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HOLY FUCK IT’S BEEN OVER 4 MONTHS SINCE I’VE UPDATED MY BLOG

I’m sorry, I am a baddd person

I still feel very excited to be travelling, and I still feel excited to continue. So here I am! Sitting in a coffeeshop in Medellin (well…actually it’s a printing shop with a tiny table, but close enough), with the intention to relay some of the experiences I’ve had these past few months.

I have some random “journal” entries that I have kept, so I will share those where I have them…

2/26/16 Source Temple, Cuñha, Brazil

Two instances today brought me to tears. Not sad tears. Maybe happy tears. No, I don’t think so. I think just tender tears.

The first was after lunch. We had our normal morning routine of working. I worked in the kitchen, helping prepare a (simple) feast for 40 people. After lunch, we cleaned the kitchen, then our group of volunteers had a session on A Course In Miracles, upon which Source Temple is based. James led us through a lesson, and I remember him talking about opening the heart. I gazed around, and here we were, wind rustling gently in the afternoon air as we sat cross legged on the wooden floor of the gazebo, in the middle of a lush beautiful landscape with lakes, mountains, AND ACTUAL ROAMING HORSES. Talking about matters of the heart. Talking about love. And something so tender crept up like vines around me. And I couldn’t help my eyes started to water. There was something so precious here. So beautiful. That we are here, volunteers from all over the world, coming together to sit together in the middle of such magnificent scenery so auspicious and so facilitating…to talk about love. It was so touching.

The second time tears welled up was at night. We had a session at 6 PM, and I didn’t exactly know what to expect. We all quietly crept in to the upstairs room. Everyone took a seat on the ground in a circle, sitting on small cushions. I took a seat and felt quite peaceful just gazing around. Most people had their eyes closed, meditating. I looked around and felt curious and comfortable. After a while, one of the women started talking. I felt her energy to be slightly seductive. Her eyes were welcoming. She tilted her body forward as she spoke, invitingly. I watched her. I listened. She spoke about making others happy. To no longer live for yourself, but to live to share with others. After she was done, she put on some music and we listened to the songs as we meditated. Light turned into night, and the room was illuminated only by a single candle, and by the biggest lightning storm I have ever witnessed. Almost incessantly, lightning struck again and again. It was crazy. I felt so mesmorized. I felt so peaceful. I really did feel like I didn’t have to do anything. It was just enough to be there with the others, just sitting there, sharing this with them. I felt at peace. It felt beautiful.

 

 

2/29/16 Cusco, Peru

Flew to Cusco, Peru to encounter my new home for the month

3/3/16

After taking systema and no gi jiu jitsu classes, I came home and spent a bit of time doing computer work. How there always seems to be things to do defies me 😉 Anyway, got that stuff done, and went to Plaza de Armas to check it out, because I haven’t been there before, as well as to do some things like get a copy of my passport, do money exchange, etc.

Then, I walked back to Mercado San Blas, and was planning to pick up some vegetables, and then go back to the house, before going to salsa at 6 PM. But as I went up to one vendor, there were two (cute) guys sitting down, eating, and as I came up i could hear them say “luchadora”… one was wearing an MMA shit, and the other had dreads and was also in all black. I ordered my thing, and turned to them and asked “luchadores?” they said yes. Turns out they train at Bunker Gym as well! But they hadn’t been yet this week, which is why I hadn’t seen them.

The three of us walked to the San Blas Plaza, and sat at a bar overlooking an amazing vista and had some sips of alcohol while I didn’t understand a fucking word they were saying. A bunch of pretty cool hippie types, many of them doing “underground” jiu jitsu, so they were pretty cool. Too bad I couldn’t understand shit.

Then a bunch of us went to one of the dude’s “gym.” They introduced him to me as a jiu jitsu and judo instructor. I asked him where his school was, and he pointed to a close location. I was confused/surprised, because I thought I knew all the schools in Cusco. Anyways, we walked through the hills, up dirt paths, labyrinth steps, and ended up at a tiny shack. When you open the door, there is some sort of white mat on the ground. It seems like some sort of thin mattress laid on the ground, with like a white tarp on top. No room to walk around. You have to take off your shoes beforehand. We all huddled in the room, passing around “Chicha,” a traditional Peruvian drink of the ancients, so they described. Then peeps started to do a little sparring. I was impressed that everyone seems to know a little something. But their movements were so short, it was really hard to assess their true skill. I saw the “teacher” demonstrate a move that looked really weird, and I (silently) questioned his abilities.

One boy asked me to spar against another. So I did. I immediately got to mount, through our short sparring I could tell I was much better than he was. I guess that impressed everyone, and all night people were talking about how I instantly got to mount, and the boy I mounted told me that he was in love with me.

Random animal sightings: alpacas, llamas

 

Sat 3/19-3/22  Machu Picchu Trek, Peru

From 4400 meters to 1600 meters downhill bike ride; drenched by rivers- Walked 8 hours (a lot uphil)l (about 25 km/15 miles)- Part of it was Inca trail- Sampled coca leaves. Chica Morada. Coffee beans. Tequila with snake inside- Baby Monkey on my neck- Random animal sighting:  “Picuro” from Guinea pig family- Basically a “huge rat from brazil” that looks like a beaver- Cable car across mountains- Awesome hot springs- Ziplining 150 meters above the jungle- Walking many hours to aguas calientes (about 16 km/10 miles)- Machu Picchu!

