adventurous-nomad-blog

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#camping , The best companion to go on adventures with! 🍂 / 📸 Loki the Wolfdog / via UNILAD Adventure 

/  👉 👉 👉   theadventurouslife4us.tumblr.com

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Beijing China’s Winter...Tips, food & more.. ...next thing I know. BAM! I was China bound.

This was one of the single most mind-blowing experiences I think I’ve had in my adult life. I felt myself opening up to and experiencing new things. My cousin had to work on my first day, so I decided to take to the streets of the big city on my own. I had an ambitions plan to see a lot of things. I pretty much walked 7km around the south portion of 2nd Ring road area and saw only a 2 parks. The city is huge! You have to accept you cannot see everything. Impossible. So my first tip is to just accept that fact when visiting Beijing, or likely any other major Chinese city for that matter..

November is a cold time of year to visit Beijing, and I should have worn more clothing. Pack warm, like fringed winter snowy below freezing- warm weather gear..

Currency: You can get cash out when you arrive in china. First thing to do is check the ATM - I used a Chinese Bank, switch the screen to english - and then took out a lump sum of money. Try to take our as much as you think you will use. You will be charged per transaction fee - so try to keep them to a minimum. Once you have cash in hand, note that your Y100 is worth $14. So your money will go a lot further than in the US. Don’t spend it all in one place!

Day Trip Packing; Its easy to get sick in the cold, make sure you stay warm and DRY! If you sweat like I do, you will find yourself hurting by the end of the day. Bring a change of clothes for when you feel you need to change out of sweaty under layers.

Must Haves: Chapstick, Moisturizer, Leg Warmers, Hand Heaters, Mittens, Warm Hat or scarf, Cash, WeChat, phone warmer, China Mobile SimCard, On some days: > Pollution Mask (Purchase at any 7-11 in China) The vent makes it a little easier to breathe, but the recommendation is to have one without the vent. Short term trips, you should be okay. >Phone warmer sleeve. My phone shut off because of the cold temperatures. Calmly walk into any local store and wait for it to warm up - then can use it again.

They don’t have Uber, they use an app called DD. If you are calling a Cab on the road, old school is sometimes better. Just put your hand out and call a cab. You will need to have the Chinese characters of where you are trying to go, you will not find a lot of english speaking cab drivers.

On the flight, coming or going, to or there, near or far... Well you get it. Whenever boarding a long flight, bring disinfectant wipes. Wipe down the entire plane area you will be inhabiting for the next 12-13 hours. Also, Airbourne is a must have on the flight, as well as a moisturizing facial spray or fact mask.

Must eats: Hotpot (quail eggs, lotus root, beef or other meat cook in front of you) Soup place, Dragon Fruit, Eggplant, and Beijing Duck. There were all stand outs.

Great Wall of China is a must see, I really enjoyed my visit to Mu Tian Yu, and recommend this section of the wall. Its been mostly re constructed and is safe. I enjoyed the hike and views. 

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Oakland AirBnB Urban Farm-tropolis... 2015

I really only have a few things to say about Oakland, CA. Dont Go there. Just dont. Okay thats a little harsh... but be aware of where your Airbnb may or may not be located.  So... Few things I’d love to share about Oakland. I lived here briefly when I arrived in California. 

The Good

The People, the other souls trapped in this same city are at the heart of it, a compassionate people. 

The Travelers, the transient ones...

Rent in the Bay Area is much lower than the other side. 

“Gentrification” a new word I learned when I got here.

The Bad

Its a confusing city. Safe areas and unsafe areas kind of just merge into one-another.

“Gentrification” Yes, that word again, if you haven’t yet - look it up. 

The city does little to keep it together.

...and The Ugly

Candlelight vigils on every other block.. 

Drug deals outside your window at 3am. 

Turf wars on your block every other week. 

Gun Violence has a nickname “Fireworks”. 

I actually enjoyed some of Oakland. So, If you see my picture is a mesh of, wtf. Lets talk about that. I stayed in a poorly advertised Airbnb. Freckles and I made some friends in our roommates. Corey was one of his favorites, and Madeline was certainly a close second. They lived in the house along with many other friends we made. Aisha even had a dog friend for freckles to play with. These 2 girls were extremely interesting people. Corey was this WWOOFer farmer nomad apprentice, and Madeline was in the process of moving and life changes who had a strong love of dogs. Also, this Airbnb doubled as an urban farm, and apprentice area for wwoofers... Freckles also almost ate a live chicken as a result of this, yes you heard me right. He snuck out the back door in Downtown East Oakland when we were not looking. He was trying to play with the hen, who did not find his pinning of her, very playful. We were sure she was a goner! But alas, she lives to this day. As far as we know. Anyway... It was super funny. I pictured the coop for you to see where it was located. 

