Morocco Magic

I'm on an airplane flying somewhere between Madrid and Moscow, but mentally I am still in Morocco. Life never ceases to amaze me. The universe is constantly giving us exactly what we need; to learn, to grow, to flourish. What I needed was Morocco. Just at a time when I'd felt so mentally exhausted, physically disgusting, and financially depleted, something urged me to leave Europe behind and flee to this colorful country in Northern Africa. It cracked my heart open, leaving me with a smile on my face, a tan on my skin, and sand on my toes.

Although I had an entire list of places to visit and things to do, upon arriving in Tamraght I decided I'd rather be a local for a couple weeks and just stay put. I was feeling all out of whack after 3 months of constant movement between European cities and I knew I needed to regain my peace of mind. I went to Morocco to reunite with a close friend I'd met in Bali while completing our yoga teacher training. She's been living and working in this small beach town for just under a year and it has quickly become home for her. Two and a half weeks later and it felt like home to me too. 

[The woman sitting next to me on the bus had henna covered hands, too cool]

I quickly adopted the 'early to bed, early to rise' lifestyle that is typical in towns revolving around the tides. I fell in love with surfing, although I have a lot of learning to do, and I reconnected to my yoga practice. I saw the sunset almost every night and was able to catch a few sunrises too. I learned how to cook tagine, pour the perfect tea, and analyze the waves. I went to the spa for a traditional hammam treatment, quite literally an overweight Moroccan woman giving me a sponge bath and body scrub (didn't hate it). I even managed to learn a bit of French and Arabic.

[Tagine!]

[Beach buds]

[I totally played creepy paparazzi on this couple but how sweet are they?!]

Bryony, the friend whom I was there to visit, was in a yoga training at a nearby luxury resort when I first arrived. She had two other friends visiting and within minutes of them picking me up from the bus station we were old friends reconnecting. We went for road trips seeking out the best surf, exploring the local markets, and trekking to Paradise Valley. Blaring music, having sing-a-longs, and laughing until we cried.

[Road trip, searching for waves!]

[Playing photog]

[Banana Village market]

[My favorite!]

[How do they grow so much produce in such a dry country??]

[Paradise Valley]

[I love you Börni Bö!]

I only stayed at B's apartment for one night before going to visit her yoga training at the posh Paradis Plage. We know how much I enjoy a nice resort and pretending I live a five star life, so as luck would have it I somehow managed to stay there for a total of 8 nights thanks to the kind generosity of fellow yogis (thank you Angelic and Christi, I love you). I reunited with my beloved yoga teachers and some other fellow teachers from Bali. Living in my fantasy bubble for a week, I took surfing lessons and lounged around on the beach, sipped mint tea while chilling at the surf house, and strolled along the sand at sunset. Life couldn't get much easier.

[Balcony view at Paradis Plage]

[Doing what I do best]

[Paradis Plage]

[Sun beds and hammocks, Paradis Plage]

Back in the local village of Tamraght, I went with B to her yoga class every morning. An open air studio on the roof of a surf hostel overlooking the ocean. Seriously? I need to move. There's awhole lot of chilling in Morocco. Yoga, surf, relax. Eat. Drink mint tea. It's the simplicity of this lifestyle that has me wishing this airplane would make a U turn and take me back. The food is delicious. The people are friendly. The scenery is gorgeous. The weather is perfect (no humidity!). There isn't a doubt in my mind that I'll be back before long. 

[Yogi loves from all over the globe]

[Cool beach vans, I want one!]

[Calamari lunch time]

[One last sunset before heading to the city]

[Half asleep and trying to blend in]

I love you Morocco, I will see you soon!

I N S H A L L A H ❤️

Berlin is Bae

Before embarking on this trip I had many people asking me which city I was most looking forward to. Unsure of the answer to that question I almost always replied with "I don't know..I'm pretty psyched for Berlin." I try not to have expectations about a place before I get there but we all know that isn't as easy as it sounds. So naturally after all of the stories I'd heard, my expectations for Berlin were pretty high. And as often happens, my expectations were exceeded. Berlin has been my favorite city thus far and I'm totally bummed to be leaving.

