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Enjoying perks in Shanghai
I had several hours in the airport at Shanghai. Because my seat is a nice pod in Business class, I had access to the VIP lounge at Shanghai. My dad was very excited about this and made sure I knew. I’d traveled with him before to different airline clubs, but this was over the top! There were recliners, massage chairs, and all kinds of seats to wait in. The food was a full buffet of Chinese cuisine. Although I had meals on my flight, I took the opportunity to try a savory vegetable bun, a chocolate and custard bun, and a green tea cream cheese roll. I saw what looked like the symbol for shower. Could it be real? I followed the sign all the way to a door that said I needed to contact the staff to use the shower. Yes! I asked the staff if they had towels, and the woman laughed at me and said, “We have everything.”
It was a clean, private bathroom with all amenities provided: towel, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, hair dryer. Since I had toured all day before my flight, I actually felt pretty gross. It was so nice to get a shower while traveling! I boarded my next flight happy to be clean and taken care of at Shanghai.
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Day 4 of exploring Bali
Sif and I woke up in the fancy hotel feeling refreshed. We ordered breakfast to be delivered on our balcony. But it wasn’t just breakfast, it was a feast! We had banana, strawberry, and chocolate chip pancakes, fresh juice, fruit platters with yogurt, Danishes (per the Danish, they were NOT Danishes), tea and coffee. It was really beautiful, although the flies were aggressive.
I wanted to make sure I enjoyed the pool before checking out, so I went for a swim after feasting. It was one of the nicest pools I have ever been in. Luckily, I had my yoga photographer there to capture a few poses.
By late morning, we headed to the spa for our complimentary couples massage. Have I mentioned we were treated like royalty here?! It was a Balinese massage and probably one of the best I’ve ever had. I requested strong pressure, so it was deep tissue. It was exactly what my muscles needed after lots of yogi practice. On the other side of the massage room was the most beautiful outdoor bathroom. I showered here and then headed back to the room to pack up my bags. Another yogi friend, Shauna, was meeting up with Sif that day, so I said my goodbyes to both of them!
Made took me shopping and to see the production of some Balinese products. Given these products were great gifts for my family, I will not reveal what they were at this time! But they were unique and beautiful.
After this we headed south. We took a coffee break at another Luwak coffee plantation. I tried all 12 teas and coffees again and then had a cup of my favorite, the mocha coffee. Made told stories about what funerals and weddings are like in Bali and talked about his adventures traveling and working in the US. Because he worked on Skyline Drive, he is familiar with Harrisonburg, Luray, and Charlottesville. We’ve been able to connect from knowing my home and now I was getting to know his.
Next we headed to Uluwatu temple. It sits on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Indian Sea. It was crowded and absolutely picturesque. There were monkeys here, and after hearing some stories I was cautious around them. But I got close enough to take my first selfie with a monkey for the evening.
Made suggested the Balinese Kecak and Fire Dance at Uluwatu. It is popular and tickets sold out that night, but thankfully he got me the ticket. A choir of 70 men served as the accompaniment to the dance that tells the tale of an old Indian epic Ramayana. The star of this performance was definitely the white monkey, Hanoman. He escaped from the fire at the end, putting on a beautiful show. When it was over, I snuck through the crowd to snap my second selfie with a monkey for the evening.
We drove to Jimbaran beach for my final meal in Bali. Made took me to Jukung Bali Seafood. The table was right on the beach with the waves crashing in front of us. I picked out my own lobster and we drank fresh coconuts. When I arrived at Shambala several weeks earlier, they had given me a coconut to drink. It only seemed fitting that I end my stay in Bali in the same way. We hung out on the beach for a long time after dinner, savoring the beautiful scenery and me avoiding more time at the airport. My flight didn’t leave until 1:30 am and thankfully Made didn’t mind waiting until I had taken in enough Bali air, ocean, and breeze before it was time to go.
It was really sad to leave my friend behind at the airport. He had taken me all over Bali, taught me about their culture, and shown so much care for me and my yogi friends. I am lucky that Ridwan introduced us and I met Made. If you ever find yourself in Bali, I’d be happy to connect you with an amazing guide.
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Day 3 of exploring Bali
I woke up to being surrounded by rice terraces at my hotel outside Ubud. Since we got there at nighttime the day before, I didn’t know how beautiful the place was. I got breakfast and then my friend from training, Sif, met me there so she could join us for the day.
