Marveling Mexico

So our final stop on this awesome trail across to Central America.... Mexico wasn’t meant to be the last stop but due to time constraints and money we had to make a few changes and head back home 7wks early, however we both wanted to end the trip somewhere we both had never been and Mexico appealed to us both. With changes made and our friend Rosa arranging to meet us out there we chose to take a month to explore this new land and totally new continent.

Our trip started in Cancun, we did fly into Mexico city but only spent a night there before heading out to meet Rosa. We chose Cancun as it was an easy place to meet and however much we were told to not go I wanted to see for myself what this tourist land held. Rosa arrived around 7ish and we were ecstatic to see one another after so long. We booked a hostel in town and were pleasantly pleased with our stay, it certainly didn’t feel touristy or over run and maybe because we didn’t venture down to the coast and stayed in the town we had more of a local experience. We were right near to the food area and enjoyed some real Mexican treats, local music and beer catching up on news from home, our main conversation being around the Scottish referendum and how it was for Rosa living in Scotland and being English.

We left the hostel the next morning, heading to the port to board our boat to Isla Mujeres, we had planned 3 days on the beach before venturing into the world of Mayan ruins and Mexican towns. As we took the boat across I was totally amazed at the sea in front of us, it was crystal clear, it felt like something you see in an advert and Rosa and I couldn’t stop saying ‘have you seen the sea’ we marveled in the beauty of it and knew the next few days were going to be a truly spectacular.

We had been recommended to stay at Poc Na hostel, it seemed this was the place to stay and we secured ourselves a private room for 3, the hostel was a great recommendation and had everything you would want, live music, beach bar, free yoga, Spanish classes and 2.4.1 cocktails, we knew we would be settled for the next few days. 

The main two islands in Mexico are Isla Holbox and Isla Mujeres, we knew Isla Mujeres was easier to get too and therefore busier but we were lucky it was quiet season and therefore the tourist hustle and bustle wasn’t as intense. Our time was spent lazing on the beach, making the classic English picnic lunch and enjoying evening beers embracing the white sand and being in awe of the rolling crystal sea.

From Poc Na our toes took us to Merida, for me Merida was on the Mexico’s cities which give me the feel of real Mexico, the colours and culture were just incredible and we enjoyed two wonderful days exploring the locals market, purchasing leather goods and eating delicious street food, queso being my staple diet in Mexico. The streets of Merida were so colourful and there was such Spanish authenticity when wandering the maze of rainbow streets. Our first night was spent dancing on the streets outside a local building with a Mexican band, a number of locals had come out and all were paired up dancing an enjoyable rhythm, celebrating the music with smiles and laughter, Rosa and I were pulled up by a wholesome cute, Mexican women who spun us around, and got us into the swing of how we move our hips to the beat. Rosa and I also participated in a salsa class at our hostel, which was great fun and I started to understand the basic steps Maderia had told me in Ubud when we went salsa dancing, the class was great fun, sweaty but a real experience into the waythe dance evoles and the body moves. 

We ate at two tasty local(ish) restaurants in our two days there and we all tried our hand at local dishes, me indulging in some sort of vegetarian scotch egg dish with tomato, egg and breadcrumb mixture, Sam and Rosa being served the opposite, feasting on a plate of Mexican infused meat. 

We took a day trip from Merida to Chichen Itza, our first sighting of the marveling ruins we had heard so much about. We took the early bus to Chichen Itza and spent a full day in awe of these colossal monumental ruins. With getting there early we luckily missed a lot of the tourist hustle and even managed a few moments of ruins alone, taking in the expanse of their size, overwhelmed, reading about how they become to be there and what the building may have once been used for it made my mind wander to a time when the Maya’s nested and ruled there. We manage to trail behind a few tours, learning about sweat lodges and sacrifices into the cenotes, these tribes definitely didn’t do things by half. It was incredible to wander and see the different inscriptions and images carved over the ruins, the skulls and bas reliefs prominent on the sacrificial buildings, enveloping the spell binding structures surrounding us. The day flew by as we read from our lonely planet and learnt with each step how life was once lived in this world and why Chichen Itza came to be in this dense land in the heart of Mexico. We headed home on our bus journey amazed at what we had experienced and ready to explore another ruins but in a very different landscape.

We left Merida content and full, pleased to have seen how the locals lived and experience firsthand events of how Merida flows and how interactions are in everyday life in this quaint town. 

