This blog is being updated too late.  A new chapter of life has started. I am no longer chasing a free spirit… I am chasing a goal.  I will miss traveling but I wont regret what I am doing right now. We are as variable, excited and stunning as each part of what we discover within ourselves (I lied, I effing miss traveling and want nothing to do but the travel, damn it).

You will also notice that my spelling/grammar is better in this blog. When all you do is read all day, you start judging people based on their writing.

I could talk about every single day, hour and minute of my travels. Everything is a memory; a good one regardless of whether I was winning or losing. But one memory deserves this entire post. That’s because I believe that it was as close to heaven as I’ll ever get in this life time.

The San Blas Islands

Having finished the most hectic, tense and rewarding semester of my 10 years of post-secondary education, I took a taxi at 2:00 am and headed to Costa Rica. Costa Rica also deserves a whole post but I will get to that later. 7 days in, I took a bus to Panama City. All I could think of was the San Blas Islands. I had sailed through them from Panama to Colombia last year. That sailing also deserved its own post, and it’s right below this post. Anyways, something about San Blas made me want to go back uncontrollably. This time, not to sail but to actually stay at one of the Islands for a few days.

So the very next morning at 4 am another jeep picked us up to take us to the departure point. I knew the drill, but this time I didn’t have food poisoning. Nor was I hung over. Nor did I want to sleep anymore. I knew what was about to happen and I just couldn’t wait.

After an absolutely entertaining 6 hour trip with two British and Catholic 19 year old girls who were very shy, and an absolutely obnoxious, load, annoying and funny-as-hell Israeli couple who almost made the above noted girls cry, we got to the departure point. It wasn’t raining. The Kuna people were friendly and had their boats awaiting us. We went down a river which lead to the Caribbean ocean. When I saw the first Island I melted. The sun was shining its gorgeous rays on the palm tries that were providing a shadow and shelter for the little hammocks and the lovely people in them.

I felt peace. I felt like time just stood still, my overwhelming brain wasn’t thinking and my senses had taken over. Time was no longer a variable and I placed the tip of my fingers in the warm, vibrant and silky water that caressed against them as the boat  calmly passed through the islands to get to ours.

It was called Tony and Frank’s Island. It was maybe 50 meters in diameter, completely isolated and had silver-white sand that sparkled from meters away. People around it were in water just floating on the ocean or playing volley ball in it.

Everyone was smiling.

The Island was split between Tony and Frank. Frank’s side was basically little Israel but had better food than Tony’s. 3 American girls and I could not get a place there (again, even though we had already reserved), so we walked exactly 3 meters to get to Tony’s side. I approached his tent which he treated like his kingdom. He was a native, having sun kissed hair and eyes. He was sitting with three guys getting drunk (it was 10am).

I busted my half-ass broken flirting in Spanish and asked him to give us some good rooms and a price. He checked us out (specially the 3 American blonde girls) and smiled. All shacks were ocean front. All I wanted to do was jump in the ocean. I threw my stuff on the bed and jumped in with my clothes on. You would go 20 meters out of the Island and the water would only come up to your knees and you could see so many colorful fish everywhere. You would swim out another 20 meters with a snorkel and you could see huge lobsters, dolphins, cat-fish, eagle rays, sting rays.. you name it.

The sun was shining that day and I was in heaven. Before we knew it, it was sunset and dinner was about be served. We got called for food by a Kuna blowing into a big sea shell. There were no showers, not really any toilets, and a coconut fell from a tree and missed my head by 1 or 2 inches. The food sucked ass. But it didn’t matter.

That night the moon was full. The 50 people on the Island all got together and sat down to watch the moon. Some played guitar, some went skinny dipping, some just said hello to each other, some kissed under the moon light with no care in the world, some did Acid and screamed at the Israelis: “Free Palestine!”

The heat of the day and the no-electricity at night got us to bed around 11pm. I slept like a baby and woke up at the sound of the Kuna blowing in to the sea shell again. The people on the Island were heavenly. I met the sweetest guy from Chicago, a couple hilarious Israels, the Americans girls who thought this was another version of  ’girls gone wild without any footage’, 2 lovely girls from Britain who did not know shit about politics (Alice and Rachael) and all they wanted to do was laugh, and Tony’s always-high-as-a-kite brother who taught me about all of the Indian Gods.

I decided to stay on the Island for 5 days. By day 3 I had ran out of my food and had turned into a savage crazy girl worshiping the sun. One day I decided to venture out in to the Sea Urchin  territory and suddenly felt the biggest pain in my big toe and the current riding the wave precisely against me. It took all my power to swim to the Island only to hear from Tony that one of the guys has to pee on my foot and that it is the only solution. Having had the lovely experience of one of the Israeli guys pee on me, the pain just got worse. Tony told me that now I had to wait for an hour and it would get better. AN HOUR? Ok, so an hour passed and I was still dying from pain so Tony had another look and said ” oh my sorry, you should have gone to the hospital from the get-go..i’ll get you a boat” .