Where do I even start? For one, Berlin is the vegetarian capital of the WORLD. If you know me, you know how much I love food and how excited I get when there are veggie options everywhere. Add to that all of the yoga studios, insane street art, and a party scene like no other and you've got one kick ass city. On top of that, Berlin offers some stunning architecture such as the Berlin Catherdral which leaves you breathless when it first comes into your view. It is a huge city which consequently means a lot of people but because it is so spread out, you never encounter a massively crowded sidewalk or a stampede of people rushing into a subway train. In Berlin there is plenty of space to breathe and feel fresh air rather than feeling suffocated by the masses.

It wouldn't be proper if we went to Berlin and didn't experience the nightlife. Berlin boasts one of the top clubbing scenes in Europe, and quite possibly the world. There is something going on every night of the week. Or should I say morning... Clubs don't open until 11 or 12 at night and everyone knows you never go right when they open. Things don't really get started until about 1am and they don't end until a few hours after the sun has risen. 

We lucked out getting a hostel in a prime location. Situated right between the trendiest neighborhoods, Frederichshain and Kreuzberg, we were only a short walk to the major clubs, the best food, yoga, and the Berlin Wall. We also lucked out that although we booked dorm rooms, we were the only 2 checked in and ended up having a huge room to ourselves. We borrowed yoga mats from reception and started every morning with a little music and movement. As with every other city we've been to so far, we met up with a local friend of mine. This beautiful doe eyed German from my yoga training in Bali was such a delight to see again.

I can't say enough good things about the city. It is so unique and pulsating with creativity. And the fact that I fell so in love with a city that was cold enough for me to need a hat and gloves one day is really saying something. I couldn't get over how cool all of the street art was. Almost every building has some sort of art or graffiti and instead of looking trashy, it is like stepping into an art gallery the size of a city. 

Although I'm not typically a fan of imitation meat, the currywurst is a must try while in Berlin and since they offer a vegan version of it, I had to try it. Verdict: not the bomb. The falafel on the other hand...to die for.

Sadly our time in Berlin was way too short and we're off to the land of the genetically blessed...aka Scandinavia. After only 3 hours of sleep and sleeping through our alarm, I woke up in a panic realizing that our flight left in less than 2 hours. We threw our bags together and jumped in a taxi telling the driver to get us to the airport as fast as possible. We made it with time to spare.....a lot of time to spare. After boarding the plane and immediately falling asleep, we woke up to find that we were not in fact in the air en route to Norway. We were still on the runway. Luckily the flight wasn't very full and we each had our own row of 3 seats to curl up in the fetal position as the plane sat idle on the runway for another hour. What was, I'm sure, a very irritating morning for our fellow travelers turned into a pleasant 2 hour nap for Meghan and I. Then we de-boarded the plane and they cancelled the flight. We did our best to get on the next one but as I don't speak German, communication is difficult and we got booked onto a flight at 8pm instead. So nine hours after first arriving at the airport....we are still here. Trying desperately to stay awake for another 3 hours until we board and finally head to Oslo because we both know if we attempt to nap in the terminal we will most likely miss our flight. So on that note..time for more chocolate!

Finding Center in Cambodia

After leaving Burma, I was feeling a bit lost on my journey. I was tired of traveling and missed the comforts of home. To be honest, I was ready to throw in the towel and buy a one way back to Boston. But I knew that as much as I missed home, my time out here was not over yet. I returned to Bangkok for a week of relaxing before deciding where I would go next. I got a one week pass to a nice gym, worked out and did yoga everyday, had 6 thai massages, and of course did some more shopping. I finally felt more myself and was excited to continue my travels. I had been wanting to do a yoga retreat for awhile so when I received an email that there was one spot left for a 5 day retreat in Cambodia I took that as a nudge from the universe. Cambodia was one of the countries that didn't really call to me as a place I cared to visit and for that reason I knew I would probably end up loving it. Right I was!

The yoga retreat was a nice continuation of the healthy lifestyle I had tried to re-obtain in Bangkok and a great way to meet some like minded travelers on similar journeys. Daily asana and meditation practice plus 3 vegan meals a day and sleeping in an open air bamboo hut was the perfect way to kick off my time in Cambodia. I left the retreat feeling similar to when I left Bali, centered and grounded and ready for the next adventure.