Made took us to the Tirta Empul, the holy springs water temple first. People travel from all over to bath in the spring water. When we first arrived to the people bathing, we were approached by a group of men to take their photo with us. We thought it was odd, but we’re nice yogis, so we obliged. About 6 camera phones later, I had to cut them off. Made explained that when people travel to the temple in Bali they take pictures with tourists as evidence they were in Bali, because there aren’t as many tourists in the other temples as there are in Bali. I guess I’m happy we could be their proof. After we were done seeing the temple, we went shopping at the market outside the temple. We bargained and got so much stuff because we could make a deal.
Next we went to another coffee plantation so Sif could try the cat-poo-ccino. We took a romantic picture together in the heart-shaped deck overlooking the beautiful forest.
Then we went to an overlook of Mount Batur and Batur Lake. This lake was not a twin, so we did the pano trick with me on one side and Sif on the other. No running around required.
After this, we drove to Tegalalang Rice Terrace. It felt very different than the rice terraces I had seen the day before. There were more tourists at this location and the land wasn’t as wet and cool. We ate lunch at a restaurant looking out at the terraces. Then we took more romantic photos on the I Heart Bali swing.
Made took us into Ubud for more market shopping. I got more gifts here and then we headed to my hotel. It was not too far outside Ubud. When I saw my room, I realized how nice the place was and I didn’t want to stay there by myself. So I invited Sif to join me in the fancy room, nice pool, and breakfast on the balcony the next morning. Plus it was my last night staying in Bali so I wanted it to be spent with my friend.
We went into Ubud for a seafood dinner at a local place. A bottle of wine, two fried seafood platters, and two Oreo cake desserts per person later, we were stuffed and completely content.
We went back to the room and soon passed out due to the amount of food consumed.
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Day 2 of exploring Bali
I woke up early to watch the sunrise over my hotel in Canggu then headed to a raw vegan spot nearby for a smoothie bowl and mocaccino. The shops were starting to open up and I browsed through a couple before heading to the beach. There were tons of surfers out and watching them was impressive. The waves right now are huge. The harbors are all closed so you cannot take a boat to or from Bali. This changed my plans, but when I found out a week ago Made helped me adjust my itinerary.
He picked me up around 10:00 am and we went to Tanah Lot temple. This is another one of the big temples the Balinese have to visit in their lifetime and it is also a tourist hotspot. Here the temple sits on rocks at the edge of the sea. Part of the temple is only accessible when it’s low tide. It wasn’t necessarily high tide now, but high waves! The water is a beautiful mix of blues and greens. Watching it crash into the rocks and trying to capture the highest splash became mesmerizing.
Next we drove to Jatiluwih, which has the largest rice terrace in Bali. It became cloudier and rainy, but this only improved the lighting for my photos.
We had lunch overlooking the terraces. I had a lemongrass tea, grilled shrimp, squid, and octopus, and red rice. Made had a more traditional Indonesian plate and he let me try one of his rice crackers for comparison to Boboko. They are very similar to what I’ve had, but Ridwan’s crackers have more flavor!
After lunch we walked through the terraces and Made explained the process of growing and harvesting the rice to me. Bali’s rice growing is unique in its use of terraces and its irrigation system called subak. Because of the different levels and the size of the terraces, it becomes a tedious process by hand. Here the rice workers are pulling up the young plants from the nursery. Next they will be planted individually by hand in the terraces, evenly spaced apart to allow for growth.
Next we drove to Beratan temple on the lake. It started to get chilly here and you could hardly see across the lake from the fog. Still, it was beautiful in a mystical way. The lake is surrounded by detailed gardens and we listened to a group of children singing here. There were speed boats driving around the lake. Not many people swim in it but it is used for fishing.
We headed up the mountain to view Twin Lake next. Made taught me a clever pano trick so that I also had a twin!
We ended the day at a very interesting place. A luwak coffee plantation! The luwak is a nocturnal, cat-like animal similar to a raccoon or weasel. It eats the coffee cherries and the coffee farms collect the partly-digested, fermented coffee feces. Yes, this is real! The beans contain a shell separating it from the poo and the process of washing, roasting, and brewing keeps the coffee sanitary. I tried it, and it was very robust. Not my cup of poo, but it’s very popular and expensive! They giggled as they told me it’s “cat-poo-cino”! They had 12 other teas and coffees I sampled, not from poop, and I bought some to bring home. Here I am learning about the roasting process.