That night, Tony felt like partying and invited the whole Island to his side and gave everyone free booze. He played “girl I really need tell you this” by Bob Marley’s brother and a party broke out obviously. My bandaged toe did not stop me from jumping in to the ocean at midnight and watching the moon with all other mesmerized travelers.

We spent the next couple days doing absolutely nothing but to sit by the ocean and just observe the beauty. I never got bored, just starred endlessly… like nothing else ever existed. I wanted to read books but I couldn’t.

I couldn’t wait for the sunsets because that was yoga time and that pure, breezy and refreshing sunset air I breathed every time I did yoga, brought me to real life. I felt that breeze with my entire existence..I can still feel it me. It’s so hard to describe it with words. Words can’t explain those senses.

The last day on the Island was Tony’s birthday. I woke up at Sunrise and watched the sun lay its gold on the palm trees and have its rays touch our skins softly.  That morning we rode the boat to another incredible island that had a sunk ship close to it with a fish wonderland surrounding it.

We drank a few beers but that was nothing compared to all the free drinks and decorations everywhere in preparation for Tony’s birthday. It was almost like the King’s birthday; everyone was sucking up to him.

I asked Tony if I could be the bartender of the night. Harold and I ruled the bar and danced to the music the entire night. I finally achieved one of my life-long dream of bartending for one night. What could be a venue?

The next morning we woke up to our last sea shell call and said our most painful goodbyes to Tony and the Island. The boat calmly rode away and I found myself forever in love. I firmly believe that if there was a heaven on earth, this would be it. And I say this having traveled to more than 25 countries.

Can you guess where I am going back to this year?

This sailing trip was the reason I decided to explore Panama. Last time I was in Cartagena, Colombia, I heard of many people who’d sail on boat for 3, 5 or 7 days to Panama. I heard there were tiny beautiful islands with no human foot prints on the way, and that it was the ultimate connection one could make with the open seas, the blue skies and the peace and quiet that nature offered.

I looked up various boats and decided that I wanted to sail with a bunch of people to make the trip more fun. I heard that on the way, we’d get to meet the Kuna people, the completely self sufficient aboriginals of Panama, who made living off fishing and would move with the fish around the Caribbean. I had chosen the Sacanagem boat, which I later found out,  means “orgy” in Portuguese. The Captain’s name was Hernandez. I made several calls to make sure I had a spot on the 11 person boat. In Lunas Castel, I asked the guys to secure my spot again, and they assured me that the Captain knew about it.

I woke up at 3 in the morning, waiting with others for Jeep to arrive and take us to the departure point. I was so sleepy, I dont remember much of that  trip. I remember being woken up for stops at a big grocery store and many many instances of us having to pay Kuna ‘taxes’ ranging from $3 to $ 20 dollars. I felt a crazy pain in my stomach and suspected that I am about to get food poisoning. In the grocery store, I asked for some medication since once you are on the boat, good luck asking the fish to cure you. The pharmacist gave me LAXATIVES which I suspected would make me worse, but I took what I could.

Finally after 6 hours and a horrible horrible ride up a mountain with the Jeep jumping so high up in the air you’d feel like you were flying, we got to a river. The Kuna people were waiting for us to take us to our respective boats. I couldnt find anyone taking people to Sacanagem. I asked the Jeep driver but he had no idea what was going on. An hour later, rain started pouring down and I found myself alone with the Kuna people who had no interest in helping me. After begging one for an hour, I managed to call the hostel, and they informed me that the Captain was not answering calls. I was already having stomach pain and under the rain; I was stuck in the middle of nowhere, 7 hours away from Panama city and with no one who could help me. I kept on telling myself this is traveling and nothing can always go right, that this is a part of the trip and that I should be calm and happy just to be there.

Regardless, I got frustrated cause I had no idea what to do… so I started crying like a little girl in front of everyone! finally it worked and one of the Kunas offered to take me to where he thought the Captain was for another $20. I had no choice but to agree, and we set sail in the pouring rain and the wind. We rode the ocean for an hour… in the middle of nowhere and not knowing if I was going to the right island.

Finally the Kuna stopped and there was no sight of Sacanegem. I got off the boat since I saw a tiny hostel on one of the Islands and asked a very nice lady if she had seen Sacanegem.. fortunately she had, and assured me that we would find it. The Kuna happy to hearthe news asked for another $10, and we continued our chase across the ocean.

By the time we got to Hernandez’s boat, the sun had came up and I saw a bunch of very cool people on the boat. He greeted me and said he had made a mistake. That his boat was full and couldnt take me on. But he said he had a solution, and told me there is a luxury boat next to him with a Captain who’s been sailing around the world for 9 years. The new Captain did not sail commercially, but had agreed to help me this time. His boat was smaller, but boy was it ever incredibly amazing. The inside of the boat was better looking than a lot of houses I have seen, and he had every safety equipment and basically anything a human would need and more. He was by himself, so obviously the first thing I asked was whether there would be others coming. He informed me that there were 2 couples and a girl joining us the next day. Again, cause Hernandez fucked up.

