
Travel Journal: thoughts and memories from quiet places…
I love running away, escaping to the places where I really belong. Quiet places. I am a quiet person… So for me being alone in front of the world’s greatest vistas is like being bathed in my own truth.
There is something about a little space in the middle of endless wilderness, a little space with walls made of wood, with a fire cracking in the fireplace, with an old-fashion kettle whistling on the stove, with crisp air and snowflakes beyond the window with a view off snowy peaks and horses, simple food, warm socks, and just you know... life.
Western Australia is truly indescribable because I've never yet experienced anything quite like it. I can only assume it's is like flying into the cosmos where emptiness isn't the state of containing nothing, but rather the state of containing everything, a pure beauty you don't quite understand yet. It's a mystery.
The Cat Island is very wild and somewhat sparsely settled (pop. 1500 +/-), so not for everyone. You really need to love and respect the slow, non-western lifestyle to be able to make friends with the island and its locals.
The glacier is immense, and it seems as though it's floating on the water, it's moving, and from time to time huge pieces of ice are falling into the water creating a sound similar to an exploding bomb.
I knew I already in love with Cerro Guido. What a place. And here it was, Torres Del Paine serving as backdrop to this spectacular ranch! It was amazing to see my favorite mountains while being in the middle of chaparral.
I will be forever gone with the wind of the mountains of Torres Del Paine. Forever. I am still in a trance. California seems so small now, so cramped (and I love California). But... Now I know, life is definitely somewhere above the mountains, where it breathes and cries, caught up in the beautiful violence of the weather.
When I landed at the end of the world (literally) or, to be more precise, in the southernmost city in the world, Ushuaia, I immediately felt like my soul was being pulled out of my body. Fresh icy wind filled my veins. I was captivated by the snowy mountains on the close horizon.
Welcome to Lord Howe Island, the most dramatic and chill island I have ever visited in my life. I really want to show you this piece of paradise but at the same time I am jealous about even showing it to you. The good thing is no matter how many people learn about this island, it will never get crowded. Yep, never! Lord Howe Island is still a relatively well kept secret and they allow only 400 tourists at a time.
On our first morning I found myself on a front porch and I immediately knew this was the place I needed to be. The view was gorgeous and beyond what I had hopefully imagined. With a cup of tea in my hands, I was enjoying our first morning surrounded only by the natural sounds of a gentle breeze rustling in the palm-trees, of exotic birds, of the ocean's breath, of the splash of jumping silverfishes in a little pond which separated our cottage from a long desolate beach.
We had only one day at Grand Canyon, but it was enough to fell in love with the endless beauty of the world's edge. It was cloudy and rainy, but the true beauty of the canyon still shined. It felt good to be out there with my love of my life, holding hands, in silence, even though there were so many of other people around with cameras and loud voices. But I was blind and deaf to the real world. I was out there, seeing the beauty and listening to the wind.
Sometimes there is nothing easier than to open a map, close your eyes and rub your finger... This was a beginning of planning our first Caribbean trip. At first it didn't seem possible. Despite the fact that the country of Belize is a relatively poor country, the costs of travel and accommodation are sometimes not cheap. But, we did it. We were lucky!
