How I Can Afford To Travel!

My most REVEALING post to date! If you've been wondering how the hell I've been able to last traveling this long, well here it is! All secrets are out in the open! This post tells you how I do it, and how YOU can do it too!

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Working On A Cruise Ship

I somehow managed to get myself a job working at a Cruise Ship. This post is an inside look on what it's really like to live and work below deck. You never know... You might be enticed to work for one too, and travel the whole world like me! Read on to find out more...

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Scotland: My Favorite Country In The World

I've been to many places in several different continents, and have seen spectacular beauty... But every time I visit Scotland, every other country pales in comparison. Read this post to find out why at this point, Scotland was and still is, in my opinion, the most beautiful place on Earth...

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On Finding My Bliss In Italy

When you go on big trips like this, however cheesy it sounds, you always do end up 'finding yourself'. And there are moments... difinitive moments when you achieve clarity, contentment, and pure happiness. This all happened to me in Italy. Read my most soulful post to date, inspired by the full moon in Italia...

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On Being Featured In A Documentary

I somehow managed to get myself featured in an upcoming documentary about "Voluntourism". This may be the big break I've been waiting for! The trailer is out - and I'm in it! It looks so good, I'm so excited! See for yourself... watch it here!

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An Epiphany At Cinque Terre

The Cinque Terre is one of my favorite places in Italy. We hiked 5 villages in one day, and it was breathtaking! But something completely unexpected happened on the hike... An encounter with a complete stranger made me realize possibly one of the most important things I need to do with my life...

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My Ayahuasca Experience

Ayahuasca, is by far, the most INTENSE thing I have ever experienced in my life. I died and was reborn. It is both horrific and beautiful at the same time... I can't explain it in a few words. You HAVE to read my story to believe... I promise it will be worth your while...

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Thursday, March 28, 2013

On Getting My First Tattoo: A Birthday Special


Birthday Tattoo

Ever since I turned 25, I made it a point to do something I’ve never done before on my birthday. That way, I always have something to look forward to, and it makes my birthdays extra special. These are the things I’ve done since then:

Year 25 – Went Skiing for the first time
Year 26 – Went Hang Gliding for the first time
Year 27 – Participated in the Landmark Forum which changed my life for the better
Year 28 - Did an East Coast Road Trip and celebrated my birthday in New Orleans
Year 29 – Did the I-Fly at Universal Studios – Indoor Skydiving
Year 30 – Went on a big Eurotrip, and visited two places I haven’t been to before: Prague and Austria

Never Done Before

This year, when I turned 31, the year where anything could happen, I went ahead and got myself my first tattoo!


It was a decision that took me almost a year to process.

I never thought I’d ever grow the balls to get myself inked. Most of my friends have them, people that I work with have them, everyone in Hollywood has them… but the idea of something that permanent always freaked me out. I’m just naturally afraid of any type of commitment --- and getting a tattoo is something I’d have to live with for as long as I walk this Earth. Plus… I heard it was painful!

The last year has changed me though. Turning 30, trying to figure out what my personal legend is, and finally making the decision to quit my job to pursue a lifelong dream has done a number on me. The process of letting go caused me to lighten up in all aspects of my life, and allowed me to see things clearly. No longer am I concerned by what society dictates, because this is my life and I decide what makes me happy. My definition of success is no longer dependent on material wealth, but rather on the wealth of one’s soul. I have learned (but not mastered yet) how to manipulate my fears, and use them as a motivation to help me accomplish whatever it is I want to pursue… I live with the knowledge that our time here is only borrowed and we never know when it runs out… And so I’ve stopped wasting whatever time I have left worrying about what others might think, what society dictates, or what an ancient book might state. 
And about getting a tattoo? Well… Robert Kennedy once said,

“There are those who look at things the way they are and ask, why? I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?”
 

Why not? :)

I flew to Cebu on my birthday, Monday the 25th for my final working week at Bosley. I had emailed my co-worker, Jungkay, from Cebu to help me find a respectable and awesome tattoo artist a month before my trip. My parameters for the search were: Clean, Awesome, Highly Recommended, Clean, and ZERO MORTALITY RATE!

I knew I wanted it somewhere on my wrist because I want it to be seen… I didn’t see the point of going through all that pain only to have it hidden 90% of the time… If I needed to hide it for some obscure reason (not that I would want to though), I could easily do it with a watch or a bracelet. And most importantly, I’d want to be able to see it myself, for several reasons.

