Love Lifts Me

“I once asked a bird, how is it that you fly in this gravity of darkness?". The bird responded, "Love lifts me.” - Hāfez

The First Ten Days in Mysuru (Mysore)

I've adjusted to life in India somewhat. I'm still a bit jet-lagged, so that's not helping, but thank goodness for afternoon Chai Tea to help me through the day! I usually start my day with the rooster wake up at 4:30 AM. Yes friends, the local rooster here is my alarm clock. After he finishes, I snooze for another hour, and get up for 6 AM mysore practice. After practice, I shower, make French press, usually get in a few calls with loved ones, and then head to the studio for training from 9:30 AM - 3 PM. After training sometimes I stroll around town to explore, or head back to the school to rest and relax, until either backbending or dinner. I socliaze for a bit and then it's off to bed, usually before 9 PM. Pretty exciting I know! I'm loving it! So, I've finished my first week of Thai Massage training, and I have to just say, I AM STARVING! It's not because I'm not eating, because, I've found so many wonderful places to eat at, now that I've gotten over my fear of food that may or may not be safe for consuption. I think that it's just between morning Ashtanga, then 6 hours of massage, and every other day backbending with Sirnath, I'm working it, from every angle, physically, mentally, and sprititually. So, naturally my snack bars and jars of peanut butter are not cutting it, and I've ventured out to explore some of the local cuisine.

A few pics below:

Masala Chai + Iron Man Smoothie - Khushi Cafe

I usually have about an hour break for lunch during the day, so I venture to find something new to try! In addition to the above, I've had a Thali plate, Masala and Rava Dosas, Vegan Chocolate and Coconut Lemon Cakes, Juices galore, and lots more Chai Tea prepared in all sorts of various ways. Needless to say, I'm eating all the things and enjoying it! I should mention that I did come to India with two jars of peanut butter and this morning I polished off the second jar ... I've only been here for 10 days. I may have a slight addiction to nut butter. I am addicted to fresh coconuts, I'm going to be spoiled rotten by the time I leave India. Better find a way to get these Upstate.

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The Thai Massage training has been so wonderful. I'm really enjoying learning all about the body, energy lines, and meridians. It's been fascinating to explore the inner workings of the energy body. I also highly enjoy that after my morning mysore practice, I just have massage to focus on. I like being in a little India bubble here. It allows me to fully concentrate on learning. It's rare to have such an opportunity to do such things, and after this trip, I plan to really dive into all the things that I have been wanting to learn, do, see, and explore. Don't you ever just feel that your attention is pulled in so many ways throughout the day or the week that it takes ages to complete things? I do, and this has been a real experience to open my eyes to the fact that I often do WAY TOO MUCH. I'm that go go go girl and it becomes very exhausting. It's quite lovely to just focus and rest and let myself absorb everything in this moment. Be present and live in the now. I've been lucky enough to find some amazing yogi souls also here at Mystic School. They've allowed me to practice my work on them in the evenings. So I'm getting extra practice in to help refine the art of massage, and to learn the energy lines better. I seem to struggle finding the lines in the legs, so I can use all the practice I can get!

I recently learned about Gua sha -- this is a Chinese technique that my teacher Raghu has learned, which litterly translates to scraping sha-bruises. Yesterday he performed a bit of Gua Sha work on my face! Yes my face, I feel as if I've had a facelift! The wrinkles are smoothed out and my face is full. He also did a bit of work on my upper back and neck. While it was not painful I've turned completely purple where the capillaries have ruptured under my skin. This morning I woke and felt amazing. Much looser in my neck and shoulder region. In my mysore practice I also felt really open and not nearly as tight as I had been. I tend to harbor tension in my shoulders so this was a wonderful surprise when I rolled out my mat at 6 AM. Sorry for the graphic picture if this type of thing makes your tummy turn, but it didn't hurt, and trust me, it's purple today and this photo was just the beginning of the treatment.

