a little road trip to cannon beach.

there's something about oregon that just gets me. i have to say it's one of my favourite places in the US and a place that i could call home. we decided to take a road trip down to cannon beach driving down through the western washington coast. the washington coast is also a pretty little drive with scattered little towns like westport, south bend and long beach that are home to neat antique shops, fresh seafood markets and restaurants and beaches that scream beauty.


after taking our sweet time to get to cannon beach, we arrived at our cozy cute little cabin perfect for two which we rented from www.vacasarentals.com. it was the perfect location to set out and explore the beach town by foot. cannon beach is serene and tranquil, even with the weather being windy and stormy, there is something to be said about putting your gumboots on and layering up to head for a windy beach walk to the famous haystack rock. the town has great little shops with a ton of local artisans, restaurants and gift shops.


a couple highlights and places to check out if your down there:


1.  
sleepy monk coffee roasters- http://sleepymonkcoffee.com/
cozy coffee shop- i usually only drink coffee on the weekends and this place was a perfect little spot for a coffee, cheese & black pepper scone & a newspaper


2.  
mo's seafood restaurant- http://www.moschowder.com/
amazing view of the haystack. great fish n chips. try the toasted shrimp sandwich.
and a cup of their famous chowder to warm you up.


3. 
ecola state park-http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_188.php
beautiful mix of beach & forest hikes, but don't make the mistake we did. make sure you  
park at the indian beach parking lot and hike in from there. if not you'll be in for an extra    long hike. also surfing looked good at indian beach.


4. 
if your into antiques there is a whole bunch to check out in seaside (about a 10 min drive from cannon beach). there is an antique mall and few other shops scattered on the main strip. some notable finds for me were a vintage hudson's bay blanket for $30 (ahhhh- that's me screaming in excitement for such a great find), a vintage map from 1880 of the philippines, and an old military flashlight we bought for our friends at union wood co.


i highly recommend a weekend getaway to cannon beach, i could easily spend a week there. relaxing with a book, blanket and fire. on our list for next time we visit is to check some other state parks for good hikes and do some surfing.....hopefully soon!

sunset along the washington coast.

view from ecola state park.

haystack rock.

early morning walk. beauty.

hmm we think it could be a jellyfish.

another view of the haystack.

tall trees in ecola state park.

our cabin for the weekend!

Union Wood Co.Grand Opening !!!

I spent the day with my good friend Cara Donaldson helping her on a little shopping trip, setting and decorating their new shop Union Wood Co. on Railway St. They have amazing reclaimed wood furnishings made by Cara's boyfriend Craig Pearce. As well as a wonderful mix of antiques, cool curios and a mix of vintage industrial, military and one of a kind items. A definite spot to check out which produces amazing pieces both ready made and custom.


Come check out the shop at the Grand Opening Party!
Friday November 25, 2011
7pm till late


Union Wood and Supply Co.
503 Railway Street
Vancouver, BC
www.unionwoodco.com


Here's a couple sneak peek photos!

time to shed the old.

sitting in yoga class yesterday i was reminded that you need to let go of things that don't serve you and make room for the new things that will. that's my focus for the weekend sometimes letting go is the hardest thing, but opening that space is an invitation for new and exciting things!

The last stop...Jaipur the "pink" city

Reluctant to leave Pushkar, I had been dreading this day. Jaipur was the capital of Rajasthan and another big city. The crazy markets, traffic, honking of horns and overpopulated streets was in our near future and I was not looking forward to it. After being in two smaller towns, it opened my heart for my LOVE of them. I usually don't mind the big cities but I felt that after doing so many tourist stops and having a taste for the smaller towns, ending our trip in Jaipur was going to be difficult. So everything I expected was true except the markets were insanely overwhelming and every shop owner would stand outside and ask you to come in, offer cheap prices blah blah blah. It gets exhausting after some time and you don't want to be rude and bitchy, but seriously it gets old fast. So I learned to bite my tongue keep my head up, not make eye contact and just walk like I had a purpose. I wasn't quite sure what to expect of  the so called pink city but all it was were several walls and buildings painted in pink, which to me looked more of that barfy terracotta colour. I think my head was thinking it was going to be this bright and lovely crazy vibrant pink that we had been seeing on women wearing saris. Adrienne and I did a ton of tourist stuff- O.M.G I don't know what possessed us to follow the mass tourist crowds but for some reason we found ourselves getting sucked into the trap. I think it had more to do that with the fact that both of us were not too keen on being in Jaipur to begin with so we were trying to fill our time with seeing as much as we could to make the time pass. The one incredible stop we had there was called the Jantar Mantar- it's a World Heritage site that is an astronomer, astrologer and a historian's dream come true. It is a virtual museum built in the 1700s for astronomical observation. The area is scattered with public art like pieces that hmmm its quite hard to explain but.....(thanks wikipedia) are major geometric devices for measuring time, predicting eclipses, tracking stars' location as the earth orbits around the sun, ascertaining the declinations of planets, and determining the celestial altitudes and related ephemerides. Whoa! Amazing! It is so fascinating and I highly recommend a visit if you ever find yourself in Jaipur. Either than that I have to say Jaipur was another big city that was not for me, but as always I am grateful to have had the chance to go there. And for the first time in a BIG city, I met a great shop owner and got to do my favourite- sitting and chatting about life. The two days in Jaipur went fast and the end of our trip was coming to a close. The drive to Delhi was how we would spend our last day. I am never good with ending any trip , I think because I am never ready to go home. Being away I feel like I'm at my best, on top of the world, savouring every moment and taking in, learning, experiencing, connecting, motivating, inspired- the list goes on but traveling is my PASSION. But, I knew I had to let myself feel and accept the emotions of going home- positive, negative, sad, mad etc. I was obviously excited to be with my husband again and to be surrounded by family and friends. But everything else seemed so non existent and I knew that the drive to Delhi would be time for some serious reflection......

