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I simply can’t the leave the #traveltopic of Indonesia with just one post. It just isn’t possible.

Yes,  #BaliSpiritFest was most definitely owned the spotlight in my month long journey in Bali. But, after BSF in all her glory, I still got to spend another two and a half weeks, roaming Bali with two of my life’s best friends, Anastasia and Robby. Seriously, I can’t get enough  of the group dynamic us three conjured. It was epic and I love these two humans.

They are A-MAZING. And so was my glimpse of Bali with them, wandering through her incensed haze and wet spiritual balm.

Considering that #BSF ended just a couple of days before Bali’s New Year Celebration, Nyepi (a magical, beautiful, compulsory day of silence), we decided to stay in the dense jungle of Ubud before heading south. These few days were absolutely divine, slow and much needed. Stocking up for our day of silence inside, enjoying the creative ballad of Nyepi Celebrations, friendships and finally the climax- a day of silence, meditation and gratitude. In truth, I made it through half the day in full silence. But, the struggle was real with so many wonderful people in one room! I could go on in butterfly detail here about Nyepi itself, but there are tons of websites that offer us readers more understanding of this beautiful day of silence. To get more of a feel, check out Bali’s Tourist Information Board.

After the close of Nyepi, and travel was allowed again, Anastasia, Robby and I said “see ya later” to our goddess girlfriends Maurissa and Deb, whom I met at #BSF and had spent Zen Ubud Jungle time with. We said “see ya later” with hopes to meet up with them again somewhere in the next two weeks.

From Ubud, we made our way to Canggu, a beach town outside of Denpasar. Canggu is a total beach bum, surfer town, where global citizens come to learn how to surf, eat clean, drink heavy (if you are at Old Man’s) and dance the warm evenings away. Our first night in Canggu, we stayed at a local hostel, opting for something cheap and easy after our more expensive Zen Ubud stay. A and I got our private room and Robby got stuck in the male dorms. He woke up the next morning, looking quite exhausted and with a puppy face said, “Can we upgrade?” And so, we did. It was NOT an easy process, but we did it. Over breakfast, we found a GORGEOUS two bedroom, sea view apartment. Way out of my budget, but I DID love it! We spent the next fews days riding our motorbikes around the city to all the local beaches and eateries.

And here, is where I want to share a small bit of butterfly detail. So, meet my friend Robby. A fit guy, wears glasses, determined as a lion, ambitious with plans, could be Dutch when it comes to saving and almost always late. And I love our friendship. One of the reasons we wanted to go to Canggu was because, like most other tourists in Canggu, we wanted to give surfing a shot. Anastasia was whole heartedly NOT interested in almost dying out at sea, but Robby and I thought we would give it a go. 😉

So, Day 2 of Canggu, we spent the evening at Berawa beach, beginning with a little yoga, some swim time, followed by the tossing back of some Bintangs over sunset. By beer number two, Robby and I are talking to the bar owner about some short surf lessons. He recommends a friend of his to us, and said to meet him back at the bar at 8am the following morning. Truly, at this time, Robby and I think we have cooked up a sweet deal. Anastasia knows better.

So, Day 3 arrives, we wake up, grab a coffee and some quick breakfast. We pop onto our motorbikes, and whiz down to the dawn of a new morning and excitement at Berewa beach. We wait for a bit, and eventually a young Indonesian guy comes up to us, tells us he is our guide, asks us for payment, puts extremely large and heavy long boards in our arms and off we go. Looking at the tide, I was thinking, well this shouldn’t be so hard. We did a few short “try to stand up correctly on the sand” situations, and when that went okay, our guide said we were ready. I thought, what the hell. Let’s try it. And then our guide points to Robby’s glasses and says that he most likely wants to take those off. I mean of course, he would lose them… but have I mentioned how much Robby NEEDS those glasses?

I have only surfed one time with MY Rob in Sri Lanka, and Robby (my now practically blind friend), has never attempted this crazy sport. So, here we go. The blind followed by the clueless, out unto the open ocean. This should be good.

The feeling that this whole surfing thing would go alright dissipated most immediately upon entering the ocean. The waves were a whole lot bigger close up!

In total, I think we were out there, giving it our all for about 2 hours. In those two hours, I might have spent 2 minutes upright on a board. Ujjai breaths did not help this human. These were NOT beginner waves and I really don’t think our guide cared. Ha. I split my time between paddling out and waiting for the right wave. And paddling out was NOT easy. It was treacherous. There was a deep tide break about 8 strokes out, that literally was much like Harry Potter’s stag patronus. The ocean said “Expecto Patronus” and all the sudden you found yourself right back at the beach, out of breath, bewildered and defeated.

Only in hindsight is it funny.

And while I did get to ride a few waves in. Robby being out in the ocean, completely blind, where sound does not travel, could not see where the guide and I were floating. So he was left to his own defenses. Straight up battling the ocean’s patronus 99% of the time. There was a that 1% though that my practically blind friend was one with the ocean and rode her wave all the way in! Back on the beach, after a near drowning episode for me (due to my crazy curly long mane of hair), we were beat and ready to say mission complete.

It is a memory that I will probably go back to with Robby, for like forever. When we almost died in Bali. Anastasia, you were right.

After around four days in Canggu, we decided to split up for a few days with Anastasia getting some nice R&R in over at a hotel in Seminyak, while Robby and I skated off to Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan (two small islands off the coast of Bali’s southern tip). We chose these two islands instead of the well traveled Gilli Islands simply because we did’t want to party as hard as we use to! So, we chose these two islands where we could get some GREAT diving in, drive our scooters around and enjoy the ambiance of a lazy isle. And, we did just that! Off the coast of Nusa Lemongan and Ceningan, we swan with giant manta rays, reef sharks, sea turtles and all sorts of gorgeous coral and other marine life. It was Robby’s second attempt and first success at diving! For me, seeing 8 large manta in one dive was AMAZING, and it is all thanks to the incredible Chloe from Lembongan Dive Center. She helped Robby feel comfortable underwater and she knew exactly where to spot the Manta! If you want to dive in the southern areas of Indonesia, go to Lembongan for sure!

From Lembongan, our next stop was to meet back up with Anastasia in Uluwatu (beautiful cliff side temples, exposition of Indonesian ceremonies and Finn’s bar). We had a total of 4 days in Uluwatu, which were pretty dang cool. Robby was feeling a little sick, but he healed up for the Water Temple Ceremony and our last evening at Finns. On the morning of his flight home to Thailand, I finally heard from my ROB that he made it through the second phase of Ranger School and was onto the last- Swamps. So Robby left giving me a big hug and a, “your husband is a badass,” high five. It was a great moment. And, the three weeks, Anastasia and I shared with Robby were so much fun. A quirky, awesome, funny and loving dynamic. I love my friends.

With Robby headed back to Thailand for work, that left A and I, finishing up the last leg of our journey together. We spent the days in Seminyak, reminiscing about China and South Korea, resting and enjoying each others company before parting ways for Thailand (me) and Australia (A).

(Have I said how much I love her lately? Because that girl has seen SO much of the world with me and I value our friendship!)