Driving to my hotel in Ubud it got dark, and I realized I’ve been here almost 3 weeks and this is the first time I’ve been driving at night. It’s much darker here than the roads at home, but not bad. I really enjoyed our conversations during the drive. Made talked about Balinese Hinduism being uniquely Balinese. Lots of symbolism was used to help them understand it and that’s how the religion has continued to be practiced in Bali, so it’s very different than Indian Hinduism.
There is a sense of pride about Bali being special and it extends to the individual. Made’s job is not just being a tour guide or driver, but he has to love what he does. The Balinese word for it is taksu. He taught me it means putting your soul and energy into whatever your passion is. I felt an immediate understanding of taksu and happiness that I had to come all the way to Bali to learn the word for what I felt.
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Day one of exploring Bali
I was introduced to my tour guide through my Indonesian friend, Ridwan. He helped build my itinerary and revise it when my plans changed. His name is Made. We had exchanged messages on WhatsApp for weeks before my trip and it was like he was already my friend. When I met him I felt like I should give him a hug, but he stuck his hand out and we shook hands. Then he said he felt like he should hug me, so we did.
First we drove to Lempuyang temple. It’s one of the 9 big temples in Bali that the Balinese say they must visit in their lifetime. It is famous for the open gates that look out over the mountainside and everyone wants to take a picture here. Made estimated the line would take 45 minutes to an hour. I just couldn’t see spending my day that way, so I stood further in front of the gate and he got my picture from here.
Instead of getting that perfect photo I experienced something very neat. When we walked the steps to the top of the temple, Made asked if I would like to pray with him or wait. If I was allowed to go in, of course I was going to see how to pray! On the way up the temple steps he bought the offering, incense, and matches.
Each round of Balinese prayer was focused on thanking the gods for something different and in one prayer you ask for forgiveness. We started sitting on the ground with our offerings and burning incense in front of us. Then we washed our hands and faces in the smoke of the incense.
The first prayer is done with empty hands.
The second prayer is done with white flower petals between the fingertips.
The third prayer is done with mixed flower petals between the fingertips.
The fourth prayer is done with mixed flower petals between the fingertips.
The last prayer is done with empty hands.
The priest put holy water on our heads. We splashed holy water splash on out faces. Then we caught water in our hands and drank from the holy water 3 times.
At the very end, we took a pinch of rice, and placed it on our forehead and neck. Then we ate a few grains, thanking the gods for rice (food) and life.
Next we went to Tirta Gangga Water palace. It was built in 1948 and is more Balinese in style. It contains pools, stepping stones, fountains, and beautiful rice terrace gardens. The koi fish in the pools are huge from tourists feeding them! We wandered through the pools and took pictures, then I had lunch overlooking the water palace.
After this, we drove to another water palace called Taman Ujung. It was designed by a Dutch architect and you could see the differences between this water palace and the last one. Inside the palace building was a small museum with photos of the King and his family.
Then we headed south for a long drive to Canggu. I saw a lot of Bali, including more inside the cities this time than when I had traveled to Bondalem. I could look out the window and see the coast with huge crashing waves most of the drive. Once we got close to Denpasar, the traffic got worse. It was very crowded here. Canggu is a resort and beach area very popular with surfers and loud Australians. My hotel is very close to the beach, surrounded by restaurants and shops. On the top level of my hotel, there is a pool and bar overlooking the ocean. You can see Canggu very well from up here. It was pretty cloudy, so I could not see very much of the sunset, but the views were great still.
Having only buffet style vegetarian meals for the last 16 days, I was craving sushi. I found a great sushi place nearby and treated myself to a nice meal: salmon nigiri with creme fraiche and green caviar, maki tuna roll, and a deep fried salmon and cream cheese roll with jalapeño.
I ended my meal treating myself with a chocolate covered ball of green tea ice cream drizzled with caramel sauce that had raspberries, little cakes, and fresh mint leaves. Yes, it was delicious. And yes, it had a lot of things going on.