I’ve known for a while what tattoo I wanted. They’re my words to live by… A personal mantra. Something I picked up while traveling in France with Karen.


Having those words placed on my left wrist would be an ideal position, because I’ll always see it, and I’ll constantly be reminded!

Jungkay found me a well known tattoo parlor, and booked an appointment for me at 3:30pm, which is right after I land in Cebu. Crol’s Tattoo is owned by artist, Carlo “Crol” Gabiana. He’s well known as one of Cebu’s top tattoo artists, and has been featured in every major tattoo art magazine in the country. If he’s good enough for Cebu, then he’s good enough for me! :)




His place is small, but very clean. Maui, Jungkay and I were waiting on the couch as he was prepping his station. I was a little nervous at this point, but I think I’ve done enough mental preparation for the pain. I’ve spoken to countless people, poured over hundreds of websites, forums and blogs about how I’m going to feel, and the responses varied from “it doesn’t hurt at all” to “it’s extremely painful, you’re going to cry.” That really didn’t help me much, so I just did what I usually do which is – expect the worse. 


Carlo Gabiana
Carlo Gabiana
When Carlo was ready for me, he drew markers on my hand for symmetry and placed a stenciled outline of my tattoo over my wrist as a guide. He gave an option of smearing a cream anesthetic over my skin to help with the pain, but Jungkay insisted that I don’t use it to “feel the whole experience”. I wasn’t feeling too masochistic so I was really leaning towards the anesthetic!


Prepping the area


Carlo said he’ll try it quickly without, and if I couldn’t take it, he’ll apply the cream. I felt like I didn’t really have time to think about it because his gun was already pointed towards my wrist, and I could already hear the familiar drilling sound I only hear at the dentist’s office!
Then – BAM! The first stroke was performed, and I was… okay. He looked at me to check if he should continue, and I said, “yeah keep going”. And onward he drilled.
Wrist Tattoo

It was not as painful as I thought.

In fact, I think I can describe it as more annoying than painful. I was doing the Lamaze breathing method that women in labor use to gain confidence in giving birth. I didn’t even know I was doing it till afterwards… it was kind of instinctual. I remember thinking to myself – “Breathe”. And that’s what I did. And I guess it helped! 

Small Wrist Tattoo
Breathe in... Breathe out.
I don’t think I have a particularly high pain tolerance… I think it’s just that I was overly prepared for it, that the anticipation was a lot worse than the action. It really didn’t hurt! There was one area though where the design was right over a prominent vein…that one stung just a little bit, but really very tolerable overall. 



It was over before I knew it… I think it only took around 15 - 20 minutes for the tattoo to complete… And I LOVE IT! Carlo did an excellent job with the white shadow that made the font pop up! The fact that it didn’t hurt probably also has something to do with his light hands. It’s beautiful!

Now I can tick it off my bucket list! Get a tattoo: Cha-Check!

My birthday tattoo crew! Maui, Carlo and Jungkay :)

From here on out, anytime I feel unsure of myself… or when I get overwhelmed by fear and self doubt, or when I find myself hesitating on the edge and ask myself, “Why?”… All I have to do is look at my left wrist, and BOOM. The courage I need to take a leap of faith will consume me. I will be reminded that I am the type of person that dreams of things that never were, and ask....

Why Not?
Pourquoi pas?


“Pourquoi pas?” is French for “Why not?” :)



******
Hi There! Have we met before? You look familiar! Those shoes look great on you, by the way! I’m Eartha and I recently decided to quit my job to travel the worrrrld! Join me in my adventures by checking back on my blog, and leaving me a comment or two!
  • Subscribe to my blog and get updated every time I post here!
  • Add me to your feed reader here!
  • Wanna be Facebook friends? Like my page here!
  • Are you as epigramatic as I am? Tweet me @earth2eartha
  • Do you have cool photos on Instagram? Check mine out too @earth2eartha
  • Or if you want to leave me a message or a limerick, email me here!

Come and visit me again soon! :)

*****


Thursday, March 21, 2013

Best Little Travel Gifts I Got From Friends

Traveler Presents

Let me preface this by saying - I have the most amazing friends. Despite me saying "no presents", they still went ahead and gifted me things they think I would find most useful for my RTW trip! These travel "gadgets" and whatnots are all stuff that I can bring with me this year, so I thought I'd share them on this post in case some of you were looking to make a checklist of things you need for an upcoming trip yourselves. Here they are in no particular order...