Our next stop was to Palenque, we head decided to stay next to the national park next to Palenque ruins, we had been recommended a communal area called El Panchen which had a number of different stays, we found ourselves settled in a treetop bungalow deep in the jungle, surrounded by beautiful howler monkeys swinging and singing in the trees above us.

With arriving early we used our first day to settle in and enjoy jungle life, so different from the city streets we had been exploring, the jungle felt so tranquil and calm and just where I wanted to be at this time in the trip, it felt like the last few days had been busy sightseeing and bus journeys that it was nice to just be back in nature relaxing. The day was beautiful and is one of my fondest of the four weeks travelling Mexico; we put the hammock up, read, wrote in our diaries and relaxed watching and listening to the sound of monkeys above us and the insects in the trees around us. That evening we dined at the local pizzeria Don Munchos and drank copious wine, dancing to salsa played by a local band and laughing continuously at the venue we were in and the magic of the surroundings we were having the pleasure to explore and enjoy!

The following day we headed into the national park to embrace Palenque’s ruins, the ruins are set in the jungle and stir such depth and beauty within you, the beauty of the surroundings is mesmerising and just takes your breath away. The main difference for me from Chichen Itza was that Palenque definitely has less of a touristy feel due to it being less of the trail, it also allows more exploration of the ruins, allowing you to climb and discover inside the ruins. Like Chichen Itza, Palenque had a real grand feel to it, you could imagine royalty living and breathing here, with the grand courts and observatories used for special occasions. It was amazing to watch the archaeologists at work, digging out more buried treasures and excavating the splendor of the buildings left. I loved seeing the bas reliefs that had been excavated and seeing the grandeur of the images once carved.

We ended the day climbing high onto one of the main ruins and the expanse of the view was just mind blowing, we could see across the whole of the ruin site and the sounds of the howler monkeys was just so intense, I had never heard anything so loud but still so distant. It was spectacular being so high up and having an experience like this with two of my favourite people, we sat for a good hour just taking it all in, being so thankful for our time together, our time here and our last country offering sites such as this.

That night we took the bus to Lake Bacalar, our last night bus whilst travelling and sure to be at the top of the worse night travels that year. We had been told about Bacalar by a friend, I had a real image of what it would be like, a peaceful lake, serene living , all the accommodation being circled around the lake, hammocks and tyres to float about in. When we arrived we all had to take a step back and found there was a lot of similarities in what we wanted, but also a lot of differences, the main one being that there was hardly anyone there. It was a strange reality in terms of wanting peace but also wanting there to be some sort of buzz. Our first choice of accommodation didn't work out so we chose to head to where the lonely planet recommended, this turning out to be a nice spot and one we all felt comfortable to stay and relax for a few days. Lake Bacalar is named the lake of seven colours and throughout the day it was truly beautiful to watch the changes in the colour and the radiant blues gleaming through. Our stay in Bacalar didnt end up being for as long as we had first intended, however we did get into life on the lake and we did bask in the serenity of nobody being around. We marveled in midday picnics, daytime reading, napping and a lot of good chats. On our last day however things did take a turn for the worse when Sammy was bitten by fire ants and took a bad reaction to the bites which saw us head to hospital for an emergency shot in the bum and an hours stay leaving Sammy dosed up and tired.

We decided with that to head off from lake 'back in time' and head to Tulum for sun kissed coastline and eco friendly beach huts. The journey was quick and easy from Bacalar to Tulum, our bus driver indulged us in some oldskool house music bombing along the highways arriving into Tulum town centre without much of a plan, meaning our next challenge hit us right bang in the face.... where to stay.

I knew I wanted to stay on the beachfront, it was the last two weeks of our trip and Sam and I had decided to use this time to take stop and enjoy the weeks without night buses, day travel and dodgy accommodation. Sadly Tulum town didnt offer anything that suited, meaning we headed down to the beach to see what was available there. After a jaunt up and down we managed to get a good deal on a beautiful cabana Diamonte K, which was right on the rocks, looking out into the ocean, dreamy.

Tulum gave me a mixture of feelings, some amazing, some not so, as a holiday spot it would be perfect, as a way to end travelling, (with not much money) it wasn't so great. Tulum is set up with the town and then a few miles away is the coastline, where all the eco lodges are, therefore meaning to get from one place to the next you either have to get a taxi, bike or walk, walking and cycling is fine but late at night it isn't that safe as there is no lights and the roads are pitch black. We managed to get a few taxis for a decent price (as season was quiet), our walking legs came into good action (and my fear of pitch black roads). Rosa stayed with us for the first few days of the trip and we enjoyed our last week together soaking in the Caribbean waves, sunkissed sands, reading and relaxing, we discussed every topic possible and it was beautiful for me to watch my bestfriend and my husband getting to know one another so well, there was a few nights where i retired early and those two stayed up, laughing over sneaky praying mantas and sharing coronas.

