dreams

What I Lost While Travelling

/ Terry Heck / Leave a comment

Those of you who have been following my blog know that a large part of my trip to Europe was to take my grandmother’s ashes home to Germany. To take her home one last time. I needed to do this to say goodbye. For two years before that I closed myself off from others, from my own feelings and from the people that I love to a rather large degree.

Travelling helped me find myself, find some semblance of closure and my subsequent trip to Thailand has changed the way I think and feel about myself and gave me a renewed sense of love for those around me. I took the traits of kindness, compassion, mercy and love to heart and now try to live like that everyday. I am now the person I used to be, the person I wanted to be again.

For as much as I gained by leaving I also lost something special the moment I decided to go. I lost my significant other, my best friend, my love. In order to get myself right and do the things I needed to do to be me again I ignored the issues we had and was of the mentality that when I got back and was better we would work everything out. Well, I got back from my trip and she moved out. She felt abandoned and alone and I can’t blame her for that. I mentally and emotionally could not be there for her before this, because of the grief I felt. It was not healthy for me, it was not healthy for her. When I got home, it was too late.

I don’t regret many things in life however this is one of them. My inability to feel in turn caused her undue stress and pain. I didn’t know how to deal with it even though some part of me knew I had to. The problem was that I was so focused on my own thoughts and my own stresses and my own hardships that I didn’t take hers into consideration. I waved them off as small details. They were the details that mattered most and I ignored them.

We have been apart for over 6 months and she is with someone else now. I’m not bitter or angry about it because I want her to be happy, I want her to live the life she’s meant for. If it includes me in even some small way then I am a better person for having at least that.

The reason I am telling you guys all of this and the reason I’m talking about it at all is simple. Should you decide to travel, for whatever reason, make sure you are aware of the things you could lose when you are gone. Whether those are friends, family, spouses, a great job or whatever else you leave behind to live your life how you want it. I took the fact that she would be there when I got back from Europe for granted and that is my burden to bare. I have to own it and understand it. It’s not something I want to have to happen a second time.

We all have to be aware of the consequences of our actions, life goals, aspirations, and dreams. Many times our wants and needs can affect others negatively. On the other hand, people have to do what makes them happy. It’s balancing act that can have multiple outcomes, just make sure it’s the right outcome for you, too.

Disclaimer : To those that may read this that know her and know me, I ask that you keep it to yourself. We aren’t linked by social media anymore and she doesn’t need to know that I wrote all of this. It’s part of my process and helped to explain my point from a personal stand point. Thank you in advance for your understanding in this matter.

Island Life – Part One

/ Terry Heck / Leave a comment

Neil and I left for Krabi Town from Chiang Mai via plane, we wanted to get to the islands and this was the fastest (less than two days the night trains would take) and cheapest (if you go by time vs cost factors) way to get closer. We landed in Krabi. The original plan was to use this as a jump point to head to the surrounding Islands. We found a decently rated hostel that was pretty cheap for a private room. We figured out why that was, once we entered the room. The smell hit me like a cement truck barreling down the street. It smelled of durian fruit and nightmares and the bed felt like a re-purposed wooden door. For those unfamiliar with durian, it is a pungent, gym sock smelling fruit that is actually really tasty to me. The nightmares part, well, you can guess what that might smell like, I’ll leave it to your imagination. Regardless, this place was awful and Neil and I decided pretty much immediately that we would move elsewhere in the morning. We used the evening wisely, looking for food markets and seeing what was in the immediate area. Even if we found nothing, I would have been happy just not being in that room.

On our mini excursion there were strange sculptures, odd traffic lights in the shape of cave men which were holding the lights and of course, street food vendors. Now, to be honest, I didn’t take a lot of pictures from here on out, as I was still reeling from the near loss of my camera in our previous segment. That being said, sometimes it’s nice to leave all your bags and just go, without any sort of hindrance to anything that could occur. Wan’t to swim in the river? Without a camera bag attached to you, you can!

We got back to the smelly room and I am pretty sure it sucked out my soul as I slept. So with that in mind, and a good soul and body scrub needed we took off in the morning for Ao Nang, the beach resort area of Krabi.