By the end of our stay, it felt weird to be leaving Bali, because in truth, in the whole month I spent on the island, I really only got to see less than 10 percent of it. I specifically remember looking at a map one of my last days and being like DANG, there is so much we didn’t see! I honestly did not plan to have that feeling at the end of the month. I expected to be more like, “DANG, we saw SO much.” I EXPECTED to feel the same way about Bali that I did about our vast exploration of China. But, even though my “plans” did not play out the way I thought they SHOULD,  or EXPECTED they WOULD, I can’t help but laugh at the perfection of what my journey in Bali WAS! Traveling with three people means you want to take everyone’s desires into consideration. It means you don’t force your way or someone else’s way, instead you work together and you allow what is best to show up for you! This meant not pushing my friends to cheaaaap hostels, onto epic mountain adventures or on long bus rides we didn’t have time for. Not too much anyways. Instead, we traveled to fewer destinations and saw less of the country. Writing this, I would have imagined I would be sitting here wishing we could have seen more. But, that is not at all how I feel. I 100% feel that I got to truly experience the places we DID see. In our glimpse of Bali, the slower pace left space in time to notice the brightness of marigolds, the way trash was disposed of, the smile rising on the elderly woman driving her motorbike, morning prayers and how lit incense can be used as a knife to energetically cut apart rain clouds and open up the sky. Amazing.

In regards to time, our slower pace was similar to traveling alone. In traveling alone, you have SO much time on your hands to soak everything in, every noise, smell, feeling and understanding. In times I have traveled solo, I have had an abundance of time on my hands- taking everything in. Both ways of travel bring in wisdom and openness to the adventure of life. But, when it comes to my wander around Bali, I am so thankful to have been traveling with 3. It was so wonderful to spend time in such a far flung land with two people who make me laugh, people who I love dearly and people who I enjoy seeing smile.

So, really, I don’t care if I saw less of Bali than I expected. I got to still move slow and take in my surroundings. I got to share all the highs and all the lows with my friends- memories I know we will belly laugh over. I get to bridge what I learned on our travels back to my own home environment. I got to travel out with friends, yet still travel IN. Whether fast or slow, alone or with company, it remains true that every time I travel outside the norm, I reinvest my belief in the beauty of every destination, of learning from every connection, in seeking the truth that is our ONENESS, in bridging kindness and understanding, and always valuing our shared earth and her incredible capacity to nurture all her wild beings, big and small.

I cannot help but smile at my glimpse of Bali.

I think I have waited so long to write this post because I knew how challenging it would be to put into words the totality of my experience volunteering and participating in the Bali Spirit Festival  of 2017. 

Sure, incredible writers can do that, but I am no Ralph Waldo Emerson. I am just someone who loves the written word, not always using words themselves correctly nor placing them in the most appropriate places. But, I try. And, today, I will again, and of course, in butterfly detail.

By late December 2016, Anastasia had finalized most of our plans for the first two months of our trip. China, South Korea and then Indonesia (Bali more specifically). One day, I was at River Flow Yoga and Wellness, in Columbus, GA, where I am blessed to teach. I was chatting with the owners and my great friends Ben and Alee Link and shared with them my rough itinerary for my trip. Speaking in unison, they said I should look into the Bali Spirit Festival if I was going to be in Bali around March/April. They suggested, that like they had, I could volunteer my time at this amazing festival.

Hopeful, I jumped to my computer as soon as I got home. I saw that the core value that guides the festival is the Balinese Hindu mantra, Tri Hita Karana, which means to live in harmony with our spiritual, social, and natural environments. As you know, this is my mantra and a core principle which I lead with, always doing the most I can to BE in harmony with everything around me and within me. So, the decision was easy. Whatever it took, I would be at the festival. Volunteering or just as a participant. I would be there. I quickly sent in my volunteer application, and then directly after made a small ceremony in my apartment, manifesting this dream as a reality- volunteering at #BSF2017. The power of manifestation is incredible. Within just a couple weeks, I got my acceptance letter as a volunteer. I literally jumped for joy!

After being accepted as a volunteer, not much news came through until a couple of weeks prior to the festival. While in China, Dali to be exact, I was able to tap into the internet (even Facebook semi-illegally through our hostel) and make plans for my trip to Bali. On March 17th, I left my friends Anastasia and Lauren in Busan, South Korea, and headed for the solo section of my trip.

There are so many wonderful and interesting things that happened, just on the travel day to Bali, but if I went in that kind of detail, you would stop reading this post. So, short story is, I arrived in Bali in my beautiful hotel that I booked a couple days in advance. For $55 dollars a night, I had a king sized bed, 2 bathrooms, my own private pool and room service for 3 days! On the night of my arrival, I finally got my first call from Rob while he had been in Ranger School. At the end of this first phase for him, he had an 8 hour break before going into phase two. He had only time to shower, wash clothes, eat a whoooooole lot, and sleep for 2 hours. So, our call was only about an hour, but it was such a relief to hear from him and to know that he passed “DARBY” phase of Ranger School. This meant one section of his course was behind us, and only two more to go. So, after my 1am call with him, I slept until about 5, waking up to head to volunteer headquarters for #BSF2017 at 6am. With only 4 hours of sleep, you would think I would be dreading waking up, but I was so jazzed I didn’t even ask for coffee.

My driver Nick and I headed from downtown downtown Ubud, to the day venue, Bhanuswari Resort and Spa. Wow. What a great choice for our gathering. The resort is absolutely stunning, eco-chic and carries that same spiritual air that hovers over Ubud. Eventually, all of us volunteers were present, smiling, introducing ourselves and 100% feeling the positive vibrations of the event and so many magical wonderful creatures gathered together to be a source of good, promoting COMMUNITY, YOGA, LOVE, DANCE, HEALING SOUND, SUSTAINABILITY, PRANAYAMA and KINDNESS. So amazing.

In our volunteer meeting, we heard from Meghan and Kadek, two of the three beautiful founders of the festival. We also were given directions and laughs from Colin and Sunny, our volunteer coordinators.:) The week for me was morning classes and activities of my choosing, and afternoons 1-5 volunteering at the Grove, with evenings free to join in on all the juicy music of the festival. Straight up perfect schedule.So thankful.

I could really go on forever about the experience of being at Bali Spirit Festival, but what I really want to share about it is this: GO. Seriously, just GO. The festival is going to be held April 1-8, 2018 next year.

And why should you go? 

GO- for discovery of how your home community could thrive, in harmony with the earth and all beings in it. And how you are so vital to making that happen!

Go- to be with people who believe that we all can make a difference. Who see and love the power of you, in your authenticity.

GO- to learn how to activate YOUR voice at a higher frequency. To be empowered to be YOU.

GO- to learn from others. To learn about yourself.

GO- to have So much fun!

GO- to dive deeper into your understanding of the healing power of sound and dance. To dance your self into laughter.

Go- to harness your Chi.

GO- to learn new ways of practice. TO move with grace through your own inner compass.

GO- to meet and fall into the feeling of DEEP gratitude for your own authentic self.

GO- to BE an integral part of our good vibes and peaceful will community.

GO- to feel the energy, the hum of Ubud.

Go- to learn more of what your LIKE and what you DON’T.

Go- to breathe in new soul fuel.

Go- to heal.

Go- for you.

Go- because it is your destiny if you are reading this post.

GO to Bali Spirit Festival 2018 and let it change your world!

The biggest most heartfelt thank you to the community of Ubud, Bali Spirit Festival Creators , Spirit Team and wonderful participants. What an incredible week I had! I feel so blessed, rejuvenated and inspired by each of you, and all the beauty, kindness and love that was shared in March. BSF definitely had an incredible line up of teachers, healers, movers, monotony shakers, and givers. I am so grateful for this experience and can feel how much goodness will be shared out into our world because of BSF- each of us bridging BSF back into our own home communities!

