New Zealand Part Two
Roadtrip
Road Trip: Yucatan Peninsula
Happy New Year to you all! I sit here in my apartment staring out at the snow coming down and can’t help but wish I was back in warm and sunny Mexico! During winter break, I took a week-long trip around the Yucatan Peninsula, spending most of my time in Tulum and Playa del Carmen. I rented a car and drove around and truly had a wonderful time with my sidekick ;). Back in September, I booked flights and accommodations, did a little research and pretty much winged it day-to-day. I thought I would break up the trip into three sections/three posts and give you an inside look on my experience in this incredible part of the world. This first part mostly is about food…my favorite thing.
Grand Tetons, Yellowstone and the Great Solar Eclipse!
In the last few days, the weather has been cooler and I can feel the fall breeze coming in. Fall is my favorite time of the year and while it means that it is one of the busiest times of the year for me, it is also one of the most beautiful. Before I transition completely into fall mode, I wanted to look back on an amazing trip this summer to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone that I took with my mom and one of my best friends, Meggi. My mom has always wanted to go to Yellowstone and started talking about this trip years ago, as due to the popularity of the park, reservations need to be made way in advance if you want to stay at the old lodge. We happened to book our trip a week before the eclipse by chance and quickly changed it when we realized the date of the eclipse and that we would be in 99% totality in our location! And let me tell you, it did not disapoint one bit; in fact it far exceeded all expectations I had. I would hear people say that the eclipse was nothing special and that it was okay. Well let me tell you…seeing it in totality was absolutely magical!
Bienvendos a Coroico
“The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
-Dr. Seuss
The next morning, we set off from La Paz to Coroico, first stopping at the legal coca market on the way out. Coca leaf, often referred to as la hoja de coca, is a plant that is an integral part of the Andean and overall Bolivian culture. For those who do not know what coca leaf is, I will use Evo Morales famous quote that “coca no es cocaine.” Most people assume that the coca leaf is cocaine when in fact it is not.
Rise and Shine and Road trip
“All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination.”
-Earl Nightingale
Looking Back: Hiking in Wyoming
“Jumping from boulder to boulder and never falling, with a heavy pack, is easier than it sounds; you just can’t fall when you get into the rhythm of the dance.”
―Jack Kerouac
Turning Over a New Leaf
“I am so glad that I live in a world with Octobers”
-Anne of Green Gables
I will keep repeating this for a long time…but October is my absolute favorite month and fall is my favorite time of the year. It is filled with pumpkin spice and everything nice and has some of the most gorgeous scenery. It is a very nurturing time of the year that I like to especially spend with friends and family, soaking in the fall leaves and new cycle as everything turns over. There is also something that seems to be in the air; a magical and whimsical wind that brings a smile to my face. This summer has been magical in its own right; starting off with such a personal transformation that was the best possible thing to happen to me. It transitioned to a fun month of new people, places and experiences that gave me lots of perspective on not only my life, but the infinite world we all live in. And as August crept up on me, I returned to school. This year had a very special energy like no other and set the tone for what I hope to be the best year yet. And as the weeks have gone and time has passed, I feel at peace more than I have in a while. Despite the ups and downs, the doubts and revelations we all have, I feel settled and am relishing in the ability to stay somewhere.
It turns out that staying is quite the adventure…
Happy October!
-Kaila
Sundaze and Those Days
Occasionally the deal with life is that it will break your heart. People will…but sometimes the universe will too because not everything is fair. And it might not even be happening to you; in fact a lot of the times it’s when we are watching the people we care most about or strangers we have never met that is the most painful. But that is a beautiful thing, because it means that you feel, care and have the ability to feel empathy.
Failing and Falling: Learning to Fly
If you are lucky enough in life, you get to have a few people (hopefully a lot) that look out for you and help you traverse the web of life. I am so blessed to have countless people of all ages, all over the world looking out for me and always being available to talk at any time of the day about anything without telling me what I should do or what they would do.
Wild in Wyoming
So it turns out that republicans and buffalo and wind are not the only things in Wyoming! The most amazing national park is there too: Medicine Bow National Park. This past weekend I went to Wyoming to spend time with family and get outdoors and have some mad fun! Warning: The video includes dad dancing and fun. So if you don’t like either..byeeeee!
Kaila in the World 