I'll take you in my backpack

12/26/17 Things I’ve googled today: is there arranged marriage in Bali Which then led to a very intriguing read about polygamy and how in certain areas in Indonesia it exists but usually only in the very poor, and the very rich (like high government officials and religious personnel) kind of makes you raise an eyebrow if it’s ok for the super well to do, but then viewed differently when the very poor do it. A status symbol for the rich men to take many wives. And a survival or barbaric and primal existence for those of a lower class. So interesting. I've also googled: How do American's buy property in Bali. Come to find out you can't technically have property in your name in Bali but there are 3 different and common workarounds to getting your dream villa. Yes I seriously need to know how to buy a villa. Like yesterday Sapiosexual, and a million other fill in the blank with sexual at the end words that people use on Tinder. Let's be honest I need to know what I...

12/25/17 Merry Christmas from Bali! A slow and relaxing day in Bali that started off VERY rainy (it's rainy season here so that's to be expected, and this morning it showed no signs of letting up!) When it finally reduced to a drizzle from a downpour, I decided to venture out into downtown Ubud. I keep meaning to turn my Garmin on to calculate the mileage because it's a bit of a walk, but I forget. Either way with the back and forth walk I'm well over 10,000 steps! After finally doing the calculations (on my currency converter because yes I still can't figure out Rupiah to save my ass) I discovered that the going rate for a 1 hour massage is approximately $7!! I would have been getting these every single day had I been smart enough to figure it out. So tomorrow I plan to get a massage! Stopped again at the real estate place and looked at the options they have posted outside. I've come to the conclusion that I need a sugar daddy...for $1.6 million...

You've followed me on my journey through parts of Thailand and a quick jump over to Cambodia, now how would you like to help me plan my trip for next summer?! Like a choose your own adventure, except, choose Laura's adventure :) Unless you want to come too then come on, let's be vagabonds together! I'd like to take a month (ish) next summer, rather than the 18-20 ish days I had this summer...so there you have it. No real parameters (please don't get me locked up abroad or infested with disease)...one minor stipulation is that I would like to spend more time in Thailand seeing more of the islands (perhaps Pattong, Koh Tao, etc) I'd also like to see Vietnam. Post suggestions in the comments and I'll start making a list. As the time gets closer I'll have a final listed posted here where people can help me choose :) This is going to be fun!

8/9/15 This morning started out with breakfast at the hotel then a pick up at my hotel to head out on an all day adventure to the northern part of Thailand (to include Myanmar/Burma and Laos).  On the ride to the first stop (a hot spring), Natty, the tour guide was super informative about Thailand, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and all of the sites we would see. I learned something interesting about Buddhism that I didn't know, there are 5 rules: 1. No lying 2. No stealing 3. No cheating (one husband one wife, she didn't say anything about same sex marriage and I do wonder the Buddhist stance on this, I mean I would like to think they would be in support as long as no one is cheating (same as man/woman relationships) 4. No alcohol and 5. No killing (this one seemed obvious to me until she clarified that it meant no killing ANYTHING! No mosquito.). Committing just one of those things just one time will send you to hell. So, with that (and the thirty thousand Mosquitos I kille...

8/9/15 Didn't sleep well at all. So many ants. When I finally did get to sleep I was able to sleep until 7am. That's the latest I've slept to date. Definitely was looking forward to getting breakfast and getting into the city and to my hotel.  My final breakfast at the Chai Lai, I must say I've never eaten so much rice. The staff was so sweet and kind there I will definitely miss that personal and "home" feel that you don't get in larger hotels.  I took a songthaew from the Chai Lai into the city (Chiang Mai) to my next hotel (De Lanna). I was quite early so my room wasn't ready. I walked through the old town for a bit, had a delicious lemon soft serve to cool me off, then headed back to the hotel where I had hired a driver to take me to the Tiger Kingdom.  I was so reluctant to do this. On one hand I really wanted to see the Tigers (and hold the babies) but on the other hand I was super concerned about the well being and treatm...

8/6/15 I must have been exhausted, I slept in. To most people that's like 10 or 11, to me that's 5:45am! I was able to catch up on some of my online teaching stuff (which has normally been keeping me up super late at night!) and take it easy (rather than rush) to make it to breakfast, which again was delicious! Breakfast buffets can be hit or miss, usually they offer the same exact thing day in and day out. This one switches it up daily! I love that! After a nice relaxing breakfast it was time to pack up, check out, and head to the airport for my flight to Chiang Mai. To say that I was looking forward to this part of my trip was a huge understatement. I'm staying at an Elephant Reserve, where literally I can walk onto my balcony, enjoy a morning cup of coffee, and have elephants walking along, or bathing in the water. I may never leave. It's an eco hotel (that part may make me a little nervous...I'm an AC 4-5 star kind of gal, when I read about the rooms having ...