Thank you to Sunny and Colin for bringing all us volunteers together and letting us put our energy to use! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

SAT Nam,

Allison

Photo Credit: BSF Spirit Team capturing morning yoga with Sri Vijay Gopala of Yoga Gita, Mysore, India

When it comes to sharing my experinces in South Korea with you, I am kind of a loss for where to begin. For me, South Korea was a whirlwind, spending only 4 days in Seoul and 1 night down south, in Busan. And, I really had NO expectations, for it was my job to do our research for China, and Anastaisa and our other friend Lauren’s job to scope out what to do in  South Korea and where to adventure to. In my mind, after the month of making plans and booking stuff in China, now was my time to coast, to ride on the wave of their decisions. I really looked forward to it. 

We left Hong Kong on March 13, and arrived mid-afternoon in Seoul. Lauren was flying in from the US and she wouldn’t be in until somewhere around 1am. So Anastasia and I dropped our bags in our hostel and headed out into the city to walk around and grab some food- figuring filling our bellies, a nap, and a night out would be the best way to wait for Lauren to arrive. 

This bit was our first small glimpse at Korean culture. 

The streets of the Hong Dae district were lined with clothes, fashion accessories and every store was jamming Korean rap- or I think the term is K-pop! Hot items seemed to be socks, cell phone cases, sunglasses and head bands. I seriously couldn’t get over the trends, and how every girl seemed to have straight hair with bangs, be wearing baggy-ish clothes, maybe a mid-drift line around the waist and the guys all in skinny jeans and flat bill hats. It made me think of how interesting human nature is. Seriously, the habitual, grouping, fitting in thing we humans do is so weird. And every country around the world does it in a way, but in Korea, I don’t know, it seemed more apparent. 

By night fall, we made our way to a spot for dinner, choosing it by the crowds and the loud noise of happy people coming from inside. As we walked in, I put up two fingers and a waiter showed us to our table. Sitting down on the bar stools, we looked around seeing what everyone was eating and drinking. Basically, it was time to crack into the Korean cuisine of Soju and Noodles. Ha! 

We weren’t really sure how to order anything, so we pointed to what other people had on their table and said please. I think eventually an English menu was brought over, but I can’t remember. The soju had probably already hit me. I mean, by itself, it is strong, but Koreans drop it in beer like a sake bomb. Taking notes from our neighbors, we did the same. Yes, it made the beer taste better, and while that is good, a hangover was being brewed. 

The night ended at a 100% Korean establishment. We were the only foreigners there. We made friends with some girls, one of which was really fond of saying..”sojuuuuuuu, soooo good.” I’ll never forget that. Also because the next day I had my only full hangover of our trip. That’s where being a yogi comes in- balance. One is not so bad I told myself. 

By close to 12am, we were back in the hostel, feeling light and spinning, waiting for Lauren to arrive. She got there safe and sound, and after excited hellos, we all went to bed. 

The next days, we explored temples, night food markets and a 7 story spa. Highlight was by far the spa or jjimjilbang. Literally 7 stories of health, from jade, charcoal and mugwort baths, to jade, red clay, and oxygen saunas. There are sleep rooms for snorers and for those who don’t, a food floor and so much more. It was such a relaxing and wonderful experience, a highlight and a must do while visiting  South Korea. And to add, it only costs 12 dollars to enter, literally allowing you access to the entire bathhouse for a period of 12 hours, with an option to extend available. Crazy great. 

As far as Busan, it seemed to be a city worth a day or two of exploration. I only had about 5 hours there to see the city on the night we arrived, before I left for Bali the next day. If I have any advice for a Busan, it would be to  stay at Wendy’s Guest House if you are looking for a great hostel. 

As I said, South Korea was quick for me. I have left out a good bit of our Korean adventure in this post, as I don’t think butterfly detail here would be that exciting for you. 

But I do have a few take-aways to share:

1. Jjimjilbangs, a must do. 

2. Buy Korean skin care products

3. Seoul needs more trees

4. The subway system in SK is more confusing than China

5. The history of Korea is so complex and interesting 

6. You can rent traditional Korean attire and wear it around town. FACT: tons of both Korean and Chinese tourists partake in this on their visit to Seoul. 

With love, 

Allison 

After putting our legs to work in the provincial area of Shangri’la, in Tiger Leaping Gorge, I knew the time for some softness had arrived. I also knew that I couldn’t push my travel buddy too much further with crazy hikes, nor did I want to, so the days of rest, good food and ease set in.  

From Lijiang, we took a morning flight back to Kunming. On arrival to Kunming, we had a 6 hour lay-over before heading to Guillen. The Kunming airport isn’t any kind of highlight, so we weren’t looking too forward to that long of a layover, so upon arrival, we got a quick bite to eat and then decided to go to the airline’s desk to see about an earlier flight. 

And this is where some China traveling advice comes into play. You will get what I mean in a minute. 

Okay, so with our bags in a trolley, we eventually find our Chinese airliner’s desk. I think it was Kunming Air. Irrevelvant. Anyways, so I get to the desk, planning to simply see about an earlier flight. First, as per understandably usual in China, the airline clerk spoke very little English. So, when I asked her about a possible earlier flight, she tells me that our flight already left. That we missed it. Aghast at this news, I asked for another clerk, hoping for some clarification. About 10 minutes later, another clerk comes to the desk. I inquire about our flight and he says, “no, no, I’m sorry, you did not miss your flight.” Relief swells over, regardless of the four more hours at this airport. But, then, as if a PS is in order, he says, “oh, but Miss, your flight has been delayed until 1 am, 13:00.  Yup, I said “what the hell” out loud. The gentleman returned my response by acting totally normal and saying I could cancel if I want. So weird. In the U.S., if a flight has been delayed, you might be rerouted for an earlier time; and that would really be the only option. Canceling? I was so confused. I was sure that meant a bigger chunk of change would be leaving our bank account. But, shortly, after a lot of communication work, I understood that the airline who had our delay could give me a letter of delay, which I could use to cancel our flights with C-trip (Chinese Travel Website). C-Trip would then refund us our money and we could book another flight, right there an then. Weirded out. 

So, we followed instructions, and went to another desk to book a new flight that would be leaving in an hour. So, now, we had to hurry. The flight did cost us 50 dollars more a piece, but it meant we wouldn’t be arriving into a new city at 3am. So we paid that extra cash, got our tickets and booked it to the gate. 

Though our morning had been quite stressful, (the ease I had planned had a late birth)… Our arrival to Guillen was so perfect. We stepped outside to WARM weather for the first time in 3 weeks! No need for down jackets, long sleeve shirts, jeans or gloves. Holy Moly. Sunshine!

From the airport of Guillen, you drive into the city, as if being cupped by the moving hands of Giants. Craggy cliffs and mountains move in the periphery, as scooters whiz in and out of traffic. Pagodas, rivers, bridges, and smiling faces. 

We stayed 2 nights in Guillen, exploring the city’s offerings, choosing to stroll its shopping streets, western pubs, bar scene, and planning our trip to Yangshou. 

The highlight of week four, for me, was our cruise down the Li river to Yangshou. It was incredibly beautiful, unraveling ancient travel routes and fresh forest air, amidst karst peaks. The photo above is of our cruise. I spent the majority of our time on the boat on its uppermost level, biting the cold with wide-open eyes. Amazed at the beauty of our earth, our people, the resiliency of nature and man. Again, I thought, “now this is China. This is what I came here to see, to breathe, to experience.” Watching fisherman in small bamboo rafts flow along the river, paddling every once in a while, birds circling above, winds creating music through bamboo and dense forest trees. I stood there, still, cold, blissful and astonished.  