A few days in, Freckles was doing his thing, in the yard. You know... His thing! lol... And these police officers arrived, heavily armed, and kind of just looked at me. I was oddly placed. This beautiful house, with orange trees in the yard and red mulch and a white picket fence, surrounded by 5 condemned homes, and one in bad shape. I kind of looked at him sideways as well, and asked, 

should we go inside?

His answer was; “yes, that would be a good idea” 

We very quickly ended that potty trip and just observed from the windows. 

There was plenty of activity like this for the next 2 weeks, until I was ready to find my forever home on the other side of the bay, closer to work. Although our time in Oak Town was short, we learned alot about Oakland and its spirit. It has some great brewerys, and winerys a wonderful downtown area, and it is starting to be a bustling little area, just dont venture too far from the city center. Just dont. Its not safe. 

I recommend : Urban Legend Winery  https://www.ulcellars.com/ Lindon Street Brewery http://www.lindenstreetbrewing.com/  Oakland Zoo http://www.visitoakland.org/oakland-zoo‎/

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Always on my mind. 🌍

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Never apologize for taking the world by storm. You are, and aways will be, one amazing fucking storm.

3/30 june studyblr challenge

quote of the week

“Remember this, girl, you are half sea. No one ever asks the ocean to quiet her storm, so why do you keep apologizing for yours?”

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Lower Antelope Canyon, Navajo Nation, AZ. #RoadtripFLtoCA After stopping at the Grand Canyon, I noticed that Antelope Canyon was only an hour out of the way. I decided that on a 6 day long journey, I could take 1 hour out to see something incredible. It was by far the best decision I made on this trip. If you are EVER in Arizona. Make it happen. You will not regret it. There are 2 Canyons. Upper, and Lower Antelope Canyon. Upper is more A Shaped Canyon where Lower is more of a V shaped canyon. I did the Lower Canyon - and needed to get on the road again. I pulled up to the reservation toll station- and quickly realized it was a cash only establishment- Just to get admittance to park on the reservation.  I took another 45 minute hike out and back to the nearest ATM. Make sure to have cash with you for this one people! After all this, I show up at Kens Tours http://lowerantelope.com/ (there are a few over there. I cannot leave my dog Freckles in the blistering summer heat of the Arizona Desert. So, I bring him to the front office and I was told that I couldn’t bring him with me on the Tour. At first I was disappointed, but after seeing the wild series of ladders and hiking required, a dog cannot make it up and down the ladders with you. Leave your pups at home!  I explained my situation to the woman at the counter, one-way cross country trip, and she paged over the talkie to some fellow team members who showed up and spoke in the Navajo language. Two of the male tour guides walked me out to an area with a shade tent, and told me that they would take turns watching Freckles for my hour long tour. These were several tour guides on rotation. Freckles wanted to play with them, and he was already having a blast rolling around in the Red Sand making friends. I felt comfortable with this situation. Shortly I departed for my tour - My guide seemed to notice that all of his jokes were falling short, come to find out only me and another mother-daughter combo from South Africa were the only english speakers.  I ended up walking along side him and learning and enjoying his company. This Navajo was on a spiritual mission. He had been working at the Coal power plant most of his young adult life. He took this mission for 3 months to learn and overcome his fear of meeting and conversing with others. He said this was one of his last tours before returning to the power plant. It was amazing to hear about his weekly trips to the local Shaman, and their cultural traditions as we walked. He radio’ed regularly to the guys up top, as if he were just as worried about Freckles as I would be. I enjoyed getting updates on his status.  After returning to the surface, I was greeted by a very dirty dog, and some smiling tour guides on breaks. I sat with them and we talked. We joked about the Arizona tea they all had, and just enjoyed how much Freckles enjoyed getting as dirty as possible. He loved to dig in the deserts smooth sands. At this point on my drive, human contact was much needed. It was so amazing to be apart of their world for a few hours of rest. Although brief, I will never forget the kindness that the Navajo Tribe showed to me and my dog as we traveled across the country. <3 

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As I blasted the U2 song, California.. I crossed the border. The last border. I reached my destination. (almost)... California is as long as the entire eastern coast I once called home. When I would live in Maryland and eventually end up in Florida, the distance is nearly the same.  California. https://youtu.be/044da1YkNko 

Untitled na We Heart It.