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The city of Mysuru or Mysore is considered an enchanting city, famed for it's heritage, markets, and the Mecca of Ashtanga yoga. Gokulam is the suburb in which I'm spending most of my days as this is where the shala is located. This area is considered quite 'posh' by foreigners and locals alike. I didn't get that impression upon arrival, but after seeing a few nearby suburbs, I'd have to agree. The sad part is that while this area is considered to be a wealthy area, it's still littered with trash, stray animals, and has heaps of sanitation issues. That being said, there is something very humbling and beautiful about the area. I have to admit I've got a new respect for India. I also consider this place to be another planet all together. It's been an adventure to walk through the various main roads and side streets around the shala. You can find lots of health food stores, vegetarian cafes, coconut stands, the famed chocolate man, Ayurvedic shops, clothing stores, and even a US Dollar store. However lovely it may sound, it's still heart breaking to see puppies that have been thrown away because they're female. Or trash that fills roads, yards, and parks. The local livestock are very malnourished, and eat scraps. A friend mentioned they saw a cow eating plastic. It's been hard to walk by everyday and not want to cry. To think that this is a 'normal' way of life, is scary. So I've rolled up my sleeves and tried to do my part day by day. Whether it's feeding the animals, or literally picking up trash. I know I am only one person, but I'd like to think that yes one person can make a difference. The other issue here is air quality. Usually the locals burn garbage 2-3 times a day. This causes thick white smoke to billow around my bedroom, into the shala, throughout the streets. I'm constantly walking around with a scarf over my face to avoid inhaling so many toxins. They're burning everything from yard rubbish to plastics, paper, you name it and it's probably going up in smoke. Moments like this make me really appreciate and understand how good we have it. I've got a week left until heading to Goa, which from the sounds of it will be another whole world in comparison. So that's all for now, going to enjoy the last few days in Mysuru. Xx

A few snippets of daily life here:

I call this the Buddha Box - Creative mailbox solution!

The roosters who wake me every morning at 4:30 AM

Rangoli or Alpana - Made with rice flour, flower petals, colored sand, or dry flower. These patterns are created daily to help protect the home and bring good fortune. Folklore, Patterns, and practices are passed down from one generation to the next… — Rangoli or Alpana - Made with rice flour, flower petals, colored sand, or dry flower. These patterns are created daily to help protect the home and bring good fortune. Folklore, Patterns, and practices are passed down from one generation to the next.

The Great Ocean Road

We set cruise control outta Melbourne and headed to Humming Puppy for a Mellow Hum yoga class. My dear friend Allie had recommended this studio so we decided to get in some stretches before the drive ahead of us. Holy Smokes. This studio was beautiful! Picture a huge vaulted yoga space, with 3 tiers of mat space. The whole studios concept is about 'Hum's', here is a blurb from the site that will explain it better than I:

When taking a class at Humming Puppy, one of the first things you will notice is that the room quite literally 'Hum's'... and this is by no means an accident! Our yoga space or ‘shala’, engineered by ARUP (one of the worlds leading acoustic engineers), is injected with a combination of frequencies to enhance and deepen your experience. More specifically we use a combination of 7.83hz and 40hz. Being submersed in these frequencies helps you to naturally produce matching frequencies through a process of entrainment. 7.83hz otherwise known as the Schumann Resonance is actually the frequency of the earth itself and helps to 'ground' you through your practice. 40hz is specifically associated with ‘Gamma’ brainwave activity, integral for achieving states of peak performance.

Class was so powerful. It was the first style of class I had ever taken like this besides a crystal bowls class and it was incredible. Still vibing days later just thinking about the experience. After class we strolled around Prahran along Chapel st. Got some flat whites from Journeymen Cafe and then stumbled into the best little Op Shop we ever did see. All three of us gals found some amazing gems in this second hand store. The two sales ladies just loved us American Gals and we must've spend a good hour in there. Well worth it! Also side note the Amici Bakery Cafe had the yummiest looking little nutty-vegan treats and artwork to lust over.

It was a bit overcast so we had a slight change of plans for the itinerary to Lorne. Instead of stopping in Tourqay and at Bell's Beach along the Great Ocean Road (GOR) we headed inland to explore some of the general stores and vineyards. When it rains it pours wine right? We thought so too. First stop was Bellbrae Vineyard. We sampled some very delicious wines, the best in my opinion were the Sauv Blanc, Estate Pinot Noir, and the Pinot Rose. The other bonus is that all tastings are free - woohoo. We then headed up the road to Brown Magpies Vineyard. The poor fella who ran the shop was probably thinking to himself, I've got 40 minutes left before closing. In walks in 3 ladies and within 5 minutes 15 people must have strolled into this tiny little tasting room. Needless to say we didn't stay very long, but he started sampling the wines too. We left the vineyard and headed towards Lorne. Along the drive we decided to detour to a little placed called Pennyroyal Raspberry Farm and Cidery. On the drive in Coreen noticed something in the field that was not a sheep or cow ... Our first 'Roo sighting!! We were squealing like little pigs. So excited to see this herd of Roos. They were just grazing in the nearby field. As soon as we rolled up, they stood on their legs and pointed ears to the sky to see what the heck all that racket was. They didn't hang for too long before they were hopping away. We were so excited!

