Adventures Down-Under: 12 days in Australia

From Bali to Australia...

Australia is a paradise for those who love fresh air and beaches. The beach is so abundant that it looks unreal. The people are incredibly friendly, and the water so pure and crystal clear. I sound like a TV commercial advertising a vacation to Australia (haha), but it's true!

The 12 days I spent in Western Australia went by in no time at all. Wild kangaroo spotting was quite a highlight for me!

So was teaching a Yoga and Detox course with my new amazing friend, Casey. (see her blog entry for details about our super-fun weekend: http://www.caseylorraine.com/2012/01/juicing-on-the-go-detox-workshop-pics/)

I also had my first hostel experience when I went to Dunsborough and stayed right on the beach. I did not leave the sun for 3 days straight. Pure heaven.

I even spotted a black swan in the Indian Ocean:

And had a Digeridoo lesson:





 

It was so much fun in Australia, I did not want to leave. I would have preferred to live in the ocean, like a mermaid!

My Christmas vacation in Bali

I think I am going to move to Bali.

I must say, that I was slightly apprehensive about traveling alone over Christmas to a place where I didn't know anyone. However, the trick to traveling is learning to stay open, and by staying open to the new experience, I had the most incredible week where I met people who I have profound connections with, and had some pretty awesome adventures!! Although way too extensive to write about here, I will give a brief summary of the week: 3 nights in Canguu where I relaxed in the villa pool, went to the beach, spent time with new friends, went to yoga retreat, walked through rural villages and rice fields, and then  4 nights in Ubud (which strangely reminds me of Bloomington, IN) where I fell in love (with Bali) haha, ate at yummy organic restaurants, met monkeys up close- hundreds of them actually, learned to play the gamalan, stayed with a Balinese family in their compound, met SGI members, went to a temple ceremony with my host family, watched Balinese dance performance, took a roadtrip to see an active volcano, got an incredible massage for ridiculously little money, explored the markets..and more. This sounds a bit too much like paradise, right? Well then it may make you feel better to know that I also: got terrified by crazy stray dogs while walking home in pitch blackness, had a spider in my room as big as my hand, and got drenched in the rain one day when I decided an umbrella was not necessary-oops! But even those not-so-nice events had happy outcomes, in their own ways...it's always nice when random Balinese on their motorcycles will let you hop on so that crazy barking dogs can be avoided...lol

I think the majority of the trip can be summed up by the photos I took. See link for album:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150662482982715.494457.500277714&type=3&l=8be34f732b