Charlie making it to Bali and Day 1 in paradise

Tom won the award for getting to Bali first arriving at midnight on the 20th. Arielle followed soon after on the 21st at noon and the two buds drove with a pile of gear (including surfboards) on the motorbike to Belangan and apparently it was quite the adventure. Arielle managed to only hit two motorbikes along the way so we are considering it a success. As for Charlie. He was on the plane from San Fran to Soeul South Korea when he realized that he was supposed to get in at midnight a day later than planned. Knowing that he would not let that happen and have to miss another day without his lover buiscuit he had the flight staff move him to the front of the plane so he could run out right away and try and catch the flight leaving Soeul to Denpasar Indonesia 30 minutes after the plane landed. After being told it was impossible to catch the flight he ran out and made it just in time to get on the flight to Denpasar on the 20th. The $100 change fee was well worth it for the first class ride. While at the villa on the beach Arielle continued to look absolutly stunning in her bikinis. Tom was checking out all the topless girls, and Charlie was very Hot (literally!!!!!!!). Now its time for bed and another day of excitement and fun.

Cameron Highlands... still in Malaysia!

As I stand on the peaks of so many mountains, up in the mist and the clouds, I reflect. My mind runs through all of these incredible experiences, and I still can't believe how much beauty my young eyes have seen in the past seven months. Beauty from every aspect. I look back on every moment, and it feels so good to say that I wouldn't change any part of this trip. I am over the top satisfied about who I've met, what I've done, what I've seen, what I've felt, and the wisdom I've gained from this! I'm stoked on life! I've been hanging out here in the Highlands for a couple of days now, and I'm glad I found this place. Its peaceful and climbing up mountains using my hands to pull my body up, slipping on the red dirt, tripping over roots, and being so exhausted at the end of the day is the best form of meditation for me right now. I love it here. The air is fresh, crisp and smells like pine trees and rich dirt. The town is cute and the food is extremely cheap. I'm staying in a dorm meeting the people who come and go in 3 day time periods. I'm rarely sweaty and there are about 20 trails right out my door step. I feel healthy here. I'm going to stay here for another 6 days and then I'm off to cross the border into Thailand!! Wahoooo!

Saying goodbye to mom and Perhentian Islands

Hey everyone, it looks like I need to put a new post.... so much has happened, I feel a bit overwhelmed as I sit here searching for the right words and where to begin. I guess I'll do a brief run over of my amazing trip with MOM. First off, I'd like to tell you all that I have the coolest mom on Earth! She is such a great travel buddy. As many of you know our first destination was was Sandakan, a small fisherman's town in Borneo. We soon discovered that this town was no place to vacation, we stayed long enough to see the orangutans, and the very next day we were determined to find a nice beach with crystal clear water. We got on a bus to semporna, and then a boat to Mabul Island. This Island was quite special, you had to book all your accomodation and meals ahead of time, mom and I agreed that the atmosphere reminded us of going to summer camp as a child, what a great feeling. All the houses are on stilts, and there was no lack of true Malysian culture here. We saw it all. On this island, we snorkeled all day... and thats pretty much it! The snorkeling was incredible, a few times we were taken by a speed boat to a shelf where we swam with multiple sea turtles and saw huge schools of colorful fish joining together like confetti. It was truly magical. Then we went to Kota Kinabalu, where we stayed at a place called Poring hot springs. We loved this place, hot springs, waterfalls, gardens, butterfly sanctuaries, nice places to run, and a canopy walk. We stayed in a nice little guesthouse overlooking rolling mountains covered in Jungle.. it was quite a view. I found mom stretching and watching the sun rise over the mountains just about every morning. Our last destination was Sepilok. We went on a 3 day 2 night jungle safari. Here we went on boat rides and treks to spot wildlife. We saw wild orangutans, probiscis monkeys, crocodiles, toads, flying foxes, and lots of colorful birds. It was a great experience. On the last night mom and I sang to the guitar with all the guides and drank strong rice wine. Then we caught a plane back to KL and prepared to say goodbye. We were shocked by how quickley, the future becomes the present and the present becomes the past. BAM! just like that and our time together was over. We spent the last few ours together crying and saying "Lets not talk about it." The final moment came and mom and I were hugging each other so tight wishing we never had to say bye. I woke up the next morning with swollen eyes and emptyness in the pit of my stomach. The first few days after saying goodbye are always hard, when you're walking down the street and normally the silence is filled, but then it was quiet. I was in a funk for a short while until I met up with Mathieu, a couch surfer who just about saved me from falling into a rut. He invited me to come to the Perhentian Islands with a group of couch surfers! So we got on a night bus and began the journey to a beautiful Island. I spent the last week there and as you can see in the pictures it is very nice. I am now back in KL and plan to be here until the 10th of April, then I am going back into the jungle to the Cameron Highlands, and then back to Phuket where I will spend the last month of my solo trip before I get on a plane and meet Charlie and Tom in BALI!!!! I can't wait.

