Beyond Bali

I know I have been a bad blogger lately and have not posted anything since Battambang, Cambodia. Since then I have finished my trip to Cambodia, started and finished (early) my trip to Vietnam, traveled and rented a villa in Ubud, Bali and there is more to come. I promise to complete my previous posts but for now, I am giving a current update on my travel status.

I will be coming home soon. We (Al and I), have booked our tickets back to Los Angeles on September 28th which is much earlier than originally intended, three months earlier. But… I have run out of money for travel. I knew this would happen when I choose not to return to Kwajalein in the fall for another six weeks of relief. And guess what? I’m good with it. I’m happy and excited to come back to the states and figure out my next steps. I feel renewed, invigorated, alive, full of potential and I’m bursting at the seams to move my life forward.

I have, as my dear lovely friend Kerri says, “gotten my wiggles out”- the non-stop restlessness that has accompanied me for the last two years, keeping me from being fully present at times and driving my ambition to explore the world.

I have no intention of having a “normal” life but getting my wiggles out has made me ready to focus on bringing new direction to my life. I don’t feel like I’m missing something anymore. I know that when I feel possessed by the need to travel again, I can and will make it happen.

Now is the time for moving my positive intentions for the future forward and I have enjoyed that feeling coming over me while on this trip. I have met people, seen things and experienced sights, sounds, smells, tastes and touches that I never could have imagined had I not traveled. I have learned more about what I don’t want in this world and some of what I do.

There is too much introspection to explain in this one post but I promise to deliver it in the future. Mostly I’ve learned that happiness and fulfillment is an inside job and can be created where ever I am. I’ve also learned how incredibly blessed I am – a lesson I could not have learned staying in my comfort zone.

Thank you for coming along on this particular journey with me. Your support has been immeasurable.

We are leaving Ubud tomorrow to see more of the island of Bali. It’s easy to get stuck here in the vortex that is Ubud but it’s time to see Bali – not ex-pat Bali.

Beyond Bali there is yet one more destination. We could hardly be out in the world and not stop in Fiji before coming home.

As Bali moves our soul, so does Fiji and we cant wait to spend a week playing in her beautiful warm colorful waters.

Cheers and Love – Karen