Deciding to stay at an actual resort for one night was one of the greatest ideas we had. It allowed us to recharge, have overpriced buffet meals, swim in pools where ocean salt would not cake you body and just relax on soft, oh so soft beds. It was so nice, we stayed an extra night. We took one excursion to a few islands while here, among them the Island that they touted as where the movie “The Beach” was filmed. It was an extremely wonderful beach with pristine waters and splendid views, albeit was touristy beyond belief. A far cry from the uninhabited oasis that we saw in the movie.

Our days were ended in this area, our next stop was to be Koh Samui and will be part two of my Island life segment.

Hey Neil? Yeah Terry? Welcome to Thailand! 

/ Terry Heck / Leave a comment

The title of this post is the sentence we have used so often when something crazy happens, when we see something awesome, when the rain is torrential or basically for anything that we find that is new and exciting. It symbolizes our sense of wonder, our bond as friends and travelling partners and our like mindedness. We first used it whilst exiting the airport in Bangkok and at least once or twice a day after that.

I find it slightly difficult to blog often as there are so many things to see and do here and all until the wee hours of the morning. That being said this post will be about our first five days here (we have been here ten but writing that much at once would be a long read for you guys). I am hoping to find more time as we go, perhaps during more relaxing sections of the trip.

Our story begins in Bangkok on October 29th at 3:00am. Stepping off the plane we were immediately hit with a heavy amount of humidity and heat. The kind that makes you sticky almost instantly. As we were running on adrenaline, excitement and wanderlust about being in the place we both wanted to be in the weather hardly actually mattered. Our hostel’s front desk was not accepting guests until 7am and seeing as how we had approximately four hours to kill we took a cab there anyway and wandered around the streets of Bangkok until check in. Staying within a two block radius we found late night eateries, street food vendors starting their days and a twenty four hour bar attached to a hotel near us. We took the opportunity to have a few beers and wait out the night.

Neil and First Beers

Neil and First Beers

After the night passed and check in took place at “Siamaze Hostel” we got up to our private room which was quite comfortable and had great air conditioning. We chose a private room for the first night of our adventure because we just wanted some initial peace and quiet after a very long thirty six hours of travel. There wasn’t much interaction between guests at this particular hostel due to what I can only describe as severe language barriers. This hostel would be our home for four nights, mainly because of the appointments we made to have Sak Yant tattoos administered by a Buddhist monk.

During these first days much of our time was spent eating, exploring various malls, walking the streets and seeing sights. The city is massive, the traffic horrendous but the food, amazing. Below you will see the empty bowls of the fantastic boat noodles we had at Boat Noodle Alley and the street food we procured one evening. The little blue and white balls were and are one of my favorite things I have had so far. They consist of smashed peanuts, rolled with a sweet substance and surrounded by a rice based paste. It is sweet and savory and so very, very addictive.

The days came and went, time feeling both as slow as falling sap along a tree and as fast as a speeding tuk-tuk. Senses of wonder melding together to create one large, lasting impression for both Neil and myself.

Then the day came, the day I’ve wanted to happen since my late teens. The day I get tattooed by a monk and have blessings placed upon me. The tattoo I received is called Tong Maharat, or the Great Flag. It signifies mercy, kindness, compassion and good luck in love. These are qualities that I attempt to adhere to as best I can and it meant a lot to me to have placed on my body. The monk providing me with the tattoo in the picture below is named Ajarn Bpom, or Master Bpom in English.

This experience was more than I could have hoped for. If I only came to Thailand to have the tattoo done I could have left a happy man. The way I felt after it was complete was indescribable. It was just amazing to be able to fulfill a dream I created so long ago.

The day after the tattoos we were on a train to Ayutthaya in the morning to delve into the giant river prawns that the area is famous for as well as temple sightseeing. My next post will begin there. For now I am off to get some more of that street food I’ve started to crave.

Keep your eyes on the horizon,

Terry

What to do When Your Travel Partner has an Expired Passport and you Leave in 3 Days

/ Terry Heck / 3 Comments

I asked Neil if his passport was good to go. His reply was something along the lines of “I don’t see why it wouldn’t be”. This was on Thursday, we leave tomorrow which is Sunday. I asked him to humour me and go grab it. Before he looked at it I requested to see it first. He handed it over and I opened it. I saw the worst possible thing I could see. It expired in July of 2015. He thought I was messing with him when I hung my head and said an expletive under my breath. I handed it back and he saw what I saw. Instant freaking out on his part, laughter on mine. I guess that’s how my brain decided to deal with the potential dream crush that Neil was facing.

