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Ash - Ashley Cultra

Ashley Cultra Back home in corn fed Illinois for three months and counting; already my feet have a nervous twitch in them. Restless dreams filled with rice plantations, muddy rivers, brightly colored sashes and delightful smiles of grubby children follow me through the day. A plane drones overhead and I look up wondering where the lucky adventurers are flying off to ...and the wheels start turning in my own mind, thinking of where I'll go for the next trip abroad. It's a wonderful addiction.
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Joined on: October 21st 2004
Last Login: May 11th 2008

Blog Entries: 54
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Blogs & Travel Journals

by Ash, order by Date newest first.

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Five days later and ten pounds lighter. Who would have known that one could subsist on mashed potatoes and saltine crackers for so many endless days at sea. I read six books and slept for approximately 80% of the trip, trying to put my mind elsewhere aside from the up and down, topsy-turvy motion of the boat. From my small porthole in my stateroom (bedroom), I went from seeing 6 inches of water to 6 inches of sky, to 6 inches of water to 6 inches of sky….and if that isn’t enough to turn one’s stomach, just throw in the acrid [View Full Entry]

Ash - Ashley Cultra | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe | 0 Comment(s) | 22 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s) | 1286 words | [diary=272969] | 2008-05-06 02:21:54

Sunset from our beach hut
Our deserted motu (that
Local fisherman

'''Nothing on Tahiti is so majestic as what faces it across the bay, for there lies the island of Moorea. To describe it is impossible. It is a monument to the prodigal beauty of nature.''' - - JAMES MICHENER Moorea is, by far, the most gorgeous, peaceful and tantalizing island I have ever been lucky to visit. Following a three hour sail from Tahina marina, we sailed into Cook's Bay on Tuesday afternoon and anchored fifty meters off of Pao Pao, population two grocery stores and fifty dogs. Towering 900 meters to our right was Mt. Rotui, Mt.Tearai to our left; [View Full Entry]

Ash - Ashley Cultra | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe | 0 Comment(s) | 23 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s) | 1923 words | [diary=248710] | 2008-03-10 04:03:14

Moorea from a distance
Sunset with Tahaa along the horizen
Playing on the warf in Huahine

The bustling capital of Tahiti, Pape’ete is also known as the “basket of water,” our first, and not very accurate, glimpse into Polynesian life. No idea why it carries that nickname but I’m sure there is some island legend behind the idiom as there is with all other things here. The mountains have legends, the lagoons have legends; even the dances have legends behind them. I learned this vital information from my, “Facts for the Tahitian Tourist” data sheet I picked up at the visitor’s center (they had free bits of pineapple too!). FYI - there are no poisonous snakes or [View Full Entry]

Ash - Ashley Cultra | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe | 0 Comment(s) | 0 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s) | 1343 words | [diary=245280] | 2008-02-21 19:23:31


"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -- Mark Twain (Before you get too confused, these beautiful pictures of paradise are from my stop in the islands on my way home back in May. I'm a tad late in posting them but this farm girl has been a bit busy!) Seven months at home in the States. Seventeen hour work days, driving my rusty [View Full Entry]

Ash - Ashley Cultra | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe | 3 Comment(s) | 19 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s) | 806 words | [diary=210414] | 2008-01-31 04:06:23

Out on the reef
What we find along the beach
This is my "swimsuit in paradise" pose. Everyone has to have one

We were an hour late. The sun was setting behind insipid, lifeless hills, and a pale salmon glow highlighted the waters in our path. My partner formed a dim outline in front of me, his urgent, quirky paddle strokes creating fleeting shadows over my bare legs. The water was smooth and we maneuvered easily. The high tide came in over two hours ago, covering the abandoned estuaries and sandy playgrounds so enjoyed during the hours of low tide. These public hot spots teaming with running children and beached boats during the afternoon were now vacant and silent. We were alone. [View Full Entry]