I took a long nap on the boat after 14 hours of traveling.  I woke up to him making me an amazing fruit bowl with oats and a delicious coffee. We then went over boat safety and he started training me on sailing. Before we knew it it was down, and after the storm and rain, I finally saw the most incredible and beautiful sunset I have ever seen in my life. It was breath-taking and I finally went back to being comfortable and happy.

He told me that he was a big business man with a lawyer wife, who left him last year after 8 years of sailing. They had a baby on the boat and raised her there until the wife decided she wanted to go back to reality, and took the girl with her. He continued to Madagascar and became lonely ever since. He had brought salt from Madagascar. He made a margarita for us with that salt. I never thought salt would taste good. But this was something else. We had a lobster dinner and some more wine. He had surround sound inside and outside the boat, so we played some great music and talked the night away.

The next morning around 7am, El Captain woke me up and pointed to the tiniest island about 200 meters away. There were 3 palm trees in total and white white sand. He asked if I wanted to swim there and do some yoga. I happily accompanied him. The ocean floor was so clear that from 20 meters above I could see every starfish, eagle ray and reef sharks that passed by.

The breezy air caressed against my hair and the white sand looked fresh against my tanned skin. We did yoga for about an hour, and I felt like a new born baby. Later our fellow sailors arrived. A British couple, an American couple and an awesome girl who was a naturopathic doctor from the U.S. They brought a wack load of food and we all sat down and got to know each other.

We sat down in the evening to have some Crab dinner, but my food poisoning had seemed to come back, so I took the laxatives (stupid me) and basically puked and spent the night in the ocean. The next morning we went to another series of Islands. The water was so warm that we had a hard time swimming in it, but the beauty was so infinite and pure that we spent the entire day snorkeling and having beer on various little islands. The Kunas would come to our boat by their tiny boats and try to sell us fish. We had our own equipment and often caught our own.

We chilled and played cards, taking turns watching over the boat and relaxing. The next morning we set sail to Colombia. Unfortunately, there wasnt much wind but the boat took care of itself. The couples started taking anti-sea sickness medicine and I saw them sleeping basically the entire trip. If not that, they would wake up and watch movies on the plasma TV and go back to bed. I never understood why because if there is ONE time you let go of TV and movies, its when you are in the middle of open sea with the most beautiful views and all the nature and privacy you would ever ask for. Why would you waste a second of it watching something you could watch at home? Anyways, the naturopathic doctor girl gave me some natural medicine which took care of both my food poisoning and possible sea sickness. We would spend the nights under the infinite stars and talked about astronomy and physics. We talked about life and where we had been before.

I honestly dont know what I would do without Karen (the girl) who was basically my best friend on there since the Captain had taken a ‘shining’ on me and wouldnt leave me alone, and the other girls thought their bfs acted funny around us.

On the last day of sail, in the open sea and under the rain I saw a small creature coming towards us in the air. It was tiny yellow bird.. the cutest little thing who was absolutely not scared of humans. It blew my mind that it had managed to fly that much to get to us since we hadnt seen land anywhere close and it would not have any way of resting anywhere. It came in and sat on our heads and bodies and the boat. 5 minutes later its lover came by and the little delightful visitors stayed with us for a few minutes before going their separate ways. It was so delightful to hang out with them…

Sailing for 5 days really makes you alienated from the entire world. There is nothing that would connect you to other humans or life except the ones on the boat. The birds really made a huge impact on us and we were very sad to see them go. On the fourth day we finally approached our first Colombian Island which was about 3 hours away from Cartagena. We got off and couldnt walk straight for about a couple hours. We felt dizzy and couldnt understand how the ground underneath us was not flowing and so still! we chilled by an empty hotel’s pool side and ordered fries! Another beautiful sunset passed by. We wanted so bad to talk to all the locals after 4 days of no socializing. We went inside the village, heard some reggae music and people dancing to it . Obviously some guy came and talked to me and Karen trying to sell us everything from food, beer to cocaine. It was really funny. He asked us to pay him 200 dollars to cook for all of us. But said he needed the money first, and then he’d go inside the village and find a lady to cook. Riiiiight.

After the sunset, El Captain came and picked us up to sleep on the boat. We had some beers and great music, and went to bed excited to land in Cartagena the next day. I woke up early in the morning under the shining sun, trying to take in every last little bit of the sail since I had not experienced peace like that all my life. I was gathering my stuff when I saw a yellow thing underneath one of the boat shields. It was the bird that visited us a couple days ago. It was dead. I held it in my hand and cried for good while before kissing its head and giving it back to the ocean and the mother nature.

Karen and I got off the boat super excited to see others and be city girls once again. I had to take the bus that very day to Medellin since I basically had no time to spare. Colombia again, from the first moment, did not disappoint. The taxi driver took me to the bus stop, got off his car, got me a bargain ticket for the bus, got me some water and gave me a big hug goodbye.

