Entries about nature

My friend Trey and I journeyed down to the Bukit Penninsula in search of some surf.
The ride down was a bit tough with my stomach still aching from the day before but later in the afternoon is settled down.
Trey knew a driver who took us down the coast and we found a nice place to stay in Padang Padang. A very nice place , with my own room no longer dorm style bunks! Our own bathroom, beautiful gardens and a gorgeous clean very private pool. All for about 8$ a night. We don't have A/C but I have a fan, and there's a nice outside shower too.

Right down the road is a yummy cafe called Buddha Soul with an amazing amazing chic pea feta salad but the first day I couldn't eat any solid food yet so I ordered some fresh green tea kombucha and iced ginger tea drink. The perfect hangover or sickness cure.

I thought Valentines Day was a commercial Americanized Holiday but right across the street from us the restaurants are decked out. We decided to explore the area and rented a motor bike and get away from all that nonsense. This area of Bali is much more spread out than Sanur and Seminyak and Trey knows his way on a bike so I put my helmet on and trusted him and all is well.

The first day we explored Pendawa Beach Balis best kept secret. It actually had some good surf, epic views, and lime stone statues everywhere of Hindu Gods. Throughout our stay in this area we found an awesome cheap local Warung to eat at (Warung means 'place to eat' but usually means a place with authentic local indonesian food for very very cheap) .
Throughout the week we surfed another beach right next to Pendawa, Padang Padang, and Uluwatu. I didn't think I was going to surf any of these areas but this week the swell is pretty small for Bali and I woke up every day and checked it and didn't count myself out. I even surfed at Uluwatu and all we had was a 6'2 tiny short board (which I never ever ride) and I went out there in a super crowded line up and hung in. I know to some of you surfers I sound like a total dork right now, but I'm very proud of my willingness and progress in my surfing abilities . But more surf and time in the water means more sun, and sometimes my body is too burnt and worn out to be as fully dedicated to my yoga practice as I should be. I am brushing it off because the last two weeks of my trip should be yoga non stop.
One day was pretty small and we rented a SUP to surf and do some yoga on and did some snorkeling.
I like to challenge my practice on the SUP because poses that normally I take for granted and can always do are suddenly so much harder. Head stand was quickly accessible for me, forearm stand took a while longer but I am now comfortable with, and I am still getting used to the handstand. But it's still quite scary because if you drop back into wheel you can slip and slam your back on the board, which I've done and it hurts. But fear does not prevent death it prevents life! Right? So I kept trying And that day I did catch more hang time on the SUP than I ever have. My falls are getting more graceful, but I did take one that some limbs landed on the board and that's when I called it a day haha.

In this area you can get caught up in the single surfer almost club like scene and spend a whole lot of money or you can motor bike around and find the chill surfer vibe. After paying for a watermelon mixed drink at the Single Fin Uluwatu that cost more than the place I am staying, we decided to stick with the Warungs.

Haven't done much yoga in the past few days because I am so sun burnt from surfing, but I must say this area has been my favorite thus far.
One of our last nights here We put on our purple sarongs to cover our knees in the sweltering heat and caught a beautiful sunset at the infamous Uluwatu Temple. This temple was smaller than Tanahlot but it was more about the view, a long walk on giant cliffs over the ocean. If the breath taking view wasn't enough this temple gets its character from those meditating around it and the little monkeys running around that look and act so human it reminds you how much we are all connected. We shared some quiet moments with the monkeys as we all watched the sun the energy source that supports us all, lower over the Indian Ocean.
I said thanks to the sun for all the energy I am given, for growing our food and providing us warmth and light. Feeling so grateful for the life I am given but also proud of myself for choosing to live it. For choosing to go out in the water, to come to Asia alone, to follow a spiritual path and sometimes dare to be different than the average. Because life is not happening to us, it's responding to us, and only I can create the life I want to live. I must be true to myself and what I want. And respect others and what they want to do. Because in the end we are all connected by the same sun that warms us all and the same love that we all seek.

"There's nothing like returning to a place unchanged and realizing it is you yourself that has changed."

Although I had been to Delray and Deerfield before in 2013, there is always something new to experience especially when with new people.
It's easy for me to go on autopilot and go places I have been to and feel comfortable navigating, but to try new places and things is to grow. It's easy to get stuck in our patterns, trying new things and going to new places scares our ego, which is why it's important to do so. The ego may scare you into never doing something you've always wanted because you're too scared to try. My dad has always told me a famous quote by Wayne Getzsky "You miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take." This can be applied in your yoga practice or anywhere in life, traveling to a new city, or finding new adventure in one you have already seen.

So in a traveling sense Miami was a new location to me , these two next towns wouldn't be , but that didn't mean it couldn't be a new experience. Even at home in the same place, there's something new to see and learn every day.