Pushkar

It was hard to leave Udaipur. I felt so comfortable there and my wish was to only spend a few more days, but back to our schedule we carrying on to Pushkar. The week was quite busy as Diwali was approaching and many Indians were taking holidays as well. So this mixed with the number of foreigners traveling made for all the little towns to be busy. Pushkar is known as a Hindu pilgrimage town that has long rooted history that is associated with the Hindu creator-god Brahma. Pushkar is home to one of the world's only Brahma temples and holds much importance in the Hindu religion as this was one of the places where the lotus flower fell from Brahma's hand. We stayed a very nice guesthouse called Inn Seventh Heaven, a hundred year old haveli that has a beautiful open courtyard, with vines hanging from each floor. The laid back environment houses several comfy couches and swinging chairs. This mixed with the scent of freshly picked rose petals and burning incense makes it a great place to chill and curl up with your favourite book and go down for an afternoon nap. Pushkar has been known for the overlander hippies traveling through and this is quite apparent as you walk the main strip through the bazaar. The stores are filled with clothes, silver jewelry, leather goods and a lot of the same things we had been seeing through our travels. The lake is small but serene with several ghats. Similar to Varanasi is some way, there are prayers (pujas), people bathing and rituals happening everywhere. Since it was Diwali the sound of fire crackers were non stop and these were not like anything we have at home. They were the kind that made your heart skip a beat every time they went off. It was something we just had to accept, it was not stopping and nobody was going to do anything about it. October 26th was Diwali and the streets were lit up with tiny candles similar to tea lights all through the small narrow pathways and of course people praying and visiting with family and friends. I wasn't sure what to expect of Diwali, it was known as the festival of lights. I think if we were staying with the host family back in Faridabad we would have gotten a better sense and real feel for what it's all about. I did end up meeting a couple of other female travellers and decided we would do a short hike up to the top of small hill where the Gayatri Temple stands. It felt good to get some exercise in with one of the most beautiful rewards at the top. An Indian sunset. The sun in India is different, it reminds me of a ball of fire, rich in colour, glowing orange. Mother Nature's beauty shining upon us.

What I really loved about Pushkar was the food. First the most amazing juice bar that served the best muesli I have ever eaten in my life, there are several juice shops but if you are ever in Pushkar make sure you make a stop at SONU's, located right in the middle of the main strip. Second the Sixth Sense rooftop restaurant on our hotel. I was starting to crave something besides curry and the pasta and salads we had were to die for, it satisfied my deep craving for "western" food. Pushkar was a great little town and I had a tough time leaving as I knew that the last city on our leg would be Jaipur (another large city) which would be our last stop......tear. 

