Going Nomad :: Bali & Nepal

Via

A few months ago - as in right around the time I made this grand proclamation - I saw the above photo in my instagram feed.  A sweet little bungalow in Ubud, Bali.

In my head I had one thought:  

MAKE.IT.HAPPEN. 

I have been talking about going to Bali for just about my entire life.  My Mom visited Bali a few times when I was just a little girl and brought back tons of stuff.  As I sit here typing and I look around the living room I see a stack of Balinese baskets, a Balinese carving and a Batik throw pillow.

When I knew that I wouldn't have an apartment lined up for myself for the month of October and November I knew it was time.  Time to book some tickets.

My plan was to travel through Bali and Thailand.  Two dreamy, long time put off, destinations.

In July I headed up to BC, where I visited some cousins and drove golf carts.  My Girl Cousin said, 'I'm going to Nepal in October'!  ...and I said, 'ohmygodi'mgoingwithyou'.  

Then, before I knew it, I'd booked myself a ticket to Bali and Nepal.  Mostly because I knew that if I didn't just make it happen, it would never happen.  It's official.  I'll be splitting the month of October in Ubud, Bali and Kathmandu, Nepal. 

I leave next week and should be over the moon excited but, I spend a pretty big part of my day thinking, 'oh boy.  have you bitten off more than you can chew?' and then I think, 'nope, you're gonna be fine...' and then, I wander over to my packed suitcase and paw through things.  For the record, Bali and Nepal require drastically different outfits.

Being without a 'home base' is just as challenging as I expected it to be - it's also just as liberating.  It lends to a fair amount of chaos and upheaval - it also creates a fair amount of opportunity.  It spawns adventure - which was exactly what I was looking for.

Bali!  Nepal!  Nomad!  Adventure!  Yippeeeeee! 

for the record the inspirational photo isn't where I'll be staying....it just got the ball rolling...

Night Photos :: Harvest Moon

A harvest moon is the full moon closest to the Autumnal (or September) Equinox.  It can come anywhere from two weeks before the equinox to two weeks after the equinox.  This year it came on the early side between September 8-9.

I was crossing from Japan to California and was treated to some very bright morning watches before the sun rose.  

Because we were advancing our clocks as we crossed the ocean our ship time was majorly out of whack with the actual time zone.  This meant that it was like winter in Alaska - the sun rose really late!  

This photo was taken at six in the morning.  One of my favorite things about Night Photos at sea is the streaking of light.  The fact that I got that moon as round as I did blew my mind!

The following evening I was able to capture some moon beams.  

Moon beams feel magical.  Totally cliche but totally true.

A few more shots of the Harvest Moon....

September Equinox

The sun cracked the horizon at due East this morning and will set at due West.  Day and Night will be almost perfectly split.  Late this afternoon marks the September Equinox here in Hawaii (4:29pm to be exact).  

Today is when the earths equator perfectly lines up with the celestial equator.  The sun will begin moving into the Astrological Sign of Libra - the scales - who's symbol looks like a sun rising above the horizon.

In Greece Persephone will be returning to her husband Hades in the underworld.

Autumnal Equinox Day is a public holiday in Japan so that they may celebrate the Buddhist holiday of Higan, cleaning headstones and offering flowers to passed loved ones.

China, Korea and Vietnam will be celebrating the harvest with a moon festival - giving thanks, gathering with loved ones and praying.  

The Mayan Pyramid Kulkulkan was built to track the equinoxes - the pyramid was built to create a serpent made of shadows - this phenomena is most noticeable at the equinox.

The Iroquois celebrated the harvest with a corn dance.

Michaelmas (or the Feast of St. Michael in the Catholic Church) preparations are underway with people making corn husk dolls and stuffing themselves with a a large goose dinner.

Pagans and Wiccans will be celebrating Mabon, or the time when there is balance between light and dark.  

In Hawaii Piko o Ka Honua in September marks a transition from the move of Kane to Kanaloa time period.

“The season for enjoying the fullness of life — partaking of the harvest, sharing the harvest with others, and reinvesting and saving portions of the harvest for yet another season of growth.”

— Denis Waitley

On a personal note, I can say with absolute certainty that there is very little balance in my life.  I live a life of extremes.  Being at sea, flitting around on land, spending money I don't have (perhaps I should say....spending money like a drunken sailor....), heading back to sea to work my butt off so I can flit around a little more.

Where does that leave me?  With the sun on my face.  With some change on the horizon.  With some important decisions made.  With gratitude for all I harvest.  It leaves me completely unapologetic for every little imperfection I claim my own. 

Here's to balance.  Here's to change.  Here's to the seasons of our lives. 

Technically, the Equinox is an astrological point which means that the day and night isn't exactly equal - it also means that the date and time fluctuate.  Secondly, I prefer the term September Equinox over Autumnal because well, it's not Autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.  