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#Adventurer <3

One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure. #flower #lifequotes #quoteoftheday #floral #summer #life #adventure #positive #quote #countryside #countrystyle #typography #typographyinspired #type #design (at London, United Kingdom)

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When you get in your car, alone, on a one-way trip. There is something mesmerizing that happens. You realize its just you, and your restless mind. It begins to consume you, the curiosity of the world around you that you’ve never seen, and didn’t know existed arising from seemingly nothing but the open road. It begins a transforming within yourself, and you recognize this transformation and want to seize it, own it, and save some for later. You begin to author yourself, your being, scramble yourself, and upgrade yourself.  You want to know the world more intently.

When you take a moment to look behind you, and you realize you’ve transformed. The wanderer who started this journey 6 days ago, is not the transient soul you are today. You’re mindless wandering became something more….

You’re an adventurer now. Adventurer adˈven(t)SHər,ədˈven(t)SHər/ 1. verb/ engage in hazardous and exciting activity, especially the exploration of unknown territory. 2.noun/an unusual and exciting, typically hazardous, experience or activity.

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Alex and Freckles see the Grand Canyon, 2015 ✓Camping the 15th oldest national park, located in Northwestern Arizona. 

When I embarked on my cross-country road-trip, I knew that this was going to be on my list! I arrived at Flagstaff at around sunset. The darkness taking hold as I arrived at the KAO Camp ground I would be staying at, that night. This was a 10 hour drive from Amarillo to the campground near flagstaff. 

We quickly set up shop, freckles first time camping. Needless to say at this point he was very concerned. He seemed to think at any turn I might leave him, so he made sure to stay in the car. Once he realized what I created, a shelter, he immediately went into the tent. He stood watch by the door while i continued to bring items from the car into the tent. A few times he went back to my right-seat roadie location, ensuring he wouldn’t be missed in the shuffle. 

When he finally settled, It felt good, knowing that he and I had build a level of trust in these moments. We built a trust that I would, indeed always have his back. He would always have mine. the temperature unexpectedly dropped in the night. By unexpectedly, I meant that I did not realize the altitude we gained, and felt kind of silly with only a blanket. Freckles kept me warm in the cold early hours of the morning by snuggling in the blanket with me. 

Good Morning.

We woke a little after sunrise. I poked my head out of the tent the sun was beaming through the trees and it was really beautiful. Everything was covered in dew. After alarmingly realizing I need to use the little girls room, and drinking a gallon of water before bed was a bad idea. We backed up the car - and headed for the campground showers. I was impressed with the KOA facilities. It was simple, easy check in(after hours), clean, and had a cute coffee shop and gift shop to check out. I learned 2 things before I left. Jack-a-lope is not a real animal, and Snakes are a thing... 

Now were in the park, we stop here, and there - not really sure how big the park is. It felt like we were driving forever. We found the Grand View Point, where we got out for a walk. I was in flip flops, and did NOT plan this well. My sneakers were wet, and I didn’t have another pair. So I see its just a vista point, but people are walking down a trail to the right. We decided to follow. This was not smart (in flip flops) after nearly destroying my poor feet, we descended about 120 ft into the canyon before we dare not go further. Freckles on a leash, I struggled to keep his excitement under control. We got to the bottom where we ran into a german family ( who we seemed to keep running into at the different viewing points)  I stopped to take a photo of them, and proceeded out the way we came. Well, we got to the car, and realized that I dropped my keys somewhere. In classic Alex fashion, I am my mothers daughter. I decend back down the canyon. 

Take-Aways:

When I gave up hope, and knew I was completely and utterly screwed because I didn’t see my keys anywhere on the trail. I put my hand on the side of the canyon wall. Where I look at my hand and see my keys. I dried my tears, looked up at a beautiful clear blue sky and just thanked whoever was there, helping me. 

This was the part of the trip I began to feel delirious, exhausted. The Canyon morning wore me out, ups and downs. But I learned that keeping positive energy is the only way to be. There is nothing I can do to change the situation right now, but in the future I will be wiser, as a result of this adventure. (now i secure my keys safely in a bag/purse/backpack)

But yes, once I lost my keys in grand canyon, but twice... I hiked the grand canyon in my flip flops. This felt like an accomplishment. 

After water for the incredible mighty dog that hiked the canyon with me- we made our way to the Antelope Canyons of Page, Navajo Nation, USA.

