I'm so tightly squished beneath the weight of two thick, giant duvets, I can hardly breathe. Or maybe that's the altitude. Either way, at least I'm warm. And being warm in Leh, Ladakh in the winter is no easy task.
Read MoreStories about finding your heart and soul around the world.
Filtering by Tag: discovery
Emerging from a Trance: The Oracles of Matho Monastery in Ladakh
I'm squished shoulder-to-shoulder in a crowd of native Tibetan Ladakhi people, packed neatly next to fellow onlookers. We are all patiently waiting to hear a mystical proclamation about the future. Today, of all days, two oracles—Tibetan monks who have been meditating in an isolated trance for the past year—will emerge from their stillness in order to predict the future of the village.
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Surviving Agra to Visit the Taj Mahal
"There are three things you need when driving in India," says our rickshaw driver after nearly colliding with another taxi. "A good horn, good brakes, and good luck!"
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Watching the sun set from beneath palm trees at a peaceful yoga ashram in Kerala, India
Meditation, culture, & yoga: Ashram life in Southern India
My foot is asleep. No, I take that back. My entire leg is asleep. A numb tingling sensation that reminds me of childhood gymnastics shoots upwards through my body. I have been sitting cross-legged in silent meditation, wrapped in the darkness of early morning for satsang (sanskrit for in the company of the "highest truth") since 6:00AM. Given my current inability to feel my legs, I'm not sure things are quite so enlightening right now.
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Peeking inside the communal living space of a hutong
It all comes down to perspective + Exploring a traditional hutong in Beijing, China
Beijing is famous for its hutongs.
No, this is not a type of food, nor is it a Chinese rapper.
Hutongs are charming courtyard residencies clustered together and scattered about the city––they're a glimpse into old-world China. In Mongolian, the word means 'town,' a remnant from their 13th century invasion. Back then, single families lived in communal spaces such as this. As times grew tough, haphazard additions filled the once open-aired inner courtyards to accommodate family growth. Sadly, most traditional hutong areas were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution.
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Mengwi royal Balinese temple palace, from old times
One month of impermanence + Farewell Bali
It's been one month on the road, but it feels so much longer. I am in southern China now, and after days of being blocked out of my own blog (even with a VPN), miraculously the Great Firewall seems to have peeked open for a moment, time enough to post a farewell to beautiful Bali.
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Girls preparing offerings for a small ceremony at Tirta Empul Tampaksiring
Travel as a quest for truth + Cleansing at a water temple in Bali
Tirta Empul Tampaksiring is a sacred water temple north of Ubud. Legend has it that a Hindu god once struck his staff into the earth bringing forth this natural spring. Today the Balinese bathe in the clear holy water as a sacred cleansing. I imagine the ritual to restore energy, honor the spirit, wash away pain, reveal truth.
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Autumn in Seoul, outside the walls of Gyeongbokgung Palace
Freedom on the road + New beginnings in South Korea, my new favorite country
There's no turning back now. A five year chapter of my time in Los Angeles has finally come to an end and with it, I feel a great sense of lightness. I spent my last night at home in the U.S. boxing stuff for storage, packing, and fending off panic, stress, and worry that I've made the wrong decision to leave behind everything that I know. It's pretty scary to drive out of our driveway–house empty, belongings in storage–straight for a year of complete unknowns. Even so, beneath that panic a growing sense of freedom has slowly descended upon me. I'm filled with joy, anticipation, and wonder for what lies ahead.
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Milford Sound
New Zealand, opposites, & curiosities
When traveling to the other side of the world you lose a day, poof, just like that. In the land of kiwi birds, you must embrace oddities and opposites. For example, it is practically summertime back home in Los Angeles, but here in the southern hemisphere red autumn-colored leaves smell fresh and crispy, and a winter chill is threatening. Other curiosities I have found thus far: soap nuts (little bags of nut shells used to launder clothes), Farmville (the real place) and Teacupland. Also there is this: driving.
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