I walked around after dinner, scouting my breakfast plan and shops to browse the next morning before Made picked me up. It’s the next morning and I just finished watching the cloudy sunrise. Clouds or not, this view is phenomenal.
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Almost Certified
Teacher training is coming to a close! Only 2 days left. The second week provided challenges but nothing I couldn’t face. I’m stronger, braver, and more determined from this journey. Traveling to the other side of the world was a huge step. Staying focused and serious about learning has been a commitment when the days are long. Even though this is a short, intensive program, I feel ready to practice teaching at home now. I’ve enjoyed my time at this beautiful place in Bondalem and I’m excited to leave here for the next part of my trip.
I feel very strong about my foundation in yoga and my progress. All the girls here have qualities and abilities at different levels. It’s like we’re at varying points on different skill spectrums. I believe my form and practice are very strong, and it’s been nice to hear that from several of the girls. Here are some of the friends I’ve made!
My teaching skills are what I’ve really gained from this program. I cue exactly what I want my students to do. The words come naturally. I’m lucky to be an observant person, because I’ve noticed how my teachers instruct and pay attention to details. Speaking with enthusiasm, using vivid language, and projecting my voice are skills I’m continuing to improve. I also do the poses with students more than I need to when I teach. I should trust that my words will tell students where to go.
This past week, I created a 70-minute class and taught the whole thing to another person. An instructor in my training program came in and observed a portion of my class. I received written feedback on how I did. Some excerpts were:
good pace and lots of details for the poses
a creative floor flow that you cued very well
nice connection w/ student for strap work; great assist
be conscious of some of your filler words...”we’re going to...”
I spent several nights struggling to sleep because of ants. They were coming into my bed, waking me up as I felt them crawling on me, and biting my arms, feet, and face. Even if the ants weren’t there, I had paranoia about when the next one would come and I’d lie awake with my phone’s flashlight on. The resort staff suggested using insect chalk on the floor around my bed, which didn’t do crap. Thankfully, my friend Gina told me to tuck my mosquito net under my mattress instead of letting it hang to the floor. This did the trick!
On Tuesday, I will teach part of a 90-minute class to everyone in the program. My section contains sun salutations and open hip flows. I’ve experienced so much here at Shambala resort that it’s hard to document everything that’s happened and all the feelings I’ve had. This place will stick with me forever and that’s part of the reason I came here.
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Bali Belly and a Bali Birthday
Today we’re going to talk about my favorite emoji: poop! I heard of Bali Belly before I came here. I’ve been careful to avoid drinking any water when brushing my teeth or showering. I fell in love with the delicious food as soon as I got here. But it did not love me. I succumbed to some kind of stomach bug Sunday morning that left me pooping a lot. By Monday morning, I was depleted, exhausted, and savasana-ed through half of the practice (that means I slept on my mat). The good news is that’s allowed here and I allowed myself to take it easy. Monday did not show much improvement. As much as I believe in letting these things pass, I finally caved and took Imodium Monday night. Happy end to the story is I enjoyed 2 pieces of my birthday cake and I’m feeling better now.
Since I don’t know what caused it and my stomach is still a little gurgly, I’ve made adjustments. I’m avoiding spicy sauces and curries. I eat cooked vegetables instead of salads. I eat minimal amounts of fruit as it could contain contaminated water. Rice, bread, and muesli are my bland, boring friends. There is really not enough variety in the ingredients for me to change so I just pay attention to how the food makes me feel. We keep talking about mindfulness in yoga practice and honoring what your body is capable of in that moment. I feel even more in tune with my body in regards to food after this trip. That includes all the food I’m craving from back home. Pizza and cheese come to mind. Some kind of Mexican taco salad. And boats of sushi. It’s nice to know that those things will come again and I’m adapting here, definitely not suffering.
I picked this specific training instead of two later options so I could turn 30 on the other side of the world. Sometimes birthdays feel like pressure to have fun and be around a lot of people. If I think about doing something for myself, being here instead of home was definitely it. And I couldn’t escape celebrating entirely. Upon exiting my room, I was showered with hugs, silent hugs!, throughout the morning. A whiteboard in the yoga hall was decorated with a birthday message for me.
