where to next...

Jackson,Wy to Katmandu, Nepal is $1804 for the month of April.
Essshhhh, pricey.

Maybe flying into India is cheaper, everything in India is cheaper, and crazier... so cheap and so crazy!

I could fly into Bangkok.  I think I could still get a taxi and give directions to Teresa and Steve's house.

Flights into Bangkok in April (Thailand's hottest month of the year) are $1245, and from there I could just land travel through Bhurma, Butan, and Bangladesh to get to Nepal- yah, right!

My most desirable place to visit next would be Nepal.  An ancient country whose inhabitants great each other with "namaste."  Glorious mountains littered with colorful prayers that wave heavenward :)

Eric and I want to go somewhere together.  He might try to push  Egypt to the top of the travel list.  He is cute enough for me to almost let him.  

Autumn.

Is it the change in season, the season of change.  The golden aspen leaves are all dropping to the valley floor and the air has it's October crispness.  The season changing externally brings some sort of internal desire for a shift in existence.  As the leaves shed from the trees, so do desires to stay the same.  As I lose another friend to the sacred space between forms, I wonder... all about life.

I will not travel out of the country for months, maybe even a year.  I dream of change, chaos, excitement and bright colors!  I dream of adventure, the life lessons learned, and inspiration.  I dream these things, but, meanwhile, I love my life right now!  I love being in love with Eric, I am finding the joy in my jobs, and I am feeling the inspiration to be my greatest self.

Winter.
It's coming......!  and I pray I shine bright.  I bow my head to the intention that I find my adventures in wonder in the here and now, in the present.
(and may you too)
xo

omg, it is July!

As the months fly by, I watch as summer slips by like sand falling through wide-spread fingers.  I cup my hands together, squeezing the ten digits tight, in attempt to hold on to the remainder of these long days of warmth and light.  Summer is usually a time of lightness, a beautiful blend of freedom, growth, and personal satisfaction.  With the sun offering 18 hours of light it seems that even the laziest days are filled with fun activities. 

The deal is... I returned to the US of A 2 months ago, and this girl was b.r.o.k.e.!  Dipping into the savings is not a regret, for I was able to see some of the most amazing things in the the world!  But now, I have to work my booty off in order to make up for it.  I had a mid-summer "panic" last week- what am I doing?!  I only see the gorgeous mountains and river systems that surround the valley I choose to live in on my way to work(S).  Work, work, work!  Three jobs start to sneak into my every day, so that getting a full day off can be a rarity.  I haven't sat in the sun with a cup of coffee and a book yet this summer, not to mention- no floats down the river, zero mountains climbed, not even much more than a handful of runs on the trail systems a few meters from my front door.  

It is time to focus, time to remember what I want in life!

I honor that all things in life ebb and flow. On the inhales we are full, and on the exhales we are empty.  In the winters we hibernate and in the summers we grow.  Unfortunately, my creative side and adventurous spirit are on the exhale as I inhale big gulps on work and tourists invading the town.  Eight weeks left of "summer proper" and my awareness as something missing if high.  It is time to remember that balance is a key to life.  

This week I have cleared off the jewelry desk and made some pairs of earrings to sell at the yoga studio.   I also found the time to go on a fun hike, seeing a cave in Idaho I had never even heard of!

This week I am setting new goals and standards for the days and months to come!

 

... i just thought I would let all those blog followers know that I did make it off the Perito Moreno Glacier and that my commitment to finding wonder in the every-day adventures has been reclaimed... 

Amen! (and xo)

Perito Moreno Glacier

You just have to see it.  I will try to show you through pictures and words, but it will truly be impossible to fully explain its awesome size and gigantic beauty.  So, a glacier (for those who are not totally in the know) is an extended mass of ice formed from snow falling and accumulating over many many years and moving very slowly through the mountains.  Glaciers carved the earth thousands of years ago and created dramatic rock formations (ie. the rocky mountains).  Most glaciers around the world are drastically decreasing in size because of the warming temperature of the earth.  We can find glaciers in almost all mountain ranges, but these glaciers are small and withering away.  The Perito Moreno Glacier is the gladiator of all glaciers.  One of the few stable (if not growing!) glaciers, this is the biggest block of ice in all of the world!  Weighing in a 97 square miles and 19 miles in length this block of ice and snow is the size of approximately 48,000 football fields. 

right?  huge!

This unmatchable glacier is a gorgeous blue hued block of ice with its surface of spires giving it a majestically look.  This beast seems to be alive... huge chunks of ice cracking with sounds similar to gun shots and then dropping into the Lagos Argentine with a canon ball splash.  Freezing water whirl pooling, bobbing up and down in show until the few moments pass and the water is calm again.  Then, the fallen icebergs just float away, independent of the form they once were, but eventually shall return in some way :)

We took the tour that brought us onto the ice.  Expensive, it was the only option which allows you to touch this giant!  We embark on the boat that drops us off on the shore net to the glacier, we meet our guide, and after a few lessons regarding the area he straps the oldest crampons I have ever seen on our feet.  ---To the ice!----
Just like the world, you forget (or can not grasp) the grandeur and expansiveness of this diamond when you are walking on it... but it sure was entertaining!