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“The mountains are calling and I must go.”

John Muir

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Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo Texas. The Journey: When deciding where we would stop on our way across the country, It was difficult we knew Texas was going to be a whole lot of nothing, so we wanted to try to see at least one cool thing. The night I arrived in Amarillo, was a late one. I had started my morning in Louisiana and headed for Houston. I stopped to see my uncle Leon, and also realized that NASA was in located there. I felt really silly for not knowing that. ‘Houston, we have a problem’.. anyway… then we b-lined for Dallas. This was an awesome opportunity to see My baby cousin, Pres, Uncle Tony and Aunt Wendy. If it weren’t for them I might have struggled finding a camp ground in  Lousiana the night before. It was so wonderful to see them! We hit some major traffic in Dallas, on our way to their Frisco home - but got to have dinner, and get freckles out of the car to stretch his legs in their back yard. With a saddened heart, that I would not see this part of my family again for sometime, we said our goodbyes and I continued on to Amarillo (where I would get the chance to see my other cousin Whitney, attending a Pharmacy school). Before laying my head to rest that night in our motel off of route I-40 - (historic route 66)  - we looked up some local sights. In the morning, I found my cousin, yay! We let our dogs, Freckles & Jake, play at her apartment complex after breakfast and headed for Route 66. Although exhausted, from having covered almost the entire state of texas in a day - we were back on the road, first stop? Cadillac Ranch. What is Cadillac Ranch?

Cadillac Ranch is not a ranch but a public art installation and sculpture in Amarillo, Texas, USA. It was created in 1974 by Chip Lord, Hudson Marquez and Doug Michels, who were a part of the art group Ant Farm. - wiki

Take-Aways:

I did not expect this destination to mean anything to me. I thought it would be a short, sweet, selfie-stick, back on the road, kind-of-moment.

Well, I was wrong. When I set off from my Florida home, in hopes of making it to California, I had a lot of my life I was leaving behind. Wildly excellent friendships, a semi-steady job, my loving family, failed relationships. Everything I ever knew. Approaching the Cadillacs, towering out of the ground at a slight angle, It was when I was about half way to the art installation, a woman handed me 2 cans of yellow spray paint. I was not sure why she was giving this to me, do I look like a vandal? Turns out, this is where you leave your mark on the world. (or atleast one of those places its socially acceptable. This is where your able to leave everything, and nothing, all at the same time. Still, avoiding wet puddles of thick west Texas mudd, we continued onward, on what felt like a bit of a walk, having completed ~20+ hours of driving. We arrive to the line of Cadillacs, and see all of the years and years of paint layered onto these seemingly simple cars. When you look closer, its the story of a million lives. Its a name, or a symbol, or a work of graffiti art. I walk around the back side of this art, and watch children from afar lose their shoes in the mud, kicking spray cans littering the dry cracked ground, and parents having a seemingly beautiful moment.

I haven’t yet grasped what I am observing. I think to myself, what am I going to leave here? Of course, I haven’t yet discovered my dog knee high in thick mud, smiling, sun on his face, knowing he will have to get back in my car. I walk to him, yank him out of the mudd and simply write my name. A-L-E-X. I stand proud of my small little accomplishment, and I smile. Then I find another car, and I leave a paw print, with a -F on it. (now freckles is official too) Then I had another moment, and I found another car, and left the mark of the Volleyball Club that gave me so much in the little town I left behind, knowing how much I would miss my girls, my team, my coaches, and my friends. I find a Tire, and I write FL-CA signifying this epic journey I was on. From No-where, going no-where I thought to myself.

I found myself being pulled deeper into the other works of art around me. I take a minute (away from the mud)  to meditate, or just think, or not think, not sure what I was doing to be honest. With a big smile on my face,  I find myself leaving my mark on nearly every car. each with a small piece of me on it.

I find a couple of girls from a University in Sante Fe who are without spray cans - and I simply ask if they want mine. They say, yes - please, and asked if I want to take a photo of freckles and I (She saw me struggling to fit us both in a selfie). We talked briefly, and went on our ways.

That was that, and we hit Route 66 - Next top is Albuquerque.

#CadillacRanch #Cadillac #Ranch #Texas #Amarillo #TX #Travel #Roadtrip #destinations #TravelBlog #blogging #visit #driving #roadsters #roadies #roadlife #roadlyfe #lifeofadreamer #growingup #adulting #WildWest #freedom #destinationwest #midwest #west #wandering #wanderer