The girls were dead set on using my birthday to justify a change in the food scene. I knew they requested birthday cake for dinner, but two of the girls went into town Tuesday after breakfast to try to buy avocados to make guacamole. What lovely people! When they got to Bondalem, the streets were crowded for what appeared to be a parade. There was a float and people were taking pictures and videos, so they joined in. When they asked what it was for, they found out it was a funeral. Instead of tears and sadness, the man’s life was truly being celebrated with gifts and happiness from the rest of the town. After this, they found out the body would be cremated and the ashes would get dumped into the ocean. They came back, sad about the avocado failure, but excited to share stories of what they had seen.
Class that morning was great. My birthday was referenced as we centered in and lots of yogis sent special birthday love my way. During lunch break, one of my friends asked me to go snorkeling. It was kind of the last thing I felt like doing given the stomach riot of days prior, but it was my birthday and snorkeling is something I love to do. I had to do it.
The beach at the resort has dark sand. It’s coarse and sticks to your skin. It looks like I’ve run through a pile of poppy seeds after my feet walk across the sand.
We snorkel for a while. I see tiny blue fish. Striped fish. Blue starfish. Then I start seeing pieces of cloth. And woven decorations. Floating where the waves curl and wash the items onto the beach. I had seen small bits of trash in the water but this was more intense, like someone doing laundry in the ocean. You know where this is going...
We quickly realize these are the remains from the funeral, all the fabrics and decorations from the morning ceremony are washing onto shore. Also, we’re swimming with ashes, but that part bothered me less than seeing so many pieces of cloth floating in the water and wondering if a body was going to be attached.
When it was finally dinner time, I knew dessert was forthcoming even though no cake was displayed. Not 60 seconds after I sat down for dinner, I was birthday ambushed. They draped a flower scarf (bigger than a necklace) around my neck and handed me a bouquet of flowers. Everyone circled round while the staff sang happy birthday. I was presented with a cake that had trick candles that I could not blow out. This made one of the staff, Edy, crack up.
Edy told me to make a wish before I attempted to blow out the trick candles. Later, I went to the ocean to watch the end of the sunset of my birthday, and I saw a symbol of what I had wished for. I felt so sure about where I was and everything that’s happening in my life. I wasn’t sure what to do with all the floral gifts and I wanted everyone to be able to enjoy them. After the fun was over, I snuck into the empty yoga hall and draped my flower scarf around the Buddha shrine’s neck and placed the bouquet in his hand.
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First 5 days
I haven’t posted in a while and all is well! It’s been an adjustment to have such a full schedule. We start at 7:00 am and end at 9:00 pm. Meals and breaks are built into those 14 hours but it makes for a long day. I feel adjusted physically and mentally to the training schedule by now.
It goes like this:
7:00 am - sunrise meditation overlooking the ocean
7:30 am - yoga practice
9:00 am - silent breakfast
10:00 am - yoga theory class
12:30 pm - lunch then break
2:30 pm - practice teaching workshop
4:30 pm - yoga philosophy (M, W, F) satya communication circle (Tu, Th, S)
6:00 pm - dinner then break
7:30 pm - evening program (restorative class, satsang music and singing, or film about yoga)
From 10:00 pm to 10:00 am each day is silent time. Twelve hours of silence might sound difficult but it’s really nice in the morning to just focus on my rituals and gain some peace. Breakfast to myself is by far my favorite meal of the day.
There is fresh fruit, an egg variation, oatmeal or granola (warm bananas in honey in the example above), and a double shot of green smoothie. I also found out after getting here I’m being detoxed of coffee! It’s not my preference, but the delicious ginger and lemongrass teas are helping fill the void.
The environment we’re in at Shambala is absolutely lovely. Intricate stone paths wind all over the grounds and gardens of tropical plants and flowers.
Every so often the path takes you under a temple-like gate. Throughout the day, small sacrifices of leaves, flowers, and incense appear on the ground.
We live in harmony with all the creatures: ants roam freely into my room, a gecko checked out my shower today, and there is a timid kitten on the property that meows and runs away from you if you chase him with your phone!
I’ve been really sore these first couple days. Resting from practice before my trip combined with several days of traveling left me feeling very tight and stiff. I really only started to improve from that today. The practice is not too physically difficult. The hardest part for me has been sitting on the ground while we’re learning. I’m not used to doing it for very long. It is however building more core and back muscles, so it’s getting easier.
