Lessons from recent travels

Lessons from recent travels

  • It’s really difficult to live zero waste in the mainland too. I would have thought that a ZW lifestyle would be easier in the US because there are more ZW options like bulk shops and thrift stores and art markets. But with all of the options and variety, it almost made it seem more difficult to be ZW.
  • All inclusive resorts are a whole new world. I haven’t decided yet whether that’s a world I want to return to but it’s surely one I won’t forget.
  • Time spent with family is rejuvenating. Hanging out with my sister and brother, plus my niece and nephew… it reminded me of how far we’ve come from little island runts.
  • I shouldn’t go shopping unless I’ve got a goal, a budget, or a specific item I want to purchase. I used to like shopping too. And I still do sometimes but I’m also constantly trying to get rid of material things from my life.
  • If flying Spirit Air, just know the reputation and plan for it. Pack as light as possible. I saw an elderly woman look so defeated when she found out she couldn’t take her carry on as a personal item, and that she had to pay something like $60 to take it with her. I felt so bad for her,
  • Ignore the jerks of Rincon in the off-season. Puerto Rico, you are an exceptional island! You mainland Americans that bought summer homes there? You’re alright. Stop acting so entitled.
  • Invest in a Belkin power bank. My phone was always juiced up and that made me happy.
  • Always check in extra early for flights. So as to prevent your cute boyfriend from getting anxious. Haha
  • If traveling to Dominican Republic through Punta Cana, they take US dollars in most places. I exchanged my currency to the local pesos and a man laughed when I offered to pay with pesos, because we were in *touristy* Punta Cana and they use USD more frequently.
  • It doesn’t matter if you only have 1 flight, or 13 flights, always look out the window and appreciate where you’ve been and where you’re going.
Briskly taking in Old San Juan | Puerto Rico Travel Diary

Briskly taking in Old San Juan | Puerto Rico Travel Diary

A brisk morning jaunt in Old San Juan checking out the National Historic Site forts before we got on the road to Rincon. We had just gotten coffee and sandwiches at Café Cuatros Sombras, a few blocks away from our AirBnB. Ian and I flew into town yesterday in the late afternoon as a result of a delayed flight, so we could only catch the sunset from Castillo San Felipe del Morro before hopping around the many restaurants and pubs. Today we were rushing our way through the blue cobblestone streets trying to soak in as much of this romantic old spanish town vibe before our road trip. We quickly checked out Castillo de San Cristobal, the Devil’s Sentry Box lookout, and the colorful colonial style homes. Here are a few snaps from this morning.

Rainbow moments with Shivaun

Rainbow moments with Shivaun

Last weekend in the treehouse with this golden gal, Shivaun.

Talking stories and laughing with rainbows, then running from dark squalls and eating homemade chocolate truffles.

She’s one of my faves.

 

Viejo San Juan at Dawn | Travel Diary

Viejo San Juan at Dawn | Travel Diary

We slept late the night before, dancing the merengue–or at least trying to, but having a blast on the town with friends. I woke up early in Viejo San Juan and admired the little town from my balcony. The aged blue cobblestone streets and the tall colorful haciendas. The soft sunrise gave me all the feels.

Bali Travel Diaries: Market visits and batik class

Bali Travel Diaries: Market visits and batik class

My home in Ubud is alive with nature

It’s nestled away from the busy Ubud center and surrounded by the sounds of birds chirping, crickets playing their songs, trees rustling in the wind, and rain pit-pit-pattering on the rooftop.

I stayed up all night inspired by this place to work on my travel journal, edit photos, and work on my blog.

What paradise

At 6am the roosters were crowing.

At 7am Ian was frying eggs and making smoothies.

By 8am, we’re skinny dipping in our private pool and rinsing off in the outdoor shower.

Market visits

There’s a bit of rain but it doesn’t stop us from walking around our little town towards the Ubud Art Market. I’m determined to not to buy anything, except for a rattan roundie bag.

There are a bunch of shops that have them, but I’m looking for one that fits my DSLR camera with 24mm lens. I walked into a shop with the cutest old man who helps me to find a bag that’s wide enough to fit my bag.

We found one, and I’ve haggled a price that’s reasonable for the both of us. But I completely forgot that the only cash I brought with me was for my batik master class which I was headed to after lunch. I promise him I’ll be back to purchase it.

Lunch at Yoga Bali Cafe

We stop for lunch at this cute cafe hidden away from the busy streets.

