Elementor #6999

Three weeks before Graduating from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a double major in Dance and Global Studies I was in an accident that completely changed the course of my life. Due to the extreme trauma caused by the

I quit my job. I quit my city. I quit my current life. I quit to live out my dream. We each have one great passion in life. Some are lucky enough to have that passion also be their career, the

I'd finally made it full circle. I woke up in the van this morning feeling like I'm discovering every little corner of this Island. I've looked at picture books in tourist stores full of breathtaking shots of New Zealand, but

In the morning we drove down the coast to the Catlins. I'd been looking forward to seeing the Catlins for a long time. Ancient cliffs by the Sea on the Southern tip of New Zealand, and island at the end

Welcome to the Southland, New Zealand. Being in the Southland is similar to being on the West Coast. Blink while driving by the one street towns and you just might miss the towns entirely. I love it down here. The weather

Van life diaries: Purakaunui Bay. This is a DOC campsite, so it's $13 per person to sleep. It has breathtaking views of the bay. If you are on a surf trip, spend a couple days here. At the end of

At Mclean Falls there was a sign for a missing person. Jordan and I regarded the sign a curiosity for what happened and a sincere hope that he is found. He looked like a nice guy, an older working class

The day I did the Heaphy Track was probably one of the best days I've had in a while. Jordan and I haven't laughed together like that in a long long time. It was November 2nd, 2017 and Jordan and

My first drive down the West Coast was in winter. It had been raining in New Zealand since Nushaw and I landed without hope of letting up. As Nushaw slept in the back row of the bus, I was glued

I'm twenty eight years old and in the twilight of my twenties. When I was young, I thought I'd be married by 22, have my first kid by 25 and definitely be working on making my third child by now.

For New Years 2017 to 2018 I tagged along with Claire, Tiger & Geoff up to Takaka to visit their friend Charlie and his family. This meant the four of us got to take a road trip in the Sugar

Maybe it's from living in Los Angeles too long. Maybe it's from years of depression. Maybe it's from a lack of giving and closing myself off from the world from far too long. But I'm stunned every day here in

My legs are sore. Eva and I did a day walk along the Abel Tasman track yesterday. It was one of those casual nine hour hikes. No big deal. The thing about day walking a great walk is that you are

Picton is the perfect gateway for people coming into the South Island from the North. It is a small town with two main streets, nestled between mountains and water. Before I came I was picturing a bigger city. When I

Invercargill is not much to see, however it does has an airport, if you need. Invercargill is an industrial little port town full of Longshoremen. It seemed everyone was wearing the "Invercargill uniform" of bright orange with reflective strips. We

My hostel mate in Te Anau said that she almost did not do Milford Sound until someone told her "No, Milford Sound is why you come to New Zealand." While Lord of the Rings certainly brought a fresh wave of

"How much does your life weigh? Imagine for a second that you're carrying a backpack. I want you to feel the straps on your shoulders. Feel 'em? Now I want you to pack it with all the stuff that you

Nushaw, Amber and I left Phuket ready to lay on secluded beaches and float in crystal blue water. What we weren't ready for was the beauty of the drops of the limestone cliffs and vegetation over the blue blue water.

Nushaw, Amber and I arrived in Phuket exhausted but on a high. This was the first time in four years I've travelled to another country besides our yearly 4th of July surf trip in Baja, Mexico. Everything was exiting to

The Northern Circuit goes around Mount. Ngurahoe, or Mt. Doom to some. The Circuit is 46ks. Most people do it in four days, but Jordan and I only had two. Mt. Ngauruhoe is my favorite of the three mountains in middle

Want to see turtles in their natural environment? Ho'okipa Beach on Maui is the place to go! Aloha!      

