TravelBlog » the soul cultivator

the soul cultivator - Claire Hall

2006 was the year of extreme material and spiritual dilution by consciously getting back to basics. I left my job as a London Ambulance medic, sold my London flat and its contents, including my beloved car. I felt deep down that this couldn't be it? There had to be more out there...more too me and its up to me to find what ever it is.....

2007 I turned 40 G U L P and life begins... so they promise....I start in Mexico City with no other plans or agendas, travelling with Stuart my very patient boyfriend trying my best to blend in and see for myself where the world is at right now compared to UK. This is also a very personal journey of self-development and inner growth. I need to fly, breathe in air, get back to nature, swim in shallow, shark safe waters, feel the sunshine on my skin, touch and be touched by many hearts along the way. My journey in 2007 will be influenced by inner guidance, whispers from experienced others and of course the sticky fingers of fate.

2008 Well...I think I have lived up to my wishes and dreams of last year....what a fab year 07 turned out to be, being 40 is fantastic and life really did begin again. Especially as im still heamodynamically stable and in no real need for walking aids just yet! I just hope my brain or bladder wont pack up this year as Stu and I wish to continue to cultivate South East Asia and maybe bits of China, who knows. Again Ill listen to my inner guidance and go where ever the wind blows me, hopefully not Tsunami style as my insurance wont cover natural disasters. Thailand is our first stop in January...very excited! This year I plan to over come my fear of deep water and sea creatures, to quieten my mind and sit still for more than 2 minutes, that’s not too much to ask for myself.

DISCLAIMER: If I rant on, it is my personal journey; blogs are tools for self-expression and sharing. This is not a compulsory read....

COPYRIGHTS Nor can you steal my written words or photos and pass them off as your own....which I know some of you out there have done.

I am watching you!

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Joined on: January 23rd 2007
Last Login: May 12th 2008

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Blogs & Travel Journals

by the-soul-cultivator, order by Date newest first.

By the soul cultivator
May 9th 2008

Halong Bay: Floating In The Air, Floating In The Sea......

Asia » Vietnam » Red River Delta » Hanoi

Wooohhaaaa!
Inside Thein Cung grotto cave

.....Take My Hand & Come With Me. I knew the minute I opened the tour bus from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay that we were in for a great time. The energy from the other travellers radiated, even though some had just got off the night train from Sapa and were whacked out from trekking. Stu had to have a couple of days rest between these two trips as he got very sick, which meant I got to play Florence Nightingale for a while. Ha Long means descending dragon, which came about many many moons ago when the Chinese fought the [View Full Entry]

By the soul cultivator
May 4th 2008

Sapa: Seasons In The Sun.

Asia » Vietnam » Northeast » Sapa

Vietnam Cutie

The tour operator showed us photos of two classes of sleeper train, the first was a beautiful wood lined cabin with sultry low lighting, clean looking mattress, pillow, finished off with a vase of fresh flowers. The second option was a grey blue Formica interior with low lighting, clean looking mattress and pillow but was much cheaper, so we booked the Formica cabin as dwindling budgets dictate. The photos were of course staged, I should have known this as the Formica cabin had no flowers but it did have harsh strip lighting and looked more like an old prison cell. [View Full Entry]

By the soul cultivator
May 1st 2008

Hanoi: Stand Back- Soul Cultivation In Progress.

Asia » Vietnam » Red River Delta » Hanoi

Rest In Peace Britany......

Người Trồng Trọt Linh Hồn - Soul Cultivation The vile sleeper bus dumped us off somewhere just out side the city of Hanoi, I hobbled around trying to find a toilet as my bladder didn't quiet know what to do with itself, weather it needed to piddle, burst, bleed or burn like fire as I had to hold it in for a mind numbing 10 hours. We found Hanoi's old quarter by the means of a very rude and greedy taxi man, who held us to ransom for a tidy sum of $10 (150,000 dong) just for the privilege of getting [View Full Entry]

By the soul cultivator
April 19th 2008

Huế: It Aint Half Hot Mum!

Asia » Vietnam » North Central Coast » Hué

I am Emperor hear me roar.....