They walked us around like you would walk a toddler around the house, allowing the experience to be the the simple steps in a new environment.  Nothing about this "mini-trek" was exciting, dangerous, exhilarating, exhausting, or adventurous.  We just walked around some ice with crampons on, which was fine and fun!  We saw a few mini crevasse and holes but nothing of real mountaineering stature.  The last part of the tour was to an ice bar with the option to drink whiskey (The Famous Grousse brand!) on the rocks.  I hate that stuff, but "when in rome"!  We also walked through an ice cave, which was crazy!  This glacier won the award of the most amazing thing that I have ever seen.  After the tour we took the boat back and the went to the "balconies".  From over a half a mile away, you could finially see most of the glacier.  Even from this distance, the sounds of ice falling from the big mama were loud and amazing to watch.  I could watch it for hours!  I am sick of trying to describe this, for my words prove nothing, so here are some photos! :)

   pretty much my favorite part of the tour.

and a few words about El Chalten...

Golden pink clouds in a lavender sky could never get old, even if it is 6 degrees Celsius in these stunning morning hours!  El Calten- a town of 1,500 people hosts the trail heads for some fantastic hikes with impressive mountain and glacier views.  Two full days and 40+ kilometers later, we feel satisfied with the northern part of Parques Nacionales Los Glaciares.  The sun has put a rosy tint on our cheeks, the wind has dried our eyes and chapped our lips, the hikes have elevated our spirits, and the vistas have left us in awe.  It feels good to walk in the mountains again, to be swallowed by silence and reminded of how small we are in this large world. 
Autumn is very present in this environment; A nip in the air and fantastic foliage colors exhibit that our surroundings are in a state of change.  Its about to get real cold up in here...
The extensive landscape filled with golden and auburn leaves and flat yellow grasslands abruptly ends at a gigantic lake which buts up to the Fitz Roy Mountain Range.  The sky is all-embracing and compliments the yellow foreground.  I feel it vibrates with me so perfectly!  I am most happy with simplicity and space.

El Chalten :)

Patagonia!

My boarding pass has the number "1" written on it in blue sharpie marker.  It's not even really much of a boarding pass, it looks more like a luggage tag.  Lauren's has the number "2."  I assume these are our seat numbers until we enter the plane with the seven other passengers and they tell us to "sit anywhere we would like."  At this point I would like to sit in a different plane, with a different airline company, but that's not about to happen!  We have been dropped off by bus to the middle of the runway/taxiway to board our plane.  The man who checked us in a few hours earlier is now the pilot.
Just kidding, but he is seriously on the plane!  The flight from BsAs to Calafate Patagonia was $120 US.  This was the cheapest flight we could find and now I am beginning to remember that often- you get what you pay for.  Five stops, a plane switch, and a day "wasted" dipping in and out of the sky.  We have decided (or I have put my foot down) that we are going to roll back to BsAs in better style!  For an extra $75 US, we will fly back direct and in under four hours.  Did I mention that the second plane we took was a propeller plane that was too loud to hear oneself think.
But, now- WE ARE IN PATAGONIA!!!!

and I am so happy  :)
The landscape here is familiar , I don't feel as if I am so far away.  Seven thousand miles from home I feel closer than I have been in weeks.  Low sagebrush fights to grow in the rocky soil.  The large green brown buttes on the left are the doors to these wide open spaces.  Snow capped peaks on my right stack high above the beautiful lake that sits at the valley floor.  The clouds are low, or maybe the mountains are so high.  Barbed wire and wood fences parallel the well paved road which we travel from the sirport to our hostel.  A storm looks as if it could be coming in, but I know to just wait another 15 minutes and the whole weather system can change.  No structures for miles. no garbage, no noise.  I can feel the wind blowing my hair everywhere, pushing any weight of stress and worries off of my shoulders.  I can hear my own heart beat again, I remember to find thanks, seek gratitude for all that I have.  The world feels right again and I can't stop smiling.

El Calafate  in the south west province of Santa Cruz in Argenina Patagonia:
A fast- growing tourist town (city, I guess?) is the gateway to a few main attractions in Patagonia.  Three big hits on our list of things to do:
1. El Chaltens extraordinary snow-capped towers of the Fitz Roy Range
2. The 19 mile long Perito Moreno Glacier in the Parque National Glaciares
3. Chile's torres des paines (which we didn't get to see because it was low season and no buses we available the day we wanted to go!)

Extra perks we found----------
The wonderful people we met at this stop, the fiery sun rises, the fresh air in our lungs on a run by the lake, the smell of autumn leaves drying on the floor, a late night reggae show, and a few fits of laughter!

