Thoughts on travelling

“Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.” ~Ray Bradbury 

I got my new passport today. My old one expired in January and, because I do like going places, I went to get it renewed. It took 3 months but today I have my new passport and it's valid for 10 years. Yay!

I've been very busy these past few days (and months and maybe the past year or two). On Sunday I spent the morning at the Blue Star and in the evening we held a session at studio sharing about death and dying. I think it was an awesome way to remember my mom and her own journeys. On Monday my brother and I had a meeting to attend in town to begin planning for the 2nd International Yoga day. We decided to make most of the day an adventure because when else would we be going up to town? Our days are usually filled with classes or people and so it takes a bit to step away from that for other things. On Tuesday I had class and then the cute guy and I went to see Batman vs Superman before heading back to our studio to talk and meet with someone about signage for our space. Today I spent time getting my passport and then had to head up to town again before stopping in by my brother for a bit. 

Busyness. It's become a part of my life. Today I've been thinking about how I want to travel to different places. I find myself thinking that each day we travel - through time and space and experiences. Each day is an opportunity and, though I hope to be able to visit somewhere else soon, I'm going to work at being open to when and how things may happen. 

There are adventures ahead but also day-to-day adventures to enjoy.

peace,
Ren 

Checking in... 1st week of vacation.

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." ~Saint Augustine

In one week, I have flown across the sea, tasted my way around the world, met princesses and old friends and have overall had a magical time. The only thing not-so-great is the fact that I feel as though I've been walking forever... oh my weary feet! I'm enjoying each moment, the cute guy makes a wonderful travelling partner (it's interesting travelling with someone who is not a family member), I'm freezing in hot, sunny weather and definitely having a good time.

Sharing my joy with you... xoxo

peace,

Ren

Maybe I don't look like a traveller anymore?

"I have found out that there ain't no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them." ~Mark Twain 

There was once a time when if I had to go anywhere I'd either have to ask someone to carry me or, and this was the most common option, I'd travel. It's because of that time that I know how to get to various places in Trinidad using our public transportation system, and that I am somewhat known to the taxi drivers in my area. There are taxi drivers that have known me for over 15 years as I travelled with them to and from school and various other places. 


Today I had the opportunity to travel from my flyover to home (my car has been down... car drama... oy)... it's not very far and I was hoping that I'd get a taxi that I was familiar with... just because. I didn't though... got a taxi driven by an old man who looked as though he shouldn't be driving anymore. What I thought kinda funny? Driver and other passengers gave me a look... a 'why is this person travelling?' look... or maybe a 'how come this person is travelling?' look. I'm not sure which... It was as though they weren't sure how I'd come to be there and if I knew where I was going. 


It was very strange. 


Perhaps having a car has changed me in some way? Perhaps to the casual observer it seems as though I shouldn't be travelling? Perhaps I seemed to be too calm, cool and collected?


Ah well.


I think that each person should at some point try out their country's public transportation system. Figure out how to get from point A to point B and then just do it. I've found the experience to be entertaining and educational. There are times I've found it to be frustrating and tiring. As is the case for most things, I think that you can't really appreciate what others go through, the waiting, the hustling, the environment (people and places)... unless you experience it yourself. 


Maybe I don't look like a traveller anymore... perhaps I need to be out and going places without my car (or without being driven around by the cute guy or the cousins). 


Get out and go somewhere... walk, bike, taxi, maxi, bus, something...


:)


peace,
Ren

Family Matters... and oh look! it's February!

"To put the world right in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right." ~Confucius

It's February ... I'm amazed at how quickly and yet how slowly time passes. It seems as though when you're involved in something it takes time but then you pause and already it's a month into 2011. Wow.

I'm back home in Trinidad (& Tobago)... back out to work... in a way it's surreal - and I think I've spoken about this before. One moment you're travelling and living day-by-day, moment-to-moment and then you're at work: stationary, back to the grind. Surreal.

It's a comfort to me being back with my [immediate] family though. I realise that I lost my centre (and my patience :s) whilst staying with my family in California. Too many expectations and preconceived notions of family and how things should be... sadness over drama - It is only on reflection that I realise how I should have related to stuff... hopefully the day will come when realisations occur in the moment and not a week or two after.

Family is a major part of my life - both immediate and [somewhat] extended. I say somewhat because I tend to only focus on the aunts/uncles/first cousins/really-close-relatives... any other pumpkin-vine family I don't consider as much - perhaps because I don't know them. Saturday (after waking up at 10 am due to arriving in Piarco at midnight), I went to church. It occurs to me that that's twice in the same month... something that has not happened in awhile (granted the first visit was to a Mormon church and the second to a Presbyterian). One of my dad's older sisters celebrated her 60th birthday with a thanksgiving...sermon? celebration? event. I'm not as close to my dad's side of the family as my mom's but ultimately - it was good to see everyone. To interact and reminisce. 