Four hours later, we arrived in the port of Yangshou. I have a thing for trusting female taxi drivers, so when a sweet little lady came up to us and offered us a ride for around 9 dollars, we took it. We had booked our hotel a few days before, thinking we were headed to a Hyatt Regency up in the mountains of the rock climbing town of Yangshou. BUT, once we got there, we quickly realized our hotel was a Hyatt with only one t-making it Hyat… Not exquisite, not American feeling, and did not have the amenities we saw in the photos. And I know how stuck up and stuffy at that sounds, but in week four of our trip in China, we were ready for some relaxation. And yes, some western qualities in our hotel stay. Anastasia gave the place a hard no, and we were out. 

The truth is, when in China, you are always better off going for something unfamiliar, and Chinese. So, we found ourselves in a hotel called the White Lotus, or something, and called it a day. Shortly after, Anastasia got all sorts of excited because she found us an Indian restaurant, which had great review on tripadvisor, and it did not disappoint. Delicious food and King Fisher beers. I felt like I was in India again. And, the owners were super friendly and told us about a cool traveler’s bar around the corner. Walking down cobblestone roads, in a light mist, we spotted the DMZ bar. As the name implied,  we found ourselves being talked into a trip to North Korea by a good few fellow travelers. After a few more beers, can you believe I actually thought about the opportunity? Shifting our trip from South Korea to North? Ha! If we had chosen that, and come back safely, I think our own Moms would have locked us up. 

With a slight bit of a headache the next day, we grabbed some breakfast and went for a bicycle ride around town. Yangshou,  is absolutely beautiful. A bike ride takes you through valleys, under cliffs, touching cherry blossoms, passing oxen worn fields and strawberry farms. But, by about 3:00, storm clouds were moving in, so we headed back to the hotel. 

For dinner, we adventured to a vegetarian restaurant recommended by Lonely Planet. And this is fun… Guess what we finally ate? The ONE HUNDRED YEAR OLD EGG delicacy and fungus. I won’t lie, it was awful, but we did it. And with unsatisfied tatsebuds, we went to KFC for ice crea. Yes, in China, you can eat both one hundred year old eggs and KFC in the same hour. 

The next morning, we had the most insane taxi ride of our entire trip. This one, you will just have to ask me about.  Well ok, short synopsis:

Driver spoke no English. He read our destination off a piece of paper, which I had the hotel clerk write for us in Chinese. We are in China, so we don’t expect anyone to speak English, it simply is just nice when they can. Let’s be real, Chinese is hard! So, with the paper in hand we thought he knew our destination. Along the ride, he stops to text a number of times. After around the 5th stop, we ask if everything is okay. He ignores us and drives on at his scarily fast pace. Eventually,  we drive on into a city and he tells us we have arrived at our destination. We see no train station in sight. I pull out my Lonely Planet guide book and try to find pictures of trains, to make clear where we need to go. Anastasia is searching for cell signal, to little avail. Both of us have a moment of helplessness. Fifteen minutes later, we think we have an understanding and the guy laughs manically, driving down bumpy ass roads, speeding ahead away from the town. We are getting scared that he has no clue where we need to go and we will miss our train. Still laughing, it looks like we are driving towards absolutely nothing. Like we are headed towards maybe rice fields, mountains, and forest huts. Our driver is still laughing and texting. And then all the sudden, a clearing comes into sight and a seemingly magical train station appears. 

And by the fall of the evening, after 2 trains and hours of subway time, we arrive in Hong Kong. Relieved to be walking, safely, in the right direction, we arrive at our hostel. Check Inn Hostel. As we get to the desk, we are thinking, “alright, alright, this is going to be good.” And then, the owner takes us to our “deluxe” room, which unlike the pictures had shown, is actually a coffin sized room with one set of bunk beds an a toilet and shower that you can touch with your toes from the bed. Seriously. A the moment, we thought, “okay, we can handle this.” So, we just drop our stuff and head out for a delicious dinner. Dinner, did not is disappoint. But, the coffin sized room did. The beds were literally made up of a thin, thin, and thin mattress over a piece of plywood. Not okay for 20 Hong Kong dollars a night. So again, we moved hotels. Thankfully, the Vela Hotel was great and a perfect location to explore Hong Kong! Hong Kong is a ridiculously cool city. And the best part was that my friend Tara met us and showed us around, giving us an inside look of the lifestyle Hong Kong offers. (We love you Tara). Anastasia, Tara an I literally ate our way through the food frenzied city and explored a small bit of its active scene, including hiking Dragon’s Back Ridge and taking yoga classes at Yoga Bam Bam. It was all very Western feeling, and easy. And before I knew it, we were checking in for the next leg of our journey: South Korea. 

Wauuuuwww. Thank you China👏👍

———-

I am actually at a loss for words on how to conclude this portion of our trip. China, for me, was an experience of a lifetime. At times, I was astounded by its ancient beauty and at other times, I was wholly confused by the nation in its entirety. It was like running back and forth across the center beam of a sea-saw. On February 14th, 2017, I stood on the center of the beam, with only a sense of curiosity, not knowing what lied on either side. Standing there with little expectations. I was open to wherever and whatever the adventure would bring. And as we left for South Korea, just one month later, I honestly stood on the same point of the beam, but this time, having run back and forth across it so many times, I felt much more sturdy. I feel as though I now have better understanding of the materials the beam of China is made from, it’s straight lines, it’s bumps, it’s curves, it’s imbalances and strengths. And that is the point for me. This feeling is why I travel. It’s about gaining new perspectives, better understandings of our neighbors, so that I can apply that new knowledge in my life… here and now. To bridge that gained understanding back home. 

And, I don’t know if she will read this post, as she experienced the whole thing with me anways, but I would like to give a special thank you to my travel buddy, my soul sister, my crazy gypsy librarian fancy nomad Potter loving partna, and one of my best friends in the world, Anastasia Leach. Thank you for taking this adventure with me. I am so thankful for you, for our friendship and all the crazy bits of life we experience together. You rock. And I love you girl!

At this point in our adventure in China, I would be lying if I didn’t tell you how a big part of me was hoping, really praying, for some semblance of solitude. Not truly solitude in that I wanted to be alone (I am an extroverted introvert), but more that our run ins with large crowds would be more infrequent. I was hoping that down south was more sparse, feeling a little more like Burma or Tibet. But, as we picked up our bags in the Kunming airport, I quickly saw that my hopes for less human traffic had been squashed. Whether big or small, Chinese cities are packed with people. PACKED. But, on the bright side, it was warmer outside and we had officially landed in the Moutain Phase of our own trip! 

Our first night in Kunming, we met up with Anastasia’s friend Wyatt and his English girlfriend. Both lovely people! They gave us some tips on travel down south over my first veggie burger in China! So good. After dinner, they took us to their local bar, which had a girl punk rock band playing. We could not tell whether they were “singing” in English or Chinese. Either way, it was good entertainment over 2 beer Laos. 

The next morning, we slept in a bit and then went and grabbed breakfast. A real freaking expresso- amazing. As we chatted about our plans for the day, we realized we didn’t have anything we absolutely had to see in Kunming and therefore decided to give ourselves some extra days in the mountains. From Kunming, we planned to travel to Dali, to Lijiang and from Lijiang hike China’s biggest gorge- Tiger Leaping Gorge! I couldn’t have been more excited about the adventure ahead. 