  The thing about traveling is you make new friends. Within the first ten minutes Nushaw and I were in Maui, our friend Michelle hooked us up with her friend, Supriya. Priya is a traveling Occupational Therapist and part time tour

Nushaw and I went cliff jumping a couple times while we were in Maui. Both times we were brought by a local, and we never would have found these spots alone. Cliff House is a place our friends used to go

This post is a mixture of Nushaw and my excursion through a bamboo forest along the Road to Hana, and a secret locals only waterfall hike we took with Supriya and Michelle.  

In a beautiful secluded setting, Supriya led Nushaw and I to the hidden Three Tiered Pools. Michelle was jealous when she heard she missed out on this one

All drone shots in this post were taken by the pilot @nushrose // @queenofdrones        

These are shots from downtown Santa Barbara. I went to University of California, Santa Barbara 2008-2011. At that time I lived in a small, university town called Isla Vista. After I graduated, I moved to downtown Santa Barbara

High on the hill above Hokitika sits the remains of the Seaview Asylum. Sixty years ago Hokitika was the capital of New Zealand for a brief two years. At this time, the Seaview Asylum was in full swing, housing 600

The old man uncorked the Montana Riesling, and the three of us "kids" stared in amazement at these crystals that had formed on the underbelly of the cork. The Crystals came from years of sitting in wait to be drunk. I

There's a house hidden in the lush, tropical mountains of New Zealand's West Coast that has been in the care of a Kiwi since before the land became Punakaiki National Park. The man who owns the house shows as much

  Why intern at Drifting Sands, Hokitia? Why work on holiday? This answer to this question is as simple as making bread. Do you travel to take good pictures for Instagram, or do you travel to meet people from around the

Pounamu. Or greenstone, as the Kiwis say. Some of it is jade of various forms and colors, some of it is serpentine. To them, it is all the same. It is the stone that holds sacred power of the native

Hoki Hoki Hoki. You are as wild and rugged as the people who grace your land. Your black sand beaches are covered in driftwood that has journeyed far, ending their journey on the beach as firewood for bonfires late into

Brunch this morning on Richmont St. - Claire was parking the car and a girl passed by us on a scooter. She glanced at us briefly as she looked for parking too. As Claire pulled the car around, out my

Journal entry from May 7th, 2018 The Northlands offer a splendor of untouched coasts next to towering cliffs alive with flora. Russell is a cute little town that was once the first European settlement (possibly in this area, you can never

Journal entry from May 3, 2018 I'm at a beautiful camp spot by the pacific. We spent last night sitting on a dune watching dogs run into the waves. The locals here live in beautiful houses by the ocean with large

Food A meal - A feed Bell pepper - Capsicum Candy - Lollies Cilantro - Coriander Chips - Crisps Counter top - Bench Eggplant - Aubergine Fries - Chips Lemonade - Lemon squash Napkin - Serviette Pit - Pip Silverware - Cutlery Sprite - Lemonade Zucchini - Courgette Fashion Bathing suit - Togs Braids - Plait Flip flops

I've been doing one thing a day that scares me since the day I left Claire in that car at the airport drop off in New Zealand with tears unexpectedly welling in my eyes and uncontrollably falling down my cheeks.

Ubud's Sacred Monkey Forest No, the monkeys aren't sacred to the Balinese Hindus,but the temple grounds are. The monkeys figured out to not get bothered by the Balinese, they could live on the temple grounds in peace. The monkeys will play

Journal entry July 4, 2018 It makes me laugh to think I was once so afraid the world would be too much like Disney World's Epcot and therefore be such a disappointment. Even with globalization, where we can have food from

Select journal entry July 14 The energy is different here than in Ubud. Here, it is more chillax. I'm sitting on the beach watching Jordan surf. This place has so many Westerners, expats and dogs. Our neighbors do a call to

It's time to eat, Bali style! On the left: Gado Gado (cooked vegetables, tempe and boiled egg in peanut sauce) 30k IDR, $2.07 USD On the right: Nasi goreng (nasi means rice and goreng means fried) 30k IDR, $2.07 USD Location: Sweet Orange Warung, Ubud,

Breakfast     Our air bnb host went to the market every morning to get us breakfast. In java they eat soup for breakfast. My favorite was the chicken soup. The items on the side were different kinds of dumplings, potato cakes and

We spent two days in Bangkok and then another 24 hours on a layover. We used public transportation and kept it cheap and local. From the airport, get the A4 public bus from gate 7 to get to Kho San Road.

