Shout out Inspiring Brides Blog!

As we begin dreaming about our upcoming wedding, I wanted to say a big thank you for Carly at www.inspiringbrides.blogspot.com for creating this beautiful inspiration board. We have decided to go with this theme, a combination of beach and stars, two of our favorite things! Thanks Carly! Check out her blog for awesome inspiration for brides and a cool Valentine's contest!

Hello Family & Friends!

Travis and I have started up a new blog, so check out this address as well:

http://www.italmeditations.blogspot.com/

Enjoy! And Merry Christmas!!

Yellow Ball Tourney at good 'ole Wellingdon

This week Audi sponsored a tennis tournament at Willingdon. It was fun to watch Travis compete, and in the process I was able to snap a few shots of the club.

1. Here is the back of the club, taken from the golf course. As you can see there is plenty of lush greenery that provides a nice escape from the crazy city. The verandah, where we eat most of our meals at the club, looks out over this scene.

2. Another view of the golf course

3. Audi comes to Willingdon!
4. With a dazzling vehicle in tow...just to make our mouths water...

5. The courts where Travis spends his working hours

6. Travis educating me on the Audi R8...and only slightly drooling in the process :)

7. Here is Travis with the other Willingdon pros, not really too hard to spot him, is it?!?

Great fun!

Just a little taste of another way of life

As I settle in here, the mystery of this place continues to catch me off-gaurd. Mainly, the fact that in one snapshot I see a dual reality; a bustling, modern city along with a simpler, slower pace of life. As cars whiz by, people push carts full of mysterious fruits along the streets, chai-wallas line the streets chatting with the passer-bys, and women in saris carry baskets gracefully atop their heads; all amongst high-rises towering above. I thought I would share a few more images to give you a small peek into daily life in Bombay.

1. A wall mural by the local mall that I thought was cool. Adam, I thought of you when I saw this my brother.
2. The Fiat cabs that crowd the streets and zip around the city

3. Just another cow, cruisin through traffic with its owner acting as navigator

4. Just one of the many sidewalk markets filled with mysterious fruits & vegetables of the land...don't worry mom, we shop at an actual grocery store nearby!

5. Scooters here are quite popular, below is one on a common looking avenue. It is not uncommon to see the scooters here ladden with a driver, a woman in a sari sitting sideways behind, sometimes with a baby, and maybe even a child in front on the driver's lap. I am still trying to capture this extroadinary scene with a photo...somehow they make it look easy!

6. It is what some have referred to here as "mating season" and we have seen numerous weddings being set up in the short time I have been here. Below is a car decorated for a wedding party, filled with fresh flowers and garlands, quite a sight.

7. If you look closely, the building that appears to be floating in the water is Haji Ali, a temple we can see out our front door. In high tide it is surrounded by water, so it can only be reached during low tide.

As you can see it is a feast for the eyes here...enjoy!

From Bombay, with so much love...

Well, I have arrived! After an extremely long journey consisting of 3 flights and a layover in Bangkok, I made it! After the ridiculously difficult task of obtaining internet, you have NO idea, but just picture lil ole whitey me spending 3+ hours at the electronics store surrounded by 3-4 young Indian gentlemen at a time taking pity on me and helping me out, I am excited to be able to share some stories and pictures through my blog.

Travis greeted me at the airport (above is a photo I took from the plane), and what a relief to see him there waiting for me. He escorted us back to our pad, and I am settling in nicely. Our new home is located on the 35th floor of the Millenium Tower, pictured here:

The view from our apartment is shown at the top of the post... beautiful! We have doormen and elevator operators, and Travis has impressed me by learning some Hindi by conversing with these gentlemen in our building. The city is everything you may imagine, and more. Below are just a few images to give you an idea. I included the McDonald's one because I always find it funny that wherever you go the chain seems to be there, with culturally appropriate menu modifications. The streets are filled with people, cows, goats, and the bumble bee fiat cabs that are the main mode of transit here. The cabs zoom around like something out of a video game, honking and weaving through traffic and people with apparent ease. Art and beautiful imagery everywhere provide thrills to our eyes. Women in beautifully colored Saris catch my attention everywhere, and there is a friendly feeling despite the complexity of the city.