If I was to go into greater detail about both experiences I'd have titled this post 'a tale of two carols' because the aunt I visited was my aunty Carol (on my mom's side - d youngest sister of 8) and the aunt celebrating her birthday was my aunty Carol (on my dad's side - I'm not sure where she fits but she's older than my dad).  Family focused for the month of January and I learnt this morning that this year (upcoming Chinese Year of the Metal Rabbit)  favours getting more involved with family. I guess I'm just going along with the flow of the universe, and also with my own thoughts - my to-do list covers family, travel and photo-taking - I've had lots of opportunity for this year so far.  

Be blessed,

Ren

Travelling Karma - Holy mother I am in California!

"The way is not in the sky, the way is in the heart. For the traveler who knows his direction, there is always a favorable wind." ~Stuart Avery Gold

I have no idea what time it is... while I can look at the clock here and it says it's 9:39 my body clock is off. I'm still working on Trini time (it's 1:39am - already Monday there). 

Travelling is an adventure and I like it :) It may be tiring but it's never frustrating to me... it's a bit of an adrenaline rush. I'm also lucky that I have really good travelling karma... and by that I mean that things flow smoothly for me... I've never had any kinda drama with flight delays or immigration. In fact, when I'm travelling locally (home sweet home) it's fairly easy for me to get taxis or buses or reach where I need to reach on time. I am blessed. Thank you Universe for the gift of good travelling karma. 

Without this gift, I'm not sure how smoothly my trip to California would have been. I was up at 4 am. Left home at 5 am (ok.. really that was the intent - left home at 5.15). Left Trinidad at 7.30 am. After that time got messed up for me. I think Miami is an hour behind due to daylight savings time? Anyway. Miami International Airport? Seriously huge. Whoever built that or is responsible for it needs to figure out a way to move people around quickly. It's a good thing I'm friendly - I made friends with a woman in the seat next to me (I know that she was born in Tobago but has been living in Florida for the past 16 years - this was her first visit back to T&T in that time - I don't however know the woman's name - somehow did not get  around to finding that out). Thank you Lady-Whatever-Your-Name-Was. Not only did she give me a book to read on my other flights (free book!!!) but she helped me figure out the complete craziness that is Miami International Airport. International visitors are required to clear customs and collect baggage and then recheck baggage before getting the connecting flight - this would be easy if the places to do this were within a few feet of each other. Unfortunately, they are miles apart (I swear - MILES). I only had a one hour window to do this as between landing time and boarding time for the next flight was one hour (I think?) ... Thankfully unknown lady helped me figure out where customs was ... where d baggage claim was... that I'd need to race towards my departing gate. Also, thankfully, I had a nice immigrations/customs person who was not in any way disturbed by my frantic bubbly-ness (frantic cuz I wasn't sure about the timing...bubbly-ness cuz he asked what was my purpose for being in the US and I excitedly started talking about wedding & being a bridesmaid & etc... ergh)... anyway luckily this all went smoothly. Where I nearly missed my connecting flight? MIA gates are MILES away from each other. I arrived at my departure gate (huffing and out-of-breath) just as final boarding was being called. Yay. 

Dallas/Fort Worth airport was much easier to handle. Had enough time to get from arrival gate to place with food to departure gate. Santa Ana/John Wayne airport? Even easier! Like I told my mom - MIA=XXX (huge) DFW=XX (not so huge= medium-sized) SNA=X (small - time taken from departing plane to getting baggage and ready to leave airport? 10 mins max). 

The flights themselves? Pretty good... Flying is ok (and pretty - I like looking out of the windows and seeing the clouds below). Taking off and Landing? Not so ok... but manageable. 

Today my aunt took me down to the beach for a brief walk (we were on our way to church)... amazingly beautiful and there'll be pics to prove it on my flick account sometime in the future. Was surprised to find out that it's a pretty serious church-going area (today is Sunday - a lot of people were at different churches we passed along the way). Also went down to Chinatown in LA - didn't find what we were looking for really but it was good sight seeing... I like that the US is so huge... strange? idk... it seems like everything goes on forever.

We've been ole-talking too. In a way it's like being with my mom (I'm staying with my mom's youngest sister - her daughter's getting married!!!)... and in a way it isn't. It's when I'm away that I realise just how close I am to my immediate family (mom/dad/brother) cuz I'll find something I want to show/tell them and they're not here to share with. Ah well. 

