Finding Me Wherever I May Be

Here in Binmaley, Pangasinan, Philippines I have been staying with my friend. Her and her family have been so kind to take me into their home and make me feel like family.  (My first attempt) On May 22nd, 2018 I went with her to check out her and her husbands fish ponds and to see that the caretakers had begun the process of harvesting 1 of the 3 ponds. In her ponds she has shrimp, prawns, tilapia, and bangus. As their caretakers were beginning to empty the pond to make catching the fish easier we sat back and relaxed enjoying the peaceful setting we were in until the hard work began. As the sun began to set I hopped in with the workers when the pond was lower to try and help catch the fish. This was quiet challenging and I climbed out of the pond after some time with no luck in catching anything. I did find out that you aren't supposed to stick your hands deep into the mud like I was, just graze the top to get the fish to jump. After her husband arrived and checked in we to...

(Government Camp, Oregon) April 1st was the start of a new beginning for me. I left my home, job, and many friends behind on my cozy mountain town of Government Camp, Oregon. Since then I spent two weeks floating around the Portland area visiting many friends and to some of my favorite places. The 15th of April some of my favorite people, my fluffy Juku and I went out to Beverly Beach on the Oregon Coast to have final hoorah before making my way back to my hometown of Reno, NV.  (Devils Punch Bowl, Oregon) Juku, my friend Jere and I took the 101 down stopping at various coastal spots, taking the magnificent Avenue of the Giants in California, gawking at the giant red woods. Our third and final stop on the road being in Napa California to see some friends. (Avenue of the Giants, California) Since April 18th I have been in Reno, Nevada spending time with my family, friends, and going on awesome adventures. I have developed a love for harnessing up to jump from tree...

Since I have been back to life here on Mt. Hood one of the number one questions I have been asked is how much my trip cost me. I sat down and went through my receipts, tickets, and bank statements to break it down into 5 segments: 1. Lodging = $500 - All of my nights but 2 were spent in either my own room or private bungalow never                         having  a shared bathroom expect once. This cost also includes my stay at the Kanchanaburi Elephant Haven . 2. Food & Drinks = $300 - I went to a couple fancy places but mostly chose the food stands/carts, markets, and small hole in the wall places. These more local spots I felt as if I got more bang for my buck and didn’t feel like I was in a tourist trap. 3.  Traveling Around While in Asia = $250 - This cost includes a flight from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, sleeper train, tut-tuts, buses, mini vans, and motorbikes. 4. Everything Else = $450 ...

Finding My New Favorite Animal I arrived in Kanchanaburi, Thailand to get picked up from my guesthouse at 08:00 the following morning by some of the staff of Elephant Haven. I did not know that I would fall in love with elephants and never want to leave.  Upon arrival to stay overnight at Elephant Haven myself and the others got to meet a few of the ladies and had a quick run down of the history, along with safety guidelines.  From there it was time to make breakfast. Not for us of course but for the elephants. This consisted of rice banana balls and cutting watermelon. We met the rest of the herd and fed them their breakfast that they seemed very happy about. Then it was time for a stroll through the jungle where we got to observe how they lived their daily life and hangout with them. Which consists of 18 hours of eating and lots of attention from one another, the staff, and they’re ecstatic visitors.  We then returned after quiet sometime to ...