Power Chargers

Brookstone Goodies c/o Vendor


For Christmas, one of our company's vendors gave me an Ipad Bluetooth Headset from Brookstone. Seeing that I will have no use for it whatsoever, I went and had it exchanged for these power chargers! Yippeee for return/exchange policies!



Traveler Bag Tags

Bag Tags c/o Jackie and Lexus

How cute are these two? I'm totally using both of them!

Best Traveler Present is Cash

A BIG WAD OF CASH c/o Tito Nelson

My friend, Nelson, is for real. He literally gave me a big wad of cash. I thought it was play money at first! I couldn't believe it. Not only did he give me a hundred bucks in one's, he also gave me a whole bunch of other currencies! Thank you, Tito Nelson!!! I can only wish all of my other friends will follow your example. ;)


Traveler Necessity - Condom

Condom - c/o Tito Nelson

Um... No comment. ;)



EyeFi for Camera

Eye-Fi Wireless Memory Card c/o My brother and sister in law

This is a pretty cool gadget. When you take photos, the wireless memory card allows instant upload to your chosen recipient (Ipad, Computer or Phone) just as long as you have WiFi connection! Thanks Kuya and Ate! :)



Hand Sanitizing Spray

Hand Sanitizing Spray c/o Amy J

You can never be too clean while you're on the road!


Hooded Poncho for Travel

Hooded Poncho c/o Lara

I actually have one of these poncho's but I've never had to use it before. Since I'll be traveling for a whole year, I'm sure this will come in handy! And now, I have two! :)



Insect Repellent Spray

Insect Repellent c/o Amy J

Just the other day my legs were attacked by mosquito's while hanging out with a couple friends outside a bar. I should have brought these with me then...



Pepper Spray for Travelers

Pepper Spray c/o Amy J

I really wish these were permitted as a carry on... I still need to figure out how to take this with me on my backpack..



Swiss Army Knife for Travel

Swiss Army Knife c/o My Brother

Now the Swiss Army Knife on the other hand recently just got approved as a safe item to bring as a hand carry! Thank goodness for that! This is an awesome travel tool! :)



TSA Locks for Travel

TSA Locks c/o Ben

My backpack will be a lot safer with these bad boys :) Great color isn't it?


Travel Compression Bags

Travel Compression Bags c/o Maui

To help me squeeze all of my clothes into my tiny backpack!


Travel Journal

Travel Journal c/o Ilana

It has a world map design, and is travel size too! It's tiny! Yay!


USB Hubman

USB Hubman c/o Lexus

How cute is this USB thing? :)


Earth Necklace

Earth Necklace c/o My Sister, Kat

This is possibly my favorite out of everything I've received. I have been looking for an Earth necklace for more than 6 months, and on the day of my departure, voila! My sister gives it to me as a farewell present! It is beautiful! And do you see it comes with little binoculars too? How appropriate for Earth2Eartha... :) I love it... I love it...

~~

THANK YOU to my friends and family who took the time out to get me all these necessities for my travels. I know for sure all of these will come in handy, and you guys saved me a whole lot of time, effort and money than if I were to have gotten these myself. Goodness knows I've already spent a fortune on the other big stuff I need (laptop, backpack, camera lens)... This just proves that it's really the little things that count! :)

When I get closer to my launch date, I will post a very detailed RTW Packing List that will include all of the above, plus all the stuff I purchased myself. Clothes, travel gadgets, travel gear, compression sacks, the works. I have about 6 weeks to prepare, so I promise, it will be the most comprehensive obsessive compulsive travel list ever to be found in all the Internets!

In the meantime, what's the best Travel present you've ever received? :)


******
Hi There! Have we met before? You look familiar! Those shoes look great on you, by the way! I’m Eartha and I recently decided to quit my job to travel the worrrrld! Join me in my adventures by checking back on my blog, and leaving me a comment or two!
  • Subscribe to my blog and get updated every time I post here!
  • Add me to your feed reader here!
  • Wanna be Facebook friends? Like my page here!
  • Are you as epigramatic as I am? Tweet me @earth2eartha
  • Do you have cool photos on Instagram? Check mine out too @earth2eartha
  • Or if you want to leave me a message or a limerick, email me here!

