Highlights of Dreamchasers 2015

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Every one of the Dreamchasers' Adventures - 2013, 2014, and now 2015 - has been amazing in its own right, and each of them different. We remain grateful for this wonderful life full of opportunity to learn, to share, to somehow give back and hopefully leave each place we visit a little better than we found it, in some infinitely small way: maybe something as simple as a nice memory we exchange with the people we meet, for the one they have given us. Maybe more.

Reflecting back, here is our list of highlights from Dreamchasers 2015: Seeking Sunsets, Manta Rays, and Mantras.

1. Travelling with our son. It was very special to have this time together with our son Tanner and his partner Annie, who joined us for four weeks in Lombok and Bali Indonesia. It was a nice role reversal to have our son teach us a thing or two - like how to surf, free dive, and paddle board, as well as getting motorbiking and scuba diving tips, while out cruising or diving, when we weren't kicking butt in evening card and board games.

2. Experiencing The Ashtanga Yoga Bali Conference. This experience - which Stan and I had dubbed "My Yoga Superbowl" - even exceeded my very high expectations. It, along with the workshop with Manju Jois and the four additional weeks of Mysore instruction with my teachers, Prem and Radha Carlisi, have profoundly enriched my yoga practice, and given Stan a great start with his.

3. Discovering the world of Scuba Diving. Becoming Certified Open Water Divers, then completing 14 (Bev), and 11 (Stan) dives. The introduction to the new underwater environment was phenomenal. All the dives were astounding, but most memorable for me was the drift dive I completed with Annie as part of my Advanced Adventurer Certification in Nusa Penida, Bali. Scuba diving was a huge learning curve for us, which we look forward to continuing next year.

4. Biking. No, not pedal biking. I am talking motor bike - the Asian version of which is a motor scooter. I never tired of getting on my bike and feeling the wind on my face. Or the sunshine. Or the rain. It was never cold, and it was always a great way to be immersed in the beautiful environment - even the crazy traffic of Ubud, Bali. Many thanks to the incredibly patient, tolerant, and gentle fellow bikers who shared the road and never bad vibed me for any driving faux pas. I always loved the ride every bit as much as getting to the destination.

5. Studying Bahasa Indonesian. After completing only my second level of language instruction, but immersed in a culture where opportunities for daily practice were available and freely offered, it was extremely rewarding to begin to be able to converse with locals in their language. I even had a number of Indonesian young people join me in singing a song I had translated into Indonesian - an old favorite of mine - the Louis Armstrong Classic "When You're Smiling".

6. Touring Banda Aceh, Sumatra, the epicentre of the 2009 Tsunami, with a survivor of the tsunami as our guide. Visiting many of the memorials throughout the city was a powerful and humbling experience. Given that Sumatra's population is over 90%!M(MISSING)uslim, I chose to wear a hijab headdress as we drove around the city, engaging three different Muslim women at various points during the afternoon to help me put it on properly, and adjust it as needed. They were all delighted to show me. Lovely energy.

7. Sharing Music. This often happened spontaneously, where Stan would "borrow" one of the many guitars being played on the streets for a moment, introduce me as "the famous singer from Canada" and ask if they would like me to sing a song, to which the response was always a resounding "yes". Or it might be a venue where a live band would invite "the famous singer" to join them on stage. Or it could even be a planned event, like performing at the closing ceremony of the Ashtanga Yoga Bali Conference. All were special. All were good.

8. Sharing Guitar Strings. Remembering seeing a few guitars in our travels the previous year that had badly needed new strings, I packed a few extra sets of strings to give away as needed when I returned to Indonesia this year. One such guitar had belonged to Ibu, a Gilli Islander whom we had befriended two years before. As soon as I came across Ibu this year I asked him where his guitar was. He told me he had not been playing it for two months because he had no strings. Yeah, it was definitely one of the trip highlights to be able to give him back his music, and share some later together.

9. Meeting Alix M on Gilli T, Indonesia. Who would ever expect to meet a former student - one I had taught for four years, and helped graduate - on an island on the other side of the world? Awesome. Of course we spent an evening together, and I even had the opportunity to perform a few songs for her again, just like back in the classroom. Same same, but different.

10. Experiencing Hong Kong, China. A city unlike any other we have visited. Skyscrapers only - including schools, hospitals, churches, malls. Everything. Extreme density. But very clean. Well organized. Friendly. Hip. With great food, shopping, and amazing lazer light shows from the harbour towers every night.

11. Experiencing the People of Asia. Last, but certainly not least, is the highlight that consistently, frequently, and spontaneously presents itself as we travel throughout Asia : the freely offered smiles, waves, kindness, and generosity of the people we meet throughout our travels in Asia. It remains the number one reason why we keep coming back for more.

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Photos

Yoga Shala Buddha
For five of the six weeks of yoga study, I enjoyed this beautiful view as I did my yoga practice: the seven foot tall Buddha statue greeted us every day, wearing prayer beads and freshly adorned flowers.

My "When You're Smiling" Student Sing Along Group
Such delightful young adults!

Sunset Above the Clouds
We witnessed these incredible sunset skies and cloudscapes as we began our journey homeward.