"What the actual fuck," I said out loud while standing on the side of the road with no sidewalk waiting for the train to pass - a train straight out of Darjeeling Unlimited, in the light of the bright red

Campuhan Ridge Walk This is a relatively easy walk to find in Ubud, Bali. Being easy, it was definitely very crowded. Still extremely beautiful. Kajeng Rice Fields Walk This was by far my favorite rice field walk in Ubud. I didn't spring for

"Where the fuck are we?" I found myself saying countless times in disbelief and amazement. Over and over again I had to mentally pinch myself to see if I was dreaming. If I was dreaming, I had no idea I

Like almost everything else in Java, riding the train was an experience. A very small portion of people in Java speak English and there are very few tourists from around the world. By this time, Jordan and I were used

I can't start a food in Asia post without rice. The picture above is from the rice fields in Sapa. But more on that later. The food in Vietnam was great. It's definitely a street food culture, but in a different way than

  All I want to do with my life is travel. It is my passion and fuels my engine. I think everyone can benefit from traveling. Travel opens doors of the mind to other ways of living, just as language does. But

Java - who goes to Java? Jordan and I decided to go to Java one day while we were in New Zealand. We were reading a lonely planet book that listed this amazing Buddhist temple in Borobudur that we decided

Vietnam Impressions (Journal entry August 13, 2018) Whoa. This country is

London Layover - Diary Aug 28, 2018 There was too much entertainment on the plane to write. I remember a time we all had to watch the same movie on the plane and head sets were passed out - for free.

Singapore - Diary entry Aug 25, 2018 Almost out of Asia. Aaaaaasia. I'm actually a bit sad. It's cheap, really good food. For the most part, friendly people. I am tired of sticking out though. I do think I'll fit in

I finally made it to the land of the Portenos! Here is a taste of each neighborhood I went to.  San Telmo Best known for tango dancing in the street, San Telmo was our favorite neighborhood. There is a wonderful indoor market

Buenos Aires, September 3 2018 Argentina, in a weird way, already feels like home. The Spanish spoken in Buenos Aires is the most beautiful Spanish I've ever heard. It's like the people are singing to each other. It's nice to be

Color is the only way to describe food in Argentina. Color, and meat. Lots and lots of meat. Buenos Aires is known for its deep dish pizzas, empanadas, dulce de leche and choripan. Jordan and I easily ate our way

The hip university town of Cordoba. There is always something to do, somewhere to eat or drink, or some steps to sit on and drink some mate. For us, we enjoyed the craft fairs, free art gallery and a picnic

If there is one word to describe Mendoza, Argentina, it's wine. More specifically, Malbec. So what did Jordan and I do when our hostel cancelled the half day wine tasting tour due to a little rain? We gathered up some

We hiked to the top of the mountain in town. The hike included the seven stations of the cross and an outdoor temple at the top. There was also a gondola, artisan booths and beautiful man made waterfalls.

One does not go up to Salta without doing the classic road trip to Jujuy and La Salina Grande. (Jujuy is pronounced who who e.) Jordan and I reserved a tour with our hostel that was once again cancelled. Salta

October 2, 2018 - Salta Omnibus TerminalI'm sitting in the bus terminal having deep thoughts of religion. I've been here five minutes while Jordan tries to print our tickets. There is a shrine to Virgin Mary outside the window I'm

The bus from Mendoza, Argentina to Santiago, Chile was 15 hours long. This included a two hour border crossing between the two countries. The landscape changed from rolling vistas of grape vines to mountains of snow. We saw abandoned train

  Mango and Cheese Empanada Grab and Go The food in Chile was similar to the food in Argentina, except everything in Argentina is supersized. Chile has lots and lots of empanadas like Argentina. People will walk around public parks and lakes selling

  Valparaiso is the major seaport to Chile and Santiago. In the 19th century, Valpo was a major stop off for ships crossing the Straight of Magellen. The colorful buildings have given the city the nickname The Jewel of the Pacific.