We arrived at Pennyroyal and were in our glory. CC and I got baskets and we strolled along picking raspberries and blackberries. We did pretty well, you know only sampling 1 for every 3 berries picked. The couple who ran the farm were adorable. She bottled up some fresh raspberry jam for us to take with and the old man even gave the gals a sample of the fresh cider.

Once in Lorne we checked into our hotel, got changed and strolled to town and dined at a little placed called Cuda Bar. I had a fantastic twice cooked roasted pork belly dish and the gals both enjoyed fresh rockling and salmon mains. We were pretty beat so we called it a night.

The next morning we got into Melbourne Swift (our rental car name) and headed along the GOR towards Port Fairy. Little did we know how long that would take us, but we were in it for the long haul. Along the way we stopped and saw all the famous sites. Peep the pictures below.

The 12 Apostle (Actually there are only 8 left)

Once we arrived in Port Fairy per usual most shops and restaurants were closed, so we grabbed some grub from a highly recommended pizza joint called Coffin Sally's. This establishment is know for it's trendy atmosphere and gourmet pizzas. On the road back to Lorne we stopped a few places we had skipped on the way down.

From the tree top looking at the forest floor

The next day I went for a run around Lorne beach and then we decided to explore Apollo Bay and Otway Fly. Apollo Bay was a cute little town, not too much going on there but we did grab some brekkie. Onward we went to the tree top walk at Otway Fly. This was a pretty cool and yes touristy walk. But the tower was the first I'd seen like it. Towering at a 47 meters off the forest floor high into the tree line. The tower itself swayed with the breeze.

We drove to the Otway Lighthouse and strolled to the nearby lookout point and Cemetery. We didn't get to see the Lighthouse up close and personal but it looked pretty from afar! The Cemetery was the final resting place for the Lighthouse keepers and their families. Sadly, there had been many children and infant tombstones. The lighthouse is located in The Great Otway National Park, within the park there are farms, an animal reserve, and campsites. At one point on the access road we drove into what I would call the Ash Forest. All of the manna gum trees have become stripped bare by the Koalas who have been starving due to the lack of eucalyptus trees. The Koalas have become sick and all that remains are the bare trees in what feels like a tree graveyard. It was so sad to see, as these trees were once home to many Koala's and other forest friends.

We left Lorne early on our last day heading back towards Melbourne to hop our flights to Byron. On the way we stopped to see Airey's Inlet and the Split Point Lighthouse. Next stop was Anglesea to see if we could find some Roos at the local golf club - no luck. We continued on the GOR and stopped at to the famous Australian surfing location Bells Beach, which was beautiful. We dug our toes in the sand and soaked up the sun for a bit. Next stop was Torquay for lunch at Whytes on the esplanade.

Coreen taking in the view at Bells Beach

Christina in her happy place with her new Kimono 😍 - Bells Beach

Next stop Byron Bay! We couldn't be more excited for our next stop in Oz!

G'day Mate

Coreen and Christina arrived today after a long 50+ hours of travel! We strolled around the Sydney Opera House and then to the Botanical Gardens, eventually making our way over to The Rocks. We grabbed lunch at a little placed called The Fine Food Store. I dined on toasted sourdough loaded with pumpkin and feta complete with a glass full of Pimms (We ordered a pitcher and needless to say, we had a lot of glasses...). It was delicious and the cobble stone alley way was perfect for people watching. Onward to the Bridge and then back to the hotel to regroup. The gals were pretty jet-lagged so we grabbed a quick bite at a little underground Italian place called Fratelli Fresh and went home to sleep.

