Alright alright alright. It's been a long while since I've put anything new up here. I know nobody reads this anyways, but it's therapeutic for me to let myself think people do (hah). The truth is... well, there are a few truths I suppose -- reasons why I have not been getting out and doing things in my beloved CA -- now that I think about it. The first, is that I've been having some personal issues, which are all my own fault, but which I have once again decided to put behind me, hopefully for good this time. Moreover, I've been working a loaded schedule, saving up, and traveling on a more global level.
Since last Spring, I've visited Mexico, Nepal, and Spain, for varying amounts of time.
In Mexico, my good friend Christian and I spend five days surfing and exploring northern Baja California in my '02 Grand Cherokee. We went as far as a place called Erendira, about 120 miles south of the border. We surfed K58 in La Fonda, and fell in love with the perfect right point at San Miguel. We explored the beachbreaks and backstreets of Ensenada, and ventured 20 miles down a dirt road to find a ghost town with a crumbling lighthouse and a beautiful right point set up. We ate like kings, feasting on tacos and shrimp burritos; whole chickens with tortillas and salsa. We spent entire days in the enormous lot at San Miguel, surfing, eating, resting, and surfing. We got the place to ourselves, head high and reeeling. It was magnificent.
Nepal was a trip that I did on my own. I needed a break from my life, so, I decided to take 20 days for myself, and fly to the other side of the earth. I've spent a lot of time exploring and learning proper meditation technique in the past three years, but really got serious about it this last year. In Nepal, I spent 10 days in meditative retreat at a place called Kopan. Kopan is a buddhist monastery in the hills outside Kathmandu, and every month they offer a 10 day meditation course. There were some buddhist philosophies that I disagreed with, but the meditation techniques I learned there are invaluable. I had more than one personal breakthrough in the short time I spent there, and quite honestly look forward to returning to Kopan one day. The rest of the time that I was in Nepal was spent in the Thamel district of Kathmandu, where I wandered the streets aimlessly, awestruck by culture shock. To walk around Kathmandu is truly a perspective-shifting experience all in itself.
My most recent trip to Spain was a crime of opportunity. The girl I'm seeing was doing a summer course at the Universidad International Menendez Pelayo, in Santander. This was the same town and same university that I spent 3 months in and at back in 2011, so naturally, when she told me she was going there, I had to plan a visit. It was nice seeing my old city, but I don't know if I'll ever go back. It's different to me now; the magic I knew there was missing. From Santander we went to Barcelona. I fell in love with the old city, with narrow, winding streets, barely big enough to drive one car through. Walking around, we would flip a coin to decide if we should go left or right, then leave the coin on the ground and continue on our way. If you are ever there, check out a bar called 'Nevermind'. It's worth a visit. From Barcelona, we went down the Mediterranean coast to Alicante, an awesome town with a beautiful harbor, an ancient castle (Castillo de Santa Barbara), and easy access to the small island of Tabarca, which is truly a treasure and a beauty (warm water, with 40+ft. visibility). From Alicante we headed to Madrid, the splendor and riches of which can not be denied, before we headed home.
So there you have it, this is what I've been up to in my brief absence, the presence of which, most likely, nobody has noticed. Below are a few pictures from these three international adventures. Enjoy.
Since last Spring, I've visited Mexico, Nepal, and Spain, for varying amounts of time.
In Mexico, my good friend Christian and I spend five days surfing and exploring northern Baja California in my '02 Grand Cherokee. We went as far as a place called Erendira, about 120 miles south of the border. We surfed K58 in La Fonda, and fell in love with the perfect right point at San Miguel. We explored the beachbreaks and backstreets of Ensenada, and ventured 20 miles down a dirt road to find a ghost town with a crumbling lighthouse and a beautiful right point set up. We ate like kings, feasting on tacos and shrimp burritos; whole chickens with tortillas and salsa. We spent entire days in the enormous lot at San Miguel, surfing, eating, resting, and surfing. We got the place to ourselves, head high and reeeling. It was magnificent.
Nepal was a trip that I did on my own. I needed a break from my life, so, I decided to take 20 days for myself, and fly to the other side of the earth. I've spent a lot of time exploring and learning proper meditation technique in the past three years, but really got serious about it this last year. In Nepal, I spent 10 days in meditative retreat at a place called Kopan. Kopan is a buddhist monastery in the hills outside Kathmandu, and every month they offer a 10 day meditation course. There were some buddhist philosophies that I disagreed with, but the meditation techniques I learned there are invaluable. I had more than one personal breakthrough in the short time I spent there, and quite honestly look forward to returning to Kopan one day. The rest of the time that I was in Nepal was spent in the Thamel district of Kathmandu, where I wandered the streets aimlessly, awestruck by culture shock. To walk around Kathmandu is truly a perspective-shifting experience all in itself.
My most recent trip to Spain was a crime of opportunity. The girl I'm seeing was doing a summer course at the Universidad International Menendez Pelayo, in Santander. This was the same town and same university that I spent 3 months in and at back in 2011, so naturally, when she told me she was going there, I had to plan a visit. It was nice seeing my old city, but I don't know if I'll ever go back. It's different to me now; the magic I knew there was missing. From Santander we went to Barcelona. I fell in love with the old city, with narrow, winding streets, barely big enough to drive one car through. Walking around, we would flip a coin to decide if we should go left or right, then leave the coin on the ground and continue on our way. If you are ever there, check out a bar called 'Nevermind'. It's worth a visit. From Barcelona, we went down the Mediterranean coast to Alicante, an awesome town with a beautiful harbor, an ancient castle (Castillo de Santa Barbara), and easy access to the small island of Tabarca, which is truly a treasure and a beauty (warm water, with 40+ft. visibility). From Alicante we headed to Madrid, the splendor and riches of which can not be denied, before we headed home.
So there you have it, this is what I've been up to in my brief absence, the presence of which, most likely, nobody has noticed. Below are a few pictures from these three international adventures. Enjoy.
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