We took a day trip to Akumal which was recommended by our good friends to swim with sea turtles, the day was mindblowing, however it shared its good and bad as sadly we witnessed a death after a man drowned snorkelling. So with the amazement of seeing these beautiful marine reptiles and watching Rosa squel with delight as they swam underneath her feet we sadly had the cold hit of reality that life is short and whilst one person is having the time of their life another is losing theirs.

Rosa chose to take off for a couple of adventure days, i think what we witnessed in Akumal made her feel life is short and to take challenges when available, so we said our goodbyes on the Thursday and off she ventured back to Isla Mujeres.

It was suddenly so strange for Sam and I to be back alone, we had spent the last part of a month and a half travelling with family and friends and suddenly we had this last 10days to be in each others company again. We stalked out our favourite eateries and enjoyed amazing fish enchiladas at El Captains (Tulum Centre), Finally tasty fish tacos at Maetaoes (Tulum Beach), Something different but delicious thai food at Mezzaine (Tulum Beach) and if pizza is required, its always required in my life then Salepepe (Tulum Centre) does huge tasty real Italian pizzas.

We chose to head back to Akumal for two days and had two great days snorkeling and swimming with the turtles, my mind is still blown when i think about them and the pang of happiness at such a special experience, they glide so gracefully and their statue but beauty just make me smile so much, those two days were definitely two i will hold dear as i just feel experiences with sea life like this is a rare delight and having this trip allows these experiences to happen. We basked in the sea on and off all day and fully immersed ourselves in Akumal beach life.

We visited two more ruin stops, again very different from the two we had been too but defiantly two of the best. We first went to Tulum ruins which is set on the coastline, looking down onto the sea, like Chichen Itza this is a popular tourist spot so was busy however you could feel the royalty that once may have lived here and the money and trade that was passed through this port town. The ruins felt very grand and with the shore in front it felt a place for the wealthy.

Coba was our next ruin stop and this was a bus ride away, out into the jungle like Palenque, however very different to Palenque as a lot of the ruins are still hidden away in the midst of the Mexican jungle and its set across a large expense of terrain. It was a murky day also and the atmosphere just felt right for the ruins we were exploring. At one point the rain fell so torrential we had to hide under a ruin for some time as we weren't equipped with waterproofs and our fake havianas were set for muddy puddles. The day was great even with the rain and i enjoyed that it was packed with tourists, which allowed the enjoyment of wandering and reading about each ruin, temple and home. It was a lovely day away from the beach and broke the last week up with a day out to see another part of Mexico.

Either that night or the following we experienced the most terrifying, exhilarating (i can say that now), noisy and raucous storm, it started at around 2am and for 3hrs Sam and I literally lay in bed freaked out by the thunder claps surrounding our hut and the palm trees being struck around us. We could see the forks of lightening hitting the ocean and the rumble of thunder rippling the sky, i cant deny it i cried and did think were going to die in our last week, how ironic. The storm eventually moved on at around 5am and the next morning our cabanas stay was a mess, sand had been washed away, palm trees were brown and drooped and the sky looked sad, no sun out to play for a few days.

We managed to catch some sun for our last couple of days though, after a few days of being in doors, we danced a merry dance when we woke to find the sun beating down and were straight onto the beach to bake away for our final few days, Mexico had definitely been an adventure, a one with great memories and one with bad but whatever i was pleased we had marveled this wonderful land and seen what it had to offer.

It was time to head home though with a one way trip to London, 8.5 months on the road, coming home 6wks early but feeling ready for normality and seeing some well loved faces. The trip had been an adventure of a lifetime, i felt so pleased Sam and I had took on this adventure together, as Mr and Mrs Austin, making memories of our own and exploring these lands in the way we chose. At times such challenge but so many times insane experiences and mind tingling events, the trip had really proved everything i had wanted and made me learn so much about me, my husband and our relationship, ready for the next adventure with a move to the North and starting a nest with a quieter life. 2014, what a year, what a perfect adventure. 