After leaving Hoi An and laying horizontal in a sleeper bus for seven brisk hours we arrive in the town of Huế. The English pronounce it 'Hugh' the Americans pronounce it 'Huuuuuu' as if half way through an awkward sneeze, the Vietnamese pronounce it 'Hoooaaaay' like they are clearing their throat. If I were to walk completely naked through perfumed air I would still be wearing too much, it is hot here and getting hotter. Our first evening in 'Hugh' we tried to find something edible to eat, our hotel only served breakfast not dinner and was a little out of [View Full Entry]

By the soul cultivator
April 17th 2008

Hoi An: A Right Old Carry On!

Asia » Vietnam » South Central Coast » Hoi An

Made In Vietnam!
The X-Ray & Pollution.

We took the 13 hour sleeper night bus from Na Trang up the coast to Hoi An. Some points to know about these night buses....... 1. It is best to get a lower bunk near the front, as there is more max head room to sit up and it doesn't make you feel sick. I think the leg room of the lower bunk is longer than the reclining leg length of the upper bunks as all the tall people from Sweden laying on top bunks looked like they were in a lot of pain 2. Every one is given a pillow [View Full Entry]

By the soul cultivator
April 10th 2008

Na Trang Kipper Bang Urgh!

Asia » Vietnam » South Central Coast » Nha Trang

Embroidered fish and moto life in harmony as one.

The greatest invention to come from within Vietnam is the open ticket sleeper bus, this way of travelling is a first for us so far, we paid $37 which got us from HCMC to Na Trang, then we will be going on to Hoi An, Hue to finally reaching Hanoi which is many many miles away, hopefully arriving sometime before our visa officially runs out. The bus picks you up from your hotel and each journey was spent laying in the semi or full supine position next to a breezy window, our first bus ran out of petrol up a hill [View Full Entry]

By the soul cultivator
April 1st 2008

HCMC: Reach Out & Touch Faith.

Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City

Reflection @ CD

There was this beef cake customs lady that stood sternly behind bullet proof glass at the Cambodian boarder, she instructed her homies to dragged Stu and I off the bus in a flurry of panic. Apparently we had over stayed our 30 day visa by 19 days, which had us both scratching our heads in a 'what the bloody hell fire is she going on about!' way. The whole bus was full of our western comrades, who were no help at all, tipping the bus over to the right side of the pavement to get a better view, I suspect several [View Full Entry]

By the soul cultivator
March 25th 2008

Sihanoukville: Poor, Sweat & Sickly

Asia » Cambodia » Sihanoukville

The Universal sign

The morning after our first night at The Golden Hotel near to The Golden roundabout, which was a stones throw from a long golden beach I was amazed that I had not needed to wear ear plugs all night. I was awoken with my first medical emergency in 18 months, a massive chunk of metal filling had fallen out of Stu's mouth, his lower back molar was striped of its enamel filler leaving a big black hole that could be seen from Pluto. The first thing that came to mind was long delays in getting an appointment, Stu not being able [View Full Entry]

By the soul cultivator
March 10th 2008

PHNOM PENH: The Mortality Reality.

Asia » Cambodia » Phnom Penh

Young tourists looking inwards
Wisdom and Pain looking out.

What we are never changes (dna). Who we are never stops changing Girssom CSI LV PHNOM PENH the capital, we visited the following: The Genocide museum - The Killing Fields - one Rifle Range - one unusual Buddhist water blessed monk who claimed to wash away all sin, doubt, unrest by dowsing me in holy water. God, I became depressed. We had a tuk tuk driver named Chan, he laughed all the time and at first we laughed along with him as he was a very funny man who spoke great English and was fluent in his irony. But as the [View Full Entry]

By the soul cultivator
March 4th 2008

BATTAMBANG: Karma Chameleons.

Asia » Cambodia » Battambang

Boys & Buddhas

I recently touched on the subject of my uncultivated English school life back in 1975, aged 8. Sharing my concerns of the distinct lack of education I received on Cambodian politics and current affairs and I mentioned about my love of a certain western heart throb, few were available to me at the time but looking back the options were limited - The Osmonds, more Donny, due to being similar in age, very polite said please and thank you all the time, well dressed, kinder music to the ears and religious, so my mother really approved. David Cassidy ohh EVERYONE's dream [View Full Entry]