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To Travel is a Gift You Give Your Soul
October 2009Trisha Ann
Trisha and Monty just embarked on a journey of a lifetime! A product of an arduous 3-month fishing trip to Alaska. Full adventure, part kitesurfing, a little spiritual, a bit of culture and some good soul-searching. We departed the U.S. October 4th, 2009 for a 10 week odyssey to the other side of the world. This is our story.......... and what a ride it was!
December 2009
The ride was so sweet, Trisha extended her trip for 7 more weeks. After a bit more time in Australia, she will travel to New Zealand on December 30th for 5 weeks. A trip to South America is on the horizon for 2010 as well. Trust us, once you catch the travel bug... there is no cure!
June 2010
Change of plans a bit... the lovely South America will have to wait! (Although a trip to see Mel in Rio might be sooner rather than later! Miss you girlie!) Europe has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember & there is no better time than the summer, I hear! The Euro is at an all-time low, the kitesurfing is said to be epic... so, 9 weeks in Europe it is... Greece, Italy, Switzerland, France, Spain & maybe more... I am so grateful to everyone for reading this blog & keeping in touch... Thank you & happy reading!
"The purpose of life, after all,
is to live it,
to taste experience to the utmost,
to reach out eagerly and without fear
for newer and richer experience."
~ Eleanor Roosevelt ~
Travel Blog Posts
God Gave Me an Angel ~ “Hopping Off” to Corsica
Published: August 25th 2010Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Livorno
August 3rd 2010
In my last blog, I made it sound like I just “hopped off” to France... And, “hopping off” to France sounded like a lovely idea when the decision was made, but unfortunately there was really no “hopping off” involved. No quick little bunny-like hops or anything like that. It was more like a tired donkey carrying an old lady 5 times its size with all of her belongings up a steep hill in a heatwave for 2 days. Or, that’s what the trip to Corsica from Florence felt like. First off, on my second morning in Florence, I found out from a travel agent on the other side of town from my hostel that I had to leave Florence in 40 minutes on a train to Rome to get my kite gear in order to make ... read more
July 29th 2010
After three weeks at home with my INCREDIBLE family and friends (thank you thank you... I love you dearly and couldn’t live without you!), the clouds had lifted a bit and it was time to head back. I am not sure if I was completely ready for it.... in fact, I know I wasn’t, but what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right. And, how could I give up Italy, France, Spain and Morocco, especially when its already mostly paid for? And duh, its Italy, France, Spain & Morocco... & kiting! Let’s not forget kiting! That would make me not only currently residing in a mud puddle, but a complete moron too, so I strapped on my power pack and my steel armor and headed back at it. I am going to vow at this moment ... read more
July 9th 2010
As the night fell in Istanbul and my time with my new sisterly friends came to an end (for now), a dark cloud filled the sky over my head and it started to rain. Not just any rain, the torrential sideways kind of rain that pelts at your heart and leaves you wind-burned, chilly and soaked from your inside out. The weather man may have called for a few showers, but his prediction was way off... Lightning and thunder filled my ears and sight. Hurricane winds mixed with the coldest rain imaginable consumed me. It was a nasty storm, producing rogue waves the size of an oil tanker crashing over my stable deck as I got swept away in the current. With each passing wave, I was drowning and slipping further and further from reality, or ... read more
The Calm Before the Storm ~ Cappadocia, Istanbul, Turkey (by Trisha)
Published: August 21st 2010Middle East » Turkey » Marmara » Istanbul
June 29th 2010
Arriving in Cappadocia, shortly after the sun came up was kind of like waking up in a fairy tale filled with, you guessed it, “globs of vanilla ice cream,” just as many people said it would be. Large cone-like structures filled your eyesight that you quickly realized were a multitude of cottage homes and buildings built out of stone. Almost everyone in this small community sleeps in a stone house or cave and the girls and I were lucky enough to explore an underground city, built completely of stone and reaching 8 stories down and 50 meters wide. We made our way through the tiny tunnels and learned about the history of the city. Once a place for Christians to hide when the Muslim religion took over Turkey. At one time, they estimate over 2,000 people ... read more
Everything Happens for a Reason (by Trisha)
Published: June 26th 2010Middle East » Turkey » Mediterranean » Olympos
June 25th 2010