Merida

Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza

Palenque Jungle

Surveying the Ruins at Palenque

Palenque

Lake Bacalar

Our cabana in Tulum

Exploring Coba

From Sunset to Sunrise, the Temples of Angkor Wat

We entered Cambodia through the notorious land border Poi Pet, known for its shady scams and dodgy sales staff, Sam had prepped me to let him sort the visas and not freak out if his pointing finger ‘you’re lying’ face came on. All the guidebooks and internet reading tells you of the fake buildings and fake security staff in place, supposedly helping you with your visas and quick route into Cambodia, however what will happen is you will be over charged, money taken and still be waiting in the long line with all the other weary travelers and locals passing through. We managed to make it off the bus, our bus driver being so lovely and in his broken English pointing at the actual border control offices, as the scam men started to surround us demanding our time and notes, we pushed through no finger pointing but lots of no no no, NO THANKYOU.  We got to the border control and even there the guards tried their luck, stating they needed an extra few $’s to put our visas through, at this Sam informed them, no sorry, we don’t have it and with a few exchanged words our visas were processed and we were in the queue crossing to Thailand, phew. 

We caught the bus to Siem Reap to meet lovely Ash and Mike, the journey wasn’t too bad apart from the fact we found out just before getting on the bus our friends had gone into labour, meaning the whole bus journey was a panic of if they were okay and how the labour was going. We somehow managed to get 10 seconds of internet at a random service stop and a beautiful picture of baby Heidi came through, we were over whelmed with emotion and both were teary eyed at the happiness we felt our besties had a brood but sadness at feeling so far away when such a special moment was occurring. 

We arrived into Siem Reap in standard SE Asia fashion with the bus turning into a dark dodgy bus terminal and a 100 tuk tuks awaiting our arrival, we bartered a price and then got on our way to our hotel. When we arrived we were greeted by the lovely smiles of our Canadian friends and instantly felt at home in their embrace.  The evening was spent settling into Siem Reap and making plans for the next few days, M&A had already been in Siem Reap for a few days and had bought the 3 day tickets to Angkor Wat, we knew we only wanted to do the one day, as with the one day you also get the previous evening, meaning we would buy our tickets the following day at 5pm, have that evening and the whole of the next day. M&A informed us they had done the two outer routes of Angkor but had saved the big temples for us for our full day together.  So with plans made we enjoyed the rest of the evening on ‘pub street’ drinking lots of wine, local 30p beer and a lot of good chats with two very good friends, we missed the fact a river of rain had flooded the streets and when we emerged from the bar at 3am we fell into a puddle and stumbled into a tuk tuk. We awoke the next morning with fuzzy heads and happy thoughts, I woke up earlier than the rest so went for a nice swim and enjoyed the morning sunshine on my back, after my swim I went and enjoyed breakfast catching up on my diary and filling in my last few days of Thailand. Soon the others joined me and we arranged a lazy day in Siem Reap before Sam and I hired some bikes and went for our evening cycle to Angkor. 

We arrived at Angkor spot on 5pm, we got our faces snapped and our tickets purchased and set out without any real plan, not planning to go in any temples, more just enjoy the cycle of what was to come and find a spot to watch sunset. I had no idea what I expected of Angkor and after being at Bagan (Burma) I had a similar image in my mind of the temples being smaller and quite similar and had no understanding of the distance between them all, some are miles away in a taxi (the outer route).  It was great to get a feel of the place before our main day and we nestled on a bridge at the end of the day to enjoy sunset. We headed back that night, prepared for our voyage into the mystic temples the following day, we chose to have a quieter night then the previous, meeting with a friend from home who was in Siem Reap also, we enjoyed a feast of Khmer curry’s and a few beers, oh and some tasty tea, heading to bed with full tummy’s ready for a 5am sunrise jaunt. 

We woke super early and were greeted by Mr Thom (who soon become Uncle Thom) for our days adventure, we chose to take a tuk tuk for the day at Angkor as our plan was to do sunrise to sunset and knew on bikes we wouldn’t make it, plus the sun gets so blazing hot at midday we wanted the shade of the tuk tuk and not the blistering heat on our faces. Uncle Thom was a total sweetie, he told us our route for the day, thankfully what we had planned and how he would drop us at each temple and wait for us as we explored. We joined the procession of tuk tuks and tourists and were dropped at Angkor Wat, the main temple in Angkor, everyone heads here for sunrise so as we entered it was slight chaos, everyone heads to the lake to watch sunrise, as the reflection of Angkor in the lake is spectacular, however it becomes a ipad, iphone photograph hell and for this reason we headed right as everyone to the grassy garden. We had our lovely trusty Indian blanket so put that down and settled ourselves for the morning, at that point Ash said ‘wouldn’t it be great to have a coffee’ with that James Bond (yep that was his name) came over with a list of coffee and promised he would bring it to us for our morning view. With coffee and comfort we were ready for a beautiful morning, or so we thought, sunrise was spectacular but sadly we had a child learning there ABC and was playing a very strange song out of his parents iphone, it did stop after a while but did leave us all laughing at such a random situation at such a beautiful spot. The joy of iphones and music, my definite travelling pet hate! We didn’t let it spoil our time though and managed to smile through it and embrace the beauty of what we were experiencing in front of us. 