We woke early the next day and headed to Coogee beach. It was beautiful! Friends suggested we do the coastal walk from Coogee to Bondi beach and that's exactly what we did! The walk was breathtaking; we strolled through Clovelly Beach, Gordon's Bay, Waverly Cemetery - the most scenic burial ground in the world, Bronte, Tamarama beaches and finally to The Iceburgs Club and then Bondi. It was HOT that day so we took the liberty to dip into the water along the journey. We stopped at The Bucketlist to grab a bite to eat once we arrived in Bondi. I had my first frosé which was amazing and also had a tuna poke bowl it was so delicious! Afterwards we headed home for showers and to apply lots of aloe. Zero o-zone folks, and everyone was looking a little red.

We decided to stroll across the bridge and walked to Luna Park. Luna Park is a huge amusement park on the other side of the city. While walking across the bridge, Luna Park had set off fireworks for the Sydney Festival that was taking place this week. Afterwards, we hopped the fast ferry back to Circular Quay and grabbed a drink at the Opera Bar.

Today we got up early to pack our bags, strolled to Chinatown, Darling Harbor and then to Lord Nelsons for a draft Cider. Lord Nelsons is one of the oldest bars in The Rocks and also oldest hotels established in 1841. After the 101 degree morning we'd endured we needed a cold refreshing beverage. We grabbed lunch back by the Harbor at a little place called Graze, which is the restaurant at the Museum of Modern Art. This little gem has outside seating in which you can take in the views of the Harbour and the Opera House. We did family style plates and dined on roasted pumpkin, fresh greens, crab bruchetta and Pinot Noir & Chardonnay bubbles! It was soooo great. Just what we needed before heading to the airport to hop our flight to Melbourne.

Oh ya, we also grabbed scrolls from Oregano Scroll which is essentially a sticky bun, but the layers of dough are much thinner -- similar to that of a crepe. YUM. Now on the plane and the sugar, hot sun, and drinks have kicked in -- so it's nap time. All for today, can't wait to see what we get into in Melbourne! Xx

Chocolate Cashew Scroll - Oregano Scrolls

How's It Going?

If you walk into any shop or store here in Oz you'll be greeted with "How's it going?" -- which I adore! So here is how it's been going.

Manly is a fantastic beach town with everything you could want and more. I took the first few days to unplug and get into my groove with yoga and the beach. On day 3 I ventured into Sydney to meet up with fellow Saratogians; Garth and Jenny and Burnt Hill-ian by association Jason. We had a glass of bubbly at the Langham Hotel bar which was beautiful. Picture super swanky hotel with lots of pink and gold, accompanied with a ginger rose essence that wafted through the hotel bar.

Onward we strolled to Darling Harbor and dined at Nick's. The salmon and dill dip was awesome. After dinner we headed to Hotel Palisade Rooftop bar. We ordered some more bubbly and took in the evening views of the bridge and opera house before calling it a night. It was so lovely to catch up and see familiar faces after 3 days of solo time. I must've drank a bit too much as I fell asleep on the Ferry ride back to Manly ... Whoops.

The next day I woke and headed for the Spit Bridge. There is a beautiful costal walk that takes you from Spit Bridge into Manly, so I packed a bag, threw on my sunnies and suit and headed into the hot sun. Along the walk there are numerous beaches to hop in and out of, and I did just that. The walk weaves you through a mix of lush bushland complete with lots of backyard garden spiders - eep, and scenic views of the harbor and ocean. I forget exactly where I snapped some of the pictures below, but I think my captions are roughly I accurate!

Sydney Harbor National Park at Crater Cove Lookout

The walk took about 3 hours to complete before I got back into the harbor and headed back to the apartment to meet up with Allie & Sam. We grabbed dinner at a great little Mexican joint called Havana Beach -- the plantain chips and house mojitos are a must have!! To finish the night we went to North Head to watch the sun set over Sydney. Just another reason to fall in LOVE with Manly.

We woke the next day did a soft sand run in Manly beach, hit up a yoga class at Power Living, and hit the road in Sams sweet '69 VW bug bound for Dee Why Beach. We ate at a cute little cafe named Girdlers and consumed what I consider the best brekky ever. IT WAS AMAZING. Everything from the ambiance to the seating. Homemade kombucha on tap and avo toast to die for. I am getting hungry just thinking about it.

Post brekky we ventured to Bluefish Point. This was another interesting walk through the bush and trails which snaked along the coast. You'll see an old WWII lookout and radar tower. The views were stunning. We climbed down to see the Rock Pools just below the Bluefish look out. This was a bit terrifying -- the only way down is to hold onto a old rusty chain rope and climb down the cliff. We conjured up some courage and climbed to get down to the pools. As terrifying as this was, it was totally worth it.

