into the sky simultaneously as the sun rises from beyond the Irrawaddy River.

 

I set my feet into the rungs on the side of the wicker basket and swung my leg over, like mounting a horse, then slinking into my corner of the basket.

Then, lift off.

 

 

Blanketed by the first light of day, the pagodas glisten and the temples form impressive shadows over the barren landscape below.  The feeling is surreal.  We bobbed over the tops of the structures, effortlessly floating along, balloons ahead of us in the distance.  The morning mist snakes through the tree lines on the ground and there is a silence in the air interrupted by the occasional whoosh of the flame releasing a blaze into the balloon.  It was the most at peace I’ve ever felt.

I looked out into the horizon and smiled.  What an amazing gift a children’s card and a check turned out to be.  Just like Dora I had embarked on a new journey, overcoming obstacles and finding new adventures.

Here is the video my dad and I talked about, a view from the basket rising up off the ground and into the sky and all creative credit goes to Dan.

 

Oh, and I came to find out later that Dora’s a balloon enthusiast too.

 

Become a Ballooner:

Get more information about my fantastic hot air balloon experience and also find out if there’s a spot for you at Balloons over Bagan!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Wow.  Words are hard to express what an inspiring, magical time I’ve had in Myanmar.  The people are genuine, the scenery breathtaking and the history compelling.  I saw the country on all forms of transport, witnessed more sunrises and sunsets than any other visit and marveled at life here.  It is safe to say this isn’t the last Myanmar has seen of me.

Burmese Monks and The Silver Snow Express

So I bought a shadow puppet.  The first week into my trip I purchased a fragile, Balinese shadow puppet that now had to be lovingly wrapped in bubble tape and hung from a small brown bag tied to the top of my backpack, swinging to and fro and lightly hitting the bottom of my chignon as I walked.  The problem with obtaining such a uniquely shaped and potentially breakable souvenir the first few weeks into a six month trip is that I now have the responsibility of said shadow puppet for the rest of the journey and this silly souvenir almost cost me thousands of dollars.

“Are you alright?” The driver asked with his toothy, red-stained smile from chewing betel.

“Me?  I’m OK thank you.  How are you?” I responded as I climbed up the stairs onto the ‘VIP’ sleeper night bus, named the Silver Snow Express.  “Does it even snow in Myanmar,” I wondered.  The seats reclined and we had pillows and a small blanket to try and create as comfortable sleeping space as you can in a bus navigating through the night on the road north to Mandalay.  There were only a handful of riders so I was internally wishing for a quiet as I gently placed my shadow puppet out of harm’s way into the overhead bin.

“While I’m at it I may as well throw my camera bag up here too,” I thought, impressed with myself for making the most out of my limited leg room.

We settled in and then a woman who took our tickets, dressed in a peacock blue longyi, our stewardess on wheels, walked down the aisle and distributed a small, white box with a golden emblem on the front of the Eiffel Tower.  French pastry on a Burmese bus, questionable, but I’ll take it.  The monk sitting next to me picked up the box, examined it and smelled the plastic wrapped pastry quickly before setting it aside.  Monks usually eat only once a day so I assumed it was wishful thinking for him.

We talked for the next few hours, about America, the philosophy of Buddhism, a surprisingly deep broken English conversation for a night bus ride.  Then the lights dimmed and the loud music quieted and I finally fell asleep.

“You, eat rice now,” a voice called to me as I opened my eyes, sat up and peered through the filmy window of the bus looking at a large road side rest stop.

We had pulled up to a group of bamboo roofed huts, pink and green plastic stools dotted around simple tables.  I checked my phone, 12:30am.  I wasn’t sure who was up for rice in the middle of the night but then it became clear that it was everyone but me.  The rest stop was a bustling scene, workers grabbing snacks and cigarettes, other weary travelers slowly walking off their buses and like ants all filing into the food areas for a quick meal before driving off into the darkness.

I sat near the bus and watched a young girl selling packages of betel nut.  She reaches in a bucket for several small leaves, swiftly brushes them with a paintbrush she retrieves from a hollow coconut filled with a white lime paste.  With one hand she was effortlessly splashing the leaves, sprinkles spices on top and rolling them into small pouches, placing four in a clear cellophane bag.  Humming to herself in tune with the pop music playing from her small radio on the table, her hands moved quickly and swayed along with the beat.

“Are you OK?”  The driver asked again as I boarded.  I shook my head and made my way to my seat thinking to myself that this must be his token line in English.

Several hours later the lights brightened and I was awoken from my restless slumber.  We had arrived in Mandalay.  Everyone quickly collected their things and I fumbled for my phone as I reached for my bag.  The taxi drivers and motorbikers all collect at the front of the entrance, “Where you going, where you going?”  they shout to you, a jarring arrival.  I procured a ride and a small boy wearing an over sized brown fur coat.  He returned promptly on a small motorbike and like a cape his chocolaty fake fuzz flapped in the wind behind him.  Looking at the bike and then again at my bag I said, “No bike, I need a taxi.”  We found a driver and were off down the road.  I had an unsettled feeling in my stomach and at first I thought it was from the lack of sleep until it hit me.  I had left my camera bag and that damn shadow puppet on the bus.

Throwing my hands in the air I yelled, “We have to go back,” and began pointing frantically to the direction we had come.  “My camera,” I explained, “Camera on the bus.”

The driver who spoke barely any English was presumably worried about my ranting and yelling and throwing of hands.  He pulled over on the side of the road and got out of the car, I’m guessing to find someone who could speak better English and decipher why I was so upset.  We had been dropped by the side of the road in town so I was unsure where my little puppet and camera would be headed at the moment and my heart sank thinking the worst.

I quickly resorted to charades hoping that would get his attention.  What a site, it’s 4 or 5 am at this point and I’m on the sidewalk outside of a car parts store, my arms flailing about making a camera sound, click, click, as I drew a square next to my face with my fingers then motioned as if my hands were on the steering wheel as I pointed to the direction of the bus.

“Camera on bus!”  It all clicked finally so he jumped into the car and we sped back to the pick up spot but the bus was nowhere in sight but the two monks, like bald angels donned in maroon cloaks were sitting on the stoop.  I explained the situation and the monk pulled out his phone and called the women who worked on the bus.  As it turned out he had known her family from when she was a child and so he contacted her to see if we could catch the bus before it left town.  Nodding and smiling as he hung up the phone, we found out that the Silver Snow Express, my camera and that shadow puppet were all waiting for me at the bus stop.  My driver, another gentleman who spoke better English and I hopped in the car and headed for the bus depot.

At the doorway of the bus the girl in the peacock skirt held my bags in her outstretched hands.  I thanked her profusely and then turned and thanked the driver too for waiting.

“Yes, yes, you OK?”  He asked again.

I loud relieving sigh left my mouth and I responded, “Yes, thank you.  Now, I’m OK.”

 

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What an incredibly special and beautiful city, Bagan.  The week I had here was truly amazing with sunrises and sunsets over thousands of ancient temples, exploring the history, meeting some wonderful locals, a hot air balloon ride adventure and if that wasn’t exciting enough, my taxi driver and I stumbled across a farmer and his wife along with their cow delivering it’s calf on the side of a small quiet dirt road.  It has been nothing short of magical here in Myanmar, many stories to come!

 

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I quietly climbed out of bed, changed out of my pajamas and shuffled out of the room in the darkness.  Misty, the sky lightened as I walked down Wisara Road, the street that just yesterday was teeming with traffic, at daybreak was desolate.  As I headed into town the sun rose over a park with a gilded pagoda in the background and at that moment, it felt like truly a happy world.