Ash - Ashley Cultra | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe | 1 Comment(s) | 28 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s) | 1475 words | [diary=154266] | 2007-05-01 00:00:00

more kayaking
Wish you were here!
Hanging out on the beach

Wandering in the Sounds It's lightly sprinkling as the sun makes a final dip behind the surrounding green hills and tranquil ocean basins. The windows are speckled with streaks of warm, springtime showers, the panes fogged from the comforting warmth of the log fire by my toes. Beyond pale reflections of tiger orange luminosity lie the striking cradles and ridges of Charlotte Sound, a breathtaking and mystical oasis of hushed lagoons, bewitching, tropical fern forests and striking scenic vistas. Though the sullen weather has dimmed my chances of kayaking along the rocky ridges and shadowed beaches in search of the [View Full Entry]

Ash - Ashley Cultra | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe | 5 Comment(s) | 24 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s) | 2196 words | [diary=144934] | 2007-04-04 00:00:00

Top of the Gondola hike in Christchurch
Sunrise behind the Mts. of Te Anau
Roadtrip to Milford Sound - another slightly "freezing" morning!!

A  beach haven in Thailand.
A beach haven in Thailand.
THe only time I ever saw am empty beach in Thailad!
Airports are distracting. To avoid interruption of the sheep herding phenomenon, airports should be altered into concrete blocks consisting of no frills, fancies, or inflated monetary amusement. Case in point: when I should have been sprinting across the main terminal to retrieve my battered luggage from carousal number 2, I was cleverly tricked into trying on hot pink eye shadow, spritzing myself with free Dior perfume and sampling the three new flavors of Bailey's from the duty free counters. Those product placement marketers have been ingeniously trained! Therefore, it was almost a full hour later (while browsing through the Disneyland of [View Full Entry]

Ash - Ashley Cultra | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe | 3 Comment(s) | 1 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s) | 2561 words | [diary=114369] | 2007-02-27 01:09:47


By Ash
December 16th 2006

Once Upon a Train Ride

 Asia » China » Shanghai
Once upon a two day train trek, I wrote a small tale to tell. Sit back and listen as the story unfolds, of our true train adventure from "hell". A flight was just too much money. There was no road to follow by car. A train was the very last option for the distance to travel was far. Shanghai was our next destination. Two days by train it would be. "Let's do it," I said and our tickets we bought The decision? A mistake I'd soon see. Fourty whole hours to wistfully waste as we perch on hard planks of wood. [View Full Entry]

Ash - Ashley Cultra | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe | 4 Comment(s) | 12 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s) | 3385 words | [diary=111256] | 2007-01-01 17:16:57

She
Browsing the city
The funny little taxi on the way to the train station

By Ash
December 15th 2006

And the Tiger Lept Over the Gorge

 Asia » China » Shanghai
Lijiang is an oasis for the burnt out backpacker. After six weeks of nonstop travel, endless bus rides, late nights on the town and early morning rushes to pack, rapid sightseeing tours and too much street food, we arrived weary and drained into Mama Naxi's Guesthouse for some much needed nurturing and mothering. Mama has a reputation around the inner travelling circles of China. Her name is whispered across pubs and communal rooms and her bent card is passed from hand to hand with declarations of affection and fond memories. Mama's cooking is an acclaimed ritual and grumbling tummies will [View Full Entry]

Ash - Ashley Cultra | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe | 1 Comment(s) | 14 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s) | 2533 words | [diary=110957] | 2006-12-20 03:31:44

Stunning views everywhere we look
Finally half way!
taking a break for some silly photos

By Ash
December 5th 2006

Big City Girls

 Asia » China » Yunnan » Kunming
Chatting at the market
Chatting at the market
Perhaps they were discussing where they bought their cute blue hats - -
We've officially done Hong Kong. We've climbed the 226 stairs to the top of Lantau's bronze Giant Buddha and grazed isle after infinite isle of claustrophobic market stalls; we've dined on spicy Cantonese yum cha and tasted the salty spray aboard the Star Ferry; we've strolled through the polished ambience of Louie Vuitton and gawked at luminous diamonds on display at Tiffany's. We traipsed down every naked alleyway and peered in all the clandestine nooks and crannies - - time in Hong Kong is winding down. The overcast gray skies seemed to taunt with smug, arrogant smirks, teasing that they alone [View Full Entry]

Ash - Ashley Cultra | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe | 0 Comment(s) | 15 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s) | 1357 words | [diary=108462] | 2006-12-12 06:24:45

Bartering for oranges
Marketing one day! We luv our markets.
Hong Kong island



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