So tired.  Beautiful.

3/23/16 Back to Cusco, Peru

So hard to get out of bed this morning. Felt so tired, so weak, so overtrained. But I really wanted to go to jiu jitsu, because I only have 3 more days left in Peru. Plus there is a guest black belt instructor from Brazil I didn’t want to miss.

But all through the warm ups i was sooo tired, and so out of breath. I was so dead. I barely made it through the techniques. Then when it was time to roll, I started crying. I couldn’t help it. I don’t know if I was feeling frustrated because I was so easily being tossed around with the fucking gi, or if I was just completely exhausted. I normally am very easy going and don’t mind getting tapped all the time (too much), and am happy go lucky in class. So i think everyone gave me a pass for rolling with tears in my eyes and having to abandon the mat for a few minutes to pull myself together. It was just rough. I came home and it felt like so much to do dishes, shower, drop off laundry, etc. I just laid on my bed for a few minutes. Then got up and handled business. I won’t go to the normal nighttime jiu jitsu though. Hopefully i can get some rest tonight after Spanish class and feel much more energetic and grounded tomorrow.

>>>> Cusco was really awesome for me. I stayed there a month, and I don’t know, stuff just really worked out for me. My roommate from Air BnB was super awesome. The weather was great. The local market was just down the street, so it was super easy (and CHEAP) to buy and cook groceries. My American dollar went a long way. Everything was within walking distance. People were super nice. Laundry was close. My jiu jitsu academy COULD NOT HAVE BEEN CLOSER. So it was sooooo easy to go to classes all the time. The people at the jiu jitsu academy were super cool. I started taking Spanish classes in Cusco, and that was fun to focus on learning Spanish. There were just so many things that just went my way. That it ended up being a really lovely experience for me…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3/27-3/30 Trinidad

Arrived in Trinidad to meet Emily and Raj. Food highlight: ate shark

3/30-4/9 Guadalajara, Mexico

 

 

Sat 4/9 Mexico City, Mexico

I’M IN MEXICO CITYYYYYYY

>>>>>Fuccckkkk I felt GOOD when I got to Mexico City. I don’t know, I just felt something magical here. I know a lot of people would think I am crazy for loving Mexico City. A massive, overpopulated, horribly contaminated, incredibly corrupt, sprawling metropolis. Why would I love Mexico City?

But I do.

Maybe a large part of my affinity for Mexico City is due to my curiosity to connect with my Mexican heritage. You see, I have Mexican blood, but I have not really felt connected to that side of my identity. So, I was very curious to spend time in Mexico to learn more of the language and the culture.

Somehow I fell in love:

1) I love the metro– albeit sometimes RIDICULOUSLY CROWDED LIKE SARDINES—that stretches tremendous distances, so that it makes independent and self sufficient travel to many parts possible (and affordable).

2) I love the way the people talk in Mexico City. The accent is so cute. And the slang they use is so compelling. Yes, I’m a weirdo. And I fucking love cuss words. Therefore it is appropriate that I love the way Mexicans talk- it’s full of cuss words.

3) MMA options- due to the fact that Mexico City is so HUGE, they offer OPTIONS for MMA, jiu jitsu, gyms, etc. As opposed to Uvita, for example, where I literally could not find ONE jiu jitsu class, here you can CHOOSE which MMA school you want to go to. I love that.

4) Weather- not too hot, not too cold. The San Diegan inside of me is pleased

5) Economy- in general, things are pretty affordable

6) Learning Spanish- Because I am trying to learn Spanish, obviously a Spanish speaking location is ideal, because I can work for instances of immersion

7) Culture of the gentleman- yes, I realize the other side of this coin is the culture of the machista, but I have to say in my personal experiences, I have encountered the guys who treat me the best here in Mexico City

8) Food- who doesn’t love tacos al pastor?

9) Salsa Dance- I can improve my salsa dance here

10) Vastness- even having spent almost 3 months in Mexico, I feel there is SO MUCH curiosity that is still unquenched. I would love to check out all parts, like Monterrey, Oaxaca, Merida, Veracruz, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Aguascalientes, etc etc…

 

4/24-4/29 Cuba

I went with my awesome friend and former client Christine to Cuba.

We spent the majority of the time in Havana, but also visited Viñales.

5/1/ – 6/19 Back to Mexico City, Mexico

Was very excited to come back to Mexico City. Every day:

-I would try to work on developing my abilities to cuss like a taxi driver in Spanish (I’m still far off; but it’s a life goal)

-I would take MMA class and die and get my sweat on daily

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-I would try not to eat tacos, and my favorite crack: gomitas de mango con chile. SO IRRESISTABLE.

 

6/19 – present Medellin, Colombia

My jiu jistu teacher in Cusco, Shane, and his wife, Marianne are easy-going, super inspiring eternal travelers. We decided to make plans to land in Medellin at the same time- YAYYYYYYYY. We went to Parque Arvi, the Botanical Gardens, Poblado, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AND, my girlfriend from the SF Bay Area, Emily, came and visited me for the 4^th of July weekend, so it was so awesome to have her come and hang out with me! We salsa-ed it up and ate arepas, Bandeja Paisa, Mondongo, and other traditional Colombian dishes.

 

 

 

 

 Annnddd that’s all for now. Sorry to have waited FOUR MONTHS to update, and have to give you a disjointed mish-mash entry, but hey, I love you.

It is what it is

<3 <3 <3

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