So. I'm in California... It's amazing so far. :) 

Highlights of trip to date:

• Racing through MIA towards departure gate - comfortable shoes ftw! (stopping to ask airport personnel for help and having them go 'oh u're a trini! yes i'm sure we can get u through the lines faster! bless them cuz otherwise i'd never have made it)
• Broccoli-cheese soup and a fruit plate from TGIF in DFW (cuz of course I must mention food)
• Getting to SNA and realising that from getting off plane to getting baggage = < 10 mins
• Bridesmaid dress that fits like a dream (except that it needs hemming - I be short)
• View of the Pacific ... Oh wow!
• Serene peacefulness in a Mormon church
• Smelling soap at Marshall's
• Dragons painted on the road as crosswalks in Chinatown
• Talking with girl cousin about wedding plans

I totally encourage travelling - even if you have to just cross the road and visit a neighbour - do it. 

peace,

Ren

I'm a driver.

"Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do." ~Jason Love

Although I've had my driver's license since 2005 (yes, I was late getting it), I only really started driving last year. As of November 2009, I am the owner of a car... which explains really why I started driving. When you don't have your own car you tend to drive less simply because it's easier to either travel where you want to go or ask someone with a car to carry you wherever.

I like travelling... via taxi, maxi or bus... when I'm abroad I like travelling by subway and train... It is entertaining and eye-opening - there is so much one can discover about a place by travelling with public transportation. It's also really useful to know, in case you get stuck somewhere, how to get home without much assistance.

Having a car opens up a new means of transportation. It is more solitary. You are part of the hustle but yet separate... cocooned in your own metal bubble. I've discovered that I enjoy singing more - maybe it's cuz I like music... maybe cuz I want voices to fill the space and the only one there is mine (usually... sometimes my girlfriends are in the car and then we all sing along). Then there's the question of manners. How polite are Trini drivers? It's been said that we're the worst in the world... with all the bad drives and road rage around it's hard to be polite at all times. It's a question of staying centered... and balanced... 'yes, I shall let you through but not you... don't push... flash a smile and please, let me through'... It's not about male drivers or female drivers but about people trying to get from one place to the other.

I arrived late to work this morning - two accidents on the northbound lane of the highway... I know the roads in Central pretty well though ... so while a lot of people were stuck in crawling traffic I was making my way through the back roads... I confess - I didn't reach to work late because of traffic but because I found myself with some time to go to the bank and whatnot - I actually arrived before a lot of my work people.

It's still a strange experience having a car... less worry of how to get places... more worry about the cost of gas... mileage... fans and belts and how often do I need to check oil again? It's freeing in a way - more responsibility in a way... I wonder what other people think. Road hogs and responsible drivers... T&T has so many vehicles now.

Saying a prayer for whoever was involved in those accidents this morning... Saying a prayer to protect myself and those I love, care for, like, know... just about everybody really ... to be safe on our roads.

peace,

Rtr

Travelling Karma, New York, Election Fever...

The problem with not updating regularly is that so much happens that you then wonder how you'll talk about it all. I've figured it out though.. headings. Headings are the key to this blog post... along with condensed versions of each issue.. lol .. so.. here we go.

Travelling Karma

I've always said that I've got good travelling karma... what does this mean you wonder? Things go well for me when I'm travelling... whether it be short distances (e.g. home to work) or long distances (e.g. T&T to USA) I don't usually have issues with delays... or transportation... or crazy people. There are of course the rare instances when there are no taxis.. or there is flooding or rain or election rallies.. These instances are few and far between though. Usually, I can get a taxi in a relatively short time.. or I'll get a friendly/helpful taxi/bus driver.. customs and immigration and such have never been a problem.. I usually get to where I'm going when I want to get there...

My recent bit of adventuring has made me realise just how much I like travelling. Perhaps this is why I've got good travelling karma in the first place? Perhaps it's the I'll get there when I get there attitude? Or that I like meeting people and/or maccoing people for brief spaces of time? Whatever it is... Travelling = Fun. It's exciting and energising (..until you stop - then you need a few days off to recuperate). I must do more of it. So what if it impacts horribly on my finances? As my mom says .. it's about the experience... not the funds. I'll figure out a way. 

New York

Have you heard the song "Empire State of Mind"? It's by Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys so I'm not sure how many of you would have or could have.. The first time I heard it, it brought back such memories of a weekend I spent in NYC with my brother... I think it perfectly captures all that goes on in NY... and the chorus constantly played in my head last weekend as my mom and I were there. 