So far the most beneficial part of training has been practicing teaching. We began this on day 1 and I was teaching sun salutations on day 2 (much to my surprise!). Doing the teaching has come easier than I expected but I still feel like I have so much to work on! By next week, I’ll apparently be teaching an entire class, or so they tell me!
This evening we had a lovely dinner watching the sunset. Sunrise starts around 6:00 am and sunset is around 6:00 pm. The day seems super short compared to summertime daylight back home but I do get to bed early given my schedule.
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Bali in daylight
The night I got to Bali I had a horrible headache and attributed it to exhaustion. It persisted the next morning so I assumed it was caffeine withdrawal. Two cups of coffee later, I had chills, nausea, and still the headache. I was experiencing jet lag sickness. I thought I would just feel tired during the day and wide awake at night but apparently there are other things traveling can do to your body. I caved and finally took ibuprofen, which relieved the headache. After dry heaving in my hotel room a couple times, my car to training arrived and thankfully I neither threw up nor dry heaved again on the drive.
My hotel was on the wrong side of a long road which would have required a lengthy drive before a u-turn would be possible. So the driver parked across the street and we had to make a terrifying run across 2 lanes of traffic to reach the car safely. In it I met another girl in my training from the UK.
Traffic getting out of Kuta was horrendous apparently and our frustrated driver kept fussing at every “really big bus” (yoga, anyone?). This added an extra hour to our already 3-hour drive north to Bondalem. Personally, I had a 38-hour flight itinerary getting to Bali, so what’s an hour more?
Our driver talked about the mix of religion in Bali. 85% Hindu and the other 15% is a mix of Muslim, Christian, and Buddhist, living together in harmony. I couldn’t think of a more perfect blend as the environment of my yoga training.
How to describe driving in Bali... my new friend in the car explained it was just like when she had been in Sri Lanka. Assuming most of you have never been there (like me), the best way to drive like the Balinese is to just honk. As in:
- Honk at someone going too slow in front of you
- Honk if traffic isn’t moving in front of you
- Honk as you approach a curve (this was actually a good safety rule)
- Honk as you approach that scooter
- Honk as you fly past that scooter
- Honk if you don’t want someone to enter the road in front of you
- Honk if you’re letting someone enter the road in front of you
- Honk if you’re swerving into the other lane because of one of the many cars parked in your lane
- Honk at that child on the side of the road
- Honk at that dog (or chicken) to get out of the road
- Honk whenever you feel like it; you cannot honk too much
After a couple hours of this, we stopped so I could conquer the squatting toilet and buy more bottled water. We continued on and the driver said if we are not feeling well to let him know. Ok? Then as we drove up into the mountains he explained the next hour would be like a roller coaster. And indeed it was. Curvy, steep roads with our car flying past (and honking at) slow trucks and scooters. To avoid getting car sick, I looked out the window the whole time and saw a lot of Bali during this drive.
Once we had reached the resort, he stopped in the middle of the road and the resort staff greeted us. We walked down a path into the resort, where we were confetti-ed with flower petals and handed a fresh coconut to drink. I was guided to my room (Krishna Garden) directly in front of the ocean. It’s open-air and probably the most beautiful place I will ever stay.
I met many more people in my training over dinner - there are close to 20 of us. This morning we start with meditation overlooking the beach, a yoga flow class, and breakfast. I’ll learn more about the resort and what my schedule will be like. From the initial sound of the program, you can choose to teach whatever type of yoga you wish and you should focus on what you want to gain from this experience. I like that there is no correct path and it certainly doesn’t sound like you can fail at doing whatever is right for you. They also talked about coming out a better you, which is my intention in all of this too.
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Just saying Hai
The plane to Shanghai was excellent. 14 hours never passed so easily. I had my own pod with charging station, tv screen, pillow, blanket, and slippers. The seat shifted forward so that my feet slid under the pod in front of me and my chair fully reclined. I think I slept about 9 hours.