Back in the dusty city of Siem Reap, I made my way to the Temples of Angkor. World renowned, breath taking architecture paired with rich history made for a memorable experience. I watched the sunrise over Angkor Wat, the world's largest religious building and was awe struck by the collision of nature and architecture. The temples are so old that enormous trees have grown in the ruins, intertwining Mother Nature with one of man's most impressive creations. 

I wasn't planning to spend much more time in the country but when numerous people started telling me about the island of Koh Rong I thought I might as well check it out. 15 hours of bus travel later and I was sitting on the speed ferry headed for the island in the Gulf of Thailand. Koh Rong is a mixture of laid back beach atmosphere and a hard core party scene. Upon first stepping off the ferry I can't say that I was extremely impressed. The beach was loaded with bars and backpackers and felt too crowded for my liking. However a few minutes down the beach and I found some peace and quiet. A treacherous 45 minute hike through the jungle brings you to one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. Rightfully named Long Beach, as all of my favorite beaches seem to be, the sand is so white and pure that it squeaks under your feet as you walk. The water is crystal blue and even swimming over my head I was able to see the ocean floor. 

By far the best experience I had on Koh Rong was on my second to last night. I went out with some friends from the yoga retreat for a delicious pizza and wine dinner followed by a dance party on the beach. Dancing in the sand under the moonlight in front of the DJ booth, we all decided to sneak off and go skinny dipping in the ocean. The water was as warm as a bathtub and once we started splashing about we realized dozens and dozens of glowing dots all around us. Almost like an ocean filled with glitter, we were surrounded by phosphorescent plankton! It was one of the coolest experiences of my life.

After 5 nights on Koh Rong, I had enough of the island and made my way to the capital city of Phnom Penh. It is here that the gruesome S-21 prison and killing fields are located. It is amazing to learn about the genocide that this country went through less than 40 years ago. In school we are taught about the world wars and the holocaust and yet the mass detainment and killing that occurred during the Khmer Regime in Cambodia are not mentioned once. Visiting the museum and the killing fields is a heart breaking experience. The traumas that were endured are unthinkable and what is even worse is that it was Cambodians killing other Cambodians. You go on the tour and you sort of float through, listening to the horror stories but not really comprehending them. And then there is a moment where one detail rocks you to the core and suddenly you feel sick that such an event could ever take place. For me that moment was during the tour of the killing fields when we came to "the killing tree" located next to a mass grave. At this tree, babies were held upside down by their feet as their heads were bashed against the tree, bludgeoning their skulls before they were tossed into the pit to the right. This was done in front of their mothers, who stood helpless, naked from the rape they had just endured, watching the final torture before they themselves were mercilessly killed and tossed into the pit along with their children. My entire body had chills when I heard about this. It is sickening and heart wrenching. These are the stories that make you grateful for the life you have been granted. I try to remember these stories when I am having a particularly rough day as it puts things into perspective pretty quickly.

The rest of my days in Phnom Penh I have spent running along the river, taking yoga workshops, getting massages, and dining with new friends. I am enjoying the calm and centered feeling that I so often take for granted at home. Traveling does not allow you to have a routine, it forces you out of your comfort zone and it can sometimes feel like life is a big whirlwind and you're trying to hold on. My time in Cambodia has been much needed and I've realized that there are certain things I must do in order to maintain my balance during a time in my life where there is no structure and spontaneity rules all. It's amazing how much better I feel after a quick run, a yoga class, or some meditation on the beach. It is so important that I remember that this journey is all about me. Taking the time to do things that center me, make me feel happy, and nourish my mind and body is a major priority. 

I have loved my time in Cambodia, a beautiful country with even more beautiful people, and I am sad to leave but I must continue forward. Tomorrow I will take a 2 day boat journey down the Mekong River and into Vietnam. I will arrive in Saigon just in time for the New Year celebrations! Looking forward to good food, rich culture, more beaches, and custom made clothing! Cheers to another country down and another one to look forward to!

The children in Cambodia are the sweetest!

Had a massage and was wondering why the man was running his fingers through my hair afterwards- you can't see the mini braids but I walked out with a full up-do!