Angkor Wat temple completely blew my mind and I was completely in awe of the beauty before me, Mike and I both had our guides/temple books which I would recommend to anyone visiting the temples, the books tell of all the bas reliefs (carvings/stories) engraved into the walls, stories of life times ago, wars, dietys and religious beliefs, they tell the tales of suffering and change and you can see the new carvings from the old, you can see where there has been change when the Khmer people left the Angkor complex and the temples were changed from Hindu to Buddhist carvings. For me the most beautiful carvings were the Apsara depictions, beautiful images of women nymphs/pixies saturated the walls, there were a number of similar images but everywhere the images embraced and flowed in groups and singular elements of these incredible women. I hadn’t ever heard the term Apsara but Mike soon explained they were seen to men as goddess and were worshipped for their beauty, I chose to do some further reading when home and loved the description of female spirits of the clouds and water, and they are youthful, elegant and superb in the art of dancing. How could these women not be respected and worshipped these mythical goddess sounded heavenly. Some of my other favourite carvings were the Rishis, Hindu sages, the representations was of old wise men, crossed legged like Buddha, with a long beard, looking wise and calm in his posture and positioning. My favourite statues led to a lot of laughs (and slight sex education lessons), these statues were the lungi and yoni, now some back history on yonis. I recently completed a course around feminist studies and working with vulnerable women, in this course we talked about what we called our lady parts and everyone had their hilarious name we all learnt as children. We were asked how we felt saying the word out loud and every one of us felt uncomfortable with the word, mine being ‘fairy’ which has always left me feeling awkward as I become obsessed with flower fairy’s and the magical world of fairy’s throughout my younger years and early twenty’s, therefore using the word fairy to describe my vagina and my best friend just felt wrong. After this course I chose a new word and one I would teach my child, that being yoni, so to see this word used to describe the fertility statues in Angkor Wat led me to informing M&A and Sam about my story of a change up in words. I went off on a wander around one of the temples to find one of these statues and joined a Chinese tour group as it was explained to them what they were, now this was amusing, as the tour guide poured the water and said some proactive words that made the ladies giggle and the men groan. The belief with the statues is that at one time the Khmer people poured water over the top of the lungi, the water then flowed into the yoni and out through a drainage system that led outside the temple, the people living outside the temple could then collect the water, drink it and wish for good fertility. It just made my mind spin how everything has such meaning and beauty wherever you step and wander. 

After 4hrs we exited Angkor Wat, hungry for breakfast and amazed at the humble amble we had just experienced. Our next stop was Bayon, we were welcomed by the most beautiful elephant trudging along, sadly carrying tourists on its back but the beauty of an elephant  a few steps in front of us was stupefying and I couldn’t help but let out a small gasp of excitement seeing its beautiful face and outstanding stature.  Bayon is a world of difference from Angkor Wat but just as magnificent and jaw dropping. I believe Bayon was built 80yrs after Angkor Wat by a new Khmer King, from far away the temple looks a pile of rubble but as you come closer it becomes a mass of smiling faces that at first glance could represent the familiarity of Buddha but when reading I learnt the images were to represent the Kings face, spread across 47 towers the faces envelope the towers, supposedly representing the 47 provinces in Cambodia at that time, the king watching down on all, creepy right? For me Bayon was a beauty but did hold a gothic eeriness and when learning about the kings faces I soon felt I understood why. Like Angkor, Bayon did have bas reliefs also which we attempted to understand but parts of the temple walls had fell into disrepair which was part of the beauty of this ruined attraction. 

Bayon is situated in the Angkor Thom complex; therefore we wondered the rest of the complex, enjoying various smaller temples and the terrace of elephants. We took a rest with a group of local boys who were playing in one of the pools and I enjoyed being splashed as they ran and jumped in front of me, giggling with excitement and happiness. 

