I am an opportunity grabber, to say the least. It's seriously like I have some deep intuition that clearly sees doors in front of me, and I always find the right one to open for myself. Yes, of course, having a positive attitude makes almost every door that is opened perfect, but I have to give … Continue reading Aspen, Colorado. Sister travels.
No matter how fond you are of traveling, how "at home" you feel on a stinky bus with one backpack in between your feet and your other "big guy" backpack stored above you, how strange faces are your familiar, how easily you can sleep most anywhere in the world, how accustomed your belly becomes, you … Continue reading The Road Home
Ever since watching the Discovery Channel as a young child, I had dreamed of finding my way to Borneo. The Discovery Channel, constantly did episodes on Borneo's impressive rainforests, which used to be highly protected from human impact. It's rainforests are home to some of Nature's most beautiful and elusive plants and animals, such as the Rafflesia flower, the Pygmy … Continue reading Sabah, Borneo, Magical Land, Dream World, any of these barely suffice.
As a traveler, some days are so completely relaxed that wicked abberant ideas seep into your brain, similar to sipping a cold coke through a straw after a long bus ride over the hills of Rajasthan. It just goes in and down so smoothly, feeling so refreshing, that every bit of the idea, or the coke for that matter, … Continue reading METAMAN Triathlon in Bintan, Indonesia
As we always do, we began our adventure to the next country by first searching from the hostel in our current location for a place to crash after the long days. Of course, as travelers, we heard many times how expensive Singapore is and how a travelers' few spare dollars cruise a unequaled, rather short distance, in … Continue reading Singapore: a squeaky clean whirlwind
Malaysia. Sounds like the name of an interesting bird, right? Well, she is. Malaysia an evolved collision of old world traditions, escalating religion, and new world fast paced desires. Our journey by train from Surat Thani, Thailand took us first to Butterworth, an industrial city with seemingly nothing in it, located in North Malaysia. Why … Continue reading Insight to Malaysia: from Penang to Kuala Lumpur
[JUST SO YOU KNOW, this is not a normal butterfly story. It is 7 am and I just feel like lazy writing. ] When I left Bangkok in 2012, I was not really ready to leave. I just loved living there so much. The simplicity of things, my yoga beginnings, Buddhism, the Thai culture, close friends, the food … Continue reading Same Thailand, new stops, beautiful friendships, and gratitude for it all
Like most capital cities of developing countries, Kathmandu is an incredibly interesting mess. A boggled and miscalculated Gordian knot, that offers the enchanted tourist both confusion and an uncommon opportunity to live weeks in a spiritual hazy dream. A city of interesting dichotomies, Kathmandu relishes between slow OMs and fast paced sellers, new Indie upscale restaurants versus Dal Baht street … Continue reading Keepings of Kathmandu
After a day and a half of rest and relaxation in the soft valley of Periche, we picked the trail head back up early morning on Day 8. According to estimations, Lobuche our next destination, would take us about 4-5 hours to get to, even though it was only 700m away. The reason for the … Continue reading Day 8: Periche to Lobuche
A rooster? All the way up here? Really? Those were my first thoughts in the morning after a too short of night's sleep in Tengbouche. Must have been the smell of paint that kept me awake. In any event, I rose out of bed with a smile; to the trail we go. But, first, breakfast. … Continue reading Day 6: Tengbouche to Periche
Perching at a height of 3,867 metres is the incredibly small villiage of Tengbouche (Thyangboche). Tengbouche holds great importance to trekkers, Buddhists and the people of the Himalayas, for it is not only a good place to rest your head, but also is the home to the largest gompa in the Khumbu region, the Tengbouche Monastery. … Continue reading Day 5: Namche to Tengbouche
We sauntered lightly over deep trails, trails slicked by mountain dew and sodden green moss; trails that without a doubt hundreds of thousands of villagers and Asian wayfarers have once treaded. In my day dreams, built by the tales of time's trekkers, story tellers, Kathmandu villagers and today's bloggers, Namche was a busy trading point, where … Continue reading Day 3: Diamox and Namche
De Kempen is an area in the south of the Netherlands, near the Belgian border. It is a collection of the most pleasantly quaint and beautifully created villages, such as Resuel, Eersel, Bladel, Steensel, and Duizel. This part of the country holds so much importance to me. Firstly, it is where Rob and his family … Continue reading De Kempen, The Netherlands
So, your line of thinking probably just went something like this… 1) Pretty Castle like thing, 2) Who is that man?, and 3) Oh, it’s slippery. Yes, it is a beautiful castle, Kasteel de Haar of Utrecht. The oldest historical record of the castle dates back to 1391 and was last restored in 1892. It … Continue reading Kasteel de Haar, Utrecht
For around two weeks between late June and July, we spent sweltry sweet days in Argeles-sur-Mer with the Janssen side of our family. The days mostly encompassed retrieving the morning baguettes, preparing to go to the beach, down-time, sangria, soup, sweat, cards, cold showers, dinner, more sangria and loads of family laughs. I hope that … Continue reading Argeles-sur-mer, France
Outside of Ft. Worth, Texas, there lies a little city called Azle. Azle might not seem so important to many people, but to me and my family it holds a piece of heaven; a piece of Cherry history. Now, my grandmother has done extensive research on our ancestry, but the intricacies are not needed here. … Continue reading Cherry Farm, Azle, Texas
It seems that I refer to “Homes” quite often and again, I will do the same here. Another familiar place, a place I can also call home, is the Riviera Maya; more specifically, Hacienda del Secreto on the beach of Playa Secreto. I think I have already posted a pic or two of this location, … Continue reading Playa del Secreto, Mexico
In celebration of an incredible whirlwind of happiness, Rob and I took his old red car to the North Sea for the weekend. , We spent the afternoon to early evening at the sea and then the dunes. Just a short walk from our splendid little hotel, lied the dunes. Upon entering the dunes, a … Continue reading The North Sea of the Netherlands
Dommelstraat 23B, our home; the place where so many memories were made. You often hear songs about first homes and I guess until you have that “first” home with the one you truly love, you don’t get it. But now we do. Our memories will remain strong and the love we grew there will hold … Continue reading Dommelstraat 23B, Our Home
In celebration of the birth of our King Willem Alexandar, we wear orange, drink loads, laugh with friends and dance dance dance. Last Konings Dag, I was tormented by a terrible stomach flu, so this year, we went all out. Inviting friends over to start the day with Mojitos and snacks, the day turned into … Continue reading Konings dag, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Allison A Janssen 