We spent the night scouring the internet for information and creating contingency plans. You see, we only have one passport office within a huge distance. They are open Monday to Friday and on their website they state you can do an emergency passport request but it takes one business day. This is heartbreaking at the time because we had exactly one day, Friday, to get his passport.

During this time we went to a twenty four hour pharmacy to get new passport photos, stopped at a whiskey bar for a really amazing old fashioned, printed off our itineraries and got everything else together to make it as easy as possible to do his renewal.

The contingency plans mentioned above were varied and some were downright crazy. If you go back a few years it took so long to get a passport because all of our information had to be sent to a central office in Ottawa, Ontario. One of our plans was to have them make it there, take a flight immediately and pick it up from their central office. The other plan was to get it sent to the only office open on a Saturday, in Whitby, Ontario, take a flight to Toronto, drive to Whitby, pick it up, and skip the first flight that we would have had out of Winnipeg. Just take the flight out of Toronto to Shanghai since we were there anyway. Some less insane options were along the lines of changing all three flight for Neil, which would have been a huge amount of money, or cancel it, which neither of us wanted.

So with all the potential options in our heads we decided to be the first people in line at the passport office and take our chances and then either be golden or go with a crazy alternative.

Fast forward to Friday at 7am. Neil is still freaking out at this point, which is absolutely warranted. I was taking it a little more in stride and telling him that regardless of what happens I would work something out. I’m a fixer, always have been, and I wasn’t going to let this ruin things, no matter what.

We walked up to the lady at the office, explained the situation and made our best attempts at what could only be described as Bambi eyes. She looked up, asked how Neil didn’t know, he gave an answer. She paused, looked back at the computer, and looked back up. I wasn’t sure if she was toying with us or was looking at options. With a smile, she said it wouldn’t be a problem and that he could have it as early at 3:30pm the same day.

So for all of our scheming, worrying, looking at silver linings, making plans and Neil looking like he was on the verge of throwing up, it was unnecessary. Apparently they now print them at the office in our city and it’s a hell of a lot easier to do.

So all in all, in regards to the title of this post, you freak out for a while, work out alternative plans, get to the office and have your passport in nine hours. It could have ended much worse than it did and I, for one, am glad it did not. I really didn’t want to have to do any of the plans we came up with.

With sighs of relief from both of us, we left the government agency and went for breakfast. All was well in the world again.

Never give up hope. There are always options. Some may be pretty, some may be ugly, some may be insane, but there are always fixes to situations in life. Whether it be travel or anything else, if you want something, don’t give up on it.

We fly out at 9am tomorrow morning and are in store for a long day and a half of flights, airports, naps and excitement. I am looking very forward to all of it.

Cheers!

Thirty Days of Europe Recap and What Comes Next

/ Terry Heck / Leave a comment

I want to start off by saying I feel truly blessed to have been able to take this adventure. From the sights, to the sounds, to the food, to the personal reasons that I went. Everything turned out great.

Now I know normally when someone takes an extended life break to go somewhere else in the world they often come back with a horror story of some kind. Their camera gets stolen, they miss flights, they lose luggage; Things we all hear about and dread experiencing.

I don’t really have one of those crazy stories of hardship on the road. Part of me is thankful for that, and part of me is sad about it. I don’t have an insane one of a kind tale to tell, but what I do have are stories of personal growth, making changes, fulfilling promises and enjoying life.

I got to go to places that I’ve dreamed of for so long, I got to take my Oma home one last time. I got Cecile to drink far too much really shitty Italian liquor and walk the streets (sorry again for the day after, heh), I got to spend thirty days with my birth mother, as mentioned above, which I think brought us closer together than we were before. I experienced so many things, saw so much, and reveled in it the entire time. It taught me a lot about myself and a lot about others; Their cultures, dynamics, history, views, the list of items could go on, so I’ll stop there. I learned, through trial by fire, how to use my camera more efficiently and properly. I took something like five thousand pictures and still have ye to go through a lot of them.

If I had to have one drawback of the experience, it was that I learned that seeing ten countries in thirty days is a bit too fast for me. I would have liked to cut the country list by about two or three places. The flip-side of this statement is that after going to these places I now know the countries to cut, where I really didn’t before. So perhaps that makes my slow down point moot? Maybe, but I still think if I ever have the chance to do it again, it would be be at a slower rate.