Saying goodbye to the sailing chapter of my life, I took the bus for 15 hours to Medellin.

If anyone is reading this blog and contemplating doing the sail, holly shit, DO IT! It is between $370 – 400 for the whole 5 days including food, drinks ,etc. But its not even about the money, it is about a side of the Caribbean that not too many people experience. The San Blas Islands are hands-down the most beautiful islands I have ever seen, and with little to know human foot prints on them, they will connect you to your nature and your core being like no other. I have visited many many beaches including the ones from Thailand and South East Asia, and never experienced something like it. Trust me, DO IT

And all the sudden, in the middle of nowhere you realize…

That no expensive, expert, tasty and delicious Martini will ever taste like the cheap beer you bought for a few pennies..

That the biggest diamond in the world has become the sun, shining not just on yours, but everyone elses’s body..

That everyone shines no matter how dark their past and future may be..

That no beach will ever disappoint you.. that the water has become silk, and you are a care free, beautiful spirit flowing in it endlessly..

That you smile more, cause you know your body is much more truthful, faithful and honest than your words would ever be…

That everyone else smiles.. because what ‘word’ could ever explain that feeling that makes you smile? what word could ever do the job that your ever-stretched-out and joyful cheeks could do?

That you have no where to go, and no where to be.. that the Now defines itself in the first sip of the fresh smoothie you just got from another smiley local with her shy kid watching your in amusement..

That you dont care about your dirty thongs..Why is it that dirtiness never bothers you anymore? that you actually enjoy it and allow  it to be than to get rid of it?

That you will remember people you met, even for a few seconds way more than some friends you’ve had for years.. that you know you will remember these strangers for the rest of your life..

That your body has chosen the most relaxed, calm and beautiful motions any body would want.. that you walk with your head up.. that you dont recall the last time your eyes had given into your brain to the point that you didnt even know you were walking…

That  the sun has painted your skin.. that your eyes have gained a beauty and shine from the sun, that no man-made object could ever make them look this happy…

That you have changed all the tight and glorious clothes you brought with you, and the $1 cotton, washed-out and ugly pants you bought here, has been your most stable and pleasurable companion for days, if not months…does it matter now that you wont look as flattering on the outside?

…Did the beauty change it’s direction and come from the inside? Is that why?

Did the outside disappear in the background and all your imperfections somehow went away and all your beauty was all that you and everyone else saw?

Is this why when you go back home, and when the shine turns into fog and clouds, and when the ugly pants are either kept as a reminder or thrown in the garbage, and when you walk and you try to watch people and no one else is really looking back, and when the diamond the sun gave you starts fading away, and when your friends just dont ‘get’ what you experienced..

…you lay on your bed at night with eyes closed, you remember all those moments and get lost in them, just for a few seconds.. cause the memories are all you have and new memories keep on making their plans in your brain for the next joyful moment you want to badly to go back to…

You are what you do…

… so what are you going to do?

There is this small Island which is a national park or Parque Tayrona at the very north of Colombia. You cant really build any hotels in there, so all backpackers sleep in Hammocks. One night after my neck and back killing me from sleeping on the hammock, we decided to go and sleep on the beach, right on the sand. I closed my eyes and let the sound of the waves whisper my sweet night time melody. The breeze was unreal… it was softly caressing my skin.

Half an hour later, while sleeping on my back, I opened my eyes to grab another blanket.. I opened my eyes and in the sky right above me, there were millions upon MILLIONS of shiny stars. I had not seen that many stars since I was 10 years old, living in Iran. My body froze and I stared at the sky for at least half an hour before even realizing that I was cold. You could barely see the black, the sky was FILLED with shiny gold and platinum stars winking at me. I saw a few shooting stars too. This, I will never forget.

I woke up to the sound of the waves in the morning, and watched the sun spread the gold in to the distance. It was beautiful.

I know I get a lot of blog traffic from people who want to visit Colombia. If you do, never forget visiting Tayrona and doing the exact same thing I did. Trust me, it will be worth it.

These are my most memorable experiences and highlights of Colombia:

There is a 500 year old Plaza in the centre of Bogota. There are thousands of birds playing and hanging out in it. We visited the plaza just before the sunset… Bogota sits on a mountain. The fresh and misty air flew softly in the Plaza.. I walked into the centre and ]I bought some seeds and spread my hands to feed the birds. I smiled so wide that my cheeks hurt.

I met the most intelligent, interesting and kind 18 year old who was Colombian by blood. We spent many nights sitting at one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, San Andreas. We’d buy $1 beers and walk the beach up and down, sit on the white sand and talk about our lives until the sunrise.

My two best friends from Canada flew into San Andreas. We stayed at a beach hotel, layed in Hammocks and drank the most delicious Pina Coladas for days. The locals blasted music on the street and I tried my first Areba there. I still remember the taste. Fresh hot bread filled with cheese with a site of fresh Mora juice.