I arrived in Shanghai around 4:00 am. I had to deal with a couple debacles: getting visa-free transit without my next ticket in hand, my bag not initially being there, and China being China so my abilities to obtain information and communicate were limited. If you didn’t know, the Chinese government censors the internet. Luckily I had read about this before, so I knew I wouldn’t be able to access sites like Google (Google Maps), Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube. Locked out of my email and unable to get my WhatsApp to connect, I was just lucky that I knew about the WiFi kiosks in the airport and I could send iMessages home to let everyone know I’d arrived. In China they use an app called WeChat for messaging, social media, and payments. It is even used when making small purchases with street vendors. My tour guide told me, “We don’t use cash.” It’s a powerful tool if it’s changing the way an entire country pays mobile.
My tour guide and driver picked me up at the airport. We first drove to Zhujiajiao, an ancient water town (think Venice). Shanghai is full of them. Houses and businesses are located on the rivers in these towns, some natural, some man-made.
We walked around as it was early and the shops and restaurants were just beginning to open. For breakfast, we had a sweet tofu and a salt tofu. The tofu here is homemade and very soft. Think the consistency of egg whites. I also had noodles with chili sauce since it was vegetarian and my guide had these cute little pork dumplings.
We explored more of the town and eventually took a gondola ride through the waterways.
Next we headed to the Jade Buddha Temple. There were many buildings, each with different gods. My tour guide explained to me which ones were Buddhist gods and which ones were Taoist gods. I thought this place would be very touristy but the majority of people here came to pray. It felt weird to be taking pictures and talking, but I guess the Chinese are used to it.
After this, we headed to Yuyuan Garden. This place was full of tourists! You had to squeeze through crowds to get in and I felt constantly in the way of people’s photos. It was very beautiful and there were many details I wouldn’t have noticed without my tour guide pointing them out. I could get lost in the gardens but she seemed to know exactly which paths to take.
After the gardens, we got a quick lunch and she took me to a teahouse. They let me sample oolong, green, and jasmine teas. I must admit, China has some of the best tea I’ve ever had.
Here is the view of Shanghai from the teahouse.
When it was time for me to depart, the driver got me back to the airport so I could get my bags out of storage and go through security. My visit was brief but my initial reaction of Shanghai is that it is crowded, beautiful, full of details, unique, food would probably be more delicious for non-vegetarian, teas are amazing, and lots of people on scooters! Definitely worth the stop and it helped to get out of the airport on my layover.
For those who have traveled to China, what other cities can you recommend?
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Selamat tinggal
Today is the day I leave for Bali, Indonesia! I'm going there to do my 200 hr yoga teacher training. This has been a dream of mine, and you can read more about why I'm doing it in my first blog post.
I couldn't be happier with the way I've spent these last few weeks. Learning. Trips with coworkers and friends. Studying. Meals with loved ones. Practice, practice, practice. Sushi. Cheese. Wine. There are so many special people in my life who support me and I celebrated with them this week.
Here I am pictured with my designer veggie tray for my goodbye party.
July 3rd we threw a "surprise" (kind of) party for my parents' birthdays. It was great way to spend time with them on one of my last days here.
Final meal at my house was a sampler of grilled cheeses.
Now I'm packing, saying goodbye to those closest to me, and mentally preparing for this adventure! I will be challenged by the experience and I'll come back more the person I am.
Goodbye, home! Love to you all.
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International traveler / global yogi
I’m gearing up for my journey. Gearing up mentally, emotionally, physically, organizationally, and materially. I may have more pro tips after the trip, but why not start sharing some of the things I’ve gotten for my cross-world trip and see if anyone has advice to share?!
By far, my biggest fear in this whole adventure is surviving the flights! Being in travel mode for more than 24 hours is going to take a toll on my body and my spirit. On the longer flights of the trip, I will be more comfortable in my Business class “pod” but the 6.5-14 hour flights are still way too long, not to mention my layover waiting time. My mom got me this ridiculous looking but surprisingly clever neck pillow called “trtl pillow.” Like a scarf, you wrap it around your neck and proceed to look like a fool, a comfortable fool. It takes up less space and should keep my neck propped up when I’m sneaking in snoozes.
The next biggest fear is being in a place where I don’t speak the language. Thankfully, I think most Balinese will know some English. However I enjoy both being polite and adapting to the culture that surrounds me. I graciously accepted an Indonesian phrasebook from my friend Mark who has traveled there. Working on my selamat pagi (good morning), silakan (please), and terima kasih (thank you) because manners!