Udaipur

Another long drive was ahead of us and we we're both getting tired of the monotonous scenery of villages and rural fields. We were ready to tackle on another 6 hours drive to Udaipur. A lakeside town that I had only heard amazing things about from fellow travelers and friends that has visited there. The drive was actually a nice change as we went through a windy mountain range that then turned into plants, trees and fresh mountain air....ahhhh. It was a blessing to escape the pollution of the big cities. We booked two nights at an amazing guesthouse called Mountain Ridge. Set 6 km away from the town and judging from the directions, I knew our driver was going to think we were crazy. The bumpy narrow road that twisted up this small mountain ridge seemed like the wrong way BUT when we reached the peak there stood this house built of stone and glass with the most magnificent view of the surrounding mountains. It was a little piece of heaven. Piers the owner of the guesthouse has called Udaipur home for many years as he landed there to take are of his sick mother. Originally from England, he felt that when his mother fell ill, he felt India would be the right place to get proper care. Long story short, his mother passed on and he has now taken on the Nepalese family that looked after his mother. Staying here is like going to visit friends for the weekend. It's full of fun, laughs, great home cooked meals at a communal table and everyone sharing stories about why they are traveling in India and learning about each others lives. A family was staying there originally from Alaska but now calls Indonesia there home. They were plain and simple....amazing & awesome. The parents were both teachers at an international school and there kids aged 8 & 10 (their son turned 10 while we were there and we celebrated with a roundtable happy birthday chant and homemade ice cream cake- what a great memory to celebrate your 10th birthday).They have lived in a few countries throughout Asia and have traveled to several international destinations. Is it really possible to backpack with kids, YES! These kids were so culturally inclined and a great example of what I hope I can do one day for my children. It was a refreshing sight and the family was the perfect role model for me. The negative talk that was always thrown at me about traveling with children was now turned into another positive. Ahhhhh! The 10th birthday party ended in the kids and some of the adults going to bed early and the rest of us learning a traditional Indian dance using small sticks called Dandiya Raas- (click on the link to view). It felt like an Indian rave with the volume level at max and the strobe light pulsing to each beat. After our brief stint learning the traditional dance, the rave then turned into a Bollywood dance circle. It was Ahhhhmazing. Now just to work on my Bollywood moves.....any dance instructors out there that specialize in it please contact me.
I have to mention that one of my most favourite and memorable times of my whole trip was here. Adrienne and I both purchased some jewelry from a local metalsmith who had such a kind heart. We spent over an hour chatting with him again about life and connecting on a level that sometimes takes years to develop with people at home- but here at this little shop with this kind man the connection was authentic and instant. He was so grateful and appreciative that we purchased some goods from him since their big festival Diwali was coming and this was a sign of good luck. It's very interesting that when you pay for something the money is always blessed and thanked and offered to their god before putting it away. When you meet good humans like this, it erases any negative energy about the ones that hassle or try to scam you all the time. I left that little shop with a huge smile on my face, feeling uplifted, light and grateful for our little afternoon chai party with him. (See photo below) Times like this spoke so much and made the most impact on what i'll remember.

Udaipur was one of my favourite places, it's laid back, no pressure, friendly vibe makes you want to stay a while. 

Jodhpur

It was hard to leave Mandawa. It was a beautiful town where you felt like you were home, no hassling, quieter than the big cities and just a nice change. Our next leg of the drive would be to Jodphur- the blue city. It is a bustling town home to the Mehrangarh Fort (built 1459)which overlooks the periwinkle blue city. The blue coated buildings were traditionally painted this colour as it signified the home of a Brahmin (meaning of the highest caste), but today many of the buildings have followed suit even if they are not Brahmins. 
I don't have a lot to say about Jodhpur, it was another bigger city with busy bazaars, traffic, people, cows, goats and every shop keeper wanting you to come look. It was also right before Diwali (the festival of lights- sort of similar to Christmas for us) so things were even that much more crowded. I didn't have big expectations about it and I have to say it was one of my least favorite places. With that being said, I'm glad we went cause if we didn't we would not have known and the little "what if" antenna would have been going off. When you travel on a time limit not knowing when you'll be back in India, it can sometimes push you to cram and see as many things possible. Its a struggle for me, but what I have learned is that there is way too much to see and do. For next time I am figuring out that a slower pace of travel and spending more time in the places I love will be better. Also coming to understand that you don't need to do every "tourist" thing in each city, some of my best times here so far have been just having chai with some of the shop owners and talking about life. It goes back to one of my original posts about interpersonal relationships and connection, it truly is enriching. It has built more compassion, patience and understanding in me. And this is what I am so PASSIONATE about-connecting with people, feeling part of a community, listening and talking.
India is a huge country with so much culture and richness that you could easily spend a year traveling the country and with each region so diverse I could never get sick of it. The gypsy in me has been unleashed again and I think will be hard to get rid of.
Next destination Udaipur- I've only heard amazing things looking very forward to our time there.