I sat at Hotel Holiday in Cartegena with a 40 year old guy who’d just sold his entire business and was on a world tour for 5 years. He traveled on his bike and had seen things no one else had.

I met two of the coolest, most confident and independent girl backpackers in Taganga, a small beach town. We were inseparable for days and we partied and laughed like there is no tomorrow. So many dramatic and fun stories came out of our adventures…. all of those remain between the three of us.

I scuba dived and saw a parrot fish with its baby. The fish was about 3 meters long and 1 meter high. It had the colors of the rainbow. The baby fish swam behind it. I felt like I was in a fantasy world.

We went to Tayrona, the second most beautiful beach in Colombia and slept on Hammocks. One night I slept on the beach by myself and I woke up feeling incredibly peaceful the next day. AColombian guy woke me up by the sunrise and we watched the sun come up… 

A guys waited for me on the beach (without moving or eating) for 12 hours and after he did not see me return, he took the bus for 6 hours the next day and found me in another town. No one had ever looked at me like they loved me or that I mattered to them so much after a couple days like he did.

I met three amazing Israelis. 2 guys and one girl. Each incredible in their own way. The girl was absolutely stunning inside and out. The two guys were brothers and in love with their country and culture. I ate some Israeli food, learnt a bit of the language and sat by our porch overlooking the ocean for a few nights, drinking, laughing and listening to music. It was sad to say goodbye to them.

I sat in a bus for 20 hours. I got to meet the 3 drivers and they let me sit in the front of the bus with them and introduced me to the best fruit I have ever tasted.Sapotes grow in Colombia and fall off trees on the road. They taste somewhere between a Mango and a Peach. I ate about 20 in 3 hours. We got stopped by the police for drug checks about 7 times, but they never searched me. I listened to Raeggeton and promised the bus boy I would marry him one day. I think he was happy that day.

In Medellin I stayed at the Black sheep hostel. The most exciting time in Colombia happened in this city. I met so many interesting people. David and John were two genius brothers who took me on city tours and told me alot about Colombia and their life back home in the USA. I grew very close to John and I have never laughed so hard at someone’s jokes as I did with John’s. He became my best friend in Colombia. Two tall British guys showed me that I can be intimidating as little and harmless as I may look! Mariana was a 20 year old Colombian living in the US. Funnest girl ever. I partied alot with her. A Brazilian guy walked into the hostel and turned all girls’ worlds upside down. He now has a fan group on Facebook and he doesnt even know about it. A German guy Fabian has stayed in my mind. He was so pure and simple and kind. I will never forget any of these people.

The cleaning lady, Alga, had a five year old cute daughter. I bought her daughter shoes and I saw tears in Alga’s eyes. She never charged me for doing my laundry…

There is so much more to say, but so little space and time. I documented all of this so that when I look back at me 20 years down the road, I will still smile and remember these moments.. these larger than life snap shots of a dream.. a dream that can never be duplicated or repeated. A dream that will make me feel light, free and happy.

Someone asked me “what is the best and most memorable childhood experience you had?”. After thinking about this question for a few minutes, I looked at him and said ” I cant tell you or decide. Because as a child, you just… are… you dont think whether something is fun or not. You just take is and stay in the moment. Everything has the exact same value as the other. You dont expect, you dont discriminate and you dont analyze”. I cant help but wonder which one is better? being in the moment and having no opinion of things or discriminating.. making something better than the other. Then cherishing the good and regretting the bad… splitting your moments, your experiences. Longing for what was good in the past and blaming what was unfortunate and painful. Learning or watching? Judging or letting it be?

Either way, I am not a child anymore.

As humans we tend to take things for granted. As we grow we realize that we are taking things for granted, and even in the moments of realization, we are too lazy to snap out and enjoy the moment. I think that’s the biggest problem.. realizing that we are doing something wrong but not doing anything about it.

Here in this strong, peaceful and insanely orderly country, rules and logic is what we go with.  Yes, we are orgainzed and hassle free. Yes its convenient and practical… but we got all of this at the cost of losing our senses, our feelings, our emotions, our connections, our culture, our people, our closeness. Most of us are fake. Our smiles are fake, our politeness is fake. We just do what we are supposed to do. We dont do what we feel like doing.

I remember when we first immigrated here. School was tough. Not speaking the language or not having friends in your teenage years was one side of the story, but the cold and dry sense of people around me destroyed me for a few months. I remember one day I cried from 8 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon at school, and not a single person came up to me to ask me what is wrong. I was so lonely, so sad. A couple people would look at me and feel sorry, but it was too much to break the norm and avoidance was better than approach. Saving our face has become such huge of a matter, that we override our basic senses of kindness and help to achieve it. After a few months I forgot about being me and being warm. I learnt the culture, I learnt how to be fake and selfish. It’s second nature now. I hadnt notice this change in me until I set foot in Colombia.

