An adventure soon begins...

     A much anticipated week has begun in my life. As of this Thursday, I will be flying into Costa Rica, and then onto Nicaragua where I will be spending the next two months traveling around a bit in the Southern beaches of Nica, and finally to Pochomil for a Yoga Teacher Training 200 hours with Its Yoga Nica at Los Cardones Surf Lodge. 

     As soon as my feet sank into U.S Soil last May, I had a longing feeling for being free again, walking along the road of life, going with the flow like the wind. It's been a long year of working hard, and focusing on what I want to get out of life. I have definitely had some memorable times being back here in Jacksonville Beach, and have met some of the most amazing people- something that I never envisioned being possible. Honestly, growing up here all I wanted to do was get out, but the last year has taught me that it is true, life is what you make out of it. A year filled with a summer in New York, festivals shows, a road trip with my family, birthday in Miami, and many, many beach parties under luna's radiating light. 

    Time living at home with my family, saving money, has given me a great opportunity I am so thankful for- being able to slow down and concentrate on things that will better me as a person, and help to fulfill my goals in life. Such as, getting my Teaching English as a Second Language certificate, soon to be my YTT 200 hours, and I have also decided to go back to school (online) studying Early Childhood Development. Spending time with my mom and brother has been so much fun and comforting- having not lived with them for almost four years prior. Although I am only scheduled to be gone about two months, you never know where life can take you, which path may lead you to foreign lands and new souls. My gut feelings just keep telling me that Nicaragua is just the beginning, a stepping stone, of the amazing year ahead of me for 2014. As enjoyable as it has been recapping my adventures from last year in South America, those will be put on hold for the moment, while I am keeping up to date in Nicaragua. So keep reading for many new stories and tips ahead !! 

    And now, the hardest thing I will do all week, begin packing. My friend gave me her greatest advice for traveling today, "Always bring half as much stuff, and twice as much money." I will have to keep that in mind as my packing list is reaching a good two pages. Any good packing advice out there ??

xx SLW

It’s All Apart of the Journey

Something that I am always trying to remind myself of doing, is to take life as it comes and to not try to map out the future so much. This can be easier said than done, as I have witnessed time and time again. While backpacking, you do need to have somewhat of a plan if you want things to go smoothly, but at the same time need to understand that at least half of your plans might end up a little bumpy. A perfect example would be at the end of our trip to Chile. We left Mollendo, with the plan to get to Tacna, Peru then hop on over the border to Arica, Chile. We went on our way, grabbed a van with a few fun lovin' Peruvian strangers, and arrived in Tacna after a few more hours. 

Franzi and I then arrived at the chaotic bus station to discover that the road that crosses the border had been damaged due to flooding and they weren't sure WHEN we would be able to get a bus! We could 1) Stay in the industrial-like city of Tacna and see what happens within the next few days; which didn't sound great considering the mishaps we had already experienced in this little trip and the fact neither of us had much money to waste on hostels. Or 2) Head on over to Puno, Peru where Franzi would go alone for the night to Bolivia since I, being the lovely American I am, couldn't join her without paying for a Visa.

After about five minutes of standing in the crazy busy Terminal, we shared a “Get me the fuck out of here” look, and went directly to the ticket booth. It was one of those moments when you are so annoyed, but being miserable about it really won’t solve anything. Instead we loaded up on our favorite bus snacks, ( Sublime Chocolates are to die for) and knew we would laugh about it later. For those of you reading who are thinking, what is the big deal? You rode a few extra hours and had to turn around? Well, these can be up to a twelve hour ride consisting of a mixture between nice Grey Hound like buses or to sharing a four person Oldsmobile with a crying baby without A/c.

Well, we definitely did have our laughs afterwards! Not to mention the amazing scenery as always, as you can see the pictures above. This trip always reminds me of the lesson mentioned earlier. Much of the time while traveling, your plans aren't going to work out exactly or anything like you had hoped. However, you can't let it get to you, and panic. Sometimes you may literally be in the middle of nowhere, and complaining won't solve your problems.The best thing to do, is continue along your adventure by improvising!  After all, the unknowing of where your going, how your getting there, and who you may meet along the way is all apart of the journey. 

xx SLW