My first full day here was spent sightseeing, with Travis as my tour guide we headed to Colaba to explore. We enjoyed some snacks overlooking the Gateway To India Monument (pictured), and cruised around taking in the scene. Upon arriving back to our apartment Travis had a surprise in store...he proposed! I happily accepted, and with all smiles we are officially engaged! That night a celebratory dinner complete with Champagne sealed the deal, and made for a memorable evening with some of the best Thai food I have ever eaten. So as the adventure begins, we are truly a team experiencing this exotic land together.

On Sunday we were invited to the Race Track by the parents of some of Trav's tennis students. As I have never experienced horse racing it was quite a thrill, and I even one my first bet on a horse named "Wild Imagination". On top of the excitement of hitting the races, the added bonus was that the race track was having a holiday celebration that was randomly sponsored by various German companies. So a mix of Bratwurst, German Beer, holiday decor, and racing made for quite an interesting scene.Many of you had asked if they celebrate Christmas here in India, and the short answer is yes. The course had a Christmas tree set up and some other holiday decor, but honestly the whole thing was a bit comical as winter wonderland played and we sat in 80 degree heat and sunshine. All in all though, it was a lot of fun, and great company as well. We were taken to lunch (AMAZING Indian food, may I add) and treated with the upmost in hospitality, I felt so welcomed by our hosts it was really nice. Some images from the day:

On Monday Travis took me to Willingdon, which is the club he is teaching at. This is a prestigous club that was established in 1916 by the Brits, and is a refreshing oasis in the middle of the bustling city. It is well equipped with many amenities such as a library, pool, tennis courts, billiards, a pub, a bakery, grocery store, barbershop, golf course, numerous restaurants, a gym, and of course tennis courts. Seriously, this place has everything! We eat a lot of our meals here, as there are plenty of safe options and it is quite inexpensive. Choices such as Indian, Chinese, Italian, Western/American are all available, and so far all the meals there but one (an extremely fishy fish curry...never again!) have been delicious. I hope to get some pictures of the club to post soon, it really is nice, and has a very elegant and old-school vibe.

All in all, a great first few days in an exciting new city half way round the world. More to come...

INDIA or BUST!!!

I cannot believe it...but in a few days I will departing for Mumbai, India! Why? How? With Who? Whaaaat? These are the questions you may have, as everyone who hears of my plans has been asking me. Well hopefully I can answer a few questions here before I depart...

It all started about a year ago. I was in the midst of working towards my Master's degree in Recreation and Tourism when I obtained a job in the Recreation Department at the Ritz-Carlton in my hometown of Half Moon Bay. I met a charming young man named Travis, the Tennis Pro on site at the hotel. One day we bumped into each other and sat down to a simple lunch in the employee dining room. We chatted about this and that, and soon the subject turned to travel. I asked him where he wanted to visit most in the world, and his reply immediately caught my attention. He said why would he limit his response to just one place, when he wanted to see the world. As a person who values travel as an extremely important facet of my life and growth as a person, I was immediately intrigued. I have an immense wanderlust, and it seems I had met my match.

Soon after this fateful lunch, Travis and I grew into best friends and much more. We traveled to St. John in May, and had an amazing trip that only wet our appetites for more.


In August we were faced with a bit of a shock, Travis's company wanted him to take an important assignment in India. Whoa. The decision had to be made quickly, and after much stress and deliberation we decided this was our chance to follow our dreams of travel. While I still had to take my exam to fulfill my degree requirements, we decided he would go ahead to India and I would fly out to meet him in December. I also wanted to stay for Thanksgiving and have a special goodbye with my family.

Fast-forward to now. I have passed my exam and obtained my Master's degree (Wooopeee!!) and had an amazing few months with family and friends. Now the adventure can begin! Travis has been in India for the past two months and is having an amazing time, he is teaching advanced juniors at the Willingdon Sports Club in Mumbai. We are eager to begin the adventure together. Our apartment is located in an area called Breach Candy, which is an affluent area located by the ocean and the US consulate.