Angkor Thom means big city and it was where the Khmer people once lived when residing in the Angkor complex, for me what astounded me was that is no evidence of settlement due to the residents using wood as there means to nest and live, stone was only for the gods and that’s why the temples were stone and still stand. When reading up about the movement of the Khmer residents there is no actual understanding as to why everyone left and therefore no records of how many people lived there.  Exploring these temples and  once distressed lands felt enjoyable but uncomforting knowing people were maybe run out of the home, their city and moved on to places nobody knows. 

We headed back to meet Uncle Thom for lunch then headed to our next stop Ta Phrom, known to all as Tomb Raider temple. Ta Phrom was what I was most excited to see, I had seen so many pictures and knew when planning this trip it was one of my top things I wanted to explore and experience and it sure didn’t disappoint. Ta Phrom is very different from the other temples as it has been left in a similar state to how it was found, piles of rubble, trees dominating the temple walls, nature taking back what belongs to it, land. The tetrameles nudiflora trees is what makes this temple so spectacular, it has literally been brought to ruins because of some of the trees, the roots engulf the insides of the temple and are beautiful to look at and photograph. We found so many nooks to climb into and climbed high as sun was coming down embracing the vast maze of ruins in front of us. 

After a few hours we exited Ta Phrom, with Uncle Thom telling us we didn’t have long for sunset and he would show us one more temple, Banteay Kdei, before our chosen sunset spot, he gave us 15minutes to explore our next one, which was a quick walk through, more beautiful apsaras, doorways upon doorways to walk through, another beautiful maze in the temples of Angkor. 

Like our morning jaunt we decided we didn’t want crowds of people so chose to ignore the guidance of the sunset temple and head to the kings royal bathing pool, Sra Srang to watch sunset on us. We didn’t pick wrong either as we enjoyed our time with a group of local kids, watching them play a game Sam played at cubs (therefore we learnt the rules from him), smiling and laughing like children should. As sun come down we reflected on what was an amazing day and how blessed we were to spend it together but also be on this incredible journey in this incredible place, one of the incredible wonders of our astonishing world.
 

Angkor Wat

Rishi

Apsara and Sammy

Bayon

Fertility Statue

Ta Phrom

Ta Phrom exploring.

Sunset at the Royal Pool.

 

A brief hello - India time.

I have realised it's been a few weeks since I have blogged and thought this morning it will be a few weeks more before I get a proper one uploaded as wanna do the first month of our trip justice with a nice juicy post. Therefore I felt I would just do a quick update and a few phone photos I have taken. We decided not to bring a computer away (which now being away we have realised could have had its plus's with the ease of uploading pictures) but heyho Internet cafés it is! 

We arrived with a smooth journey and actually the first two weeks has been really easy (I say easy for India, them words don't normally work together from my last experience of travelling in India). We have moved around a few places and are enjoying a week at the beach this week, moving on Tuesday to see some elephants in one of India's beautiful national parks. 

I promise a big blog soon but for now enjoy a few simple shots. 

One step closer

The last month has been pretty crazy in the curly Austin household, with our moving date impending we knew we needed to make a start on packing and clearing out our beloved flat and taking the next steps towards our travel and move North.

After much deliberation we managed to get my family to store our worldy belongings in their loft space, we knew we didn’t want to pay for storage as it would cost so much and obviously when away the last thing we want to be doing is pay for our stuff to be stored in a locked cupboard, for me it felt right for everything to go North, we know our plan is to head back there at some point so seemed right for the move to start now especially if we can store our life possessions without a ridiculous cost. It’s made me excited knowing our things will be stored there as it just feels one step closer to being home.

Lately life in London has become more and more distant and I don’t feel a connection to where I am, yes I have an enjoyable job, lovely Austin family and a few close friends around but the sense of living somewhere I feel I don’t belong resides in me so strongly. I did an exercise in a course I was doing last week where we made a paper alter, the alter included a page of things that I enjoyed and made me feel at peace, when complete I realised no part of it contained London, it was all about the country and the coast.

Our plan is still uncertain in a sense but we know that when we do know when we come back in 2015 Sam will still have his work in London whereas I will be jobless, the plan is we will stay in Ldn with Sam’s job but I will look for full time work back North, with the eventual plan of Sam moving as soon as he has work, hopefully within 6-8 months. People keep asking how it will be being apart but sadly I know its part of what probably has to happen as we both won’t get jobs at the exact same time – it would be beautiful if we could but I just think it will be difficult. I have no fear about us both getting jobs it’s just getting the right ones that suit us. I know my eventual plan is to set up my own female counselling service but feel I would like to be in other employment before taking this risk and new challenge.