Argentine time

I mean, what’s the hurry?!

Hey, I will be the first to admit- nothing about my life’s time frame is ever in a hurry.  I hate being "time stressed" in my daily activities.  I live a playful life of an adult child- wondering around watching things as they sparkle.  I truly appreciate slow, graceful, and intentional movements.  Yet, I find myself closing my eyes and seeking peaceful mantras in a few separate public places her in Argentina.

#1. The Grocery Store

            I have done it.  At age 15, (when I could only legally work three 3-hour shifts at Knowlans, the neighborhood’s local grocery store) I was the check out girl.  I had to memorized the PLU #s to vegetables I had never seen before, I remember holding up produce to the customs with a questioned look on my face.  “Ginger root” and “kale” did not frequent the Belisle's fruit and veggie basket when I was growing up.  I have deep deep empathy for each and every grocery market cashier I encounter.  I remember the flourecent lights shining above and being outfitted in my "Team Player" green uniform t-shirt.  The hours after people finished work and were about to prepare dinner were the busiest, and there I was, trying to decide if this vegetable in the thin baggie was a leek.  I would glance at the growing line of full carts and baskets- guess who every one is looking at... the girl with the leek and the next 20 minutes of their destiny in her hands. 
 In BsAs, a city I feel I am running to keep up with, I have witnessed the s.l.o.w.e.s.t. movement in humans since watching a child take it’s first step- but this ain’t cute folks.

Breath in peace, exhale love Brit! 

The clerks slump themselves on tall stools with slouched shoulders and a mundane, sad face.  I guess I would be sad too if I had to wear the corny outfit with matching visor.  The cash register itself seems to encourage this speed, needing moments to think in between customers and purchases.  The patrons must not mind the wait either, the line is 15 people deep and I watch each person listen to their total before they begin to reach for their wallet.  Not until after they have paid do they even start to begin bagging their own items.   Bizarre, and I just keep having to remind myself that I don’t have anywhere to be- I am here to watch this exact sort of thing!  The best thing about this experience, is that the grocery stores are a chain with the name "Disco."  I mean, how fun does shopping for food sound when you give the store a name like "Disco"?!  But the cashiers don't agree.  They give you an anger/sad face and wont respond to my four year old pronunciation of "como estas?"  I watch and learn and move on (because what else do we do with life!)

#2. The Restaurant/ Café

            I would NEVER wave down a server to demand their attention towards my presence.  I know this bizz and, usually, understand it.  I find myself baffled after I seat myself at a place where they have table service, and not know if I should get up and retrieve my own menu after having a polite staring contest with all the bored looking employees.  I have learned to wait, this is how the food industry rolls here.  Yesterday, Lauren asked our server for menus and she rolled her eyes at us!  Hilarious.  You can stay as long as you like, even after only ordering something as small as a coffee.  No rush. 
It is a little refreshing to not be stared down as you enjoy your meal slowly, but it's a little weird that once your food is dropped at the table, you will have a hard time finding your server again.  Then, when you are finished, you ALWAYS have to ask for your check ("la cuenta por favor?").  No matter how long you sit, or what you order, you have to find your server and ask for the check.  There can be a line of 20 people waiting for your table, or your seat and you still have to struggle to find your server.  Once they drop your food or coffee off, they never come back.  There is no "is everything okay?" or "can I bring you anything else?" in Argentina!   Just a different experience :)  So, take your time, enjoy!

 #3.  The Hostel Front Desks

            Lauren and I are staring at the girl at the front desk while she is IMing on her computer.
We just returned from a 15 mile round trip hike to a beautiful mountainside and glacier.  Exhausted, we though we would stop by the front desk to quickly before we shower to confirm the reservation for our next hostel that we had paid for prior to the hike. 
She is just typing and giggling away.  We might be starring holes into this woman's head.  Four huge eyeballs are looking deep into the side of her dread-locked head.  I thought maybe she is mad at us or maybe Lauren's spanish didn't make sense... nope, she just wanted to finish her chat before she helped the guests.  It almost seemed like a movie, for a long few minutes  we just stood there, bodies pushing against the counter, staring at this girl... waiting.  Such weird sutomer service experiences!

On the other hand, the buses- are in a hurry.

They will start to pull away from the curb before they safely shut you in the door!  You could be one the first of three steps to reach the driver and he is already cruising to the next stop.  Hurrying up on the gas pedal in order to hurry and hit the breaks!  The taxis, are in a hurry, almost hitting pedestrians every crosswalk.  Road rage is everywhere. It's rather nuts.
Pedestrians, seem to be in a hurry.  Maybe to save time for when they are in grocery.  Tourists are in a hurry, to see everything this enormous city has to offer... I am in a hurry, to head to Pataongia with my sister!!! later :)  xoxo