As we arrived in Dali, my spirit lightened, as it always does when I am surrounded by mountains. You know that look dogs get when their heads get to stick out the car window? Yeah, that’s how I feel when I get to go “home” to the mountains. 

Dali and Lijiang are both wonderful little cities by themselves. They are competely geared towards tourism and have beautiful highlights to be explored. Imagine stone roofs, pointed edges, small alleyways, rivers through town, flowers, lillies, birds in cages, mist hanging above the houses, surrounded by mountains- that Chinese magazine look… yeah that’s Dali and Lijiang. But that is also the exact reason these cities are Chinese tourists winter hotspots! So, we stayed only 2 days in Dali and used Lijiang as the base for our 2 day hike around Snow Mountain and Tiger Leaping Gorge.

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Now here is the part I have been itching to get to. 

In our hotel in Lijiang, A and I each packed a small overnight rucksack. The basics. New underwear, tooth brushes, small sleeping sheet, and water. We read Lonely Planet’s basic description a number of times. From our understanding, it was going to be a moderate hike with one hella hard section that contained 28 ascending switchbacks. I believed that would be manageable for both A and I. And truth is, A is not a fanatic hiker like I am, so I was treading in tricky water. But, she said she was up for it and knew that I didn’t know too much more than what Lonely Planet had described and what our hostel owner explained. So we made it an early morning, having bought some breakfast items the night before. As I failed making French press coffee, A failed by pouring a Chinese tap water into our yogurt. So, instead of the pleasant morning coffee and fruit, yogurt and granola we imagined…we had grainy coffee, and stale cereal with some fruit. Not the best start, but I laughed anyways and crossed my fingers for a gas station on the way. 

By about 7 -ish, River, our hostel owner guided us to the bus stop. We piled in and took  a 2 hour bus ride to the trail head in Qiaotou. From the moment we stepped foot out of the bus, onto the trailhead, we began a steady ascent. The first part was more like walking along the side of a mountain road, but after about 45 minutes, of a steady cement ascent, our feet began to roll over orange dirt, stepping up stone by stone, in pursuit of nothing but the moment. When the sun shine just a bit too hot, or our legs began to tire, there was always relief in seeing the smiles of the local Naxi people selling snickers, Cola, water, toys and hash. Hehe. 

In total, we hiked for about 7-8 hours on day one (some 11 miles), and I hiked another 4 on day two. For me, hiking is a moving mediation. My feet, knowing without thinking where to place each foot, my breath in, my breath out, spaces between thoughts, listening to the earth move around me, people passing by me, birds flying over me, the sound of the gorge in the distance carving its way through the empty valley. A constant smile rising in me for the entirety of the time. Feeling guided by an inner intuition. Present. Happy.  

And every few minutes, the thought would pop into my head about how much Rob would love the hell out this hike. How the challenge and beauty of it was so our thing. Army life is hard. I sure do miss him. 

And the views, oh so worth the energy used to climb. 

We truly did not know what we were getting ourselves into. But, isn’t that where the excitement is after all… Not knowing. Of course, knowing the perimeters, I find, is comforting. But I love knowing that whatever comes, I am strong enough to take on the challenge. That my body is capable, and my mind even more so. And yes, I know, hiking is not everyone’s cup of tea. But it is mine. It exposes my strength, my courage, and brings in a clear awareness- an inner wisdom of the the unity that lies within me connected to everything around me. I see and feel that abundance.  And I am so greateful. 

The last time we spoke, we were on a high speed train to Shanghai, enjoying the dethawing moment a warm train provided. I think the train ride itself took some like 4-5 hours. I cannot remember exactly, but we made it. 

We arrived in Shanghai around 8pm. AirBnB works here, so Anastasia scored for us by finding a perfect small apartment in the French Concession. If you ever plan to visit Shanghai, the French Concession is “where it’s  at”. The Shanghai French Concession was a foreign concession in Shanghai from 1849-1943, a period of time when Shanghai earned it’s “Paris of the East” title. Though the concession itself ended in the middle of WWII, the area has retained a distinct Euopean character. We found it absolutely comforting and beautiful, loving the wide streets, simple navigation and western food availability. We stayed, I think, three nights and four days. Using the “hop on, hop off bus”, we explored some of Shanghai’s highlights, such as the Bund, a good bit of the French Concession, and People’s Square. We also spent one afternoon working our way towards the “Poster Propaganda Museum”, which was recommended to us by Anastasia’s cousin, Naomi, who has lived in Shanghai for four years. Lonely Planet did not mention this gem, and while it is simple, it was literally the only place where information is shared about China’s past and the CCP. So glad we froze in the cold wind to get there! 

Indeed Shanghai is a really cool modern city. But, you know me. Modern cities are not why I came to China. So, yes I could go on about the high rises mixed with European architecture, but I might fall asleep. Instead, the most memorable thing about Shnaghai was the food! We ate a much needed big lunch at a Burmese influenced restaurant Lost Heaven. It was delicious. I had spring rolls, water spinach, and a brilliant tofu, mushroom, chili concoction. Wow. I have been craving it since the moment we left. My mouth is watering now.

  
We also had a Sichuan meal with Anatstasia’s cousin Naomi, which was also delicious. Naomi ordered a whole spread. Spicy green beans, hot eggplant, dumplings, meat dishes, cold tiny brown fungus. Shoot, I’m hungry. 

So, yes, the food in Shanghai was delicious. And the craft breweries are definitely worth a stop. I’ll be looking for Kentucky Bourbon Ale when I get back to Georgia. 

After the few days spent in Shanghai, we took our first Chinese flight to Xi’an. Unfortunately, due to the long travel distances and recommendations, we chose to skip Kung Fu’s home of Shaolin Temple, which was half-way between Shanghai and Xi’an. While it was definitely on my list, it would have been an extra two days of travel and we heard from Naomi that the essence of what I was seeking was lost in the huge crowds of Chinese tourists who swarm the temple. After our experience with crowds in the Forbidden City, I understood what she meant and decided with Anastasia that heading straight to Xi’an and seeing the Terractta Warriors was our best bet.  So we did. 

We spent two nights in Xi’an. Upon our arrival, I could already see that Xi’an was going to be a favorite of mine. Xi’an is one of the few cities in China to still have it’s original city walls. Built in 1370 during the Ming dynasty, the walls form a large square, which is surrounded by a moat. As we entered into the city, I know I at least mouthed “wow.” The scene was so picturesque. Large pagoda like entrances, streets lined with red Chinese lanterns, and small shops selling jade, brushes for Chinese calligraphy and art galore. After dropping our bags and meeting our roommates, we headed straight for the Muslim Quarter of Xi’an. The Muslim quarter was something I was so excited for, since it is basically street after street of food stalls. Yes, lots of meat (as expected), but a good bit of fruit, tofu creations, and interesting sights. 

The photos above don’t really capture the vibes of this quarter of Xi’an. As you walked through, you could feel the energy hum, the loud sales pitches called, the knifing of pig ribs, the whiz of nuts grinding, the pound of hammers against wood, Chinese music, and probably a good thousand hearts beating to the spell of curiosity. That night, I ate spicy fried tofu, some kind of sticky rice that I thought was pineapple, and a hearty egg noodle soup. Anastasia ate mostly the same, but added in a shredded beef sandwich.

That night, with full bellies, we made our way back to our hostel, booked our tour for the Terractta Warriors museum for the following morning and headed to our four bedroom female dorm. Our roomates  were inquisitive women. Lots of questions about our American ways, right down to religion.