Using the September Equinox as a marker I'll be lining the blog up with seasons.  I figure, what could mark my Going Nomad experience more accurately then the path of the sun?   

Home Sweet Hilo

If there is a reason you haven't heard from me in a few days it's this right here....

I'm Home In Hilo.

I think if I hadn't made it home I'd be in a fetal position on my Life Coach's office.

How's that for a Going Nomad affirmation?  I had to go home or I might freak out (heh heh).

In reality, I came home to take care of some business but, going for morning swims, having lunch with old friends and attending a baby luau are some serious perks.

There's been yoga and water aerobics and fresh fruit smoothies.

I know I sound like a little Braggy McBraggersins but, truly, when I think about what relaxes me and fills me up simultaneously, and then realize how closely it's connected to where I'm from and who I'm with I realize that I hope others feel the same way.

I hope you all look out your windows in the morning and think yep, life is good.  I hope you eat something fresh and locally grown and think yep, life is good.  I hope you can't wait to meet up with your friends.  I hope you sit around and chat (ahem, gossip) and think yep, life is good.

I hope your home is sweet.

Instagram Confessions

Confession:  I'm kinda one of those people who pick only the best parts of their day on instagram aaaannnddd, I'll take this one step further to say I sometimes semi-pose things to make sure they're 'instagram worthy'.  

Now, I know I'm not the only person doing this but, one thing I really appreciate in life is a little transparency.  I don't totally have my shit together - and I don't expect you to either!  Win-Win!

In an effort to provide a little transparency (especially since the blog has been light and my instagram feed has been heavy of late) I'm gonna tell all.

....annnd now.....for the rest of the storrrryyyy....

I went out to take this photo - because really I don't have too much to photo at sea.  White caps and Coffee.  The highlights of my day.  As soon as I went out to snap a photo the wind whipped all the froth off my coffee and straight onto my jacket.  I was a total flipping mess!

I took the photo on the left - and then decided my leg looked fat and white - so I took the photo on the right.  Then, I didn't post either one because I was scared someone would ask me about FitMermate and my exercise intentions.  I'm like an ostrich with my head in the sand....no one can see me not exercising out here if I don't post it on instagram!

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I may have mentioned that I never went ashore in Japan....I slept instead.  That being said, I posted this photo of our approach to Yokohama with pretty clouds.  In actuality I was bundled up on the bow because it was raining and I was semi miserable.  I docked the ship, got off watch, ate and slept.  Total false advertising.

Alright, I know I already posted a coffee photo but, this photo took me about 6 tries.  I had to take many, many photos individually and then pick two that I wanted to marry.  Then I tried many, many times to get just the right border with my A Beautiful Mess app.  Time consuming would be an understatement in this case.  Incidentally, if you want to get more followers on instagram hashtag #aeropress.  No lie.  Coffee Lovers Unite!

I've got more where these came from.  I'm thinking I'll save them for later.  I mean, we should be honest more than just once in a while, right?

In the meantime, you can find me on Instagram:  @nautiemermate  - Instagram has become something I love - a source of inspiration, aspirations and what ifs.  Find me so I can find you!

I See At Sea :: A Fin Whale!

Nothing perks me up at sea quite like seeing a marine mammal.  That sounds so ridiculously corny but, I just don't know how else to explain it!  A dolphin, whale, seal, or otter can make me feel down right euphoric and giddy.  Often times, if I have a large enough heads up that there is wild life in my general vicinity I'll run for my camera.  Sometimes they're too far off, sometimes the weather just doesn't cooperate and on rare occasions sometimes I keep the event simple and just enjoy my sighting.

Coming into California a few days ago I spotted some whale spouts nearby.  I quickly switched camera lenses and hoped a whale would make an appearance.

I tried to get a few shots but missed every time.  In the meantime the Captain joined me in my whale watching.  

There was a large spout and then the Captain realized this whale was going to stick around and yelled out, 'Haul Ass to the Port Side!!!!!!!!'.  So I did.

I literally ran with my camera as fast as I could to the Port Bridge Wing.  

The Captain was quick on my heels and there he was.  A pale blue outline against the deeper blue of the ocean.  

My camera was up - focused and ready to snap away - when our lovely whale friend decided to make his presence known.  

First his head came up - a sharper pointer nose - then he slowly arched giving us a good look at his blow hole and finally his sleek back and dorsal fin.

After taking a good look at the photos we identified it as a Fin Whale.  Fin's are the second largest whale (the first being a Blue Whale) - and man, it was easy to tell our whale friend was a behemoth!  So long!

Clearly, I can't only post these photos - I took 19 photos before he disappeared from sight.  Enjoy the full experience!