Come and visit me again soon! :)

*****



Thursday, March 14, 2013

Greetings from Manila!


Mabuhay!


So after an incredibly epic Send Off party last Friday which gave me the worst hang over of my life on the day I have to fly 15 hours on a plane, here I am, finally, in Manila.

I was greeted at the airport by my dog, Phoebe, who first looked pissy for waiting so long, but then cheered up eventually and gave me a lick on my nose.



Before I left LA, people kept asking me if I was excited about my trip, and I kept saying no. No, because I really wasn't going on my big trip yet. I still have to get through three weeks of working - in the NIGHT SHIFT might I add - to finish training my replacement at work, Maui. All I felt in the days coming up to my departure was stress and sadness. Stress because there was so much to do and prepare before leaving, and sadness because, well, goodbye's are sad.

But that's done, and I'm here... At least the stress of leaving Los Angeles is far behind me. Although... now I am faced with the stress of dealing with Manila traffic everyday!


Seriously... The 405 during rush hour seems like an easy drive compared to this. No wonder LA traffic never really bothered me that much... I grew up getting used to something much, much worse! Haha :)
And to prove I was barely moving... look who's strolling in the highway...



Yes, I bought a couple bananas from him. Because they are more fun in the Philippines. (I've always wanted to make my own "More Fun In The Philippines" ad... I know I can do better than this though)

It's also a little trippy working the graveyard shift. I'm technically still on LA time so the only upside to it is that I never had jetlag.

Manila does come alive at night though. Ever since the call center industry boomed over here, it could give Manhattan a run for its money for the title - "The city that never sleeps". I just wish I had one of those automatic window blackout shades that block out the sun because it's so hard to get some shut eye with light beaming down at full force on me during the day!

This is where I work. Not bad, eh?

Having said all that - I still love being home. I was born here, raised here, and it's great staying at my parents house, in my old bedroom with Phoebe trotting along after me wherever I go. Every time I go down to the dining table, breakfast is laid out for me... and I don't even have to do the dishes! When I air out my work clothes for the next day before going to bed, it will be washed, pressed and hung when I wake up!
Oh... and did I mention that my dad lets me use a CRV while I'm here? Which he painted RED after my  car, Banksy (which I just sold)?

It's good to have a Banksy again... Thanks Dad! :)

I've gone back to my old boxing gym to work out with my old trainer, who massages my hands and shoulders after every 3 minute round, and gives me a 20 minute full on body stretching and massage combination after each of my daily 2 hour workouts! All for just 5 bucks!

There's still a lot more to look forward to... like seeing my friends or going to the beach or celebrating my birthday on the 25th - where I have something HUGE planned apart from a party (more on that on future posts)... So yeah, things are good at the moment. I've only been here a few days and I'm already feeling tension easing out of my shoulders.

This is definitely in the foreseeable future... :)

Yeah. Things are good... and I know they're bound to get better.
The closer I get to leaving for Australia, I'm sure things will get hectic again... but for now, I'm trying to enjoy Manila while I can.

It's good to be home :)



******
Hi There! Have we met before? You look familiar! Those shoes look great on you, by the way! I’m Eartha and I recently decided to quit my job to travel the worrrrld! Join me in my adventures by checking back on my blog, and leaving me a comment or two!
  • Subscribe to my blog and get updated every time I post here!
  • Add me to your feed reader here!
  • Wanna be Facebook friends? Like my page here!
  • Are you as epigramatic as I am? Tweet me @earth2eartha
  • Do you have cool photos on Instagram? Check mine out too @earth2eartha
  • Or if you want to leave me a message or a limerick, email me here!

Come and visit me again soon! :)

*****


Thursday, March 7, 2013

Leaving Los Angeles :(




On Saturday, March 9... I'm gonna hop on a plane at LAX with a dream and a cardigan. I’m so hormonal right now, I could be pregnant. The past few weeks wore me out like an over-used tire. My treads are deteriorated, and I am bald. O_O
You know it's bad when I start off quoting a Miley Cyrus song and end with a weird emoticon.

