chao

I have left the unforgettable country of Honduras and am now home. I have been on too many trips to count, but this one will forever be a permanent fixture in my mind. It was phenomenal and I was fortunate enough to meet some people that greatly inspired me.

There’s an old quote by George Moore that states “A man travels the world in search of what he needs and returns home to find it”. To each his own—so in his case, that was presumably true. But I have not found that to be so; which is probably why my passion lies in the discovery of the world.

Don’t get me wrong; I do find joy in coming home. There is always that temporary satisfaction of being in a familiar place surrounded by the ones that call you friend. A friend that supports you and encourages you is an irreplaceable gift in life. I wouldn’t want to live without them. But I am not content, nor will I ever be, with the security of being able to find my way home day after day after day.

Adventure seems to be so man-made these days and I feel like I have to seek it with all my might. I have realized on this trip that I don’t need to go on this almighty quest for an adventure. When I try something new, show unexpected kindness, or speak to someone unfamiliar—adventure just seems to find me.

I love the uncertainty of the outcome of life. The unknown of whether my business will succeed or fail is an adventure for me. And I am up to the challenge!! As a matter of fact, I have never been so ready!

So I want to say that I look forward to traveling the world with you. You may say that you can’t afford it; but I say that it is all a matter of priorities. If you are one hundred percent satisfied with your life—then this may not be the trip for you. Because this trip will open your eyes and you will yearn to learn and experience new things.

daily quotes

Wanderlust has a page where we share our favorite quotes,, but I just wanted to post one here that caught my attention today.

*Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions. -Dalai Lama

The alternative to not striving for your dreams---is perfecting the art of living a mundane life.
- s. skelton

dine with angels

After the sun began to set, Kelli, Carli and I made our way down a forgotten path where a family of 9 anxiously waited. The small shack was not even in sight yet and three of the children ran to cheerfully greet us and assist us with our gifts of groceries. As we approached their home, we walked directly under a tin roof which is where we found they spent most of their time. They owned one round plastic table with 2 chairs. There was a small, off balanced wooden table where dishes were washed and kept. An off white pipe formed a u- shape over a plastic, faded blue bowl which brought water from the river to be used as a sink. To the left, a wooden column held rusty nails which allowed them to hang various items up. The two things that stuck out to me were an old faded purse and a sliced milk jug which held their toothbrushes. We set down enough rice, beans and maseca on the plastic green table to last them a week. They were immediately grateful. The lady of the house showed us how things were done around there. We observed as she started making the tortillas with her wrinkled hands. She continuously kept a large fire under the wood burning stove so that the rice and beans would turn out perfect for her visitors. We watched in awe as they showed us how they grinded coffee beans and put them directly into a boiling pot with no filtering process. We occasionally tripped over the frantic chickens or over grandma, who towered at about 4 feet 4 inches. This open aired house, with its dirt floors and hanging corn, felt very much like home to me. We eagerly sat down to gratify our empty stomaches (some sat on the floor, some stood, some sat on piles of corn, and some on logs). After they served us, we patiently waited for them to fix their plates and join us. After about five minutes, I finally discovered that they were waiting on us to eat first. They wanted to make sure we were going to enjoy this meal that they had so carefully prepared. It wasn't until I told them that we were full that they started to fix their plates. It took them about sixty second to devour theirs. It was truly an amazing experience that I will carry with me forever. Their kindness was portrayed with more than just translated words. It reminded me of one of my favorite quotes by the Dalai Lama: "We are visitors on this planet. We are here for 90, 100 years at the very most. During that period, we must try to do something good, something useful with our lives. Try to be at peace with yourself, and help others share that peace. If you contribute to other peoples happiness, you will find the goal, the true meaning of life."

UTILA

Utila, which is one of the Bay Islands off the coast of Honduras, has a mystical presence about it. Don't judge this island at first glance. Appearances may portray it as a bit rusty, but you will soon be proven wrong.You roam the rocky streets barefoot as you pass hippies, divers, crates of recycled bottles, and if you are lucky-- a local Utilian. The main road is lined with countless dive shops and the Caribbean coast. Though it is a place that may be overlooked on a map, it is embedded in my time line of "Best Adventures Ever".

Wanderlust started our morning with 2 dives as we joined the amazing Underwater Vision dive shop. The water was transparent and the fish were glowing. Our second dive site was called the Airport Caye's. The never ending coral surrounded us as it quickly uncovered the sea life. An amazing spotted eagle ray gracefully flew past me and i chased him until he faded into blue. My diving buddy, Tim, looked constantly amazed, even through his spit encrusted goggles. This was his first time diving and his reaction to the experience made my entire trip worth while. His gratefulness to our trip just reassured me that I was truly following my passion in life. Thanks Tim.

i heart books

So i have been reading a book during spare moments on my trip.My cousin let me steal it from her and it's called "off the map"-by CRIMETHINC. It's wonderful and i just wanted to write the introduction for all to read:

This is what it means to be an adventurer in our day: to give up creature comforts of the mind, to realize the possibilities of imagination. Because everything around us says no you cannot do this, you cannot live without that, nothing is useful unless it's in service to money, to gain, to stability.