Learning Batik

We walked back to Penestenan Street to Wayanna Batik shop.

Anna and Wayan are standing by the door ready for my arrival, and I jump on a scooter with Wayan (the artist) to his uncle’s studio. This is where he creates his batik paintings, along with his cousin who is also a batik artist.

Because this wasn’t a scheduled class, and I requested so last minute, we delved straight into the painting process. I was a bit bummed that we didn’t have time to go into the initial wax drawings, but after 3 hours of painting, I still felt I had the full immersive experience.

We talked stories and Wayan watched while I painted, telling me how I could get a better result by using water to make the colors more muted, and mixing colors for vibrance.

I felt in my element, and 3 hours whizzed by.

By the time I was done, it was nearly evening.

The canvas needed to dry overnight so I had to come back tomorrow to see my final work.

Café Vespa and renting a scooter

I walked over to Café Vespa with a huge coconut in hand (courtesy of Wayan and his family), ordered a latte and waited for Ian to meet up with me.

While I spent my afternoon painting, Ian spent his day hiking the Campuhan Ridge and exploring the town solo.

We walked back home and not that we were complaining about the walk at all, but we really wanted to get a scooter. It was just so much more convenient.

Like serendipity, we got home and our host Wayan Budiana meets us to let us know he has an extra scooter that we can rent.

Vibes at La Pacha Mama

For dinner, we showed up to a very fancy restaurant called Bridges, but it was so fancy that we could not be seated unless we had a reservation—which we didn’t… so we drove up the hill and found an even better spot.

We walked into La Pacha Mama and were stoked to see a live band playing a mix of old school Spanish music and Cuban music. The cocina styled decor was super cute, the waitstaff was amazing, and the food was divine.

I love my days in Bali.

All Good in Ubud

All Good in Ubud

The clouds have blocked the sun from shining through my window, and my eyes flutter awake at 8am.

Good morning Uluwatu!

Our plans for today are simple. Eat breakfast (we went to Nyoman Local Food and ate on their boat table). Catch some surf (for Ian), and pack up again – because today we are…

On our way to Ubud!

Our AirBnB host helps us get a driver named Putu to take us to Ubud, with a couple of stops along the way.

I was still in dire need of an American power adapter to charge up my camera and laptop. We got one at a stall outside of Bagus Supermarket while we were picking up some groceries. We also purchased a prepaid SIM card from Telkom Cell which had 12GB data for 30 days, and it was only 150,000 IDR (about $11.25 USD). I highly recommend this plan for anybody passing through Bali and whose life is recorded on social media. So worth it!

The drive took about 2 hours during the afternoon traffic. I was getting carsick so I *forced* myself to take a nap (only kind of lying, because I’m also known for falling asleep on car rides).

We arrived at a small unmarked road looking for our next AirBnB home, and after a quick phone call made by Putu to our host, a friendly face pops out from a family compound right next to us, introducing herself as Chantik (she is our host’s relative) and she leads us through a smaller road beside it. There, we found our secret private villa – and it is amazing!

If you’re ever in Ubud and you’re looking for a beautiful place to stay that’s close to town, but gives you a sense of privacy – check out Wayan Budiana’s AirBnB! If you’re new to AirBnB, click here to get $25 off on your accommodations.

(I wrote a blog post about this AirBnB here.)

As tempted as I was to stay in and enjoy the pool, we got up to explore our area. The evening air was cool, and we wandered off the beaten track. The road was completely run down, but a man on a bridge that leads nowhere gestures to us to take a little hidden path just past the banyan tree. We walk down some sketchy steps and over a bamboo bridge and find ourselves amidst a rice field. How cool is this?! Right in someone’s backyard.

We continued our trek through Penestenan street. I felt inspired here. I wanted to paint.

I walked up to a couple of different places offering batik painting, but most were closed since it was almost 6pm. I saw a small shop with the lights off but the door was open. There were beautiful batik materials hanging and draped in all sorts of fashion. I walked in and was met by a beautiful woman named Anna sitting on the floor working away on her laptop. She tells me her boyfriend is the artist in residence and I inquire about taking a class. It’s settled, tomorrow I will be back!

On the way home, Ian stops at a moto vendor selling chicken satay and sticky rice. And we head to our AirBnB to relax in the pool, make dinner, and watch movies.

It’s all good in Ubud!