The rusty chain (probably from WWII ... I kid, but probably for real) rock route

View of the sand and wind blasted cliffs from the pools

Pit stop on the walk to dinner with Allie! I adored this church door and insisted on a picture.

After surviving the climb back up, we headed to Collins Beach for a quick swim and few rounds of frisbee. Post swim we picked up some wine and went to Manly Beach for Happy Hour. Mix some wine and sun and presto, a bit buzzed we strolled towards town and stopped off for a few other pre-dinner cocktails and finally dinner at Cured Manly; we feasted on cheese, meats, bread, olives, and more wine! What a fantastic night we had! The morning was a little rough, but nothing a little SUP yoga session at flow mOcean taught by Allie couldn't cure in Shelly Beach.

After class we grabbed lunch at a cafe called Pure Wholefoods -- I was craving an Acai Bowl which did not disappoint. In my haste I didn't snap a pic, but trust me when I tell you it was fantastic! Walter is the owner of this cafe and was so lovely, greeting all the ladies with "Hello Darling". The shop has a slew of fresh cold salads, smoothies, and other hippie granola eats. The muffins were even made of almond flour. Let's just say that I was in heaven, and I wanted to order every damn thing I saw. I'll be back again at the end of the month to sample more eats!

The Space Between Breaths

I've officially been traveling for 34 days. It may all seem wonderful, but travel is tough. Don't get me wrong, I chose this path of adventure and of being away from everything familiar for 90 days, but it's not all sunshine and puppy dogs. As exhilarating as travel is, it's also exhausting.

Well, yesterday I hit my wall. I was flying from Christchurch to Sydney, flight time wasn't bad, less than 4 hours, then I had to catch a ferry to Manly, and then I walked (20 mins) to my friends apartment by the beach. Total time between returning the rental car in Chch and arriving in Manly it was a full 12 hour day. Let's rewind for a moment though, as 12 hours of travel is NADA, when I think about the 18 hour flight from Houston to Auckland I survived a month ago. However, let's think about it in the following terms: one month on the road, zero routine, zero familiarity, small comforts few and far between, missing two large holidays, introduce another time zone, and oh yea ... missing loved ones dearly. So needless to say I spent a good portion of the day in tears. I've highly enjoyed my journey abroad thus far, but it also has taken it's toll. I feel disconnected from all those dear to me. The lack of routine is OK, but when it's everyday, it's hard for your mind and body to really react in a manner you'd like it to. I haven't been physically practicing as much as I would like to on my mat either, thank goodness my meditation game is strong. And when I can't commit to a daily asana practice that always makes me feel guilty. I have been very active with hiking, biking, running, and dance parties with Katy but quality time with my mat has been suffering. And yes, I did practice a good deal in Chch at a heated studio, but I needed some real mat time. You know, the kind of practice where you are so in the zone that you completely forget about everything and anything. Letting your breath be your true guide, as nothing else in that moment matters. All the stress, fatigue, and worries, drip away in the same way a bead of sweat falls from your brow. So that's exactly what I did. Since I have the apartment to myself for the next few days I have some quality alone time. So, I rolled out my mat, got some jams going on Spotify, and lost myself for over two hours working every inch of my body, as I moved to my breath, and worked though all the things that have been eating away at me since I left. Pratice felt great, I was convinced this was what I needed to set things straight.

I slept shitty. Yep, about 4 hours of sleep I'd say? I woke early around 6:30 AEDT and rolled out my mat. A few sun A's and B's and then it was time for my morning espresso. As I sat on my friends couch I closed my eyes, and just started to breathe. I remembered what one of my teachers once told me from the book 'Leap Before you Look':

"Become aware of the movement of the breath. Without trying to change it in any way. Watch the breath come in. Just before the in-breath turns into the out-breath, notice the small gap. Then watch the breath go all the way out ... Pay attention to these gaps. Be present in the gaps. And present as the gap."