The adventurer gives in to tides of chaos, trusts the world to support her- and in doing so turns her back on the fear and obedience indoctrination of impossibility.

My adventure is a struggle of freedom.

daydreams are really only life, when you live them up close, i thought,. take away the distance, live daily in the beauty you had imagined from afar, and immediately the flaws surface. it's like love that way; once you arrive, once you are firmly aground in a love, you begin to see that it has cracks and rough edges and dirty spots, pockets of toxins, less privacy, maybe, than what you had imagined., but if you are willing to remember the initial distant beauty of a love or a daydream, and if you are willing to live in that beauty up close even with all its imperfections,,, then the dream is yours to have. people who can remember that on a daily basis are lucky, because they get to spend their time swimming and kissing instead of always looking off into the distance, making up things that aren't necessarily true about places or people who are far away. it's almost too easy to avoid living the dream you are in while questing for one more perfectly imagined. half of being a dreamer is dreaming and half of it is actually living in your dreams!!!!!

from the book, off the map (which i already bought a copy for ryan, jamal, kelly, erin, rachel and mike)

life

We make our way down the trail past a small natural pool of rushing water. I am warned not to look to the left as we make continue what seems an aimless trek down a flight of cement stairs. Just as my lower back commences a feeling of tightness i turn a corner and am painted by a blanket of cool mist. As I open my eyes from the initial shock of the water, I stand in awe at the foot of a perfectly sculpted waterfall. A sense of overwhelming empowerment rushes through me and I am left stunned. As I step over the edge - the threshold between manmade bridge and natural curve of rock and foliage I become filled with the excitement only a 4 year old child could exude. Mist still caressing my body, I leap into a pool of water and continue onward toward the waterfall like a tiny lead bead so powerfully pulled toward a magnet. Adrenaline pumped as if to replace every liter of blood in my body. As I stand at the bottom of such a natural masterpiece, I realize I have stopped breathing in excitement. Water pours over me inhibiting all visual experience, my heart pounds and my balance becomes useless. I climb behind the curtain of water and catch my breath. After accepting the rediculous idiot-like grin stretched across my entire face is completely unbreakable, I stand back immediately consumed by the sight of water cascading down from this stone umbrella above me. Inspiration at this point is completely insufficient in describing the train of emotions barreling its way through my being.I find myself standing on a ledge 30 feet above the the junction between what seems the end of the waterfall and the beginning of the river. My only option is to jump purely to feel the rush. purely to live in that particular moment. the cold pure water whirls around me and bubbles make the journey from my feet to the top of my head rolling the entire way along my skin as if to cleanse me. I resurface, my entire body shaking uncontrollably as if I had just recieved a shot of unwarranted epinephrine. I climbed out of the water and we made our way to the top of the grand waterfall.As I stand wading in water forcefully colliding into my calves I lean over the the edge and stare down into the river I had just been consumed by. At that moment, 145 feet above everything, I held a piece of the world in my hands and I came to the realization that I had to let go of my grasp in order to consecrate sanity into my mind again. Life at that moment, atop the beautifully crafted waterfall, was experienced. Life at that moment was appreciated. Life was LIVED.
written by Tasha

Lesson Learned

Words do not justify my perception of the events that took place in the happenings of today. If i had to give a summation of my feelings in two syllables, it would be "content". After our thirty minute van ride to a place that's not on any map, we piled out into the welcoming heat of a village. Wanderlust accompanied 3D-International to their adopted village where we were met by filthy chickens, never-ending trash, lonely hammocks, and more smiles than Disney land. 3D's adopted village is set up on an acre and a half of land and it occupies between 250 and 300 people. Even though their structures consists of windowless, door less, floor less heaps of sticks-I do not pity them. The souls that occupy those domains make them true homes.

There is a prehistoric aura about the village. There are no mirrors-but mothers lovingly brushing their child's hair for our visit. They cook what they have over open flames. They sweep dirt from their dirt floors. They shamelessly welcome us into their barren abodes. The interior of their residences do not require second glances; but the pride on their faces do.

3D's goals for the village are to build them sturdy, brick homes that will hold up under dramatic weather conditions. Also to teach them how to grow their own food and various skills that will encourage their survival. This group of people need our assistance and it is our duty to help them gain the necessities for life. But I am motivated by their basic-ness of life. We have so many "things" in life that distract us from the opportunities that help us grow.

As we propelled away in our time machine on wheels, over the one lane, two way bridge--I thought of the very simply lesson i was taught today. If I am not happy with who I am, there are no possessions that will make me conclude otherwise.