On that point, if I ever do Europe again, it would likely contain mainly countries in the east. Not only are they easier on the wallet but also the people seems much more available. By that I mean eastern Europeans seemed way more laid back, far easier to approach and speak with about a veritable gambit of topics. The next European adventure would likely contain Croatia, Hungary and Romania. Those would be my big three.

Those that have been following me know that I was fired from my job the Friday before we were to get on the plane. They had agreed to the time off, even had me work extra days to make up for it, then let me go due to “restructuring”, whatever that means. Essentially it was the only way my boss could legally get rid of me (him and I did not see eye to eye on the way he treated people and my drivers, which I brought up on numerous occasions, guess he didn’t like that). So rather than let it get me down, well, I just didn’t. Once we got back, reality kinda set in that I have a mortgage to pay, bills, responsibilities. Even so, I kinda just said screw it the other day and have decided to go to Thailand in two to four weeks. I figure I can still do it right now, without much of a consequence, so why not? Then when I get back the intense job hunt can begin.

So going forward, should Thailand become a reality, you will hear from me while I travel the Land of Smiles! I hope you can join me on that adventure as well.

As always, keep your eyes on the horizon!

It’s All Greek To Me

/ Terry Heck / 4 Comments

Sorry for the delayed posting of this. I’ve been back home for a few weeks now and have been dealing with a large amount of personal issues that have made it difficult to concentrate on other things.

We left Greece three days before they closed the banks this time around. I had no idea there were any further issues until we were already out and in Germany. While there however, you almost couldn’t tell there was massive debt, a high unemployment rate or that people were struggling. We spoke to a fair number of people that said the issues Greece had to face were no where near as bad as the media makes it out to be. Granted one person was a jeweler that likely was doing pretty well for himself regardless. Another was the artist that did my tattoo. He told me that the problems were essentially caused by people under twenty five to thirty years old. Basically, they want to complain about the situations but they don’t want to work. He said that there are jobs if people want them but the youth of Greece have a very large sense of entitlement and refuse work when it is presented.

We got to Frankfurt and heard about the bank closures, the limitation on ATM withdrawals as well as lack of ability to pay by credit card and how this affected travelers on holidays. I’m glad we had the time in Greece and just as happy we didn’t get stuck there due to the issues.

Despite all of the nay-saying people have been doing over the course of this whole problematic relationship between Greece and the European bank the people of Greece were awesome, friendly, accommodating and all around pleasant to meet and speak with about anything from the issues themselves to just small talk (they do it well). The Grecian people we spoke with seem to be taking be everything in stride. It’s a mantra I can relate to given the issues I’m dealing with right now myself.

Most of our time was spent in Athens proper. Our hotel (Hotel Attalos) was small but nice and the hotel staff was great. The shining jewel of this establishment was that the roof top bar they have gave a direct view of the Acropolis on the hillside. Speaking of which, guess where we went? That’s right, the Acropolis. The attraction was busy but I didn’t feel crowded like it was in Rome. Once again, however, the other attractions that were associated with the ticket price seemed to have been overlooked by the general public. There were a total of ten or so attractions you could see and most of them had just a handful of people partaking. It reminds me of the people that go to the Louvre only to see the Mona Lisa, which is a shame and does not make a lot of sense to me. There is so much more to see and do outside of the “top” attractions in each city you visit.

We did end up taking a single day island trip to Hydra. This place was a gem, so let me tell you about it. You see, there are only two motorized vehicles on the island. One is the Ford F150 with a small water tank on the back that serves as their fire truck and the other is the garbage truck. Other than that there are boats but nothing else on land. The silence was astounding. You can hear yourself think there, which was quite refreshing.

Hyrda is filled, and I do mean filled, with roaming cats. No one owns them and everyone owns them all at once. The town as a whole takes responsibility for these animals. They are allowed in all the shops that line the coast. It was pretty nice to see something like that. Unfortunately I did not get to my camera in time to take a photograph of a man, bags in hand, calling out to the cats and the cats running to him from every direction. Out of houses, shops, alleys, bushes or whatever else they were in/on/around. Seeing a dozen cats all running at him from different directions then following him home was pretty great although for a moment I had horror movie speculations about what would happen to him as they were lunging at the bags he was carrying to get at the food.

Our seven hours in Hydra were over after a small meal at one of the many restaurants then we were back on the hydrofoil jetting back to Athens.