Delhi to Mandawa

We flew back to Delhi and stayed there one night. The next leg of the trip would be a whirlwind tour by car of the state of Rajasthan. Back in Delhi we met up with our MAD team members, threw back a few beers and further discussed our volunteering experience. We all have too many ideas and we are excited to begin doing some research so stay tuned for what hopefully develops from our little pow wow session. It's a work in progress that will take time to develop but if you are serious about making a change you need to start somewhere. I've been very fortunate to have met like minded individuals and I know that we all met for a reason, so thank you to the universe for connecting us.  
Adrienne and I left Saturday morning and had intended to get to Jodhpur which was only 597km, again we assumed ( remember never assume in India) that it would be a casual 6 to 7 hour drive, but found out it would probably be more towards 12. If you ever come here things take twice as long, and the roads can be terrible. Never estimate by distance its all about time! We found out we would be overnighting in a small called Mandawa. Our guidebooks had nothing to say about it and we were not impressed. It took us close to 7 hours to drive 260km on a bumpy gravel road. Ugh. Feeling imprisoned in a vehicle all day is not good, but again the low energy  instantly transformed and skyrocketed as we entered our 180 year old guesthouse, The Hotel Mandawa Haveli(haveli means old heritage house or small castle). Breathtaking- yes! Loads of character-yes! It was a place that as soon as you walked into your curiosity lit up like a bonfire. I was in love and so happy that my feeling about coming to this small no name town was replaced with an abundance of warmth and happiness. It was the perfect little town. We had a candlelight dinner on the rooftop terrace which overlooked the entire village. The gentleman who took care of us was a gem, I've now realized that being in small towns here is so VALUABLE and I find myself never wanting to leave them. We had amazing conversation about life here in India- it's the best way to get the true reflection of the real everyday landscape of people here. Curiosity goes both ways and sharing your life stories about back home and life in India can be a long conversation, they are two completely different ways of life and both of us trying to understand how it works just kept to more and more questions and explanations. Even with the language barrier, silence can speak and release so much. Mandawa was a beautiful surprise and the only complaint was that I could've stayed longer.  Indian culture intrigues me, I'm absolutely infatuated by it.  Its like nothing i've ever known and the more I speak with people the more questions I have and the more I want to learn. That is what I love about traveling. Learning. Learning  about others way of life, interacting, connecting with complete strangers,being curious, getting a better understanding of all the "why's" that come into my head. For me happiness lies in the importance of getting outside the routine at home, we often fall so deeply entrenched into our everyday that we can easily forget that there is a world out there that we can learn so much from. It's an invaluable life lesson that continuously inspires me to become a better person.

a little refresher for today!

The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything!

Khajuraho to Varanasi

Leaving again on the 1130pm overnight train to Varanasi, we were positive that three times lucky we would get the train right. To our luck, the train came early and stopped at the station for a while so we had plenty of time to get ourselves organized. It was a breeze, we found our correct coach, our sleepers and settled in for a somewhat decent sleep.
Waking up to the sunrise slowly creeping above scattered villages and rural fields, we finally arrive in Varanasi. We had arranged for an auto rickshaw(tuk tuk) to pick us up directly from the train station, but surprise surprise it's not there to meet us. We grab our own auto rickshaw and its actually better we did because it  was about half the cost of what our guesthouse quoted.
The traffic, the people, the smells, the pollution was a welcoming way into the city. Varanasi is an interesting place to say the least. It's a juxtaposition of life and death, celebrated in so many ways. It seems surreal and I find it difficult to write about my experience because it's one of this places that you need to be there to understand. If you have been there, I hope you understand what I mean. People come here to "expire" (die), there are thousands of priests, holy men, people doing yoga, offering blessings, giving and receiving karma this mixed with the small temples scattered throughout the winding labrinyth of small alleyways makes for one of the best people watching places in the world. The religious ceremonies, the temples, the devotion, the rituals- it's a magical place which left me feeling with a energy I've never experienced. We took a sunrise and a sunset boat ride along the Ganges. People washing clothes, taking baths, swimming, cows and buffalos cooling down, cremations happening along the ghats,people fishing. The Ganges is a holy river where you can witness anything and everything, the water so holy that everything happens here. I stuck my feet in with no hesitation, I had to we were in one of the most holy places in India and it would cleanse me of my sins....so I was hoping. The cremations that happen  hold so much importance and take place in public. It's a sacred ritual that I guess has developed into a sightseeing event for tourists. It's unfortunate, but it doesn't stop the people from changing anything and why should they, its the way of life, religion and devotion here. It's a much different view of what death is to us at home. There is a strange beauty that emerges when you are watching, at first i felt awkward and uncomfortable but then something changed and it bloomed into feeling of peace and tranquility. For me it was the least bid morbid, it was an enlightening experience and a definite time of reflection for me. Thinking about what I had seen since my time in India and thinking about our everyday lives at home. Gratitude is important and I am so grateful to Varanasi for sharing it's beauty with me.
Everyone must experience Varansi once in their lives.