Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Pure Shores - Thailand.
In August this year I took my very first solo holiday overseas. I went to the south of Thailand for a week, which isn't a long time to others but I like to mark milestones whether big or small! The trip was everything I thought it would be; fun, challenging, hot, absolutely stunning and the perfect backdrop to All Saint's song Pure Shores.
I split the seven days in to seeing Phuket, the Phi Phi Islands, Krabi and a day trip to the James Bond Island. Thailand was the tropical paradise I had been hoping for and so much more. The people were so kind, friendly and tolerant despite the humidity and heat. The food, the food was next level! It was like eating your favourite Thai takeaway twice a day. I ate a lot of pineapple fried rice, pad thai and green curry. And the scenery, well it was just magical. The limestone cliffs, the green/blue water look just like the photos, but to be standing in front of it, being in the presence of such natural beauty, was very special. I feel like the photos are there to not just capture the scene but also the moment and the feeling, so that when you look back on them you remember exactly what it was like and how you felt.
Even though my Thailand stay was very short, I was determined to make the most of my week. I committed myself to being mindful and present in every moment of the holiday. I revelled in every new/different/exciting experience and soaked up the moments when it was just me, the sun, the ocean and a good book.
Whilst I won't be excitedly hoping on the next plane to Phuket itself, I highly recommend going to Phi Phi Island and Krabi. Phi Phi was every part the backpacker friendly, party town island which I really enjoyed despite not being much of a party-goer. Krabi had a more relaxed, blissed out, quiet vibe that was a pleasant change from the aforementioned Phi Phi. Phuket, well, I found it a bit 'meh' after spending time elsewhere. I can't wait to go back and explore further north in Thailand. Everyone I spoke to on the trip asked if I had been to Koh Phangan which I haven't so it's top of the list for my next Thailand visit!
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Getting out and about in your active wear.
Last Sunday I was active in my activewear. Just for the record, I usually am active when wearing my gym clothes. This time I took activewear to where it is most at home, the great outdoors, or more specifically, Royal Sydney National Park. The RSNP is an hour (with no traffic) drive south of Sydney. You can actually see the headland when you're coming in to land at Sydney Airport! We set out on our 7km walk from a nondescript car park. The thing about this walk, and the car park, is that there aren't many signs confirming exactly where you are. Luckily, we had Google Maps! We walked, and walked and walked through similar looking track and bush for what felt like forever. Until we came out to some cliffs that look over the ocean and revealed a secret beach. From there, we were about 900m from the Wedding Cake Rock - a geometric cliff-side that is made from naturally occurring white sandstone - bound to fall in to the ocean at any time. There is a fence warning you not to go on the rock because it is so unstable. I fear these words and these images will come back to haunt me when the rock finally does depart in to the sea. I was a nervous wreck for most of the time whilst standing both on the rock and off it, watching brave tourists get adventurous photos. Facing my fears of following the rock off the side of the cliff and in to the ocean I crawled on my hands and knees to the magic Insta-photo-opportunity spot. With my hands in the air, a smile on my face I confronted my fears of heights and cliff edges, and now have a photo to prove it. After we left the rock, and the adrenaline subsided, I felt a little proud of overcoming a fear and was able to relate it to different areas of my life. Fear can be a fickle beast, but when you meet it head on and work your way through it, it's not so bad. In someways I think we feel fear to remind ourselves of how much we are capable of once we get to the other side of it. I'll be the first to admit that getting out of my comfort zone isn't one of my natural talents, but when I do, boy, do I feel so much better for it!
When was the last time you were in nature and out of your comfort zone?
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