"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]

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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]

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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 [View Full Entry]

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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 [View Full Entry]

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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]

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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 wil [View Full Entry]

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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 [View Full Entry]

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My, my, my...time has sped by. I apologize for my lack of attentiveness since leaving you on a rainy afternoon in Yangshou. However, with the big city awe of Hong Kong, a timely visit by the police and practically quantum leaping over border crossings - yes, I admit that I've been negligent to my duties. If only to avoid the hassle of writing on bumpy buses or in the tea light lit murkiness of a cafe, I've been letting my thoughts pile into a cluttered jumble of chaos. Even I can't resolve what happened when as many of our nights and [View Full Entry]

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I promise to feed it and cuddle it and take it for walks everyday and I'll love it forever and ever...... On second thought, I don't think the horses on the farm would cooperate with a lazy, overweight bear sharing their stables. Sadly, I won't be bringing home a giant bear from this China trip. Supplying the vast quantities of bamboo that they inhale on a daily basis would dwindle my already meager savings account (which I need to use for travelling anyway). They were certainly cute to look at but I suppose a panda keychain will have sustain for [View Full Entry]

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Ice Mountain It was almost like staying at the Four Seasons. A few exceptions perhaps...The hard, cold ground didn't quite resemble a double stuffed air mattress and the air conditioner seemed to be permenantly stuck in the on position. Room service also had an obscene obsession for oily noodles and potatoes for three meals a day...but I won't be complaining to reception. Four days of horse trekking up in the snow capped mountains of Songpan, a small town near the Tibetan plataeu have finally come to a finale. Four wonderful, sunny afternoons clambering over shee [View Full Entry]

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