If reality here is supposed to tell me how I should be instead of giving me a chance to be how I am and who I want to be, then maybe this kind of reality is not for me. Maybe I do not belong here. Maybe a genuine smile and a warm hand will mean more than the money and the comfort I’d make/have here.  Maybe I want to be selfless and giving instead of selfish and self absorbed. But then again, you can find genuine and giving people anywhere in the world.. .it’s just that here, these qualities are not the norm and dont always work in your favor.

I will try my hardest to be me.

The most amazing moments form when you make a connection with a person from a side of the world you have never been to. If you hadnt been here at this point of time, you would have never had a chance to learn from him or her.

Colombia is so beautiful and so dramatic. Traveling here is a challenge not because its unsafe ( I assure you it is not) but because its such a vast and different culture that you are constantly learning learning and learning. Hundreds of years of history and so few of tourists to explore it has made this country the most worthwhile experience of my life. I have never once encountered a single bad person in Colombia. I have never been robbed, raped or murdered here. I dont get offered Cocaine on the street and I dont get beat up by the police. All I see is smiles… sometimes I want to hug everyone and tell them how much I appreciate them.

I learnt basic Spanish in 6 days. I read for several hours a day and tried hard to improve my language because I want to communicate and learn as much as I can. You have no other way when you encounter this kind of place.

People do everything they can to help you and never ask for anything in return. I found it hard to believe that most these people had genuine interests at the beginning and was always hesitant. Now I have learnt how to be a better person and how show my true colors… seeing happy and helpful people makes me so happy.

South East Asia has become so touristy to the point that you barely get to see the real culture or life. I have been lucky enough to visit Colombia at a point of time where most of the world has a huge misconception about it and therefore not many people come here to ruin the culture and turn genuine and nice people into theifs who looks at you like you are a walking bank machine.

Initially I was going to do Brazil and Colombia, but since I have fallen so deeply for it, I will spend the entire time here.

Travelers here are hard core travelers. They dont come here to party or do Cocaine. They are intelligent people looking for uniqueness and difference. I am more than lucky to be a part of them.

Today I missed home deeply. I am not tired of traveling, but sometimes I wish I could have my bed and my high end shampoos. Being on the road and backpacking is not a vacation, its a challenge. But it is so incredible that no harshness will make you want to return to your comfort zone.

At the moment I am on the north coast of Colombia and very close to the Equator. It is insanely hot, but I am doing some scuba diving and in a few days I am off to a 6 day treck in search of a 5000 year old city that was just found 50 years ago. Can you imagine the experience?

Bogota is the capital city of Colombia sitting on a 3000 meter altitude filled with history and culture. I exited the plane feeling extremely weak, light headed and dizzy. I was also sick as a dog and did not have much control over my brain and body. Later I found out that the altitute change has caused my body to have difficulty adjusting to the low oxygen level…I also realized that not a single person speaks English in this city. I crawled into my bed in this 400 year old building, cold, alone and very scared. This was the first time I questioned my decision to come here. I thought about going back to Canada.. I missed my mother and her touch so much.. I couldnt believe what I had done.

I woke up in the morning to the smell of some incredible Colombian coffee being held by one beautiful Colombian lady who also brought me soup and some cold medicine. I sat in my bed looking at this amazing architecture, still confused as to where I was….

I found a friend who took me around Bogota. After an hour of walking in this breath taking city, I was jumping up and down on the streets and hugging my friend, telling him that I am now living in a complete fantasy world.. so islated from the current time and back 400 years.. surrounded with warm smiles and people who´d do anything to help me. So colorful are the buildings and so old and well preserved. The plaza looks like a hollywood scene, except it is real and has thousands and thousands of birds hanging out in it. The feeling I got while being in this town was unreal. The coziness and the warm of this culture, its people and history has never been matched with anything else I have seen. South East Asia has nothing on this.

In the last week, I realized that traveling makes you the person you have always wanted to be but never had a chance to. Your smiles goes a hundred miles and your positive energy attracts you to positive people. You act differently, dress differently, talk differenty and feel different. With no worries in your mind and an entire strange world to explore, you wake up every day never excepting things and never having a routine. Life only gets better and people only become more warm and friendly.

I met a Colombian 18 year old who reminded me of how fresh my brain used to be and how simple life was when I was his age. He was from the United States but Colombian by blood. When I told him that this is the most amazing country I have ever visited, I saw tears in his eyes. This country is so misunderstood. I want to stand on top of the world and yell an apology to Colombia for ever thinking that it was any less amazing than it truely is.

I flew to a secluded Island that comes closest to Paradise. This little secret of the Carrebean is filled with Dolphins, friendly sharks and sting rays all over. The people dance on the streets and sit on the beach avenue every night, taking in the breeze and listening to Raggeaton and having delicious beer. Two of my friends from Canada are flying in today and I can not wait to spend a week with them.