We had top bunks with a very strong heating system beating down on our faces, so we didn’t sleep that well that night. But, we had only one more day in Xi’an, so when morning beckoned, we answered. Our tour began a 9:30 am, with a wonderful guide whose English name is Wendy. She knew her Chinese history well and was therefore wonderful to have during the day’s adventure. Very informative. The short version is this famous archeological site was first discovered in 1974. It is the home of Emporer Qin Shi Huang’s tomb, which is most likely the grandest mausoleum in the world. Though the majority of the Emporer’s tomb has chosenly been left untouched, uncovered is thousands of life-sized Chinese warriors, who were crafted and placed to protect Emporer Qin during the after-life. Emporer Qin  was the first actual Emporer of China. He began building his tomb during his reign at the age of 13. It took 38 years to build and over 700,000 workers. 

The Warriors are an amazing sight to see, especially because each one has been put back together, piece by piece by archeologists. I just wonder what lies in his actual tomb, considering he has thousands of Warriors at guard. But, I agree that some things are better left a mystery. 

Unlike emporer Qin’s tomb, China, for me, was never one of those things. It’s a mystery I am loving to unravel. I know it’s most impossible to do in one month, but I already feel that I am atleast gathering leads.

So if your haven’t heard, I’m in China. Yes, China. Why? You soon will understand. 

The plans for another big trip began oh so long ago. I can trace the thought bubble of this big trip all the way back to the porch of my apartment in Austin, Texas in 2010. Anastasia and I had just returned from our first big adventure together, hustling our way through a good bit of Europe. We were still high from our travels and were reminiscing over a bottle of wine, or three, on my porch. We were sad that what we thought was the biggest adventure of our lives was over. But, were determined it would become a lifestyle. We stared at google maps version of the world, excited at all the possibilities and opportunities ahead. We proclaimed there would be so many more world travels ahead. And, here, I’ll make a small jump to the point. We did make travel our lifestyle. We have had so many more travel adventures since our first taste. And I have enjoyed it all, every last detail,  as you know if you have read my butterfly stories.

And somewhere last year, maybe summer-ish, I knew that Rob’s Army career would lead him towards a good number of schools, which would mean time apart. So, I told A that I needed my travel buddy again. I think at the time she was traveling some of Europe, planning to return home and do the whole job thing. I told her, I am planning another in trip, and that while I would do it alone, it would be so much more fun if she joined. Thank God, she agreed. She and I have that same gypsy soul, so I knew I wouldn’t have to beg too hard. 

 Not only has week one been a wonderful, crazy ride, but we have kept each other from freezing, both mentally and physically. Ha. In Thailand, the saying goes, “same, same, but different.” I would say China is simply different. Beautiful in its own way, but different, indeed. At least, those are my thoughts ending week one. 

I left for this big journey on February 12th, 2017. Rob was supposed to have gone into Ranger school the week before, but as usual, the Army had its own plans. So, instead of him leaving before me, I left before him. Totally not normal for us, but he begins Ranger School on the 26th, which means he has been home studying while A and I have been exploring foreign territory, eating weird small apples, pointing a lot, and freezing under the smog of Beijing. 

The good thing is I have been able to tell him about our days, which now I can share with you too! My flight left from Atlanta on the 12th, getting into Houston that evening with some huge surprises I can’t yet reveal. From there, I departed the next morning for a stop over in Seattle, and then an 11 hour flight to Beijing.We arrived in the future, in Beijing on the afternoon of the 14th. It took an hour for A and I to find one another.But, once we did, we found our way towards the subway. Luckily the subway signs have both English and Chinese. Whew. Everything went pretty smoothly until we we got out of the subway, looking for our hostel. Long story short is the “houtong” or alley way was much longer than the directions said- or we were just moving really slow in the below freezing weather. After asking a few people for directions and getting denied, a younger guy helped us out, explaining that house numbers in Beijing are not based on the location, but actually on age. I.E.- the first house built in a section becomes one and so on… Meaning really, you have no clue how to find your house number, you just keep your fingers crossed and manifest finding it. 

Luckily we found our hostel before our fingers froze. We threw our stuff down and headed back up the hutong for some food. We found a dumpling house, did some pointing, and managed to get ourselves some sour soup, beef and vegetarian dumplings. Oh yeah, the vegetarian part was assisted by the hostel’s front desk worker, Echo. She wrote down, in Chinese, “Hi, Can you please assist me in finding some vegetarian options for dinner? But, my friend here, she eats meat.” (I’ll be keeping this letter for the entirety of this trip.) Our meal was served by a young gentleman, number 31652… No names. Funny huh? After dinner, and a big beer, we headed back to the hotel and racked out. 

With the assistance of jet-lag, day two began at 6am. By 7:30am, we had eaten and prepped for our first day of exploration in Beijing. We ventured to the Forbidden City, Ti’anamen Square, and Lama Temple. I won’t do politics while in China, but I will say it all was fascinating. Lama Temple was by far my favorite site in Beijing. The movement of insence, the purity of intentions and prayers, feeling the energy of the sacred space move on our skin. It was beautiful. My only wish is that the individual prayer halls would have been open. Anastasia took a pic for me in front of the Hall of Universal Happiness. I said a prayer for us all. That evening, we summoned up our last bit of energy to navigate our way towards Great Leaping Brewery, which was indeed super cool. No heat inside, so cool in more ways than one. Beers were followed up by a rushed and disappointing dinner in one of the more famous huntongs, but we survived. Day two, we went to the Temple of Heaven, which I am sure is heavenly in the summer. For us, it was a cold hell, but we were pleased, if only for the fact of seeing how people of the city use the space in even the chilliest of conditions. People of all ages were outside in the masses, playing cards, practicing their instruments, and dancing. We were frozen, holding one another and yes, escaped to a mall for warmth and clean bathrooms. It’s the truth. 

The next day, we packed up and left for Gubeikou, a small village hugging China’s Great Wall. I have to admit, Beijing had me questioning my initial decision to adventure in China… Justa bit. But, once we escaped Beijing’s smog and started seeing specs of the Great Wall, I was immediately reminded of why we chose China. From Beijing, we took bus 980 about an hour and a half to the city of Miyun. From there, a taxi grabbed us, most literally, and took us to the village of Gubeikou. We stayed at the Great Wall Box House, an absolutely perfect mountain getaway with pristine white sheets, HEAT, and a truly friendly staff. The first evening, we joined Jim and Tunon on their walk to the village center for vegetables and other goods. We got some weird Chinese goodies for ourselves as well. The evening was easy, with a nice meal and a long night of sleep. Yesterday, we woke up well rested and ready for a day of walking THE GREAT WALL. It is massive, and actually much like I imagined. The part we saw, was as intended, not touristy. The area of the wall near Gubeikou has not been restored, like some of the touristy parts of the wall. It is in its almost original state, only its height decreased as the Chinese Government encourages people to use the wall for building materials. We walked for about 3 hours along the wall, simply staring out into the great distances ahead, seeing the curving line of the wall, it’s towers, and the expanse of mountains it hugged. At first, we were wishing we would have had a tour-guide, but in the end, I am glad it was not offered. The silence spoke enough. We were walking through history, creating our own, and being exactly present- in a moment of time like no other, unraveling China’s ancient wonder, unraveling our own presence in our great beautiful world. And it’s only week one. 