So when we got into delray, Aunt Mindy met us for a Santana cover band concert. The night began with reunion tequila shots and ended with excellent pizza and sublime music. So great to reunite with old family and introduce new friends. ❤️
Delray is super cool and happening. The word for it might be, festivity or 'The Avenue'. Every week there is some kind of event going on. Seafood and wine festival, art festival, garlic festival. Always live music, always poppin clubs and bars, and lots of fancy food. The avenue itself is even a little too much for my liking.
So we found our favorite street in Delray - Swinton Avenue; a cross street by the avenue with The Sunday House and Shaffers Tea House on it.
Shaffers tea house is a rad cluster of all wooden little buildings and outside seating. Awesome live music, Henna tatoos, and the purest homemade healthy teas and treats is what you can expect here on a Friday night. Great vibe and staff.
The Sunday house is one block down, is a beautiful botanical garden and fancy restaurant and bar with random private seating throughout the gorgeous gardens . We walked through and found out that it also is a hotel. It even has an all natural pool with a water filtering system that doesn't use chemicals, a big green grass area, and bananas and other exotic plants and fruits growing randomly throughout the place. It is breath taking.
So we decided although it is not in our budget, we must experience this place at some point, perhaps with false identities.

When Delray became a bit much we headed to Deerfield but first ran back down to Miami to take some yoga at Kino MacGregor's studio. I was surprised at how small and humble it was. She and another teacher we wanted to see were absent but we took a great ashtanga class and it was cool just to be there . The guy who taught the class got both of my hands to bind to my feet behind my back in a lotus forward fold. This is something I've always wanted to do! And another first! And one day I will be able to sitting up and on my own after enough hip and shoulder work haha . It always feels good to accomplish something new and different.
In fact Miami even seemed a new experience the second time around. I had only been there less than a week earlier, but that trip was about seeing the city beaching and partying. This short visit was about yoga and driving around coral gables to see the Banyan Trees. These trees are the national tree of the republic of India but can also be found in Florida. They are epiphytes (a plant growing on another plant) when its seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host tree. So they end up looking like one crazy big connected tree with a bunch of roots. They're quite interesting and very pretty and it was my first time climbing on one !

It didn't even feel like I was in Miami. We also found a small street art fair and ate a very reasonable lunch at 100 Montaditos. Which is a cafe that sells small Spanish sandwiches and on certain days offers specials where select sandwiches are 1$ or 1.50$ . We happened to be there that day! Which also included 1$ sangria.
And so I could have not driven back to Miami because I had already been there, but that Sunday afternoon gave me a completely different view of the city it was cheap, healthy, fun and filled with beautiful nature.

That evening we arrived in Deerfield to stay with Mindy in her awesome little complex, the sandy pebble. Super chill people, super chill town. Got to bum on her couch for a few days and reconnect with Mindys neighbor Rasta who happens to live with a friend of mine Katie from high school. We rented paddle boards, did some yoga, ate some ice cream and enjoyed simple slow placed days and long walks on the beach. Deerfield is so chill with a stoner surfer vibe, and they have a great location. Everything I needed in walking distance from jazz music and side walk dance parties to uptown funk, and rockin reggae music a block down. I found myself thinking this is quite a nice set up they have down here... Our last day there we were blessed with some nice little waves. I didn't even plan on surfing, we had rented paddle boards and I was out at the end of the peir doing SUP yoga with Katie, and decided I would try riding in a wave. I've never surfed on a stand up before so I thinking Id wipe out. I successfully rode in several nice long lefts, making turns and digging my paddle in the water. It felt exhilarating and I kept thinking I wish my dad was here to see this. Another first experience. I also did forearm stand on a paddle board and handstand for the first time, even if I fell on my board a few times. You miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take .

After surfing, Derrick and I journeyed back to the ever so fancy 'Sunday House' in Delray. (On a Tuesday) . After I made Derrick put up his long hippie hair and leave the guitar in the car, I put on some make up and we walked in pretending to be guests of the hotel. We successfully sauntered right past the from desk and swam around in the pool with live fishies and moss everywhere. Once again beautiful, is an understatement. Used the cold outside shower like the squatters we are and stayed for an epic dinner. It was awesome, and we totally pulled it off, even though Mindy said we wouldn't... Again you gotta take the chance
My last day and evening couldn't have been more perfect. The scenery and food was fantastic, and took the place of the fancy over priced meal in Miami, that we'd be making up for with PB and apples ever since. (It may seem like I'm being wined and dined and am a total brat, but those meals are complimented with nice healthy cheap meals for traveling like fruit, pb, cereal ect. Keeping costs lower.)

So all in all, Even in places I had visited before, I experienced so many new great things . Because I decided to take the chance.
So no matter where you are, take a minute to ask yourself if there's something you've been waiting to do. Why haven't you done it?
How can you look at somewhere you are all the time, with a new perspective?
And When was the last time you did something for the first time??

Exploring the beauty of Brevard County.
Melbourne beach, Sattalite beach, & Indiatlantic