I dont have much time say anything else, but please look at the pictures because they do a way better job than I could ever do…

Adios Amigos.

When I was a child, I used to take comfort in my father’s warm arms. When I was scared would hold on to his knee with my small hands and hide behind him. When I did I, felt like the world could never be safer, and that no body could ever hurt me. He used to sit me on his lab and carress my hair. He looked so big and strong in my eyes. I would look into his green eyes and smile and know that I had a father.

One night while listening to the radio, the red noise which was the sound for Iraq attacking blew into all radios. 5 minutes later I heard all our windows shatter. Our neighbours took shelter into our basement and we heard the bomb. My mother hugged me tightly and my sister cried loudly. We were so scared. I saw my father and ran into his arms. He held me and told me everything will be OK. We were lucky enough to leave Tehran and go to the North for a couple of weeks for safety. I was not scared. As long as I had my parents I was never scared.

Today, I visited the Vietnam War Museum. As I looked through the pictures, I saw one with a small girl pleading on her knees to the American soldiers not to kill her wounded father. He father was shot in front of her eyes two minutes later. Parts of his brain landed on the girl. I saw children walking aimlessly on the streets with their pots and some clothing, looking for shelter. Children whose parents were gone. Children who could never feel that touch, that warmth and that safety ever in their lives again.

Then I remembered that the next day after the bombing I walked out of my door running on the street to find my mother. I fell and my left palm landed on pieces of glass. I remember looking at the blood splashing all over my face and my clothing and I remember being so scared. My mom ran after me and held me into her arms. She had tears in her eyes, but I didnt feel anymore pain.

Standing in the museum I looked again at my left palm. I had never looked at it so closely. I saw the scar… It has almost faded, but it is still there. I had never noticed it.

Then I felt nautious and felt tears warming my cheeks. I lost all energy and kneeled on the floor crying like I have never before. My father, my strongest and most beautiful hero smiles at me when he seems me. My mother hugs me and I see tears in her eyes after being away from her for more than a couple of weeks. My father’s hands are still there to comfort me. My mother’s smile gives meaning to me. The food that is cooked by her kind hands warms up my soul. I will hold them closer than ever when I see them again.

3 million children in Vietnam lost their parents. They never felt that comfort, that safety. They got malnourited and starved to death because no one cared. They worked for new families just so they would take care of them. But no one loved like their parents did. No one raised them and gave them the love I got.

I looked at the pictures and they talked to me. I cried so hard and sat in the museum for hours and some Vietnamese people came to me and talked to me to comfort me. Another 3 millions children were born with fatal metal and physical diseases that are mostly uncured. To this day, Vietnamese people smile at me and invite me to have the little food they have. But behind those peaceful faces and those warm hearts, there is a pain and a worry about the future that I have never felt and never experienced. I talk about being blessed, but I am above and beyond what I should deserve… and still, in this world are people who spend money getting pedicures for their dogs, when that money can feed a starving orphan child for at least 2 months.

Here I am. So blessed to see this. So blessed to know that I will devote the rest of my life to helping people, one by one; and I will never stop and I will never be selfish.

I did not have a goal when I started traveling. Now I am a different person. If only all of us were 10% less selfish and 10% less evil, I wonder what the world would have been like right now.

I end my South East Asia trip with a mind expanded more than ever, and a heart that will guide me and teach me never to let superficial Western things get to me, and never forget that I am lucky enough to have a family that forms my backbone, my morals and values.

I spent a couple weeks with a group of Thai women who told me alot about their “interest” in older white men. Every single one of them had husbands and at least two kids in the North (less touristy). In Thai culture, women are supposed to make more money than men. Also, women are the first to inherit money and generally have more power and responsibility. Basically the roles are reversed, but the down side is when your husband sits on the street and drinks the money you made off having sex with various strangers. The hottest young guys (tourists) would pass by and not a single one of them would be approached. But man oh man, if an ugly fat German would pass by, 10 girls would jump on the street and grab him from everywhere! I never judge these things anymore. Thai culture is as open and interesting as you can imagine.

Last year I skipped the “full moon” party which is the biggest beach party in the world. I simply did not feel as if I had to see it. This time, I kind of had to… so I made my way to Koh Phangan, a dangerous but beautiful Island in the south. I stayed at an amazing place right on the beach with the coolest restaurant and food. Entering the beach and seeing 20 000 people was a trip in itself. I instantly got a very disturbing and uncomfortable feeling. Even the house music played was aggressive and violent. Anywhere you looked you’d see people pounding drinks back, getting caught by under cover Thai police for using drugs or being robbed. I dont know, maybe I am getting older, but there was nothing about the sleazy guys and skanky girls that impressed me. As hours passed by the proportion of people passed out on the beach and people standing grew bigger…

I decided to leave the party since I felt very unsafe. On my way out I saw a clinic with people literally dying inside and outside of it. The nurses would not even give you water if you did not pay a minimum price of 300 dollars for a single stitch. It usually costs around 15 dollars. The saddest part was that Thai people did not have that kind of money and could not afford to be treated. I ended up spending 7 hours and until 6 o clock in the morning, helping people and giving them first aid and water from my own money. That made the full moon worth it.