Chorus (for those who don't know the song):

"In New York, concrete jungles where dreams are made of 

There's nothing you can't do, now you're in New York

These streets will make you feel brand new 

Big lights will inspire you, let's hear it for New York

New York, New York"

We took the bus from Great Barrington, MA to Port Authority, NY... almost the same ride though going to MA we went to Stockbridge. Going to MA there was a sense of calm building.. like when you've been away from something for so long and you know you're returning... which in essence is what it was - the feeling of homecoming though? Deeper than I can explain. Going to NY there was a sense of excitement building. From my first visit - way back in 1999 - I've been thrilled to be there. It is such a super-charged place... so different from what I'm accustomed to and yet I find that I can fit in seamlessly... it is a rush.

We took a taxi from Port Authority to our hotel... Yea.. we stayed in a hotel near the airport.. AND we took a taxi to get there.. it's about the experience - not the funds! (I'm trying to keep that in mind now that I've returned and am faced with my credit card bill). Honestly though? Good thing we did. We're not such fabulous travellers that we can take the subway with luggage. Next time I travel all that's going with me is a backpack... and maybe one of those little suitcases that can fit in the overhead compartment of the aeroplane. Seriously. Lol..The hotel... fabulous. It's different staying at a hotel than staying with family or friends or acquaintances.. there's a certain feeling of indulgence that it brings. I strongly advise at some point in your life.. stay at a hotel.. preferably a posh one.. even if it's just for one night - stay at a hotel. 

The next day (Saturday) we went to Manhattan.. via subway and bus (No luggage = Can travel on subway).. We took photos like the tourists we were. We went to B.B. Kings Blues Club and Grill for Strawberry Fields (A Saturday Afternoon With The Music of The BEATLES & A Delicious All-You-Can-Eat Brunch Buffet!!! - took this from their site...). It was an experience.. lol. During the planning stages of our trip, when I realised it was just gonna be mom and I and NY, I looked for something to carry her to... a musical maybe? something on Broadway? I personally was thrilled to see Phantom of the Opera the last time I was in NYC. After much consideration though I decided on the Beatles brunch.. interactive.. it's music.. there'd be food (if you read this regularly you probably know that food's important... I get that from my dad). So..that Saturday found us at the Beatles Brunch... persons visiting NYC that like/love the Beatles? I recommend. Food was good... Band was better.. Costume and wig changes? Awesome.. lol.. After we limed in Manhattan a bit. I got a discount on a key-chain from a Bangladeshi store owner cuz I called mom "ma"... An Asian (Chinese?? idk :S) guy was inspired by my photo-takeouting. We tried not to spend money in a store that was having a Bead Blow-Out Sale! It was a good day... and we figured out how to get back to the hotel. Did we get lost? Nope. Did we take multiple means of transport? Yes. We rule. That's all it is. :)

The next day... ahh Sunday.. return to Trinidad day.. was most glad that the hotel had shuttle service to JFK. Suitcases ready to go? Check. Are we ready to go? Hmm. We left.. got to the airport on-time.. found where we had to be.. soon found ourselves waiting to board. I'd have blogged from there but.. unlike Piarco, JFK has no free wifi. Alas.. and there's a point against you JFK. A girl sat next to us that did not stop talking on her phone from the moment she arrived till the moment we got on the plane. I wonder sometimes about people and their ability to be with themselves. We were quite horrified when we got on-board that she was in the seat directly behind us but luckily there was no one for her to talk to. Apart from some turbulence flight went well and soon (ok .. maybe 5 hours isn't 'soon') we were back in T&T.

Election Fever

We arrived in time to vote. Our politics and what's been happening with our government and such is another post to come but know that we arrived in time to vote. It was a big worry for my mom. - would they have elections before we got home? would we get home in time?? Personally, I'm pretty glad to have missed all the rallies and the constant talk about who to vote for-what are they saying-who's doing what-what's happened now? I think any person living here should have already known who they would vote for and why. Can campaign promises sway me? nope.. and I don't understand how it can sway persons either. It was pretty black and white for me. No shades of gray in this issue. Time for a change cuz what is .. what was .. just was not working. And so there's the choice. Stay with what you know that's not working... or go for what you don't know and hope it works. 

Trinidad and Tobago now has a female Prime Minister - Mrs. Kamla Persad-Bissessar.  Historic event? Yes.. it's our first female PM. As of today.. yesterday really as it's now early a.m. we've got a whole new Cabinet. It looks good so far. Fingers crossed that they will do what the populace hopes for. We all strive to be the best we can be. Here's hoping that they do the same. 

peace,

Rtr