Travel changes the very fiber of our being. It is movement. It is the freshness of life. It is embodied. It is creative. It is a connected, emotional, sensory experience. I’ve had the privilege of traveling to several countries in my life, as well as living in China (Beijing and Shanghai) and Taiwan (Taipei) for a total of nearly four years. It’s in these foreign places that, by far, most of my growth as a human being has taken place. There is something about stepping out of familiar energy, familiar patterns, familiar habits, familiar people that propels you forward into change and transformation. I love it. And I hope that love and sense of adventure and possibility never fades.
This past July I journeyed through Cambodia for about two weeks with five amazing people. A short trip, but one of the most memorable of my life. I set an intention before arriving: to open my heart and to experience the beauty and wonder of life on Earth. Boy, did I. And I will speak for my fellow journeyers and say, boy, did we. 🙂
By way of opening my heart + making the conscious decision (moment by moment) to be my true self and say F*CK YOU to pretense and falsity, I experienced a sense of freedom and peace that I had never felt before to such a degree. Through centering into my own being and energy, I was able to be so much more observant of my surroundings. I witnessed incredible beauty. I could  feel the pain and the love and the fragility and the tenderness of the people I connected with. My love of Earth and its inhabitants deepened. I know this sounds very sappy, but so what? It’s true.
These are the highlights of my journey. I don’t think my smile could get any bigger right now as I bring these memories to mind and look at these beautiful faces. 😀
1) “If I open my heart, open my heart, where does all my pain go?” — Ben Lee
This beautiful lyric from Ben Lee’s Ayahuasca album, along with “All of the stars, all of the stars, they shine with such devotion. I want to let this go. Let me please let this go…” ran through my mind constantly. It will forever remind me of this trip.
2) Tuk tuk drivers and Table Number 38
Our first tuk tuk driver very casually spoke these words to us after we hired him: “Thank you for giving me work today.” Those simple words pierced right into all of our hearts.
Later, at Table number 38 at Angkor Wat, we invited our driver to lunch and ate the most delicious chicken curry of the entire trip.
3)Â Ta Phrom, Siem Reap
Rain. Trees. Glorious, wise, ancient trees. Wet. Green. I swear the trees held treasures and memories that could fill the cosmos. If I’m remembering correctly this place was built for the king or prince’s mother. It felt very much like the sanctuary of a woman.
4) My brother Leonard’s wallet, lost and then found. Under his mattress. My lovely little bag, stolen and never found. I left it in the bathroom. For a half hour. What did I expect? This photo was taken after the theft. As you can see I recovered pretty quickly.
5) My early morning walk and yoga on the beach in Sihanoukville
A heavenly, life-altering experience. As these words came to my heart and entered out of my lips, I felt their truth in the deepest part of my being:
Earth is beautiful.
Earth is magical.
Earth is safe.
Human beings are powerful.
Human beings are loving.
Human beings are divine.
6) Solo kayaking across the ocean to a small island
I stopped halfway, in the middle of the vast, blue ocean. I was all alone, but I wasn’t lonely. I let out a deep sound. Ommmmmmmmmm. Waves of peace and safety flooded over me. Unforgettable.
7) The babies and puppies of Cambodia
The most precious adorable things in the world.
Aside from Leonard in this picture.
8) Jewelry shop in Sihanoukville
Connecting with the shop keeper, an amazing soul.
Buying my goddess necklace.
Listening to shop keeper and Cyrus bond over aliens and cats.
9) Leonard’s breakdown, breakthrough, and hugging
I won’t go into details for the sake of confidentiality, haha. But I won’t forget it.
What else…On this eventful evening we danced our hearts out, I found out what a whippet is (though I did not partake), Cyrus tried to buy ten sticks of meat from the German vendor, Dahna took ten thousand pictures in the tuk tuk, and Lenny thought that Cyrus was drowning in the ocean, leading to a brush with death with the armed guard across the street + crazy foreign lady.
10) Dahna and crystal on the eve before her birthday
She slept with it under her pillow and of course, the playful thing wouldn’t let her sleep.
We are awakening….
11) Arriving and leaving Koh Rong by boat
The island of Koh Rong. A magical place that I won’t forget.
I don’t remember taking this picture at all. I really was on Cloud 9 for most of the days on this island.
12) Angel reading at Paradise Bungalows
On a very rainy day. I think it was after I got a massage by the most gentle and effeminate 23 year old Cambodian guy ever. I did readings for all three of us. And all of our spreads included the card, “Victory!”
World, here we come.
13) Blue
Archangel Michael.
Skies at dusk.
Friends.
Nostalgia.
14) “Take a look at my life.”
Written on the wall at Island Boys in Koh Rong. I asked the bartender, Tommy (?), who wrote it. He said he did, a couple of years ago. Memories of the mental/heart space he was in when he wrote it crept in. I saw sadness flash across his face. I saw hope.
We can live our dreams. And by doing so, uplift those around us.
15) Scuba diving certification with Nathan aka teddy bear
Smiles. Fear. I dropped my weight belt. My flippers were too big. Breathe. Sea urchins. Bonding.
This trip reminded me of how much I love the water. My mom used to call me her “little fish.” Then I almost drowned in the wave pool at Action Park. I don’t think my relationship with water was ever the same after that. My breathing is also a bit abnormal, perhaps because I was born with an irregular heart beat. This was my first time diving. First time even snorkeling. It wasn’t easy for me to breathe through my nose. I always felt like I was short of air. Kinda scary. It took a lot of mental determination not to panic, and to eventually feel at ease in the water. Can’t wait to go to Israel in a few weeks for my next level of certification!
16) A million stars in the sky. More than I have ever seen in my life.
Harlem Shake.
Plankton.
Musings on consciousness plant medicine with Luke.
17) “Dahna!”
Our shared verbal signal for whenever we caught Cambodians peeing on the road. Why we liked to catch Cambodians peeing on the road? Just for kicks.
We saw a lot. We should have kept count, dammit.
18) Cyrus’s hilarious Chinese accent and horrific haggling practices
Oh, Cyrus. You are a complex fellow. But lovable all the same. I enjoyed getting lost with you and talking about Bruce Lee.
19) Irene.
Sunblock.
Morning yoga.
20) Killing fields in Phnom Penh
The tree where babies were killed.
The skulls.
The bracelets tied on the posts. They absolutely radiated the energy of the love of humans from around the world. We have such tremendous capacity for love and compassion. It infused the hallowed space: powerful, beautiful, pure.
Contrast.
Believe it or not, we are evolving.
Lovely! i dont remember #11 either. HA!!