One breath to the next, one heartbeat to another. If you quiet your mind, you can find that space. I found the space today, and in that space I discovered my stress, insecurities, worries, and sadness that had been plaguing me for the past several days and decades. But, I also found love, courage, and strength. It's funny this time of year people make 'Resolutions' for the year to come. I gave that practice up a long time ago, I prefer to set intentions, which arguably could be considered one in the same. As I thought more about this, it's not about the resolutions we make, but becoming resolute - more determined and focused on those goals or intentions -- call them what you'd like. I know for me I want to let go of fear, but a lot of this trip has to do with fear. I posted on facebook on New Years Day the following:

Last night we wrote down what we wanted to let go of from 2016. When I sat down to think about it I realized that fear had been a huge theme woven throughout the past year. Fear of surgery; fear of traveling abroad for 90 days; fear of falling in love and loving in return; fear of failure; I choose to let that all go. Because when I reflect back yes - I was scared, but I also triumphed all of those fears. FEAR has two meanings, 'Forget Everything And Run' or 'Face Everything And Rise'. Let's Rise!

To state the obvious, we are constantly working to improve ourselves, we can't expect miracles overnight. While, I have made progress in my fears this past year, I still have a road ahead of me. Do I expect those fears to be over at the end of my 90 day journey? I think not, but I hope to have a jump start on letting them go.

After finding the gaps, I made a few calls back home, and set out on my day. I ran a 5k around Manly Beach, went to a fantastic yoga class at Power Living yoga, strolled through the shops, stuck my toes in the sand, and let the ocean breeze caress my face. Oh yea, and I also drank a pint of Lager from a local Microbrewery in town called 4 Pines - who knew Lager was food for the soul? The spaces between breaths can often reveal so much to us.

Twizel(not Twizzel), Pukaki, Aoraki, to Tekapo

We rolled out of Mrs Wooleys Campgrounds and started to make our journey towards Twizel. Along the way we stopped at the top of Coronet Peak Ski Area. Pete wanted to ride the Rude Rock trail, so we dropped him at the top and made our way to the end of the trail to scoop him up. The views from the Peak were stunning. If Katy and I had felt more confident downhill riding, we would have joined, but some of that exposed and narrow track makes me uncomfortable!

Peter in his glory (with the other woman) @ Coronet Peak

Onward to Arrowtown. This little town had so much character! Katy and I have been craving scones for quite some time now, so we were on the hunt for a cafe with something delicious we could consume to fill the scone void. Sadly, zero scones, but we did happen to find a scrumptious Raspberry Coconut Muffin, to which we cannot wait to consume. I'm not sure why the scone kick, but we're on it. Such an odd thing to crave, but such is life on the road.

On the way to Twizel we entered into what I would call "lupine country". These flowers grow wild and are beautiful! Naturally we had to stop and smell the lupines. Katy was able to frolic and rejoice - I did a bit too!

We freedom camped at Pukaki Lake for the night. Another moment that took my breath away. Just yards from the cliff we parked for the night, and were able to take in the evening views of Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park while a cool breeze swept through the camper van. Katy and I ventured to the top of a nearby rock to watch sunset. I still cannot grasp the level of beauty here. I truly am in awe of such a fantastic place, and feeling grateful to have the opportunity to explore and experience all that I have in the last 20 days.

The next morning we hit the road and drove to Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park to hike the Hooker Valley Track. We were blessed with a clear sky and warm weather. It was so so lovely. We leisurely hiked the track with views of Mueller Lake (Kudos to my SF gal Andrea, there is a lake named after you!), nearby waterfalls, and babbling river to the base of Aoraki where Hooker Lake rests. Hooker Lake had several icebergs floating around and Mount Cook was dazzling us ever so with her reflections in the glacial waters. We enjoyed our picnic lunch and naturally took a few pics, and of course got a few strong rays of sun, which I'm starting to feel currently (Yes, Mom I did apply sunscreen twice!).

Aoraki/Mount Cook - Hooker Glacier - Hooker Lake

We freedom camped at Lake Tekapo, and dipped into the glacial waters for an evening swim. The water was brisk but refreshing after a day in the sun. Another beautiful place that makes my heart swell. Such a peaceful and truly calming place to settle down for the night. I will miss our journey on the road dearly, and waking up in remote places of NZ, where the places you dream of come alive. The sense of opportunity and freedom rings strong here. It is a place I will return to again. As our camper van journey comes to and end, my journey is still just beginning. Next stop, Christchurch to return the van, getting a good nights rest at the Commodore Hotel, then hitting the road for Mount Potts for the next two nights, and then back to Chch for the holidays to ring in another trip around the sun. Missing my family, friends, and loved ones dearly. Sending all my love and light.