So with our boxes packed and moving day tomorrow were nearly out of our Brixton abode, we will be living with our lovely friends Stef and James until end of January then its home for a week and then travel time. Its never felt more real than it does now and I can’t actually believe were doing it, it’s going to be an adventure of a life time and the experience can only strengthen Sam and I to another level and allow new experiences of adventure and exploration.  

Long Wintery Days

As I walked to Brixton this morning I still felt shocked at how cold it was and how wrapped up Sam and I were for a simple walk to the market. It made me excited for our holiday in May and our travels to Vietnam; I have always wanted to go somewhere beautiful and new for my 30^th and when Sam suggested I look at Vietnam I was so excited by what I found, trips to Ha Long Bay, birthday time in Hoi An, travels up to the Hills to see Elephant Falls and a week in Pho Quoc relaxing in our eco lodge and enjoying the sandy beaches, May 7^th can’t come sooner.

 

I heard back from university and was told my application had been made unsuccessful due to my GCSE results not meeting the required entry. As sad I was I feel it may have been the best decision as I feel I have been study constantly since leaving school and feel it maybe best to have some time off to find out where it is i want to be with my career and not just delve into a quick option to gain my HCPC registration. It is so hard at times to know where i want to be as feel i should know and feel my training has taken me so far, i think the problem i am finding is that there are many different ‘groups’ i like working with and at present i am working with both vulnerable children and women, the problem is i want to be able to mix the both in some way, i feel for now i need to keep going as i am build up the working experience i am having and decide from there where my work is to take me, i am sure whatever i will get there eventually.

I found out this week i had passed my counselling exam, which is fantastic news and is one step closer to being qualified, roll on June for my hand in and completion of my diploma. I have decided i will keep my placement working with women exiting prostitution going until next year as feel the experience is valuable and is only strengthening me as a counsellor.

When talking with Sam about taking time out from studying we both agreed that studying is not what either of us want to be doing right now, were just married and enjoying our life so much that we don’t want to put extra stress onto us when were happy as we are. We both have good jobs and although changes are happening we have both come to such high points in our career that we don’t feel we want to push ourselves any further when we feel we don’t want too or don’t have too. I love Sam way of thinking, he grounds me so much when it comes to pushing myself and i thrive to be the way he is when it comes to expectations. 

A friend of mine talked with me recently about what we want by the time we are 40, i discussed this with Sam and for both of us it was a job we enjoyed, a brilliant relationship, enough money to enjoy life, travel and family, were both so lucky to have elements of all in our lives but we both miss the sense of travel so much so with knowing we had achieved most we have decided its time to fulfill our travel element and as mentioned in my last blog we were unsure we know now its definite and were taking the trip we want, 2014 a year of adventure.

2014, travel, so far we know were going to leave around Feb 2014 and buy a one way ticket to India and see from there where we head, there are places we both want to see and explore so with savings in the bank we are going to spend a few years of us and the world, Sam hopes he can get a career break and my job goes come Feb so all in all a perfect time to go!!

With a beautiful Summer ahead i know the rest of this year is going to be a good one.

2013 A New Year with a challenging start.

2013 hasn’t been the start I had hoped and wished for, after a lovely Christmas with the family, it just feels January and February have been testing me as to what are the right choices ahead of me. I sometimes feel so contrived to achieve certain milestones in my educational attainment due to the constricted world we live in when applying for health related jobs. Everything is governed by professional registration at the moment and even being a qualified counselor (something I thought as a child was a brilliant career) is not even regarded now for statutory employment. I have always wanted to stay in the voluntary sector as believe more in the work voluntary agencies do but sadly even there getting stringent on professional qualification’s leaving me and my hard working background a little bit stuck. As I mentioned in my last blog I had decided to apply for midwifery and since doing so have had a few wobbles whether it’s the correct route and fear of the degree being too medical rather than the holistic way I have studied worked over the last 10yrs, I wondered if this was the best way to get my registration and if I could work with vulnerable pregnant women without a midwifery qualification but with my counseling and experience, sadly the jobs are so scarce right now it’s hard to even research this as there is  nothing to compare too. With all these thoughts and thinking I then received 2 unsuccessful from UCAS stating my GCSE grades did not meet the course requirements, even though I met L3 my L2 was not suffice, so I meet the higher grade but not the GCSE grade I sat 14yrs ago, madness. I resided myself to the fact Midwifery was out and maybe my reservations had been fate telling me there was different ways to enhance my career. I then received an invite to London South Bank for interview, after passing numeracy and literacy tests I then attended an interview, after a 4hr wait and a dehydration setting in, I entered the interview room and the first thing asked was ‘do you have 5 GCSE’s at grade A*-C’ I thought it was a joke and again had to explain my educational journey from school to now, another long tiring journey, with this I was told my application could be at jeopardy due to my not having these grades. I attempted to sell myself with my placement working with women exiting street prostitution, my current employment working with families with substance misuse problems and my extensive health studies course that covered English, Human Anatomy, Physiology, Maths but still they were not satisfied. They then interviewed me and I did the best I feel I could but sadly my grades from so long ago may impact if I gain a place on the course. I left disheveled and low but felt a discouragement from the University and a wonder in my mind if this was the University I wanted to study at and was all these negative signs someone telling me this was not the change I should be chasing.