  Jordan and I chose to go to Chile after Argentina because the cheapest flight home was from Santiago. If we went out of of Brazil or Bolivia we would have to pay massive visa fees that Jordan and I were

What is Work Away? The best thing we did in Argentina is our Work Away experience.  Work Away is a website similar to WWOOF that encourages travelers to mingle with local families and cultures by staying in the family home and

  Coral Beach is my favorite day hike in Airlie. It is a ten minute drive from town and a fifteen minute walk through the bush to get to get to paradise. The beach is covered in meters of coral, not

Koh Tao is most known around the world for its excellent dive schools. Nushaw and I went to Koh Tao for some chillaxing on a small Thai island. We found a nice resort up the road from the main street

Koh Samui is the biggest of the three islands off Thailand's coast of Surat Thani. Nushaw, Amber and I took a long sketchy bus from the Krabi coast to the port town in Surat Thani where we caught a ferry

Aonang is a seemingly random town on the hidden coasts of Krabi. When Nushaw, Amber and I first landed in Thailand, we took a ferry from Phuket to the Krabi Coast. The ferry took us to smaller and smaller boats

The best thing a human can do while traveling is eat. So much of a country's culture and history is literally cooked into their food. There are many ways to eat in Thailand, from night markets to street food to

Chiang Mai is not only the biggest city in Northern Thailand, it is also a university town and a cultural hub. There are some tourists here, however most of the people we saw seemed to be locals. The city is

The White Temple (Wat Tong Khun) Chiang Rai is popular in the backpacking world for being the home of the White Temple. The White Temple (or Wat Rong Khun) was created by the artist Chalermchai Kositpipat and opened to the public

Let me tell you about the most uncomfortable time I had in Thailand. Jordan and I were in Bangkok for less than 24 hours on a layover. I let Jordan plan our out of the airport excursion (which you can

I survived the 762 turns to Pai! Jordan and I arranged to be picked up from our hostel in Chiang Mai by a shuttle bus that would take us to the artsy mountain town of Pai. When our driver arrived, I

I'll admit, I was a bit ignorant and nervous going into Vietnam. Were these people going to be okay with an American among them? (Has anyone seen Apocalypse Now?) I was not prepared for the smiles and friendliness of the

One of the best things Jordan and I did in Chiang Rai was take a cooking class. There are plenty of options in Thailand to choose from for a course. We chose one that included a trip to the market

How to Save Money When Traveling The thing about coming from the West to South East Asia (SEA) is that our money goes a lot further than it does at home. This is why you will typically see younger backpackers in

Sa Pa, Viet Nam Rice terraces as far as the eye can see on rolling green mountains. It's a backpacker must see.  Jordan and I were here for only two days. We booked a hotel in town and planned to walk the

Here we go

How to get a Working Holiday Visa for Australia Types of Visas for Australia There are two types of Working Holiday Visas for Austrlaia, a 417 and a 462. Around the backpacker circles you will commonly hear "I'm 417" or "I'm 462"

Where to buy a van The first step to buying a van in Australia is finding one.  Gumtree Campers Facebook groups for backpackers Hostel bulletin boards New Van Checklist Rego: You will need to register your van every 3, 6 or 12 months. Rego

We bought a van! Meet Shark Bait. Isn't he a cutie? We found our van on Gumtree. Vans are a lot more expensive here than they were in New Zealand. Luckily we found a couple vans our second day in Melbourne

Shark Bait Chronicles: Vol. 2 Kangaroo Valley Up and up and up the East Coast we went in Shark Bait. Since getting rid of the unnecessary mini-fridge and toaster oven, we have a lot more room to store our food and gear.  We