Things I wish I knew, wish I didn't know, and perhaps could have done without... Bring your own TP Traffic sucks (there aren't words to properly describe the suckage) Because of the above bullet, plan your hotel accordingly, be near public transport or the areas you wish to see. I was right on the public transport, but unfortunately it doesn't access old town Negotiate pricing Use a foreign currency app to make sure you're aware of what you're paying Bring an umbrella and sunscreen Bring something to cover yourself when entering temples (it avoids the lines to access the rental skirts/shirts etc) If you eat durian you aren't supposed to drink alcohol after, I presume it's something to do with the content within the fruit, no idea. I was strongly advised against it by a few different Thai locals. Double and triple check the airport you are booking. There are two in Thailand. The discount airlines tend to fly into the smaller one. I didn't reali...

8/4/15 I was a bit morose leaving Taipei this morning. Something I didn't anticipate. What I have realized with each trip here is that this magnificent city has more and more to explore! I would love to come back with the intent of doing some hiking and seeing the more mountainous sides (there are a lot)! Here is a shot I took from my cab ride to the airport, just as the sun was coming up... I practice the (at least) 2 hours early rule for flights. It cuts down on the anxiety and leaves a lot of wiggle room when it comes to potential mishaps with checking in, immigration, and potentially having to get miles across an airport to a gate. Of course that means I'm always left with plenty of time, but I'd rather sit in an airport with no stress than be freaking out about being late or missing my flight. That's what they made my elite status and airport lounges for right?! The EVA Star Lounge in Taipei doesn't disappoint. Lots of food choices, beverages of...

8/3/15 Time to go Exploring! The first official day of the journey! I'm excited though I'm not sure that it's really hit me, the magnitude of what's about to happen. Even boarding the plane to Taipei it didn't fully sink in, I mean, I've been to Taipei before so perhaps that was delaying my freak out moment. That all changed when I landed. I didn't freak out but I felt that sense of adventure that I've been craving for so long. I felt like a piece of me that I lost a long ass time ago, for reasons so stupid I won't even humor them on this blog, was reignited. I felt alive. I'm ashamed to admit that I definitely haven't felt "alive" in a really long time either. Maybe I need to travel more :) Taipei is a fantastic city! I did a lot of the main touristy stuff when I was here over Thanksgiving of last year, so I wanted to try something new this time. Upon recommendation I set out for Tamsui. It's the very end of the red lin...

6/2/13 Wow, so it's been a little while since the last post. Whoops! Didn't mean to let that happen! Since my last post: I've had a birthday...I'm dangerously close to mid-thirties, I've had a great week in the gym (PR's in back squat, front squat, snatch, and clean & jerk!), I've made some pretty delicious recipes...in my hotel room (that has no kitchen!), and I've spent time with some amazing people in my life (including supporting a friend who was doing a surprise (not so surprise) flashmob! I guess there's no need for more writing since I summarized it all in one sentence. I'm impressed! So, let's start with salmon. I made a delicious Herb Crusted Salmon from one of my favorite paleo sites,  PaleOMG . I did all of this in a hotel room with no kitchen so trust me it's easy! I used a toaster oven to bake it! Here's my finished product, it was delicious! Moving right along, the flash mob. This was wonderful and so exciti...

12/18/12 Special thanks to my dear friend Natassia, I have a new flavor to add to the "collection"...Rum Raisin! Found somewhere in transit from mainland Japan and Okinawa!

4/6/12 It's been almost 3 weeks now of doing the Paleo zone diet and I can honestly say that it works! I was a complete non believer, I even said the words "I'll never do that, I don't have time, who weighs and measures their food?!". This girl does now...and this girl also has dropped some weight (fat) as a result. I feel much better and definitely feel stronger. Within the first week of zoning I was able to get a kipping pull up, something that I've struggled with for 5 months. I also was able to hold myself in the rings when before I jumped up there and my arms flew in every direction, but certainly didn't maintain any stability or hold me up. I can pull myself up on the rings to about armpit level, again, something I definitely couldn't do before. Perhaps this is all coincidence, but I tend to think that a tuned in diet is more to credit for these small successes in my CrossFit journey. Here is an example of my 3 block breakfast. Breakfast is a...