Traveling with my Amazing daughter!!!!

Wow, I am on a constant high, trying to figure out how to never let it end. How can I work it out so that I can do this forever. So many places yet to see, and here I am seeing Malaysia, incredible! This trip so far has been a dream, only thought of two short months ago, I still feel like I have to pinch myself to see if it is real. We have lived a lifetime in one short week. Arielle and I go until we can barely say good night at the end of the day. It is so beautiful here. My body has touched the warm ocean once again, and yearns for more. I have spent hours talking to my 18 year old daughter about anything and everything. The smells, the sounds, the sights of another culture intrigue me beyond belief, I walk in awe most places we go.
What new adventures are in store, only time will tell...

This world is full of experiences calling out my name

I am a child, and this beautiful world is my playground... I've recently discovered, or should I say uncovered after the many years of reality, this side of me that is more playful and imaginative than I ever could have wished for. Life is full of wonder and mystery.. it can be so fun if you just let go, let your mind play, be free, and see chocolate kisses as the rain drops meet the water. I've found myself dancing to the sound of my own laughter. I can make up amazing stories in my mind, and dream of places no one has ever explored. I'm so excited this child has been released. I'm on a journey of self discovery and oh man I'm discovering something far more beautiful then I thought possible. I've always had a tinge of what I'm seeing now, but its never been this vibrant and colorful. I'm learning to understand me, to recognize when I'm happy or sad. I'm dancing in the clouds, twirling around, gazing at rainbows, listening to music thats sending rhythm through my body.. I feel like I just reached the top of sugar mountain. That song is false, sugar mountain has just begun, theres no leaving when you're 20. The colored balloons are floating above me as I speak.

My life is sooooo fun!

I've been having a great time the last few days, Yanni and Chris aren't working as much lately so we've been spending some quality time together as a group. Another couch surfer arrived a few days ago, and she's from Oregon too! Its been nice hanging with the four of us. We've been making some pretty wild memories. I've officially fallen in love with Bali, I'm so glad that I will be coming back in just a few short months... Thanks to my amazing love! I leave Bali in 5 days for Malaysia and then meet up with my mom. Yipppi!

Bali, Lombok, and the Gili Islands

My most recent adventures took place in Lombok and the Gili Islands, Levi, Nof and I decided to do a little trip to some of the near by islands... the first stop was Lombok, as I said in some of my comments on the photos, Lombok wasn't the most exciting place. We only spent 2 nights there and by the time we left it felt like we were running to leave. There were so many locals trying to make money off of tourism, and unfortunatly not enough tourists. For instance while we sat down for dinner there would be atleast 30 people approaching us to sell a cheap cheap necklace. It was actually quite sad. The one guy that we bought stuff from, we ended up sitting down and having a drink with. He told us about his life, and how he's just waiting to die, because he knows things will be a lot better for him then. I couldn't bare to hear someone say that. Life is special, and its sad to hear a 40 year old say that he hasn't discovered that. There lives are much harder though. Anyways, the one whole day that we spent in Lombok, we rented motorbikes and drove through those hills that I took pictures of. It was breath taking, and I mean that. My face was locked in a look of aw. We passed through a few villages too which was pretty cool. Then the next day we got on a ferry to the Gili Islands. It was very nice there too. The first day me and the boys walked around the whole island. the next day Levi and I went snorkeling for the whole day, we swam with sea turtles, saw an eel, and a SEA SNAKE, I was stoked. This little island that we were on was a hot spot for young travelers whol like to party. Unfortunatly I didn't have much energy left at the end of the day... Now I'm back in Bali, I was in transit for 14 hours yesturday! It was tedious. But I made it and I am soooooo happy to be back at my home away from home. Today I woke up put on my running shoes and went for a 2 hour run, it was great.