The plan is to be in India until the assignment ends in April, then spend a month traveling in Thailand. During this time, it is my hope to gain international resort experience and expand my knowledge of the industry I have been studying. While there is no Ritz-Carlton in the area, I have made a connection at the Four Seasons Mumbai that looks promising.

I hope to blog throughout the trip, as I want to remember my experiences down the line and share them with my loved ones. I know I will miss my family and friends deeply, but this kind of opportunity is a once-in-a-lifetime dream I could not pass up. I truly believe travel expands our minds and enriches our souls, and I am excited to experience a culture and way of life completely different then what I know. So far there is no internet in our apartment so I am unsure how often I will be able to blog, but hopefully we will have access soon! Below are some pictures of our apartment (NOT a grass hut), enjoy!

Namaste!!!

Daytrippin in Nimbin

After our busy weekend, we returned to our home base on the Gold Coast to relax, go to the beach, and catch a few Coolie sunsets. Katie, my friend from UCLA decided to join us on the second leg of the trip. You may remember her as the previously spontaneous traveler from Central America, she is second from the left in the pic below. Once we were rested-up, Katie, Fish, Kelly and I set out Thursday morning for a change of scenery.

Kelly and Fish decided to take us on a little road trip inland to a town called Nimbin. They described it as counterculture-ish town that I felt had a slight feel of Berkeley, but with a more mellow vibe. Shout out mom, remember our Bezerkely excursions...so fun! It was quite an adventure, about a 2-hour drive through winding countryside that reminded us a bit of the stretch of Highway 101 from Santa Barbara to SLO. Cows, sheep, and native foliage was the scenery of the car ride and was quite enjoyable to watch go by out the window.

We arrived to town and cruised the main street shops and cafes, and stopped for some lunch. Delicious sweet chili chicken wraps with chips at the Rainbow Café, the mural from the café is below.

The buildings were interesting and artsy and there were murals and sculptures scattered about. A few crazy hippies wandered the sidewalks, and one even tried to talk to us about Obama. I ran. It was a really fun day, and Kelly had never been here so it was fun for us all to go somewhere new together. Thanks so much to Kelly and Fish for planning such a great day and navigating the back roads with just a few stops to ask for directions...Good Times...

Island hopping

Once again Kyla came through for us and we spent Saturday on the beautiful Hamilton Island. A one-way ferry ride here usually costs $45/pp, we got round trip for free…THANKS KYLA!!!! We arrived on Hamilton Island after a brief stop at Daydream Island, and took a free bus around the area. There was tropical plants everywhere, and parrots filled the palm trees and cruised around all over the entire island.

I have to say I was convinced the stars were aligned when the bus driver informed us of the food and wine festival happening at the local resort. We pulled up and entered the resort where there were about 30 different booths sampling their wine, beer, seafood, cheeses, and other delicacies. P-you would have LOVED this, it was gourmet to the max. There was an oyster stand, crab from the Deadliest Catch, shrimp, salmon, ahi, chocolate covered strawberries, fresh fruit daiquiris, sausage, pastries, gourmet cheeses, and wine wine wine!!! I am drooling just reliving this afternoon. We milled around hitting each booth numerous times, I only wish I had taken a few pics of all the fare. I made friends with the fruit man, and we ended up with a direct supply of free fresh fruit daiquiris of every flavor you can imagine, mango, passion fruit, guava just to name a few. Kelly made friends with the cheeses guy and we walked outta the fair with four free slabs of amazing cheese (a 12 year mature cheddar, an ash rind brie, a triple cream brie, and a washed rind dark and stormy), olives, and crackers. Gotta love how the Cali charm works here.

After we had sufficiently stuffed ourselves, we headed down to the beach to relax and soak up the sun. We posted under an umbrella and periodically strolled into the water for a dip. Took a few fun pics fooling around on the beach, including our favorite the one of us jumping in the air.

After the beach, we headed to the pool area to hang out a bit more and visit the swim-up bar. The whole pool area was incredible, so tropical and beautiful I never wanted to leave. I had a hard time picking my favorite pics, so I posted a bunch to get an idea of what this place was like. Definitely my favorite day here so far!