In other news I was told I was facing redundancy and then two days later told I was not, another shock to the system and another time when I wondered ‘is this what life is about and is this the country I want to be living in right now’.

My mind keeps going back to my first thoughts of exploring, buying a one way ticket to India and making our way around the world, practicing yoga, gaining life experience, seeing family and friends, working and strengthening our minds. I keep questioning is this something I could do, is there fear in me that stops me and asking what is that fear – Letting others down? Feeling a failure? Missing an opportunity? Or is it just the general rule that I feel society puts on women and that at 29 (nearly 30) should I not be starting a family and getting a good career, but then the part of my personality that strives for excitement and fun, rebels against this concept and tells me to follow my dreams and take the adventure.  I have this underlying fear that keeps me in the safe comfortable reality but I can feel myself yearning for more and a main fear is one day it will be harder, it will never be too late but other obstacles will be in the way, whereas now there is nothing (apart from my chickens) if Sam and I wanted to take this opportunity we could, we could work away for some part and see where our traveling toes take us. Sadly it’s not just my fear I am fighting its Samuel’s too, the fear of the unknown can be the biggest cause of regret I feel, it’s just so hard that fear can control so much of our thoughts. Adventure to be or not to be, watch this space.

Our beautiful Murphy was killed by a fox, the day was a horrid and torturous one and I didn’t realise how much I loved my chickens, we put flowers with her as we said goodbye and hoped she had found her chicken heaven. Safe travels Danny Murphy, RIP.

One fun thing that has been happening is craft night aka knitting group, me and a few of my girlies have been getting together and learning the skill of knitting, it’s been so much fun and a brilliant way to get everyone together to craft and learn new skills. If people choose to carry it on that’s amazing, but if not it’s just been nice, having a natter and knitting along the way. So far my crafting has taught me how to make a patchwork blanket, 3 cushions and a mug hug.

Sammy bought me a new bike, a red Britannia Pashley, she is adorable and sometimes I find myself longingly looking at her, feel like a princess riding her and feel she has definitely brought a smile to the start of 2013.

My Mum and Ronnie’s dog Bow is definitely a delight to 2013 also, she is full of energy and puts a smile on my face every time I return home, her enthusiasm to play brings an electric feel to the room and when I am with her I forgot the stress of the ‘real world’ and enjoy silly Bow time world.

Spring is in the air and it feels delightful outside, roll on May for a month of birthday brilliance and Vietnam travels.

Lets find some beautiful place to get lost.

At the moment I feel there is a thousand thoughts in my head and trying to work out what is best is confusing, not only that but driving my darling Samuel insane! We had planned a big trip away a years traveling in beautiful countries, no work and just the two of us. When we started to plan and think of it properly we realised it would never be just the two of us as with traveling socialising is a must and hostels become your home. Those of you who know me know I adore my home comforts, routines and family life, so this was a huge talking point when thinking of our travelling plans. On the other side we had thought of sabbaticals from our jobs, but recently our jobs have become, for both of us really important parts of our lives and we both enjoy what we’re doing so a huge fear was that what if we don’t get sabbaticals and have to give up jobs that we enjoy and have worked hard to achieve. With all this discussion we came to the conclusion for us travelling wasn’t the best way forward and that long holidays would be our way of still exploring and having beautiful adventures but still maintaining our life in the South. So with all this we started to plan what our next trip would be, I knew I wanted to go away for my 30^th next year and our first choice was to head back to India, sadly in May India is at its hottest getting ready for monsoon season, meaning that I would probably burn resulting in a tiresome holiday. Samuel mentioned Vietnam and after a small bit of researching we decided this was where we wanted to go and with that our Vietnam flights were booked.