While I intend to disconnect and not obtain cell service in Bali, my phone will be my camera. I’ll use it minimally over WiFi to keep this blog updated. My resort has free WiFi and I’ll use WhatsApp as my messenger over WiFi. Download it to stay connected with me in addition to following this blog! To keep my electronics charged, I have an adapter loaned to me by fellow yogi friend, Joel.
Finally, I need and want to bring my own yoga mat. Mine is exceptional when it comes to the sweating-and-not-slipping feature. In order to not take up my entire suitcase and because putting folds in your mat for over 24 hours is a horrible crease creator, I decided to carry on my mat. I found a cute “personal item” bag on Amazon. It has straps for me to attach my rolled up mat. And the bag can be used once I’m there to tote things around.
What other tips or recommendations do you have for a world traveler?
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bali and ytt
Hello, people.
You've found your way here because I've shared this link with you personally or I finally posted it on my social media. Whatever your intent, you cared enough to click and I need people like you! I need your encouragement, humor, understanding, excitement, curiosity, and love as I make a move to share and grow my passion.
The big news is: I booked my yoga teacher training and plane ticket 2 weeks ago! I knew in April I was traveling to Bali for it. I decided January 1 in Amber's intention setting Glow With The Flow that I was going to do my teacher training this year. I told my dear friends at The Nest last year that I was interested in being a teacher. My friends Nate & Elizabeth asked me about my goals 2 years ago and I said I wanted to be a yoga teacher. I knew I needed yoga in my life 5 years ago when my crazy friend Jeff invited me to my first bikram class and the healthiest addiction of my mental, physical, and spiritual life began from there.
Why yoga?
"Yoga is the practice of tolerating the consequences of being yourself."
- Some inspirational Instagram post
Without a doubt, yoga saved me from self loathing, anxiety, reclusion, and apathy. My first yoga teachers encouraged my love and compassion for myself as I am. The kindness and strength they showed me became something I could emulate to myself and others. I could laser-focus on my practice and personal progress so that nothing else mattered. When you spend 60-90 minutes focusing on nothing else but what's going on with you inside & outside, you clear your head of the things you worry about that don't matter. There is a community among yogis that connects us through sweat, determination and post-class yoga brain. You cannot find better people to flow through life beside you. Yoga led me to make better choices about my life and health, and how I represent that to others. And oh yeah, I've gotten pretty bad-ass strong and perseverant.
Why teach?
I'm in the business of learning and developing! It's not just my job, it's my passion! I view my training status as "in progress" for life. There's so much to learn for my own personal growth. Right now, I'm reading the ethical guidelines of yoga, learning sanskrit words, and studying anatomy. I want to learn everything I can that supports my yoga exploration. I'm also ready to start sharing everything I know and love about yoga with whoever needs it. I truly believe it can reduce anyone's stress and pain, and improve overall well-being. As I continue to gain so much from my teachers, I can contribute something back to the community. I don't know exactly what this will end up being, but for starters I'd like to teach vinyasa and hatha classes at my yoga studio.
Why Bali?
It's funny that this week at work we watched a Ted Talk about pursuing your dreams. When I decided to travel for my yoga teacher training, Bali was one of the first places I dreamed about. I wanted to be far away from the world I was accustomed to, completely detach from my job, and visit some place I connected with nature, food, culture, spirituality, and people. Then came thoughts of the hundreds of reasons why I couldn't go to Bali: cost, days off from work, language barrier, mosquitoes, HAVE YOU SEEN HOW LONG MY FLIGHT PLAN IS, my long legs in a plane seat, and every excuse my brain could fabricate. I spent months stressing and scanning yoga teacher training programs. In the end, Bali was the only place I wanted to go. When I blindsided my mom a month ago by telling her I wanted to do yoga teacher training and oh, by the way, I want to go to Bali, it was happening. Moral of the story: tell your mom your dream, and it becomes truth.
Why blog?
This is the last question I could anticipate running through your head. Why am I blogging about it instead of talking? Well, there are a lot of you (I hope). And most importantly, I want a way to document my adventures and share them with the other side of the world while I'm living, training, and changing in Bali. I will be in Central Indonesian Time (WITA) +0800 UTC, which is exactly 12 hours ahead of my homeland.
That’s what I have to share so far. What other questions do you have? Please comment and let me know what you think or what’d you like to hear more about!
Love to you all.
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