We only had three days or so in Greece but I would like to go back. Perhaps more island hopping or staying the entire time on Crete (which is ultra cheap by the way). I don’t know if it was because the end of the trip was fast approaching or if it was just because Greece is well, Greece, but I really liked the country as a whole. Laid back, fun, inexpensive, impressive and friendly among other things would be words to describe the form and function of Greece and how I felt while there. There are other places I need to see in my life, but Greece is on the short list of spots to revisit.

I’ll be writing about Germany next, our last stop in Europe, which had an intensely personal meaning for me to go there. It will be a very emotional post for me and likely the longest one I will write. I should have it out within the next five days or so. Bear with me, will ya? Thanks, I appreciate it.

Until next time, keep your eyes on the horizon.

Spain and Relaxation

/ Terry Heck / 3 Comments

We touched down in Malaga, Spain and immediately I felt the difference in climate from Ireland, which was expected but still pleasant. Our cab driver pointed out landmarks and points of interest on the way to the hotel and explained how to get around on the transit system. He was very helpful. The language barrier is a little difficult to circumvent here however you can pretty much get by with a mixture of strange gestures, body language, pointing and rudimentary Spanish. I expected Malaga to be sort of a relaxing portion of my journey. It did not disappoint.

Out hotel was in a local neighborhood, outside of the city center, so when we woke up we decided to explore our immediate surroundings. Immediate surroundings ended up being walking around for 2 hours aimlessly in order to locate various things, see sights and get the lay of the land. We stopped in at a small eatery for a beer and a small reprieve from the Spanish sun. Business hours are odd in Spain, like really odd. People close up shop from noon or one o’clock until four or five in the evening daily. Lunch doesn’t take place until later afternoon and it seems as though people don’t eat dinner until after eight at night. This is ultimately very strange for someone who comes from a much different way of timing their days. So when we stopped at this small restaurant I ordered two beers, one for me and one for mum. I went back for a second one for me and I guess they closed during this time, or at least weren’t serving but were still letting people use the patio. I was ridiculed in Spanish after pointing at a beer and asking for one. She was pointing at me while talking to her family that worked there, they started laughing and then she gave me shit. Regardless, I got my beer, she got her money and everyone left happy and satisfied. Oh! Did I mention beers were only 1.50 euros here? Mental!

We decided to walk a few more blocks and came upon a small open set of doors, the smells coming from it were awesome. Apparently we found a place that sells fresh made sandwiches, whole rotisserie chickens, liquor, beer and random premade tapas. The bill for 2 sandwiches a beer and a water came to 7 euros. Once again, mental! This is such a change from Ireland and Sweden. The cheapness of Malaga got me super excited. What other deals could we find?

After eating half of our giant sandwiches we hopped on the local bus to go to city center, which also happens to be a touristy walking/shopping/eating plaza the equivalent of about six or so city blocks, squared. The main city of Malaga hosts three hundred thousand permanent residents, and within this space are over 1300 restaurants. Beers in this area are double that of an outside neighborhood, boo I say!

We went to a huge Spanish Catholic cathedral, it was amazingly decorated and the architecture was phenomenal. After that we took a horse drawn carriage tour from city center to the port area and back, all the while being told about what we were seeing, in Spanish of course. I managed to get the names of most things but not much else. Thus concluded day one.

Today we were supposed to go to Morocco, this did not happen. After doing a little more research we decided against it. The day tours you can take are mostly filled with being hounded by merchants that have deals with the tour operators. As per reviews these same merchants are at each location you stop at, I personally did not want to deal with the bullshit and waste my time and money. I’ll get to Morocco one day, but on my own terms and likely farther inland than Tangier. Instead of Morocco we opted for continuing with Spain as a relaxing, laid back, slow walk kind of visit. We visited both a Moorish castle from the twelfth century and a Spanish castle from around the same time. The Moorish castle was magnificent, filled with old relics, original building layouts and many many viewpoints that overlooked Malaga. The Spanish castle was a trip and a half to get to. We walked up thirty five degree inclines for about a kilometer to get to the entrance. This is the highest point you can get to within city limits. The castle itself was pretty bare, which was disappointing, however the views from the top were amazing. This kind of killed the relaxing part but it was good to do non the less.

I’ve noticed the longer you spend here the easier it is to adapt to Spanish time. I think tomorrow I’ll sleep until noon then have a further lazy day to end off Spain.