I left Phangan the next day since I did not meet a single person of the 20 000 people who was not either injured, raped or robbed!

I went to my favorite Island, Koh Tao where I finished my advanced Scuba diving course and had the best time of my life again. The vibe at this beach is incredible. When your instructor points at the ocean and calls it his “office”, you cant help but wonder how fab it would be to live at such beautiful place with absolutely incredible people. I thought seriously about going and living there for a year… we’ll see what happens!

I left Koh Tao in tears but my Sunshine accompanied me to the night boat, which was the most uncomfortable ride of my life. The boat was not even supposed to get going that night since the waves were the size of little sunamis. Cuddling on the tiny “beds” was very interesting. I think I broke a couple of his teeth with the help of the waves and my shoulder! I refused to take Vallum but I wish I did….

27 hours later, I landed in Vietnam.

I have to tell you that the less touristy a place, the more friendly and fabulous the people. Due to some Visa problem I landed in North of Vietnam instead of south. I heard so many bad things about Hanoi, but I love it so far. Most people dont speak a single word of English and it is both funny and frustrating trying to talk with your hands and your pen and paper. They laugh and so do I. Guess how long I spent trying to tell the camera shop person that my underwater camera had stopped working after taking it under water!

You DO NOT want to be vegeterian in South East Asia. I got to Hanoi late last night and after seeing how disgusting the chicken and meat looked, I tried to make my meal vegeterian. This request was met by two ladies rolling on the floor pointing and laughing at me and another one refusing to serve me because she thought I was crazy. I convinced them to make my soup veggie and they sat there in amusement watching me and repeatedly laughing. They didnt even charge me for the soup since they thought it wouldnt be worth anything if it didnt have any meat in it

I will upload pics once my camera is fixed ( crossing fingers).

Hope all is well and stay tuned for more adventures

Before I start the blog, I must tell you that a couple nights ago we went to a Malaysian bar. An over weight American girl got up on the DJ booth and started busting moves and as a result the entire DJ booth broke and fell down on the floor including the girl and the DJ. I have never seen so many people rolling on the floor laughing. The girl was cool tho, we danced the night away regardless.

Hong Kong did not disappointed again. I am pretty sure I will live there. I love the people…take it from the Hostel guy who works 7 days a week and 12 hours a day to the poker champion you meet in the business district who just made 10 million dollars. You seem extremes. It excites you and you are never bored.

I visited Macau. Apparently it has become the biggest gambling centre in the world, making more money than Casinos in Vegas. The ferry ride was hilarious. The ferry was going so fast and hundreds of Chinese people started puking and making very loud and unshameful sounds. I found myself falling off my chair laughing. The trip was amusing to say the least.

I arrived in Malaysia expecting the chaos and craziness of Hong Kong, but to my surprise, KL is relatively quiet. Within the first 5 minutes I realized that I am in a Muslim country and found the first washroom to change into long pants and a head scarf. Guys around here make sure they voice their sexual frustration and lack of women sight-seeing to all tourists. It is pretty uncomfortable but after a couple days and 40 degrees heat, I started wearing my tank top and ignored them. It is very safe here as the religion makes it very hard to steal, cheat or touch women.

Malaysia reminds me of Iran. Every evening before the sunset loud sounds of Muslim prayer over take me. Its like deep meditation embedded in each and everyday. I laid down in my bed and closed my eyes listening to how peaceful and amazing this incredible prayer can be. This is Islam at peace. You see it in every person’s face. Malaysia is extremely accepting of all religions and choices. You see transsexuals (lady boys) walking and talking side by side with women completely covered in Islamic clothing. The population mainly consists of Indians and Chinese. Everyone gets along.

After last year, I thought peace comes out of Buddhism (mainly), now I realize that peace comes out of how you look and treat your religion and beliefs regardless of their names. I sat in taxis reading the Arabic Quaran texts and saw the stunned look on every cab drivers face! They were so surprised that I could read and understand it.

Coming here also made me realize just how much I love and appreciate my parents and the life I have come from. I see things so differently but yet I find so many little common points in each and every country. Feels like the world is a variation of one mind portrayed in different shapes. Each shape is unique and beautiful, but when you look deeper they all look the same.

I also find that the less touristy a country is, the better and more helpful people are. Also, the closer you live to your nature, the kinder and more peaceful you become. Evilness comes from human interactions and feelings. There is no evil to nature… it just calms you down and takes you away from dirty thoughts. I notice how kind people become around beaches and in the mountains. The smiles are priceless. The kids give you goosebumps every time they say “hello”.

Malaysia is absolutely stunning. Check out the pictures because the words sure do not do the justice.

I am doing great and hope everyone else is as well. Keep in touch and talk to soon! Cheers!