Risk takers, dare devils, adrenaline addicts, whatever you want to call them, skydivers have a different kind of genetic makeup. You can say adrenaline junkies are wired wrong, but I believe the majority are  wired just right- usually leading towards daring decisions that inspire a life of adventure.

The first time I jumped from 13,000ft. was in Interlaken, Switzerland, out of an airplane. The second time was in Temple, Texas. The third time was out of a helicopter…again in Interlaken, Switzerland.

Simply said, it is a gene thing. You are either genetically wired to love this kind of thrill, or you don’t. I certainly do.

But, why am I talking about skydiving, when this post is about Fort Bragg, NC? Well, I want to point out that there are adrenaline junkies and then… there are paratroopers. Army paratroopers to be specific.  And paratroopers my friend, have a lot more guts than most adrenaline junkies. The currency rate for US Army paratroopers is to jump at least once every three months, to keep their “jump pay”. But, in my personal experience, men and women of the 82nd Airborne Division jump out of perfectly good aircrafts more like 3 times a month, solely for training, and most often in some kind of inclement weather. [These numbers stand outside of actual deployment numbers]

In September of 2015, Rob got assigned to his first duty station, Fort Bragg, North Carolina; home of the Airborne and Special Operations. For the next year of our lives, Rob would build this special “paratrooper” toughness, being part of the 82nd Airborne Division, the primary fighting arm of the XVIII Airborne Corps.  I, simultaneously, and with the help of an amazing community, would build our Army family- one that would help us get through our first year of Army life with a smile.

You see, when I recount our days in Fort Bragg, that year was a lot like what I imagine jumping out of an Army Aircraft on a static line would be like. The anticipation and preparation being the worst part. For us, we went through months of being apart, prepping in silos for our first Army home. Packing bags, stuffing chutes, preparing for a safe life landing, rolling through scenarios of how to navigate turbulent air pockets as they would come, difficulties as they would arise. And then loading onto an aircraft, with your life’s security on your back, by the will of your own hands. For me, reminding myself as I tried to ground in a new city, that I have everything I need and I would be okay. A job, friends, yoga, life, it would all come in time in its own time and we would be okay.

And then there is the green light, the one that is always accompanied by someone yelling GO, GO, GO…. and all the sudden, everything you have prepared for is waiting for you to take the leap towards it. All you have to is jump. It’s both scary and a thrill. Forward is the only choice, and so you leap. You jump out into the open, counting on catching the right wind. And for a whole long moment, your world seems to still. You hear the beat of your heart, you check your chute, and then you realize you are okay. You are okay. You are in the air, you have made it to this new place, catching the right wind, and now, all you have to do is enjoy it and keep moving forward.

And that’s when choices come in. How can you best serve yourself and others in this jump. What will make it most enjoyable? What can you learn? Where should you land? You make quick plans, you feel the pattern of the wind lifting you up, you remember to pull your knees into chest and you set your eyes on a target. You slow yourself down and you decisively make movements. You again, count on your knowledge and the forces of nature around you to guide you in. And you simply glide on towards your target. In the next moments,  you take a look around. In clear sight, you see all your friends who made this big jump with you. You smile; feeling thankful for those who believed in you, for the courage you showed in taking the big leap forward, and for those who took the same big leap with you. You all arrived at your target, onto your desired landing space, in the home of the free- because of you and your friends- the brave.

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I know, its a long metaphor. But, it couldn’t be more accurate. Being a paratrooper does indeed require a great deal of guts. It requires dedication, knowledge, faith and a supportive community. But, these characteristics are not exclusive to the paratrooper. They also are survival requirements for all military members, spouses, family members and friends. For all those who spend much of their moments in prayer, asking for a safe landing for their loved ones. And then there comes the support of the community, akin to those who clear out debris and harmful objects that could inhibit a safe landing on ground. Really, military members and their families can have done all the preparation, hold all the knowledge necessary, and carry their faith like the rucks on their back, but if their target landing space is filled with harmful objects, red tape, or unsafe conditions, the landing is destined to be rough. So, I would like to thank the community of Fort Bragg, the community of Fayetteville, for maintaining a landing space where military members can glide most gently home.  As a military spouse, I can’t imagine getting through those praying/waiting games without the friends I made in the great city of Fayetteville/ Fort Bragg, North Carolina. A sincere thank you everyone who made our first courageous jump possible. And a special thank you to my big yoga family of Fayetteville, my Army wives club of three, to Lisa Ray and the 440th AW, and to Alan Wooten and the Fayetteville Observer.

And for your entertainment, here is my latest skydive with the US Army’s Golden Knights (All thanks to the Air Force Reserve’s 440th AW). https://youtu.be/Q1YElpnSGM4

When I think about it, maybe it’s the adrenaline junkie in me that can smile at all the craziness military life can inspire. And again, to the point I made above, I may just be wired for it. So for us all, GO GO GO and make decisions that inspire a life of adventure.

In love and light,

Allison

It has been a while since the last time I took the time to sit down and write. As we all say, life happened and I got actually quite busy. In a great way, but, yes, life’s fullness has left little time for writing.

But, today, I woke up early in earnest, to write; to finally put onto paper (you could say), the story of The Butterfly Landing.

I guess I have procrastinated on this piece because it is such an important one in the grand collections of my journey. I never really knew where to begin; how to intertwine my movements from 2010 at Hacienda del Secreto, to my travels around our beautiful world in my “Yellow Butterfly” spirit, to becoming an Army wife, to a yoga teacher, all the way to my most recent movement…a yoga studio creator. In all actuality, I still don’t know where to begin. But, as I always say to my students, the biggest challenge, sometimes, is just getting to your yoga mat. So, this is me, at my mat.

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Life is a magical journey. The road ahead is never certain, but hindsight is 20-20. Looking back, I can exactly see how I manifested the life I am living today. Since the later years of my undergraduate studies, age 21 or 22, I have asked God every night to help me to be a tool of good in this world. I have asked and prayed for him to lead me on a path to help and serve others in my best way. For my existence to be, yes, wild and exciting, traveling around the world, full of LOVE, culture and seeing our earth’s beauty… but, also to serve others along my journey.

My path led me to ditching the normal after college life. I opted for adventure and travel, rather than that first out of college job. Society said I was wrong, even irresponsible. But, I knew that it was the right choice. In my travels around Europe with Anastasia, doors of opportunity began to open. In such a short period of time, the way I looked at the world and the way I saw myself participating in it became different. I no longer saw the need to stay in the US, get a job, move up in the corporate ladder. Instead, I saw an opportunity to broaden my horizons… to live the life I prayed  for and dreamt of. So, upon my return home to Texas, I applied for Webster University’s Master of International Relations program in Geneva, Switzerland. This decision was a BIG one. Today, looking back, I see it as a big fork in the road. I chose left, which was right for me.

One decision spurred many others. Moving to Geneva led me to meet my soul mate, Rob (you know him well since he is mentioned in most every one of my blogs) , move to Bangkok, decide to pursue a long-distance relationship with my Dutchman, work for Care International back in Geneva, move to the Netherlands to be with Rob, find work, MARRY him:) , travel around South East Asia for 4 months together, move to the US as The Janssens,  and take on Army life as a team. See.. it was a lot of decisions, right?

But, while we did make tons of decisions together, there was  one personal destiny, silently drawing me in… Yoga.