About 3 weeks before my last day at work (here in Beverly Hills), I had to train my replacement, Maui. She also happens to be a good friend of mine, so basically our days consisted of heavy hard core training during the day, and heavy hard core touring at night. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this, but I am a pretty awesome Los Angeles tour guide. My guided tours have won several awards (given by me) and I have made a lot of tourists (who are friends) extremely happy and satisfied! I probably take that job even more seriously than my work at Bosley. So you can imagine how jam-packed our days were, trying to see and experience as much as we could in between training sessions. It was insane! (Photo on the left is my first ever Hollywood Sign photo after living here for almost 7 years!)



Then came Friday, which was my last working day here (before continuing Maui’s training in the Philippines). People at work threw me a goodbye thing with cards and cake and speeches, which of course, unleashed the “Ugly Cry”. 
 I’m never going to be one of those people that could cry with poise. Once I get started, you see my nostrils inflate to three times its size, my eyes puff up like I’ve been punched, and you constantly see my tonsils from the wailing. That is pretty much how I looked like the whole day on Friday.




Goodbyes make me crazy.

I’ve learned a lot, working at Bosley. Six and a half years is the longest I’ve ever been working anywhere, and I only have good things to say about that company. I’ve grown so much, gained so many friends, and made so many great memories over there… saying goodbye to everyone who’s made a difference in my life was a little heartbreaking, but it makes me feel good knowing I’ve made a difference there too, and that they all fully support me in quest to travel the world.



I gave myself a full week to prepare for my departure. I’m headed to the Philippines to continue Maui’s training for 3 more weeks, and only after then will I really have the time to relax and fully prepare for the big RTW trip. So right now, I’m packing for the stuff I’ll need for Manila, and at the same time going through another process of “letting go”.  After giving away and selling most of my stuff last October, I STILL have a TON of stuff I need to dispose of! It’s so unnerving! How the heck do we accumulate all this crap? I’m tired of fixing and sorting through stuff and trying to decide which ones to keep and which ones to let go!

Although… I have had a lot of practice. This is my second round after all… so I suppose it is a little easier.

#endbipolarrant

In Other News...

I SOLD MY CAR! Remember how I said it was the biggest cause of stress last time? Well I didn’t realize how stressed I was until the day I finally sold it, and I felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders! (By the way, to all the Angelenos, if you want to sell your car, I totally recommend Trade In Solutions. They are amazing! Super fair, no lowballing, and completely up front and honest. They saved my life.) Now I don’t have to worry about payments or insurance or traffic citations! Halleluiah!!!

P.S. I miss you, Banksy :’(

I was driving a rental for the past week (because in Los Angeles, you need to have a car!) and I’ve just returned it the other day. Currently, I am car-less for the first time since I was 17… It’s weird. I don’t really know what to do with myself, but it’s quite liberating. :)

Just thinking about the things I’ve done this past month alone is exhausting. I remember there were moments at work a couple weeks ago where I would just randomly burst into tears for no apparent reason. I think it might have been a combination of both sadness and fatigue.

In hindsight, I think having Maui around and giving her the ultimate LA tour weeks before my departure was quite fitting. It gave me the chance to go to all of my favorite spots one last time, to remind me of all the reasons why I love it here to begin with. And I do love it here… I do.

It’s funny.. LA is hardly the city of angels, but l couldn’t help but love everything about it. We have the best weather, the most amazing and accessible beaches, all the celebrities within reach, and – I don’t care what the New Yorkers say – but the people over here really are friendly, not phony, friendly. It’s 'cause the sun makes us happy!

I don’t know what’s going to happen in a year, but I do know that I will always consider Los Angeles my home. I’m going to miss so many things about living here...but I'll always have a reason to go back. I know I technically haven't left yet, but I'm looking forward to the day I get on a plane and sing at the top of my lungs, "California here we come, right back where we started from... Californiaaaaaaaaaa.... Here we cooooooooommme!"


Goodbye for now, Los Angeles. I love you. :)


******
Hi There! Have we met before? You look familiar! Those shoes look great on you, by the way! I’m Eartha and I recently decided to quit my job to travel the worrrrld! Join me in my adventures by checking back on my blog, and leaving me a comment or two!
  • Subscribe to my blog and get updated every time I post here!
  • Add me to your feed reader here!
  • Wanna be Facebook friends? Like my page here!
  • Are you as epigramatic as I am? Tweet me @earth2eartha
  • Do you have cool photos on Instagram? Check mine out too @earth2eartha
  • Or if you want to leave me a message or a limerick, email me here!

Come and visit me again soon! :)
*****