I’ve cheated you, my dear readers. I haven’t been good at taking you with me on my travels. Sorry.
Blogging on the road hasn’t been as easy as had I hoped, but then, long-term traveling without a plan isn’t as easy as one would think. So here’s an update on my travels:
Where have I been after India?
Without giving away all my stories just yet, here’s a summary of highlights and places I’ve been to…
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Dear Love,
It’s taken me a long time to get to this point of updating you. I apologize…
I’m in my 5th month of traveling and this is what I’ve come to know:
The goal of blogging-on-the-road is a massive beast!
Not a simple task. It’s not that the countries I’ve traveled after India weren’t as amazing, but I’ve quickly learned that it’s nearly impossible for me to take you through my journey as I’m experiencing it. So I’ve decided to detour from my chronological mission of posting only India (Look out- I may get messy!)
While I’m super-excited to share all that I’m learning about impromptu trip planning and treading the waters of long-term solo travel — aka I’m basically getting my ass kicked — writing and posting pictures demands a lot of time, energy and a consistent internet connection.
Train from Bangkok to Hat Yai border crossing (into Malaysia)
Dear Love,
You may be wondering what’s up with me these days.
Before I left Korea, I had planned 3 months in India…
My plan: to job search for summer work in Korea while in India.
One hitch: I never planned for the ‘what if‘ I never found a job by the end of my Indian summer!
This forced me into a uncomfortable crux of “What do I do next… and for how long?”
McLeodganj, Dharamsala, India
Dear Love,
Words and thoughts often get in the way of us achieving our greatest potential for awakening.
My destiny is out there! Occasionally when I travel, I dance upon a wave of a feeling that takes me to where I should be next. The feeling is subtle, light, playful. But just before that feeling rests within me, outside thoughts enter in, pushing me to define the why’s and to exact outlines towards my goals.
In that instant, I’ve been thieved of my own greatness.
Life should be simpler.
What do I want to do next?
If there are no words, no thoughts but only feelings and impressions, I know my truth. Silence is hardly silent; it’s loud enough for the heart to hear its own buzz-call to ignite action. Then each day, each person, vision or place, holds a transformative power for me; and I realize:
Everything has led up to this moment for me to just Be.
Om Shanti,
GRRRL
Amritsar, India
Dear Love,
When I was at temple, I met a learned man who stopped and asked me, where I was going. He held out a notepad and asked me to tell him what I saw….
I read the line before me.
“Guru-ji, I hope I passed your test with my answer,” I said with a wink.
To which he responded smiling, “My dear girl, you did.”
Seek and Finding,
GRRRL
.
P.S. Happy Birthday. May you live by this.
If a tree falls in the woods but no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?
What is a voice crying for help if it cannot make its way beyond the forest? A passion can be fiery but its voice must be able to spread like wildfire in order to have a bigger effect. It must spark beyond the home, beyond its small community…
Full Story »Dear Love,
“Life is a stage”… so the saying goes. But when does the rehearsal end and the real show begin?
Who am I today? Heroine, damsel in distress, drifting gypsy, lost soul or adventurous pioneer?
Traveling in India, I witness many stories unfolding around me. Various characters and scenarios emerge. Some cross my path weaving me into their story– as if I’m a silent destination along their journey. Others, pass by with an air of chaotic brevity, barely skimming my body by a hair’s touch. All part of my story; part of my theater.
Full Story »Dear Love,
In India, there are temples dedicated to Hanuman- the Monkey God- a revered symbol of great strength, perseverance and devotion. The perfect soldier. Thus, some of the monkey temples in India occasionally shelter resident monkeys within it’s hallowed walls.
But in reality, monkeys can be cunning animals, rascal tricksters and in India, often scoundrel thieves!
Full Story »Dear Love,
With all my rush to get here, I’ve forgotten why I came.
I made no plans, plotted no route or destination.
I assume I’d just Be. Experience. Live…and the path would magically create itself.
What a fool.
Where shall I go next?
An easy question for some, but for me it begs a sharper query –
Why am I here?
Full Story »
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