I was first introduced to Yoga in 2010, as an off-season exercise during my last year as a collegiate athlete at Saint Edward’s University. Looking back, the amazing man who led us was definitely a Kundalini yogi, dressed in all white, teaching us Kapalabhati breath and kundalini kriyas. The practice planted a seed in my spirit. A year later, I was pulling out my mat in my apartment in Geneva, doing yoga for my workouts and meditation for sleep via youtube videos. Six months after that, I embarked upon a daily practice in Bangkok, Thailand, in a little yoga studio inside Amarin Plaza. It was almost intoxicating, as I reaped so much personal benefits almost immediately. Hooked, six months after that, I had found a studio in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, which hosted a sole Bikram practice. Later, as we traveled around SE Asia, I popped into as many practices as I could. After moving to the US, my Mom’s garage became my haven for my personal practice. And, as I wrote about before, when Rob left for basic training, I made another BIG decision for myself, choosing to pursue my Yoga Teacher 200hr Certificate in Koh Lanta, Thailand with Ella Luckett of Jai Yoga Arts. Another big fork in the road.

Since graduation from YTT in May 2015, I have been on the awakening and joyful ride of my personal practice and teaching yoga to students from the white sandy beach of Hacienda del Secreto, to Fort Bragg, NC, to our home now, Fort Benning, GA.

And yes, now that you have the background, I feel I can finally share how my dream of The Butterfly Landing manifested into reality.

In June, 2015, my incredibly inspiring and amazing Grandparents, Jack and Teen Corey, celebrated their 95th and 70th birthdays, June 8th and June 13th. If you know my grandparents, you know they never do anything small. If they are going to do something, well, it is going to be damn near perfect and quite honestly-BIG. Especially, in say European standards. In Texas, their shenanigans is actually quite normal, I believe. Anyways, for my grandparent’s big birthday celebrations, over 25 something family and friends all joined at Hacienda del Secreto, our Mayan Riviera boutique resort. Together, our group spent a week, enjoying the beauty of Playa Secreto and adventuring out to the must-see tourist attractions, such as Vidanta’s Cirque du Soleil and sailing to Puerto Morelos (Thank you Gramma and Papa). Also, during this week of big adventure, I offered to teach morning yoga practice to any, and all who were willing to wake up and meet me on their mats at 8am. Amazingly, about 5 to 8 family members and friends showed each morning! Of course, we were there for a party, so 8am was a little to early for most- but some DID make it!

So, there we were, each morning, our mats in the sand of the volleyball court area of Hacienda del Secreto. We breathed together, moved together, laughed together and started each day with a smile. Outside of Yoga Teacher Training, it was my first time to TEACH and I found it so fulfilling. I felt, for the first time, like I was helping others in a way I best could. I was over-joyed:)

But, while the practices were beautiful, it was actually not the most pleasant to be connecting movement with breath and sweat in the sand. While the softness of sand is nice, its shifty character does not bolster the most sturdy foundation in a yoga practice. Nor, does sand in the mouth taste very good. 😉 So, with these thoughts in mind, I began saying.. if we only had like a 12 by 12 of some flat wood to stand on. Of course, when your Dad is one of Houston’s lead architects, he says, “too easy, Allison.” A few hours later, my Dad, alongside my Grandmother began looking for the perfect place for my 12×12. Little did I know, the simple small shala I was imagining would one day become the Butterfly Landing Yoga and Wellness Studio. But, for the next month, it remained just an idea… something our family business COULD DO. Then, in July, we sat down and had a big family business meeting. There was a number of things to discuss, but a yoga studio was on the table. By the end of our discussion (sparing you these butterfly details), it was decided… we could begin construction in the fall of that year. At this point, I was mostly in shock, disbelieving that a yoga studio at Hacienda del Secreto could actually come to fruition. Of course, I was all in… but I wondered if it was something that would actually be done. I prayed about it, I brewed over it, I manifested it.

Later that same July, I returned to Hacienda del Secreto to meet up with some of my girlfriends. During the week that girlfriends were there, my friend Teresa and I (we did YTT together) practiced yoga together and even taught my other friends who came down from the Netherlands to join us. It again, was so much fun! I was literally jumping anytime someone asked me to guide them in a practice. The girls eventually went on to travel more throughout Mexico. I therefore, spent the next month living and working at Hacienda del Secreto, while Rob was in the advanced portion of his training. During these 30 something days, I spent each day mostly the same. I woke up, did my morning practice, went for an hour long walk down the beach, went for a swim, showered, worked for about 4 hours, blogged for about an hour and spent the rest of my day manifesting what I wanted in the future. If you read my about me section, you will see I tend to do a lot of dreaming at Hacienda del Secreto. I guess my Yellow Butterfly Spirit gets a needed recharge when I return to Mexico.

Anyways, one day, after spending time in silence with my thoughts, I was talking on the phone with my Mom about life and about what a studio could actually do for our Hacienda del Secreto and for so many people. I talked to her about opportunities and how much goodness and healing could come from a yoga space on our grounds. As we chatted, I told her that I was working on changing my blog’s name to something that would one day be the identity of my yoga studio. I was hungry for it all to happen. And as my Mom always does, she supported me. We talked through my thoughts… and eventually, together, came out with the name- The Butterfly Landing.

The Butterfly Landing. Yes!

Because aren’t we all butterflies? Don’t we all go through phases, changes? From caterpillars, to goo in a cocoon, to creating a new a better self, to hatching as someone with a new outlook on life, learning to fly and landing for rest. And woah, don’t we all need rest? A landing space?

The Butterfly Landing was officially completed the morning of October 6, 2016, just a few hours before our first retreaters arrived.

My dream officially grew roots, and out of the dirt had come a tiny sprout. And now, I am all about watering this sprout, growing its leaves and flowers, creating a space for every butterfly who needs a place to land. So come, land with me. Land, rest, and feel gratitude for life with me. I’ll be waiting for you- watering my sprout, creating a place for you to land.

Lastly, The Butterfly Landing Yoga and Wellness Studio was and is my dream. We all have one. And we all have the power to manifest our dreams into reality. It is time to go for it! No doubt, there were times I was fearful of failure. I am also sure, there are times that lie ahead where fear may bubble up again. But, the truth is, we each have a gift to share with our world. Every gift is different and equal. It is time we each rejoice in our own gifts, nurture them, and share them with the world. That my friend, is how we each will be of benefit. How we each will be a tool of good work in this world.

I know, I know…what a typical photo. Totally not in any way similar to my past postings. Rob and I didn’t arrive in some far off land, filled with beauty of mountains, forests, beaches, jungle or anything like what we normally seek.

But, we did arrive in the safe haven of family love, and after all of our adventures in 2014, we felt incredibly thankful for that.

In 2014, we put so much effort, thought and sleepless nights into immigrating to the the US. Working with immigration lawyers, USCIS, the US government, the Dutch government, taxes and blah blah blah… ALL WHILE TRAVELING…making it to the USA was a VERY big deal! It also was a huge deal because it marked the beginning of a new, beautiful and change- filled chapter together.

I think I will call this chapter: Army wife, yogic life. 

Yes, ARMY. And yes, Yoga.

I am going to fast track a bit here. In fact, I will just list it out in steps, so that way you, my reader, can get some bearing.

Steps:

-Immigrate to USA, live together at home with Mom and Dad in Texas while working to get Rob into the US Army.

-My sister and her fiancé Paxton set their wedding date for October 10, 2015.

-Rob gets into the US Army. Ships out to Fort Benning on February 23, 2015. Rob and I will spend the next 6 months sending snail mail, talking on the phone and seeing each other on rare Army occasions.

Being in this situation, what do you think I did?

Travel?

Of course.