After that we are flying to Paris which will be another whirlwind of a stop, jam packed with a ton of things we both want to see and do. I’m glad Spain was more of a gentle rest of a destination as it let us recharge our batteries for the upcoming craziness that is Paris.

Until next time, keep your eyes on the horizon!

Life Is What You Make It….Or Upcoming Changes To Myself

/ Terry Heck / Leave a comment

I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching lately and I have come to a conclusion. I need to make some changes, for myself, and for those around me. Hopefully I don’t come across as a bad person but I am going to share with you, my friends, relatives, random readers, the thoughts I have as of late, and what I intend to do to change myself for the better.

Now I realize that this is a travel blog, but I think that some or all of these things will help me in some way while travelling and it may also give some insight into the person I was, the person I am and the person I want to be.

Stop Gambling: First and foremost, I have been known to gamble, high stakes, high rewards type of stuff. I’ve never committed a crime to further my gambling, nor have I lied about my gambling to those that I deem close or those that I love. I am, however, noticing a pattern developing. I have stopped caring when I lose, and I get the same sick to my stomach feeling when I am not playing. It’s the same feeling I got when I was on meth, back in the early 2000’s, and didn’t have any or couldn’t find anything to keep me high, the jones, as it were. I feel the addiction coming on and it needs to stop. Now. I have cancelled my online casino accounts and have closed all sources of credit available to me in an effort to curb this habit before it truly takes a grip on my life and before I get to a point of no return. My family and friends know what I went through with drugs and I know what I put them through. Not something I want to do to them, or myself, again. So as of today, I am no longer going to gamble.

Hobbies: I have given myself a goal of finding new hobbies to fill the time when I would normally gamble (initially started when I was bored, it has developed into more than that now). I need to fill the gaps. I realize blogging, travel, and half the other things on here could be classified as hobbies however I’m thinking of something a little more active like learning to fight with a sword or learning a martial art. I don’t know exactly what it will be quite yet but I have given myself until July 31st of this year to find it.

Travel More:  Pretty self explanatory. I just want to do it. All. The. Time.

Quit Smoking: When I get back from Europe I have decided to quit smoking. (attempt # 1 million by now, I’m sure). I’ll get there eventually. Never quit quitting, as they say.

Be A Better Person: I want to try and be a better person. I don’t consider myself evil or anything like that, it’s just that I could be doing more to help people or to make a difference in the lives of those around me. I think once we return I may start volunteering somewhere, a soup kitchen or a food bank maybe. I don’t know how much this will really help others, but I’d like to think it would, at least somewhat.

Work Harder: I want to work harder, both in my professional life, and my relationship with Lisa. Work will always be work, unless you are doing something you really love. That’s partly why I started this blog. Maybe one day I can make a career out of travel but if not I’ll still having fun trying. I’ve pledged to myself to be more active in my passion for making a life out of travel. Work harder towards that goal, and realize the dream. As for my relationship, it can feel as though, sometimes, it takes a back seat to the other things in both of our lives. I think some things need to change in both of our minds to come together as more of a unit. This will take time, patience and understanding, from both of us. No relationship is perfect but you should at least try and get as close as you can.

Get Married: The date for the wedding is November 16th 2016. If all goes well this date will stick and Lisa and I will be married. I look forward to spending a life together with her, through the good and the bad times, working through whatever gets thrown our way.

Blog at Least Once Per Week: This one will be pretty easy I think. I like to write and I like spilling my guts about anything I think people may want to read. Basically, I can write forever and not get tired of it. Did I mention I like to write? Also to tie in with this I have purchased a fancy leather bound journal for more personal thoughts. Don’t worry, most of my thoughts aren’t really personal, I have no filter, you’ll hear about all of it at some point I’m sure.

Learn a Language: Whether that be HTML/HTML5 (links in to the above about working harder) or a verbal language, it doesn’t really matter to me. I may even try to do both. If so, I have given myself 2 months to learn, at least the basics of HTML. The spoken language I will likely attempt to learn will be German. I have given myself a year to accomplish this.

So far this is the short list of the goals I have. Some are new goals, others are old ones that need to become current ones again. I think, if I play my cards right and accomplish what I’ve set out to do, I will be happier, healthier and more focused on the things I want and need in my life.

Next post will be more travel related, I promise. I just wanted to get some things off my chest. I think blogging about them will help, because I can always go back and read this to remind myself of my aspirations for a better me and a better life.

Until next time, keep your eyes on the horizon and never stop dreaming.