Traveling alone as you can imagine can definitely have its ups and downs. Every traveler that has set off on this kind of adventure can attest to this. I usually blog about the ups... flexibility, freedom, the requirement to put yourself out there and meet new people, the variety, etc... those are the ups! Then there are the downs. There are the times when you’re in your own hotel room instead of a dorm with no one to talk to for days at a time... there are times when you must be THAT person in a restaurant sitting solo while everyone around you is laughing and mingling in couples or groups... and there are times when you’re the only English speaking person on a bus full of locals chatting amongst themselves. As Monty mentioned of his ... read more
The Sisterhood of the Traveling... Minus the Pants (by Trisha)
Published: June 26th 2010Europe » Greece » South Aegean » Santorini
June 20th 2010
It’s my 17th day abroad and I am still in Greece for one more night. I stayed a bit longer than planned, but that was to be expected, wasn’t it? It’s hard to leave this heavenly place so I can’t say I won’t be back... Monty HAS to visit in this life after all... As I sit here next to the hotel pool in Rhodes (the largest island in the Dodecanese), writing this blog on a paper place mat and thinking back on the last week, all I can do is smile. :) Smile not just because the week was spent in Greece or because of the three lovely new girlfriends I met, but also because my “Greek dream” has finally come true. Anyone who has dreamt of being in quaint little towns set atop huge ... read more
Ya Ssas from Greece ~ Week 1! Is the Wind Up? (by Trisha)
Published: June 13th 2010Europe » Greece » South Aegean » Paros
June 12th 2010
I know most of you have been anxious for me to blog, so I thank you for your patience! When all you can think of is “Is the wind up?” and “Hmmm, what size kite do I need today?” its honestly hard to find the time to sit with your computer and relax. And, what a wonderful thing it is to have this problem. Lucky for all of you, 9 days of travel in Greece could give you a long novel of a blog and tons of pix... we’ll see. Let’s start from the beginning. I arrived in Athens on the 3rd of June with a lovely case of jetlag and entirely too much luggage for one person to carry. When I got off the plane unfortunately all of the buses and metro trains to the ... read more
Kite it Out and Dream of Home ~ Ruakaka, Raglan (by Trisha)
Published: June 9th 2010Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Raglan
February 17th 2010
From Paihia, I headed two hours south to a small town called Ruakaka. There isn’t really much there, but a large beautiful bay, 7 or so kite spots and wind. Those items thankfully are really all I need to keep myself busy, so taking the advice of a good friend of Monty and mine from Idaho, Chris Campbell, I connected with Dave and Sue from Ruakaka Kitesports/Dekay Kiteboards. They showed me the ropes for 3 days and 2 nights and following the friendly Kiwi way, kindly gave me a place to crash. I happily got to kite for 3 days in a mix of waves and flat water as well as watch the building of a custom kiteboard from start to finish in 2-days time. The shaping, the hand-painting, the resin and all... it was fascinating. ... read more
Northland Freedom ~ Orewa, The Bay of Islands, Paihia, Cape Reinga (by Trisha)
Published: June 9th 2010Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Bay of Islands » Paihia
February 13th 2010
The Kiwi Experience bus adventure was an experience I’ll never forget. I met friends from around the globe that I hope to keep forever. It was easy and relaxing and cheap and gave me some much needed time to work on Kite Soldiers. But, after almost a month on those buses, hopping on and off, only stopping at set-destinations and lugging my heavy kite gear through the last week of it, I was so ready for some freedom! A rental car dropped off to me in Auckland was just the freedom I craved. It was an amazing feeling to just throw my gear in the trunk and go. Stop when I want, where I want and not lug bags from place to place... yes! First stop, Orewa, a small coastal town about an hour north of ... read more
Reminders of Home ~ Wellington, Taupo, Rotorua, Auckland (by Trisha)
Published: June 9th 2010Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Auckland
February 6th 2010
So sorry to everyone who reads my blog that I haven’t done this since I left the S. Island. This is partly due to our Kite Soldiers event coming up and every minute outside of sightseeing and kiting over the last 2 weeks has been spent on various planning and organizing. Other than that, I took some really amazing pictures of the N. Island and learned a very valuable lesson that’s still painful to think about, hence why I haven’t blogged. My camera was lost/stolen. Yes, me, the picture maniac, left her camera by a phone in a hostel for 15 minutes and never found it again. It seriously broke my heart.. the $400 camera I just bought in Thailand was hard to lose, but that didn’t really bother me as much... it was the pictures ... read more
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